True… But you would also never fly an aircraft without driving to the airport. And yet there you are, sitting in your office. What are you doing? Take a laptop, get in the car at 4am (after having the game call you at 3a for a short-notice reserve assignment) and get going!
Of course once you get there, you can’t just play. You’ll need to fight your way through the TSA line after getting randomed in KCM for the 4th straight time. If you fly for a regional airline or ratty 135 operator you’ll have to call dispatch and fight about gas.
Etc. I think you get the point. This is software. It’s not really flying. That’s actually the best thing about it, and THAT is why we might want to skip a walk around… Or anything else. Because it’s a consequenceless sandbox, you can do or skip anything you want.
I understand that some people like to use this software to “roleplay” a pilot. That’s cool and they should definitely have the option. I do not, and I do not want to be forced to do so. When I get in a level D sim for work training, sometimes we’re cold and dark at the gate… And sometimes we’re engines running on the runway, the instructor has taken responsibility for checklists, we do a quick config check and launch. It just depends what we’re trying to accomplish. At no time do we simulate a walk around. (And really, in MSFS, what are you looking for? You’re never gonna find anything wrong, are you?)
That’s what a simulator is for. You should have the option to use it anyway you want. So yes, I highly support dispensing with mandatory fluff.