Wide View 2.1 for FSX

Posted: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 - 22:46
Version 2.1 upgrade for FSX now available. Wide View can be used to create cockpits with panoramic scenery on multiple monitors using networked PCs. There is no limit on how many PCs can be linked together and each of them can be configured to show scenery, maps or Spot Plane & Tower view. View angles and zoom factors can be easily customized to get perfectly matching images between the monitors. For further details visit Wide View

Dreamflyer Causing A Commotion

Posted: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 - 2:14
Dreamflyer flight motion simulator is causing a commotion among aviation enthusiasts world-wide! Just launched at EAA's Oshkosh, WI air show, the Dreamflyer flight motion simulator has been received with enthusiasm by recreational pilots and gamers alike! The Dreamflyer was most recently featured during the September launch of Microsoft's Flight Simulator Acceleration expansion pack in Toronto, ON, resulting in a buzz by Flight Simulation software users world-wide. Interest is being received from Canada, USA, Ireland, Chile, France and even Dubai, UAE!

The Dreamflyer has been featured on the Discovery Channel's Daily Planet, CHBC television's Okanagan Now, AV Web, the Globe and Mail, CTV's Tech Life, YTV's Game Pad and YouTube, among others.

The Dreamflyer allows aviation enthusiasts to experience the thrill of flight - in the comfort of their own homes. If your flight motion simulation were any more realistic, you'd be paying for the fuel! From the comfortable replica cockpit seat the home pilot generates motion through the control stick, instigating the pitch and roll oscillation. Together with the throttle and rudder pedal components, the Dreamflyer allows the pilot to experience flight motion with any simulation software the pilot currently uses. Because the Dreamflyer requires no power, little space and virtually no maintenance, flight motion simulation can now be enjoyed by all arm-chair pilots, regardless of actual flight experience. Pilots can now use their flight simulation software to practice instrumentation, while still enjoying the feeling of flight!

Dreamflyer™ is produced and sold by FMS Flight Motion Simulators, Inc., based in Kelowna, BC, and will be on display at the AVSIM Conference in Seattle. For more information on FMS and Dreamflyer, go to the Dreamflyer website.

Reader's Choice Voting Rages On!

Posted: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - 23:40
With over 1,400 votes cast the competition for the AVSIM Reader's Choice awards rages on! We won't give you specifics, but can tell you there are closely contested races happening in both the Freeware and Commercial categories. There are also some walk away contenders running far ahead of the competition. The voting automatically closes at midnight on October 1st, and if you want your voice heard, you need to vote today!

SceneryTech Landclass Update

Posted: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - 15:52
In a press release today, SceneryTech has announced that it's North America Landclass has been updated to version 1.3. The press release goes on to say: "This update fixes a couple issues that emerged in the previous version involving downtown Chicago and Juneau, Alaska." All existing customers are encouraged to download the update. For more information, visit the SceneryTech website.

DC-10 Collection from CLS/Just Flight

Posted: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - 3:06
Senior staff reviewer Gene Davis flies on 3 engines as he reviews the classic DC-10 from Commercial Level Simulations and Just Flight. "The DC-10 was used with almost all of the major carriers in the world and although it had a rough start, it eventually became a favorite amongst pilots and passengers alike."

"The Douglas DC-10 from Just Flight and CLS comes with over 38 different liveries. Everything ranging from Military, Freight, and of course, Commercial Passenger. Each is historically accurate and many of the liveries are of days gone by. Externally, the planes are simply gorgeous and the designers really didn’t leave anything to the imagination; from the landing gear wells, to that of the entire fuselage of the plane, every conceivable moving part is there."

"The DC-10’s cockpit is relatively good and very easy on frame rates. Although you don’t have the access to more complicated systems, the cockpit is visually pleasing and offers an easy to use flying environment. I was impressed with the amount of actual panels that are accessible. The gauges in either the virtual cockpit or the 2D cockpit are nicely done and the gauge update seems very good during flight. Ultimately, I was very impressed with the level of detail of all of the gauges."

"The F-Lite Series touts a realistic flight model and I have to say that I have spent some time with other CLS aircraft and found that their ultra-realistic flight models are somewhat questionable at times. I did find that when flying the 10 in FSX, the plane reacts remarkably well to wind and turbulence giving it a very realistic feel from inside the cockpit, not to mention that watching it from the outside is even a much better show."

