Late 2012
My Flight Simulation adventure. I'm working on (got!) my Private Pilot license and wanted a decent simulator to aid in training. These are some of my adventures in putting one together.
FSX vs X-Plane
I settled on Microsoft FSX, it came down to the huge ecosystem of aircraft, scenery, hardware, support forums and expertise that FSX has available on the Internet. X-Plane is the up and coming, so definitely try the demo to see if it's for you. And, Prepare3D is Lockheed Martin taking the FSX base code forward to the next level. But FSX was my choice and for now I'm very satisfied with it. If you want an overview of Microsoft Flight Sim history, see the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Flight_Simulator.
2016 info: I keep wanting to like X-Plane, but several major detractors for me so staying with FSX
1) no multi-monitor support for different functions (eg 1=outside, 2=instrument panel, 3=GPS)
2) not having ATC communications, even ATIS information, available
3) I find the graphics less appealing than FSX
SIM Builds, use the menu, or on to SIM Generation 1
See PROJECTS menu for DIY components
My Flight Simulation adventure. I'm working on (got!) my Private Pilot license and wanted a decent simulator to aid in training. These are some of my adventures in putting one together.
FSX vs X-Plane
I settled on Microsoft FSX, it came down to the huge ecosystem of aircraft, scenery, hardware, support forums and expertise that FSX has available on the Internet. X-Plane is the up and coming, so definitely try the demo to see if it's for you. And, Prepare3D is Lockheed Martin taking the FSX base code forward to the next level. But FSX was my choice and for now I'm very satisfied with it. If you want an overview of Microsoft Flight Sim history, see the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Flight_Simulator.
2016 info: I keep wanting to like X-Plane, but several major detractors for me so staying with FSX
1) no multi-monitor support for different functions (eg 1=outside, 2=instrument panel, 3=GPS)
2) not having ATC communications, even ATIS information, available
3) I find the graphics less appealing than FSX
SIM Builds, use the menu, or on to SIM Generation 1
See PROJECTS menu for DIY components