RC flight simulator

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.

Custom flying field of the HHAMS Aerodrome created for RealFlight 7.5

Custom flying field of the HHAMS Aerodrome created for Phoenix RC

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 SeligSIM (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
SIMNET	Multicopter, Fixed-Wing and VTOL drones	Subscription-based	Proprietary	Yes	Cross-Platform (Web-based)	Real Controllers		https://simnet.aero/