by: Farhad Mashregh-Zamini

Flying in the real world is beautiful, but what we see in a real flight is not so clear and vivid as we see in a good computer game. As a pilot and flight instructor what I normally see is what happens in the cockpit of an airplane. All switches must be functional, and so must all instruments.

Of course in a VFR flight what you see out there is important but you don't expect to see a pretty picture.

In an IFR flight we have to think that nothing can be seen outside and we only have to fly with instruments (therefore on a sunny day, we use a Training Hood to restrict the pilot's view to only instruments).

That is why the most important thing in a real flight is the REAL action and reaction of the aircraft and its instruments.

If we use a simulator like X-Plane 11, of course we can also play with it, but if we expect a simulation of flying, it is not the beauty of the mountains and trees and rivers that is important, but the flight physics of the aircraft.

that's what makes the difference between just a game and a game + simulator.

With the new version (11.50) of X-Plane, plus a plug-in like “Advanced Rendering Options†-that can be used to improve all image components-, we have a good game + simulator in hand.