AVSIM Asked - The Community Responded!

Posted: Sunday, March 11, 2007 - 18:19
Yesterday AVSIM posted a news item about re-opening our international forums and asked for volunteers to man them. Since we posted that article, the community has responded and volunteers have stepped forward. Today, we have forums in German, Turkish, French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. We fully expect to be adding more international language forums and are looking for volunteers to moderate Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Russian and others. If you would like to volunteer as a moderator and speak one or more of these languages, please send an email to forum@avsim.com and let us know of your interest.

Avsim Goes International

Posted: Sunday, March 11, 2007 - 16:16
As many long time AVSIM readers know, AVSIM started off its forum system catering for non-native English speakers. We would like to bring back native language forums for our Dutch, Spanish, French, Nordic, Japanese, Germany, Portugese, Italian and Chinese readers. In order to do so, we need your help! If you are a native speaker of any of these languages and would like to join the largest flight sim team on the net, then please let us know by sending an email to forum@avsim.com. We are looking for team members who will start by moderating specific language forums, and who will transition to providing web content as we expand our site to include communities from around the world. Please contact us if you are interested!

Budapest 2007 from Aerosoft

Posted: Saturday, March 10, 2007 - 21:45
New staff reviewer James Li takes us on a tour of the Budapest airport as presented by Aerosoft. "Budapest Ferihegy International Airport was opened in 1950. Originally opened with one terminal, runway, and hangar, Ferihegy was only a shell of what it was destined to become."

"The scenery itself was very impressive and made the most out of a smaller airport. Personally, I am always impressed by the little details and Aerosoft has not held back in this aspect. Speaking of the details, the ground and building textures were all very sharp and pleasing to the eye. Both building and ground textures in the airport were sharp and lacked the blurriness that some sceneries have. Budapest 2007’s detail doesn’t stop with the airport, the detail extends to the city with the entire area being covered in a photoscenery with new terrain mesh."

"At first, I was slightly dismayed over the performance of Budapest 2007. It seemed to be slightly below the average benchmark set by other developers with much larger airports. However, the newly released patch seemed to do wonders for me."

In summary of Budapest 2007, James says, "Overall, Budapest 2007 left me with a very good impression. I was very impressed with the attention to detail. It has to be one of the better sceneries that I have seen in terms of accuracy and details. Even if Budapest is not the hottest, biggest hub that the entire Flight Sim community has been clamoring for, Aerosoft has executed Budapest 2007 very well and has given us another wonderful scenery."

AVSIM Announces the 2007 Convention!

Posted: Saturday, March 10, 2007 - 20:14
AVSIM is pleased to announce its 2007 Convention and Exhibition, which this year we are entitling "The AVSIM Sim Con", short for the AVSIM Simulation Convention! In prior years, the AVSIM Convention was held in September. This year, we are doing something very different. The AVSIM SIM CON will be held starting Friday, Novemember 9th and ending on Sunday, November 11th. Where will it be held, you ask? Seattle! Thats right, AVSIM is going to Seattle for the 2007 event or more specifically, we are going to Bellevue, Washington, just outside of Seattle. Our venue will be the Bellevue Hilton Hotel, the largest venue that we have ever booked for the AVSIM event.

Why Seattle? We are going to leave that to your imagination for the moment. But we can tell you that this year's AVSIM event will be like no previous AVSIM Convention. Commitments from exhibitors are pouring in, and we guarantee that this will be the biggest AVSIM event ever... In fact, the biggest event in flight simulation this year.

So... Set the dates aside, put your vacation schedule in to your boss, and prepare for the biggest event ever in flight simulation!

We will be providing more detail, sign up pages, and payment details in the coming weeks. YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS!!!

Navigraph Releases Enroute

Posted: Saturday, March 10, 2007 - 19:45
Navigraph has announced that enroute charts are now available in newly released nDAC 3.0. New and existing users are invited to download the new nDAC 3.0, available now. nDAC 3.0 contains several improvements to the previous version – the most noticeable being the addition of downloading updated woldwide information covering Enroute Charts. nDAC information is delivered by the data provider, European Aeronautical Group (EAG). For more information, visit Navigraph.

