Microsoft Flight Simulator...then and now

[The Flight Level 2,113]

Great stuff. In case you missed this in Hangar Chat, I am working on a detailed video series covering 45 years of Flight Simulator history. Here is the trailer:

 

Edited August 8, 2020 by Doering

[kiwikat 506]

Fun video! FS95, 2002, X, and 2020 look like the biggest generational leaps to me. There's going to be a long road ahead, but we're in for a treat on the 18th.

[Shug 210]

I started with Flight Simulator II and have had every version since, except for the Windows 95 one. I certainly remember the excitement seeing the introduction of my local airport in Flight Simulator 5.1. Am so looking forward to the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator next week - have bought a new PC, new monitor, and a new yoke (Honeycomb) and will be getting the Honeycomb throttle quadrant as soon as it is released (surely that can't be too far away?).

[Lotharen 287]

Yes, a trip down memory lane indeed. I started with SubLogic Flight Simulator 2 for the Commodore 64. I knew nothing about flying back in those days but I would read that massive book and try out different things to mimic what I thought was the correct way to fly.

[The Flight Level 2,113]

4 hours ago, Shug said:

I started with Flight Simulator II and have had every version since, except for the Windows 95 one. I certainly remember the excitement seeing the introduction of my local airport in Flight Simulator 5.1. Am so looking forward to the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator next week - have bought a new PC, new monitor, and a new yoke (Honeycomb) and will be getting the Honeycomb throttle quadrant as soon as it is released (surely that can't be too far away?).

Would have to agree so much about MSFS 5.1. Remember the entire program was on a 3.5 inch disc. I felt like I had truly experienced what it was like to fly a Cessna. It put me in a different world for sure and I believe FS2020 is going to do the same thing all over.

[LHookins 3,103]

One thing I noticed in the Beta was that I got the same sense of joy and wonder I experienced in the early flight sims, before everything got so serious.  When simply flying was a special event.

It's good enough that it's pulling some formerly airliner-exclusive simmers out of their cockpits and into general aviation aircraft.

Hook

[ErichB 3,643]

1 hour ago, LHookins said:

One thing I noticed in the Beta was that I got the same sense of joy and wonder I experienced in the early flight sims, before everything got so serious. 

Totally agree.  It's the first sim in many years to make you feel like a kid before xmas again

Edited August 9, 2020 by ErichB

[LHookins 3,103]

Something I've noticed in some of the videos is that even with a flight plan loaded, they are not slavishly following the magenta line.  There are actually things to look at, and they're deviating from their "assigned route" to check things out.  Pretty much what real GA flying is like.

MSFS makes flying fun again. 😄 

Hook

[The Flight Level 2,113]

5 hours ago, LHookins said:

It's good enough that it's pulling some formerly airliner-exclusive simmers out of their cockpits and into general aviation aircraft.

Hook

So true! And let’s face it, the enjoyment of true flying is all about the smaller GA aircraft.

[robert young 2,897]

On 8/8/2020 at 2:24 PM, Fitz505 said:

   Airline Transport Pilot by Sublogic in 1990 was the ultimate flightsim for me.

I remember that well. I thought it was cutting edge at the time. It came with a thick, heavy manual and had a wonderful variety of goals and scenarios.

[CaribbeanCLANK 134]

That was fun to watch. Although I can't remember which one was my first MFS experience, the first MFS I owned was FS 2000. And bach then, I was blown away by the graphics. We have come a long way. 

And there is a very special feeling and sense of excitement around the launch of this new sim. 

[ErichB 3,643]

On 8/9/2020 at 9:12 AM, LHookins said:

It's good enough that it's pulling some formerly airliner-exclusive simmers out of their cockpits and into general aviation aircraft.

MFS is going to make me fall in love with GA flying all over again.  I stopped GA flying entirely about 5 years ago in P3D.  I just lacked 'something', which I think MFS seems to have in abundance.

Edited August 10, 2020 by ErichB

[Der Zeitgeist 1,575]

21 minutes ago, ErichB said:

MFS is going to make me fall in love with GA flying all over again.  I stopped GA flying entirely about 5 years ago in P3D.  I just lacked 'something', which I think MFS seems to have in abundance.

It's the variation in the ground environment, because it doesn't use landclass. You simply don't get this in P3D. Even when fully decked out with OrbX stuff, at some point, the object and texture library will always lead to repetition, not so with MSFS.

Edited August 10, 2020 by Der Zeitgeist

[The Flight Level 2,113]

2 hours ago, Der Zeitgeist said:

It's the variation in the ground environment, because it doesn't use landclass. You simply don't get this in P3D. Even when fully decked out with OrbX stuff, at some point, the object and texture library will always lead to repetition, not so with MSFS.

Yes, absolutely. No more repetition is the big difference. Going to be fantastic!

[jon b 2,047]

On 8/9/2020 at 10:51 AM, LHookins said:

Something I've noticed in some of the videos is that even with a flight plan loaded, they are not slavishly following the magenta line.  There are actually things to look at, and they're deviating from their "assigned route" to check things out.  Pretty much what real GA flying is like.

 I remember feeling frustrated starting in my first airline job having to follow airways from VOR to VOR and maintain strict altitudes it was too regimented for me a bit like driving a train on rails I thought.

I”d previously done bush flying in the outback of Western Australia and missed the freedom of just floating around low level.

16 hours ago, robert young said:

I remember that well. I thought it was cutting edge at the time. It came with a thick, heavy manual and had a wonderful variety of goals and scenarios.

I still have that thick heavy manual on my bookcase, it’s an all time classic in its own right.

The key to flying ATP as I remember was to use the keyboard and just use the elevator trim rather than the actual elevator apart from the flare and rotation .