The Art of Simulated Long-Haul Flying

New aircraft add-ons make these journeys both realistic and reliable.

Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 02:49 PM ET

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LatinVFR's newly released A340-300 is a lot of fun—seen climbing out of the Pacific Northwest. HiFly paint is a real rendition of the private charter company that operates these to exotic locations, such as Antarctica ice runways. [Courtesy: Peter James]

Key Takeaways:

The author adheres to a strict personal "flight simmers code of conduct," requiring real-time, uninterrupted long-haul flights for maximum immersion.
Modern Microsoft Flight Simulator, coupled with powerful hardware, now reliably supports these extended flights, overcoming past performance limitations.
New add-on aircraft, including the LatinVFR A340, BravoAirspace 787-8, and PMDG 737NG BBJ, significantly enhance realism with detailed cockpits, fully modeled passenger cabins, dynamic mood lighting, and accurate environmental effects.
This enhanced realism and immersion allows virtual pilots to experience diverse global scenery and weather, fostering a sense of virtual travel and geographic knowledge.

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Ever since I was in my 20s, when flight simulation started incorporating airliners capable of flying massive distances, uninterrupted on autopilot, with little risk of disaster, I felt safe taking round-the-world trips.

I remember buying sets of highly decorated various airliners with probably just 2D cockpits. We could get everything back then in the mid 1990s, when airlines around the world were still flying everything from 727s and DC-8s to 747 Classics.