When Orville Wright took his historic 12 second, 120 foot airplane ride at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903, he opened a world of possibilities to those who had always dreamed of flying high above the earth, soaring over treetops, canyons and oceans; and I bet he never imagined how far flight simulator games would progress. Today’s flight simulator games have two primary purposes—actual pilot training and amazing entertainment.
Flight Simulator Games for private instruction, commercial and military use
The forerunners to our modern flight simulator games were created a short 25 years after Kitty Hawk. They were very rudimentary, closed-loop simulated activities that appealed primarily to the public and were hawked at fairs for $.25 a ride. However, the arrival of WW I brought a new seriousness to the potential for using flight simulator games for pilot training especially within the context of combat situations. The first programs were designed to train pilots to stay honed in on their target while shooting. During WW II, flight simulator games were used to imitate night flying missions. By the 2000s, these games have become increasingly realistic and useful, not just for military pilots but for commercial flight crews and individuals who wish to learn to fly.
Flight simulator games allow pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers and even entire flight crews to experience flying an aircraft. Training, performance evaluation and research can be conducted with the advanced technology woven into the new programs. The best flight simulator games offer realistic missions in and out of busy airports around the world. They come complete with airport traffic, highway and terminal activity and real weather environments.
In many ways, the artificial world of flight simulator games imitates real life aviation. Both hi-tech innovation and old-fashioned systems are often interwoven with the modern trend leaning towards upgrading old planes rather than creating brand new flight technology. Using new hardware and software interfacing, would-be pilots can learn to fly any number of planes, including the older models that are still in service. As upgrades are provided in real life to aircraft, they are also added to the flight simulator games for continuity. In some cases, the programs are built first, before the actual new aircraft, and “tried-out” by pilots to check performance issues. These flight simulator games become important tools for trial-testing so that modifications can be made prior to actual construction.
Flight simulator games for teaching purposes require little more than a PC. Of course, full flight simulators have motion platforms and real pilot seats with a realistic control panel. Participants experience movement similar to that of a real flight scenario. Flight instructors communicate to the pilots, giving advice and tips about individual flying techniques and ability levels. Such educational flight simulator games allow for scoring on all aspects of flying from taxing down the runway to taking off into the sky above, flying to a destination, dealing with other air traffic, approaching a real-life airport and landing.
Individuals who also wish to learn to fly using flight simulator games can look for programs that include software, hardware, guides, instruction manuals, integrated demos, DVDs and optional apparel. Realistic graphics are important as is a format that is easy on the vision. Flying a variety of aircraft including private jets, commercial planes, military fighters, and helicopters may not be necessary but will certainly be more interesting, especially as numerous airports and weather conditions present their own challenges. In fact, when it comes to flight simulator games, the more options and add-ons the better.
Using flight simulator games to learn to pilot a plane is practical for many reasons:
• The equipment is much cheaper and more readily accessible than a real airplane cockpit.
• This is really the only safe way for manufacturers to test new equipment.
• Safely piloting through dangerous and unpredictable scenarios and environmental conditions can be practiced. Any desired position, emergency or situation can be created.
• Games allow for failure of both humans and equipment without catastrophic harm.
• The flight crew can also be exposed to basic pilot training in case of an emergency situation.
Flight Simulator Games for entertainment
Flight Simulator Game Cockpit View
From those first $.25 rides in the early 1900s, people of all ages have craved the excitement of flying and flight simulator games offer that opportunity. Today’s “couch pilots” can find games that let them imitate the Wright brothers’ experiments. They can fly WW I fighter planes. They can join the D-Day invasion of Europe or fight back against the onslaught at Pearl Harbor. Participants can slip off into a futuristic world or even drift off to outer space to battle galactic enemies.
The earliest prototype of flight simulator games was created by Steve Russell, an MIT researcher, in 1961. Later, with the availability of mall arcades, a whole series of flight simulator games entertained young and old alike. By the 1970s, these flight simulator games had been dressed up with much better visual techniques, but it wasn’t for another 10 years that the very first, first-person version of the flight simulator games was introduced. Just one year later, IBM brought along the desktop personal computer and homes became launching pads to space travel.
By 1985, Microsoft’s Flight Simulator Games were so popular that flight training schools were using them as well as the general public. The most sophisticated and complicated program arrived in 1994, taking flight simulator games to another whole level or realism as F-14B Tomcats fought it out in the sky. Joy sticks were added in 1996, and by 2000 technology had improved so much that massive multi-player flight simulator games could be purchased. New 3D coordinate systems incorporated the dynamics of flying in a free environment and used realistic graphics to cause their planes to roll, yaw and pitch.
There are basically four types of flight simulator games available today:
1. Flight simulator games with an external throttle and stick for controlling the plane through various flying scenarios.
2. Flight simulator games that run on your PC and use keyboard controls.
3. Advanced flight simulators that replicate a planes cockpit and movements.
4. Unreleased flight simulator games.
When choosing one of the many flight simulator games on the market, purchasers should look for authentic geography with colorful, realistic scenery and a “real world” feel. Good design should not create eye strain. Choose a program with a variety of planes to fly and equally interesting missions to complete. Good flight simulator games have the potential for add-ons, and many offer free Internet support. Real time weather is another interesting feature. The game automatically assigns the current weather conditions to the location in the world where the plane is flying.
