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I've recently returned to flight simming with the release of the PMDG 777. On all the flights I've made since the T7 release I'm wrong on the selected runway when arriving at my destination. The destination winds in AS2012 help me plan on what runway to expect, and then as I get closer, I check again and confirm my plan is still correct, but when I contact the tower for landing clearance, it is always another runway in the opposite direction. I'm not a newbie to flight simulation and I understand in r/l how winds change at desintations, but I get conflicting wind information from AS2012 that causes me to plan for one runway, but then the tower clears me for a completely opposite set of runways. If it is clear that I'm doing something completely wrong, feel free to send along correction. If this is just a flaw due to problems with the FSX weather engine and cannot be overcome, then I'll understand. Thanks for any assistance/suggestions you can pass along.

Hello everyone! Just so everyone knows, I am aware that if im using all those addons ill be getting bad fps but not as bad as i thought. So i just got accepted into Qantas Virtual so ill be doing my flying in Australia, and who better for scenery than ORBX?! So I load up P3D, select YBBN (Brisbane, with all patches and I have taken out all the major FPS killers in the control panel except for PeopleFlow.) and I load up my 737. My FPS during the day time is only at 20 at the gate with the plane systems on! Now ill give you a series of tweaks that i did to my CFG file and system specs, also, should I turn the the resolution on the 737? Will it look really bad? Used Bojotes tweak tool for fsx, For the bufferpools i replaced their number with 0, and i also added the Fiber frame fraction tweak and set it at 0.33. Other than that I set the ORBX effects to Day mode. System specs: Intel core i5 2500K 4.5ghz AMD Radeon 6870 1GB 8GB RAM 750 Watts PSU ASROCK P67 MOBO FSX is on a 1TB hard drive And numerous addons. Is there maybe something i missed or can do to improve my frames when flying in australia? Because in Europe I get great frames, i dont check the number but get between 25 (lowest) to 40 with the pmdg. Thanks!

