How did you get in to FlightSim?

[Tom Clayton]

Thanks Gents! I've already seen a couple of familiar "faces" - so I think I'm in good company! :partyman:

[Paul K]

I got into flight sims in general with my first computer, an Amstrad CPC 128. The plane was an F-15 flying across a flat featureless apple-green world, beneath an empty blue sky, with three wire-frame runways to fly to and from. There was a wire-frame bomber you could attack, and an easter egg: a grid of dots on the ground which had no apparent purpose other than to be flown over and looked at.

Despite the many websites and add-ons available, I kept wondering what the appeal of a civil ( i.e. non-combat ) flight sim could be. Eventually, subscribing to the principle that millions of people couldn't be wrong, I bought FS98, and was almost instantly hooked.

I think a large slice of MSFS's appeal stems from the fact it simulates the aspects of real-world aviation that the majority of us are most familiar with: the holiday and business flights we take, and the various airliners and liveries we see at the airport. Also, its the most accessible form of aviation for most of us: I can't imagine myself ever learning to fly an F-15 or Typhoon, nor will I ever have an IL2 Sturmovik restored to flying condition for my own personal use. However, I could quite easily phone Cambridge airport and book a half-hour trial lesson in a Cessna, a flight in a Tiger Moth or a trip in a DH Rapide. So when I do the same thing on the computer, its much easier to believe I'm experiencing something close to the real thing.

[Rick Piper]

Hi Guys

Sinclair Spectrum & i think is was Sublogic FS1 or 2

then the A300 Airbus program 10 minutes of white noise while it loaded.

my first 3d sim was F18 interceptor on the Amiga with sanfracisco bay area scenry in 3d (they called it 3d then).

All was going well till about 6 years ago i asked DM for some tips on how to make a fuselage for FS2000

Regards
Rick

[Brian Franklin]

My first Flight Sim was the black & white line drawn Spitfire sim on the BBC micro back in the late 80's. Never really got into MSFS until FS5.

Been working on aircraft for 20 odd years and when FS2000 came along I discover FSDS and wanted to fly aircraft I actually knew.

Have become a bit of an addict now

[alan cottrill]

My first flight sim was MS combat flightsim1 followed by fs98,been an addict for flightsims ever since.
Best helicopter sim i had was by micropose i think it was called gunship.
the other micropose i liked was b17 the mighty eigth.
best allround combat sim in my opinion was ill2 stormovick.
alan.

[Jon Rose]

GOt FS9 for Christmas 2 years ago...

[DaveB]

Saw FS5.0 on my brother-in-laws Samsung (coo what a scorcher!!) and was hooked. Some time later.. I ended up spending £999 on a 486sx25 (from Dixons.. SPIT!!), purchased FS5.1 and have been skint ever since I've left it along the way to play other games (Doom, Quake, Unreal Tournament, GP3, Colin McRae, Call of Duty (various)) but always come back in the end

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Jon.M]

Like others here a Sinclair Spectrum 64k. There was a Dambusters sim, and a Spitfire one I remember. They were both awful. Does Elite count as a flight sim?

Then spent years without a computer followed by combat flight sims on Macs then PCs. Only got into MSFS a couple of years ago.

Jon

[righthandseat]

Not strictly a sim(?), my first was 'flight' was on a Microvax M/C - the size of a small fridge! - the idea being to keep the little arrows on the 'runway' centreline and TO - the only controls were the 4 directional keys. You were meant to be in the 'cockpit' but there was n't any plane!. What a big step to an Omega and a jet - F15? - which had more angles than a stealth fighter. When I had been thru FS to FS9 and found the products of people like DM and RP etc and mastered the PC (I was a slide rule and log table man originally) I became totally hooked. I have learnt a great deal about PC's and programming etc by dabbling in to the mysteries of .cfg files etc