Flight Simulator Inquiry Provokes Police Investigation

According to various news reports, United States Air Force Reserves pilot Julie Olearcek received a visit from Massachussetts State Troopers after inquiring about flight simulator software for her child. Olearcek made the inquiry at a Staples office supply store, where a store employee became agitated, claiming "asking how to fly airplanes...was against the law." Olearcek went home empty handed, and a few hours later she received a visit from the law, who relented when she showed her military ID. According to the Shelburn Falls State Police, "Those programs are quite common for entertainment and training, but [we] felt it was suspicious enough to warrant a call." The Microsoft Flight Simulator series has sold over ten million copies world-wide.