Just how much does Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 look like the real thing? I got a chance to find out last week, when I piloted a real Cessna 172 Skyhawk into a landing at KRDG Reading and then, the next day, repeated the same flight in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. Curious, I set the in-flight video side-by-side with the MSFS 2020 video. The result:
I have to say, my jaw dropped a bit at home closely the two matched up, right down to the touchdown point. That’s not to say that MSFS 2020 is just like flying the real thing - I actually wrote a Quora answer to the question of whether someone with flight sim experience could land a real airplane on the first try (what do you think? I found out that answer for real in April 2022) - but wow…it’s much closer than I guessed. You can watch the MSFS 2020 recreation of the entire 158 mile flight (thankfully condensed to 17 minutes) here: