The Best Flight Simulator Games

Flight simulation games are available online The realism of the latest offering of flight simulation games is amazingly true to life the characteristics and handling of the aircraft are meticulously modelled on the real thing, the scenery graphics and flight conditions are exactly modelled on real life, you can even model real time weather conditions and flight conditions such as weather and wind turbulence in online mode you can fly in weather conditions that replicate the weather conditions anywhere in the world at any given time There are many flight simulator games for every game platform from Nintendo to play-station but often the pc downloads are more detailed and accurate to real aircraft. They are limited in graphics and scenery and of course realistic flight characteristics the higher end of the market in flight simulators enable you to experience individual aircraft and helicopter handling the Cessna and the Boeing feel and perform like the real thing and the scenery replicates the whole globe including detailed airports and runways. Some of the aircraft in flight simulation games are so detailed that for example the cockpit of the Boeing 747 is very complicated as each dial and control has to be activated in sequence just like the real thing, but the in game tutorials make even the most complicated aircraft easy to handle. The flight simulator games are good entertainment for enthusiast and beginner alike they are becoming very similar to the software use to train real pilots, it is even possible to navigate actual flight paths and weather conditions. Aircraft enthusiasts are becoming very involved in flight simulator games and they are starting to influence players to become aircraft designers and pilots.But it is equally suitable for novices that are new to aircraft simulation games,a beginner may decide to fly the light aircraft or helicopters until their skill levels improve. Flight simulation software has really advanced in recent months it is now possible to fly aircraft such as the large commercial type planes,small light aircraft, helicopters and fighter planes with such realism that you could be learning to fly the real thing. The airports in the latest flight simulation games are 3d models scaled to size and very realistic in every detail even the runways and any obstacles that may hinder take off and landings are equally as detailed which makes the whole package interesting and fun. Cockpit switches and dials are also meticulously copied to reflect the real aircraft and you are shown through tutorials the sequence to start and fly the planes.

Flight simulator games can help to deal with the fear of flying. This is not witchcraft or snake oil, it is an intelligent solution to an awful phobia suffered by many people. I discovered this completely accidentally through my sister-in-law, who was afflicted with aerophobia all her life. But when she started playing flight simulator games with my wife and I things started to change little by little for her.But, to give some context to the story, I have always been interested in air travel so when computer flight simulator games started appearing on the market some 15 years ago I naturally looked into them and tried out a few. They were pretty disappointing for a long time either too convoluted or too buggy for somebody without a qualification in computer science.The combat flight simulator games were the best but I was not interested in that area. I wanted to fly normal aircraft in the same way, to the same destinations, and under the same circumstances as regular commercial pilots did. Flying training in real aircraft was out of my reach both physically and financially so I was searching for flight simulator games that would give me the same experience. Spin ahead fifteen years and now you can fly an airplane at home. The developments in flight simulator games have been among the best publicly available tech advances around. You can now pretty much play on a flight simulator the same as those used in flight schools to teach pilots. And you don’t have to wait for a CD in the mail or some guy to give access to his server (when it is running), you can download an on line flight simulator game pretty much instantaneously now and be taking your first steps towards flying in a few clicks of your mouse.Flight simulator games are photo-realistic and kinetically realistic these days, if you get a quality one. (And quality is not that expensive anymore). Whether it is the fleet of aircraft available to you, or the background scenery, or the accuracy of the cockpit, or the lags and responses of the controls, everything is a lifelike recreation in a high-quality game. You can actually step into a real cockpit, recognize the controls, and feel familiar with using them after you have been playing flight simulation games for a while.  I eventually did get the opportunity to take some flying lessons and I was amazed at how familiar it was to me after playing with flight simulator games.But what happened with my sister-in-law? Well, these phobias usually don’t come alone and fear of flying is often allied with other fears such as fear of heights or fear of crossing water. This is how it was with my sister-in-law. She also had a fear of heights and experienced flying as being suddenly and uncontrollably yanked off the ground and dragged to a great height. When she learned how to control and navigate a plane that sense of helplessness started to reduce and she began to feel in control of what was happening in the air. The more she understood what was happening and could recreate it – from starting, to maneuvering an aircraft and understanding how to navigate it – the less fearful she became.

(Click here to see the flight simulator game that helped her.)

The good news is that although she is still not a happy flyer but she has become a competent one. She is no longer in danger of having panic attacks on planes. The better news is that she has become an avid player of flight simulator games and she, my wife, and I spend a lot of time flying happily together virtually these days in multiplayer mode.

    As far back as I can remember, I have wanted to be a pilot. Like many people, as a child I would look up at the sky and dream of one day becoming a pilot and flying my very own airplane. Now, many years later as an adult, I have achieved this goal. I am now a Commercially Rated Helicopter pilot, as well as a Private Fixed wing pilot.

    Before I started years of very expensive and in-depth flight training, I started to experiment with different Flight Simulators on the computer. These “games” have become so technologically advanced, that I would not even call them “games” anymore. After using these simulators, I decided that I had the passion to pursue a career in aviation. Later in Flight School, I continued to use them as “advanced learning tools” when studying for exams.

    The latest Flight Simulator Software that I would recommend to be used as an “advanced learning tool” before you think about spending $50,000 on a Commercial Pilot’s Licence is a program called Flight Pro Sim. Flight Pro Sim offers real life cockpit controls, thousands of airports and the freedom to fly anywhere in the world, and anytime of day or night with exceptional detail and unlimited weather conditions.

    For example, recently I was studying for the instrument portion of my flight test, I actually practiced instrument flying on the Cessna C-172 on Flight Pro Sim. I tracked inbound/outbound radials to the VOR at LAX (Las Angeles Airport). Navigated through different weather conditions at night using ADF equipment and also flew GPS direct. Practicing with Flight Pro Sim helped me to gain a better understanding of Radio Navigation for my flight test.

    Flight Pro Sim offers more than 80 different planes, and new ones constantly being added, from the Wright brother’s plane to the most modern military fighter aircraft, and even helicopters. If there is an aircraft that you would like to try flying, Flight Pro Sim probably has it.

    Flight Pro Sim offers a very challenging and rewarding experience. Even for a real-life Pilot like myself. I would recommend purchasing this product before making the decision to become a pilot, as this is the closest experience to Real-world Flying that I have found. If you decide to become a pilot, it can also be used as an effective training tool during your flight training.

For more information on Becoming a Pilot,

Visit my website at:     http://www.learn2flyonline.com/

Many people question the realism of flight simulator games, so how real are they?

The games available today vary considerably in their level of sophistication, some are very basic and are not very realistic but are still fun for beginners, while others have been developed over a long period and provide a most realistic sense of flying.  Some have both vision and sound and while they generally do not have physical movement like the full size simulators, nevertheless provide accurate cockpit layouts, gauges, digital avionic displays and allow you to take a “real” flight from your chosen starting point to your selected destination. Some even allow you to taxi your selected aircraft type  to and from the terminal.

The more advanced flight simulator games have many different aircraft types to choose from which vary from the early days of flying such as the “Wright Flyer” through World Wars I and II right up to the present day with modern jets and even the space shuttle.

A great deal of time and effort has been put in to the more advanced types of flight simulator games with extremely effective graphics displaying accurate ground topographies. These are often updated from real world digital maps.

Full size aircraft vary in the “feel” of control especially heavy jetliners such the Boeing 747 or even the Airbus A380, many of the advanced simulator games have programmed this into their software so visually you can get  a sense of it. In the most sophisticated flight simulator games when you pilot your aircraft with a control yoke and rudder bars or joystick it starts to get very real indeed.

You can enhance the feeling of flying even further by connecting your computer or laptop to a large screen TV.

To take the feeling of reality to the next level you can fly combat, not just against an opponent within the games but on internet versions you can fly against other online challengers.

Unlike full size aircraft, if you crash, you can just start all over again.

The danger is of course that you will become addicted to flying at home because the flight simulator games today are really “real”.

Article by Steve W. Barker. Steve builds and flies large scale radio controlled model aircraft, he uses a flight simulator game for practise http://bestflightsimulatorgames.com and also flies in full size aircraft when ever the opportunity arises. Steve served in the Royal Air Force as a Navigator in the late 1960s and has a life long love of aircraft.

Click here to access the flight simulator games

Flight simulator games have become very sophisticated in recent times such that pilots of full size aircraft use them to gain knowledge of destination airports, for route planning and to gain familiarity with different aircraft types. They are available in basic and advanced levels.

The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is exploring the mandatory use of simulators for certain aspects of pilot training and exploring which types of training might be more suited to them. At present there is no regulatory requirement for simulator training in Australia. It is well known that there are inherent dangers in conducting simulated emergencies in actual aircraft and serious accidents have occurred in the past during flight training such an engine failure.

CASA has issued a discussion paper with 12 options to be considered covering flight training operations.

The question asked is whether mandatory simulator training should only be imposed if suitable devices exist in Australia. What criteria would be used to determine which devices are suitable? Obviously there would be a number of impacts on the aviation industry were CASA to make that ruling so CASA is giving all interested parties an opportunity to comment and put forward suggestions.

There is a time limit for input of February 19th 2010. There is no indication that flight simulator games will be included in the discussion.

Is this an issue in other countries? Certainly some regulatory bodies already mandate use of simulators for non-normal or emergency procedures training or for training in large aircraft.

Were simulator training to become mandatory, availability and access to full size simulators may be an issue.

If advanced level flight simulator games could provide some aspects of training there would be a significant cost reduction and there would be no issue of availability.

The quality of the computer graphics is very high in today’s flight simulator games providing very real avionic cockpit displays such that they can be used by student and qualified pilots as well as for entertainment.

Flight simulator games do not generally provide physical movement but visually they are becoming increasingly more realistic, many of them already have the ability to provide non-normal or emergency situations and also to provide severe or changeable weather conditions.

If flight simulator games were to be considered for inclusion in the discussion I have no doubt that there would be regulatory issues in assessing which of them could qualify for use and how they would be monitored particularly as the software is under continual development.

Aircraft operators, pilots and flight training organisations are urged to participate in the discussion so if you are an interested party, have your say now. http://casa.gov.au search for “flight simulator discussion paper”

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