FlightSim.Com is a

flight simulation A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...

review and resource

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...

that focuses heavily on

Microsoft Flight Simulator ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' is a series of amateur flight simulator programs for Microsoft Windows operating systems, and earlier for MS-DOS and Classic Mac OS. It was an early product in the Microsoft application portfolio and differed sig ...

. It is one of the main flight simulation websites along with

Avsim.com AVSIM is a nonprofit flight simulation social networking service that focuses on ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'', ''Prepar3D'', and ''X-Plane (simulator), X-Plane''. It features a community forum, file library, and product reviews. The website i ...

and provides users access to information and addons for the flight simulator series of

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

History

The website sources its origins to

Bulletin Board System A bulletin board system (BBS), also called computer bulletin board service (CBBS), is a computer server running software that allows users to connect to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, the user can perform functions such as ...

discussion groups for

dating back as far as 1985 and was one of the earliest flight simulator sites on the internet. The existing library of files dates back prior to the website in its current format, with some existing files originating from when the website was run on the BBS provider Xevious BBS, which was established by the FlightSim.Com creator Nels Anderson in 1983 and still runs as part of the site today. The website partnered with

UGO Networks UGO Entertainment, Inc. was a website that provided coverage of online media in entertainment, targeting males aged 18–34. The company was based in New York, New York, United States. History The company started in 1997 as Unified Gamers Onlin ...

in 1999 with the aim of providing all content free of charge, and gaining its revenue through an advertising model. Throughout the early 1990s and into the new millennium, the website gained increasing popularity on the back of increasing interest and sales of the

series of products. As of 2006 the website no longer appeared to be partnered with

and gets revenue from its own sale of banner advertisement space in addition to membership subscriptions.

Popularity

The website is popular within the

genre of

. Commentators within the

and

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

community consistently rate the website as a "must visit" among fans of the genre, along with the similar website Avsim.com. The website has also received coverage in a number of publications over the years when the media require comment on issues relating to flight simulation. While the website has continued to gain popularity the basic format and provision of services has changed little since it became commercially oriented in 1996. The website is commonly referenced in literature as a source for downloading aircraft files for use with

further increasing the websites popularity among the community.

Services

The main focus of the website is providing additional content that users can use within a

Flight Simulator A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...

. Additionally the website provides users with reviews of commercial content created for use with a flight simulator such as

. Full commercial reviews are covered as special features listed on the websites main page. Guides on how to operate the simulator and other aspects of flight simulation are collected in articles, information, and how-to sections of the website aiming to provide resources to those interested in flight simulation.

Downloadable Content

The following additional content is commonly indexed by the website and available for download: *Aircraft *Scenery *Utilities *Sounds *Missions Much of this content is created by freeware developers and offered to the community without charge. Occasionally, payware commercial developers will release products free on the site to generate interest in their other products. A section of the website provides background and information on development of additional content for flight simulators, including a list of prominent developers and members of the community. The website also offers a developers award and excellence program aiming to highlight both commercial and non-commercial successes within the boutique industry of flight simulation content development.

Community

Along with community websites such as Avsim.com, the website has been identified as a key component in bringing community members together to discuss the topic of flight simulation, with real world meetings and events of website community members common. The website also provides a news service that covers both commercial releases and important announcements from developers and virtual airlines within the community. Community forums are provided for both the website community and the flight simulation community in general, with many of the early virtual airlines having forums and websites hosted by the site. Both

X-Plane The X-planes are a series of experimental United States aircraft and rockets, used to test and evaluate new technologies and aerodynamic concepts. They have an X designator within the US system of aircraft designations, which denotes the exper ...

and

forums are featured on the website. Another site
Train-sim.com
is also owned by Flightsim.com and similarly serves the

train simulator A train simulator (also railroad simulator or railway simulator) is a computer based simulation of rail transport operations. They are generally large complicated software packages modeling a 3D virtual reality world implemented both as comme ...

community.

Subscription

Users must subscribe to the website to access file downloads. While the base level subscription is free and provides access to all areas, there is some limitation on download speed. First-class memberships are offered that feature unrestricted downloading and higher speeds.

References

External links

FlightSim.com Official Website
Video game news websites Aviation Internet forums Video game Internet forums Internet properties established in 1996 Video game fansites Video game genre websites