Why 2020 could be the best year yet for flight simulation

It’s fair to say 2020 didn’t get off to the best start. The coronavirus swept through the country, and the resultant lockdown left pilots grounded. To add insult to injury, April has been filled with blue skies.

But for simmers, it’s a very different story. Few could call the pandemic a good thing, but it has at least given spare-room skyfarers ample opportunity to fly. And things could get better as the year goes on, with each of the three main simulator platforms enjoying an update.

Prepar3D v5

Prepar3D (or P3D, for short) is Lockheed Martin’s simulator, designed for professional and training use. In April, the company launched the fifth-generation version of the system, complete with updated graphics and more accurate weather. There’s new airport data with sloped runways, too, as well as an overhauled water system.

New aircraft have arrived in the simulator, too, including the F-35B Lightning II.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

Perhaps the biggest news of 2020 is the forthcoming arrival of the new Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The 11th instalment in the series will hit the market later this year, boasting terrain modelled using Bing satellite data. Real-time weather will be available, and the weather systems will work just like those in the real world. And for serious simmers, the multiplayer mode will allow you to filter out pilots flying less, um, responsibly than you.

X-Plane 11.5

Like P3D, the ever-popular X-Plane is getting an update in 2020, with the arrival of the new Vulkan and Metal rendering systems. That means the simulator should be kinder to graphics processors, improving system performance.