Not the silence of failure—the twin CFM56 turbines of his Airbus A320 hummed with the steady, reassuring tenor of a healthy cruise. No, this was the silence of the cockpit crew. First Officer Lena Hartmann had stopped her pre-descent checklist chattering three minutes ago. Even the virtual co-pilot, a simulated voice pack from the Aerosoft software, had gone mute.
Silence returned. This time, it was relief.
“Localizer alive,” Lena reported.
“Lufthansa 1821, Innsbruck Approach. Expect the LOC/DME East transition. Runway 26. Descend to 8,000 feet, QNH 1013.” -FSX- Aerosoft - Approaching Innsbruck X v1.20
“It’s Innsbruck,” Markus replied. “It’s always insane.”
“Contact,” Lena said. “I have the field.”
The thud of the landing gear broke the alpine stillness. The aircraft slowed, and the mountains grew closer—too close. The Aerosoft add-on was known for its hyper-accurate scenery, and today, every crag, every snowfield, every tiny cable car station was rendered in painful detail. Markus could almost see the faces of hikers on the Nordkette chairlift staring up at him. Not the silence of failure—the twin CFM56 turbines
Then the main gear touched. A puff of smoke. A chirp from the tires.
The first thing Captain Markus Richter noticed was the silence.
“Lufthansa 1821, vacate via taxiway Tango. Welcome to Innsbruck. That was… artistic,” the tower said. Even the virtual co-pilot, a simulated voice pack
“Version 1.20,” Markus muttered, tapping the MCDU. “They’ve updated the terrain mesh. Higher resolution. More… pointy.”
“Innsbruck Approach, Lufthansa 1821, with you at FL180, inbound from Frankfurt,” Markus said, clicking the radio.
“Flaps 3,” Markus said calmly. “Speed 140.”
“Gear down,” Lena said. “Flaps 2.”