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Reviews (by David)

SIMWORKS STUDIOS - KODIAK 100 AMPHIBIAN MSFS

SIMWORKS STUDIOS - KODIAK 100 AMPHIBIAN MSFS

So far this is the best amphibian I’ve had the pleasure of trying. They did a great job tweaking the planes behavior on the water in all phases. No small feat considering MSFS water operations are less than desirable. It’s not perfect but I think SWS did the best possible job considering MSFS limitations.  The flight model is amazing and believable, feeling like a lane in the air rather than on rails, and that’s so nice.  Lots of liveries and aircraft options and a gorgeous interior/ exterior makes this an all around winner!

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CARENADO - WYMF5 MSFS

CARENADO - WYMF5 MSFS

If you are a fan of very early aircraft design and biplanes then this should be worth considering. I am a fan and love this when I was flying it in FSX for years. Probably was and still is the very best looking biplane or at least top 3. It’s absolutely stunning!  Incredible detailing all around. It flies great too. The smoke doesn’t work though. Just a really nice airplane to take in the sights as you soar gently above.  It can also be quite responsive and mostly forgiving so no strange behaviors. There’s not a lot of this type for MSFS but you will get a quality aircraft here. Price is right too. 

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INDIAFOXTECHO - MB-339 - MSFS

INDIAFOXTECHO - MB-339 - MSFS

I see now why this ppl and is so well loved by the MSFS community in general. It really is that good!  You’d be hard pressed to find any deal breaking problems with this. It really looks so amazing from every perspective. Very realistic looking. I find it flies very nicely and is totally believable. Only a real pilot would actually know but I cannot complain.  The only issue I have is that the smoke doesn’t work on any of the aircraft that have the function. Maybe it’s just me?  The gun site can’t be lit up for some reason. But these are minor issues considering how well the rest of these are made and sold at a very reasonable price. Must have for those like me who love older military trainers, but definitely something anybody could really enjoy. 

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INIBUILDS - INIBUILDS T-33 JET TRAINER MSFS

INIBUILDS - INIBUILDS T-33 JET TRAINER MSFS

This tandem beast has finally been simulated to a very impressive level. The thing that really sets it apart from most trainers is the strange fuel management system. It feeds the engine from only the main tank and when that main tank gets low you must pump fuel from the other tanks one by one until each is emptied before using the next tank or you can easily end up venting fuel rather than using it. This makes for some possibly dangerous situations and running out of gas way before expected. Just like the real T33! While this fuel management does require near constant attention it also add an immersive element not typical of the type. This plane should be easy to overheat but that’s not simulated very well, and I’ve not been able to murder the engine yet.  The smoke is nice but the trail it leaves is too short IMO.  The aircraft does behave according to online specs very similarly and is a joy to fly.  The cockpit looks just like real world photos for the most part. Same with the external modeling.  It certainly sounds nice through all phases of flight including stress sounds during extreme aerobatics.  Overall Inibuilds really pulled off a very cool model of the classic T33.  I’m really happy with this purchase and recommend it highly. 

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SIM SKUNK WORKS - FIAT-AERITALIA G-91 FOR MSFS

SIM SKUNK WORKS - FIAT-AERITALIA G-91 FOR MSFS

I was pleasantly surprised after my first flight with this. I had a version of the G91 with FSX and didn't think much of it but still always liked the design and history. Being a fan of 1st and 2nd gen jet aircraft such as the F86, Mig 15 etc. it felt right to add this to my collection again in MSFS. There is something special about this jet. Not only has SSW completely captured the look and sounds but also provided a really nice flight model that is believable and fun. I can only base this off of available ingo on the internet obviously but it really seems to live up to reports from real world pilots of the G91. Ill take it. It might be a little too fast to roll at high speed but what do i know. Its just a blast to fly and not too difficult. thankfully SSW have added several more liveries (including the white with colorful characters of the farewell or final flight, and 200000 hour schemes among several others) since the initial release making this an even better package than its initial release. If you like 50s/60s or early cold war military planes then this really should not be overlooked. Its just so well done from the smallest stitch to the last rivet.

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AZURPOLY - FOUGA MAGISTER MSFS

AZURPOLY - FOUGA MAGISTER MSFS

AzurPoly has proven to be quite a capable developer. This is my 3rd plane by AP and I am as delighted as can be. The Magister is such a classic and having this incredibly detailed and high quality virtual replica to enjoy is great!  It’s not a particularly fast aircraft but it can perform some cool stunts. It really behaves in the air and will mostly be very forgiving. I haven’t seen if any damage modeling has been done or not. Maybe the real one is just extremely robust and difficult to overheat? Whatever the case it’s nothing to complain about. If you like trainers then this is a perfect choice and one you won’t regret.

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AEROPLANE HEAVEN - GLOBE SWIFT GC-1A MSFS

AEROPLANE HEAVEN - GLOBE SWIFT GC-1A MSFS

Here we have another bargain beauty that delivers much more for the money than expected. This old bird has been given a loving design for MSFS. Adjustable cockpit engine noise and terrific texturing along with a really nice flight model makes for a fun and immersive experience. I really can’t stress enough just how pretty this is. Each livery shouts quality. Even the Barn Find livery with all its dings, dents, dirt and rust is beautifully crafted. It’s such a nice two seater classic. Aeroplane Heaven have really upped their game with the Globe Swift here! 

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ANTS AIRPLANES - CAC WINJEEL MSFS

ANTS AIRPLANES - CAC WINJEEL MSFS

I picked this up from the Marketing but wanted to chime in here as well. Having been flying this for years in FSX I was really happy to see a new MSFS version. Ants did as good a job if not better with this. Amazing textures everywhere! Super smooth flight characteristics and well developed systems with a couple levels of realism to choose from. The Winjeel is rugged good fun. It may not have tundra tires but it is very capable at just about any field type. It has a robust engine or carb heater for icy flights keeping her in the air.  For the money being asked it’s a no brainer, no regret kind of purchase. Winjeel fits in very nicely in the outback and anywhere else. 

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JUSTFLIGHT - BLACK SQUARE - PISTON DUKE MSFS

JUSTFLIGHT - BLACK SQUARE - PISTON DUKE MSFS

I didn’t think anybody could come close to being as good and deep as A2A. I saw the reviews, videos etc and finally chose to get this piston version. Here on SimMarket it’s about $10 less than the Microsoft store sells it. So that’s a nice deal. It’s still a real expensive plane but after a few flights in these I’m a believer in Black Square. The system depth is amazing and brings us a complete aircraft simulation that excels on all counts. Nothing was left out or dumbed down. It’s not the same as an A2A as they have more of a plane ownership aspect, but I wouldn’t say that’s totally left out here, it’s just a slightly different focus that will definitely keep your hands full.  It goes without saying that appearances inside and out have been modeled down to the very last detail in extreme quality.  How you treat this plane will determine how difficult it becomes to operate. Follow the books and you’ll mostly be fine. But like with any real world plane there’s no such thing as a perfect machine and you can bet that no start up or flight will be the same. There’s always some unpredictability and that’s so cool.  Flying this Duke even while trying to follow the procedures carefully can and likely come with some surprises. So many things can fail, or go wrong. Just like the real world. These planes will degrade over time based on a great many factors but if you don’t want to be surprised you can force a failure with the EFB tablet. You can expedite the wear and tear making possible problems occur still at random but over a shorter period of time. I’ve owned every single plane A2A made and loved them all. Black Square is on par with them easily. I might add that Black Square is even a little better with somethings like textures for example. This plane looks so good. I can’t find anything to complain about at all. So if you want that extreme realism with incredible appearances and unpredictability then do get this. It may be the piston variant but it’s not underpowered at all. Plus you don’t just get the piston Duke version but also the turbo charged Grand Duke. Both are very similar in design but not the same machines. Amazing effort by Black Square. This may be the best add on plane over ever had. Don’t miss out. 

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LIONHEART CREATIONS - LEARAVIA LEARFAN 2200 MSFS

LIONHEART CREATIONS - LEARAVIA LEARFAN 2200 MSFS

It’s not a study level aircraft for sure, but it’s a pretty nice get up and go type that is fun to fly. It handles nicely, trims well and kind of fast. It looks pretty cool too. Not top of the line but not bad at all. If you want to fly something easy and don’t want to spend a lot of money this fits the bill well. 

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LIVTOAIR - EVIATION ALICE FULL ELECTRIC MSFS

LIVTOAIR - EVIATION ALICE FULL ELECTRIC MSFS

I really like the concept and originality of this product. The design of this aircraft is a remarkable feat. Even if the real world version is less than spectacular. This version based on projected performance that was on paper before its real world test flight. What you get is the version everyone had hoped for. That said the design of this virtual version is beautiful. The textures are mostly excellent with on a few small areas that need improvement. One area is the copilots area around the pressurization and environmental controls. At certain camera angles there’s a bunch of flicker that looks really odd. It’s not a big thing and it’s a fair example of how close this is to being an outstanding 5 star offering.  The plane flies super quiet and at a solid speed, but the faster you go the less distance you can cover as the engines eat up battery power pretty fast. My fastest speed (%80 throttle) covered 352 miles at a decent clip. I just didn’t have much power to spare for a go around and ended up doing a dead stick landing.  Visually inside this plane you get a fairly minimalist design based largely on real world specs. It does look nice. In the very back of the exec cabin there is a galley/head compete with some fun little things to discover.  Overall I love how this aircraft looks with its graceful lines and slippery smooth skin to its wooden interior cabin floors.  It’s a silent air shark that is very close to being a 5 star craft. 

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JUSTFLIGHT - DC DESIGNS F-14 A/B TOMCAT MSFS

JUSTFLIGHT - DC DESIGNS F-14 A/B TOMCAT MSFS

For those who don’t have the most powerful gaming PCs and still want a really nice F14 this is the one to get. Yes the IFE version (F14A&B) looks a bit better, but this DCD rendition is pretty darn good on its own.  You also get with this DCD version ALL F14 models. A,B & D! Plus several nice liveries. DCD added more liveries to the current list in addition to also adding the D model in version 1.08 This V1.1.1 is the complete, updated F14 package and it’s totally worth it!  The textures in the cockpit look very good (only a little less marvelous as the IFE) and for the most part everything is needed is operable.  The exterior textures are good but noticeably less spectacular than the IFE F14.  The flight model is actually not bad at all. These F14 fly like you’d expect. Nimble but not super agile and fast as He#*. Not a bad way to satisfy one’s need for speed.  The audio is quite good and with appropriate volume can really show off the roaring engines.  No EFB as you have to add weapon weights correctly to the weight and balance, but it’s cool that you can add or remove weapons during flight as well with immediate effect.  Overall I’m very pleased with this F 14 A,B & D collection and am thoroughly enjoying flying each model.  Only gripe is the A model seems to require more extreme flight circumstances to cause compressor stalls and whatnot. However considering the old Aerosoft FSX F14As aleays seemed quite overly sensitive and stalled several times during each flight. I welcome this products less sensitive A model.  A great deal and great fun!

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LATINVFR - AIRBUS A321NEO MSFS

LATINVFR - AIRBUS A321NEO MSFS

I got this on sale at a great price so I might feel a little more forgiving than if I had paid full price. The cockpit is well done but reminds me of the FSX Aerosoft 321 where there were a lot of inoperative buttons. The textures overall are pretty decent but some spots looks a little bit cartoonish or incomplete.  The EFB is nice and help get you moving. What you get is a mid level non study type jetliner that offers a no nonsense get up and go experience. The FMS is a little limited and could use some more work, as well as some of those odd or less than good textures. On a plus you get a LOT of liveries and don’t need to go buy more as they’ve done a good job covering most parts of the world that these fly in.  As for the flight model I think this A321N is competent and closely resemble their real world counter part, even if sometimes feeling a little too quick to respond for the size.  Overall I’d say get it if on a good sale. Full price for this as is, is too much. Much Better than Virtuacol, but not quite Felnix level yet. LVFR could bring this up to snuff with a few carefully crafted updates, and I hope that maybe they will. I’m happy for what I paid. 

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PILOT'S FSG - DASH 7 MSFS

PILOT'S FSG - DASH 7 MSFS

A very nice rendition that looks and flies very well. Only complaint I have is they skimped on extras. None of the doors open. I’ve searched and clicked everywhere and they just don’t open. No windows either. But you do get a seemingly accurate flight model and realistic cockpit with various options for some of the modern avionics options around. It feels like the big 4 engine beast that it is. It’s priced right so I say go for it. It’s the only Dash 7 option so why not.

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AZURPOLY - C160 TRANSALL MSFS

AZURPOLY - C160 TRANSALL MSFS

The Transall was one of my favorites in FSX and I was so pleased to see a new MSFS version here. Wow, did they seriously get into the nooks and crannies designing this bird. Such amazing attention to detail! I love that they simulated the complex start up procedure but also offered a ready to fly option as well for those times where I just don’t feel like doing each step myself. This is a sharp plane created with love. The sounds are super good as well.  Love the ability to drop cargo or paratroopers! This is by far the best Transall ever made for flight sim. 

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INDIAFOXTECHO - F-35 LIGHTNING II MSFS

INDIAFOXTECHO - F-35 LIGHTNING II MSFS

Truly an outstanding military add on. There are a lot of liveries, but to be honest they all look pretty much the same. More importantly these F35s fly so nicely. Only the B model in hover feels a little weird, but I believe they did the best they could and it’s still enjoyable. The detailing of each model is really well done. I don’t see any cartoonish looking textures and lots of little details. The ordinance even looks really cool.  Might not be as fast as the F22 or even as agile, but these F35s are just so smooth. Well done IFT!

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JUSTFLIGHT - SCDESIGNS F16 C D I FIGHTING FALCON MSFS

JUSTFLIGHT - SCDESIGNS F16 C D I FIGHTING FALCON MSFS

I haven’t experienced any issues with these F16s myself and find them to be quite well done. I’ve had many different F16s over decades of flight simming and this is by far the best yet. No it’s not study level, but it is excellent.  The interior doesn’t disappoint at all, day or night. The engines roar as they should and these fly with the grace and agility of what I’d expect from a well developed flight model. Love it!

