C208B GRAND CARAVAN HD SERIES

Posted: Thursday, August 26, 2010 - 12:47
Carenado has released the C208B GRAND CARAVAN HD SERIES for FSX. Featuring Hi Definition textures (2048 x 2048) and Five different paint schemes plus a blank texture for repainting, other features include a customizable panel for controlling seat configuration, windows transparency, 3D Knobs, cargo pod, doors opening and eyes candie such as, wheel chokes, pitot cover, tail stand and sights prop and custom Bendix/King Weather Radar and original GNS 430.
Original HQ digital stereo sounds were recorded directly from a real PT6A (Pratt & Whitney Canada) engine, the package was tested by real C208B pilots and comes with PDF documents for Normal and Emergency Checklists, GNS430 User Guide, Weather Radar Manual, C208B Reference, AVSS manual and VC diagram plus the traditional high quality and friendly FPS of Carenado, visit their Hanger for a preflight inspection.

AVSIM Social - October

Posted: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - 14:27
The next Avsim Flight Sim Social will be held at the Atlanta Airport Hilton at 1031 Virginia Avenue at 6:30pm on Saturday October 2nd. All flight sim enthusiasts in the Atlanta area are invited to this informal event. Each attendee will be responsible for his/her charges for drinks and food. Just look for the flight sim crowd in the bar area. See you there!

Upcoming Calendar Events

Posted: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - 11:39
Avsim's forum features a Calendar of Events in three sections: Community , IVAO & Vatsim Events. Available to our members for keeping up to date on upcoming events on the flight server networks and within the community at large. This feature is going to become ever more useful in planning your online simming agenda as our members and the organizations that serve them make use of the system to keep us up to date on their events scheduling.

Maldives X from Aerosoft

Posted: Saturday, August 21, 2010 - 17:37
Staff reviewer Jason McKee goes on vacation while checking out Aerosoft's Maldives X. "The Maldives Atolls stretch over an area of about 90,000 square kilometers. There are 26 double chain atolls in the Maldives territory which run in a north-south direction. Maldives is one of the smallest Asian countries and is the lowest country on the planet with the highest point on the atolls being just 2.3 meters above sea level. There are several airports in Maldives, there is two international airports at Gan and Malé, there are also three domestic airports at Hanimaadhoo, Kaadedhdhoo and Kadhdhoo. But by far the most popular and easiest way around is by amphibian seaplane."

"Aerosoft has included a fully detailed version of Malé International Airport in this package. The airport is also fully compliant with the AES system and uses zero credits, so you get to use AES for free. Aerosoft’s version of Malé looks spot on, with well detailed buildings and very nicely done night lighting."

"Beside Malé airport is the Malé seaplane base, this is the home for the Twin Otter seaplanes. The seaplane base itself is well detailed, with the piers for the seaplanes to unload and load passengers included. Aerosoft has covered the North Malé Atoll and the South Malé Atoll with the package. Covered in the package are seventeen seaplane bases which service the resorts spread around the atolls."

"Will it run on my computer? On my PC this scenery works really well, with no dips below 25fps. Even with heavy traffic and not so nice weather I struggled to get below 20fps. Overall Maldives X is a great scenery to have, not only does it cover the long haul fliers with a good representation of Malé International (with AES for free), it also covers the VFR fliers with some stunning scenery of the Atolls. If you fly with an amphibian even better."

Captain Sim Releases 707 Captain

Posted: Saturday, August 21, 2010 - 16:12
To continue the popular series of Pro Line products, Captain Sim is pleased to introduce the 707 Captain family of expansions for FSX.

PRE-Flight RC - Sikorsky Firefly

Posted: Saturday, August 21, 2010 - 16:07
PRE-Flight RC Simulator is pleased to announce the release of the Sikorsky Firefly for free download. A close descendant of the Sikorsky Firefly may well be what we would be flying everyday to work or leisure in the near future. The Firefly will be the first electric helicopter in history, offering up to 91% efficiency (as opposed 26% on a typical internal-combustion engine), ultra-low noise levels, and zero-emission.

