Alphasim Release SR-71 Blackbird For FSX

Posted: Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 10:24
Phil Perrott from Alphasim has e-mailed to say that Alphasim has released their SR-71 Blackbird for Flight Simulator X (SP1/SP2/Acceleration). The package features an all new model – complete with new textures with bump-mapping, self-shadowing, and bloom effect. You are cleared for a high-speed cruise to Alphasim.

Sydney Professional from Commercial Level Simulations

Posted: Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 18:42
Staff reviewer Laurie Aston leaves Europe to head half way round the world to explore Commercial Level Simulations' Sydney (YSSY) Professional. "The airport's first runways were built in 1933. By the 1960s the need for a new international terminal had become apparent, and work commenced in late 1966. In the 1970s, the north-south runway was expanded to become one of the longest runways in the southern hemisphere. The international terminal was expanded in 1992 and has undergone several refurbishments since then."

"The Sydney YSSY scenery that is included in the default program is acceptable, but adding “Sydney Professional” makes a world of a difference. The terminal buildings are all in the right place, and are well placed. The taxi-ways are well defined and traffic within the airport is evident. Aircraft come and go and they are parked nicely in the right terminals and at the gates as well. The runways are detailed, all the runway crossing points are in evidence with marker boards just the way they should be, and the lighting is great."

Laurie comments, "CLS Sydney has a lot going for it, and I wish Aaron Clark all the success in continuing to improve Sydney YSSY, as a lot of his work does reflect a real difference from the default scenery. CLS Sydney is pretty good, but not nearly as good as it could be. However, the service pack will make it better."

Attention Cockpit Builders

Posted: Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 3:03
Good news for cockpit builders and other flight simmers. Flight Deck Software releases the first version of the Glass Flight Deck 737NG Suite. At this moment the suite contains all displays seen in the B737 NG series. The software runs on multiple computers over network or on a single computer. All gauges are available. Not all functionality is yet available: VNAV and VOR/LOC is disabled and some FMC pages are missing. The main reason for release is testing out the software. Everything is easily configurable at your own wish.

Frankfurt RealOps 2008 on VATSIM

Posted: Saturday, May 3, 2008 - 10:13
On the 10th of May, 2008 it is as real as it gets at Frankfurt Airport for 6 hours, with up to 20 controllers and more than 400 bookable flights. VACC-SAG simulates Frankfurt's real-world traffic on a busy Saturday afternoon. Pilots are invited to visit the newly designed RealOps 2008 event page and enjoy the great introduction trailer to put you in the mood for this major VATSIM event! Booking is open, and all participants are requested to read the procedures provided on the website very carefully.

AlphaSim B-24 Liberator

Posted: Friday, May 2, 2008 - 13:22
AlphaSim releases their B-24 Liberator: This package features both the glazed-nose B-24D and the turret-nosed B-24G/J and five texture sets which depict bare-metal, desert and olive drab schemes, all with carefully-drawn authentic nose art. This package debuts the AlphaSim 'Visual Load Editor' (VLE), an in-game graphical user interface where you can toggle on and off parts of the model such as the crew and bombload with the aircraft weight updated automatically as bombs are loaded or unloaded. The package is for both FS9 and FSX and a paintkit is also provided. For full details visit AlphaSim.

GMap for FSX

Posted: Friday, May 2, 2008 - 13:01
FSWidgets Releases GMap for FSX, a new freeware moving map. GMap for FSX displays your current position in Flight Simulator X on Google Maps,(Note: Google Maps should not be confused with Google Earth - the 3D virtual globe application). GMap is a stand-alone application, no additional files or software is required. It combines the existing technologies of Google Maps API, JavaScript, SimConnect and the Internet Explorer 7 plug-in to show your current FSX aircraft position, allowing you to also display FSX (and FS9) flight plans right on the map. To download this free moving map please visit FSWidgets .

XPax SP1 Released

Posted: Thursday, May 1, 2008 - 18:38
HiFi Simulation Software announces that XPax Service Pack 1 officially released today. All known issues have been solved and several improvements have been made. This is a recommended update for all XPax users. All new customers purchasing XPax will not be required to download the update as it is included in the new full download. XPax is a multimedia passenger simulation experience for Flight Simulator 9 and Flight Simulator X. For more information and to download the update visit HiFi Simulation.

Dead Sea Israel, Update

Posted: Thursday, May 1, 2008 - 18:36
A new version of the free FSX Dead-Sea Israel photo-real scenery is available. at In this new version the water texture at the northern part of the sea has been changed to be FSX water instead of static image. In-game video of the new version is available there by visiting Here.

