Comments and Announcements

X-PlaneReviews - New Site! The basics of X-PlaneReviews has been around since the start of the review site 11 Years ago. We have felt for a small time now it is due for a change, even a freshen up of the look and feel of the site to be more current and modern in it's functionality, appearance and user interaction. Since Invision have changed their format to v5 (Version 5), it was an ideal time to do a bit of housekeeping, the new version also gives a lot more tools and freedom to expand the site and add in new features. What you see here is just the transition phase, not the full reconfiguration of the X-PlaneReviews in the way we want it to look and feel, a few posts …

X-PlaneReviews : Traveling and Away There is never a good time to have a break in X-Plane because it is always 24/7 in something coming along, and with all the new releases and updates relating to X-Plane 12. But I will be away for a week from today until Monday 29th May 2023 in taking in some fresh air and traveling. The site however will not be completely without content as there are some really great release reviews all lined up for you to read and explore and there is some really great stuff coming... So still check in regularly as you usually do and catch up on those great releases... Thanks everyone for your com…

X-PlaneReviews : Away on a break With two mega reviews done and a bit of nice weather, it is time to have a small (rest) break. X-PlaneReviews will not be updated from Wednesday 26th May 2021 to the Tuesday 1st June 2021. See you all very soon Stephen Dutton X-PlaneReviews

X-PlaneReviews : Announcement - Site issues Currently the X-PlaneReviews site is experiencing issues that is beyond our control. The site had an (automatic) upgrade from the IPB Invision board that has buggered up all our layouts and settings, worse we can't use the editor to create reviews (text is fine) but no layouts can be currently created (this has happened in the past but the editor was still working correctly, so we worked around it)... but this time around we are royally stuffed. We hope normal review conditions will resume as soon as possible... Thank you for your continuing support and patronage to the site... Ste…

X-PlaneReviews - Site Note! - Traveling for a few days X-PlaneReviews will be quiet for a few days as I am traveling and I am having a small break. Dates 24th to the 28th and so I will be back on Thurs 29th March... and I promise I won't try to tell the pilot on how to fly his plane! Thanks Stephen Dutton

Small note: I have a cold... I promised to be back online on the 3rd January 2018, but I caught a bad (awful) cold over the New Year (again, and not a great start to the year) in 40º heat! (aircon?), Anyway sorry the site will be a little late restarting but the next review is now in process but running a little slow... Thanks for your support Stephen

X-PlaneReviews : 4th Anniversary Competition! X-PlaneReviews : 4th Anniversary Competition! Winners! Thanks for everyone who entered our 4th Anniversary Competition and the winners are! Tinmug - Finalist DC3 FlyGal - Finalist MD88 Grant543 - Finalist A330 Pilotofnothing - Finalist PA28 vFlyteAir Sukhoi Baron - Finalist - B737 Winners will be contacted by the X-Plane.OrgStore over the next few days (Don't email the store till they contact you). Thanks Again... X-PlaneReviews is four years old, but who is counting? age is in the mind not the body right. But with all the seriousness around…

X-PlaneReviews : Traveling and Away There is never a good time to have a break in X-Plane because it is now always 24/7 in something coming along and with new releases. But I will be away for three weeks from today while I travel back home to the UK from Australia and for not just a visit but for my 60th Birthday. The site however will not be completely without content as there are some really great release reviews all lined up for you to read and explore and there is some really great stuff coming... So still check in regularly as you usually do and catch up on those great releases... ... Of course I will be back on the cus…

X-PlaneReview's are Three Years Old! Time flies, but here is X-PlaneReview in now passing into its fourth year. 1st August 2013 was the date a newcomer decided it was time to deliver the best news and reviews for the X-Plane simulator. The legacy in today's world of fast moving information is simply to just survive. Sites come and go regularly, but doing a few scant posts is not what people require, they need constant content and good content and content they can rely on, my mantra is "If I love it, You should love it too" and that is at the heart of this site. No crap, just the good stuff! The changes in this three year period for the …

Does anybody know what will be next from flyjsim?

