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I was debating if I should start a thread or write a blog. I decided to go with a thread so it easier for others to share their Linux RC simulator success and failures.
Anyways, I was introduced to RC airplanes via FMS(using a keyboard) and later a borrowed Realflight 7. I fly real rc planes now but still like to keep a sim handy to hone up. Realflight is expensive and does not support Linux, so I started looking for alternatives. For a while I used several different sims on Windows and Android. However I since I hardly ever use Windows anymore, I decided to see what Linux had to offer. When it comes to RC Simulators, Linux doesn't seem to have a good selection, native or otherwise. While I haven't tried it, Steam appears to support several commercial rc sims. I also didn't try any of the Android apps via emulators, but that might also be an option.
For this I'm running Linux Mint 19.2. I did install the joystick package to detect/calibrate the usb interface, and wine to run Windows RC software. Here's a list of software that works for me.
CRRCSIM:
Is some neat software, running native on Linux. It worked with my usb transmitter setup after the standard asign axis and a calibration. Also the DXe has a mono audio jack on the back, this can be connected right into your audio in jack on your computer and configure it via crrcsim, this eliminates the need for the usb adapter.
crrcsim is rather basic, and the handling and graphic aren't the best, but it is free and open source and it does the job, plus you can find additional models and sceneries online.
FlightGear:
While not really meant as an rc simulator, it can work like one if you use the tower view. You can use full scale models or zoom in on one of the several basic rc models available. It runs on Linux, Mac and Windows, but you'll need a reasonable powerful computer to run it smoothly.
Not exactly out of the box, since it is a full featured flight simulator, However you can diwnload scenery for your area and fly out of local airports.
Make sure you calibrate your joystick before asigning in flightgear. Of course the Light/Ultralight planes will get better results as rc planes.
Picasim:
Is a free rc simulator running on Window, Android and iOS. I've used it quite a bit on Windows and it works great. Great graphics and realistic handling. On Wine it required a little tweaking for the 3D models to display properly. In the app.icf file in the ~/.wine/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/PicaSim folder, I changed one line to SysGlesDirectory=pvr
Setting up the transmitter is well thought out but might take a little to figure out. Since I was used to this software I had it asigned and calibrated very quickly. Highly recommend this software.
HeliX:
Runs native on Linux. Its paid software but they do have a free demo version that includes several helis, a drone and a Extra 300 plane. The demo version does show a popup every once in a while while flying as well. There is an older version that's completely free, but only supports helis.
This software worked very well out of the box and the transmitter asigned and calibrated very easily.
The plane handled well after I set the alerons to 50%. The graphics are very nice, and there is some training included.
AeroSim
A professional rc simulator that allows you a demo of 2 minutes of flight time before you need to restart the app. I'm not sure if the license usb dongle would work under Linux. Running on wine the preformance is just as good as under windows. I haven't quite got the transmitter asigned yet. I can calibrate it but the sim wants to use only certain axis, several of which don't match up with my tx channels. If you start it without a joystick you can select keyboard or mouse.
Includes games, fpv, training and access to all the planes and copters even in the demo. The graphics are great even if basic, but it is able to run smoothly on limited resources.
ClearView:
Running on Windows and Android, has a demo version with two planes and several helis. Features realistic graphics and handling. Realistic crashes as well, as the plane breaks apart.
My transmitter was detected but after successfully asigning and calibrating it failed to apply the settings. Worked perfect with keyboard controls though.
Leo's RC Simulator:
Is a free open source rc software running on Windows, Android, iOS, Mac, and a very basic version on Linux.
I got the PC version running on wine, however certain buttons crash it. Like ClearView I only got it to work with keyboard. The graphics are good and the handling isn't bad. The Linux version leaves a lot to be desired. But it does install and work.
SSSStands for Simple Slope Soaring. A fitting name since it's glider software. It's the free open-source ancestor to PicaSim running on Linux, Mac, and Windows. I've tinkered a little but didn't (yet) try to get my transmitter configured.
I ran the Windows version in wine because I haven't got around to chasing down dependencies and building the Linux version. It's an interesting software and has suprisingly good graphics.
RCFSim:
An extremely simple simulator for Windows. The ancestor to AeroSim, it's free and runs great in wine. Includes two planes and a basic background. I couldn't quite get my transmitter calibrated yet, but the keyboard and mouse work great. It works as a last resort.
Sure none of these will compete with Realflight, Pheonix, Etc but they are plenty for me. Plus I get to tinker
Hopefully this list helps give somebody some idea on whats available on a decent spec computer running Linux.
I have slowly started with my journey on this topic as well and I will probably begin checking some of these other sims out Mill J.
I did just attempt Real Flight 7.5 through Wine on Linux Mint Cinnamon edition 19.3, and as you had probably encountered, it doesn't work. The installer fails and you get a warning/error shortly after starting it. I honestly figured, since it's an earlier version of RF that it would work under Wine, but nope it doesn't.