Airport Design Editor Update To V1.25

Posted: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - 12:49
ScruffyDuck Software and the ADE Development Team are delighted to announce a substantial update to Airport Design Editor. This brings either version 1.20 or 1.22 to version 1.25. In addition to a number of bug fixes and other enhancements version 1.25 provides several new functions including partial automation of the Cross Wind Runway technique pioneered by Jim Vile; Sloping Terrain Polygons that allow sloped flattens to be created; Change Airport Altitude that generates the required pre-load-bgl file and also updates all the necessary elements at the airport automatically; A 'wizard' to make designing taxi signs much easier; an enhanced tool tips feature for taxi-signs and library objects that show a visual of the sign or object(where available). The updater is available in the AVSIM Library or via the online updater at Airport Design Editor.

Yak-40 AI Model For FSX

Posted: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 3:10
DBS Studio and Simlandmarks proudly present an FSX version of the Yak-40 AI model which original FS9 version was released in 2005 as freeware.

For more information and how you can purchase the FSX Yak-40 AI model go to DBS Studio.

Scotflight Announces The RAF Collection

Posted: Monday, April 28, 2008 - 15:24
Announcing the latest scenery product from Scotflight, the RAF COLLECTION features highly detailed scenery for the three currently active RAF Stations in Scotland, namely RAF Kinloss, RAF Leuchars and RAF Lossiemouth.

Together with the scenery Scotflight already has made available for Scotland through existing products for FS2004 and FSX, this new package further enhances your flying experience in a land of mountains, lochs, islands and rugged coastline. The airfields contain a large number of customized buildings, static aircraft and vehicles, and nearby landmarks are also included.

The product download includes separate custom installers for FS2004 and FSX. The scenery is fully compatible with MS Flight Simulator and earlier Scotflight releases. The FSX version is also compatible with UTX Europe. Current users of Scotflight's Highlands and Islands scenery for FSX are advised that they will need to install an updated version ( version 1.2a ) which they can now download for free (with their current registration key) from the Scotflight product site.

Full details of the features and a gallery of screenshots are available at Scotflight

DreamFleet & Reality XP release Piper Dakota for FSX

Posted: Saturday, April 26, 2008 - 22:52
DreamFleet and Reality XP announce the release of the Piper Dakota for FSX, based on N8086N owned by DreamFleet's founder Lou Betti the DreamFleet Dakota is the first-ever FSX aircraft to feature a complete set of Reality XP's new "Gauge XTreme" smooth running Flight Line T and Flight Line N gauges in both the 2D panels and Virtual Cockpit. In addition to their high fidelity operation, these gauges also feature completely dimmable gauge backlighting. and Reality XP's Garmin GNS430, GMA340 Audio Panel, and GTX327 Transponder. The Dakota is DreamFleet's first aircraft to feature a choice of 3, different 2D panel resolutions for different monitor sizes selectable from within the cockpit, other features include a highly detailed Virtual Cockpit, removable landing gear fairings, two engine sound sets ,a choice of pilot gender , propeller models and ten included liveries. For complete details visit the Dreamfleet Website

Join the World of SimWords!

Posted: Saturday, April 26, 2008 - 22:48

Click for Larger View

Simply stated, SIMWORDS work! They work for both advertisers and affiliates! With over 151 million views and over $7,500 earned by affiliates, the AVSIM SimWord system is the most successful (and to our knowledge, the ONLY) collaborative advertising system in the Flight Simulation hobby. Advertisers benefit from exposure to numerous sites in our hobby, and affiliates benefit by having an income that helps pay for their site and bandwidth. Best of all, advertisers have complete control over their monthly advertising expense, when ads run, and even on what days and time. The AVSIM SimWord system provides for targeted advertising and comes at a very low cost. If you are an advertiser who would like to have advertising across dozens of simulation related sites, or a web site that would like to defray you costs, have a look at the SimWord system and sign up today!

Walk and Follow for FSX

Posted: Saturday, April 26, 2008 - 4:00
Senior staff reviewer Jeff Shyluk traverses his way through DBS Studios' Walk and Follow for FSX. He is accompanied on this trip by staff reviewer Angelique van Campen who reviewed the FS9 version.

"Walk and Follow from the Russian developers DBS Studios is a small utility with a big impact on FSX. It will give you a camera view that you can move around anywhere in the FSX (Service Pack 2) world."

"In Walk Mode, the camera moves relative to the ground. You can "fly" the camera anywhere on Earth. This is great for looking at scenery, taking screenshots of landmarks, and aircraft-spotting at your favourite airport. In Follow Mode, the camera moves relative to your aircraft. You can freely move the camera within the Virtual Cockpit, or you can even move the camera outside the aircraft for exotic views. In Follow Mode, the camera goes where your aircraft goes, which can help you take some really nice action screenshots from exciting angles."

