Miami City scenery, firsts screens

Intersim Studios has shown us its first image of the incoming Miami City scenery. These are from the payware version and will be available for FS9 and FSX both (thanks Junior ! you comment will be published 02/01). In the meantime, Intersim is still working with Taxi2gate on the KMIA airport.

2012 / Market Survey

Airdailyx will conduct a market survey of the FS market
with payware editors and developers.

Some of the most popular teams already answered to our questionnaire.

They will receive our stats on april 27 th exclusively. Only those who responded will receive the extensive stats based on 8 questions, some on economic others or technical trends.

If you are among payware developers, it's not too late. just ask the questionnaire at
airdailyx@gmail.com

Some of the stats will be published later, in early may, in our blog.

Dom and D'Andre
Airdailyx

About vertical integration in flight sim market

I will never cease to write that i really like Aerosoft products, and i usually buy my products at Simmarket, just because i found them on the web a long time ago and i appreciate the service. But i am a consumer and a citizen. I would like to point out what looks like an advanced vertical integration on the sim market. Aerosoft, Simflight and Simmarket are privately own companies. There are no any known official links between them (no common shareholders to my knowledge), but everybody can look at subtles connections (see the picture).

Aerosoft makes and distributes products, Simflight provides "information" (but we dont see very much critizism) and Simmarket sells the product. As they need the fourth level - credible information - the next stage is to buy a good newspaper (may be they already did). Of course, this is not specific to the flight sim market and industry has the same tendancy to accelerate vertical integration. Updated 02/02 : Francois "Navman" Dumas clarifies that Simflight and Simmarket never made a secret of their relations at all. Simflight is beeing funded by Simmarket and Simmarket news prevails on any other news (Mason : including interesting ones).

Good luck and good day.

Incoming this week...

Will Imagine simulations respond to our interview request ?
Fight over Corsica island.
Where is Mexsimulations ?
A complete review of the incoming KSFO (Flightbeam)
Fukuoka (Aerosim), almost finished.

And much more.. Thank you for your fidelity !

PMDG 737 NGx : new set of screenshots

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/325428-externalities-and-the-ngx/page__st__425

News about Miami

Screenshots to be released tomorow on Miami KMIA by Intersim Studios and its partner, Taxi2gate.
Release date in early march. Updated 30/01 : KMIA will be for FSX and FS9.
AES Airport Enhancement system : ongoing negotiations.
The same designers will also release a Miami city (2 versions, one freeware, one payware).
Stay tunes ! Help Airdailyx by tweeting around, thank you.

Nice Week end !

Free of right.

Oh yeas, Munich !

At last, first external views of the NGX

A FSX full Native B-757

A new aircraft project from Enigma Simulations team. This FSX native Boeing 757 will benefit latest possibilities in bump and specular maps. Below, one of the very early shots of the project now conducted by Jordi Blumberg and Tom Koffeman.

Bern-Belp LSZB, aviation paradise

Located at the foot of the Belpberg hill, the small Belp airport is a pure sample of aviation ; a concentrated of choppers, gliders, light aircrafts, turbines, and sometimes even some Boeing 737-400 or small Airbus are landing here. This is also a formidable base for swiss Alps trips. I usuall fly over Thunersee (heading south-east), then, Reichenbach airport, toward some cirques.
The flylogic airport (180 mb exe. file) is a model of meticulous work and 70 % of the buildings are covered with a high quality photoreal textures. The framerate is good and the scenery includes a traffic utiliy, seasonal textures, AES-Lite and a 18 page manual, english and french. According to this manual, the ILS 14 approach, near the hills, is thrilling. I tested the scenery with My Traffic and i got plenty of turboprops, Cessnas and two Dornier of the Belp base airline Flywork.
Useful ressources :
http://bernairnewslszb2000to2010.blogspot.com/ (wonderful pictures)

