RC flight simulator

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.

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

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 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

Name Type of aircraft Price Software license Free Demo? Operating System Controller Type Last stable release (date) External Link
Absolute RC Simulator Model Planes and Helicopters Free Proprietary Yes iOS, Android, Windows phones and tablets On screen controls http://www.happybytesapps.com/
Aerofly Professional Deluxe Model planes and helicopters US$300 Proprietary No Windows, Mac Included or controller http://www.aerofly.com/afpd/index.html
Aerofly RC 7 Model planes, Helicopters and Drones €40+ Proprietary No Windows, Mac Included or controller 2015-08-27 https://www.ikarus.net/en/aeroflyrc-7/rc7-features/
Aerofly RC 8 Model planes, Helicopters and Drones €99+ Proprietary No Windows, Mac Included or controller https://www.ikarus.net/en/rc8-features/
AeroSIM RC Model planes, helicopters, multicopters €65 Hardware keyed Yes Windows Real Controller 2019-02 http://www.aerosimrc.com/
AirSim Multicopters, cars, etc. Free MIT License Yes Windows, Linux 2020-04 https://github.com/Microsoft/AirSim
AccuRC RC Flight Simulator Model helicopters US$59 Hardware keyed Yes Windows Real Controller http://www.accurc.com/
Wings Wings and planes including FPV racing $36 Proprietary FPS check only Windows Any analog USB controller 2023-09 (1.17) https://www.wings-sim.com/index.php
R/C Desk Pilot Model Planes and Helicopters Free Freeware n/a Windows Joystick 2017-06 http://www.rcdeskpilot.com/
ClearView Model Planes and Helicopters US$40 Proprietary Yes Windows, Joystick or Controller http://www.rcflightsim.com/
CRRCsim Model Planes Free GPL n/a Windows, Mac, Linux Joystick, Controllers 2018-07-04 https://sourceforge.net/projects/crrcsim/
CSM Model Planes and Helicopters UK£69.99 Proprietary n/a DOS, Windows Real Controllers 1998 (V10) https://web.archive.org/web/20050830000501/http://www.rcmodels.org/csm/csm_simulator.htm
Dave Brown RCFS Model Planes and Helicopters US$150 Proprietary No Windows Joystick, Controllers https://web.archive.org/web/20060509083404/http://www.dbproducts.com/store/rcfs2001.htm
Digital Aircraft Modeller Model Planes US$40 Proprietary Yes Windows Joystick, controllers http://www.digitalaircraftmodeler.com/
Electric RC Sim Model planes, quadcopter US$1.99 Proprietary Yes iOS Touch screen controls http://jetstripes.com/games/electric-rc-sim/
FlightGear Planes, helicopters, model planes. (Flight simulator, not RC) Free Flightgear#Commercial redistribution GPL n/a Cross-platform Check categories: hardware (joystick) & R/C. 2019-01-29 http://www.flightgear.org/
Flying Model Simulator Model Planes and Helicopters Free Freeware n/a Windows Joystick, controller adapters http://modelsimulator.com/
FS One Model Planes Free Proprietary Yes Windows Real Controllers, USB Simulator Controllers 2022-09-06 https://www.fsone.com
Liftoff Drone Racing Quadcopters US$20 Steam profile linked No Windows, Mac, Linux Real controller, game controllers http://www.liftoff-game.com
neXt - CGM RC Flight Simulator Helicopters, Model Planes, Multicopters and Drone Racing US$89.90 Proprietary Yes Windows, Mac, Linux Real controller, game controllers 2019-12-23 https://next-sim.cgm-online.com/rc-flight-simulator_e.html
PhoenixSim Model Planes and Helicopters US$130–$175 Proprietary Yes Windows Real Controller https://www.rc-thoughts.com/phoenix-sim/
PicaSim Model planes Free Proprietary Yes Windows, iOS, Android Joystick, Controllers, Touch http://www.rowlhouse.co.uk/PicaSim
PRE-Flight Model Planes and Helicopters US$25–$45 Proprietary Yes Windows Real Controller http://www.preflightsim.com/
Great Planes RealFlight Model Planes and Helicopters US$200 Proprietary Yes Windows Real Controller http://www.realflight.com/
Mugi Sim Delta wing US$1 Proprietary Yes Windows, iOS (iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch) Joystick, Controllers, Touch 2019-03-27 https://baawolf.itch.io/mugi-sim
Quadcopter FX Simulator Quadcopters Free Proprietary Yes Android, iOS Touchscreen, Joystick, Controller http://quadcopterfx.3dcreativeworld.com
Slope Soaring Simulator Model planes Free GPL Yes Windows, Linux Joystick 2006-01-21 http://www.rowlhouse.co.uk/sss/
HELI-X Model helicopters and planes ~€60 Proprietary Yes. Also version 0.9 is free Windows, Linux, Mac System Joystick, Real controllers 2020-07-01 http://www.heli-x.net/
Hover Here Model helicopters Free GPLv3 n/a. Windows, Mac Real controller, game controllers 2022-08 https://c.web.de/@949205153511112756/P_wvdHpRRLWNn-kKtXzr7g https://github.com/zulugithub/HoverHere
X-Plane Just about anything US$30 Proprietary Yes Windows, Linux, Mac System Joystick http://www.x-plane.com
AlphaMacSoftware's RC Helicopter Simulator Helicopters Free Proprietary Yes Mac System Joystick, Real Controllers http://www.alphamacsoftware.com/index.php
Ron's RC Flight Simulator Electric Foamy Model Planes Free Ad supported Yes Windows, Mac, Linux, Android (Chrome or Firefox browsers only) Logitech and Xbox Gamepads, OculusVR 2013 http://www.ostafichuk.com/rons-rc-sim/
R/C Sim Sikorsky Helicopters €35 Proprietary Yes Windows Keyboard, Mouse, Joystick, Real Controllers http://home.zonnet.nl/blacksphere2/rcsim.html
Reflex XTR2 Model Planes and Helicopters €169 Proprietary Yes Windows Real Controllers https://www.reflex-sim.net
Zephyr Drone Simulator Quadcopters/Drones US$139.99 Proprietary Yes Windows, Mac Real Controllers https://www.zephyr-sim.com/
VelociDrone FPV Racing Simulator Quadcopters/Drones £16.99 Proprietary Yes Windows, Mac, Linux Real Controllers 2020-09-10 (v1.17) https://www.velocidrone.com/
EreaDrone 2023 Quadcopters/Drones $24.99 Proprietary No Windows Real Controllers, Game Controllers (Xbox, Logitech, etc) 2023-06-23 (v1) https://www.ereadrone.com/
FPV FreeRider Quadcopters/Drones US$4.99 Proprietary Yes Windows, Mac, Linux, Android USB Controllers 2019-02-05 https://itch.io/profile/fpv-freerider
Wings Model Planes US$36 Proprietary No Windows, Linux Real Controllers, Xbox, PS4 2023-09 (1.17) https://www.wings-sim.com

References

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