I'm kinda partial to ProjectAI :-lolFS02 has been a banner year for both freeware and payware, most of it great stuff!---Banners? We don't need no stinkin' banners!---Visualize ProjectAI sig banner here.

jerrycwo4Cold you give me the 'link' to find this "Active Camera" that you refer to? Thanks'jerry

metamarty,This is a question for either metamarty or anyone, but I'm quite curious about this active camera I keep seeing individuals mentioning. Last summer, when the "Active Camera" was uploaded into the AVSIM library, I received several (4 or 5) emails questioning my having NOT picked it for my weekly Bear Picks. A couple of those emails suggested that I should have awarded the author my "Gold Award", but I honestly didn't feel it was even worthy of being a pick of the week, let alone giving it either my "Bear Approved" or "Gold Award". Because I keep seeing so many people mentioning it so much, I'm beginning to suspect that maybe I'm missing something here! I recently reinstalled it as it came with the LAGO Ultra-Light package, but I still don't get it? What is it about this "Active Camera" that everyone keeps talking about? I'm very serious here guys, as I personally have found that the default "Tower" view to be far more useful and certainly more adjustable for your control over your view positions, but once again, as I've already mentioned, I simply don't get what is so great about this "Active Camera", so, what am I doing wrong? My list of the most innovative or progressive achievements so far in FS addons:RealAir SF.260 (most advanced and accurately designed flight modeling yet)LAGO's Emma Field Scenery package (first use of FSsounds with a highly dynamic and random motion scenery activity)Ed Truthan's Ocean-Lake-River dynamic Water Textures (freeware)Gerrish Grey's Autogen replacement buildings and trees (freeware)Lee Swordy's AI freeware filesPILOT's "Boeing 314 Clipper" and LAGO's "Lucky Lindbergh" addons for their uniqueness for designing addons that make use of Flight Simulator as an inter-active educational package relating to aviation history and those that made it.Bill Lyons and the Golden Eagle Squadron group for the WindRider Hot Air Balloon (freeware), for having designed the only authentically working hot air balloon ever for FS (package released right after all the air file gurus said it wasn't possible to do in FS). In addition, Bill's freeware Goodyear "Defender" blimp is equally as unique and extraordinary in its own right, that it bares mentioning also. Plus, it was Bill Lyons that first made use of a dynamic Virtual Panel-Cockpit (FS98), years before anyone else, including Microsoft.Lennart Arrvidson for his FS2002 replacement ground texture freeware addon.Yannick Lavigne - Fred Banting - Rob Young for their Falcon50 by their setting the standards for all Virtual Cockpit comparisons to anything designed after them. Also a freeware package.Chris Willis for his SkyWorld cloudsRichard Goldstein for all of his scenery designs (some freeware and some payware) including: Emma Field, Spotted Bear USFS, Flying M Ranch, Bryce Canyon, Diamond Point, and Ranger Creek airports.Don Moser-David Erickson-Frank Betts-Naji for their truly unique bush sceneries (freeware)I'm sure I've missed some others too, but for now that will do!Bear!

I've never used active camera for exterior views. It's very useful for manipulating the VC interior and panels with a mouse. It also gives the feeling of head movement with-in the virtual cockpit and can be quite effective depending on settings. Personally, I don't use it much for aerobatics because it tends to move my eyes away from the views I require. Even in full blown high G real aerobatics I kept my head from bouncing all over............... because I had too!And yes----------- SF260 ---- most advanced flight model yet, whether it be FS2002, FLYII, X-Plane, or IL-2L.Adamson

Thanks Larry, and others, for the SF260 vote - but I'm going to put in a good word here for my partner Sean Moloney, a modest and unassuming chap whose wonderful talents in 3d modelling (freeware as well as payware) inspired me greatly.There are so many brilliant free addons out there that it's almost unfair to pick on a few. I'm very grateful for all those people who helped enhance my simulation pleasure with their contributions.Happy New Year,Rob Young

What I'm refering to is the head latency feature. I don't really care for tower views or fly by's. I never use outside views. The head latency just makes the VC move around as if your head is subject to G forces, just like in real aircraft. This simply makes the VC come alife. If you encouter turbulence, the whole panel is shaking. This really is so much better than the fixed VC view we always had. It's like the pilot having his head glued to the seat. It's just not what's happening in real life. Therefore I think that this is the best innovation of 2002. It completes the virtual flying feeling.