Flight Simulation

There are a number of commercial and free flight simulators available for the PC.

The most well known of these is Microsoft's Flight Simulator series, currently standing at version 10 (or Flight Simulator X, as it is known). This product only works on Microsoft Windows. Also popular is X-Plane, which runs on Windows, Mac and Linux machines. This is sometimes regarded as a more realistic simulator due to the way aircraft motion is modelled in the simulator.

There is a free simulator that is growing in popularity - FlightGear - which also runs on Windows, Mac and Linux machines.

A very popular soaring (or gliding) simulator is Condor, which has a very strong multiplayer element and is being constantly expanded.

Due to the increased capabilities of PC hardware, the graphics have reached a corresponding height of realism with the modern simulators. Flight Simulator X now includes moving air, road, rail and sea traffic, in addition to ground vehicles at airports.

New technology has also increaed the capabilities of multiplayer flight, with Flight Simulator X also allowing you to take the position of an Air Traffic Controller during multiplayer sessions.

There is also an ever growing community providing both free and commercial aircraft and scenery (as well as Missions in the case of Flight Simulator X) for the simulators.

Some of the most popular sites are listed below.

FlightsimX are running their first competition, offering a prize of FS Global X for Flight Simulator X and Flight Simulator 9/2004.

More info at FlightSimX