However, don't expect to log on being able to have dogfights and shoot passenger planes out of the sky – there's no arcade or action mode available as yet, although you could always program one yourself.įlightPlane is a fantastic flight sim that will appeal more to novices than experts and is a great way to experience a semi-realistic flying experience without being a pro. Many users report that the lag time is incredibly short when playing over a network on FlightGear compared to professional sims such as Flight Simulator X. From here, you can specify everything from the time of day to the type of navigation panel and even the weather.Īnother great feature of FlightGear is the ability to team-up with a friend and take to the skies over a network. The game options in FlightGear are clearly presented at all times, as are the customization options. The general interface is very clean and user friendly – there aren't too many unnecessary dials to confuse you. Whilst most flight simulators are aimed at experienced flyers, FlightGear is designed for those who've never sat in a cockpit before but want to learn the essentials. What makes FlightGear standout though is the fact that even taking control of the most complicated aircraft is possible due to the excellent tutorials on the developer site which take you step by step through take-off. Users of older machines may find loading times painful and the graphics sluggish, so it's recommended that you shut down all other applications or expand your RAM before trying FlightGear. The major drawback of this FlightGear, however, is that it is very heavy on resources.

Fancy flying a rocket from Washington to London or putting an ejector seat in a 747? Just make them yourself!

The 3D graphics are surprisingly detailed and for those with programming know-how, the fact that it's open source means that the sky is literally the limit in terms of what you can create and do with FlightGear.

Once you're done with this, you hit the runway and off you go! There are no missions to complete or battles to win – it's simply a case of taking off, landing and enjoying the scenery. Both do exactly the same thing but the wizard is recommended for ease of use. FlightGear can be controlled in two ways - through the command line and through a graphical wizard called 'fgrun'.

Flightgear simulator for mac