Xtreme Prototypes Second Generation X-1

Posted: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - 21:29
Xtreme Prototypes Releases the Second Generation X-1 Rocket Aircraft for Flight Simulator X, 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 such as a fully functional 3D virtual cockpit that 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 is included with the package to simulate high-altitude launches over the Mojave Desert, in addition to conventional takeoffs from the ground. complete details are available at Xtreme Prototypes .

GamesAid Three Peaks Challenge

Posted: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - 16:35
GamesAid Three Peaks Challenge a charity event over 26 miles up and down the three highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales, Ben Nevis (4406ft), Scafell Pike (3206ft) and Snowdon 3560ft) is being organized on the 7th August to raise money for the new games industry charity "GamesAid".

The crew of Just Flight's Martyn, Richard and Matt from the Support team, joined by their Operations Director, Dermot will attempt to complete this challenging trek in under 24 hours.

If you would like to help out with sponsorship, they would be extremely grateful for donations of any amount, all of which are guaranteed to go to deserving causes. You can make a donation at JustGiving .

Just Flight Beechcraft Duchess

Posted: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - 16:25
Just Flight is pleased to announce the release of the latest GA aircraft from its award-winning in-house development team. The Beechcraft Duchess 76 is a twin engine General Aviation training and touring aircraft that is popular around the world. This model - for Flight Simulator X and FS2004 - comes with five variants each featuring an authentic avionics suite and accurate livery.

FSX users in particular are in for a treat. The FSX version uses the new FSX sound system in which the sounds change as you move around the outside of the aircraft, and this version also takes advantage of FSX's graphics capabilities to give the textures an ultra-real look. Multiple additional views take full advantage of the new FSX view system.

A unique feature in FSX is the parking animation - you can watch the pilot place the wheel chocks, pitot cover and tie-downs around the aircraft and remove them before take off, for complete details head over to the Just Flight Hanger .

Southwest Design Team UK Scenery Freeware

Posted: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - 0:48
Piran Smith of Southwest Design Team announces that their UK freeware page is back online and their first title "Penzance Heliport (EGHK) FSX Version V2.0" is now available for download. This is the first of 4 identified scenery areas to be available for thos corner of the UK.

Messerschmitt Me262 Boxed Edition

Posted: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - 0:42
Flight 1 releases the world's first jet combat aircraft authentically reproduced by award-winning developers Flight Replicas, for Flight Simulator X and 2004. The boxed version and the download version (using Flight1's popular e-commerce system) are both available direct from Flight 1.

The Messerschmitt Me262 Schwalbe (German for "Swallow") was the world's first operational turbojet fighter aircraft. It saw action from late summer of 1944 until the end of World War II as a multi-role fighter/bomber/interceptor warplane for the Luftwaffe. German pilots nicknamed this incredible aircraft as the Sturmvogel (Germanfor "Stormbird"). Ultimately though the Me262 had little impact on the course of the war, with 500 odd kills claimed against a loss of 100 aircraft and many more grounded due to lack of fuel. However, its spectacular and revolutionary design has left it as one of the legendary and most recognisable combat aircraft of the era.

New titles now in Avsim Store

Posted: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 - 16:36
The Avsim store keeps growing. Each month we are adding more new and exciting titles.
Recently, we have added Carenado and FSFlyingSchool to the list of products that can be downloaded, along with Wilco and FS2Crew.

Carenado planes.The famous GA aircraft from Carenado are available via download. We have 20+ Carenado planes in our store including the Mooney 20J 201 and the brand new Cessna 172N Skyhawk float and C172N ski.
Flying School 2009 is a revolutionary tool that will teach you to fly like a pro. Flying School 2009 works with FS9 and FSX. It's available immediately as a download.
FS2Crew products can also be downloaded. The goal of FS2Crew is to simulate flying in a multi-crew enviroment.

