DCS Freeware Aircraft Installation Guide!
In this fast DCS Freeware Aircraft installation guide ill show you exactly how to get your latest virtual fighter into your hanger and ready to fly in just a matter on minutes. Its easy but there are some beginner steps people get wrong so lets cover any of these to get you flying.
If your not sure what are the best DCS freeware aircraft click here to go to the latest update page and get links to download them.
Where can I find
DCS Freeware Aircraft?
DCS World has quite a lot of freeware aircraft available with the bulk of these available on the DCS Worlds website where you can search for aircraft, ground vehicles as well as new skins, campaigns and missions to name a few.
I have a page dedicated to some freeware aircraft as well here and you can just google the aircraft to find links.
Flaming Cliffs 3 FC3
Why you may need it!
The DCS Flaming Cliffs 3 is a package of lower fidelity aircraft that rely on keyboard operation and do not have clickable cockpits and you often but not always will need this pack for your DCS Freeware Aircraft installation.
These aircraft come as a lot of fun to fly and effective in combat so don’t let that concern you. The ability of the aircraft is normally not the aircraft limitations but the seat to stick interface (The Pilots Skill).
How good are DCS Freeware Aircraft?
Community mod aircraft builder often use these aircraft as a base for their own creations like the ones on my DCS free downloads page. The very best like the ones on this page come with new airframes, updated and modified flight models in a lot of occasions as well as clickable detailed cockpits.
The GrinelliDesign F-22 Raptor is a fantastic version of this work so lets go through the DCS Freeware Aircraft installation guide for the F-22 and get you airborne fast. Fully clickable cockpit with a new updated flight model with a lot of new animations like the weapons bay doors for the missiles like the AIM-120C Amraam and Aim 9 Sidewinder heat seeking missiles.
Download Grinelli Design
F22 Raptor
Lets download the GrinnelliDesigns F-22 Raptor DCS freeware aircraft from the the FS OUTLET website. Click on the link to be taken to the page. Give the page a good read as there is some important setup information there regarding setting up axis controls.
Download the file to your downloads folder. It is a pretty big file so it may take a few seconds. I have also been busy downloading some of the best DCS freeware aircraft as you can see with the F-35 Lightening II but this one is about to be superseded by a much better update from its creators. Check the Freeware Modules page for the update.
Using Winzip or Z-Zip you can uncompressed the RAR file ready to install. Z-Zip is a freeware program so If you don’t have it you can get it for free here!
To unpack use your RIGHT mouse button and select EXTRACT HERE from the Z-Zip Menu. This will only take a few seconds and then you can do the next step.
You will see the box appear and the green bar as the file is extracted in the Downloads Folder. The next step is to click on the file and COPY it!
Here you can see I have Right clicked on the F-22 Raptor Community File and selected the COPY in the menu. We now need to find the USERS mods Aircraft folder to past the aircraft in.
DCS Freeware Aircraft
Install Location
When I first started flying in DCS World I found this simple step daunting because I had never needed to go into my USER location on my C Drive.
We need to find your C:\USER\YourName\DCS\SavedGames\DCS\Mods\Aircraft folder.
Yes it looks hard but look at the picture below and this should make it clear for you. If you don’t have a MODS file then right click in the DCS file and create it and call it “mods” . You also will need to make an Aircraft folder inside it if this was not created previously.
C:\User\Yourname\Savedgames\DCS\
DCS or OPEN Beta DCS?
We are nearly there with the installation but there are also options with your DCS Install. The DCS file is the release version and this sometimes does not like mods or freeware aircraft so many people use the BETS release which is available from the DCS website as well for Free.
You can have both DCS releases on your hard drive/SSD and play them seperatly. If you don’t have the BETA DCS I would recommend downloading it should the aircraft not work in the DCS release version which is currently 2.5.6 but will soon be 2.7 with many new upgrades like clouds and soon also a change to the VULCAN Api.
The steps are the same regardless with the install.
Final Install
Cant See it In Game?
I hope now you can start the version of DCS World you installed the aircraft to and can see it. If you cannot see the aircraft the most common issue is also shown in the graphic above, Note the aircraft is INSIDE the Community F-22 Mod Version II Folder! You need to open this file to find the F-22A file within. Cut or copy it and past it here with all the other aircraft. When you return to the game you will then see it.
If you installed the DCS freeware aircraft mod to the DCS Release version and it is not visible then you may need to open it in the BETS version of DCS.
The install of the GrannelliDesign F-22 Raptor is complete and we are ready to fly. This is one of a number of missions that comes with the latest release. This is where you start the aircraft from dark and silent ramp. There are also some missions to immediately go fight the enemies of the world.
Control Assignments.
Author.
Brendon McAliece is a multi lingual-expat who brings over three decades of flight simulator/PC building experience as well as over two decades of real world jet fighter experience as a weapons/egress technician. He holds a sport pilot certificate giving him real world flying experience. Hi travels have taken him from Europe to the Middle East, Asia and his home of Australia. He has a passion for travel, languages, flight simulation as well as guitaring and coffee. You can read more in his blogs below.
Learn more @
DreamingGuitar.com – DreamingCoffee.com – LetsFlyVFR.com
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