August 23, 2008 - September 3, 2008

Wilco Publishing Announces Updates

Posted: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 - 1:29
TOWER SIMULATOR : Version 1.2 is now out. List of improvements and Upgrade can be found at the Tower Sim website.

E-JETS SERIES : Version 1.5 is now out. The upgrade file and a list of improvements can be found at the Wilco Publishing website.

Eaglesoft FSX Cirrus SR22G2 Free Upgrade

Posted: Tuesday, September 2, 2008 - 11:41
EagleSoft releases FSX SR22 Free Update to Full FSX/SP2/DX10 Compliance. Additionally this Upgrade adds Scimitar Prop and 16:9 Ratio Widescreen Panels and VC Window Tint toggle, spot view dolly as well as enhancements to the model and its performance, reduced drawcalls, graphics card friendly 1024 X 1024 dds used textures throughout to ensure optimum framerates. This FSX SR22 Upgrade is provided at NO COST to owners of the original FSX Cirrus SR22, current owners may simply redownload and reinstall using their original Key and Password. For a look at this release visit the EagleSoft hanger.

P-38 Lightning from Just Flight

Posted: Tuesday, September 2, 2008 - 2:14
New staff reviewer Colin McFadden takes the "Fork-tailed Devil" for a test flight with Just Flight/Aeroplane Heaven's version of the P-38 Lightning.

"Aeroplane Heaven created a beautiful model. There is a large array of animated features on the P38 Lightning. Animated features include the window hatch (main exit), flaps, landing gear, propeller mixture, operating guns, opening gun and camera bays; this is on top of all the normal animations you would expect in any aircraft."

"This add-on is a virtual cockpit only aircraft. When you finally hop in, you will see a bunch of switches and steam gauges, and of course, the always recognizable throttle quadrant. The documentation labels almost every gauge and switch inside of the virtual cockpit. It is a very well laid out cockpit, and after a couple days of familiarization, you’ll be a pro!"

"After flying the flight simulator version of this aircraft, you’ll quickly find out this is no Airbus or Boeing! It takes a lot of getting used to, as many aspects of flight can be very difficult if you don’t read the documentation. For the most efficient flight, you need to manage your engine and speed according to your altitude."

"The P38 Lightning by Just Flight/Aeroplane Heaven is a highly detailed, smooth, and frame rate friendly FS2004 aircraft add-on. This title could run on most systems without much lag or jerkiness. If you enjoy flying WWII aircraft, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second in telling you to get this P38 Lightning."

The Library Needs Your Support

Posted: Tuesday, September 2, 2008 - 0:23
The AVSim File Library has a volunteer Library Technician opening. Duties include reviewing files, and communicating with AVSIM supporters. Individuals interested must be able to check pending files and e-mail frequently (generally at least twice a day, 4-7 days a week). After successful training and an observation period, you will then change titles to Library Manager. There is no set schedule, it's strictly upon availability. All interested applicants, please be familiar with e-mail and with a web browser. Serious applicants, please e-mail Chase Kreznor, Library Executive Director, with some basic information about yourself, any questions you may have for us, and how you could help give back to this wonderful community!

To demonstrate the level of convenience of serving with AVSIM, some of our library managers are even able to check in while at their jobs during quiet periods of time. The position also holds some very challenging and rewarding moments to be had. If you have applied in the past, we ask that you please resubmit your request. This will show you are still interested, rather than following up with an enormous amount of individuals. Thank you for your consideration.

Bellance Viking Collection from Lionheart Creations

Posted: Saturday, August 30, 2008 - 19:20
Staff reviewer Jason McKee looks at Lionheart Creations' Bellanca Viking Collection. "The Bellanca Super Viking and Turbo Viking is a throwback to older times when wood, steel tube and fabric were the main materials of choice for building fast and strong aircraft. But the aircraft are as strong and as fast as some of the more contemporary aircraft made of more exotic materials."