And just an FYI, by default I am trying to use the Real Flight USB Interlink controller (made by Futaba) . I also have a Spektrum DX6 that I may try as well.
I have slowly started with my journey on this topic as well and I will probably begin checking some of these other sims out Mill J.
I did just attempt Real Flight 7.5 through Wine on Linux Mint Cinnamon edition 19.3, and as you had probably encountered, it doesn't work. The installer fails and you get a warning/error shortly after starting it. I honestly figured, since it's an earlier version of RF that it would work under Wine, but nope it doesn't.
And just an FYI, by default I am trying to use the Real Flight USB Interlink controller (made by Futaba) . I also have a Spektrum DX6 that I may try as well.
I'll post more updates as I try things out.
Does the dongle get detected by Linux? I'd run lsusb or check the dmesg output.
Something else to keep in mind. There are two different joystick interfaces. The old js system and the new evdev system. The joystick package in Ubuntu should install calibration tools for both. There is no available gui tool for calibrating evdev but jscal-gtk works great for the js system.
The problem is, most wine apps use the evdev interface and I haven't figured out how to remap axis and button with that system. I did however write a simple gui calibration tool for myself so it's easier to calibrate every time I plug my dongle in.
An update on the useability of RCFSim, after calibrating my tx with evdev-joystick, it assigned and worked flawlessly.
Somewhere I heard a major rc sim is porting to Linux via Steam, however I haven't tried it yet.
Worst comes to worst a VM or Dual boot might be necessary.
At the time I wrote that I'm pretty sure I was on Linux Mint. I have since moved on to Debian 10. I'm pretty sure I am getting the same error though when I try RF through Wine. This is the error I got:
"KEError 32318: Unable to determine certain information about your computer. This software may or may not work properly.
Click OK to continue, and if you are unable to use the software, contact RealFlight Technical Support."
You click OK and nothing happens.
Here is the output of lsusb.
Code:
root@chris-dell:~# lsusb
Bus 003 Device 003: ID 8087:07da Intel Corp.
Bus 003 Device 002: ID 8087:8000 Intel Corp.
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0c45:64d0 Microdia Integrated Webcam
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:8008 Intel Corp.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 004: ID 1781:0e56 Multiple Vendors
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 046d:c52b Logitech, Inc. Unifying Receiver
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
dmseg output is huge, do you want the whole thing?
I think at this stage, I may dabble with the Linux ones, BUT I am really thinking of doing a VM of Windows OR an old machine with Windows to run RF if need be.
At the time I wrote that I'm pretty sure I was on Linux Mint. I have since moved on to Debian 10. I'm pretty sure I am getting the same error though when I try RF through Wine. This is the error I got:
"KEError 32318: Unable to determine certain information about your computer. This software may or may not work properly.
Click OK to continue, and if you are unable to use the software, contact RealFlight Technical Support."
You click OK and nothing happens.
Here is the output of lsusb.
Code:
root@chris-dell:~# lsusb
Bus 003 Device 003: ID 8087:07da Intel Corp.
Bus 003 Device 002: ID 8087:8000 Intel Corp.
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0c45:64d0 Microdia Integrated Webcam
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:8008 Intel Corp.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 004: ID 1781:0e56 Multiple Vendors
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 046d:c52b Logitech, Inc. Unifying Receiver
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
dmseg output is huge, do you want the whole thing?
I think at this stage, I may dabble with the Linux ones, BUT I am really thinking of doing a VM of Windows OR an old machine with Windows to run RF if need be.
It's hard telling if it's detecting the usb. I usually run lsusb then plug it in and run lsusb again to see if a new device shows up. The same can be done with dmesg because if you run dmesg right after you plug the dongle in there should be a new entry at the bottom. You might also try installing jscal-gtk and checking it.
All that aside many people have tried to run Realflight via wine and I've never heard of any success. A Windows box is a must for that software, so yes a VM or spare pc is about the only route. Because while Linux alternatives work for some people, I don't think it'll cut it for somebody who's used to RF.
P.S. I was actually able to fly a rather difficult spitfire clone(think brick with wings) with the practice I got on PicaSim
It's hard telling if it's detecting the usb. I usually run lsusb then plug it in and run lsusb again to see if a new device shows up. The same can be done with dmesg because if you run dmesg right after you plug the dongle in there should be a new entry at the bottom. You might also try installing jscal-gtk and checking it.
All that aside many people have tried to run Realflight via wine and I've never heard of any success. A Windows box is a must for that software, so yes a VM or spare pc is about the only route. Because while Linux alternatives work for some people, I don't think it'll cut it for somebody who's used to RF.
P.S. I was actually able to fly a rather difficult spitfire clone(think brick with wings) with the practice I got on PicaSim
Hmm, I'll check on jscal-gtk and see how that goes.
