RC flight simulator

Custom flying field of the HHAMS Aerodrome created for RealFlight 7.5
Custom flying field of the HHAMS Aerodrome created for Phoenix RC

An RC flight simulator is a computer program that allows pilots of radio-controlled aircraft to practice on a computer, without the risk and expense of damaging a real model. Besides the obvious use of training beginners, they are also used for practising new aerobatics, evaluating a model before buying it, and to allow flight practice when conditions are otherwise unsuitable. Most simulators allow the use of real R/C transmitters to control the sim.

There are a number of commercial packages available, such as Eiperle CGM's neXt - RC Flight Simulator, SVK Systems' ClearView, Knife Edge Software's RealFlight, IPACS' AeroFly and Trasna Technology's AccuRC. There are also a number of free simulators, with FS One being the most well known and most feature rich.

Most simulators allow the importing of add-ons such as new models and landscapes. There are many web sites dedicated to offering free content like this.

Some of these simulators are dedicated to R/C flight, while others are generic simulators that can simulate both full-scale and R/C flight.

Feature Comparison

Name Type of aircraft Price Software license Free Demo? Operating System Controller Type Last stable release (date) External Link
Srizfly Drone Simulator Model planes, Helicopters and Drones US$49 Proprietary No Windows 10 Included or controller https://srizfly.com/
Absolute RC Simulator Model Planes and Helicopters Free Proprietary Yes iOS, Android, Windows phones and tablets On screen controls http://www.happybytesapps.com/
Aerofly Professional Deluxe Model planes and helicopters US$300 Proprietary No Windows, Mac Included or controller http://www.aerofly.com/afpd/index.html
Aerofly RC 7 Model planes, Helicopters and Drones €40+ Proprietary No Windows, Mac Included or controller 2015-08-27 https://www.ikarus.net/en/aeroflyrc-7/rc7-features/
Aerofly RC 8 Model planes, Helicopters and Drones €99+ Proprietary No Windows, Mac Included or controller https://www.ikarus.net/en/rc8-features/
AeroSIM RC Model planes, helicopters, multicopters €65 Hardware keyed Yes Windows Real Controller 2019-02 http://www.aerosimrc.com/
AirSim Multicopters, cars, etc. Free MIT License Yes Windows, Linux 2020-04 https://github.com/Microsoft/AirSim
AccuRC RC Flight Simulator Model helicopters US$59 Hardware keyed Yes Windows Real Controller http://www.accurc.com/
Wings Wings and planes including FPV racing $36 Proprietary FPS check only Windows Any analog USB controller 2023-09 (1.17) https://www.wings-sim.com/index.php
R/C Desk Pilot Model Planes and Helicopters Free Freeware n/a Windows Joystick 2017-06 http://www.rcdeskpilot.com/
ClearView Model Planes and Helicopters US$40 Proprietary Yes Windows, Joystick or Controller http://www.rcflightsim.com/
CRRCsim Model Planes Free GPL n/a Windows, Mac, Linux Joystick, Controllers 2018-07-04 https://sourceforge.net/projects/crrcsim/
CSM Model Planes and Helicopters UK£69.99 Proprietary n/a DOS, Windows Real Controllers 1998 (V10) https://web.archive.org/web/20050830000501/http://www.rcmodels.org/csm/csm_simulator.htm
Dave Brown RCFS Model Planes and Helicopters US$150 Proprietary No Windows Joystick, Controllers https://web.archive.org/web/20060509083404/http://www.dbproducts.com/store/rcfs2001.htm
Digital Aircraft Modeller Model Planes US$40 Proprietary Yes Windows Joystick, controllers http://www.digitalaircraftmodeler.com/
Electric RC Sim Model planes, quadcopter US$1.99 Proprietary Yes iOS Touch screen controls http://jetstripes.com/games/electric-rc-sim/
