My "products that I love" list would be long, but when thinking about products that have really made a broad difference, revolutionizing my sim experience, the list changes a bit.

 

1) ASN - finally brought the wx experience up to what I want it to be, eliminating almost every issue I had with real world wx

2) RXP GPS - the 430 and/or 530 are in almost every panel I fly with full Garmin functionality.  Yes, the developer has disappeared from the scene, but still these have to go near the top of my list.

3) Orbx regions and airports - as a purely GA flyer, Orbx is almost the only game in town for top quality regional and smaller airports.  Couple with full-fat regions and it just doesn't get much better.

4) FSUIPC - once you start to add more controls, the value of this set of tools just jumps out at you.  A learning curve, yes, but once you catch on, the power and flexibility makes sim life easier

 

So there you go.  No disrespect meant to some of the fine aircraft developers who's products I'm so enjoying (RealAir and A2A, I'm looking at you!).  If this were a list of favorite products, planes from these developers would definitely be on it.  But the 4 products listed impact virtually every sim flight I make in an incredibly positive way.

 

Scott

ALL ORBX addons, Active Sky Next, REX4 textures, and EZdok.  Can't fly without any of them.

 

Stan

 

I second that!

Most  of the items already mentioned plus one new recent one.

 

 

Night Environment (e.g. NE Dubai)... I love this! It took the already awesome Fly Tampa's Dubai to another level that I have not experienced before..

 

I want to second FSUIPC, FEX, Orbx, Fly Tampa's city series (Kai Tak, Dubai, Julianna), EZDOC (Need this for P3D), PMDG, Real air. Aerosoft Airbus, Steve's DX10 Fixer.

Here are four that revolutionized my experience:

 

Flight1 Cessna 421C - This was my first payware purchase, and without it I would have abandoned the hobby long ago.  It wasn't an easy aircraft to fly (initially) but it was the first plane I mastered because unlike the default offerings it did not jump off the runway and flail about like a lawn dart propelled by a couple of Estes D motors.  Instead, it behaved predictably and much more like I imagined a real aircraft would behave in the sky.  For me, the 421C turned a frustrating pastime into a thoroughly enjoyable one.  I'm sure I still have more hours in that plane than anything else.

 

FS Navigator - Made planning a flight and navigating as much fun as flying itself.  Though it could be used like a GPS I used it mostly as a flight planner and did my flying by hand.  I'd peek at it only when I felt like I was lost.  It helped me make sense of navigation concepts that had eluded me beforehand.

 

EZDOK - Another tool that kept me from abandoning the hobby. Before EZDOK I was an unrepentant virtual cockpit hater.  However, it was obvious 2D panels were becoming a relic and after I bought PMDG's NGX and coupled it with EZDOK I could understand why. The experience is so much more immersive and I could never go back to panels now.  

 

Active Sky Next - ASN has transformed the weather from eye candy to something to be reckoned with.  No more popping clouds, no more unrealistic shifts in the wind and when you're in the soup you can't see anything.  The day I bought ASN I jumped into the Twin Otter and took off from CYHE.  In real life no sane person would be flying that day as it was cold and snowy with zero visibility above 300 feet.  I wasn't in the air for more than two minutes before an updraft tossed me into the side of a mountain.  Incredible fun when you can walk away from it, but rather sobering at the same time and definitely a game changer.

I would start with fs2004, before even going to the madness in FSX.

 

1) Level-D 767 = What else could you say when it was released. I believe it was the number 1 add-on for everyone, or at least for me, and still is !

 

2) World of AI = The Best freeware air traffic way back to fs2004 in my opinion. Really gave this "excitment" when you see different airlines parked next to you  

 

3) Deffinitly Project Open Sky = I was sitting hours to download all the aircraft and textures.

 

4) Abacus F-14 tomcat and the aircraft carriers: Not sure exactly why no one posted this, but man... Taking off from an aircraft carrier with a tomcat, definitly gave me the vibe of going and buying a joystick.

 

Now.. Some others and both FS9 and FSx

 

1) Fly Tampa TNCM = HELLO???

 

2) FSUIPC = What would I do without it..

 

3) Active sky?? HiFi?

 

4) PMDG = Whole new world, that doesnt exist..

 

5) REX and FEX = Made me stay awake untill 5:00 am in the morning just to see the new sunrise textures.

 

6) Carenado = Its just awesome, so much work and effort

 

          ^^ A2A Sim = Cessna 172 and piper

 

7) VATSIM = Makes it so much more fun to play flight sim.

 

 

AND the last but not least,

 

In my opinion, the best of all >>> Bojote's Tweeks ! GOD DOES EXIST!

 

 

Anyways,

 

This is my list for now, obviously there are so much more that cant even fit this page, like majestic and aerosoft..

