The Richard Harvey Endowed Scholarship Update

Posted: Sunday, December 13, 2009 - 4:51
The staff at AVSIM are very pleased to give our community members an update on the Richard Harvey Endowed Scholarship. As of July 1, 2008, the endowment stood at $16,547.05. As of June 30, 2009, the endowment stood at $13,114.27. The amount awarded in scholarships for the 2008-2009 school year was $1,200.00. This scholarship was awarded to Josiah Butler from Ukiah, California, who is attending Embry Riddle at the Prescott, Arizona campus. A further award was made for the 2009-2010 school year, and we'll be announcing the recipient of that scholarship shortly.

If you are not familiar with the AVSIM sponsored Richard Harvey Endowed Scholarship, we will shortly be posting updated information on the scholarship and how you can participate.

Thank you to all who have contributed to the remembrance of Richard and to the future of outstanding pilots and aviation professionals!

Yak-52 from Alphasim

Posted: Saturday, December 12, 2009 - 19:17
New staff reviewer Eduardo Ocampo submits his first review with a look at AlphaSim's Yak-52. "AlphaSim decided to make something that is uncommon for MSFS: A Soviet era piston engine military trainer, the Yakovlev Yak-52. This would be the eastern counter-part of the Beechcraft Mentor."

"The visual aspect of the aircraft is remarkable. The animations included in this package such as gear and flaps (which are all pneumatic!), flight controls, feathering propeller, front and rear canopies, cowl flaps both below the aircraft fuselage and behind the propeller, are smooth and realistic. Bonus points for the properly simulated gear struts and shock dampers. Standing behind the aircraft will also reveal the gap between the engine cowling and the nose section of the fuselage, just as in the real Yak-52."

"Well…there isn’t any 2D panel; so that leaves us only with the virtual cockpit. The gauges are nicely done and animated, easy to see and read. The pneumatic system in this aircraft is a big one; flaps, gear and engine starting are some of the functions dependent on this system. The panel is easy on computer resources; flying around in the VC doesn’t seem to show a hard impact on performance. The night lighting is superb; just what you'd expect from a Soviet airplane. One of the things I love about this product is it’s sound; TSS sound set ladies and gentleman, you can’t do better than that."

"The flying experience with the AlphaSim’s Yak-52 is very nice and entertaining; the flight controls are just amazing and represent the agility of the real world Yak-52 that can roll 180º per second! The engine was designed to make the aircraft climb very steeply and to have a good vertical capability and may I say, this definitely is a faithful recreation of the Yak on those aspects. This aircraft is a military primary trainer and is also used in many air shows and competitions, so if you are a fan of aerobatic flight, this aircraft will become one of your favourites because of its handling characteristics."

"I think AlphaSim's Yak-52 is great to have if you’re looking for a good time flying aerobatic maneuvers and in formation with some friends and is a great training platform for these activities. Once you take a look at the cockpit and familiarize yourself with the controls and indications, you can expect some great flights with this aircraft."

HD Environment 2010© for FS2004 Released

Posted: Saturday, December 12, 2009 - 4:16
HD Environment 2010© by SceneryPRO Software greatly enhances the overall visual appearance of FS2004 by replacing the default environmental, autogen, airport and runway textures with ultra-sharp, ultra-realistic HD quality textures that drastically improve visual realism with no adverse frame-rate effects whatsoever.

HDE 2010© uses high definition textures and virtually lossless image compression to deliver an unprecedented balance of quality and performance that is sure to please any flight simmer. And best of all, it's a snap to install. Simply run the setup application, answer a few questions and that's it! You are ready to fly in your new HD Environment in just a few short minutes! FS2004 lives on with HD Environment 2010© by SceneryPRO Software. For more info please visit the HD Environment 2010© website.

Zinertek Releases Ultimate Airport Environment X.

Posted: Saturday, December 12, 2009 - 4:10
This package includes over 200 new textures that greatly enhance all your FSX default airports throughout the world. You will see new airport buildings, terminals, jetways, hangars, runways, taxiways, tarmac surfaces, warehouses, and much more! For more information regarding this product visit the Zinertek website.

