Flight Simulation: What Drives Your Passion?
A Lifelong Obsession Takes Off
Flight simulation has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. It all began with what was essentially a slideshow on a 286 PC running at a blistering 7 MHz, flying Stealth Fighter F-119. By today’s standards it was painfully basic but to me, it was magic. I was instantly hooked.
Decades later, that early spark has evolved into a deep appreciation for just how far flight simulation has come. Modern platforms like DCS World and X-Plane now offer levels of realism that once felt impossible, allowing me to live out a dream: experiencing military aviation from the cockpit, even if only virtually.
My Background: From the Flight Line to the Simulator.
My real-world aviation journey started in uniform. I served as a Weapons / Egress / Munitions Technician—commonly known as an Armament Fitter or simply a “Gunnie”—in the Royal Australian Air Force.
Over the years, I had the privilege of working on some truly iconic aircraft:
- F-111
- Mirage IIIO
- F/A-18 Hornet
While assigned to an R&D Squadron, I also worked across a wide range of platforms including the Macchi 226, CT-4, P-3 Orion, Blackhawk, and Iroquois helicopters.
After leaving the RAAF, I spent another 13 years on the IDS Tornado, with limited time on the ADV variant. Climbing over and maintaining these machines—seeing every detail up close—was an experience I’ll always value.
Experiencing the Exhilaration of Flight
Along the way, I was fortunate enough to fly backseat in several of these incredible jets. My first supersonic experience was in the Mirage IIID, pulling 6.2 Gs.
If you’ve never felt that kind of force, it’s hard to explain. Violent is probably the closest word. Your body knows immediately that this is not normal—and yet, it’s utterly unforgettable.
Fulfilling a Dream For Real
Eventually, I was able to partially fulfill my dream of flight by earning a Sport Pilot Certificate, allowing me to fly Light Sport Aircraft.
That real-world experience completely changed how I use flight simulators. For me, they’re no longer just entertainment they’re tools for practical training, skill revision, procedural practice, and staying sharp. The closer a simulator feels to real flight, the more valuable it becomes.
Full Circle: What Drives Your Passion?
So this brings me back to the original question:
In flight simulation, what drives your passion?
- Is it the desire to experience flight?
- The lack of time or funds to fly in the real world?
- Or, like me, knowing you were never quite wired to fly fast jets for a living even if you worked on them?
Even as a passenger, keeping up with everything happening in a military cockpit was a challenge. Things move fast very fast.
My Simulator Choices (And Why)
General Aviation: X-Plane
For general aviation, my simulator of choice is X-Plane and it has been ever since I first tried the X-Plane 11 demo on release.
For me, X-Plane offers the most convincing flight model available. Taking off in a crosswind and feeling the aircraft naturally weather-vane into the wind instantly reminds me why it’s my primary sim. The realism shines when things go wrong too:
- Floating on landing when you misjudge the approach
- Sudden sink from a downdraft
In VR, those moments can be genuinely terrifying and that’s exactly why they’re valuable. It feels real.
Yes, MSFS 2020 is stunning to look at, but I’ve never personally felt it matches X-Plane in raw flight dynamics. For me, realism always wins over visuals.
General Aviation Over Airliners
I’ll be honest: airliners don’t do much for me in a simulator. Sitting at cruise for hours just isn’t how I want to spend my limited sim time.
I prefer:
- Takeoffs
- Circuits
- Short navigation legs
- More circuits
- Land somewhere new—or return to base
That mirrors how I trained in the real world. Of course, I know many sim pilots love long-haul flights, VATSIM events, and even round-the-world adventures and that’s perfectly fine. Different passions, same sky.
What do you want to achieve when you fly?
Military Aviation: Where I Spend Most of My Time
Military aviation, however, is where I truly lose track of time.
Around 80% of my sim flying happens in DCS World, exclusively in VR. Being able to fly aircraft I worked on or crawled all over during maintenance such as the F-15, F-16, and F/A-18, feels like a dream come true.
I regularly fly:
- F/A-18
- F-16
- F-5 Tiger II
- Mirage 2000
And I eagerly watch development of future modules like the Tornado IDS, Typhoon, F-35, and now the announced Grippen even if some are still years away.
What’s Your Facet of Excellence?
Personally, I’m a passionate dogfighter. I love 1v1 engagements and chaotic multi-aircraft furballs on servers like DCS Dogfighters. I’ve also gravitated toward Cold War-era flying, especially in the much-loved F-5 Tiger II.
So where do you shine?
- Mud mover?
- Air defense aficionado?
- BVR tactician?
- All-rounder?
Let’s Talk
That’s my journey and my passion.
Now I’d love to hear yours. Join me at LETSFLYVFR Facebook Page.
Come Share your passion. Check out my LetsFlyVFR YouTube Channel for even more!
What drives your love of flight simulation?
What’s your favourite simulator right now and why?
Drop a comment below and let’s keep the conversation going.
Author
Brendon McAliece (Aka Gunnie) is a military veteran with 23 years working on Jet Fighters, their weapons systems and ejection seat/module systems as well as munitions and R&D. Involved with flight simulation since the 1980s, he has flown all the major flight simulators over the years.
He is an Australian expat who has lived in Malaysia, UK, Saudi Arabia and more recently Thailand. He is a multi-lingual blogger who loves to share his life experiences here on LetsFlyVFR.com and DreamingGuitar.com, with his lifestyle and Travel experiences Blog plus his Dreaming Coffee website.
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