FS2020: Flying with Family Across Time and Distance

I remember watching my dad play early versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator on his computer in the late 1980s. I still remember the low-bitrate, monophonic engine hums.

If you want the official timeline, this is a great overview: History of Microsoft Flight Simulator. My version is less about versions and more about people.

Yoke setup in front of a monitor displaying an Airbus aircraft scene in Microsoft Flight Simulator — When I want the heavier-aircraft vibe, this is the desk configuration.

Flying With Family

As an adult, I got back into flight simulation when Flight Simulator X came to Steam. It reopened flying with my dad in a whole new way. I was in San Jose, he was in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and we still found a way to fly together.

We traded notes on sticks, routes, and challenges. Eventually my brother joined us, and the three of us spent years flying side by side in virtual skies. The long stretches of autopilot at cruise gave us plenty of time to catch up, talk, laugh, and geek out.

FS2020 Brings Another Chapter

By the time FS2020 arrived, my father had passed away. Those hours flying together meant even more.

My brother and I took things to a new level: new hardware, better software, and way too many add-ons and aircraft. Multiplayer and modern tooling make it much easier for us to fly together, at least when everything behaves.

We fly the Kitfox a lot, and we also enjoy cruising in Cessna 172s, running bush trips, and jumping into jets when we want speed. We both like the newer toys too, including jet packs and drones.

Two very different pilot styles

I am the flight-plan and ATC-compliance person.
My brother flies with reckless abandon and somehow still lands first most of the time.
My own landing success rate mysteriously drops when he is watching.
We recently started the Reno Air Races and had an absolute blast.

Core sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Premium Deluxe 40th Anniversary Edition.

Wide view of desktop flight simulator setup with monitor and controls — I have added dozens of aircraft and scenery upgrades over time. The ecosystem around this sim is deep, and that is part of what keeps it engaging.

My Current Setup

These are the controls I use most. The yoke setup is my default when I want to feel like I am flying a Cessna 172. I switch to stick and HOTAS depending on the aircraft and mission.

Product image of Logitech G Pro Flight rudder pedals

Logitech G USB Pro Flight Rudder Pedals

Self-centering pedals with adjustable damping and non-slip foot rests
Precise rudder and braking control with adjustable resistance
Partial metal construction and solid long-term durability
Reliable USB connection for Windows flight sim setups

Product image of Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flight yoke and throttle controls

Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flight (Yoke System)

All-in-one yoke, throttle quadrant, trim wheel, and control panel layout
180-degree yoke rotation with Hall-effect sensor precision
Modular throttle with customizable levers and control mappings
Excellent fit for civil aircraft workflows in FS2020 and FS2024

Logitech G Pro Flight X56 Rhino HOTAS

Great control density and customization for advanced aircraft
Mini analog stick support and high-axis precision
Adjustable stick force and dual-throttle flexibility
Very usable in VR because controls are easy to identify by feel

Product image of Samsung Odyssey plus VR headset and controllers

Samsung Odyssey+ (Windows Mixed Reality)

Immersive 3K AMOLED display with wide field of view
Integrated AKG audio and microphone for strong spatial sound
VR gives me much of the immersion I want without full motion hardware
I still watch motion sim pricing closely for a future DIY project

I would still love to own a full-motion simulator one day, but price and space are real constraints. I keep watching systems from companies like Next Level Racing and DOF Reality, and I am genuinely impressed by how much capability is showing up at lower price points than even a few years ago. It feels increasingly within reach.

Favorite Routes and Practice

I almost always depart from my local field: Reid-Hillview Airport (KRHV). Flying the Bay Area never gets old.

One favorite route is to head west toward the Pacific, turn south before the mountains, and ride sunset light toward Santa Cruz and Monterey. It is one of those flights that always resets my brain in a good way.

A lot of those sunset runs are quiet solo flights after work. I almost always keep live weather and live time enabled, so every flight has a slightly different mood and atmosphere. In VR, with the engine rumble, sun glare, and cockpit light bouncing around naturally, it gets close enough to real that I can fully unplug for a while.

I also practice pattern work at KRHV because it is dramatically cheaper than real flight time. I attended ground school at Aerodynamic Aviation some years ago, and KRHV is in my bones.

There have been serious talks about eventually closing KRHV, and honestly, that makes me sad. The County has publicly discussed a closure path around 2031 tied to federal grant obligations, while also citing health concerns tied to leaded avgas in surrounding neighborhoods. If you want the context, these are useful references: closure planning timeline, County lead study summary, and FAA grant assurance obligations.

Top-down view of joystick and throttle next to keyboard and monitor — My current HOTAS desk setup

Bonus Content

My dad took me flying in a Cessna for my 10th birthday, and we flew over Disneyland. That day stayed with me.

For my daughter's 5th birthday, I got to continue that tradition. We flew around KRHV for about 30 minutes. For a while, she talked seriously about wanting to be a pilot. These two clips are from that day, and they are some of my favorite family memories.

This is the thread I feel every time I load into a cockpit: my dad passed aviation to me, and I now get to pass it forward. Real flights and simulator flights, old stories and new ones, all connect. It is not just nostalgia. It is how aviation keeps living in our family.

Continuing the same birthday flying tradition my dad gave me.

Local flying at KRHV, where a new generation started making its own aviation memories.

Tools I Use Alongside the Sim

Little Navmap

Little Navmap is a free open-source flight planner, moving map, airport search, and navigation companion for FSX, P3D, FS2020, FS2024, and X-Plane.

I use it to create and review flight plans, replay routes, and run live navigation on a second display or iPad. It has become a regular part of both my preflight and in-flight workflow.

Simconnect-Go

Simconnect-Go is a Go library for communicating with Microsoft Flight Simulator through SimConnect.

I have done a few lightweight experiments with it so far. Nothing fancy yet, but it is a path I want to revisit, especially for telemetry and custom automation ideas.

Closing Thoughts

For me, flight simulation has never been only about software, hardware, or graphics quality. It has been a way to stay connected to people I love, hold onto meaningful memories, and create new ones across generations.

Some nights it is family time with my brother. Other nights it is a quiet solo flight at sunset. Either way, every takeoff still feels part hobby, part therapy, and part tribute.