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.

Boeing B-40 from Golden Age Simulations

Posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - 2:01
Staff reviewer Alan Bradbury takes us back to the age of wooden airplanes with a look at Golden Age Simulations' Boeing B-40. "The level of importance Mr Boeing placed on the B-40 was not mere nostalgia. The B-40 was instrumental in the company’s expansion and success; it was a stepping stone that put Pratt and Whitney at the forefront of aero engine manufacturing too. To put it bluntly, the B-40 was one of the most significant aircraft in the whole of aviation history, yet if you ask the average aviation buff about it, the chances are they will only be vaguely aware of it."

After a short history lesson, Alan describes this unique aircraft. "The external model on this particular add-on airliner has perhaps more significance than most other airliners in that you can see a lot of it even when you are sat in the cockpit. The 3D modeling itself is very good indeed and is indicative of what can be done with FSDS, which is the software used to make this model, as opposed to the more common G-Max you tend to find being used with commercial add-ons. Detail is not over the top, it is apparent that polygons have wisely been kept under control in order to provide some speedy frames per second, but not to any real visual detriment."

"Upon loading up the cockpit, you can see that this is a very different proposition from the average Boeing airliner. Whilst it is not as spartan as other aircraft of 1920’s vintage, navigational aids are at a minimum with what would nowadays be considered adequate only for VFR excursions in good weather. But it is an accurate representation of the equipment the first pioneering airline pilots found themselves using and is bound to instill a sense of admiration in those early flyers."

"The cockpit is not the only interior part of this aircraft – it was a passenger airliner after all – the passenger compartment is fully modeled too. I have read that B-40 cabins were lined with metal, although to be fair I have also seen pictures of them lined with wood. What we have here is the latter option which to be fair, seems more evocative of the period and it is all properly laid out with the staggered seating of the original."

"Cranking the thing up is a treat to the ears in either FS9 or FSX. The engine sounds and particularly the whine of the starter mechanism is one that will have you turning the volume up. There’s a fair old bit of smoke when you start with an impressive gout of flame out of the exhausts too, and it all promises a lot of fun in store. The sound is in fact one of the major plus points of this aircraft in FS; with performance similar to a Cessna or Piper in terms of speed - about 140 knots flat out - but the lovely burbling sound of that Wasp radial as opposed to the drone of a Lycoming flat four, the B-40’s soundtrack as you cruise over the countryside is one to savor."

"Like the real thing, it does need a steady hand to keep it on course and the turbulence of FSX makes this more work than is the case in FS9. All of the control surfaces seem believable in both sim versions though, with a ponderous roll rate in spite of the dual ailerons and it creates a good impression of inertia befitting its size. Notwithstanding the general ease with which it flies, if you take it for granted it can still jump up and bite you, especially where engine management is concerned on the C variant. Abuse or ignore the cylinder head temperatures and you’ll be looking at an engine fire."

"Beyond simply the challenge of getting there in one piece, the Golden Age Simulations B-40 boasts a good many things to recommend about it, not least of which are the sounds, the effects and the lovely modeling job. It’s true the textures could do with a little TLC but that is by no means an insurmountable issue and merely an observation of my own preferences more than anything else. I do recommend the B-40 because above all, it is great fun to fly."

Xtreme Prototypes Releases The X-1 For FSX

Posted: Sunday, August 9, 2009 - 19:50
The X-1 SG was an advanced version of the original Bell X-1, the first aircraft in history to have broken the sound barrier with Captain Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager, in October of 1947. The second generation X-1s were designed to double the speed of sound and set new altitude records in excess of 90,000 feet. The new X-1s were similar to the original aircraft, with the same XLR-11 rocket engine, but were longer, heavier and had a conventional glass canopy.

The Xtreme Prototypes X-1 Second Generation add-on package for FSX contains six variations of the four Bell X-1 SG rocket planes, with three different virtual cockpits and many other exciting features. As with all Xtreme Prototypes' addons, each X-1 SG aircraft is highly detailed and has been carefully modeled based on available archive material in order to conform as closely as possible to the real-world research aircraft. The fully functional 3D virtual cockpits contain over 800 parts and full 3D gauges and flight instruments. All X-1 rocket aircraft systems are reproduced.

