Imaginesim Release KIAD Update

Posted: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 - 10:29
Imaginesim have just released an update to their KIAD Washington Dulles product which fixes issues with objects and/or textures disappearing and also includes improvements to the docking system, runway lighting, AFCAD, parking ramps, and the approach system. You can download the update directly from Imaginesim

Freeware F86 Sabre from Section F8

Posted: Sunday, December 7, 2008 - 20:40
Senior contributing reviewer Alexis Esguerra looks at a Korean War icon, the F86 Sabre, as presented as a freeware product from Section F8. "Generally considered America’s first successful combat jet fighter, the single engine F-86 established a whole new set of standards in its day."

"There are two Sabres that come with the baseline F-86E/F package, both of them the more common E-variant. The reflective texture qualities are great and festooned with stencil and panel details that, while not crisp when looked at close up, give the plane a convincing appeal, especially when viewed from a distance. In cold and dark mode with the canopy opened, you’ll find chocks in place, an engine exhaust cover plugged in, flags covering pitot tubes that actually flutter in the wind, and the pilot gone."

"Inside, the cockpit is decidedly old tech. The 2D panels of the Sabre was reminiscent of that real-world bird. The VC cockpit is similarly old and beat up, and one step better in terms of rendering; the textures are much sharper here that what I found outside and the legibility of the gauges and placards are extremely good. Accuracy-wise, both 2D and VC cockpits are very close to the researched material."

"Outside of the engine, there is the usual garden-variety sound set - the whine of the landing gear, switch clicks, the ticking when a dial is spun. All are realistic in their rendition, not overdone, but not underdone either. In maneuvers, this Sabre handles just as I would expect. The F-86 has a respectable ability to maintain its energy for most of what I asked of it, but it did remind me at times that its performance envelope is that of a 50’s era fighter."

"I cannot stress enough that we are talking about a freeware product that is scoring at minimum on par with the payware competition. In my book, that puts Section F8's F86 Sabre in an entirely different class. F-86 Sabre is a testament to the efforts of the developers, and proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that the best things in life can indeed be had for free."

New FSUIPC for FS9/FSX Available

Posted: Sunday, December 7, 2008 - 17:57
Peter Dowson has released new versions of FSUIPC for FS9/FSX. These are available for immediate download at Peter's website.

Carenado's Mentor T34B For FSX Released

Posted: Sunday, December 7, 2008 - 14:31
Carenado's Mentor T34B has been released for FSX. Developed especially for FSX, this all new model features full dynamic effects, an interactive virtual cockpit, along with a complete checklist and reference text. With the addition of the Beechcraft Mentor T34B, Carenado increases their full FSX fleet to six aircraft. For more information and to purchase visit the Carenado website.

FS2Crew Service Update 2: PMDG MD-11 Edition

Posted: Sunday, December 7, 2008 - 0:39
PMDG MD-11 Drivers please note, FS2Crew has just released Service Update 2 for the PMDG MD-11 Edition of FS2Crew. Service Update 2 adds new functionality to FS2Crew MD-11 (such as Thru-Flights). Other bug fixes and improvements are also included. FS2Crew develops advanced flight crew simulation programs for select FS9 and FSX aircraft. For more information and to download the MD-11 Update, please taxi to the FS2Crew website.

4 New Titles For FS9 & FSX

Posted: Saturday, December 6, 2008 - 15:23
Jim Oldfield of Abacus reports, "Since the beginning of 2008, Abacus has released no fewer than eight complete add-ons for MSFS 2004 and FSX. Early on, as news reports began to highlight the difficult economic environment, the distribution channels drastically slowed the rate at which it accepted our new products for sale in their respective retail partners. In June, we responded by deliberately slowing our development efforts so that the distribution channels would be able to catch up to our releases from earlier in the year. Gladly, we can report that the distribution channel has opened up slightly. We recently started to deliver all of our new releases to many more retailers.

Since then we've "quietly" released several new add-ons. Now we'd like to take the opportunity to formally launch four new titles which can join our already extensive set of add-ons. These are:
V-22 Osprey - tilt-rotor technology in flight;
Hawker Hurricane - classic from WWII;
UAV Predator - stealth performer; and
International Fighters - eleven mighty aircraft."

Complete details can be found at the Abacus website.

Xtreme Prototypes Releases Avro CF-105 Arrow

Posted: Friday, December 5, 2008 - 20:00
Xtreme Prototypes is proud to announce the release of its Avro CF-105 Arrow add-on aircraft package for Microsoft® Flight Simulator X and Flight Simulator 2004. The software includes six variations of the legendary Canadian "all-weather" high-altitude interceptor, two fully functional 3D virtual cockpits, Arrow custom sound sets, 14 camera definitions for FSX. The addon is compatible with FSX SP2, FSX Acceleration Expansion Pack, FS2004. A fully functional virtual cockpit with over 900 parts and nearly 200 animated gauges, switches, levers, light indicators and flight instruments with tooltips in two versions is included. Each VC has been meticulously created to conform as closely as possible to the cabin of the real CF-105. The Xtreme Prototypes CF-105 Arrow for Flight Simulator is available on CD-ROM or download and full details can be found at Xtreme Prototypes.

