JustPlane's SpiceJet DVD Released

Posted: Saturday, May 5, 2007 - 15:36
JustPlanes, The popular producer of over 500 aviation-related programs have just announced the release of their SpiceJet DVD. SpiceJet is fast becoming one of India's most popular low-cost airlines with a rapidly growing fleet of Next Generation Boeing 737-800s. Within the DVD, you get to take your seat in the cockpit for 12 flights to 7 destinations in India. Throughout the flights you will get information from the pilots during a walkaround, cockpit presentation, approach briefings to most airports and a lot more. For more information, visit the JustPlanes Website

New Caravan 675 Set For FSX

Posted: Friday, May 4, 2007 - 1:05
Friendly Panels have finished their work on a couple new Cessna Caravan planes. They are the Caravan 675 in both the land and amphibian models along with two different GPS's for each.

For screenshots and more details, visit Friendly Panels.

FSX US Landclass From FSGenesis

Posted: Friday, May 4, 2007 - 0:57
FSGenesis has released an upgrade to their US National Landclass Project for FSX, bringing it to 2.01. This is a new landclass made from 2001 source data.

For more details and to download, which is available for a free upgrade for current users, is located at the FSGenesis website.

AVSIM to Support Oz Flight Sim Expo!

Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 23:00
AVSIM is pleased to report that we will be providing support for the Oz Flight Sim Expo, scheduled to take place on Saturday and Sunday, October 27th and 28th, at the Conrad Jupiters Convention Center, located on the Gold Coast, Australia. AVSIM has long recognized the importance of Flight Simulation in Australia and the number of active Australian members in our simming community. In providing our support to this great event, we do so with the hope that flight simulation will continue to grow in Australia and neighboring countries. AVSIM hopes to provide additional content for the Expo, and we look forward to possibly seeing our Australian readers there! For more information on the Oz Flight Simulation Expo, please visit the Oz Flight Sim Expo site!

Hahnweide Scenery For Condor Gliding Simulator

Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 22:37
Hahnweide Southwest Germany 1.0 by Stefan Kessleris is now available to download for Condor the Competition Soaring Simulator enthusiasts.

The comprehensive flight zone features a realistic distribution of textures, nice custom airports, as well as major VFR landmarks. That scenery is of a new kind since it has been specifically designed to recreate during massive multiplayer flights the real Hahnweidewettbewerb 2007 soaring competition in conditions that are close to reality. To find out more details about this scenery, visit the Speedbattle Website.

Carenado Announce FSX Patch For Cherokee

Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 22:32
Carenado have announced the release of the FSX patch for the Carenado’s Piper Cherokee. This patch, not only updates that aircraft for FSX, but also improves the quality of the instruments, increases the size of the tail (making it more real) and corrects some smaller issues like the design of the antenna. The patch is available for all the customers who have previously bought the aircraft at Carenado’s site and it is also available at distributor’s web pages. For more information about this press release, visit the Carenado Website.

New Update From Flight One Software

Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 1:11
In a news submission sent to Avsim today,Flight One Software announces the release of the Instant Scenery Update 1.01 The latest update has some new features and options to make scenery management more accessible, the update includes a tool for making thumbnails for existing libraries, a Library Maker for new add-on libraries and several bug fixes,You can look over this update at. Flight One Software .

ImagineSim's KLGA La Guardia FS2004

Posted: Saturday, April 28, 2007 - 18:43
ImagineSim have released their latest airport add-on, KLGA New York, La Guardia for FS2004. LGA is a network hub for the four giant US airlines - American, United, Delta and US, and is the closest airport for breathtaking views toward the sprawling skyscrapers of Manhattan Island.

La Guardia features custom made ground textures and runways, terminal, cargo and hanger buildings rendered to 5cm per pixel scale, smoothly operating jetways that dock with your aircraft's forward door with an interactive docking system to park you right on the mark, taxiways with realistic concrete textures, full airport taxiway and runway signage, 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 hangers, cargo and airport auxiliary buildings are also modeled, there is even a perimeter fence.

Complete details, screenshots and a demo version are available now at ImagineSim's website.

