All the creators of payware add-on aircraft for FSX want ridiculous amounts of money for add-on aircraft. Usually between 30-50$ for a single plane. This, combined with the lack of good freeware aircraft makes FSX very boring as there are few acceptable add-on airplanes.

usapatriot wrote on Jul 21^st, 2010 at 12:44pm:

Well, certainly not all, and to be fair, some are over priced for what you get. But generally, with the long time developing these aircraft, all the testing, and programming; especially with developers like A2A, the prices have to be a bit higher.
But if you hunt around, there are plenty of fun and detailed freeware planes to fly.

They are simply charging what the market will bear, unfortunately.
I know a fairly substantial amount of FS uses are retirees that have no problem with throwing away a good chunk of their cash for the latest and greatest FS toy. I unfortunatly continue to hear things such as "I'll pay X-hundred for this addon!" or "Only $80 is a bargain!".

The only thing we can do is vote with our wallets, and look for the special discounts.
Developers like Captain Sim seem to have an "everything is 9.99" sale multiple times a year, so look out for that.
Also, check out Carenado's planes. They're usually under the $30 range.


Regarding the freeware, there are a number of very good freeware offerings online. You probably just didn't search hard enough.

Look for developers such as:

Restauravia
Tim "Piglet" Conrad
Rick Piper

...among others.

olderndirt wrote on Jul 21^st, 2010 at 11:06pm:


I was just going to say.... don't you guys spend money on other things that you enjoy, too?

I mean, like that new PMDG NGX, when it comes out, here's how my female expert-shopping brain works:
1) I can just cut back on some Starbucks for a month, and that'll pay for it already.
2) Or... I can just not buy that pair of shoes this weekend, that'll pay for it.
3) Or.... I'll just get it anyways, and still buy the shoes. Cuz at least the latter is on sale. 

DONE. No guilt felt.

-B

Personally I enjoy all the payware I have purchased and think the price is fully worth the penny.  You don't like it?  Then go back to FS9 and stop whining.  I remember paying almost as much for FS9 payware back when FS9 was in it's prime.  They spend a lot of time developing these planes and I think they earn every penny they make. 

There is plenty of freeware that could easily pass as payware available as well, and these developers often spend countless hours making these planes without so much as a thank you from the person downloading and using them.

You think it sucks?  Then don't use it man, no need to bash the community.  A lot of hard work and free time goes into making these planes, lord knows I couldn't do it if I tried.  If you think it sucks, then find a new hobby.  If you don't want to find a new hobby, then stop whining.  It's not welcome here, we support our developers here, and thank them for their product 

JBaymore wrote on Jul 24^th, 2010 at 12:13pm:

AMEN to that! Great insight John.

Tim

I must admit, I'm not a very good customer of Pay-ware Aircraft products... ...!

In all my 12+ years of daily "flying " around the skies on all the various MS Flight simulators: CFS2, FS'98, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, I have never felt the overwhelming urge to purchase any Aircraft!

All my "flying" involves using the excellent Free-ware aircraft available from everywhere!

I just need to be transported up into the air by any old Aircraft, to admire the scenery down below, and all the Free-ware Aircraft available fits that bill admirably for me!..... ....!

All of my time is spent sitting in the Cockpit looking out of the windows at the scenery passing below, so any old Cockpit with sufficient instrumentation will suffice!.... ...!

My thanks go to all the wonderful Free-ware Aircraft designers... ...!

Paul...G-BPLF...FS 2004...FS Nav... ...!

Having delve a bit into designing aircraft (for x-plane at least), at times, when I look back at the amount of hard labor, myopic nights of staring close at the computer screen, the long hours of research, not to mention all the time just "learning" how to use the tools, let alone the developing, I start to kind of see why some addons out there have a price tag on them. 

From this perspective, I do -highly- regard developers who stick to giving stuff out for free, and I cannot rightly blame payware developers for selling what they make.  Granted, there are certain developers out there that pokes holes in my boat: those that are more interested in just the profit itself than anything to really broaden the horizons or add to the "hobby".  Even some of my old favorite payware companies have become such, and while I won't mention any names (for surely I would get flogged), at times it does concern me that the old armchair hobby has become so "commercialized." 

There are some good freeware addons for FSX out there; but on the freeware side of things, it certainly feels nothing like the old days with FS9, CFS, CFS2, and so on, so in some ways, I do empathize with the OP. 

I've collected a lot of payware over the years.  Mostly for FS9, and I do have three or four commercial products for FSX as well (those I feel have the most bang for buck).  I've also made some purchases for X-Plane.  I think the prices for payware these days are on a bit of an increase without a whole lot of changes in quality, which does irk me a bit, admittedly, though of course there are the odd exceptions.

I can totally understand though.  Myself, I don't make a whole lot of money (though I have little needs), and flight simming has been my hobby since I was 8 years old.  Often times, I would see an add-on out there, like a plane I wish I could fly in real life, but I simply can't afford it!  I can't even imagine those living in countries with lower averages salaries ever have much hope in really sharing this hobby.  Seems like upper-class stuff sometimes, which can be taken for granted, in my opinion. 

It is the way things are though.  When you devote your hobby into something so absurd, intangible, yet enjoyable, as that of flying a plane on a computer screen, sometimes you just have to make the best out of it.  Keeping in mind, of course, that many man-hours go into the things that have evolved the hobby overtime, whether its freeware, or payware.  Thankfully, there is at least a freeware option.  As to payware, at least that is an option too and you don't necessarily have to pay 200 bucks just to get "started."