Could you learn to fly with Microsoft flight simulator?

[Kane99]

Do you think that it's possible for people to really learn how to fly in Microsofts flight Sim? 

I heard years ago that some people self taught themselves to fly. Is that true? Can you actually learn to fly via Microsofts flight sim?

[Shole]

I guess it could be possible, but I would consider doing some flight lessons too cuz you can't learn something so dangerous from a pc. If you had a cockpit that would change things.

[Shagger]

Let me put it this way. If you sat down to an interview for a job with an airline, they're unlikely to be impressed by you saying, "I've never actually flown a plane, but I have clocked 100 hours on Microsoft Flight Simulator!".

Edited December 28, 2021 by Shagger

[The Blackangel]

It could lead you to getting a few pointers, but there's no way you could actually learn to do it from a game. That's like asking if you could learn Ninjitsu from playing TMNT.

[skyfire]

They have added the airports and also a  lot of realistic terrains, so yeah it's worth playing once. 

[Darth]

The basics, yeah sure. But it wouldn't get you a job as a pilot and it wouldn't help you get a license either. It would be a very useful tool to practise flying at home though but you would need a lot more experience, both in a proper simulator and by flying with an instructor in real life.

[skyfire]

I doubt it would get you license or such. But it would teach you enough to not crash if you play long enough and also it can help in lessons of take off and landing. 

[Empire]

Yes and No,

As far as using MFS to learn to fly: MFS, will have amazing graphics and very good checklist integration, so it will be a great tool for learning procedures, ATC communication, and airport operations. However, even with its advanced aerodynamics and weather simulation it still will not be a perfect substitute for actual flying. VFR flight IRL requires plenty of depth perception to the ground (like the sight picture for landing) that is difficult for even the best simulators to emulate. Feeling how the aircraft handles in maneuvers, with changes in power, and in different wind conditions is impossible to emulate on a computer. People who start learning to fly on simulators tend to over a lion instruments instead of looking out the window (I know I did!). I'm not saying you shouldn't use flight simulators to start studying for flying; you absolutely should and it helped me a ton, but take it with a grain of salt.

[The Blackangel]

As has been said, it might get you a few pointers, but I wouldn't rely on anything you got from a game if you were to take actual flying lessons. Games tend to sensationalize things to a point that is completely false. It's possible that the only thing the game would get right is the word "airplane". So anything you got, or think you got, from a game should be taken with a grain of salt, if that much. Rely on what an actual pilot instructor tells and teaches you. Worry about flight simulator games later after you get a license. As I said about TMNT, you can't learn to drive a car from Need For Speed.