Hi everyone, I’m Harry, the person behind AeroHarold, and I’m really excited to be joining the AvGeekHangar community.
For my first piece, rather than jumping straight into specifications, benchmarks or individual pieces of hardware, I wanted to properly introduce myself, explain where my interest in aviation and technology comes from, and give you an idea of what I plan to bring to AvGeekHangar going forward.
Technology, computers and aviation have all been major interests of mine for a long time.
I’ve spent more than five years working with PCs and computer hardware, including building, upgrading and troubleshooting systems. That experience has naturally crossed over into flight simulation, where the relationship between hardware, software and performance can become much more involved than with a typical gaming setup.
Aviation has also been something I’ve grown up around.
I have family members who previously served in the Royal Air Force, and I’ve had some real-world aviation experience myself, including several hours flying the Grob Tutor T1.
One of my longer-term goals is to achieve my Private Pilot Licence, and AeroHarold gives me somewhere to document both sides of that journey — the virtual flying I’m doing now and my progression further into real-world aviation in the future.
I’m certainly not starting from scratch when it comes to flight simulation either.
I’ve been using Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 for some time and my setup has gradually developed into something much more involved than a basic joystick-and-monitor arrangement.
My main interest is Airbus flying, particularly the A320, and I currently use aircraft such as the Fenix A320 and FlyByWire A32NX alongside services and software including VATSIM, vPilot, Navigraph and SimBrief.
Over time I’ve also invested heavily in dedicated flight simulation hardware.
My setup already includes a range of Airbus-style controls covering areas such as the throttle, FCU and EFIS, MCDU, ECAM, radio controls, landing gear, flaps, speed brake, TCAS and other cockpit functions.
Like most setups, though, it hasn’t appeared overnight, it has developed piece by piece, with plenty of decisions, changes, troubleshooting and lessons along the way.
And that is a big part of what I want to share.
One of the main things I want to do differently is not simply show the end result.
There is already a lot I’ve done with my simulator, PC and hardware setup that I want to go back through and document properly.
That means looking at things such as:
At the same time, I’ll also be documenting new upgrades, new hardware and changes to the simulator as they happen.
The aim is to create content that can be useful both to somebody building their first serious flight simulation setup and to more experienced simmers looking at their next upgrade.
One of the biggest projects I’m currently working on is a completely new flight simulation PC.
My current system uses:
It has served me well, but the way I now use flight simulation is becoming considerably more demanding.
A typical flight can involve MSFS 2024, a complex aircraft such as the Fenix A320, VATSIM through vPilot, Navigraph, SimBrief, additional software and, increasingly, OBS for recording and streaming content.
My 16GB of memory can become heavily utilised, while the RTX 3060 is also regularly pushed hard when running MSFS 2024 at 1440p.
Rather than simply upgrading one component at a time, I decided it was the right point to build a new system around what I actually use it for today.
The new build will feature:
But I don’t just want to write an article saying that an RTX 5080 is faster than an RTX 3060.
That part is obvious.
What I’m much more interested in is documenting why I decided to upgrade, where my existing system is reaching its limits and what difference the new hardware actually makes in a real flight simulation environment.
One of the advantages of starting my AvGeekHangar journey now is that I already have plenty of experiences to talk about.
Some articles will look back at hardware and upgrades I’ve already completed, while others will follow new projects as they happen.
For example, I can take a piece of hardware I’ve already been using for months and give a much better idea of what it is actually like to live with than I could have on the day I first opened the box.
That means discussing the things that don’t always appear in a specification sheet or first-impressions review.
Is it reliable?
Does the software work properly?
Was it easy to configure?
Has it actually improved the simulator experience?
And after months of using it, was it worth the money?
Those are the questions I want my content to answer.
Alongside documenting my own setup, I also want to create articles that help people make decisions about theirs.
That could include topics such as:
Where possible, I want those articles to be based on real experience rather than simply repeating manufacturer specifications.
If I recommend something, I want to be able to explain why.
And if there are drawbacks, I want to talk about those as well.
Flight simulation is a major part of AeroHarold, but aviation itself is equally important to me.
Having already experienced flying the Grob Tutor T1, I know that I want to continue developing my real-world flying experience.
My long-term goal is to work towards a PPL, and hopefully there will eventually be an opportunity to document that journey alongside everything happening in the simulator.
I think that crossover between real-world aviation and flight simulation will become a really interesting part of AeroHarold as it develops.
There is plenty that simulation can teach us, but there is also plenty that real flying can teach us about the way we use our simulators.
There is already a lot planned.
The new PC build will be one of the first major projects, starting with a deeper look at my current system, how MSFS 2024 performs on it and the reasons behind the move to the new hardware.
From there I’ll be covering the new build itself, component choices, setup, performance and eventually direct comparisons between the old and new systems.
I’ll also be going back through parts of my existing cockpit setup, reviewing hardware I already own and sharing what I’ve learned from setting everything up.
And alongside all of that, I’ll be attending FSimUK as an official social media partner for AvGeekHangar, bringing event coverage, hardware, exhibitors and community content from the show.
Ultimately, that is what I want AeroHarold and my work with AvGeekHangar to be about.
Not just showing the finished simulator.
Not just posting a benchmark number.
And not simply telling somebody which piece of hardware they should buy.
I want to explain the journey behind it.
What did I choose? Why did I choose it? What happened when I used it? What were the pros and cons? And knowing what I know now, would I make the same decision again?
There is already plenty to look back on, plenty happening right now and a lot more planned for the future.
I’m really looking forward to sharing all of it with the AvGeekHangar community.
Harry – AeroHarold
