Budget Flight Simulator

Hard core flight simmers come in a variety of interests and aspirations. I met some guys who are solely into the whirly birds. They have flown every class and model of helicopter out there. Then there are the military simmers searching for the ultimate challenge online in sorties against fellow virtual fighter pilots. Many egos go down in flames…

I prefer to exist in the virtual world of civilian fixed wing aircraft. I relish the thrills of flight planning. I have all my Flight Simulator settings set to realistic so that all my planning mirrors that of the real world. I fly short hops between the Hawaiian Islands, or short trips throughout the Bahama Islands. My most recent long haul trip was between Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv (Israel) and Lester Pearson Intl. (Toronto, Canada).

I have my preference in terms of software (both free software and software that is no so free). I highlight my favorites:

Active Sky – Simulates actual weather conditions (including cloud layering) in every geographical location of the world in which you are conducting your flight. It automatically transformed the virtual skies to a thing of great beauty.

Flight Environment (courtesy of Flight 1 software) – In collaboration with Active Sky, the clouds appear in 3D layer and in many different forms, and every cloud type (at the correct height according to cloud type as well). There are great water textures, along with animated waves and great reflections.

FSPassengers (courtesy of Daniel Polli) – this is an add-on that enables the virtual airline pilots to simulate passengers on board and control in-flight services like food and movies, among other features. I can also create a virtual airline and simulate earning money by flying for the airline. This software also grades the quality of the entire flight, including the landings!

Aerosoft AES (Airport Enhancement services) – This wonderful add-on includes among other things:

• Aircraft Pushback with sound, animated objects and automatic perfect alignment.
• Push-In for backward parking positions
• Pushback using the TBL (towbarless) that lift the nose wheel and conventional that uses a tow bar to move the aircraft
• Animated gates that link up perfect to the doors of the aircraft
• Moving service vehicles that link up perfectly to the aircraft (catering, air stairs, cargo, buses, cleaning and refueling services)
• De-icing in winter

Ultimate Traffic (courtesy of Flight 1) – This add-on includes the airline schedules and animated AI aircraft model representation of every scheduled airliner in the world. All the aircraft take off and land according to a time schedule as they do in real life. All AI aircraft has movable parts and lights.

I came across another piece of interesting software recently. It is called the Squawk box. It is an online air traffic control for virtual pilots. I am learning more about it.

As I write this blog, I am reminded that many persons who start their flight experience in front of a PC have a very good chance of becoming real pilots, even if it doesn’t happen until years later. I got my private pilot’s license years after sitting in front of a PC for my first sim flight. I am currently sitting in my room in front of a “PC cockpit” purchased on a budget. I had been collecting new add-on software (i.e. scenery – airports/vegetation/city landscapes/water/clouds, weather, aircraft, virtual passengers, virtual ground crew) over the past 5 years.

I earned a myriad of new things about technology, history, and weather. I have flown to virtually every corner of the world in real time, with real weather downloaded from the internet. I got to become familiar with new airports that I had never flown into before. This experience was enhanced by acquiring add-on software that was modeled after the airports in exact and brilliant detail.

I enjoyed medium haul flights between Seattle-Tacoma airport (courtesy of FlyTampa software) and Phoenix Intl. (courtesy of Flight Scenery/ Flight Zone); and flights between Miami Intl. (courtesy of FlyTampa) and Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas (courtesy of Imagimesim) as captain of a Boeing 757-200 (courtesy of Captain Sim), all the while maintaining contact with the Control Towers and Centers en route.

I’ve flown long haul flights between Logan Intl . in Boston to Dubai Intl. in the United Arab Emirates (both airport sceneries courtesy of FlyTampa), as pilot in command of a Boeing 747-400 (courtesy of PMDG). These flights brought an enormous sense of accomplishment after I had spent time planning and executing my virtual trips.

Real pilots can practice a flight for an upcoming real world flight to become familiar with the navigation and airspace procedures for that trip. He can also become familiar with a new airport.

While simming will not literally get you off the ground and into the air, it can teach the sim pilot a lot about the natural sciences such as physics and geography. It can also teach you a lot about proper navigational planning and time management.