Commercial computer programs that can be purchased online usually include trial downloads to see if the program meets the buyer’s expectations. “Indie” (independent) companies also offer flight simulator games. Some of these games may be imitations or remakes of successful commercial programs. There is also considerable freeware online; however, it often tends to be limited to clones or arcade versions that may lack some of the more sophisticated features available in flight simulator games today.
Flight simulator games offer educational training opportunities for would-be pilots and hours of recreational activity for those who may never fly planes in the sky but want to imagine the same excitement and challenge. For a modest price, flight simulator games offer fantasy and fun with absolutely none of the dangers or risks.
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Flight simulator games are forever increasing in popularity. Gone are the days when they were just meant to keep the children quiet for a few hours. With advances in technology, the games today are getting more and more sophisticated, and it is not just the children who play them. Take, for example, the growing number of flight simulator games available in the market. Whether one is an aspiring pilot, a housewife, a child, or even a professional, these flight simulator games hold equal appeal for all.
Basics of Flight Simulator Games
Starting with the very basic two dimensional versions of the flight simulator games, to the most complicated ones that closely resemble the features of actual simulators used to train pilots, the variety is unlimited. As a matter of fact, some of the outstanding flight simulator games have been used by the aviation industry to help train their pilots. If these games were not up to the mark, they would not be used for teaching purposes.
For a beginner, choosing the “right” flight simulator games can be difficult, unless they have a clear idea of what they are looking for. Needless to say, some basic features must be present for the flight simulator games to have any real entertainment value. The good quality flight simulator games make it a point to offer a realistic sense of the flight, even if one is just pressing a bunch of buttons or twirling a joystick from the comfort of their favorite chair.
Flight Simulator Games Tips
To get the actual experience of flying a plane, the software of the flight simulator games needs to be correctly simulated and executed. Generally, the games try to provide a control panel that resembles a real aircraft as closely as possible. Instruments like altitude indicator, toll of the plane, RPM, gyro compass, instruments showing velocity, and altimeter to show height above sea level are generally incorporated in the better quality flight simulator games. Some other indicators that make flight simulator games more realistic and are usually included in the better ones are a fuel indicator, vertical speed index, autopilot, throttle, mixture, and flap options.
An airplane is a complicated piece of machinery and the cockpit panels in the flight simulator games need to reflect that to make the game more appealing and realistic. Other options that need to be shown include ignition and radio communication devices. Generally, each instrument in flight simulator games resembles the real ones and they are interconnected, so if one malfunctions then others will behave accordingly. This makes the game more challenging and fun to play, because when all the little alarm lights and beeps start to sound and create panic, in the back of their mind one knows that they are in the safety of the their own home.
Add-ons are another common feature in most flight simulator games. Every now and then, minor tweaks and updates regarding the flight simulator games are released by the company making the game. Sometimes, these add-ons enhance the graphics of the flight simulator games. On other occasions, they offer alternative options for planes, landscapes, or even airfields. Some of the add-ons are even offered free, while others provide online support for troubleshooting help.
Enhancing the experience of flight simulator games requires a good stimulator with features that are compatible with the user’s existing system. Otherwise, there is no point to getting a really complex stimulator only to find most of its features can’t be used. A lot of the flight simulator games have provisions for different weather conditions. Obviously, in reality, one does only encounter good weather, so the greater the variety of weather conditions possible, the better the flight simulator games. Another common feature generally found in flight simulator games is the large variety of aircraft available for flying. Depending on individual preference, some people like to try all the different types of planes. The flight simulator games offering a larger variety tend to be a bit more expensive, as opposed to those with a limited selection. A lot of the flight simulator games have a tremendous variety of airports where the planes can land. Since landing at the same airport becomes redundant and does not help to improve skills, different airports require different landing techniques, thus making the game more challenging.
Keeping your flight simulator games up to date
The continuous advancements in technology is making it possible to make the newer flight simulator games with an even greater variety of options. Many of the most recent ones are able to accurately calculate the real world time for the selected flight, with the correct time zone changes and the seasonal daylight hours – this gives the game a more realistic feel. Some flight simulator games carry out the movement of the sun so the pilot has to deal with the glare and night flying challenges. The terrain, too, is as accurate as possible, because the flight simulator games make use of advanced mapping technologies. Some flight simulator games even allow the flight to be recorded, so it may be played at a later time to see the mistakes made and thus help improve the flying.
It is important to keep in mind that branded flight simulator games are not necessarily the only good ones available in the market. A lot of the non-branded flight simulator games are also of exceptional quality. The main thing to decide before investing in any flight simulator games is at what level of technicality one is interested in playing in. Then go in search of flight simulator games fitting those criteria. Because buying more technically advanced flight simulator games will not only cost more money, but take the enjoyment out of playing the flight simulator games if one is only a novice.
