A380v2 from Wilco / HannoverX from Aerosoft

Posted: Thursday, October 2, 2008 - 2:44
Staff reviewer Jon Murchison takes a look at the Airbus A380 from Wilco Publishing and takes it from it's home base and landing it at Aerosoft's HannoverX. "Hannover International Airport comes to flightsim, and specifically FSX, courtesy of the team who created the original German Airports series and who are now behind the development of German Airports 2; with HannoverX being the first release in this new series designed with the advancements both FS2004 and FSX have to offer in mind. The A380 is no different, with various versions from both the freeware community and payware developers coming online over the past few years. I wanted to learn more about this aircraft, so I was keen to see what Wilco have come up with in their version of the A380. "

Jon has produced an extensive, detailed combination review of this aircraft and scenery. It is well worth your while to read the complete details of both these titles. While putting the A380 through a test flight while enroute from its homebase in Toulouse, France to Hannover, Germany, Jon has merged the presentation of these two titles.

His final comments of each read, "The Wilco A380 is a mixture of high aspirations but average implementation, with many ‘faults’ that should never have got past the beta testers. While I was impressed with the functionality of the 2D cockpit, the VC really doesn’t stack up to what you expect from payware products these days. Externally, the model is very good, yes it’s let down by some poor animation in the leading edge slats and strange emissive qualities on cargo doors, but overall the sheer size of this aircraft and its shape have been captured well. I’m not convinced the flight dynamics are where they need to be, she flies heavy and that seems to contradict what pilots are saying and what I have seen in video footage of the aircraft's ability to respond quickly. Overall, I was disappointed with the A380, particularly when the majority of the issues it has could have been so easily fixed prior to release. It's still worth a look if you’re an Airbus fan, but there are other options if your keen to own an A380."

"HannoverX is a great scenery package. While it doesn’t use the FSX SDK to its full potential (no animated jetways is a pet peeve for me and a few reflective windows would be nice) it certainly doesn’t detract from what is a comprehensive and highly detailed representation of this airport. The level of detail is excellent, the development is sensible in regards to what appears in your field of view to maximize performance, and the photoreal nature of the buildings and ground textures gives you a realistic experience. The developers of German Airports are clearly back. If they keep producing scenery of this calibre, German and European simmers who operate in this part of the world will find little reason to leave the homeland."

So take a tour of Wilco Publishing's A380; inside and out, from the flightdeck to the passenger cabin. Then step outside as you arrive in Hannover and tour Aerosoft's HannoverX in all its detail.

World's Scariest Runways

Posted: Thursday, October 2, 2008 - 1:04
A recent article found on CNN.com's Travel and Leisure section had an interesting insight into the top 10 scariest runways that real world pilots have to content with. I think we've seen some of these within the flight sim world as well.

"According to aviation experts, mitigating factors range from the truncated length of runways to unique atmospheric and meteorological conditions, dramatic geographical settings, heavy air traffic, or a combination thereof. "Sometimes it's just the way the airport is laid out that makes it a pain," says a pilot, referring to whether an airport is situated askew."

Flight 1 Partners With Alpha Simulations

Posted: Thursday, October 2, 2008 - 0:43
Flight1 is excited to announce its partnership with renowned flight simulation developers, Alpha Simulations. The first release available from Flight1 (in both download and boxed editions) is AlphaSim's acclaimed simulation of the Hawker Hunter.

The legendary Hawker Hunter is one of the most admired fighter aircraft of all time and its beautiful lines have often resulted in it being referred to as the Spitfire of the jet age. Designed by Sir Sidney Camm, an engineer whose designs span biplane to jump jet, the Hunter is a remarkable machine. The Rolls Royce Avon will propel you at Mach 0.94 at sea level, and let you climb at no less than 10,500ft/min to 'touch the face of God' at 51,000ft. Hunters were the chosen mount of the famous Black Arrows, their livery one of many in this simulation. Their 22-plane formation loop, set a record which stands to this day.

Developed by AlphaSim for FS2004 and FSX this new simulator is now available on general release. It includes subtle reflectivity, bump mapping, self-shadowing and bloom and even signs of weathering. The static realization includes the cockpit ladder engine covers and pitot tags. The speedbrake is restricted to operate only with wheels up - just as in the real Hunter. The simulation covers 7 unique variants and 8 texture sets including the Black Arrows, and the famous Swiss air force examples where the pilots were often part-time and the runways empty motorways! Looking into the cockpit the auto-animated avatar even has correct insignia on his arm patches.

For complete details, visit the Flight 1 website.

