Eaglesoft Announces New Staff Member

Posted: Saturday, June 3, 2006 - 10:26
Eaglesoft Development Group is pleased to announce that Owen Hewitt has joined the Eaglesoft Development Group Team. Well known for quality aircraft models produced for Project Open Sky, FSD, and Dreamfleet, Owen brings a wealth of experience and skill to Team Eaglesoft. Owen will begin work immediately on revising our Beechjet 400A/Hawker 400XP package with an eye to the future and FSX!

New Scenery Review - Aerosoft's VFR Berlin 2006

Posted: Saturday, June 3, 2006 - 3:01
"Ich bin nicht ein Berliner. I am not a Berliner," says staff reviewer David Wilson-Okamura about his review of Aerosoft's VFR Berlin 2006. "VFR Berlin 2006 adds scores of landmarks to the main city, provides a more detailed and accurate landclass for Berlin and the surrounding area, cleans up and refines the road system, sculpts out the waterways, and spruces up a dozen of the local airports."

"Berlin encompasses a wide range of land types, from parks and gardens to towers and skyscrapers to residential neighborhoods to farmland. Berlin looks more like itself: a sprawling microcosm of the whole country. I should point out that many of the landmarks used for VFR are not monuments or famous buildings. Windmills, radio antennae, church steeples, utility pylons, highways, railroad lines, lakes, and rivers are just useful -- and they are included, too."

"Clearly, the developer has made an effort to balance detail with frame rates. There’s no point in wasting frame rates on detail you won’t normally see anyway. For Berliners, it offers the pleasure of recognizing familiar sights, and making them new again by seeing them from the air. For the rest of us, it is an opportunity to explore a detailed VFR environment that is rich in both cultural significance and visual interest." Check out the complete review and the screenshots of some of the features presented in this release.

Reader Choice Awards

Posted: Saturday, June 3, 2006 - 2:47
In addition to the prestigious AVSIM Bravo Zulu awards which will be presented at this year's Convention and Exhibition, we will also be awarding AVSIM Reader's Choice Awards. At our gala Saturday night Awards Banquet, which will happen on September 16th, the Reader Choice awards will be presented for a number of categories of add-ons to Flight Simulator. The Reader's Choice awards are based both upon the nominations of the FS user community, and the voting which will take place in August. To nominate your favorite add-on or utility, please read the rules and then submit your nomination. Nominations close on August 15th, so get your nomination in today! If you have not already, register today and if you are one of the first 400 registrants, you could receive a free copy of Microsoft's next generation flight simulator, FS-X! Questions? Visit the Convention forum.

Flight1 Releases Bonanza In A Box

Posted: Friday, June 2, 2006 - 16:36
Flight One Software and DreamFleet continue their Greatest Airplanes flight sim series with their latest release, the A36 Bonanza now available in a boxed package for Flight Simulator 2004. The Beechcraft A36 is one of the most popular General Aviation aircraft around, reeking of luxury and quality and considered by many to be the "Rolls Royce" of single engine aircraft. Flight1’s A36 package includes a "Straight Wing" version (without tip tanks), a "Tip Tank" version (with tip tanks for extended range), and the "Fantasy Float Version". That's right, be the first to own a Beech A36 on floats! This is the FIRST Flight Simulator aircraft to feature Reality XP's highly realistic Garmin GNS430 and WX500 weather radar, along with EagleSoft's Sandel 3308 EHSI as standard equipment! The package also includes a fully interactive virtual cockpit & cabin, complete moving parts, accurate flight dynamics, high resolution instrument panels, plus much more. This aircraft makes an ideal platform to get familiar with the GNS430, shoot some instrument approaches or just enjoy some luxury GA flying in Flight Simulator!

Sim pilots can purchase directly from the Flight1 website or at their local aviation or flight sim outlet.

Cloud9 Announces Upcoming Washington National DCA

Posted: Friday, June 2, 2006 - 13:59
A new airport scenery is coming from cloud9. This time it is not a big hub like our previous Amsterdam or Los Angeles airports but a medium airport of the US East Coast, the historical airport of the Capital: Washington Ronald Reagan National Airport. In this product you will find: high quality ground textures, superb 3D renderings, special features like the active gates that automatically recognize your aircraft type, active Marshalling system, animated ground handling equipment and many other features to discover. Visit the product page of the cloud9 web site for more details and to see the first set of screenshots. The release of this product is expected before the end of July.

