Ultimate Traffic FS9 Update Released

Posted: Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 1:03
Flight One Software has released an update to their classic Ultimate Traffic for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 users. This version ships with a new schedule current for the Summer of 2007 and includes over 100 adjusted repaints to make traffic coverage larger than the original FS2004 version, There are over 350,000 real world flights in the new traffic database. The “ultimate” sandbox for AI Traffic generation in Flight Simulator, experts can use the advanced tools to create their own traffic environments, Virtual Airline's can use the tools to have their airlines fly around in the FS9 AI traffic system. For beginners, all you have to do is point and click your way to all new traffic in FS9. For more product details visit Flight One Software .

Tweak Flight For FSX - Released

Posted: Friday, June 22, 2007 - 16:36
In a news submission sent to Avsim today, TweakFS announced the release of TweakFlight for FSX . A completely new edition, re-designed from the ground up allows the user to launch favourite flights, missions and lessons, tweak over 150 different flight file variables, change an aircraft and launch your favorite flights, missions and lessons from within TweakFlight. The software includes a built-in screenshot utility and a FSX HTM briefing viewer/creator. For a look at this product the freeware utilities and other software visit the TweakFS website.

FScene Release South-America FSX

Posted: Friday, June 22, 2007 - 13:21
New from FScene South-America for FSX, in a news submission sent to Avsim today the crew at FScene follow the release of FSX packs for Europe, USA & canada and Asia with South-America. Over 2300 textures cover this huge continent in all seasons and as a bonus the buyer will get FScene 2006 (FS9) for free, for a look at the full range of sceneries visit FScene

New From FSFrance.com

Posted: Friday, June 22, 2007 - 12:51
The team at FS France.com sent Avsim a note to mention that they have a series of new models and liveries available at their website, highlights include a North American T-28F Fennec, Airbus A300-600st BELUGA, a trio of Boeing 737-200's in assorted liveries, Me262 in C.E.V textures, L39 Albatros and Frecce Tricolori. The website in French is easy to navigate using the title bar, give FS France.com a visit today

VFR Real Scenery Vol 1 from Just Flight

Posted: Friday, June 22, 2007 - 2:33
Staff reviewer David Rogers takes us on a scenic tour of a section of his home country, the UK, with Just Flight's VFR Real Scenery Vol 1 for FSX. "Up until now, photographic scenery in general has held something of a love-hate status among flight sim hobbyists. Enter FSX."

"So we know it’s scenery, but what exactly is all the fuss about with this new type of photographic scenery in FSX? Well, although Just Flight may have replaced the word photographic with ‘real’, make no mistake, the main feature of this type of scenery is that it is based around digital aerial photographs of the featured area."

"The area covered by this volume is a rather slim but tall Easterly slice of England. The most obvious area to mention in terms of the coverage provided, is that it includes the City of London. But when you tire of checking out the City, you also get the eastern section of the South Coast area of England as well as the flat and generally rural East Anglia region. (The ‘hip’ of England!). As well as the Capital, towns and cities such as Brighton, Folkestone, Dover, Ipswich, Norwich, Peterborough, Cambridge and Luton are also featured in this area. The Counties covered being Kent, East Sussex, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and parts of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and West Sussex."

"I decided that a good way to check out the eye candy, and try some true VFR navigation, would be to start from an area I know and check out some references on the ground that I know. While FSX has reasonably accurate main road placement for the UK, what I immediately noticed was how better the Just Flight Real Scenery sits alongside the main roads. As I reached 600 ft, I was exceptionally pleased to note that the quality and focus of textures are immeasurably better at this low altitude than they were in the previous VFR Photographic Scenery software for FS2004. I noticed that the coastline is far more accurate and detailed with VFR Real Scenery, as opposed to FSX’s default scenery. Flying over London is a treat and you could spend hours hunting out the sights. It really is great fun and about as good as we’ve seen yet for VFR flying."

