iFly 737 Gears Up For Prepar3D v2!!

P3Dv2. That's right folks! For those of you who can't be bothered to wait for the NGX to officially make it's way into Prepar3D v2, or simply don't wish to purchase the NGX a second time there will soon be an interim alternative! iFlySimSoft has just announced they are actively working on updating the aircraft for Prepar3D v2 and the installers will be ready by Christmas! Awesome news indeed!

Orbx 05S Vernonia Beta Screenshots From Iain Emms!

FSX/P3D/P3Dv2. Iain Emms, Orbx's "First Shot Wizard", is back, this time with his first look at 05S Vernonia. Misha Cajic is obviously an extremely talented developer and this looks to be another masterpiece from him!

Orbx Shows First New openLC EU Texture Shots!

FSX/P3D/P3Dv2. Originally slated for a December 2013 release, FTX Global openLC EU is expected to enter full beta testing in January 2014. Orbx's CEO, John Venema, has just posted some alpha shots showing some of the new European textures that will be included and are designed to provide the most accurate regional LC possible. He also mentions an anticipated February 2014 release.

First Screenshots Of Orbx's Ireland Scenery Region!

FSX/P3D/P3Dv2. Orbx's resident "First Shot Wizard", Iain Emms, has just posted the first screenshots of Orbx's Ireland scenery region.

Oslo will be P3D V2 ready!

FSX/P3D/P3Dv2. Here are the latest shots from the upcoming Mega Airport Oslo showing of shots in P3D v2. This airport is indeed on the imminent stage and release is expected anytime within the next couple of weeks. Depending on the status of SimWings Heathrow, Oslo just might be the last Mega Airport release for 2013. We'll keep you updated. It's looking very good!

Wilco TBM850 released!

FSX/P3D. The long delayed Wilco TBM850 has finally been released. The questions that now remain are: how good is it? How accurate are the systems and flight dynamics? Will this aircraft go the way as most Wilco products or has Wilco finally broken the mold and delivered a quality and bug free product? We will do our best to get these questions answered for you. If you do happen to get it before us, please drop us a line in the post here and let us and your fellow FS brethren know about your experience with it. Thanks as always to Lars Nielsen for the tipoff!

Active Sky Next Is Finally Ready....?

FSX/P3Dv2. Well the video that HiFi Technologies just posted does mention that Active Sky Next is finally ready after 3 long years, but looking at their forums it seems the release isn't imminent just quite yet, let's just say it's close. Apparently the FSX release is up first, with the Prepar3D v2 release to follow soon after. While their website mentions things like Smooth Cloud Theme Transitions, it doesn't look like any new cloud textures will be included.

Orbx Vans RV4 available now!

FSX/P3Dv2. The much anticipated Vans RV4 developed by Jared Charalambous for Orbx is now available from The FlightSim Store. Jared also developed the fabulous Orbx Lancair, so this should be a must-have too. Check out that metallic paint! Also included is a maintenance interface which allows for cumulative wear of the engine and other components, and has random failures built-in. Should make for an additional layer of realism and fun. Supports Reality XP and is Prepar3d V2 ready!

Phenom by Christmas?

FSX/P3D. This is a deffo addition to my collection. There are very few quality biz jet addons for the FSX/P3D world and to get one of Carenado quality is a must have. The Phenom is progressing so quickly, I just might bet it will be delivered by a bunch of reindeer! Check out these interior shots! I imagine up next will be systems then the final exterior tests before beta and release. They got 3 weeks! Thanks to Adi Sahar for the tipoff!

UK2000 Heathrow: Not for 2013. Sigh.

FS9/FSX/P3D. Origionally slated for October than pushed for December, it now appears the upcoming UK2000 variant of Heathrow is now slated for the end of January or let's just say early Q1 2014. Indeed there were some reference issues delaying the project as Heathrow is in a constant state of change at this moment. The question left now is: will SimWings deliver theirs before Christmas? Hmmm... Progress report inside.