PMDG 737 Voice Commander Edition for FS9

Posted: Saturday, December 12, 2009 - 3:44
The PMDG 737 is probably one of the most popular FS addons of all time. It is without a doubt the most accurate 737NG ever created for MSFS. But now you can make your PMDG 737 even better with FS2Crew's radically re-designed Voice Commander series.

With FS2Crew, you can fly like real-airline Captain in a real airline environment - now using Voice Control! This new Edition of FS2Crew was customized to work with the PMDG 737 (800/900/700 and 600 models) in both the 2D and Virtual Cockpit. The virtual First Officer can interact with all switches on the aircraft as per his flows. Just as good, you can even control the autopilot, among other systems, using voice commands in a totally seemless and natural way! For example, if you say "Speed 210", your MCP speed setting will change to 210.

For complete details of this new version of the 737 Voice Commander Edition, or the Wilco/feelThere PIC version, visit the FS2Crew website.

Flight Deck 6 For FSX & FS2004 Released

Posted: Saturday, December 12, 2009 - 3:36
Abacus is ending 2009 with the release of Flight Deck 6. For more than 12 years, their Flight Deck series has brought the challenge of aircraft carrier based aviation to flight simulation fans.

Their newest add-on takes the would-be aviator through the paces by first training in the turboprop T-34 Mentor, next in the jet-powered T-45 Goshawk at land-base Naval Air Stations before graduating to the muscular F/A-18C Hornet and F/A-18E Super Hornet off the deck of the USS Harry S Truman.

An exclusive new feature are missions for FS2004 complete with audio feedback. Missions for FS2004 and FSX are at Naval Air Stations and from the aircraft carrier deck using the catapult for takeoffs and cable traps for landing. Flight Deck 6 has these exciting aircraft and features: T-34 Turbo Mentor, T-45 Goshawk(TM), F/A-18C Hornet(TM), F/A-18E Super Hornet(TM), EA-6B Prowler, C-2A Greyhound, E-2C Hawkeye, SH-60B Seahawk , the USS Harry S Truman and NAS Custom Scenery.

Would you like to see Flight Deck 6 in action? To watch their Airbus A380 operate from the deck of the Harry S Truman. Complete details are available at the Abacus website.

DBS Studios Needs Beta Testers

Posted: Friday, December 11, 2009 - 14:57
DBS Studio open limited beta-testing of new DBS Studio tool: "DBS Airport GPS" and need 10-15 beta-testers. DBS Airport GPS dedicated for route arrived and departed aircraft, through taxiways and runways, to selected parking/gate or from parking/gate to selected runway. They are looking for testers, who have a large number of custom airports installed (if you are scenery developer and can test on your custom airport - this a big plus).

For beta-testers they will offer DBS Airport GPS free after releasing and for active testers, they offer any DBS Studio product free after finishing the beta-testing of Airport GPS. If you are interested in being a DBS Studio beta tester - email them and report on the amount of installed custom airports you have (range sample 10-50, 50-100, 100-500 etc.), if you have custom airports in development and your hardware configuration (processor, size of memory, graphics card, operating system (XP/Vista/Win7 32/64 bit).

New Gliding Competition

Posted: Friday, December 11, 2009 - 14:49
Australian challenge part 2. The first stage of this freeware based Australian challenge is now available. You will fly from Alice Springs to Jervois in the Australian desert. The stage is 134 Nm long. Once you have finish send your time to www.roussillonaerosimulation.com, i will be abble to put your pseudo and your time on the result board. For details and questions contact Mathieu O'Hare.

First-Class Simulations Releases Discover Europe

Posted: Friday, December 11, 2009 - 14:42
Hot on the heels of Around the World in 80 Flights and Pole to Pole, the team at First Class Simulations continue their series of highly popular flight adventure packages with the announcement of Discover Europe.

Included in the package is a detailed rendition of the Piper Pacer, which First Class Simulations states, "has been carefully crafted by a team of professional enthusiasts to be the ideal accompaniment to the journey. Offering both manoeuvrability and benign handling characteristics, the Pacer is a stable platform that is particularly well suited to the role of a sightseeing aircraft."

