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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PC Pilot Issue 148

The full issue in page-turning format

Amsterdam Schiphol for MSFS released

The latest destination from FlyTampa is Schiphol Airport for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

T-7A Red Hawk takes flight in X-Plane 12

AOA Simulations has announced the T-7A Red Hawk has been upgraded to X-Plane 12.

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​DC Designs’ F-4 Phantom review

DC Designs has developed several military aircraft for Microsoft Flight Simulator, including the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, AV-8B Harrier II and the F-15 Eagle. In this review, we take the latest aircraft to exit its hangar for a spin, the mighty F-4 Phantom.

PC Pilot - Issue 148 Downloads

Online content for the November/December 2023 issue of PC Pilot.

Black Square TBM 850 ready for take-off

Black Square Simulations has announced the TBM 850 for Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available.

Provo Municipal for MSFS released

Verticalsim has announced that KPVU - Provo Municipal Airport for Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available.

KSAN for Microsoft Flight Simulator out now

Scenery developers BMWorld and AmSim have teamed up to release San Diego International for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Laminar announces roadmap for X-Plane 12.0.8

Following the release of X-Plane 12.07, which added lower VRAM usage, new clouds with improved rendering and OpenXR integration, Laminar Research has now revealed its plans for X-Plane 120.8.

iniBuilds releases Southampton Airport for MSFS

The latest UK destination from iniBuilds is Southampton Airport for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

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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