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AFS-DESIGN - CUMULUS & CIRRUS V2 FOR FSX-STEAM

AFS-DESIGN - CUMULUS & CIRRUS V2 FOR FSX-STEAM

Two stars because while the textures are an improvement and not bad at all, there were some technical issues I needed help with. The developer response was completely off from what I asked. The exact opposite in fact. There is NO UnInstaller included so once it’s installed you’re stuck with it. If that’s not completely true, the developer isn’t offering any info or solutions to that.  That said it’s a fairly nice and cheap way to make improvements to the virtual skies in FSX Steam. Just beware there is no customer support. If you run into any issues you’ll need to figure it out on your own like I did. 

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ARSOFT STUDIOS - CABO SAN LUCAS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FSX P3D

ARSOFT STUDIOS - CABO SAN LUCAS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FSX P3D

Not exactly a high end add on but for the money you do get a much better looking Cabo San Lucas and its tiny airport.  I used to avoid the area because FSX made such a barren default landscape that just fails.  This while being old and somewhat low rez still brings a huge amount of improvement to the iconic vacation spot. 4 stars for the price, easy frames and a vastly improved Cabo to actuall enjoy flying in and out of. 

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BAJASIM - LA PAZ INTL AIRPORT MMLP FSX

BAJASIM - LA PAZ INTL AIRPORT MMLP FSX

Stay away. It will not install no matter what you do. I have a couple hundred add on scenery products and never encountered such a broken installer. It will not recognize the drive you select. After first trying to install to the usual root FSX folder like every other add on in the world accepts, this did NOT. I tried 3 different drives just in case and nothing works. Total waste of money. Oh and the developer is nowhere to be found. Doesn’t answer email.

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JUSTFLIGHT - DUCHESS MODEL 76 FSX P3D

JUSTFLIGHT - DUCHESS MODEL 76 FSX P3D

Wow! Absolutely amazing. I also have the much older “Flying Club” version and this is by far exceedingly better. Every little detail is carefully replicated all around this beautifully modeled aircraft. I’d put it up there with A2A like quality. I don’t know how I missed this over the years.  The livery selection is very good and includes some cool variations among them. There’s even a sleek black livery.  The flight model give me the impression of being as real as it can be. Plus you do need to fly within acceptable book parameters or you may find a failure pop up ending your flight or making it at least quite complicated.  If you’re still living in FSX land like me and not ready to give up on it then please consider this add on seriously. It’s really worth it. 

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WING42 - LOCKHEED VEGA 5 [EARLY ACCESS]

WING42 - LOCKHEED VEGA 5 [EARLY ACCESS]

Considering that this is an abandoned project that falls short of what it was on track to becoming, this is still a very high quality add on. It’s kind of sad to see how close this was to being a legendary development. Even so, as is it remains a more than competent and highly intriguing aircraft to have. The most notable missing aspect are the failures that would’ve been developed. Of course some other smaller less noticeable aspects of development that were indicated as coming in next update are also missing but to me not missed.  The aircraft as is has incredible character and attention to detail all over the plane. Visually it’s stunning! It’s also very accurately designed to match the real thing.  It’s not a jump in and fly type of aircraft add on. Not unless you already understand the Vega. I have a little of that knowledge, say a basic understanding of how it works but still needed to flip through the POH quite a bit.  My first flight was riddled with backfires because I kept forgetting to adjust things properly. So I can say this Vega delivers a very complex flight model that seems very close to the real world model that I’ve read about.  At any rate this is a special add on that even incomplete, delivers a simulated experience like most completed add ons never even came close to. Clearly a lot of time, effort, and love went into making this and finished or not it’s way above average. There is still a lot to enjoy here. A pure stick and rudder gem.

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EAGLESOFT DEVELOPMENT GROUP - CITATION X  EXTREME G2 FSX P3DV3

EAGLESOFT DEVELOPMENT GROUP - CITATION X EXTREME G2 FSX P3DV3

I bought this direct from Eaglesoft because it was half price. After installing and then reading throughout the various manuals I tried some test flights, however I never got off the ground because the PFD/MCDU screens are all black. The brightness control doesn’t work and everything is turned on properly including of course the main avionics. Read the manuals again and again but nothing would explain the black screens. Sent Eaglesoft a message and no responses. Nothing in the forum or anywhere to explain or help. Turns out to be a complete waste of money. Good thing I didn’t pay the insane full price. But I’m pretty angry about this failure of an airplane.  I’m not some rookie either, I have nearly every paid add on for FSX And never had any issues like this. There was no anomaly during install and when first selecting the plane for first flight I was careful to accept the necessary aircraft files.  I use FSX Steam (which this is stated as fully compatible on their website) with a good PC and all software is up to date.  This is simply a broken add on. Stay away. 

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CARENADO - B350I KING AIR HD SERIES FSX P3D

CARENADO - B350I KING AIR HD SERIES FSX P3D

Probably one of the very best Carenado models ever.  Meticulously designed with the usual amazing attention to visual detailing. Additionally it appears to also have the best systems of any Carenado add on for FSX. Over torque is modeled with engine failure so fly right or suffer the consequences. Completing the package is a believable flight model that make this a very enjoyable aircraft to fly by hand.  Not quite study level but it’s as close as they’ve come which is saying a lot for this developer. 

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JUSTFLIGHT - STINSON L-5 SENTINEL FSX P3D

JUSTFLIGHT - STINSON L-5 SENTINEL FSX P3D

I have to say that this is a really nice add on.  Very similar to a Pipe Cub but not quite the same.  There are loads of details to enjoy and it handles like a bush plane should. Great for short hops and site seeing. Just stick and rudder here nothing fancy, but a lot of character.

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CLASSICS HANGAR - MESSERSCHMITT BF 108 B TAIFUN

CLASSICS HANGAR - MESSERSCHMITT BF 108 B TAIFUN

I don’t know how I missed this little gem until recently?  Such a nice little oldie. It’s been produced to a high level of realism (best as anyone having never sat in a real one can tell) that makes for some fun flying.  They modeled the engine to behave similarly to the real world counterpart so you will need to be ready to multi task. Such as adjusting prop from roll out to climb and all the way to cruise.  The prop is adjusted not by the common lever, but by what looks like a rotating crank level. First time I’ve ever seen this way of adjusting the prop pitch, but interesting to say the least.  The gear take longer than expected to move up or down so drop them well in advance of landing.  Most of the included planes do not have landing lights and no auto pilot. Two of them do have landing lights and Z will work as a super simple auto pilot of real it’s more of a wing leveler, but it cannot be depended on to hold any heading. The plane will drift off course unless hand flown. So use the Z key carefully and don’t look away for more than a minute. I didn’t expect to like this as much as I do. Such a gem.

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CARENADO - F50 FSX P3D

CARENADO - F50 FSX P3D

If you like prop commuters and already have the Majestic Dash 8 but want more of the same genre then this should be considered. If this is your first of the type then get the Majestic Dash 8 first by all means.  This F50 is surprisingly well done. Most systems are modeled although with some corners cut by Carenado….as usual. However it’s complete enough to perform a full LNAV flight. The VNAV seemed to follow pretty well.  They added a rather different way of starting the aircraft with a set of options to select from. For example you can start with electrical power on and then from there follow the start up checklist manually the rest of the way. Or you could also start from cold and dark and do the entire checklists from A to Z.  The plane flies very nicely, smooth and fluid in all aspects of flight. All of the texturing is clean and crisp down to the smallest detail.  Once again they skipped modeling the ground power unit so if you begin cold and dark you better not dawdle about and prioritize getting at least one engine and generator started or you’ll drain the battery power while noodling around the cockpit. That will require reloading the plane and starting over. Once batteries are drained that’s it the plane is a tarmac paper weight. Why no GPU? I don’t get it. Maybe I missed something? Anyway it’s a very nice aircraft and worth addition to any prop commuter type collection.  By the way the ATR 72 is also quite nice. 

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JUSTFLIGHT - PA-28R TURBO ARROW III - IV FSX P3D

JUSTFLIGHT - PA-28R TURBO ARROW III - IV FSX P3D

What a well done virtual model. I guess this is JustFlights attempt at something in line with A2A? It has the feeling of being meticulously crafted and determined to as realistic as possible. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistle's of an A2A aircraft but it sure does go above and beyond the average GA offerings.  You will need to operate the plane close to by the book with little wriggle room. If you don’t then you’ll find youse,f in an emergency situation or at least compromised flight capability.  The visual model is extremely well done. A truly great job crafting these 2 models. I got this package of the Turbo Arrow 3 & 4 over the complete package since as far as I am concerned my A2A Cherokee is more or less the better option to the Arrow 3 (non turbo).  I can’t find anything to to even nit pick. I love these Turbo Arrows!

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CARENADO - PA46T MALIBU JETPROP HD SERIES FSX P3D

CARENADO - PA46T MALIBU JETPROP HD SERIES FSX P3D

This is of course a gorgeous looking model inside and out. As usual the whole design is a joy to gawk at.  It flies very smoothly in a believable way.  Carenado did manage to create an excellent jet prop despite FSX limitations. A notable function of having to be aware of throttle input and actual power application having a typical Jet Prop delay. Which means it will behave much differently from a piston set of engines.  The 4 liveries are nice but a little dull to me, I would’ve like a couple more.  As far as systems go it’s as expected, just the primary things necessary to complete a fun flight. The weather screen does little and looks like it’s just for show.  That all said it’s a really nice plane that by today’s standards is a bit over priced.  Still I do like flying it all the same. 

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JUSTFLIGHT - MOSQUITO SPECIAL OPS - UPGRADE PACK A

JUSTFLIGHT - MOSQUITO SPECIAL OPS - UPGRADE PACK A

It’s a complete mess. Missing gauges and no audio! I managed to fix the audio but I shouldn’t have had to. The gauges are a bit more challenging to fix but again I shouldn’t have to! Also no new liveries for the base pack as there should be. Very disappointed. Same problem with Pack B. Should come with a warning like “some assembly required” 

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FLYTAMPA - KAITAK FS2004 FSX P3D

FLYTAMPA - KAITAK FS2004 FSX P3D

Insanely good scenery. Wow! The city looks so nice during the day and at night is even more beautiful. Catch the fireworks from 8pm to midnight on the hour for 10 minute shows. Only wish the explosions sound FX were included.  Great frame rates on my mid level PC with high settings across the board. The approach is of course outstanding. Very fun to fly and watch the replays. I can’t believe they ever allowed such an approach in the first place, but I’m very pleased that FlyTampa gave it all so much care and attention in bringing it back to life in FSX. So many details to look at. Totally worth the price and isn’t a multi GB footprint, nope! It’s less than 300MBs!  Must have for those of us not yet willing to retire our FSX collections.

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RFSCENERYBUILDING - LSGG GENEVA COINTRIN 2015 FSX P3D

RFSCENERYBUILDING - LSGG GENEVA COINTRIN 2015 FSX P3D

I finally figured out how to fix this this on my own no thanks to the dev who ignored my email. So minus 1 star still for the nonexistent customer service, and static jetways no SODE. BUT! It’s still better than FSDT and it never reverts at random to a trial mode like FSDT does.  Lovely airport.

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RFSCENERYBUILDING - LSGG GENEVA COINTRIN 2015 FSX P3D

RFSCENERYBUILDING - LSGG GENEVA COINTRIN 2015 FSX P3D

I bought this to replace my extremely buggy FSDT version of the same airport. While this one does actually work and looks really good, for some reason I have no jetways at all? Just the stubs of where a jetway should be. Weird. It’s definitely not from my end, and I have a LOT of add ons and experience with them so I have made sure. My SODE is fully up to date working with all others. Just a weird bug I think? Anyway despite the jetway issues it’s a really nice airport. Unlike the FSDT version which kept reverting to Trial Mode and requiring reinstallation every time I wanted to use it, I’d still highly recommend this one if you have a choice. Nice lighting and winter effects too. Almost a 4 star add on if the developer would’ve answered my questions about the missing jetways issue. 

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FLIGHT REPLICAS - CAC BOOMERANG CA-12/CA-13

FLIGHT REPLICAS - CAC BOOMERANG CA-12/CA-13

This is a real hidden gem! I had never even heard of this aircraft until I spotted it in the Market. They did a very nice job of building and developing this unique warbird. Excellent texturing on all fronts! Very good audio and lighting. Believable flight model that gives a realistic impression. The guns (when armed) fire using the same trigger button I have mapped to brakes. The same button (without having to make any mapping changes) fires guns in the air, and brakes when on the ground.  I love that engine damaging is modeled. So you do have to fly it by the book. No continuous full throttle allowed, just very brief periods are possible depending on the aircrafts in flight conditions. Realistic limitations are applied. Much appreciated realism by this warbird fan. 

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FINAL APPROACH SIMULATIONS - TRINIDAD, TOBAGO, GRENADA AIRPORTS FSX

FINAL APPROACH SIMULATIONS - TRINIDAD, TOBAGO, GRENADA AIRPORTS FSX

A competent add on with some bright spots, but mostly a low budget attempt with rather low quality textures. I seriously have had far better freeware, just not all three of these airports. Well it’s the only option for these airports in one package so what are you gonna do? Kind of surprised it’s not a better add on considering this was available since late 2020. It looks like it was made in 2004.  I regret paying full price. But satisfied to have the scenery options for the region all in one purchase. 

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FLYTAMPA - STMAARTEN COMPLETE FS2004 FSX P3D

FLYTAMPA - STMAARTEN COMPLETE FS2004 FSX P3D

What can be said that hasn’t already? It’s another superb FlyTampa add on. All three islands and airports in amazing detail! It’s the crown jewel of any Caribbean scenery collection. Much of the very best details are near each airport, but there are also some nice surprises here and there. Such as a pod of dolphins swimming dolphins, people riding around on small motorcycles, walking around the beech, waving etc. so cool.  It’s worth getting this complete package version for sure. Excellent FPS!  Pricey yes. Worth it yes! I just wish FSX would stop clearing me to land jetliners on 28. However it is a rather fun and challenging (if not totally unrealistic) experience to make the R28 approach in a jumbo.  Oh yes, the night lighting is also amazing and done in such a way that you could suspend reality and get a real world impression of the surroundings.  This is not something to be missed and I believe is an essential scenery add on for anyone, especially Caribbean fans.  FSX Steam Win 10. 