Summing up this first Volume of Just Flight's VFR Real Scenery, David concludes, "Whether you want this scenery on your hard drive will largely depend on your preferences within the hobby. If you are into low and slow VFR flying, then I could not recommend this product highly enough. The world of photographic scenery within the sim is a developing technology and this product is not perfect. But generally, this is an awesome add-on that will transform the way you see and even think about the ground below you."

Brussels National Airport Released

Posted: Friday, June 22, 2007 - 0:29
Dream Factory Studio has just announced the release of Brussels National Airport for FS2004. The Brussels airport is one of the fastest growing International Airports. In the past few years, the airport was proclaimed the best Airport of Europe by several organizations. This is truly what every Belgian simmers and many Belgium flyers have been waiting for.

It has been totally designed with Gmax and features animated and static cars, trucks and many other airport objects. High quality photo textures have been used on buildings and the ground for both night and day views. A lot of attention to details can be seen in this scenery, from realistic taxi signs and the famous “black and white” runways to the road signs, ads around the airport and hotels. The scenery is AI compatible and features a docking guidance system. Famous landmarks such as churches can be seen from runways and factories around the airport have been added. Custom autogen for the local houses has also been implemented.

Screenshots are available for viewing and more information can be obtained about Brussels National Airport on the support forum.

Flight 1's FS Global 2008 Update

Posted: Thursday, June 21, 2007 - 1:40
Flight1 is pleased to announce that the largest and most complete terrain mesh upgrade for Flight Simulator is now available across Europe and in the USA.

Flight 1 comments, "FS Global 2008 has been hailed as the ultimate scenery upgrade. The equivalent of six DVD-ROMs with 13Gb brings NASA technology to Flight Simulator 2004 and Flight Simulator X! Developed by Pilot’s Software, the latest edition of this well-known title includes the very latest Space Shuttle data and has been extensively re-worked to make this not just another ‘update’ but an all-new product."

The Flight 1 boxed version includes an improved Flight1-developed installer and the latest updated data files from the developer – making installation a breeze and giving the best results yet, whether you own Flight Simulator 2004 or FSX! Flight1 is shipping across much of Europe (excluding German-speaking territories) and it is also available direct for US customers from the Flight 1 website.

Flying With A Wide Screen

Posted: Thursday, June 21, 2007 - 1:12
Recently AVSIM reviewed Matrox's TripleHead2Go (TH2G). Now Arnie Lee of Abacus has contributed his experiences with this amazing little black box on the FS Free Press page of the Abacus website. You can find the FS Free Press link on the left hand side of their webpage.

Matrox has now come out with a Digital version of this device. An updated review by AVSIM will be forthcoming. The TH2G was a hit at last year's AVSIM Conference when Microsoft demonstrated FSX on three 21" monitors. Other vendors at the Conference were also showcasing this "must have" for serious flight simmers. Matrox's TH2G will be showcased again at this year's Conference.

Be sure to read Arnie's personal take on Matrox's TripleHead2Go and you'll probably be asking, "where can I get one?"

FS Legend Ron Freimuth Passes On

Posted: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 - 22:12
It is with much sadness that Avsim has to report the untimely death of a stalwart figure in the field of flight simulation. Ron Freimuth was a very well known character, and his departure from this world will be sorely missed.

During Ron's flight simulation days he became a master of flight dynamics, and his knowledge and inspiration will no doubt have inspired many of today’s developers. PMDG, PSS, Dreamfleet and string of freeware packages can attribute much of their success to the dedication and devotion that Ron gave to them.

Life goes on, but with the knowledge that Ron has passed on to others they will continue to make the world of flight simulation even better. Both those who knew Ron personally and the rest of the community will miss him.

OnCourse Software Announces New Website

Posted: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 - 21:39
Dave March from OnCourse Software, the publisher of Flight Deck Companion, reported that their new website is now open to the public, and contains an exciting new announcement!

To find out more, go ahead and visit the OnCourse Software website.

