Rodger Pettichord Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 Hi all. Most of us probably have a library of planes, some payware and some freeware. The payware products meet our needs for technical authenticity, and the freeware planes allow us to enjoy a vast variety of aircraft. We all probably also have favorite sources for our airborne friends. And that brings up this week's topic. THIS WEEK'S MEANINGLESS TOPIC: What are your go-to sources for payware and freeware aircraft? (Extra points if you make them yourself!) 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Pettichord Posted July 22, 2022 Author Share Posted July 22, 2022 With apologies to John Heaton, who noticed that I had goofed up and posted this under the General Discussion heading but responded anyway. Good on ya, John. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Heaton Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Rodger Pettichord said: With apologies to John Heaton, who noticed that I had goofed up and posted this under the General Discussion heading but responded anyway. Good on ya, John. As we also say Down Under - "No Worries Mate" - and I repost my thoughtful reply U tube reviews - and Flightsim.to for all freebies - and in the case of payware - to the developer source An example of this is my recent purchase of the brilliant A/C from Flightsimware and their beta Cessna 414 Chancellor Edited July 22, 2022 by John Heaton 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper31 Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 I generally don't use freeware aircraft, so can't comment on that aspect (I think the last freeware aircraft I actually flew was back in FSX days). For payware, I base it off of video reviews, write-up reviews on flight sim websites, and then also other user's reviews. Landon 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradB Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 AvAngel on YT for AC reviews and of course the one and only TO web site for everything else . 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wain71 Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 I don't to much freeware, the Manfred Jahn C47 was probably my most favourite freeware back in the day......mostly just get liveries from so fantastic painters for Xplane....Payware it would be any of these sites, in no particular order- Orbx, Just Flight, PMDG, Xplane.org or Aerosoft.....I have tried to keep the number of stores down sometimes with things like Fenix and Inibuilds you need to go direct, was bitten several times by very poor freeware hence only the one I mentioned earlier... 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper31 Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 Credit to Wayne for reminding me, I DO download and use various freeware liveries. Those I get from Flightsim.TO. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Pettichord Posted July 22, 2022 Author Share Posted July 22, 2022 Most of my payware is Carenado. I buy direct from them. I buy other commercial planes through the PCAviator store, which keeps a permanent record of your purchases along with license numbers and passwords--a lifesaver in several cases. I'm not a sophisticated flyer and like freeware. I get most of mine through Simviation, with occasional sojourns into Flightsim and Rikoo. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 (edited) I have several Carenado aircraft including the Mooney M20J, Cessna T210, 172 and 152. For various reasons don't use them much. Stick to the default M20M. I'd like to see what a good payware "Bravo" would be like, but I haven't found one. Other Mooney models are not compatible with the instrumentation in my cockpit Ken Edited July 22, 2022 by Ken Q 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerribleT Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 Being an FSX dinosaur I now rarely purchase a new aircraft, or download a free one, but when I did I bought from the developers (including Orbx) as far as possible (except when beta testing and the developer was being generous) or got the freeware ones from various sites where I was involved usually with the development. Skins came sometimes from the developers' sites and/or forums but mostly from the major freeware sites. I have a huge number of aircraft and skins, so much so that I have to keep most of them stored outside of FSX to prevent slow loading. I think I have every aircraft made by Carenado and Alabeo because they look so good and are easily modified to perform pretty close to the book. Many Aerosofts, most of the A2A, some of the MIlviz. All of Milton's freeware, the fabulous C47 developments over the years, and of course the lovely MAAM-SIM works. Probably left out many deserving mentions. What a ride all these great people have given us and let's not forget Mr. Stone! 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gumbypickett Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 Mainly freeware for me from Flyaway and flight sim.com and 1 or 2 others. Payware requires Brains sometimes. I might just fly a Kite. cheers Gumby 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambar Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 1 hour ago, gumbypickett said: Mainly freeware for me from Flyaway and flight sim.com and 1 or 2 others. Payware requires Brains sometimes. I might just fly a Kite. cheers Gumby Have a few cold ones an you'll be fine understanding everything about study level aircraft down to the most minute detail. 