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MEX HIGH FLIGHT - MMMD MERIDA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FSX

MEX HIGH FLIGHT - MMMD MERIDA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FSX

I picked this up because my Taxi2Gate version suffered extreme frame rate loss down to 3FPS. This version is just as good and gets much better FPS averaging around 30. The details are excellent and overall a lovely place to visit or do circuits. Night lighting is pretty good too. I’m glad I could find a MMMD add on that works well and looks great.  Totally recommend it!

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WILCO - PIAGGIO P180 AVANTI II FSX

WILCO - PIAGGIO P180 AVANTI II FSX

Very buggy. Crashes. The audio keeps glitching in and out. The plane causes FSX to keep freezing up throughout the flight until finally FSX just shuts down. Cant complete a single full flight. Total waste of money and time.

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CARENADO - A72 500 SERIES FSX P3D

CARENADO - A72 500 SERIES FSX P3D

This plane is better than some of the reviews suggest. There is a full ground power system actually and it’s unique to these planes in real world. Just google “Hotel Mode proceedure ATR 72” you’ll see various videos explaining it. Basically these plane don’t use GPU units, but instead run power from the right engine while in Hotel mode. The whole process has several steps, but ultimately it works and it really cool that Carenado fully modeled this. So a complete procedural cold and dark can be performed as the real aircraft does. The other systems all are working as well I had no trouble with setting up complete routes with waypoints and altitudes etc. The plane followed it perfectly so far. I did however need to correct some altitudes, but that’s easy also.  So far as I can tell after doing a bunch of research before buying everything is simulated. At least all the important things that would lend to a realistic experience.  That all said she flies great! Real gentle bird but responsive when you need it. The textures are as usual outstanding inside and out.so is the interior lighting but the landing lights really stand out as …. WOW!  So it’s not perfect but we expect this from Carenado. We get a beautiful aircraft that surprises with deeper than usual systems. It’s not one that should be ignored. Just be ready to watch some YouTube vids in order to learn the full start up on board power system. It’s worth it.

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ALABEO - C441 CONQUEST II FSX P3D

ALABEO - C441 CONQUEST II FSX P3D

Having the FlySimWare Conquest as well and many hours flying it I can tell you this. This Conquest is bar far better looking but fails to model the Garrett engines realistically as the FSW version does that very well. What you get here is a way better looking but far simpler plane. Not much modeled here except the flight characteristic or behaviors in the air. Which are good. Basically they are two totally different versions of the same aircraft. It’s undeniably prettier here. It’s also fun to fly, but you can run full throttle all the way without causing any problems. It’s up to you to fly as designed of course. It’s really beauty vs realism. This is the pageant winner for sure. It just leave some to be desired where accuracy is concerned. 

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CARENADO - XL560 CITATION FSX P3D

CARENADO - XL560 CITATION FSX P3D

This plane is really much better than some might suggest. First of all it has the usual outstanding Carenado texturing inside and out. You really see something that looks real and luxurious. Right down to the seat belts, random external scratches or marks from routine use and onward. The lighting is also high quality. Where the flight models is concerned it delivers an amazing flight capability that impresses a sense of realism. Those engines sound great!  The PL21 systems are mostly capable. So far I’ve been able to make detailed flight plans but did have to correct the altitudes on each. It doesn’t follow every point on the route for some reason but it does manage to stay on course in the end.  For a Carenado product it is well simulated regarding the systems. Though little documentation provided for the ProLine 21 it isn’t hard to figure out if you’ve used other systems. If you don’t know what to do, just do what I did and google the plane and you’ll find all sorts of helpful tutorials to walk you through it all from start up to shut down. Nearly every single switch, button and dial works. Whatever the case it’s not by any means a 2 star add on. That’s just crazy unfair.  I love flying this plane and highly recommend it. It has it all, looks, details, realism and fun!

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TAXI2GATE - MANUEL CRESCENCIO REJON INTL MMMD FSX

TAXI2GATE - MANUEL CRESCENCIO REJON INTL MMMD FSX

I have many excellent scenery add ons and none have ever dragged so slow. 5 to 9 max FPS. I can run the same weather and aircraft at MMMX and easily get 25 to 30 FPS there. I don’t know why but this is the very worst T2G scenery (of the 6 I own) and the worst of all in my entire collection. Chug chug chug real bad. 

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DIGITAL DESIGN - LOWS SALZBURG W.A. MOZART FSX P3D

DIGITAL DESIGN - LOWS SALZBURG W.A. MOZART FSX P3D

I hadn’t heard of this developer so I wasn’t sure if I should trust them. I took the chance and I’m glad. This is some outstanding scenery! First off the airport is really nicely made. Great detailing and careful building placement that matches photos from the time of this release perfectly. The nearby city being included is great. Love all the custom or real world building models. Light posts line the streets and the night lighting is just as good as the rest. Really makes for a very cool destination or helicopter flights. Flying to and from my Innsbruck add on scenery and Salzburg is a treat.  If you want something that gives more than just an airport but also a city and neighborhoods with a good amount of real world building models and a good photo ground layer, than this should be high on your list.

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METAL2MESH - M2K-C FSX P3D

METAL2MESH - M2K-C FSX P3D

Wow! I just recently got the VRS TacPac with the Amazing SuperBug F18 combo and just had to pick this up too. It was a good choice if I may say so myself. This Mirage2000 is such a nicely crafted add on. Plenty of liveries that for once (for military planes at least) aren’t a bunch of the same livery with only slight differences. This package offers some standard military liveries as well but there are more creative types to choose from than most. That French flair is quite evident in some very artistic and colorful liveries that compliment the collection variety. The flight model is (so far as any civilian can possibly know, which is little) seemingly excellent. It’s a high performance plane that can haul ash. Beautiful afterburner effect. Con trails, leading edge and over wing vapor wash all done well. Unlike the Typhoon this M2000 has more distinctive flight behaviors that impress upon the virtual pilot that they are flying something different. The somewhat simulated fly by wire system while not truly simulated is at the very least fairly well replicated here. The TacPac integration works seamlessly and is infinitely easier to use than say the Typhoon by another dev. Perhaps it’s because this is a less complex fire control system, but ultimately makes use of armaments a lot easier than the current generation fighters. The INS is awful but very realistic. It’s real world design (at least for the period of this model Mirage) requires the dumbest user programming procedures I’ve heard of. No joke you must enter coordinates completely in revers of the way us humans read them. Somebody was high and sleep deprived or just didn’t care when they created this INS system. M2M offers a link to a converter to use online to bring back to the sim but not without much end user manual input for the most part. I can’t imagine anybody actually using this? But there’s sure to be die hards out there who will happily.  Despite this real world INS system being fully simulated I have ignored it completely without issue in favor of the fairly simple and general autopilot.  Nevertheless weapons are easy to shoot or drop without requiring any complex fire control systems programming and that’s really fun.  This add on has it all. Realism, great looks, fun to fly, easy TacPac integration and just an all around outstanding fighter package! Love it!  My new favorite modern-ish fighter. 

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CAPTAIN SIM - 757 CAPTAIN III - (757-2PW) BASE PACK - FSX/SE

CAPTAIN SIM - 757 CAPTAIN III - (757-2PW) BASE PACK - FSX/SE

This is actually the best CaptainSim product available for FSX. I own all of their planes and this is my most recent addition. Got it on a flash sale at CaptainSim direct. The full asking price as is is far too high by today’s standards. Not to suggest it’s bad or anything, just way too expensive. That said I After having got it for a fraction of that insane high price tag, I’ve come to feel very good about the add on and would’ve paid maybe $40. Tops knowing what I know now.  This 757 package is their best effort and very well executed. The textures are all very good quality and look like the real thing. The cockpit is stocked and fully functional except for maybe a few minor things. You get two fully functioning FMCs that can be used independently of one another. The systems all seem to be modeled accurately or at least believably. Night lighting is really good with touches of ambiance brought by the adjustable lighting options in the cockpit. The taxi and landing lights are better than the average CS add on.  You get (like most CS add ons) a cool virtual cabin with views from business class and coach. The tallies are stocked with various sundries and whatnot. Even the cabin entertainment screens on the bulkheads show a tiny simmed but looped and brief movie clip, the moving map of the current flight or the pre flight safety announcement. Where the flight characteristics are concerned I believe this to be again their best offering. Hand flying is fluid and easy with a very responsive behavior.  The engines sound right, and so do all the ambient effects like wind over the windshield, rolling rattles on take off or high speed taxiing, shuddering upon landing etc. It’s all there.  You also get the captain and flight attendant audio announcements that you can select by pushing on a collections of buttons on the overhead.  There are a ton of liveries available for download and easily added (unlike the wonky and inconsistent iFlys plane liveries) via the 757 aircraft manager. The same manager also provide options for weight and balance with either presets, randomizer, or fully customized click by seat click.  All well done. My only complaint is that it’s hard on frame rates. For example my QualityWings 787 using its HUD runs at 40+ FPS on average at the same places or flights  that this 757 is struggling to average 24-28. Not sure why?  In the end I feel like I got a solid 757 simulation that is fun and satisfying. But I’m glad I didn’t pay full price considering it needs more optimizations for the performance. 

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CARENADO - S340 FSX P3D

CARENADO - S340 FSX P3D

This might be my favorite Carenado aircraft. They always deliver amazing textures inside and out but this one is just a little bit more amazing than usual. Plus the flight dynamics are better than usual and the systems modeling is above their average but the FMC is as usual, pretty lite. After walking around the exterior and viewing all the little details and well defined curves and lighting effects I was really in awe of how good it all is. 

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TAXI2GATE - MONTERREY MMMY V2 FSX

TAXI2GATE - MONTERREY MMMY V2 FSX

It’s T2G so you know it’s going to be good. Why the jetways don’t move or connect to airplanes doesn’t make sense even for the age of this add on. Frames drop a little bit with higher end aircraft. Still an excellent airport to have.

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TAXI2GATE - MMMX MEXICO CITY XTREME FSX

TAXI2GATE - MMMX MEXICO CITY XTREME FSX

It’s amazing scenery add ons like this that keep me satisfied with continuing to use and enjoy FSX SE.  the airport is chock full of detail. An immersive, almost like being there experience is not an exaggeration. T2G is very good at creating the best you can get add ons. I can’t really say anything that hasn’t been said except echo and confirm all the good things others mentioned. It’s all true.  The whole scenery area has some of the best night lighting around. Somehow all this detail on even higher density settings still yields good frame rates.  Something not really mentioned is that there are at least a dozen roof top helipads. Only a couple that seemed like they should be solid landing pads aren’t. It’s a helicopter pilots dream. I’m so glad I finally got this. 

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FLIGHT 1 - CESSNA CITATION MUSTANG VERSION 2 FSX P3D

FLIGHT 1 - CESSNA CITATION MUSTANG VERSION 2 FSX P3D

Sure the interior textures aren’t exactly up to date and are a little on the flat side, but the aircraft on the whole is actually quite good. Not full price good, but good all the same. I picked it up on sale at Flight1 site so I feel I got a good value. If I had paid full price I’d be a little disappointed.  While the interior textures leave some to be desired they also have some cool extra features not usually seen. Such as cabinets that open to reveal a stocked bar with bottles and glasses. Some drawers are empty too. The seating in the back looks pretty good and the tables can be set.  Most of all the flight model and sounds are excellent. The FMC is fully capable and all systems appear to be simulated.  If you can forgive a slightly dated appearance and appreciate good flight dynamics then find it on sale and it should leave you feeling good about it. I did.

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FLIGHT 1 - IFLY JETS: THE 747-400 FSX FSXSE

FLIGHT 1 - IFLY JETS: THE 747-400 FSX FSXSE

No reviews? How could that be? This is an outstanding package. Not 9th do you get the 747-400 in amazing detail but also the 800! Everything is very well done. Systems seem to be all simulated which is cool.  A hefty FMC that I can’t find any issues with. The FMC has several options built in like custom failures, or random failures etc as well as all door controls, load the aircraft live and more.  The textures are really well done and the night lighting is also top notch.  Engines sound pretty good, wind over the airframe hisses like it should when at full cruise. I just can’t say anything bad about this. Everything works and works very well. It looks great, flies fantastically.  Ok I found one thing to complain about, the liveries require some additional downloading and then individually installed. If you don’t enter all the fields correctly while using the manager app then you’ll have either no livery or a messed up one. It’s just a little painful and I’d have preferred they at least offered a collection of most common airliners to start and then the option for adding more later. But no, you must get them all (except for maybe 4 non house liveriea) manually and it’s a bit of a pain.  Still I  wouldn’t remove a star for that complaint. This is the 747 I’ve always wanted but spent years being unsure of it until now. Love it!  Working with FSX Steam 16GB Ram Intel UHD630 Integrated GPU with 128MB dedicated VRAM and getting excellent frame rates even at big add on airports. Amazing! 

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XTREME PROTOTYPES - AVRO CF105 ARROW

XTREME PROTOTYPES - AVRO CF105 ARROW

I picked this up on the cheap from the developers shop. Not as fluid as SimMarket and has extra steps but the job got done. I’m using this with FSX Steam Win10 with 16GB ram and Intel UHD 630 integrated GPU 128MB VRaM dedicated. It runs perfectly without any issues.  That said this is a very interesting aircraft that apparently never caught on on the real world. A very niche add on. Right up my alley and I’ve been enjoying this gas guzzler quite a bit. It’s hard to see what’s directly in from of you from inside the cockpit as the way the glass in framed causes quite a blind spot. Much like the Convair dart and dagger planes. So landing is pretty challenging and side slipping is very difficult in this plane. Not a lot of bells and whistles here just a pretty simple set of systems are simmed but the flight model and sound offer something unusual.  If you like obscure and sort of a what if type of add on that is really fast, then do check this out. Even though it’s really a FS2004 model it works fine in FSX Steam and looks good enough to not feel quite as dated as it is. The included Mk2 is even faster and can fly a little higher.  A very basic Auto Pilot come with the plane so that helps. You do need to nurse the A/P elevator trim in order to stay level and speed changes will make that even more of a work load. Don’t worry it’s manageable and level flight can be achieved with the A/P. 