The Firefly is a demonstrator based on the old Hughes S-300 and fitted with a 190hp electric motor and powered by lithium-ion batteries. The expected endurance is only 15 minutes but will improve exponentially as new batteries (possibly lithium-air anodeless) push the flying time to over 3 hours and beyond. RC Helicopter flyers will note that the 15 minutes flight duration is about the same as the average electric RC helicopter - also running on lithium (polymer) batteries. This PRE-Flight model of this soon-to-make-history aircraft is full of accurate detail - even to the sound of the almost whisper-quiet electric motor.

Discus X from Aerosoft

Posted: Friday, August 20, 2010 - 23:35
Another new staff reviewer makes his mark by soaring into AVSIM with Aerosoft's Discus X. "Aerosoft has created the very first commercial glider add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The Discus is a high performance glider designed by the Schempp-Hirth company in Germany in the 1980s, and was the first sailplane to feature the distinctive swept-back leading edge that reduces drag."

"The external model captures the graceful lines of the real aircraft wonderfully. There are several variations provided, each of which offers a different wing layout - the span varies and some are fitted with drag-reducing winglets. The model is animated, with the undercarriage, control surfaces and spoilers recreated faithfully. The wings also flex in response to the environment. In addition to the conventional glider, Aerosoft has included two powered options, the Discus BT and BM."

"The Discus is not supplied with a 2D panel, so all of your time will be spent in the virtual cockpit. Aerosoft has done an excellent job with the panel which is well laid out with some surprisingly sophisticated instruments. Each model is equipped with an airspeed indicator, an altimeter and at least one vario. A vario (or variometer) is a highly sensitive vertical speed indicator with some special features. The overall effect of the cockpit is very pleasing. The textures of the instruments are crisp, even when viewed closely, and the gauges are very smooth."

"Flight without power doesn’t mean flight without sound, and the Discus demonstrates this well. The package comes with over 100 custom-made sounds, controlled by a special gauge which responds to the FSX environment. From the whistle of the air flowing around the cockpit to the rumble of the wheel over a rough field, the sounds are handled exceptionally well. You can even hear the creaking of the wings as you fly through turbulence."

"Gliders in MSFS have always struggled with the task of getting off the ground. Aerosoft has provided an alternative by partnering with Peter Lürkens, a German developer who has created a wonderful little piece of software called WinchX. This is designed to simulate the standard winch launching of gliders, and allows the user to select the height and speed of the tow."

"I believe Aerosoft has set a very high standard, as Discus X is a superbly created aircraft. The addition of WinchX and CumulusX make this a complete package that will transform the way FSX handles gliding. The accuracy of the flight model combined with the vast amount of documentation provided means that soaring enthusiasts can finally use FSX as a serious gliding simulator, and maybe even as a trainer."

E-Jets V2 World Airliners Liveries

Posted: Friday, August 20, 2010 - 22:36
"I can honestly say that the McPhat liveries are so essential to this aircraft that I purchased them myself separately. The McPhat liveries take the E-Jets models to a different level.", is what AVSIM Staff Reviewer David Rogers said two years ago about the textures we did for the E-Jet v1.

But, if that was two years ago... Imagine what we came up with now on the E-Jet v2...McPhat has just released twenty high quality liveries for FeelThere's new E-Jets v2, this time on the longer, sleeker, sexier 175 and 195, for both FS9 and FSX.

On The Horizon

Posted: Friday, August 20, 2010 - 22:31
The Worldsceneries, the largest developer of additional scenarios in South America since 1999 has been reactivated and it is working on updates to their best sellers scenarios such as Wonderful Rio (Rio de Janeiro), Amazonia, Fernando de Noronha and many others. The company returns to market with the new name XSCENA, and will have versions for MSFS and X-Plane. In X-Plane it will have versions for Mac and Linux. Great scenery of Sao Paulo is the first scenery to be launched - ideal for fixed and rotary wings pilots, containing more then 300 operational helipoints.

CLS 767 SP3 Available

Posted: Friday, August 20, 2010 - 22:16
Commercial Level Simulations is pleased to announce that Service Pack 3 for their Boeing 767 is now available in the downloads section of the CLS website.

FSWidgets iGMap for iPhone 1.1

Posted: Friday, August 20, 2010 - 14:47
FSWidgets has released Version 1.1 of their moving map application for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. This update includes: Flight Plan Display; supports native FSX, FS2004 & X-Plane flight plan files; a New Map Type; US Sectional Charts, seamless coverage for entire contiguous USA; and Landscape Orientation Display Support.