 

Thank you.

Things listed are mostly to be expected.  There are some obvious trends. While I don't have all those things listed, I do focus Scenery and Plane upgrades.  Unfortunately, my older PC system can't handle the heavy aircraft so I focus on GA aircraft.

 

Picking one scenery or scenery category it would have to be Orbx.

 

Picking one or two plane developers I would have to say RealAir and Carenado.

 

Picking a few utilities, that would have to be REX (Real Environment Extreme - HD) and ADE (Airport Design Editor), FSUIPC and GNS750 GPS (not really a utility but gauge addon).

 

cheers

1.PMDG

2.FSD

3.Mega Scenery

4. OPUS

 

...................................................

These were my first WOW experiences in flightsim of the type:

 

Aircraft:  POSKY 767 for FS9

Scenery:  Emma Field

 

There were actually so many great moments over the years, I cant remember them all

.edit: 

Moved to  'Fsx 2015 what would revolutionize it for you'

 

.

Ezca, pmdg md80, opus, linda with saitek modules, fsxflight to link ipad foreflight to fsx, orbx regions, rex, a2a, real air ... A long list of significant improvements

The one thing that revolutionized my flight sim experience was not really software, but one piece of hardware.

 

TrackIR.

 

That revolutionized the experience for me and made using virtual cockpits a real pleasure.

TrackIR

 

and

 

FSUIPC

 

.....everything else is just detail.   :smile:

 

TrackIR took us out of a two dimensional world, where the aircraft was in the PC, to an immersive, intuitive world where we were put in to the aircraft.

 

FSUIPC - Sometimes the 'under the bonnet stuff' is the most valuable but unappreciated stuff.  Without FSUIPC and it making FS's values and parameters so transparent, we'd be without a lot of the complexity and functionality we have today.

Just came back to FSX after being away for 1+ year. Flying only DCS - who's AC are great but terrain and sky really suck.

 

After a long setup process finally flew last night. Sent a chill up my back how incredible FSX scenery textures and weather are now. Flew Orbx Alaska, OpusFSI realtime weather, rex clouds and textures.

 

#1 Pete Dowson and his kind support with FSUIPC

#2 Orbx - notably Russ a true texture artist and Holger amazing support (even on Christmas eve)

#3 Opus FSI - just upgraded - WOW

#4 REX - Have not bought 4 yet but their new Clouds and REX Essential PLUS with OverDrive - stunning

#5 A2A - Anything newer

#6 TrackIR - but damn their ClipPro

#7 Saitek - Yeah I said it! Their affordable controllers and panels make a great poor-mans cockpit

#8 Avsim - Where would we be without it.

Here's what revolutionized the experience for me...

Captain Sim 757 for FS9 - This was the first payware addon I ever bought. Got it in an ebay sale for just $10, and after seeing the previews I wanted it. It took a long hard time to master it, but I likely have more hours in it than any other addon. Introduced me to the payware world and got me truly hooked on the hobby.

 

Project OpenSky Series - Simply the best freeware visual models ever and still to this day a true champion that rules my skies.

RFP Boeing 747-200 - While it's now so old that it isn't payware, it still has made flying my POSKY 747's a true fun challenge.

Active Sky 6.5 and Active Sky Graphics - The first version of AS I ever got, bundled with their graphics pack of the time. Truly wowed me with all the things it could do and how it made my sim look.

PMDG Products - I own every PMDG product from the FS2004 737's to the new NGX, with plans to purchase the 777. Each and every time they have managed to thin the line between FS and reality. 

iFly Products - I found them with their freeware 747 and was truly wowed by it, and when their 737 came along, I was really surprised to see it was payware. I remember thinking, 'Well done guys!' Their 737 and new 747 are true joys to fly, especially if you're stuck on FS9 like me.

FS9 Evo - A donationware package available from a user here on AVSIM that I can't quite remember the name of. While the ground textures didn't really wow me that much, the water that came with truly made my FS9 come to life.

CH Yoke and Rudder Pedals - I don't even have anything to say. I simply love them.

World of AI Traffic - I remember my initial excitement of seeing the first Southwest 737's appear at my virtual PHX. Will never forget it.

FSUIPC - Indispensable.'Nuff said.

Historic Jetliners Group - Continually wow me with the freeware products and support that they give.

Google Sketchup - Definitely an odd entry, but without it, I would never have become an aspiring scenery designer 

 

There's so many more to mention, and to all developers out there, for software, hardware, freeware, payware, donationware, shareware, and all things FS....

THANK YOU!

WITHOUT YOU, OUR HOBBY WOULD NOT BE NEARLY AS FUN OR INCREDIBLE AS IT IS TODAY. YOU MAKE OUR ENJOYMENT POSSIBLE.