http://www.vacc.ch/
http://www.flylogicsoftware.com/

The V-tail V35B Bonanza

I am going over the Bonanza V35B again because this Carenado aircraft was barely noticed by flightsim medias. The V35B was the last version of the Bonanza 35, with the V-tail profil inherited from polish engineer Jerzy Rudlicki works. In two words, the V-tail lighten the aircraft weight and reduce the drag but need finest adjustments on pitch and yaw. The higher mechanical stress also requires structural strenghten. But i am not going any further, a lot of real pilots can explain that better. I dont know if the V-tail gives a better flyability but at least, i made really nice shorts turns. In the opposite, i did not feel the famous waggle effect on landing. Did Carenado really improve the flight model in this version, that's the question.

On graphics side, its all about high defintion textures except on the exhaust. The propeller can be animated, antennas are vibrating under the wind and there are the same navigation modules than in the previous version : the intuitive alt and vertical speed selector and the Garmin GNS430. I regret that its always the same guy on the yoke and the same basic fade liveries. I would have liked 1 or 2 real paintings and frankly, its time to add passengers. Also great would be the tool to auto-convert our face and put it on the animated pilot...Cars makers want to personnalize our futur cars, maybe its time...

Updated, By the way, Flightsim international developers team (http://www.fsd-international.com/), designed their own B35 with nice liveries and inside cast shadows. (nice price too).

Incoming...San Jose del Cabo (FS9)

New mexican editor Bajasim has just disclosed a hundred of new screenshots of its incoming San Jose de Los Cabos MMSD. The scenery for FS9 will be released within 2 weeks, promised. A FSX version shall follow. At last, news from Mexico !

Overland's rising sun ?

Just received this morning an email from Yorihisa Kageyama, venerable chief of Overland Japan (Simmer's sky). Responding to a request, Mr (Mrs ?) Kageyama confirms that Overland is still having sceneries projects (and maybe aircrafts) for FS 2004 and FSX. Overland developed a lot of japanese sceneries packages and is mostly recognized (on my point of view) for its amazing Seoul Incheon airport. Wait and See. (Up : Empire of the Sun, Spielberg movie, sharing the same passion for aviation. Down, Seoul Incheon FS9 & FSX).

Make me 3000 3D cars please

(legend : rendition of this screenshot is bad. Cars are really in 3D dim.)

A lot of websites just announced UK2000 Bristol V3 Extrem. Oh that's nice but where are the real news ? Eh bien oui, il fallait juste acheter la scène pour le savoir. (Oh yes, next time, just buy the product and you'll now).

Gary Summons, less than a month after EGKK release, has found some time to polish (with new high definition textures), the main airport of this old venerable city of England. Ok, the airport is nicer, we appreciated the new set of ground textures and some new photoreal front buildings textures and the rain effect. But the huge thing is to add about 3000 three-dimensional cars around the airport. UK2000 warns you though, this is very FPS "glutton" but depending on your settings, you shall try it. I am a FS amateur for 20 years and for the first time, i discover this airport. And cherry on the cake (do you say that in english ? cerise sur le gâteau), Bristol is perfectly positionned 150-250 nm away from Cork, Shannon, Paris, Manchester, Bruxelles, Amsterdam etc.

Good luck and goood night

Fly Tampa Athens LGAV : new screenshot !

Presenting... the cow-boys

I like to tease Pacific Island Sim 's team but i hope they liked my last bubble from Star Trek. The good news is that they are not shy anymore. Proudly presenting developers of VFR Appalachia and Ingalls Field ;

Michael Graham, lead software, design and development ,

Jonathan Devers , terrain mesh,

Aaron Sccoter for Photoscenery textures, and finally,

Kyal Scanlon & Ken Alger for paint & textures schematics.

I am puting these names in my "Who's Who" page. These guys, they must not be too old and i hope they've heard of Spock hein ? Respectfuly, Mason, fan of VFR Appalachia.