With iOS 4.0 (and iOS 3.2 on the iPad) you can now easily drag and drop your flight plan files to the device via USB on the Apps tab in iTunes. For a full list of supported features please see the iGMap info page.

OZx Liguria Photoreal X 1.0 Released

Posted: Friday, August 20, 2010 - 14:43
OZx is pleased to announce a new production, this time is another Italian region, Liguria the natural extension of Tuscany, already published The original idea was to develop the city of Genova, with its airport LIMJ and obviously all the surround. Then another smaller city, Sestri Levante, was added, with all its tipicals buildings.... Well, two cities, it's ok. But why not to add the photoreal for the entire region? It's all that they did in this scenery. The area is large, and very interesting to visit, one of the beautiest italian coastline and Genova one of the most important harbour, industrial and civil. The scenery is for FSX SP2 at a resolution of 2m/pixel, except Genova, at 1m/pixel.

Autogen has been done only for Genova city (pretty large), instead Sestri Levante has got all custom objects, all the buildings have their own textures. You can fly also in the night, and flying above Genova in the night is a beautiful experience. Only the summer season though. The airport of Genova, LIMJ, has been totally customized, with custom 3D objects. For OZx, the performances are important, expecially when you fly above a complex scenery like this. And for this, they worked hard trying to obtain the best performances so you can really enjoy the scenery.

F/A-18E Super Hornet from Vertical Reality Simulations

Posted: Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 2:18
Staff reviewer Mark Kolo goes supersonic in Vertical Reality Simulations' F/A-18E Super Hornet. "VRS’s FS2004 version won high praise among the sim community, introducing not only high degrees of systems programming, but also introducing weapons! After a long wait, a completely new model has finally been introduced for FSX, and after some early glitches with the fly by wire system, has come of age as one of, if not the finest fighter aircraft created for FS."

"Besides being seemingly 100% accurate, the VC is great for flying, with all aspects easy to see and easy to interpret. Just like the real thing, all information critical to flying and the mission is available to the pilot front and center on the HUD, and all other information and data (such as frequencies) are easy to see on the up front control directly below the HUD. Overall this VC is absolutely top notch, with the only possible complaints being it's too detailed."

"Starting at the nose, the fairings for the center mounted M61 Vulcan 20mm cannon are faithfully reproduced. Moving back, the smooth transition into the beautiful bubble canopy is accurately reproduced, as are the air data sensors (Pitot tubes, AOA Probe, etc) and forward antennas. Moving back to the wings and strakes, I have always liked the way the Hornet looks, and VRS definitely captured that essence. Not only is the external aspect of this modeled, but the internal hinges and inner workings of the wing fold are modeled too."

"VRS includes literally dozens (42) of beautiful textures for the F/A-18E for FSX, representing a full compliment of Super Hornets, from the flight test paint jobs with reference markings, to regular line jets for numerous line (VFA) and flight test/evaluation (VX) squadrons, and of course a few beautiful Commander and CAG schemes for some of the included squadrons, plus a fictional set of textures for Blue Angels 1-6."

"My general impression of flying the Hornet was one of what I have to assume is not only accuracy, but also a challenging and fun flight model enabled by the CAS/Fly By Wire logic. Perhaps the best indication of accuracy was the fact that, using a real world airshow performer’s diagram of the 2009 Selfridge Airshow, I was able to make a reasonable effort at mimicking the maneuvers flown by the F model Hornet from the show from the low transition takeoff to the high alpha pass, to the pitch rate demo, all using the checkpoints outlined on the diagram."

"The VRS team paid such attention to detail that I feel that this F/A-18E Super Hornet could probably be used as a desktop level simulator for procedures training for real world Hornet pilots. All in all I had a ton of fun flying and testing this aircraft, everything about it is top notch and goes above and beyond what is expected in FS add-ons, and will forever change my idea of what a high quality fully programmed aircraft really is."

Latest Releases From Aerosoft

Posted: Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 0:39
Cuzco X - Aerosoft released a dangerous and exciting airport, Aeropuerto Alejandro Velasco Astete Intl, also known as "Cuzco airport" is well known as one of the most challenging airports in the world. Just go to YouTube and you will find enough videos to proof that point.

