Differences Between FAA-Certified and Home Version

Many users wonder what the differences are between the FAA-certified version of X-Plane and the standard home version.

The FAA-certified version has a different set of aircraft than the standard desktop version. The certified version has only general aviation aircraft, rather than the huge variety of planes that come with the retail X-Plane. Additionally, these planes have custom instrument panels, fuel systems, and autopilot systems designed to work specifically with the hardware they are sold with (for example, the simulators sold by Precision Flight Controls).

Furthermore, these panels are often used as in full-screen displays in multi-computer setups (with more computers providing external visuals). These allow the user to fly using full-screen cockpits, with separate external visuals, while enjoying full-screen panels that do not duplicate anything that exists in the PFC hardware, using systems that integrate perfectly with PFC fuel and autopilot systems.

The FAA-certified version does not have the Special menu in X-Plane, or the various "Special" take-offs, in-flights, and approaches found in the Location menu. These allow the user to take off from carriers, relocate to Mars, and do other unusual things. Of course, these things can confuse training, so they are removed.

As well, the certified version does not include helipads and super-short private airstrips. This too is designed to keep training focused. For the same reason, the certified version does not have night vision or sun glare effects.

A 15-minute demo is included with the certified version rather than the desktop’s 10-minute demo to allow more time to evaluate the program before purchasing.

Finally, the FAA-certified version checks the simulator’s frame rate and hardware to make sure that both are okay before allowing flight, something that is not done in the desktop version.

To summarize, the certified version of X-Plane just has a lot of the “extras” removed to focus the user’s training, and it has a large suite of general aviation planes to allow training on appropriate aircraft, with instrument panels on those craft that are optimized to work with hardware they’re bundled with. Finally, the certified version has no duplications of the controls and displays available on the hardware.