RealAir Releases Spitfire Service Pack, Announces T-45

Posted: Saturday, March 12, 2005 - 18:00
RealAir Simulations have released a new service pack for their Spitfire, further improving on the Spitfire's gauge clarity and including several other minor adjustments. The patch will be automatically included in new purchases of the aircraft, or can be downloaded from RealAir's site.

In addition, RealAir have announced the development of a new aircraft: the T-45 jet trainer, which according to RealAir "will include all [their] new innovations in gauge and flight model technology". The T-45, or Goshawk as it is widely known, is used to train US Navy and Marine Corps pilots for conversion into advanced carrier-borne aircraft such as the F/A-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier II.

For more information, and to download the service pack, visit RealAir Simulations.

Project Opensky Releases New Boeing 767-300

Posted: Saturday, March 12, 2005 - 16:56
Project Opensky announces the release and immediate availability of Version 4 of their Boeing 767-300 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. According to their press release, the model features "opening doors, cargo doors, pushback truck, engine variants, opening cockpit window with flag, new realistic FDEs and much more". The current release does not include a virtual cockpit nor a 2D panel. You can find the files in the AVSIM Library, and more information at Project Opensky.

gates.to/FSNet Goes Public

Posted: Friday, March 11, 2005 - 19:08
About 11 months ago Ugo was talking about a concept that could have been a step forward in the way people fly with their PCs. Now they are going to release it to the public in just few hours. The concept is called "gates.to/FSNet" With this you will beng able to share your cockpit with another pilot and cooperate in the flight. Imagine a program which can synchronize your systems and fly the same aircraft… so that when you set the autopilot on your system in Rome is fly heading 360, the other system in New York will also fly heading 360. Having Such a program allows for a realistic pilot/co-pilot flight - doing checklists and taking care of your duties, reproducing the way things are on a real flight deck. You can share your flight experience with up to 7 friends now by downloading the public beta. They only ask you to register at gates.to site before letting you download the beta.

Also, part of gates.to/FSNet will be the gates.to web site and the related services you can get after you have installed it. The first will be NewsWare (a system that will automatically get you all the news about gates.to in the ATIS communication box) and a logbook keeping track of your online flights. For further information please visit here.

Flight1 Releases Beech A36

Posted: Friday, March 11, 2005 - 16:26
Flight1 today announced the release of Dreamfleet Beech A36 for FS2004. Here's more: "The DreamFleet A36 is the first FS aircraft to feature Reality XP's new Garmin GNS430 and WX500 Color Weather Radar as standard equipment. In addition, the aircraft features sophisticated Bendix-King Avionics, and Sandel 3308 EHSI provided by EagleSoft. Available in versions both with and without tip tanks, the DreamFleet A36 features a high-resolution, smooth-running VC that integrates with no compromises with a complete 2D interior. A new feature allows for displaying or hiding the entire VC, along with VC model complexity that can be dynamically adjusted during flight for improved performance with any system. The 2D panels and interior feature DreamFleet's trademark photo real graphics. Modeled after a real Beech A36, the DreamFleet A36 features flight dynamics tested and approved by the real aircraft's owner. A new "DreamAudio" option further increases realism with realistic internal engine sounds as a pilot would hear them while wearing ANR headphones." For full details check here.

Engine Failure 1.0 Announced

Posted: Friday, March 11, 2005 - 16:23
In a press release to AVSIM Airliners Env announced the release of new add on for FS2004 - the Engine Failure 1.0. Here are more details from the announcement: "With Airliners Env - Engine Failure your flight will become even more thrilling. Engine Failure can unexpectedly fail any of 32 different parts of your airplane (including fuel leak and engine exploding) while you're inflight, requiring you to use your superior piloting skills to save the day. Some failures are minor panel displays, but some are major events like leaking fuel tanks, sticking flaps, electrical failures, or even exploding engines. To make these failure events more exciting and realistic, Engine Failure features an emergency landing capability, this includes emergency cabin announcements, tower communication, off-runway landing validation, and more. Best of all, most of the announcements and tower communications are scored with thrilling music like in a movie! And after landing, Engine Failure permits you to call in the maintenance department to inspect your airplane and repair broken parts if found." For full details check out here.

NovaSim V1.1 Released

Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 15:38
NovaSim is an easy to use graphical design program for constructing 3D objects such as buildings, hangars, houses, control towers, antennae, bridges, etc for use with Microsoft Flight Simulator® 2002 and 2004. It creates macro files in the familiar 'API' format for use with most scenery design programs. It also uses the latest DirectX-based scenery coding and display techniques introduced in FS2002 and FS2004 to maximise performance and make the most of modern 3D accelerator cards. This update includes some requested options by users such as directional lights and the COM1 be able to activate dynamic effects as well as other tweaks and enhancements. For more details you can visit here.

