Do you remember your first take off with Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.00 or with any other more than 20 years old subLOGIC/Microsoft's flight simulation program? Would you like to travel back in the history of flight simulation and experience the feeling of old times? Just take Commodore Amiga or Apple II and fly to the skies! Did your old computer and games already end up on the scrap heap. Never mind! I have a solution.

           Use my FS DOSBox download which allows playing very old flight simulation programs on some current PC with Windows.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2.12 for IBM PC with subLOGIC Hawaiian Odyssey Scenery Adventure Disk - "The Treasure"

           It is wonderful that there are programs called emulators. The emulators are programs which can emulate some hardware environment and they can run early Flight Simulators on current computers. DOSBox program can emulate virtual DOS environment  and can run DOS games.

          I made the special compilation with DOSBox, D-Fend Reloaded and enlarged collection of early Flight Simulator versions. D-Fend Reloaded is an interface for the user friendly usage of DOSBox.

           Well, download my FS DOSBox package and unzip the file anywhere to your hard disk. Start DOSBox by DFend.exe file. On a picture below you can see an interface screen.  Then choose some Flight Simulator in the list of versions and run the version by double click.

DOSBox with D-Fend Reloaded interface

           The most important commands for running DOSBox are: ALT-ENTER switch to window screen and back to full screen, ALT+PAUSE pause the emulation, CTRL+ALT+F5 start/stop creating a movie of the screen in avi format, CTRL+F5 save a screenshot in png format, CTRL+F9 turn off DOSBox, CTRL+F10 capture/release the mouse, CTRL+F11 slow down emulation (decrease DOSBox cycles), CTRL+F12 speed up emulation (increase DOSBox cycles).

           My compilation covers whole early history of subLOGIC/Microsoft Flight Simulator for DOS. The package with DOSBox included:

- Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.00 and 1.05 for IBM PC,

- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2.10, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14 for IBM PC and Tandy,

- all subLOGIC scenery disks like Hawaiian Odyssey Scenery Adventure, Japan and others,

- Microsoft Flight Simulator 3.0 for IBM PC with scenery disk Europe,

- Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0b for IBM PC,

- all scenery disks for MSFS 4 (Mallard's and Microsoft's SDs by MicroScene, BAO and subLOGIC),

- Microsoft Aircraft & Scenery Designer,

- Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0 with Microsoft Caribbean,  Japan, Paris and New York Scenery,

- Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.1,

- subLOGIC Flight Assignment: Airline Transport Pilot,

- subLOGIC USA East, USA West and Nomssoft 3D Advanced Graphic System for 3D glasses,

- subLOGIC Flight Simulator II for Data General/One,

- subLOGIC Jet 1.0, 2.1 for IBM PC,

- subLOGIC Thunder Chopper 1.0 for DOS,

- subLOGIC Flight, Flight Light, Flight Light Plus for DOS and Windows 3.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0b with subLOGIC's Hawaiian Odyssey Scenery Adventure - fly into the treasure hunt gate

           How to control the Flight Simulator? Below are brief instructions for some version. You can use full manuals as well (available for some versions).

SubLOGIC Flight Simulator II for Data General/One is the very rare version for one of the first laptops in the world. The version is only monochromatic. Start the Flight Simulator and when the introduction screen appears, select screen mode A – slightly textured sky. Then select operation mode B – regular flight mode. Press F2 to get full throttle. Your plane will go and take off. Use cursor keys to control the plane. The detailed control keyboard map is here (they are included keyboard maps for next versions).

subLOGIC Flight Simulator II for Data General/One - Miss Liberty in New York

The DOSBox program has few advantages. It can save screenshots and even movies. Just use Ctrl-F5 keys. The screenshots are saved to subdirectory \DOSBox\FS\capture. The same is for creating a movie. Use Ctrl-Alt-F5 keys. It is important to install a special video codec before creating movies. The codec is within the mentioned “capture” sub-directory. Just right click on a file called zmbv.inf and in a menu choose install.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.00 for IBM PC is the first ever version published by Microsoft although it was made by Bruce Artwick of subLOGIC. As you can see the version already displays four colors. Sometimes it is claimed that the version was only monochromatic. It is not true. The colors are display correctly only with CGA graphic cards and color composite monitors. Start the Flight Simulator and when the introduction screen appears, select display mode A - color TV or composite monitor (for color mode) or B - black and white TV (for monochromatic mode). Then select operation mode B – regular flight mode. Press F2 to get full throttle. When you get speed of 50 knots, pull rudder up to about half position by down cursor key. Your plane will take off. Sometimes there appears a SPLASH message. It depends on you use the rudder in a right moment. Once you get in the ear, use cursor keys to control the plane. You can use the original manual.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.00 for IBM PC (color composite monitor) - wonderful view of Chicago Meigs Field runway

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2.14 for IBM PC/PCjr/PS/2 is the latest version in 2.xx series and it is very rare as well. Start the Flight Simulator and when the introduction screen appears, select display C – RGB monitor. Then select operation mode B – regular flight mode. Then select keyboard mode C – IBM PC, function keys on top. Press F4 to get full throttle. Use cursor keys to control the plane. You can also use a manual to 2.10 version.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2.14 for IBM PC and PS/2 (color composite monitor) - Champaign

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2.12 for Tandy 1000/1200 is a special edition for Tandy computers. The version is nearly the same as the version for IBM PC. Start the Flight Simulator and when the introduction screen appears, select display C – RGB monitor. Then select operation mode B – regular flight mode. Then select keyboard B – Tandy 1200 type keyboard. The latest answer: Do you want to use mouse? Choose - N. Press F2 to get full throttle. Use cursor keys to control the plane.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2.12 for Tandy (RGB monitor) - right wing view of night Chicago

Microsoft Flight Simulator 3.0 for DOS has included standard scenery and additional scenery disk Europe. Start the Flight Simulator. The Flight Simulator will start at runway 36 of Chicago Meigs. Press F4 to get full throttle. Use cursor keys to control the plane. Press S key to get other view (tower, track, spot and back to cockpit).

Microsoft Flight Simulator 3.0 with scenery disk Europe - Paris - Eiffel Tower

Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0b for DOS has included standard scenery, additional scenery disks and Aircraft and scenery designer add-on with new planes like Boeing 747. Start the Flight Simulator. Use the same control keys like for version 3.0.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0b with Boeing 747 (Aircraft and scenery designer)

How to change a scenery disk? For example to the Island of Bora Bora: open the 5 NAV/COM menu and choose 2 SCENERY LIBRARY. Then choose disk MS-2. Move back (by ESC) and open 1 MODE, then F MODE LIBRARY,  7 SEE MORE MODES.... Finally, choose the mode "Bora Bora (MS-2)" and hit ESC. The same for the other scenery disks. There are prepared modes in the mode library for each scenery disk. When you would like to use next scenery disk which is not shown in the SCENERY LIBRARY menu, first you must delete one of the sceneries within MSFS4 subdirectory, for example JPN.SCN (this is caused by MSFS4 scenery library menu limitation).

Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0b with the Mallard's (MicroScene) scenery disk 2 (Island of Bora Bora, Tahiti)

Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0b with subLOGIC's Hawaiian Odyssey Scenery Adventure - fly into volcano...

Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0b with subLOGIC Great Britain Scenery Disk 1 - white cliffs of Dover

Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0b with Mallard's (MicroScene) scenery disk 4 - Japan (F/A-18 + USS Enterprise)

Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0 for DOS has included standard world scenery and Microsoft Caribbean,  Japan, Paris and New York Scenery. Start the Flight Simulator. Use the same control keys like for previous versions. Use DOSBox control keys to adjust the simulation speed. If the flight is not enough fluent, then you have to increase DOSBox cycles by Ctrl+F12. When the Flight Simulator sounds are discontinuous, then you should decrease DOSBox cycles by Ctrl+F11. You should find right DOSBox speed. In other case you should decrease details in Flight Simulator scenery.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0 - Paris

Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0 with Microsoft (MicroScene - BAO) Paris Scenery

           Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.1 for DOS has included standard world scenery and old FS4 scenery. Start the Flight Simulator and use the same control keys like for 5.0 version and the same recommendation for DOSBox cycles.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.1 - San Francisco with Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz island

           SubLOGIC Jet 1.0 for IBM PC and PCjr gives you feeling of combat flight simulation beginnings. The IBM PC version 1.0 was released in 1985, so it is time comparable to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2.x series. As you can see on the picture below the simulator has RGB color graphics only and the colors seem a bit funny. When the introduction screen appears, select keyboard type 1 - IBM PC, then select a game mode, for example 1 - dog fight, then choose skill level 1 - easy, select aircraft type 2, select armament and exit the menu by 5. Press +/- to increase/decrease plane throttle. Use cursor keys to control the plane. Press A to turn HUD on, press G for gear up/down, press SPACE for a rocket launch. Next you can try to fly Jet 2.1 as well.

subLOGIC Jet 1.0 for IBM PC, PCjr - an enemy plane in sight

subLOGIC Jet 2.1 for IBM PC/XT/AT and PS/2

           SubLOGIC Flight Assignment: Airline Transport Pilot for DOS was the first time released in 1990 and it was a contemporary of Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0. A lot of virtual pilots claim that Flight Assignment: ATP was much better than MS Flight Simulator 4.0. See a superb article by Marcus Vitzethum for more details. I have to notice you that Bruce Artwick was not a director of subLOGIC yet. He was running his new firm BAO in this time. Actually the version in my compilation is a later release of 1.0 revision D with the voice of air traffic control. When you start the simulator, press Esc to exit a demo mode. Then use PgUp/PgDn to increase/decrease plane throttle and use cursor keys to control the plane. F1 - F10 keys roll menus. The detailed instructions are available in the main control sheets here (the same web link as above). 

 subLOGIC Flight Assignment: Airline Transport Pilot for DOS - San Francisco area

subLOGIC Flight Assignment: Airline Transport Pilot with subLOGIC USA West and Nomssoft 3D Advanced Graphic System

           To get subLOGIC Flight running in DOSBox was probably the most tricky thing I have ever done with DOSBox. The problem was to get enough base (conventional) memory. Finally I used Windows 3.11 as the operational system in DOSBox with D-Fend Reloaded shell.

Microsoft Windows 3.11 running in DOSBox and subLOGIC Flight, Flight Light and Flight Light Plus

           SubLOGIC released the flight simulation program three times. The first time in 1994 with a name Flight Light. Then in 1995 they released an improved version called Flight Light Plus. Finally in 1996, when Sierra bought subLOGIC, they released the final version called simply Flight. The versions seem almost the same. There are all versions in my package. Flight has five types of planes and the subLOGIC USA East, USA West scenery disks. Well, when you start the Flight in D-Fend Reloaded list, it is loaded Win 3.11 and then you can choose one of the Flight Light. Then use PgUp/PgDn to increase/decrease plane throttle and use cursor keys to control the plane. F1 - F10 keys roll menu.

subLOGIC Flight for DOS and Windows - Washington, DC - Pentagon on the right, White House and Capitol on the left

           At the end I appended a small bonus - subLOGIC Thunder Chopper. In my opinion it has almost nothing with Flight Simulator series and nothing with Bruce Artwick, but the program at least presents subLOGIC's program production. The battle helicopter has completely different control but it is quite easy to find right control keys.

subLOGIC Thunder Chopper

Credits:

           I spent much money to get original old versions of Flight Simulator. What was important, I need disk images. Some of them I found on Internet but the rarest versions did not exist. I bought the versions on eBay and sent a copy to Jeff Leyda who lives in USA. Thanks to his great job I got back disk images of Flight Simulator 2.12 for Tandy computers, Flight Simulator 2.14 for IBM PC and PS/2, Flight Simulator II for Data General/One.

           Next much thanks deserve to Peter Veenstra who made the special DOSBox release which support Flight Simulator 1.00 for IBM PC.

© 2005 - 2021 Josef  Havlík