Once again, the realistic flight sim offers digital pilots a safe way to observe a severe storm event.
Microsoft Flight Simulator’s technological marvel not only provides a faithful recreation of the entire planet that you may fly over, but also an accurate simulation of real-world weather that you can fly through. If it’s raining, snowing, or storming somewhere in the and you fly your plane there in the game, you’ll see the weather precisely as it occurs in reality and in real-time.
The same is truly the case for extreme weather events such as (opens in new tab), a massive Category 4 storm that is currently making landfall on the Florida coast after causing the deaths of 2 persons in Cuba and deeming the entire island impotent.
While Hurricane Ian poses a significant, Microsoft Flight Simulator provides a safe environment for players to observe the storm and experience what it is like to fly through such a severe event. And virtual pilots are taking off to do just that, just as they did when Hurricane Laura made landfall in the southern United States in 2020.
Hurricane Ian has drawn a crowd of Microsoft Flight Simulator players who want to see the storm up close and test their flying skills in the heavy winds, as seen in the in-game image posted on Reddit by Unstopy, who appears to be on an aircraft off the coast. (If you’re beginning to wonder in which Microsoft Flight Simulator receives its realistic, real-time weather, used on (opens in new tab).)
Some pilots, such as JB The Explorer(opens in new tab), are sharing videos of themselves flying above the hurricane’s threatening clouds. He also provided PC Games with the stunning screenshot at the top of this article while flying an F-16 above Ian. They’ve shared even more amazing images on Twitter (opens in a new tab).
Other pilots are attempting to fly through the core of the storm in various kinds of aircraft, getting up close and personal with the clouds, rain, and even some frightening lightning strikes.
Granted, there was something peculiar about the fact that a devastating storm is trying to attract virtually almost in the vein of disaster tourism (opens in new tab). Hurricane Ian poses a significant threat to those in its path, and possessing gamers to flock to it in Microsoft Flight Simulator while people on the ground are in actual danger can be unnerving. On the other hand, It’s an opportunity to see the power of nature up close without risking your life, and it’s understandable to be intrigued about how the storm looks and starts behaving in the simulation.
If you or someone you know is in Hurricane Ian’s path, please visit the National Hurricane Center(opens in new tab) and the NOAA’s website for storm forecasts(opens in new tab) and safety information (opens in new tab).
