Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight PC

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight is the next milestone in the award-winning Flight Simulator franchise. Celebrating 20 years of developing and perfecting computer flight simulation, A Century of Flight will allow aviation enthusiasts to experience history at the controls of historic aircraft, such as Charles Lindbergh’s Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, the Douglas DC-3 and the world’s first successful powered aircraft, the Wright Flyer.

New engaging features such as interactive multimedia provide a wealth of historical information on the planes that shaped aviation history and the pilots who flew them. Informed and insightful articles explain all there is to know about Microsoft’s Flight Simulator and the 24 aircraft included in the software. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight also introduces an updated, dynamic weather system, enhanced automatically generated scenery (AutoGen) and detailed visual effects, improved Air Traffic Control functions, and 3D interactive cockpits, as well as 15 modern aircraft, including the Beechcraft Baron and the Robinson R22 helicopter.

Key New Features

* Dynamic weather system based on realistic atmospheric physics, with true three-dimensional clouds that form and dissipate, and automatic real-world weather updates when you're connected to the Internet.

* Weather “themes” that generate a wide variety of stunning—and challenging—flying conditions with just a few clicks of a mouse

* Enhanced interactive air traffic control (ATC), including traffic at all airports around the world (including non-towered airports), altitude changes en route, pop-up IFR clearances, and precision and non-precision approaches to multiple runways

* Interactive 3D “virtual” cockpits—tune radios and operate key aircraft controls and avionics by pointing and clicking in the virtual cockpit view.

* Scenery improvements, including taxiway and runway signs, enhanced auto-gen 3D objects, more high-detail airports, and improved lighting and sky effects

* Garmin 500 and 295 series GPS with color moving maps and airport/facility information

* Improved full-color map view with terrain display

* Improved support for 3D graphics hardware acceleration in multiple windows and across multiple monitors

* Learning Center--a “Web site on the disc” available while the simulation is running that includes a Key Topics visual guide to the features in Microsoft Flight Simulator, direct links to flights and lessons, flight briefings, how-to procedures, aircraft handbooks, and more.

* New and expanded lessons and ground school topics

* Kiosk mode for unattended demonstrations

Core Features from Previous Versions

* Worldwide scenery with accurate 3D terrain and auto-gen objects that fill in the world with appropriate buildings and vegetation no matter where you fly.

* Jeppesen NavData database, including VORs, NDBs, ILS, low- and high-altitude airways, intersections

* Approximately 24,000 airports worldwide (increased from about 22,000 in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002).

* Flight planner to create realistic VFR and IFR flight plans and navigation logs

* Flight analysis to play back a flight on a moving map that shows ground track, key flight data, and a vertical profile

* Instructor's station--link two PCs so that one pilot can observe a Flight Simulator session, change weather, fail systems, and provide comments and help via a chat window.

* IFR training panels for selected aircraft that include all key instruments, avionics, and controls in one window for realistic IFR flights.

* Multiplayer capability over a local network or the Internet.

Last updated on 10 December 2007