AlphaSim Supermarine Swift FR.5 Out Now

Posted: Friday, June 2, 2006 - 4:34
The pioneering, but controversial Swift is recreated at AlphaSim in one of its last and best variations, the Supermarine FR.5. Although information on the Swift is quite scarce, this model has been carefully researched and provides a single, high-quality external model with accurate texturing, as well as a very authentic virtual cockpit which has many 3D switches and other mousable parts. The early Cold War fighter-recon experience is further enhanced by the soundset included in the package. Source texture files are included for repainters. For FS2004 only. Filesize 6.04MB. Screenshots can be viewed on the Alphasim page.

Flight1 Sponsors Social

Posted: Thursday, June 1, 2006 - 23:36
We are very pleased to announce that the friendly folks at Flight1 Software have announced that they will be the official sponsors of the AVSIM 2006 Convention and Exhibition's Friday night Simmer's Social. One of the most popular events every year is the AVSIM Social. Rooted in the history of AVSIM events, the Social started in 1999, where we held a casual get together of flight simmers near by to our annual board of director's meetings. That event has grown and has found a firm place in our popular Exhibition and Convention. The Friday night Social is a big event where simmers from around the world meet their fellow enthusiats and put faces to the forum and newsgroup names that they see everyday. At this year's Social, Microsoft will be giving away hardware, and Exhibitors will be giving away simming products. The Social is truly a place where you can discover the community that we actually are. For more information on the 2006 Convention, please see our Registration page, and visit the Convention forum. And don't forget!!! You could be one of the first 400 registrants to get a free copy of the next Microsoft Flight Simulator - MSFX!

NavData AIRAC Cycle 0605 Available

Posted: Thursday, June 1, 2006 - 15:47
The long awaited Navdata update has now been released for AIRAC 0605. This is for users of Microsoft Flight Simulator addons like Flightmanager, FS-Navigator 4.x, EFIS98, FS-Build, PMDG 737NG, 767-Pilot in Command, A320-Pilot in Command, PSS Airbus/Boeing/Dash8, Dreamfleet B737, Eurowings Professional, FeelThere CRJ, Aviograsf A340, Flight1 ATR72-500, Level-D 767, Squawkbox or Navdash 2.5.

For more information and downloads go to NavData and make sure you are up to date!

Wings of Power - P47 Thunderbolt Reviewed

Posted: Thursday, June 1, 2006 - 3:10
New AVSIM staff reviewer Joe Mercurio flies back 60 years to take a look at the Republic P47 Thunderbolt. This is another aircraft from the Wings of Power series by Shockwave Productions.

"The P-47 Thunderbolt was without question one of the toughest aircraft to come out of WWII. Tank killer, train buster, escort fighter, and anti-shipping destroyer, the Thunderbolt could do it all. “Big, Heavy, Tough”, probably the best set of words to describe this mammoth. This package includes the following models: P-47D22, P-47D25, P-47D30, P-47M, P-47N and the XP-72"

"When you compare other aircraft with the textures on the P47, you find the P47 defiantly has the cleanest, smoothest textures, and is graphic friendly than most others available," Joe says about the outside features. On the inside, "I found this VC to be one of the clearest I’ve seen in my simming experience, it sticks out over other payware aircraft. You can do everything from the VC, flip switches, read all the dials, move the levers and more…"

"The P-47 is a very heavy aircraft. So to counter this, a very powerful engine is needed, which is also very heavy, making this aircraft nose heavy on landings. The WOP team did a good job with the P-47’s flight model. The aircraft performs right down to the numbers as the real P47’s did. If you read the flight manual, and fly it the way it’s meant to be flown, you should have no troubles in piloting this 6 ton, single seat fighter."

"The Wings of Power team has done a sensational job on the P-47 Thunderbolt. The team put together a very nice model, texture set, sound set, virtual cockpit, and user manual," Joe states in his review conclusions, "the WOP P-47 is among the best WWII aircraft to be made for Flight sim."

