- A flight simulator seeks to duplicate the experience of flying as realistically as possible for the purpose of training pilots. Many, but not all, of the visual and control elements of a real flight simulator can be produced by the flight simulator games that are widely available. Indeed, many of these games are almost the same as a real flight simulator in those aspects of the experience that they seek to duplicate. Full flight simulators are the real thing, and have many features beyond what can be offered by the merely video and audio experience of a computer.
- One of the aspects of a full flight simulator that offers so much realism is the mechanical aspects that provide real motion cues. Most flight simulators are mounted on hexapods, or platforms that are manipulated by six hydraulic cylinders attached at the base. Some more advanced flight simulators put the pilot in a pod, and manipulate the pod by means of a robotic arm.
- Since the purpose of a flight simulator is to recreate the actual experience of flying a particular aircraft, the control features of each are effectively unique. The cockpits of these simulators are exact copies of the simulated aircraft. Sometimes they are not even copies, but actual cockpits built by the manufacturer. It obviously does little good to train for a Boeing 747 in the cockpit of a 787.
- Another important aspect of a flight simulator is the all-around environment display. On a game, all you see is what is on your screen. In a full flight simulator, the screen or screens are mounted to duplicate the actual view from the aircraft. If the plane has a canopy, the pilot will be able to look all around, just as he could in an actual aircraft. If there are four windows in the cockpit, then the screens will be mounted to duplicate the view from those windows. A good simulator will even incorporate accurate noise.
