Microsoft Flight Simulator: Fly a plane in New Zealand
Feb 24, 2023 15:25:36 GMT 12
baz62 likes this
Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 24, 2023 15:25:36 GMT 12
Microsoft Flight Simulator: Fly a plane in New Zealand without a licence
Stephen Heard
15:48, Feb 24 2023
Licenced commercial pilot and former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw just demonstrated how to successfully land a plane on Auckland’s Harbour Bridge.
The chance of performing this incredibly dangerous stunt is highly unlikely in the real world, but it is just one of the possible experiences you can have a go at in the latest world update of Microsoft Flight Simulator.
New Zealand is the latest country to be reimagined in the 12th edition of the hugely popular video game. Launched in 1982, Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the longest-running PC series of all time, taking players behind the controls of gliders, wide-body jets and helicopters.
For the New Zealand update Microsoft has added seven new cities, nine airports and 62 points of interest for players across the motu. Players can tour the snow-capped peaks of Aoraki/Mount Cook, fly through the vertical-walled fiords of Milford Sound, or take a whip around the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Hobbiton Movie Set and Ohakune Carrot.
Developers including Orbx Flight Sim Products and NZA Simulations used a combination of satellite imagery, aerial photography and digital elevation models to replicate New Zealand’s terrains and key sights.
My flying lesson with McCaw at the media launch in Auckland starts on the grassy runway of the Gorge River, an isolated airstrip on the South Island’s West Coast which provides access to New Zealand’s most isolated family.
Seven new cities feature in the update.
McCaw explains that the two foot pedals provided are used to control the direction of the aircraft and the thruster will see that I have enough juice to leave the runway. Within seconds, I veer off the grass into a patch of harakeke flax.
Recommending something a bit easier, McCaw sends my Savage Cub light craft to the skies above Auckland city where he suggests I pay a visit to the Sky Tower. The surroundings are highly detailed in stunning photo realistic quality, showing everything from bins to bus lanes.
I fly over the Auckland War Memorial Museum and the inner city before effortlessly making a loop of the spire. Then, it’s a trip to the Harbour Bridge for a successful swoop right under its eight lanes. The almost therapeutic experience is over within ten minutes, however players can take the controls for much, much longer.
Amateur pilots can test their skills in three Bush Challenges, including one covering the length of the North Island in a Textron Aviation Beechcraft Bonanza G36 or a recreational flight of the country’s first air route in a Douglas DC-3 Classic.
SUPPLIED
Fly above picturesque Queenstown.
Four Landing Challenges include navigating strong winds at Wellington Airport in an Airbus A320neo and a technical landing at Gorge River Airstrip.
When asked how similar the simulator is to flying an actual plane, McCaw says that it is very realistic, only “without the movement and bumps you experience in the air.”
“I played Microsoft Flight Simulator a lot when I was growing up because I’ve always loved flying, and it gave me the opportunity to hone my skills.” he adds.
Head game developer Jorg Neumann adds that about 50% of pilots say they first “got touched by the aviation bug” by playing Microsoft Flight Simulator. And with 10 million users of the video game across the world, that has to hold some truth.
Microsoft Flight Simulator World Update XII: New Zealand is now available free to all owners with version 1.29.30.0. See: xbox.com/en-nz/games/microsoft-flight-simulator
www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/300815624/microsoft-flight-simulator-fly-a-plane-in-new-zealand-without-a-licence
Stephen Heard
15:48, Feb 24 2023
Licenced commercial pilot and former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw just demonstrated how to successfully land a plane on Auckland’s Harbour Bridge.
The chance of performing this incredibly dangerous stunt is highly unlikely in the real world, but it is just one of the possible experiences you can have a go at in the latest world update of Microsoft Flight Simulator.
New Zealand is the latest country to be reimagined in the 12th edition of the hugely popular video game. Launched in 1982, Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the longest-running PC series of all time, taking players behind the controls of gliders, wide-body jets and helicopters.
For the New Zealand update Microsoft has added seven new cities, nine airports and 62 points of interest for players across the motu. Players can tour the snow-capped peaks of Aoraki/Mount Cook, fly through the vertical-walled fiords of Milford Sound, or take a whip around the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Hobbiton Movie Set and Ohakune Carrot.
Developers including Orbx Flight Sim Products and NZA Simulations used a combination of satellite imagery, aerial photography and digital elevation models to replicate New Zealand’s terrains and key sights.
My flying lesson with McCaw at the media launch in Auckland starts on the grassy runway of the Gorge River, an isolated airstrip on the South Island’s West Coast which provides access to New Zealand’s most isolated family.
Seven new cities feature in the update.
McCaw explains that the two foot pedals provided are used to control the direction of the aircraft and the thruster will see that I have enough juice to leave the runway. Within seconds, I veer off the grass into a patch of harakeke flax.
Recommending something a bit easier, McCaw sends my Savage Cub light craft to the skies above Auckland city where he suggests I pay a visit to the Sky Tower. The surroundings are highly detailed in stunning photo realistic quality, showing everything from bins to bus lanes.
I fly over the Auckland War Memorial Museum and the inner city before effortlessly making a loop of the spire. Then, it’s a trip to the Harbour Bridge for a successful swoop right under its eight lanes. The almost therapeutic experience is over within ten minutes, however players can take the controls for much, much longer.
Amateur pilots can test their skills in three Bush Challenges, including one covering the length of the North Island in a Textron Aviation Beechcraft Bonanza G36 or a recreational flight of the country’s first air route in a Douglas DC-3 Classic.
SUPPLIED
Fly above picturesque Queenstown.
Four Landing Challenges include navigating strong winds at Wellington Airport in an Airbus A320neo and a technical landing at Gorge River Airstrip.
When asked how similar the simulator is to flying an actual plane, McCaw says that it is very realistic, only “without the movement and bumps you experience in the air.”
“I played Microsoft Flight Simulator a lot when I was growing up because I’ve always loved flying, and it gave me the opportunity to hone my skills.” he adds.
Head game developer Jorg Neumann adds that about 50% of pilots say they first “got touched by the aviation bug” by playing Microsoft Flight Simulator. And with 10 million users of the video game across the world, that has to hold some truth.
Microsoft Flight Simulator World Update XII: New Zealand is now available free to all owners with version 1.29.30.0. See: xbox.com/en-nz/games/microsoft-flight-simulator
www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/300815624/microsoft-flight-simulator-fly-a-plane-in-new-zealand-without-a-licence