Drzewiecki grass! Now at your local hardware store!

FSX/P3D/P3Dv2. Okay maybe not. But the guys at Drzewiecki Design have recently released a high-res 4096x4096 grass textures package that should give the default appearance a real boost! Currently FSX and P3D 1.4 has a texture resolution limit of 1024x1024 pixels which this product will override. It's also available in P3D 2.0 and it's free! Check it out! Thanks to Marek Liberadzki for the tipoff!

Sim720 Stornoway now in beta!

FSX/P3D/P3Dv2. The guys at Sim720 are on a roll! They have several airports currently in development in and around the UK and their next expected release is Stornoway! I have already covered here on ADX their past 3 releases as part of our ADX FirstLook series. Be sure to head over to their new site and check out what else these guys are cooking!

New Screenshots Of Orbx 05S Vernonia Municipal!

FSX/P3D/P3Dv2. Orbx's youngest developer, the extremely talented Misha Cajic, is showing off some more screenshots of his soon to be released Orbx 05S Vernonia Municipal airport, which is about 35 miles north-west of Portland, Oregon. According to Misha the scenery will be entering beta testing tomorrow.

OpusFSX's New Volumetric Fog Effect In Prepar3D v2!

P3Dv2. FS Global Real Weather and OpusFSX have long been favourites of mine. The software architecture that FS Global Real Weather uses to connect to FSX, Prepar3D v1 and Prepar3D v2 is very different to that of OpusFSX, and this has given OpusFSX an edge in being able to provide immediate functionality of their weather engine with this week's release of Prepar3D v2. You may or may not know that OpusFSX's most recent version, which was released this past Friday, has added a new Enable Volumetric Fog Effect option.

Drzewiecki Tallinn! Nice!

FS9/FSX/P3D. Now we are talkin! Clearly still much to do with the latest shots of Tallinn from Drzewiecki Design. But based on the nearly complete terminal shots so far, the work is impressive! This is a region and an airport that has been sorely neglected in FS and if it is any team I would call upon to do the job, it's the guys at Drzewiecki Design! And it's for FS9 too! Great news! Check out the latest!

Now that's a lot of buildings!

FSX. City sceneries are really something that is becoming a regular part of airport sceneries. Rather they be packaged with the airports from developers or sold as seperate products, one thing is clear, people want them. It seems the next developer to take on such a task is Lebor Simulations with the city that has been coined the Paris of the Middle East. Beirut! Now that's a lot of buildings! I do hope it get's completed!

A Guide For Installing Orbx Scenery Into Prepar3D v2!

P3Dv2. At the moment it's unclear how soon Orbx will start releasing native Prepar3D v2 installers for their scenery. To my knowledge only FTX Global currently has a triple installer available for FSX/P3Dv1/P3Dv2. Some developers, such as FS Dreamteam and Flightbeam Studios for example, have been quick to update their installers, but with Orbx's extensive scenery catalogue it's surely going to take a bit of time. On top of this, I've noticed some scenery issues with tarmac covering aircraft shadows for example, so Orbx is probably going to be trying to fix these issues before rolling out Prepar3D v2 installers.

A lot of you may be struggling to install all your precious Orbx scenery into Prepar3D v2. Until Orbx updates all the installers, the following guide is a surefire workaround that should work on all current Orbx add-ons that have dual FSX/P3Dv1 installers and will allow you to install them directly into Prepar3D v2 along with an automatic scenery.cfg update.

Black Friday / Christmas deals are here!

[FS Sales] I am sure many of you are wondering which developers will have BlackFriday mega deals. Some developers are already getting ahead of the game with products already marked as low as 50% off! Black Friday sales have already kicked off so get cracking! I'll do my best to keep up with all the sales. However, developers should get in touch with me to ensure I don't overlook anything!

ADX>>Now adding Christmas deals! Stuff your stockings now!

