Yak-40 Goes Gold

Posted: Thursday, November 27, 2008 - 4:40
Suprunov Design has released a Yak-40 GOLD boxed collectible package. That is a full set of everything that was created for the Yak-40 model. The box package includes the following products: 2 books (flight manual and Yak-40 enroute plates Vol.1), 6 emergency plaques, all real A/C checklists (adopted for model), A3 format poster with flight characteristics, air-speeds for different phases of flight and limitations, 6 flight maps. More details can be found at Suprunov Design.

Wellington Bomber Ready For Takeoff

Posted: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - 1:06
Chocks away! as the iconic Wellington Bomber takes to the air for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 and FSX. Crafted with an eye to detail, by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts, this simulation of the Wellington places you in the Captain's seat of this classic warbird.

Featuring the four most popular variants of the Vickers Wellington, the MK IC, the B. MkIII, the B. Mk X and B. Mk XIV, military aircraft fans will delight in getting airborne in support of Bomber and Coastal Commands in the aircraft that was always guaranteed to be in the thick of the action. From the first ever RAF bombing raid of World War 2, to hunting submarines over treacherous waters, to clandestine troop deployments behind enemy lines the Wellington became one of the great success stories of Anglo-Allied operations.

The Wellington offers one of the most realistic recreations ever to grace a desktop simulation. The highly distinctive lines of the fuselage are supplemented by a raft of custom animations that offer an unprecedented depth of realism. With an authentic cockpit layout, and precision handling amid the roar of the mighty engines, aviation history bursts into dramatic life.

To compliment the Wellington, First Class Simulations also includes additional scenery for RAF Driffield, circa 1941, home to the finest Wellington Squadrons. Aspiring Wellington crews are also requested to assemble in the briefing room ahead of embarking on a series challenging FSX missions that will test both pilot and aircraft to the limit.

Brest Guipavas (LFBR) Released

Posted: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - 0:57
France VFR is proud to announce you its latest release, the Regional French Airport of Brest Guipavas (LFBR) in its native FSX version. This is the 3rd pane of France VFR's new series of Regional Airport in Ultra-High-definition (25cm/pixel). The scenery is developed by using extremely detailed techniques including building textures, high-definition ground textures and the corresponding night textures. This scenery is FSX native (SP1 & SP2) and its FS2004 version will be soon commercialized.

France VFR emphasises the difference between the previously developed airports: Since Toussus and Lille Airport releases, including Brest as well, these sceneries are entirely realized in high-definition and conform to new airport design concept charts. Brest Guipavas Airport is a stand-alone product and will be entirely compatible with Bretagne scenery (upcoming regional scenery) and fully compatible with any Mesh of your choice. Charts for SIA - VAC - IAC - ARRDEP are provided.

Turks & Caicos MBPV Released

Posted: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - 0:53
Turks & Caicos` Providenciales Intl' Airport/MBPV has just been released for both FSX-SP2 and FS9 by Tropicalsim. An old fashioned but graciously designed airport, where you can walk on the ramp to board your flight, smelling the sweet scent of avgas, very different from today's modern airports full of jetways where the passenger is "isolated" from the aviation environment. Provo is beautiful, charming, warm and colorful.

Free Vehicle Add-on For TerraBuilder:Moon

Posted: Monday, November 24, 2008 - 18:58
TerraBuilder is pleased to announce the release of its Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle add-on for TerraBuilder:Moon. Apollo LRV represents to date the most detailed and authentic software-based simulator of the first and only vehicle humans drove on another world. Built from the original NASA blueprints and accurate to the last rivet, this rover has been developed with the help and advice from the member of the original NASA LRV team.

