I love flying around my home airport in Microsoft's Flight Simulator X (FSX), however there are some things that even the most avid gamers can't grasp. For me, that is landing a plane in FSX.
Almost every time I come in for an approach, something seems to happen that results in me, well, crashing. From time to time, I do sort of land the plane, but more often than not, my landings are less than perfect. This can be aggravating, as all I want is to be able to successfully land a plane! But it is something that requires practice and skill, things that are less than apparent in some other games these days.
This is, after all, a simulator. Well, technically it’s a game, but the underlying physics and gameplay make it seem like a simulator. Yes, one could jump into the cockpit and just apply some throttle, but the truly dedicated spend hours perfecting the art of simulation. They practice takeoffs, landings and everything in between. Why? Because they love the experience and the process. The goal of many is not simply to fly an airplane from point A to B, but rather to capture the experience of flying, with all it’s challenges and rewards.
So why can I not land an airplane? Perhaps because I suck at the game. Or perhaps, because I have not given it the time, dedication and respect that flight simulation demands. Either way, I love this game
