Features

After posting our "Best Of 2018" article featuring our reviewers' favorite payware, the comments we got were "what about freeware" and "don't forget FS2004". So, thanks to Robin Meyerowitz who stepped up and put together his list of favorite FS2004 freeware for 2018. Maybe not exactly a "best of" but it represents a great collection of FS2004 add-ons in a variety of categories.

X-Plane aircraft designer Keith Walton is known for only one plane, the Grob Tutor 115E. But it's unusual in that it actual lives up to its "tutor" name, as his plane is being flown in X-Plane by actual student pilots in the UK Air Cadet program. Learn more about Keith and how this came about in our interview.

If you are someone that enjoys watching flight replays, or judging your landings from different angles around the aircraft, or even thinking about uploading some of your FSX and P3D flights online, then FlightControlReplay is a tool that you should find very useful. Now up to version 4 and in active development by author Fabio Merlo, reviewer Michael Haayward was impressed with what it has to offer, and offers his impressions in both words and a video.

The team at FlightSim.Com, would like to present a list of add-ons which we feel represent some of the best of 2018. These are our own personal picks, in consultation with our reviewers but we feel that while we may have missed other worthy add-ons all of these represent some of the best available for FSX, Prepar3D and X-Plane.

The JARDesign 330 for X-Plane 10 and 11 lets you be a pilot of a modern airliner with perfect 3D, realisting flight model and advanced systems, according to JARDesign descriptions. In this video review Wycliffe Barrett takes the plane for a ride and offers his perspective.

The Piper Cub is a classic and the Piper Super Cub is an even better version of that aircraft. ASDG offers a package with four variants, with different engines, tires and even floats. giving the X-Plane pilot a variety of ways to fly. Shawn Weigelt found the plane less than perfect but still undeniably a good value.

Reviewer Tony Vallillo offers us a history of the headset as used in aviation, going back the days of the leather helmet. Headsets improved greatly over the years and are now also available for flight simulator use. The Thrustmaster T-Flight Headset (USAF Edition) is one such set which Tony recently got to try and found it to be a simple plug and play device that worked well and was realistic compared to actual aviation headsets.

With a little nostalgia in mind, Dominic Smith looks at a favorite Christmas present, and one of the best flight simulators...of 1990. F-19 Stealth Fighter by Microprose was state of the art in its day and provided lots of fun for flight simmers back then. Amazingly, you can still purchase it today, at a bargain price.

We continue our annual Gift Gide with REX WorldWide Airports HD. You get a package that transforms the entire look of your flight simulator (FSX or P3D). Much of your flightsim world is created from default objects, textures and lighting which this product transforms by using higher resolution and new and better looking textures. Reviewer Michael Hayward has spent some time using it and finds it to be one of the best add-ons he uses.