Tocumen for FS9/FSX-SP2 Released

Posted: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 - 12:58
Tocumen International Airport can now be part of your schedules, both for FS9 and FSX-SP2, brought for you by TropicalSim. Tocumen is located 15 miles from Panama City and went under a major expansion and renovation program in order to become bigger and more modern. It is the busiest airport in Central America, and a major hub for all the Caribbean region. TropicalSim achieves it`s 14th FSX airport and for those who still use FS9, this is our 43rd Caribbean airport.

Skysim Release Bunker Hill AFB

Posted: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 21:15
The scenery SDB design team at Skysim is pleased to announce their latest military airbase, Bunker Hill AFB, Indiana, USA. Although now known as Grissom ARB (in honor of the astronaut Gus Grissom, who perished in the Apollo 1 launch pad fire), this scenery is set during the height of the Cold War around 1959. At that time Bunker Hill AFB was home to the mighty Convair B-58 of the 305th Bomb Wing, Strategic Air Command. As you would expect, these incredible supersonic bombers are a major feature of this scenery and perform regular AI operations 24/7, along with their attendant KC-135 tankers. As well as these fascinating AI operations, Bunker Hill is provided with many custom made buildings and ancillary ground vehicles giving the scenery owners a real taste of SAC operations from almost half a century ago.

As with their previous sceneries, the team has struck a good balance between detailing and performance, giving you an accurate rendition of the airbase, without punishing average PC systems. This scenery is available in a single download, with both FSX and FS2004 versions included in the package; a perfect solution for FS2004 users who intend to upgrade to FSX in the future.

Project Airbus Release A318

Posted: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 21:13
Project Airbus has released its latest project, the Airbus A318. The Baby Bus may be less popular with airlines but is certainly considered special. The model contains features such as: opening passenger and cargo doors, animated pack inlets and outflow valves, all operable control surfaces, flexing wings, detailed flap tracks and slat tracks, hydraulics modelled on spoilers and landing gear doors.

Fokker Dr.1 Triplane Released

Posted: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 12:01
Easily the most famous of all World War I planes, the Fokker Dreidecker, was designed by Reinhold Platz and built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke as a response to the success of the British Sopwith Triplane. Used to deadly effect by Manfred von Richthofen (aka "The Red Baron"), the plane gained notoriety beyond what was actually a very frail and unstable aircraft.The secret of the Triplane's performance in combat was its powerful elevator and rudder. The gyroscopic effect from the rotary engine enabled the tiny plane to make right turns and dives faster than any enemy fighters. Although finally made obsolete by the higher speeds of later planes, the Triplane probably marks the highest point in fighter maneuverability. This super scale PRE-Flight model of the Triplane has moveable control surfaces, a realistic Oberursel rotary engine, and highly detailed weaponry. To download this and other models, visit PRE-Flight RC Flight Simulator.

Southern Lakes Adventure: Wanaka & Tekapo

Posted: Sunday, September 28, 2008 - 17:34
'Southern Lakes Adventure: Wanaka & Tekapo' for FSX covers two South Island of New Zealand lake areas and airfields, from here you can explore the Southern Alps or take part in the 'Warbirds Over Wanaka' airshow. Single and multi-player races are included, as well as some FSX missions to help you explore the area. Available on CD or as a download. Visit Godzone Virtual Flight for details.

Authentic 737 NG Yoke Available

Posted: Sunday, September 28, 2008 - 16:43
Now you can fly the Boeing 737 NG how it's meant to be flown. Aircraft Controls Engineering (ACE) has announced the availability of an all metal, specially powder coated, fully realistic 737 Yoke. It has been under development for over two years. Matured to perfection with help from Boeing, various pilots and flight-simulator enthusiasts. With design tolerances of +/- 0.20 mm, the 737 Yoke provides authentic functionality, precision and stability. You also get true "plug-n-play" connectivity through USB for easy installation on multiple platforms without the need for any custom drivers. For complete details visit the Aircraft Controls Engineering website.

FSX C-130 Hercules Released

Posted: Saturday, September 27, 2008 - 15:41
Just Flight is very pleased to announce that C-130 Hercules, one of its most popular titles of recent years, has returned from an extensive re-fit in the Captain Sim workshops and is now released. Existing owners of Just Flight's FS2004 version of C-130 Hercules can get an upgrade disc to add the FSX version to their existing package. The upgrade is available exclusively from Just Flight's website.

C-130 Hercules is the result of over 6,000 hours of meticulous development. It is undoubtedly the most sophisticated re-creation of a military aircraft to grace the simulated skies. Staggering graphics and a superb array of detailed animations are mated to an accurate flight model that has been tested by Hercules crews. It has now been in for a major refit at the Captain Sim development studio and returns fully re-worked for Flight Simulator X with Acceleration, SP2, DX10 Preview and Vista compatibility. The Just Flight package includes E, H J and Gunship variants in 28 authentic liveries. C-130 Hercules also includes a huge printed manual and is fully licensed by Lockheed Martin and the Royal Air Force.

