FlightGear
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since November 2006. |
| FlightGear | |
 FlightGear 3D console panel |
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| Developer: | FlightGear build team |
|---|---|
| Latest release: | 0.9.10 / 5 April 2006 |
| OS: | OpenGL and 3D hardware acceleration required with Windows, Linux, Mac OS-X, FreeBSD, Solaris or IRIX |
| Use: | Cross-platform Scientific Flight simulation |
| License: | GPL |
| Website: | http://www.flightgear.org/ |
FlightGear is a collaborative project that aims to create a sophisticated free flight simulator framework. It is cross-platform, running on a variety of operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and various Unix systems.
The simulation engine in FlightGear is called SimGear. It is used both as an end-user application and in academic and research environments, for the development and pursuit of flight simulation ideas.
This customizability of FlightGear is illustrated by the wide range of aircraft models that are available in FlightGear, from gliders to helicopters, and from airliners to fighter jets. These aircraft models have been contributed by many different people.
Licensed under the GNU General Public License, FlightGear is free software.
[edit] Networking and Multi-display
Several networking options allow FlightGear to communicate with other instances of FlightGear. A multiplayer protocol is available for using FlightGear on a local network in a multi aircraft environment. This could be used for formation flight or control tower simulation.
Several instances of FlightGear can be synchronised to allow for a multi monitor environment. If all instances are running at the same frame rate consistently, it is possible to get good and tight synchronization between displays.
[edit] Disadvantages
Flight gear lacks the 'eye-candy' of other flight simulators such as Microsoft Flight Simulator but the whole world is well represented (see free srtm elevations files freely downloadable from their site).