The driving model has been fine tuned to the exact NASA specifications, and is as accurate as possible within the confines of the FS2004 engine. With realistic animated suspension linkage, 4-wheel steering, interactive and animated rover components, incredible dust, pebble and tracks effects, and authentic control panel with working, 3D switches and controls, this rover offers the perspective that only a select club of 6 men experienced during the Apollo era. Unique to the rover is a Thermal Control model - the rover components actually heat up, and when they hit critical level, the warning flag flips up (can be user re-set). These components can be cooled down by parking the rover and opening the radiator covers - just like the real thing!

Cessna 152 II from Carenado

Posted: Monday, November 24, 2008 - 18:41
Senior staff reviewer Angelique van Campen relives her life during her PPL training as she takes Carenado's Cessna 152 II out to see if it flies as she remembers. "One moment I’m sitting in the complex flight deck of the PMDG McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and next, I’m going back to my PPL roots, playing around in a Cessna 152 II from Carenado."

"Is it real or is it a FSX model? Every tiny detail is there. Is there then nothing missing? That depends what you miss. This Cessna 152 is full of details and offers a very high realistic look, even when looking through the window from the outside."

"The 2D cockpit a good looking and fully functional cockpit. The main instrument panel comes together with only one additional sub panel; the RPM and amp indicators. The VC looks very good and realistic. Front window reflection from the glare shield, or reflection on the size windows from the seats, moveable sun visors and ashtrays, passenger doors with open/closing lock sound, glove compartment on the right hand side of the instrument panel opening/closing and movable fresh air controls and finally, the instrument panel shade depends on the sun angle entrance."

Angelique takes her 152 on a cross country flight in Florida. While airborne, she puts the aircraft through its paces as one would during a checkride. She describes this in detail and the accompanying screenshots tell a great story. Her conclusion... "great, lots of fun and what more do you want? The external model itself, its details, the 2D cockpit, and especially the VC, are highly realistic and really gives you the feeling you’re sitting in and enjoying a flight in a real Cessna 152 II. The many FSX features , as well as the highly realistic flight dynamics, increase the flight feeling and sensation."

Dispatch Planner X Review

Posted: Sunday, November 23, 2008 - 17:40
Avsim Staff Reviewer Jason McKee has taken a look at the latest software from Blushing Sheep - Dispatch Planner X

Dispatch Planner X is something that I have been trying to find for a little while to add more realism to my virtual airline flights. Dispatch Planner is an all in one tool that provides information about your flight in printed form, the same form that commercial pilots would get from their dispatchers. It allows for weather information for arrival, departure and alternate airports, load sheets and even tankering fuel.

Blushing Sheep Flight Simulation Software Design and Development was formed in January 2008 with the aim of providing high quality add-ons to the FS community. Formed by the team behind the 'Dispatch Planner' series of add-ons, Blushing Sheep aims to continue the tradition of high quality software. It is a simple and easy to use program and does produce realistic reports. So, why not take a look at Jasons review and see if its something that would enhance your FS experience. For more info have a read of Jasons review, or visit the Blushing Sheep website.

OZx Releases Grand Canyon & KGCN

Posted: Sunday, November 23, 2008 - 16:40
OZx has released the photoreal scenery of the Grand Canyon area. The scenery is for FSX SP2 only, it has got a resolution of 2m/pixel, autogen and nightlights, Summer season only. The main airport of the area, KGCN (Grand Canyon Natural Park) has been dramatically improved. It is a stunning scenery, created by Antonio C., and Maurizio G. The photoreal scenery is based on the latest techniques, to ensure a real visual experience in flight. Colorado river has animated water in the parts where it's bigger. To download this scenery please visit the product page. Screenshots can be found in the forum thread.

SAAB 91 Safir X Updated

Posted: Saturday, November 22, 2008 - 17:10
SibWings team is pleased to announce an update to their SAAB 91 Safir X. This update includes fixes to most bugs. Please visit the SibWings website for further complete details and download instructions.

