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Flight Simulator X For Mac
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X-Plane is without peer on the Mac. Calling X-Plane a game isn't just wrong, but it's insulting: X-Plane is the definitive flight simulator for the platform. Intricately detailed, it's also incredibly scalable - X-Plane runs on mobile, oz77n home Macs and PCs, and also operates as a detailed professional-grade aviation simulator. Flight simulator mac free download - YS Flight Simulator, X-Plane, Tactical Air Combat Simulator (TACS), and many more programs. Best Video Software for the Mac How To Run MacOS High Sierra.

Listed in this category are a selection of flight simulator packages and games that are free-to-download. Most of them are compatible with Windows, Linux and macOS (or OS X). Some are demos of fuller simulation packages, such as the Microsoft Flight Simulator X Demo or X-Plane, while others offer the entire package because they are open source such as FlightGear.

Free-to-Download

All of the files here are free to download – no registration or subscription is required, however, some of the installation files are quite large so you may benefit from registering for a PRO account (which offers uncapped download speed). Plus, you'll have full speed access to download any of the files in the library such as any aircraft, scenery and tools you may wish to install.

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Support for Multiple Operating Systems

The packages here offer support for Windows, Linux and Mac. Microsoft Flight Simulator X runs on Windows only while X-Plane and FlightGear run on all operating systems (Windows/Linux/Mac).

Providing you have a computer and an internet connection there’s not much you can’t do from the comfort of your own living room in the modern and increasingly futuristic age. That includes a flight or two around the world, albeit virtually, through the array of simulation packages just waiting to connect you to highly detailed and ultra-authentic destinations around the planet.

Whether you’re a grizzled veteran with multiple online flying hours to your handle or a newcomer who is one click away from entering the virtual hangar for the first time, there is a plethora of options and packages available. And, as technology continues to improve at a seemingly accelerated pace, so do the intricacies of the world’s waiting to be explored from the skies of the superhighway.

So, click away the wheel chocks and start up your digital engines as we look at some of the best flight simulation packages out there. And we will start with one of the most popular.

This article is quite lengthy so you can jump to individual simulators using the jump links below;

Steam Edition Breathes New Life Into Microsoft Flight Simulator X!

The Microsoft Flight Simulation series has its roots in the SubLOGIC flight simulators of the late 1970s. After releases of simulators on such systems as Apple, Atari, Amiga, and Macintosh, the Microsoft company developed the first flight simulator compatible for home PCs and IBM in 1982. It has released several installments since, culminating in the Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) in 2006, widely regarded to be one of the finest flight simulator packages available.

Air Transat A310 in flight in Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition.

In December 2014 the package was released by Dovetail Games on Steam – “the” streaming site for gamers – meaning that it was widely available to a real-time audience and instant updates and add-ons were also available. As much as the Microsoft flight packages had been invaluable in training young pilots, they were often labeled as “boring” by critics who would site the combat simulations as being more interesting. However, with the Steam edition come many more options that look to make for an overall exciting, varied, and realistic experience.

The graphics and absolute attention to details – including the textures of the surroundings – are hugely realistic. Perhaps the main gripe you might have, however, is the, at times, repetitive nature of the surroundings. This overall attention to detail, though, is replicated in the cockpit giving you, the pilot, control over every action as much as you would if you were sat in your plane for real. Furthermore, the choice of planes is ample, with details for each individual aircraft authentic, accurate, and unique.

Should you feel the need to make a tweak here or there, however, the huge editing suite allows you to just that, even allowing you to create and build your own aircraft. And once you’ve done that, you can choose from one of the 24,000 airports from which to fly from.

Accommodating but Unforgiving!

There are also 50 unique missions to carry out, with each mission taking you on an equally unique adventure regardless of how many times you choose it. And of course, as it is streaming in real-time, you can find other users and compete against them, which in itself opens up a whole other realm of possible scenarios you and your virtual pilots might find yourselves in.

The Steam Edition’s overall ease of use makes it appealing for longtime fans and newcomers alike, right down to the simple “Download-Install-Run” of obtaining the program from Steam in the first place.

Emirates A380 in FSX.

As accommodating as it is to use it is just as equally unforgiving when it comes to pushing the user in terms of the actual flying and maneuvers required to complete the various missions, which just further adds another helping of reality that makes this package all the more appealing.

The overall strength of the Microsoft Steam package is in the actual flight simulation and the unique experience it presents to the user with each different aircraft. If you choose to fly a small one-engine plane, then the cockpit will look and act in sympathy with your choice. Likewise, for a huge commercial plane or a small helicopter and so on. If it is realistic flight conditions that test your skills as a pilot you are looking for then the sometimes lack intricately detailed landscapes outside of the cockpit will likely be of little concern to you.

Microsoft Flight Simulator runs on all versions of Windows - from Windows XP to Windows 10. Also, you can get it running on a Mac too with a little tweaking which you can read about here.

Runs on: Windows (all versions) and Mac (with Bootcamp).

You can download a demo version of the Microsoft Flight Simulator X here. We also have over 23,000 freeware add-ons and mods for FSX which you can view in the file library here. The short video below features a demonstration of the Steam version with an Airbus add-on pack.

X-Plane 11 Is Professionally Slick

If it is realistic “out-of-the-cockpit” scenery you are looking for then the X-Plane 11 package certainly offers some of the most realistic simulations of well-known parts of the planet. As you fly to new destinations, that scenery changes accordingly. And if 24,000 airports just don’t quite cut it with you, X-Plane 11 offers in excess of 33,000 destinations or starting points. Or, should you feel the need, you can even start your flight mission from the middle of the ocean onboard an aircraft carrier.

The movement of the waves and their effect on the ship has all been taken into account. You can even opt for a more “out of this world” experience with the space mode, allowing you to depart from the mother-ship in Space Ship One on a re-entry mission to Earth.

X-Plane is powerful and comprehensive, with extensive features and realistic flight modeling. Because it was not originally designed as a game but as an engineering tool to examine flight dynamics, it has very realistic flight handling characteristics.

Cessna 172 in X-Plane 11.

There are even random weather conditions that will challenge your skills on your flights. These use genuine weather data and are as accurate and realistic as the graphical features mentioned above. As are the “system failures” that might strike you at any moment prompting you to utilize all your wits to take charge of the emergency situation.

That’s not to say the flight simulation itself isn’t up to scratch. Graphically, their 3D cockpit offers a decidedly authentic feel, while their use of the blade element theory in calculating the simulation features

Best Flight Simulator Free Download For Mac