I haven't found a single plane that didn't bog down the game, forcing me to cut back the scenery to keep a decent frame rate. This is pretty much the only reason I don't use custom planes much. It keeps me from getting any payware planes because I'm afraid I won't be able to enjoy them.What is the reason that most user created planes give such a performance hit (while simultaneously looking worse than the default planes)?Anyway know of any good planes (free or pay) that don't give any drop in FPS?I really want to expand my stable of aircraft, but can't find many that look good inside and out, let alone a single one that doesn't take 25% of my FPS away.Thanks guys. Also, I'm a sucker for the VC, I probably won't fly without one.

For GA, look into Eaglesoft Piper Twin Comanche.Very immersive, impressive VC, easy on the frame rates.

The Overland models are pretty good visually and also very frame-rate friendly. You get a lot of differnt aircraft models for your money.http://secure.simmarket.com/advanced_searc...d+-+Fly&x=0&y=0They dont have FMCs or other 'pro' touches, though. Plenty of repaints for them available in the AVSIM library too, as well as some FDE updates to address a few minor issues. Fully FSX SP2 compatible with patches available on the Overland Website.

Everything by RealAir has no impact on my FPS and their smooth gauge technology is awesome.Triangle

Carenado Mooney. After 2 years of high & fast, I am now all low & slow. It's a fantastic a/c with absolutely no FPS impact.

The Aerosoft Twin Otter is VC only, good on frames, and can drop 20 people almost anywhere the Mooney can go. If you get the Aerosoft Lukla X scenery (recomended) you will get a discount on the plane.The Premier freeware version of the Twotter looks a lot worse in the VC but the price can't be beat.I have a blast with the Twotter at VNKT-Lukla X and TNCM-SABA-TFFJ with Flytampa scenery...

There are a lot of reasons why an airplane can have a large impact on performance. And the impact will depend on the hardware and game settings anyway.But, there are some things that one can do to take back control.1. Often, loading the exterior model will immediately cause the Blurries or stuttering. If this happens, just don't load the external model. Or, follow the advice given below.2. People who make airplanes (and scenery) sometimes have mistaken priorities. They want their add-on to look great, no matter the performance impact. So, they use very large, 32 bit textures without MIP maps - a sure recipe for bad performance, particularly in FS X that already has increased the default texture load by a factor of 16!Just take a look at the textures, - re-size them smaller - for example, do you really care if the pilot's jeans are high resolution, 1024 x 1024 pixel textures? - convert all textures to DXT1 if they have no alpha channel, and - to DXT3 only if they have an alpha channel, and - add MIP maps to all textures.Doing this to all textures, particularly those of AI aircraft, will guarantee immediate performance benefits, although it is a lot of work.Best regards.Luis

The new Super 80 Pro available at Flight 1 is a GREAT aircraft, with no adverse impact on frame rates that I can see. It has a beautiful VC as well as a great 2D cockpit with multiple views and extra panels. This thing is a winner in my book.

Just bought the carenado piper 180....smooth and sweet if you like low and slow.

>Everything by RealAir has no impact on my FPS and their>smooth gauge technology is awesome.I second this recommendation.

The RealAir SF260 and Scout Pack 2007 doesn't hit too bad at allhttp://www.realairsimulations.com/flash.ph...e=sf26007_introhttp://www.realairsimulations.com/flash.ph...e=scout07_introYou have to realize most the payware planes are more complex systems-wise that default airplanes

If you are looking for a specific answer to your question that can help you beyond recommendations for aircraft from people who have computers that are probably totally different than yours, we'll need more information about your problem, specifically:1 - What is your computer configuration - CPU, Graphics Card, Amount of Memory in computer, amount of memory on graphics card.2 - What are the planes you are having problems with? I think most people will see a drop in performance on planes like the LDS 767 and PMDG 747, but these are very complex planes not representative of the general population of addons. Otherwise, in my experience, I haven't seen a drop in performance for most planes I've installed on any of my computers.With this information, we can then figure out what to ask next to help you.Thomas[a href=http://www.flyingscool.com] http://www.flyingscool.com/images/Signature.jpg [/a]I like using VC's :-)N15802 KASH '73 Piper Cherokee Challenger 180

My Specs Are:P4 3.6 GHz2GB RAM8800GT 512MBI assume my processor is what holds me back in FSX, so maybe the really high poly plane models are what slow things down. I would say I see a framerate drop on about 75% of the planes I try.

It has been my experiance that any aircraft that can operate in both FS9 or FSX will drop my frame rates in half in any given location as compared to the default planes. There are a few freeware planes (and Payware too I am sure) that are designed to operate in FSX alone and will not work in FS9 that I have tried and have not noticed any difference compared to the default planes, the navionv2.zip, available on this site being a good example of that.Aircraft originally designed for FS9 and modified to work in FSX drop the frame rates on my system, Q6600 2.4 ghz, 8800GT video, 3 g ram. I too am curious as to the specific reason why this is so.When downloading freeware or payware look for the caveat "Will not work in FS9 or below" and you will be happy with your frame rates.

>>Everything by RealAir has no impact on my FPS and their>>smooth gauge technology is awesome.>>I second this recommendation.I third the motion - RealAir is by far the best addon developer...in the world...And, they have managed to overcome the FSX lighting (VC lighting) limitation caused by FSX, that most developers complain about but few actually do anything about!Aeroplane Heaven and ** (2WW planes mainly)are pretty good as well. And, Iris is getting better if you like modern fighters.If you wanna try one worse than PMDG 747, try the Aerosoft Seahawk...that's a corker - 15 fps in the middle of nowhere with all the sliders to the left.......okay a little exaggerated but not much.