Personal notice : Slow site activity due to cold (In other words I'm sick) Sorry about the slow activity on the site over the last week, but I am down and out with a major cold... I thought it would last only a few days (My doctor did as well), but the cold is solidly persisting and is hard to shift, hope to be back on board soon... cough, cough... Stephen Dutton

VMAX released the Boeing 777 Series (Professional) one year ago today. It is hard to believe in how quickly the time has passed... The release was a landmark event for the X-Plane simulator. Certainly other releases before the Boeing 777 had many of the great features already available. But the difference with the VMAX release was that you had them all in one aircraft. It is a complex machine to learn and fly (The Manual alone is 532 pages and is a pure Boeing product) . And the highlight of the aircraft is Philipp Münzel's incredible FMS (Flight Management System). Again it is a complex beast... but like everything in life once understood it is an amazing…

Goodbye and Fly High : The passing of Heinz Dziurowitz I woke up to the sad news that Heinz Dziurowitz has passed away (In Australia you are always the last or first to know). To many in X-Plane Heinz was one of our founding fathers, and one of the earliest to create quality payware for the simulator. His work has been one of the foundations of our flying online and for that we will always be indebted to him. X-Plane has been built on the shoulders, skill and devotion of people like Heinz, and for that we are eternally grateful. But I like the idea that his soul will live (hopefully forever) on every time we use or fly one of his aircraft. Hi…

X-Plane Year Review 2014 and Welcoming in 2015. Well that was 2014? What did you think of it? The usual, the different or just forget the whole year happened. Well it was different in a unusual way in that it wasn't filled with the usual things that turn the simulator upside down. My view it was quite a subdued year in a way, but a lot still happened and a lot changed. But I did feel this time last year that X-Plane needed a more stable settling period to consolidate its main base and in a big way that did happen. The word "consolidate" is the key point here, and in that context for X-Plane it was a very good year. Review 2014 The year started off with loads and …

X-Plane Reviews visits: Cosford 2014 Flight Sim Event! Once again the Flight Sim event at Cosford took place and this time it was bigger, and better than ever! Showcasing the latest developments for X-Plane 10 and Flight Simulation in general with exhibits from Aerosoft, Just Flight, Flight 1, PC pilot and many more it was an event that couldn't be missed, luckily X-Plane Reviews paid a visit! What is Cosford 2014? For those of you who don't know the Cosford Flight Sim Event is a flight sim event that takes place at the Cosford Museum every year. The event consists of many companies with exhibits set-up showcasing flight sim technology, software or live demons…

A milestone for X-Plane was passed this week with the 300,000th member signing on to our favorite simulator portal. Could you imagine our X-Plane universe without the .Org? No I can't either, as it is part and parcel of our daily online checkout. Cludo's go to the guy's that keep the wheels turning year after year in Dave, Brett, Andy and others, and of course Nicolas. To celebrate the 300,000th member to the site there is a new screenshot contest that will be run from - Sep 30th to October 12th 2014 This is the biggest contest X-Plane giveaway contest yet: They are giving away 42 payware aircraft and scenes from our partners including the upcoming Airbus A350 an…

Competition! : Winners! X-Plane Reviews have listed the winners below in no order, as per usual we had four that we just could not divide on and so we have given out a special commendation prize for the huge effort put into the entry... and so a huge congratulations to them for their entries. And a huge thanks to all who spent their time to note their views on X-Plane. If you are wondering if the competition was an exercise in feedback on the site, it was not planned that way but on how you use X-Plane and how it relates to you as a simulator and this is the aspect that X-Plane Reviews based its final decisions on.. The comments are interesting in hindsight beca…

