I beg your pardon? Awards?

Well, yeah. The whole idea does sound kind of screwy, but I get asked pretty often what my favorite add-ons are for Flight Simulator and when I am faced with the question, it sets me off thinking, 'Well, okay, what would my choice be?' And then I take a look at my FS2002 folder and there the answer is staring me in the face, because planes and places come and go at such a rate that only the best survive, purely because I am constantly forced to clear out the old in order to make space for the new.

So here, for better or worse, are the add-ons that have stood the test of time. These are the packages that have escaped the delete key and version changes of Flight Simulator, while others have fallen into that great bit bucket in the sky, tough world that this is. When you read this, please accept that it is a purely personal selection and while I have tried to give reasons for my choices, occasionally it just boils down to the fact that I happen to like the add-on and that's all there is to it. Same thing applies to airplanes - I have always wanted to own a Tiger Moth and I can't give any reason for thinking that, beyond the fact that I like their sound and their smell.

When I got around to thinking about how to do this (and I am still in two minds about whether it is a good idea, but what the hell), it occurred to me that it might be a nice thing to hand out some kind of badge, or whatever, so I turned to the best qualified artist I know - Ruud Faber, of FScene texture fame and all round good person - and we kicked some ideas around until the result you see above emerged. Why an armchair? Good question, it just kind of appealed to me, but the idea behind it is that every flight simmer likes to sit in the most comfortable chair in the house while he or she is dreaming of wings.

If, as the Irish have a habit of saying, I'm spared, I'll do this again next year, but having dragged my feet over this for twelve months and bearing in mind the constant danger that if I delay any longer, the next version of Flight Simulator will be upon us, I decided that I would consider packages that were released, or updated over the last two years, or thereabouts. Part of the reason for my indecision has been the problem of whether to categorise stuff for these awards and if so, how to do it. The problem is that it is difficult to neatly pigeon-hole some releases, so in the end I have created a dog's breakfast of categories that don't make total sense - but like they say, it is my mess. The one division I am happy with, by the way, is the one between payware and freeware.

The first broad category is for 'classic' aircraft. For some reason this area has been relatively ill-served by FS developers of all shades and I find it hard to get my head around it. Why, for example, has no-one got out there and done a payware version of a Beech 18, or a DC4, or a Connie? These were great planes by anybody's standards and I refuse to accept that they aren't sexy enough to generate enough sales. Okay, so none of them had Flight Management Computers, or head-up displays, or whatever, but that hasn't stopped R4D shifting disks over at least three versions of Flight Simulator. Judging by the freeware downloads, a package involving any of these planes stands a good chance of success, yet none of the commercial outfits have ever taken the bait. I keep thinking of a photo I once saw of a polished metal Beech 18 floatplane and how good it would look done in Gmax, but there you go. So my first award, for classic monoplanes, goes to FSD's Piper Super Cub in the payware category.

Interesting choice, Andrew, I hear you say. Why the Cub? After all, it has an FSDS visual model, which means that as it stands, it is finished when the next version of Flight Simulator is released. And the plane has its faults - where is the cowling in the forward view? Sure, but the rest of the Cub is so good I can forgive it that. It is hard to tell the difference between the panel in the VC from the 2D one and the flight model is the best thing Steve Small has ever done - this is the add-on I always turn to when I want to show someone a sideslip using Flight Simulator. It flies, it lands like a real plane, making it is one of the few add-ons which occasionally makes me forget that I am using a simulator. The Cub has something I can't quite put my finger on, but the fact that it is a simple add-on doesn't make that something any less. Let's see it done in Gmax, FSD, just think of all the liveries.

The payware classic biplane award goes to Lago's Jenny, which was the surprise star turn in their 'Lucky Lindbergh' package. Not only has the Jenny an excellent visual model, it also has a good flight model, fine panels and a decent sound set. The Jenny has already attracted attention elsewhere and I am not surprised - what would be just great would be to see Lago do a barnstorming/mailplane set with some of the other classic planes of this period. Maybe they could even do one of the Liberty DHs that Lindbergh had so much trouble with - complete with a parachute simulation so you could bale out when the engine or the light failed.

My favorite freeware classic biplane is, without any question - David Eckert's Stearman. Not only has this a striking visual model, with some fantastic color schemes, it has more presence than any other FS plane I can recall. I'm interested that this one hasn't attracted more repaints, because they did do Stearmans in other colors than yellow.