Visit the Avsim Store today

Sky Simulations DC-9 For FSX

Posted: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 - 14:09
Sky Simulations is pleased to announce the release of their DC-9 For FSX. Seven variations, covering the entire DC-9 family: DC-9 10's, 21, 30's, 41 and 51 with two cargo versions. 2D and 3D Panel with perfectly recreated and operational systems (Electric, Air Conditioning, Hydraulic, Pressurization, Pneumatic and fuel systems) that place you right away into the Captain's or First Officer's seat. Dynamic and fully operational and clickeable Virtual Cockpit, and a realistic stereo sound enviroment. HI-DEF photoreal digitalized textures all over the aircraft. Full moving parts include main and service doors, front stairs, rear stairs, cargo bay doors, Captain's and First Officer's Windows, flight deck doors, as well there is a maintenance mode with an endless number of details and features. For more information visit Sky Simulations .

FlightSimTools Release Contrails Pro

Posted: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 - 13:58
FlightSimTools releases Contrails Pro, a module for FSX and FS9 that adds realistic contrails to AI aircraft. Easily installed, it will instantly add detailed contrails behind high-altitude AI aircraft in your Flight Simulator sky. You will no longer need a radar to see big jets cruising above you! Contrails Pro comes with its own optimized display engine, which allows displaying contrails in unprecedented detail while keeping high frame rates. Just like in the real world, contrails will slowly dissipate in the air and will glow in red during sunrise or sunset. There are excellent customization options allowing you to specify the contrail length, density, dispersion and a few other settings. For more information and a free demo version, please visit the product page for Contrails Pro .

757 Captain (FSX V4.3) from Captain Sim

Posted: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 - 1:12
New staff reviewer Tim Capps takes a look at the latest rendering of the Captain Sim's 757 Captain. "Captain Sim have made available a “757 Captain Pro Line” version that supersedes various “Express Line Blocks” that came before. It comes in a base “Pro Pack” version that contains the 757-200, with expansions for the –300 and Freighter available at extra charge. This is the third AVSIM Review of a Captain Sim 757. This one reflects the mature product at a time when relatively modest, but up-to-date computers can catch everything Captain Sim throws and run – or at least walk briskly – with it."

"Everyone should enjoy the lush artwork. It is modeled as an old workhorse. The 2D panel and VC share the same aesthetic, but the latter is the star of the show. With the possible exception of other Captain Sim products, it is the best I have ever seen. In short, although one cannot quantify it, or adequately explain it, and some may be unable to appreciate it, the 757 Captain is dripping with character."

"The Freight Expansion adds a third model that replaces the passenger cabin with a full-length cavernous cargo bay. The lavatory and galley remain, and, just forward the cargo netting, a couple of uncomfortable-looking seats. You get the familiar brown livery of UPS and DHL’s striking red on yellow. I have never been a freight dog. But for the first time, I knew the purpose for all those cargo ramps I have been scrolling past looking for Gate A-11 Medium."

"The Captain Sim 757 has been around for awhile in its previous collectible block format, as has Captain Sim itself. While the new Pro Line version updated to 4.3 is different enough to warrant a new review, there is no escaping that many will have already made up their minds on the basis of previous versions. I like to have three high-quality add-ons I use frequently enough to maintain proficiency: a short hauler, a go-far and something in between. The 757 Captain admirably fills this last role. If a flight simulator add-on can be a work of art, this 757 is. It is a near-perfect marriage of beauty and function that deserves iconic status in the world of FSX that the 757 never achieved in reality."

Heli Traffic 2009 Demo Released

Posted: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 - 0:08
Heli Traffic 2009 is the first Flight Simulator add-on that adds realistic AI helicopters that take off and land vertically, fly like helicopters and use helipads and not runways. This innovative product brings it's own AI engine that fully controls AI helicopters, instead of relying on FS to fly them. Setup your own routes, make helicopters fly the way you want, use every helicopter you have installed, share your landing spots/schedules with other users, plus much more. A new update to Heli Traffic 2009 version 1.03 is also available, adding a few improvements and bugfixes. The fully functional demo gives users a taste of how the full version of the software operates.

