Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/radio-controlled-aircraft

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

RC flight simulator

RC flight simulator
Custom flying field of the HHAMS Aerodrome created for RealFlight 7.5
Custom flying field of the HHAMS Aerodrome created for Phoenix RC

An RC flight simulator is a computer program that allows pilots of radio-controlled aircraft to practice on a computer, without the risk and expense of damaging a real model. Besides the obvious use of training beginners, they are also used for practising new aerobatics, evaluating a model before buying it, and to allow flight practice when conditions are otherwise unsuitable. Most simulators allow the use of real R/C transmitters to control the sim.

There are a number of commercial packages available, such as Eiperle CGM's neXt - RC Flight Simulator, SVK Systems' ClearView, Knife Edge Software's RealFlight, IPACS' AeroFly and Trasna Technology's AccuRC. There are also a number of free simulators, with SeligSIM (FS One) being the most well known and most feature rich.

Most simulators allow the importing of add-ons such as new models and landscapes. There are many web sites dedicated to offering free content like this.

Some of these simulators are dedicated to R/C flight, while others are generic simulators that can simulate both full-scale and R/C flight.

Feature Comparison

NameType of aircraftPriceSoftware licenseFree Demo?Operating SystemController TypeLast stable release (date)External Link
Absolute RC SimulatorModel Planes and HelicoptersiOS, Android, Windows phones and tabletsOn screen controlshttp://www.happybytesapps.com/
Aerofly Professional DeluxeModel planes and helicoptersUS$300Windows, MacIncluded or controllerhttp://www.aerofly.com/afpd/index.html
Aerofly RC 7Model planes, Helicopters and Drones€40+Windows, MacIncluded or controller2015-08-27https://www.ikarus.net/en/aeroflyrc-7/rc7-features/
Aerofly RC 8Model planes, Helicopters and Drones€99+Windows, MacIncluded or controllerhttps://www.ikarus.net/en/rc8-features/
AeroSIM RCModel planes, helicopters, multicopters€65WindowsReal Controller2019-02http://www.aerosimrc.com/
AirSimMulticopters, cars, etc.Windows, Linux2020-04https://github.com/Microsoft/AirSim
AccuRC RC Flight SimulatorModel helicoptersUS$59WindowsReal Controllerhttp://www.accurc.com/
WingsWings and planes including FPV racing$36FPS check onlyWindowsAny analog USB controller2023-09 (1.17)https://www.wings-sim.com/index.php
R/C Desk PilotModel Planes and Helicoptersn/aWindowsJoystick2017-06http://www.rcdeskpilot.com/
ClearViewModel Planes and HelicoptersUS$40Windows,Joystick or Controllerhttp://www.rcflightsim.com/
CRRCsimModel Planesn/aWindows, Mac, LinuxJoystick, Controllers2018-07-04https://sourceforge.net/projects/crrcsim/
CSMModel Planes and HelicoptersUK£69.99n/aDOS, WindowsReal Controllers1998 (V10)https://web.archive.org/web/20050830000501/http://www.rcmodels.org/csm/csm_simulator.htm
Dave Brown RCFSModel Planes and HelicoptersUS$150WindowsJoystick, Controllershttps://web.archive.org/web/20060509083404/http://www.dbproducts.com/store/rcfs2001.htm
Digital Aircraft ModellerModel PlanesUS$40WindowsJoystick, controllershttp://www.digitalaircraftmodeler.com/
Electric RC SimModel planes, quadcopterUS$1.99iOSTouch screen controlshttp://jetstripes.com/games/electric-rc-sim/
FlightGearPlanes, helicopters, model planes. (Flight simulator, not RC)Flightgear#Commercial redistributionn/aCross-platformCheck categories: hardware (joystick) & R/C.2019-01-29http://www.flightgear.org/
