1958 Cessna 172 from SimFlight3D

Posted: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 - 5:21
Contributing reviewer Chris Kiehl steps back 50 years to review an aircraft that is still going strong today. "The Cessna 172 is one of the most widely produced airframes, and one of the most popular training aircraft on Earth. The "Fastback" or "Straight-tail" 172 is something FS had been missing for quite some time, and it doesn't matter which of those nicknames you use, we finally have ourselves a nice little rendition of it from SimFlight 3D with their 1958 version."

* "One would expect a somewhat basic and modern Cessna panel, but we are looking at the grandparent of the modern 172’s we’re all acquainted with. This panel will be very different to you if you’re used to the modern Cessna in either the sim or real life. It’s not as cramped, and definitely looks like the much older panel of the Cessna 120 I learned to fly in. Bottom line, I don’t think this VC will disappoint. If you’re an early Cessna fan, or just really like the early ‘Fastback’ 172’s, then you’ll really love it."

"The attention to small texture and modeling details shows that the developer actually worked closely with this Cessna, and I love when developers construct a ship they‘re close to for the sim. Small pitot and intake tubes, great weathering effects, or that straight-up tail that looks real; it just has tons of great external detail. Four paint schemes are included, one which represents the ship that the developer of this package actually flew."

"It does fly very closely to the specifications and as many 172 owners and pilots have said, cruise speed is a little optimistic in the book. This ship won't go too fast, but then again, it's a trainer not a touring aircraft. Taking off is pretty much what you'd expect if you've ever touched the default Cessna’s or any other Cessna simulations. Landing follows this pattern as well, but the ground effect seems a little more realistic here than with other sim aircraft."

"SimFlight3D's 1958 Cessna 172 really held its own nicely, in my opinion. It does have some flaws, however, as nothing is ever perfect. For a first aircraft from this developer, it isn’t bad at all."

Avsim Store: New Titles and GoFlight LGT-II

Posted: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - 15:54
Each month we are adding new exciting titles to the Avsim store.
Recently, we have added Aerosoft to the list of products that can be downloaded, along with Carenado, FS Flying School, Wilco and FS2Crew.
With Aerosoft, you get a great selection of scenery and planes such as Manhattan X or the Beaver DHC2

We have 20+ Carenado planes in our store including the Mooney 20J 201 and the new Cessna 172N Skyhawk float and C172N ski.
Flying School 2009 is a revolutionary tool that will teach you to fly like a pro. Flying School 2009 works with FS9 and FSX. It's available immediately as a download.
FS2Crew products can also be downloaded. The goal of FS2Crew is to simulate flying in a multi-crew environment.
New GoFlight module: LGTII
The GF-LGTII is the new landing gear module from GoFlight. It features a new landing gear switch with locking mechanism, a rudder and an aileron trim. The GF-LGTII will be available for delivery next week, you can pre-order yours today!

Visit the Avsim Store today

Scotflight for FSX: Version 2

Posted: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - 1:56
Senior staff reviewer David Wilson-Okamura goes VFR over Scotland with Scotflight's Version 2 of the scenery for FSX. "In FSX, the default scenery for Scotland is not bad. All of the (major) airports are represented and there is good terrain mesh; in Glasgow and Edinburgh, there are numerous landmarks. What’s still missing are the smaller airfields, a detailed road network, accurate landclass, accurate shorelines, and rural landmarks (such as castles, wind farms, and broadcast towers). Scotflight: Version 2 addresses most of these shortcomings and then animates the landscape with moving traffic."

David takes us on atour of the various Scottish regions and compares the default scenery with that of Ultimate Terrain and Scotflight. "First, the landclass coverage of UT is much broader than Scotflight’s: it covers all of Scotland (and all of Europe), not just the areas around custom airfields. But the Scotflight landclass, for the areas the areas that it does cover, is hand-tuned. Second, the shorelines in UT are both less angular and more accurate than the shorelines in Scotflight -- and both are much improved compared with the default (as you can see from the screenshots). Third, UT and Scotflight both have more roads, and more road traffic, than the default scenery -- though again, UT has slightly more of both. Finally, Scotflight has something that UT doesn’t even attempt, which is more traffic on the waterways, with boats on three different lochs and ferries running between the islands; the ferry ports are modeled as well."

