Freeware Gems

[Tom Clayton]

OK, as suggested, I'm starting a thread to point relatively new users to some of the older freeware files that many of us may have but never talk about any more. Here's what I'd like to get from you:

• Download site - must be free for anyone to download.
• Filename, including the filenames of any needed updates or patches.
• A brief description of what you get.
• Only one or two screenshots please.

I'm opening this up to not only scenery, but aircraft as well. Same rules apply.

I'll start with a couple of my favorites. The first one is on AvSim. It's KBOS scenery by George Grimshaw, one of the driving forces behind FlyTampa. It's a great example of the quality that you pay for in all of their other packages. The base pack is bostonv2.zip and the update is bostonv2.1_update.zip, which adds a few new features.

The second one is also on AvSim. Warwick "Wozza" Carter's P-51D v2 is one of the most brilliant freeware creations I have in my hangar. The quality and features easily beat much of the payware that's out there! In addition, with a little creativity, the paints that Garry Smith did for v1 work perfectly with v2.

[Daube]

That's a very good idea, but I guess you should really state some precise criteria for defining what a "gem" really is.
For example, I think that an aircraft without a good VC cannot be called a gem, however
some members who only fly with 2D panels might think otherwise.
In the end, the topic might be filled with anything but gems, don't you think ?
How about creating some topics presenting an addon, and if everybody agrees on the fact that it is a gem, then you add it to this topic, keeping it clean (e.g, only you could enrich it) ?

[alastairmonk]

Hi,

By any meaningful criteria most of the releases by our own Milton Shupe would qualify as freeware gems !

His Aero Commanders are great, you can do astonishing things with his Dash-7 despite its size and the Beechcraft D18 is a reminder of how flying was done in the old days.

All can be viewed and downloaded here:

http://www.flightsimonline.com/

Alastair

[Wild Bill Kelso]

O.K., I'm with:

To put more "combat" into the flight, my recommendation is the
SECTIONF8 F-86 Sabre.

It's not only that she's a real beauty and great fun to fly (and to learn to handle an ancient high-performance aircraft...), she also features some "bells&whistles" which are hard to find in FS2004 aircraft (pay- or freeware).

[It's (or will be some day...) f86_fs9.zip at SOH...]
Wrong link! See below.

Available here:
http://www.sectionf8.com/download.html

Everything you need to know about this gem (including a great support forum) can be found here:
http://www.sectionf8.com/


What else do I love about this aircraft?
Lots of nice repaints out there, such as this...



Cheers,
Markus.

[EMatheson]

It's (or will be some day...) f86_fs9.zip at SOH
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/index.ph...=2946#download

Cheers,
Markus.

That is the wrong Sabre - I believe that the files names are the same on all sites, and besides, we called ourselves "SectionF8," not "The Dogpatch Crew" anyway...

[Wild Bill Kelso]

That is the wrong Sabre ...

Thanks, mate!
My bad...

[Tom Clayton]

That's a very good idea, but I guess you should really state some precise criteria for defining what a "gem" really is.
For example, I think that an aircraft without a good VC cannot be called a gem, however
some members who only fly with 2D panels might think otherwise.
In the end, the topic might be filled with anything but gems, don't you think ?
How about creating some topics presenting an addon, and if everybody agrees on the fact that it is a gem, then you add it to this topic, keeping it clean (e.g, only you could enrich it) ?

Since around here, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, I'm leaving it up to each user. To me, many of Mike Stone's planes are gems, but others relegate them to AI use. I'm just asking for what members here think are their favorites from the past. I don't want to start any "this is better than that" in this thread. If a new user downloads something I like but then they don't care for it, I'm fine with that. As another cliche says, "One man's meat is another man's poison."

[Flyboy208]

The best freeware FS9 airfield out there is indeed Pattonville ...

http://www.climbspeed.de/index.htm

Thanks again for Bill aka "Lionheart" for pointing me in the right direction for this stellar scenery many months ago ...

Mike

[Navy Chief]

The best freeware FS9 airfield out there is indeed Pattonville ...

http://www.climbspeed.de/index.htm

Thanks again for Bill aka "Lionheart" for pointing me in the right direction for this stellar scenery many months ago ...

