Is It Real or a Flight Sim?

Flight simulators and the real world interact so beautifully, it’s hard to tell the difference.

Peter James

Friday, December 08, 2023 at 05:52 PM ET

Verified

Flight sim imagery has improved a lot over the years. [Courtesy: Peter James]

Key Takeaways:

Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS) has evolved dramatically from its early, basic versions to a visually stunning, photorealistic experience, often indistinguishable from real-world photos.
The simulator offers diverse and customizable flight experiences, allowing users to explore a vast range of environments (e.g., Monument Valley, challenging Himalayan airports) and manipulate weather settings for enhanced realism and photography.
MSFS provides significant benefits for real pilots, serving as a valuable tool to maintain and sharpen skills, practice complex scenarios, and engage with realistic avionics like terrain mapping.

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We have come such a long way from way back when I started this incredible hobby in 1981. In those days, it was just a grayscale screen with just “sticks and lines,” as my sarcastic older sister would call it. At the time, I treated those “sticks and lines” as amazing scenery, having no idea that the Microsoft Flight Simulator of today would be what it is now.

Today’s version is really what I had always dreamed of. I have taken so many screenshots over the last few years that I would love to publish a coffee table book just to display them. I don’t think I am alone in that sentiment. I have spent a lot of time viewing screenshots other flight simmers have posted on Facebook fan pages.