IRIS Simulation Releases the Royal Air Force F-4 Phantom FGR.2

Posted: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 22:30
The Phantom continues the range of FS2004 only products by IRIS and will be compatible with Microsoft Flight Simulator X due out later in the year. Thanks to their lead product researcher Steve Holland, who was a member of 56 Squadron during the reign of the almighty ’Toom’, the Phantom features enhanced XML coding within the aircraft models to accurately replicate the inner workings of the aircraft. The Virtual Cockpit is by far the best to date, in both detail and artwork this new cockpit outshines it’s predecessors and features working switches, radios, levers and other effects and silky smooth gauge refresh rates on most systems. The exterior model has also retained the trademarked quality which has been built from an established range of aircraft and the product features a number of different models as has can be expected of an IRIS product. Christoffer Petersen has provided the sounds which were recorded from the real deal. The Phantom will come with 20 liveries. Some features

- 32 Bit cockpit textures for superb clarity in flight.
- Backlit canopy gauges for accuate night-time flying
- Interactive Virtual Cockpit including over 40 interactive objects.
- GMax programmed XML parts such as correctly modelled Auxillery intake doors in both upper and lower fuselage surfaces, drooping ailerons on engine shutdown, correctly automated intake splitter plates and more.
- Appearing Intake Covers, Boarding ladders, warning labels and disappearing pilots on engine shutdown.
- Custom Soundpack designed by Christoffer Petersen made from actual recordings of the Phantom featuring new enhancements such as oxygen mask effects and more.
- Loads of custom animations for the phantom, including working tailhook, control surfaces, refueling probe, pilot and wso canopies, speedbrakes and much much more.
- Enhanced flight dynamics complete with full loadout details for user control of multiple configurations.
- A total of ten superb quality external models featuring different loadouts for the most commonly used RAF Phantom FGR.2's including one designed for multiplayer use. - Eighteen detailed textures for the RAF Phantom from 92 Squadron, 56 Squadron, 19 Squadron, 74 Squadron, 228 Operational Conversion Unit in both camouflage and air defence grey plus three 'special' IRIS paintschemes!
- HUGE value for money, over one hundred and fifty combinations of the Phantom to pick from and fly!
- Full effects suite consisting of specially designed afterburner effects, wingtip vorticies, upper wing shockwave effect and more...
- Full paintkit in PSD format for use in Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro for repainters to use, complete with weathering, backgrounds and panel lines all predrawn for easy repaints! The Phantom is available now at the IRIS Store and support is available via the IRIS forum

Aerosoft Announce German Scenery Package

Posted: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 21:19
Aerosoft has just announced its latest offering to the world of flight simulation. Scenery Germany 4 covers Hessen and Thüringen, some of the most beautiful regions of Germany. Scenery Germany 4 covers this region in detail as never seen before in any VFR scenery (claims we do not make lightly) with dozens of high detail airports and all landscape elements pilots use for navigation. Several cities are included with great detail (like Frankfurt, making this an ideal companion to Mega Airport Frankfurt).

To find out more about this latest product, visit the Aerosoft Website.

New GA Aircraft Review - 3 Taildraggers from Real Air Simulations

Posted: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 3:16
Sr Staff reviewer Bert Pieke takes a look at a set of taildraggers from Real Air Simulations - the Decathlon, Citabria, and Scout. "If you like to fly VFR, hop from one little airstrip to another, and throw in some aerobatics along the way just because it makes you feel good, this RealAir package is for you."

"The three aircraft are similar in size, but differ in their intended use. The Decathlon is a fully aerobatic capable aircraft, the Citabria is a basic trainer, and the Scout is a ruggedized “bush plane” workhorse." Bert sums up this review with, "I really like this package. If you like flying, and have maybe tried the Piper Cub and want to take it “up a notch” these planes have much to offer."

AlphaSim's F4D Skyray Reviewed

Posted: Monday, May 29, 2006 - 1:58
The United States Marine Corp received their first delivery of the newly designed Douglas F4D SKYRAY in 1957, Sr Staff reviewer Gene Davis received his home computer version from AlphaSim in 2006. Now we can see how they compare.

"The ALPHASIM A4D SKYRAY is a journey back in time, it represents an era of jet aviation that was merely a glimpse of things to come. The visual model of this aircraft is where this product is worth its weight in gold. Each aircraft is highly detailed and matches that of real world US Squadrons from that time period."

