Microsoft Flight Simulator and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia: Difference between pages

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Revision as of 23:14, 11 November 2005

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{{Infobox Fraternity |

[[Image:FS2004-lakes.jpg|225px|right|thumb|''FS2004'' in the UK [[Lake District]] with VFR (Visual Flight Rules) photo scenery and terrain additional components.]]

crest = [[Image:PMASinfoniaCrest.jpg]]|

'''''Microsoft Flight Simulator''''' is a [[flight simulator]] program for [[Microsoft Windows]].

letters = ΦΜΑ |

name = Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia |

founded = [[October 6]], [[1898]] |

type = Social |

scope = National |

address = 10600 Old State Road |

city = Evansville |

chapters= 206 chapters, 15 colonies |

symbol = |

free_label= |

free= |

state = Indiana |

country = United States |

homepage = [http://www.sinfonia.org sinfonia.org] |

colors = Red, Black, and Gold |

motto = "Once a Sinfonian, Always a Sinfonian" [http://students.missouri.edu/~sinfonia/histdoc/tomorrow.html] |

birthplace = [[New England Conservatory of Music]] |

flower = [[Chrysanthemum]] |

}}

One of the best-known and most comprehensive home flight simulator series, the most recent versions of this simulation, MS Flight Simulator 2002 and 2004, cater to pilots, would-be pilots and people who once dreamed of being pilots alike. Less a game than an immersive virtual environment, it can often be frustrating, complex and difficult due to its realism, but it can be rewarding for the skilled ''flightsimmer'' at the same time. The flying area encompasses the whole world, to varying levels of detail, including thousands of airports. Individually-detailed scenery can be found representing major landmarks and an ever-growing number of towns and cities. Landscape details are often patchy away from population centres and particularly outside the [[USA]].

The 2004 version incorporates a sophisticated weather simulation, with the ability to download real-world weather data, a varied AI air traffic environment including interactive [[Air Traffic Control]] (although the MSFS series was not the [[Flight Unlimited II|first]] to do so), player-flyable aircraft from the [[Wright Brothers]] to passenger jets and a large number of resources including interactive lessons and challenges, and aircraft checklists. It is the wide availability of upgrades and add-ons, both free and commercial, which give the simulation its flexibility and scope.

'''Phi Mu Alpha (ΦΜΑ) Sinfonia''' (sometimes referred to as "Sinfonia" rather than "ΦΜΑ") is a collegiate social fraternity for men of musicianly character.[http://216.239.63.104/search?q=cache:8hl1Dqb0ViIJ:www.sinfonia.org/Resources/writings/Mongiovi/TheManlyMusicianandtheMusicianlyMan.pdf] Today, its many chapters serve to "advance the cause of music in America" on college campuses nationwide.[http://www.sinfonia.org/history.asp]

[[Image:FS-plane.jpg|left|thumb|''Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight'']]

==History==

''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' began life as a set of articles on computer graphics written by [[Bruce Artwick]] in 1976 about a 3-D graphics program. When the magazine editor said that subscribers wanted to buy the program, [[Bruce Artwick]] incorporated a company called [[subLOGIC]] in [[1977]] and began selling flight simulators for [[8080]] computers such as the [[Altair 8800]] and [[IMSAI 8080]]. In [[1979]] subLOGIC released ''FS1 Flight Simulator'' for the [[Apple II family|Apple II]]. In [[1980]] subLOGIC released a version for the [[Tandy]] [[TRS-80]], and in [[1982]] they licensed an [[IBM PC]] version with [[CGA]] graphics to Microsoft, which was released as ''Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.01''. subLOGIC continued to develop the product for other platforms, and their improved ''Flight Simulator II'' was ported to Apple II in [[1983]], to the [[Commodore 64]] and [[Atari 800]] in [[1984]], and to the [[Commodore Amiga]] and [[Atari ST]] in [[1986]]. Meanwhile, Bruce Artwick left subLOGIC to found Bruce Artwick Organisation to work on subsequent Microsoft releases, beginning with ''Microsoft Flight Simulator 3.0'' in [[1988]].

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia was founded in [[1898]] by Ossian Everett Mills and thirteen musical students at the [[New England Conservatory of Music]] in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]] (The name "Sinfonia" comes from the name of a similar organization in [[Leipzig]], [[Germany]]). Sinfonia became a national fraternity on [[October 6]], [[1900]] with the admission of a group of men at the [[Broad Street Conservatory of Music]] in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]]. Under the guidance of Percy Jewett Burrell (sixth Supreme President, 1907–1914), whose writings and speeches continue to be influential in the teaching of Sinfonian ideals to this day, the fraternity grew and "truly became a force in American music."