As a bonus, a light variation of a modified B-29 carrier aircraft (USAF serial number 52-1800) is included with the package to simulate high-altitude launches over the Mojave Desert, in addition to conventional takeoffs from the ground. The add-on package also includes spectacular visual effects and sounds, several camera definitions and a 75-page user manual (PDF format, in English and French) based on the original X-1 SG manual. The flight model allows the airplanes to accelerate up to Mach 2.5 and reach altitudes of 90,000 feet.

FTX Australia SP3.001 Released

Posted: Sunday, August 9, 2009 - 18:27
Orbx Simulation Systems announces the immediate availability of the FTX Australia SP3.001 service pack, which is free to all Orbx customers. SP3.001 will automatically upgrade all previous FTX Australia regions to full SP3 compatibility, and adds many new enhancements and features including a major upgrade to the entire country's landclass, the new FTX Central application to replace FTX Mode and allow seamless interoperability with other FSX addons which modify terrain.cfg, and hundreds of other bug fixes and enhancements based on two years of customer feedback.

Battleship Graf Spee From Deltasim Studio

Posted: Sunday, August 9, 2009 - 14:53
Deltasim Studio has released the battleship Graf Spee for FSX, the highly detailed model, compatible with SP1, SP2, Acceleration and ESP has working torpedo launchers with real effects, all turrets - 283 mm, 150 mm - synchronized with moving rangefinders, antiaircraft cannons with custom effects and sounds.

The model has many animated parts such as gangways, doors, flags, switches and triggers and it includes three virtual fire consoles. Captain's bridge with the possibility of walking on the entire ship, camera definitions for most important places. Two models are included with five liveries. For more information, please visit Deltasim Studio .

MegaSceneryEarth Louisiana State

Posted: Saturday, August 8, 2009 - 14:44
MegaSceneryEarth is pleased to announce a new area release for Flight Simulator X – 18,500 square miles of the state of Louisiana. This area offers a unique VFR experience with its myriad of bayous and waterways as well as regular cross country flying around just under half of the state, including famous cities and landmarks such as New Orleans, Baton Rouge, the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico and more.

With MegaSceneryEarth scenery you can pick and choose the tiles you want to fly. Louisiana is available by instant download and you can also choose to have DVD Masters created and sent to you by mail. To order the order the entire Louisiana area. visit Entire Louisiana. Please note that these are large downloads so if you do not wish to download they offer a DVD Mastering service .

The Seamax M-22 For Xplane

Posted: Friday, August 7, 2009 - 23:48
X-Aviation, in partnership with JRollon.com, is proud to announce a new seaplane for X-Plane the Seamax M-22. The aircraft is modeled entirely as a 3D object model, with an accurate flight dynamics as well as detailed animations and liveries.

The aircraft includes a virtual cockpit, virtual cabin, and also offers the well known manipulator technology that has made our aircraft a more realistic experience to fly. The aircraft features an animated pilot, a mirror system installed on the wings to ensure you're gear are retracted or not, night time strobe reflection against the aircraft model, animated chocks, a retractable water rudder, and much more!

Visit the X-Aviation Homepage for complete details and to see the video.

More titles available in the Avsim Store

Posted: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 - 16:43
We are adding more titles to our download section. Recently, we've added more titles from Aerosoft. This includes titles such as VFR London, Manhattan X, Seahawk X,F16 Fighting Falcon,or DHC-2 Twin Otter. We keep adding new titles so please check back frequently.
Check out the 'New' Section to see what was recently added.
Also take a look at the bargain bin for great deals.
Support Avsim.com. Visit the Avsim Store today

Lotus Simulations L-39 Albatros

Posted: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 - 14:19
Lotus Simulations is pleased to announce the release of its L-39 Albatros for FSX. The Aero Vodochody L-39C Albatros is the most popular and successful jet trainer of all time. Designed and built in Czechoslovakia during the cold war, the L-39 was developed to train pilots transitioning from simple propeller driven aircraft to front line Soviet fighters. Over 4000 examples were produced, serving with over 25 air forces around the world.

The jet was built to be extremely agile, durable, self sufficient, and tolerant of student pilot error. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in the 1990s several hundred examples found their way into private hands and are now regular attractions at airshows of all sizes. The jet is also popular with formation teams, serving with the world famous Breitling Jet Team , and has its own competition class at the Reno Air Races.

The Albatros features fully detailed virtual cockpits, in both dual and single seat versions, as well as a Reno racing variant and a special stripped down and ultra high performance model for those who participate in online formation flight teams. All of the L-39's instruments are rendered in full 3D and feature extensive systems modeling.

For more information, screenshots, and videos, please visit Lotus Simulations .