AVSIM 2002 Bravo Zulu Awards By the Editors, AVSIM Online September 15, 2002

AVSIM Online is pleased to continue our "Bravo Zulu" awards tradition begun in 1998. "Bravo Zulu" is a time-honored maritime signal meaning "Well Done." We thought this a fitting designation for the truly outstanding contributions of new simulators and related hardware, aircraft, panel, scenery, and add-on utilities we've seen this past year. We've selected what AVSIM Online's Editors judge to be the best from both freeware and commercial product (including shareware) publishers and developers. The entrants we considered are those reviewed by AVSIM Online that earned 5 Stars or at least 4½ Stars (or equivalent AVSIM Freeware Gold Awards) and that have been published since August, 2001.

Here's our Bravo Zulu award line up for 2002:

Best Commercial GA Simulator
Microsoft
Flight Simulator 2002

• Scenery (terrain mesh and objects) and amazing fluidity of flight
• Better looking clouds and raindrops; internal modeling of upper-level winds
• The virtual cockpit
• Interactive ATC and AI – You're not alone in the skies
• Gmax, FSedit and ABL scripting tools

---

Best Combat Simulator
Maddox Games / Ubisoft
IL-2 Sturmovik

• Accuracy of the aircraft and cockpits
• The special effects (tracer rounds, damage affects, splashing water, pilot bail-out – the little things)
• Excellent missions
• Lots of replayablilty

---

Best Hardware Product
GoFlight
GF-AC Cockpit Control Module

• Good robust construction and design
• The ability to convert existing units
• Easy to setup and very comprehensive and user friendly software interface
• Being able to switch the functionality of the unit in flight
• To be able to fly and not have to use combination of key presses

---

Best Commercial Aircraft Package
Phoenix Simulation Software
Airbus A-320 Family

• Beautiful aircraft – the Gmax models are fantastic
• Innovative – pop-up CRT screens are amazing, and the IFR panel fits this aircraft to a 'T'
• Huge pool of liveries to choose from
• Detail in modeling real world features (Normal Law, throttle quadrant details)
• MCDU that works and behaves like the real thing
• Details in the panel comparable to the real world aircraft
• The virtual cockpit and sounds

---

Best Freeware Aircraft
Yannick Lavigne, Rob Young, and Fred Banting
Dassault Falcon50 for FS2002

• The overall external design is perfect in its shape
• Exceptional interior views
• Gear animation including rolling tires, steerable nose gear; even tire tread is visible
• Virtual panel-cockpit is simply the new standard by which future FS virtual panel-cockpit releases will be compared
• Flight dynamics (airfile) are as good as any FS aircraft our reviewers have tested
• Documentation is unique in its presentation and comprehensive in content
• The inclusion of the pop-up windows for all panel functions in the virtual mode

---

Best Freeware Panel (not included in an Aircraft package)
Bill Grabowski
Embraer ERJ-145 Panel

• Panel strives for ultimate realism – autopilot, different functions of the MFD and aircraft subsystems immerse you in the ERJ experience
• Outstanding documentation
• Gorgeous aircraft model – perfectly aligned with the numbers in the charts
• Plenty of liveries and ERJ variations available for download

---

Best Commercial Scenery
SimFlyers Associated
Los Angeles Intl Airport

• SimFlyers' famous "Active Docking" system
• Attention to detail
• Very detailed night lighting
• Ground service vehicles with animated baggage loaders and working lights

---

Honorable Mention
LAGO
Honolulu PHNL

• First scenery totally written with Gmax – very good frame rates without sacrificing detail
• Absolute detail including gates, approach roads with moving cars and long walkways from the main terminal to the gates, lined with waving palm trees
• AI aircraft with scheduled flights included
• Outstanding night lighting, even the cars
• Variety of ground service vehicles

---

Best Freeware Scenery
Shehryar Ansari
John Wayne Airport (KSNA)

• Very best in airport design work, and highly accurate
• Dazzling variety of static aircraft

---

Best Utility/Multifunction Product
John Hnidec - SimSystems Pty Ltd
FS FlightMax

• Authenticity to the real world Avydine FlightMax 850 unit it is modeled on
• A working weather radar and lightning sensor, GPWS and TCAS
• Ability to use real world charts
• Easy to install and use – ability to resize
• Easy to assign keys for functionality
• First class support for the product

---