Active Sky 2012 SP2 has been released! This comprehensive upgrade to the #1 weather simulation engine for desktop flight simulation brings significant improvements in many areas, further increasing realism, enhancing visuals, and super-charging the overall weather experience. New weather engine features include Overcast Ceiling Enhancement, In-Cloud Visibility Reduction, Default Options Profiles, Official Prepar3D support, and an overhauled "Direct Weather Control" depiction system that provides smooth transitions and better cloud coverage accuracy. Improvements are numerous and include better overall weather depiction and smoother transitions in all weather modes, updated station databases, increased tropical storm coverage, overhauled wx data network for better performance, and improved interpolation. On the graphics side, tons of brand new graphics variants have been injected, and existing graphics were tweaked for better visuals and variety. Some of the new graphics include 59 cloud variations, 22 water wave variations, 74 taxiway variations, 40 runway variations and 20 new sky variations, all in extremely-high detail and focused on what users have been asking for. In addition, new SP2-based themes and new customization allowing items to be enabled or disabled from wx-influenced selections are provided. Many fixes are also included, with adjustments and fine-tuning based on user feedback. All together, this represents the biggest service pack for Active Sky ever produced, creating the most advanced weather environment solution to date. AS2012 SP2 is available free of charge to all existing AS2012 customers. To download the upgrade, please visit our downloads page. For more information about Active Sky 2012, screenshots, or to purchase, please visit www.activesky2012.com. Full Revision Log: Active Sky 2012 Software Revision Log SP2 – B4826 – Software (1) Indicates changes to Public Beta 1 (B4696) from previous (2) Indicates changes to Public Beta 2 (B4722) from previous (3) Indicates changes to Public Beta 2B (B4724) from previous (4) Indicates changes to Public Beta 3 (B4726) from previous (5) Indicates changes to Public Beta 4 (B4755) from previous (6) Indicates changes to Public Beta 5 (B4783) from previous (7) Indicates changes to Public Beta 6 (B4801) from previous (8) Indicates changes to Release Candidate (B4815) from previous (9) Indicates changes to SP2 Release (B4826) from previous Weather and User Interface New DWC mode handling with "Prevent Cloud Redraws" and "Local Station Writes with DWC" enabled to provide better cloud coverage and accuracy while eliminating cloud formation shifts. Prevent Cloud Redraws and Local Station Writes with DWC is now ENABLED by default and ENABLED in the IFR/High Alt option profile.(4) New feature/option: Overcast Ceiling Enhancement – When enabled, the lowest overcast layer will be enhanced by adding and modifying complimentary cloud layers – This increases apparent thickness and restriction to visibility with a potential performance penalty – Please see documentation for addition information regarding this feature (1) New feature/option: Reduce Visibility In Cloud Layers (Requires DWC and Visibility Graduation and Smoothing to be Enabled) – When enabled, visibility will be reduced within cloud layers, proportionally based on layer coverage (1) New feature/option: Default Options Profile Screen – This screen will show at startup (can be hidden) and allow you to choose from various default options profiles that provide the recommended depiction mode and settings for various types of flying – Note that choosing a Default Option File will overwrite your current settings – We recommend trying all profiles before settling in on your ideal option set! (1) New enhancements to all depiction modes for better accuracy of cloud and other conditions (1) New official Prepar3D support! See documentation (initial “Important Stuff” chapter) for more information (1) New Station OIIE added to server fetch and default distribution (existing users must manually add station to data stations or update data station list from server to enable) (1) New Station EDJA added to server fetch and default distribution (existing users must manually add station to data stations or update data station list from server to enable) (1) New Station UASK added to server fetch and default distribution (existing users must manually add station to data stations or update data station list from server to enable) (1) New Station SEQM added to server fetch and default distribution (existing users must manually add station to data stations or update data station list from server to enable) (8) New save/recall persistence of last used Flight Plan “Speed” value (7) Added additional high performance wx data network server for more redundancy and better performance. (6) Added new Western Pacific tropical storm data coverage. (6) Added more room in Wx Report screen for textual TAF area to permit more than one line when using larger DPI/Font setting (3 lines available in normal DPI setting) (1) Added additional clear weather/reset during refresh as well as completion of synthesis in Smooth Cloud transition mode to prevent “stale” weather during loading of new or altered weather i.e. historical, edited, etc. (1) Added additional handling during AS2012 startup to check and ensure that the “FS haze layer” is properly disabled, in case the user has restored or installed a graphics set that enables the haze layer, causing visibility sync issues with the AS2012 weather engine (1) Adjusted wind layer turbulence generation for less turbulence overall at higher altitudes with default turbulence options (8) Adjusted Cirrus cloud generation for less chance of doubled/mirrored cirrus cloud effects and better balance of cirrus clouds depicted based on Cirrus Cloud Generation Percent option (7) Adjusted handling of failed downloads, so that if the very first download attempt fails, the program is automatically switched to offline mode and loads the last loaded weather – If a download attempt fails after a successful connection is initially established, the program will silently skip the download and retry every 30 minutes (7) Adjusted handling of “Load Preset” in Wx Edit screen so that the currently-selected Station ID is used in the loaded preset METAR string (instead of the station specified in the actual preset METAR) (5) Adjusted Flight Plan Navlog section to be multiple-row selectable (previously, you could select only one row) – This is useful for being able to select, copy and paste to external programs(5) Adjusted output rate during “Local Station writes with DWC” to be slightly slower to prevent overloading SimConnect with some aircraft/situations which could result in slow or improper ambient conditions depiction (i.e. temperature) (5) Adjusted DWC Local Station Writes processes in attempt to eliminate problematic temperature depiction/spikes as well as cycling clouds (clearing and re-forming). (5) Adjusted very high altitude temperatures to be slightly colder than previous in SP1 (by approximately 10%) – affects temperatures above 52,000ft only (1) Adjusted handling of single-left click of mouse on the system tray icon, to automatically bring up the AS2012 program - Use right click for the normal context menu (1) Adjusted documentation to reflect option/screen changes (1) Adjusted FSX/P3D native variable wind depiction to not activate until within 1500ft AGL, to avoid potentially large wind direction changes during approach where wind speeds may be higher (2) Adjusted “Overcast Ceiling Enhancement” feature to provide a better overall overcast depiction including thicker clouds and improved performance (2) Adjusted “Start FSX/P3D” tooltip to reference FSX/P3D instead of FSX only (2) Adjusted “Reduce visibility