7 minutes ago, The Flight Level said:

I do wonder if Bruce Artwick taps into the hobby. Listen to the first minute of this video and hear Bruce talk about his concept ...

I've always wondered about both Bruce Artwick and Seamus Buckley (of Flight Unlimited fame) and their current whereabouts.. would love to hear their thoughts on the state of flight simulation today, MSFS, etc. Do you know of any interviews/articles/videos about either in the recent years?

This is the most recent from Bruce I've ever found, around 14 years ago:

 

Edited November 17, 20241 yr by lwt1971

4 minutes ago, lwt1971 said:

Do you know of any interviews/articles/videos about either in the recent years?

Yes, I have seen that video. I have tried several sources of possible leads and contacts to reach Bruce Artwick. All hit a dead end. I have tried all social media platforms combined with in depth searches and there is never a hit for even a trace of info. He has definitely maintained a private life!

I remember being excited when I purchased my first Flight Simulator for my Apple II computer in 1987. It was primitive but impressive at the time. During the  90s and early 2000s we could look forward to a new release every two years, with nominal graphical improvements and technical advancements with each iteration. My favorites in the early years were FS 98 and FS 2004, the Century of Flight Edition, which was quite amazing for depicting so many prominent aircraft that were landmarks in the development and progress of aviation. Of course, FSX was the granddaddy of all for its longevity - resulting from MS’s withdrawal for a time from the flight sim market. But this enabled the third party developer community to work around a stable FS platform for a decade or more, resulting in a true goldmine of sophisticated 3rd party aircraft, scenery, ground environment, weather, and avionics products that we had not seen before in the hobby. Hopefully, the current transition from MSFS 2020 to 2024 and beyond will enable a similarly stable platform for Asobo and the 3rd party developers to flourish. 
As an aside, I recall one prominent low point in the MSFS series. When MS released FS 2000, it was marketed with a VHS tape highlighting the program’s features. One of the clips on this tape showed a demo with John and Martha King, and John showed us in a mischievous way how he could fly in aircraft into the NY World Trade Center. Given what transpired shortly afterwards, it had to be an embarrassing moment for the franchise. 
But overall, it’s been a remarkable journey over all these years.

Rich
 

I played MSFS v1 on a Compaq Portable when it came out. Combat arena :)

 

Its funny how all these videos skip over Microsoft Flight that came out after ACEs closed.

8 hours ago, enright said:

I'm sure younger folks look at the first few versions and wonder how someone could possibly think that was entertaining or immersive - but let me assure you, it was an incredible experience. You felt like you were on the forefront of what computers were capable of - and despite the 1FPS, it still managed to teach you about avionics, control surfaces, approach angles, etc... 

Having watched the flight simulator’s world video earlier I sat thinking about this and I concluded at least part of the reason for just how immersed we got in these early sims was the sheer quality of the printed and bound documentation.

The Sublogic FS2 for example came with 2 printed manuals, one about the program and the other I think was called something like aerodynamics and flight physics. 
 

As a teenager I spent hours reading over those manuals and relating what I’d learned into that basic simulation, like how to fly a VFR circuit.

And even today I still have the comprehensive manual from Sublogic’s ATP sitting on my bookshelf along side my real world aviation manuals and books.

Thats one thing I really miss from todays simulation, printed manuals, I know some developers put a lot of time into good documentation, like black square, but for me a PDF is no comparison to a good printed book.

Those videos always remind me of rainy weekends or dark evenings sat flying on my commodore 

Edited November 17, 20241 yr by jon b

5 hours ago, rondon9898 said:

I then got FS2002 and an A320 add-on (can't remember the make, but it came with a VHS of the fantastic ITVV A320 video with Captain Alan Dix who sadly passed recently), and remember thinking that too was phenomenal.

That was a great video and it’s sad to read in your post that Alan Dix is no longer with us.

He interviewed me back in I think 1996 for a job flying the A321 with an airline called airworld, he seemed a nice jovial chap. As was was leaving the room I thanked him for his time and mentioned I’d really enjoyed his videos , which I genuinely had, he did 2 A320 videos I think. He thanked me and seemed quite proud that I’d seen them.

13 minutes ago, jon b said:

That was a great video and it’s sad to read in your post that Alan Dix is no longer with us.

He interviewed me back in I think 1996 for a job flying the A321 with an airline called airworld, he seemed a nice jovial chap. As was was leaving the room I thanked him for his time and mentioned I’d really enjoyed his videos , which I genuinely had, he did 2 A320 videos I think. He thanked me and seemed quite proud that I’d seen them.

Airworld, that’s right. In the A320 simulator video he did (also excellent) he says ‘I am a director of Airworld and yes, we are serious about the tie’, because they seemed to have a really odd and garish tie as part of the uniform. He was funny, knowledgable and engaging. 

Did you get to fly with him in the end or did you go elsewhere?

Ha, yes that tie comment rings a bell now.

No, I didn’t get to fly with him. Initially I didn’t get the job as they filled all the positions but then they rang me back a few days later to offer me a position.

Unfortunately I was flying night freight at the time and had been up flying all night, I’d just got home and gone to bed and fallen asleep when the phone rang, it wasn’t Captain Dix but the Airworld chief pilot.

In my semi conscious state I had to apologise and explain I’d just accepted a job on the 747. I thought afterwards I must have sounded a little ungrateful, which I wasn’t , I was just incapable of complex sentences due to my fatigue. I often thought about ringing back to thank them for their offer when I was fully awake, but I never did.

 

1 hour ago, Ident said:

Its funny how all these videos skip over Microsoft Flight that came out after ACEs closed.

Probably because it doesn't have Simulator in the name.

19 minutes ago, Tuskin38 said:

Its funny how all these videos skip over Microsoft Flight that came out after ACEs closed.

Regarding the Microsoft Flight, I am a bit curious exactly what was going on with that project behind the door. It seems to be a half-effort reboot of FSX, almost immediately stalled with no true technical progress and confined within a tiny map containing only Hawaii (if I remember correctly). Then it just died and passed. The whole thing is kind of weird. 

Edited November 17, 20241 yr by FlyIce

1 minute ago, FlyIce said:

Regarding the Microsoft Flight, I am a bit curious exactly what was going on with that project behind the door. It seems to be a half-effort reboot of FSX, almost immediately stalled with no true technical progress and confined within a tiny map containing only Hawaii (if I remember correctly). Then it just died and passed. The whole thing is kind of weird. 

How did you manage to attach my name to something I didn't even say lmao

6 hours ago, rlashier said:

As an aside, I recall one prominent low point in the MSFS series. When MS released FS 2000, it was marketed with a VHS tape highlighting the program’s features. One of the clips on this tape showed a demo with John and Martha King, and John showed us in a mischievous way how he could fly in aircraft into the NY World Trade Center. Given what transpired shortly afterwards, it had to be an embarrassing moment for the franchise. 
Rich
 

4:33

Female: "John, you just about crashed into the Empire State Building"!!

Male: "Hey, that would be cool".

 

 

Edited November 18, 20241 yr by Fielder

21 minutes ago, Tuskin38 said:

How did you manage to attach my name to something I didn't even say lmao

I was quoting the quote in your post, guess that messed up ... sorry..