RC Flight Simulator Packages

"RC Flight simulators not only help beginners learn to fly RC airplanes,
they pay for themselves many times over by allowing model airplane pilots to learn the
most difficult of manuevers without putting their radio controlled airplane at risk!"

RC flight simulators have paved the way for an entire new breed of radio controlled airplane pilots! It's been proven that today's generation of RC airplane pilots learn quicker then previous generations. Growing up with video games has honed your hand-eye coordination which is crucial for flying RC airplanes.

RC flight simulators bring this advantage to new heights by utilizing today's state of the art video game technology to allow pilots to sharpen their RC flying skills in the comfort of their living room!

The average RC airplane flight simulator can be purchased for less then the price of many ready to fly RC airplanes. An RC model simulator will greatly decrease the chances of crashing your first airplane.

Why buy an RC flight simulator?

Control reversal is when the airplane is coming towards you and the controls seem backwards. You have to train your brain to control the airplane regardless of its orientation. This is where a simulator is worth its weight in gold!

A simulator will put you way ahead of the ballgame when it comes to learning the basics. If the simulator prevents one crash, it has already paid for itself! Consider a simulator and investment with valuable returns!

Simulators not only help new pilots learn to fly, they are also a tool used by experienced pilots for perfecting new maneuvers and preparing themselves for that next airplane. I've been flying for several years and still use my simulator for learning new maneuvers without the risk of destroying my airplane. To be honest, I am chicken to try new maneuvers at the field until I have mastered it on the RC flight simulator!

Great Plane's RealFlight

RealFlight G4 is the fourth generation of the RealFlight legacy. So far each release has been more realistic than the previous version. Unless they provide 3-D glasses and pipe in the smell of fuel, I can't see how they will ever be more realistic than G4. But hey, that's what we thought after G3, so who knows what the future holds. Follow this link for more information and screen shots from RealFlight G4 RC flight simulator.

RealFlight G3 is still readily available and is on average around $60.00 less than G4. RealFlight G3 is also an excellent simulator for learning new maneuvers and sharpening your skills. You can save a few bucks and still have a great simulator. When you purchase G3 you will have access to download the G3.5 update for no additional charge. You can also purchase RealFlight 3.5 as a package.

Expansion packs are also available is you want to add additional aircraft and flying fields.

Are you thinking these RC flight simulators are looking pretty cool, but you'd rather spend your money on flying equipment?

Great Plane's Nexstar Trainer. comes with a special RealFlight version with the Nexstar aircraft only. This is perferct for learning the basics. Many people sell their RealFlight Nexstar version on Ebay dirt cheap after learning to fly. Click "view all" or do a search in the box below, maybe you'll get lucky!

You can also pick up earlier versions and add'ons for a very reasonable price as well. Check out what's available below, make sure to click "view all" so you don't miss anything. Good luck!

Hanger 9's FS One

Hanger 9 has recently released their RC flight simulator which is FS One . This simulator is every bit as good as RealFlight G4. Some even say it's better. These two simulators are on equal playing fields when it comes to graphics and aerodynamic modeling.

The differences between the two can be related to the differences between Chevy and Ford, or Pepsi and Coke. Of the people who have used them both, about half say they like FSONE better while the other half prefer RealFlight G4.

I can promise that you will be amazed by the capabilities and graphics regardless of which one you choose. Follow this link for more information and screen shots from FS One flight simulator.

When I originally wrote this page, RealFlight and FS One were more or less the same price. Since that time FS One has dropped in price to half the price of the latest RealFlight. Check it out for yourself!

RealFlight vs. FS One

There are a few features that are unique to each RealFlight G4 and FS One simulators. I have highlighted some of the differences between the two RC flight simulators in the table below.

Features	RealFlight G4	FS One
Online Multiplayer	yes	no
Water Take-off/Landing	yes	no
Realistic Ground Handling	no	yes
Night Flying	yes	no
Airplanes	39	25
Helicopters	20	11
Gliders	6	5
Photo Background Sites	7	20
3-D Sites	20	5

Much of the aircraft available in RealFlight G4 are manufactures by Great Planes. FS One features Hanger 9 airplanes. Keep this in mind if you are considering one of these RC flight simulators. It is probably a good idea to get which ever software includes your specific airplane.

Computer Requirements

Because of the intense computing power needed for replicating the flight characteristics are real RC airplanes, a fairly powerful processor is needed. The stunning realistic graphics require a powerful graphics card. Before purchasing either system make sure that your computer will be able to run the software. If you have the minimum requirements but not the recommended requirements, the physics or flight characteristics will not suffer, but the graphics will be toned down so your computer can handle them. The system requirements for both of these RC flight simulators are listed below.

Minimum System Requirments for RealFlightG4	Minimum System Requirments for FS One
Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista®	Windows 2000, Windows XP or *Windows Vista®
Intel® Pentium® 1.0GHz or equivalent	1.8 GHz Intel Pentium IV or AMD Athlon XP 2500
512 MB RAM	512 MB RAM
3 GB Hard Drive Space	4 GB Hard Drive Space
3D Accelerated Video with: 32 MB Dedicated Video Memory Full Windows DirectX® 9 compliant (Pixel Shader 1.4 support)	NVIDIA or ATI graphics card with 64 MB VRAMNVIDIA:GeForce4 Ti, GeForce 5000-series (5200 or better) ATI: Radeon 9000-series (9200 or better)

FS One does support Windows Vista®. Due to the enormous disk space required by this new operating system, some of the settings in the system control panel will have to be tweaked in order for the software to work properly.

Free RC Flight Simulators

If you'd rather not pay for one of the commercial state of the art simulators, there are some free RC Flight simulators available do download and use for free. You will need a controller to use with these free simulators. Follow this link for more information on free RC simulators and controllers.