With the amount of payware military planes that are available for MSFS,I was wondering what the appeal is among flight simmers to fly these types of planes when you can not use their weapon systems or fly realistic military missions. For me, that is what LOMAC and CFS3 is for. At least with GA and commercial planes, you can fly for the purpose they were intended. I am trying to slam anyone, just curious to hear thoughts of those who fly them and why.

That's a fair question. Personally, I like them because they are small and fast, and you can fly like a maniac without worrying about paying customers. I fly the big jets too, but I do more "sightseeing" in the military jets. LOMAC is an outstanding sim, IMHO, but you are limited as to where you can fly.I guess we all have our preferences - some people are really into the PMDG Boeings, where they get to do things like program the FMC, and other people like the bush planes. Maybe that's one of the benefits of FS - that it appeals to such a large group.- Martin

First thing I'll say is "Why not"?I could equally easily ask why you want to fly an airliner on a set route rather than having the freedom to go to unusual and out-of the way places?I think this thing (Flight Sim) is all things to all people - we all have different ideas what we want out of it- be it civil airliners - military jets- bush flying - or whatever.Personally - I love Aircraft Carrier ops - carrier deck landings take a lot of practice to get right . I get a great deal more satisfaction from a good deck landing on a patch a couple of hundred yards long than I do from putting a 747 down on 2 miles of runway.But like I said - each to their own - if you enjoy what you do then keep right on doing it -If we all liked the same things there'd be nothing much to talk about..Dave

hmm...you do realize that a significant portion of the time spent flying military planes in the real world doesn't actually involve the use of the weapons systems don't you? In fact, a pretty good percentage of real world military missions don't result in the firing of a weapon. But I understand the point you are making - I hear it all the time from friends I know who are into Falcon4 and Lomac. I'll point out some great plane I've just acquired for FS9 like Kirk Ollson's F-16 and the inevitable comment I get back is "nice, but what's the point?" Well, the point is that the machines are incredible even without the weapons. They can be appreciated simply as amazing aircraft that have otherworldly performance characteristics and that are incredibly fun to fly - which is of course what MSFS is really about. I mean if you want to try flying an F-16 through the grand canyon or the rockie mountains in a thunderstorm, MSFS is the way to go now isn't it? :)

Because I want to. Nuff said.

Hi John,For me, it's the beauty of the design, the history associated with the aircraft, and the performance. I enjoy flying for it's own sake, so the lack of any kind of "mission" isn't a drawback for me, which is why I also enjoy flying GA. In fact, I would bet that's why most people go for a real world private pilot's license... a love of flight.Like any other type of aircraft, a military airplane has to be modelled well for me to enjoy flying it. MAAM's B-25, Project Sierra Hotel's T-37, and Captain Sim's MiG-21 are at the top of my list of favorites. (And I'm currently looking forward to a C-47 version of MAAM's DC-3!)Ken

I agree with what many have said above but the main thing for me is that I fly all types of aircraft in FS9. Why? Well every type of aircraft is beautiful in one way or the other and to me it is just as exciting to succesfully land a fully loaded 747 on a long trip as it is to pilot a cessna, a helicopter, a biz jet, a cargo plane, or a military aircraft. It is even more rewarding if the plane is done well, a great looking plane and a good flight model are heaven to me no matter what type of aircraft it is. In the real world I can fly a single engine GA craft but in FS I can fly anything I want and can go anywhere my heart takes me, that is the beauty of FS, it is all up to me. Microsoft has done a wonderful job in allowing us the freedom to do just that, anything that we want. Yes I would like the ability to shoot a gun, fire a missle or drop a bomb in MSFS but that would just be icing on the cake because flying is what it is all about. I know that many people basically stick to one type of aviation in FS, not me, I love them all!Best Regards,Philip Olsonhttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpg

