brucew@bruceair.com
Seattle, WA
Every seat's a window seat on BruceAir
brucew@bruceair.com
Seattle, WA
Every seat's a window seat on BruceAir
If you're a fan of—or just wondering about—Microsoft Flight Simulator, check out the information here to help you get more out of virtual flying.
If you have a copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator as a Training Aid, you can now earn WINGS credit from the FAA by completing a short quiz. You can register for the free online course (really just the quiz) at FAASafety.gov. To learn more about the WINGS program, visit the same site.
The cuts announced at Microsoft January 22, 2009 include closing the ACES studio, the group that produced Flight Simulator and related products. It's the end, at least at Microsoft, of development for the venerable FS franchise (and probably the associated Microsoft ESP, the new commercial simulation platform based on FS), one of the longest-running titles in the history of the PC.
If you are curious about using Microsoft Flight Simulator as a training aid, see Flight Simulator in Aviation Training. You can learn more about my book, Microsoft® Flight Simulator as a Training Aid: A Guide for Pilots, Instructors, and Virtual Aviators (ISBN 978-1-56027-670-8), on its home page here at BruceAir.
The official Microsoft Flight Simulator Web site (www.FSInsider.com) provides the latest details about the product, including links to team blogs and articles about specific topics, such as:
Information for Real-World Pilots
The Learning Center is the Web-like guide to Flight Simulator installed when you set up Flight Simulator on your computer.
It contains hundreds of pages of information, videos, pictures, illustrations, and links that explain the features in Flight Simulator and many important details about real-world aviation.
The Flight Simulator team publishes excerpts from the Learning Center on the FSInsider Web site. Perennial favorites include:
The companion CD that comes with Microsoft® Flight Simulator as a Training Aid: A Guide for Pilots, Instructors, and Virtual Aviators includes many resources to make "flying" Flight Simulator easier and more enjoyable. Even if you don't have the book, you can download the following items here:
If you're a virtual aviator who wants more information about real-world flying that will make flying Flight Simulator more enjoyable (and challenging), check out my Aviation Resources page, where you can find links to many excellent publications, including pilot training handbooks, available for free download.
To learn more about how Microsoft Flight Simulator is used in aviation training, see Flight Simulator in Aviation Training here at BruceAir.
You can also find many excellent free online courses and publications on the Web site of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.
AOPA also offers excellent information on its special page for Flight Simulator aviators.
Many people ask me about joysticks, control yokes, and other accessories for Flight Simulator. My answer is always to explore the offerings at a computer store (e.g., BestBuy, Fry's, or Wal-Mart) and then decide which device or combination of controls best suits your preferences and budget.
You can find a detailed discussion of flight controls for PCs in Microsoft® Flight Simulator as a Training Aid.
Sites such as Amazon.com also provide good lists of the latest accessories for Flight Simulator.
Pilot-supply stores (including ASA, King Schools, and Sporty’s) often offer several types of controllers for PC-based simulations.
To read my reviews of gear for Flight Simulator, including flight yokes and joysticks, see my Product Reviews page.
Saitek recently introduced the Aviator, a joystick with dual throttles, the more military-oriented X52 Flight Control System, and the Pro Flight Yoke System, Throttle Quadrant and Rudder Pedals.
You can read my reviews of the Aviator and Pro Flight Yoke System here at BruceAir.
CH Products makes a popular line of flight yokes, rudder pedals, and other flight controllers. Click the following links to download the latest version of the CH Products controller software and to find more information about configuring CH Products devices.
My review of the new CH Products Eclipse Yoke is here.
Logitech is another leading manufacturer of joysticks and similar accessories.
Thrustmaster also produces a range of joysticks and throttles.
Two-monitor setup in Flight Simulator (learn more here—.pdf)
Those who want to create elaborate (and expensive) virtual cockpits should visit such sources as Precision Flight Controls, GoFlight, Flight Sim Pilot Shop, and popular Web sites devoted to Flight Simulator, such as the FlightSim Network, and Fly Away Simulation. The truly dedicated hobbyist should visit the Home Built Cockpits Web ring.