The combination of high altitude (10.800 feet) hot summers, mountain weather conditions and the lack of navigation aids will make you sit up and pay attention with every landing. The high end scenery includes a detailed manual appendix on high altitude operations and a mission to show how the complex landing procedure is flown. The city and immediate surrounding are also included.

Koz X - The Greek island Kos is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the Aegean. Kos International Airport "Hippocrates" is situated in an idyllic atmosphere, directly by the sea and between two ridges. It is particularly approached by European charter airlines during the summer.

The airport is a faithful copy of all original airport buildings. Accommodated landclasses, coastlines, and a detailed mesh for the entire island ensure that the airport is beautifully embedded in the countryside. Various details, different scenery-effects and many little objects provide a lively atmosphere at the airport.

Carenado Enters X-Plane Market

Posted: Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 0:24
Carenado is pleased to announce its entry to the X-Plane aircraft add-on market. All Carenado aircraft for X-Plane will have the same quality standards as they have in FSX and FS2004. Detailed models, realistic textures, custom instruments, realistic behavior and friendly FPS, making the flight experience very close to reality. Their promise to the X-Plane community is to deliver the best GA aircraft for X-Plane users.

Carenado has chosen the Mooney M20J as it first aircraft for this platform. The aircraft should be ready in September, 2010.
Carenado has plans to develop most of their current FSX fleet for X-Plane and continue developing more aircraft for FSX.

Microsoft Announces Flight !

Posted: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 13:41
Twenty-eight years after the debut of Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0 Microsoft Game Studios announced the internal development of Microsoft Flight! , a new Windows exclusive.

COLOGNE, Germany — On the eve of gamescom 2010, the world’s largest consumer-oriented games showcase, Microsoft Corp. unveiled Flight! , the latest version of its venerable Flight Simulator Franchise, in development since the beginning of the year the team at Microsoft Games Studio finally made it official with a press release.

Several news outlets including joystiq.com have now been verified. Microsoft has announced it is developing "Flight", minus the simulator. The official press release states, "Twenty-eight years after the debut of "Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0," Microsoft Game Studios also announced the internal development of "Microsoft Flight," a new Windows exclusive. "Microsoft Flight" will bring a new perspective to the long-standing genre, welcoming everyone, including long-time fans, to experience the magic of flight."

Along with the Flight title, Microsoft also announced upcoming releases to other titles such as "Fable III" for Windows and a new version of "Age Of Empires Online."

For more information on the new "Flight" Title, visit the teaser website here. The site also includes a preview PR Video.

Dodosim 206 from Flight 1

Posted: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 1:28
New staff reviewer Mike Cameron goes into a low hover while examining Flight 1's Dodosim 206. "The Dodosim 206 FSX is a single-engine gas turbine powered light utility helicopter based on the Bell 206 Jet Ranger."

"Unlike most flight simulator aircraft developers these days that are eliminating the 2D panel in favor of just a 3D virtual cockpit, Dodosim has included both. The 2D panel is excellent and has all of the required sub-panels open that are needed for the proper start up and shut down procedures. The 2D panels are also used for the highlighted procedures during the fully automatic & manually cued startup and shutdown trainer modes. The virtual cockpit is also nice with instruments that are clear and easy to read. On the virtual panel I like that Dodosim included the Panel/Function shortcuts instead of having the pilot access these functions via menu."

"The package contains four different aircraft with each painted in three different liveries and are labeled with unique registration numbers. The four different helicopters are based on the type of landing gear that is installed. These are standard low profile skids, high skids, floats and utility which is a high profile skid configuration with a belly mounted hook & wire strike kit. The exterior textures are of high quality with nice reflective paint jobs."

"Dodosim has done an outstanding job with the sound effects. Besides the usual sound effects such as button clicks, warning horns, the turbine engine, starter wind up and wind down, are some helicopter specific sound effects including, blade slap, transmission whine, rotor rumble, cockpit engine & rotor sounds and mechanical failure sounds."

"Dodosim did a very good thing and included five difficulty levels, so pilots of all skill levels can enjoy this wonderful aircraft. The documentation includes a chart showing the five difficulty levels and what is included as you advance to the higher difficulty levels. The tutorial is very useful in learning the proper startup and shutdown procedures and I wish other complex aircraft flight simulator developers would include some form of visual tutorial. To add to the realism level of the product, Dodosim has included wear & damage modeling and a costing system. For each variant that you fly, the software is keeping track of the costs associated with operating that aircraft using virtual dollars."

