raymar

It is hard to know for sure, but the largest update seems to have been in 2010 and 2014. California and Florida have the most locations, CA 30, FL24. Only 36 states are represented and the norm is 1 - 4. Other exceptions are TX 11 and AZ 6. 143 total list in the search box of the app for the US. Outside the US, there are 77 cities listed. Germany 18, Canada 11, Italy and Spain 10 each, France 7, AU 6, Great Britain 2, with Brussels, Copenhagen, and Zurich the single city in those 3 countries.

I spent a couple of hours visiting most of the small towns and airports within a few hundred miles of my house. I am surprised at how many of the smaller towns have 3D buildings. Most of the airports do have 3D hangars, terminals and gates and such. All the expected cities are well developed along with the airports. These are Nashville, Memphis, Jackson, Gulfport, New Orleans, Mobile, Florida panhandle, Atlanta, and Birmingham. Charlotte is flat, but Jacksonville, Daytona, Orlando, Tampa/St.Pete are well done and solid along the Atlantic coast from Boca to South Miami. Keys are flat except for Key West. There are some strange holes in the system but it is still Alpha stage. Houston City is very well done, but Bush and Hobby airports are flat. Dallas is flat but Ft. Worth has high rises and stadiums. Airports are developed in Ft. Worth, but, not in Dallas. duh. The down side is the maps are quite old. My guess is 6 - 10 years old in my part of the world. Also, the scenery is winter from medium to high altitudes but switches to green spring or summer as you get lower. Trees, cars and aircraft are very blocky with parts missing. Maybe all these areas will look like Houston and San Francisco when published next year. Regards, Ray

Well, it should be just as enjoyable in the sim as the 747 and A320 with a similar level of detail except it is something new and different. It will come with some new liveries and probably a paint kit.

I sure would like to see some of the Imaginesim airports ported over to IPACS Aerofly FS2. I fly (real world) between KATL and KAUS often. This could open up some new routes for them.

Yes, the addition of RC ATC and voices in the sky makes a truly improved flying experience in Aerofly FS2. Highly recommended.

Actually there is a free 7 day trial period available with no restrictions. Better than a demo.

Radar Contact v4.3 lives on. Aerofly FS2 is the latest flight sim to pick it up as their ATC. https://www.aerofly.com/community/forum/index.php?thread/15214-about-those-voices-ray-s-been-hearing-announcing-aerofly-fs-2-rc-atc/&postID=85826#post85826

Announcing Aerofly FS 2 RC ATC https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/561646-announcing-aerofly-fs-2-rc-atc/?tab=comments#comment-4082905