Bergen - Flesland by Cloud 9

Posted: Saturday, April 28, 2007 - 2:12
Senior staff reviewer Brian Fletcher goes Norwegian as he reviews Cloud 9's Bergen-Flesland airport. "Bergen-Flesland airport opened in 1955 as a joint civil and military airport and has since become the second largest airport in the country. In 2006, the airport provided service for over 4 ½ million passengers with flights to 16 domestic and numerous international locations by more than 15 airlines."

"There are a number of buildings, a new terminal with jetways, gates, static aircraft, and even areas under construction, but what really stuck out to me was how well each of these areas are textured. Despite the fact that the new ground textures are notably more defined, it does blend in fairly well where the airport connects to the default scenery east of the facility. One thing that caught my attention while flying over the airport during my evaluation is that the fading and discoloration of all pavement markings vary throughout the airport. The terminal is certainly hard to miss with the blue jetways and plethora of ground servicing equipment at the gates. But what I really enjoyed was how the terminal is textured to appear well weathered, something that is clear when parked at the gates."

"Each of the gates at Bergen include a visual docking system that will help you to guide your aircraft into the gate properly. If you happen to fly any of the Boeing aircraft from the 717 through the 757, an Airbus A319-321, MD80/90, MD-11, or an ATR 42, then the VDS will automatically recognize your aircraft. When you pull up to the gate you will see the visual docking system activate by displaying the aircraft type across the top, and a series of green lights vertically displayed on either side of the lower portion of the VDS."

"I have had the opportunity to examine the differences between the two add-ons via the included manual, and from my perspective the FSX version is the way to go…assuming your system can handle FSX. There are five major differences between the two versions as far as I can tell, the first being that the ground textures, runways, taxiways, aprons, and all airport textures are more detailed in the FSX version. Dynamic snow removal equipment is also available in the FSX version, as are flocks of birds that can be seen flying in the spring and summer months. All of these things combine to make the FSX version much more active and in many ways more authentic as well."

Wrapping up this Norweigen adventure, Brian concludes that he likes Bergen-Flesland, "I frequent there often, and it will likely remain in my FS9 virtual world for as long as the simulator is installed on my system. I especially enjoy the fact that this facility can accommodate all of the aircraft in my collection, and with little exception, the performance was perfectly fine for me. This particular offering has earned a special place in my virtual world for its remarkable detail and all-around authenticity."

FS2Crew Updates ATR Edition

Posted: Friday, April 27, 2007 - 22:57
A new update for the Flight1 ATR Edition of FS2Crew is now available at the FS2Crew website. This minor fix works to improve memory usage over long flights.

Flight1 ATR captains may download this 1MB file from the FS2Crew home page.

CIM Flight Decks Launches New Website

Posted: Friday, April 27, 2007 - 19:01
CIM Flight Decks, part of the Dutch company Cockpit in Motion, has recently launched its new website. Beginning in May, the web shop will be open for the flight simulator hobbyist to obtain what is needed to raise his or her hobby to a higher level in the field of ‘cockpit building’.

With its recent product line, CIM Flight Decks enables the flight simulator hobbyist to obtain various products and components to build a cockpit at competitive prices. These will be products such as panels (MIP, overhead etc.) of among others, the Boeing 737. In the near future CIM Flight Decks will offer two different versions of these panels. The Basic version for the user at home with a smaller budget and a Luxury version for the demanding flight simulator hobbyist.

Besides the Boeing 737 flight deck panels, CIM Flight Decks, located in Drachten, the Netherlands, will supply components and products to build F16 (for simulator hobbyists with military flight interests) and Airbus A320 cockpits. CIM Flight Decks will not only supply panels, seats will also be part of the product line in the future.

At this moment, CIM Flight Decks, part of Cockpit in Motion, (a company building simulators for the semi-professional market), is primarily known for its motion bases. These moving bases are now also available for the flight simulator hobbyist, making it possible to build a simulator on top of a moving base. The motion bases are not available through the web shop, as these are be custom made for each customer. If you are interested, you can contact CIM Flight Decks without obligation. The website is available in Nederlands and English languages.

