Author: Andrew Stevens

Latest Microsoft Flight Simulator City Update Adds Accurate Model of Washington D.C. and Fireworks for 4th of July Celebrations

Andrew Stevens

I had the opportunity to sit down with Jorg Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator at Microsoft to talk about all the latest excitement surrounding Microsoft Flight Simulator. This includes an accurate and highly detailed model of Washington D.C. for simmers to fly over thanks to the latest photogrammetry technology. This arrives in the latest City Update IX: Northeast United States which covers a large portion of the Washington D.C metro area, along with Buffalo, New York; Allentown, Pennsylvania; and the East End of Long Island, New York.

City Update IX: Northeast United States Trailer

One of Microsoft’s partners for Microsoft Flight Simulator is Vexcel Imaging which uses its aerial cameras for photogrammetry and allows the Microsoft Flight Simulator team to convert that imagery data into highly accurate models. While speaking with Jorg, he mentioned how Vexcel and its evolving camera technology plays a critical part in providing these detailed city updates to Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Vexcel is currently using newer and enhanced cameras that have 3 times the increased resolution for capturing terrain. The old data would cause some buildings to look “melted” and have a loss of detail when getting an up-close look, but now this is no longer the case with the latest cameras. Jorg knows that the world needs to continue to look much better moving forward as players explore further and land everywhere. With the evolution of camera technology, it’s only going to get better. This will enhance the experience for both Microsoft Flight Simulator and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

The continuous improvement in camera technology and how that enhances the experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator is very exciting for all of us simmers out there. City updates are only going to get more impressive from here on out. The nice thing is that this will also include cities that were captured using older camera technology. This means some of the most popular cities will get a fresh new coat of paint in the future! So, continue to keep an eye out for the latest city and world updates moving forward!

For the latest city update, which was captured using the newest cameras from Vexcel, Jorg wanted to work on the Northeast United States. The team selected cities they haven’t captured previously, bringing realism to Buffalo, Allentown, the Hamptons, and the massive Washington D.C. metro area. Capturing Washington D.C. has been an ongoing discussion for nearly four years due to the highly restricted airspace that requires communicating with Federal agencies to get approval. The other challenge was due to sun placement and needing to make sure they can capture the terrain at a specific time of day so there are limited shadows being cast by buildings and trees. It was a yearly discussion before finally getting approval earlier this year and now we can all now enjoy flying around the entire Washington D.C. metro area in such glorious detail! If only I could have easily flown around the area when I lived there so I could have avoided driving on the 495 and 270. I don’t miss you at all…

By the way, it’s amazing how quickly production can move as the Vexcel team just captured the Washington D.C. terrain in April and the Microsoft Flight Simulator team converted the data and shipped it in just over 2 months’ time. Nicely done!

Another fun feature now available in Microsoft Flight Simulator as part of the update is fireworks! With the 4th of July just two days away, every major US city will experience a fireworks show in the sim. So, if you are flying in real time, make sure to be near a major city at 10pm local time to start witnessing a beautiful fireworks show!

If you’re like me and have other plans on the 4th, you can always set the time and date to whenever you want to fly so you can enjoy the fireworks on your own timeline. I told Jorg I would have to do that since my wife has plans for us that day. However, he did suggest that my wife and I just have our date in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Talk about a fantastic idea, right? I asked my wife if we should do that instead of our original plans and that’s when my plane got rerouted to the doghouse – thanks, Jorg! (joking, of course!! Kinda…)

The City Update IX: Northeast United States is now available for free for all simmers on Xbox Series X|S and PC with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Windows 10/11, Steam, and Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta).

More to come on my talk with Jorg Neumann. Thank you again to Jorg for taking the time to chat with me and to Bob and Hollis for your support with making this happen.

The Inverted Approach – Retro SEGA Game ‘G-LOC Air Battle’ Inspires My Latest Challenge in Microsoft Flight Simulator

Andrew Stevens

I’ve been playing a lot of SEGA AGES G-LOC Air Battle on the Nintendo Switch lately which is an enhanced version of the original G-LOC Air Battle game that was released back in 1990. It’s a spinoff of SEGA’s After Burner series which are favorite arcade style flying games of mine. While I’m going to dig a bit deeper into this series in a later article, I wanted to talk about a specific moment of fun I had with SEGA AGES G-LOC Air Battle and how it inspired a personal challenge in Microsoft Flight Simulator!