Real 737NG Simulator

Posted: Saturday, September 27, 2008 - 15:33
Horizon Aviation, based in Toronto, Canada launched it's first fully functioning 737NG Simulator. Horizon is the first company in North America to offer the general public the experience and thrill of operating a jet airliner. Modeled after Boeing's 737-800, the fixed base simulator has a full visual system and realistic controls, systems and functions. Pilots can select a range of different packages which will give them the ability to pilot the airliner around or between their favourite cities, or run real world airliner scenarios to test their skill.

Reality XP Launches New Website

Posted: Saturday, September 27, 2008 - 15:22
Reality XP is a leading next-gen simulation services, technology and system integration provider, offering a broad portfolio of products and services for Microsoft Flight Simulator and Enterprise Simulator Platform (ESP). Reality XP's services expertise includes helping businesses develop simulation products, analyzing how developers can most efficiently create simulation content with the Flightsim platforms and leveraging individual talents to publish simTainment™ products. For a complete list of Reality XP flight sim products visit their redesigned webpage.

OZx 1.1 Scenery Update

Posted: Saturday, September 27, 2008 - 15:12
OZx has released an addition to the original OZx 1.0 airfield scenery pack. This update includes a lot more small airfields, some with AFCAD some without, that is sure to bring you hundreds of hours of exploratory fun flying in the Blue and Gold regions of The Great Southern Land. Please visit the OZx website for complete details.

Instructor Station 1.20 Available

Posted: Friday, September 26, 2008 - 13:12
Instructor Station Version 1.20 is now available. Along with it comes the implementation of the Boeing 737 features. New features included: 737 Project Magenta Quick Start-up,; 737 Project Magenta MCP quick-set, 737 Project Magenta pmSystems failures, 737 Fuel Planner, Trim set to Zero at touchdown has been improved, Weather settings corresponding to different ILS approach categories (CAT I, CAT II, etc.) per ICAO Standards. A demo is available from Luis Gordo.

The Instructor Station is meant to assist PC Simmers and Cockpit Builders using Flight Simulator (FS2004, FSX). Many features are available for Project Magenta users (Boeing 737 & Airbus A320 series suites). The station is compatible with all types of aircraft within FS. The Instructor Station allows you to set your aircraft on approach to a runway of your choice under any weather conditions, start-up and shutdown your network computers (fully customizable), program or set an aircraft systems failure at any moment, calculate the amount of fuel required for your trip and load it to the aircraft, record the performance of your flight (landings, take-offs, etc.) and plot it graphically, and many other features. Visit the link above for a demo and more details.

Boeing 757 Pro Pack from Captain Sim

Posted: Thursday, September 25, 2008 - 1:15
Staff reviewer Angelique van Campen climbs aboard Captain Sim's 757 variants with a detailed look at the Boeing 757 Pro Pack. "The 757 is a twin-engine, new technology jet airplane designed for low fuel burn and short-to-medium range operations. This airplane uses new aerodynamics, materials, structures, and systems to fill market requirements that cannot be efficiently provided by existing equipment or derivatives."

"This is really the first MSFS model I’ve ever seen creating an external model which reflects, within the boundaries of MSFS, an almost perfect model. What makes this CS 757 Series so much different than all the other MSFS aircraft or competitive 757’s? It's not only those tiny details, which are available on CS models, it’s also the painting and above all, the aircraft maintenance state in which you can configure this aircraft. Via a handy floating menu, you’re able to change so many things."

"How realistic is the Captain Sim Virtual Cockpit (CS VC) in relation to the real 757 cockpit or flight deck? It will be very difficult to tell the difference since the CS VC is based on digitalized photo images. The overall view of the cockpit is very good and highly realistic, even close-up shots are still impressive. Indicators are still sharp and so realistic that you hardly believe it’s a MSFS simulated model. The external aircraft model and the 2D/VC cockpits are all awesome"

"“I’m not a real 757 pilot, so I don’t have any real 757 flight experience” is becoming a standard expression in reviews and thus judging the flight characteristics or dynamics of such an airplane is not that easy." So Angelique took the aircraft on a test flight and put the 757 through its paces. The details of which are extensive and informative.

