FSX’s flight model is often criticized for being "on rails," but the Aerosoft CRJ breaks that mold.
Pro Tip for FSX: Turn off "Auto-Rudder" and "Auto-Mixture" in realism settings. The CRJ’s flight dynamics rely on manual rudder control for crosswind landings.
The Aerosoft CRJ uses the Honeywell Epic suite. It can be intimidating at first. aerosoft crj fsx
When you first loaded the Aerosoft CRJ in FSX, you weren’t greeted by flashy animations or a tablet on the windshield. You were greeted by a cockpit swathed in functional grey plastic. The textures, by modern standards, are low-resolution. But back then? They were crisp. Every switch, every circuit breaker, every dimly lit annunciator panel felt tactile.
The external model was typical for its era: accurate enough, with decent wing flex and a reflective fuselage. But the CRJ is a slender, almost awkward-looking regional jet—nicknamed the "Flying Pencil" or "Skylawnmower." Aerosoft captured that gangly charm perfectly. FSX’s flight model is often criticized for being
Here is why this add-on has a cult following. The Aerosoft CRJ was not "study level" in the PMDG sense—you didn't have to worry about hydraulic accumulators bleeding down. But it introduced the concept of operational flying.
The beast of the family. At nearly 40 meters long, the 1000 seats 100+ passengers. It pushes the limits of FSX’s ground handling physics. Flaring the 1000 requires precision—it is notorious for tail strikes if you rotate too early. This variant is for experienced simmers only. Pro Tip for FSX: Turn off "Auto-Rudder" and
Visual Note: Each variant features accurate winglets, antenna layouts, and door configurations. The texture quality is designed for FSX’s DX9 and DX10 preview, with reflective surfaces and detailed virtual cockpits that still hold up today.
In the golden era of flight simulation, roughly spanning the late 2000s to the mid-2010s, few add-ons commanded the unique blend of respect and frustration as the Aerosoft CRJ 700/900 X for Microsoft Flight Simulator X.
Today, with MSFS 2020 flooding our screens with photorealistic streams and pixel-perfect 3D cockpits, it’s easy to dismiss the FSX generation as “legacy.” But to do so would be to ignore a masterpiece of systems depth that taught an entire generation of simmers how to fly real jets.
The CRJ handles differently than a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A320. Here is how to handle it in the air: