

Thanks to everyone for the useful feedback. Vertigo Studios is set soonish to release a CV-6 (WWII Enterprise), which will add some historical options as well. The only payware on this list is the VRS Super Bug and Team SDB Enterprise, which I love, but are not necessary. If you already own Acceleration, then everything to get a great carrier ops experience is free. It is the Big E however, which will always have a spot in my heart. It is a bit nicer looking than Javier's carriers, but is not dramatically better. It is a rework of the old Alphasim Big E to be FSX native including moving ship and native arresting and catapult features. You can also look at Team SDB's Enterprise. There is an external part of the program that will even show your track in the groove. After landing you get your landing grade and wire caught. VLSO is a nice program as well (also freeware) that will give ILS calls in the sim. If you also pick up their TacPak, it adds fully functioning weapons (including guided AA), pitching carrier decks, TACAN/ILS for moving ships, and IFR tanker support.ĭino Cattaneo makes a very nice freeware T-45C and F-14B (think it was the B, he's working on a D now) that pair nicely with this. The flight dynamics are spot on and it just doesn't get any better. It is one of the best military add-ons (there are a couple nice F-15E's) and the best carrier aircraft. They also have all the default arresting/catapult features. AI Carriers 2 is a seperate program that will allow you to drop them in to FSX as a moving carrier right in front of you whereever you happen to be flying. They are freeware and superb visual models (better than default FSX). It even includes a cockpit ILS for the moving carriers.īe sure to pick up Javier's Nimitz/Ike. Users have made tweaks that come with a nice autoinstaller and makes the default Hornet fly very nicely. They modeled the Hornet for Microsoft and host the unofficial support forums. The carriers even move in the water making for a very realistic feel that helps slow down the approach. Just lighten your load to max trap and it works fine.
ABACUS FSX MISSIONS FULL
Just be warned, their default missions give a full fuel and payload for the Hornet, which makes it over max trap weight and impossible to fly on published speeds/AOA. You get an F/A-18C default that isn't bad, but can be better (see below). They have a true IFOLS that is intregrated on the ship, so you can actually fly the meatball. You actually drop the launch bar and connect, then get shot off the pointy end of the ship. I am not sure how the catapult system works, but it works well. If you land long, you keep the airspeed and fly off the end of the deck. This means the sim actually looks for the tailhook to be down and contact the zone (it doesn't model individual wires) in order to arrest the aircraft. It has native "arresting zone" and catapult features.
ABACUS FSX MISSIONS HOW TO
If you want a great carrier ops experience, here's how to do it:įirst, if you don't already have Acceleration, get it. The carriers also do not move over the ocean, which is possible in FSX and nice to have. They use a slew work around for the catapult launch. The IFOLS (meatball) is a 2D gauge that pops up on the side of the screen. You can also trap successfully without the hook down because it's all done by spoilers. This means even if you land long missing the wires, they will still slow you down just enough to dump you over the edge of the deck with zero airspeed. They instead make use of the "uber auto-spoiler" to slow you on the deck. The carriers as of the last version I tried (like I said, think it was 5, not 6) do not use native FSX Acceleration carrier features. Visual models are poor and VC's vary, but many aren't even clickable and have FS2002 graphics.

Their flight dynamics do not allow for proper AOA to be flown, assuming you want to see the deck actually. The aircraft are overshadowed by most freeware aircraft even. I think Flight Deck 5 is the last I have any experience with, but they haven't changed almost anything since the first Flight Deck. STAY FAR FAR AWAY! Abacus products are among the worst there are and Flight Deck is no exception.
