Flight 1 Pilatus PC-12 CD For FSX Out Now

Posted: Wednesday, June 4, 2008 - 20:20
Flight1 Software is proud to announce that the CD version of the Pilatus PC-12 is now available for Flight Simulator X.

The “Officially Endorsed by Pilatus Aircraft, LTD" package offers several different configurations that include: commuter, executive, cargo, and multi mission surveillance. This versatility along with the PC-12's advanced aerodynamic airframe will allow you to explore the FS world with unmatched flexibility.

The Swiss designed and engineered Pilatus PC-12 is like no other aircraft in the world today. Whether you're flying nine of your friends to the big game, flying executives to Atlanta in first class style, or delivering food rations to a short airfield in Alaska, the PC-12's ability to adapt itself to virtually any flight assignment sets it apart from other single engine aircraft.

Building on the award-winning add-on originally developed for FS2004, this FSX version of the PC-12 has been overhauled with a set of new features to take advantage of the latest offerings within Flight Simulator X. Some of the new features include:

Updated FSX exterior model with specular lighting and bump mapping, dual Garmin 430 GPSs replace the single KLN90B, a Garmin MX200 Color Multi-Function Display, reworked night lighting and lighting logic, upgraded EHSI, plus many more refinements and optimizations.

For more information, screenshots, and to purchase the CD version of this amazing aircraft today you're cleared direct to the Flight1 PC-12 page.

VATSIM Suffers Outage, Now Partially Restored

Posted: Monday, June 2, 2008 - 18:38
From the VATSIM News Wire: "VATSIM suffered a major server outage this weekend and is still in the process of recovering services. Currently, the FSD network (the one you connect to fly and control) is fully functional. The data feeds for ServInfo, DLMN, vRoute, and VATSpy are operating again. Weather server has been recovered and weather is updating. We are still waiting for the SweatBox server to come back online. Unfortunately, the VATSIM forums are still down. The data server remained online during the incident and no stats data was lost."

Per theplanet.com, the Hosting provider for VATSIM, this outage was caused by a large-explosion in their Houston, TX Network Operations Center. (NOC) Those wishing to learn the whole scoop can visit theplanet.com update page for up to date information.

AlphaSim Cessna 170B Released

Posted: Monday, June 2, 2008 - 14:43
The AlphaSim Cessna 170B, first in the new AlphaSim FS2004 value range, has been released. AlphaSim writes, "Veteran FS modeller Chris Lampard has provided detailed exterior and interior models of this famous classic GA aircraft - there is even a detailed engine which is revealed when the cowl opens. The total download size is only 2.5 MB, textures are crisp, but small and easy to edit. Default sounds and gauges are used and there is no 2D panel - although this is not really needed as the gauges in the v-c are crisp and easy to read. The usual keypresses bring up the radios and other useful items." For more information, including screen shots, head on over to AlphaSim.

Cielosim Releases Instant Enhancer

Posted: Saturday, May 31, 2008 - 23:02
Cielosim is pleased to announce the release of Instant Enhancer . Instant Enhancer is a scenery utility that greatly enhances the visual quality of Flight Simulator 2004. Instant Enhancer enhances the quality of textures used by default for clouds, water reflections, waves, the sky, airport grass/terrain, airplane lights, runway lights, taxiway and runway textures, the sun, lens flare, environment reflections, the trees in all seasons and the moon. Instant Enhancer replaces the default Flight Simulator textures with over 250 realistic custom made textures. It also includes an easy to use user application to choose and preview which textures to install.

France VFR Release Update

Posted: Friday, May 30, 2008 - 17:04
France VFR is proud to announce the release of an update for their Flight Alps South BasePack for FSX. This completes the series The French Alps now compatible with FSX in its entirety, soar above the French Alps from the North to the South in FSX. For details and download visit the FranceVFR WebSite.

Reality XP Releases Garmin GNS WAAS

Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 3:12
Now featuring Class-B Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) for an extra margin of safety in the air, the GNS 430/530 WAAS is an all-in-one GPS/Nav/Comm solution. With built-in WAAS navigation capabilities, it is approved to fly LPV “glideslope” approaches without reference to ground-based navaids. With the improved Autopilot Roll Command, the GNS 430/530 WAAS can automatically fly your aircraft through holding patterns, procedure turns and other position-critical IFR flight procedures.