How to discourage honest buyers

Of course, i agree with coded-protection systems. But adding a second or third protection layer, its just killing its best friend (or dog ?) to be shure to catch the prey. I am not against Aerosoft launcher, but i do not bear the fact i am submited to a first checking with a webshop and then, submited to a second checking from Aerosoft.

UK2000 also established an amazingly heavy procedure : 1. you get the download link. 2. you must enter your password 3. as you dont remember it, you must receive a new email. 4. Re-enter your personal datas. 5. In your product list, you must find and give the product key. 6. You dont even know where is the exec. file to download...so, you return to step 4...

Virtuali (FSDT) has another protection system. You must load the addon manager but if dont have the up-to-date version, your airport buildings disappear.. just like that. If you uninstall a scenery and then reinstall it in a different order, you screw up the whole thing. But its your fault. Its your fault if you cannot cope with three, four or five completely different protection systems. So, maybe, largest companies could start to talk each other like adults and find minimum stan-dar-di-za-tion. Updated: they might even find a new way to spare some cash..

The British Aerospace ATP project

Jordi Blumberg and the Enigma Simulations team has disclosed one of their next project : the ATP turboprop, manufactured by British Aerospace. The aircraft could be released in the end of this year (so lets say in early 2012). It is planned to work under FSX and WILL be totally FSX native. The team took around 1600 high res. pictures from real - still operating - ATP. First screenshots disclosed on their website are just thrilling...

Blueprint Simulations's interview

This is the full response from Blueprint Simulations to our interview (part one). Part two can be found on my pages. I want to express my thanks to Ignacio and will not permit dumb comments as readers and visitors, are here, educated people from all over the world.

1) Blueprint Simulations has its fans and regular customers. What kind of qualities and values they appreciate in your sceneries ?

B.S. : The level of detail and technical accuracy that I have tried to achieve with each and every one of our products is what makes BluePrint Simulations sceneries unique. My intention from the very beginning was to fill what I perceived to be a gap in the type of sceneries already available. While most developers moved toward increasingly complex animations, I wanted sceneries that were accurate enough to allow for published procedures to be used under instrument flight conditions. I also wanted more realistic terminals featuring more three-dimensional details. With those goals in mind, I decided to create my own sceneries. Today, the feedback from an overwhelming majority of our customers appears to indicate not only that others felt the same needs that I did, but also that I have accomplished my original goals.
I must say, however, that MSFS enthusiasts either love our sceneries or hate them. I am also aware of the fact that our customer base represents a very, very small fraction of the flight simulation community. Nonetheless, I am pleased that my sceneries arouse strong responses, a characteristic of products do not fit within pre-established boundaries but dare to explore new options.

2) Blueprint Simulations is based in California. For the preparation of KLAX, can you tell us how did you work, how did you pinpoint elements, objects of the airport ?

B.S. : In order to create the KLAX scenery I relied heavily on close-up pictures and high-resolution satellite images obtained from public sources on the internet as I have done for all the other sceneries. Close-up pictures are absolutely necessary to achieve the highest level of detail. On the other hand, pictures are not enough to capture the real character of an airport. Each terminal and each concourse is unique and has a very distinct atmosphere. Having the opportunity to experience firsthand most of the airports portrayed in my sceneries by either living nearby or visiting very often has been my most valuable tool during the creative process. This is particularly true for KLAX. Having lived in LA for nearly a decade has given me the opportunity to truly experience LAX, from every one of its terminal to the surrounding areas. Needless to say, having the opportunity to just drive to the airport when a detail is needed is quite useful. It has, however, made it very difficult to bring the project to a “temporary” conclusion by enabling me to become obsessed with capturing every detail.

http://airdailyx.blogspot.com/p/blueprint-sims-interview.html

About SceneryBox, Blueprint Simulations and Captain Sim

SceneryBox 17 is a product of Gaiddon Software. This french editor, from Toulouse, has developed a range of photo-aerial ground textures covering the hundred of french departments. Specialized in images processing, the editor reworks the airports and runways in order to set precise geographical positions. A hand-cut work also re-shapes lakes, rivers and ports.