Which takes me onto classic airliners. But for one superb release, the payware category would be wide open, for lack of DC-4s, Connies, Beech 18s and all the other stuff I think could be done with profit. The release I am thinking of is the PILOT'S Boeing B314 Clipper, especially now that it has had the 2D panel upgraded. Not only was this sim a brave venture by the developers, it can't have been the easiest package to research - but they have produced a hugely enjoyable simulation of this rare bird - so it richly deserves its AAA. The freeware (donationware, in fact) prize goes to NATS R4D, although the project seems to be languishing a bit, lately. We still await a Gmax FS2002 version, though the FS2000 release has been patched to work with FS2002, letting thousands of simmers enjoy using it. I realise that some difficult politics surrounds this sim, but there are a lot of eager people waiting to see the next release, team.

I haven't made one award for best modern GA single, but instead have split it amongst three planes: the DreamFleet 177; the FSD Commander C-115, still in my opinion the best payware plane FSD did after the Cub (a Gmax visual model upgrade of the Commander is thought to be in the pipeline and had that been released in time, it might well have snatched the prize) and RealAir's Sf260, which is still there as my default plane. Look at it this way: if you bought all three of the packages above, you will be looking at the best of the best.

Just take a look at that 177 panel, there. Now is that not a thing of beauty?

In the GA freeware category, there was a tough choice to be made between the FSD Pilatus Porter and Fred Banting's Beaver. I spent hours worrying about this, but getting the Porter to work with FS2002 isn't easy and in the end I hope a Triple A will encourage Fred to keep on upgrading the Beaver. A Gmax Porter is said to be on the way, so it may get its turn next year, though it may well appear as payware.

FlightOne's Cessna 421C Golden Eagle takes my prize for payware GA twin. Not only is the 421C a great choice of plane, the sim clearly seized Jim Rhoad's imagination and came out as much like a real plane as we are likely to see for FS2002. Once again, this is a package that sometimes makes me forget that I am sitting in front of a PC. The FSD Seneca has an great visual and flight model, but doesn't quite come together like the 421 - though if it was the only twin you ever bought, you wouldn't regret it. DreamFleet are however, known to be developing a Cessna 310, so next year everything might be different. The freeware twin category is open to challenge, so suggestions are welcome.

My decision on the payware turboprop category was easy - the award goes to the PSS Dash 8. Dangerous, I know, given the plane only made it into 2002 by the skin of its teeth, but I find the combination of a quality visual model, 2D panel, flight model and decent frame rates irresistible. The Dash 8 is an FS Classic. My favorite freeware turboprop is version 2 of Allied FS Group's NAMC YS-11 version 2, so it can take a Triple A home with it. Yes, it was released in January 2003, but these being my awards and I consulted with myself before agreeing to stretch the frame a little. You can do these things if you are a reasonable sort of person (-: Take a look at the NAMC at the very least before you make your mind up, because it thrashes the competition far out of sight. There will be a review coming out in the near future.

For some completely unexplained reason there is a dearth of good payware executive jets, but Yannick Lavigne's Falcon 50 walks off with the freeware prize. This is easily the best sim in the category and thinking back I can't think of anything that has even got near to challenging it. Yannick has shown exceptional dedication to the freeware cause, despite the fact that his sims are easily good enough to sell and this prize is in recognition for all his other work over the years too.

My choice of payware medium airliner might have been the Captain Simulations Boeing 727, but at the time of writing it was having a troublesome flight model attended to - and Captain Sim lose marks for the quality of their after sales service. So the DreamFleet 737 is the winner, though it would have been in a much stronger position if DreamFleet had managed to get a Gmax rebuild done. Best freeware jet in this category? No question about it - the Project Fokker 70-100. This is an exceptional piece of design indeed and it just beat the POSKY CRJ to the podium.

Wilco's 767 Pilot In Command casts such a long shadow over Flight Simulator that I just had to recognise it with an award, despite the fact that it is only usable in FS2002 in a patched state. In the freeware category Project Open Sky's Boeing 747 takes the prize and a fantastic sim it is too, though I guess the MelJet 777 gives it a run for its money.

Military aircraft haven't had that much attention where Flight Simulator is concerned, perhaps because the developers have distracted by CFS. However, Captain Sim's MiG 21UM is my favorite as far as payware is concerned, and for freeware, well... it's the FSD Northrop T-38, a deservedly popular plane.

I haven't taken that much interest in FS choppers over the years, chiefly because of the problem of getting my head around flying them, but despite the fact that payware add-ons are inexplicably thin on the ground (why? can someone tell me the answer?) there are some excellent freeware packages out there. Jean-Marie Mermaz's Bell 47 [bell47sk.zip, bell47fl.zip and bell47tx.zip] is the clear winner, in my opinion, partly because it captures the air of this diminutive classic so well and partly because it is such a wonderful thing to behold. I just wish I could work out how to hover properly.... but if I figure it out, I will get on and do a review of it. How am I going to figure it out? Well, I reckon I am going to have to work through some of the chopper flying tutorials at Hovercontrol which gets one of only two awards I am giving to web sites.

