Hi guys,

More and more I'm getting the itch to learn how to fly. I have plenty of experience with land based vehicles as well as micro heli's and decent experience with a Blade CX2. But I want to move forward both with fixed wing and rotary as well. It will happen eventually, but I'd like to do it right first time.

To me that means, buy a simulator with a good tx and practice practice practice. Then go to the field and find an instructor who would possibly teach me on a buddy box (I already know 3 very accomplished pilots who've said they'd be willing). Then get a good strong bind and fly trainer that I can use my tx with and learn with the instructor.

So, I'd like to start with a good simulator. Preferably one that comes packaged with a DX6i, DX7 or other spektrum based tx. Any recommendations?

The other reason for the simulator is that my 10 year old loves to fly the Blade CX2, but he and I are getting good enough now to have the itch to step up a level. But I want him to spend time on the simulator as well, before heading out to find a heli instructor.

Oh, budget on the simulator....there isn't a limit. Although I don't want to buy the most expensive because it is the most expensive.

Thanks for any input guys.

I bought the RealFlight 4.5.  They now have the 5.0 version out.  I love it.  I have been flying off and on more a few years before I bought it.  I have alsoworked in a/c maintenance for 31 years and I have been in a few airline sims.  The RealFlight is as close as I have seen to real r/c flight on a pc.  The controller cannot be changed to sim a specific brand.  But it is a typical flight controller.  It has flap and retract capability.  I highly recommend it.

I believe that this is what you're looking for:

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...dID=RTM25R5500

The Phoenix RC flight simulator by Runtime is an excellent simulator. This new version comes bundled with a Spektrum DX5e transmitter.

In fact, you can hook up your own radio transmitter to the one provided by Realflight.
I love Realflight, but I never tried the other softwares.

I own them all ( except Aerofly Deluxe 5 due to the U.S. soon... ).

Realflight 5.0 still my favorite due to it's accuracy.

Planes in Realflight exhibit real world quirks which do not appear in other sims.

e.g. The Funtana's tendancy to balloon up just before landing, etc.

How about this FMS which is free not so great but free

http://www.flying-model-simulator.com/


Mody

If you already have a controller, you can get the "upgrade" version of G-5 for $79.99 at Tower Hobbies. It does not require an old version to load up, it just requires you to be able to hook up a radio transmitter or one of their USB controllers.

I also have most of them, and as opjose, I prefer G5. I also have most, if not all, of their add-ons.

CGr.

I agree, realflight 5 is great... but wow what a price. The flight is very accurate but there is no substitute for the real thing. I prefer cheap, but if you factor in the crashes/time lost repairing and the money for all of it, then g5 doesnt seem that expensive if you havent flown before. Any sim is better than none.
dan

The best "Bang for the Buck" in the simulator world is ClearView:

http://www.rcflightsim.com/

The graphics are good, but the flying physics are really, really good.

You can download ClearView and try it in demo mode for 15 minutes of actual playing time. You can also playback the two pre-recorded demo loops indefinitely to make sure the simulator runs well on your PC.

If you decide to buy it, ClearView costs $39.99 to register and you can upgrade the demo version automatically through online payment.

I normally fly Real Flight G5 and ClearView with my Interlink controller from my original Real Flight G3 purchase. I have used the ESky EK2-0905A USB simulator controller:

http://www.raidentech.com/e4chflsitrki.html

I bought mine through http://www.raidentech.com and flew it with both FMS and ClearView. It takes a little bit of effort to calibrate the ESky controller first through the Windows Game Controller control panel and then through each individual simulator's calibration routine. Once the calibration routines were finished, the controller felt just as accurate as my Interlink controller or an actual transmitter.

$60 will get you a good simulator, a weak simulator (FMS), and a good USB controller to use with both. You could also consider EasyFly 3 or Real Flight Basic, but they commonly sell for almost twice as much at $99.98 to $129.99. These are both available at http://www.towerhobbies.com.

Tower also carries a pretty cool little bundle for something called EasyFly 3 SE:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXXUS9&P=0

For $29.99, you get a USB gamepad controller for your PC and a limited version of EasyFly 3 (which is itself a limited version of Aerofly Professional Deluxe). This new bundle is only $10 more than the ESky controller and FMS. I feel pretty safe in guessing that the graphics and physics are worth the extra $10 on EasyFly 3 SE.

Good luck and good shopping!

Thank you very much guys. Appreciate your informed input and suggestions.