When it comes to video games and aviation, especially those that lean heavily on the arcade side of flight, it’s easy to get caught up in the arcade experience of it all. With G-LOC: Air Battle, depending on the difficulty setting, the experience can be completed in 5-20 minutes. During that time, players are equipped with unlimited guns and a constant resupply of missiles while shooting down 63 enemy aircraft on the beginner difficulty and far more on the harder difficulties. Talk about arcade flight at its best! Non-stop action!

The goal for G-LOC is to complete each of the missions as quickly as possible“…seriously, within seconds for those who can shoot down everything that fast! However, and what led to the inspiration for this article, there’s a mission where players must land on an aircraft carrier. It’s very simple and straightforward as pilots only need to line up the aircraft with the carrier. There’s no need to worry about altitude or speed in this arcade flight game. But with that said, on the hardest difficulty, players can actually fly upside down if they choose. Of course, what’s great about video games is that they create the opportunity to do silly things like this all the time – let’s fly inverted on approach to a carrier landing! Woohoo!

SEGA AGES G-LOC Air Battle Gameplay Complete on Beginner Difficulty

So, of course, when I was playing SEGA AGES G-LOC Air Battle on the Expert difficulty, I had to invert my F-14 on my approach all the way until it was time to land on the aircraft carrier. Honestly, I messed up the first time, but nailed it (barely) on the second attempt! That was fun and put a smile on my face! But still, as silly as it is, it actually wasn’t that challenging to do in this arcade-style flight game!

So, I started thinking about carrier landings some more and then remembered that the Top Gun Maverick content that was added to Microsoft Flight Simulator includes an aircraft carrier landing challenge! So, you know what happened next! Thanks to the arcade fun of a classic SEGA video game that’s nearly 34 years old, it inspired me to recreate my inverted approach to an aircraft carrier landing in Microsoft Flight Simulator!

Surely, doing an inverted approach in a simulator was going to be a lot more difficult than in an old-school arcade video game, right? “…it absolutely was a challenge! But I loved every moment of it!

When starting up the carrier landing challenge as part of the Top Gun Maverick content in Microsoft Flight Simulator, I quickly had to pull up the flaps and get above 220kts before I could maintain a level approach with Pete Mitchell’s F-18 Super Hornet. I also had to find the right altitude to maintain while slowing down the aircraft on approach. Once I would get around 180kts and lower, it would cause me to start losing altitude again. So, there was a perfect balance that needed to be found.

In the end, it probably took me about 30 attempts before I nailed a landing. I had some close calls where I turned the aircraft over and landed almost immediately but would either hit too hard or have too much speed and would fly off the carrier. So, the more I did it, the safer I played it, and at the end I would turn over just in time to rebalance the aircraft and land immediately after.

Both Inverted Carrier Approaches in G-LOC and Microsoft Flight Simulator

At the end of the day, I had about 3 total hours of complete silliness playing both SEGA AGES G-LOC Air Battle and then Microsoft Flight Simulator doing the inverted aircraft carrier approach in both titles. While I often play the old-school arcade games to get the high scores and the simulators to have a nice well-rounded flight, it’s always fun when something like this happens that inspires a challenge across both styles of “games” in this way. Plus, I always enjoy doing things differently and have fun in ways that might not always be the most common, especially when it comes to simulators!

Thank you arcade flight games for always inspiring me to try things and have fun at the same time!

SEGA AGES G-LOC Air Battle is available on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $7.99

Touch and Go on Arrakis – Microsoft Flight Simulator Dune Expansion Review

Andrew Stevens

I love it when there are collaborations between Microsoft Flight Simulator and other brands. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen the Top Gun Maverick content added which featured a lot of low altitude flying challenges with an F-18 – talk about great content as those challenges were mighty fun to do. I’m still happy I ended up near the Top 50 in the world on those challenges! We also had the Red Bull Bullseye Landing Challenge added to the sim. Additionally, we saw something a bit different as a fictional aircraft from the Halo universe was added, the Pelican.

Whether its collaborations based on real flight events, fictional events with real aircraft, or even fictional aircraft – I’m all for it! Thankfully the collaborations continue as Microsoft has teamed up with Legendary to release the Microsoft Flight Simulator Dune Expansion, and guess what, it absolutely does not disappoint!

The Microsoft Flight Simulator Dune Expansion is now available for free for both Xbox Series S/X and PC players. This is the first time in the 40+ years of Microsoft Flight Simulator that sim pilots can experience flying along the terrain of another world. The Dune Expansion adds 5 ‘Touch and Go’ Challenges and 1 Rescue Mission for players to partake in. Pilots get to fly the famous Royal Atreides Ornithopter from the Dune movies, an aircraft that features oscillating wings, afterburners, and exceptional control for traversing the world of Arrakis.