in cloud layers” feature to not reduce visibility in FEW/SCT cloud coverages (will only reduce in BKN/OVC) (2) Adjusted “Reduce visibility in cloud layers” feature to reduce visibility only up to a certain altitude in cumulus layers to avoid visibility reduction when not actually in the cloud layer (visually) as much as possible – Note: some desync between cloud layer boundaries and visual location with cloud sprites is unavoidable (2) Improved Interpolation system for more weight for closer stations with valid data, and extended the “clone” range to 3 miles (any station without data that is within 3 miles from a station with data will inherit most of its data instead of interpolating) (4) Improved “Force Destination Weather Zone” feature to simply always copy/clone destination weather without any interpolation logic if the destination station includes full surface information (4) Improved AS2012 DWC wind variability simulation for more realistic wind direction changes between approximately 4500AGL and 1500AGL – below 1500AGL FSX/P3D native variable wind depiction becomes active (2) Improved DWC depiction process for better cloud coverages (4) Increased speed and smoothness of visibility transitions (Visibility graduation and smoothing feature) (2) Slightly increased speed/smoothness of wind transitions (DWC depiction mode) (2) Default option changed for “Show in-Sim text messages” – now defaults to OFF (2) Default options changed for Prevent Cloud Redraws and Local Station Writes with DWC – now defaults to ON (4) Changed ICAO ID FAJS to FAOR (JOHANNESBURG AIRPORT – changed in server fetch and default distribution (existing users must manually add FAOR station to data stations or update data station list from server to enable) (7) Fixed problem where some METAR reports with “BECMG” elements, or duplicate cloud layers could cause corrupt cloud layer information and temp/pressure depiction issues (9) Fixed problem editing the surface wind layer in Edit Wx screen which would result in an unhandled exception(9) Fixed problem where some cloud layer information could become corrupt and cause depiction failures and temperature spikes (7) Fixed problem with recent new airport/data stations and edits being automatically removed from server database (8) Fixed problem with Wx Config screen where editing the surface layer (via the edit layer button) would cause aloft wind layers to become corrupt (7) Fixed problem with XGaugeWizard installation of Xgauge in Quality Wings 757 panels causing problems with Landing View (6) Fixed problem with XGaugeWizard installation of Xgauge in Aerosoft Airbus X Extended Fallback panel variant(7) Fixed problem where entering lower case letters in station ID field of Wx Edit screen would result in cursor returning to first position automatically after 3 characters entered (now characters are automatically set upper case as you type them in, and the cursor maintains appropriate position) (7) Fixed problem where attempting to insert a wind layer below 3000ft was not properly validated and would cause an unhandled exception (layers below 3000ft are now prevented and a message is given) (7) Fixed problem where importing a flight plan would cause the saved/persistent flight plan speed to be discarded(7) Fixed problem where Voice Flightwatch (122.02) would play even if the Voice ATIS/Flightwatch option was not selected (7) Fixed problem with flight plan import not properly importing user-created waypoints (via FSX flight planner) (5) Fixed problem with hurricane data causing crashing (NullReferenceException) in some cases, when located within the hurricane area (1) Fixed problem with Flight Plan Import on waypoints/intersections using 0.000 Latitude/Longitude (1) Fixed problem with program crash when choosing the “Influence” button on sound items within the graphics item detail screen (1) Fixed problem in Smooth and Standard Mode depiction where closest station might not be properly updated with correct data, causing incorrect FS ATIS reports or improper cloud depiction (1) Fixed problem where conditions might not update properly throughout a flight in Smooth Cloud Transitions mode (1) Fixed locations of stations EGCN and EGSY in locally distributed data station database (1) Fixed problem with crash when clicking on map with stations enabled yet no stations are within visible range (1) Fixed problem when in Standard depiction mode and “Disable Winds Aloft” is checked where aloft winds would mirror surface winds – Now aloft winds are null in this condition (1) Fixed problem caused by some SSD devices causing re-activation issues (reactivation requests should now eventually stop after 1-2 new re-activations after installing this new update) (1) Fixed problem with XGauge Wizard failing to install XGauge into Carenado C208B (1) Fixed problem with “Prevent Thunderstorms with CB” option not working in some cases (1) Fixed problem with using historical weather where invalid date and/or “over 3000 stations ignored” message can appear when using some historical downloads (1) Fixed problem in Wx Edit screen where changing station ID without pressing “Reload Current” could result in weather editing/changes applied to the previous station, not the selected one (1) Fixed problem where “Start P3D” button might not correctly activate and/or be usable when using Prepar3D mode (2) Fixed problem where simulator running detection (station database edits, graphics theme installs, closing AS2012) would not proper identify Prepar3D in some cases (2) Fixed problem where temperature depiction could become erroneous due to bug in “Overcast Ceiling Enhancement” feature (3) Eliminated all use of “Trebuchet MS” font, as this font was being commonly uninstalled (erroneously – this is a standard Windows font) by other programs and causing program load failure of AS2012 (1) Eliminated station KBSM (decommissioned) from locally distributed database (existing users will need to manually disable/remove this station or update their data/download stations from the server using the Wx Options/Edit Station Database tab) in order to have this station ignored Graphics New Graphics Update! Includes: 28 brand new high-detailed Cumulus cloud variations 12 brand new Stratus cloud variations 19 brand new Wispy cloud variations 4 brand new Cirrus cloud variations 22 brand new Water Wave variations 45 brand new Concrete Taxiway variations 29 brand new Asphalt Taxiway variations 2 brand new Taxiway Mark variations 19 brand new Concrete Runway Surface variations 7 brand new Asphalt Runway Surface variations 7 brand new Concrete Runway variations with smaller tire marks 7 brand new Asphalt Runway variations with smaller tire marks 20 brand new Sky Day variations 9 brand new Airport Parking Space variations 7 brand new preset graphics themes based on SP2 graphics All new variations in all categories include improved depth, shadowing, detail and scale, along with other changes as requested by user feedback Previous Stratus variations adjusted with improved color balance All Sky variations adjusted to prevent potential over-coloration in reduced visibility situations Previous Sky Day variations adjusted with improved color balance Previous Airport Parking Space variations adjusted for improved realism Previous Asphalt Runway Surface variations adjusted with improved color balance Updated Concrete Runway screenshots (all variants) to properly show concrete instead of asphalt in previews New graphics variation option to “Prevent this item from being used in Wx-Influenced selections” – Checking this box will prevent the item from being used in any wx-influenced selection – By default, certain variations from SP1 will be prevented, using a bias towards SP2 graphics New Weather Influenced Values update to include definitions for new SP2 variants