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MP DESIGN STUDIO - UTVA AVIATION INDUSTRY - UTVA 75 FSX P3D

MP DESIGN STUDIO - UTVA AVIATION INDUSTRY - UTVA 75 FSX P3D

What nice little somewhat hidden gem. Trainers may not be the most popular add ons but I have several and personally enjoy them. This Utva 75 is an excellent plane to fly around in. It gives a realistic impression which is aided by the visible vibrations or shakes that occur appropriately during ground roll and in the air. Strong audio effects and good night lighting. The night lighting especially taxi and landing lights reflect on the cockpit side of the aircraft a little bit just as in real world which is something I’ve not seen simulated often. 4 liveries come with it. It’s a solid add on that should be given more looks. No A/P but the glass multi display is a very nice feature. There is a manual included to learn about it.  Give it a shot. Works fine with FSX Steam. Just needed to manually direct the install path to my FSX SE root folder. No problem. 

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MP DESIGN STUDIO - SIKORSKY S-55 FSX P3D

MP DESIGN STUDIO - SIKORSKY S-55 FSX P3D

A while ago I emailed the developer asking if this was compatible with FSX Steam. They responded with a simple “No”. That seemed odd. Later I saw in a forum where somebody was using it successfully with FSX SE, so I bought it a couple days ago and can tell you it DOES work just fine with FSX Steam. So either the developer doesn’t know what he or she is doing or their customer service doesn’t know what they are talking about. So minus 1 star for poor customer service. The helicopter is really cool and fun to fly. Like all MP Design rotorcraft this S55 is simulated to a high degree of realism pushing the FSX limits. It’s challenging to fly and again there’s going to be a learning curve for the uninitiated.  Textures are also good quality and the audio sounds excellent. To sum it up this is FSX Steam compatible and a lot of fun! 

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MP DESIGN STUDIO - AEROSPATIALE GAZELLE SA342 FSX P3D

MP DESIGN STUDIO - AEROSPATIALE GAZELLE SA342 FSX P3D

Really quite an amazing helicopter sim. This is a lot more stable than expected. Not that it doesn’t present a challenge, it does. MP Design really did something special here. You have the option to manually control the RPMs and it works great by simply assigning a joystick the proper propeller pitch controls making it as close to realistic as FSX can get. Love the various flight aspects that are simulated like transverse effect etc. keep ya on your toes for sure. In addition the excellent flight model the visuals and sounds are top notch too. If you are looking for a realistic helicopter than this would be a great start! Just be prepared for a learning curve. It’s worth the effort. 

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MP DESIGN STUDIO - AEROSPATIALE SA316 ALOUETTE III FSX P3D

MP DESIGN STUDIO - AEROSPATIALE SA316 ALOUETTE III FSX P3D

It’s hard to find a realistic helicopter for FSX, as we all know. MP Design has had a very good reputation offering the most realistic possible models. So I picked this up based on the reviews. First thing I noticed was that this is not an average helicopter. From the start I heard and saw something different from the pack. I was immediately put in my place as a confident FSX helicopter pilot and had to relearn everything. I was used to the usual things. Little of that experience carried over to this. It took a few flights and crashes to get the hang of this chopper and I’m still not certain I get it. Strangely I love that feeling. It’s a real challenge that for the first time after many previous helicopters I’ve tried an enjoyed, leaves me with an impression of what it might be like to fly a real helicopter even with a standard HOTAS set up. As close as I can get anyway. The Alouette has unique characteristics I’ve not experienced before and I have a little ways to go still before I can say I am totally competent with it.  The challenge is there for sure.  The shake effect is very cool, and when you start to get into trouble there are more intense audio and visual cues telling me I need to make an adjustment to my flying habits quickly of suffer.  The visual models are really good for their age. You can also make a number of visual changes to the chosen model after starting a flight. Changes like baskets, antenna, loud speakers and more. There are several liveries in this package to choose from even if a few are only subtly different from another.  If you love helicopters and have felt like you’ve tried them all, feeling like they are mostly all the same, then you should seriously consider this add on. It’s not like all the rest at all. It will challenge you. It’s a solid add on for sure. 

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AEROSOFT - DIGITAL AVIATION PIPER CHEYENNE X - (DOWNLOAD)

AEROSOFT - DIGITAL AVIATION PIPER CHEYENNE X - (DOWNLOAD)

The positive reviews sold me on this plane and despite the age of it, I bought it. I see now what all the others are saying about this aircraft is all true. It’s a very good add on. The age of it however is showing quite a bit. Its design roots from previous iterations of MSFS shows and you can see clearly that it not totally up to FSX standards. Having said that I want to point out that despite that it does look pretty good for its age, and more importantly it flies even better. In the areas of feeling realistic this aircraft add on does fit the bill nicely. It’s also a fun plane to fly that doesn’t leave me feeling like it’s the same as any other twin. The audio holds up pretty good as well.  It might be a bit over priced for the times but it is still clearly a classic that after some time in the virtual skies I understood why it has been held in such hi regard by so many simmers.  You are getting a few different versions of the Cheyenne and a good number of liveries in total. So to sum it all up I’d say that this old lady is still a worthy add on for the sake of realism as long as you can get over the obvious visual age and appreciate its realism. I like it. 

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TAXI2GATE - HAMAD INTL AIRPORT FSX P3D

TAXI2GATE - HAMAD INTL AIRPORT FSX P3D

This is of course a very nice scenery package with a highly detailed airport and the whole nearby Doha city. Not quite as good as FlyTampas Dubai, but still up there as one of the greats. T2G always delivers on the expectations of its fans and this is no exception. Most attention was paid to Hamad. The city seems a little thrown in, almost like it was a last minute thing. It’s still good and I’m very grateful for the cityscape, but the airport outshines it. Like all their airports. Accurate , complete, detailed and beautiful. Totally worth it! 

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GLOWINGHEAT - B-58 HUSTLER FSX

GLOWINGHEAT - B-58 HUSTLER FSX

OK this is a really obscure or at least relatively unknown aircraft. You might have to be a weirdo Cold War era collector like me to be truly interested. I had to have it in my virtual museum. Flying the Hustler is odd. The afterburners kick in after only about 25% throttle setting and get stronger as you slide throttle up. It burns fuel at an alarming rate and is hard to keep it at a cruise of around 300kias. That also means that slowing this beast is a nightmare. No spoilers to aid with shredding off airspeed especially on descent.  How much of this is realistic I have no idea. But I’m pretty sure the afterburners shouldn’t engage at such low power settings. But, it’s an interesting plane that is a challenge to fly and especially land properly.  The VC is pretty low rez and while it matches photos hardly anything is clickable. Like an old Virtavia or AlphaSim freeware but slightly better. The key thing here is having a keen interest in the era of this type. If so then there is some fun to be had. But after only a couple flights I already feel like I’ve exhausted my curiosity or desire to stick with it. Maybe? I’m still glad I own this monster. 

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FLIGHT 1 - QUALITYWINGS ULTIMATE 787 COLLECTION FSX

FLIGHT 1 - QUALITYWINGS ULTIMATE 787 COLLECTION FSX

I can’t believe there are hardly any user reviews for this. Maybe not many people are buying it since it’s the most expensive add on aircraft around. Definitely a little price gouging here. I mean it’s a really really nice collection of the 787s. The cockpit is just unreal but so very real looking. Very very few aircraft add ons look this good! Even Carenado could learn something. I’ve been inspecting these and so far after a few hours of viewing and flying I can cannot find anything wrong or out of place. Quality Wings went all out here and it shows. This is a fully functioning aircraft that is represented at the highest level. The FMCs the Flight Bag touch screens are all clickable and easy to use. No finicky buttons or hard to locate click spots( except on the A/P Speed dial) to frustrate you.  Outstanding textures from A to Z and easy on frames. I use an integrated GPU and can fly this in and out of my Taxi2Gate or FlyTampa sceneries without issue. I’m running at 45 FPS consistently and only lose about -5 or so when in less optimized scenery add ons.  The lighting is oh so good! It looks so realistic. One could feel like they are looking through a window at the real thing when staring at the monitor.  The wing flex, engine and other sounds all come together for a fully immersive experience.  Hand flying is top of the heap excellent! It’s just how I imagine a real 787 would be like. Of course I only have videos, pictures and various ebooks to derive any sort of comparisons but being a flight sim fanatic with over 21000 hours and having over 400 aircraft add ons (paid and free) I can say that this is as good as it gets for FSX (PMDG not withstanding) and while it is over priced a bit, it’s the only 787 available that is worth buying. I waited years with this on my wish list looking for a sale but never saw one so I finally caved and paid the extreme sticker price. I have to say I just love this one!  So many liveries available also from QW website. 

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FSDG - CASABLANCA FSX P3D

FSDG - CASABLANCA FSX P3D

I always start off thinking wow, with these FSDG sceneries. It another excellent offering by them no doubt. You can expect high levels of detail and quality textures throughout. I can’t find anything to complain about. Always a solid buy when purchasing any FSDG scenery.

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MSK - REMAKE ISLAMABAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FSX P3D

MSK - REMAKE ISLAMABAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FSX P3D

Not bad, could be better. However it is pric3d right for what you get and that is fair. I’m not saying anything is wrong with it. It’s just not a really well defined and detailed scenery. It is still pretty nice and the airport is complete. But I’ve never been there so I can’t really say for certain just how accurate it is. It’s hard to find good scenery for Pakistan, and I only wanted it so I could have somewhere different to fly from Dubai or Doha etc. I’m satisfied with this. Frames seem pretty good too.

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JUSTFLIGHT - 146-200/300 JETLINER

JUSTFLIGHT - 146-200/300 JETLINER

Even though I already have the Quality Wings version package I thought I’d try this as well. The main selling point for me was that airstairs can be enabled with all liveries not just a few. Also the passenger views with full cabin was a big point as well. The aircraft config tool lets you choose what planes have airstairs and if you want them in the front or back, neither or both. That proved to be just what I wanted. Plus the model is really nice. Great textures and the the cockpit looks fantastic except for a few minor low rez textures near the side window frames. Kind of nit picky but it stands out a little bit.  The flight modeling is pretty good also and seems more realistic than the QW version. The sound is better too.  Only real issue I have is that there is no panel for opening and closing doors or stairs. The only option is a very touchy shift E 1,2 etc. on all my other planes I hit shift E  once then each digit one at a time requiring only a little timing between each number. This one forces a shift E  together then 1 (and so on) one at a time and hitting the digit must be just right. I mean it requires absolute perfection or the corresponding door won’t open or close. Really annoying. Makes getting doors, stairs etc where I want them very frustrating and takes a while sometimes because I can’t always get the timing perfect. Shift E together then in a split second hit the digit right after. None of my other planes do this. Weird little quirk with this.  Other than that I am happy with the purchase. 

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AEROSOFT - FAIRBANKS X FSX P3D FS2004

AEROSOFT - FAIRBANKS X FSX P3D FS2004

Another excellent SimWings scenery add on!  Unfortunately it’s (same with Anchorage) not fully compatible with FSX Steam. No water in the sea base lake. It’s dried up in all seasons. Plus the train never appears. Other than those compatibility issues the airport is incredible! Every detail is given full attention. Like the Anchorage add on it’s all very well done and has excellent night lighting effects. So much better than default. 

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AEROSOFT - GERMAN AIRFIELDS 2 - NORDLICHTER (DOWNLOAD)

AEROSOFT - GERMAN AIRFIELDS 2 - NORDLICHTER (DOWNLOAD)

I picked this and Vol 2 up on sale and I am glad I did. It is a great island hopping scenery area. Lots of interesting small field with nice textures. Unfortunately the default textures remain just underneath the add on textures at most of the airfields. Some more than others. Still a decent package but not worth full price. 

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AEROSOFT - GERMAN AIRFIELDS 1 - INSELHÜPFEN (DOWNLOAD)

AEROSOFT - GERMAN AIRFIELDS 1 - INSELHÜPFEN (DOWNLOAD)

This is a pretty cool collection of small airfields with a couple medium sized airports as well. There are also various new buildings and other structures around Kiel that enhances the default scenery quite a bit.  The airfields are all detailed nicely and flying to and from each is much better than it was before I installed this. One issue though is that the original default airfields remain present under the new scenery at most of them. Some are worse than others but some are only a little noticeable.  Probably a problem with FSX Steam maybe? I still like the add on. It’s harder on frames or system power than say the UK2000 airfields packages. Then again these are better textures as well. 

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FLYTAMPA - DUBAI REBOOTED FS2004 FSX P3D

FLYTAMPA - DUBAI REBOOTED FS2004 FSX P3D

I got these from FlyTampa direct as a replacement for a previous scenery problem. Which should be noted as amazing customer service. FlyTampa not only offers so,e of the best scenery around, but also is run by a person of great integrity who cares about his customers.  That said this Dubai scenery is epic. Full of detailed custom buildings and other sites. The airport itself is up there in terms of quality and true to FlyTampa standards. Working jetways, ground vehicles and a lot of other airport details fully implemented. It’s quite a vision on approach with all those tall and interesting towers. It’s especially nice at night or sunset.  Taking a helicopter up to get a closer look at things is a blast. There are at least a dozen roof top helipads to visit. My only complaint is with the helipads and it’s really minor. I wish that the helipads had a little more detail like access stairs or ramps. As is you there are no visible means for folks to get on or off the pads. Again a minor gripe.  Frame rates are outstanding even with some weather and high end add on aircraft in use. This is the best Dubai scenery I’ve been able to find and I highly recommend it even with missing some of the most recent airport additions that came after this was released.  Works great with FSC Steam. 

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AEROSOFT - KASTELLORIZO (DOWNLOAD)

AEROSOFT - KASTELLORIZO (DOWNLOAD)

This is another outstanding FSDG scenery! Full of details and photo real visions that take you a virtual island visit. Of the Aerosoft Greek islands it’s the smallest but totally worth it. Other than the main island you also get a couple other small islands nearby that have helipads. I really like this scenery especially with having all the other Greek islands they make. The Caribbean is nice and gets the most attention but the Greek isles are equally as nice and make fun some excellent island hopping.  Very easy on frames. 

