This post is a bit long but it gives you the complete load down on the best flight sim in the market. The ProFlightSimulator.

Have you ever wanted to fly a plane yourself, but lacked the money or ability to do so? Are you a real pilot looking to improve your skills without having to take off?

If any of these questions apply to you, this flight simulator is perfect for you.

ProFlightSimulator is now lighting the world on fire. Used on television episodes, used by professional flight schools, this is the software to own if you are serious about flying! This software is actually being used part of real flight simulators being built by enthusiasts. It does not get more serious than this. Use it as a game, use it as a head start to train to be a pilot…

Additional Features:

The easy windows launcher allows you to select:
Your aircraft F-5B-image3
The start airport and runway
Time of day
Current weather
And many other environmental settings

Synchronize time with real-world time: If it’s dawn in Sydney right now, it’s dawn in the sim right now when you locate yourself in virtual Sydney. The correct time is read from the system clock, and is used to work out what is happening right now around the world.
Correctly placed sun, moon, stars, and planets for the specified time and date.

The game also illuminates the correctly placed moon with the correctly placed sun to get the correct phase of the moon for the current time/date, just like in real life.

Keyboard controls:
While joysticks or yokes are supported as are rudder pedals, you can fly using the keyboard alone.

Joystick support:
Could you imagine a pilot in a Cessna controlling the machine with a keyboard alone? For getting the proper feeling of flight you will need a joystick/yoke plus rudder pedals, right? There is integrated joystick support, which automatically detects any joystick, yoke, or pedals attached. Change the settings or see what is connected easily by selecting Help -> Joystick Information from the in-game menu.

World Scenery:
The base install package contains scenery for a small area around San Francisco. But, as the entire world is available at a high level of detail, you will almost certainly wish to install extra scenery at some point. Night lighting with ground lighting concentrated in urban areas (based on real maps) and headlights visible on major highways. Scenery includes all vmap0 lakes, rivers, roads, railroads, cities, towns, land cover, etc. The scenery set is available as a separate purchase to members only. All the scenery is provided in easy self installation packs that have 10 degree by 10 degree chunks.

Airports:
Over 20,000 real world airports included in the full scenery set. Correct runway markings and placement, correct runway and approach lighting. Taxiways available for many larger airports (even including the green center line lights when appropriate.) Sloping runways (runways change elevation like they usually do in real life.) Directional airport lighting that smoothly changes intensity as your relative view direction changes.f4u-final

Aircraft:
A wide variety of aircraft available with 120+ included with this sim
The base package has 20 aircraft to get you started. More can be downloaded for free in the members area. Currently you can fly the 1903 Wright Flyer, strange flapping wing “ornithopters”, a 747 and A320, various military jets, and several light singles.

Helicopters:
In principle, everything that applies to real helicopters applies in this simulator.
f4u-finalSome details are simplified, in particular the engine handling and some over-stresses are not simulated or are without any consequence.

Instruments:
Realistically models real-world instrument behavior.
Instruments that lag in real life, lag correctly in this simulator, gyro drift is modeled correctly, the magnetic compass is subject to aircraft body forces…Instruments and system failures are also accurately recreated. If the vacuum system fails, the HSI gyros spin down slowly with a corresponding degradation in response as well as a slowly increasing bias/error. All those things that make real world flying a challenge are accurately recreated to create real life flying experience. Fully 3d, fully animated, fully clickable/interactive cockpits.

Aircraft Carriers:
There is currently support for Aircraft Carrier operations on the Nimitz, (located near San Francisco) and Eisenhower. The carriers are equipped with working catapult, arrester wires, elevators, TACAN and FLOLS and are currently available for aircraft using the YASim FDM (in particular the Sea hawk, Seafire and A4F.) Learn how to take off, locate and land back on the carrier. F4u-finalCarrier landings are often described as “controlled crashes” and you shouldn’t waste your time attempting to flare and place the aircraft gently on the deck like you would with a conventional landing – ensuring that you catch the wires is the main thing. If you wish, you can then raise the elevators from the ATC/AI menu, taxi onto one of the elevators, lower it (uncheck the box on the menu) and taxi off into the hangar. If after a little practice you find the Seahawk too easy, you could move on to the Seafire for more of a challenge!

Multiple Displays f4u-final:
This simulator allows you to connect multiple instances of the program together to display different views of the simulation though a highly flexible I/O subsystem. For example, you may want to have the aircraft panel displayed on a screen right in front of you, while the view forward is displayed on a separate screen or using a projector. Using multiple displays can vastly improve the realism of the simulation. Given enough hardware, you can create sophisticated simulation f4u-finalenvironments with mock-up cockpits, panels, multiple views, and even a separate control station allowing an instructor to fail instruments, change the weather etc. An example of this is the 747 cockpit project.

Recording and Playback:
Keep improving with the ability to record your flight for later analysis or playback.

Air-to-air Refueling:
At present, there are two tanker aircraft (KC135-E and KA6-D) and three receiving aircraft (A4F, Lightning and T38) capable of in-air refueling. When flying one of these aircraft in the default scenery area, one can locate the tanker aircraft using air-to-air TACAN and/or radar and then receive a full or partial load of fuel by flying in close formation behind the tanker. Refueling is also possible between aircraft in a multi-player session. The KC135 is a boom refueller, while the KA6 has a hose. The A4F and Lightning are both fitted with a probe for hose refueling while the T38 is fitted with a boom receiver.

ProFlightSimulator autopilot:
An autopilot is not an “intelligent” pilot. It just takes over simple tasks for the pilot. You still are the pilot aboard and have to keep aware of everything. Be prepared to shut the autopilot down as they often go wrong, both in real life, and in the simulator.

Menu entries:
The Full in-game menu lets you take control of every aspect of the game

Realistic Lighting:
Light Dynamics Models (FDM’s) so realistic that they can be used for aerodynamics research and modeling.

Networkable:
You can connect to a server and fly with other pilots. You can also connect two or more computers running this simulator and use their displays to expand your viewing area… imagine flying with a full, 360 degree view! This latest release has much improved multi-player support. There is even a multi-player map server (based on google map technology) that can show all the active pilots superimposed on top of a google map:

Moderate System Requirements:
2+ Ghz
Win 98/2000/ME/XP
256 Mb RAM
Video card + OpenGL Driver
CD Drive

Create Your Own Landmarks (eg: Eiffel Tower, Pyramids of Giza). Create New Buildings, Landscapes Or Even A New Continent. Design Rivers, Lakes, Plains or Mountains. Add Railroads, New Airports Or Any Custom Building

You can literally change the entire world with this software. It adds a whole new dimension to your flight experience…

Realistic flight dynamics:
As close to real life as possible. Makes you feel that you’re flying the plane.

Simple controls:
No avionics to worry about…focus is straight on maneuvering. Playable with keyboard or joystick.

Advanced A.I
Lots of time and effort have been put into the A.I. to make sure it will make a good opponent!

LAN/Network support for up to 32 clients:
Connect up with your friends and engage bandits in massive furballs, up to 4 teams.

Full Tacview ACMI Recording support: Review your moves and grooves after you finish your moving and grooving.

Seven flyable real-world jets: Fly your favorite modern jet! Raptors, Fulcrums, Vipers and more..

As you can see, NO OTHER flight simulator package is as comprehensive as this. You’ll get the most complete flight simulator suite available in the market today.

Take to the skies with ProFlightSimulator today!