New Aircraft
- Thread starter Roro
- Start date
Over the years, new aircraft are created and bundled with software updates by Real Flight. Not every free sub-version release, but from time to time planes are included. There are also a number added with a major release, that one has to purchase.
Swap page aircraft are all created by users. Some are works of perfection. Some are terrible. But it costs nothing to try them and see. Skim through the various Design forums (yes, even for the older versions) and you'll quickly get a sense of who the users are that do top level work, and then look for their creations in the swap pages. The Design forum for the current version is the appropriate place to ask if anyone is willing to create whatever model you would like. Whether they will or not is, of course, up to them. With some digging in the Design forums for "how to", and willingness to learn the 3rd party modeling software, you can make your own. There are only a few currently active "complete" designers, so more would be welcome! As the current flood of color schemes and variants of aircraft demonstrates, it isn't too hard to make a modification of an existing plane. Now getting it correct, in look or flyability, can be all over the place....
In the early years, RF also sold "Add-ons". The first five sets have been reworked for the latest versions, and are available for free here: https://www.realflight.com/support/kb/article.php?p=AddOns&q=16-1033
Swap page aircraft are all created by users. Some are works of perfection. Some are terrible. But it costs nothing to try them and see. Skim through the various Design forums (yes, even for the older versions) and you'll quickly get a sense of who the users are that do top level work, and then look for their creations in the swap pages. The Design forum for the current version is the appropriate place to ask if anyone is willing to create whatever model you would like. Whether they will or not is, of course, up to them. With some digging in the Design forums for "how to", and willingness to learn the 3rd party modeling software, you can make your own. There are only a few currently active "complete" designers, so more would be welcome! As the current flood of color schemes and variants of aircraft demonstrates, it isn't too hard to make a modification of an existing plane. Now getting it correct, in look or flyability, can be all over the place....
In the early years, RF also sold "Add-ons". The first five sets have been reworked for the latest versions, and are available for free here: https://www.realflight.com/support/kb/article.php?p=AddOns&q=16-1033
uncle twist
Well-known member
Correct me if I`m wrong, BUT isn`t it the "add-ons" that are free, and the "expansion packs" that are sold...???
Last edited:
12oclockhigh
Banned
It should be said: I do not know what you use RF for. If it is to learn how to fly. Any training aircraft will do that. You do not need to have the latest china creation to learn. It is impossible to keep up with the new aircraft released almost daily.
In the case of the Mustang mentioned by the OP, it is relatively easy to create an aircraft variant by changing the graphical size of the aircraft, weights, motor selection, and other physical properties. This can be done by the user or by requesting help in the forums. If you own the aircraft, you can measure and weigh the components to help in creating the aircraft variant. The user can create their own paint scheme to make them feel like they are flying the aircraft that they own. All of this can be shared with other RF users on the swap pages.
It the aircraft does not exist, you might request help from the forum designers to create it. You need to provide as much information as you know about your aircraft. Pictures shot from 90degree views, Plan Views, weights, airfoils, motor setup, propellers, type of propulsion. Give the designer as much homework as possible and they just might be interested in helping you out. When the design is on the swaps, remember some guy spent a lot of time building it. It may not be perfect in every way, so you can change it easily (other than the actual model).
In recent years, Knife Edge has done away with the dongle (controller) copy protection scheme. You can now bring your own. It does not always work, but what computer hardware works with everything? Answer NONE.
No other RC simulator that I know of begins to offer as much flexibility and capability as Knife Edge Real Flight. Be positive and think of what it has instead of what it does not have.
In the case of the Mustang mentioned by the OP, it is relatively easy to create an aircraft variant by changing the graphical size of the aircraft, weights, motor selection, and other physical properties. This can be done by the user or by requesting help in the forums. If you own the aircraft, you can measure and weigh the components to help in creating the aircraft variant. The user can create their own paint scheme to make them feel like they are flying the aircraft that they own. All of this can be shared with other RF users on the swap pages.
It the aircraft does not exist, you might request help from the forum designers to create it. You need to provide as much information as you know about your aircraft. Pictures shot from 90degree views, Plan Views, weights, airfoils, motor setup, propellers, type of propulsion. Give the designer as much homework as possible and they just might be interested in helping you out. When the design is on the swaps, remember some guy spent a lot of time building it. It may not be perfect in every way, so you can change it easily (other than the actual model).
In recent years, Knife Edge has done away with the dongle (controller) copy protection scheme. You can now bring your own. It does not always work, but what computer hardware works with everything? Answer NONE.
No other RC simulator that I know of begins to offer as much flexibility and capability as Knife Edge Real Flight. Be positive and think of what it has instead of what it does not have.
12oclockhigh brought up excellent points!
I have several aircraft I created for my own use, that are based on an existing plane. I found one that was as close as it could be to the overall look of what I wanted - general shape, configuration, etc. Without 3DSMax or similar software, you can't make "parts", so it may not look 100% like what you are trying for. You can, though, change the paint scheme using far-less-learning-curve, free, software. And you can scale it up or down to be the size you want it to be. But...
Then one would dive into the "aircraft editor" of RF, to change the unseen physics of the plane - size of each component, weight, aerodynamic characteristics, etc., etc. As he noted - lots of measuring and weighing of the real thing and its components. Many fail here - the physics size and characteristics of the edited model do not match the new visual size. Here you can add/change/move components - an extra wing, new shape tail, move the landing gear, whatever. It will fly like it had it, you just won't see the change.
To date, and with a number of models, it hasn't failed that if I take the time to get the details right, it flies just like my "real" one. To the point that I use RF to test out changes before doing so on the real model ("What happens if I change the wing incidence or engine thrust a bit?", or "Is it a CG problem or something else that makes it fly wonky?")
I have several aircraft I created for my own use, that are based on an existing plane. I found one that was as close as it could be to the overall look of what I wanted - general shape, configuration, etc. Without 3DSMax or similar software, you can't make "parts", so it may not look 100% like what you are trying for. You can, though, change the paint scheme using far-less-learning-curve, free, software. And you can scale it up or down to be the size you want it to be. But...
Then one would dive into the "aircraft editor" of RF, to change the unseen physics of the plane - size of each component, weight, aerodynamic characteristics, etc., etc. As he noted - lots of measuring and weighing of the real thing and its components. Many fail here - the physics size and characteristics of the edited model do not match the new visual size. Here you can add/change/move components - an extra wing, new shape tail, move the landing gear, whatever. It will fly like it had it, you just won't see the change.
To date, and with a number of models, it hasn't failed that if I take the time to get the details right, it flies just like my "real" one. To the point that I use RF to test out changes before doing so on the real model ("What happens if I change the wing incidence or engine thrust a bit?", or "Is it a CG problem or something else that makes it fly wonky?")
They both originally were sold. I bought all of the early (now free) add-ons, but stopped as there were too many that had things that I personally didn't care much about. If I remember right, the "Expansion Packs" had more stuff - airports, objects, challenges, etc.