Yes, sometimes there were dozens of pressure and temp and flow gauges on a rather small steam machine (driving whatever like a ship´s propeller or machinery) - and cockpits look similar with all these gauges and early flight engineer panels.
You’re all overthinking it. It’s simply alluding to the fact that steam power, once the standard, is now old technology.
Hmm, so youre saying the term only started when glass cockpits were already around, to be able to contrast the old tech easily and in a somewhat disparaging way?
No, I’m not; it’s not disparaging. Not even slightly.
But steam power is old technology; hence the allusion. It’s a perfectly sound way of talking about something.
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I have mostly fly with modern instruments pre MSFS but i have started learning fly more using VOR and using the scenery as navigation now. This sim i think is really good to use it like that because that makes us more aware of the amazing scenery this sim has. And also make me think more while enroute to my destination. Can really recommend learning that. Can someone recommend a plane only with those steam gauges? I know the Cessna 152 but that has not DME. It’s easy to cheat when the gps unit is there.
Sorry, you must have misunderstood me!
Im not saying that youre being disparaging, i was just paraphrasing what you were saying: that “steam gauges” is being used to describe classic instruments in a humorous, but slightly disparaging way (since its basically implying that they are ancient, outdated tech).
No, I do realise you weren’t accusing me of anything, but I still think disparaging is the wrong word. Though humorous is good.
ahahaha steam store ROFL 
I don’t recall the term being used when I was a child/teen.
The first I heard it was when I joined here a few weeks ago. Hence why I thought it had to do with the Steam/PC version. I thought there was a special airplane mod you could buy on Steam, lol.
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