A6 Intruder from Alphasim

Posted: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 4:24
Senior staff reviewer straps on one of his favourite military jets as he joy rides around in Alphasim's A6 Intruder. "This aircraft saw service in the military from the early 60’s to the late 90’s and proved itself well as an integral part of the Military machine. Alphasim has once again come through as being one of the first to release a payware package of this type, personally though, I think it is a long time coming."

"The base package of the Intruder comes with six model variations and 4 detailed paints that include both loaded and clean models of the aircraft. Now, if you are looking at the Expansion Pack, you will get another 5 variations with four more historically accurate paints bringing your overall total to 11 different aircraft and 8 different squadron paints to choose from. The exterior model of the A-6E in both FSX and FS9 is highly detailed and looks really good in FSX. All of the traditional moving parts are visible on the aircraft as well as detailed payloads that change depending on which model you choose to fly. Another nice visual feature of this package is that the aircraft have a weathered and used look to them, not a new flashy paint job."

"I was really impressed the first time I climbed into the cockpit of the A-6. It had a very authentic feel and I was anxious to see what it had to offer system wise. Although it does include all of the necessary equipment to fly the bird, it doesn’t model individual systems and most of the buttons and switches in the virtual cockpit are there for aesthetic value rather than serving a purpose. I have also got to add that the 2D panel looks very good and was designed using all in XML. If you can get yourself away from the Virtual Cockpit, the 2D does deserve a look see, but I can’t imaging flying an aircraft like this without the virtual cockpit."

"Oh, you just got to love the sound of an A-6 Intruder! There is no other jet that seems to sound like it and I think the folks over at Alphasim have captured the exterior sound of the A-6 remarkably well. I was impressed with the sound of the aircraft from the inside as you roll down the runway for takeoff; you actually hear the components in the cockpit rattling."

Wrapping up his "Flight of the Intruder", Gene comments, "This aircraft is a matter of taste. If you like flying military jets and have an affinity for the Intruder like I do, you will probably want it. Aircraft like the A-6 excel in this sim because they are designed native to FSX and this product really shows off in that environment, especially when it comes to simulating speed at low altitudes. But without the complex system modeling you really have to look at what you are getting for your buck."

Forest Scenery For X-Plane Updated

Posted: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 0:56
After previous release of forest scenery for X-Plane, a new era has begun after Laminar Research came out with their new X-Plane version 9. The new simulator also comes with a new Global Scenery, which made it necessary to upgrade our forests too (as they have to be harmonized with a global scenery). We also took the opportunity, to not only re-cut scenery files, but also completely overhaul the artwork, like the textures and the forest definition files (which was done by Albert Laubi). This brings X-Plane 9 to a new level of realism. X-Plane 9 itself already brings its own, native forests, but they are much more general/less realistic (because of missing climatic localization) in their looks, and are far less detailed (because of the much rougher raw data they are based on). And as our forests are still free, everybody can try it out for themselves. Complete details and screenshots can be found at the alpilotX website.

InCabin Browser Now Available

Posted: Sunday, January 13, 2008 - 22:14
Surf the Internet, read the html help on how to use the GPS while you are actually using it, watch the latest YouTube Flight Sim video, or read pdf files or other useful file formats to pass the time on that long haul. All from within the comfort of your FSX or FS9 airplane cabin. Get your In Cabin Browser and make those long hauls seem shorter.

Cessna Citation CII Expansion Pack for FS2004

Posted: Sunday, January 13, 2008 - 20:34
Team Eaglesoft, is pleased to announce that their Cessna Citation II Expansion Pack for FS2004 is now available. Complete details can be found on the Eaglesoft website.

France VFR Releases Flight Paris CityPack

Posted: Sunday, January 13, 2008 - 20:30
France VFR is proud to announce you the release of the 3rd pane of the Flight Paris Scenery: Flight Paris CityPack – that comes as a complementary photo-realistic scenery to the FlightParis Basepack (required) and the 3D autogen objects of the AutogenPack.

This new production in an urban style is modelling the principal monuments of Paris, with all of its bridges as well as the helicopter platforms on the buildings of the Capital. With its helicopter, canal boat, hot-air balloon, smoke animations and the night textures, soaring above the French capital becomes a fancy Flight-seeing, as you have never seen before.