IRIS - Aviator Series - Jabiru J160 open beta now available!

FSX/P3D. Happy Thanksgiving from Iris (wait, aren't they Australian?!) No matter- the open beta version of their Jabiru 160 is now available for your own home beta testing pleasure.  And if that weren't good enough Iris have it on initial sale for just $19.99 instead of its soon to be regular price tag of $24.99!  So for our American readers, if football isn't your thing why not cruise this around after turkey instead.!

Prepar3D v2 First Trip Report - LFLJ to LOWI!

P3Dv2. I was originally planning on my first trip to be from LHBP to EFHK, but I was unable to get LH Simulation's LHBP scenery to function properly in Prepar3D v2. After looking at the weather and other different options, I decided on a short 270 NM trip from the French Alps to Austria, from the Courchevel (LFLJ) Alitport to Innsbruck Airport.

My goal of this first trip was to be able to ascertain how Prepar3D v2 performs during such a flight when using complex mesh-enhanced scenery, as well as to dispel any notion and sentiment about Prepar3D v2's performance being too sluggish.
Bandwidth Warning! Over 80 high-res screenshots!

Devinci Design release Cagliari Elmas Airport!

FSX. Devinci Design and Development has released their latest product,  Cagliari Elmas Airport (IATA: CAG, ICAO: LIEE).  Italy has always been a favorite area of mine to fly and I think for a lot of flight simmers as well so this should be a popular release.  Cagliari airport is located on the Southern end of the island of Sardinia which makes it a great destination for short regional hops or longer international flights alike.  By my count LIEE is served by over 20 airlines currently connecting Cagliari Elmas not just to the Italian mainland but all of Europe!

First Carenado B1900D cockpit shots!

FSX/P3D. Ah finally! The business end of the B1900D.  Along with the Phenom, I am really excited for the 1900 and for personal reasons.  I have several attachments to the 1900D both real and virtual, and it goes with out saying the Carenado product will do the bird visual justice but...(!) Aside from the now standard Carenado cockpit gadgetry I spy an FMC on the pedestal.  On the top of my personal wish list: ISG integration! Either way, us regional turboprop lovers are making out like bandits lately!

Prepar3D v2 Video: Midrange system Performance tests!

P3Dv2. Okay folks i'm back at it again with another vid showing that you can have reasonable settings with a mid-range system and still get kick ass performance. Many are concerned about the shadow technology and volumetric clouds and their possible effects on performance. Today I am here to squash those concerns and show you that even my little put-put golf cart FS9 rig can produce good results in P3D V2. Just a note, I again choose to use my iPhone as Fraps has a tendency to kill and murder frames. This is also the longest vid  of V2 you will find online at a whopping 24 minutes long! WOW! TrackIR is also working perfectly as you will no doubt notice. Sorry no landing, got a call from my wife at the end of the video... "Yes babe, i'll have the tuna sandwich please..."

Prepar3D v2 Video - Milviz Bell 407 At FSDT's CYVR!

PP3Dv2. This is what I've been waiting for! FS Dreamteam today released their brand-new Prepar3D v2 add-on installers. I also just received the latest Beta version of Milviz's superb Bell 407.

What better way than to fire up Prepar3D v2 with the Milviz 407 doing a short hop across Vancouver International Airport to test the performance and set the scene for an OOM showdown.

Razbam, you're killing me! (In a good way)

FSX/P3D. As some of us literally watch the Metroliner develop in front of our eyes (did you pre-purchase and take part in the beta?) Razbam keeps making sly posts of their EMB120 renders. At fist they were just the basic shape.  The wings, the tail, the props and so on but the team has hardly screamed 'look at these!' whilst posting progress.  Today I just happened to take a closer look at the render and saw the trees for the forest.  Wait, is that how that goes?  I don't think so but it applies that way around in this scenario so let's go with it.  The details have slowly found their way in and this thing is starting to look awesome!