"The Walk and Follow camera is controlled largely by using the keypad. If you have a laptop without a keypad, I think you are out of luck, as I do not know how to re-map the key controls, or even if this is possible. Technical functions are accessed through a menu system. Partly because the developers are using English as their second language, and partly because the internal programming of the FSX camera system is very complex, some of the menu items are difficult to understand."

"As long as you are happy with the basics of camera movement, Walk and Follow is easy and fun to use. Once you delve into the technical parts of Walk and Follow, though, expect a difficult learning curve. Many of the functions seem to rely on trial-and-error methods to get good settings.All of your new camera views can be saved. As it is, I find it quite a bit easier and more intuitive to save Walk views than Follow views. This is because the Walk mode uses a logical and organized system for storing your custom views in file folders. The Follow mode on the other hand, is harder to understand, as it relies on pre-existing FSX camera views to get started, and can only save new views over the default views (although it's fast and easy to restore your default FSX views as FSX is running, simply by disabling Walk and Follow). "

"The documentation for Walk and Follow is unfortunately very weak, just covering items on how to get the program activated and running. None of the more complex features are explained, and there are no tool-tips in the program to help either. Finally, if you are a TrackIR user, you may find disappointment in Walk and Follow as it will shut off any TrackIR functionality in FSX. I hope this gets fixed in a future patch!"

Jeff and Angelique sum up DBS Studios' Walk and Follow for FSX with, "I think that the price for Walk and Follow may be too high for what I got. Although the basic features work great and are a lot of fun to use, the technical features have poor documentation, and there is no support for TrackIR. Still, Walk and Follow costs less than many third-party aircraft, so as long as money is no object and you don't mind using trial and error to figure out the system, this application should help you get that magic screenshot you've been looking for."

Just Flight Releases Denham Airfield Video

Posted: Saturday, April 26, 2008 - 0:49
A video is now available for Just Flight's Real Scenery - Denham. Well worth a look, check out the attention to detail! If you'd rather watch a streamed version then you could visit the video section on the Just Flight website.

Following their success with the VFR Real Scenery series, their development team has been hard at work putting together this highly accurate model of Denham for Flight Simulator X. Designed using the latest high resolution aerial images and on-site research, the scenery includes all the distinctive buildings - from the Biggles restaurant, to the Air Cadets hut, the Denham of today is instantly recognisable. Among the many unique features of this scenery is snow on the ground during December and January - a first for FSX add-on airports! As well as the authentically-modelled buildings, custom night textures and high resolution mesh, Denham boasts static and AI aircraft, people and objects - there are even animated tractors in the nearby fields and flocks of birds. Denham is designed to blend seamlessly with the default FSX landscape or Just Flight's VFR Real Scenery.

Available to download exclusively from Just Flight, Real Scenery - Denham Airfield just might be that must-have for flight simulator enthusiasts who need a touch of realism in their airfields. Software requirements: Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Service Pack 2 and Acceleration compatible) - Windows Vista or XP.

FS-eXcel V1.1 Released

Posted: Friday, April 25, 2008 - 2:18
FS-eXceleration Software is happy to announce that FS-eXcel has been re-released as version 1 revision 1. "Some internal development issues caused product sales to be placed on hold but with these issues now all sorted out we can release the software for purchase once again" says Jerome Myers, project manager for FS-eXceleration Software.

Enjoy the most realistic flight experience ever with FS-eXcel for FS2004. FS-eXcel is a visual eXcelerator package for FS2004 that greatly enhances the look of the sim with no adverse frame-rate effects whatsoever. With FS-eXcel you will experience ultra-realistic sky, ground and water for FS2004. This package provides a “visual make-over” for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. For more info and screenshots please visit the FSeXcel website.

FScene Patch Released

Posted: Thursday, April 24, 2008 - 14:30
Ruud Faber at FScene.com has released a patch forFScene4X Australia/New-Zealanded. Ruud said in his press release that some textures of the FScene4X pack for this part of the world had to be improved. As of now all users can download the free patch from the FScene website . Also those who recently bought the TotalPack as download or in the new CD-box are requested to install the patch. Users of FScene for Flight Simulator 2004/FS9 should not install this patch.

Avsim Visits Embry Riddle SimCamp

Posted: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 16:33
By: Martin Arant - Avsim Simulation Technologies

While on a recent trip to Arizona I had the pleasure of visiting Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) at their beautiful Prescott, Arizona Campus. The ERAU Prescott Campus is planning on holding the first ever “Flight Sim Summer Camp” scheduled for June 2008 so I was anxious to tour the facilities, as Avsim will be participating in the event.

