Here we are once again ending another week of having hundreds of files uploaded into the AVSIM library and once again I'm looking back a couple of weeks (March 30 - April 5) to see which files were the most popular and which files appear to have been missed by many of you. The three most popular files from that week included two FS aircraft and one scenery add-on. RealAir Simulations released their version of the Cessna 172SP as freeware and it, to-date, is approaching 8,000 downloads realair172sp.zip; at nearly 2,700 downloads we have Rik Simmer's scenery package that adds buildings, bridges, roads, and several other objects to the area around Melbourne, Australia msrrnds2_115396_115396.zip; and hitting no. 3 on the download list is Martin Strong's Pilatus PC-9 with just about 2,000 downloads sh_pc9.zip.
In my search for those files I felt deserve a second look, I was able to turn up 4 files (1 aircraft and 3 scenery add-ons) that you just might want to go back and check out.
March 30 – April 5 (Click on any of these file names for their Library descriptions and to download.)
The Tachikawa Ki-94 II was a Japanese high altitude interceptor that was intended to be used to intercept the American B-29s. The war ended before the Ki-94 II was able to even have its maiden flight, but the design team of David C. Copley, Gerald Lindell, Phanis Sima, Lobo da Silva, and Andre van Duin have worked together to bring this rather obscure aircraft alive once again for FS2002. This is an FS aircraft that includes custom 2D and dynamic 3D panel-cockpit, custom sounds (the sounds are very good by the way), multi-resolution modeling, full animation, and the single download comes in two liveries (green and metallic). This FS aircraft was designed using FSDSv2, so it will most likely work in FS2004 as well.
If flying warbirds is something you enjoy, then you just might want to check this FS aircraft out and like always, be sure to read through the attached readme file for some special cautions when flying this aircraft! ...Bear!
British Farm Strips James Belk has put together a small scenery package of 3 small airfields that are each depictions of those small private farm strips common in the rural areas of England. Each of these strips are incorporated onto the natural terrain and are ideal for ultralights or the smaller bush planes you may have in your inventory. One farm-strip is located at Nayland (Suffolk), another at Milson (rural Shropshire), and the last at Gloucestershire's Eastbach farm. Of the 3, its the 1,600 foot strip at Nayland that is my personal favorite and that is because of its similarity to Courchevel (French Alps). With an 8% gradient in the first half, you'll find yourself experiencing alpine type takeoffs in the rural countryside of England, very cool actually.
Once you've taken off from one of these air fields, it is advisable that you perform a 180 and become very familiar with the surrounding countryside, as these airstrips blend into the adjacent landscape just as realistically as the real thing—and as in real-life they can be hard to locate visually, if you're unfamiliar with the area. The first time I took off from Milson, I flew out a few miles before I returned, only to find that I couldn't locate the airstrip for a time. Just like in the real world, these airfields do tend to blend into their surroundings, so you need to become familiar with the countryside around them so that you can find your way home again!
The only drawback to this scenery add-on is that to experience the true effect (sloped and off-camber runways), you must have the LAGO TerraMesh Part 13 (England & Wales) installed and according to James' readme file, other mesh add-ons will not work properly. Regardless though, I really like James' work and I'm sure you will too! ...Bear!
Stony River Bend & Old Stony It seems that James Belk has pulled a double wammy this week, first with his British Farm Strips and now a fictional Alaska bush scenery; Stony River Bend & Old Stony airstrips. Like his English farmland airstrips, James has managed to give us another set of airstrips that seem to blend into their surroundings in a very realistic and natural fashion. The one airstrip (Stony River Bend), that James has listed as fictional, is in fact patterned after the airfield at Elk City, Idaho. Unique to any other bush airstrip add-ons I've encountered, Stony River Bend offers its own uniqueness in that it curves quite sharply through the surrounding trees. The runway's length and width do reduce the challenge to something that is easily overcome, with experience; I still find this scenery package to be an ideal set of airstrips to fly my favorite bush aircraft into.
Like all of James Belk's work so far, Stony River Bend & Old Stony are simple, yet somehow so natural appearing and realistic in their own way that it has prompted me to put James Belk in the top 5% of my favorite freeware scenery designers! ...Bear!
Southwest England Landmark Scenery To date, Nick Ryall has uploaded quite a bit of his work for the South and Southwest of England where he has been designing various landmarks (bridges, monuments, lighthouses, etc.). This upload, though listed as a demo of his commercial work, is still worth a look see, especially for those of you that spend time flying VFR in the United Kingdom.
Designing several static and dynamic features using Gmax, Nick has included in this freeware demo package the Davonport Docks with submarines along with dynamic cranes, the Royal Albert and Tamar Road Bridge (with a lighted and dynamic train), Drake's Island, a dynamic set of ferries at Torpoint, the Plymouth breakwater with lighthouse and old fort, plus the Eddystone Lighthouse (with helipad on top) just off-shore from Plymouth. Over the last several months, I've been downloading and installing everything I've come across for this area, and now I have a pretty complete Southwestern England that is a lot of fun to fly over low and slow with either a biplane or ultra-light. If flying in England (specifically southwestern England) is on your list of things to do in FS2002, then check out this demo package from Nick Ryall! ...Bear!
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