North American Mustang Series For FS2004

Posted: Friday, November 21, 2008 - 23:16
One year after initial conception, the highly anticipated first release of Warbirdsim's North American Mustang Series is ready to take to the skies - primed and waiting for everyone to experience & fly. There are FOUR packages. Each available as download or box. Fighter Pairs downloads or boxes include two aircraft in two paint schemes. Choose from the P-51B, P-51C or Mustang III variants. Each of the Fighter Pairs Boxes also includes a printed, panel guide.

Fighter Leader, on the other hand is a very special package indeed. This version includes the P-51B, the P-51C and the Mustang III with all colours and schemes with additional aircraft; a factory fresh example (as it would have looked rolling off the line at Inglewood) and probably the most famous P-51B of 'Bud' Anderson's 'Old Crow', with whitewall tyres and latter day Malcolm Hood! The level of painstaking research and development is clearly evident across this release designed specifically to appeal to both avid enthusiasts and collectors with different printed items in the boxed editions as a bonus.

The Fighter Pairs P-51B features two examples accurately finished and weathered as they would have been after returning back from a mission over Europe and featuring 'Ding Hao' and 'Shangri-La'.

The Fighter Pairs P-51C features 'Ina the Macon Belle' the restored example by Kermit Weeks and 'Princess Elizabeth' originally a 'B' but shown as the restored 'C' model under Dan Friedkin's ownership.

The Fighter Pairs Mustang III is a beautifully finished set, one a Polish 133 Wing RAF example with the Malcolm Hood and the other, the excellent example of RAF 112sqn Sharksmouth plus Birdcage Hood.

Fighter Leader is a collectors dream, boxed set. Eight aircraft; a full colour poster and a faithful reproduction style of the Pilots Operating Instructions plus a printed panel guide. All for FS2004 & soon for FSX. Complete details can be found at the WarBirdSim website.

New Service/Missions Pack 2.30 For SSM2007

Posted: Friday, November 21, 2008 - 23:10
Exciting Simulations has released a new Service/Mission Pack for the Space Shuttle Mission 2007 simulator. The download includes several changes, fixes and adds new special effects, and of course, a new mission - STS-51A.

STS-51A is still hailed as the most daring and complex Space Shuttle missions to date. During STS-51A, the Shuttle crew deployed the Anik D2 Canadian telecommunications satellite and the DoD SYNCOM IV-1 Defense Communications Satellite. The crew also retrieved PALAPA-B2 and WESTAR-VI, two malfunctioning satellite. To retrieve the satellites, Missions Specialists Joseph P. Allen and Dale A. Gardner used Manned Maneuverable Units (MMU) for retrieving the satellites while Mission Specialist Anna L. Fischer controlled the RMS for capturing and stowing the defective satellites in the Shuttle Payload Bay. There are a number of surprises in this mission - just as they were back in 1984.

In the best SSM2007 tradition, the budding astronauts will experience first-hand the historical liftoff, On-Orbit ops including the satellites deployment, MMU space walks, capturing and stowing satellites, Deorbit, Reentry and manually Landing the Shuttle at KSC. The Space Shuttle Mission 2007™ is available for online purchase in downloadable format at the SSM2007 official website. The latest Demo can also be downloaded freely at the same website.

FS Dreamscapes, Oklahoma

Posted: Friday, November 21, 2008 - 13:56
Intermap Technologies and FS Dreamscapes today announced the release of NEXTMap^® ProMesh^™ Oklahoma, another region in their series of terrain mesh and photo scenery downloads that already include California, Florida, Hawaii, Mississippi, and the United Kingdom, for Microsoft^® Flight Simulator X and ESP.

“This is a special title in the series,” says Dean Montford, president and CEO of FS Dreamscapes. “Simulator pilots can now experience flying over Oklahoma with 4.75-meter elevation data which dramatically increases the realism of the state’s terrain and makes flying visual flight rules even more immersive. The 4.75 m data is a significant increase in the detail compared to the default 30- meter elevation data derived from the USGS national elevation dataset that had been the standard until now."

