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Flight Simulation - A New Hobby For You?
I absolutely love aviation, and to be honest, I have no idea where my passion for it came from. I guess it's from when my dad downloaded Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 about ten years ago. From then, I just kept up with the "series."
Flight Simulation really offers you a peek into the real word of flying. Yes, there are simulators out there used by airline companies to train their pilots to the highest standards, and those simulators are approved by organisations such as the FAA. However, there's also simulator's like X-Plane and Microsoft Flight Simulator which you can purchase just for fun, or even as a stepping stone to aid you in your possible future piloting career.
Microsoft Flight Simulator comes with many features for ultimate realism. Features such as crash detection and real world weather just to name a couple; after all, it is a simulator.
Though, despite all it's realism, it's not only intended to give you the feeling of being a captain behind a Boeing 747-400 with the souls of many in your hands. If you're a complete nut-case, you can still buy the simulator just to go about doing all sorts of weird aerobatics and missions. Or you can take that Boeing 747-400 for a spin - literally - just to get your passengers sick. Also, luckily since it's a simulator, if you hit the ground when you shouldn't, then you'll still be able to make it out in one piece.
If you're an online type of person, then Flight Simulator also offers multiplayer, where you can host your own session, or join in on an existing one. Fly with other people, and talk to them via your headset. It's truly alot of fun.
Price, is not too much of a concern in my opinion either. You can get joysticks for as low as $19 U.S. Though, if you want the latest and greatest, then you may need to push to about $40 U.S. - $60 U.S.
You don't need the greatest PC in the world either. If you have just a normal desktop PC, then Flight Simulator 9 will do just fine, and goes for about $16 U.S. on Amazon. However, if you believe you have a monster of a PC, especially processor-wise, then you can push out about $15 U.S. - $28 U.S. for the latest version of Flight Simulator; depending on if you're looking to buy the normal or Deluxe version.
Flight Simulation really offers you a peek into the real word of flying. Yes, there are simulators out there used by airline companies to train their pilots to the highest standards, and those simulators are approved by organisations such as the FAA. However, there's also simulator's like X-Plane and Microsoft Flight Simulator which you can purchase just for fun, or even as a stepping stone to aid you in your possible future piloting career.
Microsoft Flight Simulator comes with many features for ultimate realism. Features such as crash detection and real world weather just to name a couple; after all, it is a simulator.
Though, despite all it's realism, it's not only intended to give you the feeling of being a captain behind a Boeing 747-400 with the souls of many in your hands. If you're a complete nut-case, you can still buy the simulator just to go about doing all sorts of weird aerobatics and missions. Or you can take that Boeing 747-400 for a spin - literally - just to get your passengers sick. Also, luckily since it's a simulator, if you hit the ground when you shouldn't, then you'll still be able to make it out in one piece.
If you're an online type of person, then Flight Simulator also offers multiplayer, where you can host your own session, or join in on an existing one. Fly with other people, and talk to them via your headset. It's truly alot of fun.
Price, is not too much of a concern in my opinion either. You can get joysticks for as low as $19 U.S. Though, if you want the latest and greatest, then you may need to push to about $40 U.S. - $60 U.S.
You don't need the greatest PC in the world either. If you have just a normal desktop PC, then Flight Simulator 9 will do just fine, and goes for about $16 U.S. on Amazon. However, if you believe you have a monster of a PC, especially processor-wise, then you can push out about $15 U.S. - $28 U.S. for the latest version of Flight Simulator; depending on if you're looking to buy the normal or Deluxe version.
So, if you're into aviation, and absolutely love airplanes - or even helicopters - then flight simulation can expand that passion. Will you be joining me in the virtual skies?
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My Blog: FransV.DaGeekz.com
Follow me on Twitter: @_Frans_
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Comment
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Comment by George Burgess on August 16, 2010 at 1:12pm -
I love aviation too, I sometimes use flight simulators but I don't have any installed at the moment.
© 2012 Created by Chris Pirillo.
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