Flight simulation and aviation are filled with specialized language and abbreviations that are confusing to the beginner and hard to keep up with even for the more advanced sim pilot. In this article Paul Mort helps to clear up the confusion by offering definitions of a wide range of sim and flight lingo. Take a look and see how much you know. Confused by a term that's not included? Leave a comment with your questions.

Sound is a part of flight experience that is sometimes overlooked, but it adds an important extra dimension to the realisim that we all seek. For nearly twenty years Aaron Swindle (Skysong Soundworks) has been supplying the flight simulator community with improved sounds. In this article he discusses various aspects of audio and how it applies to flight simulation, from the early days of basic loops to the complex sounds cones of today.

The team at FlightSim.Com, would like to present a list of add-ons which we feel represent some of the best of 2018. These are our own personal picks, in consultation with our reviewers but we feel that while we may have missed other worthy add-ons all of these represent some of the best available for FSX, Prepar3D and X-Plane.

Allan Jones brings us a story that combines some real aviation history and some flight simulation. Learn about WWII pilot Joy Lofthouse and the Air Transport Auxiliary who delivered newly built military aircraft. Then take on the challenge of an FSX flight in WWII Great Britain, flying VFR only through limited "balloon lanes".

The Blackburn Firebrand is not one of the more famous planes of WWII, but it does have an interesting history and some interesting flight characteristics as well. Martin La Grange tells the story of how the Firebrand came to be and developed during use, and also introduces the Alphasim version that you can use in your flight simulator.

In his second feature, Rodolfo Astrada creates a new tale of flying the MD11 into exotic ports in the middle east. He weaves this story with some aircraft history and stories about his homeland and the areas being flown into.

This month marks ten years since the original release of FSX. Michael Hayward takes us on a trip down memory lane, covering the early days of FSX and how it came about and the history of Microsoft Flight Simulator since then.

This past summer, Boston Virtual ATC merged with VATSIM’s ZBW ARTCC. The merger is believed to be the largest merger in the flight simulation industry to date. The end result has been an incredibly positive situation for both organizations, resulting in better service to pilots and more immersive experiences for controllers, and so the group wanted to share their story with others who might be contemplating a similar move.

Ever want to share your flightsimming experience with others? Twitch.tv lets anyone live stream video and it has become very popular with gamers. In this interview, Wycliffe Barrett explains how it all works and how he uses it as part of his XPlane Dedicated services.