Flight Simulator Aircraft – What Makes and Aircraft IMMERSIVE & REALISTIC Today!
What Makes and Aircraft IMMERSIVE & REALISTIC Today!
I am a real lover of aviation and flight simming so when I was chatting with some friends recently we were discussing what makes a quality flight simulator aircraft. We had different opinions regarding freeware vs payware options and the included ones in the sims we all fly. I decided to do some research to see what the general consensus was and this is what I found.
How Realistic are Todays Flight Simulator Aircraft?
There are certainly several facets to make a complete flight sim aircraft. What components combined create a quality flight simulator aircraft. The quality of the flight model has to be realistic so having real world pilots verify a prospective new aircraft is important. We want a validation of the aircraft’s performance. This should be stated in the documentation so you know. How accurate is the cockpit is and what options are available. Is the aircraft complete with steam guards as well as a nice new gaming 1000 glass cockpit? The instruments in the cockpit should be fully interactive. Many freeware aircraft do not have fully interactive cockpits so clicking on buttons and switches does not operate them.
The flight simulator aircraft should have fully modelled electrical and hydraulic systems. The systems should act like the real aircraft’s and have the possibility of failures. Systems failures are required because it happens in real life. We want the most realistic simulation don’t we. Solving and Engines, instruments and other secondary systems failures is all part of a real simulation experience. Finally both quality internal and external modelling should be accurate. The cockpit textures both on seats for example are what most consider the last part of the package. Do the animations both inside the cockpit and external flight controls, flaps, speed brakes and landing gear operate as per the real aircraft.
I found that generally the Third party aircraft that also cost more for good reason were the best but above $30 generally. The freeware aircraft were fun to fly but with a couple of exceptions they were never as good! Finally the included default aircraft good and complete but did not generally have the finish and quality of the best payware aircraft. Check the documentation to ensure it has all the boxes ticked before you dive in!
How Realistic are Todays Flight Simulator Aircraft?
How realistic are today’s flight simulator aircraft do you think? There is a lot or work put into the best quality flight simulator aircraft to ensure they look and feel like the real thing within the bounds of flight sims. The detail put into the 3D model and formulating the correct wing profiles with the genuine amount of control deflection to make the sim real is actually pretty good.
In airliners and General aviation aircraft including helicopters and gliders are often flown by real world pilots to validate their performance. This performance is certainly still subjective because a lot of flying is in the seat of your pants. The feel of the aircrafts movement when your strapped to it makes flying quite intuitive. This is lost to a point unless you have a full 3D simulator with 6 DOF (degrees of freedom) and a lot of money to buy one.
Your BEST CHOICE of Aircraft are?
Looking at criteria for what constitutes an awesome flight simulator aircraft certainly cost is a consideration. Looking at freeware as opposed to payware the payware aircraft, the payware win hands down for complete flight models, texture finishes and just outright quality 3d modeling. But is this the end of the story?
Well it’s not because the X Plane 11 community have developed the ZIBO Mod which is 737 full fidelity aircraft. Zibo is complete with fully functioning electrical and hydraulic systems bringing the complexity only found in payware aircraft normally. The cockpit is fully clickable and functioning as well as TV screens for the passengers. The level of detail for this very comprehensive mod is incredible. Why is it so good? Its down the the huge input my many of the community which have clubbed in and given their time to program and build this aircraft to the amazing level of completion it is. If your an X Plane fan then you likely have the ZIBO mod already but if not your going to want to get it 🙂
FREE VS PAID Quality
Free vs Payware aircraft is generally never a fair comparison. Even payware aircraft vary greatly in the level of detail and complexity. It is generally reported that anything under $20 is not much better than freeware. If your looking for a great module your looking at over $30 to get a great one for X Plane as well as MSFS 2020 and Prepared. Flight Simulator aircraft price, quality and realism does come down to time and resources committed to a given project.
DCS World aircraft that are regarded as full fidelity modules are incredible. The detail in the 3D models as well as attention to detail in their systems is truly extensive. Often they are released in early access meaning the aircraft you get is flyable but many systems have not been completed. It’s normally another year or two of regular updates until they are regarded as complete. Over time as complex systems are refined and weapons systems added the aircraft matures into something really special. You can understand why they cost $60 to $80 dollars each.