"A list of new or enhanced landmarks is available on the Scotflight product web page. By my count there are 15 wind farms, 8 broadcast towers, 11 major bridges, 2 oil terminals, 2 canals, 10 forts or castles, 3 new or refurbished structures at Glasgow, 14 ferry ports, 2 marinas, and 4 larger sites that I can’t classify: the Old Man of Hoy formation, the Cairngorm Mountain Railway, the ruins on Iona, and the Knockhill racetrack. Version 1 of this scenery, “Highlands & Islands,” had 27 enhanced airfields. Version 2 has 52."

Freeware Scenery

Posted: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - 0:43
Looking for some great freeware scenery? Check out the titles over at Flyscenery. They have places like Catalina Airport, the Tacoma Narrows Airport, and their new Mobile 1AZ0 Airport. Their older titles EGLC London City Airport and Tom Field Airport are also available.

Active Sky Advanced Service Pack Released

Posted: Sunday, August 16, 2009 - 16:29
HiFi Simulation Software has released a new Service Pack for the Active Sky Advanced, a comprehensive weather engine add-on for Flight Simulator 2004 and X. The Service Pack 1 brings in more features, enhancements and fixes to many bugs in the original version. For more information on this new release visit HiFi Simulation Software Homepage.

Majestic Software Dash 8 Q300 New Release

Posted: Sunday, August 16, 2009 - 14:40
Majestic Software introduces a new TRAINING edition of the award-winning Dash8-Q300 aircraft addon for FS2004 and FSX. This package is intended as a training aid for the professional pilots and technicians, as well as for the CBT system familiarization and demonstrations.

The Training edition was a former AIRLINE edition, which has been in use in many flight schools. The Training edition is fully hardware cockpit enabled, and can be used to build home cockpits of various complexities.

Majestic Software is also releasing updates for their Pilot and Pro editions, enabling their customers to use the Navigraph Nav data, FMC fixes and the Windows 7 compatibility. This update comes with an all-in-one installers, which users can download from their website.

Majestic Software has compiled a preview paper with the working samples, and the list of things to expect when the new Dash-8Q400 addon is released. The preview can be found at the Majestic Software Q-400 preview. (Adobe PDF reader is required)

German Airports 3 - Hamburg X from Aerosoft

Posted: Saturday, August 15, 2009 - 20:13
Senior staff reviewer Angelique van Campen revists her old home base with a look at Aerosoft's German Airports 3 - Hamburg X. "Hamburg Airport (IATA: HAM,ICAO: EDDH), also known as Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel Airport (German: Flughafen Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel), is an international airport serving Hamburg, Germany. It originally covered 440,000 square metres. Since then, the site has grown more than tenfold to 5.7 square kilometres. The main apron covers 320,000 square meters. The Airport is 8.5 km north-west of the centre of the City of Hamburg in the Fuhlsbüttel quarter."

"My first impression while driving around at the apron, I see so many things, so many details, all very well created and even sharp. Just have a look to the gates or airways. Above you’ve seen a real gate/airway and below you see the Aerosoft version. Ok, not 100% the same but let’s say 99% the same as the originals. Even the electrical cables are hanging on one side of it and probably not as detailed as the real ones, but altogether a very good replica of the original ones. While walking on the tourist promenade it seems that the developers had a tremendous eye for many details. Look to the light masts, the passenger terminals, all the cars, trucks, baggage carts, movable stairways, belts and more of that."

"All the buildings – hangars, shops, offices etc. - of the LHT maintenance area are made with a highly realistic value and give me a good idea of the overall quality. While standing just a few yards… oops meters, from the dominated yellow/amber control tower, I must say that this tower, including the offices, is showing what’s possible and tells me something about the overall quality of this airport area."

"As you can see at some locations, the border equals the road but at other positions, it is the forests which divide the Hamburg X airport scenery with the rest of the FSX default scenery. Wherever you are, you will always see the border between the end of an add-on product and the default FSX scenery. This is also applicable for this combination but this will change the moment you decide to buy Aerosoft’s Germany 2. Together with all the autogen options set, it looks as real as it gets."

"Hamburg X itself including all the buildings gives me the feeling that a lot of work is put into it with the result of having a highly realistic replica of the real EDDH. For one price you get both the FSX and FS2004 version, not too many adjustments are needed except the ones written in the manual. Just follow their advice and check afterwards if your system can handle it. If it can, play with them since ending with a stable 20-25 FPS is perfect."

Roussillon Aéro Simulation Mission

Posted: Saturday, August 15, 2009 - 18:51
Roussillon Aéro Simulation introduces a series of FSX gliding missions around the Pyrenees Mountain, in Southern France. For more information visit Roussillon Aéro Simulation Homepage.