Charente-Maritime area is the first product sold via webshops. It has been released in october. This week, it has been released again with a slight difference : image definition has reach now 1,2 meter (2,4 m 3 months ago). The scenery does not include any specific autogen nor airports buildings. On this market, in France, two others companies are fighting on photoreal ground textures, the main one, France VFR, which is about to release Rhone-Alpes region and France Touristique Scenery, which has already released Reunion and North of Corse for instance.

Updated! Blueprint did accept the interview.

Captain Sim has reached a new record : more than 15 000 hits on its forum to announce its incoming Product X. The idea is pretty smart : " guess what will be our next coolest product ". And it works so well that visitors, fans, are giving a lot of very nice ideas for futur products. I will say that what Captain Sim did here, is an experiment or sort of... Well done Captain.

Nice week end, visitors, friends. I will post some nice pictures and come back tomorrow.

Live in FSX, Zakynthos Zante X

The Zante X scenery (260 megabytes. !) is not totally new stuff. But, bad luck, it was launched at the same time that Larnaca, Holidays airports, Mega Munich and Olso etc, during the october rush. The scene covers 25 square miles around Zante airport, Zakynthos city and the montain Skopos, improved by a special mesh. The main terminal is brought out by very interesting photo-real textures, giving a crazy in-depth optical illusion. Everything is smooth (full autogen is suggested) and the ground textures are very effective, especially the tires marks on the runway. Live In Fsx team, on its forum, is showing a first video of its next airport ground textures. Corfu is on the way, we will be patient.

Oh, one more thing. There are some birds (again !) in the sky, around Zante X. So, i am going to open a blog on virtual birds ornithology in FS world.

How they make you pay twice ?

Inserting some adds on a forum to upkeep it or pay the rental is okay. But inserting wild adds or hideous ones in a forum that is no longer responding to its customers, that is a bad practice. On consumer side, its paying a first time for the scenery (or the aircraft) and paying (sort of) a second time to bear this.

Mexsim's forum is not following its customers (these last weeks at least) and some people are still waiting for answers, 15 days, a month later. Aero files had also put an add on its homepage although its forum was temporily closed. This morning, this hideous add has been removed. Thank you. Billund is a really good scenery, by the way.

Simmarket has also developed a new habit : to re-launch the same product months later, which is giving it the right - no doubt - to update the official launching date. We mentionned the fact last month and it has just happened again. I cannot give the name of this product but you can check on internet what sceneries were launched on october 8. Sooner or later, if we are not watchful, we will buy the same product twice...
Mistakes happen. These people have top priority to give an answer.

Just an email from a customer (2)

Ariane Design, designer of the B-737 series, has fairly answered my questions yesterday. I am transcribing its content.

Airdailyx : I asked you about the navdata and your answer was ‘should be out in quarter 3, 2010”. You did not announce anything about it since.
Ariane Design : If you look on our forum we did. Its a running story between Navigraph* and us. We are hoping that Navigraph will create a cycle and if not that our tool will do it. Either away, we make Boeing 737 aircraft and Navigraph make data so best to fire this one at them.

Airdailyx : Can you confirm that you are indeed still working on such a navdata and what will be the release date ?
A.D. : Navigraph are working on the data side. Yes we are also finshing a tool to make data. We never release dates.

Ardailyx : Can you confirm that your new hubs products include full FMC support with all the waypoints and navaids ?

A.D. : "All" depends on your opinion and between it, there will likely be a huge assumption so be specific on what you expect and we will do what we can to confirm in more detail for you.

My last question was about the new hubs packages. As this product's conception seems to be totally original on the market, i was wondering if pre-formatted flight plans were including "all" realistic waypoints and navaids. Let's hope for an answer on Ariane Design's website. In the meantime, i must say that i really appreciated their fair play.
* : There is also a running story with Mc Phat Studios.