The package invites you to take an Alpine adventure, to put your piloting skills to the test over the Pyrenees. Following the tour it affords you the opportunity to visit Paris, Rome, Madrid, Venice, Prague, Warsaw, Vienna, and a whole host of countries and cities that reflect the multicultural tapestry of the continent. With a range of flights for both novice and seasoned aviators the developers hope that there is something for everyone, from challenging approaches to a leisurely Mediterranean descent into the playground resorts of the rich and famous.

The adventure is supported by lavish extras, including a tourists guide to all the destinations visited, detailed pilots notes, a comprehensive briefing, and a tutorial for the included Piper aircraft. Available for FS2004 and FSX.

Eaglesoft Releases Hotfix for Citation X Extreme 2.0

Posted: Friday, December 11, 2009 - 7:09
Eaglesoft releases Hotfix 1.82 for Citation X Extreme 2.0! for FS9 and FSX Versions. With this it completes the Custom Holds and Custom Waypoints, adds Keyboard shortcut support for Custom FSUIPC or Goflight Configurations, and more. For more information see Product Page.

MFD Cougar from ThrustMaster/SimWare

Posted: Friday, December 11, 2009 - 1:13
Senior staff reviewer Angelique van Campen adds some hardware to her cockpit with Thrustmasters MFD Cougar Pack. "The package consist of two MFD frames - let’s call them for now display units – made of plastic although due to the weight and the way it’s designed and casted, you get the impression it’s made of a metal so you’re off to a good start. Each display has its own USB cable, which can be connected to any USB port or hub."

"The supplied FSX related cards can be inserted in-between the Plexiglas plates. Via button programming and of course the supplied software, a card can be used in combination with either a “Generic profile”, “Light Aviation profile”, “Airline profile” or “own made”. Own made by the way means you’re able to program special functions and print them on the card itself."

"You have the following choices of profile files:
- Light Aviation profile for Flight Simulator X (or FS9)
This profile is specifically designed to meet the requirements of light and leisure aircraft.
It comprises a basic autopilot feature as well as landing gear and flaps controls, electric systems management features, engine mixture, propeller pitch and engine cooling system controls, etc.
- Airliner profile for Flight Simulator X (or FS9)
While offering a number of features available in the Light Aviation Profile, this profile also accounts for more specific aspects inherent to airliners and professional aviation, while also providing an advanced autopilot feature.
- Generic profile for Flight Simulator X (or FS9)
This profile covers the most frequent requirements for both civil and military aircraft."

"The two MFD Cougar panels suggest that those come from a military airplane and yes, they are mounted in a General Dynamics F-16, but how do they respond in combination with a simulated F-16? Before doing anything, I prepared myself by first inserting the Generic Profile cards in the left and right MFD panels, loaded the Generic Profile via the plug-in for FSX software, fired up FSX and loaded the F-16 Fighting Falcon, ready to go from a American AFB. I can tell you already that the Generic profile isn’t well integrated with this modern piece of simulation. Does this mean nothing works or that the Generic Profile can’t be used in combination with this F-16? No, that’s not true since many other buttons and switches are working."

"Although the Thrustmaster MFDs don’t offer real TFTs, I still liked the hardware that I reviewed. The software installation is perfect and the integration with the hardware is even more stunning. The Control Panel software allows the user to check and test the individual MFD, including buttons or switches testing. Using the different profiles – Light Aviation, Airliner and Generic – gives, as far as I’ve seen, no problems with the default FSX airplanes. Altogether it’s nice looking hardware and well designed, great backlighting options, great basic software, however I do miss dedicated profiles for the most known add-on aircraft models."

Rail Sim Add-on - Behind The Scenes

Posted: Wednesday, December 9, 2009 - 5:49
The team from Just Trains have recently released a modern version of the Newcastle to York run with an expansion pack for RailSim and Railworks. Since the release, there's been a lot of positive chatter amongst Rail Sim enthusiasts. So the team decided to sit down with its developer and conduct a short interview about the product.

