https://github.com/s-macke/FSHistory

Quote

See how it all began. Play the first four flight simulator games Microsoft developed from 1982 to 1989. It has full mouse and keyboard control and can be even enjoyed on your mobile. However a full IBM style keyboard is recommended.

 

I was there (on an Apple IIc). Thanks!

I started flight simming with ms flight simulator 95 back when I was about 12 years old, went through fs95, 98, skipped 2000, got my irl ppl at about 20, then my irl cpl at 23, even went to college and studied aviation while using FS 2002, 2004, skipped fsx, went on to p3d, now msfs…looking back at those original flight simulators, not sure that I could stay engaged with those graphics back in the day, but that could just be because I’m acclimated to what we have now, in fact, if I go watch fs 95 videos on YouTube I’d probably wonder how I stayed engaged with that, but I did lol….Good times…

Gonna reminisce now, but My mom brought me to an electronic boutique to pick up a game when I was 12 or 13 as a gift (maybe a bday or something, can’t remember), but I’m glad I picked up that fs 95 copy that was on the shelf, my mom thought oddly of it that I would choose that out of all the games on the shelf and even went as far as to say that i wouldnt like it and that it would be a waste of money, but in hindsight, picking up that “game” created a monster lol 😂 …Took her real word flying after I got my license and told her “see, imagine if I hadn’t picked up that “game” that day, I may have never discovered my passion for aviation as a whole”

I remember getting a book with some (few, very few) navigation maps with vor’s that came in the box with my fs95…Man did we ever come a long way!

now I have kids of my own, my 14 year old daughter came downstairs a couple days ago and saw my setup that I re-arranged and upgraded and told me it was t.o.p…I asked what does that even mean, she said it stands for “to over powering” lol…Guess I gotta get with the times! Guess I’m not “cool”anymore, but I’ll tell you one thing, anytime I have guest over and they see my sim setup, they thinks is pretty cool, and every one of them always asks, “you gotta show me that running someday”

Edited September 9, 20214 yr by flyinpilot212121

Finally, I can play the Crop Duster game again!  And shoot down that Red Baron in his stick-figure Fokker Triplane!

THANK YOU!

Edited September 9, 20214 yr by Stoopy

2 hours ago, Waldo Pepper said:

However a full IBM style keyboard is recommended.

Still have my trusty old Fujitsu 4725. All mechanical, 5din At connector, coily cord, and can drop a brown bear with two swings! 

1 hour ago, OneOfMany said:

and can drop a brown bear with two swings! 

😂 

This is awesome! My first time playing was actually FS2004, when I was 9 years old. Played it at a local science center where they had this whole flight simulator area setup and I fell in love. Turned out we had a copy of 95 that my parents got with a PC they bought in the mid 90s. Played that for a while until they got me my own copy of 2004. I now own all copies between 95 and well, the newest lol. Probably thousands of hours playing flight sim under my belt. Only have 2 flight hours IRL though...and I lost my logbook, like 13 years ago lol.

Edited September 9, 20214 yr by M3Stang

Microsoft Flight Simulator II

 

I used to practice for my Instrument Rating Pilot course on a Commodore 128 ( mode 64 ) and an Atari joystick. I have to say it was an extremely useful device. Good times.

Edited September 9, 20214 yr by polosim

5 hours ago, Waldo Pepper said:

https://github.com/s-macke/FSHistory

 

Jeez, my first FS was 1998. 

People wonder why kids spend so much time with videogames now, the thing is that until 25 years ago or less, gaming was an eyesore, a pain for the eyes. 

 

Edited September 9, 20214 yr by MrFuzzy

I have played them all. Man, it was challenging, even with the minimal scenery. Remember once setting up a flight to go from Chicago to Seattle. Scenery along the way where just some colored squares, nothing in detail, nothing fancy. Used my atlas to determine a direction. Finally got to Seattle, but no glorious scenery.

Look at what we have right now..... 🙂

 

My first flight sim was the one for the Sinclair ZX81 in 1982 with the additional 4kb RAM module plugged in the back. 

Not long ago, I bought an old restored 486 on eBay and some CH joyport controllers (the pedals were heavy metal, not plastic like the USB Pro pedals). To fly FS4, Red Baron, Aces Over Europe, Aces of the Pacific, and Aces of the Deep. All of these are DOS, before MS made Windows. AOTP you mostly land on carriers after missions, and a flagman is waving criticism as you approach the deck.

Damon Slye was the guy behind the Aces series, the deluxe box editions had wire bound manuals with pages that lay flat! And a huge colored wall map of the Front marked out in squares.

FS4

 

AOTD:

Uboot crew returns after successful patrol... in the back on the shore you can just see an oompah band serenading them.

 

 

I was there too in the early eighties, in a friends AMIGA.

Then in 1887 a teacher at Lisbon University showed MFS in an Apple 🙂

From there on, I tried ever version, ad diverted through many other flightsims... 

Around 1996 bought Aerowinx PS1 and in 1997 my first simming PC 🙂

Started with FS4 i believe. A whole new world opened for me, back then i didn't even know what flaps were.

For me the best addon ever was FSNavigator i believe in FS9 or even before that. I simply loved that program, wish they could make something like that for MSFS2020.

Edited September 9, 20214 yr by Wildblue

Does anyone remember this one -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UTyyps_cCk

That was my first. Played on my granny's colour tv as we only had black & white.  Luckily she only lived next door.