"The aircraft looks nice and round, with no sharp edges where there should not be sharp edges. The FS2004 model has also been given the same polish, but due to the limitations of FS2004, it is slightly less polished than the FSX version. The virtual cockpit is a model in its own right and looks just like a well maintained, but well used, aircraft should."

"The panels of the Super Viking and Turbo Viking are close to a factory produced aircraft with the primary instruments on the left hand side and radios on the right. You can fly the aircraft from the right, but you will be looking to the left at the primary instruments, as with most aircraft of this type. Animations abound inside the virtual cockpit."

"The airfile of the Viking is a work of art. Yes, I think of airfiles as art. The airfiles of the Viking are great. It flies within the specifications as published by the manufacturer and websites I have found. The sounds of the Viking are realistic. Flaps and gear sounds are accurate and nicely add to the cockpit ambiance."

"I really enjoyed flying the Viking," says Jason, "it is a smooth and fast four seater that has good short field performance. This has become one of my favorite aircraft to cruise around in. The Viking is an aircraft that would suit anyone who loves GA aircraft or those heavy metal fliers who want a bit of a change. I'd highly recommend this package to anyone."

A2A Simulations Release Patch And New Aircraft

Posted: Friday, August 29, 2008 - 18:20
A2A Simulations, has released a patch for their Wings of POWER II: P47 “Thunderbolt” for FSX. This patch is to correct issues related to the P47 found in the WWII FIGHTERS pack for FSX only and as such is not needed for those who are running FS2004. Features addressed by the patch include:

  • Aircraft can now be exported with native FSX tools

  • SP2/Acceleration support has been added

  • Prop clipping fixed

  • Light bloom black screen bug fixed

  • Additional minor FSX fixes

    A2A have also released the Thunderbolt under their new “Solo” line of aircraft, which is compatible with both FS2004 and FSX..."The P47 marks the third FSX native update, following the prior Spitfire and Messerschmitt Me109. The Thunderbolt looks even more beautiful with the new FSX lighting. Now that the P47 is native to Flight Simulator X, we have additionally released it as part of our “Solo” line for those who wish to experience the aircraft. We wish to thank all of our loyal customers for their continued support,” said Scott Gentile of Air to Air Simulations Inc.

    Screenshots can be viewed here and the patch for FSX can be downloaded directly from here. For general information about A2A Simulations, check out their official website.

    FTX Releases Freeware: Launceston - Version 2

    Posted: Friday, August 29, 2008 - 11:38
    FTX has released a freeware airfield: YMLT in Tasmania, AUS. This revision of crowd favorite: "Lonny," gets brand new hangars, new vehicle libraries, grass skirtings, a higher resolution ground terrain and many improvements to the visual appearance of the entire airport.

    It also features a brand new ACFAD completely integrated into the photoreal scenery, offering crisp taxiway lines blended seamlessly into the tarmac imagery. Also included is full support for the FTX AI Traffic addon. For more details visit FTX at their official website.

    Simflyer® Release Update for Series X Products

    Posted: Friday, August 29, 2008 - 10:55
    SimFlyer® have released an update for their Series X line of products. The SR3 update is FREE to all customers that have a valid version of the Series X products installed. The changes include revised gauge code to provide optimal performance with Microsoft® Flight Simulator X (SP2) and Direct X 10 as well as fixes for some minor issues resulting from the release of Microsoft® Windows XP SP3 and Vista SP1.

    To find out how to get your FREE update to SR3 visit the “News and Announcements” area at the Simflyer website.

