For flight enthusiasts everywhere, many software developers have come up with free flight simulator games for both entertainment and practice purposes. A flight simulator is essentially a computer programmed to simulate real world flying both in control of the aircraft and scenarios presented. There are plenty of options for professionals who are looking for the best in products that require money to purchase but for the average enthusiast or even those looking to get a head start the internet offers plenty of free versions that in some cases are just as good as the ones money can buy.
Typically speaking, these flight simulators are meant to be played with a joystick and even the free versions allow customizable button designation and are compatible with just about any joystick on the market. Since most joysticks simply do not offer enough buttons to ever control a plane, some keyboard hot keys must also be designated and as such it is useful to print off a controls list before ever leaving the virtual ground.
YSFlight, widely considered the best free simulator available, allows users to do quite the variety of flying. A pilot can fly over forty different types of aircraft, play online with fellow pilots, and even perform both land and air attacks on an enemy. Expansions for YSFlight are easily available for download online and allow a vast world of options the original release does not. Overall, this is widely considered the best free flight simulator available currently and even beats much of the software that can be purchased at computer stores.
However, YSFlight is not the only free product to get attention. There are many other options for those looking for a different experience including Aces High, FlightGear, and Flight Model Simulator. Aces High comes in two separate versions, one in which a user can fly for free, and one in which a user must pay for. The difference between these two versions comes in the network play. By purchasing the full product, the simulations can be taken online and played actively with fellow enthusiasts.
Even in the freeware product however there are many planes to fly and scenarios to be run against computer enemies. FlightGear is an open source game available for any platform the user is currently running. With scenery available for the entire world, this is one of the most realistic feeling freeware products available. Not everybody flies real planes however and that is where Flight Model Simulator comes in handy. Allowing the user to experience flight of a small, model aircraft is a feature completely unique to this freeware product.
Overall, there are plenty of free flight simulator games out today that allow a user to fly realistic aircraft in real scenarios. Choosing the program best for each user can mean the difference between a great day of flying and a day of crash landings and being forced to eject. With all the freeware options currently out however, it seems completely unnecessary to pay for an expensive simulator that may only add a few features.
Related posts:
