I was using flightsim back in 1994, in its infancy.
1985 on my buddies Apple.
I started in about 1996 on FSFW95. I was only about 8 and I remember taking of for the first time at Meigs in a Cessna, then changing to the 737 and wondering why the runway ran out before I could take off 
It’s infancy was a decade before that…plus a few years.
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it though, like the rest of us.
2 Likes
Anyone else have the Cessna 172 sound burned into their ears like a Pavlov experience.
One thing I miss is changing planes on the runway and hearing the tires screech.
1 Like
I’ve played every single Microsoft sim that ever has seen the light of day. From 3 FPS, no buildings, a software that came with some basic printed maps and a prop sound that made me thing something was wrong with my speaker to flying in VR only. Even before Microsoft Flightsim I played some sort of flightsim on a Sinclair ZX Spectrum, which was basically nothing more than a crosshair in the middle, a horizon and a ‘bogie’ popping up which you had to destroy. Also many versions of the “Falcon” F16 sim, a helicopter sim on the Amiga and also on Amiga, F18/A Interceptor. Man, that was something!! Carrier landings, Topgun soundtrack… nice! Anyway, too much sims to remember.
Very curious on your opinion about VR and have you used it in airliners yet? I use Track IR which I like, but I could imagine that the feeling of immersion greatly improves when using VR. Judging by your name you could be a fellow Dutchman, if not then you are a fellow simmer with a comparable experience.
Cheers, Marc
Thanks for your reply…nice topic
Cheers, Marc
yup, fellow Dutch 
I love VR - I have had a long time flying on 737 PDMG, then stopped the hobby for a while until I noticed this VR ■■■■ on youtube 
Got me going again. I love it. Also in bigger airliners, but I usually don’t have the time for hours of flight. I love flying around my area (Rotterdam) or some short cross-country trips. And what I PARTICULARLY like doing: look on Flightradar24, find a KLM flight (it’s usually evening hours, so I choose e.g. the KL601 to KLAX), look up the flight on the MSFS “world map”, click it (You can use it as a starting point), and jump in the F18 to escort the 777 towards LAX… Call me strange, but I like it.
Just know going in, VR is blinding, so be prepared to adjust your setup to feel for your controls and whatnot. Be prepared to not have any extra screens available to help you.
Now, a car sim, everything is in your hands at all times. Perfect for VR.
So it can really depend on your setup and what you like to do. The more complex the airplane, and your home setup, the more potential for being blinded by VR and restricted from doing things the way you know how to do them.
VR is so cool… but really, take a sober moment to consider how it might work with your current setup. And be prepared to spend more to get your setup VR accessible. Like, you might need to buy a trackball or trackpad. Some folks 3D print new buttons so they can tell by texture what each is… like braille. It is not for everyone, and may benefit hands on, stick and throttle VFR flying more than IFR in airliners, depending on your setup.
Since the mid 1980’s, give or take. I had Flight Simulator 2 by SubLogic for my Atari 1040ST, then moved on to MSFS 2.0 some time later when I got my first PC.
Thanks so much for your reply and words of caution. I am quite satisfied with TrackIR setup and I am used to using Little Navmaps for situational awareness, but I’d very much like to try VR in combination with MSFS once, so I will check the fora here in the Netherlands to see if someone is willing to show me the works.
Cheers, Marc
1 Like
I fly all in VR with an X56 and Saitek pedals. You get used to where the buttons are pretty quickly, to where you dont even have to look very often. I can even reach forward for the keyboard with a headset on and usually hit the right keys without even having to look.
1 Like
Haha, yes, but the Baron 58.
Yeah, the right setup can make VR an incredible experience. But if you are reliant on touchscreens and multiple monitors, it may be a major adjustment and you could need to buy a lot more new gear than just the headset!
I’ve been simming since 1982, with FS1 on a 8086 IBM, B&W Monitor. However the program I liked best was Red Baron. What year was that?
Anyway, dog fighting in those slowish planes online was a blast. I even belonged to a fighter group that flew missions on Thursday nights. My kids still make fun of me wearing my headset with my silly call sign and talking into a mike and torturing a joystick.
1 Like
1969, maybe 1970.
Nickel a minute, helicopter ride. Outside of the local grocery store. Around in a circle only, but you could control the elevation from about 1 to 3 feet 
3 Likes
Since 1985 with ZX Spectrum.
1 Like
In my previous life this was the last Flight Sim I used (a friend of mine also had FS98 but I didn´t have a PC back then):
In the actual incarnation this was the first flight sim I was using
For some reasons FS2004 is still considered as one of the best.
But FSX had more and waaay better third party support, and all the awesome PMDG´s and Captain Sim´s (yes Captain Sim was good and not Captain Scam back in the days!), and Carenados and A2A Accusims and Rex and OrbX, and so much more.
Flight Simulator is a long franchise, legends say that it was already here back in 1995.
1 Like
Been flight simming about the sane length of time and agree - Red Baron was a blast…. Dynamix was the producer if I remember,