Stephen

NEWS! - Addon Released : PW2000 Engine Add-on for FF 757 by Mango Studios I was very impressed of the engine conversion for the Rotate MD80 Series IAE V2500 Engine by Mango Studios. Here is another one, this time it is for the FlightFactor Boeing 757, in a Pratt & Whitney PW2000 Engine modification. And again, very good it is, but it doesn't come with a sound pack, just the engine mod. The PW2000 engine is completely modeled from the ground up, including all the real- vents, screws, fins, and flaps that the real engine from the real aircraft would have. The package also comes with pre-made liveries such as: Air Force 2, American Airlines, Delta, Delta Breast Cancer Awareness, DHL, Fedex, UPS, and United. It's only 6 bucks folks, but the FlightFactore Boeing 757 Series is required for this modification. __________________ Yes!... PW2000 Engine Add-on for FF 757 by Mango Studios is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : PW2000 Engine Add-on for FF 757 by Mango Studios Price is US$5.99 Requirements This is a Modification. The FlightFactor Boeing 757 professional is required for this package X-Plane12 & 11 Download Size: 416 MB Current version 1.0 (June 11th 2024) ___________________________ NEWS! by Stephen Dutton 12th June 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

Aircraft Review - Boeing 777-200ER v2 Ultimate by FlightFactor Aero Most airliner flights in Simulation go under the two hour rule, or a route that can be done from breakfast to lunch, lunch to dinner or after dinner and on into the night. So mostly they will also be short-haul Simulations. The market will then cater for this demand, providing B737s, A320s and the various E-Jets. But there is a club devoted to another segment of Simulation, called Long-Haul. Or services that cover not only trans-ocean, but also transcontinental routes, these flights are mostly around the 10 to 12 hour flying time mark, it is an exclusive club, because of the logistics of setting up your aircraft, and then with the long times of flying involved. These significant aspects creates a very different discipline from the two-hour quick routes. But Long-Hauling is also the ultimate challenge in Simulation for aircraft, as to get it right, it can be the most rewarding to the simulator user involved. But to do good long-hauls has always been a very mixed affair in the X-Plane Simulator, mostly because really good long-haul aircraft have not been a priority for developers.... it's a niche area, so why go there. So we have always craved any Long-Haul Airliners, and the pick of the bunch was always the Boeing 777 Series, mainly because it is the most popular long-haul aircraft used by airlines in 1687 of the type being built. The B777 was created in a reaction for the newly created ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards) that allowed twin-engined aircraft to perform the same routes as only a four-engine aircraft could only be earlier regulated, but obviously two engines are much more efficient than the heavier four. As early as November 2009, XPJets announced a project for the B777, a standard setting project that brought a 3d cockpit and a quality in design unheard of in X-Plane. But in a development phase of three years, it got slower and not quicker as the project droned on, it felt at the time of a dream never to be realised. Then in September 2012 VMAX in cooperation with FlightFactor released almost out of the blue a Boeing 777 Worldliner Professional, a ground breaking design with not only a 3d cockpit, but it was also plugin based outside the X-Plane PlaneMaker environment. Within months XPJets were gone, and the project was abandoned. (If your curious the XPJet site is still available). The VMAX/FlightFactor 777 v1 aircraft went on to be one of the most successful Simulations in X-Plane, with -200ER, -200LR, -300ER, -200F (Freighter) variants added later. But by the early 2020's the design was getting very long in the tooth, eight years in X-Plane is a design lifetime, it was time for something new... and here it is in the Boeing 777-200ER v2 Ultimate. And considering the huge reputation of the earlier B777 v1, another plus is that the leading FlightFactor developer in Roman Berezin is now a Boeing 777 rated pilot, and all that personal input has gone into this new V2 version.... so X-Plane and it's devoted followers are expected a lot from this new development. First impressions of the Boeing 777 v2 are actually quite interesting? Your expecting a very highly, even evolutionary experience... but you don't actually get that. Certainly in every way the B777 v2 is totally absolutely better and different than the 12 year old v1, and certainly as presented here and as lavishly in X-Plane v12.1.0 with its better effects and even better antialiasing, it looks beyond gorgeous... However the original B777 v1 is so hugely familiar, in that it sorts of softens the change to the newer version. But that is not the point here, and of the B777 v2. X-Plane quality and detail has doubled, tripled in quality over the last few years, and our eyes are very used now to the grandiosity of the outstanding detail available, certainly since the introduction of X-Plane 12. Yes the FlightFactor B777 v2 has that "Wow" factor! But the point of this aircraft which is very important to explain very early in this review, is that it is the depth of the design, the deep "feel" factor that is the hidden unique bigger feature here as what we shall see later. Also from the start let us abate another fear... frame rate! The aircraft is hugely (code) complex and a highly extremely detailed Simulation. So it has everything in that can ruin a perfectly good Simulation by destroying your framerate. But the FlightFactor B777 v2 is very good on your framerate, yes it uses up a few frames, but FlightFactor have been very aware of making this aircraft as very efficient as it can be from the start. Yes tricks are used, but it works very well on my computer configuration, and so if you have the required requirements, then you should be fine (I get middle 40's, and a framerate that rarely drops into the high 20's). What is the thing about X-Plane users debating aircraft noses? Mostly usually A320s. Flightfactor had to redefine this B777 nose, I don't know why because it is perfect. The FlightFactor v2 comes with the GE90 high bypass turbofan engine that has been designed and developed by GE Aviation primarily for the 777 aircraft family. It outputs thrust ratings anywhere from 81,000 to 115,000 lbf. The Pratt & Whitney engine variant is planned, and notable that even later the Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engine option will also be available. The GE90-94B (94,000 lbs) on this airframe is excellent in detailing and design, it is the straight fan blade, not the curved blade version installed here. The biggest criticism of the v1 was the very poor wingflex. That has been totally changed here with a more realistic flexible animation, plus the design of the wing (curve and profile) is far better in it's design... even impressive. When we are faced with a extremely quality designed aircraft, you don't look at the big picture, but at the smaller intricate detail for your guidance on what has been presented... open up the Flap, Leading Edge and Speed Brake panels, and have a look inside, the results are beyond excellent. Notable is the really nice leading edge extension and retraction fitting, also the huge amount of detail under the speed flap panels, it is very well done... honestly, you may never give this detail a second glance, but you are still very satisfied on knowing it is all still there. The same goes for the elaborate landing gear... enjoy the incredible detail available here, all links, pins, hydraulic and pneumatics are all laid out in great detail... it is the outstanding realism shown here that you will long be talking about. Nose gear is also at the same high-quailty detail threshold, and the detail goes right up into the gear bay. Cockpit glass is also really good, with the perfect rainbow effect showing glass thickness and light reflection. Side windows are a bit blander, as is the door detail, to save Frame Weight is a consideration. APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) outlet is very good, and the APU air flap opens up as well. Externally the FlightFactor delivers what you would expect at this price range, ULTRA detail and quality work. ________________ Cabin The view we all want to see... the boarding of the aircraft. Front door is exclusive First Class, even exclusive, exclusive 1st Class... no one goes in here but the VIPs and the ultra rich. Front section of the 777 cabin is all "Suites" or cabin style. There are eight of these cabins, and they are all are styled very Emirates Airlines. Very exclusive.... Then twelve First Class seats in the section behind. Well done in the Emirati style, in gold and wooden highlights If you enter via the second door (the usual boarding door), the First Class cabin is now to your left, right is the small twelve Business class seats. The sixteen lie-flat Business seats are the same as the more forward 1st class seating. Then the two large economy cabins... coming in here you feel the huge scale of the inside of a Triple Seven, it looks and feels massive. Economy Seats are really nicely done with a pretty seat material pattern, footrests and nice armrests. All overhead cabin detail is well done with working "No Smoking" and "Seatbelt" signs. All toilets on board can be accessed, but they are extremely tight inside. Internal door detail is also really well done in perfect detail. All the (large) galley areas are expertly done and well detailed, they feel very authentic to the period of the aircraft. Your probably thinking by now "Why the hell is my computer not going to melt down". But there is a trick going on here? close your cockpit door and all these cabin sections will disappear "poof", and that will lighten your framerate load, open the door and it all comes back! FlightFactor had a feature that opened and closed the cabin window blinds, personally I didn't like it, as I like to look out of the aircraft from the cabin perspective, when looking out, and then down came the blind... It's back on the 777 v2, but you can also turn the feature off if you want to. But we are not finished with the cabin configuration yet? FlightFactor gives you the options to change the cabin configuration. There are five different cabin configuration that you can choose from... the above is EMIRATES Style, (3 Classes with Cabins), TURKISH Style (3 Classes but no Cabins), 3 Class Cabin, 2 Class Cabin and a Single Class Cabin. ________________ Cockpit Look right on entry though door 1, and there is the familiar corridor to the cockpit, the door can be opened externally by using the keypad code (just don't forget the code, or you will be locked out?). To the right is the crew sleeping area, but currently not accessible, the toilet to the left does work. Familiar? well yes, been in here before. Obviously it is not the 777 v1 cockpit, but your first glances are deceiving, it's the colour tones and cockpit arrangement that is so familiar. Then you start to decipher the detail, the HUGE amount of detail in here... it will take time to absorb it all, and you should take that time to look around in here, marvel at the all the work. The seat armrests can be folded upwards, and the seat back can also be adjusted to your personal best position, both seats are animated to move backwards and then sideways to get into the position. Seat design and quality is first rate, yes you can spend 12 hours or more in those seats with the lambswool covers. Side window blinds are animated, and you can also crank open the side window, by first pulling the lock lever back, then winding the handle lower left. Most developers have struggled to make the Boeing 777 cockpit look anything realistic, or come alive. The Brown matt colour is a problem in that it makes everything look very ordinary. But to give FlightFactor credit in having done a very good job here in doing the impossible to bring this cockpit alive, it certainly looks realistic. The central pedestal is really well done, the controls are perfect, and there is a AutoThrust disconnect switch on the end of the throttle handles. Both yokes are perfection, smooooth and worn, very nice. There are the switches on the left arm front for "Trim" and for "Autopilot Disconnect", the PTT (Push-To-Talk) switch is hidden behind the left arm, but works. Some 777 Yokes had the 3 Number Memory device from the B737, but in not here. TCAS is with TCAS full version 7 functionality and you have the classic STBY Instruments and also ISFD (Integrated Standby Flight Display). The nameplate says "Boeing 777" ________________ Power Up This section is usually in the Flying part of the review, but it is worth the discussion here in this case. First when you approach the aircraft 'Cold", there is a "Load Sheet" between the throttles, a nice touch... if you click on the paper, it will be moved to the document tray under the MCP (Mode Control Panel). Starting up the Triple Seven from cold is a long but very authentic process. Turn on the Battery and nothing happens? But you can then start the APU (Auxiliary Power Unit)... still nothing happens for a long time? then the SAI (Standby Altitude Indicator) comes partly to life... still a loooong wait, then finally the displays will flash themselves on and off, still waiting.... then suddenly the 777 systems will come to life, But you will still need to set the current position Coordinates in the FMC (Flight Management Computer) and switch on the ADIRU (Air Data Inertial Reference Unit), and a 2nd system called "Secondary Attitude Air Data Reference Unit" (SAARU). Once set the "Time to Align" is shown in the upper left side of the Navigation Display (ND). So it takes ages to power the 777 up, but there is helpers to Align the system instantly if you can't wait, there is also an optional setting to have the aircraft powered up (turnaround/ready at the gate) if you want that option. Me I love the whole process of the realistic start-up procedure, even if it does lose you twenty minutes or so every time. You can thankfully leave the B777 in the state it was after the last flight (turnaround), so you don't have to do this power-up procedure every single time you want to fly. ________________ FlightFactor do give you a screen on startup, in that you can quickly reconfigure the aircraft to the Simulation you are wanting to do, or carry on forward to the more detailed settings that are already saved in. A third startup choice is the "Situations" a save of the aircraft in the "saved" state. There is however something very familiar about it all, you have certainly been in here before, as you know this cockpit so well... but everything in here is not as it initially seems to be? Start probing, or switching things in here, and absolutely EVERYTHING works! every button, switch, lever and system is operational, or has a physical reaction to your inputs, all of the OHP (OverHead Panel) switches and buttons AND every Circuit Breaker (Fuse) works... EVERYTHING. All instrument displays will "Pop-Out" into Windows via the screw on the display's facia. These include both PFD (Primary Flight Displays), NAV/MAP (Navigation Displays), Upper EICAS ((Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System) and Lower Secondary Engine Display. All Pop-Outs are moveable and scalable on your screen or display. Both FMCs (Flight Management Computer) also popout, plus also so does the rear central third FMC. Front FMCs (CDU1/CDU2) are both Navigation, the rear FMC (CDU3) is for the aircraft's Interaction. Notable was that only the one left side FMC display worked on the B777 v1. If you are used to the B777 v1 FMC layout and input parameters, you should really have no problems with the B777 v2 setup. Programming in the system was quite developed on the v1, and yes there has been improvements here in the details, but overall there is little change to confuse you. Note the orange "K" on the top left of the FMC, it is to allow direct data input from the keyboard into the scratchpad. a There is a sort of "Simbrief" interaction, that will load the SimBrief data into the system, but a lot of the detail (mostly weights) you will have to input yourself. It is not as cross-referenced as say a ToLiSS input loading. But fill in a few of the main details, like mentioned aircraft weights, fuel weights and C.G (Centre of Gravity), and so then the rest of the crucial data will then be filled in for you, like the TakeOff Refs and the required Trim percent setting. The Instruments and layout is very comprehensive in here, so there is a lot to learn. FlightFactor have not only provided a complete individual Instrument "Cockpit Guide" (157 Pages), but also provided is a flat cockpit poster to study the instrument layouts. Another manual which is included in the package is the full "Flight Crew Operations Manual" of 525 pages, and you will need it to work through everything that is required to use and access this complex cockpit. So it is not only a "Study" aircraft, but a "Deep Study" aircraft, as this 777 is called the "Ultimate" for a reason, but it is far more than that, this is an airline operation level Simulation. ________________ Interaction One of the big features on the FlightFactor B777 v2 is interaction. These tools can help you not only load or service the aircraft, but can also be set it up via the First Officer. Also the Captain, Cabin Crew and Ground Crew are all interactive. This is done here via voice (if annoying? then you can turn it off if you want to) and do the same actions through (Captain's) commands. Let's do the basics. First there is a "Ground Crew" to help you around the aircraft, they are called via first two selections from the menu "Ground Personal on Ramp", and "Captain Commands/Ground Crew" to make them active... the interaction is done via the CDU3 on the upper pedestal. You "Call" the Ground Crew via the intercom system, or the MIC button (MIC switch must be on), then the ground Crew will appear and interact with the crew... Then placed around the aircraft are the many Hi-Vis dressed Ground Crew that are all animated, which is really well done here. So to add or takeaway anything on the ground you communicate through the CDU3 interface, just like you would do on a real Triple Seven. Need rear door service? then contact the Ground Crew, then select the service you want (CATER SERV)... when acknowledged, the Ground Crew-Member will ask you if you want anything else? Notable down in the lower right corner, are the people (crew) that are currently active on the intercom. Although the Service Vehicle is now set by the rear (5L) door, the door is still closed? (all active Ground Equipment is shown in green) A note here, in that all the service vehicles will appear from the sky! You can turn this feature off, and it's one I'm not too sure of? it's not as very realistic as the usual "drive up" mode? So you will now have to call the Purser on the intercom... to open the the door from the Directory! And there are several pages of items you can interact with. The Purser will again acknowledge your call and then open the rear (5L) door for the Service Crew. There are also features to do Maintenance on the aircraft.... First though you have to call "Maintenance" on the Intercom, then the engineers arrive by the engine to be maintained... The Maintenance options however are all on the menu and include (Reset) Engine Cylinders, (Replace) Blades, (Refill) Engine Oil, (Replace Oil Filter) and APU Servicing. Wheel/Tyre Changing and even wheel servicing is also available, and all the Maintenance done here is noted in the aircraft's log as the "Wear&Tear" of the aircraft. The interaction system is even more advanced than this, in that you can also use real voice interaction... It should be noted that voice recognition operates on a "Push-To-Talk" principle -the key combination assigned for voice recognition should be held down while you speak and released upon completing the command. By default, a list of main commands is available for use, and they are located in the "main" section of the commands file. You can also address the first officer by saying "first officer" and all commands from the "first officer" section will become available to you. If your silence lasts for more than 40 seconds, the first officer will return to their duties, and only commands from the "main" section will be available again. You can hand over control of the MCP to the first officer by saying "your MCP" or "you have the MCP". The first officer will be pleased to set the heading, track, speed, altitude. So this is a very deep intergated system with interaction with the Boeing 777. It will take not only time to learn, but to actually learn and to immerse yourself into this complex, but very real world environment... you also have the choice to turn off the intergration system if you find it overwhelming. The full capabilities of the system are far too long or too complex to completely explain here... but it does create another level of serious Simulation experiences. ________________ EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) One of the biggest interactions with the FlightFactor Boeing 777 v2, is via the EFB, or "Electronic Flight Bag", which is a built in tablet on each side of the two pilots. You can access a page by both the outer button (as you really do in the B777), or by pressing the tab directly on the screen. Grey is active, the teal box is not-active. Again both displays "Pop-Out" via the upper right side screw. Beyond the Start up "Main Menu" page menu, there are 34 EFB pages to access, so it is a very deep and complex menu system, again time will be required to work through and work out all the EFB Menu options. This EFB is one the most complex on any X-Plane aircraft. I'm not going to cover all of the 34 menu pages in detail, but just show the highlights of what is available in here. Main Menu The "Main Menu" shows you 13 Menu options; Airport Map, Performance (blank), Briefing, Navigraph Services, Airplane, Simulation, Ident Page, Terminal Charts (Blank), Documents, Video (blank), Pilot Utilities, Simplified Loading and Shortcuts... lower is the option to Initialize Flight. Navigation in the EFB is excellent, not only a direct "M" to the "Main Menu", but you can <- go back to the last page, or use the in page "UP" or "BACK" nav tools Airport Map Just type in your ICAO Airport Code in to scratchpad and up will come a scalable map of the airport, and your current aircraft position on the Map (Navigraph Subscription Required). Briefing Here you can load into the EFB the full Simbrief flightplan Brief, the layout includes 8 different options that are segmented from the SimBrief Application. It is full of all the required data for the flight, and for the aircraft setup, including the Flightplan, Weights, Fuel and Weather/Winds enroute. Navigraph Services Here you log into your "Navigraph Services" account, you then add in your "Simbrief Username" (note important! this is your "User Name", not the usual SimBrief ID that you use here), then press "Get Data from SimBrief tab to load in your already created Flightplan/Brief. ________________ Airplane There are 14 tab options on the "Airplane" tab; Doors, Ground Service, Weight & Balance, Maintenance, Pushback, Cabin Controls, Dispatch (MEL-Minimum Equipment List), Training, Failures Control, Captain's Commands, Walk-Around, Loading Service, Ongoing Processes and Align Adiru Now. Doors There are 8 main cabin doors that you can open, plus the three Forward, Aft and Bulk Cargo doors. There are also two small access doors in ACC and E&E that also can be opened. There is an AUTO/MAN option and EMER OPS option as well. Ground Service There are two pages of 22 options on the "Ground Services" pages. Page 1 includes; GPU 1&2, Chocks, Bus, Stairs (1L), Air-Con Truck (L&R), Stairs (3L), Cater Service, Lav (Service) and Water Truck. Page 2 includes Gear Service, Pneumatic (Service), Engine Maintenance, Fuel (Tanker L&R), De-Ice and Hydraulics (Service). Other Options include the two Baggage Loaders called transport here. Like the FlightFactor v1, you have to have the Bus/Gate/Stairs visual to load Passengers, Fuel Trucks to Load Fuel, and the Baggage Loaders to load the Cargo, this is done from this page. There is a lot of ground equipment available here, stairs for 1L and 3L doors, but not for 2L, which oddly is the main loading door for Economy Class? Again the Catering Service Vehicle is on 5L, but not on 1R? The De-Ice feature is very similar to the one with ToLiSS aircraft, but be aware, it takes a lot of it's own considerable time to go around the aircraft, so if you want to fly quickly, then don't activate this feature, but very good it is with three De-Ice trucks all working together. On the "Ground Services" page left lower are two more options... Maintenance and Presets. Maintenance we will look at shortly... Ground Service State Presets Here you can use set presets, including; Preflight, Fueling, Pax (Passenger) Loading and Pushback. There are also three "Custom" presets you can "Save", and use by the "Load" Preset option. Weights & Balance This W&B section will set up the aircraft in weight and C.G. Balance. You can import the data from "Simbrief" to fill in the load factors. It is quite comprehensive, but also far more straight forward than the odd v1 layout You can adjust the weight of most things, from the passengers (also ICAO Summer Correction!), Cargo and its placement and fuel. At the end there is a full "Weight Summary". It is all very well presented and comprehensive. There is a very helpful "Fuel Planner" tool, but overall FlightFactor still also provides you with a "Simplified" system to quickly load the aircraft if you don't want to go into the minute details of absolutely everything. So you can just do a quick "Load" of the details from Simbrief and then quickly load the aircraft ready for flight (note Simbrief doesn't currently load in the FMC data as noted earlier). Maintenance You not only have failures, but you also have the life running wear and tear of the aircraft. These areas are contained in the Maintenance tab of the aircraft. Galleys&Restrooms, Hydraulics, Gear&Tires, Electrics, Engines, Oxygen all have to be maintained or repaired. Hatch Inspection will open 19 hatches or access points on the aircraft. The hatch detail around the 777 is excellent, the dome/doors open to reveal the Honeywell Radar is really well done, as is the placement of the AlliedSignal Engines 331-500 APU in the tail. You can also open the cargo doors externally via the opened small access hatch, but you have to get close to activate the switch to open and close the highly detailed cargo door. Note the loader personal inside the cargo compartments. You can "Test" (GPWS), Check the "Current" list of Maintenance Issues, and also do a "Instantaneous Full Maintenance", to rectify everything in a one button press. Pushback The FlightFactor 777 v2 has it's own dedicated Pushback tool. (BetterPushBack doesn't work on this aircraft?)