New RAF Airfields

Posted: Monday, March 8, 2010 - 15:00
Airfield Construction Group has just released two new freeware RAF airfields, the first is RAF Marham FS9/FSX. A very detailed, but frame-rate efficient scenery of this busy Tornado GR4 airfield. Includes photo ground tiles with kind permission of Just Flight. The second is RAF Bruggen for FS9. This scenery corresponds to the former airbase RAF BRUGGEN, one of the biggest Royal Air Force bases in Germany during the cold war. It is located near the Dutch boarder in close proximity to RAF Wildenrath and RAF Laarbruch. (Both airfields can also be found in the Avsim Library)

Update For DBS Airport GPS

Posted: Monday, March 8, 2010 - 14:54
DBS Studio release update 1.4.2 for DBS Airport GPS, the service release fixed a problem with starting Airport GPS on some computers under XP/SP3. The Update has three versions:
Update for Airport GPS FSX
Update for Airport GPS FS 2004
Update for Airport GPS External Window.

Flight 1 Updates Ground Environment X Series

Posted: Saturday, March 6, 2010 - 6:33
Flight One Software has officially released 2 updates to the Ground Environment X series of products for FSX that cover Europe and North America.

Ground Environment X North America is now the new product name for what was the USA/Canada edition. This is a sweeping upgrade designed to improve many areas of the product. Because it is a large change, and covers the broader North American continent, they are now calling the product Ground Environment X North America. This is a FULL product update, as there is no incremental patch to upgrade to the North America edition.

All previous USA/Canada customers are entitled to a free upgrade to the North American version. If you purchased by download, simply use your old key. If you have the DVD version , please visit the Flight1.com website for information on how you will be able to get the new download version. To access these updates, customers should use the Updates button in their GEX product interface.

Orbx FTX: NA 1S2 Darrington Municipal Airport Released

Posted: Friday, March 5, 2010 - 23:16
This is an Orbx FTX airport, and as such a copy of Orbx FTX NA BLUE Pacific Northwest must be installed prior to use. Located in a beautiful valley, Darrington Municipal Airport has one of the most glorious settings in the entire flight simulator world.

Serving Snohomish County and dwarfed by the shadow of the mighty Whitehorse Mountain, this airfield is set in the heart of picturesque Darrington village on the confluence of two rivers. Rich in salmon fishing, wildlife and pristine natural surrounding, it's a perfect base for your bush flying adventures into the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area and North Cascades National Park. The Orbx duo of Andreas Hegi and Heiko Glatthorn (aka 'Mango') have lovingly crafted this airfield to include so many details, including uniquely modeled churches, houses, hangars, buildings and of course, the 'little' touches. 1S2 is destined to become one of their bestsellers.

Latest Releases From Aerosoft

Posted: Friday, March 5, 2010 - 14:50
AES 2.06 Released - The biggest update for AES in quite a while and one many people have been waiting for. Airport Enhancement Services 2.06 catches up with the many scenery releases of the past few months. From small freeware scenery to major releases like Mega Airport Amsterdam. There is also a fine new feature that allows passengers to walk to the aircraft instead of getting on the bus, important for some positions on some airports. There is also a tweak to the de-icing.

Balearic Islands X (FS2004/FSX) - Now all the islands of this package are done for FSX and FS2004 it's time to make the bundle available. Ibiza, Formenta, Mallorca and Menorca in great detail (the FSX version is 6.7 GB installed!). Not only the airports are modeled to perfection but the complete islands await your exploration. The rugged coastlines, the small village and the blue sea (full of ships) make an ideal environment for a small and slow aircraft. Of course full support of AES on all airports.

Approaching Innsbruck for FSX - After the successful FS2004 version Approaching Innsbruck is now also available for FSX. Those who have previously purchased the FS2004 download version will automatically find the FSX version in their shop download accounts now. The FSX version differs rather a lot from the FS2004 version. Not only the airport is enhanced, but the whole surrounding now looks stunning. The (already exciting) approach is now also a feast for the eye. The boxed version will follow soon.

Latest News From Just Flight

Posted: Friday, March 5, 2010 - 14:44
"We're pleased to announce that the boxed version of the Captain Sim's 727 Captain is now available from Just Flight." 727 Captain has been developed exclusively for FSX (DirectX 9/10 compatible) and is the ultimate 727 simulation, featuring unparalleled visual quality and realism. 727 Captain supplies the -100, -200 and freighter models as well as winglet and non-winglet variants along with the unique UDF (Un-Ducted Fan) version. 17 detailed liveries from around the world are included.

