Software

You really can't start flight simulation without any flight simulation software so that's the first requirement. If you already have something like Microsoft Flight simulator then no problem. But if you're just thinking about purchasing software there are several choices that range from free to "not too expensive."

The most well known general simulation software is Microsoft Flight Simulator, the latest version being Flight Simulator X, before that Flight Simulator 2004 (FS9). There is also X-Plane 9, 10 and soon to be 11. These packages offer a wide variety of aircraft for the enthusiast to fly and thousands of locations to fly to or over. Prices on this software may range anywhere from $30 to $50 from retail suppliers.

          

Now for the good news, there are some great alternatives out there that should meet anyone's criteria. There is a software package that will give you the feel of the afore mentioned packages that is absolutely free. It's called FlightGear and it can be freely downloaded off the internet or purchased for a fee already downloaded to CD. We include it free on our CDs that are included with several of our products. While not as polished as the commercial packages it is definitely up to par as a very good flight simulation package. It can be found and downloaded from http://www.flightgear.org.

There are other flight simulation software packages available as well. Many of these packages offer realistic combat based simulation. Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator, Combat Simulator 2, Combat Simulator 3, LOMAC and IL-2 Sturmovik,  are some of the older games but they still make for great flying. Some of the more popular combat games model the F-16 fighter. Titles like Falcon 4.0 and Falcon 4.0 Allied Forces. These are very in-depth and complex games that  model almost every facet of modern air combat. There are also free downloadable packages as well such as Free Falcon or Open Falcon based on the original game.
 

Now for the saving money part. You really don't need a brand new out of the box version of this software unless you're a box collector. The savings will come in when you purchase these items form sources like Ebay or Craig's List, the savings are great, you may find unopened new packages as well.

So decide what you want go online do your research and  and save. You should be able to find what you want at well below full retail price.

An Inexpensive Controller

I'll just start out here by saying trying to use a keyboard to control many of the modern flight simulation games is futile don't even think about it. The most inexpensive controller is the joystick and it will suffice for most beginners or most flight simulation games. As you become more involved in the hobby and need more sophistication you can start looking in to flight yokes, rudder pedals and other accessories.

You can use a joystick in combination with the keyboard and mouse to control and fly most simulation aircraft. So what should you get? Does it need to be expensive? The answer is no it doesn't need to be expensive but should have certain features.

The major manufacturers of joysticks are CH Products, Thrustmaster, Logitech and Saitek. Products from these guys are pretty sturdy for the average simmer. There are the high end HOTAS systems which range anywhere from $80 to $400 but here we're looking at the single joystick and what you need for the basics of controlling the aircraft.

Basically the joystick should have at a minimum a trigger, at least six buttons, an eight way hat a throttle control and a twist hand grip. The reasoning is buttons are assigned to aircraft controls and can help eliminate using the keyboard, the more buttons the better. The eight way hat lets you view your surroundings, again, without using the keyboard which can be very awkward in a combat situation. The twist hand grip comes in handy as a substitute for rudder pedals which are almost essential for proper aircraft control. With a good stick you won't have to purchase a throttle or rudder pedals until you decide to move up. Some typical sticks are shown in the following pictures.