My favorite sound set is the one done by Mike Hambly for John Woodside's freeware Tiger Moth [dh82tmc.zip], a nice sim in its own right - just running it in spot plane view with the engine on full chat takes me straight back to my childhood. I am making this award for just one sound, yep, that is correct - but it is a damned fine one. The aircraft would have been a candidate for an award if it had been possible to sideslip it correctly, but as it is, take a look and listen.

My favorite payware flight model is, once again, the FSD Piper Super Cub You might guess that I really like this sim, but then it really does fly well and instead of the developers getting too concerned with doodangs they just went ahead and wrote code that you can have fun with. The flight model is by Steve Small, who deserves some kind of lifetime award for his services to Simulator, so here Steve, it is, your good health. And while I think of it, one for Mike Hambly too, who has never, to my knowledge, ever done an air file, but does fine sound sets can have a Triple A for giving my speakers a work out. Best freeware flight model goes to the AFG NAMC YS-11.

The 2D panel award... hmmm...now there's indeed a tricky one. After a great deal of deliberation, the payware prize goes to the superb DreamFleet Archer and the freeware one to FlightOne's Spirit of St. Louis.

I had endless trouble deciding what to do with scenery. My favorite payware large airport scenery wasn't difficult to choose, because that is Gary Summons' UK2000 series London Heathrow. On the freeware side, my choice is Iain Gallacher's Glasgow Prestwick [pik2k2.zip] with its extensive FSLandClass files.

Best medium size payware field is for Berlin Templehof, part of Aerosoft's German Airports 4 package - this award being purely for that beautiful, curved terminal building. The freeware prize goes to Iain Gallacher again, for his atmospheric Duxford [dux2002.zip] (who is the Gallacher fellow and why does he do such good scenery?) because I really enjoy flying down there. So far, so European, but when it comes to small fields, the Americas have their turn, with Lago's classic Emma Field taking the payware prize and 'Naji's Bush Sceneries' the freeware award - just do a search on Naji and you will find them all. Have fun, though beware that they aren't all FS2002 compatible.

After wondering how on earth I could find appropriate categories to put them n, I decided to give JustFlight's / GetMapping's / Visual Flight's VFR Photographic Scenery best photographic scenery award and Stephen Gordon's freeware Teesside and Tyneside scenery enhancements the freeware Teesside and Tyneside scenery enhancements award - after all, this is where I fly, guys. Steve's scenery is one of a kind and has given me untold enjoyment as I test sims in the virtual skies of County Durham, England. Do a search on his name and try 'em all.

Freeware sailplane award goes to the Schliecher ASW28 by Peter Franke, Roland Stuck and Max Roodveldt [asw28.zip]. I have been in a glider for one flight, although almost everyone I fly with started out gliding. From talking to them, this sim seems to capture what gliding is all about and I certainly enjoyed using it to test the facilities at Emma Field, which has not only cable, but a tug launch as well. If you want to get into sailplanes, I suggest downloading this one and going for a flight. Just make sure you read about the airbrakes before you try to land it (-: And this is where I am going to make my second award to a website, which goes to Max Roodveldts' FSZwever gliding web site, because if you want to get into the virtual sailplane world, this is the best place to start. There isn't a payware sailplane award, chiefly because I can't think of any payware sailplanes.

My award for best payware utility is for JDTLLC's Radar Contact 3, which should be an automatic purchase for anyone who wishes to experience real US style ATC - it does pretty well for the rest of the world, too. On the freeware side, awards go to Pete Dowson's indispensible FSUIPC and to Lee Swordy's TrafficTools and AFCAD. Without them, the virtual skies would be far less interesting and bits of them wouldn't work.

My last prize is for most innovative software package and this goes to FlightOne's Text-o-Matic, which spawned a whole new genre of repaints (the app is included with more recent FlightOne and DreamFleet planes - you can't buy it on its own and there wouldn't be much point) and to Project AI, for their imaginative and generous approach to freeware AI traffic packs. I still marvel every time I see one of 'their' flights depart.

This is only a personal list, but a great deal of thought has gone into it - which is why I asked Ruud Faber to do me an award. If any of the individuals, teams or businesses mentioned in this piece would like to use it to promote the packages I have highlighted, then be my guest; it is the least I can do by way of thanks for all their hard work. That is not, however, the main purpose of this article - I hope that it answers, at long last, all the people who have asked me what my favorite add-ons are. Now you can start making your own lists (-:

Andrew Herd
andrew@flightsim.com