Ultimate Weather FX from Zinertek Technologies

Posted: Saturday, July 4, 2009 - 19:14
Senior staff reviewer changes the weather conditions with Zinertek Technologies' Ultimate Weather FX. "If there is one thing that can define your experience with Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS), it will probably be the weather. Ultimate Weather FX is an add-on that changes the look of the sky and the clouds, but it does not change the underlying method that MSFS uses to create weather in the first place."

"Ultimate Weather FX from Zinertek is a small program that updates the look of clouds, sky, and runway lights in FS9 and FSX. If you use FS9, you can expect impressive variety in precipitation as well. Ultimate Weather does not at all change the way weather is generated in MSFS. For that, you will need an add-on such as the one recommended by Zinertek: Active Sky from HiFi Simulation Software."

"Ultimate Weather provides new textures for clouds and sky. Mostly, the textures and effects are more detailed than in default FSX, with the exception of cirrus clouds and the visibility layer. This utility is a relatively small file. It takes under a minute to install, and it keeps a backup of your default FSX files in case you decide to uninstall it. Ultimate Weather FX definitely makes changes to MSFS."

OZX Grumman Goose HD Released

Posted: Saturday, July 4, 2009 - 16:26
The team over at Aussiex would like to introduce you to their latest freeware project - The OZX Grumman Goose HD Redux. The Grumman Goose itself is extremely rare with only 345 airframes produced with approximately 60 remaining in service. The models have had significant performance tweaking to make them behave as much as possible like their real life counterparts, in addition to this remodelling of the flight characteristics they have overhauled the interior of the aircraft with high resolution virtual cockpits.
These 4096 pixel textures include every rivet, screw, dent and panel-line hand placed on normal, specular and diffusion texture maps and are yours with a visit to Aussiex .

Library Update and News

Posted: Saturday, July 4, 2009 - 15:25
We are much further behind schedule in getting the file library up and running again than we had anticipated. As you may know from reading the forums, we had to do a considerable amount of manual confirmation of file integrity. What we did not anticipate were non-library related issues, such as the loss of all net connectivity by one of our key team members for a week. All in all, with almost two months from the hack of the AVSIM system, we are as frustrated as you that the library is not back in operation. Be assured however that it will be. We continue to work the issues and please know that we want it back online as bad, if not worse, than you do. We will post as much as we can as soon as we can as our progress allows. Thank you for your patience and continued support. The file library will be back!

FlightSim Developers YF-23 Update Released

Posted: Friday, July 3, 2009 - 19:00
The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 Black Widow from FSD/MilViz has been updated to include a new version in the Thunderbird Aerobatics Team colors and is now available . The YF-23 was an unconventional-looking aircraft with trapezoidal wings, substantial area-ruling, and a V-tail designed to meet USAF requirements for survivability, supersonic cruise and ease of maintenance and with all-aspect stealth as a high priority, Northrop drew on the company's experience with the B-2 Spirit and F/A-18 Hornet. The FlightSim Developers YF-23 is a highly detailed rendition of this exceptional aircraft that has been updated to include multistage afterburners and all requested modifications . For details and download visit the FSD Hanger .

San Jose Int'l Airport (KSJC) from ImagineSim

Posted: Friday, July 3, 2009 - 1:47
Staff reviewer Roger Curtiss flys in and out of ImagineSim's San Jose International Airport (KSJC). "ImagineSim has sought to show KSJC as it will be in the not so distant future. A new terminal is under construction and this scenery package depicts that terminal as completed and operational. The result is a good depiction of a busy commercial airport."

"This package greatly enhances the scenery of KSJC. In default configuration the airport is a rather bland place with two blocky terminal buildings. The ImagineSim offering changes all that by introducing a custom terminal treatment with an array of jet bridges, support personnel and equipment and a choice of parked aircraft and animated vehicles. Suddenly, the airport is alive with activity and feels vibrant."

"I was especially interested to experience what the airport would look like at night. Once the lighting came on, it was a joy to behold. The taxiway lights are crisp and the main taxiways feature bright green low visibility centerline guidance. The ramp areas are spot lit making it easy to move about the terminal areas and the interior lighting for the terminals and hangars is very well done."

"ImagineSim has a reputation for producing quality airport sceneries and this rendition of KSJC continues the trend. KSJC fits in seamlessly with the default scenery."