Dual Tease at Alphasim

Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 13:57
There are two new video teasers available at Alphasim. The first one features the F-80 Shooting Star. The three and a half minute video shows the various models and liveries of this dawn-of-the-jet-era fighter plane. The 26MB file can be downloaded here. The second one features the C-5 Galaxy. Prominently dsiplayed are various animations such as the opening of the cargo doors, thrust reversers, flaps and slats, and the unique squatting feature. This feature allows the aircraft to sit closer to the ground for loading and unloading. The 12MB file can be downloaded here.

ERJ Pilot in Command Download Now in Avsim Store

Posted: Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 19:54
ADVERTISEMENT:

The new Feel-There ERJ 145 Pilot In Command Download...The ultimate regional jet for FS2004... is now available in the Avsim Store. This download features
* Highly detailed ERJ 145LR exterior model with virtual cabin
* Framerate friendly dynamic virtual cockpit with rain effect and custom programmed instruments
* Photorealistic 2D panel with 5 photorealistic subpanels
* Ultrarealistic flight model created by a real ERJ pilot
* Free repaints.
Get your copy today in the Avsim Store.

Project Fokker Announces Fokker F-28 Model

Posted: Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 19:31
PROJECT Fokker announced that it has started with the development of the Fokker F-28 Fellowship type aircraft models to complement the complete Jetline series of Fokker jet-engine aircraft. See their website for screenshots and further information.

VJPL's Free Workshops Announced

Posted: Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 19:21
Chuck Jodry, Dir VJPL Flight Lab reports that the VJPL developers at westcoastATC.com are offering a series of free workshops in Scenery Design, Aircraft Repainting, Afcad and Gmax . Times and dates are available with all of the required software at their VJPL Flight Lab website.

FSGenesis Atlantic Canada 38.2m Terrain Released

Posted: Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 18:54
FSGenesis' Justin Tyme announces that the Atlantic Canada 38.2m Terrain product has been released. It covers portions of Labrador/Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, as well as a large portion of southeastern Quebec. Atlantic Canada is derived primarily from the latest 23m CDED data available from Canada's Centre for Topographic Information and processed for a seamless transition along borders with FSGenesis' Appalachians & Northeast 38.2m Terrain product. FSGenesis Atlantic Canada 38.2m Terrain is available in both manually-installed individual .zip files and auto-installed .exe file, as well as an optional CD. Be downloading in minutes using FSGenesis' easy-download system. See the FSGenesis website for more inforfmation.

FS2Crew for Most B-737s Imminent

Posted: Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 17:33
[Press Release] FS2Crew's Bryan York announces, "737 Drivers take note, the release of FS2Crew: 737 Default Edition is right around the corner. Whereas the first version of FS2Crew only worked with the PMDG 737NG series, the 737 Default Edition works with the stock 737 that comes packaged with FS2004, and many other freely available 737s. Now everyone can enjoy FS2Crew.

"FS2Crew has received excellent reviews in the Flightsim community for the way it dramatically enhances your flightsim experience by adding interactive flight, cabin and ground crew to your virtual flights. It totally changes the way you fly. FS2Crew even adds autoland capability to the default 737, and many other sound effects and goodies."

Because a video is worth a thousand words, four new videos are available showing FS2Crew in action. They are available on the Downloads Page on the FS2Crew website. You can also check out the Avsim's FS2Crew review for a better idea of what the FS2Crew concept is all about.

FScene2004-WorldPack Summer Preview.

Posted: Monday, March 7, 2005 - 23:24
FScene.com has released a series of interesting Screenshots for the coming "summer" of it's popular WorldPack Project. WorldPack contains replacement terrain textures for one season for all continents. Visit the FScene website for more information.

FSM Moving Map V1.2 Released

Posted: Monday, March 7, 2005 - 1:22
Verion 1.2 of the popular "FSM MovingMap" software has just been released. This tool will track your aircraft either in the kneeboard, as a separate window, or over the network, and is very useful in VFR Flights. This new version adds displaying of all AI Traffics with other tweaks and enhancements. A wealth of charts and maps are already available for FSMMovingMap. This freeware tool named "FSMMovingMap v1.2" can be downloaded from Avsim file library. For more information, please visit the publisher's site

Reality XP Flight Line 430XP/530XP Released

Posted: Sunday, March 6, 2005 - 9:55
Anyone who is serious about using computer based simulation as a real-world training aid will know the importance of the skills required to use and understand radios and modern navigation avionics. The latest product from Reality XP aims to take this concept a step further than has ever been offered before in MSFS. The Flight Line 430XP/530XP is a comprehensive full-featured radio and navigation stack. Its modern components perfectly replace the original radio stack equipment of the default Flight Simulator airplanes and can also be integrated into most third party add-ons. The Reality XP Gns is also claimed to offer unmatched performance, simulating nearly 99% of the functions of the real-world Garmin Ltd GPS! So to experience the latest generation of electronic navigation and radio add-ons, why not visit the Reality XP website and check out the full list of products now available to the discerning simmer. You can find out about the latest addition by flying direct to the Flight Line 430XP/530XP page by clicking here.

