Flightgear improved scenery simulator#
Flightgear improved scenery download#
Flightgear improved scenery free#

Flightgear improved scenery download#

The RCS is not modeled in the default version of the X-15 available from the Flightgear download page, however an alternative versions of the X-15 with RCS and 3d cockpit are linked below. This means that the glide slope in the unpowered approach back to base is rather steep, and once back in the lower atmosphere, the X-15 sinks rapidly.įor maneuvering in the upper atmosphere where there is no significant air and the control surfaces do not work, the X-15 is equipped with a reaction control system (RCS) using hydrogen peroxide as propellant.įlight dynamics of the X-15 in Flightgear is based on NASA-TN-D-2532 ‘Flight Measurements of Stability and Control Derivatives of the X-15 Research Airplane to a Mach Number of 6.02 and an Angle of Attack of 25 degrees’. The plane has a thick wedge tail for stability at hypersonic flight conditions, however this produces a lot of drag at lower speeds. It was the first man-rated rocket engine that could be throttled. The rocket engine would only burn for about 80 seconds, the smallest part of the whole flight profile, but this would be sufficient to fling the plane on a high reaching ballistic trajectory or to accelerate it to tremendous velocities. The X-15 is powered by the XLR-99 using ammonia and liquid oxygen as propellants, giving the plane a thrust of 70,400 lb and a thrust/weight ratio of 2.07. The 100 km altitude was only crossed on one other flight, but since the USAF defined the criterion for spaceflight by reaching an altitude of 50 miles, 13 different flights met this criterion and qualified the pilots for astronaut status. In ballistic flight, it reached a top altitude of 354,200 feet (107.8 km) on August 22, 1963, crossing the boundary of space as defined by the Fédération Aéronautique International and making the X-15 the worlds first spaceplane. The X-15 reached Mach 6.72 on October 3, 1967, which is still today the official world record for the highest speed ever reached by a manned aircraft. During that time, it set a number of records and greatly expanded the knowledge about conditions in the upper atmosphere and in hypersonic flight, thus ultimately laying the foundations upon which the Space Shuttle was built. The North American X-15 was a rocket-powered, hypersonic research aircraft operated from 1959 to 1968 by the US Airforce and NASA.

Flightgear improved scenery simulator#

Best of all, being open-source, the simulator is owned by the community and everyone is encouraged to contribute.ĭownload FlightGear v3.0 from and “Fly Free!” FlightGear is used all over the world by desktop flight simulator enthusiasts, for research in universities and for interactive exhibits in museums.įlightGear features more than 400 aircraft, a worldwide scenery database, a multi-player environment, detailed sky modelling, a flexible and open aircraft modelling system, varied networking options, multiple display support, a powerful scripting language and an open architecture.

Flightgear improved scenery free#

įounded in 1997, FlightGear is developed by a worldwide group of volunteers, brought together by a shared ambition to create the most realistic flight simulator possible that is free to use, modify and distribute. This release also coincides with the release of FlightGear World Scenery 2.0 – massively improved scenery data covering the entirety of the planet and incorporating OpenStreetMap roads and detailed terrain information from a variety of sources.Ī list of major changes can be found at. Highlights in this release include integration of the FGCom voice communications client within the simulator, improved terrain rendering, faster scenery loading, and improved usability. This new version contains many exciting new features, enhancements and bug fixes. The FlightGear development team is happy to announce the v3.0 release of FlightGear, the free, open-source flight simulator.