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Here Are 2 Quick VFR Flights to Try on Your Home Flight Simulator

One in New England and one in Alaska present a familiar warmup followed by a real challenge.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Cessna Grand Caravan en route to Katama Airpark (1B2) in Edgartown, Massachusetts. [Courtesy: Sean Siff/MSFS2020]
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Key Takeaways:

  • Home flight simulators offer a valuable way to enjoy aviation with short, engaging flights, especially when time is limited.
  • The author illustrates this by describing two distinct virtual flights: a familiar New England island hop for skill warm-up and revisiting memories, and a challenging flight through unfamiliar Alaskan mountains with adverse weather.
  • These experiences highlight the versatility of simulators for practicing skills, exploring new geographies, leveraging detailed aircraft systems and checklists, and enjoying multiplayer flights with friends.
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One of the greatest values of having a home flight simulator is being able to use it when you only have an hour—or less—of free time. Since you can easily select any two airports within a reasonably short flying distance of one another, sometimes the near-unlimited choice results in decision paralysis, especially after a busy day in the real world.

To mitigate that, I chose two short flights that can be accomplished in a normal evening’s flight sim session. My selection criteria was to fly my first flight in New England, between two airports that I flew out of when I was training to complete my private pilot certificate. The second flight was a departure and destination in a part of the world where I had zero experience and no prior knowledge of the topography. The idea was to use the first flight of the evening as a warmup with the familiar and then end the night with the challenge of the unknown.

Sean Siff

Sean Siff is a private pilot who has worked in marketing in the aviation industry. He’s an active flight sim user as he works to stay current in the airplane.

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