Berlin Tegel from Aerosoft

Posted: Tuesday, December 8, 2009 - 3:34
Staff reviewer Benjamin van Soldt visits Germany to look at Aerosoft's Berlin Tegel airport. "Berlin has three airports: Schönefeld, Tempelhof and Tegel, also known as Otto Lilienthal. Of these three, Tegel is the most important. Tempelhof is closed, and Schönefeld is a lot smaller. Tegel airport doesn’t lie in Berlin, though: like most airports, it’s outside of Berlin."

"The level of detail of this airport is rather uniform, and in my opinion you can see the same from the air as from the ground. I’m happy with what I’ve seen: neat texturing and professionally done modeling. The amount of detail in FS9 isn’t really expanded upon in FSX. Moreover, I noticed that some of the blurriness that was present in FS9 is also in FSX, which is a pity. I’m happy to report that AES works for the FSX and FS9 version of Berlin Tegel."

"The buildings and objects in Berlin Tegel are all very nicely done, with great attention to detail and a complexity that we have come to expect from Aerosoft products. The vehicles on the airport grounds and the roads outside of the airport are a very nice touch, and stuff like a vehicle crossing where vehicles stop for aircraft is something that I greatly value. Overall, I think this airport scenery is quite good and represents the real airport in a realistic way, and I can recommend its use to whomever fancies flying into Berlin regularly."

Mycockpit.org Podcast

Posted: Monday, December 7, 2009 - 14:12
Mycockpit.org, the worlds largest community for home cockpit builders is proud to announce its very own Podcast, in association with FSBreak.net. This podcast is a trial edition and talks about some features of mycockpit.org and an exclusive interview with a renowned home cockpit builder. The future editions of mycockpit.org podcast will carry some exclusive discussions on home cockpit building, including discussions with the experts, some vendors and much much more. You can listen to the podcast at the MyCockpit Homepage .

QualityWings Ultimate 757 Collection

Posted: Monday, December 7, 2009 - 14:06
QualityWings Simulations is pleased to announce the release of "The Ultimate 757 Collection. This package features (15) 757 models, 2D/3D cockpits, realistic soundset, 120+ liveries available immediately for download, FMC and Mid level systems programming. Visit the QualityWings Simulations webpage for more information about this release.

Colton & Northern and Class 60 from Just Trains

Posted: Sunday, December 6, 2009 - 21:26
Senior staff reviewer and resident TrainSim enthusiast Gene Davis looks at 2 new releases from Just Trains, the Colton & Northern route and the Class 60 locomotive.

"The Colton route is based on a route that that may have run between the cities of Westin and Colton in North America some years back. Now, the interesting part of this route is that if you read the designers page and how he came up with this route. No one, including Richard, can really attest to this route’s actual existence. Except for a firsthand account and some stories, this route is pretty elusive even in this modern age."

"Climbing into the train on the Colton in Rail Works is quite the adventure because there is a lot to see and do. This package includes over 20 different scenarios and includes over 30 different types of industry to be serviced by your train and includes just about every facet of the train industry. The Just Trains package also includes Rural Landscapes and Scale Roads packs that must be obtained if you buy through the author’s site. Graphically the Colton is simply beautiful as it includes costume designed buildings and scenery objects throughout the entire route that are not default to Rail Works. At one point you will be in the heart of the town and as you make your way out of town the scenery will quickly change to a more rural theme and then eventually you make your way to the coal mine in the surrounding hills."

"The Class 60 brings the diesel locomotive to life in Rail Works. You will find a custom sound set that sounds good both inside and out of the cab as well as many different liveries and scenarios that cover most of the default European routes. Employed mainly as a freight hauler, the 60 is still in use today and continues its level of service throughout the world."

"As you climb into the cab you will find that it matches its real world counterpart almost to a tee! But that is not all, because all of the gauges function, most of the switches work and some of the dials turn making the 60 totally interactive from the engineers perspective. The levers and switches move in conjunction with the input from the Rail Driver unit so you still are able to observe the control animations from within the cab."

"The Colton and Northern is a phenomenal piece of work and if you are into programs like Rail Works, this is definitely a must have for everyone! The Class 60 locomotive is worth having and adds nicely to an already well rounded product."

