aerofly RC 7 - R/C Simulator App Reviews

This was my first experience with a MAC simulator, since there are few available right now, so I decided to buy it. I had this same game on Win7 using bootcamp, but I wanted on MacOS. The graphic interface is awesome, very realistic indeed even if I use mid quality since my MacBook Pro has an Intel 3000 with 384Mb VRam only so is not really powerful. There are very few models, just to now what is this all about. This basic version doesn’t allow to edit models so you have to cope with preset model settings most of them sluggish and not realistic about physics… But if you upgrade to Pro or Ultimate then you can set your aircrafts to your skill level and they really feel very realistic. I fly mostly helicopters and they are deficient in behavior under this version but really nice after upgrading. I believe is a very nice way to learn to fly RC without crashing the real thing too often which is very expensive. So in summary is a great RC Planes & Heli SIM specially after upgrading to Pro or Ultimate. It requires a fast Mac with good Video card to fully enjoy. Bugs have been improved since the 1st. version. Graphic quality is the best among all RC Sims, but hardware demanding too. I use a cheap USB dongle and my DX8 Transmitter.

I hope areofly can help fix my problem. I bought this simulator because of good reviews and it being one of the only avalible on mac. Once I hooked it all up I used my trasmitter and the physics were terrible. My ancient simulator has more realistic physics than this. I used it on my 2014 MPBR and I’m very disappointed. I have heard that the upgrades allow you to control the physics but I didn’t by the simulator to upgrade it just to get a realistic experience.

The graphics are great. The price is fair compared to some of the other sims out there. I do wish it had more aircraft to choose from on the initial purchase of 44. It was very easy to setup up with a Dynam USB controller. Another wish would be to be able to import user created aircraft. i.e.. the Champ would be a perfect aircraft for beginners. I own clearviews sim also for the pc, this is far better, but clearview has more aircraft.

I have been looking for a flight simulator that is compatible with my Mac and I hit the jack pot with RC7. However, upon reading some of the reviews I was afraid that it may not be as easy as stated in the literature to interface to a controller or RC Transmitter. The reviews were wrong in my opinion.. It was very easy... The download took about 2 hours. I had read that it would recognize the interlink from other simulators like Realflight. It took me a couple of tries to get it to recognize it but it did and works great. I also had an old Realflight G2 System and tried it. Same thing, a couple of tries and playing with the controller options and it worked great. I had a cable and dongle laying around for interfacing my Spectrum DX7 transmitter to a Phoenix Flight Simulator and it recognized my DX7 right away. The rest of the calibration and set up went seamlessly. You dont have to buy the proprietary cables from Ikarus if you already have others. The graphics are great and the many features even in the Standard Version are alot of fun. I upgraded to the Ultimate Version. I want to pylon race and the Ultimate is the only one with that feature. All in all RC 7 is cheaper than other flight sims and compatible with Mac.Yea! I would have otherwise had to buy a full version of Windows and used Bootcamp and bought a Realflight Simulator Program. Comperable Realfligtht Program RF7.5 is 169.00. New version of windows 7 or 8 175.00. Bootcamp 75.00. Thats 425.00 and hours and hours of setting up bootcamp, partitioning your hard drive, finding workable software drivers, and saving everything to backup incase you have a problem with windows instalation. I chose this route and Im glad I did. You cant beat the graphics and the flight physics suits my flying style. Plenty of variety in the Models with over 200 to choose from and 50 Scenery Locations, including carriers!, lakes, ocean, desert, meadows, sod fields and paved runways. The scalable feature is very attractive too. Cant say enough about this flight sim. I havent gotten into really editing the planes and copters too much yet though I am anxious to try. Ive always thought it would be great if a sim allowed you to modify just a part of the airplane. You can do that with this Simulator, but it doesnt change the visual mesh unless you use the scalable feature. You could otherwise really experiment with different wings, tailfeathers designs etc. You can make changes on the wing size or shape but it only changes the wing loading and flight characteristics and not the visual.. Oh well… This Simulator allows you to change from 50% to 200% size which is great. You can take average sized models, gas or electric and miniturize them for indoor flying which has really been a hoot. Or take indoor planes and make them large enough to fly outdoors. When you make a plane 200% bigger, often times you need to change the Engine size as well or the plane is too docile as you might expect.. Lots and lots to play with.. Never Boring. For experienced simulator users it is easy to change the throws on the servos, change expo, dual rates, travel and reversing. There is an area where you can save A or B profiles with different features, different throws, travel etc. So, with the click of your mouse you can change a plane from docile to racer or 3d. Or one profile for gliders and one for powered flight etc. Lots and lots of great features. I love the P51 truescale in this simulator. It sounds great and looks fantastic. I like that most of the gas models already come with smoke, no programing. Oh, and 3d models are easier to hover, etc. than in Realflight for some reason.. I have an older version Realflight 4.5.. Havent upgraded it yet. Having too much fun with this simulator. I bought a cheap laptop to run windows programs rather than try to make my Mac Desktop run windows. I dont understand the negative messages being left here. For one thing, a lot of the complaints are about customer service or communication or instructions. Gee, its not that hard to set up. But, if you have problems google it or go to youtube. This is not just another game with cheat codes etc. Look, this is a top rated RC Flight Simulator and the only one offered for Macintosh directly without going through lots of contortions to get windows based programs to run on a Mac. So quit complaining.. Mac, Apple, Iphone users are the people who want "extreme user friendly" programs, I understand. But, this is an extremely powerful program and as with all very powerful programs, you need to play, experiment, read online in user groups, RC Groups, RC Universe, Wattflyer etc and ask questions if you are having trouble. There is nothing wrong with the program or software or interlink, its something simple you dont understand yet. So, once you figure it out, come back and change your evaluation of RC7.. For those new to RC flight simulation who dont feel the program gives them enough instruction for the beginner. This one doesnt have video instructors, some do that give a short video explaining how to takeoff and landf, etc. Just go to "youtube" and type, "RC flight Instruction. Lots of hits!! Lots more detailed instruction than the simulator programs that have this feature provide. New Flyers, just learn this Simulator, learn how to control a docile airplane going away or coming to you. When you get that down itll make real RC Airplane lessons 1000% easier and cheaper. Flying RC on a simulator or for real takes lots and lots of practice. Thats why simulators are so great. You just push a button when you crash and try again and again till you can do it. Everyone who has learned to fly RC airplanes has had this frustration, and has had to do this repeatedly. Theres way way less frustration with a RC Flight Simulator than with a real RC Airplane. Thank you Ikarus. Great Job. 5stars!