Another new release is an addition to the VFR family of products. VFR Real Scenery England and Wales 10M mesh is now available from Just Flight (download only) This new Mesh add-on provides 64 times more detail in the terrain contours of England and Wales than FSX provides by default - that's a significant visual improvement. Check out the full details and screenshots.

"British Airports for FS2004 have been available in boxed format for many years and have proved a must have for many FS users. We have now made these great-value packages available in download format." These scenery packages were developed by UK airport specialist Gary Summons - originally for FS2002 & FS2004 - and provide a great selection of airports in each area, ranging from small local airfields to international airports such as Stansted, Manchester & Heathrow.
Volumes 1 & 2 - East & South-East England (61 airports)
Volumes 3 & 4 - South, South-West & Central England (64 airports)
Volumes 5 & 6 - Wales, West Midlands & Northern England (69 airports

KATL Atlanta V2 For FSX

Posted: Friday, March 5, 2010 - 14:38
An upgraded version of KATL Atlanta for FSX is now available from ImagineSim. It features re-designed and more realistic runway and approach lighting, an improved AFCAD/AI aircraft system, a host of bug fixes related to graphics card variations, and a code clean-up resulting in increased frames-per-second performance.

KATL V2 is free for existing ImagineSim KATL FSX customers. Full details along with screenshots and a demo version are available at the ImagineSim website.

Twin Oaks Airpark From Bill Womack

Posted: Friday, March 5, 2010 - 13:12
Nestled in the rolling farmland of the fertile Willamette Valley near Portland, Oregon, Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark is ideally located for sightseeing in the Pacific Northwest. The rural location makes for less traffic and a relaxed atmosphere, while providing an easy jumping-off point for flights to either the coast to the west, or the rugged peaks of the Cascade range to the east.

The scenery includes a large area of 30cm/pixel aerial photoreal terrain, featuring the various orchards, Alpaca ranches, and small farms in the area. One special point of interest in the area is the massive Glacier rock quarry, located a few miles to the southeast of the field. And what is possibly a first for an FS airport: multiple elevations. Twin Oaks is carved from the side of a gentle slope, and as a result, the Starks' house, garage, and two of the hangars are on a hill overlooking the rest of the field.

Lead developer Bill Womack has obsessively researched and photographed the airport over the last few years, with the enthusiastic support of owners Bob and Betty Stark. Drop by the 7S3 Stark's Twin Oaks Homepage for some Screenshots .

Newcastle to York (Modern) and Class 60/Cargo Wagons from Just Trains

Posted: Friday, March 5, 2010 - 5:38
Staff reviewer and train sim enthusiast Gene Davis looks at 2 title from Just Trains, Newcastle to York (Modern) and the Class 60 & Freight Wagons. "When the original Rail Simulator came out I was always fascinated with the Newcastle to York route. It had a lot to do with the size of the route and its potential for being a widely used passenger system which ultimately meant that there would be a lot to see in between stops."

"When Just Trains released the “modern” Newcastle to York route I found there were some pretty significant differences between the two, the biggest being that the Newcastle to York route was now mainly used for passenger transport rather than that of freight which was so popular back in the 70’s. The modern route comes with 8 different scenarios all of which are passenger based and makes use of the HST engine."

"The boxed version of the Class 60 comes packaged with two individual freight wagons as well. What impressed me the most about these two add-ons is the attention to detail in design. The Class 60 , the Seacow, and the Cargowaggon IWB is another exceptional add-on from the guys at Just Trains."

AV8R-02 Flight Stick from Saitek

Posted: Friday, March 5, 2010 - 4:54
Reviews editor Robert Whitwell plays with a piece of hardware that looks familiar to most flight sim enthusiasts, but this time it is developed for Microsoft's X-Box 360. It's Saitek's AV8R-02. With IL-2 Sturmovik added to the X-Box line up, those combat sim flyers on the PC are well aware that using a flight stick vice an X-Box 2-handed controller makes a lot of sense.

With this in mind, and the possibility of Microsoft delving further into the flight genre on the X-Box, Saitek has developed a familiar flight control stick for playing aviation games on the X-Box 360. This is a great piece of aviation hardware to add to your playing experience should you also own an X-Box.

