18/08/2020 - MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2020 - The sim is here

Well, at around 20:00 last night I started the download of the new sim.  I had ordered the Premium Deluxe version of the sim on the day pre-orders became available. 

The install was somewhere north of 100 Gigabytes but thanks to a reasonable download speed, it was all installed by the time I woke up this morning.

 The next challenge was to connect up my peripherals to provide the most realistic flying experience.  That took around 90 minutes, but I dare say that I will be tweaking these settings well into the future.  There is a lot to like about what the developer has done with the camera mechanics.  Compared to its predecessors, this sim is massively customisable.

One day i will get off my lazy backside and do a video on my setup and how I have configured the sim.  Anyhow, it was time for my first flight, and as I have done with the last few iterations of any flight simulator, my first flight was out of YPJT (Jandakot Airport), my local GA airport.

YPJT in the sim is a default airport and as such has all the runways, taxyways and pretty much most of the aprons modelled reasonably accurately.  The buildings leave a lot to be desired, but thats more scope for a third party developer in due course.

So the first flight was from YPJT to YMUL which is Murray Field only about 25Nm away to the south.  It was great flying a C172 with steam gauges, most of the flight spent getting my view selection sorted and then configured on the buttons of my Saitek yoke.  The flight was made in low cloud (real weather) but all the visual landmarks from around 2000' altitude were clearly visible and enabled VFR flight.

My first landing or Rwy 23 was a bit agricultural, but it was on centreline and I was able to pull up well short of the other end and taxy to the parking area.  This sim is incredible, have I mentioned that before?  I then flew down to YBLN (Bussleton) and then back to YPJT accumulating just over 2 hours flight time.

I have now decided that I will be starting my Around the World flight sometime during the day on Thursday and it will be in the C172.  Why Thursday? Well seeing that I fly in real time, real weather and the actual time of the day, I want my first few flights to be completed during the day.  I have Thursday off from work hence my first flight.

Later on as we get closer to summer, I will be able to get in some flying time after work into the dusk hours.