This terrain is eight times the resolution and sixty-four times more detailed than the default Flight Simulator X terrain mesh for the United States. Instead of appearing flat and barren, NEXTMap ProMesh Oklahoma is based on Intermap’s highly uniform and reliable elevation data that allows users to view every hill, gully, freeway overpass, and ground feature as they fly over the state.

“The NEXTMap ProMesh Oklahoma product allows pilots to fly near real-world missions through pre-visualizing the surrounding terrain safely within the Microsoft Flight Simulator X and ESP applications. As Intermap continues to increase the digital mapping coverage across the U.S we’ll continue to enable FS Dreamscapes to expand the coverage of their leading flight simulator dataset. Ultimately, pilots will be able to fly from coast to coast across the U.S. when the project is complete.” stated Kevin Thomas, vice president of marketing for Intermap Technologies.

NEXTMap ProMesh add-ons for Flight Simulator and Microsoft^® ESP allow consumers, pilot trainees, researchers, and scientists to maneuver real time within a 3D visualization simulation platform. The use of Intermap’s NEXTMap^® USA and NEXTMap^® Europe uniformly derived digital terrain models within the Flight Simulator and ESP platforms are paving the way for future real time visual simulation technologies with practical real world applications.


Microsoft Flight Simulator photoscenery and terrain mesh products are available for purchase and download at FSDreamscape.

Addon Converter Upgrade

Posted: Friday, November 21, 2008 - 13:05
FlightSimTools.com is pleased to announce an update to their Addon Converter X product. The update allows using a wider range of FS2004 aircraft and scenery add-ons in FSX and contains several bug-fixes. The update is free of charge for existing customers. Add-on Converter X is a module for FSX that allows using most aircraft and scenery add-ons designed for FS2004 with FSX SP2 and Acceleration Pack, both in DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 modes. For more information and a free demo version, please visit FlightSim Tools.

Stanly County Airport (KVUJ) Released

Posted: Friday, November 21, 2008 - 4:28
JD Scenery Simulations is happy to announce the release of Stanly County Airport (KVUJ) - Albemarle, NC. By default, the small general aviation airports that dot the landscape are often the most poorly represented in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Before using this scenery, load Flight Simulator and look at the default rendition of the airport. Note especially the layout of the taxiways (representative of what the airport looked like a decade ago or more), and the location of the control tower. In the real world, this airport is a beautiful, modern facility located in a beautiful, modern community with amazing local scenery. This package has attempted to capture the real look and feel of one of the First in Flight state’s greatest airports. This is the Stanly County Airport (KVUJ) for Flight Simulator X.

PPL Exam Tutorial For Simmers

Posted: Friday, November 21, 2008 - 4:23
A new tutorial is available at the Stoenworks Aviation web site, Titled "Taking the Private Pilot Flight Exam" it attempts to place the flight sim pilot in the position of taking his or her actual flight test for the Private Pilot certificate. From the initial oral exam to the various flight maneuvers, all items are covered. Each maneuver includes what to do, how to do it, and what the flight examiner expects from the pilot. This brings the number of flight sim tutorials available at the site to 57, literally ranging from how to take an airplane off to how to land. All of the tutorials are also available on a CD.

LLH6 Meribel Released

Posted: Friday, November 21, 2008 - 4:20
Méribel is the well known high altitude airport just near Courchevel in the french Alps. Once again, LLH has made a fully realistic scenery with the sloped runway, of course. This is for FSX, with or without the "BasePack Alpes du nord" from "France VFR". You can find more informations on the LLH website. You can also find a video trailer on YouTube. For complete information visit the LLH website.

VFR Germany 2: North from Aerosoft

Posted: Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 1:54
Staff reviewer Allen Lavigne crosses the pond and explores Norther Germany with Aerosoft's VFR Germany 2: North. "This title includes highly innovative geo-referenced orthophotographic scenery tiles with precisely placed custom autogen and scenery for one quarter of the German territory, namely the Northern part."

