Aircraft Review - Cessna 182Q Skylane II by Carenado

Posted: Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 2:32
Staff reviewer Joe Mercurio takes us for a quick spin in Carenado's Cessna 182Q Skylane II. "It looks to be that Carenado was again able to maintain their reputation for outstanding quality, attention to detail, and modeling the smallest of things."

Joe goes into great detail about the exterior modelling of this GA airframe. About the inside, he says, "The Virtual Cockpit and Cabin are both fully interactive and frame rate friendly, which is a biggie for the lower end computers. I recommend using Active Camera, made by AntiCyclone or Flight1, view utility. When you fly the 182Q, you really feel “there” when flying in the VC." Joe describes the 2D console, "The attractive black panel of the 182Q isn’t only for fashion. This panel is very well made. The reason being, its clickable pop-up gauges, clarity, simplicity, and user friendliness."

"In order to fly this aircraft correctly, you must first understand the concept of the constant speed propeller in order to maintain proper climb, cruise, and decent operating powers. The propeller’s pitch must be changed during many stages of the flight, and not at 100% during many operations for realism's sake. Takeoff and landing is achieved like the real thing, the airfile was obviously not rushed because it performs down to real world numbers."

Joe sums up with, "I have concluded that Carenado's Cessna 182Q may be the best single engine GA aircraft available. It sets itself apart from other planes when you compare detail, sounds, panel, flight model and other small but important features that makes the plane worth the money."

Don't Miss The Show!

Posted: Friday, August 11, 2006 - 15:32
What is the one thing missing from the 2006 AVSIM convention in Washington D.C? If you don’t hurry the answer will be you! The Dulles Airport Hyatt hotel, our venue this year is quickly approaching sell out! This convention is already our largest event we’ve ever hosted.

With well over 15 vendors, including Microsoft, there is going to be a major player from every major market segment including some "real-life" organizations like AOPA and Embry Riddle! In addition to seeing the latest and greatest that the flight simulation community has to offer there are many chances all over the convention for you to win. Not one but two virtual airlines and a fly-in event hosted on VATSIM with Washington D.C. ARTCC (ZDC) controllers on hand during Saturday’s events.

At the MidCon Airlines Booth enter for one of the slots to fly the “Part 121 check ride challenge” and your chance to win prizes. Fly a Precision Flight Controls setup complete with Cirrus II Professional console, Avionics Stack and pedals! At the Microsoft booth, see FSX in all its glory; be one of the first 400 to register for the convention and win a free copy! Not to mention door prizes and give a ways all weekend long from other vendors including Xbox 360 Controllers, video cards, software, add-ons and much more.

As always Friday night’s social promises to have many “heavy hitters” of the industry on hand. Share a drink, share a snack, and talk comfortably for hours! During the day Saturday we have a full day of technical white-paper briefings for you to enjoy. Saturday night includes a dinner banquet,Bravo Zulu awards presentations, reader's choice awards and guest speakers from Microsoft! And to round out the weekend Sunday features a “Day with Microsoft” as they present white papers, demos, and take your questions!
Don’t be left out wondering what could have been. Visit the 2006 Convention Website now and reserve your place at the show!

New Russian AI Website

Posted: Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 12:31
A new website dedicated to Russian AI traffic has been launched. The objective of Russian AI Traffic System (RATS) is to create an all-around representation of the Russian traffic in Flight Simulator. This will be accomplished by coordinating the work of the contributors, improving the flight plans (RATS has developed their own classification of the flights), creation of AFCADs, etc. Naturally there is also a forum, where it is possible to get help with such things as russian models, flight plans, textures, etc. For more information visit RATS's homepage which can be viewed both in English and Russian.

FSPilot Goes MP3

Posted: Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 12:18
Have you ever been on an intercontinental flight, or waiting in line for take off for half an hour? If so you probably been wishing, you could sneak into the passenger cabin and take advantage of the in flight entertainment system. Now FSPilot makes that possible by an free service update that will allow you to play your MP3 files while flying. See the FSPilot homepage for more information.