BAD physics. Crashes. Unrealistic. Jerky. Lowest graphics setting doesnt help! Brand new iMac and Commander Controller. Reloaded it twice, still the same problem! Helis cant even spool up without crashing! Planes can’t do anything more than basic aerobatics. Oh, you can hover a Quad nicely!

We enjoy this program but after paying for the upgrade to ultimate it will not upgrade. Buggy.

It will not upgrade

I was a little concerned about purchasing this after reading the reviews. But having craved a simulator on my Mac for years (without the need for Bootcamp) I figured it was worth a $45 gamble. I won! This App works perfectly on my 15” MacBookPro Retina Display - 2013 version. I had purchased the Aerofly connectors, both cable and wireless, and after hooking up with the cable to make sure the Aerofly 7 application worked, I switched over to wireless and just love this program. I quickly upgraded to the Ultimate level and have probably logged a couple hundred hours in this first month of using it (I took serious advantage of my son’s Holiday vacation). There is a wide variety of aircraft to play with, love the scenery options, especially the 3~4D ones where you can fly along with your aircraft inside or out. The multiplayer function has been a huge enjoyment of late. This is where players from around the world can get together and fly in the same scenery; either 2D or 3D. Chase other planes, dog fight, watch other fliers from the flight line or from their perspective… really a lot of fun and educational. I’ve also found that flying without my radio can be fun as well. There’s a bit of learning curve at first but once you get the hang of it flying with the computer alone is quite satisfying if you need to kill some time. Or you can just pop into multiplayer scenario and watch other folks fly. Although sometimes there aren’t players online - I think they’re all in Germany. The few planes that are in this program that I have flown in real life seem an accurate representation. I find locating thermals in the glider flying a little easier than in real life but slope soaring feels pretty accurate… on the level that I am familiar with. It’s winter now here in NY, I’ve had this program for a month and I can’t wait to see how it’s improved my skills in the real life field. For Mac users with an up to date computer this application should work flawlessly, it has for me. I do get an occasional crash, especially when in multiflyer mode, but it’s not terrible by any means. I have been extremely happy and have zero reservation in recommending it to my friends that are on a Mac. I am not a simulator expert or flyer by any means. I’m a self taught flyer that has loved this sport for many many years, and this is the only simulator I’ve used other than simulators on display in hobby stores and RC shows… so take that for what it’s worth, but I really love it.