    Kaman SH-2 Seasprite Released

    Posted: Thursday, August 28, 2008 - 19:40
    AlphaSim have release the Kaman SH-2 Seasprite for FS2004 and FSX. The 6 phenonomal texture sets show amazing attention to detail and are enhanced further by FSX's bump mapping and self-shadowing features. The New Zealand and Australian models carry a superbly-detailed M60 machine gun AGM-65 Mavericks and a FLIR turret. The virtual cockpit is a tour de force - it exceeds even the amazing H-60 and Ka-50 cockpits in terms of realism and usability. Cockpit self-shadowing is also available to FSX DX10 users. The soundset was supplied by TSS and is the best helicopter sounds package we've heard, including start-up and shut-down sounds. The flight model was carefully tuned and provides a realistically agile flight envelope for this sprightly machine. A 60-page, colour illustrated user manual covers all aspects of the package. Helicopter fans should not miss this release, so head directly to AlphaSim.

    Boeing B-29 Superfortress Freeware

    Posted: Thursday, August 28, 2008 - 1:08
    PRE-Flight announces the Boeing B-29 Superfortress is now available for free downloading. Called "The Plane that Won the War", the Boeing B-29 Superfortress was one of the most advanced bombers of its time - featuring innovations like remote-controlled gun turrets and a fully pressurized cabin. So advanced was its design that it was used long after its first flight in 1942 - it was only retired from service in the 1960s. It was also copied down to the rivets by the Soviet Union and called the Tupolev Tu-4.

    The most famous of the 3,970 B-29s that were built is the "Enola Gay", the bomber that delivered the first atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, forever changing the face of warfare. Long after World War II, the B-29 saw service in the Korean conflict and was used in various duties like in-flight refueling, exprimental aircraft testing, and even as a a flying relay television transmitter (because of its high-altitude capability).

    Flight Illusion Release New Instruments

    Posted: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 - 13:38
    Flight Illusion proudly presents the new range of navigational instruments for use with flight simulator. Developers at Flight illusion have closed the gap and released the last instruments in the general aviation segment. After the turn & bank coordinator and the F16 gauges, this is the third release of new products in 2008. The range includes a VOR 1 (with ILS functionality) a VOR2 and an ADF indicator. The new gauges are an answer to many customers requests, and offer the full functionality of navigational instruments. The VOR gauges have a rotating compass rose linked to the OBS knob, 1 or 2 needle pointers that center in relation to the planes position on the glide scope, localizer or bearing. The gauges also show the status (FROM / TO / OFF / GS) as the plane flies. The ADF gauge shows the bearing to the ADF transmitter. The gauges are available separately or as a set, and connect to the central interface GSA-55 along with version 6.0 of the software. Together with the basic six instrument set, the engine gauges and the Collins-style radio set, the navigational gauges allow to build a full GA panel, as was already the case for the B737 and KA35 panels.

    Flight Illusion offers a wide variety of analogue gauges which can be used in different panel setups. The range includes gauges for MIP panels, standby gauges, overhead gauges, different sort of radio modules, engine gauges and an input/output module. With more than 60 different gauge types available as well as the possibility to customize generic gauges. If you are interested, head directly to Flight Illusion .

    Kai Tak from Fly Tampa

    Posted: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 - 2:10
    Staff reviewer Mark Kolo braves the elements and the unique approach aspects of Fly Tampa's Kai Tak International Airport. "Though closed in 1998, the iconic Hong Kong Kai Tak International Airport is still one of the world’s most recognizable airports, thanks to the infamous IGS approach to runway 13. On July 6, 1998, after 74 years of heart stopping landings, Kai Tak was officially closed with the final departure: Cathay Pacific Flight 3340 departed runway 13."

    "FlyKaiTak is more that just an airport scenery. It contains scenery, mesh, landclass, and photoground for the city of Hong Kong, more specifically the Kowloon neighborhood. The scenery also contains many effects and AI features that enhance the realism and feel of Kai Tak. The Main Apron and terminal area of Kai Tak was the original parking area at Kai Tak during the passenger era, with the east and south aprons being added later."