Dune Expansion – Canyon Rush Challenge

My first impressions of piloting the Royal Atreides Ornithopter were great – and that great experience got even better as I grew more familiar with it. The aircraft feels incredibly responsive and easy to control. This makes performing the touch and go challenges a lot of fun and honestly not all that challenging due to the superb control. However, the challenge will come in the form of how fast you can do it though. The faster you can touch and go and proceed to the next touch point will mean a higher ranking at the end of the challenge and a better overall seat on the leaderboard. Each challenge has 3 points for the player to touch down and then proceed to the next location. The third landing site is the final where you just need to touch down and conclude the challenge.

As mentioned, the Ornithopter is incredibly fun to fly, and it won’t take pilots that long to grow familiar with it. It features a short-fueled afterburner that if used constantly won’t last throughout the challenges. So, pilots will want to find the ideal times to use it (usually during take off to get back up to speed). It’s also fun gauging the power of the airbrakes – I’ve had a blast going into landing sites at full speed and then at the last second pulling out the landing gear and hitting the airbrakes for a perfectly timed quick landing. Obviously, go slow to begin and get familiar with the aircraft, but it’s so much fun – so much fun!!! – once you get familiar with it and go storming into landing sites. It makes these time-based challenges very enjoyable.

The other great thing about the Dune Expansion is that all of these missions are done on the world of Arrakis. It’s a new, sandy terrain to get used to and master. The lower you fly along the sand the faster you’ll go. Also, there are caverns for pilots to navigate in some of the missions and, of course, steep drops in elevation for pilots to engage the Ornithopter’s dive mode to quickly reach the ground below. As if the ‘thopter wasn’t already exciting enough to fly, but then add in the dive capability and my goodness – let’s go!! Check out the video below that features the dive functionality of the Ornithopter.

Dune Expansion – Mountain Dive Challenge

Each of the challenges ensures pilots get the full experience of the Ornithopter. Plus, the final mission concludes with a sandstorm and relies on everything taught in the prior challenges to prepare the pilot for a successful run in the rescue mission. It’s important to be as quick as possible otherwise pilots will get caught up in the sandstorm and fail the mission.

If you are a fan of Dune, then I can’t imagine any reason why you wouldn’t take flight immediately with the Royal Atreides Ornithopter in the Microsoft Flight Simulator Dune Expansion as it’s incredibly satisfying to fly! Even though the content can be completed fairly quickly, it’s absolutely a great addition to the sim. Plus, pilots can continue going back for more to better their rankings and scores for the leaderboard. And best of all, pilots can also take the Ornithopter anywhere on Earth as it is selectable from the aircraft menu.

So, who wants to be the first pilot to take the Ornithopter to Oshkosh for AirVenture 2024? Maybe I’ll do that next, but the first place I took it was to the Grand Canyon!

Flying the Ornithopter around the Grand Canyon

My First Flights with the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition Flight Stick

Andrew Stevens

I’ve been playing aviation themed games and flight simulators since the 90s. Yet, rarely during that time have I spent it playing with a flight stick. Having been more of a console player during the late 90’s and 2000s meant primarily playing with a controller even though there were options available for flight sticks on video game consoles. Still, I only ever recall playing a game in the late 90s on PC called F-22 Lightning II by NovaLogic and using a PC based flight stick for that experience. Of course, I recall having a great time being able to fly the latest fighter jet designed for air superiority, the wonderful and amazing F-22, while using what was probably the first flight stick I ever owned. I poured so many hours into that game!

So, the question I ask myself is why didn’t that experience lead me to continue upgrading to newer flight sticks with all the latest flight games that have been released over the years? I’ll never know, really. However, I did eventually get my hands on a couple more flight sticks in the early 2010s – over 15 years later. I got the Pacific AV8R that came along with Damage Inc. on Xbox 360 and the X-55 HOTAS which I primarily used for War Thunder. Both of those flight sticks were fantastic as well and played wonderfully well with both games, but neither game kept me coming back for more which is why both flight sticks got retired to a shelf.

Let’s now fast forward to 2020 and the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Obviously, with my love and passion for aviation, I immediately picked it up and started exploring the new world – all by controller. Now, I had a blast over the past 3+ years playing Microsoft Flight Simulator by controller. It actually works very well. However!! I’m now learning – or being reminded of – just how accurate and overall enjoyable it is to fly with an actual flight stick.

Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick & TCA Quadrant + Add-on Airbus Edition

With my passion for the world of aviation simulators and aviation inspired video games, it’s time I started taking flight sticks a lot more seriously again. As I mentioned above, the precision and accuracy you can achieve from a flight stick is superior to that of a controller and I pretty much instantly found that out again during my first few flights with the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick – Airbus Edition.

I just recently got my hands on the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick – Airbus Edition as my first flight stick that I’ve paired with Microsoft Flight Simulator. I also acquired the TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition and add-on to go along with the flight stick. The TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition with add-on features the throttle, flaps, airbrakes, engine controls, parking brake, trim, gear up/down, and more. So, I’m all set for a great flight experience!

The moment I had the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick and TCA Quadrant + Add-ons set up, I immediately started to giggle just a little bit as I excitedly anticipated my first flight with this setup. The greyish/blue theme with black controls, along with the Airbus branding, simply looks sharp on both the stick and controls. Plus, the quality of the parts feels good to operate and stable to use in a desktop environment. Also, just to note, this setup can be used for both PC or Xbox Series S/X.

The other nice feature with the TCA Quadrant is that if you decide to pick up the add-on piece that contains the flaps, airbrakes, gear, etc. is that it’s easy to attach to the core throttle piece making the setup incredibly user-friendly.

Once I had everything set up and ready to go, I first decided I should just jump into some of the landing challenges with the Airbus A320 just to quickly get a feel for the flying. It honestly didn’t go so well at first and I scored pretty poorly over my first number of landing attempts. But as I kept restarting I would continue to improve as I got a better feel for the overall controls. I actually really appreciated having dedicated controls for the flaps and airbrakes too rather than just down on the d-pad with a controller.

After doing multiple landing challenges I figured it was time for a quick take off and landing. It was time for the full experience! This is when the best feeling sets in when flying with a flight stick and controls. Sitting at the start of the runway, ready for takeoff, and then pushing the actual throttle forward to get moving – it’s the best! No more boring A button on a controller to up the power, it’s all throttle forward on the Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant and ready for playing in the skies above! Let’s goooo!

I did a very quick takeoff and landing which you can see below purely to keep the video short. But I will soon have a lot more videos with full flights on my YouTube channel. This is also the first time I just floated above the runway which was a different experience. I think with a controller I was more of a Navy type of pilot…

Here’s my brief flight with an Airbus A320

I also had to give the flight stick and quadrant a go with the F-14D that I picked up over the holiday break. It’s just amazing how much better it is to fly with a flight stick and controls as even the Tomcat felt incredible with the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick and Quadrant.

Here’s my F-14D Tomcat flight with the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick & TCA Quadrant + Add-on

Overall I’m incredibly happy with the Thurstmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition and TCA Quadrant + Add-on Airbus Edition. It makes flying in Microsoft Flight Simulator that much better. But, more importantly, it looks good and allows for better control over your aircraft while flying to your next location. The customizable options and quality of both the flight stick and controls make it an exciting option for your at home setup. I highly recommend it!

I will always wonder why I never picked up new flight sticks over the years for all the flight games I played growing up. However, I’m pretty sure that from this point forward I will always be flying by flight stick.

You can learn more about and purchase the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick and Quadrant + Add-on at the links below:

Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition: https://www.thrustmaster.com/en-us/products/tca-sidestick-airbus-edition/

Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition: https://www.thrustmaster.com/en-us/products/tca-quadrant-airbus-edition/

Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant Add-on Airbus Edition: https://www.thrustmaster.com/en-us/products/tca-quadrant-add-on-airbus-edition/

I also want to note that this won’t be my last article featuring the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick and Quadrant + Add-on as I will feature it in many of my flights moving forward and therefore future articles. So, keep an eye out for continuing impressions as I start doing longer flights with this setup. Also, I will be writing about more flight sticks in the future including another amazing one from Thurstmaster. Stayed tuned for that!

Please remember that you can follow me on YouTube and X to see even more flight videos in the future! Also, feel free to ask any questions you might have regarding the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick and Quadrant + Add-on Airbus Edition!

It’s Ski Season Again in Microsoft Flight Simulator

Andrew Stevens

Alright, well it can always be ski season in Microsoft Flight Simulator if you so desire. However, now that we enter the winter months again and the snow is starting to fly, it becomes that time again for me to hop into my favorite ski plane and head for the slopes!

Having just recently experienced a new landing challenge at Akureyri Airport (BIAR) in Iceland that was released as part of Microsoft Flight Simulator’s World Update XV, I was shown a terrain that looked absolutely ideal for some ski plane fun. So, I hopped in a CubCrafters XCub and started exploring the nearby terrain to get my first ski plane action for the season.