Allen goes on to explain how this scenery titles interacts with default FSX scenery as well as several other Aerosoft releases, namely German Airports 2 and German Airfields 2. He also describes its interaction with Ultimate Terrain Europe.

He concludes with, "The VFR Germany series of scenery enhancements is by far the most remarkable and innovative scenery add-on I have yet reviewed from any vendor. I cannot fully express my satisfaction with what Aerosoft is doing. Always a step ahead of the crowd, they have managed to develop photo realistic aerial imagery with objects and autogen placed to near precision. In addition, the highly skilled renditions of many airfields and airports available from other Aerosoft products for the German territory flawlessly compliment this VFR Germany scenery and gratefully amplify my already orbital level of enjoyment."

Carenado Releases C152II for FS2004

Posted: Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 1:00
As previously announced, the decision was taken after many emails from customers demanding Carenado to make this aircraft compatible with FS2004. The product has superior textures and the 3D model has an excellent relationship between polygons and details, soft curves and excellent FPS allowing a smooth performance.

Features include: Four different paints with maximum details and realistic textures; Interactive virtual cockpit; Full moving parts: Ailerons, elevators, rudders, flaps, rolling wheels; Animated sections such as: doors, pilot's window, glove compartment, sun visor and fresh air control; FS2004 lights: Navigation lights, beacons, landing lights; Full dynamic effects (shines over the body and panel, nightlights); Dynamic shine and reflections; Transparent windows; 3D modeled pilot and cockpit area; Real Propeller.

For all the details and pictures visit the Carenado website.

New Downloads available in Avsim Store

Posted: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - 19:01
ADVERTISEMENT:
The Avsim Store now carries downloadable products from Wilco Publishing. At this time available titles are Wilco B777, the newTower Simulator and the Cessna Citation X. Also, many FS9 title are available at a discounted price, check out the bargain bin section.
Visit the new Avsim Store today.

Heavy Traffic At New Website

Posted: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - 1:01
The dedicated website for Traffic X, the latest version of the world's best selling AI aircraft traffic expansion for Flight Simulator, is cleared for takeoff! The DVD-ROM version of Traffic X is now available and to accompany the full release of download, boxed and upgrade versions, the dedicated Traffic X website has now gone live.

The site is designed to support the huge community of Traffic X fans. Visitors to the site will find a huge amount of information about Just Flight's best-selling AI traffic expansion and a steadily growing catalogue of user-generated content to enhance the program. Anyone who wishes to can create their own airport facility files or aircraft repaints and upload them to the Traffic X site to share with the rest of the Traffic X community.

Commenting on the new site, Just Flight's Richard Slater said: "We've had a dedicated site for each release in our Traffic series since the days of FS Traffic 2002. The beauty of the Traffic series is that its huge army of fans take a lot of time and effort to put together traffic files for their own airports or repaint the aircraft. If they want to share their files with the rest of the community they can upload them to a site specifically aimed at other users. We have similar sites for our Cargo Pilot, Airliner Pilot and Flying Club titles and they have all proved to be extremely popular."

Traffic X includes over 1,700 different aircraft variants based on more than 80 aircraft models. The planes are designed to the highest level of AI aircraft detail and painted in a dazzling variety of airline liveries from around the world. They can all be seen flying, landing, taxiing, parking and taking off at airports large and small. The aircraft featured range from small single-engine private aircraft like the C152 right up to the world's biggest airliner, the Airbus A380. The software also includes the highly advanced 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 XWB and a huge amount of other aviation traffic that falls between these extremes. There is a massive selection of commercial jet airliners, regional jets, regional turboprops, business aircraft, general aviation aircraft and helicopters and, for the first time in the Just Flight Traffic series, a whole host of multi-national military aircraft!

For more information and a VERY long list of features, visit the Just Flight website.