Airplane Simulator Game

If you are a gamer who loves flight simulators, you will find that Flight Pro Sim truly is the best one on the market today. In fact, I would venture to say that it is really a deal compared to other flight simulators currently available. It is not only affordable, but it is also very realistic. One great benefit of this program is that it can be downloaded and played within just a few minutes of purchasing. Plus, you get free updates and even has upgrades for life.

We all know about the $100 to $200 simulators that are on the market, such as the popular Microsoft Flight Simulator. However, this Flight Pro Sim software only costs about half the price yet it has a lot better quality and customization. It is extremely easy to download and learn to play as well.

Let’s look at some of the features of this Flight Sim Pro software:

• Scenery: This simulator has more than 20,000 real airports from around the world in the scenery set. They even have runway markings, approach lighting and correct runway. The runway even has real sloping and elevation changes. It is like having the entire world available that you can fly around. The details in this simulator are truly amazing when you compare it to some of the other higher priced simulators available. There is even night scenery where you can look at ground lighting from highways and surrounding cities. You would even fly over your own home and other landmarks nearby!
• There is a large selection of planes which range from fighter jets to commercial airliners to helicopters to gliders. You can add on all sorts of accessories to make up over one hundred varieties of aircraft.
• There are realistic controls in this simulator which allows you to use only your keyboard or you can attach a joystick to make it feel like you have more control. The controls work more like real world instruments. The control of this simulator is so realistic which is one of the reasons I think it is the best one on the market.
• Multi-player using Google Maps: Flight Pro Sim is the only game that offers this unique feature. It utilizes Google Maps to show you where your other players are in the world.
• Flying experience: This game is so realistic that it offers you what feels like professional flying experience. Because it delivers the feeling of a real plane’s physics and actions, it will make professional players feel very at home. In fact, the cockpit view allows you to press and turn buttons so you can feel that you are in control of the airplane. It is also synchronized with true world time with the exact positioning of the sun, moon and stars in real time.

My assessment of this PC game software would be that it stands head and shoulders above the rest. It is good for a professional, but also an inexperienced player. You will learn how to take off, land, taxi and other pilot related skills. The cost of the software is a no-brainer when you compare it to other competing software.

Almost every aircraft enthusiast these days are definitely into flight simulators, to give them that experience of flying without having to take expensive classes or having to choose the skill of flying as a career path. Flight simulator games are definitely just as popular as first person shooter or strategy games and are available for both the PC and gaming consoles.

Yet if one has to choose a flight sim for its realism in terms of in-flight experience as well as the complex controls that are used to keep a plane on course to its destination, gamers will pick a PC Flight Simulator game over the simplified flight simulators that have been crafted for the gaming console (such as Xbox 360 and PlayStation) gamers.

Take for example, the longest running simulator for the PC (and recently for the Xbox) also known as Flight Simulator X (FSX) developed by Microsoft for the past twenty-seven years. It has been developed by the award-winning ACES Game Studio that was closed down early this year due to layoffs affecting Microsoft since the year 2007. However, what was later revealed was that future versions (if there are any) will be either released as an online version or through Microsoft’s console Xbox 360.

Yet this hasn’t taken anything away from the reputation that precedes either the longest running game or the award-winning gaming studio that have invested their time and energy since the year 1982. And if you look a little closer, you’ll see why.

Firstly, it is the first of all the Flight Simulator versions to be released on DVD-ROM due to space constraints. And that should clue you in to the higher resolution, the large number of missions, several new aircraft added (with the omission of older aircraft as in its previous version) along with other features that allow two players to occupy the simpit and quite separately.

It also allows players to simulate local control with the Tower Controller feature apart from a host of other sound, graphics and utility features that make this game twice as pleasurable compared to other games in the same genre.

The controls used for this version of the flight simulator are the mouse and keyboard while the yoke, TrackIR, joystick and the camera software, FreeTrack, are also available to make the game as realistic as possible.

On the other hand, when it comes to console-based Flight sims, games like the Ace Combat Series and Sky Odyssey although well-known aren’t able to replicate the detail and features (thanks to system limitations!!!) that is available to players on a PC Flight Simulator Game, and so most of the Flight Simulator gaming community dispute whether consoles truly are able to simulate the flying experience in full flight as opposed to PC versions.