More often than not I find easy terrain to touch and go from, but then I also enjoy skiing downhill when I get a chance, landing on top of a mountain, or even trying a bit of a stunt by gliding off the side of a mountain. Check out my recent flight below for a little bit of everything! Also, don’t judge me on the landing at the end of the video when I return it home“…and don’t ask either. Thank you!

Full flight from Iceland in an XCub with Skis

Link if you want to go directly to the fun rather than starting from the airport: https://youtu.be/LGitLu2kwws?si=KxmQkRGH3MsNUkHX&t=569

I look forward to exploring more areas for skiing this winter for even more ski plane fun! Last year I really enjoyed the mountains right next to Invermere – CAA8 just west of Calgary and recommend checking out that location as well. I’ll likely go back there and see how the XCub handles that terrain. I used the Cessna 172 Skyhawk all of last year for skiing (and so far I miss using it over the XCub), but I will switch between the two planes as I explore more locations this winter and see which one is certainly my favorite to fly.

Anyway, who else enjoys flight time in a ski plane? As I find more locations that host ideal conditions, I will certainly be posting about it on social media. Be sure to follow me on YouTube and X (Twitter)!

Lastly, a few photos from my time flying in Iceland!

Microsoft Flight Simulator Receives New Content with World Update XV: Nordics & Greenland

Andrew Stevens

World Update XV: Nordics and Greenland has arrived for Microsoft Flight Simulator which brings more fun for those wanting to visit Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands! Enhancements include the following:

  • 90 hand-made points of interest
  • 10 TIN (triangulated irregular network) cities
  • 5 hand-crafted airports
  • Broad-based, high-resolution geographic updates using significantly enhanced DEMs (digital elevation models) in Iceland, Norway, and Sweden
  • Fresh aerial imagery and satellite data across the entire region

World Update XV: Nordics and Greenland also adds new activities including four discovery flights, three landing challenges, and three bush trips to challenge yourself to. There are also new points of interest to explore across Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. More details can be found below.


Akureyri Airport (BIAR – Iceland) Landing Challenge

Points of interest include:

  • Denmark’s Farø Bridges, GrÃ¥sten Palace, and Ribe Cathedral
  • Finland’s Bengtskär Lighthouse, Kökar church, and Tähtiniemi Bridge
  • Greenland’s Arctic Station, EastGRIP, and Summit Station
  • Iceland’s Knarrarós Lighthouse, Laugardalsvöllur Stadium, and Ólafsvíkurkirkja Church
  • Norway’s Andenes Lighthouse, Gjemnessund Bridge, and Svalbard Global Seed Vault
  • Sweden’s Älvsborg Bridge, Arctic Space Centre, and Aurora Sky Station.

Discovery Flights include:

  • Bergen (Norway)
  • Gothenburg (Sweden)
  • Faroe Islands (Denmark)
  • Reykjavík (Iceland)

Landing Challenges include:

  • Akureyri Airport (BIAR – Iceland)
  • Ekeby Airport (ESSC – Sweden)
  • Mo i Rana Airport (ENRA – Norway)

Bush Trips include:

  • Baltic Coast of Denmark and Sweden
  • Greenland
  • Norway’s Spitsbergen

World Update XV is now available for free on Xbox and PC. See the full release on the Microsoft Flight Simulator blog for more information: https://www.flightsimulator.com/microsoft-flight-simulator-releases-world-update-xv-nordics-greenland/

Additionally, Microsoft recently released another famous flyer, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries MU-2. The twin-turbo aircraft comes with five liveries (white, executive white, executive black, Xbox aviators club, and aviators club) and is available in the sim marketplace for $14.99 (currently on sale for $9.99).

More information on the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries MU-2 can be found on the official Microsoft Flight Simulator blog here: https://www.flightsimulator.com/microsoft-flight-simulator-releases-famous-flyer-7-the-mitsubishi-heavy-industries-mu-2/

Enough talking though! I picked up the MU-2 and set for the skies! Here is a round trip flight I did with the MU-2 as I toured Finland’s Bengtskär Lighthouse.

MU-2 Flight over Finland’s Bengtskär Lighthouse

Capturing Flybys in Microsoft Flight Simulator with the Drone Camera

Andrew Stevens

I’ve been playing the latest edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator for about 3 years now when it took off in 2020. Throughout these years I’ve used the drone camera to take plenty of pictures from my flights around the world and it certainly leads to a lot of great shots! However, as I was daydreaming about flight yesterday, it dawned on me that I could probably set up a drone camera at the end of a runway and perform flybys over it. Why I never thought of this before I’ll never know, but I’m so glad I did think of it because the result is so much fun!