FSFlyingSchool 2009 Released

Posted: Friday, December 5, 2008 - 14:42
FSInventions announces the expansion of their product line with a new version of their FSFlyingSchool add-on for FSX and FS2004. Some new features of FSFlyingSchool2009 , it automatically creates FSFlyingSchool profile for any plane you choose to fly will be detected by FSFlyingSchool and a profile for it will be created. Pilot Briefing Tool analyzes all flights to find patterns of performance which need improvement and Instructors now give additional warnings before mistakes are made. A number of other features can be explored with a visit to FS Flyingschool

Widetraffic For FSX Available

Posted: Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 11:04
Widetraffic for Flight Simulator X is used in conjunction with Wideview to add AI traffic synchronization on computers connected over a LAN. The new features include airport vehicle synchronization in addition to AI airplanes; an improved communication protocol letting Flight Simulator X synchronize a much higher number of AI traffic objects with less impact on performance and other important improvements.

Aerosoft - Stockholm Arlanda Scenery Review

Posted: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - 21:44
Avsim Staff Reviewer Robert Mariani has taken a look at the Stockholm Arlanda Airport Scenery released by Aerosoft. Robert goes on to say:

"Arlanda Airport, the largest airport in Sweden, and the third largest airport in Scandinavia (2006 data) had almost 18 million passengers in 2007. It officially opened for air travel in 1960, and today has three runways and four terminals with 64 gates. In addition, there are 5 terminals for cargo and 5 aircraft hangars located on the field.

The scenery of Arlanda airport includes the airport itself, and does not include any of the surrounding areas. Included with this scenery are dynamic and animated objects, high-resolution day and night textures, high-resolution aerial photo textures, seasonal textures, and docking systems.  The airport is compatible with AI traffic packages.

This airport is modeled well. There are lots of buildings, terminals, gates and hangars to see.  In addition, many parking stands and gates have excellent details, albeit somewhat static in their nature.

If you have to fly north, and would like to add a great Scandinavian hub to your virtual skies, Arlanda is just what you need. If you have the need to add another fairly detailed airport to your FS9, Arlanda also fits the bill well. However, if you are a virtual airport junkie who spends more time checking out the scenery then flying, you might find this airport lacking in some areas that distinguish the very detailed add-on airports from the rest."

Flight Replicas L-4 Grasshopper Available

Posted: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - 12:18
Flight Replicas has released their remarkable rendition of the L-4 Grasshopper for FSX with SP2 or Acceleration. This often-overlooked aircraft was one of the most crucial elements of the allied victory in Europe. In fact, in his book "The Fighting Grasshoppers" Ken Wakefield wrote, "it has been claimed that a single L-4, directing the fire power of an entire Division, could bring a greater weight of explosives to bear on a target then any other aircraft of that period". Whist unarmed and not armoured this aircraft truly deserves the respect of a devastating fighting machine, and Flight Replicas has now created it for FSX in spectacular detail.

CLS Boeing 747-200/300 Review

Posted: Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 23:01
We kick off December with a review by Laurie Aston. Laurie has taken a good look at the Boeing 747-200/300 series created by Commercial Level Simulations.

"In 1971 I had my first technical course on the Boeing 747 in preparation for BOAC’s own deliveries, and I remember the Instructors first sentence very clearly. It was to announce that nothing on this aircraft was reachable without steps or ladder, and he wasn’t kidding either. Even routine engine maintenance required sturdy platforms, and climbing up the gear legs to install safety pins was a feat on its own."

Having got first hand experience working on 747's Laurie is the ideal candidate to take an in depth look at this creation by CLS. So, why not take a read and see what Laurie likes and dislikes about the Boeing 747-200/300.

PRE-Flight Ford Trimotor Free

Posted: Monday, December 1, 2008 - 13:08
Announcing the Ford Trimotor by PRE-Flight RC Simulator. Ford's aircraft like his autos and tractors were inexpensive and reliable. They formed the basis for the early transcontinental airliners, its all metal corrugated skin was all about strength and low weight resulting in a rugged design able to carry up to nine passengers plus pilot, co-pilot and stewardess. This hugely detailed, super scale PRE-Flight model of the Trimotor has operating control surfaces, period external control wires, and unique corrugated aluminum skin. To download this and other models and to download the PRE-Flight Demo visit Pre-Flight

New Forums Online!

Posted: Monday, December 1, 2008 - 12:52
Yes folks, the wait is over! Our new forums are all imported and ready to try out! New Forum Link. PLEASE reset your bookmarks for this site, please make note of the following directions: Log in with your USER ID and Password that you used in the old forums. If the system does not accept your log in, use the FORGOT PASSWORD function and have the system send you a new password to the EMAIL ADDRESS THAT YOU USED IN THE OLD SYSTEM. Once you have logged in using the temporary password, go to your user control panel and enter a new password.

Any questions please submit in the forum. In case of not being able to do this, please follow links on the site to email the staff. Thank you and enjoy!

