Discord. YouTube. Twitch. Forums. Facebook groups. Online flying networks.
There have never been more ways to connect with other flight simmers without leaving your desk.
But what if you actually want to meet them?
It turns out that across the UK there are still groups of flight simulation enthusiasts packing PCs, laptops, controls and sometimes entire cockpit setups into cars and heading out to meet other people who share their slightly obsessive interest in virtual aviation.
And we think that’s brilliant.
Some of these groups have been doing it for decades. Their members range from complete beginners and casual simmers to commercial pilots, engineers and people with serious home cockpit setups.
The equipment might have changed dramatically over the years, but the basic idea hasn’t.
Turn up. Talk flight sim. Share what you know. Learn something from somebody else. And fly.
Here are four UK flight simulation groups you might not know about.
The Bristol Flight Simulator Group (BFSG) dates all the way back to 2006.
Founder John Bowditch believed flight simulator enthusiasts needed somewhere to meet, exchange information and learn together. After gathering the names of around 15 interested people, the group began meeting at Lincombe Barn in Downend, Bristol.
Nearly two decades later, it’s still going.
Technology has allowed the group to evolve too. Members began flying together online in 2008 and today BFSG attracts people from around the country, with regular online fly-ins alongside its physical meetings.
Since January 2024, those meetings have had a rather special home: Aerospace Bristol, beneath the same roof as Concorde G-BOAF.
Members can bring their own equipment, use the group’s simulators, get advice, catch up on flight-sim news or simply spend time talking aviation.
And BFSG’s role in the UK community has now become even bigger.
They’re the group behind FSimUK 2026.
A flight-sim club that started with around 15 names on a list is now helping bring the wider UK flight simulation community together at Aerospace Bristol.
That’s quite a journey.
Head north and you’ll find another thriving community.
Formed in 2014, the North West Flight Simulator Group has grown to more than 100 members drawn from Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Cumbria, Staffordshire and beyond.
The group meets monthly at Heald Green Village Hall, appropriately close to Manchester Airport – so there’s even some real-world aviation passing overhead.
What we particularly like about the North West group is the variety.
Members bring everything from laptops and desktop PCs to full cockpit setups and Xbox consoles. The simulators represented span generations too, including FS2004, FSX, Prepar3D, X-Plane, DCS and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024.
That mix is a good reminder that being part of the flight-sim community doesn’t depend on having the newest PC or the most expensive setup.
If you enjoy flight simulation, you’re in.
Visitors to FSimUK will be able to meet the North West group for themselves, where they’ll be bringing both a flight simulation Landing Challenge and a helicopter simulator to the event.
Down in Devon, the South West Flight Sim Group keeps things deliberately informal.
The group meets each month at Ipplepen, bringing together people who want to share news, stories, knowledge and developments from around flight simulation.
Members are encouraged to bring their own setups, which means meetings can include an impressive range of equipment to see and try. The group also has its own collection of hardware, built partly through equipment donated or sold by members.
There’s discussion of what’s happening within flight simulation, occasional guest speakers and demonstrations, but there’s also plenty of time simply to chat.
And perhaps that’s the point.
You don’t necessarily need a packed programme or a stage.
Sometimes putting a group of flight simmers in a room together is enough.
The Gatwick Flight Simulation Group (GFSG) was formed in 2011 with a simple aim: to give flight simulation enthusiasts somewhere to share their interest and expand their knowledge of the hobby.
Today the group has nearly 50 members across a wide range of ages and experience levels.
They meet on the first Sunday of each month at Maidenbower Pavilion, with members encouraged to bring their simulator computers along and share whichever part of the hobby interests them.
Hardware configurations, operating systems, add-ons, software, online resources – if it’s connected to flight simulation, chances are somebody in the room will have an opinion or some experience to share.
Most importantly, the group makes it clear that your level of experience doesn’t matter.
If you’re interested in flight simulation, you’re welcome.
That’s probably the question we find most interesting.
Flight simulation has arguably never been more connected.
We can fly together across continents, talk on Discord every night and watch somebody on the other side of the world solve exactly the problem we’re having with our simulator.
So why drive to a village hall on a Sunday morning carrying your PC?
Because online communities and physical communities aren’t quite the same thing.
Someone can stand next to your setup and show you how they’ve solved a problem.
You can try hardware before deciding whether it’s right for you.
A newcomer can sit beside someone who has been flight simming for 20 years.
A real-world pilot can end up talking to somebody who bought their first simulator last week.
And sometimes it’s simply nice to have a cup of coffee with people who understand why you spent three hours last night flying from Manchester to Tenerife without actually going anywhere.
That’s community.
One of the reasons we wanted to feature these clubs in The Hangar is because we’re fairly certain there are flight simmers around the UK who don’t realise these groups exist.
We’d like to change that.
If one of the groups above is local to you, take a look at what they do and consider going along to a meeting.
And if you’re involved with another UK flight simulation club or local group that we’ve missed, we want to hear from you.
Big or small. Established for 20 years or started last month.
Tell us who you are, where you meet and what you do.
Because in an increasingly digital hobby, there’s still something rather good about getting flight simmers into the same room.
Yes, flight sim clubs still exist.
And long may that continue.