Flying Model SimulatorModel Planes and Helicoptersn/aWindowsJoystick, controller adaptershttp://modelsimulator.com/
FS OneModel PlanesWindowsReal Controllers, USB Simulator Controllers2022-09-06https://www.fsone.com
SeligSIM (FS One)Model PlanesWindowsReal Controllers, USB Simulator Controllers2025-03-25https://www.seligsim.com
LiftoffDrone Racing QuadcoptersUS$20Windows, Mac, LinuxReal controller, game controllershttp://www.liftoff-game.com
neXt - CGM RC Flight SimulatorHelicopters, Model Planes, Multicopters and Drone RacingUS$89.90Windows, Mac, LinuxReal controller, game controllers2019-12-23https://next-sim.cgm-online.com/rc-flight-simulator_e.html
PhoenixSimModel Planes and HelicoptersUS$130–$175WindowsReal Controllerhttps://www.rc-thoughts.com/phoenix-sim/
PicaSimModel planesWindows, iOS, AndroidJoystick, Controllers, Touchhttp://www.rowlhouse.co.uk/PicaSim
PRE-FlightModel Planes and HelicoptersUS$25–$45WindowsReal Controllerhttp://www.preflightsim.com/
Great Planes RealFlightModel Planes and HelicoptersUS$200WindowsReal Controllerhttp://www.realflight.com/
Mugi SimDelta wingUS$1Windows, iOS (iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch)Joystick, Controllers, Touch2019-03-27https://baawolf.itch.io/mugi-sim
Quadcopter FX SimulatorQuadcoptersAndroid, iOSTouchscreen, Joystick, Controllerhttp://quadcopterfx.3dcreativeworld.com
Slope Soaring SimulatorModel planesWindows, LinuxJoystick2006-01-21http://www.rowlhouse.co.uk/sss/
HELI-XModel helicopters and planes. Also version 0.9 is freeWindows, Linux, MacSystem Joystick, Real controllers2020-07-01http://www.heli-x.net/
Hover HereModel helicoptersGPLv3n/a.Windows, MacReal controller, game controllers2022-08https://c.web.de/@949205153511112756/P_wvdHpRRLWNn-kKtXzr7g https://github.com/zulugithub/HoverHere
X-PlaneJust about anythingUS$30Windows, Linux, MacSystem Joystickhttp://www.x-plane.com
AlphaMacSoftware's RC Helicopter SimulatorHelicoptersMacSystem Joystick, Real Controllershttp://www.alphamacsoftware.com/index.php
Ron's RC Flight SimulatorElectric Foamy Model PlanesWindows, Mac, Linux, Android (Chrome or Firefox browsers only)Logitech and Xbox Gamepads, OculusVR2013http://www.ostafichuk.com/rons-rc-sim/
R/C Sim SikorskyHelicopters€35WindowsKeyboard, Mouse, Joystick, Real Controllershttp://home.zonnet.nl/blacksphere2/rcsim.html
Reflex XTR2Model Planes and Helicopters€169WindowsReal Controllershttps://www.reflex-sim.net
Zephyr Drone SimulatorQuadcopters/DronesUS$139.99Windows, MacReal Controllershttps://www.zephyr-sim.com/
VelociDrone FPV Racing SimulatorQuadcopters/Drones£16.99Windows, Mac, LinuxReal Controllers2020-09-10 (v1.17)https://www.velocidrone.com/
EreaDrone 2023Quadcopters/Drones$24.99WindowsReal Controllers, Game Controllers (Xbox, Logitech, etc)2023-06-23 (v1)https://www.ereadrone.com/
FPV FreeRiderQuadcopters/DronesUS$4.99Windows, Mac, Linux, AndroidUSB Controllers2019-02-05https://itch.io/profile/fpv-freerider
WingsModel PlanesUS$36Windows, LinuxReal Controllers, Xbox, PS42023-09 (1.17)https://www.wings-sim.com
SIMNETMulticopter, Fixed-Wing and VTOL dronesSubscription-basedCross-Platform (Web-based)Real Controllershttps://simnet.aero/

References

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

radio-controlled-aircraft
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about RC flight simulator — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report