Congratulations on starting learning to fly - itās one of the most enjoyable things you will ever do in your life and you will become part of a community of aviators who have shared a common bond since Orville and Wilbur first took to the sky and saw the earth from its most beautiful angle - above!
I was into flight simulator long before I ever started learning to fly but when I eventually did start training I augmented my training using Microsoft Flight Simulator and carried on doing so right through PPL, CPL, IR and various type ratings as an airline pilot. Even now with nearly 20 years as a commercial airline pilot behind me, I still use FS2020 and X-Plane 11 to practice for upcoming simulator courses and to keep my hand in. It also affords me the opportunity to fly metal I will never get the chance to fly in real life from a Pitts Special to an F15.
I agree with everyone here that thereās simply no decision to make if youāre looking to benefit from flight simulator in augmenting your training - PC is the only sensible option. I also agree that VR is the most important development in flight simulation for 30 years. Itās almost impossible for example to fly a proper ācircuitā outside VR and VR will give you a far more realistic visual perspective and scale with which to learn landing technique etc. You will have a far greater choice of accurate aircraft, better and more realistic flight controls, Vatsim and better VR goggles if you go the PC route.
A couple of observations I would make which may help. The biggest difference between real aircraft controls and those of flight simulators is their stiffness/weight. Most gaming flight controls are far too easily deflected compared to those on a real aircraft. Few offer the range of movement available in a real aircraft either. Some go part of the way though and those include the Thrustmaster Warthog and pendular rudder system. There are even very realistic options from PFC (Precision Flight Controls) Flight Simulator Yokes. I bought the jetliner column yoke and twin prop throttle quadrant from PFC when I was doing my CPL and they are fantastic not only because they replicate the controls of a typical propellor aircraft but because the column yoke offers the same range of movement and in the same axis/plane as the real thing too. Iām actually planning to sell my column yoke and throttle quadrant (because I fly Airbus with a stick nowadays).
VR does demand a fairly beefy PC to run well but you donāt need the absolutely latest and greatest RTX4090 either and I was able to get reasonable results in VR with a 6-7 year old I7-7700 and 2 year old RX6800XT graphics card which I am only now upgrading.
Itās also worth exploring X-Plane too. I donāt have X-plane 12 but I do find X-Plane 11 does offer slightly more realistic aircraft āfeelā than FS2020 does. X-Plane is pretty ugly out of the box though and I didnāt really enjoy it until I purchased the Orbx True Earth Great Britain satellite imagery TrueEarth Great Britain Collection Bundle - X-Plane 11 - Orbx The two simulators complement each other very well though and both offer different advantages so I fly them both.
One of the very best enhancements I ever made (and it was virtually free!) was to build myself a plywood Akers and Barnes cockpit which gave me far more ergonomic/realistic seating and control positions compared to sitting at a desk. Akers and Barnes were two Aussie guys who came up with the design loosely based on the F16 seating position but itās not too much different to any other aircraft and I know I find flight sim far more immersive sitting in mine. Plans are available online and all you need is a few quids worth of plywood and a decent jigssaw or rotary saw and even a complete DIY idiot like me was able to produce something that is very enjoyable to fly in after a few nights in the garage sawing wood!
Absolutely do buy the very best Cessna 152 you can to practice in. I canāt recommend specific models but many on here can. Itās also well worth downloading the best rendition of the airfield you fly from and you will learn your way around the real airfield much more effectively that way - taxi routes and runway markings etc as well as actual orientation skills for when you are in the air.
Also when you get a little experience under your belt do join VATSIM. Itās a wonderful resource as others have said and nothing beats really talking on the radio to get your radio phraseology up to scratch!
Learning to fly is very expensive - rates near me are around Ā£250 an hour nowadays so a modest investment in some good flight controls and a capable PC/VR headset will enhance your skills as a pilot in so many ways quite cheaply compared to the real lessons! A Ā£1500-Ā£2000 PC plus a further Ā£1000 say on a HP Reverb G2 and Thrustmaster Warthog/TPS will give you a very capable setup to enjoy for years to come for the cost of just 10-12 real lessons. The technology of flight simulation has come on leaps and bounds since even when I was learning to fly 20 years ago and itās an absolutely valid way to enjoy the experience of flying essentially for free once you have purchased your rig.
Most of all enjoy it and welcome to a wider world!
Birdseed007
