Ultimate Terrain X Canada Released

Posted: Monday, October 8, 2007 - 9:47
Fans of the Ultimate Terrain series of scenery enhancements, and awaiting the next product for FSX, will be glad to learn that Ultimate Terrain X Canada is now out.

For further information and purchase details, visit the Flight 1 Ultimate Terrain X Canada page here.

Charity Flight, Looking For Pilots, FanCon 2007!

Posted: Friday, October 5, 2007 - 19:07
Charity Flight is still in need of pilots for FanCon 2007 in Seattle! Bill Van Caulart writes, "With just a month to go until we depart KBFI Seattle for the virtual skys of the world, Charityflight 2007 is still looking for a few good pilots to fly the Level-D 767. If you are going to the convention and would like to pilot a few legs, go to Charity Flight Homepage and register yourself as a pilot volunteer. Look for us at Fancon 2007."

Not signed up for FanCon yet? Then check out the AVSIM FanCon information pages and come join us! Time is running out!

Free Track Updates

Posted: Friday, October 5, 2007 - 13:05
Freetrack is freeware allowing you to directly control view directions by your head movements in compatible games and simulators. A major update has just been released; Freetrack V2.1. This update includes native FSX 6DOF, FS2004 4DOF and FS2002 4DOF support. Many other features included. More informations on the Free Track Webpage.

Will You Be The First FANCON Top Gun?

Posted: Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - 13:19
Using a totally new mission from the Microsoft FSX Acceleration pack, the FANCON competition just got more challenging. Picture yourself in the cockpit of an F-18 and feel the afterburners ignite as you take off and land on an aircraft carrier!!!

The FANCON competition will be judged using two new technologies never experienced before at AVSIM or anywhere in the world:

(1) Your piloting skills will be graded automatically upon completion of the mission, and it will rank you against other pilots in the competition. With Flight Simulation Scoring System (FS3) you will know exactly where you stand each time you fly the mission. The FS3 patent pending technology was developed by Ray Bedard, Professor of Navigation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

(2) You will also be using a D-Box Motion Platform, which simulates the actual flight sensations of an F-18.

This year's competition promises to be one of the most exciting and challenging flight experiences you've ever had!! So make plans now to join us. You don't want to miss this!!!!

FSX Acceleration Goes Gold

Posted: Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - 20:49
In a press release today, Microsoft Game Studios announced the first expansion pack for the critically acclaimed “Flight Simulator X,” released last Fall, has gone gold and will begin hitting retailers throughout North America on Oct. 23rd.

Developed by ACES Studio, “Flight Simulator X: Acceleration” adds a wealth of new content and features, allowing gamers to race against each other in amazing, highly-detailed locations around the world. Aviators are able to test their skills and heroism in many new missions while enjoying three exciting new aircrafts and the ability to share rewards, photos and videos with friends and the broader flight simulator community.

To find out more about this awaited release, and other FSX news, visit the Microsoft FSX website.

World Flight 2007

Posted: Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - 11:05
With just over a month to go, one full motion, seven fixed based and one other desktop simulator will embark on a round the world journey on the VATSIM network raising money for their various charities.

On November 4th at 2300hrz zulu time, eight of the simulators will assemble at YSSY (Sydney Australia) and depart to the north for Darwin and then on up through Asia and Europe on a trip that will take seven days flying in real time with real world procedures and 24hr ATC services. The Canadian Charity Flight will operate at the AVSIM conference venue in Seattle on the weekend of November 10th and 11th The simulators are based in Australia, United Kingdom, Scotland, Austria, Canada and the USA and represent B747-400, B767, B777, B737, A300 and A340 aircraft. Charities that will benefit are Royal Flying Doctor Service, Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, Cancer Research Foundation UK, Cancer For Children St.Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, World Vision Canada and the Toronto Hospital For Children.

To find out more about this impressive event, and perhaps offer your support or even a donation, visit the World Flight 2007 Website.

FSCheckride Released

Posted: Monday, October 1, 2007 - 17:27
CATIII Software is excited to announce the release of FSCheckride.

FSCheckride works in FS9 and FSX and is a brand new concept in flight simulation and desktop flight training.

With multiple licenses available, including a sharp discount for members of Virtual Airliners and a commercial license for those who want to start their own FS addon business, FSCheckride allows users to create, run and distribute their own feature rich examinations that run in FSX and FS9. You can even play AVI and WMV directly in FS. No programming knowledge is required.

The possibilities for this product are limited only by the user’s imagination.

FSCheckride comes shipped with a 50 question FAA Instrument Knowledge test, which features the voice of Mike Foor, Capt B747, and includes many questions taken right from the FAA test data bank.

For a full list of features and screenshots, as well as download links, please taxi to the FSCheckride Website.

