Been There, Done That

Aviation gaming simulation offers familiar views that rival the real thing.

Thursday, March 02, 2023 at 05:26 PM ET

Verified

The fidelity of aviation gaming simulation allows the comparison of sim vs. real life, and the gap of realism is closer than ever. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Modern flight simulators, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (MSFS2020), have achieved an unprecedented level of realism, making it difficult to distinguish simulated experiences from actual flight.
Simulators prove to be highly effective practical training tools, helping pilots learn complex aircraft systems like GPS and Flight Management Systems (FMS), which directly translates to real-world proficiency.
The fidelity of current flight sims allows pilots to accurately recreate personal flight experiences and explore realistic global scenery, offering a valuable way to revisit locations or practice challenging approaches.

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“Been there, done that.” It’s an old adage that seems every pilot says at some time in their career, to the younger newbie just starting out. I used to hate that expression. Now, I use it much to my chagrin.

In my early 20s, I started my first real flying jobs, first as a CFII, then a fledgling “corporate pilot” flying an advanced T-Tail Piper Arrow. To me, with its big tail, the Arrow was an airliner. It looked like a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 or Boeing 727, I thought. Some 30 years later, I’ve now gone full circle having flown almost 11,000 hours with some 7,000 of those hours in business jets.