ScruffyDuck Software Announces Scenery Design Engine for FSX

Posted: Saturday, March 10, 2007 - 18:06
The Scenery Design Engine (SDE) can read FS9 and FSX scenery files based on XML Source. This covers Airports (including files generated by AFCAD2) waypoints, boundaries, geopols; Navigational aids, Scenery Objects including library objects, effects, triggers, windsocks and generic buildings; Extrusion Bridges (FSX)and Exclusions. SDE can also read in XML files created by other tools such as SceneGenX.

The Engine is currently made available via a simple user interface. Please note this is not a map type interface. Future versions will include graphical interfaces. The resultant information is shown in a tree view and the properties of objects can be modified using a simple property grid. SDE can display information about the scenery in several formats including XML. The program can add, or remove, elements from the scenery tree. It can then compile the resulting scenery into an FSX scenery file.

For more details and to download this utility visit the ScruffyDuck website.

SkyUnlimited Releases The Bf-109

Posted: Saturday, March 10, 2007 - 18:01
The Messerschmitt Bf-109 was the standard fighter of the Luftwaffe for the duration of WWII. The Bf-109 scored more air-to-air victories in WWII than any other aircraft, and thanks to an excellent design, it served in various roles, including air superiority fighter, escort fighter, interceptor, ground-attack and reconnaissance aircraft.

Now you can fly this WWII classic from SkyUnlimited. Included in the release are the G-2, G-4, G-6, G-8, G-10, and G-14 models along with several variations plus 13 highly detailed and historic paint schemes. The Paint Kit and Manual is included in the G-6 aircraft folder Some of the listed features include:
- a VC, with many functioning parts and 3D gauges;
- Custom flight dynamics that portray this aircrafts attributes including challenging ground handling characteristics;
- Working MW emergency boost system in the appropriate models;
- Revi16B and ReviC12D gunsight folds out of the way and can be turned on and off;
- Droppable Drop Tanks, that remove weight and fuel from the aircraft.cfg; and
- Vintage pilot with accurate pilot flight suit and flight helmet.

Complete details about this latest release can be found at the SkyUnlimited website.

BluePrint Simulations Releases KDAL, Dallas Love Field

Posted: Saturday, March 10, 2007 - 1:24
KDAL is available in two versions, FS9 (FS2004) and FSX. It features highly detailed, custom made Gmax models and textures of all buildings in the airport including the terminal and three concourses as well as GA and other service facilities. It also features high-resolution photographic ground textures in and around the airport reflecting seasonal changes. Complete details of this scenery and other airfields is available at the BluePrint Simulations website.

FS2Crew 747 For FS9

Posted: Friday, March 9, 2007 - 15:00
FS2Crew has released an FS9 version of it's popular program for the Boeing 747. Bryan York writes, "Because FS9 remains a popular choice for many users, FS2Crew has elected to release a version of its popular 747 flight crew program for the Default FS9 747. This new version is for FS9 only, and should not be confused with the PMDG 747 or FSX 747 Editions of FS2Crew, which are separate products."

FS2Crew produces custom built flight deck/crew resource management simulations for FSX and FS9. 747 Captains are cleared via direct to the FS2Crew site to download the new FS9 Default Edition and for more information.

EZ-GPS v4 Now Available for FSX And FS2004

Posted: Friday, March 9, 2007 - 2:25
Abacus Publishing has sent us a press release annoucing EZ-GPS v4 is now available for FSX and FS2004. Some of the key features inculded in this product are Map pages providing crystal-clear moving map which depicts geopolitical boundaries, airports, VORs. intersections and airways. Optionally it can displays roads (with route numbers), rivers and much more.

You can evaluate this product free for 7 days in its trial mode. To find out more about this flight simulator addon, visit the Abacus Website.