The definitive answer to what Alabeo is working on next...

FSX/P3D. Ok, I like many was thrown off by that preview shot from about a week ago.  You know the one showing a glimpse of that tell tale cowling with those classic tear drop protrusions? We were all thinking it but something about that radial didn't say Jacobs.  Well, be it WIP, or something was off the truth of the matter is that our suspicions were confirmed that we are indeed getting a much need C195 from Alabeo with a new batch of renders released today!

Prepar3D v2 Cloud Surfing! Our Own Video!

P3Dv2. I'm still putting time in and discovering all P3D v2 has to offer. I can't really properly review it until I have fully and thoroughly discovered the inns and outs of the platform. Today I went flying among the clouds! or.. rather, through them. When the guys at Lockheed Martin stated that the new cloud rendering technology was more realistic, it can be difficult to imagine exactly what they mean by this unless you experience it for yourself. I thought it was so cool, I whipped out my iPhone and took some HD video to share with you lot. It is really amazing! See for yourself!

Prepar3D v2 First Impressions!

PP3Dv2. We were pleasantly surprised that Lockheed Martin activated the Prepar3D v2 eStore links well before midnight Eastern Time.

Updated - Orbx CYBD/PNW Screenshots added @ 11:00 CET
Updated - Settings, Shadows, ShadowPlay added @ 19:45 CET
Updated - Default Aircraft, French Scenery added @ 22:40 CET
Updated - No Myth - 60 FPS added @ 17:50 PST

Godzone Wellington in pre-beta!

FSX. We'll it seems as usual, Godzone is working very diligently under everyone's noses! Currently now in pre-beta is Wellington NZWN and the teasers are looking fantastic! A lot of really high quality products coming from this development company. If any of you are interested in discovering Middle Earth aka New Zealand, Godzone is the place to start. Just make sure you get FTX NZNI/SI for best results! And yes, the team is looking very closely at P3D V2 for future developments. Thanks to Sean Karges for the tipoff!

Take the lovely Jabiru home!

FSX/P3D. Starting within the next 24-48 hours, Iris will be opening up the Jabiru as an Open Beta package for those wishing to be involved in the development and feedback phase. This phase will feature the ability to test the Jabiru in both FSX and Prepar3D platforms. It will be sold exclusively on the IRIS Storefront during this time and customers will be able to purchase the Jabiru for a discounted price and be able to take up the offer of assisting the team in its continued development. I think I just might sign up myself! I am personally excited for this little birdie. More info soon as we get it! I'm very glad Iris is on board with P3D!

Alabeo Piper Sport. I'll take one!

FSX/P3D. Alabeo's next toy in production is moving along much faster than I thought. At the current pace, they just very well might get this bad boy out before years end. Obviously, based on the provided screenshots, it's already living up to the Alabeo Quality standard. And yes, that is always a good thing!

P3D V2 QuickShots!

P3Dv2. This is not my ADX FirstLook of P3D V2 or anything of the sort. I have not had much time to play with P3D V2 and I have quite a ways to get things sorted. Bear with me. Till then, Jerome is doing an amazing job keeping the community up to date. E.K. Hoffen is working on some real world SAK stories for the sim and IanG will be along soon with a review of Aerosoft's Sahara. The daily news will continue around all this P3D stuff rest assured. Just from me, during a quick test after install of V2 I took some default screenshots showing the new V2 features. Please enjoy while I continue to work on things.

PMDG Give Green Light For Prepar3D Support!

P3D/P3Dv2. WOW!!! This is the news very many of us have been waiting for, anxiously, feverishly, and now we have an official statement. PMDG are planning to release the following products for use with Prepar3D: 

PMDG 747-400v2.0 for P3D

PMDG 777 Series for P3D

PMDG 737NGX Series for P3D

With Prepar3D v2 having just been released a short while ago, the news could not be better, and just in the nick of time. 

Prepar3D v2 Released!