... but it is a very good one! Set the Boeing 777 ready for pushback (brakes off), and then Select "Start Pushback". This will call a very highly detailed pushback truck to the aircraft, then you "Connect" the Pushback Truck to the nose gear of the aircraft. When connected you get a control panel that shows you the Torque of the load, and the Speed in Kmh. There are also four views you can have in four boxes top left, External, Rear view, Close rear view & cabin view. The Arrow will show you your push direction, and the drivers seat rotates into the direction you want to go. Power is by your throttle, and that is shown in the Torque dial, brake is again the usual "B" brake, shown as a T in the window... then the B777 can be pushed back... steering is Left-Right via your joystick. It is tricky to use until you practise with the controls, but very good it is in moving the big Boeing around. When correctly positioned, you can "Disconnect" or "End Process", to disconnect the truck, then press "Wave Off" which gives you a animated walking ground person, then the ground personnal shows you the connecting pin (à la BetterPushBack) It is a very good Pushback tool, one that gives you a lot of control, plus clever working animated ground staff doing their jobs, I love it. Cabin Controls Here you can set the aircraft's Climate Control, Cabin Light Control & WC (Toilets) Maintenance. All very clever on the detail of settings of the aircraft's in flight requirements. MEL - Minimum Equipment List MEL is the "Minimum Equipment List", this is a document based on the master MEL (MMEL) provided by Boeing. Each operator can modify the MMEL (making it harsher) to suit its SOPs. In this model you have the opportunity to do the same. The MEL is electronic in your EFB, however, it will not prevent you from actually dispatching the flight. There are three numbers A/R/O –available / required / operational. For example, the airplane has 3 AFDC system available, If at least one item on the list will have the O-number < R-number, the flight will not be dispatchable. It is a complex system that is still ongoing and being developed by FlightFactor. Failures - Training Two Selections in "Failures" and "Training" can be cross-referenced between each other. The "Failure" feature is very comprehensive with two pages of 14 separate categories, and in that you can also create "Failure Scenarios" There are currently 1000+ failures programmed into the system and their number will increase in the future. You can also "Reset All Failures" in a global setting. Of the failure that can be triggered. The status column will show if it's INACTIVE or FAILED, and the random failure time column shows the time in hh/mm/ss till the system will randomly fail. Failures are also categorised into three classes: Major, Regular and Minor. Within the set MTBF a major failure can occur at a random event with a probability 3 times smaller than regular and a minor 3 times larger. You can add in an "Event", Then select the category that you want to fail... The "Search" is a great option here to find the item in the hundreds of choices. Then you can select the "When/Where" Failure from a drop down tab (Immediately, In time, above/below Altitude, above/below speed, in case of failure). The "Training" page gives some of the same functionality as the "Failures Control" page but with some preset aspects. The preset failure pages (on the right) have time/location chose bar on the top, choice of side (in this example) below and then a list of possible abnormal conditions. You may choose one condition at a time. Some conditions will also trigger a single failure, some will trigger several at once. Some will initiate a scenario of abnormal behavior whose path will depend on your action. Captain's Commands If you want to do the spoken commands via a button press, then you can via the "Captain's Commands" page. The requests cover the; Ground Equipment, Hatches, De-Ice, FWS (Front Wheel Steering) and Installing pins in the gear. Walk-Around There is a Walk-Around checklist, that you can check off, and then reset. Other Airplane options include; a Loading Service, Ongoing Processes Overview and to "Align (the) ADIRU Now". ________________ Simulation Under the "Simulation" tab is all the areas to set up the aircraft to your liking; General, Avionics, Ground Operations, Situations, Graphics, Effects and Sound, Interaction, Crew Interaction and Check list options. "General Options" gives you parameters on the way you would like the aircraft set up to your personal preferences Avionics Under the "Avionics" tab, you get the usual wide and varied FlightFactor system of options in setting up the avionics of the aircraft. The "EFIS" options are excellent and give you a lot of instrument display choice, the setup system is VERY deep. Highlight here are the "Segment Display" options, as you can set the displays to; All White, All Amber, All Red, Mixed Amber, Mixed Red and Mixed Any. Situations On of the biggest strides in features in X-Plane was created by ToLiSS (other developers had variations of the idea). In that you could save a "Situation" and reload the situation back into X-Plane to recreate the place, time and aircraft setup as it was saved. If you have a Computer crash, or just want a certain aircraft set up, then you can choose and reload the original situation. The version here is as good as the ToLiSS version, as it will reload every single parameter saved. In my case here I have set up the aircraft for flight, including programming the FMC on the route. When ready to depart, I can then just LOAD in that "Situation" and I am ready to fly! You can change the save order by either "As cending" or "Descending". Notable at this point, there is currently no "Auto" save, a system that will save situations automatically every time set (5min, 10min, 15min). But FlightFactor notes this option will be done soon. Other Situation options include, Graphics, Effects and Sound, Interaction, Crew Interaction and Subtitles. The SOUND options are quite basic; Master, Exterior, Interior, CoPilot and Environment, but it is very adjustable to the volume of the sound. A clever tool is the "Pilot Utilities" set of tools for; Speed, Length, Weight, Temperature, Volume, Pressure and Time Zone Conversions. There is also a "Timer/Stopwatch" tool as well. Documents, Manuals and Images can also be used in the EFB in a "Document Library", and there are provisions for you to load in your own pdf and jpg images. What we have covered here in the EFB, is only the highlights. As noted there are 34 different pages to access and use (learn as well), so it is the biggest menu system ever in X-Plane, probably in Simulation as well. So you are not only learning the actual aircraft, but it's needs and settings as well. ________________ Checklist The "Checklist" is oddly not part of the EFB - Flight Bag. But it is set in the lower EICAS Display. You access the checklist via the button on the right "Display Access Panel" (lower far left). The checklist is very comprehensive, and has three major modes: Amplified, Supplementary and Normal. Normal (Regular) is the main checklist. Other checklist options are for different pilots and certain procedures (Ampified) and Non-Normal systems Menus You get a big magenta cross cursor to navigate and select items on the checklist.... overall the checklist is very comprehensive. ________________ Banner Menu All of above can mostly be accessed via the X-Plane banner menu "Boeing 777 200ER for quick and easy access to critical items. There are four menu options; Options, Equipment, EFB and Captain. Options covers; Avionics, Cabin, Checklists, Effects, FO, General, Ground, Interaction, Subtitles and Systems. Equipment covers; Baggage Loaders, Passenger Bus, Main Cargo Loader, Catering Truck, Chocks, De-Ice Equip, Engine Maintenance Kit, Fuel trucks (L&R), Gate, Ground Air-Con (L&R), GPU Primary/Secondary, Ground Starter (L&R), Hydraulic Replacement kit, LAVS Service, Secondary Stairs, Tyre Replacement Kit, Luggage Transporter and Water Replenishment Truck. EFB covers; Show/Hide EFB 1&2, Airplane, Situation, Shortcuts, Doors, Ground Service, Weight&Balance, Loading Service and Pushback. Captain covers; Read Briefing, Remove Ground Equipment, Request Close Hatches, Disconnect from Ground Crew, Request De-Icing and Establish Communications (shortcut). ________________ Lighting, Internal & External The lighting on the B777 v1 was actually quite good. But here you have a decade of advancement and refinement. These images here show you X-Plane v12.1.0, and the even more refined effects, including bloom lighting effects. All the Boeing 777 lighting modes are active, and adjustable. You you do actually expect this on an aircraft of this scale. One note is that you can easily "Overbright" the instruments, and with that setting they become too bloomy (there is also a setting called "Lamp Glow" that also highlights the bloom) and you lose the realism. So all the lighting settings for the instruments need to be toned down to look and be realistic. Get the tone right and the cockpit is breathtakingly realistic. The highlight is the centre console with all those the transparent knobs, it is beautiful beyond belief... .... all the lighting for the MCP and Main instruments are lovely and adjustable to your personal satisfaction, and there are MAP lights for each of the pilots (the spots are beam adjustable). The two side lighting options are CHART and WORKTABLE. There are also two main cabin lighting settings. DOME (lower left image) is the adjustable lighting, and STORM (lower right image) is a full cockpit lighting setting. There is also the "MASTER BRIGHT option as well. The down-lights are hidden behind grids on this version, but the sources are not completed yet in this pre release version, I expect them to be fixed for the release. Cabin Lighting There are three cabin lighting settings on the EFB. Main (overhead) cabin lighting, Ambient (wall) cabin lighting and Galley (Kitchen) lighting. There is also the emergency Lighting. The main cabin lighting is modern LED, and the wall lighting is the older strip lighting we know so well, and really well done here... both Seatbelt and No Smoking signs work. Galley lighting is very nice as well, it feels very authentic to the aircraft and it's 90's design. External Lighting All the external lighting is completed. Includes both taxi and nose lights, to supplement the main landing lights. Navigation, Beacon (upper/lower) and Strobe lighting is perfect, and both white and red/green navigation lights are presented. The WING lights up the engines/wing and there is a tail light, and again all very good, but a touch more brightness would be nice... but they are both still far more brighter than the images depicts here. ________________ Flying the FlightFactor Boeing 777 v2 7th June 1995 was a significant day. As it was the inaugural first flight of the Boeing 777 Series aircraft. The Route was from London Heathrow (LHR) to Washington Dulles Airport (IAD). The Boeing 777 was in response to United's requirements of an aircraft to replace the Douglas Tri-Jets, and in being able to fly three different, but significant United routes in Chicago - Hawaii, Chicago - Europe and Non-stop from Denver (a hot and high airport) and again to Hawaii, plus the bonus of having a more efficient two-engined aircraft on all long-haul routes. It is a typical London overcast grey day... If on ground power, you have to turn the battery OFF, then back on again to start the APU (Auxiliary Power Unit), it's a tricky thing to start up, but in most cases it is a "Low Oil" indication that has to be rectified. I mentioned the "Tire Pressure" warning earlier as well... another item to be rectified before flight, or the warning is a consistent annoyance once airborne. Did you set all the "Doors" to "Auto", you better, as the aircraft won't start unless you do, it's that sort of simulation. Ready for pushback... I'm still not fully competent with the Pushback tug, I am getting better at driving it, but it is not as easy as using the BetterPushback tool. That said it is very good, and very realistic, and note the ground worker with the pin. There is the option to adjust you eyesight in the seat to your real height, adjustable on the EFB, it bounces you up (or down) until it feels right. Time to start the GE90 engines. Set the bleeds for power from the APU, and turn the START switch. Number 1 Engine first then No. 2. There is the noted 25% to 30% N2 indication before moving the selected engine Fuel Control switch, that then completes the fully automatic B777 startup engine sequence. The GE90-94B has excellent startup procedure sounds, the whine, then the deeper powered fan whine when running in an 3d environment, but it is the background sounds that are very impressive in the cockpit. You hear the engines, but it is the hum in your space that you feel the authenticity of the aircraft around you. Flaps set to 15º, Trim is set to 32.8% of MAC. One thing I am very impressed with the interaction of the switchgear, is that the response is not immediate, but is slightly delayed... press a button and it will slightly hesitate before doing the action, it gives the switches or buttons a very authentic and realistic feel as you use them. Slight power to the throttles and Park-brake off, and I am moving. If this is your first time at this point, it is a very memorable moment, your now this far with a clean OHP and running engines, as its an achievement to get this far, and that is what also makes this simulation so special. The skill required to get the aircraft ready for flight as this is a very complex real aircraft, and now your in complete control and doing everything right. Taxiing is nice, actually not that different from the v1, but you are very aware that this 777 is a very different concept. It is 3494 nm to Dulles, at a 8 hours flying time. A last glance around the instruments, and you set the clock running.... brakes off and throttle up. The whine then comes in, a howl really and your feeling the combined energy of those two GE90-94Bs at 94,000 lbs each moving you now forward. Your powering down LHRs 27R runway, and with a heavy 15º flap the aircraft is quickly wanting to lift (5º is a better setting)... v2 is 148 knts, and as soon as you touch the bug you are pulling back on the yoke to easily go airborne, "Positive Climb" is the call from the right seat. You wonder how such a very large six wheeled bogie could fit into the aircraft's belly, two main bogies in fact... they do and it is worth watching the operation. Also note the excellent quality of the detail of the aircraft... it is a work of simulation art. Your flying the "Triple Seven", and a good feeling it is. I climb 2000 fpm to 12,000 ft. But the B777-200ER is quite impressive if you want to push the parameters. To 5000 ft you can use 3000 fpm, to 15,000 ft you can do 2500 fpm and in a mach climb 0.83 to altitude 1500 fpm. Sounds on the flightdeck are gorgeous and numerous, but externally the grinding whine of the GE90s is stupendous. If you thought this was my first flight in the Flightfactor B777 v2, then I'm sorry I mislead you, as it's actually my second. The first was an orientation flight from Gatwick (EGKK) to Barcelona (LEBL). But there was the quick realisation of how this "Heavy" flew, in fact it was an unnerving experience. Don't get me wrong here, the effects are the opposite of what I expected. The unnerving aspect is how really, really good the feeling and handling of this big aircraft is. it is uncanny as a simulation. In FlightFactor developer Roman Berezin as a Boeing 777 rated pilot, has dialing into the simulation the perfection of it's abilities, and it is an amazing experience to explore the aircraft under your control and within 2%-5% on the real world standard certification test. So remember everything works in this cockpit, but everything else works as well, the touch of the controls, the aural sounds, the feel of the aircraft in actual operation. Obviously I have not flown any aircraft in other Simulation platforms but X-Plane (okay I flew a little in MSFS), but could I call this out as one of the best ever of an aircraft simulation on a computer. That aspect is a very big call "The best ever", and surely someone will question my reasoning... but in a decade or so of long haul flying, I can't remember any experience as good in feel as this aircraft. Mostly it does exactly what you want it to do, but with the right inertia in movement and operation. That deep down and beyond pretty well everything else, this is the core of the depth of this Boeing 777 simulation, that real depth of feel. For all tons of features and mega menu options, this is a new depth of immersion simulation that you are now entering... another higher dimensional level, and it is a huge jump forward in flying aircraft on computers. I'm now at 37,000 ft (FL370). In most cases I usually climb up to a lower Flight Level, then step up to the final set altitude, burning off fuel for say 500 nm before the final climbing to altitude. But this aircraft is not a full Gross Weight (ARW) 222,209 kg, as the current MTOW for the -200ER is 656,000 lb (297,550 kg). So today I have to climb higher and quicker to get on top of a weather pattern off the west coast of Ireland, and the -200 did that flight level change aspect with ease. Range for the 200ER (Extended Range) is 7,065 nmi (13,080 km) as this is the first generation B777. The LR (Long Range) had an endurance of 8,555 nautical miles (15,844 km) as the -200LR features an increased MTOW and three optional auxiliary fuel tanks in the rear cargo hold. Max speed is Mach 0.87 – Mach 0.89 (499–511 kn; 924–945 km/h), with a usual Cruise Mach 0.84 (482 kn; 892 km/h). Ceiling is 43,000 ft. I haven't explored too much the crew interaction feature, with say the First Officer doing the flying. But long haul is about hours of just monitoring the instruments and doing the notes. I spent some very long hours in the B777 v1, notably in the F - Freighter -200 version, I expect that version to come soon, as also is promised a -300ER and a -200LR. From the left seat it is a very nice place to be... this is an excellent Simulation. If flying Oceanic (Atlantic or Pacific) there are "Oceanic Control Areas". these routes do use a "Airway" or North Atlantic Tracks (NAT), but they don't work here in programming the route in the FlightFactor B777 v2. The Airway here is "NATD", or four coordinated waypoints. To insert the waypoint you have to airinc shorthand the waypoint. So 55°0'0.0"N 020°0'0.0"W is shorthanded to 5520N and 5°0'0.0"N 030°0'0.0"W is converted to 5530N. There is a section 11.31.16 (766) in the DOC manual that explains it. One thing about long haul is that you have plenty of time on your hands.... so you can tend to focus on the areas around you. The quality of the eyebrow with the X-Plane 12 dynamic lighting show how exceptional the Simulation in realism is today, and just looking around the cockpit is a very satisfying experience, even with a few X-Plane 12.1.0 Field of view shots. Long haulers love their "Toys", or things to play with to pass the time. One I really love here is "Coffee". Now if your a serial coffee drinker like me, then you would consume a few cups in the air, but what if you drank the whole "FlightFactor" branded cup and it disappears? Well you go to the CDU3 "Interface" and call the purser (if active again they are shown lower right screen). Note the comms for the Purser is different from the Ground Crew comms, then ask the Purser for a fresh cup of coffee (R4), and lo and behold, you will now have a fresh cup of hot coffee (smiles). It works in the rear seats as well, and you can even order a "Crew Meal", but no food is actually delivered (well not yet!). Then the Navigation display starts to fill up with waypoints, it's Newfoundland, and we are now over the "Pond". Approach to Washington Dulles (IAD) 19L is via STAR HYPER 9, it is a straight in from the north approach. I start my descent about 160 nm out, down to 10,000 ft ( I never do TOD descents, they are too steep). Again it is that the aircraft responds so very well to your inputs, that is a sign of a very well developed aircraft. The TERRAIN radar feature is very good as well, this was on the FlightFactor B757/767, very good there, and so it is here. A note, in that the FlightFactor B777 v2 uses some custom commands, but odd ones? Like the Autopilot can be disengaged via the usual X-Plane Command, but you have to set the 1-sim AT (Autothrottle) disconnect via the FF custom command. You can choose between or both Left and Right AT buttons on the Throttle quadrant, and another note is to press the button for both the AP and AT disconnect TWICE to kill the noisy alarms.... Gear down! Final approach and soon the 19L ILS (ISGC) capture is coming up for a CAT III landing. Open the B777 v2 shows off all it's incredible innards, the detail available to you here is really quite special, even the hardest punter will marvel at all this detail. Approach speed is around 150 knts. Watching B777 landings (YouTube) I noted most pilot's disconnect the AT at about 300 feet, then let the big Boeing continue it's falling approach, to move into a nice flare when passing over the threshold, that what I did here and came into a perfect landing around 143 knts. It's all action when the main bogies touch the runway... FULL reverse power and touching on the toe-brakes to keep the Triple Seven straight, your all arms and legs in bringing this massive aircraft down to a safe taxi speed. The roar of the reverse thrust is huge, and really well done to your finely honed ears, it is all so all very realistic, that the hairs on your neck tingle with excitement of the reality of the moment. And the recreation of that 7th June 1995 inaugural first Boeing 777 flight is done... the rest is as they say is history, in creating one of the greatest aircraft in airline service to date. That aspect is now very realistic to everyone, with the chance to fly this exceptional FlightFactor Boeing 777ER ________________ B777 Liveries Provided with package are six B777 Liveries... there is a FlightFactor House, Air France, British Airways, Emirates, KLM and United UC. Quality is excellent on all the provided liveries. But your not going to miss out on your favorite livery, the painters are already churning out liveries at a rate of knots, and already there is plenty of choice, here are three; American One World, Singapore Airlines and Delta. ________________ Summary The VMAX/FlightFactor 777 v1 aircraft went on to be one of the most successful Simulations in X-Plane, with -200ER, -200LR, -300ER, -200F (Freighter) variants added later. But by the early 2020's the design was getting very long in the tooth, eight years in X-Plane is a design lifetime, it was time for something new... and here it is in the Boeing 777-200ER v2 Ultimate. And considering the huge reputation of the earlier B777 v1, and another plus is that the leading FlightFactor developer Roman Berezin is now a Boeing 777 rated pilot, and all that specialsed input has gone into this new V2 version. This v2 of the "Triple Seven" breaks boundaries in every direction you can think of for a simulation. And it is about as feature laden as you ever could wish for. Highlights include perfect mirrored systems of the real aircraft and comes with highly detailed modeling, and it is almost to the extreme in replication of a real world B777, and this all coming in the latest X-Plane 12 guise and it's effects. But it's the features that stand out. Highlights include Aircraft and Ground crew interaction (with real animated ground crew), full maintenance on the aircraft and regular servicing is also required. Failure list is a 1000+ options and the largest most comprehensive 34 page EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) in simulation. Full ground Servicing and external to internal aircraft access is also available, with five different cabin configurations that you can choose from. Sounds are extensive, and are highly realistic, from the cockpit environment to the start up procedures, and in flight external and quality internal soundscapes. All sounds in are doppler and 3d 360º aural motions. Hundreds of custom sounds are recorded from the real aircraft, with a significant 3D stereo sound system just for the engines. Notable is that the systems and set up of this aircraft is complex and complicated to mirror real world operations, so to be aware there is required a fairly large learning curve and study aspect to the aircraft, however FlightFactor do provide tools to set up and fly the aircraft in a more simplified approach, so you can access the Simulation at the level you want to, then go deeper as you learn your skill sets. But the real breakthough on the B777 v2 is the more deeper flying characteristics and handling than on any other Simulation. A ground breaking revolution in the way you approach and fly a Simulated aircraft on a computer. The FlightFactor v2 is probably the most leading aircraft simulation ever produced, and that is a big statement. The FlightFactor v2 had a huge expectation of this one of the larges and most comprehensive release for the X-Plane 12 Simulator. It does actually, and in many areas achieve, even deliver more than those high expectations... that statement alone delivers another level in the journey of Computer Simulation, it's an historic release in more ways than one and an excellent investment, but a release that delivers and exceeds in those high accolades is a moment to savour and remember, but most of all to fly.... Highly Recommended. __________________ Yes! - the Boeing 777-200ER v2 Ultimate by FlightFactor Aero is Coming Soon! from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Boeing 777-200ER v2 Ultimate Price is US$99.00 Requirements Plane 12, X-Plane 11.50+ Windows 10+, Mac OS 10.15+ (Intel or Apple Silicon) or Linux 14.04 LTS or compatible, 64 bit mode Disk Space: 5 GB X-Plane 12: Minimum Requirements: CPU: Intel Core i3, i5, i7, or i9 CPU with 4 or more cores, or AMD Ryzen 3, 5, 7 or 9, or equivalent RAM: 16 GB Video Card: a Vulkan 1.3-capable video card from NVIDIA or AMD with at least 6 GB VRAM Current version: 1.0 (June 14th 2024) Designed by Flightfactor Support forum for the Boeing 777-200ER v2 Ultimate Download The FF Boeing 777-200ER is a 432Mb download with an installation size of 5.20GB, in your X-Plane Aircraft folder, this is an X-Plane 12 aircraft only. All updates are via the built-in Skunkcrafts Updater Documentation There is excellent full coverage documentation and installation details for the B777, including; 777reqs.txt changelog777.txt cockpit.pdf (157 Pages) manual.pdf (76 Pages) poster.jpg systems.pdf (Official Crew Operations Manual) (528 Pages) terms_of_use.txt voiceCommands.txt _____________________ Review System Specifications:  Windows - 12th Gen IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU - 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB XLR8 - Samsung 970 EVO+ 2TB SSD (and a new PSU) Software: - Windows 11 Pro - X-Plane Version 12.1.0 Beta Plugins: JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 Scenery or Aircraft - EGKK - London Gatwick Airport v2 by PilotPlus+ (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$21.00 - EGLL - London Heathrow International Airport - XP12 and 11 by Taimodels (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$28.00 - KIAD - Washington Dulles International Airport by Nimbus Simulations (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$29.95 Note this review was covered in the latest X-Plane12 Beta release v12.1.0, but the aircraft and it's systems were also tested in the earlier X-Plane 12.05r1, with no significant issues. The FlightFactor aircraft shown in this review is also an Alpha v2.0.10 release. Review by Stephen Dutton 14th June 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Aircraft Updated : Polaris AM-FIB v4.0 by vSkyLabs This was the first dedicated X-Plane 12 aircraft (is it an aircraft or a flying boat?) from vSkyLabs, but no fear as it is X-Plane 11 compatible as well. The Polaris AM-FIB ("Amphibious Flying Inflatable Boat") is an Italian amphibious flying boat ultralight trike, that was designed and produced by Polaris Motor of Gubbio. The aircraft was introduced in 2003 and was supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft. At the present (as for 2024), the company who is behind the 'AM-FIB' trike is now 'New Polaris FIB'. The AM-FIB was developed from the Polaris FIB as a result of customer demand. It was designed to comply with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight category, including the category's maximum gross weight of 450 kg (992 lb). The aircraft has a maximum gross weight of 406 kg (895 lb). It features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a two-seats-in-tandem open cockpit, retractable tricycle landing gear mounted to its inflatable boat hull and a single engine in pusher configuration. The aircraft's single surface wing is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing and covered in Dacron sailcloth. The 11.15 m (36.6 ft) span wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. The powerplant is a twin cylinder, liquid-cooled, two-stroke, dual-ignition 64 hp (48 kW) Rotax 582 engine. The main landing gear is extended and retracted with a manual crank, while the nose gear uses a catch-and-rope mechanism. This is a big overhaul for the ubiquitous trike from vSkyLabs, and the details of v4.0 covers; Flight dynamics: Completely Re-engineered to comply with the latest X-Plane 12 flight model. Graphics: Thorough PBR adjustments for latest version of X-Plane 12 Sounds: Enhanced FMOD 2.0 sound package, including improved engine and prop sounds, wind sounds and improvements in overall sounds experience. Project Main Features: VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' Project: designed for use with X-Plane cutting edge flight model environment, features superb flight dynamics with authentic performance and flight handling characteristics. VSKYLABS development for X-Plane approved by 'New Polaris FIB' company (however, it is an independent VSKYLABS project, not affiliated with 'New Polaris FIB'). Real-Physics, incorporating weight shifting and wing simulation of a hang-glider trike. Unique trike flying aspects are being simulated: stalls, slips, spins and tumbling. Designed with the focus on control and handling characteristics, excellent for basic and advanced hang glider trike training / conversion from fixed wing aircraft. Additional passenger which can be removed, to simulate light vs heavy trike operations. Amphibian aircraft - operation in water/land and snow/ice. Built for VR: development was tailored specifically for VR, and optimized for 2D usage. Autoupdater based on the SkunkCrafts autoupdater (XP12 only) - all updates are being pushed smoothly without the need to re-download the entire base package (base package will be updated every once in a while to minimize the gap). This project is part of the VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' series, designed specifically for use with X-Plane cutting edge Experimental Flight Model. Images are courtesy of vSkyLabs... the Polaris AM-FIB is available for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11, however the XP11 version does not have the effects and features that is available in X-Plane 12. ___________________________ Yes! the Polaris AM-FIB v4.0 by vSkyLabs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Polaris AM-FIB v4.0 Price is US$24.00 On sale: US$24.00 US$19.20 you Save:US$4.80(20%) Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current Version: 4.0 (June 7th 2024) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 8th June 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Aircraft Released : Eagle 315 HP Twin Prototype V2.1 by Eagle Flight Labs The one thing that is the biggest attribute in the X-Plane Simulator. Is that you can experiment... or be experimental with an aircraft design. It allows you to try out ideas, aerodynamic ideas, on if your wonder contraption would actually fly, then refine and change it to do so, in so creating a vehicle of your own choice, Burt Rutan would love it. One design was a cross between the Nautilus and a Beechcraft from Eagle Flight Labs. Yes it is an unusual design, but an interesting one. The developer uses a design basis of a retro-style GA airplane. While at a first glance the Eagle is a simple aircraft, but over 500 hours of meticulous development and flight testing have gone into making the Eagle 315 HP Twin Prototype a feature-rich aircraft, oriented for training in both VFR and IFR conditions. Thanks to its high performance flight model, wide view cockpit windows, large instruments, and specific panel layout, pilots can easily focus on the flight, and allowing a wide range of uses. This v2.1 is what you could call the X-Plane 12 update, you could fly the Eagle in X-Plane 12 from the version's introduction, but here the focus is on redefining the flight model to the better X-Plane 12 aerodynamics. and a few other tweaks are added in as well. Version 2.1 - June 6 2024 - Tuned flight model with much better stability and controllability at low speed - Added vortex generators on wing tips, at ailerons, to prevent early stall - More effective ailerons and greater roll stability at low speed - Vortex airfoil at ailerons with retarded stall (main wing partially stalled first) - Differential ailerons to reduce conter yaw - More effective elevator control - Tuned trim for more precise controls at low and high speed - Tuned COG position - Fixed internal accessibility to keys and transponder - Polished 3D model with additional interrior and exterior details - Size and position of landing gear tuned - Fix the oil temperature dial - Pilot is male, woman went to back-seat - Sound improvements: switches and wind (interior/exterior) - Check list plates added (2 pages, Before T/O, start and normal procedures) - Push buttons and engine starters control and texture improved - Interior and exterior 3D model details tuning and improvements Specifications: VFR/IFR instrument panel Twin (2 x 160 HP) Empty weight 1900 lb Max take off weight 3800 lb Cruise speed 185 kt This aircraft is available for X-Plane 12 and for X-Plane 11. Original review is here: In Development : Eagle 315 Twin Prototype by Eagle Flight Labs Images are courtesy of EagleLabs _________________ Yes! - the Eagle 315 HP Twin Prototype by EagleLabs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Eagle 315 HP Twin Prototype Price is US$24.95 Your Price US$19.95... You Save:$5.00(20%) Requirements X-Plane 12 and X-Plane11 Windows, Mac or Linux 8GB+ VRAM Recommended Download size: 360MB Current version: 2.1 (June 6th 2024) ___________________________ News! by Stephen Dutton 7th June 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

Behind the Screen : May 2024 I've got to admit I am enjoying X-Plane at the moment, in that the X-Plane 12 experience is now cutting and creating a higher level of immersion you could never believe could ever have existed before. Certainly the long awaited X-Plane v12.1.0 update pushes the Simulator further down the road with a very realistic experience, missing however is still a more naturalistic scenery, its now eleven years old and more, so it's showing it's age. You always had to have a very vivid imagination when flying the X-Plane Simulator, as when I came in it was in the middle of the X-Plane 9 run, you had to have a VERY vivid imagination back then. But that gap has now become very small. The v12.1.0 update does however do something in closing the illusionary line between imaginary and realism. It could be a lot of things, but overall I think it is the lighting effects, the shadows and everything in between. But it has taken a long time to get here... the refinement process of X-Plane 12 has been too long and even a bit painful. And that may be the point, as before it wasn't noticeable, but it is now in the age of photorealistic gaming. But as I have several times over that long decade or so, I saw a jump, a movement forward in April. This aspect started actually last year with the release of X-Craft's excellent E-Jet Series. The realism factor and depth of the Simulation was a credit to the developer. But it was the X-Trident AW-109SP that really changed the goal posts. In doing so it also brings up a few questions on with which way Simulation is going? Over the years in Simulation Reviewing I have had a technological journey as much as a simulated one. In that time through learning I was able to keep pace with the changes and the new features presented. But mostly at the very sharp pointy end of Simulation, in the need, even in the wanting for aircraft to be as close to being the same as a real aircraft in it's functions and systems. The level of detail is now getting down to a profusion of characteristic levels that can start to be overwhelming. Notably anything can be learnt or studied, but in doing so it takes longer and more to absorb, as the hidden depth and detail is revealed. Time, is against you in this aspect. As a reviewer, the time from a release to having the review visible is paramount, in days, if possible. A few years ago, you could post a review three to four days after receiving the product, mostly a day for looking into and first flying the aircraft, a day to do the details, and a day to do the flying segment... that aspect has significantly grown over the last few years, in most cases now it takes a week to cover the review, but a few and more and more newer simulations are now stretching you even further. Your researching more, testing more, working your way through the complicated 500 or so page manuals... getting down into the nitty gritty of the core of the simulation before you. In the same is acronym hell. This is where the AW-109SP comes in. It was a marvel of developer detail in recreating the Genesys Aerosystems IDU-450 EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System). The realism and use of that feature was simply (out-of-this-world) stuff, brilliant. And Simulation beyond the realm of the usual believability. But learning it, then trying to explain the complicated systems was reviewer hell. There was so many different aspects and arms coming out of the system, that it took days to work out and understand, then transferring those insights into a review was a daunting job. Don't get me wrong, I loved single every second of it all, and in reality would have loved to have kept on doing the review for another week or so. I was in there and soaking it all up, the incredible experience that I was immersed in every day. But that aspect of a ticking clock, to wrap the review and get it out there was also a very daunting experience. So here is the problem? As these Simulations now go so humungous even for an experienced reviewer, then think of the humble simulator user? The complexity and acronym hell could thwart, even create a boundary between the user and the simulation. I thought about this aspect a lot when reviewing the AW-109SP. And was even worried that the review would create a systematic line that many couldn't cross. Thankfully the review was very well received, and that showed the highlighted awareness of X-Plane user in being able to absorb complexity of this scale. Well folks, you "haven't seen anything yet". FlightFactor's coming Boeing 777 v2 will expand that concept beyond anything you could imagine, but thankfully the developers have provided a quick setup and quick flight options, making it accessible to most, it is even beyond a "Study" simulation, as I call it an "Airline Study" simulation. As the aircraft is so deep into the real world experience with clever interaction at the core of the aircraft, it also comes with loads of 500 page manuals to study and adsorb. But all credit to the developers in what they have created in a very deep and very detailed simulation. It will be interesting on how the B777 will be received, as it is a new era in simulation. We are used to "Study" aircraft were as the simulation is in the need of mirroring the real Manuals and Crew Operations of the aircraft. That every item that is noted in the manual has also the same action in the simulation, and that is ultimately the aim of Simulation, in replicating that complex environment on a computer. But I grew with the decade or so of the changes in the detail and these new features as they were implemented along that long journey. Every new idea and feature could be absorbed, dissected and learnt on the same journey, as simulation grew, then so did myself. So the question I am asking here is a what if. What if I was just starting my Simulation journey and was being faced with the current complexity of the developers deep designs. We know that starting out in Simulation, you do go for the more simple aircraft, but what of me, as right back then at the start of my Simulation journey and the reason I wanted to do Simulation, was to fly the Boeing 747. This was a time of 2d panels and basic controls, there is no way to compare the B777v2 to this earlier minimal simulation. I learnt and could say I'm now a bit of an 747 expert, so has been my journey. But could I have flown a B747 today of the B777v2's complexity? Deep dive there. To be fair Flightfactor do provide a simplified setup, so the aircraft can be flown from a novice's point of view, but when alerts keep popping up and have to be dealt with on the flightdeck, then this still is not as a simple Simulation as it was back then. I do know that new users are very adaptable and have the skills to adapt to these very complex simulations, as they do astound me with their knowledge. The point is that, if I am head down, with the occasional help from A.I. in working out the myriad of acronyms and how they work, then what of someone new to all this new level of complexity? It's good, so don't get me wrong on the level of detail and complexity we now have in Simulation. We can all learn to understand how it works and better our flying skills. It is the absolute goal in Simulation to achieve this level being presented to us. So we certainly can't to be seen complaining about that aspect. It is just will that continuing drive for deeper, more complex systems and features, then start to create different levels of the way you use and access simulators, the trick is not like the real world, you only have to learn the aircraft and fly it. But in Simulation there is another dimension as well, the knowledge and use of the computer and Simulation software as well. That is just as complex and bug ridden as you could ever imagine... obviously that is in time the ultimate challenge, not only to learn and fly the aircraft, but to house-keep and keep in order the simulator correctly to do so, this is to bring both the experiences together. Like said at the head of this BtheS. I'm deeper into Simulation now more than ever, and yes also totally enjoying the onward journey. The tools provided in this day and age, not only in the power of the computing, but also with the 3 party addons. gives you an almost unlimited experience that you never thought of existing in the past... however we must not also lose the sight of why we fly in the mist of all this technology, flying is still at the core of what we do, and at the end of the day, there is nothing more soul satisfying than just cruising along at a flight level and wondering on how you got here, with all this. Notable in June 21-23, 2024 is the FlightExpo 2024 in Las Vegas. After the last few years Laminar Research will be there in force this year, with X-Plane 12.1.0 under their arms, and the FlightFactor Boeing 777ER v2 in their arsenal. It is a considerable combination, plus all the other X-Plane developers wanting to claim ground back from MSFS. This is after MSFS dominating the last two Expos, it will be interesting to see how this year's event eventuates. Time to strike back against the Empire! We will soon find out. See you all next Month Stephen Dutton 6th June 2024 Copyright©2024 X-Plane Reviews

