AVSIM Needs News Editors

Posted: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - 14:57
Would you like to see your handy work on the front pages of AVSIM? Like to write, edit, and contribute to a great team and family? AVSIM.com is seeking news editors for it's front page news. All we ask is 3-5 days a month to submit stories that are emailed to us, surf the web looking for news to post, and on your duty days post the new files as they are ready.

You'll be joining a tight-knit family of AVSIM volunteers that love what we do, and at the same time giving back to the simming community. If you're interested, please send an email to AVSIM HR. We will be in touch quickly to discuss adding you to our team! Thank you, and have a happy holidays!

-John Binner, AVSIM
Managing Editor
jbinner@avsim.com

Got Yoke?

Posted: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - 14:34
Now you can fly the Boeing 737 NG how it was meant to be flown. Beta Innovations, in collaboration with their technology partner, are pleased to announce the release of this limited run all-metal, fully realistic 737 Yoke. The 737 Yoke provides authentic functionality using the latest in USB technology for precision and stability. Manufactured using full metal and aluminum casting with specially powder-coated finish for realistic look and feel. For more information visit Beta Innovations .

Scenery For Central Florida Airfields

Posted: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - 14:30
Ruud Faber of FScene Design Network informs us that they have released their first product. He reports, "Our first title "Central Florida GA Airfields, Volume 1" is an enhancement to a whole range of small Florida airfields that were left completely barren in FSX. The developer Joe Watson has added 'life' to the fields by placing many objects, as one would find in real life."

"Volumes 2, 3 and 4 are already waiting at the sideline to be packaged and will become available in the coming weeks." For more information, visit the FScene Design Network.

Tatra Photoscenery from SimDesign

Posted: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 - 1:28
Staff reviewer Jon Murchison goes mountain flying with SimDesign's Tatra Photoscenery for FSX. "Simdesign offers a pixel resolution of 2.4 m (that means each pixel equates to roughly to 2.4 meters on the ground), double that available in the FS2004/2002 version, and digital terrain mesh at 19m’s."

"Textures for all four seasons and custom night textures are provided with TATRA; this adds character and depth to the scenery and really shows off these mountains in all their glory as they change so much depending on the time of day and year you visit them. I have to say that TATRA highlights why including all the seasons is such a smart move, and I hold TATRA up as an example of exactly why doing them is worth it. But, including them and doing a good job of it are two different things, and I’m pleased to say Simdesign have achieved a stunning result with their seasonal and night textures."

"To be totally honest, initially I was a little skeptical about this package and wondered why I would get excited about some rocks in Europe. But TATRA is stunning. The mountains and the surrounding land slowly began to reveal themselves to me in a way I hadn’t expected as I explored the seasons and different areas of the region. The quality of the mesh and photo real is excellent, good enough in fact to draw me into the scenery and begin to move it away from being a simulated environment and into something a little more special."

Concluding his exporation of the Tatra mountains Jon says, "TATRA won me over and does exactly what it says it will, so you do get what you pay for. The more I flew and explored, the more I wanted to continue. The attraction is the mountains, they are not on the way to a destination, they are the destination. I whole heartedly recommend this scenery to anyone who enjoys VFR flying, and has the time and inclination to spend exploring and delving deeply into a region. TATRA needs and deserves to be explored to maximize the potential this scenery offers."

Project EV97 Releases The Eurostar

Posted: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 - 0:44
Project EV97 is pleased to announce that the freeware Evektor EV97 is available for download, just in time for christmas. The EV97 is an ultralight, all-metal two-seater, and one of the most popular ultralights in Europe. The package includes a model with two different panel configurations, custom sounds and gauges and a fully functional virtual cockpit. The package is designed for FS2004, but is fully compatible with FSX (SP1).

Megascenery X Southern California from PC Aviator

Posted: Monday, December 17, 2007 - 2:47
Staff reviewer Angelique van Campen continues her treks around the globe. This time she explores MegaScenery X - Southern California. "The MegaScenery Team raises the realism ante again with the first "LARGE AREA" MegaScenery release - MegaSceneryX: Southern California For Microsoft Flight Simulator X. At 18,000 square miles (135 nm x 135 nm) this new title for Flight Simulator X displays scenery at 1.19 meters per pixel - 16 times the resolution of Flight Simulator 2004."

"The covered area contains no more then two large and famous cities between mountains, mountains and more mountains with some rocks and small deserts. Although it depends a little in which direction you want to fly, still what you see is beautiful. Although this scenery is mainly for VFR flights, you can still enjoy its beauty during an IFR approach or departure."