Nice tool from Aerosim

The japanese editor, who is now working on Fukuoka RJFF airport, has developed months ago a waypoints coordinates search utility. This tool is available online for free (no need to register) on their website http://www.aerosim.co.jp/. I tested rare french waypoints and it found them out easily...

MWCR Owen Roberts revamped

Latin VFR has released a major update for its Caymans islands scenery. The modifications are strictly limited to the main airport, Owen Roberts, which have been renovated. Ground terminal has got high definition textures and a better rendition of wear and oil marks. Some front buildings have been improved with photoreal textures, and -hourra - the hideous "playmobils" marshallers have also been removed. Around the runway, old and bad photo-like textures have been replaced by nice-looking grass fields and during departure, you will have to watch out for the turned on seagulls* dancing around 80 feets over the runway. This free update is a nice addition for those who already bought the Caymans. If you want to buy the product, check first if it has been duly updated to the V2. It was not the case in my usual webshop.

* Ok, that's new, someone wrote me to explain that they are not Seagulls but Snowy Egret or maybe the red-footed Booby...

A new interesting option in Vroute

In its last december update, Michal Rok, developer of Vroute flight plan generator has implemented a new function : the .KML file export for Google Earth. This option, available in both versions (freeware and payware Premium) of Vroute gives us the opportunity to watch the flight plan path on the real 3D satellite map, including the vertical profil (theorical flight level). This new option might be followed by new ones : fuel consumption pattern, speed etc.

KCSG Columbus airport

9 months ago, a guy started a new FSX airport project but he didnt know too much things about scenery programming. 9 months later, KCSG Columbus is almost finished and reach very good paywares qualities (we don't know yet if this will be a freeware). This man is Michael Badger. As it is still a personal project, i am not showing off any screenshot here but you will find these materials on FS Developer.com : http://fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19283

News from Blueprint Simulations

American designer Blueprint Simulations just disclosed its new project :

KLAX Los Angeles

Updated
There are some risks that this choice will be misunderstood, considering the fact Fs Dreamteam is working on the same project. But Blueprint Simulations - even knowing FSDT project - had the right to target this airport too (The designer is homebased in CA).

We will request an interview to understand their motivations but there is one thing that cannot be denied : Blueprint Simulations airports are usually FPS friendly (not to say that FSDT sceneries are usually really FPS friendly too..). Anyway, some simmers dont have a I7 core processor and are attracted to Blueprint products... We might also expect some new improvments... To be continued.

PS : initial information released at : 19H00 UTC, january 18.

VFR Appalachia

After the excellent Ingalls field, we had some expectations from Pacific Island Simulation's next project. Their first draw was about making a single airport, Eastern West Virginia Martinsburg (KMRB), but fortunately, they decided on the way to add some airfields.
VFRAppalachia.exe is a 580 mb file which includes seven airfields plus the Ingalls field bonus in FSX\webshop\. P.I.S. also made a special retail for those who previously bought KHSP. The installation process works nice and auto-set the scenery in the libray. I was mean last time when i compared Pacific island team with "cow-boys" but as a matter of fact, that's it, these people really like to add meadows, horses and harvesters.. EVERYWHERE. I suppose that they'are just trying to give a realistic depiction of Appalachias. Technically, ground textures and buildings photoreal-near textures are really astonishing and i got an average 25-40 FPS all along with my quadcore 2,33 Ghz.. Airfields are not too far from each others and are completed with country sounds and a lot of eye-candies and resort hotels. In Cheat River, i would have chosen Elkins county though, rather that an old decommissioned terrain. In Brief, VFR Appalachia is a great work and its a great opportunity : "majors" designers (FS Dreamteam for instance), are usually not interested in these small size VFR terrains.

Just two pictures here to show high quality textures but P.I.S. gave webshops a hundred of screenshots, so its really no use to add some more...