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AEROSOFT - DIGITAL AVIATION DO-27 X (DOWNLOAD)

AEROSOFT - DIGITAL AVIATION DO-27 X (DOWNLOAD)

This old gem should still be considered for purchase. It’s another of Aerosoft fully simulated airplanes that surrounds you with a true experience. At least as close as possible in FSX. While you can turn off all the detailed realism features and just fly worry free, that’s not what the core of this Do-27 is about. Like the Katana (but implemented very differently) you get to approximate a realistic aircraft complete with all of its quirks and general needs. Not unlike A2As Accusim, you’ll have to take care of this plane just as if it were real. It’s a highly detailed system that if you can suspend reality for the time being, you’ll be rewarded with a very fulfilling and entertaining time. It’s hard to find these types of simulations but they are of the best kind. Even while showing its age a little bit the Do-27 is nicely detailed and centered most on the appearances of well used aircraft. The only thing missing is the physical feelings of being there to experience the vibrations and gravity etc.  I just wish I knew why the rear windows are not see through? Not sure what’s causing that. Anyway this is one amazing plane. Still worthy of a serious look. 

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GOLDEN AGE SIMULATIONS - GOLDEN AGE - PITCAIRN PACKAGE FOR FSX

GOLDEN AGE SIMULATIONS - GOLDEN AGE - PITCAIRN PACKAGE FOR FSX

GAS does a great job with their add on planes. I have many and never had any complaints. This package is just as good. What a strange and interesting aircraft. Really different to fly and fun also.  Excellent details, very sharp. Pretty good sounds but a little inconsistent when looking left or right in the cockpit.  It’s not an exact replica but all things considered and working with what was possible GAS managed a really good product that approximates the real thing pretty closely. At least so far as I can tell having never seen one of these except in pictures. 

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AEROSOFT - DA20-100 KATANA 4X FSX

AEROSOFT - DA20-100 KATANA 4X FSX

This is a real surprise and cool plane simulation.  If you’re familiar with the excellent A2A Accusim products you’ll feel right at home here. The user interface is a bit different but pretty intuitive. Like Accusim your aircraft is fully simulated down to the slightest detail and then some. There are some differences such as in this you can wash and clean your plane inside and out. It simulated every aspect of the process right down to filling a water bucket and dipping the sponge, to vacuuming the interior. So much is detailed for all maintenance of the aircraft, it would take too long to list them all out. What you’re getting is a small plane with a huge amount of real world related necessities associated with it.  My only complaint is that the various maintenance options take a long to complete. There should be a speed up option but I’ll be damned if it isn’t realistic.  So far as the plane itself it performs just like it says on paper. You can easily damage something and ruin the flight if you don’t pay attention and just full throttle your way through flight.  So be prepared to treat this like it’s a real plane or have a hard time with it.  To folks like me that’s great. A fully simulated plane that includes ever little detail is a remarkable and fun deal.  Not too mention the aircraft is extremely well designed and very immersive. Only Accusim offers something similar. I wish Aerosoft made a lot more like this.  Don’t worry too much if you don’t want to deal with all the little things, you can turn those off and just fly for fun. 

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FLYTAMPA - LEGACY -  GRENADINES FSX P3D

FLYTAMPA - LEGACY - GRENADINES FSX P3D

Having bought Corfu and thoroughly enjoying the spectacular scenery within it I decided to also get Grenadines. I was very disappointed to find that after installing and activating the scenery in FSX Steam that there is zero autogen outside of the airports on all islands. The airports do indeed have the excellent new scenery, so does everything related to water like boats and docks. However not one building or tree anywhere else on the islands. Just black photo scenery for the included islands. After much troubleshooting via the included doc or manual, uninstalls and reinstalls still the problem persists. I tried everything laid out in the manual and the forum.  It appears also that this is a very common problem for a lot of customers that for reasons I can’t fathom has never been fixed by FlyTampa.  If FlyTampa can somehow respond to my support request and fix this I’ll gladly change this review.  I just don’t get why they never fixed it considering how prevalent the issue is.

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CARENADO - E50P PHENOM 100 HD SERIES V2  FSX P3D

CARENADO - E50P PHENOM 100 HD SERIES V2 FSX P3D

First off this is way better than the FeelThere Phenom100 by a mile. The plane is of course high Carenado visual quality. Very nice liveries. The flight model seems very good but I have nothing to truly base that off of. The systems are lite as with all Carenado planes but there is enough to enjoy a nice direct flight plane or GPS. My one complaint is that I cannot have cockpit dome off and cabin dome on. It’s all or nothing no matter what combination of lighting is used internally. This is annoying enough to knock off 1 star. The best lighting configuration possible at night leaves the cabin dark but the cockpit perfectly lit for night flying. Sorry passengers, I hope you weren’t counting on being able to read a book.  Other than that strange lighting  bug I really like this add on. 

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FLYTAMPA - LEGACY - CORFU FSX P3D

FLYTAMPA - LEGACY - CORFU FSX P3D

Wow. What a great scenery add on. This is so highly detailed and with lots of unique custom autogen. Ships come and go, dock and undock. Ferries even open and close their rear gate. They didn’t ignore anything. Lots of light posts all around the island and at night they light up perfectly. N fact all of the islands lighting is super well done. I get now why FlyTampa sceneries get such rave reviews. The frame rates are amazing also. Even with some weather and high end add on aircraft and high FSX graphic settings I get between 40 to 60 all over.  Don’t overlook this one, it’s truly amazing.

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AEROSOFT - ANCHORAGE X FSX

AEROSOFT - ANCHORAGE X FSX

This was very nearly a five star add on. Everything about the airport and its details is excellent. However I’m getting a few strange bugs. The water areas within the scenery area is solid ground. That was extremely disappointing as I was really looking forward to using some of my seaplanes here. Nope! Then I noticed no train, anywhere, ever! Also the taxiway gates that should open and close automatically don’t. The don’t open at all.  If the overall airport detailing wasn’t so good I’d have given only 3 stars.of all the add ons by Aerosoft SimWings made products are the ones I have had the most troubles with.  At least it’s a very nicely made airport with a lot of detail. Winter settings are especially cool. 

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A2A SIMULATIONS - ACCU-SIM P-51 CIVILIAN MUSTANG FSX

A2A SIMULATIONS - ACCU-SIM P-51 CIVILIAN MUSTANG FSX

This was the last AccuSim plane for me to buy. I knew what to expect when I completed the collection and was not disappointed at all. If you are looking at your first Accusim or just another, just don’t worry you will get something very special. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again these are the very best airplane simulations you can get for FSX. The very best. It’s almost like having the real thing so far as one can get without owning the real thing. Every little detail is designed and simulated with incredible detail. The results are a by the book and believable virtual aircraft. Everything works exactly as it should and no flight is the same, for real.  This powerful aircraft isn’t something you can just put the throttle to the firewall and start doing aerobatics without practice. Oh yes it can do all those things but you better understand the aircraft first or you will spin wildly out of control. Once you do get the hang of things you are rewarded with the most satisfying flight sim experience there is on a home PC.  I found this civilian P51D to be a little more demanding than the military version. Not sure exactly why but I think it has much to do with the fact that these are much lighter among other things. Whatever the actual case is, I just love this plane. It can’t be helped, it’s just that good! 

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LIONHEART CREATIONS - LIONHEART - LJ24B GENERATION2 FSX P3D

LIONHEART CREATIONS - LIONHEART - LJ24B GENERATION2 FSX P3D

I hope SimMarket will allow me to comment on this plane despite having purchased elsewhere, because it needs more word of mouth.  The Lionheart LJ24B is a real hidden gem. They overstate the need for a high end PC a bit though. I use a Win 10 i7 16GB Ram with an Intel UHD630 GPU that only has 128mb dedicated video memory and it runs perfectly even in high density add on scenery. I average 40fps never been lower than 30. That said it is a super nice plane inside and out loaded with systems to watch over. But it isn’t overly complicated. Only the fuel transferring might have a slight learning curve.  Yes it looks smashing from all views. Yes it flies like one would expect and seemingly quite realistically.  It’s a plane that has a scary price tag that is described as needing a lot of power to even load. Those were the things that put me off for a long time. I’m glad I finally brought it to my virtual hangar and love to fly it. Let’s face it there just aren’t a lot of really good and believable light biz jets to buy. Oh sure there are a lot available but when considering value for your money, this beats all the others.  Don’t let this high speed little bird go without serious consideration. It beats all my Carenados even though they might look a little prettier. If a realistic and well simulated biz jet is something wanted, this could very well be the best choice these days.  My only complaint is the people I’m the passenger area looked like they are unhappy with each others company. Sitting with dead doll eyes appearing to wish they were either with somebody else or somewhere else. It’s a little funny and no biggie as they can be easily removed from view with a click on the seats.  Lastly the sounds a pretty darn good. Plus it comes with a nice snack pack for the Captain!  Don’t miss out on this one. 

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SKY SIMULATIONS - MD-11 V2.2 FSX P3D

SKY SIMULATIONS - MD-11 V2.2 FSX P3D

I see why people complain about this plane so much. It’s true indeed that the VC has very bad textures but they are mostly limited to the cockpit window framing. They look pretty bad, but this alone doesn’t make this a bad aircraft. It doesn’t help that the FMC is poorly implemented with severe limitations. The systems that are simulated are done so well enough to have an enjoyable flight.  However the rest of what you get is pretty good. The exterior is well done and the audio is as well. The flight model shines brightest. You get a plane that feels like a big heavy airliner or freighter. Be sure to go to SjySims website to download the livery pack which doubles the total count.  It seems to me that this is a competent but slightly hindered MD11 attempt. Currently, there’s not any other option to purchase and it does overall beat any freeware available. Well any freeware I have found and tried. The main issue here is that for you get you have to pay far too much. Since there isn’t any other MD11 around that’s any better, they kind of got you by the ear.I don’t regret buying it but I do regret that I could never find it on sale for a more reasonable price. As is it’s just over priced. If it were lower then more could be forgiven regarding the areas of sub par development. So if you want a MD11 significantly better (but still not great) than freeware, this is as of 2023 the ONLY option. 

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RLABORIE - CL-215 FSX P3D

RLABORIE - CL-215 FSX P3D

RL did a fine job modeling this aircraft. It has a realistic and believable flight model. Sometimes it feels a little on rails but mostly it feels like a rather cumbersome bird just shoving it’s way through the wind. The VC is very nice with crystal clear gauges, buttons and knobs. The main thing that bugs me is how painfully hard it is to steer on water. I guess maybe the real world one also must use thrust from alternating engine power to turn? I’m all for realism but this is just a pain on the water.  The audio is the best part. The engines really sound right. Powerful and loud.  The water load and dumping is pretty fun so there’s that.  Runs very smooth with no FPS hit. Nicely done for the most part. A couple strange and clipped camera views on the external views. But I like it.

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AEROSOFT - SKIATHOS X - THE GREEK ST. MAARTEN FSX

AEROSOFT - SKIATHOS X - THE GREEK ST. MAARTEN FSX

All of the Greek island sceneries sold by Aerosoft are excellent! Skiathos is equal to Rhodes and Mykonos. The airport is perfectly modeled and has a lot of details around it. You’ll even see some nut standing on a concrete block snapping off pictures at all hours complete with his flash. A couple cars and beach goers are also modeled at either end of the runway. The runway does in fact resemble TNCM greatly. It’s like a smaller version on the other side of the planet. The custom autogen is excellent. Many many unique buildings and stuff can be found all around the island which feels alive. The island is beautiful day and night. Absolutely worth it for not just the challenging airport approaches but also the views all around. 

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AEROSOFT - MEGA AIRPORT ROME (DOWNLOAD) FSX P3D

AEROSOFT - MEGA AIRPORT ROME (DOWNLOAD) FSX P3D

It’s a good scenery package but not one of Aerosofts best. The parking assignments are really weird and all say Gate X GA  parking which is strange. Is it a gate or GA parking cause they aren’t the same. Also the train doesn’t move unlike other sceneries with airport trains bringing and taking people about.  The unfinished terminal looks lousy but I suppose was accurate at the time this was done. Also every time I use ATC to request landing it sends me to 18 Water, regardless of aircraft type. Seems a little strange clearing an MD 11 to land in the ocean no? These may be ticky tack complaints but they were annoying enough to detract from an otherwise excellent scenery.  The existing terminals are well done and so are all of the structures that make up LIRF. A fair amount of ground traffic from airport service vehicles to aircraft make it a lively place to visit. I don’t see anything the least bit “cartoonish” as every building matches it’s real world counter part. The runways and taxi ways are all nicely modeled too. So I must say having got it on sale I’m mostly happy with it. 

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A2A SIMULATIONS - CHEROKEE 180 FSX ENTERTAINMENT

A2A SIMULATIONS - CHEROKEE 180 FSX ENTERTAINMENT

Having bought nearly all A2A products I knew what to expect. Greatness. That’s what you get here just like all of their other planes.  This Cherokee is the best you can buy. A fully simulated in the highest detail plane.  As with all AccuSim planes you get something nobody else can deliver. A fully believable and highly detailed simulation that can make you forget it’s a sim.  There’s little to say other than yes it’s totally worth the money even today. Everything looks and feels right.  You can do no better than Accusim. Outstanding!  Installs and runs perfectly in FSX Steam, Win10.