"Jumping into the cockpit and taking this plane up for a quick spin is a lot of fun as it is highly maneuverable and fast. Surprisingly, the plane is extremely easy to land even with a large amount of fuel on board. The panel, though pretty basic, does make a nice representation of what the actual cockpit of the Skyray looked like. The virtual cockpit is rendered nicely and does match that of its real world counterpart."

Gene sums up his review of this aircraft from a bygone era with, "I found that I enjoyed flying the F4D as it was something different and a real blast from the past."

Ratcheting up the Excitement!

Posted: Sunday, May 28, 2006 - 20:29
Ratcheting up the excitement, Microsoft announces a few more surprises for the 2006 AVSIM Convention. AVSIM is pleased to announce that the Microsoft FS team will be giving away a collection of goodies at the AVSIM Convention and here are the details... Microsoft will be giving away a high end video card (four to be exact) at the convention. Two on Friday night at the social, one at the Saturday awards dinner and one at the Microsoft Flight Simulator day on Sunday. How about some more hardware? The MS team will be giving away 12, no you didn't read that wrong, 12 (twelve) USB native Xbox 360 controllers - can you say "cross platform compatibility"??? Or, better yet, can you say "Gamepad"??? Be there! The event of the year is rapidly approaching and you could be the proud owner of a copy of FS-X, simply by registering! Do so today and get in on the excitement and the imminent release of the next generation of Flight Simulator, and possibly be the proud owner of a high end vid card and / or a Xbox 360 controller! Register here today!

AlphaSim EFA Typhoon Package Out Now

Posted: Sunday, May 28, 2006 - 16:34
The Alphasim EFA Typhoon package has it all : 10 unique models including the 2-seater, various loadouts (clean, AAM and AGM) and a high-FPS multiplayer version, highly-detailed textures depict the RAF, German, Italian and Spanish variants. The model comes with a new and unique working radar system which has clickable targets with 4-parameter display and 3 radar modes, sounds recorded from the real Typhoon, a photoreal panel with 3 high-FPS MFD displays (incl.a moving map and animated weapons displays), a zoomable HUD, a first-class virtual cockpit with every single switch and knob authentically reproduced (rear cockpit v-c incl. on 2-strs), authentic animations for all control surfaces, drag chute, refuel probe, exhaust petals, pilots and more, a highly realistic flight model with illustrated checklist as well as custom afterburner fx. Texture source files are provided for repainters. For FS2004 only. Filesize 29MB and 12MB. Price approx. $26 USD, £13.95. Screenshots can be viewed on our home page Here

AVSIM 2006 Conference - Call For Presentations

Posted: Sunday, May 28, 2006 - 14:24
We are now soliciting presentations for the 5th annual Aviation Simulation (AVSIM) Conference, to take place in Washington, DC on September 15th thru 17th. Our venue will be the Hyatt Dulles Hotel, close to Washington Dulles International Airport and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, part of the National Air and Space Museum.

We welcome presentations from any person or organization with an interest in aviation simulation, with content covering either the real-world or simulated experience. Particular areas of interest which have proven popular in the past are the application of aviation simulation technology to real-world situations, presentations from companies offering forthcoming flight simulation products, and individuals sharing their experience and expertise in their chosen field. The typical range covers anything from the sheer enjoyment of flying, to the technical nuts and bolts of adding to the simulation experience.

Presentations will be allocated between 30 and 45 minutes, allowing time for questions at the end of each. Compared to previous years, there is likely to be a reduction in the number of available presentation slots; in the case of high demand presentation abstracts may be subject to a review process before firm acceptance is made. Please note that most presentations will be scheduled on Saturday, September 16th, with only two or three scheduled on Sunday.

Please submit your name, proposed presentation title, abstract (maximum 350 words) and biographical information of the presenter(s) (maximum 350 words) to our Conference Co-Ordinator Matt Johnson before Saturday, June 24th. Likewise, if you would like more information about the Conference, Matt will be able to assist.

We look forward to hearing from you, and scheduling a top-flight set of presentations in Washington!

