I recently moved to Mac and therefore X-Plane, and the sim change was harder than the OS change by far.As it turns out, the blog I work for managed to get an interview with Austin Meyer, the creator of X-Plane. The time right now is interesting: FS got killed, X-Plane keeps getting better and better, and Aerosoft is hinting towards their own sim.So I rapidly realized that to find the best questions, I had to find people who are actively involved in the Sim community. I was wondering if you guys had, as FS fans, as developers, or even as editors for an FS-centered website, questions for Austin Meyer.Don't be afraid to be direct, the goal is to challenge the man.Anyway, I hope you guys can help me out a little.Cheers!Florian WardellTechHaze.com

Sure. I'm an avid FSX-fan. I've been flying FS and flight sims since around 1995. The main reason I avoid XP is the past versions, the models and textures have appeared at least one generation behind the FS series. I think XP9 as it is now looks like FS9, from a texture and airplane modeling standpoint. It was only until recently that I noticed some very beautiful XP models taking shape, like the CRJ-200 by Jrollon and the Falco kit plane (video links in this general forum). IMHO the majority of people that cry foul on FSX flight dynamics are NOT real pilots and don't have any RW experience. They just get sucked into the hole by XP a really excited user. Austin seems to think the FS models are horrible, but has he actually tried any third party models? We all know XP, without 3rd party creation, would suck too... ;)There are also some important features missing from XP, which I hope show up in version 10.0 - things like ATC, I mean good ATC, at least on par with what FSX has to offer (yeah it's not that great, and I'm a real controller, so I get picky hehe.) But even FSX has some excellent ATC addons.Flight models, virtual cockpits - I'll need to see more 3rd party detailed addons before I install XP. GUI/User interface - it's pretty techy-looking atm (it screams Linux lol), I'd like to see some gui improvements, which make it more user-friendly. Setting up joysticks and peripherals have always seemed to be a pain. Though I only have experience with the XP ver 7 and XP ver 9 demo. Airports, airports that actually look like airports. A lot of the rural airports in XP, from what I've seen, look horrible. Like just a strip for the runway and a few taxiways. I want the default XP airports to look decent, again, on par or better than FSX has to offer.I'd like to know if these things will make it into XP version 10, and when will that be? Oh, and stop the FS-bashing, it's lame. Granted their are tons of FS users who equally bash XP but they HAVE NO experience with XP.

Hi Florian !Well, I have 3 questions if you like ! My English is not very good so feel free to change or correct them.- I'm already an X-Plane fan, but I also like free-software, so I'm glad to be able to run it on Linux. Flight Simulator got killed because it was Microsoft's decision. This cannot happen to free software because it's open-source. Everyone can improve it and distribute new copies. What can Austin tell to us, to his customers and to all the X-Plane add-ons developers about the future of X-Plane ? I'm not talking about nice new features, but guaranties. Would he or Laminar Research be able to stop X-Plane, like Microsoft stopped Flight Simulator, or is there any lifeboat somewhere for the community ?- Florian, you're talking about history (Flight Simulator) and science fiction (Aerosoft, Sim Giants), but that's all commercial software. Does Austin believe that free software could become his strongest competition in a few years ? What does Austin think about FlightGear, and did he already test the brand new FlightGear 2.0.0 ?- What I like the most in FS2004 (yes I still use it), it's not FS, it's the community, the sceneries and textures add-ons, and all the advanced add-ons (Level-D, Flight1, PMDG, ...). I know we'll soon see more and more advanced add-ons in X-Plane, but the wait is long. Some FS users may start to switch when the CRJ-200 will come out. Is Laminar Research also working on advanced liners or new default aircrafts for X-Plane 10 ?Thank you and best regards.

IMHO the majority of people that cry foul on FSX flight dynamics are NOT real pilots and don't have any RW experience. They just get sucked into the hole by XP a really excited user. Austin seems to think the FS models are horrible, but has he actually tried any third party models?