Aerosoft Super Cub Review

Posted: Saturday, March 5, 2005 - 21:54
Staff Reviewer David Swindle takes a look at Aerosoft's Super Cub. An aircraft that started its life in the 1940's, it's still going strong today. Super Cubs were used for everything from bush planes to artillery spotters and now can be seen operating on floats, skis, or wheels almost anywhere in the world. "The Super Cub is renowned for being a good trainer, but also for being able to bite unwary pilots," notes David. That said, "Hand flying this flight model is a lot of fun. Although the Super Cub isn’t aerobatic, it is very responsive." David sums it up with, "Overall, this package is a great value, you get nine models, well over a dozen textures, and hours of fun exploring the back country in FS." For a read of the complete review click here.

Wings of Power P51D/H Mustang Update

Posted: Saturday, March 5, 2005 - 14:27
The Wings of Power Team has announced the release of the V.1.1 update. The new version includes new surplus, civil, and combat aircraft, It also offers a “Refit Tool,” the user can use to change the configuration of their P51 from a civilian configuration to a true combat ready aircraft. The "Surplus Version" of the Wings of Power P-51D Mustang is what you would have had if you'd been fortunate enough to purchase one P-51D, when they were available. The guns have been removed, reducing the weight by nearly 1,000 pounds.

Below is a general overview of all changes in the Wings of Power P51D/H Mustang v.1.1 update

-Combat and civilian versions available with a “Refit” utility
-Enhanced departed flight characteristics and feedback to the pilot
-Created new flight models for the tank versions, which add in the extra weight of the wing racks and empty drop tanks as well as adjust the moments of inertia and flaps lift and drag to account for the wing tank being in the airflow.
-Adjusted prop friction so that the prop and engine performance matches the actual aircraft on the ground. You will really notice this when you're landing, the RPM stays at 2700 until the airspeed drops below 140 mph.
-Various texture and model updates and fixes
-Landing gear compression changes for both P51D and P51H models
-Tail light linked to rudder and recognition lights more accurately positioned
-Viewpoint slightly raised
-Generic ground-roll dirt / dust effect reduced

For more information click here.

Virtual Ground School Opens

Posted: Saturday, March 5, 2005 - 14:23
Virtual Ground School, a new free online ground school has opened here. New subjects are being added everyday into the growing ground school. They have just completed Chapter One, The Airplane. This looks to be a great place to maximize your experience with their helpful and knowledgable staff and members, they will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. They invite everyone to check us out and if anyone is interested in joining their team please contact them.

Hungary Scenery Update

Posted: Saturday, March 5, 2005 - 14:22
Hungarian Photoreal Scenery Project released another new airport, the military helicopter base of Szolnok (LHSN). The "Hungary-2004 Update-3" containing it, and some other enhancements can be downloaded here. In Hungary, there are 22 (mostly ex-military) concrete (or asphalt) runways. HPSP has recreated most of these, as freeware scenery, for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. Hungary-2004 Scenery contains 33 missing landmarks and 15 airports including: LHCV, LHDC, LHFM, LHPR, LHKA, LHKE, LHKK, LHKM, LHMK, LHPA, LHPP, LHSM, LHSA, LHTA and LHSN.

The VFR AutoGen Project Announced

Posted: Saturday, March 5, 2005 - 3:01
A new website and project has been launched and carries the name - The VFR AutoGen Project. According to the press release: "'The VFR AutoGen Project', is aimed at creating highly accurate freeware autogen and static scenery designed for Visual Flight/Getmapping's VFR Photoscenery: England & Wales. We require both experienced and potential designers to help us to create autogen trees and buildings with an endeavour to complete the whole of the UK Photoscenery. Already we have successfully covered 5% of the UK with tens of thousands of trees, each one manually placed where trees actually exist within the Photo scenery itself. We have also placed each building where it appears on the scenery, building towns house-by-house. On top of this, we intend to gather every other VFR Photoscenery-Compatible static object, landmark and building in existence and collate all these free items into a single online database... where VFR Photoscenery lovers and UK flightsim pilots can download all these free goodies using a lookup map of the UK, or by searching the online database." For more check out here.