Selected excerpts from an 8 page mini review of the new ATC program for Aerofly FS 2. // ----------------------------------------------------------- // A few months ago a programmer in Denver decided to explore the possibility of writing the necessary code to enable Aerofly FS 2 users to have a working ATC program effectively making the glue that keeps AFS2 and RCv4 talking to each other. The result is a fully functioning, feature rich ATC program. But, it turns out to be so much more than that. The new custom configuration screen has several tabs and uses sliders for the interface and for making your personal choices. The General tab on the RCv4 screen is where you select your plane information and options. The Voices tab is where you select and customize your choices of Pilot, CoPilot, Controllers and Chatter pilot’s voices. This user friendly AFS2 RC ATC Configuration program allows you to place the RC Menu at your choice of locations on your screen (I prefer upper left) along with the color and size of font. You can have the menu shift downward to avoid overwriting the Flight Info Panel with a simple check mark in the box. You can also elect to have a small popup box with the active menu if you are one of those purists that do not want anything foreign on their screen. Unfortunately, this initial version is not VR friendly, but, there is hope on the horizon. A popup window is being evaluated to enable VR users to select requests and reply key codes from a menu. More to come on this as it develops. This customized AFS2 RC ATC also introduces some weather and visibility controls for your flying in FS 2. You will all be familiar with ATIS and METARs soon. You tailor how much and how often the weather affects your flying with selections using this configuration program. Now this is no simple tweak of the existing “weather”, as such, provided by AFS2. What we now have are near-real world weather adjustments using your local METAR as the guide. I actually didn’t think this was possible and I sure didn’t expect such astounding results. I’m talking about adjusting the weather based on the local relative humidity, precipitation, cloud cover at various levels, snow, wind direction and speed, reported visibility and such. Just using the default settings for weather adjustments yesterday – a cool and drizzling rainy day with fog with reduced visibility – I was stunned at the appearance of my plane sitting on the ramp of my local airport. I immediately set up a standard approach for the active runway using nothing more than the yellow airplane icon and voila (wa-lah locally), it is so foggy that I am instantly on instruments and it appears to be below minimums. I know for sure this has never happened to me while flying AFS2, but, as I levelled off for a missed approach I caught just a glimpse of the running rabbit approach lights. Sure enough, this changes everything. I cheated a little, and tapped the V key a couple of times for an almost legal landing. Amazing improvement folks. I think these innovative weather tweaks alone would be enough for anyone to add this AFS2 RC ATC to their flight sim, but the “voices in the sky” is what this is supposed to be about. Another significant new feature is the ease of key mapping the RCv4 menu keys to your Flight Sticks/HOTAS controllers. This was no easy feat, and is unique to the AFS2 ATC, but this makes communicating with ATC while flying so realistic and simple for those with yokes and flight sticks. It effectively adds the Push to Talk button to my yoke. I use a right hand thumb button for my Acknowledge transmission and a left thumb push button for my Acknowledge and Execute transmission. This falls under that “this changes everything” as far a moving from totally quiet skies to flying with purpose and direction. // ----------------------------------------------------------// A ton of variables have been built into the system over the years, but its unpredictability is one of the strong points. I truly enjoy some of the gentle chiding. You will learn to change your altitude first and heading second when given both at the same time. Otherwise, the controllers will be on your back about being at the wrong altitude before you have time to initiate the change. Your purchase provides some short and concise “Get Started” documentation intended to get you up and flying in AFS2 quickly. You will also find some handy recommended settings for your initial configuration. Remember, all flight sims use the same sky, the same real world airports, and the same ATC procedures. // -------------------------------------------------------------- // A CoPilot feature is included in the design and can be very useful should you wish to step away for a break, lunch, or whatever. Your copilot will respond to controller instructions and fly the airplane in your absence, or while you are observing. You choose to give him the radios, the plane, or both. He can never take-off or land though. He is only available during mid-flight. Another nice feature that works with or without the copilot is “Pause at a distance”. This is a distance from your destination that you choose to pause the flight. This is especially nice for long flights where you can start the flight, maybe get to TOC, turn over the comms and controls to your copilot then go watch TV or go to bed. The next morning after coffee or tea, you can pick up the flight at that point and fly the approach and landing. // ----------------------------------------------------------- // You can read my “entire thoughts” over at the https://flight-sim.org site. https://flight-sim.org/filebase/index.php?entry/597-mini-review-for-new-aerofly-fs2-rc-atc-program/

I replaced the originals voice files with the Meatwater files and the replacement files sounded scratchy, too much static and tinty to me. I removed them and went back to the originals. Must just be me. Regards, RayM

Thanks Ray. I appreciate your continued support on this.

Thanks Bill. Audacity it is.

Thanks a million Ray for your generous offer. I would like to do a little more background work before I jump into making my own WAV files. But, I may ask for some help along for way, for sure. It is encouraging to know that the possibility does exist.

Thanks Ray, Well, you guys did a great job with the selection. I doubt there is a list of the 109 that made the cut, but there must be about 25 or so in the US. I seem to remember someone had a freeware utility to do exactly what I am wanting to do. Sure, the voice may not match exactly, but it would be an improvement over spelling out of the letters of the smaller airports. Hard to believe New Orleans, Las Vegas or San Diego failed to make the list, but, I guess you have to draw the line someplace. Looks like there may be a bit of resurrection of RCv4 in the near future. There is still one more flight sim out there with quiet skies that can make good use of most of the features. Should that come to pass, someone in that crowd will probably want to bring it up to date and figure out how to add a second wave of airport names. Thanks for sticking with it all these years, I have been testing it for the last couple of weeks and find it has held up extremely well all these years. Regards, RayM

Scott, Do you know the whereabouts of a file that adds more Airport names to Radar Contact. Like New Orleans and San Diego, and a bunch more busy airports? Ray