I tried a few attempts at a VM and didn't have much luck there either. Used VirtualBox as the VM client. Installed Windows 7 in a VM and everything was fine EXCEPT it seems it could not detect the transmitter. Transmitter was plugged in through USB but RF (which installed fine) acted like it wasn't plugged in at all. I've got a Windows 10 image to try and see if that works. Aside from that, I might be dual booting...something I haven't done in forever! Now, I do think I am going to move this over to my other laptop (a Toshiba Satellite) which is running Linux Mint at the moment. So I may end up dual booting it if the VM doesn't work. And if I do dual boot I'd rather it not be on my primary laptop...besides the Toshiba's screen is bigger which would be a better experience for RF. I'll probably use the Toshiba to sample other distros as well. In the mean time I can play around with sims on Linux on my main laptop and see if I can find one I like.
I think being cooped up with the whole COVID19 pandemic has got me all anxious to fly something even if it's on a sim. Been doing a lot of plane maintenance and building, but been a few months since I tried to fly anything.
I tried a few attempts at a VM and didn't have much luck there either. Used VirtualBox as the VM client. Installed Windows 7 in a VM and everything was fine EXCEPT it seems it could not detect the transmitter. Transmitter was plugged in through USB but RF (which installed fine) acted like it wasn't plugged in at all.
Does the usb show up in the Virtual Box, VM settings itself? Unless I'm mistaken you'll need to add the usb to the VM from within virtualbox to "allow" the VM to use it.
Quote:
I think being cooped up with the whole COVID19 pandemic has got me all anxious to fly something even if it's on a sim. Been doing a lot of plane maintenance and building, but been a few months since I tried to fly anything.
Does the usb show up in the Virtual Box, VM settings itself? Unless I'm mistaken you'll need to add the usb to the VM from within virtualbox to "allow" the VM to use it.
USB was enabled. I downloaded the Virtual Box extensions pack and installed it which gave USB 1.0-3.0 options. I tried every one of them on the Win7 VM and Realflight still acted like the controller wasn't plugged up. I ran dmseg and the controller showed up there just fine.
I was wondering if I may be better off with a Spektrum USB dongle instead of the official RF controller. I have thought about getting one anyways at some point.
I've also transitioned fully to Linux and was trying to use my FrSky Taranis QX7 in CRRCSIM, but it wasn't picking it up on the "Joystick" Input Method.
While testing, I've installed the joystick package with
Code:
sudo apt install joystick
to use the "evtest" program in my Linux Mint 20.1 (Ubuntu 20.04 based) and unexpectedly, I now have the Taranis available in CRRCSIM and fully working !
Just a note on Heli-X 8 and 9, you will need Oracle Java instead of OpenJDK. I somehow got it going quite a while ago, but when I revisited it recently it failed to start, and I don't remember what I did to get it going. I finally figured out that the default java (installed via the package manager) was OpenJDK and the java install that I use for android development is Oracle Java. A simple reconfiguration fixed the problem and I was trying out the new Heli-X 9 Stearman Biplane. Handles pretty good out of the box.
Hello everyone from Poland.I was able to start the PhoenixRC in Linux 19.3 with the help of Lutris. Unfortunately I do not have dongle. And I have tried using dongle emulator but a very strange situation, the program does start after installation.But program inform me that there is no key.Everything is clear and normal but when I run the program from the dongle emulator the program starts, but I can only see a white window.
Do you have any idea what could be the cause ?
I am also with RC remote control
Sorry for my bad english.I'm using google translator
Hello everyone from Poland.I was able to start the PhoenixRC in Linux 19.3 with the help of Lutris. Unfortunately I do not have dongle. And I have tried using dongle emulator but a very strange situation, the program does start after installation.But program inform me that there is no key.Everything is clear and normal but when I run the program from the dongle emulator the program starts, but I can only see a white window.
Do you have any idea what could be the cause ?
I am also with RC remote control
Sorry for my bad english.I'm using google translator
Are you using Wine or a VM with Windows? I guess I've never messed with PhoenixRC before.
the reflex company does not exist anymore and you can download the software without any problem.Unfortunately I don't have a dongle and used an emulator.I don't know if the dongle worked in Linux.I ran the program in the Wine 4.0 and Lutris
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Linux RC Simulators
) and later a borrowed Realflight 7. I fly real rc planes now but still like to keep a sim handy to hone up. Realflight is expensive and does not support Linux, so I started looking for alternatives. For a while I used several different sims on Windows and Android. However I since I hardly ever use Windows anymore, I decided to see what Linux had to offer. When it comes to RC Simulators, Linux doesn't seem to have a good selection, native or otherwise. While I haven't tried it, Steam appears to support several commercial rc sims. I also didn't try any of the Android apps via emulators, but that might also be an option.
) with the practice I got on PicaSim 