Below is a YouTube video that features some of my initial passes after having set up the drone at the end of a runway as I was controlling an F-18 at the same time. It’s also an interesting experience because you basically go from controlling the aircraft in either 3rd-person or first-person perspective to then controlling it from the drone perspective which is like flying an RC plane at that point.

I also continued with speed and power as I used the F-22 to do multiple passes while flying in Honolulu, Hawaii. Click the link to see those videos on my Twitter (X) account.

There are so many options for changing the camera perspective during flight to give you some nice shots of your in-flight experience. But as someone who loves going to airshows and watching the aircraft fly over me from wherever I’ve decided to set up shop during an airshow, it’s mighty fun to place the drone camera and do some passes in this way! Now it’s time to try doing other maneuvers and using other aircraft as well!

Capcom Took Me Down a Rabbit Hole of Aviation in Video Games – It Includes the Blue Angels!

Andrew Stevens

Did you know that Fat Albert, the C-130 Hercules transport plane of the Blue Angels, was in an arcade shoot‘em up video game in 1990? I sure didn’t know that until now!

Blue Angels C-130, “Fat Albert”, refueling an F-14 between missions in Carrier Air Wing

Since my last blog about the collector’s edition watch from Avi-8 themed around Capcom’s 1942 video game, a game that I loved as a kid, I’ve pretty much gone down a rabbit hole into old retro shooters based on aviation. Now, I grew up playing games, but there’s so many I missed including titles in genres I love. As I did my research on 1942 and its sequels (1943, 1944, 19XX), having recently played them through the Capcom Arcade Stadium, I came across a couple of additional Capcom shoot’em ups (shmups, STGs) that drew a lot of inspiration from military aviation as well.

Aircraft Selection Screen from Carrier Air Wing (Including Blue Angels Livery of the F-18)

Today, I’m focusing on a game called Carrier Air Wing (also known as U.S. Navy in Japan) that’s also included in Capcom’s Arcade Stadium collection. As you can understand, I was immediately drawn to it thanks to the name and the F-14 which is one of the game’s key aircraft used for promoting the game.

Carrier Air Wing originally released in 1990 for arcades only. This is the main reason why I never played or heard of it as I wasn’t much of an arcade goer in my youth. Home consoles all the way! But thankfully Capcom rereleased it as part of its more recent Capcom Arcade Stadium collection, giving access to it on current generation consoles such as PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One/Series S/X.

Carrier Air Wing is a side scrolling shoot ‘em up that puts you in the cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat, F-18 Hornet, or A-6 Intruder. Your choice! You get to fly 10 missions in a typical arcade style shooting game where there are big guns and overpowered boss battles at the end of each mission. It’s great fun, and like many games of this type, it’s up to your imagination to put yourself in the cockpit of these aircraft since it’s a side-scrolling shooter.

Carrier Air Wing Gameplay

Carrier Air Wing is a game that can be completed within an hour, but needs a lot of time to master so you can achieve a higher score. This is the main draw to these types of games. However, going back to my intro, what ended up being the biggest surprise for me with this game is that the Blue Angels are represented in it! So, yes, going back to my intro, Fat Albert makes an appearance in the game and is used as a refueler in between a few of the missions. I kinda sorta geeked out when I saw it! Also, the F-18 on the selection screen is in a Blue Angels livery. I totally missed this at first as I immediately picked the Tomcat when starting the game. But yes, there you have it! It’s totally fun to have the Blue Angels featured in a 1990 arcade shoot’em up video game from Capcom! Thank you, Capcom!

Now for that rabbit hole“…

When I was learning more about Carrier Air Wing, I discovered that it is the spiritual successor to yet another arcade game called UN Squadron. Soooo“…now that I love Carrier Air Wing, I must pick up UN Squadron, right? RIGHT! Unfortunately, it’s not as easily available, so I had to check in to one of my favorite retro game shops and buy a used copy of UN Squadron on the SNES. Good thing I’m still equipped to play old retro games on retro consoles!