PA-34 200T SENECA II for FSX

Posted: Thursday, July 2, 2009 - 14:29
Carenado has released its first twin engine aircraft ever; the classic PA-34 200T SENECA II for FSX. This aircraft is fully FSX and DX10 compatible with high resolution textures (and very friendly FPS). It was developed with all FSX features plus two new features: volumetric normal mapping and Original HQ digital stereo sounds (44100 HZ) recorded from the original aircraft. The Seneca began production in 1970 and 4500 have been constructed. It has six seats in a pretty large cabin, two turbocharged counter rotating engines producing 200hp. Certification for flights into known icing conditions and the nice single engine behaviour made the Seneca a popular multi engine trainer. For details head over to the Carenado hanger .

767 Long Haul and ETOPS Guide

Posted: Thursday, July 2, 2009 - 14:19
LROPS has released 'The 767 Long Haul and ETOPS Guide', a 70 page mini-book which covers everything 75/767 specific on an Atlantic crossing from Kennedy to Heathrow. Topics covered include ETOPS and RVSM checks, how to use a plotting chart, how to calculate ETPs are just a few examples of the diversity of LROPS latest creation. The guide also contains lots of bonus information such as textual NAR data, worksheets and checklists which can be printed and also cockpit flow diagrams. For more information visit the product page at LROPS .

P38-J lightning for X-Plane

Posted: Wednesday, July 1, 2009 - 21:11
My Virtual Hanger has released their P38-J lightning for X-Plane. The P38 Lightning is one of the most famous planes of WWII. This is an accurate rendition featuring a full virtual cockpit, several variants and several historic paints schemes. To learn more, visit My Virtual Hanger .

FlightSim Commander Review

Posted: Wednesday, July 1, 2009 - 19:32
Staff reviewer Arjun Murthy goes behind the scenes of flight planning and navigation and checks out all of the buttons and windows in FlightSim Commander X (also for FS9). "Many people don’t want to purchase aircraft with FMC’s. Many people find Flight Planning slightly difficult. Many people find making an aircraft fly a particular flight plan difficult. With FlightSim Commander, many of these numerous ‘unknowns’ can be erased with a program called FlightSim Commander. FlightSim Commander is an amazing program enabling you to perform many tasks that are very hard without it."

"FlightSim Commander is an absolutely fantastic program when it comes to the use of virtual pilots. I would recommend this program to anyone that flies non-FMC aircraft or default aircraft a lot. It has it all in one product and makes an absolutely great little tool with all the information. This will definitely be one of those products that I will use in almost ALL of my flights."

FS2Crew's PMDG MD-11

Posted: Wednesday, July 1, 2009 - 0:32
Senior staff reviewer Angelique van Campen gets joined in the cockpit with a virtual partner courtesy of FS2Crew's PMDG MD-11. "Do you like to fly alone without a First Officer next to you, helping you out with all kinds of things; or do you want to master the aircraft with the help of a virtual flight/cabin/ground/handling crew?"

"It all starts with the FS2Crew Start Center. Selecting the PMDG MD-11 tab allows the user to install different voice packs (UK, Europe or US) and assigns command to the RED and GREEN buttons. These RED and GREEN assignments are, by default, for default keyboard and joystick assignments. However, you are free to modify this. These assignments are important since you need these during your interaction with the MAIN panel."

"The MD-11 FS2C panel configuration is different than before and is very easy to follow. You only have two panels; the MAIN and SECONDARY. The manual doesn't offer you a separate chapter to explain every light, button or text window of either panel. Instead, it offers a huge but very informative tutorial and where and when needed, it explains the functions of each panel or a specific part of it."

Angelique then takes her PMDG MD-11 for a test flight utilizing all of the features of this software. She has chapter subtitles that include pre-flight; Pushback, engine start and taxi; Take off, climb, cruise; and Descent, approach, landing and termination. She conludes her reiview with, "FS2Crew's PMDG MD-11 is a great piece of software. Keeping in mind what I've seen and how interactive it works and how bustling with activities this product is, it's absolutely worth the investment."