This add-on provides you a great number of 3D objects meticulously placed on the photo-realistic textures of the BasePack and are perfectly integrated within the buildings and vegetation already present in the Autogen add-on for Paris. Furthermore, the scenery includes a complete updating of the BasePack: textures are sharpened and re-coloured. In order to locate your situation while soaring above the French capital, a detailed map is provided with all captions of monuments, objects and group of objects.

In addition to its visual richness, the scenery’s major interest is in its perfect integration within the Paris Flight Collection. Indeed its modelling has been realised in order to obtain the best visual/performances allowing the installation of further add-ons within the very same zone, while respecting the fluidness of your flight.

This release is for FS2004 and free patch for FSX will soon be available after release. Complete details and screenshots can be found on the FranceVFR website.

FS2Crew Update For The Queen Of The Skies

Posted: Sunday, January 13, 2008 - 15:17
FS2Crew has released Update 1 for PMDG 747 FSX Edition owners. Please view the FS2Crew Website for more information.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (TJSJ) from Imaginesim

Posted: Saturday, January 12, 2008 - 21:27
Staff reviewer Juan Llobera takes us to a different part of the USA, San Juan, Puerto Rico (TJSJ) as presented by Imaginesim. "The San Juan, Puerto Rico Airport's real name is actually Luis Muńoz Marin, and it's the biggest and busiest airport in Puerto Rico."

"After comparing both the airport diagram and the scenery, I couldn't notice many differences. It seems that every taxiway has been reproduced. The runway textures look just great. Lots of skid marks have been added and that's exactly what you would expect to see at an airport that is operated mainly by heavies."

"Terminals have been modeled to the latest detail. They look really good and near every gate you will see some trucks ( cargo and catering ), GPU’s and luggage carts which really gives you the idea of a real airport. Also I’ve noticed that near the terminal buildings dozens of ground personnel were added to the scenery. At certain gates you’ll have the option of using the operating jetways."

"One of the best things about this scenery ( and maybe about every ImagineSim product ) are the night textures. The guys at ImaginSim have achieved a level of realism that, in my opinion, is just amazing. The airport is fully illuminated with some smooth lights in order to help ground personnel during nighttime. 3D taxiway and runway lights are also included in the scenery."

Wrapping up this jaunt south, Juan says, "San Juan (TJSJ) has been modeled to the latest detail, it has nice textures and awesome night lightning. Plus, it's the perfect scenery if you are the kind of simmer that enjoys the sunny destinations of the Caribbean area."

Dortmund from Aerosoft

Posted: Saturday, January 12, 2008 - 19:04
Staff reviewer Robert Mariani gets back into the aerial cockpit and heads to Germany for a look at Aerosoft's Dortmund Airport. "The scenery of Dortmund Airport includes only the airport and the immediate vicinity, but is compatible with other Aerosoft add-ons such as Scenery Germany 3 and World Cup Stadiums."

"The scenery of the airport itself is very detailed and includes photorealistic ground textures and numerous custom buildings at the airport as well. In addition, the airport comes with the option to install static aircraft. At the aircraft parking positions 0-4 there is an AGNIS docking system which worked well on a couple of freeware Airbuses and 737’s I experimented with."

"The textures that come with the airport are just amazing. There is a mixture of several textures of grass and dirt, and the runway surroundings appear very realistic. The buildings are done well, but the inside of the terminal is non-existent. The buildings all have custom textures and just like the ground, and they are done extremely well. The runway at EDLW is fairly short at 2000m, but long enough to accommodate your typical A319 or 737. Runway textures are also custom made and really well done, and so are the approach lights and satellite buildings surrounding the field."

"In the performance department, this scenery is a winner all the way. Even with all the dynamic add-on scenery turned up, and autogen at very dense, I had little or no frame rate impact while flying or driving around Dortmund. If you live in Germany or have any sort of tie to the airport (EDLW), you ought to go get it. You should also get it if you plan to fly there often, and on approach while watching the moving cars, it is really immersive."