Summing up the DC-10, Gene says, "Out of the entire product line from CLS, I think this is definitely my favorite. With the DC-10, we have an aircraft that was developed back in the early 70’s and resembles the technology of its time. That being said, the DC-10 is really a very good add-on and if you are a fan of the Douglas DC-10, I would definitely recommend this add-on."

ProFlight 2000 Emulator Updated

Posted: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - 0:43
OnCourse Software have added four new call signs to their ProFlight 2000 Emulator (PFE). WizzJet, Air Contracts, WestJet and EasyJet are included in the latest release which is available now, with many more in the pipeline.

Update - Super Viking Collection

Posted: Sunday, September 23, 2007 - 16:34
Reborn from the studios of Lionheart Creations, (and now for FSX as well), is the second generation 'Super Viking Collection'.
This is a large package of the famed Bellanca Viking series, a single engine, four passenger aircraft capable of cruising at 250 MPH. These unique 'sports cars' of aviation were (and still are) available in fuel injected 'and' turbocharged models.

This package has been fully redeveloped from its original series, having many new features and modifications, such as a totally rebuilt virtual cockpit that now features four different, high resolution instrument panels (including a new wood veneer panel), that feature 3D gauge elements. The package contains dual airfiles; regular and turbocharged, and features new exterior and interior paint schemes, totalling eleven different texture packs. Graphics have been tuned for faster frame rates, a new high realism pilot is now featured, as well as the female pilot option, (both having scanning animations).

This is an update and is free to existing customers of the LHC Super Viking package. This is also a dual sim platform installer, being able to install into both FS2004 and FSX. For more information, go to Lionheart Creations webpage.

Reader Choice Vote Open Again!

Posted: Sunday, September 23, 2007 - 13:46
We have restarted the Reader Choice Voting and if voted yesterday, we ask that you do so again. Voting will remain open until October 1st at midnight. The Reader's Choice voting was reset as we realized that we had left some nominees out of yesterday's initial vote. We have now rectified that, all votes have been set to zero and we look forward to what the community has to say about the freeware and commercial add-ons that appeared over the last year. Winners of the Reader's Choice Awards will be announced following the prestigious AVSIM Bravo Zulu Awards at the Saturday night Banquet in Seattle this November. If you have not yet placed your vote, we urge you to do so today! And, if you have not yet registered for Flight Simulation's biggest event of the year, we encourage you to join us in Seattle!

3D Lights from Shockwave Productions

Posted: Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 21:58
Staff reviewer Alan Bradbury sheds some new light on our default aircraft with Shockwave's 3D Lights. "The 3D Lights effect was first seen on Shockwave’s Wings of Power 2 Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress commercial add-on, released earlier in 2007."

"For such a small add-on, it has a massive impact on how things look on your aircraft in FSX, and it seems to be able to do all this without impacting on frame rates. Flicking the landing light switch on, brightens things up big time with this add-on installed. There is no doubt that 3D Lights are more than just an eye-candy gimmick, as they genuinely introduce another element of realism into flight simulation."

"If you like piloting the heavies in FSX, where sweating out a tricky approach to a runway through bad weather is your idea of fun, you’re almost certainly going to like the atmospheric fashion in which 3D Lights cuts its way through those clouds and swirling raindrops. And if you’re into low level night missions with helicopters, or landing on the rooftops of skyscrapers, 3D Lights offers really practical benefits to that kind of flying too. Likewise, bush flying in tricky terrain at night with small prop aircraft is made more of a practical proposition with this effect lighting your way."

While there is some manual work to be done in the configuration files, Alan says of 3D Lights, "I’d have to say 3D Lights is a winner. It’s true that the effect it offers is not perfect in some circumstances, but most of the time it comes very close to that ideal. And in terms of innovative and a different add-on for Flight Simulator, it’s well deserving of praise. I’d recommend it."

Archer III by Dreamfleet / Flight 1

Posted: Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 19:53
Staff reviewer Roger Curtiss reflects on his own experiences while flying Dreamfleet's Archer III. "Represented is an actual Archer III registration N9277Q owned by Chuck Roberts of New Hampshire. The cockpit is even set up to include instrumentation that Roberts added to his aircraft to suit his needs."