Absolutely right..... to ALL the above answers. And indeed, why not? The skies are populated by thousands of military flights every hour, across the globe, so why not put yourself in an F-15, or an F-16, etc...Living close to the two major USAF bases in the UK: RAF LAkenheath, and RAF Mildenhall, it's fascinating to see the variety of aircraft coming and going to both....the F-15's from Lakenheath, with the occasional F-16's that visit, some RAF planes on the rare occasions, and the KC-135's, the E3 AWACS and C130's, and the ATA L1011's for the 'hops' back to the US, from Mildenhall. It's nice in the sim to populate the bases with the right aircraft, and send them off on aproximate flights that reflect destinations: Belgium, Germany, the Azores, Iceland, the US, etc. And it's pretty neat to 'join in' too! One neat flight to Sola, Stavanger (Norway) had me aprox. 1000 feet above, and 1 mile behind an E3 AWACS as I flew my KC135...followed him from apron to apron, with him visible all the way! Looked good :)It's also pretty cool to go from Lakenheath to Lossiemouth up in Scotland in aprox 20 mins, which is what they do for real!!OK, so there's no shooting, but that would only be a hinderance in the context of FS. I wish there was a way to set up a mid-air refueling scenario for any military aircraft, not just those that have the routines built-in as part of the package: Just Flight's F-16, and RAF Tornado....that would be cool! Even better in multiplayer with one controlling the tanker, and the other flying the needy fighter!!See? Loads of reasons for flying military!

"Even better in multiplayer with one controlling the tanker, and the other flying the needy fighter!!"I wonder if this may be possible once we get SB3 in use as the default software.............?Dave

One of my favorite simulated aircraft of all time, is Kirk Ollson's F-16 Viper. It has VC options that are very frame rate friendly & the views are excellent in this plane. I can use it to quickly get to altitudes of 25,000' and higher to roam all the western US mesh scenery...............which is my favorite place to be.Should also mention, that it has one of the best looking exteriors too!L.Adamson

If you really want something different - Go to the USS Hornet/CV8 (Download VN_TF16.zip)with the task force for Doolittle's raid on Japan, climb in to your heavily laden B25 and experience the " do it or die" thrill of getting in the air - without any extra aids such as catapults. Once you're off there's no turning back unless you're prepared to ditch.Dave

John, I understand completely and share your questioning to a degree. I love miltary aircraft for their performance, looks and speed, but that is only 1/2 of it, the other is for their ability to use weapons. CFS2 was my first sim (FS2000 came afterwards) and I love it to this day (still on my rig) and even fly the old warbirds in MSFS, but when I fly modern miltary in MSFS, I enjoy the experience, but somehow feel out of place. I very rarely see any kind of military aircraft in flight here is Dallas, yet living 5 miles from DFW, see every kind of heavy and quite a few helicopters in the skies, so this seems familar and how it is. All my flying is based on how real it could be, which is why I don't fly the heavies much, I'll never be an airline pilot, but a bush jock in AK, more of a possiblity! LOLBeing a scenery designer, I have done several miltary camps in various "hotspots" and flown SAR and CAP missions, but just knowing I don't have to fear any handheld missle or gunfire from landing in a hot LZ, kinda takes the realism out of it for me. Luckily there are other military sims to fill the need for this, so I can just enjoy the carrier ops, formation flying and the sonic sightseeing in MSFS for now. Regards, MichaelKDFWhttp://www.calvirair.com/mcpics/PBTMCa.jpgCalVirAir International VACalVirAir International

It provides simulated flying for everyones wishes. With the scenery in FS9 it is a lot of fun to buzz along in a "Spit" or a P51 at tree top level then come back down to earth and crawl into a J3 Cub and take a spin around the area. I like to fly the B25 out of Reading, Pa. in FS9 and the ROTW P51 in Fly! II. All the knobs to twist and guages to keep track of you want, with great VFR flying. A bit of flying from the past to help this OM keep young at heart.Happy Flyin - Ken

>I like to fly the B25 out of Reading, Pa. in FS9 and the ROTW>P51 in Fly! II. All the knobs to twist and guages to keep>track of you want, with great VFR flying. >Come to think of it.......During my real life flight a few years ago in a 1944 P51-D over some sensational mountainous areas......................we didn't have any working "guns" either!L.Adamson

MSFS is a Flight Simulator. Military aircraft do fly. CFS1,2,3 LOMAC, etc are combaft flight simulators, in those regards they simulate the combative aspects of things that fly but tend to be lacking with things like navigation.I would personally like to see a merging of the CFS and FS series, but I know as soon as I hop on line my poor bush plane will be eating bullets.