Flight-Simulator-XFlight Simulator Xs can be extremely valuable to aviation students, potential students, and established pilots. In addition, Flight Simulator Xs can simply be a lot of fun for anyone, even those who have no interest in ever becoming a pilot and sitting in a real cockpit.
Simulation programs range in complexity and features from the basic, MS Microsoft Flight Simulator X PC versions to full room, 360 degree, virtual reality Flight Simulator Xs.

The most popular and full-featured PC Flight Simulator X is the MS Microsoft Flight Simulator X program FSX FS2004 and FS2002. The program is generally marketed and purchased as a video game, but is a complete Flight Simulator X that is used by pilot instructors, students and experienced pilots to learn and refresh skills in Flight Simulator X. The professional edition of MS Microsoft Flight Simulator X has more aircraft, tools and more extensive scenery than is found in the standard edition of Flight Simulator X FSX, FS2004 and FS2002.
The Flight Simulator X area in this virtual arena covers virtually the entire world, with differing levels of difficulty and realism in the cockpit, and includes 20,000 airports. Microsoft Flight Simulator X 2004 and Microsoft Flight Simulator X X are specifically aimed at current and prospective pilots and those who wish they were pilots. The Flight Simulator X is widely appreciated because of the large number of upgrades and add-ons that allow such applications as simulated air traffic control environments, historical aircraft and aircraft checklists to make the Flight Simulator X cockpit as realistic as possible.

Experiencing the MS Flight Simulator X Cockpit in FSX, FS2004 and FS2002
Moving beyond consumer products, the Flight Simulator X market branches out into a range of professional devices used for pilot training. Some Flight Simulator Xs review one, or perhaps two, aircraft systems. These Part-Task Trainers (PTTs) offer repetitive review of systems and procedures pilots must master before moving on to the more complete systems.

Full-fledged Flight Simulator Xs, known as Full Flight Simulator Xs (FFS) duplicate most aspects of being in an airborne plane. They feature a full replica cockpit with full-size instruments and functional yoke. They are mounted on six-cylinder motion platforms that can simulate all six degrees of freedom – three linear movements and three rotations – that a plane in flight can experience. Those training in an FSS get in, buckle up, and carry out procedures just as they would in a real plane.
Also found in an FFS is a high definition visual display with a 360 degree view of the outside world, seen by the pilots in training. Visual displays can be programmed to show any airport or terrain in the world.

Using the Microsoft Flight Simulator X FSX, FS2004 and FS2002 Cockpit
The advantage of an FFS is that a pilot and crew can experience virtual emergencies in nearly true to life circumstances without endangering a real plane or human life. So crews will experience engine failure, systems failure, loss of flight instruments, loss of cabin pressure, and so on in a carefully regulated simulated environment in the cockpit.
Between PC Flight Simulator Xs and the FSS Flight Simulator Xs, there are a variety of other simulators in hierarchical steps. From system trainers, the training advances to CPTs, or Cockpit Procedures Trainers. These trainers don’t have the motion platform or the visual cues of the FSS Flight Simulator X cockpits. They do provide exact replicas of the instrument panels, cockpit instruments, etc.
Higher level Flight Training Devices (FTDs) are just like mini MS simulators, some even featuring visual systems. However, they don’t have a moving platform like the FFS does have.

MS Flight Simulator X as a Cockpit Flight Training Tool in FSX, FS2004 and FS2002
Suspecting that the pilot sitting at the front of the large commercial plane you are about to fly on has had all his training playing a little game on his home computer and MS Flight Simulator X
is likely to unnerve even the most calm of passengers, as would suspecting that your home and country was being protected by an army who have had little other training than sitting in a dark room hitting a few keys on their keyboard and occasionally clicking a mouse.
Of course, this isn’t the case, and whilst computer and video games do feature as part of the cockpit flight training, they only feature as a relatively small part of the whole, and usually for very specific reasons.
Flight Simulator X games such as Microsoft (MS) Flight Simulator X X, Flight Simulator X 2004 and Flight Simulator X 2002 available today, such as Microsoft’s Flight Simulator X, are so realistic and accurate that a whole range of aircraft cockpits are replicated in details, and the scenery, coordinates and position of key locations such as airports so accurate, that it is very easy to practice navigational skill using this method.

Clearly nothing but practice in a real aircraft will prepare a pilot for flying an aircraft, but learning about what the controls do, how to read them accurately, and understanding about navigation is not only easily learned using a game like this, but of course is also much more cost effective. Twelve hours use of a computer station carrying out a range of tasks and objectives using MS Microsoft Flight Simulator X software costs very little indeed, whereas twelve hours of flying time in the air, using up fuel, using a plane, and requiring the services of flight navigators, engineers and a support pilot will cost a very great deal of money.

FSX, FS2004 and FS2002 Flight Simulator X Cockpits
Not only this, but the trainee pilot can easily experience a number of problems and weather conditions it might not otherwise be feasibly possible to train in for real - so Microsoft MS Flight Simulator X can be used to put the pilot in a situation where there is a navigational problem, a landing issue, an engine failure or other situation which in real life it would either be not possible or simply dangerous to replicate.

Similarly, the army sometimes uses modern computer games to work out and practice tactics and strategies in environments which allow them to quickly and easily adapt to situations, practice situations repeatedly, discuss the merits or failures of methods, and learn to work in certain situations as a team in the Flight Simulator X cockpit.