![]() The full text of the GPL can be obtained from the FlightGear source code or from â€ÂYou can do anything with the software except make it non-freeâ€Â. However, you must freely provide the entire source code to anyone who wants it, and it must retain the original copyrights. You can modify them if you like and even charge as much money as want to for the distribution of the modified or original program. In simple terms it states that you can copy and freely distribute the program(s) so licensed. The code (including documentation) is copyrighted under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). Anyone who feels they are able to contribute is most welcome. * Open: The project is not restricted to a static or elite cadre of developers. O Windows NT/2000/XP (Intel/AMD platform),Īt present, there is no known flight simulator – commercial or free – supporting such a broad range of platforms. The present code supports the following Operating Systems: This is based on their observation that people interested in flight simulations run quite a variety of computer hardware and operating systems. * Multi-platform: The developers are attempting to keep the code as platform-independent as possible. We just have not had a developer that was seriously interested in systems necessary for combat simulation. To the disappointment of some users, it is currently not a combat simulator however, these features are not explicitly excluded. Our long-term goal is to have FlightGear FAA-approved as a flight training device. It should be appropriate for simulating general aviation as well as civilian aircraft. * Civilian: The project is primarily aimed at civilian flight simulation. Let us take a closer look at each of these characteristics: With those motivations in mind, we have set out to create a high-quality flight simulator that aims to be a civilian, multi-platform, open, user-supported, and user-extensible platform. The points mentioned above form the basis of why we created FlightGear. Sure, we can go out a buy a pre-built aircraft, but there’s just something special about building one yourself. * Beyond everything else, it’s just plain fun! I suppose you could compare us to real pilots that build kit-planes or scratch-builts. Contributing to a project as large and complex as FlightGear is very rewarding and provides the developers with a great deal of pride in knowing that we are shaping the future of a great simulator. With FlightGear, developers of all skill levels and ideas have the potential to make a huge impact on the project. * Due to their closed-source nature, commercial simulators keep developers with excellent ideas and skills from contributing to the products. We are also at liberty to support markets that no commercial developer would consider viable, like the scientific research community. We have no publisher breathing down our necks, and we’re all volunteers that make our own deadlines. As FlightGear is free and open, there is no need for such a compromise. In reality the result is always a compromise due to deadlines and funding. Most commercial developers want to be able to serve a broad segment of the population, including serious pilots, beginners, and even casual gamers. * Commercial simulators are usually a compromise of features and usability. In contrast, FlightGear is designed by the people and for the people with everything out in the open. Anyone who has ever tried to contact a commercial developer would agree that getting your voice heard in that environment is a major challenge. * All of the commercial simulators have a serious drawback: they are made by a small group of developers defining their properties according to what is important to them and providing limited interfaces to end users. With so many commercially available flight simulators, why would we spend thousands of hours of programming and design work to build a free flight simulator? Well, there are many reasons, but here are the major ones: As the price tag of those is usually within the $50 range, buying one of them should not be a serious problem given that running any serious PC flight simulator requires PC hardware within the $1500 range, despite dropping prices. You may already have some experience using Microsoft Flight Simulator or any other of the commercially available PC flight simulators. Quote Want to have a free flight? Take FlightGear!ĭid you ever want to fly a plane yourself, but lacked the money or ability to do so? Are you a real pilot looking to improve your skills without having to take off? Do you want to try some dangerous maneuvers without risking your life? Or do you just want to have fun with a more serious game without any violence? If any of these questions apply to you, PC flight simulators are just for you.
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