Reality XP’s next-gen solution takes advantage of the new capabilities of the Garmin GNS Trainer in 32bits and delivers an unprecedented level of functionality. Redesigned from scratch, the new offering is compatible with FS9 and FSX right out the box.
"With today's announcement of latest GNS WAAS products, we are officially ushering in a new era in true next-generation simulation" said Jean-Luc Dupiot "The award winning GNS 430/530 WAAS features powerful technologies and capabilities that have never been brought together in our products before”.

Now compatible with FS9, FSX, WinXP , Vista32 and Vista64. Previous customers of the Flight Line 430XP and Flight Line 530XP for FS2004 respectively are encourage to visit the Reality XP website for further information. All who are inteested in this new release should also check out the website.

FTX AU BLUE Service Pack 1 Released

Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 2:58
This free download for all AU BLUE customers adds over 175 fixes and enhancements based on continual product refinement and customer feedback. Features added include complete VFR vertical obstructions including lighthouses, aerial masts, industrial smoke stacks and TV Towers, plus updates to all Orbx FTX applications to their current versions, expansion of the custom landclass areas and the consolidation of all hotfixes, freebies and FSX tweaking applications previously released. The revised user guide now also includes much improved tuning information and full details of all fixes. AU BLUE SP1 is a free download from the ftxnow.com website.

T6 Texan/Harvard from Alphasim

Posted: Saturday, May 24, 2008 - 19:56
Staff reviewer Laurie Aston revisits a favourite warbird that makes many appearances at local airshows. The T6 Texan/Harvard from Alphasim. "The North American T-6 Texan was an excellent design that served as a basic transitional combat trainer in all branches of U.S. service, as well as in other countries worldwide. Approximately 17,000 of the type were built and some 350 are still airworthy."

"This aircraft is a superb simulation of the real thing, and from the time you climb into the cockpit and start checking the switches, levers and instruments, to completing a walk around that has so much attention to detail and information all over the fuselage and wings in the form of placards and legends. The Texan/Harvard is very maneuverable, quick to respond to control inputs, and a real pleasure to fly."

"The Instrument Panels look good and all the instruments can be read and work the way they should. The 2D panel is very readable, and the Virtual Cockpit is also laid out well, with most switches and levers being mouse-movable. The night-lighting for the panels is very well rendered, and gives a really good feel to night flying, clear without being glaring, and does not affect “night vision”."

"The Pratt and Whitney R-1340-AN-1 Wasp Radial engine looks good, sounds good and performs exactly as you would expect on the simulated aircraft. The sound set provided is spot on, in my opinion, and exactly what is expected on a Texan/Harvard of this quality."

Laurie ends his review of Alphasim's T6 Texan/Harvard with a straightforward comment, "This product is a great example of the Texan/Harvard. The detail is there, the paint schemes are there, the sounds are there, and the instruments are functional and fully readable. You will not be disappointed."

Flight1 ATR Edition For FSX

Posted: Saturday, May 24, 2008 - 17:32
Bryan York of FS2Crew said, “For a while we didn’t think there was ever going to be an FSX version of FS2Crew for the Flight1 ATR due to some technical issues. However, we were able to overcome those issues and get the product to market.” FS2Crew develops custom “expansion packs” that simulate the flight, cabin and ground crew for leading 3rd party aircraft. The FSX Edition of the ATR, which allows users to simulate flying their Flight1 ATR in accordance with the same procedures used at a European airline, was significantly updated and reworked to bring the ATR in line with current FS2Crew and FSX standards. For more information on this new release, please visit the FS2Crew website.

Ground Environment X USA-Canada For FSX On DVD

Posted: Saturday, May 24, 2008 - 1:38
Ground Environment X brings all-new ground textures to FSX using aerial and satellite imagery to bring you highly realistic ground environments for FSX. Some of the features include:
- Complete coverage of the USA and Canada (including Alaska)
- 1m/pixel - 1024 x 1024 Texture Size - Hand Crafted To extreme Detail
- High Performance, extreme density and perfectly aligned autogen
- Realistic custom designed night textures
- All seasons including snowy winter
- Textures derived from licensed Arial and Satellite imagery
- Fine tuned add-ons and ongoing updates and enhancements will be made available through the built-in update feature, based on customer feedback.

Also Includes Enhanced Features such as:
- Textures have been enhanced to provide even more texture clarity.
- Enhancements to produce simulated 3D depth in texture foliage.
- New winter textures which display vegetation within the snow.
- Better season blend so seasons such as fall fade into winter and blend naturally.
- Enhanced color processing which upgrades all seasons.
- Enriched desert and flatland details, no more bland yellow deserts or flatlands.
- Structured texture layout to assist in covering all major landclass products.
- Special features for Ultimate Terrain X USA and Canada Customers.
- Completely redesigned night lighting environment.

