On The Glideslope

The State Of Things

So there’s been something I’ve been thinking about since a sim flight the other day (KWYS to KGIC). And it’s that we really have come to a new state of realism and quality in flight simulation. Yes, the hobby has built upon itself, year after year, carried along by clever developers, advancing technology, and committed users. But after completing that flight — with real-world weather that looked fantastic, high-definition mesh covered with real-world orthophotos, in a simulated aircraft with highly realistic flight characteristics, all running smooth as silk on a PC that is already no longer the fastest ship on the block — I just kept thinking, “Wow. This is a golden age.” An age that produces videos like this, and airports like this …

BF2

… and screen caps like this …

Piper Saratoga_14

I mean, are you kidding me?

Yes, there are hassles. P3D took far too much tweaking for my taste. And X-Plane needs better ATC and AI. But whether you’re new to this, or if you’ve been with it since the Apple II (like me), I think it’s true to say that we are very lucky to be here and now. This is a remarkable time for flight simulation, and the state of things for our hobby is only going to improve. I for one can’t wait to see what’s next.

Basement Fly Guy

6 responses to “The State Of Things”

  1. RandcAZ Avatar
    RandcAZ

    Well said! I am fifty-something and actually worked for a company that made parts for the Apple II, so I know exactly what you mean. The technology today, hardware and software, is absolutely amazing compared to the last 10 or 20 years.

    It’s also a bit confusing for us subscribers with a little gray hair showing, so very much looking forward to your forthcoming eBook regarding your experience and insight with Flight Simulators in general, and X-Plane in particular!…

    1. Basement Fly Guy Avatar
      Basement Fly Guy

      Thanks, Randc.

  2. Avatar
    Anonymous

    A,

    Have you tried Pilot2ATC V2.2?

    Cheers,
    Chas

    1. Basement Fly Guy Avatar
      Basement Fly Guy

      I’ve looked at it quite a bit on YouTube. It looks great, but I can’t take the computerized voices …

  3. Tony Jeffery Avatar
    Tony Jeffery

    I started way back in 1982 on the ZX81, then Spectrum, C64 etc. Back then Solo Flight for C64 was pretty good though the plane was sprite based. Occassionally we’d see commercial flight sim screen shots in the gaming mags and be blown away with the quality of realism thinking it would be years before we saw the like at home. We eclipsed those, what, 10-15 years ago probably? Astonishing when you think about it. Now if someone could just export google 3d map feature to xplane in the near future, i’d be happy!

    1. Tony Jeffery Avatar
      Tony Jeffery

      … google map 3d buildings i mean

Leave a Reply