FlightGear Planes, helicopters, model planes. (Flight simulator, not RC) Free Flightgear#Commercial redistribution GPL n/a Cross-platform Check categories: hardware (joystick) & R/C. 2019-01-29 http://www.flightgear.org/
Flying Model Simulator Model Planes and Helicopters Free Freeware n/a Windows Joystick, controller adapters http://modelsimulator.com/
FS One Model Planes Free Proprietary Yes Windows Real Controllers, USB Simulator Controllers 2022-09-06 https://www.fsone.com
Liftoff Drone Racing Quadcopters US$20 Steam profile linked No Windows, Mac, Linux Real controller, game controllers http://www.liftoff-game.com
neXt - CGM RC Flight Simulator Helicopters, Model Planes, Multicopters and Drone Racing US$89.90 Proprietary Yes Windows, Mac, Linux Real controller, game controllers 2019-12-23 https://next-sim.cgm-online.com/rc-flight-simulator_e.html
PhoenixSim Model Planes and Helicopters US$130–$175 Proprietary Yes Windows Real Controller https://www.rc-thoughts.com/phoenix-sim/
PicaSim Model planes Free Proprietary Yes Windows, iOS, Android Joystick, Controllers, Touch http://www.rowlhouse.co.uk/PicaSim
PRE-Flight Model Planes and Helicopters US$25–$45 Proprietary Yes Windows Real Controller http://www.preflightsim.com/
Great Planes RealFlight Model Planes and Helicopters US$200 Proprietary Yes Windows Real Controller http://www.realflight.com/
Mugi Sim Delta wing US$1 Proprietary Yes Windows, iOS (iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch) Joystick, Controllers, Touch 2019-03-27 https://baawolf.itch.io/mugi-sim
Quadcopter FX Simulator Quadcopters Free Proprietary Yes Android, iOS Touchscreen, Joystick, Controller http://quadcopterfx.3dcreativeworld.com
Slope Soaring Simulator Model planes Free GPL Yes Windows, Linux Joystick 2006-01-21 http://www.rowlhouse.co.uk/sss/
HELI-X Model helicopters and planes ~€60 Proprietary Yes. Also version 0.9 is free Windows, Linux, Mac System Joystick, Real controllers 2020-07-01 http://www.heli-x.net/
Hover Here Model helicopters Free GPLv3 n/a. Windows, Mac Real controller, game controllers 2022-08 https://c.web.de/@949205153511112756/P_wvdHpRRLWNn-kKtXzr7g https://github.com/zulugithub/HoverHere
X-Plane Just about anything US$30 Proprietary Yes Windows, Linux, Mac System Joystick http://www.x-plane.com
AlphaMacSoftware's RC Helicopter Simulator Helicopters Free Proprietary Yes Mac System Joystick, Real Controllers http://www.alphamacsoftware.com/index.php
Ron's RC Flight Simulator Electric Foamy Model Planes Free Ad supported Yes Windows, Mac, Linux, Android (Chrome or Firefox browsers only) Logitech and Xbox Gamepads, OculusVR 2013 http://www.ostafichuk.com/rons-rc-sim/
R/C Sim Sikorsky Helicopters €35 Proprietary Yes Windows Keyboard, Mouse, Joystick, Real Controllers http://home.zonnet.nl/blacksphere2/rcsim.html
Reflex XTR2 Model Planes and Helicopters €169 Proprietary Yes Windows Real Controllers https://www.reflex-sim.net
Zephyr Drone Simulator Quadcopters/Drones US$139.99 Proprietary Yes Windows, Mac Real Controllers https://www.zephyr-sim.com/
VelociDrone FPV Racing Simulator Quadcopters/Drones £16.99 Proprietary Yes Windows, Mac, Linux Real Controllers 2020-09-10 (v1.17) https://www.velocidrone.com/
EreaDrone 2023 Quadcopters/Drones $24.99 Proprietary No Windows Real Controllers, Game Controllers (Xbox, Logitech, etc) 2023-06-23 (v1) https://www.ereadrone.com/
FPV FreeRider Quadcopters/Drones US$4.99 Proprietary Yes Windows, Mac, Linux, Android USB Controllers 2019-02-05 https://itch.io/profile/fpv-freerider
Wings Model Planes US$36 Proprietary No Windows, Linux Real Controllers, Xbox, PS4 2023-09 (1.17) https://www.wings-sim.com

References