OzPack is the collective which publishes donation-ware scenery of the Australian continent. The scenery is of a very high quality and is regarded by many as some of the best available for Microsoft Flight Simulator 95 (and version 5 before that). This is a particularly large task given that Australia is a very large continent and the OzPack team have undertaken to cover it all. It is also interesting in being a collaborative effort rather than the solo-designed sceneries that have tended to predominate in the flight-sim world. Already two states have been produced - New South Wales (home of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and reviewed last month) and Victoria (Australia's second most populous state). Both are excellent.

The Victorian scenery is, IMHO, even better than New South Wales and includes a windows based installer that removes the manual trudge of unzipping new scenery and altering configuration files. There is a zipped version that is available for those who enjoy using (or have a particular reason to use) the more manual method.

In this issue we have included an interview with Tom Monnone, the coordinator for the NSW scenery and an original member of the OzPack team. Next month, I will put together a sample flight using both the New South Wales and Victorian scenery to highlight their accuracy and scope.

To access all the latest OzPack scenery, look at their web site, http://www.ozpack.pcsa.net.au.

QUESTION
How did the OzPack group begin and why?

ANSWER
In early 1994, while creating my first somewhat primitive New South Wales state-wide scenery for FS5.0, I discovered that Ron McKeirnan was creating the whole of Queensland. I contacted Ron and suggested that we work in parallel, to common standards of design and documentation, using the same compiler so we could help each other, technically, and that we give our association the name 'OzPack'. That was the "how". The "why" was the desire to have accurate Australian FS scenery.

QUESTION
How many members are there?

ANSWER
At last count, 12 active members, who have a wealth of talents and a variety of backgrounds.

QUESTION
The accuracy of your scenery would suggest you are real-world pilots. Is this true?

ANSWER
About half the active OzPack membership are or have been real-world pilots. However (and so as not to discourage new designers, who are not real-world pilots, by the implications they might read into this question), I don't believe the fact that having scenery by an author who is a real-world pilot is any guarantee that the scenery will be accurate. But it is necessary, among other things, that designers of airports and surrounding scenery, become familiar with the various official aeronautical publications and become familiar with their compiler of choice.

QUESTION
Many people would be reluctant to start designing a scenery area the size of a city, yet you chose vast states. How did you start and what was the design process?

ANSWER
In order to cover the entire Australian island continent (which is about as large as the contiguous 48 states of the USA), it didn't seem much progress would be made approaching the task piecemeal, and then, someday, hoping to hang it all together. So we initially divided the task by state. Within each state, we divide all licensed airports into those which are more important and which are to be fully rendered, and those to be rendered with only the basics, when planning a next version. This strategy has worked to the extent that it was an implicit invitation for others to join the team and offer to fully render some of their favourite unenhanced airports or to contribute custom 3D scenery. This has happened and is picking up pace.

QUESTION
Your sceneries are of commercial quality, why have you chosen to remain non-commercial?

ANSWER
This involves several factors. A big factor was that we initially decided to use a freeware scenery compiler which is one of the most powerful available and which requires any scenery made with it and distributed, to be distributed as non-commercial. Another factor is that to do what we do on a commercial basis, would require a team to work full time, over an extended period of time. All our members are otherwise employed at their regular, long term occupations, and intend to remain that way. It would not be inaccurate to say the OzPack makes FS scenery as a "labour of love".

QUESTION
NSW was released about a month ago. What is the timetable for the other states?

ANSWER
The newest version of the State of Victoria for FS5.1 and FS6, was released in July 97. It was issued in both W95/W3.1x automatic installation format, and in regular ZIP format. This state scenery is the OzPack's best yet. Look for the states of South Australia and Western Australia soon. We plan that these will be at least of similar quality, if not better as we learn more. Then the other states, for which we now have basic scenery, will follow.

QUESTION
What are your criteria for inclusion of objects in the scenery?

ANSWER
Coastline. Main roads, cities/towns, mountain ranges and inland waters. All navaids. All licensed airports, and for those which are fully enhanced, the principle VFR reporting/check point objects shown on VTC charts and principal IFR obstructions shown on approach plates. These are the basics which we strive for, more or less successfully so far. Beyond that, we now have some very talented and versatile 3D object designers who are doing a superb job seeding all states with the more prominent 3D objects which more fully dress up the basic aeronautically oriented scenery. It has become a real team effort, as you would expect.

Interviewer's note: VTC charts are the primary Australian visual navigation chart for major terminal areas.

QUESTION
Your sceneries are distributed on a "donation-ware" basis. Please tell us about this concept and why you chose the Royal Flying Doctor Service to benefit?

ANSWER
This provides focus and purpose to this long range project. And who better to benefit from the OzPack's aeronautically oriented labors but the RFDS? We have our OzPack South Australian State Coordinator, to thank for the original RFDS donation-ware idea.

All users of the new OzPack state sceneries, published in 1997 and beyond, are legally, as well as ethically and morally, obliged by the authors to make a donation, for each state they use, to the RFDS.

The RFDS is very much a part of Australia's folklore and is very highly regarded in Australia and around the world in aviation health and emergency circles. Established in 1927, the RFDS is the oldest, most experienced and comprehensive aerial health and emergency service in the world. At last count, it operates 38 aircraft from 16 bases located around Australia.

The RFDS is a registered charity. Donations are tax deductible for Australian taxpayers. Taxpayers of other countries may need to consult their tax accountants to determine deductibility. Receipts are issued by the RFDS.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

(Editor's Note: As we have said before, the RFDS is one of the most deserving charities in the world today. We encourage you to support this fantastic service when you use the OzPack scenery sets - it benefits the truly deserving and will encourage OzPack to continue their great scenery sets!)