Concluding this very detailed review of Captain Sim's Boeing 757 Pro Pack, Angelique summerizes with, "I’ve seen many add-on aircraft, but this is one of a very limited group who have created a model of very high quality, in my personal opinion. It comes with comprehensive and clearly written manuals. You get great looking 2D and VC cockpits and for the external model, I can’t find any other word for it than “awesome”. Well done Captain Sim."

feelThere Releases "Map"

Posted: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - 1:47
Just like the cabin screens in a real airliner's passenger cabin MAP! will display the track of your flight. In addition, a sequence of screens shows a variety of flight information such as elapsed and remaining time, distance, altitude, wind information, and temperature (to name just a few). MAP! is compatible with all default and add-on airplanes or helicopters. MAP! reads the time zone information from FS and is compatible with both FS9 and FSX.

TSS Release ATR Sound-Pack

Posted: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 - 16:24
There are many aspects that make up a flight simulator and there are constant improvements on all fronts – aircraft, panels, scenery, textures – creating that immersive environment. However, often neglected is the sound environment, and Turbine Sound Studios (TSS) have just released another authentic sound-pack, this time for the ATR 42/-72 with the Pratt & Whitney Canada engine. The sound-pack features custom sounds for the autopilot, stall-warning, wind, gear, flaps, engine start-up / shutdown, touchdown, ground rolling and also features real idle feather mode sound. You can view a preview video clip , and head directly to Turbine Sound Studios for more information on the ATR and other sound-packs.

Space Shuttle Mission 2007™ - STS-98 Released

Posted: Monday, September 22, 2008 - 20:37
STS-98 started with the liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on Feb 7th, 2001. The mission's highlight was the delivery and installation of the USA Destiny Lab at the International Space Station. Mission Specialists Tom Jones and Robert Curbeam conducted three space walks during the mission totaling nearly 20 hours of Extra Vehicular Activity. The addition of the Destiny Lab module greatly increased the habitable volume of the International Space Station.

Destiny is at the center of scientific exploration aboard the orbiting outpost, enabling experiments requiring Microgravity environment which will be performed there for years to come after Destiny's racks were delivered. Destiny also has a special optical glass window through which the crew can look outside and take high quality pictures of Earth. STS-98 concluded with an uneventful Atlantis landing at Edwards AFB on February 20th, 2001.

In the best SSM2007 tradition, the budding astronauts will experience first-hand the historical liftoff, On-Orbit ops including the Destiny deployment and installation, Extra Vehicular Activities, Deorbit, Reentry and manually Landing the Shuttle at the Edwards AFB.

The Space Shuttle Mission 2007™ is available in downloadable format at the SSM2007 official website. The latest Demo can also be downloaded freely at the same website.

Aerosoft Releases Standalone Subway Simulator

Posted: Monday, September 22, 2008 - 20:28
World of Subways Vol 1: New York Underground "The Path" covers one of the most important subways routes of New York. Starting in New Jersey the 50 kilometer Path route ends in downtown Manhattan and over 40% is above ground. This is a complete simulator, not an add-on for an existing train simulator. Aerosoft told us interest from flight simmers was pretty high so you might that a look at this new simulator.

The simulator is very modern and uses an advanced game engine with superb graphics and animation and uses a complex scoring system to track your progress. The physics behind the simulation is based on highly realistic models making this one of the more advanced simulations available.

German Airports 2 - Leipzig/Halle from Aerosoft

Posted: Sunday, September 21, 2008 - 18:33
New staff reviewer Marlon Carter Flies the German skies with Aerosoft's German Airports 2 - Liepzig/Halle. "Leipzig/Halle Airport, sometimes called Schkeuditz Airport (EDDP), serves Leipzig, Saxony and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany."

"The terminals, after being compared to real photos found online, are indeed very accurate and up to date. While they are very detailed they do not rob us of precious frame rates. The ground textures were apparently created from high definition aerial photographs and adds even more to the realism of this scenery package."

"Some of the features that stand out are the AES light, Taxiway Bridge over the highway and the animated trains. Taxiing to the runway and passing over the highway is a big treat and by far one of the features many can enjoy as part of enhancing the virtual flight experience. Over at the DHL cargo area, the atmosphere is no different. With static aircraft enabled, DHL aircraft can be spotted with more cargo ramp equipment making their way around the aircraft."

"In the event that anyone is worried the about loss of frame rates, there are tools provided that will enable you to tweak the performance and display features. Tools such as the CarConfig Tool can adjust the areas where you may want vehicle and train traffic displayed. Also, by adjusting the density of the dynamic ground scenery in your version of MSFS, performance issues can be adjusted with regard to ground traffic."

"This is a marvelous product. Features provided in Aerosoft's German Airports 2 - Liepzig/Halle are refreshing to the virtual flying experience and makes virtual flying very realistic."