Imaginesim's MYNN Nassau For FSX

Posted: Saturday, January 12, 2008 - 18:47
Imaginesim have released their fifth airport for FSX - MYNN Nassau LP International. Customers who already own the FS2004 version get the FSX version free. There's a free demo version to try and full details can be found at the Imaginesim website.

SkyUnlimited Productions Texans and Harvards

Posted: Saturday, January 12, 2008 - 11:39
The T-6 Texans, and their Harvard counterparts were the cornerstones of allied training aircraft and played a crucial part in the Allied Victory of WWII. SkyUnlimited Productions has announced the release of “The Pilot Maker”, Features Include: airfile design by Jerry Beckwith, 6 Highly detailed exterior & VC models by John MacKay, including Texans, Harvards, Reno Racers, and Korean aircraft, 6 paint schemes, WWII, Korean, and Reno Racers like Mary Dilda's "Two of Hearts", A Paint Kit is Included. For full details visit SkyUnlimited Productions

Computer Pilot Magazine - 100th Issue

Posted: Saturday, January 12, 2008 - 1:10
Computer Pilot Magazine Publisher, PC Aviator Inc, announced the printing of the 100th issue of its magazine dedicated to flight simulation, Computer Pilot. Computer Pilot was founded in 1995 and is the world’s only monthly printed magazine published specifically for flight simulator pilots with the aim of helping flight simulator pilots get the most out of their passion for flying at their desktop.

The January 2008 issue that has just rolled off the presses marks the beginning of the 12th year of publication and the 100th issue. To celebrate the 100th issue Computer Pilot is giving away over $2,500 worth of flight sim prizes with the winners randomly drawn from the subscriber database. Discounts on subscriptions are also on offer at the magazine’s website.

Founding publisher Robert Ferraro made this statement about Computer Pilot. “I founded Computer Pilot on a whim way back in September 1995 when the hobby of PC flight simulation was in its infancy. The first issue rolled off the presses 3 months later in December. 12 years and 100 issues later we continue to publish flight simulation’s only printed monthly for flight simmers all around the world. I’m very proud of Computer Pilot and more importantly very thankful to the very small editorial team and contributors that produce Computer Pilot each month, like clockwork.”

Computer Pilot Magazine is published monthly and is available at selected bookstores and newsstands across North America and is also available by subscription through the magazine’s website. PC Aviator also publishes flight simulator software titles such as the MegaScenery series.

Live For Speed from FeelThere

Posted: Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 23:34
Staff reviewer Robert Mariani leaves his airborne cockpit and straps himself into a cockpit a little lower to the ground as he takes to the road in FeelThere's Live For Speed, a car racing sim. "This offers you the opportunity to drive cars that are beyond the means of an average driver, at speeds that are far above what most of us would achieve on a regular highway. In addition, this car sims provide an opportunity to take risks you are not going to take in your own car."

"You will not find any brand name cars in the game with the exception of BMW F1. The rest are all imaginary and come with such names as UF GTR, FZ50, LX4, LX6 etc. They look good and represent typical front or rear wheel drive cars you might see on the roads. Their specifications vary from the not-so-powerful UF1000, to the more exotic types represented in GT series. When you look closely at each car you can see elements of your typical Japanese, European, and American cars. When you read the specifications of these cars, they have more or less similar engine/drive layout as well as similar horsepower, to what you would find in the cars that Honda, VW or any other manufacturer might offer for real."

"Most cars have a generic panel that is sufficiently informative and easy on the frames. Not too much to see there except for the tach, speedometer and few other gauges that are shared on almost all the models except for the Formula type racers. What is nice about the interior is that it is functional, adjustable, and gives you enough info that won’t keep your eyes constantly looking down when you should be focused on the road ahead. You can choose to display the steering wheel, driver and wheel, or nothing except the gauges."

"Just like with the cars, the tracks are fictional and range from city courses to typical road racing tracks, a drag strip, and one oval track. The sounds in car are done right. If you don’t like the volume of tire squeal you can adjust it as well, but the engines sound great and if you set your options to blip the throttle when downshifting, you will be immersed without being overwhelmed."