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BEAR STUDIOS - FLANKER B+

BEAR STUDIOS - FLANKER B+

I get people being frustrated by bad customer service but this plane is way better than one star. There is a detailed manual included that has information on all of this planes features and functions. It isn’t the best manual I’ve seen but the answers are in it if you take the time to look.  That said this is actually quite a solid Flanker package with a lot of details and a well simulated model. Well who really knows how well it can be simulated without being a Chinese or Russian pilot, but it does have the expected power and maneuverability that seem well within a believable package.  The cockpits are very good but as with all Bear products have very few cursor hover information. I mean that when you put your mouse cursor on or over a given switch, button, knob etc there is no info about what they are or do. There are a LOT of them and if you can’t read Chinese or Russian then you better be willing to open the manual and look it up. So that makes this something you will have to read up on quite a bit. It’s this lack of helpful in-cockpit info that keeps it from being 5 stars in my opinion. Aircraft of this type should have robust mouse over details that say what the switch, button or knob is. There are a few but very very few.  Getting over my frustration with lack of cockpit info the rest of these are very nicely designed. Each model has its unique cockpit layout relating also to which country it’s from. The VC is clearly a labor of love and shows a great attention to detail. The exterior is also something that is evident of a huge amount of effort and care. There’s some areas that could be picked at but I think that would just be nit picky for no real reason. The planes look very very good.  With a little manual reading and a few button reassignments like water rudder, concord nose drop etc you can have active (not full combat capable)  and functional weapons and fire control systems. Mussels fire, rockets guns counter measures etc all can be fired off. You even will get lock tones if you set your weapon's control systems correctly. You’ll need to have at least 30% air traffic in your sims settings. What you fire at or drop on does not explode or is not destroyed but you’re getting more than the usual.  The whole package is well done. I should mention the sounds are well done also.  I have all of the available Flankers or SU models and this is the best by far! The others all feel like toys with very limited systems. This is a highly detailed package that is full of features and functions. While not perfect it is better than anything else available to purchase. It could even be called a study level product perhaps? Well I have had to do some studying for sure.  One bad review by an impatient buyer unwilling to read or look up the in and outs is unfair and this product deserves better.  Installs and works perfectly in FSX Steam and Win10.

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FLYSIMWARE LLC - C441 CONQUEST II FSX P3D

FLYSIMWARE LLC - C441 CONQUEST II FSX P3D

If you’re looking at buying this then you’ve probably also seen the Alabeo version of this same aircraft as well. Might even wonder what the difference is? If you prefer realism and functioning systems then forget about the Alabeo version. This is the 441 C2 to own if realism is most important.  FSW did do a remarkable job simulating the Garrett engines from start up spool to shut down spin. Additionally they managed to simulate all of the systems in great detail. Flight physics are great so far as a non real world pilot like me can tell based off videos and documentation.  The drawback is all in the visuals. While the textures aren’t bad, they are however nowhere near as nice or pretty as the Alabeo 441 C2. But for those who prefer a detailed simulation of the plane over being an all eye candy, no realism affair, then you will appreciate the detailed systems and physics of this plane. This is very close if not a spot on study type aircraft sim. 

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FLIGHT 1 - BN2 ISLANDER FSX

FLIGHT 1 - BN2 ISLANDER FSX

A surprising little plane. I’ve read good things about it for a while. If you’re like me and enjoy island hopping like say The Seychelles (Aerosoft add on scenery) then this is a really nice plane to have. It’s low and slow but does have an auto pilot. The GPS is something I’m not familiar with but there is a manual to download.  The engine sounds are amazing. All the sounds are well done actually.  Excellent modeling and a good plane to look at all around.  The gauges are exceptional. I didn’t know Virtavia was involved with this plane’s developmental. Don’t worry everything is top notch quality. The BN2 fills an empty spot in my hangar that I didn’t know I had. So glad I finally bought it. These days you never know when a FSX add on might vanish from the market never to be seen again.  Did I mention the flight physics are well done and feel realistic? They are. A worth purchase for the island hopping masses that shouldn’t be overlooked.   No cold/dark option, it always starts engine on. A little annoying when you have to turn it all off before starting a flight from scratch.  I also really like that you can hit a click spot under each lever to tie or untie the pairs for power, pitch and mix. Very cool.  All in all it’s a great plane that I am enjoying. It just a little bit over priced if you ask me. 

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FLYSIMWARE LLC - GRUMMAN G-44A WIDGEON FSX P3D

FLYSIMWARE LLC - GRUMMAN G-44A WIDGEON FSX P3D

Having watched this go on and off sale several times as it sat on my wishlist I finally pulled the trigger. The screenshots don’t do it justice. It looks better (on my pc at least) than those shots. It also flies really nice. It doesn’t steer well on the water as there is no water rudder. You have to carefully manipulate the throttles separately in order to turn on the water. So be sure to give your surroundings a real good look before trying to power steer this duck. You’d think they’d have a rudder on this but apparently not. I also wish there were a couple more civil liveries. At any rate it’s well made and nice to fly. Great for island hopping and seeing the sights. No auto pilot at all by the way.  Everything that matters is done well by FSW and that is most important. Great catch on sale. 

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CERA - BELL 412/EP FSX SP2

CERA - BELL 412/EP FSX SP2

Sure it’s really really old. It is also however, one of the best available helicopters when it comes to realism. No FSX chopper is totally realistic, we all know that. But even with the limitations in FSX that hamper helicopters on general you can still find excellent helos. This is one of them and espite being 15 years old it still holds up and demonstrates a very cleverly designed helicopter that is both fun and challenging to fly.  The 412 has dual engine power that can make new helicopter pilots wince a little bit when first trying to fly it. It behaves about as close to real as FSX will allow, much is a credit to Cera. All their choppers are actually excellent so this should be no surprise.  If you’re like me and want to get close to realistic, CeraSim is the place to check first. You will have to forgive the texture age as they are not up to more recent development expectations, but still not bad at all. Sit this 412 next to there newer choppers and the difference is obvious. But again it’s about the best possible physics and flight behaviors that interest me most so take it for what it’s worth.  Either way if you haven’t tried a CeraSim product this Oswald be a great start and all the others they make are all very good.  I knocked one star for lack of Auto Pilot because I know for a fact it’s possible and one of their other helos has A/P.  Also no back of cabin views.  Otherwise totally worth getting.

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FLIGHT REPLICAS - SUPER CUB - DELUXE IFR AMPHIBIOUS FSX P3D

FLIGHT REPLICAS - SUPER CUB - DELUXE IFR AMPHIBIOUS FSX P3D

A mostly exceptional sim of a classic. These fully modernized amphibians are very well modeled in visuals and flight characteristics. Only a couple weird bugs. First the other reviewer has my appreciation for including the solution for the Red plane and it worked. It was also a very easy fix.  The rifle never appears when selected and the Pod doesn’t appear when selected on just the red one. On the yellow bird the pod is visible but cannot be opened like with other Flight Replica Cubs. This can be forgiving as they weren’t something I really cared about, but others may not feel the same way, so that’s why I bring it up here. It’s a small price for two excellent planes so why not.  Used with FSX Steam Win 10.

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CARENADO - TBM 850 HD SERIES FSX P3D V2

CARENADO - TBM 850 HD SERIES FSX P3D V2

Of course it looks amazing. That is always going to be the case with Carenado. One problem is that the cabin dome light button doesn’t work. The only way to light up the passenger cabin is hitting the L key. Then you have to check that everything else is on again. That’s the only significant problem I found so far. It flies great and has believable behaviors in flight. It’s certain fast! Faster than a lot of twin turbo props. TBMs have a fairly minimalistic interior and that’s evident here too. You can set cabin pressure, temps, defrost etc. I can’t seem to get it to accept approach procedures, vectoring and such. To me that’s just annoying but I prefer to manually fly my planes anyway.  All in all it’s over priced with these bugs but still the best TBM 850 you can buy these days. 

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CAPTAIN SIM - 1011 CAPTAIN BASEPACK FSX

CAPTAIN SIM - 1011 CAPTAIN BASEPACK FSX

This may be almost 9 years old but it doesn’t show. As with nearly all CS products you get something special here with this L1011. The cockpit is beautifully modeled and packed with realistic textures. No cheap looking anything. Everything is modeled and systems are complete! This is not your every day start and fly plane. They managed to fully simulate the plane in great depth. You will not be able to jump in and CNTL E then fly. Nope. You will need to learn how to prepare and start the plane manually and it’s not exactly obvious. I spent two hours like an idiot trying to figure it out before I caved and watched a tutorial video. Miss one single step and no start. I love it! Realism galore here. Not only is learning the systems necessary but you will also need to fully understand aircraft load weights and balance in order to successfully land the beast. Of course you could just auto land as it has that capability, but that’s no fun. It has extremely realistic behaviors and feels so right. If you like a challenge and don’t mind a little reading or video watching you’ll be rewarded with a unique flight sim experience. It’s already one of my favorite airliners and while ahead of it’s time when built, it’s now a relic that revives the joy of early 80s flying. You just need to be ready to be not just the pilot, but also copilot and engineer all in one unlike modern airliners. I’d call this a thinking pilots plane.  I only wish there were a few more liveries in the download and some airstairs and a passenger cabin model, but you get so much as is at a price that’s still well worth paying.  A perfectly gorgeous bird that really sets itself apart from the pack. No serious complaints. Runs great on FSX SE Win10. 

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DRZEWIECKI DESIGN - NEW YORK CITY X V2 FSX P3D

DRZEWIECKI DESIGN - NEW YORK CITY X V2 FSX P3D

I have all Drzewiecki Designs cities except Chicago. I had been impressed by their amazing attention to detail and offering of such large scenery areas. So I got NY City.  v2 thinking I’d have the same outstanding experience.  Sadly not quite. While there is a huge amount of custom autogen and excellent photo scenery with nearly every point of interest viewable, there are also a lot of strange issues with some of those custom autogen buildings. A lot of them are just black or dark gray with limited night lighting. An equal number of these look exactly like the real world building and light up great. Throughout the city there are these off colored buildings that in shape only, resemble their real world counterparts. It’s kind of split like 50/50; perfect vs imperfect building appearances in all. The more historic the building the more likely it is actually modeled and lit well. So you will see the Manhattan skyline in mostly excellent detail and accuracy. Buildings below famous skyscrapers that are less well known appear to be those less accuracy grayish structures that even sometimes look like clay models in a way. All of the bridges are well modeled and none are off colored like some buildings I’ve described. They are well lit.  I guess I’d say that mostly this is a very good scenery package but not as good as all their others.  It’s possible that the appearance issues I am having are because of my GPU, so I can’t in all fairness remove more than one star. I still like flying around the enormous city area taking in the sites. Helicopter flying is especially fun and there are a few well detailed heliports to use.  Compared to Aerosofts Manhattan X this is much better by way of sheer size and scope to be explored. But AS Manhattan X is better when considering just Manhattan although very outdated. This scenery has the new towers completed where the Aerosoft Manhattan X show them only partially built. That is another reason this is the better option overall. 

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CAPTAIN SIM - C-130 X-PERIENCE BASE PACK

CAPTAIN SIM - C-130 X-PERIENCE BASE PACK

I haven’t found or experienced any of the bugs reported in other reviews myself. I use FSX SE and have done a few test flights to test everything out and so far everything is working well.  Granted it’s old and some textures are showing their age, but I find it to be tolerable. Mostly it’s hard to read the words at the switches, dials and knobs that describe what each do when zoomed in closely.  From a more normal VC sitting distance they look fine. The plethora of 2D panels can be very useful and are crystal clear. But there is no denying this is old. The external textures look pretty darn good for their age and make for a pleasing look even today.  Most importantly the flight model seems very realistic and believable. Much better than any freeware by a wide margin.  All doors, hatches and windows that can be opened and closed do open and close properly for me.  Cockpit night lighting is too bright and although there seems to be a few dimmers, none actually work. It’s strictly on or off. Exterior lighting also show their age a bit but aren’t bad.  The auto pilot might confuse those who have not seen the type used here but it is working and following my GPS flight plans perfectly.  Engine sounds are a bit off. When idle and or cruising they sound really good, but when advancing or retreating the throttles the engine audio is inconsistent throughout throttle travel. This is about the worst problem I’ve discovered, but again I was expecting things to be a bit off due to the models age.  All in all for the price I’m satisfied with the purchase and enjoy flying the CaptainSim C130 and look forward to adding the extras. It’s not that bad for its age and worth taking the chance if your collection needs this plane. 

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AEROSOFT - IBIZA X EVOLUTION FSX P3D (DOWNLOAD)

AEROSOFT - IBIZA X EVOLUTION FSX P3D (DOWNLOAD)

Not bad but pretty lite on any custom auto gen. There is a some but very little and most of the island outside of the airport is FSX generic autogen. The airport however is amazing and looks like the real place. The water traffic is better than an average with custom boats and ferries. The photo scenery coverage is also very good and highly detailed. This is overall a good scenery package but lacks custom auto gen in the city (like no resorts such as found in other AS sceneries ie; Rhodes etc) and around the island. I am mostly satisfied.  FSX Steam with very high settings.

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AEROSOFT - MALLORCA X EVOLUTION FSX P3D

AEROSOFT - MALLORCA X EVOLUTION FSX P3D

I hate to say this but I was really disappointed with some of this scenery. First if you are looking for just having excellent photo scenery coverage and the 2 airports in excellent detail then yes this is very very good. However half of the island has only trees for autogen, zero buildings on the island side opposite of the airports and main city. The airports and surrounding city extending a fair distance even further into the mountain does have auto gen of all types except no marina boats. Plus the auto gen lacks much custom buildings and except for a couple major sites is almost all buildings are generic FSX autogen stock. For the size and money I expected better. But again the airports especially LEPA is very very good and looks just like the airport should and is full of life with moving carts and various airport vehicles all in excellent detail. I’m using FSX Steam with very high settings.

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FLIGHT 1 - IFLY JETS - THE 737NG FSX FSXSE

FLIGHT 1 - IFLY JETS - THE 737NG FSX FSXSE

I sat on this in my wish list for a long time hoping for a sale but never saw one. So I caved and finally got this. Right off the bat I installed the updated services pack from Flight 1. First thing I noticed is when I launch any 737 in FSX SE I get a warning “iFly 737.DLL failed to load”. Yet the plane does load up and flies fine. The configurator used to set fuel and loads doesn’t send data to the sim, so I have to do that the old fashioned way. The engine sounds are very nice. Distinctive and robust sounding. Being able to add the HUD to any given livery is cool as well as engine options, winglets, imperial vs metric etc. There is a long list of customizable options to satisfy just about anyone. You just can’t do any on the fly and must be adjusted before starting FSX. The HUD itself is great to have.  The exterior textures are outstanding as well as the lighting and reflection FX. The landing lights at night in fog look so cool lighting up fog and the sides of the plane realistically. The cockpit seems a little bright. Systems are all in order and auto pilot is as expected with a Boeing.  The flight model is exceptional. Noticeably better than any freeware or the stock 737. It has the believable impression of being the real thing. It reacts like you’d expect a plane of this size to react in all sorts of weather.  Frame rates even in dense add on scenery is 30-60FPS and sometimes higher.  My only complaint is that the initial download comes with only house liveries and a single KLM. That is lame. For the money I’d expect at least ten standard or common airliner liveries to start.  After fumbling about with the livery manager and configuration manager I managed to load up a couple dozen liveries downloaded from Flight 1. It’s so tedious and time consuming.  Overall I’m happy with the iFly 737s and am enjoying flying them. I just don’t feel it’s worth $55 USD at this stage of the game. But what are you going to do? 