I had written the review below in Jan 2015. I wanted to update the review (downward) after my epxperience with Aerofly support. "This software was actually working pretty well on my Macbook Pro for the last 9 months. However, I was happy to see an upgrade released since there had been minor stability problems that I assumed the upgrade would fix. I installed the upgrade on 1/19/15 and now the program fails to open at all. I have rebooted the machine to see if it resolves the issues but to no avail. Very disappointing. I hope the developer fixes this ASAP." As I indicated, I have been using this software since March of last year. I started out with the Standard edition and upgraded to the Professional edition. Things worked pretty well until I upgraded to the new release in January. Since then the program has been inoperable. I contacted support and I will say that they responded promptly. Their first suggestion was to delete the "user folder" and reboot. That did not work. Secondly, they asked me to completely delete the program and reinstall from the Apple store. I did that twice and it still did not work. That was the end of supports technical suggestions. Their last comment was that my graphics card had too little memory, I needed 512MB, and that I should contact Apple for a refund! I took issue with the graphics card statement. I have a mid 2012 MacBook Pro using the Intel HD4000 Graphics card. I reminded support that I had been successfully running the program and I did not upgrade the program to add more function (I was still running the Professional edition). I only downloaded the January fix that included some minor enhancements. Secondly I pointed out that Aeroflys own technical requirements stated 512MB support for other graphics cards, but said nothing about a memory requirement for the Intel HD4000. Lastly, my machine is not that old. In fact the current generation of MacBook Pros also use the Intel HD4000 graphics card. I used this as additional information to Aerofly support to indicate that they would probably not be selling software on Apples App Store if it did not run on current generation hardware. None of this seemed to make any impact. I heard I nothing back from support after they told me to try and get a refund from Apple. In my thinking, seeking a refund from Apple is not an appropriate response. A developer should fix a problem if there is a bug. I will say once again, that when this program works I think it is very nice, but support seems to be only ankle deep and if you run into trouble you are on your own.

I am an avid RC helicopter enthusiast as I try to use it before I go out and crash several thousand dollars worth of heli’s. I have to get the cobwebs off so that hopefully doesn’t happen. I was using Real Flight, which was great, but now have a mac. I read some reviews that dissuaded me concerning the program freezing, and not being able to use controllers. I am using the Real Flight controller and it took a couple of times of setting it up, but it now works perfectly. The program has never crashed. I would say this program is almost equal to Real Flight, but then again, it’s a quarter the price. I am very happy with it and glad I took the risk after the bad reviews.

After some initial disappointment with the software, IPACs contacted me to work out my issues. There’s a lot of support here for older hardware and various joystick devices, so if you have any issues, be sure to use their support line. Also, if you want to get the very most out of this application, be prepared to spend more to get the ultimate package. In that package you’ll get fun favorites like the DC-3 and several other quadcopter models including a DJI Phantom. Having flown for years, I can say that most of the models are true to form, although many of the quads fly a bit *too* well until you go into acro mode. (This is actually perfect for learning on.) The app has years of development behind it and lots of hidden bells and whistles. Make sure to turn on AutoZoom or your bird will quickly get out of sight; and that’s particularly difficult if you’re flying a quad. (Just like in real life.) I applaud IPACs for turning my opinon around. As far as I know, this is the single best RC simulator available for the Mac.

I’m a novice flyer. But I’d say that in the last few months I’ve become intermediate. Partly to do with this program. I’ve been flying my RC motorized glider a few times a week and suplimenting with this simulator it I find it extremely valuable. The planes are amazing. The jets. The gliders are my favorite. And yes probably should splurge for upgrade b/c Golden Gate bridge with a glider is awesome. Also, you can buy a Real Flight R/C Simulator Transmitter (I scored mine on eBay for $40) with a USB jack and it works perfectly with RC 7. Stoked. Enjoy!