I'm at a truce with X-Plane at the moment, :( ; but it's the flight dynamics argument that makes my hair stand on end! :( All too often, I'll see a statement that someone has finally switched from MSFS to X-Plane, and they'll automatically proclaim the superiority of X-Plane's flight dynamics over those of MSFS. And of course, it's always a generalized blanket statement with no details what so ever. And at the same time, old timers at X-Plane will complain about changes, lack of fidelty in regards to the defaults and so on. So I have to make my own assements. I've used flight simulations on desktop computers since the beginning. I've beta tested several versions of MSFS, as well as testing for a number of third party vendors. All though I've used many demo's of X-Plane, I only own versions 8 & 9 as well as a few third party X-Plane payware aircraft. I'm also a pilot & plane owner. My plane is a kitbuilt/experimental catagory that has much higher performance than a standard Cessna/ Piper. I went through aerobatic courses in a Pitt's years ago, and have flown many single engine, as well as a few twins. I've even been up in a P51D Mustang, but only as passenger.So far my overall preference is MSFS. It has been since FS2000. Before that it was Pro-Pilot...........because it was the first to come out with models that actually made me feel like I was flying a plane in numerous respects. Since I can immediately tell if simulated flight dynamics appear realistic, I haven't felt the unbridled urge to jump on the X-Plane bandwagon everytime I fire up that sim. It's been the opposite, and it's the same with many other pilot/MSFS users. Whether it's X-Plane's "blade element theory" or Microsoft's "lookup tables", I don't much care. All I care about is the results! It has to act like a plane & have believable numbers. And believe me.................some MSFS models (especially third party) can do that, and do it well! I can jump from my real plane to a favorite third party FSX plane and feel right at home. One thing I know for sure, is that the X-Plane method isn't light years ahead of MSFS, as I'll often hear. I chalk that up to marketing, hype, and a bit of brain washing. To me, it's just a long standing myth.However, X-Plane is actually coming around. I've purchased the X-Scenery Sequoia Falco & enjoy it. It has a detailed 3D cockpit & the flight dynamics are far ahead of many other X-Plane offerings. Thanks to this model, I'm spending much more time with X-Plane than in the past.........as well as changing my overall views on the subject. The new regional jet looks interesting too!And BTW. X-Plane still has a lot of competition. MS may have pulled the run from Flight Simulator, but third parties are pushing FSX right up the ladder. With a fixed base code, they are coming out with a lot of new and exciting projects fo FSX. L.Adamson

I don't understand what you're saying. You 're saying x plane is coming around because of the Falco? The Falco is using the same core flight model that other people work with. Tom just knows how to get the Falco to work using that core flight model.In saying that, I would like to see someone make a Falco or something similar for FSX. Then perhaps you can share a review with us.Also, what regional jet are you referring to?Greg

Hey guys, this is great stuff. I just sent out the questions to Austin, I'll let you know when they're online.Thanks again!Florian WardellTechHaze.com

I don't understand what you're saying. You 're saying x plane is coming around because of the Falco? The Falco is using the same core flight model that other people work with. Tom just knows how to get the Falco to work using that core flight model.In saying that, I would like to see someone make a Falco or something similar for FSX. Then perhaps you can share a review with us.Also, what regional jet are you referring to?Greg

Cores are just a bit of the equation for both sims. It requires a lot of work around and changes to get it right. The more experience the better.Take Tom for instance. Since I was complaining about the default Van's RVs for X-Plane (they're awful), he took it upon himself to re-create my own RV paint wise, and then began a series of flight model changes that I suggested. He also started an RV6 with his own paint scheme for X-plane. He wasn't able to finish the RV flight model, as he had the MU2 & later the Falco to worry about. There are also a few changes that I'd like to see for the Falco in the future. As far as FSX goes, it's the RealAir Marchetti SF260 which is a relative to the Falco. The last update for the Marchetti is several years old, but it's flight model is very good. The jet is the CRJ, that has a few threads in this forum.L.Adamson

Very interesting about the RV! It's nice to have someone care and not go ape on you when you complain about XP fde's lol!Would anyone be able to post a screenshot of Duluth, MN (KDLH) - I've never seen it in XP and it's my home base IRL.

Some questions?1) What "new tech" is coming in XPlane 10. Tessellation and instancing for example?2) What are the new aircraft that are under development for XP10? Apparently T.Kyler (of MU2/Falco fame) is working on some new default aircraft for XP10.3) Will the maximum visual range be increased from 25NM to say 100NM (like in FSX).

Some questions?1) What "new tech" is coming in XPlane 10. Tessellation and instancing for example?

http://xplanescenery.blogspot.com/2010/03/new-toys.htmlattached are images of KDLH

Thanks for those... as you can see this clearly illustrates my point of XP lacking big time when it comes to airports not in class B airspace heheI hope XP 10 will really nail this stuff down

http://xplanescenery.blogspot.com/2010/03/new-toys.htmlattached are images of KDLH

That stock 172 in the photos isn't bad at all! In fact, I've been puttering around in it with version 9.45 for the last hour or so. Thanks to the 3rd party Falco, I've been moving around the X-Plane 3D cockpit more than in the past. For a default aircraft, this 3D representation provides a good sensation of flight when using keys to move from left to right, up down, etc. L.Adamson

Can one use Track IR with XP?

Can one use Track IR with XP?

Yes if your operating system is Windows. I think there's no support and no drivers for Mac and Linux. But with Linux and a webcam, you can use Freetrack or Linuxtrack:http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=38828Happy flying.

That stock 172 in the photos isn't bad at all! In fact, I've been puttering around in it with version 9.45 for the last hour or so. Thanks to the 3rd party Falco, I've been moving around the X-Plane 3D cockpit more than in the past. For a default aircraft, this 3D representation provides a good sensation of flight when using keys to move from left to right, up down, etc. L.Adamson

Besides the An-2, the stock C172 is my favorite X-Plane aircraft :)

Can one use Track IR with XP?

Yes, you can. ATM, i'm using the Xbox360 controller for views but TrackIR works also. Recently i had bought the Saitek throttle quadrant which works also fine with X-plane.