NEWS! - Aircraft Released - PA24-250 Comanche by InDepthSimulations The Piper PA-24 Comanche is an American single-engine, low-wing, all-metal monoplane of semimonocoque construction with tricycle retractable landing gear and four or six seats. The Comanche was designed and built by Piper Aircraft and first flew on May 24, 1956. Together with the PA-30 and PA-39 Twin Comanches, it made up the core of Piper's lineup until 1972, when the production lines for both aircraft were destroyed in the 1972 Lock Haven flood. Two prototypes were built in 1956, with the first being completed by June 20, 1956. The first production aircraft, powered by a 180 hp (134 kW) Lycoming O-360-A1A engine, first flew on October 21, 1957. In 1958, it was joined by a higher-powered PA-24-250 with a 250 hp (186 kW) Lycoming O-540-A1A5 engine; this model was originally to be known as the PA-26, but Piper decided to keep the PA-24 designation. InDepthSimulations are a new developer to the X-Plane Simulator. And this PA24-250 is their aircraft first release. Featuring a custom GNS startup sequence and a custom GTX transponder, it also combined with the beautiful sounds made by Boris Audio Works. This ios an X-Plane 12 only aircraft. Features: X-Plane 12 support Fully modelled both inside and out 4K PBR textures Completely custom 3D cockpit Custom GNS startup sequence Custom GTX 327 transponder Sounds by Boris Audio Works Pitot cover and chocks Guide on usage of the aircraft _________________ Yes! - the PA24-250 Comanche by InDepthSimulations is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : PA24-250 Comanche Price is US$20.00 Requirements X-Plane 12 No other requirements have been published Version : 1.0 (June 3rd 2024) ___________________________ News! by Stephen Dutton 4th June 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Scenery Released - RKPC - Jeju International Airport, Korea by Chudoba Design Never heard of this airport? Jeju International Airport is the second-largest airport in South Korea, just behind Incheon Airport in Incheon (near Seoul). It is located in the city of Jeju. The airport opened in 1968. Jeju International Airport serves many mainland destinations in South Korea, as well as international destinations in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. In 2015, 26,237,562 passengers used the airport. The airport is one endpoint of the world's busiest airline route, Jeju to/from Seoul-Gimpo. In 2019 over 17 million passengers traveled on that route. This airport is the biggest in Jeju and is also figuring in the most frequent (per passenger) route between Jeju and Seoul. It is a destination for most of the Asian population, but is also now becoming popular among American and European tourists. Chudoba is a well known and very high quality X-Plane scenery developer, he only just lately released LZIB - Bratislava International Airport, there is a full review here.; Scenery Review: LZIB - Bratislava International Airport by Chudoba Design. Scenery Features: PBR Textures Custom buildings with PBR textures Accurate PBR ground-poly (supporting weather from X-Plane 12) Custom 3D vegetation Scenery Animation Manager integration Well Optimized for best performance Custom buildings and objects Custom jetways Accurate night lightning Compatible with X-Plane 11 & X-Plane 12 Compatible with SAM vehicles / SAM follow-me Notable is that in downloading Chudoba scenery, they use a third party system to Authorise and Download the scenery. When you purchase the scenery you are given a Authorisation key and then are directed to the Chudorba Design (Antileak) website. You paste in the authorisation code, then select the RKPC - Jeju International Airport scenery, then the site will check your credentials and verify your purchase... then to install you then press "Download" to do the installation of the product. Price for this excellent Korean Scenery is an amazingly low US13.99! And available for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11 Images are courtesy of Chudoba Design _________________ Yes! - the RKPC - Jeju International Airport, Korea by Chudoba Design is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : RKPC - Jeju International Airport Price is US$13.99 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB VRAM Recommended Version : 1.0 (June 3rd 2024) ___________________________ News! by Stephen Dutton 4th June 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Aircraft Released : Beechcraft Bonanza G36 by PAE The Beechcraft Bonanza is one of my most loved aircraft (Carenado F33A), but how about a G1000 infused Bonanza. The Beechcraft Bonanza G36 is the G1000 variant of the popular Bonanza A36. It started production in 2005, and this model is meant to simulate the 2020 version. As a side note PAE are going to release a F33A version in the future (plus a Analog version of the G36). PAE Addons already have a record in creating excellent Freeware aircraft, now here is their first Payware release... Powered by a custom Laminar Research default X-Plane 12 G1000 avionics system, this release is a modern take on an old but well loved aircraft. Features... X-Plane G1000 enhanced to show Annunciators in the PFD and custom Start up sequence Working Circuit Breakers Animated Doors VR Compatible PBR Materials Custom Sounds Rain / Defroster on the Windshields Avitab Integration - Tablet to Enable and Disable The Plane has been tested and it matches the POH performance numbers for the LOP settings. Included in the Package 3 Liveries Performance Charts 3D Paint Kit Optional - IO-550N - Turbo Normalized Version for the performance Optional - With Tip Tanks - for managing the really long trips This is an X-Plane 12 aircraft only, and not available for X-Plane 11. Images are courtesy of PAE Addons ___________________________ Yes! The Beechcraft Bonanza G36 by PAE is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Beechcraft Bonanza G36 Price is US$29.95 Your Price: US$19.99 You Save:$10.00(33%) Requirements X-Plane 12 Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Current version : 1.0 (May 28 2024) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 30th May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Aircraft Upgraded : K-1200 K-MAX XP12 by STMA The Kaman K-MAX (company designation K-1200) is a helicopter with intermeshing rotors (synchropter) designed and produced by the American manufacturer Kaman Aircraft. Developed during the 1980s and 1990s, the K-MAX builds on the work of the German aeronautical engineer Anton Flettner. Performing its maiden flight on December 23, 1991, it was specially designed to optimally perform external cargo load operations and is capable of lifting payloads in excess of 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg), which is greater than the helicopter's empty weight and almost twice as much as the competing Bell 205 despite sharing a similar engine. Being a synchropter, it has greater efficiency in comparison to conventional rotor technology. In addition to airlifting external loads, specialised configurations for aerial firefighting and casualty evacuation have been developed. It was produced for both military and civilian operators. Shade Tree Micro Aviation (STMA) released back in 2012 their version of the interesting synchropter, the K-12000 K-Max. This is the upgraded X-Plane 12 version, but the older X-Plane 11 version is still available. Details Made for precise heavy lifting, the Kaman KMAX helicopter works around the world in precision lift operations involving logging in mountainous terrain, firefighting in remote areas, construction in mountainous and urban settings and resupply in remote regions. The intermeshing synchrotor design maximizes lift capability while keeping the noise level much less than other helicopters. The STMA KMAX for XP12 goes to a new standard with Garmin G530 navigation capability, full IFR cockpit, new lighting features, rain and reflective windscreens, an improved external load console, and a set of new slung load objects specifically designed for the KMAX and XP12 slung load modeling. In our previous models we included a specific Bambi bucket version and a tanker version. XP12’s new slung load modeling obviates the need for a special Bambi version and the Isolair company has ceased production of KMAX tanker add-ons so we now offer a configurable single model with long line you can adjust in PlaneMaker to fit your skill levels. In development we review the most appealing liveries and include them with the model. The cockpit is now fully animated with 3D instruments and improved lighting for all conditions. Also included is the KMAX operations manual and full cockpit documentation in active touch region labels to be able to quickly master startup and shutdown. VR operations are also included if you have that capability. If you are new to XP helicopters or thinking about learning helicopter flight, the KMAX with its counter-rotating rotors makes it the simplest helicopter to learn vertical flight. There is no yaw to counteract as you increase or decrease collective and the KMAX has plenty of power to get you wherever you want to go. If you are an “old head” XP helicopter type then the KMAX and its load assortment will be a great addition to your fleet. The initial production run of the K-MAX ran between 1991 and 2003, at which point the line was shuttered after the completion of 38 helicopters due to low customer demand. During June 2015, Kaman announced that it was restarting production following the receipt of ten commercial orders for the K-MAX.[1] During May 2017, the first flight of a K-MAX built on the restarted production line took place; two months later, the first new-build aircraft since 2003 was delivered to a customer based in China. However, in January 2023, amid a downturn in demand, Kaman announced its intention to shutter production of the K-MAX once again. Images are courtesy of Shade Tree Micro Aviation ___________________________ Yes! The K-1200 K-MAX XP12 by Shade Tree Micro Aviation is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : K-1200 K-MAX XP12 Price is US$29.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 Windows , Mac or Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version : 12.1 (May 22 2024) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 25th May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Scenery Released : KSJC - San Jose International Airport by ShortFinal Design ShortFinal Design has spent most of the last few years just updating previous sceneries and projects to X-Plane 12. But here is a completely new scenery from one of the most talented, if not one of the best scenery developers in the X-Plane Simulator. This time around the choice is KSJC - San Jose International Airport, in California USA. And a complimentary scenery to SFDs spectacular SFO-San Francisco masterpiece. San José Mineta International Airport, officially known as Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, is a city-owned public airport in San Jose, California. Located 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Downtown San Jose, the airport serves both the city and the Santa Clara Valley region of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. It is named after San Jose native Norman Mineta, former United States Secretary of Transportation and United States Secretary of Commerce, who also served as Mayor of San Jose and as a San Jose City Councilman. San Jose Airport offers flights to a variety of domestic destinations as well as international routes to Tokyo and Mexico. In addition to airline flights, San Jose airport also has a sizeable presence of corporate and general aviation, with two fixed-base operators as well as several corporate aviation tenants. High-Definition Airport Accurate airport layout (as of 2024) Detailed models for all buildings with baked ambient occlusion Terminals with fully modeled interiors Detailed general aviation area with several hangar interiors PBR materials on objects and ground Custom dynamic night lighting Custom high resolution pavement textures and markings High resolution photo scenery (30cm/px) Compatible with any mesh scenery Surrounding buildings including the PayPal Park stadium 3D vegetation Fully Animated Airport Animated cars and buses Animated passengers and workers Custom animated airport vehicles with PBR materials and FMOD sounds Detailed animated jetways with SAM integration Various user-controlled hangar doors (SAM plugin required) ATC network included for AI traffic addons This KSJC an extremely highly detailed scenery at a very low value price... in other words you get a lot of quality work for your money! This scenery is not available for X-Plane 11, it is X-Plane 12 Only. Download is 1.2 GB Designed by ShortFinal Design Support forum for ShortFinal Design ___________________________ Yes! KSJC - San Jose International Airport by ShortFinal Designs is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : KSJC - San Jose International Airport Price Is US$22.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.2 GB Version 1.0 (May 22nd 2024) Note the Living Scenery Tech plugin is required for this scenery. ____________________________ NEWS! by Stephen Dutton 23rd May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions)

NEWS! - Aircraft Updated : Aeros-2 Ultralight Trike v3 by vSkyLabs vSkyLabs have updated their excellent Aeros-2 Ultralight Trike to v3. Although given an update to work in X-Plane 12 back in September 2020. This is in reality the extensive update for the Aeros-2 to the new X-Plane 12 configuration. The Aeros-2 is a Ukrainian ultralight trike, designed and produced by Aeros of Kyiv. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly aircraft or as kit for amateur construction. In the United States the design is marketed as the Venture and Velocity. Developed from the earlier Aeros-1, the Aeros-2 features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a two-seats-in-tandem open cockpit, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration. The aircraft is made from square tubing, with its wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its 10 m (32.8 ft) span wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame control bar. The occupants are housed in streamlined fibreglass cockpit fairing. Engines available include the twin cylinder, two-stroke, liquid-cooled 64 hp (48 kW) Rotax 582 and the four cylinder four-stroke 80 hp (60 kW) Rotax 912UL and 100 hp (75 kW) 912ULS. Version 3.0 (May 22nd 2024) Includes: Flight dynamics - Major update release: Complete redesign of the wing-tilt/weight shifting system to fall in line with the latest X-Plane 12 aerodynamics and physics capabilities. 'wind-force' on the control bar is being simulated more accurately. Rotax 503 simulation tuneups. Landing gears and ground operations tuneups. Wing trim is now set to virtually pull/push the control-bar (keep in mind that trim direction is opposite, as the wing tilts down when pressing the trim-down assignment, resulting in reduction of AOA, and vice versa). Fine tuning for engine parameters following the latest X-Plane 12 engine simulation physics. Systems: New dual-system altimeter. Fuel tank gauge re-wired, re-calibrated. Sounds: New multi-layer Rotax 503 sounds. New open-cockpit wind buffet and wind flow sounds. Various all-around enhancements. Interaction: Improved Key switch command for VR and 2-d manipulators. Improved 'headless' pilot interaction; head is hidden when the virtual camera is within close proximity to the pilot's head position. Graphics: PBR normals tuneup to fall in line with latest X-Plane 12 rendering updates. Prop-disc animation tuneups. VSKYLABS development for X-Plane approved by 'Aeros Ltd' company (however, it is an independent VSKYLABS project, not affiliated and/or endorsed with/by 'Aeros Ltd.') High end simulation of the Aeros-2 Ultralight Trike, powered by a Rotax 503 50 hp engine. Designed with the focus on control and handling characteristics, excellent for basic and advanced hang glider trike training / conversion from fixed wing aircraft. Real-Physics, incorporating weight shifting and wing simulation of a hang-glider trike. Additional passenger which can be removed, to simulate light vs heavy trike operations. Rescue system (Ballistic Magnum 450 system). Unique trike flying aspects are being simulated: stalls, slips, spins and tumbling. This project is part of the VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' series, designed specifically for use with X-Plane cutting edge Experimental Flight Model. Images are courtesy of vSkyLabs... the Aeros-2 is available for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11, however the XP11 version does not have the effects and features that is available in X-Plane 12. ___________________________ Yes! Aeros-2 Ultralight v3.0 by vSkyLabs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Aeros-2 Ultralight v3.0 Price is US$24.00 On sale: US$24.00 US$16.80 you Save:US$7.20(30%) Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 8GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 3.0 (May 22 2024) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 23rd May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Scenery Released : YSSY Sydney International by Fly Tampa If you are an long haul pilot in Simulation, then there are certain ports required to fulfill your network needs. London of course, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and Singapore... one of the most important is YSSY Sydney, it has THAT bridge and Opera House as a focal point. TaiModels released a decent YSSY Sydney only a few years ago, but TaiModels are also very internal scenery focused, and the external features were sadly missing, most notable in the massive Port Botany that is positioned adjoining the airport. Fly Tampa are back in X-Plane! It was debatable this time, because their massive Fly Tampa Amsterdam EHAM was not very well received, as being too heavy on framerate, it made the expansive scenery not very usable, no matter how much power you had. But here we are with their version of YSSY Sydney, and being Fly Tampa it is extremely good (framerate is very good as well).... with Port Botany also part of the package. Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport ( YSSY) or Sydney Airport — is an international airport in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, located 8 km (5 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, in the suburb of Mascot. It is the primary airport serving Sydney and is a primary hub for Qantas (jetbase), as well as a secondary hub for Virgin Australia and Jetstar, and is also a focus city for Air New Zealand. Features Fully Custom rendition of the Kingsford Smith Airport Custom mesh Custom night lighting SAM and LST integration Custom Mesh (with patch for Ortho4XP users) Airport modeled with PBR materials Sloped airport terrain Dynamic lighting, animated Jetways and much more! This brand new released version of Sydney Airport from Fly Tampa includes many features such as a fully custom rendition of Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, custom mesh, custom night lighting, SAM and LST integration, provided Ortho4XP patch and quality objects. It is noted as X-Plane 12 only, with the custom effects. ______________________________ The YSSY - Sydney International Airport by Fly Tampa is NOW available! from the X-Plane.Org Store FlyTampa Sydney Priced at US$28.00 Requirements X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows or Mac or Linux 8GB VRAM Recommended Current version : 1.0 (May 20, 2024) ___________________________ NEWS! by Stephen Dutton 21st May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Scenery Released : LFMQ - Le Castellet, France by FSX3D Mention Le Castellet in France to most people and it probably wouldn't glean anything. Mention it to any motorsports fan, and their eyes will quickly light up, "That's the F1 Circuit Paul Ricard", a very famous test track for all things in motorsport. There has been a few races here as well by the Formula One circus, but the Paul Ricard glory days are long gone, it's all dayglow in perspective today, weird images that mask the runoff areas. LFMQ is right beside the track, but a very few of the Laurence Stroll's of the world can afford the outrageous landing fees, but you can have all this for only under $15. This is another FSX3D transfer scenery to X-Plane 12... a very nice to have. Le Castellet Airport, also known by the ICAO code LFMQ, is located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Var department, in the south of France. The LFMQ airport is positioned directly by the famous F1 Circuit Paul Ricard, making it a popular destination for motorsport enthusiasts and participants in events held at the circuit. Main Runway: The airport has a single asphalt runway (13/31) measuring 1,750 meters long and 30 meters wide, capable of accommodating a variety of aircraft from small passenger planes to private jets. Taxiways and Aprons: Taxiways and parking areas (aprons) are well equipped to facilitate the movement of aircraft and parking of private jets. Services include, International VIP airport with premier facilities,FBO services, high security, IFR procedure available 24h a day, Business centre, helicopter shuttle and hangars, Parking / hangar accommodation up to Gulfstream 650 and BBJ, Helicopter shuttle - 35 minutes from St. Tropez and 45 minutes from Monaco, Customs are also on request 24h. Features included in the scenery: Ultra detailed car parks, taxiways and track PBR on all objects Ambient occlusion (Objects and ground) Wet track effects Dynamic lighting Compatibility Ortho4XP Compatibility AutoOrtho HD photorealistic ground textures Noted as.... Business aviation’s gateway to "The French Riviera". Le Castellet very well value priced below $15 US dollars at only US$14.99. This scenery is only available in the X-Plane 12 option at 467Mb in size. Also Corsica, Gap-Tallard and Hautes-Alpes are all finally getting a lot of X-Plane 12 attention via these FSX3D excellent releases... check them all out now. Images are courtesy of FSX3D _______________________________ LFMQ - Le Castellet, France by FSX3D is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here: LFMQ - Le Castellet, France Price is US$14.99 Requirements X-Plane 12 Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB VRAM Minimum Download Size: 467 MB Current version : 1.0 (April 17th 2024) ___________________________ News! by Stephen Dutton 19th May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Aircraft Updated : Rotate McDonnell Douglas MD-11 v1.09 Rotate have released v1.09 for the McDonnell Douglas MD-11. Earlier in a noted "beta" release for testing, this now the formal release with a load of great improvements added to this fabulous authentic Simulation. First it tests support for Apple Silicon architecture, which has become a more restless problem for developers than first realised, developers are getting on top of the problems, but Silicon is certainly not of the same configuration of the older Intel based processors. Another big new feature is the "pop up" instrument displays are now available. Rotate aircraft (MD88/MD11) have always had fixed displays/screens. Now you can "popout" the instrument panels including the MCDU units. It was always hard to programme with their position relative to the MAP display (PLAN MODE)... You still have to use the MCDU for inputs, but it saves you from flicking back and forth between the MAP display and MCDU. Yes all the popouts are scalable in size and can be used in Home Cockpits in the usable Window configuration. And YES I really "loved" the new feature. Lighting has also had a bit of a revision, fine tuning you can all it. The lighting was always really good in the MD11, but it feels now more natural, Softer? but it looks excellent. Windows are now more cleaner, clearer... I personally found them a bit "Too" clean, clear... I would like the option for dirty windows as my preference, or the dirtier the better. There has been attention on the landing roll. The MD11 has one of the fastest landing speeds of any aircraft, so this aspect point is important. Here several areas on the approach phase have been tuned. Including AP1/AP2 annunciator in (the) FMA during dual land mode has been fixed, FMS SPD deceleration select/preselect now have safeguards during approach, FMC now does calculated IAS values for deceleration configurations. The MS speed target was rising above the approach speed below 100AGL in some cases... and finally the landing roll brakes have better deceleration. All are aimed to the approach and landing phase sequences. The v1.09 changelog is the usual lengthy output from Rotate, mostly nips and tucks to this of one of the very the highly specialised Simulations for the X-Plane 12 Simulator... - Added pop up windows for screen displays. - Implemented MIN PROF field in STAR page for RNAV procedures. - Implement FMS SPD deceleration select/preselect safeguards during approach. - Show FMC calculated IAS values for deceleration configurations. - Improved VNAV descent prediction during non-clean configuration. - Improved VOR interception accuracy. - Tuned landing roll brakes deceleration. - Added VERT ALERT annunciation in FMA when approacing T/D. - Filter airports displayed by runway length. - Reset CLB/ACCEL FMC fields. - HDG SEL (pull) must allow edition of the heading target until <3º difference. - Pushing FMS SPD (with no wheel change) resets to ECON. - Added warning and logging for route loading process. - Improved LED lighting of LCD displays. - Inhibit DEFINED WAYPOINTS deletion when used in the flight plan. - TCAS TA Only mode should be engaged automatically on ground and below 1000AGL. - Improved manipulation of ELF switch. - Reorder SID/STAR listing after applying filters. - Reset ADG with maintenance button. - Reduced dirt on windshield texture. - Fixed FMS SPD indication glitch during climb at cross-over altitude. - Fixed a problem with navaid selection with duplicate names. - Fixed AFS pitch limits during SOP. - Fixed a problem when transitioning from PROF to ALT HLD/SOP during descent. - Fixed navaid DESELECT for ILS navaids. - Fixed APPR/ILS guidance response when signal is not available. - Fixed HDG turn direction problem when crossing 0. - Fixed HDG bug reset after being hidden. - Fixed AP1/AP2 annunciator in FMA during dual land. - Fixed a bug in bank limit during non curved transition. - Fixed FMS SPD target rising above approach speed below 100AGL in some cases. - Fixed draw order of flight director bars in PFD. - Fixed Aircraft floating over the runway during autoland in XP11. - Fixed DME only stations not showing correct data in ND. - Fixed ATS too responsive during cruise. - Fixed compatibility problems with A Pilot's Life and other plugins. - Fixed N2 going over red arc during TO in high altitude airports. - Fixed bug in FPA discreet stepper when going down. - Fixed problem in "fix all failures" function. - Fixed a bug in landing gear disagree lights. - Fixed a typo in stby airspeed indication. - Fixed a bug in logic of CRZ and CLB thrust mode auto-selection. - Fixed A-ICE ALL ON shown along with all other A-ICE alerts. - Fixed reverser indication color during deployment on air. - Fixed engine fire handles annuciators. - Upgraded to newer Aerosoft database. The update v1.09 now also available to download from the Skunkcraft Updater, or use your X-Plane.OrgStore account and download the latest version in v1.09. Support Forum at X-Plane.org or http://support.rotatesim.com/ _____________________ Yes! the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 v1.09 by Rotate is currently available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Rotate MD-11 Price is US$83.95 The feature list is HUGE, so if you want to read it, then open the text file. Feature List.txtUnavailable Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows 8 or Mac OSX 10.12 or newer (M Processors supported) , Linux Ubuntu 64b 18.04 or newer 8 GB+ VRAM recommended Current version: 1.09 (May 16th 2024) You can download this updated v3.0 Updater free here; SkunkCrafts Updater Standalone client Full download v1.09 changelog is here; Changelog v1.09.rtf ________________ NEWS! by Stephen Dutton 17th May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Right Reserved.