When Greece will wake up

On a cold and dark winter, fly to the sun ! Greece is the new playground since Aerosoft Santorini and Kos sceneries came out. Three projects will come alive soon (on green on the map below) : Heraklion and Corfu airports from greek designers Live In Fsx (who already made Corfu Island and Zante) and of course Athens LGAV from Fly Tampa, all for FSX and Athens LGAV probably also for FS9. This article would not be complete without mentioning the GAP team (Greek Airports project) who released Rhodes island and airport and have just finished freeware Chios airport V2 for FS9.

Incoming very soon...Cracovia.

The Drzewiecki design group will hit again with Krakow Balice 2011. The scenery is almost finished for FS 2004 and will be probably released next week. FSX version will follow later on.

Identification of... a masterpiece

Kansai Intl is not the only "jap" airport built on an artificial island. After the devastating 1995 earthquake, the city of Kobe decided to erect a new airport at sea, partly to vivid local economy.

The japanese editor AeroSim, who already made Kansai, has just released this RJBE airport, including the city skycrapers, dozen of docksides cranes and the bridge connecting the airport. The scenery shows off the technical proficiency of this team capable of complex stairs and barriers, full transparent jetways and multi-level bridges and roads. This work is beyond reproach but has a double cost. The price is 36 € / 45 $ (without tax) and you will need maximum antialiasing and mipmap values to avoid flickers, which might result in lower framerates. But japanese airports are rare in FSX and old-fashioned in FS9. And there are nice flights to draw between Kobe and Tokyo or Seoul (see the amazing Incheon scenery from Overland). rewrote 01/15

(left) Total jetways transparency. (right) City in the background











FSX, 103 mb. / Quality : 9,5/10 FPS : 7/10 Interest : 9,5/10 Package : 8/10 (charts includes).

Topcat : ZFW within a pound

On AirdailyX pages, new article on Topcat fuel and performance manager.

http://airdailyx.blogspot.com/p/topcat-your-zfw-within-pound.html

Boeing 737 compendium

4 versions of the B-737 are currently ongoing projects. Lets remember previous launched in flight sim history.

• PMDG 737-600/700, FS 2004, 2003
• PMDG 737-800/900, FS 2004, 2004
• Ariane 737-400, FS 2004, february 2005
• Ariane 737-800/900, FS 2004, october 2006
• Ariane 737-600/700/900 (NG), FS 2004, december 2006
• Wilco (Feelthere) 737-300/400/500, FS 2004 & FSX, 2007
• Wilco (Feelthere) 737 300/400/500, FSX, April 2009
• Ariane 737-300/500, FS 2004, may 2008
• Ariane 737-800 (er), FSX, december 2008
• iFly 737 NG, FS 2004, september 2010
• Ariane 737-700 (er), FSX, october 2010
• PMDG 737 NGX, FSX, release date ?? 2011
• Captain Sim 737-100/200, FSX, release date ?? 2011
• Enigma Simulations 737-300SP, FS 2004, release date ?? 2011
• iFly 737 NG, FSX, ? 2011
• What's next ?

"Real" weapons in FSX ?

Oh no, please. Give us (hard core simmer) a break.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zfE_4JzwR4&feature=player_embedded

Good news from south east Asia

After the last focus on Shanghai Pudong, i did not want to forget the southern countries, especially Thailand and Malaysia. There are so many bubbles and buds in this region that we will hear about a lot of projects in the coming weeks. The first one is the main airport of Ko Samui island in Thailand and the second one is the Wattai airport in Vientiane (Laos). These projects are for FS9 (the first one) and FSX and will be usefull connections to Bangkok or Singapour in south east asia. By the way, there is a good website (malaysianwings) where some sceneries and tips can be found. For example, i found a Kuala Lampu Intl airport ("KLIA"), made by local designers for FS 2004. This airport is partly working in FSX, despite 2 graphics bugs. It is a pity nobody can rework this scenery. May be if we offer some donation ?

