P-38 Lightnings Updated For FSX

Posted: Saturday, March 3, 2007 - 20:04
Sky Unlimited has updated their P-38 Lightnings of WWII
Volume 1 For FSX. Some features included:

*Four Highly Detailed versions of the P-38. Included in volume 1 are the P-38J, P-38K, P-38L, and F-5E.
*Beautifully rendered virtual cockpits, created in the most stunning detail, with virtually everything animated and labeled.
*Fifteen highly detailed and historically accurate paint schemes.

Too many features to completely list them all. For more detailed information of festures and screenshots please check out this Legacy of the Sky at Sky Unlimted.

New T-6 Texan/ Harvard Trainer From Alphasim

Posted: Saturday, March 3, 2007 - 16:30
Alphasim release the T-6 Texan/ Harvard Trainer with several different paint schemes including the US Navy SNJ-5, USAF AT-6F & T-6G, RCAF Harvard 4 and an RAF Harvard 2. Custom startup effects and a photorealistic panel are just some of the features available on this new design from Alphasim. Taxi on over to Alphasim and view some screenshots and get more detailed information on this trainer aircraft.

Sky Simulations Releases MD-11 Service Pack1

Posted: Saturday, March 3, 2007 - 16:21
Sky Simulations has updated their MD-11. One of the basics of the update was the flight dynamics; which have been updated and refined, making the aircraft easier to fly. The Fuel system has been upgraded, now with this, the system administrates in a more efficient way the fuel consumption. The exterior model has been modified too, adding more details. Also a pair of utilities have been released: The Paintkit, and two Payload Models (Freighter and passengers version) to be used with FS Passengers For more information and to download this update please browse the MD11 Product page at Sky Simulations

Exciting News from Microsoft, FSX

Posted: Friday, March 2, 2007 - 20:03
Microsoft has some exiting news to share as of this afternoon! The ACES team has been busy working away on the next two updates for Flight Simulator X; Service Pack 1 and the DirectX 10 update, but they also wanted to give you a first look at something even bigger that’s coming soon. This fall, Microsoft will be releasing their first expansion pack in years: Flight Simulator X: Adrenaline!

Microsoft ACES Team writes, "This latest addition to the award-winning “Flight Simulator” franchise will introduce new features, including multi player air racing, new missions, and all-new aircraft, including the legendary P-51 Mustang. Building on the rich visuals and amazing realism of our platform, Flight Simulator X: Adrenaline will be available this holiday season for Flight Simulator X customers running either Windows XP or Windows Vista. In addition, Flight Simulator X: Adrenaline will take advantage of Windows Vista and DirectX 10 to deliver breathtaking graphics and dynamic environments for an even more immersive experience."

Service Pack 1 for Flight Simulator X is tentatively scheduled for an April release and will include a targeted set of performance and content enhancements to address the most common customer requests. In addition, work continues on the DirectX 10 visual update for Flight Simulator X, which will be available as a free download around the launch of Flight Simulator X: Adrenaline. Keep an eye right here on Avsim.com for further details!!

Perfect Flight Goes Heavy

Posted: Friday, March 2, 2007 - 14:08
Perfect Flight releases Fly The Heavies for Flight Simulator X and FS2004. Fly The Heavies includes: Airbus A380 Edelweiss and Northwest Airlines, Boeing 747 Air France and Malaysia Airlines, Boeing 777 Continental and Singapore Airlines, Lockheed L1011 Tristar Pan Am and United Airlines, McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Alitalia and American Airlines and fully animated moving parts with interior views.

Cockpit views includes right and left seat, radio stack, overhead panel, and engine controls. Also included are Fs-X Camera, missions and adventures; enjoy the product using 16 new missions designed by using the new Flight Simulator X features (but you can also use it in FS2004 as ABL Adventures are included in the FS2004 Version). Experience an emergency landing or a bumpy ILS approach, evaluate your crosswind technique or challenge your self in a visual approach to Kai Tak old airport, landing in bad weather condition or take the control of you heavy plane in an IFR flight. Visit Perfect Flight for more info, screenshots or to watch a Video clip of Fly The Heavies.