P3Dv2. The floodgates are open, Lockheed Martin have just activated their Prepar3D v2 eStore links.

I'm not sure just how much their servers are going to be hammered in the next few hours, but so far everything looks good, I'm hearing that speeds are high and rock solid. This may of course depend on your ISP and where in the world you're connecting from.

MSE Ultra-Res Cities: Charlotte released!

FSX/P3D. The entire Charlotte Terminal Control Area which is around 6,500 square miles displayed at 50 cm per pixel is now available from PC Aviator Australia! The realism is simply stunning. You can fly this scenery and it remains clear right down to lower altitudes of around 500 feet. Perfect for helicopter flying around cities as well as cross city shorter flights in light aircraft or for ultra-realism while approaching and landing at a Terminal Control Area in a big jet.This scenery can co-exist with your North Carolina complete state scenery. Place the Ultra-Res city above the state scenery in your scenery library.

Taxi2Gate's next airport! [UPDATE]

FSX/P3D. For those of you that have been purchasing Taxi2Gate products this year, you should be very well aware by now the level of quality, detail, and skill this development company brings to the table. Whether it's the islands of the Caribbean, Mexico City, or the recently released Orlando Masterpiece, it's very clear this is a team that stands among the best. This leaves one question: where should the team head next? Cast your vote now on ADX! Poll is located on the right column. What are you waiting for? Go!
Polling has closed and i'm told the team in close on their final decision. We will update you here after they officially announce the choice via their support forum. Thanks to all of you for your assistance and feedback! It's great to see so many T2G fans in the ADX readership!
Oh wait here it is: LTBA!!! Hope everyone is happy!!

Nemeth EC130 approaching the deck!

FSX/P3D. I have been wanting a proper rendition of the Eurocopter EC130 for nearly 5 years now and the top chopper team is just about to deliver! And just in time before Christmas too! EC130 Beta tester Bakti Zoltan has been ever so kind to send us some exclusive shots of the final beta and i'll admit, it's looking gorgeous! Lot's of mad respect for the guys at Nemeth. Thanks for all the great addons over the years! Check it out!

Alabeo's next, next project. It's a?

FSX/P3D. We'll I suppose you will have to guess on this one. Alabeo recently announced development on the C172 Cutlass just yesterday and today, they are at it again! As for what they are working on... it's your guess! Thanks to Adi for the tipoff!!
ADX>>Answer inside!

Bring me a shrubbery!

FSX. Actually, The Airport Guys have brought trees!  New ones to exact.  They are showing off just a small selection of some nicely detailed custom autogen trees that will be featuring at all of their upcoming sceneries.  The effects are quite nice including not just what is on the branches but on the ground around them.  Have a look for yourself and see what to expect in future projects from TAG!

FTX Global VECTOR's frozen water tech revealed!

FSX/P3D. Will the Orbx magic madness never end? I hope not. Here is a sneak peek at the hard winter frozen water tech for FTX Global VECTOR due in December. Just in time for some winter ski flying. By far the most frustrating part of winter VFR flying in FSX was the unfrozen lakes and rivers. This was fixed with SAK from Orbx but the rest of the world was left out. Not anymore. And yes, you can land wheels and skis on it, and yes, it will work in P3D. Now where did I leave my ice-cleats?

AirDailyX Interview With Wesley L. Bard

P3Dv2. There have been many rumours and much speculation about the features and improvements that Prepar3D v2 will have to offer. Following Lockheed Martin's official announcement that this highly anticipated release is now only days away, Jerome Zimmermann has had the opportunity to interview Wesley L. Bard, the Software Manager of the Prepar3D Program.

Updated - Prepar3D v2 screenshots added.
Imagery courtesy of Flightbeam Studios.
Thank you so very much Mir!