Aircraft Review - Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter - DGS Series XP12 by Thranda Design In June 2020. Thranda Design released the X-Plane 11 version of the utility Swiss aircraft, the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter. The aircraft was a more modern replacement for the long-established DHC-2 Beaver in the highly competitive utility role. The first PC-6 version came with a 254 kW (340 shp) pistoned-engine, it first flew in 1959. But it was when an early turboprop powerplant version that became available for the PC-6 with the Garrett Air Research TPE 331, that the aircraft really came then into it's own class. But the TPE 331 installation didn't last long either, as in May 1996 with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engine performed its own maiden flight and the PT6A really then cemented the Porter's reputation and as a direct replacement for the DHC-2, the Beaver's production ended just two years later. A rugged utility design the PC-6 is... The aircraft and the excellent modeling was extremely good in X-Plane 11, even if the XP11 world was flat compared to the realism of XP12. The conversion to XP12 keeps the dynamics of the earlier aircraft, but now places it in the highly developed world of X-Plane 12 ULTRA hi-res PBR realism, it stands out, brilliantly in the world it richly deserved. Design wise there is not much difference, but the XP12 version comes with the newly created PBR textures, are all 8K now as well (four times the resolution), so the detail is far more highlighted, even extremely so. Admire the perfected riveting, the panel construction, ribs... all so very good. Rugged landing gear is intricately done, all the struts and built in dampers are beautifully realised, gotta love those tyres, also available are the bigger Tundra sizes as well. Daniel Klaue is one of the most prominent X-Plane developers so you are going to get nothing more that the very best, and certainly that is the case here. In the XP11 review I admired the wing profile, it's worth repeating again here... as it is an almost perfect sculpture. A lot of the glass areas are just flat, but the main windscreen is a complex, convexed shape and has a large helicopter feel... here again with all the glass it is highly realistic, and you can have the tint on or have clear glass. Cabin The cabin has a two-abreast layout in six seats, in the same check blue trim as XP11. Still very modern, and looks more towards the higher quality in XP12. Side doors can be left open in flight if required, but that would scare the bejesus out of anyone actually sitting in there, unless you were going for a parachute jump. Seat backs can be moved forward, and any, or all of the seats can be removed. The aluminium wall panels and riveting is still worth admiring, it looks and feels very realistic, note the parachute rail above. Cockpit The PC-6's cockpit is very basic in a utilitarian way, with just metal frames with all the controls or instruments added or bolted on... note the very rudimentary window air blower, it is basically a pipe with holes drilled in it? Still the quality of the instrument panel is absolutely first rate, it comes with lovely authentic instruments. The prominent forward metal frame bar also creates a shelf, and items like the quadrant and flap switch/rudder trim, clock (right) and Interrupt and the alternate trims are bolted directly on to the frame... note the loop wire park brake, it is really basic. ... three levers control "Prop", Throttle "Power" and Mixture "Idle" which has a safety gate. The lever to the panel push-pull rod is expertly crafted and has excellent realistic animation. T shaped throttle lever looks like a twin throttle handle but it isn't, but does carve out a working handle feel. Lower Flap selections are UP (0 degrees), TO (28 degrees) and LND (35 degrees). Rudder pedals are as basic as the ones you use with your simulator, it is just a simple moving bar and the extra pedals for brakes. The air and heat piping is visible and again something you would buy from your hardware store. Lovely simple control stick, with a PTT (Push to Talk) button front and has a trigger switch behind. Front seats are encased in a bucket style frame, and those hanging seat belts are still awfully well done. _________ Instrument Panel The instrument panel in this PC-6 is unique as it can be configured to your own personal preferences in the menu, a unique feature by Thranda, but first we will look at the default layout of the panel. The Porter is a strictly one pilot operation, rarely does it have two aviators flying, but the stick and rudder controls are provided in the second seat. So all the instrumentation is to the left and set around the pilot's eyes. Clear and concise, most instruments are quite large and really well done here. Standard Six covers Airspeed Indicator (knots), Artificial Horizon and the Attitude Indicator on the top row. Below is a ADF/VOR pointer, Heading Dial and Backup Attitude Indicator. Third row has a Vertical Speed Indicator, Turn Coordinator and Fuel Gauge (litres), far left lower is a Radar Altitude Dial. A note about the two Altitude Indicators in that the top row version only moves per hundred feet in a click, which I really like, unlike the backup standard clock dial version. Avionics package includes both the GNS 530 and the GNS 430 GPS units, a Garmin GTX327 transponder and bottom is a Garmin GNA 340 radio set. Centre panel left has four dials with two small top and two larger lower to cover the engine performance with (small) Prop RPM speed x 100 and gas generator RPM or Ng %, and below below (large) are the Torque psi and ITT or "Inter Turbine Temperature" gauge. Right side instrument panel has a few more engine readouts, these include the Indicators for the oil temperature, pressure, and fuel pressure which are combined into a single gauge... ... below is a ammeter and an voltmeter, the PC-6 utilises a 28V electrical system. A single 24V battery is installed to provide power for engine starting and as a secondary source for DC power. A 300-amp starter generator provides normal power at 28 volts. Far right is a suction gauge (Vacuum). Centre right panel is a Hobbs counter and a lovely Whisky Compass centre screen. There are two wing tanks of 170 US gallons each (643.5 liters, 1147.5 lbs, or 520.5 kg) of total of usable Jet-A fuel. These wing tanks gravity-feed into a small 2.9 gallon collector tank located behind the cabin rear bulkhead, which feeds the engine. The twin fuel tank gauges are lower right, in compliment with the total fuel gauge at the lower SS position. Dials are really well done and look really nice. All lower circuit breakers are active. The electrical switchgear are set out in two rows, top external lighting and lower Master (Power), Generator and various other generic electrical power switches. There is a panel each end of the instrument panel. To the right is a De-Ice system with ampere gauge. Left is the optional external fuel tank panel... ... each under-wing optional external tank holds an additional 49 gallons (185.5 liters, 330.7 lbs, or 150 kg) of usable fuel. The external tanks are really well done, but also makes the Pilatus look very military. Notable is the ADF panel sitting down between the two front seats, very hard to use in a simulator way, but again well done. At each of the end of the shelf, there are airvents which are fully animated for movement and flow. Menu - Tablet Biggest difference between the earlier PC-6 Porter in this updated XP12 version is a new menu... well sort of? The side Arrow window tab is still there, and it still does the same pop-up menu, but it is now in the shape of a iPad - Tablet. There is a reason for this change... the same iPad/Tablet can also be used as a Tablet in the aircraft. There is a brown circular patch on the window, if you press the hotspot, then the IPad/Tablet will appear, and the same tablet is also attached to the right hand side window. The iPad/Tablet can be adjusted, but not too far in movement as the window's glass gets in the way. The original seven menu selections have now been almost doubled to 13 selections, the side menu is also gone and they have all been replaced by square icons; Aircraft Options, Weight & Balance, INSTR Options, Panel Editor, Static Liveries, DYNAFEEL, Log Book, Checklist, Ground Handling, Dynamic Liveries, Flight Computer, Equipment and AviTab... at the bottom is a "Brightness" slider. Missing from the earlier menu is the "Camera" selection? Notable is that the screen tablet is set in a "Window" frame, and these window popups can be moved around the screen and also scaled in size... Aircraft Options This page menu is also changed from the earlier "General" selection, but the options and the layout stays the same, the layout is still as highly detailed and as very comprehensive as before in the General tab. Three selections cover group items, but any one item via "Click Spots" can be individually selected or hidden via the aircraft graphic. "ALL COVERS" will select engine inlet/outlet covers and pitot cover, "ALL TIE-DOWNS" for propeller and wing tie-downs and "ALL DOORS" for both cockpit doors, both cabin sliding doors and the twin engine cover doors, and open the forward panels and it exposes inside a lovely recreated PT6A-27 turboprop, flat-rated to 550 SHP (47.3 psi at 2000 RPM) as this is the Pilatus PC-6 B2/H4 version represented. The Engine can be set into two modes... SIMPLIFIED or REALISTIC In Simplified mode the engine will automatically limit the engine to remain below the maximum torque of 47.3 psi. In Realistic mode it will be up to the pilot to avoid exceeding the engine limitations. The propeller gearbox or propeller shaft can break if the torque limit is exceeded by a certain margin, resulting in engine failure and smoke in the cabin (the smoke can be cleared by pulling the firewall air shutoff control closed). There is also a very nice GPU (Ground Power Unit) and an Electric Tug on the rear tailwheel, that is controlled via your joystick. There is the selection of a SIMPLIFIED or REALISTIC tailwheel actions. in Simplified mode the tailwheel is standard X-Plane rudder connected yaw in a range of +- 30 degrees, In Realistic mode it functions as in the real aircraft. There is a section in the manual relating to steering in the freewheeling mode. Other Aircraft Options menu selections cover; Window and Instrument Panel Reflections on/off, Startup Running on/off, External Fuel Tanks show/hide, Chocks and brakes on/off. All EXT - External Lights can be switched on and off as can ALL INT - Internal lights. The lights can also be accessed on the aircraft graphic including the extending and retraction of the end of the wing landing/taxi lights, this action can be a bit fiddly and slow but clever. The lights on the PC-6 are now all LED. Weight & Balance The PC-6 has the same intricate great "Weight and Balance" menu as earlier. In both Lbs and Kgs, which can be selected via the toggle... ... Fuel can be added, and you can also use the twin-external tanks if they are then shown, and both are adjustable in the menu as well. Pilot, passengers and cargo can all be set for their individual weights (scroll), and the CofG (Centre of Gravity) parameters are all shown on a graph and with a marker on the aircraft of it's physical CofG, when done you can save the configuration and later reload it. As noted you can show/hide any of the rear seats, by pressing the X by the seat. Add in weights to the two front seats will also add in the Pilot (Dan) and his lovely female Co-Pilot. But adding in cargo (weight) will not put anything in there rear, unlike on some Thranda aircraft. INSTR Options A new menu item is your "Instrument Option" menu page. There are four options available; GPS #1 Popup (GNS 530), GPS #2 Popup (GNS 430), STEC 55 "Fifty Five X" Autopilot Popup, and there is also the option to change the Baro Units from mb to inhg. Panel Editor "Panel" is now "Panel Editor"... part of the Thranda "Dynamic Generation Series", also re-authored for XP12. More about the DGS Series The Thranda PC-6 Porter can be highly customised in two areas to suit your taste. First in Dynamic Panel, as there is no default instrument setup, as you can customise the panel to suit your own flying preferences. In the new iPad/Tablet configuration the screen space is now far larger than the old "Panel" Menu. This is good, because as some of the small access zones before tended to overlap each over, so you always found yourself adjusting (scrolling) the wrong item. Top row of options are 4 different panel backgrounds, Default Grey, White, Black and Blue. (Note all options can be mouse scrolled) There are also Five Panel "Presets". For most selections you have to save (overwrite) the preset you want, then reload the aircraft to get the panel configuration you want? Alpine Avionics Evolution Part of the options available is the EFD 1000 which is a self-contained multifunction digital display that is divided into a Primary Flight Display (PFD) in the top half, and an Electric Horizontal Situation Indicator (EHSI) in the lower half. As EDF 1000 systems go it is not highly featured system, with the GPSS, MAP, 360 and Menu functions all not simulated, but the display does pop-out... It works of course with the S-TEC Autopilot. Laminar Research G1000 Also part of the options is the duel screen Laminar Research G1000 GNS system, both the PFD and MFD/MAP pop-out for convenience. The RealityXP GNS 530W/430W or GTN 750/650 Touch 3D bezels are also available if you have these optional addons. The "Dynamic" in the panel is another featured DGS. Besides having different custom panel configurations, you can also customise the instrument panel by selecting "ENABLE 3D PANEL EDIT MODE". This will highlight the available instruments you can change in green. Selecting an instrument via the "INDIV INST" (Individual Instrument) and "ACTIVE INSTRUMENT" it will highlight the instrument you want to say, move to another place or adjust the position on the Instrument Panel... ... or hide the instrument completely to make space, say you don't want the Autopilot? then simply delete it. You can also add in tools and instrument features, like the "Switch Panel", or the Aspen EFD 1000, or the Reality XP bezels. You have access to all of the 44 individual instruments and avionic units... and basically you can also start with a completely blank panel and then create your own unique or personal instrument layout... and can have up to, or can save 14 different panel layouts (presets) ... so for absolute layout choice it is crazy! Static Liveries This was earlier called "Painted Liveries", now named just Static Liveries. There are only eight provided liveries, down from 16 earlier choices. But they are the best of the bunch. Thranda is the Default. The earlier twin white of the liveries that were noted as "DynamicLiveryResources" and "ZZTEMPLATELIVERY" liveries are now missing? as the DGS system has be refined, it is now more smoother and the long wait pause times have been reduced. There is a white "Blank_Livery" available (in the Documentation) as a template to add in more Static Liveries. DYNAFEEL "DynaFeel" is a system that dynamically adjusts the rate at which the controls deflect, in Pitch, Roll and Yaw. It is based on airspeed and how much the control's are deflected. This means the controls will feel light and responsive at low speeds and with some small deflections, but will get progressively heavier as the airspeed increases. Logbook This is one feature adopted from the JustFlight Menu. This Icon will just show the X-Plane Logbook window. Checklist New to the Thranda PC-6 is Checklist. A 36 page checklist is very comprehensive set in the iPad/Tablet. Navigation is via the lower left/right arrows, or you can scroll the pages via the centre box bottom. The Checklist will also pop-out into a scalable window, to make the list available anywhere in the cockpit.... You tick off the list one-by-one (green), but there is no default to clear the list in one click? Ground Handling This Ground Handling Icon is also new. This option just views the X-Plane default "Ground Handling" window. if you prefer that tool over the Thranda electric tug. Dynamic Liveries Earlier we saw the available "Static Liveries". Here you can actually design your own livery and save the livery. You have a menu to select on the right that can colour a certain part of the aircraft, like the Roof, Wing, Tail or Wing tips. Select which one you want and then adjust (scroll) the RGB colours for that area. Other options include changing the Registration of the aircraft and putting the "PC-6" logo on the tail. It looks hard but you can easily design a very nice livery in about twenty minutes... To help there is already 31 liveries already completed to choose from, or to adjust the finer details of any of the presets to your liking. ... when done you can "Save" (Add) the livery and then "APPLY" it to the aircraft. When you apply the livery the screen will then freeze for a few minutes, and go a bit weird? The results are however excellent. A note... if the created livery does not appear correctly? Then go to the Static Liveries and select "Apply", then go back to the created Dynamic Livery and do it again, this time it should create the livery you wanted. A feature is the (Quick) selection of Dirt via percentage selections you can adjust the amount of Dirt, Scratches and Dirt Int on the aircraft (0%-255%) and apply it instantly. So you can have either a pristine or a very grubby aircraft with just a twirl of the numbers. Also changes can can be made to the Metal or Rough surfaces, this can be applied to any of the liveries. Note you can apply the same Dirt and Scratches onto any of the Static Liveries directly via that menu. As noted before. the DGS system is far smoother in this new layout, it is also far easier to use as well with the larger scalable panel. Flight Computer Another new feature from the JustFlight menu. This shows you your current aircraft data including; OAT, GS (Ground Speed), Endurance, Range, NMPG/SMPG, Altitude, TAS (speed), Fuel Flow, Fuel Used, Headwind (knts) and Crosswind (Knts). Both units in Metric or Imperial are also available.... and you can reset the fuel burn. Equipment Under the "Equipment" Icon you have several items as external options, these items were originally under the MISC tab There are Five Equipment options. Top is the Regular or Tundra (large) Tyre option. A set of Skis. Mud Flaps can be used with either the Regular or Tundra tyred settings. Forward passenger window can be either sizes in Small or Large. And the optional twin wing tanks. AviTab AviTab is a PDF viewer, Airport info, METAR info and ILS frequencies information tool, it also has a moving map that supports online maps and offline maps, Navigraph integration in that you can link your Navigraph account and see the charts right in the cockpit. In the PC-6 the Avitab is available in both the 3D tablet and a scalable pop-out window. _____________ Lighting The lighting on the PC-6 is very utilitarian both externally and internally. Note the images here are from the X-Plane v12.1.0 beta, which is a huge improvement over the earlier X-Plane 12 lighting. There are two underwing Landing/Taxi lights, Red beacons top and lower fuselage (selectable) or you can have bright white Strobes, and the three standard Navigation lights. Instrument Panel is lit by a simple red light on the roof. And there are two sidewall mounted cabin lights for the rear. Amphibian Most Thranda X-Plane 12 releases now include both the wheeled version and also the Amphibian variant. There is no "Float" version here, only the Amphibian variant, but very good it is. The aircraft looks excellent in the air, but you have to be aware of the extra weight in takeoff and manoeuvring, the so called "pendulum" effect. Float design is the usual excellent Thranda thorough design and detailing, hull shape is excellent. Rudders are raised and lowered by a lever right forward side of the pilot's seat, or do as I do in using a keyboard command Excellent retractable gear is also very realistic, gear control is by the additional panel set on the beam in the centre panel. The performance on water is again absolutely first rate, water craft have come a long way in better realism since the introduction of X-Plane 12, here you are seeing the latest incarnation with the v12.1.0 water... it's now just perfectly brilliant. The "Equipment" Menu is also different in the Amphibian version. There is all new menu order, from top; Water Rudder (retracted/extended). Ladder Left, Ladder Right, Windows (Small/Big), Wing Tanks (Disabled/Enabled) and Docking Hold. We will look at "Docking Hold" first. This is the same tool as earlier noted as the "Slew" feature. Docking Hold mode allows you to manually move the aircraft around in a disconnected X-Plane space. It functions by temporarily overriding the various aerodynamic and physical forces on the X-Plane settings, it is to allow the user to reposition the plane as desired. This feature is however highly touchy and it is used mostly only really with the Amphibian/Floats option in docking the aircraft to say a pier or marina. But it works extremely well. The optional Left and Right ladders are connected to the wings. Both the Menu options of the same "Static LIveries, and "Dynamic Liveries" are also available for the Amphibian, with the floats being colour matched to the fuselage. Flying the XP12 PC-6 Porter First you have to understand the unique attraction to the PC-6 Porter. It is as they say a "Seat of the Pants" aircraft. True pilot's love the Porter because of the feel and reaction the aircraft has under their control. So if you need to get into an impossible remote landing strip then in most cases it will be with a Porter... short, rough even steep gradients are all challenges that the PC-6 can take on with it's incredible STOL - Short Takeoff and Landing capabilities. But also remember that in front of you is a massive PT6A-27 turboprop, flat- rated to 550 shp, turning a large Hartzell 4-bladed constant speed propeller. It is like having a powerful V8 engine attached to a Go-Kart, and in your case a monster of an engine attached to the light frame that you are sitting in... so the PC-6 is unique in the way you handle it, or fly it... overall you can see the immense attraction to pilots it has. So put on the power, and you get a serious "whoa!" in that PT6A-27 t will pull you left off the runway quick smart... even if you are ready for the pull, so slow power on to start, then build up the speed. Rudder action is however very good (considering the petit size), so you can easily straighten up the line, only 30 knts and the tail is off the ground... 70 knts and your flying. Use only one stage of the flaps (28º) and your flying even earlier, as the STOL effect is very good. The PC-6 has a rate of climb of 1,010 ft/min, or a 1,000fpm. But it can easily out-climb that rate at the limit, and still gain speed. Service ceiling is 8,197 m (26,893 ft). Thranda do note the engine limits for the PC-6, and to certainly the need not to exceed the parameters, as that would be easy with the power you have available, but now in the air and at your altitude it is time to trim the Porter. The electric trim is on the joystick and very easy to use (I have a keyboard trim setup), the trim display is left top on the instrument panel (arrowed). The PC-6 is super easy to trim via the vertical and a couple of flicks left of the rudder trim should have you easily flying hands off stick neutral, in fact you don't need an autopilot as the Porter will fly trimmed straight into the horizon very easily... one note though is there is no rudder trim, so the aircraft has a tendency to pull left under power, which you have to manually correct. I don't have any qualms at all in recommending the PC-6 as a "Pilot's" pilot aircraft, a bush plane that is easy to fly. For a novice flier, this is also a great starter aircraft, "Seat of the pants" sort of thing, you feel the Porter as much as fly it. Sounds have been re-authored in FMOD, capturing the subtleties of the PT6 engine and its very dynamic 4-bladed prop, with a lot more authentic wind noise and background sounds. Maximum speed is 232 km/h (144 mph, 125 kn) Vno, Vne: 151 knots or cruise at 213 km/h (132 mph, 115 kn). Range is 730 km (450 mi, 390 nmi) with maximum payload and Ferry range is around 1,612 km (1,002 mi, 870 nmi) with maximum internal and those twin-underwing fuel tanks. I checked out the banking again, and yes you still need that stick back-pressure to turn cleanly, but the stick feedback is very, very good, in fact the handling overall is quite superb. So the flight dynamics have also been extensively overhauled for both for the land and the amphibian version, and to closely match XP12's new dynamics. You can even adjust your altitude just by reducing the power, pull the throttle back and down you go, too steep then you can climb back just as quickly by pushing the throttle back up to counter the fall, and all without moving the stick... .. at the right height flare off the nose down attitude to rub off the speed... when the speed is around 80 knts and a good 15 knts into the white zone you can drop the flaps to 28º, this effect will then drag the speed down to the approach speed of 60 knts, lovely is fact there is no flap lift, or unbalance as the aircraft slows down, you feel the lift but not that secondary sinking feeling with less power... and it is all smooth as. I will note that with the no backlit instruments... in some lighting conditions the X-Plane 12 heavy shadows can make them hard to read, it is a very dark panel. Drop the flap to the full 36º and your speed will rub off to 55 knts, you are still flying well at this speed, but any less power and then you will lose height. Stall speed is only slightly below your approach speed at 96 km/h (60 mph, 52 knts), and you have a red light on the panel if you exceed this low speed. The trick is to go as low to the low speed warning without lighting the red light, it is the perfect landing speed as you will also wind down slowly to the runway. Only a slight flare is needed, it's a taildragger after all.... and your down! Yes flying the Porter was easy, but let us not get too cocky here as this aircraft is not for absolute total amateurs, skills were needed to do the right procedure, right speed at the right place to get that extremely exciting landing, but if you are good at flying like this, then the Porter will reward you back a thousand times over... as the PC-6 is brilliant to fly. _______________________________ Summary One of the most versatile and even a workhorse background utility aircraft, the Swiss built Pilatus PC-6 Porter is on of the most coveted pilot dream machines for its basic but powerful design, extremely flexible for its amazing STOL capabilities this is one of the most rugged and the best get in and then out of remote areas fixed-wing aircraft available. Daniel Klaue needs no introduction if you have been in X-Plane for a period of time, certainly