Carenado Makes All Releases FSX Compatible

Posted: Friday, March 2, 2007 - 13:49
In a letter from Carenado, Fernando Herrera writes, "On March 1st, 2007 Carenado announced that since today every of its aircrafts includes a specific patch that makes each aircraft compatible with FSX." In addition, patches are available for every Carenado’s customer “Update and patches” section. These specific patches are the only ones needed in order to run a Carenado’s aircraft in FSX without any problem. The only aircraft that does not have a patch is the Piper Cherokee, which will be re-launched in a couple of weeks with enhanced features and at a new price. This patch replaces the one released in November, 2006. For more information visit Carenado's Website.

DreamFleet Releases Piper Archer III

Posted: Friday, March 2, 2007 - 13:46
DreamFleet and Reality XP are pleased to announce the release of the Piper Archer III for FS2004 (FS9). Based on the real Archer III, the latest version produced by Piper Aircraft, and one that is owned by a former Pan Am pilot, the DreamFleet Archer III is the first-ever FS GA aircraft to feature a complete set of Reality XP's smooth running Flight Line T and Flight Line N gauges in both the 2D panels and Virtual Cockpit. In addition, Reality XP's GNS430, S-TEC 55X autopilot and ST360 Altitude pre-select unit are also featured.

The DreamFleet Archer III is the follow-up to the DreamFleet Archer II, released five years ago. Aside from the Reality XP gauges, the Archer III features a detailed Virtual Cockpit, the ability to remove the landing gear fairings, two engine sound sets, choice of male or female pilot models, two included liveries plus 10 other free liveries available via download, DreamManager for easy repaints, and many other features. Those who purchase the Archer III will be entitled to receive the the FSX version for free upon its release. Learn more about the DreamFleet Archer III by visiting the DreamFleet website.

Red Baron Releases Roads & Rivers

Posted: Friday, March 2, 2007 - 1:33
Red Baron Entertainment has just released their Roads & Rivers of Victoria scenery; the companion product to Mountains in Victoria. Now you can visit Australia's Garden State with the capital of Melbourne and experience the real thing. Victoria is famous for it's scenic high country, rugged coastlines, ancient volcanic plains, and isolated desert land. Just like their New Zealand terrain, Red Baron gives you the complete set of roads and water bodies. Visit Red Baron for more information.

GoFlight Updates GF-RC Pedals

Posted: Friday, March 2, 2007 - 1:31
GoFlight has updated their GF-RC pedals. GoFlight writes, "Our new and improved GF-RC has been nipped, tucked, pinched, squeezed
and fine tuned to perfection. The new "aero-dynamic" styling looks awesome and handles even better than the original."

GoFlight even has some surprises up their sleeves at their site! Visit GoFlight for more information.

SimFlyer Releases FSX Gauges

Posted: Thursday, March 1, 2007 - 21:06
SimFlyer has just released the second installment in the “Series X” product line. The all-new GMX-SX is now available! This avionics suite features over a dozen different gauges -- some in multiple configurations -- including both the GMX200 and GNS480 units, which have been completely re-designed using the latest XML programming techniques making them fully functional in FSX while maintaining backwards compatibility with FS2004. Also included in the GMX-SX Avionics Suite are multiple audio panels, transponders, the S-Tec55X and S-Tec30 Autopilots, Garmin VOR Heads and much more. The new gauges are frame rate friendly in both the FS9 and FSX platforms. More information on this product and others by visiting Sim Flyer website.

Widetraffic and WidevieW 1.6 for FSX

Posted: Thursday, March 1, 2007 - 1:17
Widetraffic is a new add-on module for FSX, ideal when WidevieW is used, providing AI traffic synchronization throughout the LAN, so the same airplanes fly exactly in the same spot on each computer. This feature was long requested by many users of WidevieW.

WidevieW can be used to create cockpits with panoramic scenery view, through multiple monitors on networked PCs. There is no limit on how many PCs can be linked together, and view angles can be easily customized, to get perfectly matching images throughout the LAN.

For complete details visit the WidevieW homepage.

