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.

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.

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?