Daxdi's Microsoft Flight Simulator review required putting in many pilot hours, but there's still so much more to see.
The game taps Bing's satellite imagery to map the world, so any destination is just a virtual plane ride away.
Whether you're just getting into Flight Simulator, looking for new sites you haven't visited, or wondering which real-world landmarks are especially impressive within the game, we've got you covered with the best places we've flown.
We traveled the (simulated) world to see which locations make for the best viewing, uncovering some gems (via the game and some Googling for best real-world sights and coordinates) and snapping many screenshots along the way.
Some inclusions should be more obvious than others, but there may be a few new surprises, too.
If not, hopefully the virtual photography skills on display are enjoyable enough in their own right.
This is a beautiful PC game, after all.
Grand Canyon (Arizona, USA)
This one needs no introduction, but we can discuss how it feels to see the Grand Canyon in game.
If anything, it’s a little underwhelming from high in the air, but the magic happens when you fly closer.
The scale becomes much more obvious up close, and you realize just how much larger the canyons are compared to your plane.
You can see how tiny our plane is in comparison, if you look for its tiny right flashing light in the center of the picture against the rock.
You can fly your plane through the canyons, which emphasizes their sizes, though I may suggest turning the damage and failure states down to Easy to pull this off without stress and enjoy the scenery.
Skagway (Alaska, USA)
This was one of our personal favorite finds.
No, it’s not quite up there with the wonders of the world or the biggest cities, but it’s an incredibly cool combination of geography and human creation.
The borough of Skagway (population of roughly 1,000) is nestled into the mountains of southeast Alaska, and its airport is built right alongside the town.
The runway extends up to the edge of crystal blue waters, and your takeoff is surrounded by beautiful tree-lined mountains.
In the picture, the camera is looking back on Skagway right after takeoff, and it’s a truly unique sight.
New York City at Night (New York, USA)
This may be a bit of home-field bias, but we're sure anyone else who has witnessed it in real life will forgive its inclusion.
NYC is far from the only major metropolis area, but the scale and scope of the lights at night, webbing out for miles to the north, south, and east of Manhattan, is breathtaking both in and out of Flight Simulator.
Manhattan itself is actually somewhat underwhelming in the game compared to real life, as it doesn’t scale especially well and the buildings are under-represented.
That said, the entire metro area is something to behold.
On the far left of the picture, you can spot the darkened rectangle that is Central Park, while the right horizon disappears past Queens into Long Island.
Christ the Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Completed in 1931, this statue stands 98-feet tall and overlooks the city of Rio de Janeiro.
This one is worth checking out for the combination of the landmark itself and the stunning, surrounding topography.
The statue itself may not be as massive as you’d think, owing much of its grandeur to its placement atop the mountain, but the effect—looking out over the city and sea—is still spectacular.
Canyonlands National Park (Utah, USA)
While the Grand Canyon may grab all the canyon attention, this national park should not be overlooked.
The individual canyons may not be as, well, grand, but there are many of them, spread out maze-like over the Utah terrain.
These snaking passes look amazing (and plain weird) from high above, balanced out by flat plateaus.
Some of the park's more impressive geographical features are best seen on foot, but we'll still take this view.
Tenzing–Hillary Airport (Lukla, Nepal)
This airport is considered one of the most dangerous in the world, and it's easy to see why.
The runway is not only extremely short, but goes downhill on a steep mountain in the Himalayas, which should tell you all you need to know.
Visually, the location is stunning, and the angled runway is just wild to see.
Lukla is relatively popular because many people begin there to start their climb to the Mount Everest Base Camp.
Mount Fuji (Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, Japan)
This is another location that needs little introduction.
Mount Fuji may not be the tallest mountain in the world, but it’s iconic in part for the way it stands in such stark relief with its relatively flat surroundings, peaking quite symmetrically at the top.
Up close, its scale is pretty amazing, dwarfing our speck of a plane.
The greenery contrasting with the usually snow-topped peak makes it that much more visually appealing.
Machu Picchu (Department of Cuzco, Peru)
The actual ruins are, shall we say, a little less impressive in the game than real life, but it’s more about the journey and location with this destination.
You’ll have to find the coordinates (or be a map expert) for this one, as the ruins are secreted away in the mountains and very easy to miss, with no place-of-interest icon on the game map to point your way.
It feels like finding a rare gem once you come across the ruins, even if the the map imagery's idiosyncrasies make the buildings look a bit odd.
Still, nestled as it is in such tall, green mountains, Machu Picchu makes for satisfying viewing.
The Giza Pyramid Complex (Giza, Egypt)
This is perhaps one of the less surprising inclusions, alongside the Grand Canyon, but it's still worth seeing.
The pyramid complex is placed right alongside the modern day city of Giza and, from the air, the juxtaposition of new and old is something worth seeing.
The pyramids may not be as enormous as some other entries on the list, but marveling at their age, and how well they still hold up, makes it worth a visit.
Your Hometown (Anywhere, Earth)
No, this isn’t one particular destination, but it is one of the most special experiences Flight Simulator offers.
Visiting your hometown, or current neighborhood, is extremely cool.
It’s neat to figure out how you’re oriented in the air based on what you know from the ground, locate landmarks, and see how accurately (or not, there are some quirks!) your neighborhood has been recreated.
I’ve been a New York City resident for years, but it felt more impressive to visit my hometown of Rockville Centre, NY, to see that even non-iconic locations are faithfully recreated.
Inside One of 2020's Biggest Gaming Surprises
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=likXAK9kWwg[/embed]
With its expertly realized world and surprisingly accessible mechanics, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 lets anyone be a pilot.
We talk about one of 2020’s biggest gaming surprises along with other games that take us to the skies.