"This sim is outstanding as far as car racing sims go, even without your typical chase or be chased scenarios or big car manufacturers involvement. It has enough depth to keep you glued behind your steering wheel (which is a must for any serious car or racing fan), and offers a variety of challenges that even in the single player mode can put a serious ding in the time you spend flying or doing other things with your PC. This review of Live For Speed barely touches on some of the aspects of this game," Robert admits, "but even if you are remotely interested in car sims, then you ought to give it a try. Remember, you get to try it for free and be the judge for yourself. I am looking forward to perfecting my skills and competing online with others in this simulating environment, which truly differentiates this sim from the other more well known choices."

Dual Review - 747-400 X & London Heathrow X

Posted: Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 6:23
Staff reviewer Jon Murchison combines 2 legends of aviation in this double review. The 747-400 X from PMDG and Mega Airport London Heathrow X from Aerosoft/Simwings. "Neither the 747-400 nor London Heathrow is new to flightsim. PMDG ‘talk’ about their original intentions to ‘patch’ the 747-400 for FSX and how the project they expected to take a few weeks took 18 months. Aerosoft had already released Mega Airport London Heathrow for FS2004; the question was what would they do for FSX?"

About the 747-400, Jon says, "Everything about this model is highly detailed, and I was unable to observe anything that was out of place. Clearly the attention to detail achieved in the FS2004 model has been replicated and advanced in FSX. Systems and panel wise, the 747-400X is no different than the FS2004 version, at least at face value. One of the enhancements in FSX is additional views in the VC, and close ups of the FMC, overhead panel and the throttle/comm's panel. The flight dynamics of the 400X feel great and users who are familiar with the FS2004 version will notice no difference in FSX. Personally, I found the aircraft to feel like I imagined a 747 would. It's heavy but at the same time sprightly, surprisingly so at times."

Landing at London's Heathrow, Jon comments, "The quality of the buildings and other scenery objects throughout London Heathrow X is excellent. It's clear a lot of time and effort has been spent researching and then making the various airport structures, and given some are based on buildings that have yet to be completed, the final result is very effective and realistic. Simwings have included FSX effects in some of the buildings. Terminal 5 has the reflective glass effect, and at the right time of day when you catch the sun just right, the glory of bloom can be seen across most buildings. The more I explored in and around the terminals, the more the depth of the detail that has been included revealed itself, and many times I was struck by the detail that Simwings had managed to get into the scenery."

There's a lot more detail about these two releases within the review. Summarizing PMDG's 747-400X and Aerosoft/Simwings' Mega Airport London Heathrow X, "I come away from just over two weeks of flying the PMDG 747-400X in and out of Mega Airport London Heathrow X, and feel I have experienced two add-ons that truly start to show what FSX is capable of. The 747 is nothing short of a must buy in my view; it captures the physical presence of the 747 magnificently with an external model and VC that is truly second to none, and a sound set that puts you in the left hand seat and keeps you there. It has all the bells and whistles for those who enjoy working complex aircraft systems, but is also easy enough for the average flightsim aviator to access and get flying quickly. A very clever scenery design means you won't get many fully realized simulations of a real world airport this size that are much more FPS friendly than this. The overall quality and attention to detail are certainly highlights of this scenery, and if you can manage some AI, then its just as much fun spending a day watching as it is flying."

American Champion Aircraft now available

Posted: Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - 20:05
Flight 1 have announced the release of American Champion Aircraft, the press release says “Five different aircraft, with over 40 different model variants – from tail-wheel to floatplane, plus your own lake and grass strip scenery to fly them all from, in a superb boxed edition for Flight Simulator X and 2004. Developed by RealAir, each aircraft has been designed to fly just like the real thing, with flight models that take you right to the stall buffet or give you the ability to accurately spin and sideslip. Incorporating no less than five different aircraft (each with a different flight model) and a total of over 40 aircraft/livery combinations, together with some lovely scenery in which to practice your water or short field landings, this is a package that will offer endless hours of fun and satisfaction.” If you are a fan of the smaller stuff, then fly on over to Flight 1

