For today's No Money Monday, we are going to look at a classic that has been an ever-gracious gift from Aerobask, that also exceeds anyone's expectations of a freeware aircraft. We will be looking at Aerobask’s DR401 CDI aircraft.

Aerobask has been the forerunner of aircraft development, specialising in smaller aircraft and is known for exceeding simmer's expectations when they release an aircraft. The DR401 CDI was a surprising gift from the developer, a plane that is not only free, but receives the same amount of attention and effort as their payware works. While the X-Plane community is blessed with a comfortable selection of free aircraft to choose from for short scenic hops, this aircraft is perfect for your small island hopping in the Caribbean to your Cross Country Flights and stands out from the rest for its well-rounded set of features - including visually.

This aircraft is well equipped with the latest features which one would come to expect in a decent payware aircraft (at the time) which includes the partnership with X-Aerodynamics for flightmodelling and venerated sound-master Daniela R. Careri who is now bringing her sound skills to Laminar for the upcoming X-Plane 12. The visual modelling is up there with modern GA planes, featuring consistent PBR texturing throughout the inside and exterior with windshield reflections (and Librain support). On the system end, it is powered by Laminar’s default Garmin G1000 avionics, complemented by simulated FADEC test and Pre Heating.

Feature List:

• Accurate flight model by X-Aerodynamics.
• FMOD High Quality sounds by Daniela RC.
• Integrated Laminar Garmin G1000 PFD and MFD.
• Functional 3D cockpit, with VR ready manipulators.
• 3D model with high resolution PBR textures.
• Simulated FADEC test and Pre Heating.
• Windshield reflections.
• Support librain for dynamic rain effect (since 1.18 version)
• Optimized to save FPS.
• 8 stunning liveries + a white paint.

Despite the aircraft not having been updated for about 2 and a half years now, it enjoys continued popularity as one of the most popular freeware works above all other GA aircraft on the .org forums. It stands the test of time and is a fan favorite; the flawless quality is a testament to the effort that the team put together for this aircraft. User "Ekre" has gave the aircraft another few years of life with an AviTab mod for the plane:

You can find this aircraft on the .Org Forums, and you can also see Threshold’s coverage of the aircraft when it was first released.