ActiveSky v6.5 Service Update 1

Posted: Thursday, March 1, 2007 - 1:09
ActiveSky v6.5 is a comprehensive weather engine for FS9 and FSX that offers features such as advanced weather depiction, a private weather server system with live data or historical archives, weather planning and much more. This update adds enhanced Vista support and fixes a few small problems reported by users. All ASv6.5 users should update free of charge. For more information please visit the ActiveSky website.

5 Caribbean Airports from Tropical Sim

Posted: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 3:19
New staff reviewer Allen Lavigne debuts with a review of 5 Caribbean Airports from Tropical Sim. "Although I've reviewed 5 airports sets, they are available as single downloads and/or as bundles."

"The 5 airports are MYNN Nassau, MMUN Cancun, MDPC Punta Cana, TNCB Flamingo (and 2 other airports; TDCF, TDPD), and SBMO Maceio Brazil . So there are actually 7 included in this review. In Nassau, the runways and taxiways have borders that merge well with the surrounding ground texture tiles and other runways/taxiways. This makes for a noticeably realistic visual approach. At night, the tarmac lighting is dispersed rather than cone shaped. I like its effect. On approach to Cancun, the view while on approach is more realistic than most. I find their airports blend very nicely with surrounding textures. Punta Cana is on the eastern end of a topographically delightful large island, but the nice mountains are on the other end. So it’s flat at our destination. Flamingo (TNCB), on a rather deserted island, is quite pretty. The colors are truly pleasant and the architecture is nice: A real jewel in the middle of nowhere. This is indeed the nicest airport of this set. Taxiways are wide enough for a 747 to pass without much ado."

As this is just a taste of what Allen has written about, his complete review of Tropical Sim's Caribbean Airports goes into all the details. He sums up this multi-airfiled review with, "let me say that these 5 airports (actually 7) are quite well done considering there are only two guys making up TropicalSim. Would I buy these? As singles, maybe one, my favorites being MYNN and SBMO. As of now, I only see an FS2004 bundle (you’d get 40 small airports to hop to and from) with one maybe two in the package for FSX."

Military AI Announced

Posted: Monday, February 26, 2007 - 22:30
In a press release today, Desmond Burrell has announced MAIW Millitary AI Works. Desmond goes on to say: "The purpose of the is to help increase user interest in what has historically been the "red headed step child" of the FS9 AI community.

Military AI during this week will be releasing at least one new package per day for an entire week. It will show case some of the hard work and skill put together to produce top quality military AI packages for everyone's simming pleasure at the unbeatable price of absolutely FREE. If you want to add some of this AI to your flight simulator, then drop into the MAIW website to see what its all about.

FS2Crew For 747 Review

Posted: Saturday, February 24, 2007 - 22:03
Senior staff reviewer Paul Middleton looks at cockpit management with FS2Crew for 747. "These two FS2Crew products are the latest in this series of Cockpit Management add-ons, and are designed for the Boeing 747. The first operates with the excellent 747 from PMDG, and the other with the default 747 that comes with FSX. For those unfamiliar with this product series, it adds a whole new level of realism for full-blown passenger operations."

"FS2Crew simulates all those people that a real-life pilot normally interacts with. There's the Ground Crew, who do such things as bring you paperwork and push you back. There are the flight attendants, who do such things as tell you when the cabin is ready and report on passengers needing assistance. And last but not least, there is your Flying Officer, who works most of the switches, runs through the checklists with you, and points out when you do something wrong. He does reduce your workload so that you, as the pilot, can do all the Captain's stuff, like hold the controls, set the autopilot, plan your descent, or just look out of the window."

So what kinds of cockpit management functions are within the FS2Crew program? "When you are ready to push back, you press the "PB" button on the Main Selector Panel and the small Pushback Panel appears. You specify the distance and angle you want, and it takes care of the rest. While taxiing, you run through the Before Takeoff Checklist. When you are cleared for takeoff, you set 70% N1, then engage TOGA. If you prefer, you can get your FO to handle the takeoff instead. In that case, you'll use the Main Button to do the callouts and they will handle the yoke while you raise flaps and engage autopilot. As you approach the Top of Descent, you need to perform the Approach Brief. This involves clicking "AB" on the Main Selector Panel, and an Approach Briefing panel opens up, which is similar to the Departure Briefing Panel used earlier. In the descent, you'll be going through the Descent Checklist ("DS" on the Main Selector Panel) and later the minimal Approach Checklist."