The Boeing 747 (aka the Jumbo Jet) is one of the most recognized jet airliners in the world, with its wide-body structure, since it was first flown commercially in 1970.  Being the first of its kind, the Boeing 747, still holds the record of transporting the most number of passengers till date.

Now for those who are in the business of flying planes [Read: Pilots], it’s obvious that one learns how to fly one of these monstrous planes by going through intensive training, and most significantly the Boeing 747 Flight Simulator that, in all probability, is mandatory.

Flight training devices such as the Cockpit Procedures Trainers and Full Flight Simulators are replete with motion platforms that move in all six degrees of freedom while being controlled by state-of-the-art computer technology.

On the other hand, not only are there realistic simulators for pilots but thanks to the computer, even folks who have nothing to do with a career in flying can find simulators that give you that experience of flying a Jumbo Jet.

The Microsoft FSX (the latest installment of the longest running videogame) among several free open source simulators provide you with missions where you can fly one of these planes while creating accurate flight models, detailed panels and fully functioning inertial navigation systems.

Not only are these simulators designed to look like the real thing but every action taken by real-life pilots as well as the sights and sounds of the environment in which they’re flown in are duplicated, falling short of just full-size cockpit replicas mounted on hydraulic or electromagnetic actuators.

There are far more detailed versions complete with a proper cockpit, realistic controls and a variety of airports and scenery to fly the plane in that can stand up to the aforementioned simulators used for pilots. These homebuilt (yet state of the art) simulators are open for just about anyone to enjoy the ‘virtual flying experience’ for a simple fee requiring no prior flying experience.

So, if one feels the urge [read: fantasize] to set flight minus the disastrous consequence associated in being inexperienced pilots), all you really have to do is try the Boeing 747 simulator that are available and indulge in a little make-believe flying.

Ever since the concept of the jet engine came into being in the 1930s, air travel has been transformed whether in the commercial or the military sector. As with all things that are ahead of their time, the idea wasn’t received with much enthusiasm but one wonders where the aviation industry would have been without the contribution from the “father of the jet engine”, Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle , an officer of the British Royal Air Force.

Apart from just its use in the aviation industry, you will find the design of the jet engine used for rockets, cruise missile, space flight, high speed cars as well as amongst a variety of several industrial applications. Yet for most people, the words “jet engine” is synonymous with the aviation industry (its first area of application), so what is interesting is how a jet flight simulator can live up to its reputation.

Since almost every plane today employs jet engine technology in one way or another, most flight simulators especially ones like Flight Pro Sim and the record-breaking Microsoft FSX do contain missions that involve jet planes either in the civil or military format. A previous edition of Microsoft FSX created simulations of aircraft dating back to the beginning of the twentieth century, jet technology and all.

Now, whether it’s the Jumbo Jets like the Airbus or the Boeing or very light jets such as the Cessna, one will find them on the aforementioned simulation software with an accuracy that will if not stun you, at least make you sit up and pay attention. Some people who have tried the software consider it the ‘perfect virtual flying experience’ without even having to leave the house.

These simulators are classic examples of complex software that have such realistic descriptions of airports, the planes, the scenery while in flight resembling most popular locations in the world and most importantly, the cockpit and its controls, that users wonder if they’re actually flying these planes at all.

Not only do the controls look genuine but the when flying the plane, one gets weather reports while receiving reports from the control tower which are normal procedures that pilots are used to. Talk about realism!

If that’s not enough, gamers are allowed to build their own missions as well as buy add-ons of planes that are not part of the standard package, while also using contraptions such as the yoke, TrackIR and so on and so forth, other than just using their mouse and keyboard to navigate the plane’s course.

Keeping all this in mind, the bottom line really that not only has the jet engine become an integral part of machinery in the aviation business, the jet flight simulator is also a popular choice amongst many a simulation junkie.