AlphaSim Hawker Hunter out now

Posted: Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - 15:10
AlphaSim today announced that they have made their Hawker Hunter for FS2004 and FSX available. The single-seat variants F.6, F.6A, FGA.9 and Mk.58A in no less than eight texture sets, including the famous Swiss display scheme and both Black Arrows and Blue Diamonds RAF display liveries. This product has it all, including full FSX (Acceleration Pack) compatibility with bump-mapping, self shadowing (in the VC too with SP2) and bloom effects, a custom Hunter Avon sounds package, high-detail VC and custom animations for the pilot figure, speed brake and even the intake/engine covers and pitot warning tags can be displayed. Carefully-researched flight dynamics provide a very accurate Hunter experience; and an illustrated panel guide in 'Pilot's Notes' style provides all the cockpit information. If these aircraft interest you, then head over to the AlphaSim website

Fsliners.net opens doors

Posted: Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - 4:21
Are you an ardent screenshot-taker? Do you like to share your artwork? Robert Reschka, from fsliners.net wrote to say “This month sees the arrival of fsliners.net - filling a void left by the closure of virtualplanepictures.net - where you can upload your screenshots. We are working on implementing a personal user album, and video section that will add greatly to the user experience. Most importantly the service is free of charge and we invite all to come and participate” If you would like to share your screenshots with the world, then why not head over to fsliners.net and start posting today.

HJG New Year Releases

Posted: Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - 4:13
The good people over at Historic Jetliner Group have been working hard over the holiday period, and to celebrate the New Year they have come up with over twenty-one new releases. Mark Cranston wrote “The new files represent jetliners from the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s - featuring among them are some great liveries representing the Caribbean, Europe, Middle East, both North and South America, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom. There is a new tutorial for the technical minded on ‘fuel management', and new core gauge files for the DC-8 panel. HJG would like to take this opportunity in welcoming everyone to 2008, and the start of another great year for FS”. If you feel up to the challenge of flying one of these gets, you are cleared direct to Historic Jetliner Group.

KIA TAK Airport Reopens

Posted: Tuesday, January 8, 2008 - 14:30
Once, one of the busiest and most acclaimed airports in aviation, Hong Kong International Airport,(VHHX), has reopened its doors once again to passenger and cargo service… at least in the virtual world of flight simulation. 9Dragons, originally began by Marcus Thompson, as just a way to improve the look of the passenger terminal for his own personal flying pleasure, grew into a three year journey to recreate the entire Hong Kong area. With fellow modelers, Frabrizio ‘Simbiosi’ Pascucci and Eddie Chan, they developed the airport, Kowloon, Hong Kong and approximately 800 square miles of Hi-resolution and Lo-resolution photoreal textures for both day time and night time operation.

Quoting 9Dragons project manager, Clutch Cargo, “This year will mark the 10th Anniversary of the closure of Kai Tak, yet the airport remains just as popular as when it was the 3rd busiest passenger airport and 2nd busiest cargo terminal in the world. We felt we had an obligation to our fellow simmers to try and create a rendition of this icon in it’s heyday, good enough where pilot’s could test their flying skills in surroundings which would heighten their experience when trying to land on infamous RWY13. However, this being our very 1st attempt at creating scenery, we weren’t sure if we could pull this off.”

Interesting features include custom Gmax buildings of the terminal, HACTL cargo and HAECO maintenance facilities, Chek Lap Kok airport shown under construction, over 5,500 custom hand-created and placed autogen and a fully working curved IGS ‘Checkerboard’ Approach system. Designed for FS2004, it is a free download available here at AVSIM.com. Additional information, screenshots and promotional videos may be seen at the 9Dragons website.

OnCourse Software Offers Two New Updates

Posted: Monday, January 7, 2008 - 22:56
In a news release early today OnCourse Software has announced two new updates for 2008. One for FDC (FDC Live Cockpit) and the other for PFE (Proflight 2000 Emulator). Stay OnCourse to their website for more detailed information.

Free Update For FSXPilot Now Available

Posted: Monday, January 7, 2008 - 22:51
Scientific Networks provides a new update for their FSXPilot. In this multifunctional autopilot for FSX it is now possible in flightplans to set the speedmode from knots to mach. The V/S (vertical speed) autopilot has been completely rewritten and uses the elevator trim for better stability. Please set your autopilot for FSXPilot for more detailed information.