Dang, Spud, you're on top of this. I have yet to purchase Global but it is in my immediate future. My question is, will these additions...and the additional airport packs...be included in a new download of Global? I know ORBX is pretty good at including all the latest updates in their most recent downloads but I don't know how inclusive they are on anything not deemed 'critical'. Would I still have to DL these additional packages?
jsapair,
FTX Global will not contain any freeware airport packs. They will work fine without Global being installed so you can get all 15 packs plus the 3 European packs now.
Global is a replacement of the FSX default textures only. When you install it there will be an option to backup the FSX Default textures, (DO IT!). After installing Global and then the latest ORBX Libraries. FTX Central will no longer show a "Default" mode, but rather, a "Global" mode in place of the old "Default" Icon.
The ORBX Library is continually being updated and each release must be downloaded and installed to have all the current ORBX objects etc. It is of course a free download.
Other Freeware airports released by ORBX (not the Global Packs which are non-company efforts by users) come with installers and are usually intended to be used in conjunction with the payware scenery region in which the airport resides, so that region should be purchased first.