== See alsoObject ==

Microsoft has consistently produced newer versions of the simulation, adding features such as new aircraft types and augmented scenery. The "Professional Edition" released with the [[2000]] and [[2002]] versions, which included more aircraft, tools and more extensive scenery than the regular version, was a format abandoned for the [[2004]] (version 9) release, which returned to the single edition format and marked one hundred years of powered flight.

"The Object of this Fraternity shall be for the development of the best and truest fraternal spirit; the mutual welfare and brotherhood of musical students; the advancement of music in America and a loyalty to the Alma Mater."[http://www.sinfonia.org/aboutus.asp]

Flight Simulator benefits from a structure that allows users to modify the game content. File types are of several categories, allowing the modders to create specific features with great flexibility. Individual aspects that can be edited include cockpit layout, cockpit image, aircraft model, aircraft model textures, aircraft flight characteristic models, scenery models, scenery layouts, and scenery textures.

A number of websites are dedicated to providing users with add-on files (such as airplanes from real [[airlines]], airport utility cars, real buildings located in specific cities, textures, and city files). The wide availability over the internet of freeware add-on files for the simulation has encouraged the development of a large and diverse virtual community linked up by design group/enthusiast message boards, online multiplayer flying, and 'virtual airlines'. The presence of the internet has also facilitated the distribution of payware add-ons for the simulator, with the option of downloading the files reducing distribution costs. One such add-on is [[Ultimate Traffic]].

== Famous Sinfonians ==

At this moment Microsoft have made no comment on the release dates of the next version of Flight Simulator.

Over a century old, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia has been honored to admit a multitude of famous men from all walks of life, including music, television, film, science and literature. Here are just a few of the many men who have entered into the brotherhood of Sinfonians:

*[[Samuel Adler (composer)|Samuel Adler]] (composer)

==External links==

*[[Samuel Barber]] (composer)

Below are a small selection of links to the main support and add-on websites for ''Flight Simulator''.

*[[Count Basie]] (jazz musician & band leader)

*[[John Cage]] (composer)

*[[Andrew Carnegie]] (philanthropist)

*[[Enrico Caruso]] (tenor singer)

*[[Pablo Casals]] (cellist, conductor)

*[[Van Cliburn]] (pianist)

*[[Aaron Copland]] (composer)

*[[George Crumb]] (composer)

*[[Thomas Dewey]] (baritone singer & politician)

*[[George Eastman]] (inventor & philanthropist)

*[[Duke Ellington]] (jazz musician & band leader)

*[[Carlisle Floyd]] (composer)

*[[Lukas Foss]] (conductor)

*[[Morton Gould]] (pianist)

*[[Andy Griffith]] (actor)

*[[Jerome Hines]] (bass singer)

*[[Chuck Mangione]] (jazz musician & band leader)

*[[Branford Marsalis]] (jazz musician)

*[[Luciano Pavarotti]] (tenor singer)

*[[Theodore Presser]] (publisher)

*[[Andre Previn]] (pianist & conductor)

*[[Fred Rogers]] (television personality)

*[[Arnold Schoenberg]] (composer)

*[[Carl Severinsen]] (jazz trumpeter & band leader)

*[[Robert Shaw (conductor)|Robert Shaw]] (conductor)

*[[John Philip Sousa]] (composer and band director)

*[[Leopold Stokowski]] (conductor)

*[[Ruben Studdard]] (pop singer)

== External links ==

* [http://www.fsinsider.com Official Flight Simulator Home Page]

* [http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulator "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight" Product Page]

* [http://www.avsim.com/ Avsim.com]

* [http://www.flightsim.com/ Flightsim.com]

* [http://www.avsim.ru/ Avsim.ru]

* [http://simviation.com/ Simviation.com]

* [http://www.iberoavion.com/ IberoAvion]

* [http://www.fs2004.com/ FS2004.com]

[http://www.sinfonia.org/ Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia national website]

== See also ==

[[Category:United States student societies]]

* [[Microsoft Train Simulator]]

[[Category:MicrosoftAndrew gamesCarnegie]]

* [[Microsoft Space Simulator]]

* [[FlightGear]] — an [[open source]] flight simulator

[[Category:Microsoft games]]

[[Category:Simulation computer games]]

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