one of the most innovative and one of the most talented developers out there that is highly regarded within the Simulator. This is a Dan Klaue aircraft and so you expect tons of ideas and clever features and certainly the PC-6 Porter does not disappoint in that department. Modeling and detail is absolutely first rate, this is an excellent Porter aircraft with a lovely design and high quality. For X-Plane 12 the PC-6 has had a very comprehensive overhaul, including all new authored textures in 8k (four times the higher resolution than before) it shows of course, but without the framerate hit. The EFB: Electronic Flight Bag, or the Thranda Tablet is all new, with now 13 options (up from seven before), and all the pop-out windows are scalable. Flying Dynamics are also completely revised for XP12, as is the better LED lighting. Advanced FMOD (2)-based sound system has also been extensively overhauled for XP12, and all of course recorded from a real PC-6 and it's PT6 engine, The innovative menu system "Dynamic Generation Series", in you can create your own instrument panel layout or layouts as up to 14 different layouts of 44 instruments and avionics can be saved with 6 default layouts including a Aspen EFD 1000 with S-Tec 55x autopilot, and the panel is also RealityXP GNS 530W/430W or GTN 750/650 Touch with 3D bezels ready. A huge selection of 32 liveries is still complimented with a feature to create your own colour scheme and livery, then you can save them as well. The feature list is huge, and the excellent Amphibian variant is now part of the package. This aircraft is X-Plane 12 only, but the X-Plane 11 version is still available. Simply a pilot's aircraft to fly and love, the Pilatus PC-6 Porter is extremely responsive to your inputs, but that is why you love this aircraft, skills are required to get the very best out of the machine as it is a powerful taildragger, but even the most early cadet pilots will still love it. That huge feature list and a great value price, all now in X-Plane 12, so this is the perfect PC-6 Porter you always dreamed of, and what more can you ask for! _______________________________ Yes! the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter - DGS Series XP12 by Thranda Design is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter - DGS Series XP12 Price is US$34.95 Retail Price:$44.95- you Save:$10.00(22%) Requirements X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB VRAM Recommended Download Size: 4.1 GB Current version 1.0 (May 4th 2024) _______________________________________________________________________ Installation and documents: Download is 4.05Gb and the aircraft is deposited in the "General Aviation" X-Plane folder. Installation key is required on start up and is supplied with the purchased download file. Full installation is 4.94Gb Documents supplied are: Blank_Livery_For_Painting ChangeLog.txt Thranda PC6 Documentation v1_2.pdf Thranda PC6 Expansion Pack Manual.pdf Thranda PC6 Manual XP12.pdf Thranda PC6 Performance Charts MASTER XP12.pdf Thranda Pilatus PC6 Graphics Settings XP11.pdf Thranda Pilatus PC6 Graphics Settings XP12.pdf Thranda Pilatus PC6 Joystick Settings.pdf X-Plane G430 Manual.pdf X-Plane G530 Manual.pdf A Blank Livery (PNG) of four files are provided for painting. Checklists, setting and loads of Performance graphs are provided in the various manuals _____________________ Review System Specifications:  Windows - 12th Gen IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU - 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB XLR8 - Samsung 970 EVO+ 2TB SSD Software: - Windows 11 Pro - X-Plane Version 12.05r1 (note, during the review X-Plane v12.1.0 was released, and features in the update are noted and shown in this review) Plugins: JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99 Scenery or Aircraft - PAWG - Wrangell Airport, Alaska by NorthernSkyStudio-PAWG (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$29.95 _____________________  Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton  16th May 2024 Copyright©2024 : X-Plane Reviews   (Disclaimer. All images and text in this preview are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions)

NEWS! - Laminar Research releases v12.1.0 It felt like a long time coming, and I haven't used the X-Plane Updater since December 2023? But here is the next update for the X-Plane 12 Simulator, it has a new name code as well in v12.1.0, with an extra digit added for incremental updates (that should mean more updates? but I'm not hopeful, given Laminar's past track record). This is a "beta" release, and that comes with ongoing development. The update list is extremely long (there are 354 bug fixes alone!), but the main feature areas are; Anti-aliasing (AA): Improved quality with better scene handling and coverage for alpha-tested surfaces (those with transparency). Depth of Field: More control with a setting for Real Camera Shake (RCAS) and a notification when textures are reduced due to memory limitations. Lighting: Bloom Effects and overall a more focused sources of lighting. Shadows: Smoother shadows overall, cloud shadows on water, and faster rendering times. Lightning: v12.1.0 features more realistic visuals with subtle color adjustments, distance variations, and bolt thickness changes via distance. Sound effects have also been improved for a more immersive experience. Particle Effects: The new system allows for particles on ground contact, easier editing with copy/paste, and datarefs for better control. Pre-built effects include jet engine afterburners (JATO), water bombing, ground scrapes, and rotor wash from helicopters. Aircraft configuration files (ACFs) let you disable these effects if desired. G1000 navigation system: including an accurate startup splash screen, a NAV page, a stormscope, datalink weather support, Terrain, a WPT page, an AUX page, and new datarefs. Water: Fixed water clarity issues, with color and transparency depending on location. Cloud shadows are now visible on water surfaces. Compatibility note: existing X-Plane 11 water scenery packs may not work perfectly due to differences in water rendering and might require updates from the creators. Autogen: Enhanced visuals for high-rise buildings in European cities and improved parking aircraft placement at airports, prioritizing larger planes for bigger spots. Supported flap systems: allowing the accurate simulation of manual flap controls such as the one in the Piper PA-28, with precise and gradual adjustments, and the dial-a-flap system, which is present in some McDonnell-Douglas aircraft. Early v12.1.0 images are simply breathtaking... Notable is the adjustable sharpness of the instruments... a huge difference in quality! You can find the full ongoing v12.1.0 beta details here: X-Plane 12.1.0 Release Notes To update v12.1.0, then just run the X-Plane Updater, it is a 5.3 GB update. Note that this a beta (beta tickbox is required to download the update). So expect more development as the v12.1.0 is consistently updated to the full v12.1.0 release. _________________ X-Plane 12 is purchased directly from Laminar Research for US$79.95 and the download file size is 86 GB X-Plane 12 Price is US$79.95 Minimum Requirements Disk space: 25 GB CPU: Intel Core i3, i5, i7, or i9 CPU with 4 or more cores, or AMD Ryzen 3, 5, 7 or 9 Memory: 8 GB RAM Video Card: a Vulkan 1.3-capable video card from NVIDIA or AMD with at least 2 GB VRAM Note: Intel GPUs are not supported by X-Plane 12 _____________________ NEWS! by Stephen Dutton 15th May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

Aircraft Review - AgustaWestland AW109SP by X-Trident The helicopter category is one of the most competitive in features and innovation than any other area in the X-Plane 12 Simulator. To a point it is brutal, as developers are consistently upping the standards to higher and higher levels. Can you go even higher? even to the next level? We are all about to find out with the release of X-Trident's next project... in the AgustaWestland AW 109SP. The AgustaWestland AW109, originally the Agusta A109, is a lightweight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter designed and initially produced by the Italian rotorcraft manufacturer Agusta. It was the first all-Italian helicopter to be mass-produced. Its production has been continued by Agusta's successor companies, presently Leonardo S.p.A. (formerly AgustaWestland, when merged into the new Finmeccanica since 2016). The AW109 is a lightweight twin-engine helicopter, known for its speed, elegant appearance and ease of control. Since entering commercial service, several revisions and iterations have been made, frequently introducing new avionics and engine technologies. AgustaWestland have promoted the type for its multi-role capabilities and serviceability. The type has proven highly popular with VIP/corporate customers (Think Succession TV Show); according to AgustaWestland, 50% of all of the AW109 Power variant had been sold in such configurations. Other roles for the AW109 have included emergency medical services, law enforcement, homeland security missions, harbor pilot shuttle duty, search and rescue, maritime operations, and military uses. In 2008, AgustaWestland claimed the AW109 to be "One of the industry’s best-selling helicopters". X-Trident have a lot of experience and also have a great "Track Record" in the X-Plane Simulator, certainly with quality helicopters, with the formidable Bell AB 412 and the CH-47D Chinook being the class of the field. X-Trident have also dabbled with the Tornado and Harrier AV-8B in the fixed wing military arena... but it is their rotary-aircraft that they are mostly aligned to. Like noted, quality is extremely high in helicopters. So any new debutant release has their work cut out to deliver something special. A first look at the AW 109 is really a special moment to savour, as the aircraft is totally eye-catchingly brilliant in detail. We have found the quality of dedicated X-Plane 12 aircraft to be already very good, even standout by a totally different level from even of the very best of older X-Plane aircraft, of say like Rotate's MD-80 and MD-11... Good X-Plane 12 aircraft have that standout believability and crediblity of realism. Note this aircraft is the AW 109SP. The "SP" is different by being a single pilot IFR, TAWS and EVS, with new avionics in Genesys Aerospace systems and the front section of the fuselage made from carbon fiber to reduce weight. Also it has the "S" lengthened main rotor blades with a different tip design from the Power version. When you first look at a lot of Simulation detail, it usually looks very good. But go close up and REALLY up close then the detail usually falls away. But not here with the AW 109, as when you get in close, you are just blown away, by not only for the excellent detail but also for the sheer quality of the work, it is "Realism 101", right down to every small rivet and joint. Your paying for this quality of course, but it is nice to admire the realism of it all. It feels factory fresh, but still a working machine as well. The Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206C Turboshaft engine, 418 kW (560 hp) each, are both semi-visible, another X-Trident speciality (think CH-47D Chinook)... and all vents and lockers are perfectly done, as are the massive exhaust cones at the top rear. Glass is perfection, lovely tinted, deep and have great surrounds... you won't get better detail than this. Helicopter detail is highlighted by one area, rotor movements, or the rotor system. X-Trident was one of the first to do detailed links and hub mechanics... so I expected the same here, I was not disappointed. Rotor hub assembly detail is intricate and fully detailed right down to the last cotter nut and pin. The red centre rubber cone is also highly realistically animated (the same on the tail rotor assembly), so you can spend a lot of time in moving it, and personally working it all out to your heart's content. Roll (right-left) Pitch (forward-back) Collective (down-up) Tail rotor detail, shows a developer at the very top of their skills development, it is a piece of simulated art. YAW is animated (right-left rudder). Retractable landing gear is excellent. Not only the perfect tyre and rim detail, but the internal bay is fully detailed as well, rear gear is perfectly realised to near perfection... it is about as good as you could do, and I love the scruffed tyres for ultimate realism. Doors Both front pilot and co-pilot doors open, and both rear doors slide open, but you can't hide them. You manually internally have to open the doors, first by moving the latch, then physically moving them open or backwards. There is a menu option as well. Note the fold out step... There is only one cabin option... VIP or "Succession" layout, all in white luxurious leather. Tricky is moving from the cockpit to the rear cabin, as the boundaries are very tight, there is a (very small) gap between the seats, so the best way is out one door and back in via the rear door? There is only the pilot provided and his arms are animated to the controls... there are no provided Co-Pilot or Passengers in the package. Menu The "AW109SP" menu is set in the X-Plane banner.... It has three options; Options, Windows and Operations... there is the "Toggle FPS", but this is just the X-Plane framerate data for development. Options (Configurations); In the options tab there are six available choices; Controls, Options, Sounds, Anim, Maps and Obstacles. Controls; There are a lot of options to set the AW109 controls to your best feel and reaction, in fact a full page of adjustments. Main are the "Damper" adjustments for Pitch, Roll and Yaw rates, a Non-Centreing cyclic, Servo (Autopilot) motors (off-on-test), Rudder Ovrd (override), lower are sections for "Collective", Pedals, Power Levers, Auto Mute, Auto HDG (Heading) and VNAV. Right side adjustments cover the Collective, with; FT rel (release) mode, Threshold, Pedals FT rel mode and pedals threshold. Collective Input can be via the keyboard, throttle or auto-detect, you can also reverse the settings as well. Options; X-Trident give you a lot of setting options. Synt Vision Range (0-2400 meters), Instruments (Standard or Performance), Popup (Standard, Performance or Show in VR), Scale, (0.5 - 1.5), APMS ALT knob mode (Select or Pre-Select), Collective Cue (Off, Normal or Bright) Tickbox options include; Auto load windows, Hide Frames Labels, Duplicate Popup, Hide 3d model... the "Hover" can be set to; velocity, Position or Auto. You can Enable the PFD-HDG, have a Realistic "Direct To" and a Custom VRS-Vortex Ring State (X-Plane 12 only). You can enable the "Replay mode", Show VFR labels, Hide the main rotor, Force the collective for ALT, and Use the collective with ATT. Notable is that the above is for what you would call a professional grade setup, another layer of adjustment above the normal conditions. Sounds; Top is the "Master", then you have two separate selections for both the Interior and Exterior sounds... Engines, Starter, Transmission, Main Rotor, Avionics, Cockpit and AWS - Advanced Warning System Anim (Animation). Left are the door sliders; Pilot, Co-Pilot, Rear Right & Rear Left. There is a glareshield animation which we will see soon. Bottom is a "Rotor Demo" that turns the rotors. MISC. are optional objects; Top are a pair of headsets in the cockpit, you can also touch them to hide. You can have the choice of putting the duel UHF aerials under the front fuselage, or a single one on the roof left. The sliding Step on the lower right fuselage can be seen or hidden if required. Detail of the step is excellent, only a step, but so well done. Last two options is an external Camera, and Anchor Plates on the fuselage. Crew... is the Pilot setting, Off (hidden), On (visible), or Auto (pilot visible only from the external view). Remove Before Flight... This set of options will put a load of tags, covers and plugs on the AW 109, including; Engine cover and plug (left and right), Pitot (left & right), cowlings (left & right) and set some nice wheel chocks. You can also "Ignore RBF" or hide them all. Maps; On this menu page you can insert custom area maps on the central "Mission Display" (MFD Multi-Functional Display). Obstacles; Selections of "Obstacle Groups" can be selected from this menu page. Windows: You can load and save instrument windows, and there are ten pop-out options available, SBY (Standby), EDU (1&2), PFD (Pilot/Co-Pilot), ND (Navigation Display), RTU (Radio) and Mission Display. The popup Window panels will also be seen soon. Operations: under the "Operations" there is only one option... to hide or show the rear wheel chocks. Cockpit. First view of the AW 109SP Instrument panel is a moment... Your actually shocked on how really good in realism it all is, it just "Blows your mind". The trick is in the instrument displays, they are an unusual colour in a dark, dark purple. But they give the panel a feel and look of complete absolute realism.... "oh wow". As noted you can move the glareshield towards you, if you want more shade over the instruments. OHD (Overhead Panel) is excellent, and big for a small helicopter... Lower panel is also really well done. Like noted earlier, the boundries are very tight in here, so moving around for a different angle to the instrument panel is quite difficult, hence the odd FOV angles to see the lovely white leather front seats. The VIP fitout and cockpit/cabin materials are all top notch, beautifully done and all very real. It is a seriously nice workplace. Look hard at the majestic fitted carpet... incredible, and the door frame moldings, perfection! Another "blows you mind" moment is when the instruments are powered up, it is not just blown this time, but your head explodes by the sheer detail before you, it is a kaleidoscope of colour... "wow', simply, "wow, wow". I will first note the excellent power up on all the displays, as each can be activated/shutdown separately via the units power switches (arrowed below). The procedures are beautifully activated, the centre EDU has a brief colour on startup, then it will "Test" the system, finally the IDU will display the current system information. The lower radio panels also take time to focus and turn on... it is all so very authentic, also highly realistic. All four IDU's popout in windows by pressing the centre of the IDU screen, also in the "Windows" menu as noted earlier. All the popout windows are scalable and can also be moved anywhere on the screen. Other popouts include the top Mission Display, SBY (Standby Instrument), EDU (Engine Display Unit) and RTU (Radio) Genesys Aerosystems IDU-450 EFIS The highlight here is the Genesys Aerosystems IDU-450 EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System). It comprises of two IDUs (Integrated Display Unit)s. Top the PFD (Primary Flight Display) and lower the MFD (Multi-Functional Display) with MAP. This set up is per normal with most Aircraft Avionic suits, but here the IDU-450 takes on a different concept. Notable is that the AW-109 has it's own dedicated set of EFIS flight systems software 8.0E, created by Genesys just for this machine, and that software version is replicated here by X-Trident. Note the 8.0E Manual can be downloaded directly from Genesys Aerosystems, the link is set below. In the last two decades, cockpit resources have followed the commercial carriers’ trend toward “Automation Centered” systems. These sophisticated systems minimize pilot involvement and automate control of the aircraft and its systems to the greatest extent possible, “pilot-centered” system. While still highly automated, this type of system, common in other military tactical applications, presents the pilot with information necessary to make decisions about the flight and take the appropriate actions. A good example is the Highway-In-The-Sky (HITS), which allows for highly automated approaches, but its predictive nature provides the pilot unprecedented awareness of upcoming maneuvers. EFIS Flight Logic goal is IFR-VFR equivalence and the basic concept of the FlightLogic EFIS is proven HUD symbology overlaying a real-time 3-D virtual reality view of the outside world. The resulting “Synthetic Vision” provides the pilot in IMC with the same simple visual clues for navigation and aircraft control as those used in VFR conditions. UPPER IDU (PFD) has the standard flying instruments, which are set out before the "Synthetic Vision" background, including the Speed and ALT tapes, Pitch and Artificial Horizon, Rate of Turn, and top a compass, also V/S Vertical Speed indicator is visible when used. The IDU has a simplistic military feel to the layout and to use. Access and selection is via the eight buttons set around the instrument. Left; FPL (FlightPlan), ACTV (Active), INFO and OBS... Right; MENU, BARO, NRST (Nearest). The MENU brings up the selections. (ZOOM, DCLTR, HRZ SYNC, DESIG and TIMER). BARO shows Barometer selections. NEAREST and OBS are also available. One tool is the "HORIZON SYNC", that locks the Artificial Horizon to the SYNTH VISION. IDU Menu selections are deep, and they need time to learn and navigate, there is a manual provided, it is also 500 pages long! LOWER IDU (MFD) The access buttons around the MFD are the same as the upper IDU, so do so the same menu actions... The MENU however has also a few different options; PAGE, FORMAT, DESIG and TIMER. Under PAGE you have eight screen options; MAP (Main), HSI (Horizontal Situation Display), NAV LOG, STRIKES, TRAFFIC, DATALINK, HOVER and WEATHER RADAR. HSI is your standard degree navigation tool, NAV LOG will show you your Flights, STRIKES (not yet implemented) will eventually show your current data, TRAFFIC will show the aircraft around you, DATALINK, the actual datalink page is not implemented here, but shows your control position (Cyclic & Rudder) and WEATHER RADAR shows the current weather. HOVER gives you a radar look of your hover position, movement and speed... we will look at this more in the flight section. The IDUs are brilliantly brought to life here, highly realistic and have excellent working menus. There are also like mentioned, a "deep dive" of branches of detail to get the most out of the Genesys system, "Study"... oh yes, certainly a study depth learning curve. EDU Centre instrument panel is the EDU (Electronic Display Unit), there are two units in EDU 1 and EDU 2. The EDUs are installed on the instrument panel and are identified as Primary EDU (EDU1), on the pilot side, and Secondary EDU (EDU2), on the co-pilot side. During normal operation both displays are operative. Important is that if one EDU goes out of operation, then the basic requirements of that EDU unit are then transferred to the other EDU unit called REVERSIONARY Mode. That aspect is really well done here. EDU 1 details N1, - TOT - TRQ - NR - N2 & Caution, Warning and Advisory messages EDU 2 details - Engine 1 oil pressure - Engine 1 oil temperature - Transmission oil pressure - Transmission oil temperature - OAT - Engine 2 oil pressure - Engine 2 oil temperature - Main hydraulic pressure 1 & 2 - Fuel Quantity - Fuel Pressure - Utility hydraulic pressure - DC current - DC voltage - AC voltage - Fuel flow - Normal utility hydraulic pressure - Emergency utility hydraulic pressure and Advisory and status messages. ON-OFF is the EDU power switch, BRT-DIM the unit's brightness. You can CLR mesages, and ENT (Enter) details, and the non label right lower scroll switch is for editing the Caution, Warning and Advisory messages (CWA), or new options to be scrolled. Caution/Warning menu is – WARNING messages (red) – CAUTION messages (yellow) – ADVISORY messages (green) – STATUS messages (cyan). M - Menu. Lower on each EDU is a menu button "M". This gives you a lower menu that covers three main options... - START. This key selects the START mode on the EDU1. – CRUISE. This key selects the CRUISE mode on the EDU1. – MAIN. This key selects the MAIN mode on the EDU2. Secondary options include – AUX. This key selects the AUX (auxiliary) mode (i.e. hydraulic, electrical and fuel information) on the EDU2. – TEST. This key initiates the BIT of the IDS system. It can be operated only when the helicopter is on the ground (WOW active). – POWER CHECK. This key initiates the Power Assurance Check recording. The "TEST" mode is particualarly well done.. RMS & APMS Centre lower panel are both the Radio Management System (RMS) panels, each side of the Automatic Pilot Management System (APMS) RTU 1 is right (Pilot) and COMM 2/NAV 2, RTU 2 is left (Co-Pilot) and is COMM 1/NAV 1. The central APMS is part of the AFCS - Automatic Flight Control System, and is basically a SAS or Stability Augmentation System. It stabilises a helicopter against pitch and roll disturbances due to wind gusts and turbulence. Modern systems include yaw as well and are sometimes called “three-axis systems. But the APMS is a far more advanced SAS in being say just an Automatic system, rather than a Manual action, Airbusie to Boeing if you sort of know what I mean. We will look at the APMS in more detail when flying the aircraft. Mission Display Located top central of the Instrument panel is the large "Mission Display". It has four options, PiP - Picture-in-Picture with a compass, "North UP" is also available. There are two settings for the External "Video Camera", close (ENHC - Enhanced) and long. You can zoom the MAP all the way out and in, via the Pop-out panel, there will be the option to add in moving maps. OHP (Over Head Panel) covers ELEC, LIGHT (Internal and External), FIRE EXTINGUISHER, VENT, AVNX BAY and ECS - Environmental Control System. All Circuit Breakers (Fuses) work. Both Throttle handles control the power to each engine, in set positions, and there is a very nice Rotor Brake as well. Lower panel covers Landing Gear lever and indicator lights, Park Brake, Fuel Valves, Engine Modes, AHRS - Attitude and Heading Reference System, and AURAL WARNING options. Cyclic and Collective There is great detail and functionality on both the Cyclic and Collective controls, slightly less on the Co-Pilot's control set. Pilot's Collective has 2 engine GOV (governors), Engine Trim, Float, Main Trim, Search Light and Landing/Taxi lights, there is a Master rest on the handle. On the Cyclic is a ATT (Attitude Retention System), Wiper (right), NR, Main Trim and a AP DISC (Autopilot disconnect. Co-Pilot's Collective is slimmed down to Engine Trim, External Search Light and Main Trim, on the Cyclic is the ATT button, Wiper (left), Main Trim and AP DISC. AW109 Lighting In my version the lighting feels not finished? There are three adjustment knobs for the INST PNL (Instruments Panel), OVHD (OverHead Panel) and PED (Pedestal), mostly the highlighting. There is a Cabin light, but it doesn't work? and the two overhead spot lights are dead as well. There is a DAY and NIGHT lighting mode and the Passenger Warning Lights work in the rear. External Lighting has very nice Landing/Taxi lights in the stub wings, Navigation Lights (Stub and Tail), Two Beacons (top and bottom fuselage). Under nose left is also a retractable "Search" light. __________ Flying the AW109 The first