All of the above is accomplished while keeping maximum Flight Simulator performance in mind. Also, the easy-to-use interface will provide for easy installing the new textures, and is designed with Flight1's "keep-it-simple yet powerful" philosophy. You can get Ground Environment X USA-Canada DVD Edtion for FSX today at the Flight 1 website. The price is $34.95 for the DVD version. You can also visit the dedicated Ground Environment X website.

Aerosoft Announces The Hughes H-1B “Special”

Posted: Saturday, May 24, 2008 - 1:07
This aircraft was built by Howard Hughes for just one task, breaking speed records and it held the record for top speed and the coast to coast distance for a considerable time. The model released by Aerosoft features a highly detailed Virtual Cockpit and has very innovative failure modes, from the newly designed icing model to very specific engine failures such as ‘shock cooling’. Mathijs Kok of Aerosoft warns, "The pilot will need to ‘manage’ the engine in far more detailed than is normally needed for FSX aircraft. So this is not for pilots who do not want to read a manual." Complete details can be found at the Aerosoft website. There's also a video on YouTube.

FSWidgets Releases EFBFSX Version 1.2

Posted: Saturday, May 24, 2008 - 0:54
FSWidgets has released a significant update for the Electronic Flight Bag for FSX (EFBFSX). Version 1.2 now includes support for the recently released freeware moving map - GMap for FSX (displays aircraft position in Flight Simulator X on Google Maps). It also adds Windows 120 DPI (Large Fonts) support and full Vista UAC compatibility. This update is free for current registered users. To download the update please visit the FSWidgets website.

Fighter Pilot 2 Released

Posted: Friday, May 23, 2008 - 14:21
Abacus announces their latest add-on with aircraft that have been requested by many of our users. Fighter Pilot 2 is a collection of military aircraft. It features some of the fastest, high performance and potent fighter aircraft ever developed, most of which still cruise the skies in both defensive and offensive operations.

Fighter Pilot 2 has these exciting aircraft in multiple liveries:
- F-14 Tomcat
- F-15 Eagle
- F-16 Fighting Falcon
- EA-18G Growler
- F-22 Raptor

Fighter Pilot 2 for FSX and FS2004 is available now by download for and on CD-ROM. For more information, visit the Abacus website.

PMDG Service packs

Posted: Friday, May 23, 2008 - 13:45
PMDG release Service packs for both the PMDG 747-400/400F for FS9 and the PMDG 747-400X for FSX, The FS9 update provides a significant service life boost for the venerable PMDG 747-400/400F, bringing both aircraft up to Version 1.20. This update brings in many updated features and fixes that were originally written for the FSX 747-400, while also improving the overall performance of the PMDG 747-400 with advanced optimization techniques. The FSX update brings the PMDG 747-400X product up to version 2.10, and will update any previous PMDG 747-400X to this latest version. Nearly three dozen fixes and changes are included in the update. You can see the list of updated features, both updates can be downloaded from the Service Updates page at the PMDG website.

World Airlines from Overland Japan Ltd

Posted: Friday, May 23, 2008 - 6:07
Staff reviewer Angelique van Campen takes a look at the Airbus and Boeing heavies as she asks, "Ever wanted a bunch of FSX/FS2004 airplanes with 2D and VC cockpits together for the price of one? Now you can with the Overland's Fly into the Sky! World Airlines package!"

This is another screenshot intensive review, as this is the best way to show you all the variations of internal and external features that are included with this bundled package. Overall, Angelique describes the interiors with, "There are so many possible cockpits available, but within a minute you will see that there are hardly any additional sub panels simulated. What I do know is that all the cockpits are of an average quality. Some are better than others or are more realistic, sub cockpit panels are very basic and for the overhead panel, it’s really disappointing. The 2D and VC cockpits are very simple, straightforward and they look in one way or the other to the default Boeing airplanes." On the outside she comments, "let’s start with the fact that the overall look of all the models is good, although certain details are missing."

About the flight dynamics, Angelique comments, "I would rate the aircraft flight dynamics on a scale from 0 to 10 at about a 6. The fact my rating is not that high is probably a result of the extreme flight possibilities, which is not as real as it gets, apart from the fact that MSFS limits things like these. This package is nice and full of models, especially for the beginner who wants to try something and has all these models in house. On the other hand, the Overland package is not intended for the intermediate and expert MSFS virtual pilots who are looking for bigger challenges."