Situated in the midst of natural wonders, Embry-Riddle's Prescott, Arizona campus covers 539 acres of high-altitude western terrain. The flight training center is at nearby Prescott Love Field Municipal Airport. The campus has excellent programs in flight, engineering, space physics, global security and intelligence studies, computer science, aviation business administration, meteorology, and a graduate program in safety science. The Robertson Aviation Safety Center features an accident investigation lab and the Robertson Flight Simulation Center, houses six Frasca flight-training-devices. Nearby destinations include Phoenix, about 80 miles southeast; Las Vegas, 260 miles northwest; and Los Angeles, 375 miles west. The Grand Canyon, considered one of the most impressive natural splendors in the world is only 95 miles away.

I was met by Ray Bédard, a professor at ERAU, and the architect of the FS-SCORE system used at the ERAU-sponsored landing competition at the 2007 Avsim Conference in Seattle. It was at the Avsim Conference that Ray and his wife and business manager Laurie started exploring the possibility of putting together a flight simulation camp for dedicated flight simulation enthusiasts. The idea was to bring attendees together in a fun and relaxing setting to enjoy spending a week flying the Embry Riddle simulators and taking part in some great simulation scenarios... like a search and rescue exercise using both their networked simulators and the Robertson Air Investigation Site.


The main attraction of my visit was of course, the flight simulators... and Embry Riddle has lots of them. My first exposure to the importance of simulation in the student training environment occurred when I went into a room adjacent to one of the main lecture rooms and saw over 30 students sitting in front of PCs running nothing less than Microsoft Flight Simulator. The instructor was describing QNH and how it is given in millibars in Europe and inches of mercury in the USA. This brought back memories (and not all pleasant) of my own recent preparations for my commercial written test. This looked like a much more interesting and fun way to learn... sitting in front of your individual simulator while receiving instruction. Ray explained that these 30+ PCs are networked into the ERAU air traffic control system located in another building. This allows students to learn ATC procedures and interface directly online with other students flying on the simulators. As a matter of fact, Embry-Riddle is now training actual controllers from the Prescott FAA tower using their virtual air traffic control system. In addition to the PC simulators ERAU also utilizes Frasca cockpit simulators with wide-view visuals. These are fully functional cockpits with working avionics, including the most up-to-date moving map GPS systems. The cockpit simulators I saw represented the Piper Seminole or the Cessna 172. The pièce de résistance however, had to be the full-scale Airbus 320 simulator. This cockpit simulator was actually donated by Airbus to Embry Riddle, so it’s no different that the simulators used by the airlines for Level D training. This simulator is only used for student cockpit orientation, so it is not certified, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less realistic to fly... with its 3-channel visual display and working cockpit systems. A recently posted Avsim video on youtube will take you on a brief visit to the Frasca and Airbus simulators. The youtube link is: Embry Riddle Video. There is also a virtual tour of the flightline located on the ERAU website at: Flightline Tour.

The ERAU Flight Sim Camp is planned for June 16 to June 21 at the ERAU Campus in Prescott, Arizona. Avsim will be participating in the camp by working with the flight simulation community to secure sponsorship for awards and prizes, as well as providing flight scenarios for the ERAU simulators during the camp. Details and signup information on the camp are available from the Embry Riddle Flight Sim Camp section of their website at: ERAU SimCamp

Twin Otter X - A Different Kind Of "Review"

Posted: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 3:27
Staff reviewer Mark Kolo recently went on a family vaction to the Caribbean. This inspired him to write a "review" about Aerosoft's Twin Otter X and flying in and out of FlyTampa's St Maarten. This ficticious account utilizes these 2 pieces of software along with others, to show what can be done within the simming world as it applies to the real world. We hope you enjoy this different approach to expressing the abilities of simulation software. Mark presents his version of "Island Hopping."

XPax from HiFi Simulations

Posted: Sunday, April 20, 2008 - 18:30
Staff reviewer Juan Llobera looks at a new way of loading your commercial airliner with passengers with HiFi Simulations' XPax. "This is a new product and is the first one of a series of low-cost dual-sim compatible “pocket add-ons” (something like a Lite series) that basically aims to provide a multimedia passenger experience."

"XPax enable you to:
- Provides a multimedia passenger carriage experience
- It lets you control (manually or automatically) the connection of Jetways (if you have a scenery add on that lets you do that) as well as doors.
- It provides Real-time monitoring of passengers health and approval rating
- Provides a scoring and ranking system based on the flights performance
- Provides a set of 12 audio recordings (containing female and male voices in various accents)
- Provides a report about your flight
- Provides a real time dynamic aircraft weight control based on the passenger load."

Juan's review of XPax concludes, "XPax is a pretty good add on. It gives you the chance of populating those empty seats on your virtual flights. It gives us another option when it comes to Virtual Passengers."