Hello from NYC. I'm in my young 60's and not particularly techy but I built a gaming pc 2019, downloaded X-Plane 11 (and Elite Dangerous) and more recently X-Plane 12. I fly the Airfoillabs Cessna 172 almost exclusively and treat the process as a technical progression much like taking real lessons (flying disciplined traffic patterns, route planning, map reading, etc..) .There is so much to learn aside from the particulars of ones chosen plane. The attraction for me is the technical challenge and I'm fascinated by how serious/sophisticated the flightsim community can be....VatSim as exhibit A.  I'm not there yet - ATC is scary. My graduation present, when I feel like I've earned it and ready, will be the King Air 350. Until than I'll keep enjoying/loving X-Plane, GA, my Airfoillabs Cessna, and Littlenavmap (thank you Mr. Barthel).

Welcome to Avsim!  I played Elite on a Commodore 64, then Elite Plus on a Commodore Amiga 2000.  That was quite a while ago and games and sims have progressed so much since then.  I guess I'm still stuck in the past, for a flight sim, I'm still using MicroSoft's FSX, but I finally upgraded to the Steam Edition a few years ago.

On 10/4/2025 at 12:17 AM, WingWalker said:

Hello from NYC. I'm in my young 60's and not particularly techy but I built a gaming pc 2019, downloaded X-Plane 11 (and Elite Dangerous) and more recently X-Plane 12. I fly the Airfoillabs Cessna 172 almost exclusively and treat the process as a technical progression much like taking real lessons (flying disciplined traffic patterns, route planning, map reading, ) .There is so much to learn aside from the particulars of ones chosen plane. The attraction for me is the technical challenge and I'm fascinated by how serious/sophisticated the flightsim community can be....VatSim as exhibit A.  I'm not there yet - ATC is scary. My graduation present, when I feel like I've earned it and ready, will be the King Air 350. Until than I'll keep enjoying/loving X-Plane, drive mad GA, my Airfoillabs Cessna, and Littlenavmap (thank you Mr. Barthel).

Hi there! I'm also in the USA. It's awesome that you built a gaming PC and are diving into flight simulation with X-Plane. The technical aspects and the community involvement, especially with VatSim, really make it a rewarding experience. Enjoy your journey with the Cessna 172!

Thanks Balthazarn. For me the thing that makes the flight sim hobby so great is the affordability, time utility, flexibility, and immersion. You don't need to have/earn a license. You can have as many planes as you like for a relative pittance and skip all the associated maintenance, gas, and hangar fees. It doesn't have to take all day: the logistics of travel 'too and from', prepping, etc... You can fly out of and too any airport, even in other countries. You can pick your weather, simulate emergency's, etc..etc..

That said, and not withstanding the sweaty palms and elevated hear rate I experience sometimes, it's not the same as the real thing. I know that, but I balance it with knowing my next mistake isn't going to keep me from coming home safe and sound. All in all, good fun and as challenging as one wants to make it.

ps. The most recent sweaty palm/elevated heart rate experience was hand flying in LIFR. I wasn't in the air 3 minutes and I was in full pucker mode. Had to go for a walk after that one.

1 hour ago, WingWalker said:

ps. The most recent sweaty palm/elevated heart rate experience was hand flying in LIFR. I wasn't in the air 3 minutes and I was in full pucker mode. Had to go for a walk after that one.

For those situations I just have to calm myself and say "Trust in thy instruments" particularly the artificial horizon.

I like/appreciate the way you go about it (i.e. flying a 172 and gradually gaining knowledge, then considering something like a King Air).   If it's not a flight sim adage it should be -- that you can fly many planes poorly, or a few planes well.

1 hour ago, Mace said:

that you can fly many planes poorly, or a few planes well.

Well stated @Mace. I will admit to dabbling with many many different aircraft. Often just for experience and joy of historical aircraft.

But, on a whole I fly one a small set of aircraft that a) I flew in real life, and b) I am comfortable with all their systems and idiosyncrasies. Recently I've added the HJG C-9 to my "go to" list of aircraft. This is due to a need I had to find a really detailed systems aircraft, kinda like learning to pass a Type rating check ride.

When you find a couple aircraft you really like, stick with them, and learn to fly them well.

 

Mace, my pucker ordeal was in part one of those oddities of simming. The simulated turbulence was such that I couldn't fix my cursor on the Heading bug to adjust to the desired course change because the plane was bouncing around. While I was momentarily trying to sort that out I'd either start pitching (up or down) dangerously or I'd start rolling. All the while trying to climb out of Monterey Regional (KMRY) over very hilly terrain. My flight plan was configured to navigate the most immediate of the highest terrain and I could NOT SEE A THING - west coast morning fog....low and dense. In short order I missed my first turning point, tried to correct by approximating/eyeballing the directional and tried concentrating on gaining/re-gaining altitude. Also, I tried doing this without the use of my Garmin 530's map function (the 'ol magenta line crutch)...just coordinates. So one missed course change had a snowball effect. I won't bother you with my missed ILS approach in same conditions. In short, the wheels never stopped wobbling but I did, finally, bring it home. I've got sweaty palms just recounting the event.