FS Live Traffic X from AirNav Systems

Posted: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 - 3:48
Staff reviewer Jeff Shyluk dives into the world of AI traffic from a real world perspective with AirNav Systems' FS Live Traffic X.

"AirNav FS Live Traffic X is software for FSX that will generate artificially intelligent (AI) traffic that looks like real-world airlines, which can populate just about any airport that supports IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) flights into, out of, or within North America. This is due to a subscription process that allows AirNav FS Live Traffic X to connect to an Internet server that continuously updates real IFR flight schedules collected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) into data suitable for use in FSX."

"What this looks like in FSX, is that there are aircraft models with realistic airline paint schemes that will follow real world flight schedules. If a flight is cancelled, delayed, or added from the published schedule in the real word, for example due to weather conditions, then your air traffic in FSX should accurately reflect that change."

"Installation of AirNav FS Live Traffic X is somewhat tricky and depends on the user being able to edit configuration files in FSX. The manual explains the process in good detail with instructive illustrations. Purchasing AirNav FS Live Traffic X is actually part of a subscription system, and the purchaser will automatically be charged $59.95 in US Dollars every six months for access to flight schedules that are accurate almost up to the minute, with the first six-month subscription being included in the price of the utility. Users can contact AirNav Systems to opt out of subscription at any time."

"AirNav FS Live Traffic X operates independently of FSX. After installation, very little user intervention is required to maintain the flight schedules or liveries: the process is automatic and internal. The program needs a live Internet connection, from where it will download updates that typically are around 300 kilobytes in size. It took my test system under a minute to process the update, which gets loaded into FSX automatically. FSX load times are longer due to the new data. On my computer, the load time increased by about a minute."

"Since it's possible to have over a hundred different airplanes at once in larger airports, the detail level on these jets is low, and up close, they look rather ugly. However, they are colourful, and unlike the fictional MSFS jets like Pacifica and World Travel Airlines, you can have many more of them on screen at the same time before taking a big performance hit with your computer, as long as you are running a decent modern system."

"Most of the AI flights are IFR, because the FAA data that AirNav Systems collects is based on IFR flight plans. This means that AirNav FS Live Traffic X depicts mostly passenger jets. Military flights, helicopters, amphibious planes, and such are not modelled at this time. As well, for the parts of the world where the FAA does not track flights, you are not likely to see much AI traffic, if any."

Concluding his look at AirNav FS Live Traffic X, Jeff describes it as, "a premium AI air traffic generator for the North American continent. With it, you will get true to life air traffic that is as close to "live" as we can get for FSX, given some limitations. The extra service does come with a large price tag, but if spending money on your FSX hobby is not a problem, I feel that AirNav FS Live Traffic X provides plenty of useful utility. The user will never have to worry about sorting through a seemingly endless list of files, schedules, and liveries, as all of the "book-keeping" and maintenance within the program is performed automatically."

PROPS Racing Celebrates Its Four Year Anniversary!

Posted: Monday, June 18, 2007 - 16:04
PROPS Racing [a division of WestCoast ATC] is preparing for the biggest race season in its 4 year history with new aircraft, new race courses and new ways of challenging its racers. In addition to the many race aircraft such as the P-51 Mustang, P-38 Lightning and Lancair Legacy next season will feature new aircraft including the popular Sea Fury and Laird Turner Meteor and exciting ways to mix it up in the air. their latest creation is the air racing obstacle course. Imagine 8 planes all racing wingtip-to-wingtip through a 3-dimensional race course with steep turns and dives between gates in fast head-to-head action, that's PROPS 3D Extreme Challenge racing! PROPS Racing is the largest and most active online pylon racing organization in existence and serves up the excitement and thrill of air racing action twice a week through the use of our proprietary version of FSHOST. PROPS version of this software was custom-built by none other than Russell 'OzzieYank' Gilbert, the creator of FSHOST, and includes specialized features such as a fully automated pace plane, automatic pylon skip detection with accuracy to within 1 millimeter, lap timing with 1/1000th of a second accuracy, automated race results posted to a web page in real-time, and pilot validation to ensure accuracy of all flight dynamic files. Combined with WestCoastATC's dedicated high-speed fiber-optic servers, PROPS Racing is the most accurate and fair online racing environment available anywhere. PROPS delivers the competition and excitement you've been craving! Sign up today at WestCoastATC.com