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CARENADO - H25B H850XP HD SERIES FSX P3D

CARENADO - H25B H850XP HD SERIES FSX P3D

The age is showing a little bit and you can only open the main door. However the flight model is really well done and it’s a joy to fly. Is it worth nearly $50? Nope. But you can’t get this particular aircraft anywhere else for less. I decided I needed to fill the gap I had in my biz jet collection between small and large and this does the trick.  It does have very good sounds and lighting, and the it’s not like the textures are bad. Not at all. Just not as good as my Carenado Phenom  of a more recent development age wise. 

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AEROSOFT - LA PALMA X FSX P3D (DOWNLOAD)

AEROSOFT - LA PALMA X FSX P3D (DOWNLOAD)

This might be one of the very best add on sceneries I’ve owned! So much amazing detail and excellent custom auto generation it’s so close to real. It certainly looks like the real place so far as can be determined by google earth and other photos I could find. It seems that every point of interest is fully mocked up and modeled. The airport is just as fantastically designed as the whole island with excellent photo real ground. Even the ground traffic and boat traffic is cool. Of my hundreds of add on sceneries this is easily in my top five. Couldn’t recommend this high enough! Don’t miss it!

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JUSTFLIGHT - CANBERRA PR9 FSX P3D

JUSTFLIGHT - CANBERRA PR9 FSX P3D

Amazing replication of such an icon. Not an easy plane to fly and especially challenging to land. Full of detail and exceptional textures. The plane is highly detailed with systems and an understanding of how it all works can make your life and flight more enjoyable. Like the real Canberra you can’t just throw full throttle and leave it there as it will overheat and possibly cause flame out. That extra attention to detail makes this such an amazing simulation. Totally worth it! 

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AEROSOFT - MYKONOS X (DOWNLOAD)

AEROSOFT - MYKONOS X (DOWNLOAD)

I love the Mykonos style. Everything is white, and blu outside of the airport that is. Makes for a truly different sort of scenery.  The airport is highly detailed and a solid amount of animated bits scurrying about.  The photo scenery is excellent and I can’t find any serious issues or bugs. This is just a real nice place to virtually visit. Excellent frame rates even on high detail settings.  Excellent night lighting at the airport and the island as a whole. 

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JUSTFLIGHT - LANCASTER B MK.I FSX P3D

JUSTFLIGHT - LANCASTER B MK.I FSX P3D

Wow just wow! I had to have a Lancaster for my collection and they sure did put a ton of love into this! It’s easy to say quite simply in all areas they made a crazy beautiful plane here.  One that flies like an old lumbering bird that has incredibly powerful engines. I only wish I could load the damn busters spherical bombs, or the 12000lbs Tirpitz killing darts. But I can live with the cookie and standard bomb load.  If you like WW2 aircraft you can’t forget this legend. A must have for those of us still too invested in our FSX hobby to give up in favor of shiner and newer FS2020 that has hardly any good add ons yet. 

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FLIGHT REPLICAS - DH.114 HERON FSX P3D

FLIGHT REPLICAS - DH.114 HERON FSX P3D

I really like this old plane. Slow as it is I feel like they really did a good job simulating it. Be prepared this is a super slow aircraft considering it has 4 engines. My best cruise with a typical load was around 152 mph at 7000 feet. The old A/P held nicely and it was an enjoyable flight.  The overall appearance is quite good inside and out. The audio is equally well done, maybe a little understated for my tastes but nothing the volume control can’t fix. A great choice for flying around high detail scenery areas like Aerosofts Madeira & LaPalma. The slow speed makes you appreciate the views a bit more.  Excellent views from the detailed cabin and lav. 

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AEROSOFT - US CITIES X - NIAGARA FALLS/BUFFALO FSX P3D

AEROSOFT - US CITIES X - NIAGARA FALLS/BUFFALO FSX P3D

Not the best US Cities X I’ve bought. Yes the area around the falls is a lot better but even with max settings a lot is missing.  The entire downtown high rise area is gone, not a single auto or custom gen building throughout the whole scenery area is over 300 feet. I can forgive it’s dated looks were it not for leaving out every single high rise. There is nothing I can turn up any higher. Watching the orcas is pretty neat though. It’s far better than the stock scenery at least. Just not great. 

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TFDI DESIGN - 717

TFDI DESIGN - 717

I’d like to replace my first impressions review with this more reasonable one. At first the automations were giving me fits. Especially when disengaging AutoFlight and having the audio warning constantly repeat “Auto Flight….” Over and over with no way to shut it up other than to turn Auto Flight back on. It made taking manual control very frustrating. Since my first few hours were total craziness I’ve taken the appropriate time to get to know this 717. So far so good. I still don’t really like so much automation and prefer to pilot my planes myself. I understand better now what needs to be done to have a good flight as the aircraft was designed to do.  That said I do like the textures inside and out and the details within. The lighting is excellent also.  The only real issue I have is that they don’t include any liveries with the purchase. You have to manually add them which is annoying when every other developer includes at least a solid number of popular airline liveries. Some time the downloaded liveries don’t even work or are all black. Nevermind that they were added exactly the same way as the others that showed up perfectly. Plus having to download one at a time with no option for a package option is even worse. Tedious process and if you never added a livery before good luck figuring it out. The instructions are lousy. Livery issue aside this is an excellent simulation of the 717 and I’m getting good fun use from this. 

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A1R DESIGN BUREAU -  A1R PIEL EMERAUDE FSX

A1R DESIGN BUREAU - A1R PIEL EMERAUDE FSX

This is a nice little plane. Very maneuverable and easy to fly. Forgiving and fun.  It’s a simple aircraft with little to cause any confusion making for an easily recognizable cockpit.  Not very fast but better than a C172 for sure.  Nice night time cockpit and excellent audio.

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ROLAND LABORIE - VOUGHT CRUSADER AEG FSX

ROLAND LABORIE - VOUGHT CRUSADER AEG FSX

For some (regarding aircraft carrier ops) reason this plane bounces like a rubber ball all over the carrier deck no matter how good your landing is. It’s fine when landing on the ground, but try the same thing on an aircraft carrier and this F8 ends up all over the place and sometimes in the water. So forget about doing a naval operations with this. Also the speed is wrong. Out of the box these barely get to Mach 1.3. I had to adjust the aircraft  .cfg thrust scaler up to 1.75 in order to make this super sonic aircraft get close to its top speed around Mach 1.7 in level flight at fl300.  Also the speed gauge Mach indicated is broken. It will never indicate a Mach speed about .85 so I had to use an aeronautical speed calculator to figure what the actual Mach is. That stinks. That’s ll the bad.  The good is pretty good in that the airplane overall appearance is excellent. The radar works, the scope works, you can fire (without FX)  your missiles or drop bombs.  It handles like I would expect for an F8. I like flying it quite a bit.  The engine audio is understated so you’ll have to crank up your volume. The night lighting is well done.  In summary the bad: Top speed too low and requires end user to fix. Mach meter gauge is broken. Cannot perform any carrier ops.  The good: Excellent textures and flight modeling. Nice night lighting.  Fun to fly.  It’s the ONLY Crusader you can buy so whether or not it’s work the price is beside the point. I’m a collector so I begrudgingly bought it and am OK with it. 

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FSDG - RHODES FSX P3D3-5

FSDG - RHODES FSX P3D3-5

FSDG really has a special talent for creating scenery at the highest level of quality and enjoyment. Rhodes is another example that does not disappoint at all! So much custom autogen mixed perfectly with generics that in some way even makes the generics look better. Diagoras is incredibly well done. The airport feels alive and welcoming. No hit to my PC performance. Efficient code!  I could easily go on and on about how good this scenery is, but you just have to see it and fly it to get it. Very worth buying!

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AEROSOFT - MADEIRA X EVOLUTION FSX P3D

AEROSOFT - MADEIRA X EVOLUTION FSX P3D

As with nearly all of my Aerosoft products (and all of the various developers contained within) this is a beautiful scenery. I’m a little disappointed with the smaller amount of custom autogen but the most important things are definitely present and look great. No frame loss even with high-ish settings and really high quality aircraft. I just wish they would’ve somehow make air stairs work with parked planes when no jetways are around like at this airport.  The landing isn’t as difficult as I expected. The lead in lights help a bunch at night on that curvy final approach. 

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AEROSOFT - AIRBUS BUNDLE (A318/319 & A320/A321) FSX P3D

AEROSOFT - AIRBUS BUNDLE (A318/319 & A320/A321) FSX P3D

What a great deal even at its age. Buying the bundle saves a lot of dough. Could’ve been more liveries for each variant but there are a good amount as is.  The cockpit is spot on and really looks and feels right.  However there is a lot less clickable working systems than I expected. In fact there are a bunch that cannot be used on the lower center console. Not exactly the “%90” I was expecting. More like about %65.  At any rate you do have all necessary controls at your finger tips and can easily have a realistic feeling Flight from the captains chair.  Nice cockpit audio includes ambient sounds like a coughing, or sneezing copilot, a flight attendant will bring you a drink from time to time and of course there are all the appropriate aural warnings and others to chime in when appropriate.  The engines sound fantastic from any perspective. The external textures are also high quality. It really seems that everything is well done so I can’t complain much. There really should’ve been a passenger cabin view. If Captain Sim can do it, so could Aerosoft. Anyway 4 stars for the light number of liveries and omitted usable systems to click on.  Being a Boeing fan I have to say I am impressed with these Airbus. I am glad I finally bought them. 

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RLABORIE - DEWOITINE D 551 FSX P3D

RLABORIE - DEWOITINE D 551 FSX P3D

This is one surprising plane. I’d never heard of it until I saw it on the Market. The cockpit is really nicely done. Very realistic gauges and some of the best I’ve seen for an old warbird remake. The exterior textures are just as nice.  It flies a bit on rails, but that is really common. I say “a bit” because at times it seems to have natural responses that feel more realistic. It’s hard to pin point where those differences are but the stall mechanics stand out as over simplified where the turbulence response feels more realistic.  The engine sounds are really good and so is most of the lighting. Externally lights appear as expected. However from inside the cockpit the wing tip lights are off and above the wings which is distracting at times.  There is no touch down or wheel audio and hardly any wind sounds FX. I don’t like any plane that doesn’t have a realistic audio change when you open the canopy and this is one of those that sounds the same open or closed.  If some of these little things were given more attention it could’ve been a 5 star plane. No chance of that happening anymore, but I still think it’s a nice plane to have and I enjoy flying it. Plus it has smoke effect and that’s cool. 

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CARENADO - DO228 100 HD SERIES FSX P3D

CARENADO - DO228 100 HD SERIES FSX P3D

So good! This is such an under appreciated aircraft. They did a super good job with this planes details in both texture and flight characteristics. A couple more liveries would’ve been nice, but Carenado is always stingy with liveries. All the same I love flying this bird. It’s surprisingly quick too. Well done!

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AEROSOFT - ASPEN EXTENDED FSX P3D

AEROSOFT - ASPEN EXTENDED FSX P3D

I had thought that “extended” might mean a bit more scenery area coverage like I’ve seen with several other Aerosoft extended or “X” products. It’s not tiny or anything and it does cover the whole valley with excellent detail and loads of custom autogen. I was hoping for something like the MtEverest area or maybe not that big but more than this. I can’t say I didn’t get what was paid for, no way. This is an excellent scenery add on. Seems small for 2.5 GB. Whatever it’s very nice and the summer / winter textures is very nice. 

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CARENADO - B120 FSX P3D

CARENADO - B120 FSX P3D

Of course it looks amazing all around and in all aspects.  I like the way it flies. It feels a little less “on rails” than some other Carenado planes. It has excellent system depth and really good sounds.  My only complaint is there is no cold and dark or any start up options. Even the fuel on/off switches don’t work. The only way to shut this plane down is by pulling the fire handles for each engine. Why? That is why only 4 stars. 

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DRZEWIECKI DESIGN - WASHINGTON X FSX P3D

DRZEWIECKI DESIGN - WASHINGTON X FSX P3D

What can I say that others haven’t already? I echo all the positives about this scenery. It is a full area with so many unique autogen objects and buildings. If you go to the White House and get really close to the Oval Office you can see what appears to be a serious discussion about the pros and cons of soft vs hard shell tacos between Trump and Pence while Milania stares blankly at a wall. All of the cities historic sites can be visited.  The city looks so good at night as well.  All of the airports are finely detailed. Even the little ones are well done. No frame loss.  Another DD masterpiece. 

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CARENADO - B120 FSX P3D

CARENADO - B120 FSX P3D

Just about every Carenado aircraft is a thing of beauty. This B120 is is no exception. Eye candy galore here. Sharp, clean bright and beautiful on all counts.  The flight model is seemingly accurate and makes this aircraft very nice to fly. No strange bugs or glitches. 

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DRZEWIECKI DESIGN - POLISH AIRPORTS VOL3 V4 FSX P3D

DRZEWIECKI DESIGN - POLISH AIRPORTS VOL3 V4 FSX P3D

Drzewiecki Design is one of the best scenery developers around. I have several of their products and love them all. Polish Airports vol3 is another amazing one. It says 4 airports but actually you get 5. Also you get 3 full small cities. Everything is excellently optimized and has virtually no system recourse impact. You cannot go wrong with this. 