Hello, I have almost all of Carenado's a/c (great). I recently got the C90 King Air to replace my FS9 Aeroworx version. I use Active Sky 2012 for weather. Today I tried my first flight with the C90(FSX) from KDAB to KCHS. I set the alt to 9000 and climbed out. At 9000 I leveled out and set up auto pilot for the rest of the trip. It was raining and I decided to climb to 12000 to get better weather. I set the new alt to 12000 and set the autopilot to VS of 600 feet. As soon as I engaged the climb, the aircraft went into a violent manuever, flipped over and went into a dive. Rather than try to recover, I just quit and tried to find a problem. I use FSUIPC(registered) I use AS2012 for weather Any ideas here as to what could have caused this? I have had a few weather related problems with weather programs but this was really severe. Thanks in advance, Ron Sagel

Hi all, SB=squawkbox AS=AS2012 after a few months of upgrading my hardware, tweaking fsx to run on an ati card, trying out rex-ess and AS to decide which, and changing my gpu to a gtx580, i can finally see the day where i will set it and forget it and get back into flying on VATSIM. I have a few questions that you may be able to help me with or not. 1. Considering the system thats in my sig(i have two monitors), would it be better to run AS and SB on a laptop in the network? 2. If yes, is there a guide or tutorial on how to set up both these programs on the network? I know AS has a chapter on network configuration, i just wonder if theres something else simpler out there. 3. Is there an alternative program to SB to connect to VATSIM? Thanks in advance!