Eaglesoft Announce Citation For FSX

Posted: Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 22:19
In a press release today, Eaglesoft is pleased to announce that their Cessna Citation V1.5 Package for FSX is now available. Eaglesoft FSX Cessna Citation CJ1 V1.5 retains all the great features of our FS9 CJ1 V1.0 and adds an FSX 3D Studio Max model with .dds textures, bump mapping, specular lighting, self shadowing, and other great FSX features! Customers and owners of original FS9 CJ1 1.0 may download a 30% Discount Coupon from their Coupon Page. To find out more about this latest release, visit the Eaglesoft Website.

Fly The Maddog - 2006 by Leonardo

Posted: Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 3:36
Staff reviewer David Rogers revisits the MD-80 with "Fly The Maddog - 2006". "Few aircraft attract as much of an individual following and fan base in the FS and real aviation worlds, as the McDonnell Douglas MD-80. Whether in its original 1979 “MD-81” form or a later variant, whether under the original MD banner or under Boeing’s wing, this is an aircraft with few peers."

"So what do you get for your pennies? Well, you obviously get the aircraft, you also get a user manual, and Flight Operations Manual, Landing Speed Charts, a Control Manager utility, and a Set-up Manager. In this respect you get a good package for your money. Now, I must say up front that what you don’t get, is a Virtual Cockpit."

"On first seeing the Maddog 2006 exterior model I was immediately impressed by the quality of the textures and features. This is the most stunning MD80 visual model I have seen to date and in my opinion, slightly surpasses the Flight 1 offering. On first sight of the 2D panel, my impressions were that the textures were perhaps not as sharp as those featured in the Maddog 2004 panel. I also felt they were slightly behind those of the panel in the Flight 1 product too. However, to dismiss this as a poor panel would be hugely unjust- there are a lot of positives."

"An excellent tutorial is included with the Maddog 2006 package, however, this review is based on a flight other than the included tutorial flight. The set-up utility allows 3 options for the starting state of your MD-82 flight – Dark & Cold, Ready to Start, and previous. Let me say absolutely up front that Maddog 2006 has the best flight dynamics I have come across in any FS add-on. In hand flying, aileron, elevator and rudder movements feel perfect and well balanced and reinforce the feeling of flying a ‘heavy’ piece of metal. The way the plane responds to changes in slat and flap movements is also stunningly realistic. Throughout all phases of flight, I observed excellent and realistic behaviours of the aircraft, whether using vertical speed mode, speed based climbing and descent modes, Altitude capture, Heading select, Nav Track arming and capturing, and of course Localizer and glideslope capture and progression."

"It is not possible to cover every angle of a package as complex as this one, especially in a review that needs to appeal to all simmers. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my 13 hours of flight testing with the MADDOG 2006. This is a highly complex simulation. It is designed to offer a high level of realism in the simulation of this popular and somewhat enigmatic aircraft. If, like me, you love complex airliner simulations, then I would highly recommend MADDOG 2006."

Georender Announce Yellowstone FSX Demo

Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 19:26
Ponder the mysterious Yellowstone Lake. Explore the 'Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone' and look deep into the earth's interior. Marvel at the beautiful Absaroka and Gallatin mountain ranges. All 8,000 kilometers of Yellowstone National Park are yours to explore with the release of a 2.4M per pixel resolution demo of the popular Georender Yellowstone scenery for FSX.

For more information and to download the demo, hop over to the Georender website.

Mark Pechnick, Flight Sim Pioneer, Dies

Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 17:39
Mark Pechnick, a flight simulation pioneer, who was instrumental in the development of subLogic's Flight Assignment: ATP and later directed Sierra/Dynamix's Pro Pilot 99 and Pro Pilot 2000 flight simulation software, died Saturday in Oregon. He was 53.

Pechnick developed the Avidyne displays, the flight simulation interface, and data capture for the PC-based advanced training device (PC-ATD) used at the University of North Dakota for FITS research project. He also developed a Garmin primary flight and multifunctional display and a Chilton multifunctional display for Microsoft’s Flight Simulator, according to the Instructional Simulation for Enhanced Learning (IS4EL) website.

"Mark was a soft spoken man, a loving father and husband with a passion for flight simulation," said Mike Altman of Precision Flight Controls, Inc. "(He) will be missed."

In 2001, Pechnick, then with ETC Interactive, sat down with AVSIM Online to discuss the revival of the ProPilot2 software. You can read the article here.

