<p>Can anyone recommend a flight simulator program for me? (presumably PC based, although other suggestions also welcome)</p>
<p>I went to the mall today. It was a zoo, even at 10am!</p>
<p>Had to visit four stores before I could find a pair of Ugg Coquettes – who knew that scuffs for winter weather could be so popular?</p>
<p>Microsoft used to have one about 100 years ago, [oh. they still have one](<a href=“Xbox Games | Xbox”>Xbox Games | Xbox) come to an auction in Seattle, Boeing always donates time in their flight simulator that I heard was pretty cool.
[Boeing</a> 737-700 flight simulator construction](<a href=“http://www.737flightsim.com/]Boeing”>http://www.737flightsim.com/)
[FlightSim.Com</a> - World’s #1 Flight Simulator Site For Downloads, Files, News, Reviews, Add-ons](<a href=“http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds/main/menuchoo.htm]FlightSim.Com”>http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds/main/menuchoo.htm)</p>
<p>I feel for you- I have finals this week and next & I think I would rather be studying than shopping ( of course I still have that to do to)</p>
<p>Microsoft Flight Sim X is awesome, but not many people have the computer requirements to run it properly (processor and graphics card mainly). You can look up the specs on Amazon or a similar site. If that is the case, any of their earlier versions of the program are great too. But, you have to get a joystick to enjoy it properly, and put some time in learning about flight if you don’t have a background in it. (The 2000 version is at least 2 versions old by the way)</p>
<p>This one might still be available, I know the seller. But it might be a little more than you want to spend! :)</p>
<p>[eBay</a> Motors: Flightlink Advanced Flight Trainer (Flight Simulator) (item 170172791245 end time Dec-01-07 08:14:30 PST)](<a href=“http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Flightlink-Advanced-Flight-Trainer-Flight-Simulator_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ26440QQihZ007QQitemZ170172791245QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW]eBay”>http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Flightlink-Advanced-Flight-Trainer-Flight-Simulator_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ26440QQihZ007QQitemZ170172791245QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW)</p>
<p>Microsoft has a free download of a truncated version of Flight Simulator X. It might need a killer computer to run it on.</p>
<p>NJres, that’s just the kind of thing my daughter was dreaming of! - and I’m not surprised at the price.</p>
<p>She likes to save her money, so maybe some day…</p>
<p>I’m seeing that having the proper hardware is key, one program I looked at required 60 GB of space, which would have been supercomputer territory back in the day.</p>
<p>So buying the killer computer to go with this would be part of the gift. The Microsoft program itself doesn’t actually cost that much.</p>
<p>Then I return to the idea of being able to edit video and the like, and wonder if I should be considering a Mac instead of a PC?</p>
<p>If you go with a PC, check out Sony Vegas video editing program. You can get a truncated version for about $50 at Costco (it is not called Vegas, but something else, but is made by Sony). My D has a blast with the cheap version. I gave her a box with the program around dinnertime thinking that it will be tossed on a shelf and forgotten, but by the 11 o’clock news, she had a first video produced: mixed sound, titles, funky transitions and all! Her teammates loved it. Since then, D made a whole bunch of videos, so I’m considering getting her the full version of Vegas.</p>
<p>Traditionally, Final Cut Pro is considered the best video editing program, but it costs a fortune and needs a Mac. PCs have caught up with Macs when it comes to software for the “creative” kind, and Sony Vegas got nice reviews from professional video editors.</p>
<p>You can get a free 30-day trial download of Vegas from Sony to check it out:</p>
<p>[Sony</a> Creative Software - Downloads - Vegas Pro 8.0](<a href=“Sony Creative Software - Downloads - Home”>VEGAS Pro: Video Editing Software for Content Creators)</p>
<p>Warning: check computer requirements before downloading.</p>
<p>Thanks BunsenBurner, that sounds like a great program.</p>
<p>My current computer is an Apple laptop, which I bought two years ago specifically with the idea of making movies in mind. I’ve learned that is doesn’t have the hardware I need, and the screen is already going, despite having paid $1k for it.</p>
<p>So I am inclined to go back to a PC and Windows.</p>
<p>You are right, Final Cut might not run properly on a Mac laptop, even on the new kind. I was told that Macs were great for the creative folk types, and I wanted to buy a Mac laptop for my D so she could take it to college with her. I did a little research and discovered the compatibility problem. No way I would have bought her two computers! She has a Sony laptop now, which I do not recommend. The computer is great, but Sony Vaio customer support sucks, to put it mildly. If you are not super savvy with computers, get a Dell or another brand with a nice responsive customer support.</p>
<p>My current plan is to check out the hardware requirements for the flight simulator program and for Final Cut Pro (so we would be covered, should we ever want to buy it), then see what the costs are PC vs Apple.</p>
<p>My son is into this big time. He has Microsoft Flight Sim X, the latest version, whatever that might be. Bought last December at Costco (you will save a few bucks). But you need a real flight joystic, and they are about $60 , available only online.
My son has been into this for years now, he does have other programs but this one beats them all. When he gets back from skiing today I will ask him all the PC requirements for this and let you know.
Just to let you know, those things are in “real” time, so even a short flight is very time consuming.</p>
<p>Kelowna, that is a very good point about things being in real time. I’d never considered that aspect.</p>
<p>Also I wanted to add that I’ve done some research and see now that Final Cut is not available for Windows. I am thinking Adobe Premier Elements might be what we would consider using on the Windows side (instead of iMovie).</p>