Mountain air : a zest of disappointment

Dangerous airport vol.1 just released, i wanted to test one of the most famous american airfield : 2NC0, Mountain air in North Carolina.

The private airfield has been kindly reproduced with the sloped runway, the golf and the home blocks overhanging the runway. Okay, it's nice, it's Aerosoft quality garanteed but we would have like something more here.

First, if there are cars and people, there is no traffic at all in the surroundings ways, unlike in Saint-Martin scenery from Fly Tampa where motorcycles are driving around. Second, when taking-off or landing, there is a light blurry effect on the runway despite all the configurations i tried. Third, there is no rain effect on the ground texture of the runway.

Despite this zest of disappointment, Mountain air VFR is a perfect complement to Ingalls field in Virginia (Pacific Island Simulation) and it will be 220 nm from the upcoming VFR Appalachia.
I will talk later on of Barra in Scotland but i think that to reunite in the same package airfields from Scotland, USA and Lesotho is a bit odd.

Step a foot in Asia : Pudong ZSPD

Ok stop dreaming. This FSX Pudong airport is dedicated to powerfull machines with I5 or I7 Intel Core range. With minimum settings on my Quadcore 2,33 Ghz & Nvidia GTS250 & 8 mg RAM, i barely touched 7 fps.
Never mind, i cannot ignore this product as more people are coming on the I7 nowadays. Shanghai Pudong is an enormous airport and there are opportunity - if you are not accustomed to fly in Asia - to start from this point and fly to Seoul Incheon, Honk Kong Chek Lap Kok, TaoYuan Taipei, japan airports etc. (more resources at the end of this article).

Elite-Air Studios did a good job in redefining the coastline, adding up accurate ground textures on 100 squares miles. They put all the cargo areas, jetways, and a lof of headquarters buildings and hotels. I would have add cars traffic but they were certainly fighting with the framerate already. This airport is also a paradise for the heavies and a lot of B-747, B-777 and MD-11 were showing up with My Traffic.
2 files of about 850 mb are to be downloaded prior to install the scenery. It is also recommanded to put these files in a folder because the installation will request files. It is weird but you will not find Pudong in China folder. In FSX, ZSPD is stored in P.R. China (people's republic of China) and i did not find any explanation.










Quality 8/10 FPS 5/10 Interest 8/10 Package 6/10

More resources ;
* From Pudong, it is possible to fly to Japan (Osaka is just 720 nm away). There is an interesting website ( http://www.aerosim.co.jp/ ) who is announcing a Kobe and Fukuoka airports. There is also a Kansai airport but its expensive and i would rather like find it on a regular webshop.
* To fly to Seoul Incheon, there is still a http://www.overland.co.jp/ where we can download patches.
* To Beijing airport, will have to wait the Beijing 2008 project for FSX. It is still under contruction but nearely finished.

A bad habit

I am really found of Imagine simulation sceneries and sorry if they get the "Worst website" award from AirdailyX. I am not worried for them, they have good competitors on this matter.

What is worrying me, is this new habit, which consists to deliver a small upgrade just to update the official release date (or maybe is it just the webshop's mistake ?).

Washington Dulles KIAD was not released on 12/13 december 2010. Sorry. I bought my copy in august 2010 and it was definitely not even a "fresh" fruit at that time. And about this 1 megabytes upgrade, there is strictly no information on what have been improved. Imagine Sim team have top priority to answer this post. Mistakes happen.

flightbeam KSFO V.1 for FSX (almost) ready

Flightbeam Studios homepage has been updated and announce the FSX scenery. The product will be downloadable from the website very soon now. Includes, PDF guide, charts and features (AES option etc.). Flightbeam Studios promises effective framerates. (And what about an effective price too ? )
A fs9 version is at a drawing stage.

