Hi guys, I'm still a new blood to flight sims and I was hoping you guys could help me out.

I plan to purchase the FSX gold version here in the next day or two and there are a number of things I'm a bit lost on.

First, beautification addons/mods. Are there any out there, are they free, where do I get them, which are the best to get etc.

Second, I'd like a Piper Cub to fly first and foremost, it's the one civilian plane I'm really interested in. I've think there's more than one Cub addon though so I'd like to hear opinions on which is the best version.

And anything else you'd suggest for a newcomer would be greatly appreciated; I'll be going through the FSX stickies and posts around here and I'm sure I'll find plenty of information from those as well.

Thanks.

Welcome to FSX!

First, try this performance guide:

http://www.simforums.com/forums/topic29041.html

Reading through the above stickies is a good start too.

As for pay-ware, must-haves are IMO REX2 HD, GEX and UTX. If you like flying in the NW USA and Canada or Australia, you can skip GEX and UTX and get the great ORBX sceneries. Both would be great terretories for flying in your Cub. I don`t have one, so I can`t comment on which is the best one.

If you like to have real-life airlines as AI planes, you might want to get one addon like TrafficX or the free WOAI.

For freeware, avsim.com is a good start.

Greets

Karsten

The A2A Simulations Piper Cub with Accu-sim is superb . The FSX/FS2004 addon resource thread has every freeware/payware site you will ever need !

I echo the Orbx PNW and AU recommendations for scenery.

For Piper Cub A2A Accusim is a good one and I have also heard good things about the Flight Replicas Supercub if you want your Cub with more power and other features like bush tires etc, that one is actually on my buy list soon.

Piper Cub:
A2A Simulations store--includes video overview and downloadable product manuals. Splurge and get the AccuSim expansion pack at the same time.

Yeah, $45 (USD) for the bundled package seems expensive--especially since FSX already comes with a Cub--but this is payware that is truly worth the admission price. Watch the videos and I think you'll be impressed.


Beautification mods:
After years of saying "the default clouds are good enough," I recently bit the bullet and purchased Real Environment Extreme and I've been very pleased with it. FSX simply feels more organic with it installed. The real-time weather engine has turned me into a budding weather nerd.

A good place to start for scenery is the free ORBX FTX demos. Both are well suited for exploring in a Piper Cub. Also check the Freeware tab for some additional toys.

Speaking of free sceneries, Take a look at the OZx forum for The Grand Canyon and other scenery packages.

I haven't committed to buying any of the ORBX FTX packages yet although they all are tempting. I'm currently using Ground Environment X for ground textures combined with Ultimate Terrain X for more detailed coastlines, waterways, roadways and night lighting. I also use the Scenerytech North America landclass because I like how it represents the region of the USA where I live.

Thank you guys, been looking at lots of stuff today and I think I'm starting to get it.

I'll be getting the ORBX north west stuff and the A2A or accusim cub, not sure which but I do want the bush tires.

"AccuSim" is a realism expansion for the A2A Simulations "Wings of Silver" Piper Cub model. The basic package is very good and comes with versions equipped with Tundra tires and with floats. The AccuSim expansion adds realistic engine behavior, physics, artificial intelligence for your passenger, etc. to the experience and really gives it 'soul.' If you buy both parts together at the same time you get a small discount.

btw. I you like bush-flying I recommend using fseconomy. It`s a web-based free app which adds economy to FSX (works with x-plane and FS9 too). You can rent and own a/c, pick up jobs (Pax or freight), get v$ for it and have to maintain fuel and maintenance.

If you want, you can run your own network of FBOs and getting a member of a group or found one yourself, the possibilities are endless.

Adds a lot to flying and the long-time motivation. It`s a little confusing at the beginning, but it finally gave a meaning to flying for me. If you have questions, feel free to ask.

All you have to do is requesting a account on the forum and installing the small client.

www.fseconomy.com

Is this like an external app or is it a mod in game? Sounds like a good way to keep me entertained after I learn to fly the cub.

This is a small app, which only transmits the data of your flight ( from x to y, monitors the fueluse and the endurance of the flight and the load etc.) to a server, where the database of FSE is running.

When you have configured your flight in the client (or in the browser, IMO more comfortable), which has to be started seperately from FSX, you have to start the flight from within FSX (there is a only a new menue point in the addons section, where you have to click "Start Flight"), fly to your destination and set the Parking Brake. At this point, the client submits where you landed and calculates the renting costs, the fuel use, the income etc.


Here is the manual:

https://sites.google.com/site/fseoperationsguide/