There are some freeware aircraft in DCS World. Most are not very high quality but a lot of fun to fly. Graphics quality and systems are often limited. Here again there are exceptions like the A-4 Skyhawk mod which is very much payware level with a fully featured cockpit, systems and a growing range of weapons. I understand the flight model has been evaluated by pilots and its pretty representative of the real aircraft.
There are exceptions out there when it comes to freeware flight simulation aircraft that are commercial payware level. The X Plane ZIBO airliner mod is certainly one of these. The level of detail in the model and the refinement in the aircrafts systems makes this a standout sim aircraft if your wanting an airliner to fly in X plane 11 and likely X Plane 12 once it is released. So as far as aircraft go for your chosen flight simulator you have to evaluate the level of completion before hitting the purchase or download button.
Default Vs 3rd Party Flight Simulator Aircraft Options
Default vs Third party flight simulator aircraft is a detailed question on which is the best. If you buy a flight simulator like MSFS 2020 or X-Plane 11 and Prepar3d are the aircraft of the same detail level as the top 3rd party releases. If you go to the forums you get mixed opinions on the aircraft and their quality. Airliners as we know are very complex with a multitude of systems and performance parameters. It’s a big job to create many top quality aircraft for a flight sim on release. MSFS 2020 certainly has a good range and depending on if you buy basic or Deluxe depends on what’s available. The same can be said of X Plane 11 which came out with a wide range of both GA general aviation jets and airliners plus a glider and helicopter.
If you pay 30 plus dollars for a single aircraft from a developer and you get 6 included aircraft in the flight simulator that could be around $100 it’s likely the 3rd party ones will be more complete. It’s just down
SYSTEM/VR Performance.
Todays flight simmers require more and more immersion with the now broadly accepted and utilized VR (Virtual Reality) systems. Virtual reality has been a game changer for the flight simulator industry allowing virtual pilots to get closer than ever to the dream they hold in being a commercial, private or military pilot in their spare time. The latest flight simulator aircraft are now designed to work in VR and the opportunity to lose yourself in these flights is simply incredible.
If your wanting to get into your favorite 767, Cessna 172, F-16 Viper or Apache attack helicopter to push the limits of your flying ability or even fly through the Alps in your quiet and relaxing glider then VR has made this all possible for you!
Aircraft SYSTEMS MODELING.
The modeling of flight simulator systems is a complex task and another reason why the payware aircraft are for the most part the best. It is fortunate that a lot of the systems information for commercial and GA aircraft is openly available. Military aircraft is a very different story with much of the most recent aircraft systems and capabilities being secret. Having said this there is a lot of open source information for aircraft like the F-16 Viper in its earlier forms as well as F-18C in DCS World. IF your a WWII buff then there is lots of systems information as well as performance information.
All of this makes it a lot easier for flight simulator aircraft developers to get the systems and even the faults close to the real aircraft making the experience more realistic. There are a lot of pilot operating manuals (POH) available online for simulator use. These have all the performance and checklists for GA aircraft and even some airliners are available I understand.
The Final Touches for REALISM !
Getting the complete picture right for a great flight simulator aircraft can be 12 months of work getting the 3D artwork completed, finding or recording the sounds of the aircraft. A lot of time is spent getting the sounds recorded so the immersion is just right. The FMOD sounds are recordings of engines, gear operations, switches and rotary controls. The sound of the aircraft taxiing plus flying and wind noise all play a part in the immersion of a great flight simulator aircraft.
There is a lot of time taken rendering and producing items like the textures on the aircraft seats, cockpit panel down to wear and tear areas so the airliner looks used and not brand new. Next time you sit down in your home made flight simulator cockpit or slip on your VR display and grip your HOTAS or Yoke and throttle quadrant of your airliner know there have been literally thousands of hours by many very talented artists and programmers to give you the incredible experience your about to take for granted. Enjoy!
The 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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