UN Squadron (SNES) playing on the Hyperkin SupaBoy

Now when it comes to UN Squadron (also known as Area 88 in Japan), it too is another fantastic shoot ’em up that released first on the arcades in Japan in 1989. The game didn’t release on the Super Nintendo Entertain System (SNES) until 1991 which is the version I’m playing today. UN Squadron has been a much greater challenge so far too as it features that old-school difficulty. The more I fly though, the better I get at understanding the game’s enemy patterns and my abilities. The game’s overall presentation of six different aircraft, including F-8A Crusader, F-20 Tigershark, F-14D Tomcat, A-10A Thunderbolt, YF-23 Stealth Ray, and F-200 Efreet, and its weapon selection makes it unique in it’s own way too. Plus, whether you succeed or fail, as you progress through each mission you’ll earn money by shooting down enemies that can be used to purchase these aircraft and weaponry.

UN Squadron also features 3 main characters to choose from which I’ve now found out are all based on characters from a Japanese Manga. Also, according to Wiki, the Manga “appeals to aviation fans for its realistic depictions of aircraft and aerial combat” and includes a ton of real life aircraft from Fighters, Cargo, Bombers, Trainers, Civilian, and Helicopters. Sooo“…yes, I’m now going to check out the Manga as well! I told you, Capcom has taken me down a rabbit hole! Thankfully it’s been a ton of fun though!

UN Squadron Boss Battle (a B-2 Stealth Bomber)

To conclude, what started as an article a few months back on Capcom’s 1942 video game and a Limited Edition watch from Avi-8 has led to more discoveries from the past that provide great fun and represent our wonderful world of aviation. What else have I missed and what other “secrets” can be uncovered from playing old retro videos games? I’ll just have to find out! If you know of any, please share by tagging me on Twitter“…X“…you know, @SegaRacer.

Avi-8 releases watch based on Capcom’s 1942 video game and I couldn’t say no

Andrew Stevens

For readers here that don’t know me, I currently work in the video game industry and have for well over a decade now. So, video games are a passion of mine. However, I have always been around flight as well, so aviation also has a special place in my heart. I’m sure you could have guessed that one given that I’m a contributor here at SAJ. With that said, over the years, any time aviation and video games would co-mingle in some way, I would always gravitate toward it. That was the case back when I was younger when it came to Capcom’s 1942 video game that released in 1984 (1986 on the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America).

Recently I caught wind that a watch maker was collaborating with Capcom to create a Limited Edition watch based on the video game, 1942. I think I’ve only ever owned one single watch throughout my entire life thus far. I even tried the Apple Watch for a brief period of time (so I guess that’s two watches technically?), but even that didn’t stick. It was just never my thing. However, when it comes to owning video games, now that’s a different story! I’ve picked up many games over the years and continue to collect both current and retro games. In fact, I probably still play my retro consoles more than any current generation console or PC.

The underneath of the Capcom 1942 Automatic Limited Edition watch

It’s always amazing to see the progression video games have made over the years when it comes to the graphics. Today we have incredible visuals in all the latest video games and they are so easy to get fully immersed in, especially when playing something like Microsoft Flight Simulator or Ace Combat 7. However, with the games of the 80’s and 90’s, you always had to use some imagination when putting yourself into the pilot seat, especially when it came to vertical or side-scrolling shooters. If we look back at Capcom’s 1942, it’s a top-down vertical shooter where you control a P-38 Lightning throughout various stages of battle by moving forward, backward, left and right while firing at enemy aircraft and avoiding oncoming bullets. It didn’t have any typical flight controls, but that didn’t stop you from feeling like a pilot! Also, one of the coolest feature with 1942 is that you can perform an inside loop, which enables you to avoid oncoming fire. It’s fun to do, but it’s even more helpful during intense situations! I love those old-school arcade games!

I don’t remember when I first played 1942, but it was likely on the Nintendo Entertainment System – the original NES! I always remember loving it because it was a chance to put myself in the pilot’s seat and imagine being a top fighter pilot. Plus, the P-38, right? One of my favorite aircraft! In fact, I have a large canvas on my wall from AirVenture 2015 where the P-38 flew in the heritage flight with the P-51 and F-22. Three of my favorite aircraft all in a single shot!!

Author’s photo of the Heritage Flight from AirVenture 2015

Anyway, remember when I mentioned watches? Yeah, I’ve rambled a little bit. Sorry!

Even though I don’t wear watches, I couldn’t help but be curious when I saw the announcement that Avi-8 collaborated with Capcom to release a Limited Edition 1942 watch. Avi-8, founded in 2012, created its brand around the inspiration of planes, people, and the history of military aviation.

