Well, here we are up to the third week of September (15th thru 21st) and once again there were some real gems (all aircraft choices this week) for us to take a gander at. There were a large number of repaints, landclass files, mesh files, and even a couple of original warbirds uploaded into the AVSIM library this week, but my choices included two jetliners and one GA aircraft. However, It developed that an 'update' of Mike Stone's L-1011 had been posted without permission and so I've deleted that pick (see copyright notice below). Let's take a look at the other picks!
Copyright Violators - Beware!
On any given week, I may spend upwards of 20 - 30 hours downloading, installing, testing, and evaluating the files that has been uploaded into the AVSIM library. During all this time, I often recognize a newly uploaded file to be a file claimed to have been designed by one author, when it is in fact clearly the work of someone else. Sometimes though it works the other way, in that the file may be a clearcut copyright violation, but I simply don't recognize it. Case in point is what happened here, as this outstanding example of a Lockheed L-1011 in Delta colors claimed to have been designed by Mr Henke, is in fact an FS aircraft designed by Mike Stone and released by Mike several months ago. I did not recognize it because it has been several months since I last flew one of Mike's L-1011s and I have flown hundreds of FS aircraft since for testing purposes and simply didn't connect it with Mike's earlier work. For that I do apologize to Mike!
I'm sure there are times that individuals, while designing an FS aircraft or panel or something of that nature, may inadvertently use a texture or gauge that is the work of someone else that holds the copyright to it. This is bound to happen in the normal complexity of designing files for Flight Simulator and it is usually worked out to the agreement of both parties, but to clearly upload an entire aircraft or panel, that one knows was designed by someone else, and then to claim it as your work is nothing short of unethical, at the least, and criminal, at the most! I ask that all of you, my readers, help me and AVSIM on this and please feel free to question any file that I have picked and if you feel there may be a copyright transgression, please contact me or the staff at AVSIM immediately. It is only with the cooperation of all of us working together that we can protect the rights of our freeware designers and authors!
Mike Stone is no secret to anyone using Flight Simulator and it seems that Mike must really have a unique understanding of Gmax, because Mike is able to crank out one excellent FS aircraft after another, all in the blink of an eye. As is usual for Mike, this aircraft has all the Gmax features everyone expects, like animated parts, opening door, and a pilot figure.
Mike's Aeronca Chief design version is simple (the real thing is pretty simple too) and I am amazed how Mike has captured the look of a fabric covered aircraft and then Todd Baker has uploaded an updated (repaint in the original factory colors based on a real-world Chief owned by Mark Peterson, NC3286E) version that does include a change or update in the flight model and textures. The Areonca Chief is an aircraft that was-is very similar to the Taylorcraft and I believe that I have flown one in real-life, but that was many many years ago.
For the panel and sounds, Mike has used the default Cessna files, but Yannick Lavigne has designed a really terrific FS2000 Aeronca Chief panel (aeronpan.zip in the AVSIM library) that would be very appropriate for this aircraft.
If you collect the smaller GA aircraft and enjoy flying aircraft of a vintage nature (particularly the taildraggers), then don't let this latest FS aircraft from the desk of Mike Stone slip by! ...Bear!
Starting back a couple of years ago with FS2000, the YeoDesigns Group has been designing various versions of the Boeing jetliners (737 and 767) and they have always been quite good, but this latest release of theirs for FS2002 is easily their best effort to date.
Starting with a 64-sided fuselage (Gmax), they've added just about every moving-animated part or component you can possibly think of, even including opening doors and cargo bays, there's even a retractable set of folding stairs! One of the many details that I really like are reflective textures on the engines and thrust-reverser clamshells, as they have a very real-world quality about them.
Yeodesigns depended upon the default for the panel and sounds, but it is the aircraft that this upload is all about and it easily qualifies as the very best appearing 200 series version of Boeing's littlest for FS2002! To date there have been a large number of repaints added to the AVSIM library for this aircraft, so you shouldn't have any problem finding your favorite livery (I've got my collection to include Southwest, Aloha, and Frontier).
Outstanding work guys and don't let this one slip by on you, it is a fantastic download from the artists at Yeodesigns Group!
...Bear!
Honorable Mention!
The P-38 M Night Lightning was built late in the war for the Pacific Theatre, so it saw very little action. David's FS version includes dynamic 3D virtual panel and custom sounds. Complete FS aircraft with CFS2 conversion package included.
Richard Martin Hulme's first FS aircraft design is of the fictional MiG-31 Firefox from the Clint Eastwood film of the same name. Includes animated parts, movie photo based textures, and custom 2D panel with a dynamic 3D virtual panel. Very fast at MACH 5+!
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