Flightgear Simulator
If you like flight simulators, you’ll enjoy this application I just learned about from Michael. Called FlightGear, it’s open-source, so as long as you abide by the terms of the license, you’re free to download, use and share it.
And while it may be free, don’t think for a moment that it’s not full featured. Professional polish and attention to detail are evident in flight variables like wind effects and real-time day/night. That’s the beauty of open-source—programmers around the world contribute to a project.
Flightgear includes real-world scenery taken from photographs and comes with the San Francisco area pre-installed. But you can visit the FlightGear Web site to get additional settings from around the world, including thousands of real airports.
FlightGear runs on Windows, Mac OS-X, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris and IRIX platforms allowing the user to “fly” their platform of choice. If you’re a flight-sim enthusiast, give it a try. New challenges keep your flight-sim skills honed, and you sure can’t beat the price!
Doug
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It will be tough to beat Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2 and 3. But like you say, trying other sims helps keep your skills sharp, so I will probably give it a try. Plus it's free so if I don't like it, I can get my money back :=o
Check out the Perfect Flight site for their newsletter and info on flight sims:
http://www.fs2000.org
Microsoft's Flight Simulator or Flight Unlimited III from Eidos are the best if what you want is a real flying experience. Studying for your Private license? These will actually help. They aren't "games" but are real simulators.
If you want games, there are tons available. I don't care for them because they aren't like actual flying. I prefer something more akin to real stick time even if I don't get to shoot down other aircraft.
If you are a serious sim pilot, you need to know about this site that has tons of what you need to succeed: http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds/main/menuchoo.htm
I have always thought I would like to learn to fly so I may try this to see if I might enjoy taking lessons. Like you said, the price is right.
Boring. Fly a war plane and dogfight the enemy. That is more challenging!!
In the words of Rodney Dangerfield....
"Hey, it's a tough crowd! Tough crowd I tell ya."
Fellow webnuts, it's free. It's interesting and it has merit, which many of these free programs do not. Actually look at the program and you'll see that. Rather than chastise the author for giving you information on a product which you can safely "test" and perhaps enjoy (SHOCK!), appreciate the choice opportunity he has given you and accept it with gracious gratitude. Or not.
Doug did a nice thing here!
Sorry, brudda...I get defensive.
Thanks Brudda,
I think all but Jake got that. Jake, it seems, may be a product of the video game generation, many of whom require constant external stimulation. Video games like Mortal Combat keep them in their comfort zone. Remove the stimuli and they quickly become bored. It's not their fault; they are a product of over immersion in video games to the exclusion of normal socialization.
Jake: If I'm way off base, sorry.