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What software do real Flying simulators use?

I have seen the airbus A380 simulator, What software do they use. I am aware of microsoft flight simulator X. X-plane and Flight-gear. I want the most realistic simulation software for learning to fly small aircraft as-well as larger aircraft. Please could you list any software. Thanks

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  1. The types of flight simulators that you are referring to do not use off the shelf software that you can go out and buy. The programs that control those simulators are custom designed code developed specifically for that application. Their goal is to match the aircraft as closely as possible and this requires the code to be a custom development.
  2. There's no such thing as a realistic flight simulator. The major difference between things like FSX and the "real" flight simulators is that the latter is basically certified to be used for training purposes and the former is not. That doesn't mean you can't get just as much out of flying FSX that you could if you were to use the simulator that a typical flight school might use to train students. Flying a "real" simulator feels no more real than using FSX. It's actually less enjoyable because you won't get the fancy graphics and eye candy that you get with something that's marketed as a game. I'll put it to you this way. Learning to fly an airplane with a flight simulator, even a certified one, is like learning to play golf using a Nintendo Wii. Sure, you will learn how the game works, but it won't teach you the correct way to swing a club. In that regards, it's just a toy and it's the same thing even with the full motion airline sims. They are only used to teach procedures. You cannot learn how to physically control an airplane with them. The only way to learn how to physically fly a plane is in the real thing. There's nothing wrong with using flight simulators. Just don't take them too seriously. And don't bother spending lots of money on yokes and pedals. They won't make it any more realistic.
  3. Most big full motion sims are made to replicate one and only one airplane. They have software that is specific to the plane they simulate and you cannot buy that software. There are simulators out there (more specifically, flight training devices; FTD) that use off the shelf software. They can be certified by the FAA for things like logging simulator time or logging instrument approaches but they cannot be used for things such as a type rating or to gain a certificate. A full motion (level D) sim can be used to earn a type rating, instrument rating, or an ATP. X-plane can be certified for use in an FTD provided you have the correct version which runs self checks and some other fancy stuff that you don't need for your desktop. Of the simulators I've used, X-plane is by far the most accurate but it has its limitations. for $40 or whatever they are charging for it now, its the best deal out there. I used it extensively when working on my instrument rating, it helped tremendously and I thought it was much better than the Microsoft game.
  4. what do you mean by Real flight simulators? Full motion simulators, usually made by the aircraft manufacturer to train pilots have their own software tailored to the aircraft they're simulating. The software usually come on a disk, or even a few circuit boards you can just pull out and swap with another and the FMS will act as another aircraft. FAA and other computer software certified for training pilots in certain aspects of flight usually are only accurate in whatever aspect they are certified for. MS FSX is quite frankly, almost junk in terms of accuracy. X-plane is a better choice if you'd like more accurate flight models, and it is demands a less powerful computer. There aren't many software that meet your specifications and are available to you at a reasonable price.I think you're pretty much stuck with between choosing FSX, Xplane or flight gear. FSX is very pretty, a lot better than Full motion simulators, and x-plane, but flight models are so-so. IFR training with FSX is approved in certain specific conditions. X-plane is much better in the flight model department, but I don't remember if it is certified for anything. I've never used flight-gear, so can't speak for that.
  5. The big full-motion simulators generally use custom-written software. Smaller simulators may use custom software, off-the-shelf software, or a combination of the two. It depends on the exact purpose of the simulation. For certified simulations of instrument flight, for example, a desktop computer with off-the-shelf software may do the trick (with a specific configuration and an instructor). For uncertified but useful simulation, something purely off the shelf, like Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane, can do a pretty good job. No simulation is perfect, but every simulation gets at least part of the simulation just right. It all depends on what you need and what you use. You can use desktop simulation software (like Microsoft Flight Simulator) to learn the basic principles of flight and get an idea of what flying is like. It's a useful learning tool. You can't actually get a license just from using a simulator, however, so if you really want a license to fly real airplanes, you'll also have to take lessons inside a real airplane. In addition, there is some study on the ground and some book-learning to do. If you don't want to fly for real or can't afford it, a combination of good books and the desktop sim can be the next best thing.
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