Vista Australis ( VOZ ) 1.2 Freeware Scenery Released

Posted: Sunday, May 28, 2006 - 13:51
The VOZ Team is pleased to announce the release of version 1.2 of Vista Australis, the hotly anticipated next installment of the hugely successful VOZ freeware project, which has cumulatively been downloaded over 100,000 times since the 0.99 release last December. VOZ 1.2 will add a further 80 airports, four of them major overhauls of international terminals such as YSSY, YMML, YBBN and YSCB. For the first time, users will be able to enjoy all four seasons in the SE Region to see autumn, winter and spring come alive in Victoria and Tasmania. This release also brings hundred upon hundreds of new textures, sceneries, tweaks and bug fixes to 1.1, and for the first time adds photoreal areas covering an entire city centre, with photoreal Adelaide being the first area fully integrating photoreal with VOZ textures. VOZ 1.2 is freeware and is available to download from the Vista Australis website

Lionheart Creations Super Viking Released

Posted: Sunday, May 28, 2006 - 2:46
Lionheart Creations Ltd. has announced their newest release, the Bellanca Super Viking. This is the sleek four passenger, 200 MPH 'sports car' of general aviation. With 300 HP under its cowling, slippery rivetless composite wings, and a clean styled fuselage, this high performance aircraft cruises at 175 Knots with 75% power at 2,000 feet Altitude and yet coasts in with full flaps over the threshold at just 60 knots. Some of the features of this new offering are:
-Instrumentation and avionics sporting 'workable' realism whe compared to the actual Super Vikings.
-A unique Century II Altimatic Auto-Pilot system.
-Fully animated controls.
-Actual adjustable air vents
-A pop-out Hewlet Packard PDA GPS that floats out of its map box cubby and attaches onto the instrument panel.
-New exclusive 'Soft Glow Lighting' in the VC when doing night flights, and a seperate Dome light feature that produces a blue-white glow when brighter light is needed.
-Onboard oxygen system: If you click on the valve knob, an oxygen mask appears on the pilot.
-Many other unique features.

Lionheart is also offering a 25% rebate discount for past Bellanca purchasers. For more information, go to the Viking product page.

The AVSIM FS-X Release Date Lottery!

Posted: Saturday, May 27, 2006 - 22:47
Oh what fun! Speculation is running true to form, rumors are circulating community wide, and someone, everyone, or no one really knows the answer to the question of the day! When will Microsoft's next generation of Flight Simulator be released? Well, we don't know, or at least can't tell you! But, we can do the next best thing! You can enter a lottery, and take a chance in predicting the release date of FS-X (FS-10), and be the hero on your block for getting it right! AVSIM is pleased to announce the opening of its FS-X release date lottery! Be the first to vote and take your chances. When will FS-X appear on a store shelf somewhere in the world? Place your bets in our FS-X Release Date Lottery and if nothing else, earn the respect and adulation of those that really know!

Do you want the next release of FS for free?

Posted: Saturday, May 27, 2006 - 2:36
That's right, FREE! Be one of the first 400 registrants at the AVSIM Convention and Exhibition to be held in September, and you could be the proud owner of the next release of Microsoft's Flight Simulator, FS-X. At the AVSIM Convention Microsoft will be giving away to the first 400 registrants of AVSIM attendees a boxed copy of the upcoming FS-X title (see below - given the timing, product will be shipped after the event). For a simple and low $25 registration fee, you could take home a copy of FS-X and more. The AVSIM Convention, to be held on the weekend of September 15th, 16th and 17th, will be located at the Washington Dulles Hyatt Hotel, and will feature a large presence of MS FS team members, exhibiting and presenting papers on FS-X Sunday the 17th - FIVE HOURS WORTH! Your single entry fee of $25 gets you a chance for a free copy of FS-X and entry to the papers presented on Saturday as well as the MS Team's FS-X sessions on Sunday. In order to be eligable for a copy of FS-X, you must register with PayPal via our Registration Page, and be in attendance. Registrations on Saturday or Sunday of the event will NOT be eligable for the free copy! Let us state that again... You must be in attendance and be one of the first 400 registrants via PayPal to receive your free copy of FS-X. Due to the timing of the release of FS-X, you will be sent the product from the AVSIM Fulfillment Center upon release after the AVSIM Convention. The timing will be dependent upon the MS release schedule and will be fulfilled as soon as MS releases the product! But in any case, as one of the first 400 registrants, you will receive a boxed copy of the next generation of FS! So, sign up today, make your Hyatt reservations, and be sure to be there! This will be the Flight Simulation event of the year and you could walk home with the next generation for free! See our forum for news and updates on the event. AVSIM's 2006 Convention is the only FS event that MS is planning to do this for, so be there and get your free copy of FS-X!