FS Dreamteam And CYVR For Prepar3D v2

P3Dv2. FS Dreamteam's Vancouver International Airport (CYVR) has long been a personal favourite of mine. It is the first and only FSDT airport to feature their innovative lighting system through the use of their Dynamic Shadows Technology. On my system it was also their first airport that gave me almost constant OOMs when running FSX in DX9 and the only airport that would bring my system to a complete halt for a few seconds as all the airport imagery loaded when on final approach.

Carenado B1900D Prepar3D v2 Beta4 Test Shots

P3Dv2. Carenado are continuing work on their B1900D at a feverish pace. They are seemingly working on full Prepar3D v2 compatibility for this release and have posted some test screenshots of this superb looking aircraft in the final Prepar3D v2 Beta version.

Official PMDG Statement About Prepar3D!

P3D/P3Dv2. Many of you have expressed your different viewpoints here about the imminent release of Prepar3D v2 and your utter disappointment about not being able to use your recently purchased PMDG 777 outside of FSX. Many of you have also voiced your unwillingness to make any future PMDG purchases without them having full Prepar3D support.

Robert Randazzo, aka RSR, has today released an official statement on where his organization stands with regard to Prepar3D support and how the next few weeks will hopefully give us all what we have been wishing for.

Aerosoft Twin Otter Extended is now officially complete!

FSX/P3D. It's Black Friday a week early for Aerosoft, apparently. They have completed the Twin Otter Extended package including the -100 series. 11 models total! Wheels, floats, ski, and big wheel versions and different engine/prop combos....something for everyone. Pair this with the just released Seychelles and you'll have island-hopping perfection. If you haven't strapped this baby on yet you are missing out, and it's P3D V2.0 ready!  

Aerosoft Seychelles Released!

FSX/P3D. Wow, that was quick. I just heard about this last week, and Shazaam! Here it is! FSDG has worked their magic on these scenic tropical islands located off the eastern African coast. A perfect match for the Aerosoft Twin Otter, the scenery includes Mahe International Airport (FSIA) Praslin Airport and 14 additional airfields to do your Twotting. Many other features are included, such as saved flights, a geocaching mission, and custom AI traffic. Get your scuba gear and head over to Aerosoft for some tropical paradise fun!

Celestial Team ZSSH Huaian Lianshui Airport Released!

FSX. Apart from Hong Kong, I haven't done much flying in China primarily due to the lack of decent add-on airports. New scenery developers Celestial Team is out to change that and their first release looks very promising. A nice NGX or Airbus flight northwest of Shanghai, ZSSH is a smaller regional airport sporting some nice attention to detail. Notable features include custom animations, detailed terminal interior, and custom light effects. And it's very affordable, get it now at simMarket.

Iris PC-9 renders!

FSX. Iris has been showing some renders of what should prove to be a fun little personal aircraft for us Flight Simmers.  Whether you want something for quick VFR cross country trips, to practice your high precision maneuvers in or just something to hot rod around in the virtual sky with, the PC-9 should have you covered and in Iris quality to boot!  The most recent renders have shown off the undercarriage details but they've also got preliminary VC and exterior shots to gander at as well.  See them all inside!

Oslo looking incredible!

FSX/P3D. Okay now that we have Orlando and with Oslo now on the home stretch, will there be any other mega airports to squeeze in before years end? If not, I am sure Oslo in itself will be quite plenty to keep us all busy! The work is spectacular, here is the latest update!

ADX FirstLook: Sim720 Caernarfon!

P3D. Perhaps best known for their work under the famous Orbx logo, the team that makes up the name we all know too well as Sim720 has begun to trade under their own name independently. With a nice spiffy new office in Hampshire, the team is setting out to deliver an entire line of quality flight simulation products. Thus far, the team has released 3 airfields via their new website. One of which I have already covered (Catalina) and 2 I will attempt to cover now in this latest edition of ADX FirstLook! Oh and grab a jacket will you? The bloody weather in Wales and Scotland was pure crap today and the crosswinds even worse... But hey, this is what we play for!