The AVSIM Conference
The 5th in a series of shows organized by RC Simulations, this most successful event was attended by some 2000 flight simulation enthusiasts. AVSIM Online organized the concurrent conference—definitely a well received addition to this event!
Here's the Conference program, listed in the order presented. Details follow below.
Please click on any of the images for a full size view.
Tom introduced the first-ever AVSIM-sponsored European conference. He took this occasion to announce that Microsoft has been awarded the AVSIM Gold Medal for Excellence in Flightsim Design for their ground-breaking Combat Flight Simulator 2 as an example of the amazing advances being made in simulation technology. New FMS and Navigation Display Product Announcement – Chris Brett, Independent Developer We've all been wondering what Chris has been up to since developing his outstanding EFIS98 add-on for FS some time ago. Well, wonder no more! Today he took the wraps off his modular "Virtual Avionics" display and database, now some 70% completed. By the looks of his demonstration we have to wonder what else can be in store when he releases this product early next year. In a nutshell, he's conjured up a far more complete Flight Management Computer and a PFD/ND combo that includes such details as speed and position trend indicators (the display can be adjusted for a variety of seconds duration), a 'rising runway' bar coupled to the radar altimeter, and a flight path track on the ND showing curved lines where the departure and/or arrival path specifies heading/DME/VOR radial-based maneuvers, as well as real-world VOR, NDB, Airport and Intersection overlays. Coupled with the FMS, the ND can display PLAN mode as well as NAV mode, and there's a neat Flight Annunciator above the PFD. Best of all—using his completely new and FS2000-independent autopilot that provides absolute accuracy controlling localizer and glide paths—even when making a wider than normal localizer intercept, and offering full autoland capabilities. Both VNAV and LNAV modes are fully implemented. His Boeing B-777 panel's Flight Director responds to all planned flight parameters (heading, altitude and speed), flying either manually or in autopilot mode. Further, the FMC models fuel load and thrust limits, t/o parameters such as Vspeed and even thrust reductions that cut in as a function of flap settings, and includes complex departure and arrival flight paths. His demonstration repositioning a flight from Gatwick to Heathrow was spell-binding. And he's implemented both single screen and multi-screen capabilities. Sounds good? Well, we can hardly wait! Remarks from a real-world ATC controller – Garry Lewis Gary recounted his experiences earning his Controller certification—noting that only one in every hundred applicants succeed—and described many of the London Terminal Area procedures. It was great hearing "how it really is" on the other side of the flight crew's ATC communications. How to fly online – Niel Higham/SATUK PR Director Neal noted that he finds on-line ATC "the most thrilling experience he's ever had in sim flying." He assures us that SATUK is staffed with well-qualified controllers—72 manning the London center, 40 for Manchester, and another 23 for Scotland. We enjoyed his video presentation produced by SATUK as well. Enthusiastic? You bet! The broadband revolution – Jason Bradbury, BBC Commentator Jason pointed out that ADSL will bring "significant changes in the next 12-18 months," particularly in the UK. There's a "real worldness about flying on-line with others now." And as simulation products become ever-more realistic and coupled with broadband access, we'll see more people training on PC-based simulators to earn their PPL—with dramatic cost savings that will bring. FlightSim Commander – Sascha Felix, Developer (Aerosoft) Sascha described and demonstrated his recently released FlightSim Commander (published by aerosoft). FlightSim Commander includes a stand-alone flight planner, notably that includes airport runway and taxiway layout details with graphics, and also shows approach plates. It determines a route from the departure airport to the arrival airport using either NDBs or VORs (or both), and it has an option to determine a 'great circle' route for long distance flights. Also you can determine your course manually—the program offers a choice of waypoints (including SIDs, STARs and intersections), which are displayed in a map window. Another feature lets you define procedures graphically, such as holds and bearings on a VOR radial. FlightSim Commander also provides a GPS and Moving Map feature which allows you to track your flight in real time. You can also set up various weather conditions. Both text and voice ATC instructions and chatter, based on your flight plan, can be heard during your flight. Sound workshop – Mike Hambly, Developer (Phoenix Simulation