Would flight simulations be on topic?

Question

Would flight simulation discussion be on topic or not? Personally, there's two categories of so-called "flight simulators":

• "Certified" flight simulators in use with training facilities in real life (such as a FAA Level D FFS)
• Games that attempt to make flying more accessible (e.g. Microsoft Flight Simulator)

Should either of these be included in this proposal, or not?

Proposal: Aviation and Aerospace

Answer 1

I would say yes.

Flight simulators rely on flight physics (aerodynamics, etc.), they can be used to design a new aircraft, test an existing aircraft, or even train pilots. They are involved at every step of the life of an aircraft. If you read the source code of such programs, you will find all the equations that govern how aircrafts fly and react to their environment. Moreover, the only thing that separate a "Certified" flight simulator from a "Game" flight simulator is complexity: they need to be more accurate, more realistic, etc.

However, if the discussion is centered on software implementation of a flight simulator, then in this case this would be a better question for Stack Overflow.

Answer 2

Absolutely, you cannot get to the pointy end of any passanger plane now with two engines without doing simulator time.