BUILT BY A
PILOT.
FOR PILOTS.

Throughout my career as a professional pilot I've experienced first-hand the safety benefits of using consumer flight simulation for the familiarisation of new airfields and procedures. Unfamiliar terrain, complex approaches, and challenging airfield layouts are among the most persistent contributors to aviation incidents  and thorough preparation is one of the most effective mitigations we have.

My flying career has seen me fly over  20,000 hours operating throughout the world,  from bush flying and night freight to over 20 years in command of Boeing’s 747-400 and 787 wide-body jets. Across those years, I've seen what separates crews who arrive at a difficult airport with genuine confidence from those who are encountering it for the first time on the day.

For the last 30 years I've also been involved in the world of PC-based flight simulation or digital aviation as it's now commonly called. I've had the pleasure of serving as a virtual test pilot and advisor on the development of some of the highest-fidelity PC flight simulation products available. That work has given me a deep technical understanding of what modern simulation can and cannot replicate  and where, for airport familiarisation specifically, it now exceeds what professional full-motion simulators offer.

I've flown thousands of hours in consumer simulation across multiple platforms and generations, from the early SubLogic simulators through FSX, Prepar3D, X-Plane, and now MSFS 2024. I know the tools, the limitations, and the workflows that make simulation genuinely useful for professional preparation rather than just entertainment. Fam-Ex is built on that experience.

"Whenever I have a sim check I'm struck by the fact that although professional full-motion simulators are very good at simulating aerodynamics and systems, their out of the window terrain simulation is years behind what is now available with consumer simulation."

There was a paradigm shift when Microsoft re-entered the consumer flight simulation market in 2020, bringing Bing imagery, digital elevation mapping, and AI to produce what it calls a digital twin of the Earth. Combined with VR technology, it is now possible to fly over a 1:1 scale landscape so accurate you can see your own house. For the first time, the terrain fidelity required for genuine safety-relevant familiarisation is available outside a full-motion simulator.

Professional racing drivers have recognised the benefits of home  simulation for years as a means of track familiarisation. I feel professional pilots are lagging behind, and in aviation, the consequences of arriving somewhere unfamiliar and underprepared are considerably higher.

Available at a fraction of the cost of full motion simulators and with 24/7 availability, Fam-Ex Simulations wants to offer professional pilots the opportunity to pre-visit upcoming challenging destinations, to learn the terrain, procedures, and airfield layout from a seasoned local pilot, in advance, before they ever leave the ground. Better preparation. Safer arrivals.