2 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambar Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 Mostly payware for me so I can keep my brain active and incorporate something other than going to the fridge and bathroom . 3 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 I do have a hangar full of freeware aircraft, but here's the strange thing. I never fly them, and never have. So why? Lately (last four or five years) I've been using PilotEdge. To see other PilotEdge traffic accurately, I must have the aircraft in my Sim. Now that I've (finally) moved from FSX to P3D, that means a lot of popular aircraft are not in the SIM by default. For example, C172 shows up as a Mooney. So does a Cirrus 20. So I install freeware and some payware aircraft so PilotEdge can find and display the correct plane. Since I'm still new to P3D, I'm still learning how to get the proper results. Ken 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambar Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 1 minute ago, Ken Q said: I do have a hangar full of freeware aircraft, but here's the strange thing. I never fly them, and never have. So why? Lately (last four or five years) I've been using PilotEdge. To see other PilotEdge traffic accurately, I must have the aircraft in my Sim. Now that I've (finally) moved from FSX to P3D, that means a lot of popular aircraft are not in the SIM by default. For example, C172 shows up as a Mooney. So does a Cirrus 20. So I install freeware and some payware aircraft so PilotEdge can find and display the correct plane. Since I'm still new to P3D, I'm still learning how to get the proper results. Ken 1 -Your lacking some essential vitamins in your diet. 2- Seems to me you need to reinstall P3D and do it the old fashioned way. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 Do what the "old fashioned way?". P3D, naturally enough, features Lockheed aircraft, and a few others, so to have other aircraft show up it must be added to the SIM Objects folder. Recently I landed at KVUO (Pearson's Field, Vancouver, WA). Shortly after I landed another PilotEdge pilot landed his C172. But what I saw through the windshield, watching him land, was another Mooney. P3D doesn't include Cessnas a default aircraft so I needed to add it. Although I'm not a " RW" pilot, and never will be, I try to do everything in a RW fashion, including my cockpit, cold start procedures, and of course real ATC, both VFR and IFR. It's a real challenge, but keeps me sharp(er). Ken 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gumbypickett Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 2 hours ago, adambar said: Have a few cold ones an you'll be fine understanding everything about study level aircraft down to the most minute detail. Right now I'm happy with your first choice. cheers Gumby 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambar Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 3 minutes ago, gumbypickett said: Right now I'm happy with your first choice. cheers Gumby You mean the bee_ remark. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambar Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 Whoopsie_daisy, sorry Rodger. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Cooper Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 On 7/22/2022 at 5:25 AM, Rodger Pettichord said: What are your go-to sources for payware and freeware aircraft? (Extra points if you make them yourself!) Wherever the best aircraft models are to be found. One of the very best ones remains the Manfred Jahn C47 with the Jan Visser Vintage Virtual Cockpit. Jan is so often missed off the credits but what he did makes the aircraft great, rather than just good. Not to mention the flight model by Alexander Metzger, the sounds by Ted Wolfgang, the cockpit sounds, audio checklist and crew voices by Daniel Gauthier and the contributions from the rest of the team. 1 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Pettichord Posted July 23, 2022 Author Share Posted July 23, 2022 10 minutes ago, Nick Cooper said: Wherever the best aircraft models are to be found. One of the very best ones remains the Manfred Jahn C47 with the Jan Visser Vintage Virtual Cockpit. Jan is so often missed off the credits but what he did makes the aircraft great, rather than just good. Not to mention the flight model by Alexander Metzger, the sounds by Ted Wolfgang, the cockpit sounds, audio checklist and crew voices by Daniel Gauthier and the contributions from the rest of the team. Couldn't agree more, Nick. I might mention that Ted "TuFun" Wolfgang is also a skilled repainter (as seen on another thread here). In addition to being a Beta reader for my novels, he painted a B-25 and a Beaver for the set. Also made a wonderful video of our B-25 squadron over the Alps. If everyone begs, maybe he'll share . Very nice man and great flight sim contributor. 1 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gumbypickett Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Yes, yes that's it. cheers Gumby 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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