Paul's summary of FS2Crew for 747 is short, sweet and to the point. "FS2Crew for the PMDG and FSX default 747's is an excellent product, which reflects a continual development and improvement over the earlier versions that were good in themselves. I thoroughly recommend it." For a comprehensive look at this program, read Paul's review.

Captain Sim Announce ACE and Repaint Kit For 727

Posted: Saturday, February 24, 2007 - 13:34
Captain Sim has announced the release of the ACE - (Aircraft Configuration Editor) utility for its 727. There is also a repaint kit for the 727 Captain which is available to all owners of the Exterior 100 Model. For more information on this release, visit the Captain Sim website.

New Products From Aerosoft

Posted: Saturday, February 24, 2007 - 13:33
In a press release today, Aerosoft has announced two new products for FSX. The press release goes on to say: "Helgoland X is our most exiting FSX scenery at this moment, unprecedented in detail and the extensive use of new FSX features make it a state of the art scenery product. Made by the same developer as the Lukla – Mt Everest scenery, it will again test your flying skills with extreme short runways. You can also test your helicopter skills on the (moving)high definition frigate, oil rig or the SAR base." Visit the product page for more information.

The second product announced is German Landmarks. This was a hit for FS2004. The FSX version of this extensive product is now available to download. More than 10.000 objects enhance your VFR experience in Germany. Industry parks, high rise buildings, electricity plants, transmission masts, every object that you will need for VFR navigation is placed according to the AIP. More than 300 small airports (ultra lights/ gliders) and more than 300 heliports are added. Visit the German Landmarks website for more details.

FSFlyingSchool Version 1.5 Released

Posted: Friday, February 23, 2007 - 19:01
FSInventions announces a new version of its FSFlyingSchool add-on for FSX and FS2004. Version 1.5 introduces several new features which are free to existing customers and new users alike. The random and 'loose wire' failure systems in FSFlyingSchool have been enhanced to introduce problems with switches on aircraft panels. It is now possible for systems controlled by several essential switches to act erroneously and require detection and resolution. Pitot heat, autopilot master, battery, alternator, avionics and NAV/GPS switches can all fail to perform properly if the pilot has chosen to fly with FSFlyingSchool random failures. This increases realism and is just another way that FSFlyingSchool keeps the pilot on their toes!

The latest version of the program also introduces an additional log book, using the traditional real world aviation format of one line per flight, including several columns of information not available in previous versions. (This is in addition to the existing custom FSFlyingSchool Log Book which analyzes each flight in great detail). The new extra log book can also be printed. To find out more, watch movies, download demo, visit the FS Flying School Website.

AlphaSim SR-71 Released

Posted: Friday, February 23, 2007 - 18:43
AlphaSim has announced their SR-71 available and ready for departure. Features include: authentic flight model and cockpit based on the SR-71 pilots manual, drooping elevons and air refuel door on hydraulic pressure loss, wet look tires in wet or snowy conditions, fuel transfer & center of gravity management control panel, full VC night lighting, exterior cockpit night lighting, automatic engine inlet spike control, independent engine controls and afterburners and much more! For FS2004/FSX only. For more information and screen shots, visit AlphaSim.

JustFlight Releases VFR SE England

Posted: Friday, February 23, 2007 - 18:36
JustFlight Announces that VFR Real Scenery South East England is now available to purchase. They have also announced that a new demo is now available. This demo covers Shoreham and part of the south coast of England (from Volume 1), and three pre-saved flights are included to allow users to get flying from within the scenery area.

VOLUME 1, South East England, covers all of Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and parts of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Surrey and West Sussex. Principal towns featured include: Canterbury, Folkestone, Dover, Brighton, Dorking, London, Basildon, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich, Cambridge, Peterborough, Bedford, Luton and Watford. For more information, visit the JustFlight VFR Information Site.