A Date For Your Diary - Dutch FS Weekend

Posted: Thursday, March 8, 2007 - 22:34
Those of you who have been involved with flight simulation for a number of years will be well aware of the Dutch FS Weekend. Hosted in the Avidome just outside Schipol Intl Airport, it draws crowds from all over Europe wanting to share their passion for flight simulation or learn new ideas from many of the big names in the field of FS. Why not put a note in your diary and attend the show which is due to be held in November this year. To find out more details visit the Dutch FS Weekend Website.

Yak-40 from Suprunov Design

Posted: Thursday, March 8, 2007 - 6:04
New staff reviewer Viktor Lakatos takes to the sky with some Russian steel, Suprunov Design's Yak-40. "The first regional jet of the world – 30 years prior to the popular Embraer jets and others – has a unique feature: she is the only tri-jet with middle engine thrust reverse to be able to land even on extremely short runways."

"Inside the 2D cockpit we can see a very nice layout with classic ‘steam’ gauges. In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful 2D cockpits ever made. Well detailed and requires real pilot skills to be familiar and control all the gauges. The gauges, switches, texts and warning lights have sharp edges and are clearly visible. The VC is a nice point of view, if somebody likes flying in this view, you will find all the needed functions to operate the Yak-40. The Deck Navigator subpanel can be used to jump to different crew stations. This subpanel offers easy access to all panels with a simple mouse click and choosing between Russian or International indications. So, don't worry about Russian characters. It is an awesome feature that the entire cockpit is made in these two variants to help both English and Russian speaking pilots."

"The external model is the exact replica of the Yak-40 classic passenger version with 4400kgs fuel tanks. It is as well designed as any other part of the product with lots of moving parts. Engine blades rotate and the unique middle-engine reverser can be observed. The massive landing gear (useful at landing on ‘ad-hoc’ runways) is simple, they look like they do in real life and the flexing wings look great."

"No doubt, Suprunov Design team has the know how to simulate this aircraft to touch the reality. Flying their product is as easy as in real life. It is a challenge and you might sweat at first, but you will enjoy all the success you get, step by step. When you are airborne, you should pay attention to keeping all flight data within the acceptable limits. You can exceed the recommended speed and any other important factors, but do not be surprised when the aircraft begins shaking and you need to use your muscles to keep the aircraft under control."

Viktor wraps up his first review, the Yak-40, with, "Suprunov Design is working continuously on product updates. Many minor bugs are being fixed and improved. The Yak-40 is the result of an intensive two-year development. Five real Yak-40 type rated pilots assisted to achieve this very high level of simulation. If somebody tries out this add-on as being experienced in present Western technologies, this simulation will change his thoughts about aviation and the pilot job. Overall, a wonderful combination of functionality and visuality."

Matrox TripleHead2Go Digital Edition

Posted: Thursday, March 8, 2007 - 1:51
The latest addition to the Matrox line of Graphics eXpansion Modules (GXM) is the TripleHead2Go Digital Edition featuring digital output support for a stretched desktop of up to 3840x1024 (triple 1280 x 1024)1 across three screens. The all-encompassing TripleHead2Go Digital Edition offers a truly digital-to-digital data path by connecting to the dual-link DVI output of a compatible notebook, desktop or workstation to three digital monitors—optimizing the connection between your system, graphics card and panel.

Caroline Injoyan, Business Development Manager, Matrox Graphics, Inc. comments "Business professionals and gaming enthusiasts looking for a TripleHead2Go that offers a digital-to-digital experience are going to be as excited as we are about this product."

TripleHead2Go Digital Edition's support of an ultra-wide screen resolution of 3840x1024 will enable gaming enthusiasts with a digital video card — that supports dual-link output — to enjoy a totally immersive Surround Gaming experience. Surround Gaming involves expanding supported 3D games across three displays and provides for a greater in-game field of view. This added view fully engages the gaming enthusiasts peripheral vision and gives more of an advantage to game play as users can 'see more' of the game; outside of their normal view without having to pan from left to right. Matrox TripleHead2Go currently supports over 150 popular game titles across a wide variety of game genres.