LatinVFR Releases The Cayman Islands

Posted: Saturday, August 15, 2009 - 17:55
The Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica. The territory is a major offshore financial centre in the Caribbean.

Comprised within the package the main features are the real coastlines, mesh, the 3 airports completely designed and photorealistic images of all three islands, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, On a resolution of less than 1 m per pixel on either night or day. Visit the LatinVFR website for all the details.

Abacus Releases The Boeing 787

Posted: Saturday, August 15, 2009 - 17:51
Hop into the left seat of the new flexing-wing Boeing 787 Dreamliner™. Even though the real 787 is not quite ready, you can still enjoy flying it in FSX or FS9 today. With a range of up to 8000 nautical miles, it's built to whisk 300 passengers in comfort at a speed of Mach .85. Airlines have already placed orders for 850 of these new aircraft to fly the world's skies.

The AVSIM Social! Be There!

Posted: Friday, August 14, 2009 - 22:40
The AVSIM Board of Directors will be holding it's Fall Meeting at the Chicago O'Hare Airport Hotel this coming October 10th and 11th. On the evening of Saturday, the 10th, starting at 6:30 p.m., we will have our no host Social in the Hotel's lounge. As with all AVSIM Socials, the goal is to meet your fellow flight simulation enthusiasts and the AVSIM Team. Because of the venue, you must be 21 years of age or older, or be accompanied by an adult. The Hilton at O'Hare is 15 miles from the center of Chicago, so you can make a weekend of it, and see the sites of the windy city. You can get more detail on the hotel here. If you think you will be attending, please let us know by entering your name in our RSVP system (the Social entry FREE). We look forward to seeing you there!

AviaFilms 737-300 Cockpit Video

Posted: Friday, August 14, 2009 - 22:34
AviaFilms Production has released their newest cockpit video - the Boeing 737-300 Classic Cockpit & 737EFIS Simulator. The first part of the main video shows a return flight on board this legendary airplane in the skies of Europe. You will witness how the professional flight crew operate this incredible aircraft to its fullest extent encountering high gusting winds and rain on takeoff and landing.

The second part of the film you will be taken on board the B737 EFIS Full Motion Simulator for some extreme flying. The trainee pilot and senior flight instructor make several takeoffs and landings in crosswinds exceeding 40 kts. and finally perform a FULL LOOP plus a couple of barrel rolls in the Boeing simulator - something you certainly don't see every day!

To make your film experience even more entertaining, the package also includes a second video where you will see what a Boeing 737 Captain sees on landing outside his window and in the very end AviaFilms takes you on an aerobatic flight in the 2-seater L13. In total the package features 2 videos + some photographs of the Boeing 737-300.

For more detailed info visit AviaFilms Productions .

Simbuilders Supplies

Posted: Friday, August 14, 2009 - 22:27
The Flight simulation community can welcome a new supplier of simbuilders supplies : GLB Flight Products, they provide parts and software for aviation enthusiasts worldwide.

GLB Flight Products have a selection of real aircraft and simulation parts and are pleased to introduce their latest product: The Screw Dzus Fastener, an authentic looking dzus Fastener that screws the panel into a variety of types and thickness of material, and can revolutionise the way self build enthusiasts fix their panels.

Other exclusive product lines include the Yoke Clipboard, Flight Tracker Live, and their introductory line of Flight Management Computers from real aircraft, Visit GLB Flight Products to see what they have for your Sim Pit.

Beechcraft 60 Duke from RealAir Simulations

Posted: Friday, August 14, 2009 - 6:33
Staff reviewer Mark Kolo flies Real Air Simulations' Beechcraft 60 Duke. "The Beechcraft Duke is a light pressurized piston twin built between 1968 and 1982. The aircraft has retractable landing gear and turbocharged engines and some of the later models have winglets. The Duke is reputed to be a great performing aircraft, but its complicated systems and technologies demanded high maintenance costs, which hurt the sales of the aircraft. Many Dukes are still flying to this day, and are well liked by their owners despite high costs."

"Having reviewed a RealAir product in the past, I was already aware of the high quality, and frame rate friendly models. The Duke is no different, with lines faithful to the real aircraft down to the 15 static dischargers on the trailing edges of the wings and tail assemblies. The highly swept rudder and the horizontal stabilizers are very accurate down to the black de-icing boots on the leading edges. No polygons have been spared on the cowlings or engines, as all the vents are three dimensional. The landing gear, flaps and control surfaces are also very detailed and lend to the overall high quality of the model."

