The thing is, it's not. As an example, there was just a great Polikarpov Po-2 released the other day. Full VC with 3D gauges and instruments, a nice model and texture set, and good flight dynamics.

+1 on the Po-2. Great freeware, good repaint community, and a real pleasure to fly. Another example of how the freeware developers support the MIL FS community in a way that the payware developers cannot afford to.

One important aircraft you're missing from the list is Ants Tiger Moth, which I love flying around in the excellent OZx packages and Ants Aussie Airports.

One important aircraft you're missing from the list is Ants Tiger Moth, which I love flying around in the excellent OZx packages and Ants Aussie Airports.

Amen, currently Ant's Tiger Moth and the Po-2 are my bi-plane "go-to's"

This is more appropriate to the Hangar Chat, that is where it will be moved.

+1 on the freeware appreciation day!

A general "Freeware Appreciation Day" would be cool.

 

The "support and sharing" thing quite is true. I'd kill for more people willing to contribute to projects.

 

Bjoern, thank you for volunteering. For what you ask? To be the lead author for the FREE WARE SPOTLIGHT forum in the AVSIM Hangar Chat category. :lol:

 

Okay, you don't have to volunteer, but really, if you would like to do so, here's what I have in mind.

 

In the FREE WARE SPOTLIGHT forum we would have a select few (like three or four) members who can CREATE a topic. The topic would be specific to a well done freeware offering in the AVSIM File Library (only the AVSIM Library, as we really do not want to send our members to other libraries now do we?). The topic would review a freeware upload for any sim platform. The review would be positive (working on the principle that any upload that makes it to the SPOTLIGHT, would by definition be a good or better add on). The poster would cover as much detail about the freeware add on as possible, giving readers a pretty extensive look at the add on. Readers could then post comments in the topic (again only the selected posters could CREATE the topic) or ask questions of fellow down loaders.

 

Would that be something of interest to the community?

Sounds like an excellent idea Tom

Tom, the Freeware Spotlight forum sounds like a great idea! Would be like a database of sorts for the best freeware releases available.

+1, Tom I think the Freeware Spotlight Forum is a GREAT idea. I am a newcomer within the past year but the AVSIM Library is a daily review for me. If we could cross reference an AVSIM Library entry with a review in the Freeware Spotlight Forum (soon to be?) that would be a great benefit.

 

 

Well, there's a very good reason for this as freeware is, in the majority of cases, a one-man show.
 
If anyone has ever experienced how much effin' effort it takes just to make, say, an untextured model of something, apprectiation for freeware might just be a bit higher.

 

That understandable and there are many outstanding aircraft models out there but I'm the type of simmer who doesn't leave the VC or panel for 99% of the flight. PMDG could give me a very generic 777 model but if it retains their excellent VC/systems then I'm sold. 

 

 

Would that be something of interest to the community?

Great idea, a definite Yes from me!

Bjoern, thank you for volunteering. For what you ask? To be the lead author for the FREE WARE SPOTLIGHT forum in the AVSIM Hangar Chat category. :lol:

 

Okay, you don't have to volunteer, but really, if you would like to do so, here's what I have in mind.

 

In the FREE WARE SPOTLIGHT forum we would have a select few (like three or four) members who can CREATE a topic. The topic would be specific to a well done freeware offering in the AVSIM File Library (only the AVSIM Library, as we really do not want to send our members to other libraries now do we?). The topic would review a freeware upload for any sim platform. The review would be positive (working on the principle that any upload that makes it to the SPOTLIGHT, would by definition be a good or better add on). The poster would cover as much detail about the freeware add on as possible, giving readers a pretty extensive look at the add on. Readers could then post comments in the topic (again only the selected posters could CREATE the topic) or ask questions of fellow down loaders.

 

Would that be something of interest to the community?

 This, my friend, is a great idea. Where do we sign up?

 

 With all seriousness though, I would be interested in writing articles. Will there be any special requirements, or do we simply need to be able to dig up nice freeware, and then write about it?

Didn't you get the memo? It's February 29th. Time to mark the 2016 calendar!

 

*Chuckle*

 

Well, having Feb 28th and March 1st to cover for Feb 29th could be a serious date for a "freeware appreciation day", now could it?

 

 

Or why not just take the FS4.0 release day?

It was, from what I know, the first installment in the MSFS series to allow user-created content and thus freeware stuff.

 

 

 

 

I feel that freeware is a dying breed. Many of the well-known names have moved on for assorted reasons, and there is not much "new blood" in the pipeline that I have seen on the developer forums. My interest in doing it is pretty much gone.

 

Do you happen to know what Tim went off to do?

 

 

 

 

 

Bjoern, thank you for volunteering. For what you ask? To be the lead author for the FREE WARE SPOTLIGHT forum in the AVSIM Hangar Chat category. :lol:

 

Okay, you don't have to volunteer, but really, if you would like to do so, here's what I have in mind.

 

In the FREE WARE SPOTLIGHT forum we would have a select few (like three or four) members who can CREATE a topic. The topic would be specific to a well done freeware offering in the AVSIM File Library (only the AVSIM Library, as we really do not want to send our members to other libraries now do we?). The topic would review a freeware upload for any sim platform. The review would be positive (working on the principle that any upload that makes it to the SPOTLIGHT, would by definition be a good or better add on). The poster would cover as much detail about the freeware add on as possible, giving readers a pretty extensive look at the add on. Readers could then post comments in the topic (again only the selected posters could CREATE the topic) or ask questions of fellow down loaders.

 

Would that be something of interest to the community?

 

Haha! Kind of a revival of Bear's freeware thingy from back in the day?

 

I wish I could contribute, but I'm neither good at writing long articles nor am I unbiased enough to comment on other people's work.

Paradoxically, I am also uneasy about the thought of having a select few high profile add-ons in the spotlight while other freeware makers continuously labor away in "lower profile" areas, such as repaints or AFCADs or flight plans or similar.

 

 

A general "Freeware discussion" forum would be nice though. Provided that threads can be marked by the sim they're intended for, it would provide a better platform than the general FS9/FSX forums where threads are prone to drown in payware or hardware discussions.

 

 

- Edit:

 

Also, it would be a good place for freeware developers to put their product support threads without the hassle of maintaining their own forum.

E.g. my forked TinMouse 732 is too little of an add-on to warrant its own subforum and too different for the TM2 forum. I also want to have both a FS9 and FSX version in the end, so one thread for both is the most efficient solution.

 

 

 

That understandable and there are many outstanding aircraft models out there but I'm the type of simmer who doesn't leave the VC or panel for 99% of the flight. PMDG could give me a very generic 777 model but if it retains their excellent VC/systems then I'm sold. 

 

Well, I'm a pure VC pilot, too. But sadly, cockpits are the most work-intensive area of an aircraft add-on as there's lots of small parts and all the instruments.

 

It's a great advantage that FSX has become very modular, as assigning VCs independently opens a lot of possibilities, even though the hardcoded position of a cockpit model is kind of a drawback (A318 with a cockpit placed for an A321 anyone?).

 

 

 

 

 With all seriousness though, I would be interested in writing articles. Will there be any special requirements, or do we simply need to be able to dig up nice freeware, and then write about it?

 

Tom, I think you've just found your freeware editor in chief.