Wrapping up Overland's Fly into the Sky! World Airlines, Angelique says, "Ok, what do you get for your money? You get good looking external models and average 2D and VC cockpits. Furthermore, you don’t get any manuals. It seems that I’m disappointed but I’m not. I think you need to look where it is intended for. After testing the package and models, I personally say it’s a very good start for MSFS beginners. Therefore, the Overland package is really great for new virtual pilots who want to have all the Boeing and Airbus models together with uncomplicated cockpits and can apply their basic flight knowledge."

Bombardier Learjet 45 Panel Released

Posted: Friday, May 23, 2008 - 2:15
FriendlyPanels announces the release of their Bombardier Learjet 45 Panel FOR FS9 AND FSX. FRIENDLYPANELS Bombardier Learjet 45 Panel includes:
- Two 2D panels for Learjet 45 (FS9 and FSX)
- All gauges visible in an only screen (except for FMC, that requires a separate windows) keeping an excellent readabilty.
- Aircraft Virtual Cockpits totally adapted to new gauges.
- Antialiasing vectorial EICAS/PFD with multiple screens.
- Lateral and vertical navigation implemented via FMC.
- FMC that can manage flight plans created with Microsoft Flight Simulator FS9 or FSX, or any add-on which can export flight plans in the FS format. We have eliminated the complex way in what you have to plan your flight in current commercial FMCs implemented in some of the commercial airliners existing for Microsoft Flight Simulator but keeping the feeling of a real FMC-CDU FMC-CDU features:
- Follow a flight plan.
- Flight direct to a FLP waypoint (by passing some of them) and continue from there.
- Choose any waypoint in Microsoft database to flight direct to without a flight plan loaded.
- Select an Arrival procedure for destination airport (if it’s implemented in Microsoft FS).
- Follow the vertical navigation and IAS desired.
- Display a lot of different information concerning airports and navaids.
- Display information concerning fuel and winds.
- Pass VOR, ADF and COM frequencies from navaids or airports to aircraft radios.
- A customized map page has been added in order to have a map view of your flight plan.

Another Space Shuttle Demo Released

Posted: Friday, May 23, 2008 - 2:07
Now you can try your hands at the easiest of all Space Shuttle missions: STS-1. This was the maiden flight of the Space Shuttle program, and now you can fly it as part of a fully functional DEMO of the award-winning Space Shuttle Mission 2007 - the most accurate and complete Space Shuttle simulator available today for the PC platform.

The full version of the simulator adds 12 new missions of variable difficulty, from satellites and Hubble deployment and repair, to ISS assembly, maintenance, upgrade and supply missions, space walks and much more.

More free realistic missions are added all the time, the latest one being the still-classified STS-27. The full Space Shuttle Mission 2007™ and the free demo are exclusively available online in downloadable format at the SSM2007 official website.

WOP II: Spitfire For FSX Patched

Posted: Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 0:49
A2A Simulations, a leader in high-end flight simulation software, has released a patch for their Wings of POWER II: Spitfire for Microsoft's FSX. This patch is to correct issues related to Microsoft Flight Simulator X only, and not for those who are running the Wings of POWER II: Spitfire for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. The patch can be applied to both the WWII FIGHTERS retail box owners with the 1.2 update installed or to the Wings of POWER II Solo Spitfire (which is already at version 1.2).

Included in the patch:
- Aircraft exported with native FSX tools
- SP2 / Acceleration supported
- Prop clipping fixed
- Light bloom black screen bug fixed
- Additional minor FSX fixes

“Now that the dust has settled with Microsoft FSX with their final Service pack 2 (and the Acceleration add-on), we’ve gone through and fixed all bugs related to the prior import processes. The Spitfire looks great, has an authentically recorded Merlin engine, and will fly spot on the numbers. We wish to thank all of our loyal customers for their continued support,” said Scott Gentile of Air to Air Simulations Inc. The patch can be downloaded from the A2A website along a look at some screenshots.

Tower Simulator Released

Posted: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 22:40
Tower Simulator features a ground and tower simulation with breathtaking out-the-window and radar views. Powered by a new 3D technology along with a complex and highly realistic Artificial Intelligence, Tower Simulator is the only simulation of its kind.

• Ground and Tower simulation


• Multiple views, including out-the-window tower view, Air and Ground Radars


• Photorealistic renditions of several worldwide airports


• Realistic aircraft take-off, landing and moving along airport grounds


• For beginners and experts, from free simulation to Career mode


• Actively overlooked and supervised by licensed professionals


• Based on actual FAA and European regulations