"The flight model provides a variety of options to the operator for aircraft presentation. It can be loaded as ‘cold and dark’ with pilot out of the cockpit and wing tie downs in place. The pilot can then conduct a thorough preflight inspection; opening the engine oil panel, wing gas caps and baggage compartment. Once the walk around is complete, the service panels can be latched and tie downs removed."

"In addition to the expected dual comm radios, dual nav radios and ADF there is an S-TEC 55X autopilot which operates from two separate controls and a choice of two GPS units; the FS standard GPS500 or the more comprehensive Reality XP GN430. But in order to gain the full enjoyment of this very detailed model, there is no substitute for studying the aircraft manuals before flying. Another good reason to read the manuals is that this airplane is loaded with features that otherwise might go undetected."

"The virtual cockpit is another work of art. In addition, the virtual cockpit eye point can be permanently changed without having to exit FS and then restart. The panel is outstanding. It can be displayed in a variety of configurations from full panel to landing view with just Airspeed Indicator, Artificial Horizon and Altimeter visible and even a right seat perspective."

Concluding his review of the Piper Archer III, Roger says he can't find anything negative about the aircraft, but reminds the simmer that studying the operations manual is a necessity to get the most out of this release.

Condor Competition Soaring Simulator Patch

Posted: Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 17:30
The Condor Team announces that Condor Patch 12 has been released. Patch 12's main features brings the new multi-lingual support for Condor the Competition Soaring Simulator. To download Condor Patch 12, please visit the Condor Soaring website.

Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Package Released

Posted: Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 17:25
If any aircraft is associated with the Golden Age of Aviation, it is the Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro, it's dubbed the safest aircraft ever made. Golden Age Simulations is proud to bring to Flight Simulator this historic aircraft from the Golden Age. Their package, although designed for FS9, is completely compatible with FSX and both installers are included. In their package you will find the three variants of this unusual aircraft, The PCA-2 in three historical liveries; Steve Pitcairn's EAA Miss Champion, Johnny Millers Missing Link and The Detroit News, the US Navy XOP-1 and a PCA-2 Crop Duster.

Each model is fully detailed and animated with a fully outfitted VC and a 2D panel. The flight dynamics are historically accurate with the model being capable of engine off autorotation. No other autogiro for Flight Simulator has been capable of this ability, to the extent that the Pitcairn has been modeled. Both the main engine and the rotor may be independently controlled just as the real aircraft performs. Special features include a deployable banner tow and a crop duster effect. Scenery and missions from FSRealScenes adds to the immersive experience of this package. So relive the Golden Age with the Golden Age Simulations Pitcairn Autogiro Package!

Outskirts-Patch for FScene4X-Fall

Posted: Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 17:05
Ruud Faber of FScene reports, "Many Fscene users already adopted the new FScene4X replacement ground textures for Microsoft's Flight Simulator X (FSX). In our former press release of Aug. 24 we explained not only why this is an interesting option but also about our continuous work on improving the flightsimmer's joy in using FScene4X for FSX. Some repeats of former statements are in place here, thus giving new users some overview on what's going on.

1) FScene has reworked all the textures to make them better suited in FSX. Why? Because of the many changes in Microsoft's new FSX, the use of previous FScene versions was very disappointing. Ugly "gaps" appeared in the terrain, due to many FSX textures not being replaced by FScene ones. Moreover the difference in color between FSX and FScene showed very prominently. And after having released revised texture files for almost all world we reported the birth of the free Outskirts patches.
2) FScene announces a new pack of color-adapted textures which will enhance the pleasure of using world-wide FScene4X in FSX. This is why: When using FScene4X, we found the color mixing of cities vs. outskirts not quite satisfying. Especially in Spring and Summer. So we adapted the colors of several outskirt textures to fit the specific FScene gamma. By outskirts, we mean the urban rural fringe, also described as the "landscape interface between town and country".

This Outskirts Patch for the present FALL season is Free. Head on over to the FScene website Land at and look for the free Outskirts Patches.

TweakFS Updates Free Registry Utilities

Posted: Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 1:23
TweakFS has updated its freeware Registry Utilities for FS9 and FSX. These tools help to analyze and repair the Windows Registry entries that store the folder paths to the FS9 or FSX installations. This critical registry information is required by many add-ons and installers to "see" where the simulators are located on the system hard drive, which makes it very important to keep this data valid. The new versions add an "Auto-Check" feature to help FS add-on developers and users by providing an automatic switch to check the registry key and give feedback to the end-user on the status of their FS9/FSX registry entry. To download, see the "Freeware Files" banner at the TweakFS website.