Popular Science recently published “The Fully Loaded Flight Sim,” an article and online slide show highlighting some of the gear you can buy to assemble the ultimate Flight Simulator “fort” in your basement. The story also describes how Australian hobbyist Matthew Sheil built a $230,000 “home cockpit” for Boeing 747 simulator.
To learn more about how Microsoft Flight Simulator is used in aviation training, see Flight Simulator in Aviation Training here at BruceAir.
InMotion Simulation maintains a list of manufacturers that produce cockpits, instruments, controls, and accessories for use with Microsoft Flight Simulator and other PC-based simulations. Some of the leading companies include:
Elite Simulation Solutions
Flight Simulator includes a worldwide Jeppesen NavData® database of airports (nearly 24,000), navigation aids, approaches, and other information. Although the data are about 18 months old by the time they're released in a new version of Flight Simulator, you can fly most approaches and routes using aviation charts available on the Web or from pilot-supply stores.
Virtual aviators in the U.S. may find the online charts available at Skyvector.com and RunwayFinder.com especially helpful as they plan flights and cruise the virtual skies. For detailed information about specific airports and navaids in the U.S., visit AirNav.com. You may also want to read the articles about paperless charts and sources of aviation information available online that I've written for the General Aviation News.
If you use the latest official aviation charts and information, you'll occasionally run across a closed or new runway, new , or changed frequency that isn't in the Flight Simulator database, but the majority of the thousands of data changes that are cataloged each day worldwide are either temporary or irrelevant when it comes to using Flight Simulator as a training aid.
For more information about this topic, see “The Flight Simulator Database and IFR Procedures” in Chapter 2 of Microsoft Flight Simulator as a Training Aid. I’ve included links to several sources of free online charts and related information on the Aviation Resources page at BruceAir.
In late 2007, the Flight Simulator team announced Microsoft ESP, a development platform for companies that want to create products that use the technology in Flight Simulator. Microsoft ESP is a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) platform designed for government and commercial organizations.
For more information about Microsoft ESP, visit the product Web site at Microsoft. The Resources page includes links to overviews, white papers, case studies, and other details.
Several companies that develop flight-planning software, moving maps, and other programs for real-world pilots have made their applications compatible with Flight Simulator. Here are a few examples:
The Voyager flight-planning system from Seattle Avionics can save flight plans in the .pln format that Flight Simulator uses. Voyager flight plans cover the U.S. Seattle Avionics also produces SmartPlates, which organizes and downloads IFR procedures for the U.S. produced by the FAA National Aeronautical Charting Office.If you plan to buy a PC but are confused by the bewildering array of choices, check out How to Buy a Desktop PC at PC World magazine. It's the best guide through the information, and it includes lots of practical advice to help you find the best system.
PC World also offers a similar guide, How to Buy a Laptop, that can help you compare all the options currently available.
If you’re curious about the best video cards to use with Flight Simulator, review the latest offerings from NVidia and ATI (now part of AMD). To learn more about video cards, see How to Buy a Graphics Board at PC World; it's an excellent guide through the thicket. PC World also offers a collection of How-To Videos on its Web site to help you install a new graphics card, upgrade system memory, etc.
To learn more about what type of system you need to run Flight Simulator, see the official system requirements and “Optimizing Visuals and Performance” on the FS Insider Web site.
Virtual aviators from around the world meet online at scores of Web sites and forums on the Web. Enthusiasts share information, add-on aircraft and scenery, and opinions about flying PC-based simulations.
You can also subscribe to several magazines devoted to Flight Simulator and its siblings. Here are links to help you get started.
To learn more about the history of Microsoft Flight Simulator (it’s one of the longest-running titles of any kind published for the PC), visit the Flight Simulator History Web site. You can also find information on the FS Insider site.
If you’re interested in official Microsoft Flight Simulator logo merchandise, check out the Microsoft Flight Simulator Store, where you can find shirts, jackets, hats, and mugs, and the like.