In the world of business jets and general aviation aircraft, one can safely say that Cessna has made its mark regardless of the layoffs due to outsourcing measures or the state of the economy in these past few years. Cessna’s models are grouped into three segments, also known as the Citation, Caravan and the Single Engine families.

With its popularity on the rise in hallowed circles, several supporting ventures have also spawned over the years such as teaching and certifying people to fly their planes at one of their Cessna Pilot Centers. And this course is both for those who are interested to make a career out of flying or are enthusiasts, hobbyists and so on and so forth. And it would be safe to assume that if one wants to learn to fly a Cessna, you’d have to train with a Cessna Flight Simulator somewhere along the line.

Now for the others who would set of on flights of fantasy every other day, several flight simulator software based on specific Cessna models are available in the market today that could work as well as the authentic Cessna simulator deployed to train pilots.

Flight Pro Sim, FlightGear and Microsoft Flight Simulator X are some of the videogames that have Cessna aircraft as a part of the ‘virtual flying experience’ with a degree of realism that is noteworthy. Some of the models that you will find in these simulators are the Citation X, U-3A, 172P Skyhawk,  337 Skymaster, 525 Citation jet and the 340A.

However, in the case of other videogames, simulators for Cessna aircraft aren’t a part of the standard package, which means that you would have to buy it as an add-on to the package that you’ve already bought.

What makes these simulators amazing are the graphics and sounds complete with realistic airports and runaways, the real-life cockpit in Cessna models as well as the usual scenery such as lakes, rivers, towns, roads and railroads when on a mission.

The cost of buying one of these games can definitely be called a bargain compared to the actual costs of taking ‘Cessna flight lessons’ or booking an hour of the ‘virtual flying experience’ built by hobbyists with desktop control panels, motion platforms, real cockpits, display systems, and complete simulation environments using hydraulics controlled by state-of-the-art computer technology.

So now, as a flying enthusiast, all you have to do is pick your model and check for its availability in the aforementioned video games, and enjoy the Cessna Flight Simulator experience that many a movie star and business moghul who owns one of these babies in the real world get to see in their lives, for an affordable price and in the comfort of your own home.

Regardless of whether you aspire to scour the skies as a pilot or not, the flight simulator game has become one of the most popular games amongst gamers of all ages who simply want to get a feel of what it is like to fly a plane.

And that’s really all there is to flight simulators ever since the idea caught on with Edwin Link’s ‘Link Trainer’, a revolutionary simulator that almost every aspiring fighter pilot during World War II trained before going ‘live’.

Of course, as time ‘flew’ by from World War II time until now, these sims (simulators) further developments have kept up with progress in aircraft technology in creating a greater degree of realism for pilots-in-training to the point that the entire cockpit (known as the simpit here) is duplicated in its entirety from the controls to the environment as well as the aspects of motion involved.

But until then, it was just limited to pilots and those who were a part of the aircraft industry until Microsoft released its Flight Simulator, which is the longest running PC game of all time. Its current (and its tenth) version, the Microsoft Flight Simulator X provides simulations of commercial passenger jet airliners to sailplanes to light aircraft as well.

Now, the aforementioned sim, Microsoft FSX, is one of the ‘home flight simulator’ greats meaning (if not necessarily obvious to all), it started as a game which you could play on your personal computer in the comfort of your home.

Now, if you use the PC, the keyboard and mouse are sufficient to serve as controls (for the simulator) as you try the different planes which are in various environments while also supporting joysticks and pedals to make the experience as realistic as possible, thanks to technology that is progressing exponentially.

Not only has the simulator technology improved rapidly but the internet has also helped it along with forums for gamers (youtube posts videos of guides to these simulators) as well as avenues for developers to work on open source simulator design projects that can used for free by downloading the software from specific URLs.

In short, the flight simulator game has diversified from a niche segment of customers for training purposes into the mainstream where almost everyone can get a feel as to what it is like to fly an aircraft in simulation mode using PCs or consoles that are available on the market.

Yes, we’re talking about fanboys, the guys who wanted to be a pilot when they were young but couldn’t and the ones who’d like to fly a plane just as a hobby. And why not? We’re all entitled to have our heads up in the clouds once in a while… right?