The flight sim that comes w/ the Falcon 3D, is it any good?? I know some people say it is found at hobby shops for 199 dollars. That seems like some expensive software for a package that only costs 399. I am wondering b/c I want to get a heli sim and I don't want to spend a ton on one. This could be a selling point for me to buy the falcon. What about the free ones on the net, are they about the same as say the one that comes with the Falcon 3D? THanks, I am always looking for options before just blowing my money??

If you have a question about buying a simulator and a helicopter, put your worries aside! I would HIGHLY suggest buying a good simulator BEFORE even getting your heli. I learned to fly helis on a sim and then just took my chopper out on a calm day and flew it. Get someone to help you with set up like I did and you'll have no trouble hovering on your first day at the field!


First off, ANY SIM you fly will be beneficial, as long as it requires you to put in correct inputs to hover a helicopter and has a real time feedback feel to it. No matter what those brain synapses will start happening...

Supposedly REFLEX is the best simulator for helicopters. I haven't ever flown it, but that is what I keep hearing.

Next is AEROFLY PRO DELUXE for helicopters and airplanes. Great physics generator but a little less graphics intensive compared to REFLEX. I have this one and chose it over all the rest because of its outstanding physics...a trainer flies like a trainer and helis fly like the real thing. You can even add a little wind before you go out to make sure you can handle a breeze. Tons of planes and helis online for free downloading (scale helis, electric helis, 3D helis too)

There's Great Planes G3 as well. There are add ons for different planes and helicopter and has TONS of options. I have flown this one quite a bit at my buddy's house and I don't like it...compared to the real thing is just feels different.

Hanger 9 has FS ONE, this one sounds good but I've never tried it.

Those are the main ones I can think of...good luck.

I have AEROFLY PRO (non-deluxe) for sale...$80 shipped to your door, if you are interested. The physics are better than anything you'll find out there that comes with a kit or is free on the internet. It does everything the deluxe version does, but the graphics aren't as fancy. PM me if you would like to purchase it from me.

Sincerely,

Albert.

To answer the original question: the flight simulator that comes with the Falcon 3D is FMS, which is a freeware flight simulator. A number of RC aircraft include a copy of FMS in the box. You can download your own copy from here: http://n.ethz.ch/student/mmoeller/fms/index_e.html . You'll still need to buy some sort of cable to hook your transmitter up to the computer if you download FMS, but the Falcon comes with a cable.

While FMS is certainly a lot more useful than nothing, it's not nearly as realistic as the good commercial simulators. FlyinTiger listed most of the good ones. Another is [link=http://www.phoenix-sim.com/]PhoenixRC[/link]. Most people who've had the chance to compare it to Reflex seem to consider Phoenix to have the more accurate helicopter flight model. It's new though and doesn't have as many features as Reflex.

Thanks that is exactly what I was looking for.