This was an upgrade from Aerofly 5 which I liked very well. As far as running Sims on a Mac you are really limited so I am always looking for better options. First impression was good, but the longer I use this product the more I dislike the software. I fly mostly helis and a few airplanes and lately I spend most my time rebooting my laptop. They are having a few problems with how the softeware runs, freezes and lockups seem to be the norm. If they can getting the bugs out I think it would be worth the upgrade…for now I think I will be running my Aerofly 5 as it is far more stable. Ken Update as of 1/7/2015.. I installed the update 7.3.1 today and the new models are nice but this program still has issues with freezes…With different heli models when you crash it will freeze the screen causing to have to reboot…Come on guys..it is a nice program for a Mac, but the freezes are a PIA…Get it right for a change… Update as of 2/20/2015 After this update I am seeing the same freezes as I have before, LITTLE CHANGE IF ANY….most require a reboot to restart Sim..It almost acts like it is audio that might be causing the freeze up..As stated before I fly primary helis..a T Rex700e on the Desert field. I am running a Apple Macbook Pro with a 2.6 GHz Intel i7 processor, 8GB 1600MHz of DDR3 Ram and an IntelHD Graghics 4000 1024MB, I am also running Yosemite 10.10.3 version,and use a Spektrum DX7s radio. The Sim acts strange as if I crash in the far distance it restarts like the Aerofly 5 version, but if I crash close to the Pilot area then it will just freeze up and a reboot is required. This is too the Ikarus folks…You have a potential very awesome product if you could get this to run with minamal issues. Most people buy a Apple Computer for their stability and with this kind of performance of your software it is a waste of the buyers times. It is a shame Apple lets you sell this from the App store, leads a buyer to think it is something that Apple endorses. An Apple Computer owner just doesn’t have alot of options for a Sim, and I think you prey on that issue. I would reccomend the Aerofly 5 version to anyone but this Aerofly 7 is junk..I am really hoping you get it right at some point.. Just my $.02 Ken Update 7/20/2015 I have updated to the latest version 7.4.5 and think it is still junk..The Areofly 5 version still is my favorite, but Areofly 7 still has issues. My mouse will not function inside the main window..it appears outside the main window, but can’t control anything in the main window..Come on guys..this version has been a waste of my time & money..Would you please take the time to fix the bugs!!!! Thanks, Ken

I LOVE Aerofly! It will teach you to fly and it will touch you up before you head to the strip, field or slopes. I was a user of Aerofly Pro Deluxe. I recently purchased this new one. It is GREAT! I want to let everyone to know a few things. It runs very well for me on a late 2013 MacBook Pro Retina with Intel Iris 1536 MB with graphics set to low in app, (low graphics look very good). On my machine, if I just rebooted or started up, I wait until Spotlight has finished indexing, otherwise it doesn’t run well enough to fly, no problem there, just wait for spotlight to finish. You may also want to repair any permissions or disk issues with Disk Utility before installing. If you are unsure if it will run well on your machine, email Aerofly and ask them. However, they only seem to answer to happy emails that don’t have to do with any sort of wanting to run single purchases on multiple machines, HA! Duh! Now, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: While not entirely necessary, it is most preferable to have a giant TV screen with an HDMI hookup! All balls to the wall!

I have downloaded the basic version about a week ago and my son and I have played with it everyday since using an Apple trackpad. It is flawless! Love it. I have ordered the RealFlight USB controller for real R/C feeling :) So far, the software never froze or crashed. It runs with full 4D options and high-resolution (absolutely gorgeous and extremely realistic) graphics flawlessly on my iMac 5K with an i7 Quad processor and 32GB Memory. I will update this review as soon as I receive the controller… If everything works as intended I may upgrade to the ultimate version.

We came from flying Real Flight on a PC computer and was very pleased with the realistic flight characteristics and sound. We recently went to an iMac and purchased this one in hopes of the same type experience as Real Flight because you guys are the only Mac supporters. I have got to say this is one of the worst RC simulators I have played. The flight characteristics are aweful and do not resemble a true RC at all, other than getting familiar with how to control it. The sounds are like something from a bad movie made in the 50s. Sorry to be harsh guys but go fly a real RC and pay attention to the flight characteristics and sounds, then go try your competitors systems and fly and compare flight characteristics and sounds of Real Flight to yours, there is no comparison and I know you can easily see this and probably already know this. I purchased the $39 version first and thought well maybe if you get the bottom of the line version is the reason for the bad flight characteristics and sounds, so I spent another $59 and upgrades to the Pro version. What a huge mistake. How can I get a refund and remove from my apple account so I do not have to waste money on this?