Ariane Design FMC : some clues

While we are waiting for the promised navdata (more than a year ago), i tried to re-use this aircraft. Despite its "black sheep" reputation, the Ariane B737 has some major qualities ; high-fidelity overhead and IRS, full hydraulic, electric managment, very good lights, extra views and a good framerate.
I checked the FMC and remind myself of the REF NAV DATA PAGE (via Init ref, Index nav data). Here you can create a missing waypoint or navaid which will help you (finally!) to draw a flight plan.

Example : i want to add the waypoint ALARO. I enter ALARO in key left_One (5 digits) and as the FMC cannot find it, a new page Ref Nav Data offers you to enter geographic coordinates in key left_3 and right_3. Here is the tricky part but its the same with many FMC : for 47°29'30N, you must enter N4729.3 and for 003°03'50E, it is E00303.5 and it works. The dot is figured by a button. Press Exec and that's it.
Try first with a fake waypoint (TEST1 here) beacause i did not find the way yet to delete the coordinates once written. It is registered in your navdata.dat in FSX&9\Ariane\Navdata\ (if you find the solution; indulge me). The good thing is that created waypoints will stay in the database.
In the legs, you can of course enter all relative waypoints needed in the usual way, by defining the navaid + heading / distance (example in San Jose CA : SJC130/15 put a point from VOR SJC at 130° heading and 15 nm). But that's common knowledge.

This article can be questioned/completed. it will be lately store in tips & tricks page.

Akesoft Valencia LEVC : quality freeware

You might have heard about this spanish Valencia freeware already. Here is a short focus. Distributed by Akesoft (http://www.ake-airlines.es/akesoft/LEVC-X/, the file is 65 mb heavy, is for FSX and FS 2004 and has an automated installation. On FSX, the folder can be transfer from Programfiles to your FSX scenery\addon scenery\ folder. We don't know much things about the team behind this project although it is supported by the spanish (IVAO) VA airlines Ake-Airlines.

The photo-like ground textures equals good paywares and the airport is fully depicted with its main terminal, gates, jetways and cargos aeras, plus the Air Nostrum hangar. Are still missing though, some industrial plateforms and surrounding houses but the project is maybe unfinished. I have just one regret about the FSX defaut roads traffic that has not been removed or adapted to the airport. A few textures are flikering but once again, this might be my own settings (i am using Nvidia inspector now). Akesoft works with 3DS MAX and Photoshop. This promising team already announced new projects : Vitoria LEVT, San Sebastian LESO (oh yeah! ), Reus LERS, Girona LEGE and Pamplona LEPP.

UK2000 Gatwick V3 : effective effects

The last product from UK 2000 is not just a good polishing and updating. Gary Summons knows he has to surpass FSX possibilities to stay amongst the best. Gatwick V3, a 80 mb file,changes completely the ground (adding 50 cm images), the buildings textures and a accurate AFD file. But it also adds stunning textures and lights effects. New runway lights are very effective under the londonian fog (i can even see them at 1/4 mile visibility) and the rain effect is totally home-made. Gary also found a trick to apply snow ground on the airport and reduced some blurry effects encontered with some configurations. Despite the size of this airport, the second largest in UK, the FPS are quite smooth ; around 12 frames/second wih a Airbus X at gate, with dusk and 50 % Ai traffics. (my computer is quadcore 2,33ghz+nvidia GTS250).










Left : custom-coded ground polygons
Right : new effective lightings on runway

Airsimmer has the right to exist

An IT consultant, a graduate from french Nancy science & industry school, a graduate from a University of Aerospace Instrumentation, from economics and management, from Moscow engineering physics institute, from russian academy of civil aviation, a Vatsim pro controler, a degree in electrical machines and automated design systems, sound specialists, radio technicians, programmer.. here are the Airsimmer team. And oh, i forgot, all of them are found of aviation as much as us. They certainly not desserved to be banned nor mistraited nor lynched, whatever is happening to its holding company, Oyster bay media.