Hi I’m new to Microsoft Flight Simulator and was wondering if it’s possible to add aircraft such as taildraggers like the Citabria. I am about to start my aviation degree in college and would like to practice in these air craft before i start flying so any help would be much appreciated!
If it is possible could you explain how I could do it? If it isn’t do you have any other flight simulator recommendations that are affordable for pc?
Thanks!
There are many freeware and payware developers making planes to add to the simulation. I have not seen a Citabria yet. There are other tail-draggers that you might like though.
Planes in the Marketplace are installed from the program. Planes from freeware sources like Flightsim.to are added to the community folder.
Third-party add-on aircraft have been possible in Flight Simulator, and for many people a major part of the appeal, going back to… FS 5.0? 4.0? In the early 90’s.
Inside the sim, you will find payware add-on aircraft in the Marketplace. Other developers choose not to sell their products on the in-sim Marketplace but through sites like Just Flight or SimMarket. However, there is little or no quality control on any of these storefronts, so it’s recommended you don’t buy anything before you’ve thoroughly researched by reading reviews and watching videos. There are many great add-ons and also a lot of low-effort, barely functional junk.
Free add-on aircraft also still exist, flightsim.to is probably the best place to find them now. However, as the level of complexity in developing a new aircraft for FS2020 is much greater than it was in earlier versions, freeware add-ons unfortunately aren’t nearly as common as they once were because few people have the time to devote to making them without any financial return.
If you are interested in a tandem seat taildragger the Cub included with MSFS is not half bad. There is also the L-19 Bird Dog available from Black Box, a reputable developer with a long history in the industry.
A very new release from Aeroplane Heaven (another well known developer) is the Cessna 140 they’ve modelled. It is my personal favorite taildragger in MSFS, though it is side-by-side seating.
Carenado also offers a Cessna 170B in the Marketplace exclusively.
If you are learning, you may end up spending time in Piper’s Warrior during your training. Just Flight has a Warrior II model released this week that is one of the better aircraft for MSFS. They also have two models of the Piper Arrow available; both are the among the best GA aircraft offered so far in the sim.
Installing any of these is easy as can be, and (I believe) all of the aircraft listed above have installers that handle everything for you. All you need is a credit card!
If you have any other questions or need help you’ll always find an answer here on the forum. Good luck with your schooling and learning to fly… I count it as one of the very best things I’ve ever done.
Welcome to MSFS! 
flightsim.to is a good source of addons/mods/liveries, and does have some great GA aircraft like the Savage Carbon.
In terms of installing any 3rd party mods/liveries, this guide explains the process well (it’s the same for both).
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