St Maarten from FlyTampa

Posted: Monday, June 18, 2007 - 1:29
Contributing reviewer Chris Kiehl takes us on a carribean tour of St Maarten from FlyTampa. "St. Maarten is the smallest island divided by two nations - France and the Netherlands. The French control the north side of the island, while the Dutch retain control of the southern portion and the international airport."

"Many features of this scenery make the whole experience into a visual show. At each airport and the immediate surrounding area, there are highly upgraded and detailed textures which add so much to the immersion. The runways have a very realistic appearance to them, and to me, appear as real asphalt or concrete. This gives you the sensation of speed on landing and takeoff which the FS default runways and taxiways simply fail to do. On top of these taxiways and runways is the yellow and white paint, which actually appears to have been painted on and not floating on top of a good base texture."

"Princess Juliana International is a world famous airport for everything that makes it special, and even more for that seemingly daunting approach that airliners make at 50-100 feet over the fence. All of these details, at least the ones that I can think of, are seamlessly represented. St. Maarten itself is done remarkably well. The ‘Sunset Beach Bar’ at the end of the runway can be seen where many of those famous low flying airliner shots are taken; along with little beach chairs and umbrellas and a few people here and there enjoying the festivities."

"St. Barth’s airport is located right on a little bay, next to a hill surrounded by dense jungle and is highly detailed in this scenery package. The graphic of Barth’s terminal and surrounding towns of Gustavia and St. Jean is simply amazing in my opinion. Saba is the show stealer. A small runway and airport out on a small peninsula, perched atop a 200 foot island cliff. The whole island is really spectacular, as the peak of the island simply climbs out of the ocean, almost like an island out of a movie like Jurassic Park when flying to it."

Summizing FlyTampa's St Maarten, Chris says, "I think anyone who buys either the St. Maarten/Juliana standalone, or opts for the whole package, will greatly enjoy them. If you’re simply a fan of flying in this region or these islands specifically, get this scenery as it will greatly enhance your flying time here."

Real Sky Pro Edition Released

Posted: Sunday, June 17, 2007 - 20:06
The developers of this add-on say "Real Sky Pro Edition has pushed FS2004 to the next level, allowing many Flight Sim users to continue to use the resources of add-ons they have invested in."

Real Sky Pro Edition will remodel what you currently own, to bring a modern look to Microsoft Flight Similator 9. All new textures have been designed. Not one set is from any other editon of Real Sky. With the new Graphic User Interface (GUI), installing any of the 70+ texture sets included is as simple as a click of a button.

You can mix and match sky texture sets to create a look that is right for you! From sunny weather to winter conditions, its all included - Even rainy texture sets!

AeroSoft Release AspenX Scenery

Posted: Sunday, June 17, 2007 - 5:24
Aerosoft has just announced the release of it's AspenX Scenery for FSX. Aerosoft loves danger as long as it is realistic, and Aspen Colorado has an airport that ranks high as one of the most dangerous airports in the USA. With one runway direction usable because of high terrain North, East AND South of the airport, a back course localizer specially for the missed approach and located at nearly 8000 feet, you just know you have to study your aircraft performance charts and the approach and departure documents (included of course).

This realistic scenery is not only aesthetically pleasing and accurate, but the extended manual will teach you a lot about the dangers of high altitude (and high density altitude) while you enjoy the Colorado mountain scenery.

For more information, check out the Previews and the AspenX details.