Instructor Station v1.50 Released

Posted: Sunday, December 6, 2009 - 14:57
Version 1.50 of INSTRUCTOR STATION is now available with the following new features: Repositions the aircraft relative to FS runways, a Tracker Window showing artificial horizon, heading, winds and many more variables graphically to enhance Instructor awareness.

Real-Time tracking of flight in 3D via Google Earth KML files and with improved failures adding new possiblities, as well as triggering failures when going above or below certain speeds or altitudes. INSTRUCTOR STATION is meant to assist Flight Simulation Enthusiasts and Home Cockpit Builders using both Flight Simulator 2004 and FSX.

Lelystad X from Aerosoft

Posted: Saturday, December 5, 2009 - 19:35
Senior staff reviewer Angelique van Campen heads down the raod from her house to visit Aerosoft's version of Lelystad X. "Lelystad Airport (IATA: LEY,ICAO: EHLE) is an airport 3.5 NM (6.5 km; 4.0 mi) south, southeast of Lelystad, Netherlands. It is the biggest general aviation airport in The Netherlands and is also home to a large aviation museum, the Aviodrome. The museum's former KLM Boeing 747-200, which they have on display, is a prominent feature on the airport."

"Aerosoft's version shows the huge difference between the default FSX scenery and airport area according to Microsoft. As with many other small airfield/airports, EHLE is hardly known for how it really looks and therefore the default airport looks horrible, but that’s no exception compared with other worldwide unknown airfields. However, the moment you install Lelystad X from Aerosoft, you’re Dutch lifestyle will change and you’re impressed with what’s possible these days in FSX."

"Lelystad Airport is not very big and offers one paved runway and a smaller grass version, while most of the buildings, hangars, taxi-ways, cars, and other objects etc. are located east of the paved runway, yet there are still lots of things to create and to take care for and thus a lot of work. This scenery covers the complete airport area, the Aviodrome museum area and the immediate surroundings. The small grass strip for the Ultra Lights is also included as well as the three car circuits located nearby."

"Overall impression …. Great! Probably many others and I were waiting for this. Aerosoft created a great airport with lots of details. Almost every building is simulated – since I haven’t counted them all – the presence of the great Aviodrome with an overall ground texture quality of 50cm/per pixel, but as said before for the runway and taxiways it’s 7 cm/per pixel. I’m very satisfied and for me, Aerosoft's Lelystad X will be one of my favorite airports in my daily growing FSX airport collection."

Imaginesim Hong Kong International

Posted: Saturday, December 5, 2009 - 18:38
Following on from their FS2004 release last month Imaginesim has released VHHH HONG KONG International (Chek Lap Kok) for FSX. VHHH was opened in 1998 to replace the infamous Kai Tak and the entire airport area is built on an enormous artificial platform created by levelling two islands and reclaiming huge areas of the seabed.

This scenery add-on features custom made ground textures and runways, terminal, cargo and hangar buildings rendered to 5cm per pixel scale, an interactive docking system to park you right on your mark, taxiways with highly realistic concrete textures, full airport taxiway and runway signage, custom 3D approach lighting and full ILS navigation. Also included are hundreds of airport vehicles and ground personnel, aircraft can be found parked at custom textured parking positions, all hangars, cargo and airport auxiliary buildings are modeled.

For a look at Imaginesim's VHHH HONG KONG visit their Homepage.

Avsim Store has great selection of download products

Posted: Saturday, December 5, 2009 - 18:34
The Avsim Store has a great selection of instant download products.

From Carenado, you can get the latest PA-
28 Archer II, the Mooney 20-J , the C172N Skyhawk and others.
From Wilco we have the Boeing 777and the CRJ Regional Jet.
From Aerosoft, we have recently added My Traffic 2010. It is he latest version of the popular and successful My Traffic series. My Traffic 2010 generates more than 800,000 flight a day, worldwide.
From Team SBD, we have just added UK Cold War Airfields and RAF Scampton, on top of US Airfields 1 and 2. For those who want to extand their Flight
Sim experience, we carry FSFlying school as well as FS2Crew products.

Visit the Avsim store today.