Is this legit?

[3-2-1-Now 126]

Looks like FSX to me. Anyone else???

 

http://www.virtualpi....com/videos.htm

 

Looks highly suspicious to me.

 

Best regards,

Robin.

[Great Ozzie 101]

Firefox gave me a: "This site has a poor reputation based on user ratings." so I elected to close it out.

[n4gix 4,947]

<Sigh!> Not again...

 

This is yet another instance of someone taking the completely FREE, Open Source "Flightgear"* and trying to capitalize on it...

 

The "clue" is contained in their "Disclaimer:"

License:

 

Please note the game, some content and images has been released under GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 2, June 1991 .

 

Source code of these images, content and files available on request.

 

* http://www.flightgear.org/

[mgh 89]

But like it or not, it's perfectly legiitimate.

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

That's just a scam. I reported their Facebook page for scam, and their website is hosted by GoDaddy, if anyone wants to report them.

[mgh 89]

Why is it acam? The GNU Licence under which Flight Gear is released permits this.

[John_Cillis 2,406]

Why is it acam? The GNU Licence under which Flight Gear is released permits this.

 

If you look at the content of most of these websites, they use images and sometimes videos from products other than Flight Gear to promote their product. That's blatantly false advertising, which equals a scam in my eyes. Some even put fake links to Avsim or Flightsim to make it seem like these websites promote their product. Click the link (I am referencing some of the Facebook Flightgear ripoffs) and it takes you to their website, not Avsim or Flightsim. Some of these sites make it appear like they are partnered with Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, etc... And the prose in the advertising is so lengthy, most never find the disclaimers regarding FlightGear--which are intentionally buried in their webpages knowing that a few paragraphs will hook the unsuspecting. And then of course, there are the glowing user reports posted on these websites from people I have never heard of. There is never a report from any respected simmer that frequents the main forums.

 

If not a scam, certainly it is a sleazy way to be in business, since they prey on those who aren't well versed in the Flightsim hobby. I haven't clicked the link in this post, but I've seen enough of these websites to know that they are predators who don't give a hoot about the law. If they break even a tiny portion of the law by presenting false advertising, they are scammers. Bottom feeders might be a better word for them.

 

Regards,

 

John

[ajpongress 467]

Because they advertise the product to be something it's not.

 

They use screen shots from fsx and other ways to lure the victim to give credit card information.

 

All their testimonials are fake and they never come out and say "yeah we took free software and put a price tag on it".

 

Everything about it is dishonest.

How is it NOT a scam?

[Phillip Gallagher 101]

Oh the humanity! That Dan Freeman is something else too. He sends me so many mesages trying to sell me the most realistic flight simulator on earth...Proflightsimulator is another "scam."

[SteveW 1,792]

I'm not too sure but I think Flight Gear needs compiling and messing around with, but if this product is all done and packaged onto a DVD ready to go, then surely it's got to cost something? Looks like FS9.

[John_Cillis 2,406]

I'm not too sure but I think Flight Gear needs compiling and messing around with, but if this product is all done and packaged onto a DVD ready to go, then surely it's got to cost something? Looks like FS9.

 

FlightGear is distributed as a self installing .exe. Pretty simple and straightforward. It only needs compiling if one were to modify the source, which very few would need to do. The Flightgear "ripoffs" (my term for these websites) might or might not make the install process easier. My guess is most don't, and those that do certainly are overcharging for their "service". I've seen FS9 for sale for $10.00, and FS9 is leagues better than FlightGear. FlightGear is an admirable program given its open source nature, just not up there with commercial products like FS9, FSX and Xplane.

 

John

[SteveW 1,792]

yes John, it seems expensive, I recently got FSXGold for around £20.

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

This whole subject disgusts me no end. Yes, under the license, they can get away with it. Morally, it's just thievery. Not to mention that I have a real problem with AVSIM being used under false pretenses. I think we need to start a community movement to make it known everywhere about the sites that are doing this, enlist cooperative initiatives between all sim sights, and do all we can do to stomp this out, including protesting to host systems, FaceBook, Google, whoever. The first thing we can do is find every site that is attempting to rip off users, and post those sites on a "wall of shame".

[SteveW 1,792]

All very odd, if the developers of Flight Gear don't get any benefit out of virtual whatsitsname, why don't they make a nice package of Flight Gear? Who pays for their PC's?

[Swofford 155]

This whole subject disgusts me no end. Yes, under the license, they can get away with it. Morally, it's just thievery. Not to mention that I have a real problem with AVSIM being used under false pretenses. I think we need to start a community movement to make it known everywhere about the sites that are doing this, enlist cooperative initiatives between all sim sights, and do all we can do to stomp this out, including protesting to host systems, FaceBook, Google, whoever. The first thing we can do is find every site that is attempting to rip off users, and post those sites on a "wall of shame".

 

I'd be willing to do this with a little guidance. I'm home most of the day would give me something to do. I just wouldn't know where to start.