    "The East Apron of Kai Tak is home to HAECO Airplane Maintenance, overflow parking for airliners, the Kai Tak cargo terminal, and the remains of China Airlines 605 which crashed at Kai Tak in 1993. Kai Tak’s South Apron is inhabited by the ever present static aircraft. (Passenger Versions)"

    "Kai Tak’s only runway (13-31) is a thing of beauty, marked with years worth of tire skid marks from countless heavies landing in stiff crosswinds. The main goal of this scenery is, in my opinion, to replicate the famous IGS checkerboard approach to runway 13, and I believe that Fly Tampa hit the nail right on the head. The Kowloon city scenery is stunningly replicated under the approach, including all the lighting and buildings."

    "Unlike the other Fly Tampa products that I have tested, Kai Tak has a noticeable impact on performance. Even though it has a higher frame rate impact than others that I have tried, the extensive installation options allow it to run on lower end hardware."

    "Thanks to Fly Tampa, Kai Tak is now re-opened. Despite the two issues with this scenery it is definitely a winner in my book. Unlike most scenery packages, you get most of a densely packed city as well as the airport in the package, and it is all extremely well executed. I truly enjoyed my time at Kai Tak, and it will be an overseas destination of mine for years to come!"

    FSGenesis Mexico Terrain Mesh for FSX

    Posted: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 13:51
    FSGenesis today announced the completion and availability of their 'Mexico Terrain Mesh for FSX', Version 2. The FSG V2 series represents a significant enhancement from previous versions - not only addressing the plateaus at thousands of airports, but increasing the vertical resolution from 1m to .25m. FSG Mexico Terrain Mesh for FSX increases the horizontal resolution in Mexico by a factor of 16 over the default terrain, and more than 50 airports in Mexico were cross-referenced with Google Earth and Virtual Earth, moved and adjusted as necessary to conform to their real-world locations, resulting in a product virtually free of plateaus across the coverage area. Mexico Terrain Mesh V2 is available via download or CD, and more information can be had at FSGenesis.

    Beale AFB from AlphaSim

    Posted: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 2:59
    Senior staff reviewer touches down at Beale Air Force Base from AlphaSim and reports that, "Beale AFB is a small add-on for FSX that will give you a few enhancements around its military-grade runway. The package was originally made for FS9 and was ported into FSX. AlphaSim's intent seems to be to use Beale AFB as a home for another product, the AlphaSim SR-71. You can have Beale AFB on its own, or you can also buy the SR-71 and use Beale AFB as a staging point for reconnaissance missions."

    "AlphaSim's Beale AFB comes with four flying AI aircraft: the SR-71 Blackbird, the KC-135Q support tanker, and the RC-135W and U-2R surveillance jets. Some black-clad Northrop T-38's are included as static aircraft. You might have to pretend that you have gone back in time to the 1970's when you visit AlphaSim's Beale AFB, as most of the aircraft that are included with the scenery have in the real world either been dismantled or redistributed to other bases. Only the historic U-2 spy plane has resisted the budget cuts and reallocations."

    "After the loss of the SR-71 program, the real-world Beale AFB faces new missions. It is host to the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and the massive pyramidal PAVE PAWS radar array. Unfortunately, the AlphaSim version of Beale AFB does not include these features."

    "The buildings I found with AlphaSim's Beale AFB seem to be few and unimpressive by FSX standards. There are a couple of token animated pieces that I feel would have looked better had they been omitted. Features like parking lots, most roads, and trees have been left out. Landmarks like the PAVE PAWS site are totally absent. AlphaSim's AI aircraft fare better than the buildings. Although they probably would look more at home in FS9, the aircraft have a decent amount of detail and look attractive enough."

    "Overall, this Beale Air Force Base scenery is okay if you don't expect too much from it. I think it's a fair base of operations if you own the add-on SR-71, as the AI aircraft are handy for mid-air refueling if you want to perform a realistic Blackbird flight."

    FSX C U206G II Stationair Released

    Posted: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 0:58
    Carenado announces the release of the C U206G II Stationair in its regular, cargo and amphibian versions. This aircraft takes advantage of all the new features FSX and DX10 allow like cast shadows on VC, external dynamic cast shadows, normal mapping, specular mapping and bloom lights. This aircraft now belongs to Carenado's exclusive FSX fleet.

