Basic KEY COMMANDS Display/Hide Kneeboard: F10 (includes a complete list of key commands) Pause P Full Screen Mode (no menus or taskbar) ALT+ENTER Display Menu Bar (in Full Screen Mode) ALT Cycle Views (Cockpit, Virtual Cockpit, Tower, Spot Plane) S Panel On/Off W Display/Hide Other Panel Windows SHIFT+2 through SHIFT+9 Change Simulation Rate Look Around R (press + and – to increase/decrease) SHIFT+Num Pad 1 through 9 or move joystick hat switch Display/Hide ATC menu ` (ACCENT) Engine Autos
SAFETY WARNING About Photosensitive Seizures A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these “photosensitive epileptic seizures” while watching video games.
Almost four years of exhausting work and meticulous experimentation went into making the Wright Flyer’s first 12-second powered flight a success. First Flights Air Force Historical Research Agency Photo On a cold December day in 1903, after weeks of testing on the windy dunes at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright Flyer sputtered to life. At 10:35 A.M., the Flyer, propellers whirring, began to slide down its narrow track. Then it lifted from the track and rose above the sands of Kitty Hawk.
Developed as a World War I bomber, the Vickers Vimy was the finest long-range aircraft of its day. In 1919 and 1920, the Vimy claimed three incredible flying records. Learning to Fly It’s been a full century since the Wright Flyer’s first powered flight. At first, the skies were empty and the airspace unrestricted. It was an age of slow speeds, spruce-and-fabric wings, and airfields that were also corn fields.
Each Century of Flight story includes links to re-created historical flights. After reading about each aircraft, its famous flights, and its notable pilots, you can fly into history—piloting the de Havilland DH–88 Comet in the MacRobertson Air Race, or flying an early airline route through the Rocky Mountains in a Douglas DC–3. Amelia Earhart’s Vega in Flight Simulator To read about—and fly—the nine historical aircraft in Flight Simulator, click Century of Flight on the left side of the main screen.
The Learning Center To visit the Learning Center, click Learning Center on the left side of the main screen. To begin exploring, you’ll want to read articles such as The Big Picture, Just Get Me Flying, and Step-by-Step Guide. Create a Flight Once you’ve learned to fly, Flight Simulator’s skies are wide open to you. Choose your aircraft, your starting location and time, and the prevailing weather … then start flying. To design your own adventure, click Create a Flight on the left side of the main screen.
During World War I alone, the Curtiss JN–4D “Jenny” was used to train nearly 9,000 American pilots— 95 percent of the flyers in the United States in 1919. Dreams Of the sky For thousands of pilots who learned to fly in the Underwood & Underwood/CORBIS Curtiss JN–4D “Jenny” during World War I, the postwar skies were an open opportunity. Barnstormers looped and swooped above gasping crowds and, for many people, airplanes were still such a new sight that nearly every flight was an impromptu air show.
AirMail’s Rocky Debut On May 15, 1918, the United States Postal Service began airmail service. When the first pilot, George L. Boyle, was ready to depart Washington, D.C., his Curtiss JN–4 “Jenny” refused to start: the plane was out of gas. And that was just the beginning of his trouble. Eventually, Boyle took off, following train tracks. But as the tracks circled, so did he. Then, after running out of gas, Boyle crashed in a field.
Historical Flights Anchorage Saint John’s/ Harbor Grace Londonderry London Clifden Paris New York N E W Darwin S Santiago Buenos Aires Findlay Salt Lake City Denver San Francisco St. Louis Los Angeles Bellefonte New York Columbus Washington D.C. Kitty Hawk Cape Town Flight Simulator lets you re-create more Melbourne than a dozen historical flights. To fly these adventures, click Century of Flight on the left side of the main screen.
After a night dodging storms over the Atlantic Ocean, Charles Lindbergh crossed the coast of Ireland just 3 miles off course. Of Distance and Terrain The first pilots spent much of their time flying precariously at exhibitions and in aerial circuses. But it wasn’t long before they attempted long-distance travel. In 1911, the first aircraft flew across the entire United States when Calbraith Rodgers piloted his “Vin Fiz” Wright EX biplane from New York to Long Beach, California.
To learn more about terrain and scenery objects, read the Scenic Highlights article in the Learning Center. Island Airlines Several decades after jet aircraft first took to the skies, a small airline still flew a fleet of Ford 4–AT Tri-Motors for their short-hop, short-field circuit from Port Clinton, Ohio, to small islands in Lake Erie. Island Airlines billed itself as “The Shortest Airline in the World.
With a balance of efficiency, range, speed, and payload, the Douglas DC–3 was the first aircraft to earn a profit just by carrying passengers. Technology Takes Off The Pursuit of Speed When Transcontinental Air Transport began service in 1929 using a combination of railroads and Ford Tri-Motor flights to travel across the United States, brochures touted a miraculous 48-hour coast-to-coast journey.
Flight Simulator models sophisticated GPS receivers. Air Traffic Control From the magnetic compass to radio beacons, navigational technology has made many strides. The global positioning system (GPS) is the latest landmark advancement in electronic navigation, using satellite transmissions to plot your aircraft’s position. To help you navigate, Flight Simulator simulates two sophisticated GPS receivers.
The Aircraft Get to know the Flight Simulator fleet’s historic and modern aircraft. 24 1903 Wright Flyer On December 17, 1903, the Wright Flyer became the first aircraft to achieve controlled powered flight. Cessna Skyhawk SP Model 172 The latest model of the popular single-engine C172, the Skyhawk SP makes a stable and trusty trainer. Curtiss JN–4D “Jenny” The Curtiss Jenny carried the first United States airmail and proved a favorite airplane for barnstormers.
The Boeing 777 was the first jet airliner designed solely using computer modeling. Computers also link cockpit flight controls to the aircraft’s control surfaces. Expanding Your Dreams Of Flight Since the earliest days of flying, pilots have gathered to compare notes on weather, aircraft, landing fields, and flying techniques. It was in this camaraderie that they analyzed past flights and dreamed of new adventures. Reuters NewMedia Inc.
Piloting Virtual Airlines Virtual airlines operate scheduled flights to most every destination in the world. Each airline has its own style—some fly passenger airliners, others fly cargo aircraft, and still others fly beat-up bush planes. Logging time with a virtual airline is a great way to structure your Flight Simulator experience. Apply for a virtual flying job and see if you can pass the test to earn the captain’s seat.