question is... is the AW109 easy to fly? This is still a helicopter with helicopter controls and feel, so you still fly it like a helicopter. But the trick here is that like an Airbus, it also has control laws and protections. These so called "helpers" do however smooth out your inputs and give you more control in the hover, modes you could call them. But it does make it a far more easier machine to master and control, so it is a very nice helicopter via it's controls, a sort of Limousine for the air, also noted as "Ferrari of the skies" because of it's speed. Now a note. You don't get an external power unit with the X-Trident AW109? So when you want to fly from a "Cold" set up, you have to move quickly once the battery switch is thrown, as your then on a "Battery Drain" timer, so you will need some engine/generator power as soon as possible. If you do go dead... the AgustaWestland is "dead, dead". And only a complete restart will get you back to life (a fault fix doesn't recharge the battery). Flightplans In most cases I don't usually do flightplans in Helicopters, as most flights are usually only short distances, or a circuit back to the same airport. But the AW109 is a more of point-to-point aircraft, and the flightplan system is extremely good here, so we will take a look at it... Select FPL (Flightplan) and it will show two options... SELECT and CREATE-EDIT. SELECT is a selection of .fms flightplans from your X-Plane/Output/FMS plans folder. The navigation of the flightplan selections is very easy via the right knob, press the centre to activate! CREATE-EDIT allows you to create a flightplan from scratch, or edit a flightplan. In CREDIT-EDIT mode you now have a menu option, CREATE FLIGHT PLAN, ACTIVATE FLIGHT PLAN, EDIT FLIGHT PLAN, (Reverse Flight Plan), (Delete Flight Plan), CREATE USER WPT (Lat-Lon) also (Rad-Dst), EDIT USER WAYPOINT, DELETE USER WAYPOINT and (Raim Prediction). Selecting "CREATE FLIGHT PLAN" will bring up the Flightplan editor.... with two options "EXIT" or, and back when editing ICAO codes. Press ADD to construct a Flightplan. You are given options in NRST APT, NEAREST VOR, NRST NDB, NRST FIX and NRST USER (AIRWAYS is also available). Then your Airport ICAO code can be directly keyboard entered via the lower box, return works as well. If you press NRST APT (Airport), the IDU will bring up a scroll box of nearby ICAO airports to choose from, again navigation is by the right knob and press the centre to activate. ADD again and this time a FIX (Waypoint - OKTOV), then build up the flight plan with the required VOR - NDB - FIX - USR - AIRWAYS... then another APT at the end. The system is very simple and extremely easy to use. When done you can SAVE the Flightplan to the the .fms folder. You can (edit) via INSERT or DELETE. Select the FIX or Navigation ICAO via the scroll knob, then select, or DELETE the FIX, INSERT is very much the same, by selecting the fix you want to add next, then fill in the ICAO. Flightplan competed it shows in the MAP and on the NAV LOG page. Other MAP options include; CENTER, N (North UP), PAN ON, SYMB DCLUTR and FNCT DCLTR (hint here, the TERRAIN selection is hidden in the FNCT menu). MAP RANGE (zoom) is also available, and DIRECT-TO is also great for changing the flightplan in flight. Just add in the FIX ICAO code lower right, or select from the NRST scroll list The flightplan mode is a very solid piece of work from X-Trident, and it is very well replicated from the original Genesys system. LFML (Marseille Provence) to LFMN (Nice Côte d'Azur Airport) Fuel selected on the lower console, and the Throttles are both set to Idle.... the engine starters (1&2) are on the top of the throttles, then you watch the EDUs come alive as the aircraft goes into a start mode. It is all Full Authority Digital Electronic Control (FADEC), so the start procedure for each PW-206C is fully automatic... In come the start up procedure sounds, the start whine then the rotor clatter, but clatter is not the right word, an air-conditioned high whirr is closer in sounds to this modern machine. Both throttles go forward to "Flight" and the "NR" goes to maximum, wait a few moments to gain the extra thrust, then your ready to go... Feel is everything with helicopters, hands and feet. With the AW109 the feel is slightly different? The software helps in the controls, helping you manoeuvre the machine, mostly by giving you more of a wider parameter to work with. The effect is opposite... as the machine will take smaller inputs, as explained by the yaw in the tail-rotor... so usually in most cases you have to use a LOT of right rudder to control the tail rotor thrust, but here you don't as the thrust is more centralised, so you don't have to push so hard, as the system compensates for you. So getting up into a hover, and keeping the AW109 straight is very easy. I can even store the gear in the hover, just by holding the machine static with absolutely no effort. Slightly nose down and bit of collective and your moving forwards, more nose and more collective, and your now gaining speed. So manual flying with the AW190SP is excellent, a pussy cat really. As you can easily get the altitude and adjust forward speed that you want. Here now I am doing 131 forward knots and 1600ft. There is a reason for this? I need a steady forward speed and height to activate the APMS or Autopilot. To activate you select the AP1 & AP2 buttons, Then press the ALT pyramid to hold the altitude, then HDG for the heading selection. All your APMS selections are shown in the lower box on the upper IDU. The APMS does require a bit of study, it is a complicated system to a point, to navigate, but once you have worked it out, it is brilliant to use. Some adjustments work on the fly, like speed (IAS) and V/S, but a few are select, then press the button on/off, in this case the HDG, select the new heading then click the HDG buton off then back on, and only then will the AW109 go to the new heading. Now the Autopilot is flying the aircraft, and so I head back to the start point of my flightplan... I spent time doing the flightplan, because it is an excellent requirement for one of the best features of the Genesys system... I get past the first APT waypoint then line up the flightplan, then I press NAV to engage the AP to the flightplan. Once you activate the flightplan, you get a tunnel of wireframes on the upper IDU, that you will fly though, and they are your route guide right through the flightplan... first you align with the wireframe tunnel, then it becomes the central part of the PFD. It is exceptionally well done, beyond brilliant, so very authentic. The machine is quite automatic, the APMS system will adjust for you in Speed (collective) and Altitude. Select a new altitude and then set the V/S for the speed of the climb (or descent), press ALTA to hold that altitude and the aircraft does the rest. Both IDU's are also independent of each other, so you can have different range (zoom) levels on either display At each waypoint you will get a symbol in the PFD IDU, a circle that gets larger as you approach the FIX... as go though the circle you will then go to your new heading, again it is all fabulously well done. Selecting the NAV LOG will give you your full Flightplan with detailed Waypoints, Path, Distance, ETE, ETA and your Fuel useage. Other waypoints use other symbols, here an NDB waypoint shows the point of the position of the NDB on the forward IDU map. The AW108SP has a maximum speed of 311 km/h (193 mph, 168 kn), a cruise speed around 285 km/h (177 mph, 154 kn) and a never exceed speed of 311 km/h (193 mph, 168 kn). The ferry range is 932 km (579 mi, 503 nmi) and the the Rate of climb is 9.8 m/s (1,930 ft/min). Spectacular is the cockpit in flight, the rear cabin is not bad either for the Logan Family, as we cruise by the French Riviera heading towards Nice. Now at the final turn to Nice (LFMN), the final turn has a different fix symbol in a diamond on a point. I am now down to an 80 kts approach speed at 200 ft... time to activate another brilliant feature, "HOVER" mode. The button is however slightly hidden on the very right middle on the APMS panel. Once activated the HOVER display is automatically shown in the lower IDU. Activating and the AW109 with then slowly come to a stop at the designated height. On the display the Flight path marker is removed at low speed, <30 knots groundspeed, and is replaced with hover vector symbology. The hover vector indicates direction and groundspeed of drift at low groundspeeds (when lower than 30 IAS) consisting of Large Aircraft Symbol Reference Marks, an inner concentric ring indicating ten knots groundspeed, an outer concentric ring indicating 20 knotsgroundspeed, and a vertical and horizontal dashed line passing through the center extending to the outer ring. You manoeuvre in the HOVER by using your HAT (Joystick) set to Trim, Up, Down, Left, Right and a purple circle is your target point (arrowed) that moves at your commands, then the AW109 will follow in that direction... The pad's H will also show in the display to get the perfect alignment of the landing pad... You then use the RHT knob on the APMS panel to descend (or gain height) with the Vertical Reference system VRS-3000, which is also available to make an absolute perfect landing! It is totally brilliant, simply easy to use and a dream for those that struggle to land Helicopters... the old way to manually fly to a hover then land, still works, but this is way more fun and engaging. By the way I landed with my feet off the rudder pedals! I can't even get close the detail and symbology available here with this Genesys System in a review and provided here by X-Trident, as noted the manual is 500 pages long, highly detailed, but well worth studying... I will note it is certainly another major level in helicopter flight immersion, I was totally captivated by what you have here at your disposal... unbelievably brilliant by X-Trident. Liveries There are four liveries (with more expected). Default is the Brazilian Havan PP-UUU, plus MountainFlyers, Silver OM-TVR and a clever Thunderbird 1. Summary The AgustaWestland AW109, originally the Agusta A109, is a lightweight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter designed and initially produced by the Italian rotorcraft manufacturer Agusta. It is known for its speed, elegant appearance and ease of control. X-Trident have a lot of experience and also a great "Track Record" in the X-Plane Simulator, certainly with quality helicopters, with the formidable Bell AB 412 and the CH-47D Chinook being the class of the field. X-Trident have also dabbled with the Tornado and Harrier AV-8B in the fixed wing military arena. X-Plane 12 is delivering exceptional quality aircraft for the X-Plane Simulator, and the AgustaWestland AW109SP is certainly well within that "Excellent" category. Quality and detail is off the chart, as we approach perfection in realism, as there is nothing to fault here, just to admire. The rotor head/tail rotor is fully animated and detailed, right down to the last nut and screw, perfect glass is highlighted by the top rated undercarrriage with it's realistic hubs and tyres. The P&W Canada PW206C Turboshaft engine is only partly viewable, but well done. The focus is on the avionics, or the installation of the Genesys Aerosystems IDU-450 EFIS. This is a deeply conceived system with built in “Synthetic Vision”, there are two sets of IDUs for both PFD and MFD for both pilots. EDUs (Electronic Display Units) are also highly developed as is the Backup Instrument, and Radio RDU. Another highlight is the Automatic Pilot Management System (APMS) Or Autopilot with built in Auto hover. The APMS is a highlight of the machine, but in also adding in the flightplan capability and symbology, it is a major step forward in Helicopter flight immersion. Both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11 separate versions are part of the package. Sounds are not a highlighted feature here, but they are FMOD 2 and quality based from a real AW109, I really liked them and the 3d dynamic sound was very good internally and externally. Features are however not overly represented for a helicopter, with the focus on the Pro market for menu settings and features. Only one cabin version, and even missing a Co-Pilot and Passengers, the usual wire cutters, mirrors, doors off, belly hook and even an external Ground Power Unit are all missing. The AugustaWestland AW109SP represents another level of immersion in the competitive X-Plane arena of vertical flight, big words can be said here, Amazing, Incredible, Category Dominating, Totally Immersive.... The AW109SP is all of these things and more, another step forward, another height achieved, overall it is a damn nice helicopter to use and fly, and a totally worthwhile investment. __________________ Yes! - the AgustaWestland AW109SP by X-Trident is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : AgustaWestland AW109SP Price is US$45.00 Requirements Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 2 Separate files are provided at no additional cost Mac, Windows, Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 593 MB Current version: 1.0 (May 11th 2024) Designed by X-Trident Support forum for the AgustaWestland AW109SP Download The AW109SP is a 432Mb download with an installation size of 934Mb, in your X-Plane Aircraft folder, this is an X-Plane 12 aircraft only. All updates are via the built-in Skunkcrafts Updater Documentation There is excellent full coverage documentation and installation details for the AW109SP, including; 10_AW109SP for X-Plane - quick guide v1.0.pdf 20_AW109SP for X-Plane - AP and FMS tutorial v1.0.pdf 30_AW109SP for X-Plane - CHECK LIST v1.0.pdf The Full "8_0E-IDU-450-Rotorcraft-Rev-A" Genesys System manual is available for download here; https://genesys-aerosystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/8_0E-IDU-450-Rotorcraft-Rev-A.pdf _____________________ Review System Specifications:  Windows - 12th Gen IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU - 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB XLR8 - Samsung 970 EVO+ 2TB SSD Software: - Windows 11 Pro - X-Plane Version 12.05r1 Plugins: JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 Scenery or Aircraft - LFML- Airport Marseille XP by At (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$24.99 - LFMN - Nice Cote d'Azur v2 by JustSim (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$18.50 Review by Stephen Dutton 12th May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Aircraft Updated : PAC CT/4E Airtrainer v3.0 by vSkyLabs The little Pacific Aerospace Corporation CT/4 Airtrainer has already had two X-Plane 12 patches, the last one was v2.2a (15th February 2023), but here is the really official X-Plane 12 version in v3.0 of the aircraft, plus a few nice updates and touches to this extremely nice trainer aircraft. The Pacific Aerospace Corporation CT/4 Airtrainer series is an all-metal-construction, single-engine, two-place side-by-side seating, fully aerobatic, piston-engined, basic training aircraft that is manufactured in Hamilton, New Zealand. The X-Plane 11 PAC Airtrainer Review is here: Aircraft Review : PAC CT/4E Airtrainer Project by VSkyLabs There are some interesting details in this v3.0 update... the AEIO engine has been tuned, and the airfoils have been revised. PBR has been added to the External and Internal textures and there is better enhancement for VR (Virtual Reality). Finally the FMOD sound system has been updated to v2. V3.0 Changelog Flight Dynamics: Inverted flight fuel-tank is now simulated (allows maximum 10 seconds of inverted flight/negative g). AEIO-540-L1B5 Engine tune-ups: Power tuneups including power gradients calibration. Fuel consumption curve update including cruise performance. Airfoils update. Graphics: PRB setup for interior and exterior models to fall in line with the latest X-Plane 12 rendering aspects. Various 3-d modeling enhancement for the interiors. Paint-kit update. Systems: 3-d HUD was added (optional feature). Sounds: New FMOD 2 sound pack. POH: Manual update rev.004. Added Lycoming O-540/I540 performance charts. Added 'Essentials' pdf file with assignments summary. This project is part of the VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' series, designed specifically for use with X-Plane cutting edge Experimental Flight Model. Images are courtesy of vSkyLabs... the PAC Airtrainer is availble for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11, however the XP11 version does not have the effects and features that is available in X-Plane 12. I really loved the quality of the PAC in X-Plane 11, so an update to X-Plane 12 quality would bring out even more of that exceptional realism! The PAC CT/4 Airtrainer by vSkyLabs is now available to update from the X-Plane.OrgStore! Just log into your account and download v3.0 ___________________________ Yes! PAC CT/4 Airtrainer v3.0 by vSkyLabs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : PAC CT/4 Airtrainer Price is US$32.95 On sale: US$32.95 US$23.07 you Save:US$9.88(30%) Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 3.0 (May 6 2024) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 7th May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS - Aircraft Released : Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter - DGS Series XP12 by Thranda Design Thranda Design have released their excellent Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter for X-Plane 12. The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a single-engined STOL utility aircraft designed by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. First flown in 1959, the PC-6 was produced at Pilatus Flugzeugwerke in Stans, Switzerland. It has been built in both piston engine- and turboprop-powered versions, and was produced under licence for a time by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. After 604 deliveries in 63 years, Pilatus ended production in 2022. Originally released in X-Plane 11. The "Porter" has had an extensive overhaul and upgrade for X-Plane 12, including... Re-authored textures in 8k (four times higher resolution than before. One 8k texture = FOUR 4k textures!) Completely re-done normal maps, and largely re-authored albedo textures. Fully re-authored sounds in FMOD, capturing the subtleties of the PT6 engine and its very dynamic 4-bladed prop with a lot more nuance and detail than before. Completely overhauled flight dynamics, both for the land and the amphibian version, to most closely match XP12's new dynamics Systems matched to new XP12 standards. Overhauled existing dynamic livery, added dirt and scratches effects (configurable in real-time). Now has "Modern" and "Classic" paint scheme layout. Re-authored lighting to take better advantage of XP12. EFB: Electronic Flight Bag, or the Thranda Tablet. All the extra functionality of this plane has moved from the fly-out menu (v11 PC6) to the EFB. Use it in 3D: you can move it from the pilot's side to the copilot's side, or disable it completely in 3D. Mounted on a swivel, for convenient viewing angle. Use it as a 2D pop-up window, or pop the window out onto a secondary screen. Use it in VR in either mode. Control the brightness of the EFB in 3D or 2D Intuitively set up like an iPad with different apps, all documented in the included manual. The PC-6 is part of Thranda's "Dynamic Generation Series", re-authored for XP12. More about the DGS Series Features Aircraft Options App: Option to run the engine in realistic mode or simplified mode. Control over chocks, tie-downs, and engine covers Control over the electric tug Window reflections on or off Instrument reflections on or off Startup running or cold and dark Control retractable landing lights via scroll wheel (independent left/right, Infinitely variable tilt, to use lights for both taxi and landing purposes.) Ground Power Unit (GPU) option External fuel tanks (under the wings) Steering options: realistic or simplified. Control over exterior and interior lights via a schematic of the plane. Control over doors and engine access Weight and Balance app Full control over aircraft's weight and balance. Control weights on a per-seat basis, or dial in the desired total, and the desired CoG directly. Hide seats, and replace weight with cargo. Control fuel quantities in the wing tanks by simply scrolling over the wing tank with the mouse. External fuel tanks can be enabled and disabled, and their weight independently controlled. Add weight to the copilot's seat, and the copilot shows up. Switch between Lbs and Kg. Preview weight and balance on a graph Load preset configurations, and save them to disc for later use. Instrument options app Call up pop-up windows for GNS430/530/Autopilot Switch between InHG and MB display in the Kollsmann window of the altimeter. Dynamic Panel app Move any instrument to any location on the panel, or even between pilot and copilot's seat. Supports 3rd party RealityXP GTN750 instruments, also fully configurable Save your own presets, and even share them with the community! 2 operating modes: Layout page and Individual Instrument page. Move instruments around a virtual panel layout or use numerical entry for precision placement. Also allows for control over instrument placement in 3D space, via special click spots that are made visible in edit mode. GNS430 and 530 can be swapped out, but a restart of the plane is required, as 430s and 530s are mutually exclusive in terms of compatibility. Supports G1000 configurations. Several preset panel configurations, showcasing different layouts and instrument equipment. Choose between different panel backgrounds. Static Livery app Preview available liveries and tailnumbers by scrolling over the plane. Apply dirt and scratches dynamically Also supports 8 traditionally painted liveries, in all their full 8k glory! Compatible with custom liveries. (Folder names should be named the same as the registration number, and the plugin picks that up as the livery's name.) DynaFeel app Dial in exactly how difficult you think the controls should be. This simulates different pilot's physique and strength. (Stronger pilots can put more pressure on controls, and hold full deflection at higher speeds). Log Book App Calls up Laminar's log book in a separate pop-up window. Log your flights and track your virtual adventures. Checklist App Very complete checklist, allowing for the ticking off of boxes of completed items. Navigate the many pages by using the scroll hotspot at the bottom of the checklist Pop up or pop out checklist app as a separate window Ground Handling App Call Laminar's default ground equipment, if you prefer that over the Thranda electric tug Opens up a separate pop-up window. Dynamic Livery app Create "virtual" liveries, based on one common design layout, and assign any color to any available paint segment. Now supports control over roughness and metalness Add dirt and scratches to your dynamic livery, and save these settings along with your livery preset. Quickly create preview of livery in real-time, using intuitive controls Apply selected livery in real-time (Granted, with these huge textures, it may be a bit of a wait... but no external graphics software required!) Option to include/hide manufacturer logo and "PC-6" sign Option to change the tail number in real-time, or disable it altogether Easily and quickly create dozens of paint schemes in-sim! Flight Computer App Easily visible data like OAT, Groundspeed, Endurance (HH, MM), Range, NMPG, altitude data, airspeed data, Fuel Flow, used fuel, headwind and crosswind component data. Pop up or pop out Flight Computer app as a separate window. Equipment App Tires: Choose between Tundra and regular-sized tires Skis: Enable or disable skis for snow ops Mud flaps: Enable or disable Windows: Choose between regular windows and massive windows in the sliding rear doors Wing tanks: control the loaded fuel weight in the "Weight and Balance" app. Option to enable/disable wing tanks, with realistically simulated weight, momentum, rotational inertia, and drag characteristics AviTab App (optional) If AviTab (freeware plugin) is installed, it can be viewed inside the tablet, or as a pop-up window. SkunkCrafts Updater Thranda recommends using the standalone SkunkCrafts Updater app, to stay up-to-date on the latest versions of the plane. Option to participate in Beta program, via check box in SkunkCrafts Updater Excellent ULTRA hi-res PBR realistic materials, featuring true-to-life plate deformation and to-the-rivet precision. Flight dynamics and systems: The PC6 has quite a few very unique flight characteristics, including the ability to enter Beta mode in flight, and these are faithfully reproduced. (This allows for very steep descents.) The real PC6 is considered to be a real STOL workhorse, whose flight characteristics and excellent STOL capabilities are calibrated to maximum precision in the sim Details, such as the condition lever latch mechanism and a functional throttle gate add to the realism Sliding passenger doors respond to G-forces, so when returning from a parachute drop, while on a steep descent, the doors will roll shut. Over-torquing the engine will cause shaft damage, when in "realistic" mode. This can result in prop loss, cabin smoke, terrifying turbine shaft friction sounds, etc Smoke in engine can be brought under control by killing the "Firewall Air" via cabin lever Tie-downs and chocks actually keep the plane from moving, even in high winds Advanced FMOD-based sound system: High fidelity, multi-track sounds with smooth transitions Individual volume control over different aspects of the sound experience Different sounds for front of plane than for back of plane Panning around the plane in exterior view yields awesome 3D audio effects, including "blade slapping" sound when view is perpendicular to prop Prop pitch produces characteristic aerodynamic aural effects, especially during Beta and Reverse mode. Individual buttons and switches in the cockpit each have their own unique sound. Realistic electrical sounds, based on bus load and other factors (Sounds actually give you clues as to what's happening under the hood) Combustion roar sound typical for turboprop engines -recorded from real PT6 engine Outside wind intensity is affected by slip and AoA. (The more the surface area of the fuselage is hit by oncoming wind, the louder the sounds) Support forum for the Pilatus PC-6 XP12 Images are courtesy of Thranda Design he Thranda Design DHC-2 Beaver is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore for X-Plane 12 only. _________________ Yes! the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter - DGS Series XP12 by Thranda Design is NOW! available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter - DGS Series XP12 Price is US$44.95 Currently US$44.95 or $10.00(22%) Off Requirements X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB VRAM Recommended Download Size: 4.1 GB Current version 1.0 (May 4th 2024) ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 5th May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Right Reserved.

