I try not to do just exterior models, but this one deserves a note. Project Open Sky produce very high quality work and their acclaimed 747 series now has a real high point - the NASA shuttle carrier. Even if you’re not into heavies I think their is a real charm about the sheer size and satisfaction of carrying a space shuttle.

It is avaliable directly from the Project Open Sky website.

Daisuke Yamamoto and the FS-KBT team have made a few excellent aircraft - their F-18 being a favourite amongst military speed fans. This japanese version of the F-16 is beats almost any FS aircraft model. It’s modelled very well outside but the inside is quite something. The CRT style gauges are very clear and detailed and everything is modelled and textured well, but feeling the g-force with the built in head latency and seeing your virtual hands and feet moving about tops it all off. You can download beta 2 at the FS-KBT website or check out my gallery of images.

Roland Laborie, Jean Pierre Bourgeois and team produce amazing stuff and they’ve done it again. Bigger and more detailed than anything before, the french bomber is imaculate inside and out. The fully 3D cockpit is immersive and full of systems while  the impressive effects and top frame rates keep you happy in spot view. If you like the virtual smell of jet fuel, this is probably your best fix. Download the two part file from Avsim.

Starting my one-aircraft-per-day updates is this beautiful glider. David Rowberry isplainly very talented and this model is perfectly crafted inside and outside. Even if you’re not into gliders the view and maneuverability is excellent and it’s good fun to fly… or just look at. The file is available for FSX and FS9 and can be downloaded from Avsim.

This plugin was originally developed as DX10 for Il-2 Sturmovik, but a clever Russian has converted it to DX9 and it somehow works perfectly in FS2004! This isn’t for novices but the effect is highly customisable, can be switched on or off in flight and doesn’t have much of a performance it. You can add subtle light glows or brash motion blur. It’s a great way of making FS look a lot better with little effort. You can download and see the file in action in this Avsim forum thread.

If you don’t know how to tweak your fs9.cfg or optimise your system (or even if you do) FlightSim Manager is for you. Rana Hossain has made a very tidy bit of software that lets you manage your aircraft, scenery and provide powerful tweaks, however the most impressive feature is the ‘launch FS’ button that optimises your system before loading FS9 up. Need an extra 10FPS? Here’s your solution, available free. You’ll need the patch (fsmgr.zip) from Flightsim.com to make it run.

Ever wanted lots of traffic around your local airfield but have no idea how to set up a flight plan and no money to purchase software that might not even cover your area? No problem with GA traffic! Choose planes from your hangar and generate those flight plans. There are many options to tweak but the instant satisfaction of lots of general aviation buzzing around pleased me a lot.

The program is available at avsim.