"For all simulator pilots that are interested in a helicopter with realistic flight dynamics & procedures, I highly recommend the Dodosim 206 package. Having five difficulty levels and the tutorial for proper startup & shutdown procedures lets pilots of all skill levels enjoy this wonderful product. The Dodosim 206 is fun to fly; relatively easy to fly at the lowest difficulty setting yet hard to master at the higher difficulty levels."

Hardware Review - Playseat

Posted: Monday, August 16, 2010 - 1:06
Reviews editor Robert Whitwell reports on a Flight Sim/Gaming Chair from Playseats that he saw demonstrated at the 2010 E3 Conference. "When you're going to sit for a long period of time, whether it be during a real life activity or during a sim session, you're going to want a comfortable seat."

"Following the easy instruction, which are all pictures and no words and using the tools provided (IKEA comes to mind), I had my Playseat assembled in about 40 minutes. It is made with an extra strong, lightweight, powder coated tubular steel frame with high-tension spring and wire system."
The seat will confortably fit up to a 42-inch waist."

"The chair can be configured to your personal use during flight operations. Flying with a yoke and throttle control? No problem, use the side wings and centre column. Flying a fighter? Take out the centre column nad use the side wings for your HOTAS set-up. Left handed? Playseat has you covered there as well as you can place your controls on the side of your choice."

"The PlaySeat is the best gaming chair I have used to date. Though it is seemingly quite simple in design it has everything you need for simming or general game play. While it won’t fit everyone's budget, it is one of the best choices in my opinion for anyone looking for a multi-functional simming/gaming chair."

MD81/82 from Commercial Level Simulations

Posted: Sunday, August 15, 2010 - 18:02
Staff reviewer Aidan Sandri looks at Commercial Level Simulations' MD81/82. "The MD-80 series is a mid-size, medium-range airliner that was introduced in the 1980's. The design was a second generation of the DC-9 with two rear fuselage-mounted turbofan engines, small, highly efficient wings, and a T-tail."

"CLS have spared very little with regards to the detail of this MD-80 aircraft. Many exterior parts of the aircraft are animated like the gear, flaps, spoilers, rudders, and elevators etc. There are many paintjobs available for the MD-81/82 Jetliner, a few of them are Delta, Finnair, Iberia, JetsGo and Martinair, an American Airlines repaint is also available using the livery manager included with the aircraft."

"The Virtual Cockpit is fantastic, there are a lot of 3D knobs and switches, and almost everything is clickable and does something. I had no trouble reading or clicking anything in the Virtual Cockpit. Flying at night should now be very easy as CLS has done a fantastic job with the interior lighting."

"CLS has done a good job in making sure the MD81/82 performs the like the actual aircraft and not like a jet fighter. There were no major drops in FPS when I was using this aircraft. While it is not 100% like the real thing in terms of systems (FMS etc), it will be enough for beginners to learn quickly and advanced simmers to fly.

Flight Deck 6 from Abacus

Posted: Saturday, August 14, 2010 - 18:47
Another new staff reviewer makes his debut with Abacus' Flight Deck 6. "this is the newest release in the Flight_Deck series with 4 and 5 being the older generations. This release includes the T-34 turbo Mentor, T-45 Goshawk™, F/A-18C Hornet™, F/A-18E Super Hornet™, EA-6B Prowler, C-2A Greyhound, E-2C Hawkeye, SH-60B Seahawk, and the USS Harry S. Truman CV-45. It also includes great Naval Air Station custom scenery."

"The graphics for the aircraft are what you would expect from a gaming package. The cockpits are equipped with just the right amount of avionics and controls to do the job but are lacking in the virtual cockpit arena. The 2D panels are acceptable for their purposes and operate in a manor that coincides with what the aircraft, or system, is doing."

"The panels are functional only to a degree. Many of the controls (switches) are not accessible (I.E. switch is there but does nothing when you click it). Many of the tasks can be simplified by programming switches on your joystick. Flight Deck 6 comes with instructions to accomplish this task."

"Abacus' Flight Deck 6 is pretty good if you take it for what it is. If you like bombing missions or even head to head aerial combat then this is the game for you. If you are looking for precision, functionality, and “as real as it gets” then you probably will not find what you are looking for here."