Competition! : X-Plane Reviews first anniversary competition and win either a Boeing 748i, 777 or 757! To celebrate X-Plane Reviews first year anniversary we are holding brilliant competition to win either a : FlightFactor/Vmax Boeing 777 Worldliner Professional FlightFactor/Vmax Boeing Aircraft:757 Professional SSG/Vmax Boeing Aircraft:747-8i Advanced Great prizes and well worth a few minutes of your time to enter: Well what we want to know is - "What is your favorite aircraft or add-on we have reviewed on X-Plane Reviews in the last twelve months and why?" Just write in the "comments" below what your thoughts are.... Conditions: Only one…

Happy Birthday! : X-Plane Reviews is One Year Old... Yes! X-Plane Reviews is now One Year old today and counting. This time just only a year ago we were sitting here facing a completely empty site. Nothing except the challenge ahead. And we have exceeded even our own expectations, but without X-Plane's constant evolution and expansion then we could not have reported and reviewed so much in such a short time. Without doubt the biggest surprise over the year was certainly the amount of releases and projects that have filled these posts. We expected busy times but also the many quiet times and they never seemed to come to pass, as releases are now almost year round …

Simulation Matters : Do you check yourself? The heart of simulation is for pilots to practise and analyse their flying skills without the absorbent costs of flying real world aircraft. In no way can simulation replace real world flying in matters of experience and knowledge, but it can fine tune skills if you have a fairly decent desktop setup with a yoke and rudder system. It also allows for you to get deeper into working systems better. The newly updated v10.30 GARMIN GNS430/530 is a godsend here for pilots in finally giving them a real world system to use in a simulation world and is a huge plus for X-Plane in the practise and training of flying General Aviatio…

Released! : Beechcraft B200 King Air HD Series by Carenado This announcement updated : 23rd April 2014 Carenado have released their next release for X-Plane... The Beechcraft B200 KIng Air HD Series aircraft. The aircraft will come with the usual Carenado quality and a large feature set focused on X-Plane10's features. This aircraft is another in the larger sized aircraft that have come lately from Carenado. The Model 200 was originally conceived as the Model 101 in 1969, and was a development of the Model 100 King Air. The Model 200 had essentially the same fuselage as the Model 100, with changes to the rear fuselage to accommodate a new T-tail and struc…

http://newbluejournals.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/alabeo_r66_-header-700px.jpg Aircraft Release : Robinson R66 Turbine by Alabeo The Robinson R66 is now available at the X-Plane.OrgStrore... Robinson R66 Turbine price is $22.95 The Robinson R66 Turbine retains many of the great design features of the R44, including a two-bladed rotor system, T-bar cyclic, and an open interior cabin configuration. Notable differences are the R66's increased reserve power, improved altitude performance, fifth seat, and large baggage compartment. Features included with the Alabeo R66 are: HD Textures Detailed …

New Reviewers : X-Plane Review's now has two new reviewers. We welcome to the X Plane Review crew two new reviewers. Joe Charman and Gary Kerbaugh. Both new crewmembers are passionate about X-Plane and we here at X-Plane Review's like the idea of the different points of view that other people can contribute in how they see and use the simulator. So welcome them both and enjoy their contributions to our X-Plane world in reviews, comments and thoughts on a regular basis. Stephen Dutton

X Plane Reviews now on a New Server! The X-Plane Reviews site has now been moved over to a bigger and better server... thanks for your patience... If you see something missing then let me know... Thank You Stephen

Alabeo Release : PA38 TOMAHAWK II Alabea have released the PA38 Tomahawk II. Alabeo features Include. - Superb material shines and reflections. - Volumetric side view prop effect. - Dynamic propeller shines effect. - High quality 3D model and textures. - Blank texture for creating your own designs. - Accurately flight characteristics The Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk is a two-seat, fixed tricycle gear general aviation airplane, originally designed for flight training, touring and personal use. The Tomahawk was Piper's attempt at creating an affordable two-place trainer. Before designing the aircraft, Piper widely surveyed flight instructors for their input int…