Aerosoft's 8th German FlightSim Conference

Posted: Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 1:10
On March 13th, Aerosoft will hold their 8th German FlightSim Conference. For the first time this conference will take place at the Flugwerft of the Deutsche Museum in Oberschleißheim near Munich. Starting next year, the conference will rotate annually between Paderborn-Lippstadt and Oberschleißheim.

A growing interest in the flight sim hobby has also seen a rise in national and international exhibitors and developers coming to the show, making this a special event for all simmers who would like firsthand news on upcoming developments. Organisations, clubs, virtual airlines, forum providers and companies from the flight simulator industry will present their newest products and services at their own stands.

Exhibitors like Flight1, Digital Aviation, VATSIM, IVAO, SimWare, Apollo Software, Aviasoft, Cockpit Sonic, FS Magazin, FDS Simulator Cockpit can be found in attendance at this conference. Apart of visiting these exhibitors, in the Lilienthal Hall several seminars like "Complexity of today's scenery design in FSX", "The paperless Cockpit" or "SimCheck A300" are held and remember, this is just a small collection of what's coming up. Additionally, in co-operation with the museum, guided tours are offered through the museum exhibition. If you would like to take on this opportunity, you will need to register as it will include a charge of €5.00.

Finally, at the end of the day there's the traditional Captain´s Dinner, which will take place in the evening from 07:00 PM at the "Hotel Huberwirt" in Eiching. Reservations for the Captain's dinner as well as other information is available on the dedicated Aerosoft German Flight Simulator Conference website. The admission for this FlightSim event cost you no more than €6,00 for adults or €3,00 for children from the age of 6 to 15 years. Additional information is available about the Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleissheim.

AVSIM fans are asked to keep an eye out for Senior Staff Reviewer Angelique van Campen. She will be there to report on the Conference and will have a report published here after the conference. Look for her in her staff shirt and say hi.

The Avsim Store has a great selection of download products

Posted: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 16:33

From Aerosoft, we have recently added My Traffic 2010. It is he latest version of the popular and successful My Traffic series. My Traffic 2010 generates more than 800,000 flight a day, worldwide.
From Carenado, you can get the latest PA-28 Archer II, the Mooney 20-J , the C172N Skyhawk and others.
From Wilco we have the Boeing 777and the CRJ Regional Jet.
From Team SBD, we have just added UK Cold War Airfields and RAF Scampton, on top of US Airfields 1 and 2.
For those who want to extand their Flight Sim experience, we carry FSFlying school as well as FS2Crew products.

Visit the Avsim store today.

Cessna O-1/L-19 Bird Dog

Posted: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 1:35
Staff reviewer Colin Hampson looks at a workhorse of the Vietnam War era, SibWings Lab's Cessna O-1/L-19 Bird Dog. "With the manual safely stowed and the sim up and running, you'll be the proud recipient of four new individual aircraft models to your collection. The four models include three land-based variants, the main differences characterised by fixed-pitch propeller, retractable ski, and constant-speed variable pitch propeller versions respectively. The final variant comes with a set of floats, essentially giving you a Bird Dog for all seasons. This really is a serious and rugged bush aeroplane which will be most at home in the more inhospitable of environments."

"All four models benefit from all the usual FSX features such as bump, reflection and specular mapping, and dynamic self shadows and the end result is impressive. The textures are both detailed and crisp; the Bird Dog is festooned with rivets which showcase the modelling work particularly well. The exterior model simply oozes quality, so don't be surprised if your pre-flight walk-around becomes an ever more lengthy affair."

"The Bird Dog's virtual cockpit is one of the most immersive VCs out there. There are a number of features that make the Bird Dog's VC so good, the gauges are smooth and clear, the textures are appropriately subtle, the switches are easily clickable. True to form, the four variants each come with their own virtual cockpit, each with their own unique scratches and idiosyncrasies."

"I think what SibWings' Bird Dog has achieved is a real triumph. If good old-fashioned stick n’ rudder, ‘seat of your pants’ bush flying is your thing, this aeroplane is simply a ‘must have’."

French PC-Simulation Magazine Now OnLine

Posted: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 1:09
PC-Simulation's staff is pleased to announce that the French monthly magazine devoted to varied types of simulation (flying, racing, naval, civil and military) is now exclusively online.