Exclusive to TripleHead2Go Digital Edition is the new Monitor Bezel Management feature, which provides a new realism to gaming by creating the effect of a continuous image to the gaming experience. This unique feature virtually hides part of the image behind the bezel of your monitor—which would otherwise appear misaligned due to the gap introduced by monitor bezels—enabling a superior gaming experience.

Graphics eXpansion Modules

Matrox Graphics eXpansion Modules (GXM) are small external boxes that are simple to setup. There is no need to open the computer to insert additional parts into it. The operating system detects the GXM as an ultra-widescreen monitor which is then split into two or more standard resolutions compatible with the attached displays, all the while harnessing the graphics hardware already present in the system for all 2D, 3D, and video acceleration.

System Compatibility

TripleHead2Go Digital Edition includes support for Windows Vista™, Windows® XP, Windows® 2000, Windows® XP x64bit operating systems and Mac® OS X v10.4, and is compatible with many professional and enthusiast class desktops and notebooks. For complete details about this new release from Matrox, visit their website.

FriendlyPanels Release Their Cessna 172-182 Family v2.0

Posted: Wednesday, March 7, 2007 - 10:22
FriendlyPanels have announced the release of their Cessna 172 -182 Family Aircraft v2.0, now available on The FriendlyPanels Website. Included in the package is four fully working aircraft: The Cessna Turbo Skyline II T182RG, Cessna Reims Skyhawk II F172P, Cessna Skyline 182S, Cessna Skyhawk 172SP. All these aircraft boast various navigation equipment, eight liveries, reflectiv textures, full moving parts, full gauges, and much more. For purchase or general information, visit The FriendlyPanels Website.

PC Aviator Releases MegaSceneryX: Phoenix

Posted: Tuesday, March 6, 2007 - 20:48
Now available on DVD from Megascenery is the city of Phoenix, Arizona. 7,000 square miles of the surrounding area has also been recreated from aerial photos which will get you a real visual flying experience on FSX. For more information please visit the Megascenery website.

New Sound Developer Announces Products

Posted: Monday, March 5, 2007 - 22:19
In a news submission today, Turbine Sound Studios opens its doors with 2 payware releases and many freeware packages. TSS is a brand new group taking experience and success from many areas of the Flight Sim community

TSS is dedicated to researching and, in many cases, going out into the field and recording sounds live from real commercial, military and GA aircraft. The press release continues: "We are able to provide sounds,to payware AND freeware groups, as well as individuals for projects. In addition to this we will also be producing payware and freeware Soundpacks for you to put into your favorite aircraft" To find out more about these new sound sets, visit the TSS Website.

Phantom Appears In Video Over Italy

Posted: Monday, March 5, 2007 - 22:18
With the ever increasing use of video capture in Flight Simulators, Trinacria Entertainment has announced its first video which depicts the Cloud9 Phantom. The press release goes on to say: "The video has been captured during a formation flight from Tunisia to Italy, landing at the military airport of Sigonella."You can download the Phantom 4 Video by clicking on the link. Be warned, that it is a 200mb download.

US National Landclass for FSX

Posted: Sunday, March 4, 2007 - 23:27
Justin Tyme of FSGenesis comments about the US National Lanclass project. "This product is derived from the brand-new NLCD 2001, rather than the old NLCD 1992, and was natively-compiled with the FSX resample, which allows for enhanced control over the resampling process which has eliminated an intermediary resampling step allow for direct output from the source data and eliminated the artifacts that plagued the FS200x version, requiring hundreds of hours of tedious hand-editing. Consequently, this FSX version is far-advanced at initial release than the FS2004 version was. As well, the output BGL from the FSX resample appears to be about 50% smaller than output from the FS2004 resample, allowing for both less disk space and better loading performance."