AlphaSim's C-7 Caribou Reviewed

Posted: Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 5:12
Sr Staff reviewer Gene Davis looks at a classic cargo/troop aircraft from the 60's, AlphaSim's deHavilland C-7 Caribou. "The C7 was built by DeHavilland Aircraft of Canada as a twin engine STOL aircraft that was used mainly for utility transport by the military and saw a great deal of service during the South East Asian Conflict."

"As you explore each aircraft, you will find that a lot of care went into the creation of this aircraft. Going from the outside to the inside is also a visual treat! The interior of the aircraft is highly detailed, right down to the circuit breakers behind the pilot’s seat. While the aircraft is well detailed it doesn’t bog down system resources and you can manage an entire flight from your virtual cockpit."

"Climbing into the cockpit is a nice treat, especially if you are in the virtual cockpit. This is my personal preference for this aircraft as its interior and panel layout have been masterfully recreated right down to the reflections in the cockpit windows. The gauge layout in the aircraft is very well done and matches that of its real world counterpart and from what I can tell, the gauges have all been designed specifically for this aircraft giving it a very realistic flair and feel to the overall package of the C-7."

"This is one aircraft add-on that will keep me going back for more," Gene says in his review conclusion of the Caribou, "There are no complex systems to learn, no modern avionics; it is just you and the airplane doing it the way they used to do it, the old fashioned way!"

FsG Cordillera Canada 38m Terrain Updated

Posted: Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 4:40
FsGenesis has updated Cordillera Canada 38m Terrain to version 2.0. Completely rebuilt using the latest CDED 23m source data, areas previously compiled from 90m source data have been replaced, and a slight datum offset of previous versions has been corrected. For more information go to the FsGenesis website.

AOPA to Attend AVSIM Convention!

Posted: Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 23:46
We are very pleased to announce that today, Sue Walitsky, Director of Public Relations for the Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association (AOPA) informed us that AOPA will both exhibit and present at the AVSIM 2006 Convention and Exhibition to be held in September. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the AOPA has ever participated in an event directly related to flight simulation, and we are proud of the fact that they chose the AVSIM Convention to be the first. We cannot announce any details at the moment except to say that they will have an exhibit, and will present a session to attendees during the event. We will, of course, tell you of the details as we can. For the moment, we encourage you to sign up and get your registration in place today for the largest and most important simulation event this year! Don't miss out!

DA Releases SP2 For Cheyenne

Posted: Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 22:50
Digital Aviation and Aerosoft have released Service Pack 2 for the Piper Cheyenne. For more information visit the Digital Aviation forum. Fixes/Changes in SP2:

- Fixed copilot yoke position in Cheyenne IA/IIXL
- Fixed altitude selector showing current altitude
- Fixed and synced cabin and dome lights
- Fixed GPS crashing on NRST page
- Fixed Free Gyro annunciator
- Fixed KFC250 yaw damper light
- Fixed copilot side annunciator backgrounds
- Removed mipmaps from VC textures
- Fixed heading bug showing GPS commanded headings
- Fixed autopilot not switching off on elevator trim
- Removed automatic keyboard activation on WPT page
- Fixed flight director indicating reversed pitch in APPR and ALT HOLD modes
- Fixed strobes and beacons visible in virtual cockpit and cabin

FS-X Download Demo Within Hours!

Posted: Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 21:55
Gamespot has announced that in a matter of hours the FS-X Demo will be available for download. There is one small catch; you have to be a Gamespot subscriber to get it! However as this is a die-hard hobby for most, you can almost hear those credit cards warming up!

So if you are interested in seeing the next version of FS, sign up now, get on the email list, and be ready when the clock hits 0000 GMT time! For more information, visit the Gamespot FS-X demo page. Please keep in mind that the servers over at Gamespot will be busy, will be slammed, and joining does not guarantee you will get it! With that in mind good luck! If you do not wish to subscribe you can also download from the official Microsoft FSX website.

