Microsoft Flight

In 2013, Microsoft abandoned their new flight simulator, which was designed to fly in sync with Microsoft Live. The simulator is only available with scenery for the states of Hawaii and Alaska.  This is more like a game than a flight sim, and it has been referred to as eye candy flying.  Having not used this application for at least 2 years, I found that I had to re-apply for my Microsoft Live membership and accept the changed policies that go with the latest X-Box release

I thought I would repeat the flight that I recently did on FSX, by flying from Molokai to Honolulu in the Hawaiian Islands.  The aircraft available in Flight are somewhat limited and I chose a Vans RV6 sports plane.

Takeoff from Molokai Airport was easy in this tiny plane, but with no autopilot, it had to be trimmed and flown all of the way.

This flight was in fair weather and the approach to Oahu was visually straight forward.

Flying along the seafront at Honolulu, the skyscrapers are there in abundance and the docks look like docks.

The runway approach at 85kts is fast, but I wanted to land near to the end of the runway to avoid the long taxiing to clear.

The RV is a very light plane and it takes skill to land with precision.  A relatively slow approach is needed to get this plane down.

Honolulu international is a big airport and parking is a long way from the runways.  This aircraft may be nimble in the air, but it needs to be moved slowly on the ground to enable it to steer without slewing about.
 Microsoft flight is a graphically good simulator which in its minimal form is like driving a plane on rails.  With all of the settings cranked up to real, it is comparable to flying a real aeroplane.  The simulator is still available in its basic form from Softronic:
 http://microsoft-flight.en.softonic.com/
Some of the small airfields in this simulator have been altered to make them more difficult to use for challenges and gaming purposes.