Pechnick is survived by his wife and a son.

Weather Maker RX Demo Updated

Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 16:26
Calibre Software Solutions announced it has released an updated demo version of its recently released Weather Maker RX for Microsoft Flight Simulator X.

The new demo version now supports users of Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows XP SP2. The features of Weather Maker RX are limited in the demo version and you are limited to flight around San Antonio, Texas. To see if Weather Maker RX is right for you, set your course to the Weather Maker RX home page.

Freeware Review - TinMouse 737-200

Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 3:18
Staff reviewer Adam Volcek looks at a freeware version of the Boeing 737, namely the TinMouse 737-200. "This package has its origins with Richard Probst and his original TinMouse project. The many more additions by a group of individuals have made this package one of the most comprehensive and better freeware packages available to date."

"The panel is where this package really shines, of course the aircraft model, aerodynamics, and sound are top notch as well, but the panel is what makes this package one of the best out there. The panel does show its age, but knowing this is coming from a –200, the nostalgia makes it all that much better. ne feature you are treated to includes a very faithful representation of the Sperry SP-77 autopilot. Another nice feature are movable speed bugs that you can change by just clicking on the airspeed indicator."

"The aerodynamics for the package has been excellently done and those who have flown the real –200 say that the numbers and performance are spot on. A nice little addition is made with adding the engine model, either JT8D-9 or JT8D-15, to the title in the aircraft configuration file. There are five models included by Terry Gaff, a straight passenger and cargo model, both with the option to include hush-kits, as well as the option to include the gravel kit with the passenger model. There are also six supplied liveries. The models themselves are nicely done with all the standard animations. No virtual panel is included, but I’ve never been a fan of them anyway so that doesn’t matter to me."

"This package is easily one of the best available complete freeware packages on the Internet. It is a shame that this package has not gotten more notice than it has," says Adam about the TinMouse 737-200, "This project is still a work in progress, although it has slowed now that the main components are done. Overall, the TinMouse Boeing 737-200 is a wonderful airplane for a by-gone age, and should really be in everyone’s hanger."

Some WWII Action

Posted: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 18:04
Two of the most famous fighters of World War II are now available for you to fly in Flight Simulator X and FS2004.

In fact with two different versions of the Spitfire being included alongside the Hawker Tempest V you are really getting three different aircraft. The Spitfire Mk VB model is a representation of an aircraft from 401 'Canadian' Squadron from May 1942; the Spitfire Mk VB Tropical model is of a 249 Squadron aircraft based at Takali (Malta), March 1943, and the Tempest Mk V is one from 3 Squadron based at Hornchurch in 1944.

Complete details and screenshots are available at the Just Flight website.

FSX SR20/SR22 LSK Issue Fix

Posted: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 17:58
The Eaglesoft Team is pleased to announce that theFSX SR20/SR22 LSK Issue Fix is now available! This fix addresses the Avidyne PFD Line Select Keys becoming unusable after FSX completes its 30 minute "security check". This fix has been "rolled into" our current FSX SR20/SR22 Download and users may simply redownload and reinstall using the Reinstall Button on their Flight One Wrappers and inserting their existing Key and Password in order to prevent repurchase.

Wilco Publishing/feelThere.com Cessna CitationX

Posted: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 17:45
With advanced functionalities such as, Flight Simulator X viewpoints and contextual animations, the Cessna CitationX will be part of the best simulation software. Bearing a Pilot in Command label, the Cessna Citation X is developed for experts as well as beginners. On top of all systems simulation, the Cessna CitationX features a full glass cockpit equiped with ultra-realistic Honeywell Primus 2000 advanced digital avionics suite.

Among Cessna CitationX advanced features are: Vertical profile on the MFD; Accurate AutoPilot features; Colour weather radar with turbulence detection; and Traffic avoidance system with audio-visual Traffic Advisory.

Cessna CitationX has a Luxury VIP/Executive interior with a welcoming flight attendant, as well as specific animations of VIP welcoming which can be triggered at several airports around the world !

Fly at nearly supersonic speed, the Cessna CitationX is now available for Flight Simulator X or 2004 (download version). Complete details are available at the Wilco Publishing website. The Cessna CitationX is developed by feelThere.com.