"Stepping inside the Duke revealed an interior that is faithful to the original. The four passenger seats are very detailed, as is the animated fold out table on the right side of the cabin. The cockpit of the Duke is one of the finest and most realistic renditions that I have ever seen in Flight Simulator. As most Dukes are in the hands of private owners, they generally have relatively low hours and are well cared for. This is reflected in the texturing of the VC, as there are very few signs of wear and tear that you may expect to see on an aircraft approaching its 30th birthday. RealAir has equipped the panel with a more modern Bendix-King radio stack, combined with the King KFC-255 autopilot. The KFC-255 is designed for single pilot operations and is a three axis autopilot (lateral, vertical, and yaw)."

"RealAir Simulations is best known for their highly accurate flight dynamics programming, and the Duke is no exception. As with all RealAir releases, the Duke features not only an accurate standard flight model, but also has accurate stalls and spins. I found the Duke to have effective flight controls with plenty of authority to keep the aircraft flying well, though I admit that my first few landings weren’t pretty. Thanks to twin turbocharged engines, the Duke has very respectable climb performance after takeoff and can keep relatively high climb rates all the way up to FL280."

"Thanks to a combination of a great 3D model, high quality textures, a beautiful virtual cockpit, incredible sounds, and an extremely realistic airfile, I found that the RealAir Simulations Duke is one of the finest add-ons that I have ever had the pleasure of flying. With all the attention paid to the accuracy of the flight model, the Duke is a great aircraft for just about any virtual pilot due to its appeal as a personal airliner, complete with a pressurized cabin and high speed cruise."

Piper Arrow IV from Carenado

Posted: Friday, August 14, 2009 - 5:21
Senior staff reviewer Bert Pieke flies a well known training aircraft, the Piper PA-28RT201 Arrow IV from Carenado. "The Piper PA-28 series of aircraft was launched in early 1960 as the Piper Cherokee. On 19 June 1967 Piper announced the first retractable undercarriage variant of the Cherokee, namely the PA-28R Arrow. It was powered by a fuel-injected Lycoming IO-360-A2A engine driving a constant speed propeller. The undercarriage was electro-hydraulically operated, and the Arrow was certified on 8 June 1967. The Arrow II was powered by the Lycoming IO-360-CC engine. In 1979, Piper made a design decision, opting to equip many of its airplanes with trendy, fashionable T-tails. The Arrow was no exception, and the resulting machine was the PA-28RT201 Arrow IV, with its distinctive "T" tail. More than 30,000 PA-28’s have been built to date."

"First time I took off, I was surprised by the effort it took to get the Arrow to rotate and lift off the runway. I’ve read that the T-tail has less elevator authority at low speeds and that may have something to do with it, but after risking running off the far end of the runway the first time, I now give the yoke a good pull at 90 kts to get the plane in the air. In all fairness, the documentation does specifically state: “Back pressure to rotate to climb attitude”, so I guess that is part of the learning experience. Other than that, the plane flies smoothly and the full function autopilot is a great help."

"The cockpit is nicely done, with rounded corners and nice textures wherever you look. A click removes the yoke which I appreciate. The outside is lovely, with smooth skin and lots of detail. The night lighting is quite pleasing. With both the dome light and the instrument lighting on, it creates a nice subdued lighting effect which does not take away from the ambient lighting in the scenery. As is now expected, all the moving surfaces are animated, including the elevator trim tab. It is fun just looking around the aircraft and admire the level of detail. The landing gear, in particular has every detail modeled. Another nice detail is the little antenna towards the back that moves in the breeze."

"Carenado has a distinctive style that captures the era of these airplanes. They look like well loved aircraft that have seen some real use and no longer have that “straight from the factory” appearance. If you are looking for a Piper PA28, you can have a lot of fun with this T-tail, retractable gear version."

TrackIR Software 5.0

Posted: Friday, August 14, 2009 - 0:40
Version 5.0 of the TrackIR software is now available. Version 5.0 supports TrackIR 5 and 4 and introduces an overhauled UI with improved profile management, light filtering, and preview capabilities.

Note: Support for TrackIR 3 with Vector will be introduced in software version 5.1. In the meantime, TrackIR 3 users can still use the 4.x software for full functionality in your favorite games and simulations.