Alphasim Blenheim Out Now

Posted: Monday, October 1, 2007 - 16:06
AlphaSim have announced that their Bristol Blenheim is out now. Both the early Mk.1 'short-nose' variant and the better-known Mk.4 variant are both included in this package. The FSX and FS9 models both feature six texture sets with paint weathering effects. The cockpit and panel is unique for both the Mk.1 and Mk.4 and a Mercury engine soundset is included. Flying characteristics have been carefully researched, based on an actual Blenheim manual . Animations include smoke effects from the two exhausts at startup, bomb bay, the top crew hatch, the gunsight on the Mk.4 and the crew which can be toggled off when not needed.

The product is available for both FSX and FS2004. Screenshots and further details can be found at the AlphaSim site

Condor in French

Posted: Monday, October 1, 2007 - 15:03
Thanks to the recent release of the Patch 12 for Condor the Competition Soaring Simulator, which brings multilingual support, French Condor enthusiasts have joined a team to translate the User Manual and interface as well as the Flight School lessons into French. An automatic program that installs all the necessary files can be downloaded from the Condor French language forum. Other translations in Czech, German, Hungarian, Russian and more are in the making.

Flight Environment X Released

Posted: Monday, October 1, 2007 - 10:07
Flight One Software, in partnership with Aerosimulations (Peter Wilding and Chris Norris), have announced the official release of Flight Environment X for Microsoft Flight Simulator X.

As the official press release tells us, "Xenvision, the new technology in Flight Environment X, creates beautifully rendered clouds, sky themes, and water themes. The program adds revolutionary control of your environment, all of it in stunning high-definition detail.

This version is also very different compared to the original release for FS9. The range of customization is enormous, allowing an incredible depth of control... from adjusting the transparency of clouds and the color of the bottom of clouds, right through to adjusting how the water color scales in depth. Intuitive tools allow even the novice to be able to achieve stunning results. The included cloud editor will make it nearly impossible to see the same scene twice.

Flight Environment X also provides ease of use features that allow users to use stunning and varied preset themes using the same principles as Flight Environment for FS9. You can select from the many themes, or allow FEX to intelligently select themes for you, varying your experience every time you fly."

Visit the Flight Environment X product page for more information, screenshots, and download information.

Only Two Days Remain - Vote Today!

Posted: Saturday, September 29, 2007 - 13:54
The Reader's Choice Awards voting will be automatically closed at midnight on October 1st. The Reader's Choice Awards are your awards to the contributors in our community. Both freeware and commercial providers are competing in a number of categories that have been nominated by the community. Cast your vote today and have your voice heard. Attend the AVSIM FANCON convention and exhibition in November to see who the winners of the community voting are. If you have not voted yet, do so today!

Conference Webpage Updated

Posted: Friday, September 28, 2007 - 5:55
The 2007 AVSIM Conference and Exhibition registration, event schedule and hotel reservation pages have been updated. The Hilton has announced that the hotel reservations will be opened back up to the general public on October 13th. So if you are still fence sitting, it's time to make that decision and get your room booked if you are coming from out of town.

The pre-registration cut-off date for the Friday Night Social and/or the Saturday Night Awards Banquet is Oct 26th. We are in the final planning stages of these two events and we will have to submit the total numbers to the hotel for the Catering Department to make their orders.

Vendors are still registering daily, and there are going to be many new faces and products on display at this years Conference. Head on over to the Registration page and sign up today. You won't want to miss this flight.

Stinson from Golden Age Simulations

Posted: Friday, September 28, 2007 - 1:48
Staff reviewer Juan Llobera goes back to days gone by with his look at Golden Age Simulations' Stinson. "The Stinson A was produced until 1936, and in those three years a total of 30 airplanes were produced. The airplane became quite famous, not only because it was one of the first airline airplanes to include a lavatory on board, but also because of a series of legendary air disasters."

"The exterior model is really well done, not only in the Model A version but also in the A-2W. You’ll get one livery for each model, an American Airlines livery for the Model A and the Airlines of Australia livery for the Model A-2W. The first thing you’ll notice when flying this aircraft is its power. It was once called “America’s Fastest Tri-Motor” and with three Lycoming R-680 radial engines that deliver 260HP at 2300 R.P.M , this beauty can achieve up to 180 mph at sea level. The take off procedure is similar to those required by the DC-3, and landing the Stinson Model A is actually not a difficult task."

"The aircraft comes without a 2D panel, for those of you who still like the traditional 2D panel view, don’t panic because the 3D panel is really well done. In fact, it is one of the smoothest 3D panels I’ve seen. Another nice detail is the cabin views. Each model has different interiors, each one is designed in a different way so you’ll get the idea you are flying for different airlines."

"Performance is excellent," say Juan concluding his review of the Stinson, "if you like flying some old-powerful pieces of metal, a prop lover or just a pilot looking for new challenges out of a glass-cockpit, then go ahead and get this one, you wont regret it."

Collins-like Radios From Flight Illusion

Posted: Thursday, September 27, 2007 - 19:39
Flight Illusion announced it has released the latest radio modules, based on the Collins CTL range. These radio modules feature an ON/OFF switch, ten frequency store function, active and STBY frequency and many other features.

For more information on this product, please visit the Flight Illusion website and you may download a free brochure here.

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.