Men who love using flight simulators put to the ultimate test as they see if they can fly a real Airbus
Published on Mar 01, 2026 at 12:39 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Feb 25, 2026 at 10:07 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Two avid users of flight simulators were given the ultimate challenge in November 2025 to see if they could fly a real Airbus airliner.
YouTubers Alpha Originals and TheFlightDoc traveled to near Gatwick Airport in the UK to try their hand at a real Airbus A320 simulator, unlike anything they had used before.
As players of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the experience blew them away, with the simulator producing a faithful recreation of the A320’s cockpit.
With all the real systems of the actual airliner to use and manage, the pair were thrust right into the deep end to see how they would perform.
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The Airbus cockpit was very different from regular flight simulators
The two men really were thrust into the deep end upon arrival at the flight simulator.
Located near Gatwick Airport, the simulator belongs to Infinity Sim Wings and is regularly used for pilot training.
The owner of the simulator has also flown the Airbus A320 in real life, making him the perfect instructor for the duo to have during the experiment.
Their task is simple – to fly the aircraft from Porto in Portugal to the island of Madeira.
Luckily, the simulator itself used Microsoft Flight Simulator as its basis.
Such is the depth of detail here that they had to set up the flight as a real pilot would.
This included setting up a flight plan, getting their takeoff details, and inputting the route into the aircraft’s systems.
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How did the two content creators get on in the A320 cockpit?
Making the challenge even more lifelike was that the two had access to full air traffic control (ATC).
Full pre-flight checks were needed, with the two even experiencing a full pushback and taxi to the runway.
Just to add to the fun, the simulator even threw rain into the mix for the pair to deal with.
Their experience showed the sheer complexity of modern airliners.
What was impressive was how well they handled everything thrown at them.
The takeoff looked a little nerve-racking; the aircraft certainly snaked a bit on the runway.
There was another obstacle for the two men, one not usually on their flight simulators.
The destination airport of Madeira is one of the trickiest in the world to operate from.
Yet throughout the flight, things went incredibly well.
Landing was clearly tense for the two, but they got the aircraft down on the ground successfully.
So it turns out that if you play flight simulators, you might be able to fly and land the real thing.
A history of Microsoft Flight Simulator
1982: Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0 launched for the IBM PC. It was originally created by Bruce Artwick’s company, SubLOGIC, and licensed by Microsoft
1988: Flight Simulator 3.0 marked a major technological leap, introducing 3D graphics and multiple simultaneous camera views
1995: Flight Simulator for Windows 95 is released, transitioning the franchise away from MS-DOS to Microsoft’s flagship Windows operating system
2003: Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight by adding historical aircraft and dynamic weather
2006: Flight Simulator X (FSX) launched to huge acclaim. Brings in a massive graphics engine overhaul, structured missions, and robust multiplayer features
2012: Microsoft attempted a free-to-play, less hardcore spin-off called Microsoft Flight, but it fails to catch on, and development is quickly halted
2020: The franchise made a triumphant return with Microsoft Flight Simulator (developed by Asobo Studio), revolutionizing the genre by generating the entire Earth using Bing Maps satellite data and Azure cloud AI
2024: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is built on the modern engine by introducing dedicated aviation career paths – like search and rescue or aerial firefighting – and significantly enhanced physics
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a leading heritage steam railway in England.