We've received numerous inquiries about how our new TrackIR 5 compares with previous generations. For a full review of the technical advancements introduced with TrackIR 5, check out our interview with SimHQ. Read on to learn how TrackIR 5's technical capabilities translate to an improved in-game experience.

In particular, you'll never have to choose between tracking speed and smoothness again. TrackIR 5 allows you to maximize responsiveness without sacrificing tracking stability. In-game view corresponds to head movement with more accuracy and immediacy. Whether you want to dominate your competition or simply immerse yourself in a cross-country flight, TrackIR 5 offers new levels of tactical and immersive control.

Building Recreational Flight Simulators

Posted: Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 19:17
Mike's Flight Deck Books announces a new book for the home cockpit builder, the way we experience flight sim applications is limited by the keyboard, mouse, game controller and video display ,the homebuilt flight sim hobby grew from a desire to transcend these limitations.

Building Recreational Flight Simulators is a guide through this complexity, it is both an introduction to the hobby and a reference for advanced development and covers all components of simulator technology, calling attention to those aspects which are important in supporting the flight illusion and creating an outstanding virtual flight experience.

For more details, sample chapters, and ordering information please visit Mike's Flight Deck Books .

Airport Enhancement Services from Aerosoft

Posted: Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 1:58
Staff reviewer Jon Murchison adds all the bells and whistles to his airport ramps with Aerosoft's Airport Enhancement Services and he likes what he sees. "A number of FSX scenery designers are beginning to work with the FSX SDK and we see purpose built animated jetways and other interactive features beginning to appear, but overall the bit between flights is typically the time we get another cup of coffee and eat a sandwich, so any baggage or refuel action that may take place is out of our control to a greater extent. Now enter AES from Aerosoft developed by Oliver Pabst."

"Once parked, the marshaller will walk forward and position himself to the left of the aircraft’s nose wheel and depending on where you are parked either an animated Jetway that has been added by AES to replace static ones or the animated jetways that come with the scenery will move into position against your aircraft, complete with warning beep and flashing orange lights at its base. Cargo unloading vehicles also move into position at the same time and all of this happens within a few moments of you engaging the aircraft’s parking brakes. What impressed me was the variation of equipment that is used for the different aircraft categories at each parking location. The types used are determined in the AESHELP as AES will base the equipment on the height of cargo and exit doors meaning you’ll never get a conveyor cargo unloader at a 747, just as you won’t get a pallet unloader at a 737 or prop aircraft."

"Depending where you are parked will determine if a small fuel truck that will connect with a localized fuel outlet arrives or a large tanker that carries all your fuel on board. Once deboarding was complete I could then call up the cleaning crew. During winter you can call for deicing and this is an added option only available at that time of the year. If you want de-icing, two trucks will arrive; their booms will extend and then animated hose pipes will start directing a solid beam of de-icing fluid across the wings, rear fuselage and tail."

"AES is not just about adding an animated environment, it also adds sounds as part of the experience. All of the vehicles have appropriate engine noises as they arrive, sit at the aircraft and then depart. Jetways have a warning horn when they move and the little dude during pushback tells you exactly what you need to do to advance through each stage. AES doesn’t stop there in terms of spicing up the sound and visual environment. Once lined up on the runway and you begin your take-off roll AES had added the sound aircraft make when they run over the centre lights on the runway."

"I really enjoyed this product and found the level of interactivity to bring a new dimension to my experience at the airports I had unlocked, which leaves all the others somewhat empty and boring. I love AES and will watch closely as it evolves. If you already have sceneries it’s compatible with, you won’t be disappointed with the final result in FSX."

DC-9 SP1 Released

Posted: Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 0:41
Sky Simulations has released SP1 for the Douglas DC-9 based on customer requests. One of the basics of the update were the flight dynamics, which have been updated and refined, making the aircraft easier to fly.

This SP adds new panels for the DC-9-51 as well as more gauges for this model, the 21 and 41 series. The Autopilot Turn Knob is now operational. It fixes missing Auxiliary tank on the DC-9 41 and 51, also fixes some minor issues on the aircraft.

FSD YF-23 Released

Posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - 11:55
FlightSim Developers have released a two day demonstrator version of the YF-23 Black Widow . An astoundingly fast aircraft with what was described as having fearsome acceleration, this production has every switch and functional system represented down to the operational ejection seat and includes both of the versions produced for the ATF trial.

The aircraft is designed specifically for use with FS X Acceleration and the YF-23 runs as good as it looks, to download your demo visit the FlightSim Developers YF-23 Homepage.