Trying out FlightGear

Exam time is generally free time. So here's one more post to add to all the spam that I generate. It is a software review. The software is an open source flight simulator called FlightGear.

I have been a flight simulator enthusiast for over 10 years. I started off with the DOS based 19SF, now a free download. Then I moved on to JetFighter 3 published by Mission Studios, then to FLY! by Terminal Reality, and recently to MS FlightSim X Acceleration. Why FlightGear then, you may ask. The simple answer is that I wished to see how good a free and open source flight simulator will be.

FlightGear may be downloaded from http://www.flightgear.org. It is a 291MB download. The scenery comes separately, but there is an option to download scenery on the fly. Aircraft can be downloaded separately. Because of the open source nature, there seem to be loads of aircraft models out there. FlightGear can also be purchased on DVD, for a cost of US$49.99, which seems steep, considering that it is not as good as MS FlightSim, yet priced higher. However the proceeds from the sale of DVDs go towards sponsoring underprivileged children. A software for a cause, you may say.

So, my download is complete, and I can't wait to try out FlightGear. Keep watching this space for reviews.

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