Vista Australis Releases AI Pack

Posted: Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 5:30
The VOZ Team is pleased to announce that the much anticipated, definitive AI addon for Australia and NZ is now available as a FREE download. Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of AI model, repaint and AFCAD authors, and support from sites such as Project AI, this expansion to the VOZ Scenery series will add even further realism to your experience when visiting Down Under. See the Aussie skies and airports come alive with hundreds of superb aircraft models, thousands of liveries and tens of thousands of real-world, accurately scheduled flights. You will see international, regional and local carriers, GA planes, private and charter traffic and military aircraft at RAAF bases. Further releases of the AI Pack will endeavour to add every single aircraft registered and operating in Australia added over the next year. Visit the Vista Australis website to grab the installer.

FriendlyPanels Releases Boeing 2D Panels

Posted: Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 9:18
FriendlyPanels has released all their Boeing 2D panels separately. They are the panels for the Boeing 737-400, 747-400 and 777-300.

Some features of the panels:

-All gauges visible in one screen (except for GPS) making it easy to read.
-VC adapted as far as possible
-Antialiasing vectorial ADI which includes Autopilot annunciators, IAS trend indication, radio height and ground speed readout.

Some features of the B747 panel:

-All gauges visible in one screen (except for GPS) making it easy to read.
-VC adapted as far as possible
-Antialiasing vectorial PFD which includes Autopilot annunciators, radio height, ground speed readout, angle of attack and much more info than the default FS9 gauge.
-Antialiasing vectorial MFD with four screen modes: rose, arc, map and flight plan list. In map mode you can choose to display terrain, detailed terrain or not terrain. You can select what navaids to display too.
-GPS FMC style, with all functions of the default FS2004 GPS.

Some features of the B777 panel:

-All gauges visible one screen (except for GPS) making it easy to read.
-VC adapted as far as possible
-Antialiasing vectorial PFD which includes Autopilot annunciators, radio height, ground speed readout, angle of attack and much more info than the default FS9 gauge.

For more information you can visit the FriendlyPanels homepage.

AlphaSim's EFA Typhoon Reviewed

Posted: Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 1:58
Contributing reviewer Chris Kiehl updates us on a modern fighter with AlphSim's EFA Typhoon.

Describing the exterior and interior of this fighter, Chris reports, "The external model is of a high quality and very detailed and animated in nearly every way. The gear and tires are well modeled and textured, along with speed brakes and engine exhaust nozzles. Bright, long and translucent, the afterburner textures look very close to photos of the real thing. The Heads Up Display is very readable in the 2D cockpit view, and that's good, because most of the important flight information is posted here. Many buttons and systems are clickable on the 2D panel, increasing the fun the user can have with the plane. There are several MFD Multi Functional Displays on the 2D panel and they can be changed with a click of a button. The sharpness and detail of every line in the virtual cockpit blew me away the first time I saw it. Just about anything that can be clicked and manipulated on the 2D panel is clickable in the virtual cockpit, even the autopilot below the HUD."

When it comes to flying this aircraft, Chris says, "You will surely enjoy flying this aircraft. I’ve found that extremely unique maneuvers can be pulled. The stall characteristics of the plane, considering the front mounted canards, is quite fun to play around with. The Autopilot is very well done, and functionality is great. It is easy to activate, set, and deactivate from both the 2D and virtual panels."

"I like Alphasim products, they seem to put a whole lot of effort into their work," concludes Chris, "As a regular military jet fan, I didn't think the Typhoon would fit into my favorites hangar, but I'm now a permanent fan. The Typhoon does have a great immersion factor, the depth of the virtual cockpit is the biggest plus."

Cargo Pilot Demo Released

Posted: Monday, August 7, 2006 - 22:50
Just Flight is pleased to announce the release of a demo for Cargo Pilot. This innovative expansion for Flight Simulator gives users an opportunity to see what it’s like to carve out a career in cargo operations.

Cargo Pilot has been developed in-house by the team at Just Flight and they are justifiably proud of their achievements in producing such an immersive piece of software. Cargo Pilot is aimed at FS2004 pilots who think they’ve got what it takes to become a success in the challenging world of air cargo operations. This is the natural partner to Airliner Pilot, but instead of passengers, virtual pilots will be doing everything from freighting chickens to delivering racing cars around the globe.