The Avi-8 / Capcom collaboration led to the creation of the Avi-8 Flyboy, Capcom 1942 Automatic Limited Edition Black Ace and Blue Ace watches – only 300 pieces of each, that are inspired by the 1942 video game. And yes, through my love of aviation and video games (especially the 194X series!), I absolutely had to get one! Thankfully I was able to secure one before they sold out too. Phew!

Author playing 1943: The Battle of Midway at a local arcade

Having memories of the 1942 game as a kid and still playing the series today (including 1943 recently at a local arcade!!), I’m really happy to see this collaboration happen as it brings attention to both aviation and video games through recognizing not only the history of aviation, but the history of aviation that is represented in video games as well. Anytime both aviation and video games can get together, whether it’s to celebrate a new video game or something a little more unique like this watch, I’m happy to partake!

As for the watch itself – I’m in love with it! I’m someone that enjoys buying a few collector’s editions every now and then for my favorite video game series which usually include some kind of special collector’s figure or related item. So, in a way, getting this watch today would have been like getting the 1942 Collector’s Edition if they had released one back in 1986. I enjoy that the P-38 rotates around the face of the watch as it sits on the second ticker. Also, there’s another P-38 in the background along with an enemy formation, and you can see bullets that are being fired at the enemy aircraft which represents what you would see when playing the video game. Super cool! Plus, the watch glows in the dark“…yeah, I’m 38 and glow in the dark is still cool – whatever!

There is a lot to appreciate about the watch, including all the detail, packaging, additional leather wristband, and more. Instead of talking about it though, I’m going to share my unpacking video and then get back to playing 1942 while wearing my watch!

For those interested in playing 1942 or any games from the series, you can download Capcom Arcade Stadium on pretty much every platform (Steam, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/S/X, Nintendo Switch) and then purchase the titles as DLC for $1.99 each.

Titles include:

  • 1942
  • 1943: The Battle of Midway
  • 1941: Counter Attack
  • 19XX: The War Against Destiny
  • 1944: The Loop Master

Plus, if you want some more aviation-inspired fun, check out Carrier Air Wing and Progear!

PlayStation 4 arcade stick used to play 1942 on Capcom Arcade Stadium

These old-school arcade shooters released by Capcom, which were inspiration for many others like them, are still some of my favorite games to play today. I love the passion for aviation that’s shown in them, including the games that even stretch reality and lean heavily into a fictional world that’s ideal for an arcade shooter. They all are just simply entertaining and exciting, and they give me a quick challenge to engage in whenever I have a moment to spare. It’s now time to continue to brush up on my reaction skills and set new personal bests for high scores!

You can check out Avi-8’s website to learn more about them and see other aviation watches they have for sale.

Now We All Can Land a CubCrafters XCub on a Helipad – Red Bull Bullseye Landing Challenge Brings Czepiela’s Achievement to Microsoft Flight Simulator

Andrew Stevens

Red Bull is certainly associated with some pretty spectacular achievements when it comes to flying. Two years ago, Dario Costa flew a plane through Turkey’s dual Catalca Tunnels – known as the Tunnel Pass – and back in March of this year, Lukasz Czepiela landed a Carbon Cub on the helipad of Dubai’s Burj Al Arab Jumeriah hotel – known as the Bullseye Landing.

Well, for us that enjoy time in a flight simulator, the fun doesn’t end there! Microsoft Flight Simulator released a free update that Brings Czepiela’s Achievement to the sim. The Red Bull Bullseye Landing Challenge puts pilots in the modified Red Bull CubCrafters XCub with the opportunity to recreate the achievement of landing on the helipad.

On approach to land on the helipad

Throughout my years of playing Microsoft Flight Simulator I’ve certainly attempted some challenging features“…some may call it something other than challenging though….But hey, sims give us the opportunity to teach us what we can shouldn’t do and what we can’t definitely shouldn’t do. So when I saw they created an official challenge for the Red Bull Bullseye Challenge, I was immediately excited to give it a run!

As I began my first few attempts at recreating this achievement, I quickly encountered a number of ways on how not to do it. When I finally nailed the landing, I still ended up braking too heavy and placing my nose on the deck“…a failed landing. But I eventually landed it successfully with a straight on approach, teetering on the balance of just enough power without stalling out. I also found an approach from below the deck that stalls out the aircraft right as I get over the helipad that worked.

Overall, the Bullseye Challenge was very enjoyable to attempt and successfully complete. I also had fun finding a variety of ways to approach a successful landing while also learning what not to do at the same time. For those thinking about checking it out, it’s an easy challenge to recommend but certainly a hard one to master! Let me know if you do end up giving it a try on social!

Here’s a few looks at my successes!