I feel stupid asking this one. But for a while I was thinking it had to do with the Steam store. What are steam gauges?
Is that simply the classic, pre glass cockpit instrumentation?
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yepā¦you got it!
a lot of people enjoy flying in this age, with a lot of gauge reading/interpretation and more manual flying. Others like the automation that comes with more recent platforms. A bit of both for me, but emphasis on steam gauges!
Hereās a classic āsix packā with one VOR (the instrument on the far right, above the open hole for a second VOR.)
Hereās a more modern āhybridā steam gauge panel, with a Garmin unit for GPS navigation. The Garmin also provides COM 1 and NAV 1 radios.
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Lol thanks! I kind of enjoy both. But Iāve noticed some like the button pushing and some like to actually hands on flying. I think the button pushing aspect is way more complex.
Iām actually happiest with one hand on a throttle and the other on the stick. I have to fly under every suspension bridge I see, buzz the towers, etc. Which is a bit to do in a Cessna 172. The sim will let a Cessna 172 execute a split s.
Perhaps we can have a crop dusting mode in MSFS.
Iāve tried the biplanes too but have been terrible at them so far. For one, how do you see where you are going? Zero forward visibility, lol.
When did the term steam gauge become a thing? Iād have just said analog/classic.
The term āSteam Gaugesā is a light hearted reference to the fact that analogue gauges are one of the earliest forms of instrumentation in aviation and is considered by some as old fashioned, in the same way that steam powered locomotion was one of the earliest forms of powered engineering.
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MSFS offers a predefined āUpperā view. This simulates the pilot straightening up in his seat and raising his head to the limit. I assigned my joystick trigger to that view for better visibility.
Also with taildaggers that have large engines (like the Stearman, Spitfire or the Corsair) you taxi by fishtailing the plane from time to time to get a better view.
I also made several camera improvements to many planes that make looking out to the front easier by leaning the virtual pilotās head (your view) to the side a bit.
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Oh is that the etymology? Iāve long been vaguely aware they arenāt actually steam-powered, but somehow it never occured to me to wonder where then the name came from. Thanks!
The name stems from old steam engines which had a lot of pressure and temperature gauges and valves 
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The same information is available on a glass display but you just have to interpret it slightly differently so you can still fly hands on. Glass displays by their nature can provide way more additional information to aid situational awareness but the basic 6 pack info is right there so no reason to fly differently just because of the instrumentation.
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Thatās me!! Seeing Airbus A350 cockpit instruments and flight systems philosophy really gets me excitedā¦
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the info is there on a glass display, but itās hard for me to find and then read because of its size. waaayyy much preferred being able to just glance and see the āclockā positions of the needles.
aaah, the wonderful march of āprogressā¦ā
Hereās a more classic āSix packā
Which (Iām told) you need to fly one of these:
Now those are my kind of steam gauges! Suffice to say, my āsix-packā has long since matured into the āfull barrelā 
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Funny, I just think the steam gauges are easier to see and read at a glance on a monitor. But a glass cockpit is easier IRL.
Now, if you are running Series X style, 4K on a big TV, the glass cockpit becomes legible and useful.
The G1000 is hard in VR, there are too many small details. But Iām getting spoiled navigating with it.
When zooming back for landing a G1000 glass cockpit becomes rendered complete useless in 2D too.
Reading the variometer sinkrate - absolute impossible, thatĀ“s some number with the size of a dot. Reading the airspeed - impossible - some tiny number with the size of a dot.
Landing with these visuals - absolute impossible.
At the same time having the classic steam gauge on the screen - aha airspeed variometer altimeter - everything checked with the blink of an eye.
Airspeed checking is especially easy on steam gauges because of the green and white arc and the blue and lowest red line. In less than a second I see if the speed for flaps and gear out is okay, and I also see when more engine power is needed if the needle is creeping to the stall speed.
ThatĀ“s why I fly steam gauges only.
On airliners the situation is differentā¦
Airliner cockpits look great and familiar and modern with typical LCD screens that are in use for about 25 years now. (and not empty and boring and somehow āwrongā like small airplanes using glass cockpits.)
There is perfect help from the autopilot in airliners, for example if the airspeed becomes unreadable when zooming out - no problem the autothrust is always keeping the jet perfectly on 160 knots, the variometer is also not that important because when I sink too fast thrust is getting reduced and when I need some climbing because of gliding to low under the VASI lights the autothrust will give more power to prevent stalling.
And the CRJ without auto-thrust has a nice HUD to keep the important data always in front of my eyes. (and the most important data is: The airspeed and the variometer.)
I prefer steam gauges just because it feels less āsensitiveā. In the G1000 you always feel like youāre climbing or descending, even if itās just 20 ft/minute. In a steam gauge altimeter you canāt see those small differences and you feel like you fly more stable, if it makes sense.
This is the reason I hate digital speedometers in cars. I always have to slow down or speed up in order to drive the exact speed Iām aiming for. Maybe itās just my OCD.
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Youāre lucky. Iām CDO.
(Thatās like OCD but with the letters arranged in the correct alphabetical order.)
I think the more interesting question is, why are they called that? Because the first ones were in steam boats locomotives etc? Thatās my guess.
Lol nah that cant be it