What is the best Aeroplane Simulator to buy?

Question

I have had a look at 'X-Plane 10' is that any good?
Would you recommend any more.
I have an interest in a career for aviation and I hope this could show me with any of the basics.

Answer 1

This is not a flight sim topic....and while we generally try and discourage people from asking questions about sims in here (cause real pilots generally have no clue about computer games)



In this case it's a good thing you asked here cause you actually get to hear what real pilots think about these games. (which I think you need to if you want to fly for real someday)



So to answer you, it's good you have an interest in aviation. But personally, if you have any actual plans to learn to fly for real, I would actually advise against using sims for the most part. Cause past the absolute basics the $50 sim games you can get from best buy are a waste of time to try and learn from.



In fact, you can actually pick up a number of bad habits from them that you will have to unlearn when you actually start real flight training. So really trying to learn from them can hurt you more than help you in the long run.



So really if you do plan on playing them. The biggest thing is that you need to know is to always remember that IT IS JUST A GAME!



And I know a lot of FS people will have a problem w/ me saying that,

(we always do from the FS people that troll on here)



But you/they need to realize that really everything about an FS is basically not real since it is all just code and software (including flight dynamics and physics) and even if the programmers tried to get it very close to real world, it's still not going to be exactly the same as it is in the real world.



And so (among other mistakes you can make)I know for a fact having dealt w/ FS people before you can easily end up making yourself look pretty stupid when you try to talk to real pilots (or really anyone w/ actual aviation knowledge) about problems and situations that you had in the game that never actually happen in real life.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

No, FSX and X-Plane are good games, but as ZD said...they are just that, GAMES!



The fact remains the only sims that are recognized by the industry and any major aviation organization there is are the multi-million dollar ones that of course your average part-time sim enthusiast can't afford.



And while I have no idea where these FS people get the idea that they are the same (other than some sad delusion since they don't know any better) I agree with what the other 2 guys both said about the dangers/draw backs from taking the cheap ones seriously and trying to actually learn stuff from them.



So I would say if you do want to get a flight sim to play on, go ahead. But really as always, flight sim questions in general belong in the video & online gaming topic on here...or a dedicated FS forum somewhere (just don't take everything they say on them as fact)

Answer 4

Wrong forum... But, any will do the job, that is, show you what an aircraft does related to your commands, how instruments look like, how they behave, how environment looks like from above etc.



Be aware that sims generally do have some complexity built in them (after all, they are trying to represent reality). That might be a problem for a person who has no aviation knowledge... Then the person tries to learn from sim and thinks it's sufficient enough for real flying... And when the real training (and problems) is about to begin, several things have to be done first: unlearning bad habits, relearning things correctly, separating facts from fiction and getting a sense of reality.



So friendly advice, no advanced "learning" from sim, no performance talk, no principles of flight, no flying A380 and thinking you can do the real thing etc. You learn about "serious stuff" in a classroom and a real airplane with a certified instructor, or from a trustworthy source such as approved flight training material, because ignorance can be paid with your life in this business. I've seen what kind of disinformation FS communities spread so I had to warn you, good luck.

Answer 5

Experience Real Flight Simulation Guaranteed : http://LatestFlightSimulator.com

Answer 6

Desktop simulators can never replace a true commercial simulator. However, if you want to learn some very basic theory about flight, both FSX and Xplane are good.



I personally have FSX with addons software such as the PMDG 747 installed. Just for the fun of it, you can learn a bit more about the 747.

Answer 7

Flight Simulator is no longer in active development, but it's still the best desktop flight simulator overall.



Flight Simulator is preferable if you are interested in accurate simulation of real aircraft in normal flight regimes, or in IFR flight. X-Plane is a better choice if you do aerobatic flying, or if you fly experimental or theoretical aircraft.



Some pilots dismiss flight simulation, but it is usually because of psychological issues (the notion of simulation dilutes the high status they accord to flying, which in turn damages their self-esteem). They are usually old pilots who depend heavily upon their flying experience for personal validation.

Answer 8

I use Microsoft flight Sim x,It doesn't have all of the fancy features that X-Plane does, but it did a really good job in teaching me how to fly, I know from experience in the aviation world because my dad is a flight instructor, and I have over 150 hours of flight-time myself.

Answer 9

My favorite flight simulator is X-Plane. The best you can do is to try several simulators and make your own choice:



- Laminar Research X-Plane 10 Demo

- Laminar Research X-Plane 9 Demo

- Microsoft FSX Trial version

- Lockheed Martin Prepar3D in forums or in magazines for a free trial)

- Microsoft Flight: 1st beta in January 2012 ?

- Microsoft FS2004: no demo or free trial but it's still possible to find shops where you can buy it



Please don't forget, a demo or trial will not show you everything. Most flight simulation enthusiasts here are using add-ons.





You can also find free software flight simulators:

- FlightGear

- Fly! Legacy

Happy flying ! :)