1997 · Flight simulation · Simulation

FlightGear

FlightGear is a free, open-source space and flight simulator used in aerospace research with flight dynamics (JSBSim) used in 2015 NASA benchmark to judge future sim code to NASA standards. The goal of the FlightGear project is to create a sophisticated and open flight simulator framework for use in research or academic environments, pilot training, as an industry engineering tool, for DIY-ers to pursue their favorite interesting flight simulation idea, and last but certainly not least as a fun, realistic, and challenging desktop flight simulator.

Released: 1997
Platforms: Linux Windows macOS
Genres: Flight simulation Simulation
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Modes: Multiplayer
Perspective: First person Third person
Engine: OpenSceneGraph
Languages: Chinese (Simplified), English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Turkish

About

FlightGear Flight Simulator (often shortened to FlightGear or FGFS) is a free, open source multi-platform flight simulator developed by the FlightGear project since 1997.

David Murr started this project on April 8, 1996. This project had its first release in 1997 and continued in development. It has specific builds for a variety of different operating systems including Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, IRIX, and Solaris.

›Story

The goal of the FlightGear project is to create a sophisticated and open flight simulator framework for use in research or academic environments, pilot training, as an industry engineering tool, for DIY-ers to pursue their favorite interesting flight simulation idea, and last but certainly not least as a fun, realistic, and challenging desktop flight simulator. Being opensource, FlightGear has historically received development from the science and engineering community (including the Linux open-source one) with many contributors having academic background in engineering, maths, physics, or computer-science - in addition to some involvement or interest in aviation like being pilots (hobby, professional, test pilots, or retired).

Keywords

space simulation
flight simulator
flight
space flight

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Development

FlightGear started as an online proposal in 1996 by David Murr, living in the United States. He was dissatisfied with proprietary, available, simulators like the Microsoft Flight Simulator, citing motivations of companies not aligning with the simulators' players ("simmers"), and proposed a new flight simulator developed by volunteers over the Internet. The flight simulator was created using custom 3D graphics code. Development of an OpenGL based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olson starting in 1997.

FlightGear incorporated other open-source resources, including the LaRCsim flight dynamics engine from NASA, and freely available elevation data. The first working binaries using OpenGL came out in 1997. By 1999 FlightGear had replaced LaRCsim with JSBSim built to the sims' needs, and in 2015 NASA used JSBSim alongside 6 other space industry standards to create a measuring stick to judge future space industry simulation code.

Reception

Although not developed or typically analyzed solely as a game in the traditional sense, FlightGear has nevertheless undergone reviews in a number of online and offline publications, and received positive reviews as a flight simulator game. FlightGear 1.0.0 was noted as being impressive for a game over a decade in the making, with a wide variety of aircraft and features.

PC Magazine noted how it is designed to be easy to add new aircraft and scenery. Linux Format reviewed version 2.0 and rated it 8/10.