"First the offered airports, KLAX and KSAN. They give me a good impression of what kind of busy airports these are with some details. Remember, MegaSceneryX is a photorealistic scenery enhancer and not a complete package with many airports. If you’re not satisfied with the offered airports, you’re always free to add other airport sceneries."

"Focusing on the ground textures, I see that the higher we go the more realistic and beautiful this area becomes. This is mainly due to all the added ground textures and I’m impressed. Entering the mainland via the ocean gives also a very good idea about the quality of this MegaSceneryX software."

Concluding her LA to San Diego trip with MegaScenery X - Southern California installed, Angelique comments, "the only thing you have to keep in mind is the fact that it covers a large, and at the same time, a small area of the United States. This is an excellent product, extremely highly detailed scenery, lots of charts, VFR Terminal charts and Sectional Charts. Let’s hope Northern California will be available soon."

DreamFleet and Reality XP Release Piper Dakota

Posted: Saturday, December 15, 2007 - 23:14
Based on the real Piper Dakota N8086N owned by DreamFleet's founder Lou Betti the DreamFleet Dakota is the first ever FS GA aircraft to feature a complete set of Reality XP's new "Gauge XTreme". RXP's Garmin GNS430, GMA340 Audio Panel, and GTX327 Transponder are also included, these gauges feature completely dimmable gauge backlighting running Flight Line T and Flight Line N gauges in both the 2D panels and Virtual Cockpit. Those who purchase the Dakota for FS9 will be entitled to receive the the Full Spec FSX version, and the rare Piper turbo Dakota in final production. For complete details and a look at the real thing visit DreamFleets Dakota Homepage.

New Review - FSFlyingSchool

Posted: Saturday, December 15, 2007 - 23:01
Senior staff reviewer Jeff Shyluk goes back to school to break some bad habits while exploring FlyingSchool. "This a useful product that simulates having a Flight Instructor along with you as you fly in FSX, FS2004, or FS2002."

"It provides a simulated flight instructor who watches over how you handle your aircraft from taxi to final touchdown, and who can grade your performance. As well, your flight data can be logged and even uploaded onto the Internet so you can see how you compare with other sim pilots."

"FSFS is capable of using a wide variety of aircraft including large passenger jets as well as single-propeller General Aviation planes. It cannot use acrobatic aircraft, gliders, or helicopters, though. If your favourite aircraft is not supported directly by FSFS, it’s very easy to add it using a simple performance editor included with the program. "

"The instructor follows the progress of your flight from your initial taxi to after your final touchdown. He or she will talk to you as you fly, letting you know when you are doing something wrong or unsafe, and sometimes offering constructive flight tips. The most interaction comes during the landing phase, which can either be a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) or an IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) landing. Afterwards, you are graded on several aspects of your flight performance."

"The FSFlyingSchool application runs smoothly and without any major bugs. It does require a reasonably fast computer system, and it works best if you fly using high-quality flight controls like a yoke, throttle, and rudder pedals. The instructor voices are recorded at a low audio resolution, but are acceptably realistic for use in a sim cockpit. All of the instructors speak clearly and their comments are easy to understand. The user is free to modify the instructors in FSFS, including recording their own voices, if they wish."

"A fast-learning student pilot will quickly understand the importance of planning the landing sequence in advance. Even a few circuits with an FSFS instructor should help you settle into a good rhythm for making acceptable landings. Now that I’ve spent some hours with FSFS, I find that I am working some of the bad sim-flying habits out of my system, and I think I am getting better at aviation simulation in general."

Jeff's final word about FSFlyingSchool is "if you believe that you are ready for more realistic and more disciplined sim aviation, then FSFlyingSchool is worth checking out. You can try before you buy with the FSFS demo download, which means that you can easily see if this interesting program is right for you."

FSX-SP2 is available for download!

Posted: Saturday, December 15, 2007 - 12:41
Phil Taylors Blog. is the place to get your copy of SP2. Released today the Aces Team has gifted the Flight Sim Community with their hard work getting the latest improvements out in time for the holidays. Thanks to the entire team and Phil in particular for keeping us up to date in the forums and helping in to bridge the gap between Aces and its fanbase , Happy Holidays all and thanks for the gift !