Was a little spooked with the negative reviews but took a leap of faith with the purchase and have to say that once the controller/transmitter was set up correctly it worked without a hitch. It took me a minute to set up the Dynam third party USB transmitter that I had lying around from when I had an old PC based game. Once I calibrated it and figured out how to reverse the aileron channel everything worked as promised and feels fairly realistic, so no need to upgrade for a more realistic flight experience as some said was necessary. Might upgrade at a later point for the additional planes and sites, but this will do for a bit and should be a good training tool for myself and especially for my eight year old son and it should save us from crashing many a plane and helicopter. BTW, I run it on a late 2012 21” iMac with 2.7 GHz i5 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M 512 MB with fairly high realism and it runs just fine.

Unfortunately, while I generally like Aerofly and the Ultimate upgrade, it is requring me to restore the in-app purchase to Ultimate everytime I run the application. I’ve requested a refund on advice from Aerofly technical support. Presumably they aren’t interested in addressing the problem.

I rarely write reviews. I probably would not for this sim either if it were not for all the negative reviews. This is a great app. The graphics are top notch. The scenary is very detailed. FPS are fine (but I am using a high end iMac). It recognizes and calibrates many transmitters and joysticks. I like flying over a hill to discover what town or airport may be on the other side. I find the flight model, which is the most important, to be very representative of RC planes. For example, if you lower the flaps in flight, the plane gains altitude and loses airspeed. The only complaint I have is that I can’t get the HUD instruments to display English SI units. They only show metric.

Purchased Aerofly Flight Simulator Version 7.4.7 (by Ikarus) through Apple Store for $40 and downloaded into my Mac Book Pro laptop as an APP with no problem. I’m using laptop for portability and let my kids have fun. As for the Controller, used borrowed USB corded controller by Great Plains Real Flight Interlink Elite (made by Futaba). Upon plugging in the USB cord into my MacBook Pro, it recognized this controller. Went through the easy calibration process of controller by following the on screeen menu and I was up and running. On right bottom of screen kept on getting message FPS (frames per second) too low with numbers in the 20’s. Since I have Mac Book Pro with Retina Display,2.8 GHz i7, 16GB RAM, Graphics: Intel Iris 1536 MB, I thought I should use the highest Graphics Quality Setting avaialble on the Aerofly Setting Menu. After trial, I am using Medium Overall graphics quality setting which gives the recommended 30 FPS or higher resolution. I tried it at Low Overall Graphics Quality setting and it gave about 40 FPS or higher and the resolution is still vividly clear! Since all of my laptop, Desktop are all Apple/Mac system and Aerofly is the only true Flight Simulator that works directly with Mac systems without having to purchase additional Parallels/Boot Camp and partition drive, Windows Anti-virus and Windows Operating systems if I were to use Phoenix or Greast Plains-Real Flight, I can’t believe why it is not advertised well. I have to return the borrowed USB Controller to my friend, and I intend to Upgrade to Aerofly Professional or Ultimate soon, so now I must determine what is the best way: 1) Ikarus USA or Amazon, etc has their Ikarus USB plugged controller box for $65. (The USB box does not use batteries as it is powered by USB cord). The reviews on after market USB plugged controller box for about $20 are iffy. 2) Use my Spectrum Transmitters DX5e or DX6 with Ikarus USB Plug Adapter for $45 3) Use my Spectrum transmitter with Ikarus other adapters to allow Wireless/No cord. (See You Tube illustrations). Aerofly has taken off the edge and given me confidence in R/C flying and now off to the field. Have fun flying! Ken T PS: In the past, I did R/C Soling 1 Meter Sailboat which is 2 channels on a 2-dimensional space; now R/C planes are 3 channels or more on a 3-Dimensional space and it is more fun and challenging. My club flies practically all year by putting on skiis during snow, putting on pontoons over water, and wheels over land.