Wings of Power II: P40 Released

Posted: Friday, September 21, 2007 - 17:34
Shockwave Productions has released their Wings of Power: P40 today. Exclusively developed for Microsoft Flight Simulator X, includes an almost exact replica of the cockpit.

Shockwave writes, "Extensive research goes into making an aircraft, and nothing quite replaces first-hand experience. This includes visiting the aircraft(s), speaking with pilots and mechanics, and flight-testing. We must first capture and verify how it looks, sounds, and performs to create a faithful Wings of Power aircraft. For the P40, we made two trips to the good people at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Dallas Texas and took their P40 up for various test flights to verify performance and capture live sound. Probably the best part of this research was taking a lot of time to just be around the aircraft and the people who take such good care of it." For more information on this release, visit the Shockwave P40 Site.

VFR Real Scenery III Released

Posted: Friday, September 21, 2007 - 17:29
Just Flight is pleased to announce the release of the third volume of its highly anticipated VFR Real Scenery series for Flight Simulator X. VFR Real Scenery; Wales & South-West England is now shipping from Just Flight. The latest volume in this set to transform Flight Simulator X with amazing photographic scenery that includes night lighting, coastlines and water effects.

The VFR Real Scenery series is designed exclusively for Flight Simulator X but it may be that you haven’t taken the plunge and bought FSX yet. Well, now’s the time! Just Flight has an amazing offer running at the moment – buy the first three volumes of the VFR Real Scenery series at the normal retail price and they will add a copy of Flight Simulator X for FREE!!! For more information and ordering information, visit Just Flight.

VATSIM Announces EuroScope

Posted: Friday, September 21, 2007 - 14:25
VATSIM, the Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network, is proud to announce that its newest radar client, EuroScope is now available for the controller community. The long-awaited smart radar by Gergely Csernak simulates the functions of radar systems most common in Europe but also increasingly around the world. With inspiration and feedback from real-world controllers, EuroScope was developed to be as real as it gets. Discover the high degree of reality, user-friendliness (use of the mouse makes life easier) and flexibility (fully customizable styles and layouts) that makes online controlling a whole new experience!

EuroScope offers innovative solutions for handling aircraft, communicating with other ATC units and air traffic control management. By analyzing all flights' horizontal and vertical situation as well as flight plans, EuroScope can now actually allocate aircraft to sectors and predict movements. Find all information on a flight in or entering your sector using the customizable smart tags; explore the advanced integrated voice communication capabilities and easy-to-use voice ATIS; train your skills offline with the built-in ATC simulator. Further information and the software itself can be found at EuroScope Homepage.

VATSIM Goes Statistical!

Posted: Thursday, September 20, 2007 - 0:40
VATSIM has tried hard to keep this project under wraps, but AVSIM got a look at the new VATSIM Stats Page! With numerous search features, and abilities too numerous to list, head on over to VATAWARE and see for yourself!

From the site, "All VATSIM VFR & IFR flights that file a flight plan are tracked by vataware." In addition, the ability to track a person's stats is now available! So give it shot and bring some stats back into your life!

Have some free time? Why not join AVSIM!

Posted: Thursday, September 20, 2007 - 0:30
The AVSim File Library has two "Library Technician" (L.T.) volunteer openings. The typical job description of a L.T. is to review/approve/deny files, communicate with authors and library users via e-mail, and to openly communicate with the Library Director, Library Managers, and other L.T.s. Individuals interested must be able to check in at least six out of seven days a week. The selected individuals will be volunteer Library Managers after a ninety-day probation period. There is flexibility in this scheduling. 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!

Nominations Still Open!

Posted: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 3:17
Nominations are still open for the AVSIM Reader's Choice Awards which will be presented at the AVSIM FANCON at Seattle in November. In fact, we are extending the nomination deadline until 6:00 P.M. EDT on Friday, 22 September (that's this Friday)! If you haven't yet made a nomination for these prestegious awards, do so today! Voting for the best in each category will start on Sunday. So, if you want to see your favorites in the voting, submit your nomination now. In order to appear in the voting, a product must be nominated. To nominate your favorite commercial or freeware add-on, read the rules and enter your nomination here.