Pilatus PC-12 for FSX

Posted: Saturday, December 15, 2007 - 11:47
In a news submission sent to Avsim today Flight One Software announced the release of their Pilatus PC-12 for FSX. The new FSX package is a complete overhaul of thier FS2004 version, the package offers several different configurations that include: commuter, executive, cargo, and multimission surveillance.The features of this release include an updated FSX exterior model with specular lighting and bump mapping, dual Garmin 430 GPSs replace the single KLN90B,Garmin MX200 Color MFD and an upgraded EHSI with Map mode and range scale from 2nm-50nm. For further details about this release visit Flight One Software .

Piper Twin Comanche from Eaglesoft

Posted: Saturday, December 15, 2007 - 0:06
Staff reviewer Angelique van Campen tours around the southern Florida area again, but this time in Eaglesoft's Twin Comanche. "The Piper PA-30 and PA-39 Twin Comanche are a twin-engine development of the PA-24 Comanche single-engine aircraft. The Twin Comanche is the most fuel efficient aircraft in its class."

About the interior, Angelique comments, "I love the 2D view. Eaglesoft offers an IFR and VFR look. From the IFR panel, the lower part with all the switches is removed, which results in a lowering of the panel itself, so you’ve got more outside visibility and that’s then known as the VFR panel. When we start the VC, you can see it's different than the 2D panel, but looking to the quality, there’s hardly any difference. In other words, the VC startup panel looks as great and sharp as the 2D version."

From the outside, "when we look at specific details of the aircraft, I’m surprised about those tiny things. For example; looking underneath the fuselage/wings, clearly can be seen the oil leak strips along the engine pylon to the wing surface. Generally, the whole look is very good, with lots of details."

Angelique continues her review by putting the Twin Comanche through its paces while on a test flight. Her conclusion reads, "after I spend lots of hours flying and looking around with the Piper PA-30, I can say that it’s one of my favorites. The 2D is offered in an IFR and VFR panel although there are hardly any differences. The instruments look great, they are sharp and this is especially important for the VC model. I can advise you to buy this Eaglesoft product."

Prop Plane from CLS

Posted: Friday, December 14, 2007 - 3:50
Commercial Level Simulations is very pleased to announce the release of our first propellor aircraft! The Piper Arrow is a small, but very fun aircraft for flying in both FS9 and FSX. (including FSX acceleration DX9 mode). The aircraft comes with 8 color variations, 4 different cockpit color styles and of course both exterior model and virtual cockpit!

AlphaSim F-86F Sabre Released

Posted: Friday, December 14, 2007 - 3:42
The iconic Sabre has been recreated in stunning form for both FS2004 and FSX. The package contains a single variant, the famous F-86F. The textures in both sims are second to none - no mapped-on photos here, just hand-drawn craftmanship at its best (base model and textures by Wiek Luijken), every rivet is reproduced, even the drop tanks can be dropped and the pilot ejects. FSX users of course get the added third dimension of bump mapping, plus self-shadowing and full SP2 compliance. The high quality extends to the cockpit - both panel and v-c are amazingly detailed and realistic. Flight dynamics have been extensively tested and will not disappiont even the most hard-core Sabre fan. Effects and sounds both bring more life and realism to this tidy must-have package. For FSX and FS2004 only. Details and screenshots on the AlphaSim home page.

Flight Alps South Autogen Pack

Posted: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 14:22
France VFR is proud to announce its latest release in the Flight Alps Series : the second part for the Flight Alps South Basepack, the Flight Alps South AutogenPack. This pack has only been available under subscription until now on France VFR’s web-site and is now fully completed in its commercial version. This new add-on is complementary to the South Alps Basepack (required) of the same scenery that enhances considerably the treated zone with a full Autogen for the Alps region including trees, houses, buildings, industrial plants with more than 4 million objects meticulously placed in their right place throughout 16 000 km². Specific textures for the alpine area are also included.

This scenery is the last one that completes the Alps scenery: from the North to the South within the Basepacks and Autogen. You can fully enjoy your flight within a level of realism never before attained in this region. You can download the full version of Flight Alps South Autogen at France VFR’s web-site.

New Sim Website Announces First Release

Posted: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 14:36
Skysim is a new UK company who are producing add-ons for FSX and FS2004. They are going to specialize in the jet heritage area with particular reference to the Cold-War aircraft of the USA, UK and USSR. Skysim have debuted by releasing the deHavilland Sea Vixen, a British carrier fighter from the 1960's. Complete details about this release and other items this vendor has available can be found at the Skysim website.