Well, I am back in the Simconnect quagmire... I have a server/client setup with SB4 on my laptop, FSX running on the server, all good. Before installing AS2012 I did all the tests and I have permissions and shares all set up and working, did the AI-planes test, made a txt-file in all the folders and so on. Static IP's on both server and client. When starting AS2012 on the client as described I get the following messages: 1. "Simconnect Client SP2 not found. You must have FSX SP1 or SP2 SimConnect Client installed in order to use FSX mode with AS2012" 2. "A valid Simconnect managed version was not found to be correctly installed. It is recommended to uninstall and reinstall the latest FSX SP update so this can be repaired. [sHORTENED]. I am at my wits end. What is happening? I have a Simconnect connection running and working, and the dialog seems to think that I have FSX on the client PC, wich I of course dont. I am also reading something about different Simconnect versions? Anyone to the rescue? Thanks Morten

I am doing something wrong but please tell me why does my Flight Plan lists all six airports on the Route List but not on the graphic on the Map page? Many thanks, Mac

The Sundance Range, near Banf, Alberta, on a gorgeous Friday afternoon. Thanks to: RealAir (Legacy), HifiSim (AS2012), REX (Essentials) and ORBX (FTX NA NRM) for this shot.

Not sure if it can't get any better than this. On my way to KBOI, still touring ORBX CRM in my Legacy.

Hello, I have almost all of Carenado's a/c (great). I recently got the C90 King Air to replace my FS9 Aeroworx version. I use Active Sky 2012 for weather. Today I tried my first flight with the C90(FSX) from KDAB to KCHS. I set the alt to 9000 and climbed out. At 9000 I leveled out and set up auto pilot for the rest of the trip. It was raining and I decided to climb to 12000 to get better weather. I set the new alt to 12000 and set the autopilot to VS of 600 feet. As soon as I engaged the climb, the aircraft went into a violent manuever, flipped over and went into a dive. Rather than try to recover, I just quit and tried to find a problem. I use FSUIPC(registered) I use AS2012 for weather Any ideas here as to what could have caused this? I have had a few weather related problems with weather programs but this was really severe. Thanks in advance, Ron Sagel

I used DWC and Prevent CloudRedraw, no cloud popping at all. The OVC just stayed there all the time during descent.I put a little bad Topic title but here it ishttp://forum.avsim.n...or-have-a-look/

Hi guys, Just have a quick problem that i wish to discuss with you guys not sure whether there is a solution or that i am using the wrong settings with AS2012. The problem is when i am approaching an airport, lets say fort lauderdale, when i am assigned my runway by ATC say about 70 miles i am sometimes assigned to runway that shouldn't be active. For example the surface winds according to AS2012 at fort lauderdale were 085/7 however in normal circumstances ATC should of assigned 09L at fort lauderdale however then assigned me 27R however when i a lot closer to ATC started assigning aircraft to runway 09. There were no surface wind changes at all in that time. I am just wondering why me and ai traffic are assigned runway that shouldn't be active however when you get closer to fort lauderdale they start assigning the 'correct' active runway Any Ideas? Default Settings plus DWC does this have anything to do with DWC? Cheers Jboy

Hello Everyone!!!It is with great excitement that we announce our next product: Active Sky 2012 for FSX!Active Sky 2012 expands on the award-winning Active Sky Weather Engine and combines it with brand new high-definition graphics, fully integrated to debut what we call "Total Weather Immersion".Over 16GB (uncompressed size) of high-definition graphics textures in dozens of categories are at your fingertips - accompanied by advanced imaging techniques including high-quality down-sampling and user-recoloring. Easily create your own texture variations with a few clicks of the mouse. Route awareness, weather-influenced selections, custom themes, universal graphics add-on integration and a clean, intuitive interface provide robust command of the total experience.Other new features include improved flight planning, auto routing, route export, integrated mapping and route-editing, drag and drop waypoints, improved weather depiction, improved performance, enhanced thunderstorm depiction and much, much more.We are currently in the final testing stages in preparations for release, hopefully by the end of this year.Please note that all past Active Sky/X Graphics customers will be eligible for an upgrade, and we have additional discounts planned for those upgrading from the most recent HiFi product release (ASE). Upgrade and pricing details will be provided very soon.Full details have now been posted on our AS2012 product page which can be reached at http://www.activesky2012.comThis includes a bunch of screenshots and a video! Come take a look...We'll also be providing some additional high-res screenshot previews here on this thread... stay tuned for more...