Real Environment Xtreme Released

Posted: Monday, December 1, 2008 - 12:34
Real Environment Xtreme for Microsoft's Flight Simulator X, a powerful, hi-definition, photo real texture environment created from state-of-the-art photography and processes, carefully cataloging and photographing real life cloud structure, sky scenes, water scenes and airport environments. This new technology is tightly integrated with a flight planner and a Weather Avoidance Tool to give the user the most realistic experience yet within flight simulation. Real Environment Xtreme gives the sim pilot all they need to make that important bush, recreational, general, or even commercial carrier flights. This environment add-on not only enhances visual realism, but matches that realism to the underlying weather platform, creating a whole new world in Flight Simulation. Real Environment Xtreme will be available for both FS9 and FSX. For more information visit Real Environment Simulations .

Feelthere - Map! Review

Posted: Sunday, November 30, 2008 - 22:28
Avsim Staff Reviewer Robert Mariani has taken a look at Map! one of the latest creations from Feelthere. Robert had mixed feelings before getting into depth with this software and goes on to say:

"I honestly didn’t expect much to see or review here. After all the MAP! is not interactive, and you are really not doing anything with it. “So”, I thought, “why would anyone even bother with something like this?” Before you pass your judgment, read this review and allow me to start from the beginning.

MAP is simple and wonderful. It does exactly what it says and looks very realistic doing it. The downside is that it is not a flight tool for pilots, but rather info for the average Joe or Jane the passenger. You can get philosophical and go into debate about what makes the sim more realistic, but I will stay out of that. Rather, I will say that despite all of its simplicity and lack of interactivity, I found that MAP strangely and unexpectedly enhanced my flight simming experience. Note also that we all have our little quirks, and what makes me smile may make you frown and vice versa. Hopefully, the screen shots from the review will speak better than words in this case and help everyone in the virtual skies make their own decision about this product." Click on Map! to read the full review.

Round The World Race, Starts Soon!

Posted: Sunday, November 30, 2008 - 21:18
The AVSIM Team is ready to take back our title! Wanna help us? The Round The World Race is about to start soon! For more information, or to join the one and only AVSIM Race Team, head on over to This Forum.

KIAD Washington For FS2004

Posted: Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 19:11
ImagineSim's latest release - KIAD Washington Dulles. IAD is world renowned for its Eero Saarinen designed terminal building and the unique 'PlaneMate' mobile lounges. Dulles is also among the most important Eastern Seaboard hubs and is one of the world's major international destinations. This scenery add-on features custom made ground textures and runways, terminal, cargo and hangar buildings rendered to 5cm per pixel scale, an interactive docking system to park you right on your mark, taxiways with highly realistic concrete textures, full airport taxiway and runway signage, 3D approach lighting and full ILS navigation. Also included are hundreds of airport vehicles and ground personnel, aircraft can be found parked at custom textured parking positions, all hangars, cargo and airport auxiliary buildings are modeled, there is even a complete perimeter fence under the steady gaze of security cameras.

It's available now at www.imaginesim.com along with screenshots and a demo version.

Lille Lesquin Int'l Airport from FranceVFR

Posted: Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 1:28
Staff reviewer Juan Llobera travels overseas to visit FranceVFR's Lille Lesquin International Airport. "It was designed from the outset to be “15 min airport”, and statistics really show that. LFQQ is the 4th airport in France in terms of punctuality. It has a single Passenger Terminal, and an aircraft handling capacity allowing aircraft to be turned around ready to fly again in less than 30 minutes."

"The airport comes with a full set of vectorized charts ( some of them in full color ), and I'm not talking about amateur-simmer made charts. This is the whole LFQQ package of real charts published by the SIA ( Service de L’information Aeronautique ). Even if these are not real flight charts, since they are outdated, I have to admit that this is probably one of the most complete chart packages I’ve ever seen in an add-on."

"FranceVFR has really achieved their creation of an airport that somehow feels alive. Every airport structure has been reproduced. The general aviation terminal, the regional maintenance hangar, the cargo or freight terminal, and of course, the Main Terminal, which I have to admit is a real masterpiece. I'm not a big fan of modern airport buildings, but I really like how the whole building blends perfectly with the rest of the airport. Taxiways signs, as well as light poles, have been placed. But what I found really attractive about the scenery, is the amount of static vehicles you’ll find."

"I didn't notice any performance loss with Lille Lesquin International Airport. The textures look really good, the airport feels attractive and the package with the 50KM photoreal ground textures with the whole package of charts are some bonuses I wasn't expecting. I'm planning to keep the scenery to start some of my adventures from."

XPOI Geographical Tool Updated

Posted: Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 0:38
The XPOI Geographical Tool for FSX has been updated to version 1.5 "IFR Extension", which is a significant update, since adds visualization of VOR/NDB/ILS/Intersections and Airports as POIs. As for the other visible features, the view can be finely tuned to display only certain informations (like Intersections only, useful to practice Approaches or SID/Stars) and controlled by customizable in-flight hotkeys. For more information, visit the FSDreamTeam XPOI website.