Complete details of this latest FSGenesis release can be found at their website.

Airports Of The Dominican Republic

Posted: Sunday, March 4, 2007 - 3:12
New staff reviewer Robert Mariani takes us on a carribean trip to the island of the Dominican Republic as presented by Dominican Aerodromes. "Christopher Columbus found it, claimed it, and explored it on his first voyage in 1492. The island became a springboard for the Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and American mainland. These days the Spanish, and others, are still coming, albeit onboard Boeings and Airbuses versus the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria."

"This package consists of seven airports, but you can have two of those for free. The author has released Santo Domingo La Isabela (MDJB) and Santiago Cibao (MDST) as freeware sometime ago, and four other ones (Punta Cana - MDPC, Puerto Plata – MDPP, Las Americas – MDSD and La Romana – MDLR) have feature-limited demos in the AVSIM library. Finally, there is the MDSI or San Isidro Air Base."

"Las Americas International Airport, the largest and busiest airport, is the main airport of the country, it sees 747’s, 777’s and A-340’s regularly. In real life, many of the European, North and South American passenger and cargo airlines fly there. MDSD, or Las Americas, is highly detailed in this add-on and features animated marshallers, animated gates, and service trucks that are activated by setting the NAV2 frequency to 112.00. In addition, the surrounding area is customized to represent real life as much as possible."

"Punta Cana’s single runway is 10,171 feet long (3,100 m), which is also more than enough to accommodate jumbos in real life. Just like Las Americas, Punta Cana offers many details and a uniquely shaped passenger terminal that is very well reproduced. Other notable features at this airport are; the perimeter fencing, subtle apron lighting, some static GA airplanes, detailed parking lots, and main road with light poles on the backside of the airport."

"Puerto Plata is another resort town on the northern Dominican coast, with capability to support all types of commercial air traffic with its 10,108 ft. (3081 m.) long runway. Some static GA planes are sprinkled around, and night lighting is done well here, as is on all the other airports."

"The first thing I noticed about La Romana is the way the runway is textured. Gone is the grey or black of the concrete and asphalt and instead there is the creamy beige runway. The distance markers on the runway are barely noticeable, as they do not offer much contrast to the light shaded runway covering. Plenty of detail at this airport as well, good night lighting, and animated folks ready to wave you in to your parking position."

"The San Isidro Air Base is not documented, or at least I could not find a manual for it, but it is mentioned on the developer’s website. It features plenty of static aircraft and an opening hangar, as well as detailed portions of the highway leading to the airport and some custom power lines that can be seen behind the buildings. Unlike all other airports, this one has two runways."

After this whirlwind tour of the Dominican Republic, Robert sums up this scenery review with, "while on the ground or within the airports approach path, the drop in fluidity and slow performance of my system reduced the previously high excitement levels significantly. If you have the system that can deal with all the eye candy, or you don’t mind the slowish performance on final, this scenery is the only choice as far as the area covered is concerned. I think the scenery could have been better optimized. However, I applaud the authors for the enormous amount of detail, as well as the great demo policy and two freeware airports they provide."

FSWidgets Electronic Flight Bag for FSX

Posted: Sunday, March 4, 2007 - 2:25
FSWidgets, creators of gadgets for MS Flight Simulator and X-Plane, have released the FSX version of their Electronic Flight Bag (EFBFSX) solution. This is one of the first applications of its kind to use the new SimConnect API for FSX.

The EFBFSX is a simulated avionics unit that allows you to display an unlimited number of aviation documents such as aircraft operating manuals, performance data, sectionals, approach charts and checklists, all from within Flight Simulator X. It also includes a moving map with FSX flight plan overlay, "heads-up" audio checklist support, the ability to connect to real-time weather radar, satellite images and other online resources. It will also display the FSX NAV log for the currently loaded flight plan.

A free demo version can be downloaded at the FSWidgets website as well as all the details of this latest release.