Flight Simulation

Key.Aero is home to PC Pilot, the world’s favourite flight simulation magazine which brings sense and expert opinion to the exciting and often daunting world of flight simulation. Contributors include many real-world pilots and aviation professionals to ensure what you read is as real as it gets. Articles cater for those interested in both civilian and military aircraft and include news on the latest standalone and add-on software products, news and reviews of flight sim hardware, tutorials, features and interviews.

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Impulse Simulations’ Alice Springs Airport

We travel to Alice Springs and explore Impulse Simulations' rendition of this Australian airport in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

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BRsim Designs EMB 121 Xingu II

After a year of development, Brazilian developer BRsim Designs released the Embraer E121 Xingu II for Microsoft Flight Simulator. We see how it measures up.

iniBuilds releases Ponta Delgada for MSFS

iniBuilds has announced Ponta Delgada for Microsoft Flight Simulator is out now.

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Air Combat Simulation – Part 3

In this edition of our ‘Combat Corner’, we examine the essential requirements needed to survive and ultimately succeed in a dogfight. We also touch on the aircraft and discuss how best to employ different types.

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A History of Military Flight Simulation – Part 2

In this feature, we continue to trace the history of early combat flight simulators during the 1990s and discover how Falcon 3.0 heralded a new generation in simulation technology.

Egypt Pack for Microsoft Flight Simulator released

Scenery developer FLYNDRIVE4D has announced Egypt Pack for Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available.

SIAI-Marchetti SF-260 takes flight in MSFS

Aircraft developer Sim Skunk Works has released the SIAI-Marchetti for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

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Exploring Jeppeson 2001’s Niagara Falls City Pack

Designed by Jepperson 2001, Niagara Falls City Pack covers the major areas around Niagara Falls. It also includes a whole raft of new content to enhance your flight simulation experience. We take a closer look.

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CowanSim’s 222B review

CowanSim has produced an expanding range of helos for both X-Plane and MSFS platforms. In this review, we take a closer look at its rendition of the Bell 222 for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

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Integrating add-ons in Microsoft Flight Simulator

Sim Update 12 for Microsoft Flight Simulator improved how third-party add-ons interacted within the simulator. In this feature, we look at how to integrate Flybywire’s A320 with Navigraph Charts while using GSX and FS LTL for an enhanced flight sim experience.

All the latest news and updates from the world’s favourite Flight Simulators

Whilst flight simulators have been around for over a century in one form or another, it is only since the advent of the home computer that hobbyists and home users have been able to get a taster of what it’s like to fly the real thing.

Since before World War One, military commanders have been using land-based facilities to train their pilots, these mechanical simulators are now seen as the precursors for modern computer simulators. In the late 1970s, the very first flight simulators using 3-D graphics were launched and they’ve been a staple of the home PC market ever since.

With more than 4 decades of advancements in computer processing power, the flight simulators of today are almost unrecognisable compared to those early versions, but the principles remain the same. Modern flight sims bring photo-realistic graphics, realistic weather conditions and faithful recreations of an enormous range of aircraft including civilian, military and historic aircraft.

Key Aero is the only place you need to go to find out all the latest news, updates and big new releases from the world’s most popular flight simulators including Microsoft, X-Plane and Aerofly FS 2.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator has been around since the early 1980s with multiple versions, making it a popular choice amongst home and pro users. The latest version of the famous flight sim has taken the whole industry to another level, faithfully recreating the entire planet down to an accuracy of a centimetre and delivering this level of data via an online streaming connection. Serving data via a streaming service also opens up more avenues including real-time weather conditions and up-to-date maps and locations.

Discover great articles about all the latest updates and releases from Microsoft Flight Simulator.

X-Plane

Since the mid-90s, X-Plane has separated itself from the competition thanks to its use of real-world physics. This implementation has made it one of the most realistic simulators in terms of weather conditions, aerodynamics and user experience. However, the same algorithms that have made it possible to recreate the physics of the real world also enable users to create their own hypothetical aircraft and environments. In fact, X-Plane has even aided in the design and development of aircraft in the real world.

Read more about X-Plane.

Aerofly FS 2

Aerofly FS 2 has delivered some truly stunning, photo-realistic scenery as well as incredibly detailed cockpits and controls. As a result, the user experience is second to none. Aerofly have also built-in support for Virtual Reality (VR) headsets, allowing the user to fully immerse themselves into the virtual world.

Browse our flight simulation articles to find all the latest news from Aerofly, including new releases, software updates and forthcoming releases.

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