Finally took my "discovery flight" at nearby flight school in a Cessna 172. If I have to summarize my whole experience in one sentence, it's that the whole experience in real life flight is just so remarkably similar to my MSFS flights at the same airport with the C172. 

After scheduled the flight I practiced multiple times flying C172 at the same airport, all in VR though. Except for those physical sensations of noise, shakes, bumps and loss of gravity in stalls etc, in real flight most of the time I feel I was reliving my MSFS flight in VR, with a VR goggle of unlimited FOV and infinite number of pixels and frame rates of course. The landing, which was done by the instructor, felt almost 100% like my MSFS VR landing at the same airport. It's surreal to see PAPI in real life - sth I have seen literally thousands of times in my 20 years of simulation. 

I want to go ahead to learn my PPL, but at the same time, I couldn't help to marvel what an incredible wonder done by MSFS 2020. What a dream! 

Edited November 16, 20214 yr by FlyIce

Nice post… An reassuring to know that MSFS is getting us armchair pilots as close to the real thing as we can hope for from a desktop sim.

If in 2050, when I’ll be 65 if we’re not using tech like something from Ready Player One I’ll be so upset, I want my haptic suit! 🙂

It is indeed assuring. I'm sure so many real pilots here are in a far far better position to judge MSFS, but as a long time armchair pilot I was amazed how close MSFS feels to the real flight. When I recall the real landing, it's almost like a frame by frame replay of my MSFS flight (in VR).

To be 100% honest, after we landed I almost became a bit hesitant on whether I really want to pursue a PPL (as a hobby), since now I know I can get so much from the sim already. 

 

 

Edited November 16, 20214 yr by FlyIce

I tried a real flight( takeoff, climbing, cruising around for 50 minutes and partly the landing) in an DA40NG some weeks ago after 40 years of flight simming. I agree that the MSFS visual was close to to real flight, but the feel of speed, winds, bumps, down and up drifts etc. are not very real there in the sim compared to the real thing.

If you have access to FFB that helps.

But yeah, some of the flight characteristics and system details may still be a bit out in MSFS2020,  but the overall "feel" of actually flying in a GA plane is quantum leaps closer than earlier versions.

Edited November 16, 20214 yr by Glenn Fitzpatrick

55 minutes ago, nas123 said:

 I agree that the MSFS visual was close to to real flight, but the feel of speed, winds, bumps, down and up drifts etc. are not very real there in the sim compared to the real thing.

Buttkicker helps a little in that regard, but still not like the real thing. Nice thing is you can get a buttkicker for the cost of a couple hours of real flying time, but you get to use it as much as possible ;)

 

2 hours ago, FlyIce said:

Finally took my "discovery flight" at nearby flight school in a Cessna 172. If I have to summarize my whole experience in one sentence, it's that the whole experience in real life flight is just so remarkably similar to my MSFS flights at the same airport with the C172. 

After scheduled the flight I practiced multiple times flying C172 at the same airport, all in VR though. Except for those physical sensations of noise, shakes, bumps and loss of gravity in stalls etc, in real flight most of the time I feel I was reliving my MSFS flight in VR, with a VR goggle of unlimited FOV and infinite number of pixels and frame rates of course. The landing, which was done by the instructor, felt almost 100% like my MSFS VR landing at the same airport. It's surreal to see PAPI in real life - sth I have seen literally thousands of times in my 20 years of simulation. 

I want to go ahead to learn my PPL, but at the same time, I couldn't help to marvel what an incredible wonder done by MSFS 2020. What a dream! 

I’m was an irl pilot, although very minimal time 250hrs, ppl and commercial, most of my time was in a C172, and have to agree, msfs is by far the closest experience to my real time flying that I’ve had in any sim that’s within my budget of course. Unfortunately I’ve since stopped flying irl as the cost was just too much to justify, I did what I wanted too in life and that was to learn to fly irl and maybe someday I can revisit, but in the meantime, it’s helped me justify my simulator hardware and software purchases by comparing to a couple hours of irl flying will buy me a honeycomb bravo, or an alpha, or trackir in which i get to use as much as I want. 
Cheers and enjoy!

Cool.

I believe the realistic visuals (airport and terrain) really add to the realism. I find myself flying at airports I've flown to IRL and it is remarkable how it triggers these flashbacks of when I was a lean, mean flying machine.

It is interesting that this experience has you questioning whether to pursue a PPL or not. On the plus side of MSFS: you don't have to deal with ATC, if you don't want to and you won't be grounded due to weather. Also, no physical required. And, you don't have to retire at 60 yo. (wow, the pluses are adding up!)

2 minutes ago, RichieFly said:

 

It is interesting that this experience has you questioning whether to pursue a PPL or not. On the plus side of MSFS: you don't have to deal with ATC, if you don't want to and you won't be grounded due to weather. Also, no physical required. And, you don't have to retire at 60 yo. (wow, the pluses are adding up!)

Big plus side of MSFS that after crash you won't die! I'm not sure though why you have to retire at 60? I had student pilots and returning pilot in their 80th! 

Back when BA still flew the 737 they operated full-motion sims at Heathrow which members of the public could hire. I had a go in one after many hours practising in FSX (or was it FS9?) I can’t now remember if I was using a PMDG version of the 737 but at all events the transition to a real cockpit felt very natural and intuitive. We did circuits and the instructor could not believe how accurately and smoothly I was able to land - even in quite strong cross winds. I “outflew” my buddy even though he had a private pilot’s licence 😜

So verisimilitude is not new to MSFS :)

45 minutes ago, sd_flyer said:

Big plus side of MSFS that after crash you won't die! I'm not sure though why you have to retire at 60? I had student pilots and returning pilot in their 80th! 

Yeah, but to fly as a line pilot, you retire @ 60. As a civilian, yeah. As long as you can pass a physical or have a instructor with you...rock on.

50 minutes ago, RichieFly said:

Yeah, but to fly as a line pilot, you retire @ 60. As a civilian, yeah. As long as you can pass a physical or have a instructor with you...rock on.

Yes in US Part 121 schedule ops retirement age 65 . However; for part 135 less than 10 pax or Part 91 "60th" rule doesn't  apply. Basic med is way for older folks to avoid get any class of medical. I have friend who after retiring AA at 65 flew another 5 years for Air India because "60th" rule doesn't apply there.

For me as CFI even if I old and loose my medical I still can instruct as long as my "student" can legally act as pilot in command. So there are many loopholes to boldly go beyond 65! 

I tried flying in real life also.  I didn't like it.  Poor frame rates and the sounds were a bit off, so back to MSFS for me!  

No medical is the biggest benefit of sim versus real life.

I have been wanting for ever to get the PPL. A colleague of mine a number of years ago wanted us to go to the local club at ESNU and get it over with (we had been talking about it for some time). However I had a hard time justifying the time and cost involved as I at the time had one 2 y/o and another child on short final. I said to myself (and the colleague) I would have to postpone it for some other day, when the kids were older and I had more time to dedicate to the endeavor. The colleague however went ahead and I would be lying if I said I wasn't jealous (still am in a way). 

During those years I've been doing some thinking. And to be honest, I don't know if I am all that interested really in flying the PA-28 or the 182 the club has (or any small GA piston for that matter). Had I been 20 years younger sure, as a stepping stone to larger birds, that would be a sweet. But for me, an almost ancient 42 y/o, those aircraft would kind of be the end game for me as well as the starting point.