Simviation Forums

That most of the freeware add-on aircraft are better than the payware add-on craft?

Depends on which ones...

There are bad/good ones of both..:-)

Jared's right. It goes both ways. I've seen freeware aircraft better then some payware aircrafts, but it also depends on the payware designers.

I once purchased a helicoptor for FS2002 a long time ago. I was ashamed of it. It had a poor VC, no 2d panel(even the 2d panel view was completely blacked out, poor sound, poor animation, and no documentation. Since then, I've purchased the Flight1 Cessna 421, Cessna 177, and the Piper Archer aircrafts. I havn't regretted getting these three aircrafts. The Piper Archer is particularly my favorite, and in my opinion, better then any other freeware aircraft in it's catagory.


On the Other hand, I've downloaded quite a few freeware aircraft that are payware quality.

Tu-154 by Tibor Kokai... can't compare the externals with the IGFly one, as that's a -M model, but with the right panel mods, it's better.

IGFly forgot:
- Gyro calibration sequence (where did the switches go??)
- RSBN navigation (the selector is there, but not the rest)
- 2nd generation panel gauges (CRT/LCD alltimeter which most 154Ms have)
- realistic control lag
- Customer specific panel labels, each country got the important panel labes in their native language or in english.
- Customer specific gauge layout: 'European' export version doesn't have RSBN.

Panel modifications such as :
- Bendix GPS hackjobs which are a quite common replacement for the standard Doppler units.
- INS system instead of the the standard Doppler units, as seen on some aircraft
- After-market FMC mods

Well, you ought to do some research BEFORE you buy. My first payware was the PMDG 737, and believe me, no freeware 737 comes close to this baby.  My advice here is this....read, read, then read again. Look at screenshots and read reviews.  Dont just buy cuz it looks good on the box cover. You can save a lot of coin just by doing a little research.

Speedbird_1961

There are various levels of Payware, and of freeware aircraft.

Freeware like Kurt's Viper, Milton Shupe's Howard 500, and Aero Commander, the newest Tupelov, and the recent F4U Corsair, are on par with some of the great payware.

Payware however tends to have several key components. Such as Text-o-matic which comes with Dreemfleet. Download a repaint, and turn on text-o-matic and viola you have a new repaint in your hangar. no need to do it by hand. Same thing with FSD.

There is a certain clarity that is rarely surpassed when it comes to the BEST payware like the PMDG 737NG. There is no topping it. Then you have planes like the Citation X by Eaglesoft, and the Beechcraft B200 by Aeroworks that have such a level of visual detail that I have yet to see a freeware aircraft that matches it.

Sure there are some awesome freeware aircraft available, but there are some payware that are worth every penny and then some.

Each payware aircraft I have, comes with exemplary customer service. If I have an issue with one of them, they help me work through it.

I look at it this way. If I spend $20 for a payware aircraft that I will get hours and hours and hours of enjoyment out of, then I think its worthwhile considering $20 gets you a movie ticket, a medium popcorn, and a medium soda at the theatre for 2 to 3 hours, but then again I am someone who spent $800 for a single paint brush since I am an artist.

You sound like my Uncle Savas. He bought a expensive house and moved all the way up to Kingston Ontario so he could go sailing. Now he can't afford a sail boat.  ;D

I've never bought any Payware but I do like the looks of that Flight1 Cessna 152. I don't have a credit card so I can't buy them. I'm also pretty cheap. Half the fun of being half Scottish.  ;)

It seem to come in spurts...  You will have releases of great payware, one right after the other.  Then it drops off to mediocer.  Freeware is not different.  There will be release after release of great freeware, and then it drops off to, "eh its okay."  I am thankful that these great releases come in spurts, otherwise I would have to buy 5 more hard drives to keep all the stuff loaded.  I am very pleased with my hangar, because I have been able to seperate the wheat from the chaff.