Software) Mike, renowned for his excellent sound files (both freeware and commercial), held forth with a workshop where he demonstrated his prowess and fielded questions. He had quite a crowd of enthusiasts surrounding his set-up. Rhein-Ruhr scenery for Fly! – Marc Störing, Developer (Aerosoft) Marc's presentation way a joy, featuring many details from this wide coverage, thoroughly detailed scenery package. Marc noted that this scenery is based on satellite imagery at 6 - 10 meter resolution, painstakingly retouched with colors based on numerous photographs; many of the airports were modeled from photos taken personally. With the many objects at and surrounding the Cologne and Düsseldorf airports, there's a great sense of realism there—and there's 16 smaller airports as well. Additional objects are dispersed throughout the countryside, such as power plants. A moving map feature is provided that includes details of geographic features; you can click on these to bring up navaid frequencies while flying. Environmental settings / sceanarios are included. In a feature designed to improve framerates, most terrain objects change in level of detail depending on view distance. There's a 'mouse over' feature that pops up brief descriptions of individual objects. All navaids are included. Released Monday, the product—the first of a planned series—ships on a CD. See Marc's and Jürgen Kloos' Fly Germany web site for more; additional screenshots are here at AVSIM Online. Building Heathrow 2000 – Barry Perfect, Developer (GB Airports) Barry described development techniques illustrated with his Heathrow 2000 scenery, also showing examples from his Manchester, Stansted, Birmingham, Gatwick and Luton airport sceneries. Details and shareware downloads are available at his English Airports 2000 web site; AVSIM's review of "English Airports 2000" is here. Knight Air VA – Norman Blackburn Since March of this year, they've built an airline with hubs at London Heathrow, Prestwick and Teesside with some 150 pilots who fly 45 aircraft. The Knight Air VA, many of them veterans of Noble Air, puts its emphasis on having fun. You're invited to visit them at Knight Air. The future of flight simulation – Mathijs Kok, LAGO Nearing the end of a long and information packed day, Mathijs' droll humor was most welcome. He again emphasized a recurring theme of the conference, the incredible detail offered in today's add-ons—this time using the state-of-the-art Italy 2000, Amsterdam Schiphol 2000, and FSTraffic—now supporting moving parts-based planes—as examples. Then Mathijs described a new on-line, real time service-oriented offering from LAGO, their OnAir2 competition. Mathijs put all this all in perspective with "Flight Simulator, Past, Present and Future" show. Here are the highlights:
Summarizing OnAir2's fun, Mathijs remarked, "Say you own $703,400 and take a simple King Air assignment... Enroute the left engine fails... You finish your flight on time, with a lot of problems... And get a bill for $112,886.12 for a new engine... You know how much a complete King Air costs? You better land the sucker! Intended for competitive flying, you make 'purchases' from a virtual marketplace. The amount of 'money' you make depends on the flight selected, its complexity, and of course, how well you do. There are penalties for arriving late, etc. The monthly subscription price will be $5 per month for unlimited flights. Mathijs says "it's a natural for the VAs—it's a real time virtual economics system." PMDG development notes – Lefteris Kalamaras, Developer (PMDG) It's great to see the obvious pride developers take in their achievements, and Lefteris is no exception. He stresses that PMDG's philosophy is to take as much time as it takes to product an outstanding (and complete) product—and judging from the screenshots of their new B-777—with eight separate cockpit views—it shows! An example of this attention to detail is that you'll find the PFD/ND directly in front of your line of sight, in both the Captain's and the First Officer's position. And a 'real' FMS is being developed. There's a full engine start procedure, and also fully-functional emergency procedures. Good news is that all this is slated to be retrofitted to PMDG's B-757/767 series as well. Closing and gift product awards – Tom Allensworth Speaking of fun, 10 copies of FS2000 Pro donated by Microsoft were given away (as well as other donated products). But the big event was a well-fit-out 650 MHz-equipped computer donated by 3dFX, which included a 5500 3dFX Voodoo 5500 APG graphics card! And the winner was a real croud pleaser: Mary Burns! Conference Sponsors and Exhibitors An especially big "thank you" to these fine companies who sponsored this European Computer Flight Simulation Expo:
Exhibitors
And to these exhibitors who contributed so much to the show's success:
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