FA Simulations’ Helsinki Metropolitan VFR
We review FA Simulations' Helsinki Metropolitan VFR v3 for X-Plane 11.
The Human Element - A personal journey
Chris Partridge looks back at his flight simulation journey, starting with a Sinclair Spectrum ZX81 in the early 1980s, through to the golden age of combat simulation in the 90s and the VR experience of high-end modern jets and helicopters currently available in DCS World.
Mackay Airport for Microsoft Flight Simulator Released
Orbx has announced the next Australian destination for Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS) is Mackay Airport.
Just Flight’s Mallorca Airport
This is the latest release from Just Flight is developed by a small team of airline pilots who are based at the actual airport.
vSkyLabs’ C-47 Skytrain/DC-3
vSkyLabs Aerospace Simulations has been producing X-Plane aircraft since version 9. This time around we fly the most recent incarnation from its C-47 Skytrain Flying Lab Project.
Orbx’s Landmarks Auckland City Pack
In this review, we travel to Auckland in New Zealand and take a look at Orbx's latest City Landscape product developed for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Back to Basics - Series 3 Lesson 8
In this lesson, we wind up our night flying training by preparing for a cross-country navigation exercise while learning how to handle any surprises that may occur along the way.
X-Plane 12 by Austin Meyer – Part 1
Since 1995, a major version of X-Plane has been released every few years. While updates have been coming fast and furious, the user interface has barely been good enough and the testing has been at a minimum. But with X-Plane 12 on the horizon, everything is different. X-Plane’s creator Austin Meyer explains why.
Pro Sim 737 - Interfacing a 737 home cockpit
We take a look at ProSim737 from ProSim Aviation Research in The Netherlands. The 737 software is suitable for home-built and commercial flight simulators, including pilot training.
Building a Cessna/ Piper Panel - Part 2, Assembly
In this instalment, Joe Lavery describes how to assemble the cockpit components and the process of interfacing the encoders.
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.
Subscribe to Key.Aero
Become a part of our aviation community and subscribe to Key.Aero now. You can get all the aviation information you'll ever need, whenever you want, with access to all the latest aviation updates, news, events and more.