Their motto from the very beginning is still true: "while never turning our backs to professional universes which use virtual worlds as a working tool, our natural field is leisure simming, which is a completely different story than gaming." Reality is never far away: either doing a Paris-Frankfurt at the helm of a Boeing 737 or learning tips and tricks on the use of a Beechcraft B200 or even knowing what to take care about when piloting without visibility, their goal is, through a comprehensive and tutorial approach, to give their readers the opportunity to make the most out of their simulators.

They also ask the experts who know the "real thing"; what it is (or was) like to pilot the actual plane, drive that race car or accomplish the mission that a particular simulator recreates for our enjoyment, as evidenced by the 49 interviews so far.

LROPS 767 Systems Book 1

Posted: Monday, March 1, 2010 - 15:05
LROPS has released a new book, "767 Systems - Book 1". The first in a planned series, the systems book takes an in-depth look at the some of the systems and procedures on the 75/767 flight deck. The usual LROPS standard of providing highly relevant and professional training is visible here, too. Whether you're a pro or have just picked up your copy of Flight Simulator, this book is for you: there's something for everyone to learn. For more information, visit the LROPS Systems Book Page .

Orbx release FTX Pacific Northwest

Posted: Monday, March 1, 2010 - 14:43
Welcome to North America, and Orbx's most ambitious project to date , USA / Canada Pacific Northwest. There is over 2.5GB of fully seasonal and annotated photoreal for landmark mountain and wilderness areas above the tree line, glaciers, lava flows, as well as including photoreal Seattle CBD, the ports of Tacoma and Olympia, KPAE, Bonneville Dam and many other points of interest. Additionally Orbx has created brand new autogen textures, hand-crafted every square mile of landclass, added full moving traffic, 3D night lighting and much more! Finally, over 450 default airports in the region have been upgraded with custom buildings and objects, elevation corrections and other details. FTX Pacfic Northwest is available now as an instant download from the Orbx - FTX: NA Blue USA/Canada Pacific Northwest product page.

Now Fly Oregon With MegaSceneryEarth

Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2010 - 18:52
MegaSceneryEarth announces their latest addition to their scenery range - Oregon State. With this latest addition you get 47,000 square miles of high quality, hi-resolution scenery covering the western region of the state and more of the visually spectacular Pacific Northwest region of the USA.

Coverage expands from Portland all the way down to the California border. Some famous places and landmarks include:
Cities of Portland, Salem, Eugene, Roseburg, Grants Pass, Klamath Falls. Mt Hood and it's 11,000 ft peak, Crater Lake, Klamath Lake, numerous National forests and 200 miles of Pacific Ocean coastline. There's so much to see, too much to mention but you're in for nothing short of a spectacular VFR flying experience - day and night.

There are several ways to purchase Oregon according to your budget and level of interest.
You can purchase via: the usual tile-by-tile basis; or the entire coverage to date by instant download, or DVD (8 DVD's). Both ordering options are instantly downloadable or available with DVD mastering. You can also get a FREE sample tile download of OR-034.

French Fs2Crew 2010 Maddog 2008 Manual

Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2010 - 18:44
This French Manual is a new interface with speech recognition for total imersion. Flight and cabin: FO, FA, agent gate, engineer and start crew. Procedures are based on real word DC-9 series 80 for maximum realism.

FSX Dublin (Irish: Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath)

Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2010 - 18:39
Fly-Wonderful-Islands is pleased to announce their new products for FSX: the International Airport of Dublin. Discover an exquisitely true to original atmosphere. This project is as realistic as it can be with a foresight in to the future.

The airport features the new Terminal 2 buildings with all the jetways. All runways and taxiways are present with 3D taxiway lighting and signs. This airport comes with all 4 seasons plus a "hard winter" texture. FSX Dublin is AI traffic compatible and contains an AFX file for every possible gate. Specific airlines are assigned their specific gate. The high resolution ground terrain, oblects and building textures mesh seamlessly into MSFS.

DBS Airport GPS Updated to V1.4

Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2010 - 18:16
This update includes the following; Database now stored in My Documents for prevent database access deny under user account; Access to "Route To" function direct from GPS window; Updated visual elements on GPS window; and an update for the GPS External Window for use Airport GPS without installing GPS to aircraft panel or to use on 2nd monitor. Complete details can be found at the DBS Simulation website.