Mike

Never heard of it until now. Thanks!!!

NC

[Flyboy208]

Never heard of it until now. Thanks!!!

NC

You are gonna love it Chief - Happy to help a shipmate out! Mike

[pointy31]

An oldie, but certainly a goodie...the Bell/Agusta-Bell 47G2, by Jean-Marie Mermaz...available at a website near you...

[FlyTexas]

Who can forget the still amazing Falcon 50 by Yannick Lavigne, Fred Banting, and Rob Young. Originally designed for FS2002 and updated for FS2004. Still a beauty after all these years. The FS2004 update is kinda hard to find but here's a good copy.

http://www.wspilots.com/mx/index.php...&modrewrite=no

Brian

[Lionheart]

Who can forget the still amazing Falcon 50 by Yannick Lavigne, Fred Banting, and Rob Young. Originally designed for FS2002 and updated for FS2004. Still a beauty after all these years. The FS2004 update is kinda hard to find but here's a good copy.

http://www.wspilots.com/mx/index.php...&modrewrite=no

Brian

Brian,

Man, I was just thinking of this bird last night. Great find. I am off to fly it!



Bill

[EMatheson]

More freeware Gems:
It feels like a cop-out to say "anything by such-and-such designer," somehow. It is a little bit too all-inclusive, if you understand me. We naturally expect there to be some variation, even among the best of the best. SO, I hope you will pardon me when I say simply: EVERYTHING by Bill Lyons.

His aircraft are many and varied. And so uniformly good!
All file names are the same on both flightsim.com and avsim.com unless otherwise noted.
Peitenpol and Stinson package:
Tiger moth: cctiger4.zip
Water: fs9wat2a.zip
Cessna T-50: skyking2.zip (marginal in FS9, but the sounds are excellent!)
Fleet 80 Canuck: canuck80.zip (not FS9 compatible)
More water: cs9watga3.zip
Golden Hawaii: cc8ghf.zip
Grumman Goose: cc9g21f2.zip on avsim, cc9g21f.zip on flightsim
Luscombe 8A: cc12lusf.zip
Piper Cub: cub4free.zip (FS9 updated version available from http://www.theoldhangar.net/ - try it out!)
Piper Tripacer: cc13p22f.zip
Piper Apache: cc7pa23f.zip
Quad City Challenger: cc11qc2f.zip
Silver Wings: slvrwngs.zip
Skyship SD: skyshipd.zip (old, but perfectly serviceable in FS9) avsim only
Fujifilm blimp: fuji2002.zip (almost identical to the Skyship SD) avsim only
Travel Air series: cc10taf.zip
Waco Biplanes: waco4free.zip (old, but perfectly serviceable in FS9)
Still more water: fs9wat.zip
Ryan STA: ccryan4.zip on flightsim only
Globe Swift: ccswift4.zip on flightsim only
Hot air balloons: blns2002.zip on flightsim only
Goodyear Blimp: gydef.zip on flightsim only
Jaguar: jag120.zip

Golden Wings: http://www.goldenwings.info/
Graf Zeppelin: http://www.theoldhangar.net/

[OBIO]

Some of my favorite fliers are by Brian Gladden. These files can be found on Flightsim.com.

Stinson 108-3 Voyager: stin1083.zip

Piper Super Ace: supace.zip

Piper Pacer: Pa20_04.zip

Piper TriPacer: Pa22_04.zip

Cessna 140: Ces140.zip and C140upde.zip

Cessna 140 Float Plane: Ces140fl.zip

Zenith CH 801: ch801_v3.zip

Beechcraft Model 18 Volpar Wheeled: Volpar.zip and vlpr_fix.zip

Beechcraft Model 18 Volpar Amphibian: Vol_AM.zip

Noorduyn Norseman Float Plane: Norsefv2.zip

Brian has a number of other nice aircraft on flightsim.com, for FS2004 and FS2002....and for FS2000 if anyone wants to go back that far. All of the FS2002 planes that I have tried work very well in FS2004.

There are a number of nice repaints for Brian's planes on Flightsim.com.

There is also a FS2004 version of the Nooduyn Norseman with wheels, but I have to find it. The FS2002 version on Flightsim.com does not have a VC, the newer version does.

OBIO