Mexican Airport For FS9/FSX

Posted: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 1:07
The new generation of Mexican Airports for Flight Simulator X and 2004 have a new volume available, "Airports of MeXico North", with a huge coverage (20 high detailed airports, including Los Cabos, Tijuana, Mazatlan, Monterrey, Hermosillo and many more!) a mix of LOD 9-10 Mesh terrain and the main buildings and avenues for Monterrey City, for more information please go to the FlyMex website.

Product Category Survey

Posted: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 1:05
Pamela Nelson from Dreamflyer (a motion simulator seen at the 2007 AVSIM FanCon), is conducting a short survey in the flight simulation market and new product interest. Pam remarks, "The benefit to participants is: get to share your opinion (who doesn’t want to do that!?), and, after completing the survey, enter an email address for a draw to win a Dreamflyer hat. The survey will be available for the next few weeks. The link to the invitation is www.corporatestrategies.ca. From there, the participants need only to click on the SURVEY link to give consent and start the survey. The survey should only take about 10 minutes." Perhaps your comments on what you're looking for in the future of flight sim may become a reality as a result of your marketing survey input.

FSX Mission Pack - Flight Tales 1 from Aerosoft

Posted: Sunday, December 9, 2007 - 19:45
Staff reviewer Mike Miraglia explores more FSX missions to fly with Aerosoft's Mission Pack - Flight Tales 1. "In this offering you will be tasked to compete in a challenging head-to-head air race, navigate through some of the worst weather FSX has to offer, perform hair-raising stunts, takeoff in a Beaver in less-than-optimal circumstances, and much more. 10 missions are included along with a bonus tutorial mission which will help you to prepare for what’s to come."

"Three beginner category missions kick off this pack, the first being the aforementioned tutorial. You will then move on to a scavenger hunt, and test your skills gliding above the Australian countryside. Two missions await you at the intermediate level, one involving some serious racing action, and another that lets you run wild performing stunts and aerobatics. Moving on to the more advanced missions, you will be tasked to complete four quests, including a harrowing ride through the Swiss Alps, an unusual mission with the Beaver, humanitarian efforts, search and rescue, and even some good ol' bush flying."

Mike's review goes into great detail about all 10 missions. Reflecting on some do's and dont's from his experiences,as well as describing the various options within each mission. "It should come as no surprise that I had a blast inspecting Mission Pack - Flight Tales 1", says Mike, "I believe that this package is a good investment, not only because of the endless hours of entertainment it offers, but also because each mission invites you back for more, even after successful completion. If you enjoy the new mission feature in FSX and would like to add more adventure, purpose, and excitement to your simming routine, than you need to set course for Aerosoft’s website."

Another Scenery Goes Freeware

Posted: Sunday, December 9, 2007 - 16:54
Now you can download FREE scenery of the western Russian airport Kaliningrad - Khrabrovo (UMKK). This scenery was payware before, but now the developers have decided to publish it for free at the Russian AI Traffic System web-site. There a FS9 and FSX versions. All animation of ground staff and ground vehicles are included.

"Pavelow" & "Helix" from AlphaSim

Posted: Sunday, December 9, 2007 - 3:09
Senior staff reviewer Gene Davis goes east and west while flying two helos from AlphaSim, the MH-53J "Pavelow" and the Ka-27/32 "Helix". "Alphasim continues to release high quality choppers for both FSX and FS9. Here are two more well crafted models to test your flying skills in the world that is Flight Simulator."

"The Alphasim Pavelow comes with 4 different military paint schemes and ships with a complete sound package. The exterior model is one of the best helicopters I have seen from the folks over at Alphasim, as well as one of the best out there on the market. The cockpit is what I have come to expect from Alphasim. It is not so complicated that you need to know where everything is and I find it to be just right for my needs, as flying a chopper of this size would require a great deal of input from both the pilot and copilot. Flying the Pavelow is fun, though it doesn’t offer a highly complicated flight model. The sounds are very good and capture the Pavelow quite remarkably."

"The Helix comes packed with five different liveries that pretty much covers its worldwide use. Climbing into the Helix is impressive and reflects its Russian design throughout. I was impressed with the main cockpit except for the design of the overhead panel. Flying the Helix is a trip in FSX, both sim’s for that matter, but it really does perform well in FSX. Its ease of flight and ability to get the feeling of what the chopper is doing in FSX is really what makes this a great add-on. Russian choppers have a sound all their own and this particular add-on really does reflect a nicely designed sound package."

Concluding this dual review of the Pavelow and the Helix, Gene comments, "Alphasim has been at the forefront of military aircraft design and we have seen an increased development of helicopter add-ons from them. If you’re a rotor head junkie like I am, you definitely have to have these."