In this freeware focus article, I willbe looking at three Prepar3D add-ons (also compatible with FSX),which I feel are well worth your time investigating. Before I talkabout each one specifically, I wanted to explain my reasons forwriting a freeware article based around Prepar3D, and not FSX.

Unlike many of you reading this, I am a relatively new convert tothe world of flight simulations, having first experienced Microsoft'sFSX flight simulator about four years ago. Prior to that, I was aconsole only gamer (mostly Second World War first person shooters anddriving games), but after seeing a friend land at an airport I knowwell from vacations, I was hooked!

FSX is a great simulator, and one which has served mewell. However, now that my computer hardware is up to scratch, I havefinally made the move to Prepar3D, and the changes (in places) isquite remarkable. For me personally, I think the biggest difference Ihave found between FSX and Prepar3D, is that Lockheed Martin'splatform seems to work a lot better from the off. Less tweaking meansI can enjoy my flying (and simulated training) more often. However,many of the aircraft I have purchased for FSX, are not compatible (orlicensed) for the latest release of the simulator (at present, version4), and so this has led me to look for freeware alternatives.

As my particular area of interest lies in military aviation, Idecided to look for aircraft that fell into this category. Modern jetsare okay, but I far prefer aircraft from World War 2, up to theVietnam war era if I'm honest. This was where aviation saw its biggesttechnological advances, so it provides a real interesting period for arelative newcomer like myself.

Luckily for me, it didn't take too long at all to find what Iwanted, and so mentioned below are three military aircraft by thetalented A.F. Scrub which I feel represent some of the best militaryfreeware files available for Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D.

Grumman F9F Panther

Grumman F9F Panther

The first aircraft on our list is the Grumman Panther.

The Grumman F9F Panther is one of the United States Navy's firstsuccessful carrier-based jet fighters, as well as Grumman's first jetfighter. A single-engined, straight-winged day fighter, it was armedwith four 20 mm (0.79 in) cannons and could carry a wide assortment ofair-to-ground munitions.

The Panther was used extensively by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corpsin the Korean War. It was also the first jet aircraft used by the BlueAngels aerobatics demonstration team, from 1949 through to late 1954.

This excellent model for Prepar3D and FSX includes three detailedliveries, with each one representing a particular aircraft fromhistory. All three are extremely pleasing to look at and are bothsharp and detailed (without going overboard).

The sounds for the Grumman Panther are provided by Martin Schwankeand are in fact from the Red Arrows display team. Even though they arenot an exact match, they work exceedingly well, and provide a greatdeal of character to the aircraft.

A particular feature of this model I really liked, was the openingnose cone (water rudder key by default). Little details like this makeall the difference, so a big thank you to A.F. Scrub for includingthis.

You can find this model in the file library:grumman_panther.zip

Grumman F11F/F-11 Tiger

Grumman F11F/F-11 Tiger

Our second model is the Grumman F11F/F-11 Tiger, an aircraft nineyears younger than the Panther...but as you can see, significantlymore advanced!

The Grumman F11F/F-11 Tiger is a supersonic, single-seatcarrier-based United States Navy fighter aircraft in operation duringthe 1950s and 1960s. Originally designated the F11F Tiger in April1955 under the pre-1962 Navy designation system, it was redesignatedas the F-11 Tiger under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraftdesignation system.

The F11F/F-11 was used by the Blue Angels flight team from1957-1969. Grumman Aircraft Corporation made 200 Tigers, with the lastaircraft being delivered to the U.S. Navy on 23 January 1959.

As with the Grumman Panther, this is another well performing modelfrom A.F. Scrub, and one I enjoyed almost as much. It comes with twodistinct liveries: a US NAVY VF-21, and of course, the Blue Angelslivery as seen in the video above. Both are very nicely done andprovide a good likeness of their real-life counterparts.

The sounds for this particular model are from FS Sound Studio, anddo a fantastic job at bringing the roar of the engines to life! I useheadphones when flying as I tend to have the volume way up, and assuch, the engines sound incredible (I'll probably be deaf by the timeI reach 20)!

You can find this model in the file library:grumman_f11_tiger.zip

Ilyushin Il-4

Ilyushin Il-4

Our final aircraft is the Ilyushin Il-4, a twin engined Sovietbomber from the Second World War. Developed in 1936 from the IlyushinDB-3, over 5000 were built, with the aircraft seeing service with theSoviet Union, the Chinese Nationalist Air Force, Finnish Air Force,and Germany's Luftwaffe.

Although the Ilyushin Il-4 was only a medium bomber, it had therange to be used on strategic missions and was used on severallong-range bombing raids against Berlin in 1941.

Two liveries are included with this vintage model, and whilstseemingly dull at first sight, do a great job at showing off theutilitarian virtues of the aircraft.

Another area of the model I enjoyed, were the sound samples used toportray the Ilyushin's twin engines. Now, I'm not sure if these are anexact match to those of the real aircraft, but they were mostconvincing, and so good enough for me!

Even though this aircraft is the last model to be mentioned in thisarticle, it is without doubt my favorite. There's just somethingabout the styling which I find interesting, and suffice to say, it'sthe one with the most flying hours!

You can find this model in the file library:ilyushin_il4.zip

So there you have it, three incredibly enjoyable aircraft fromA.F. Scrub, a genuinely talented freeware developer! I can honestlysay that each one of the aircraft mentioned above is well worthinvesting time in, with the added bonus that each one performs wellwith both Prepar3D and FSX.

True, none of the above models are study level, but it's also truethat they weren't designed to be (for that you have expensive paywaremodels available). What these aircraft do offer however, is some goodold fashioned fun; just right for when you want to put that studyingbook away!

Nirosan Pragash

Browse other A.F. Scrub aircraft

Read our interview with A.F. Scrub