X-Plane
As a company interested in mechanics in general, very passionate about Formula 1, motorcycle and aircraft, in search of a flight simulator for the Apple Mac, we came across this product that we did not know: X-Plane.
The feature of this software that distinguishes it significantly from other flight simulators, is the logic by which the calculation is done by numerical simulation.
In general all the flight simulation software, based on basic principles of physics, so the airplane could be a "cube" with the parameters of a fighter jet like the F-22 Raptor and fly the same against the laws of physics.
X-Plane instead is based on models of CFD, where the plane and space interact with elements in finite volume, then to fly, in addition to the basic parameters is essential to know the shape of the aircraft.
This simulator is really popular as the MS Flight Simulator, but has the obvious advantage of being cross-platform (Mac OS X, GNU / Linux and Windows) and extremely customizable having available an SDK (Software = develipment kit) to intervene with a world of add-ons.
The level of customization is that it includes an editor of planes and scenarios, and allows you to actually fly the vehicle of their dreams even if it is not included in the basic package. Surfing the internet you can find a lot of aircraft, scenery and plugins.
http://x-plane.com - site basis
http://x-plane.org - forum and source for air / scenarios and plugins developed by third parties
http://xplane.it - Italian reference scenarios including the main Italian airports
