Best freeware FSX addons?

**CalebC** · 07-27-2012, 05:02 PM

OK guys I'm really short on cash and I'm looking for the best freeware FSX addons. Im not talking about aircraft but everything except aircraft. I'm really looking for BIG International Airports especially KBOS, KJFK, and KLAX, but any miscellaneous things like FSPassengers or FSrecorder(but still freeware) would be good too.
Oh yeah and El Dorado Intl. in Bogota Colombia cuz i want that too

Thanks
Caleb

**mrzippy** · 07-27-2012, 05:19 PM

Start your search here through the scenery files in the library. Also Simviation has plenty of free scenery. I just downloaded KLAX this afternoon and installed it. Do the library drop down and look through the "MUST HAVES". Go here for FSrecorder http://www.fs-recorder.net/downloads.php

Go here for FSpassengers http://www.fspassengers.com/

ps76 · 07-27-2012, 05:27 PM

Hi!

I'm sure many others will have ideas but I'll start with the recently released KPHL:

http://www.sunskyjet.com/

I haven't tried it but the screenshots look excellent.

A JFK Scenery (I also haven't tried sorry):

http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?DLID=162177

And KLAX Photoreal (also not tried sorry):

http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?DLID=163697

And it's not a big airport sorry but I'll include the FSX update for Shez Ansari's Palm Springs. Every scenery that he does is meant to be excellent and Palm Springs is awesome.

Hope it might help.

P.

**andyjohnston** · 07-27-2012, 07:37 PM

There is a freeware LAX and JFK, I also have great ones for CYOW and KSAN, among others.

**miatamariner** · 07-27-2012, 07:37 PM

This will keep you busy for quite a while.

http://www.freewarescenery.com/fsx.html

**pcwildman** · 07-28-2012, 02:35 PM

I've been checking out all the various add-ons that are available for FSX. Here is part of a long winded summary paper I've put together about my two years experience with FSX. This is everything I've found that isn't scenery or aircraft. If these aren't in the Downloads section just do a web search and you should find them.

Framerate/FPS/fps-
First- set Framerate to Unlimited- I can't believe I never tried this or read about it. Someone said it on another post the other day. Whoosh! I was getting 140 fps all of a sudden. I pulled it back to 60 fps which seems to help with stabilizing it. I'm getting a good average of 10-30 depending on the situation and 60 in remote areas.

I did Bujote's Tweaks (HIGHLY recommended), but couldn't get the external Framerate limiter to work. Then I read that you can do it from within Nvidia. Nvidia says download the Nvidia controller which will replace the Nvidia controller screen on your computer. I haven't done this yet. I did set the same parameters in my current Nvidia control screen. I don't know if it's the same as their download. Meanwhile, FSX seems to be doing pretty well on its own. The fps jumps around, but, so far, it's nothing critical. I'll figure it out eventually.

**********
Weather-
I find the weather looks more real at the minimal setting than with all the hi-res stuff. I keep it low to increase FPS, but after playing with the higher settings it still looks best on minimal. I installed HDE (High Def Environment) and Oscar Clouds, both freeware. On the hi-res setting Oscar's clouds look way too puffy- like a bunch of cotton balls all over the sky. On the minimal setting they look real. I'm not sure if I'm seeing too much change with HDE.

I've been pretty happy with the default weather and the generator. The only reason I'm considering one of the weather programs is to get real hurricanes, which are non-existent in FSX.

**********
Accufeel-
Accufeel seems to have frozen FSX twice in the last few days I've been using it. It's working fine now. I think you have to make sure and give it time to do its thang. Don't hit a lot of keys coming out of it.

I really like the sounds it adds, but the rocking is a little weird. If you're sitting in the water motionless every few seconds the plane will wobble a little in exactly the same way every time. It's the same effect to simulate taxiing, but you'd think they could come up with several different motions and mix them up a little. They could have added a wave effect for water planes.

They say it's not for helos but it tries to join in. You have to turn it off or every time you try to land you'll be bouncing up and down as you approach stall. I guess you could tweak the settings to make it work right.

*********
Super Flight Planner-
Get it and use it. It doesn't show terrain elevations, but it's the best to use for putting together long flights. You can save plans to be used in FSX. For short point to point flights FSX is the best to use.

*********
Aircrafter-
Interesting. Takes a long time to catalog your livery when you crank it up. Then you can edit aircraft, but it seems easier just to go direct to your aircraft folders. Most useful to add Call-Signs and it allows you to look at your plane collection without FSX running.

*********
Scenery Config Editor-
I just got this one and it looks really cool. You can group your scenery according to usage and switch back and forth easily. This can help with frame-rates- you only load the scenery needed for the current flight. I got the Time Traveler package from FSGenesis which re-creates the world, or at least North America (I haven't used it yet), as it was 15,000 years ago. You use SCE to switch between that scenery and your default scenery. Pretty cool.

*********
Log Book Editor-
I've been looking for one of these for a while. I haven't had a chance to do the dump to a spreadsheet, but I can't wait to be able to sort my Logbook. I can finally keep track of my helo hours.

For $35 FSX delivers quite a lot. I'm spending hundreds on add-ons to make it more real, but if you can't afford it, or even if you can, don't feel like you're missing out on everything. The differences with add-ons are only in terrain accuracy and making the flight environment real. At least without add-ons all the original missions work correctly and you don't have a bunch of stuff nibbling at your framerates.

Hope this helps,

Phil The Wildman
So many questions, so few brain cells left.

**pcwildman** · 07-28-2012, 04:40 PM

I messed up. I thought Accufeel was a freebie and it's not.

Sorry for any confusion.

The Wildman
...so few brain cells left.

**pcwildman** · 07-28-2012, 07:13 PM

Here's another one I'll bet a lot of people don't know about.

FSX Scenery- Lumberjack (2007)

"This set of files will remove trees near runways for every airport supplied as standard with FSX."

I've always wanted to trim the trees for the Hawaii Checkout mission. I just found it in the Downloads section.

Phil The Wildman, again