JustFlight Release A Quartet Of Products

Posted: Sunday, June 17, 2007 - 5:04
News JustIn from JustFlight Announces the release of four high quality, award winning aircraft made by Phoenix Simulations (PSS). CONCORDE PROFESSIONAL for FS2004, A340 PROFESSIONAL for FS2002/FS2004, DASH 8-300 PROFESSIONAL for FS2002/FS2004, A320 PROFESSIONAL for FS2002/FS2004. These aircraft feature in the JustFlight Professional range; a range which holds only aircraft of the highest possible quality. There is far too much information on these aircraft to possibly fit on the AVSIM front page, so head on over to the Justflight Download Page for more information, or to download.

Eaglesoft Citation CII V1.5 For FSX

Posted: Sunday, June 17, 2007 - 3:07
Eaglesoft Cessna Citation CII 1.5 Package for FSX has been released! Eaglesoft is pleased to announce that their Cessna Citation II 1.5 Package for FSX is now available.

This FSX version of the Cessna Citation CII 1.5 retains all the features of Eaglesoft's FS9 CII 1.0 and adds an FSX 3D Studio Max model with .dds textures, bump mapping, specular lighting, self shadowing, and other great FSX features! Citation CII 1.5 includes revised and improved Eaglesoft Sandel 3308 andEaglesoft GNS 530 GPS. A Hobart GPU is included for those who need the use of a ground power unit for starting or restarting their engines.

For complete details and information about some "extras", visit the Eaglesoft website.

New Instructor At FS Flying School

Posted: Saturday, June 16, 2007 - 18:27
FSInventions announces a new instructor for their FSX and FS2004 add-on FSFlyingSchool. This new instructor,Mr Mitchell, is a charming fellow, and he sounds like he probably knows his way around a Spitfire, and will be sure to add some fun to your flight sim learning experience. He can be downloaded free to existing customers and new users alike. To find out more, watch movies, download demos, etc, visit the FSFlyingSchool Website.

Hurricane Fighters Of WWII Released

Posted: Saturday, June 16, 2007 - 5:03
SkyUnlimited have just announced the release of their Legacy of the Sky: Hurricane Fighters of WWII aircraft package for FSX (with FS9 version also available). This package includes 9 Highly detailed exterior models of the Hurricane ranging from the Mk.I through Mk.IID including Tropical Versions reach with rendered Virtual Cockpits that are fully animated and labeled and highly detailed panels with custom gauges. Each model also features a range of paint schemes by John Terrell featuring many nationalities. The package also includes accurate flight dynamics, cusom sounds, manuals and much more. For more information, visit the The SkyUnlimited Website

MonacoX from Aerosoft

Posted: Friday, June 15, 2007 - 7:16
Staff reviewer Allen Lavigne takes us on a tour of the glamorous micro-state Monaco as presented by Aerosoft. "Also known as the Principality of Monaco, it is where royalty is still glamorized and where the noblest amongst its 30,000 inhabitants live in Monaco-Ville’s palaces."

"Since Monaco does not have an airport, you will have to fly to Nice’s LFMN and take a helicopter from there. I prefer the long route and will come in from Nice using the visual approach charts provided. Another way, is to approach from behind the hills with a suddenly emerging Monaco making for a pleasant surprise."

"The autogen (AG) is custom made for MonacoX and follows the graphic slider like other AG does. A full right position is desired, if possible, as a lack of AG will severely thin the scenery detail. There are a lot of buildings in this small area, which makes for a nice view while doing a slow approach in a helicopter. There are also ships, with schedules, included in this package."

"There are 2 missions included with this package: Part 1: Helicopter flight from Monaco to Nice. Part 2 is the reverse of Part 1. Helicopter flight from Nice to Monaco"

Concluding our tour of Aerosoft's MonacoX, Allen notes, "With SP1 installed, I found helicopter handling much better, with frame rates often 20+ and smooth as opposed to 12- without the SP1 patch. This scenery is ideal for helicopters, usable for amphibian craft, but somewhat limited for fixed-wing aircraft. I appreciated MonacoX for its beauty and fluidity fps-wise, but found it somewhat limited to sightseeing. The two included missions were useful in getting familiar with the local approach and departure procedures from the helipads, but that was all there was."