We’ve seen a few questions recently about Talking Flight Monitor’s $10/month subscription — whether it’s too expensive, whether it’s justified, and what exactly users are paying for.
These are valid questions. So here’s a clear look at what TFM actually offers, how it compares to the wider flight sim landscape, and why we believe the price reflects the value.
🛫 What TFM Actually Does
Talking Flight Monitor (TFM) isn’t just a screen reader overlay or a set of keyboard shortcuts. It’s a full accessibility suite for blind and print-disabled simmers, giving real-time control of some of the most complex aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator — including the PMDG 737 and 777.
That means:
- Full CDU/FMC programming
- MCP and autopilot interaction (speed, altitude, heading, VNAV, LNAV)
- Real-time ILS tracking (glideslope and localiser)
- Monitoring fuel, flaps, gear, radios, transponder, and more
- Keyboard-driven access to dozens of systems — with speech and Braille output
This is the same level of control that real-world pilots train on. PMDG aircraft aren’t games — they’re systems-level simulations. TFM is what makes them flyable for blind simmers, and it does so without dumbing them down.
💵 What Sighted Simmers Typically Pay
Let’s put it in perspective:
- PMDG aircraft range from $35 (737-600) to $77 (full 777 variants).
- Scenery for a single airport can cost $5–25, just to improve visuals or gate layout accuracy.
- Other tools like Navigraph and first officer copilot are also paid subscriptions or purchases respectively.
Blind simmers usually avoid visual add-ons — but we still need deep aircraft systems access. That’s where TFM fits in.
Some have argued that blind simmers are now being asked to spend more than ever before because of TFM — but that doesn’t reflect the bigger picture. In reality, flight simulation is cheaper today than it’s ever been. Microsoft Flight Simulator itself is available through Game Pass, and high-quality aircraft like the PMDG 737-600 can be purchased for around $35 — prices that were unthinkable a few years ago. Yes, TFM is a paid addon, but so are nearly all tools used by serious sighted simmers. This is an expensive hobby by nature, and realism comes at a cost. What TFM offers is the same kind of system depth and immersion sighted pilots pay for — now made accessible.
You may also believe that the subscription seems high compared to other accessibility tools — and that’s a fair observation. But the reality is, we’re serving a niche within a niche. Flight simulation itself is a specialised hobby, and blind flight simming even more so. We don’t have the market scale, funding base, or commercial reach that larger platforms do. Some users are content with more gamified aircraft experiences, and that’s completely valid — not everyone wants or needs full realism. But that also means we can’t depend on high user volume. If we want to offer deep, system-level access to complex aircraft, there has to be a charge to keep that sustainable.
💡 So Why Charge $10/month?
In short: to keep the project alive and evolving.
This isn’t a fire-and-forget product. MSFS updates break things. PMDG updates change variables. FSUIPC evolves. We need to keep up — and that means active development.
Our backend infrastructure alone — servers, licensing, secure payments, legal compliance, plugin support — costs around $260/month just to break even. That’s about 25 users. No salaries, no profit. Even the project leads work voluntarily.
Charging also gives us the ability to do things we simply couldn’t otherwise — like building more advanced features and representing the blind simming community at major events like FlightSimExpo. Travel is expensive, and there’s no sponsorship behind us. Just the hotel for Expo this year is over $1,200, and the total cost is expected to reach around $2,000 — the equivalent of two and a half months’ income for one of our team. Even after TFM covers its basic operating costs, any remaining expenses are still being covered personally. There’s no financial cushion, no big budget — just a belief that this work matters enough to keep pushing forward.
You’re not paying for branding — you’re paying to cold-and-dark start a 777, program a full international route, track ILS down to minimums, and fly like a pro.
⚖️ Quality Over Quantity
We’re not aiming for 30 aircraft or every freeware mod. We focus on depth and realism. One high-quality aircraft flown properly beats dozens of shallow ones. These are aircraft real pilots train on — and now, blind pilots can too.
✅ A Word on Transparency
The transition to a payware model has, overall, gone well — but we won’t pretend it’s been flawless. There have been moments where our infrastructure or communication hasn’t met the standard users rightly expect, and we acknowledge that openly. From early website access issues to inconsistent support response times, some of the frustrations shared have been valid. We’re a small team, still fully voluntary, and while that’s no excuse, it is context. If you’ve been affected by those hiccups, we sincerely apologise. We’re actively improving processes behind the scenes — from better licensing and support systems to clearer documentation — to make sure TFM delivers a consistent, reliable experience that lives up to what the community deserves.
TFM is still run by a voluntary team. No one’s drawing a salary. The subscription model exists to make sure the project can keep going long-term, not to make money.
🧭 Final Thoughts
We understand that $10/month feels like a serious ask — and yes, it’s not cheap. But that doesn’t make it overpriced. Flight simulation has always been an expensive hobby, and what TFM offers isn’t a casual “fly-around” experience. We’ve never claimed to offer that. This is about high-fidelity, real aircraft systems, flown as they’re meant to be — and for that, we work with the platforms that make it possible. PMDG’s SDK, for example, gives us the access we need to build real immersion. Many other aircraft don’t — either because the SDK is too limited, or the developers simply aren’t willing. In fact, some, like FS Labs with their latest Airbus series, have stated outright that their aircraft aren’t for visually impaired users. That’s disappointing, but it’s also the reality of working in a niche within a niche. We can’t change that overnight — but we can keep building where we’re welcome, and push standards forward from there.
TFM won’t be right for everyone — and that’s okay. But for blind pilots who want full cockpit realism and control, it offers something unique. We’re here to open up cockpits that were never meant to be accessible and make them flyable.
Got feedback or questions? We’re always happy to hear from you. And to everyone who’s supported the project so far: thank you.