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BEAR STUDIOS - MIG-15BIS P3D4-5 FSX FSXSE

BEAR STUDIOS - MIG-15BIS P3D4-5 FSX FSXSE

I’ve had a very good experience with their Mig17 as well, so why not go for the Mig15 bid? I sat on it in my wishlist for a long time and finally bought it. So glad I did! The texturing is noticeably improved making for some beautiful aircraft. Lots of reflection and clean looking air frames. Even though they are all very old, they appear as if they just rolled off the line. Some may not like that but I don’t mind so much. There aren’t as many repaints as with the 17, but what you do get is still a very nice selection to choose from. I didn’t count but I think there is at least a dozen plus liveries!  The aircraft handle as expected and seem spot on to the historic documentation available.  Only real complaint is that after a while of flying the compass goes berserk and I keep getting a FSX notice that my compass is incorrect and to push “D” which only sends the compass spinning. The back up dash compass remains accurate but the console one among all the other gauges is the problem.  Everything is of course in Russian with almost no data pop ups when scrolling the mouse over any switch, dial or button. That would’ve helped a lot. So get ready to read and memorize the manual specifically the cockpit layout info. Unless you speak and read Russian.  I also wish there was more accuracy in the engine modeling. It should not be difficult to over heat the power plant but I can’t do it no matter how hot the weather is or how long I push full throttle, she won’t overheat. But she should! That missing element of realism bugs me a little, but I can live with it I suppose. Overall the Mig15bis here is a mostly awesome plane! Looks great next to my MilViz F86, and F100. 

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SWISSMILSIM - DE HAVILLAND VAMPIRE DH-100 MK6 FSX P3D

SWISSMILSIM - DE HAVILLAND VAMPIRE DH-100 MK6 FSX P3D

This is a well made and thoroughly simulated aircraft. It really does capture the age from its came. The Vampire Mk6 is a slow first generation jet fighter so don’t expect to get in and fly at top speed or full throttle. It won’t let you. These early jets are plagued with shortcomings but that’s to be expected. They were very new. It climbs slow and can easily overheat or just stall. In some ways that’s some of the fun. You must pay attention to your gauges and be very aware of throttle position all while moving that throttle very carefully. All of these things are accurately remade for the PC pilot who love a challenge and enjoys realism.  Unfortunately they didn’t quite pay as much attention to the quality of textures in the cockpits. They aren’t bad, but they could’ve been much better. Also a better variety of liveries should’ve been included for the price. It’s not worth full price by even standards of 3 years ago. Also the developer is very slow to respond to questions and still hasn’t answered my questions from 3 days before purchase. Now I have to wait who knows how long just to get the required serial number code in order to install some of the so called “free” sceneries. Lurid hen and Payerne were easy but the rest require some strange method of contact and wait for a download/ install activation code. Seems overly complicated for something that is free?  Whatever, I like the plane and all its quirks that the real world Vampire was known for. It gives a very authentic experience that I consider worth having in my virtual hangar.  Oh, and it’s easy on frames. Thumbs up! Mostly.

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AEROSOFT - GREENLAND - NUUK X FSX P3D

AEROSOFT - GREENLAND - NUUK X FSX P3D

Aerosoft delivers yet another amazing and huge scenery add on. Nuuk is full of detail and life in the city and the airport. I don’t think I saw a single default autogen building at all. You don’t get just the airport and city but also a very big area surrounding it all. It may be just barren Greenland rocky landscape void of any vegetation but it is a great deal better than the default FSX scenery. The waters around Nuuk are full of icebergs in varying sizes. Unfortunately you can’t land. Helicopter on any of the ice but it does add a lot more character to the place. Be sure to visit FSDG and download the scenery manager tools for free. It will allow you to select specific month by month atmospheric changes and make specific scenery adjustments, such as enabling Northern Light, road traffic etc.  So far I haven’t seen any northern lights as result, but I keep hoping I will.  There are so many places that can be found on earth to explore, but FSX just fails to bring to life, like Greenland so this is a fantastic add on to have and explore. 

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CERA SIMAIRCRAFT - SIKORSKY UH60L BLACK HAWK FSX P3D

CERA SIMAIRCRAFT - SIKORSKY UH60L BLACK HAWK FSX P3D

Wow this is excellent! So much attention to detail visually and audibly. The flight characteristics are very nice as well (so far as a non Blackhawk pilot can tell) making for a fun chopper to fly. Cera Sim helicopters are in my option the best for FSX. I also have the Virtavia Blackhawk and it’s not even close to the quality and realism of this Cera Blackhawk.  It’s not perfect but that is expected with any FSX helicopter. It can somehow exceed its real world performance by a wide margin doing things that should cause a crash or disintegratio. However if you avoid pushing it beyond normal or even maximum operational parameters then that shouldn’t matter. What really cast this a 5th star is the light offering of liveries. A sparse selection is included where there really should’ve been several more. Putting that aside this is a very nice Blackhawk with great detailing. The lighting is amazing and yes even night vision can be used for those covert black of night ops. The night vision is accessed via the config manager where you also find all the other options like cold/dark, open/close doors etc.  love it!

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AEROSOFT - KEFLAVIK X FSX FS2004

AEROSOFT - KEFLAVIK X FSX FS2004

First off if you have any interest in Iceland then this should be high on your wishlist along with Iceland X. As is by default FSX Iceland is awful. Just a barren lifeless island that never stood out. I consider this an injustice to one of the most interesting and beautiful places on earth. That said this airport add on does finally bring some detail and life to the sim world. The airport isn’t exactly a marvel here, nor in the real world (based on viewed videos and pictures) but it is an excellent representation of the real thing.  Depending on your settings the airport can become a busy place. Mine are pretty high so I’m seeing a lot of things at the airport in nice detail. It looks great at night too!  You can’t fully enjoy it or Iceland with just Keflavik X. You really get the best Iceland experience by having both this and the Iceland X to fully open up this amazing island and all it has to explore and view.

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FLYFREESTD - EUROFIGHTER EF-2000 TYPHOON V2 FSX

FLYFREESTD - EUROFIGHTER EF-2000 TYPHOON V2 FSX

What we have here is a fair representation of the Eurofighter 2000. Not much of the systems are simulated and it’s pretty much a load and fly kind of plane. That’s what I expected and why I bought it. Sometimes ya just want to strap on a fast plane and go for a ride.  Everything does look very nice including the lighting but just be prepared for a pretty dumbed down version of it. I wish there was a light interceptor weapons load option but no.  What stops me from giving 5 stars is that FFS did a terrible job with the speed capabilities. All variants can barely do Mach 1. That’s just plain wrong. It’s known for being a very fast accelerating fighter to perform quick intercepts. However regardless of load or no load and at any altitude these all top out at a little over Mach 1.08. This requires manually adjusting the thrust scaler in each aircraft .cfg file to around 2.0 from the default 1.0 Which is not terribly accurate generally, but you can at least make the Eurofighter as fast as it should be in the air. Problem is it also will increase idle thrust so taxiing requires more breaking. Why can’t developers just correctly build a planes speed capabilities from the start? It’s very annoying to buy a Mach 2 aircraft that can barely perform at %50 known specs. Just put in the extra work with coding the drag variables with engine thrust performance etc etc. whatever they know how. You get what you pay for. 

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A2A SIMULATIONS - ACCU-SIM BONANZA FSX

A2A SIMULATIONS - ACCU-SIM BONANZA FSX

I’m a broken record when it comes to my reviews of A2A Accusim products. But I bares repeating that they make the most realistic and fun planes. The V tail Bonanza is no exception and delivers the best flight simming experience.  This one has new gauges technology which means the gauges age and behave like real world gauges as they get older. Just watch their video. It adds just one more cool thing to the abundant list of realistic features. Tap them with the mouse cursor and they react differently depending on their each individual condition.  It is not the same plane as the Comanche, Cessna etc. The Bonanza has its very own and different flight characteristics that set it apart even more than the others do in their own right. It does feel like a plane that can do more in the air than just fly straight and level. It’s hard to resist attempting semi aerobatic maneuvers.  As usual what you get is a plane that feels so right and looks outstanding at the same time. It flies like it should and is by no means another pretty on the rails plane that you see most of the time from most other developers.  Sure A2A AccuSim planes are expensive, but you get so much more than just a plane. You get what feels like a really well simulated experience that sometimes makes non Accusim planes just feel boring. Any of them is worth every penny and in my opinion all developers should be doing the same things.  I just love it! 

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AEROSOFT - ICELAND X FSX

AEROSOFT - ICELAND X FSX

I knew going into this that it wasn’t photorealistic scenery and it makes sense as that would’ve been an enormous download easily at or above 20gb. But I do not regret the purchase. There is a lot to see and they did a really good job with the land class, mesh and textures. First of all even though you don’t get Keflavik airport and have to buy it separately (I feel should have been included) you do get loads of improved and new airports that were missing in FSX. Even Keflavik is improved quite a bit with better, and new buildings, fences, parking, ground equipment etc. It is vastly improved from the default drab and dull airport before this add on. With 40 other airports, or strips and many points of interest there’s now good reason to explore the island nation. The colors make sense now and much better reflect the actual Icelandic scenery. A fairly barren island with very few trees but nice scenery all the same. The photo real glaciers also make a great improvement to the landscapes.  A lot more buildings around as well where before this is added there was a seemingly uninhabited country outside of Reykjavik, and now has life and infrastructure.  The many ports or docks and ships that spot the coastlines inspire float plane use, but there are no float plane starting points. Also most of the new airports cannot be found in the FSX flight plan directory which makes for very limited planning options.  All in all this is a very nice add on that does some justice to Iceland and makes it worth flying to and around.  Go visit hot spots, many water falls that are accurately placed, or just see a village. Chimneys smoke (some) and roads are alive as well as shipping lanes with some boat traffic. All that was not to be found prior to installing Iceland X.  One complaint is that some spotty autogen miss placements, such as a dock with a tour boat and tour bus in reverse positions. The boat is on the dock and the bus is in the water. Funny sure but kind of annoying to see.  If you want to finally explore Iceland without that nagging feeling of it being terribly barren and lifeless with bad coloring and terrible land class/mesh then you should get this. It really opens it up for a fun time with a lot to explore and see. 

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FLYFREESTD - UAV JETS FSX

FLYFREESTD - UAV JETS FSX

You get a lot for your money and the planes are fun to fly but there are some annoyances that keep me from giving 5 stars.  One super annoying thing is that the plane keeps warning “don’t sink” all the time including while on approach. I was doing an approach and “don’t sink” wouldn’t shut up even though I was on a controlled final at -500fpm with gear down, which does not warrant any warnings. It’s like the plane doesn’t understand how landing works and won’t stop bugging you! You have to sink to get down to the ground.  Also warnings “flaps” goes off with aircraft that have no flaps.  Why is there a G lock effect when there’s no pilot to black out?  Needs more “cockpit” or control room camera options. One single forward cam alone isn’t enough. I know for a fact that drone pilots have a much better point of view and can make adjustments to their view, but not here. Look straight and only straight!  Other than those irritants I like the variety of drones that can be selected. Each with different speed and handling characteristics. But all with the exact same engine sound.  Got it half off so it’s worth that price. 

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GOLDEN AGE SIMULATIONS - STEARMAN 4E JR SPEEDMAIL P3D FSXA FSXSE

GOLDEN AGE SIMULATIONS - STEARMAN 4E JR SPEEDMAIL P3D FSXA FSXSE

GAS always does a great job with making true stick and rudder classics. There’s isn’t much to these planes, just the pilot and the machine. This is my favorite Stearman. It has excellent power and control. A very forgiving Aircraft to strap on and buzz the tree tops, soar through canyons or sight see your favorite scenery.  Very well done. Very worth buying. 

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A2A SIMULATIONS - ACCU-SIM SPITFIRE MKI-II FSX

A2A SIMULATIONS - ACCU-SIM SPITFIRE MKI-II FSX

Another amazing offering by A2A! I have almost all their planes and this is as great as the rest.  A meticulously designed Spitfire simulation with the Accu-Sim makes for an incredibly realistic experience. Most of us will never get to fly a real Spitfire so this is as close as we can get.  Nothing has been left unaccounted for. Every switch, clicks, squeaks, rattles or anything that made a peep in the real plane does so here as well.  You just have to remember to taxi and get in the air as fast as you can or your flight will end on the ground with billowing smoke and steam or even fire. Not much of an intercooler was installed in these planes. They were far too small and even rather useless if when the engine was running, you weren’t pushing through the air at over 200mph to cool things down.  Just like the real thing. If you take care to handle your Spitfire as instructed you have a great flight. If not, fire is in your future.  All that attention paid to delivering such a realistic simulation is a must have for any fan of this legend. Worth every penny!

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A2A SIMULATIONS - ACCU-FEEL V2 - GLOBAL FSX ENHANCEMENT

A2A SIMULATIONS - ACCU-FEEL V2 - GLOBAL FSX ENHANCEMENT

Doesn’t work. The add on installed without issue but is not anywhere to be found within the sim. Not in add on drop down like other (GSX, Aircraft Carrier etc) add ons. Plus immediately after installing it’s caused FSX SE to crash on title screen every time I tried to start up.  Reinstalled, restarted etc, I did everything (nothing on A2A forums and no response from them either) but it wouldn’t stop CTD until I deleted Accu-Feel from my PC. Stuck with a useless add on that only added problems.   Really disappointed as I’m a big fan of all A2A products except this destructive malfunctioning mess. 

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RAZBAM - AV-8B HARRIER II PLUS

RAZBAM - AV-8B HARRIER II PLUS

Even though I didn’t buy this plane here I’d like to offer my thoughts anyway.  First I should note that no Manual was include in my installation either. I did fine one online though.  Second the modelings and sounds are all amazingly well done.  What bothers me is that even after following the manual to the letter several times it simply will not VTOL! Instead it goes forward then pitches up wildly out of control. Yes the weight is set for VTOL and so is the aircraft configuration according to the manual. It is only capable of STOL and will not hover under any circumstances. I’ve followed tutorial videos as well and made dozens of by the book attempts at VTOL. No joy!  It’s does however perform STOL maneuvers well, with practice. That said I still enjoy flying it and since I didn’t pay much for it I can live with the limited capabilities. Even though I wanted the plane specifically for its hovering ability that makes it such a unique and cool aircraft. Half off and half the capability.  The weapon load out actually does work with the engines running, just need to make weight adjustments to certain fuel loads in order to place weapons as desired. 

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