    FSNorthwest Release Two Classic Aircraft

    Posted: Monday, August 25, 2008 - 12:38
    FSNorthwest is pleased to announce the release of two classic aircraft by Milton Shupe for FSX: "We are excited about being able to bring the Sparan Exec and the Howard 500 to FSX" said M. Allen Richards, owner of FSNorthwest, "and we thank Milton Shupe for his permission and support". Both aircraft are fully recompiled from the original source files to be fully FSX SP2 compatible. Released as freeware these aircraft can be downloaded from the homepage.

    IVAO Belgium To Hold FS Lan Party

    Posted: Monday, August 25, 2008 - 12:30
    IVAO Belgium invites you to the '7th FS Lan Party' to be held on September 20, 2008 in Everberg, Belgium. For the seventh year in succession the Belgian division of IVAO, presents an opportunity to the flight simulation enthusiast to not only fly or control with their own personal computers but also personally meet other flight simulation fans.

    "This event has something for everyone; for our friends eager to learn about online flying, this party will be an ideal venue to learn the secrets of 'Online Flying' and be a part of the ever-growing online flight simulation community." Be part of this exciting event and register now. More information about the event can be found at their website.

    Digital Aviation Update The Fokker 70

    Posted: Monday, August 25, 2008 - 12:15
    Digital Aviation has released SP1 for the Fokker 70/100 available for both FS9 and FSX. The update contains a number of fixes and enhancements. To download the patch and instructions visit the D.A. forums.

    Instructor Station Version 1.10 Released

    Posted: Sunday, August 24, 2008 - 15:54
    Luis Gordo has announced that Instructor Station Version 1.10 is now available. Luis writes, "This utility is meant to assist Home Cockpit Builders using FS2004. Also many features are available for Project Magenta users (pmSystems, Glass Cockpit, MCDU, FCU). Compatible with all types of aircraft! It is also a great tool for any simmers who want to control the flight simulator externally."

    The Instructor Station allows you to set your aircraft on an 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 additional features! Luis writes, "If you already own Project Magenta's Instructor Station, you will probably not get much more features with this tool. However, if looking for a simpler and less processor consuming application, you may find this program to be very useful." There is also a demo available. For more information, visit Instructor Station.

    Epic LT from Lionheart Creations

    Posted: Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 19:21
    New staff reviewer Kylan Walters kicks off his AVSIM reviewing career with Lionheart's Epic LT. "The aircraft shares many visual similarities to the C400. The aircraft has a very small wheel base, large wings, a Turbo Prop engine, aerodynamic wing tips and retractable gear. It also includes a radically new designed interior compared to the C400."

    "The model is well done, and very smooth and sleek. I dare you to try to spot a elevated polygon in this model, because the smoothness of the exterior is just amazing and reflects the look of the real thing spot on. I was very impressed with the general looks of the aircraft."

    "The VC was very refreshing. It was complete in all aspects and offered smooth gauges, including very smooth throttle controls and switches. I also noticed performance with the VC was acceptable in both FSX and FS9. Another welcomed feature was the rudder pedals and yoke move ment, both very fluid as well. The 2D panel is well implemented with a nice view of the panel while not sacrificing external visual reference."

    "The sounds are very nice and believable. When you push the throttle to 100% and listen to those engines spool up, it’s a very relaxing but powerful sound. The airfile exposed a few issues in terms of the Flight Dynamics of the LT. The elevator effectiveness is quite touchy in FSX only."

    Wrapping up Lionheart's Epic LT, Kylan comments, "For those used to flying the heavy iron or small Cessna’s, this aircraft really fulfilled all my expectations of such a beautiful, powerful, and unique aircraft. If you love GA, you’ll love the Epic, especially if you’re a fan of the Cessna 400 or the PC-12."