EAA AIrVenture 2023 Simulation Exhibits

Refreshing to hear a good down to earth review, without blindly praising where no praise was due. Well done, and very appreciated.

Great video, right to the point. We should see more home-based sim presence in Oshkosh. Home-based sims promote aviation, learning, safety and are a great gateway to flying for younger generations.

I can confirm that flight simulators get people interested in aviation. I grew up with MSFS 98 and never stopped looking up at the sky. This was a very astute analysis of EAA and the current status of the SIM options. I like your recommendation for having more affordable home based sims on display. EAA should not just be a dealer showcase, but more of a convention for the exchange of aeronautical knowledge through seminars and workshops.

Top overview , much appreciated.

Hi Russ. Jason from Infinite Flight here (the top of my head is featured in the video). I appreciate your thoughts and review. EAA is a very tough organization to penetrate. We were very close to adding a benefit to their young Eagles program but down to the wire, someone at the top didn’t get it and pulled the plug. It’s still a very tough sell, even for “real” sims. Also I’m pretty sure they’ve had a sim pavilion before over toward the WomenVenture area. We weren’t interested in that since it was a ghost town much of the time and folks could purposely avoid it. We’d rather be where the action is in the hangars. This is true at AeroFriedrichshafen in Germany as well. The sim area is pretty dead. Would love to chat next year when you’re around the booth. Cheers.

Totally agree with you Russ in every single point, I am member of a modest airclub based in the center of Spain, with a small flying school and using all these new techenologies we have been able to create two nice simulators one analog c172 type of thing, fully functional, with all buttons, knobs etc, running with xplane and airmanager and a couple of arduinos, and another one with a realsimgear G1000 for more advance training, and it is unbelievable the amount of traing hours you save (in out case for free), before jumping into the real aircraft, or when weather conditions obligue to stay on ground... so we are in the same page, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us

Hey, Russ! Nice "state-of-the-show" video. Clear and informative.

I agree, consolidation of the sim exhibits would be helpful. This year I missed some of the ones you mentioned. I also like the idea of the Flight Simulation Association partnering in some way with EAA. Thanks for the review.

You make a good point, Russ and have some great suggestions. I hope the EAA is watching.

Thanks Russ good information, I was there this year and missed seeing half of those sims

Another good video Russ.I have learned a lot from you on utube.

Having never attended Oshkosh Air show, I have been curious about the simulation gear exhibited there – and this video answered my curiosity. Your editorial comments and perspective were much welcomed too! I also share your opinions regarding affordability, and its role in introducing youth into aviation. And your comment about how most companies are not too keen of exhibiting at a weeklong event rings true to me. Your video was great for 1) showing me what I missed and 2) great insight on how this could be made better. Many thanks for a terrific video.

Hey Russ, nice commentary here. I agree that “flight sims” such as X-Plane and MSFS are great tools for staying sharp. I enjoy your prospective, thanks for sharing.

I fully agree with Russ, as I found the sim experience at Airventure this year less interesting and forward-looking than previous years. It is also my opinion that a dedicated home flight sim area within Airventure could be very attractive to younger people and those who are more interested in "experimental" sim home building and flying. Additionally, as a pilot who tries to stay current, it would be good to share new sim building techniques with other pilots and non-pilots there. I don't fully understand why there isn't a workshop for that, as I am sure it would be very popular and bring more people in. Great video, really captures the issues there.

Thanks Russ for the review. I haven't been to EAA yet but am planning on going next year. I was, however , at the FSA Expo in Houston and was very impressed with all of the exhibits and presentations they had. I am not currently a pilot but have become very involved in flightsim, both to learn more about flying and the pleasure I get from building and flying my home cockpit. I can see by your video I would have been disappointed in the flightsim offerings at the show but, of course, the rest of it looks amazing. In my opinion, flightsimulation is the ultimate gateway to aviation for anyone, especially the younger generations, that are interested in becoming pilots, especially as a career. Again, thanks for taking the time,as always, for making this video.

Very informative video. Thank You.

Great commentary and insights as always Russ! I think we at Simstrumentation could/should go next year. If somehow our open sourced approach to giving to the flight sim community could be expanded by attending and maybe even having a “booth” would be really cool. I’ll have to chat with the other gents to see what we could do. BTW, I’m “Toddimus” of the Simstrumentation clan. Deputy to brothers Crunch, FLRob and Tick, amongst others who have joined our ranks.

Russ - spot on - those are my (almost) exact sentiments. The only difference being, I don't think having the sim time at the end of the week works - as most people are heading out Thursday and by Sunday, it is a comparative ghost town. Last year, I ran into Evan (FSExpo/FSA) at AirVenture and I know he would like to see the sim world expand at AirVenture as well. I also feel that a Sim specific area would be of great benefit. I was actually at AirVenture camping starting 4 days before the show, and somehow managed to miss the HoneyComb area - ugh. I think if Microsoft can get back there (they sponsored a hanger a few years ago) that really sets the stage for maybe other sim vendors to show up as well. I am sure cost is a huge issue, and would love to try and convince EAA to cut us simmers a break to get a community there.

💯%. Thank you. 👍

Thank you for that great video on EAA Airventure! always wnated to go but to costly and one day is not enough! and a week is not posible due to cost and accommodation is impossible to get.