Just Flight’s Senior Development Manager, Wolfgang Schwarz, commented on the new demo: “In a real-world situation you’d want to a put a new staff member on a trial period before confirming their contract details. It’s the same with Cargo Pilot. Prospective cargo jockeys can see if it’s the job for them before they buy the full version of Cargo Pilot.”

Cargo Pilot has a vacancy – who can rise to the challenge? To download it, you go to the home page at JustFlight and follow the simple instructions from there.

Convention Hotel Nearly Sold Out

Posted: Monday, August 7, 2006 - 22:34
Most times when you read headlines like this one, you can usually count on it being hyperbole, if not a total distortion of fact. However, we can assure you that this situation is very true, and one that we are frankly suprised about. Yes, the Hyatt Hotel, the venue for the 2006 Convention is nearly sold out. The AVSIM Convention has exceeded its predicted room count by over 100%. That too is a true statement. We only have a handful of rooms left for those that wish to stay in the hotel during our convention. If you want to stay at the Hyatt and be at the same location as the Convention, we encourage you to register at the Hyatt today! If you go to register and the Hyatt reservations rejects the AVSIM code, or comes up with some rate that is not the AVSIM special rate, you will know that all of our rooms are booked out. Make your reservations today to ensure that you will have a room at our hotel venue.

GoFlight MCP PRO now compatible with 737-PIC

Posted: Monday, August 7, 2006 - 18:19
Wilco Publications, feelThere.com, and GoFlight are happy to announce that the recently released MCP PRO professional autopilot system from GoFlight is now fully compatible with the Wilco 737 Pilot in Command. The new installer is available at http://wilcopub.com or at the Simware site at http://www.simw.com. Customers may also just install Service Pak 2 from http://www.wilcopub.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=support_737PIC

ADVERTISEMENT: Both the MCP-PRO and 737-Pilot in Command can be ordered directly from the Avsim Store

Fly The Sud SA313B/318C Alouette II

Posted: Monday, August 7, 2006 - 15:13
A new package simulating the Sud Aviation SA313B and SA318C Alouette II is now available for MSFS 2004. The package contains 32 different accurate and high-detailed models. For all the information and to purchase, you are cleared direct to Helicosim.

New Recorder Module Available

Posted: Monday, August 7, 2006 - 15:07
The first beta of version 1.3 of the Recorder Module for FS2004 is now available for download at New Recorder Module. The module adds improved recording and replay features to FS2004, as well as advanced view features for tower and spot views. The new version extends the "play as traffic" feature, which allows playback of a recorded flight as AI traffic. It is now possible to record a new flight during playback as traffic, as well as to play back multiple recordings together. This allows the simulation of formation flights. With version 1.3 it is now also possible to record and play back the FS generated AI traffic. The latest stable version of the recorder is 1.21, which is a minor update to version 1.2 and gives a smoother movement of the aircraft during playback. It is also available in the AVSIM file library.

AlphaSim P2V-7 Neptune Out

Posted: Sunday, August 6, 2006 - 14:51
Although seldom seen in flightsimming, the Neptune was used by many nations for decades patrolling the oceans of the world. The AlphaSim package focuses on the last of the Neptune series, the mixed-power P2V-7. The sharp and authentic texture schemes represent of course the US Navy (in two variations), but also three other users - France, Holland and Australia. The external model features many animations, such as bomb bay (revealing 2 torpedoes), cowl flaps, spoilers, 2-stage crew hatch opening, jet intake flaps and even an observer figure in the nose can be toggled. The wingtip searchlight is represented as a landing light. The detail continues inside, a well-researched cockpit offers all full suite of gauges on both sides (new techniques guarantee high FPS), many mousable switches/levers and a high quality 2D panel and pop-up windows will satisfy all your 'office' needs. Source texture templates are provided for repainters to use. The highly authentic flight dynamics and soundset round out a very thorough treatment of this wonderful American aircraft. For FS2004/FSX only. To view screenshots, find out more details, and purchase, go to AlphaSim.