Behind the Screen : April 2024 By of Easters past... it was a very quiet month this April 2024. X-Plane again played the game of each other waiting for the other. The worst was the extended X-Plane 12 development period, until the beta release in September 2022. Then things moved forward, if in only dribs and drabs. In fact X-Plane 12 wasn't actually of what you would call completely "usable" until v12.0.8 (rc-3). Here we are again... in waiting. This time it is the newly numbered or categorised v12.1.0. This version was publicly given a performance at the FS Weekend in Lelystad, the Netherlands, then a week ago another windowshop was done at the "Fun and Sun Aerospace Expo" in Florida. All very nice. Of course the current simulator is usable, you can still fly your beloved dream machine anytime you want to, so what is the problem you ask? The problem is that this latest v12.1.0 version is the most important since the release of X-Plane 12. In some ways more important in that it will finally bring all the threads together, and FINALLY fix problems that have gone on too long. Remember X-Plane 12 was 16 months late, v12.1.0 will be to date over five months late... and yes I am going on about this again. Easter is the big release month of the year. You would think Christmas was the biggie, but it's not from a sales perspective, not counting Black Friday (does X-Plane count as cyber Monday?). But the problem for Christmas is that if you have some saved cash to spend in this holiday period, it is not going selfishly to you now is it? You may get away with a great sale purchase on Black Friday, but honestly that spare cash is going to have to go towards lavishing presents on your loved ones and covering the costs of a thanksgiving turkey, or Christmas dinner. Worse is that any available free time is also in being wanted to be with your loved ones, extended family loved ones or stuck at the airport in waiting for the snow to clear. Christmas is like that, as you simply have no time and absolutely no money for yourself. Now Easter is perfect... You have already worked your guts out hard for over three months, so are wanting a little reward for all your hard earned efforts. There is usually a nice sale on at the Store, but more importantly is that after Easter there are two perfectly clear weeks with no commitments, plus besides opening an Easter egg, you can selfishly hide away and fly to your heart's content, no commitments, pure unabated freedom... two whole weeks of flying, and no guilt! Although you will find something nice on the Store for this unconfined period, the really nice, nice thing to have is something new, even better is something really special to learn and fly. You can then spend all that time delving through manuals and learning those complex cockpit tasks to your heart's content, the most committed will even do a really long haul, a 12 hour crusade from one part of the world to the other... So where is the problem? Snazzy developers know this. So they are in wanting to put their bright shiny (usually expensive) new project right there on the Store for you to absorb, usually make it wanting in those precious few weeks leading up to the Easter holiday period. The only annoying thing is you are faced with is usually which of the biggest of the glittering projects are you going to purchase for those available spacious two weeks. So what could go wrong? Top level developers usually get an advanced Alpha copy of the latest X-Plane version from Laminar Research. This is a two way talkfest to find mostly the hidden bugs and if the newly inserted simulator features will work correctly on the current aircraft. Here is a hint in the rain feature on aircraft windows. Originally it was Librain, then the rain was internally converted into the actual X-Plane Simulator. Laminar should do more of these outsourcing of ideas, for two reasons, it speeds up development and a lot of these third-party gizmos are very clever. To their credit Laminar have finally absorbed a few of the better ones with X-Plane 12. So in the Alpha, you can see or test if the new feature works as required, the bonus is that the developer can then also incorporate the same feature on their incoming latest release. v12.1.0 has a lot of lighting changes, so it is a lot of work to refine all those lights to match the newer requirements of the coming version release. But from the developers point of view, you can't release the new project with all the latest wizz-bang features built in, if the Version release is not released to the general user public. You have a choice, put out the current model, then update later with the official release when finally out there. But that is releasing two different projects within weeks of each other, plus you can't take advantage in your marketing of those new features that will all be bright and sparkle on your aircraft (even scenery has a load of lighting effects)... second choice is hold off for the v12.1.0 release, then put the project up for sale. The ongoing delayed release then creates another problem? If every developer holds off for the imminent release, then they are all piling up together behind the V12.1.0 intergration... so once that is implemented, then you get a rush too the store. For most users you only have a set allowance of disposable funds, yes you might buy one top level aircraft ($70-$90) range, maybe even a lighter release ($30-$40) range, but if you have four or five big releases coming at you at the same time, your not going to, or be able to purchase them all. In most cases releases are staggered, usually two to three weeks apart so the market can absorb these disposable income funds. So the release date for a developer is extremely important to get right, for a maximum return on their work. Even if Laminar Research release v12.1.0 in the next few weeks, then the developers have spread out their wares as well. We saw this with the over long X-Plane 12 release itself, and it took ages to sort out, mostly six months... but that was a different time and story. So there is a queue building out there, but it does give developers a little more time to fine tune their project, make them better, and when they do arrive they will also have the latest X-Plane 12 v12.1.0 features available as well. And they are certainly worth waiting for. But that queue is a problem, go with the others put up the product on the store and compete hard for your disposable dollar, but in this aspect you will lose, certainly if FlightFactor releases the Boeing 777v2, everyone will want that. Your other choice is to wait, spread out the release date, and it is a better deal for you... in the end. So at this point you have nothing, then you will be faced with everything all at once? In looking at the now X-Plane 12 defined aircraft. You do get this highlighted quality that is head and shoulders above the last X-Plane versions, users have had some excellent and quality releases over the years, but nothing can even come close to what X-Plane 12 can really deliver to Simulation... both the maturing of the X-Plane 12 Simulator, and the ever advancing quality from developers is colliding together to create amazing experiences, and many of those incredible experiences will be released in the next few months and over the Northern Summer. It is a very exciting time to be in Simulation, but everything also depends totally on Laminar Research delivering the next step in v12.1.0, and soon? To drag on the release slowly again will cause a lot of headaches, even a few getting out of the simulation business, and you can't blame them at all. So as Astronaut Alan Shepard remarked... “I'm cooler than you are,” he barked. “Why don't you fix your little problem and light this candle?”. See you all next Month Stephen Dutton 3rd May 2024 Copyright©2024 X-Plane Reviews

NEWS! - Private Beta Version : Boeing 777 v2 by FlightFactor There is always an anticipation in X-Plane for the "Next Big Thing"... but nothing comes even close to the expectations of FlightFactor's latest project in the Boeing 777 v2. September 2012 was the release of the original Boeing 777 Worldliner from FlightFactor. It changed the X-Plane Simulator, not only in the quality for the time, and for the pioneering systems, but also mainly for the plugin based architecture (not the first as the J Rollon CRJ-200 debuted the first SASL plugin)... but the FlightFactor B777 changed the features and immersion category completely, and in so created a whole new level of Simulation. So here is the Pre-Release Alpha v2 of the B777 aircraft, and currently only available for a limited number invited members to do beta testing (all sold out), obviously NDA's will be enforced, and feedback is part of the invitation. We do get one thing, and that is a look at the feature list... it is mind-boggling long and detailed, and Situation save feature is a big yes from me. Flight model Proprietary flight model, within 2%-5% on standard certification tests. Developed and tested with real pilots. Weight and balance fully calculated from the basic weights, including cabin chair configuration, oil, filters, water, waste, etc 3D Modeling Accurate dimensions based on exterior drawings Very detailed exterior modeling with high resolution textures. Very high resolution 3D cockpit Very detailed passenger cabin graphics. Adjustable with different cabin configurations available in-sim. Additional graphic features: real working oxygen masks both in cockpit and cabin, dynamic window blinds that react to sunlight etc. Every door opens, every compartment can be walked into. Details such as escape ropes, crew rest compartment and operating engine cowling. Accurately simulated systems include but not limited to: Electrical, Hydraulic, Fuel, Air and other engineering systems GPS, VOR, DME, ADF, COM, ILS TCAS with TCAS version 7 functionality Classic STBY Instruments and ISFD Full set of working overhead Circuit Breakers ADIRU/SAARU Flight Control Systems with three Primary Flight Computers (PFC) with four Actuator Controls Electronics (ACE) with Normal, Secondary and Direct modes and more EFIS with six LCD displays with four Graphics Generators(GG) in two AIMS cabinets with auto GG reconfiguration on failures logic with auto or manual source switching logic with all the synoptic pages, COMM pages and integrated checklist pages and more Two Flight Management Computers (FMC) Three Control Display Units (CDU) with Cabin Intercom pages for control of crew and ground communications Three Autopilot Flight Director Systems (AFDS) GPWS with all the modes the real plane has with look-ahead Peaks Terrain Alerting System with RAAS and more Weather radar with beams and ground clatter Two Electronic Flight Bugs (EFB) CPDLC Electronic MMEL Ground Services Working push-back truck - Fully controllable with your joystick. Passenger bus and stairs or optional gate configuration (passengers can be loaded from gate instead of bus). Fuel truck, de-Icing truck, GPU, ground-start units both visible and fully functional with airplane systems. Other ground equipment. Custom Sounds (Exclusive features) Fully proprietary sound system Hundreds of custom sounds recorded from the real aircraft. In-cockpit custom sounds. Switches with individual sounds. Many individual systems sound inside and outside. Airport environment sounds. Cabin sounds. 3D stereo sound system for engines. In flight cabin announcements. Interactive communication with the cabin crew (reporting misconfigurations and passenger comfort problems). Simulation Custom cockpit interaction system Adjustable modes for cockpit interaction, you chose what to use for clicks Different cockpit interaction modes, with mouse wheel and right button support In-cockpit tooltips from the manual - you click on the button and see portions of the manual on display Aural tooltips in FOs voice Copy/paste custom commands for cockpit building Every clickzone (>2K of them) has a custom command that can be set up. Options A very flexible architecture: You chose the set up Hundreds of options including avionics, set up, maintenance and difficulty level. Many additional options for sounds, cockpit interaction, effects etc. Interactive Checklists, Procedures (Exclusive feature) Full electronic interactive checklists and procedures with automatic action detection. FO helps with procedures, callouts and more. A tutorial which shows the user what to do and when. Innovative crew interaction system (Exclusive feature) 4 voice characters for the crew Interaction with crew members using EFB or CDU3 (like the real plane) Preflight briefing using AI voices FO help in different phases of flight Procedures performed and notated by the FO FO reads checklists with the captain Voice control of the FO! Failure model Almost 1000 failures simulated. Failure scenarios, training scenarios, all the things needed for TR training. Ability to fix failure by following proper procedure. Persistent failure and maintenance system - Aircraft wear and misuse will carry over to your next flight. Situation Save Ability to save the flight at any stage and continue from there Set up different cold and dark options Pre programmed situations for training Electronics Flight Bag EFB with Navigraph integration for chart viewing Airport moving map inside the EFB with a custom airport database just like the real thing Integration with SimBrief for planning Interactive navlog Weight and balance optimization and planning tool Many pilot tools like the real EFB Hundreds of options Special effects (Exclusive features) Multilayer dynamic reflections on all glass objects. Glow effects on screens XP weather enhancements like custom windshear. A few more images are now also available Requirements are interesting as to show what hardware is required. X-Plane 12, X-Plane 11.50+ Windows 10+, Mac OS 10.15+ (Intel or Apple Silicon) or Linux 14.04 LTS or compatible 64 bit mode Disk Space: 5 GB X-Plane 12 Minimum: CPU: Intel Core i3, i5, i7, or i9 CPU with 4 or more cores, or AMD Ryzen 3, 5, 7 or 9, or equivalent RAM: 16 GB Video Card: a Vulkan 1.3-capable video card from NVIDIA or AMD with at least 6 GB VRAM Recommended: CPU: Intel Core intel i5-12600K or Ryzen 5 3500 or better RAM: 32 GB Video Card: a DirectX 12-capable video card from NVIDIA or AMD with at least 8-12 GB VRAM (GeForce RTX 2070 or better, or similar from AMD) X-Plane 11: Minimum: CPU: Intel Core i3, i5, i7, or i9 CPU with at least 4 cores, or AMD equivalent RAM: 16 GB Video Card: a DirectX 11-capable video card from NVIDIA or AMD with at least 4 GB VRAM Recommended: CPU: Intel Core i5 8600k or Ryzen 5 3500 or better RAM: 32 GB Video Card: a DirectX 12-capable video card from NVIDIA or AMD with at least 8 GB VRAM (GeForce GTX 1070 or better, or similar from AMD) The B777 v2 is available for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11... Price? well not the $9.999 price tag that is currently shown, as it is not the normal price. But my guess it will be under the US$100 mark. Public Release? No answers there either, as it depends on the beta phase... but start saving now! ___________________________ NEWS! by Stephen Dutton 3rd May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Gyroplane Released : NISUS Gyroplane by vSkyLabs A what? well a “Gyroplane” is what the Federal Aviation Administration calls a rotorcraft with an unpowered rotor, it can also be known as an "Autogyro", it's more commonly known name. The NISUS is a modern interpretation of the original gyrocopter idea (think of "Little Nellie" of James Bond fame), but this Slovakian aircraft has a full proper tail (rudders and elevator) at the rear. So here is the NISUS aircraft for X-Plane 12, and the VSKYLABS NISUS Gyroplane core development-focus is in simulating the NISUS Gyroplane unique performance and flight handling characteristics. The simulated model demonstrates the real-world behavior of the NISUS Gyroplane with high precision. Flight dynamics simulation-to-real-world related differences also fall within very close margins. The released version here is the 'Comfort' variant, which is powered by the Rotax 915 iS (141 hp) engine. There is also the "Sport" and "Platinum" variants that may follow later. Project Highlights: VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' Project. Superb Flight dynamics: The VSKYLABS NISUS Gyroplane simulation is a highly engineered, robust Auto-gyro simulation model which makes use of X-Plane 12 sophisticated flight dynamics and physics simulation, extracting it to its limits. Simulated systems: The VSKYLABS NISUS Gyroplane features X-Plane 12 latest native features, systems and physics. This assures a 'high airworthiness' in X-Plane, throughout its update process. Some systems may be restricted to X-Plane default systems algorithms. General cockpit configuration: Equipped with a simplified NESIS III digital avionics package with a simplified emulation of the NESIS III engine-monitoring screen. Built-in AviTab compatibility is included, and the main NESIS display can be used for displaying the AviTab, in a toggle mechanism. 3-d HUD: The optional 3-d HUD is optimized for VR (and 2-d mode as well), providing useful flight-data and accurate velocity-vector references. This allows beginner pilots a safe familiarization with the NISUS Gyroplane nose attitude during all phases of flight, and the expert pilots to focus on 'pushing the envelope' especially in STOL operations in X-Plane 12. 3D Pilot and passenger visualization for increased VR and 2-d immersion (this feature is optional and can be toggled on/off). Perfect fit for beginner and expert pilots: The NISUS Gyroplane is a very stable, predictable and docile aircraft, a perfect fit for any beginner gyroplane pilot. Being flown by expert pilots, it can turn into a highly maneuverable, STOL capable aircraft. Multi-layer FMOD sound package. Autoupdater based on the SkunkCrafts autoupdater (XP12 only) - all updates are being pushed smoothly without the need to re-download the entire base package (base package will be updated every once in a while to minimize the gap). This project is part of the VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' series, designed specifically for use with X-Plane cutting edge Experimental Flight Model. The development of the VSKYLABS Gyroplane NISUS simulation model for X-Plane was approved by JOKERTRIKE s r.o. However, it is an independent VSKYLABS development effort which is not affiliated with JOKERTRIKE s r.o. Images are courtesy of vSkyLabs... this Autoplane is also an X-Plane 12 aircraft only. NISUS Gyroplane by vSkyLabs is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore! ___________________________ Yes! NISUS Gyroplane XP12 by vSkyLabs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : NISUS Gyroplane XP12 Price is US$29.00 Requirements X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows, Mac and Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 1.0 (April 27th 2024) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 29th April 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Scenery Updated : Airport Newcastle by Aerosoft This UK Newcastle Aerosoft scenery is a quiet update to X-Plane 12. In the scenery there is no change from the early X-Plane 11 version, just the added X-Plane 12 effects and features.However the X-Plane 12 list is quite substantial as listed here, and includes. Revised lighting Ground textures now including PBR reflections and normal maps Revised orthophoto, color optimized for XP12, including autumn/winter version and normal map Reworked vegetation placement (new volumetric grass) XP12 3D vegetation for forests, trees and bushes for seamless integration into the environment Weather effects for wet, snow and ice Full support for native XP12 seasons, with no other add-ons or plugins Reworked autogen and street placement Revised static aircrafts Newcastle International Airport is situated in the area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, about 6 miles north of the city centre. Newcastle International was rated the 11th busiest airport in the UK, and the second busiest in Northern England, with Manchester coming first, handling over 4.8 million passengers. IATA: NCL, ICAO: EGNT) The airport is owned by seven local authorities: City of Newcastle, City of Sunderland, Durham County Council, Gateshead MBC, North Tyneside MBC, Northumberland County Council and South Tyneside MBC. Copenhagen Airport sold the stake in Newcastle to AMP Capital, which is an Australian based investment company. Newcastle airport was opened on 26th July 1935, and was known back then as Woolsington Aerodrome – the airport was opened by Sir Phillip Cunliffe-Lister, Secretary of State for Air. At this time, the airport consisted of one clubhouse, one hangar, few workshops, a fuel garage and a single grass runway with a building cost of around £35,000. Notable is that you have to use the "Aerosoft One" application to install (update) the Newcastle XP12 scenery... Installation of Newcastle XP12 is done through Aerosoft one installer: Aerosoft One Universal After you have installed Aerosoft One, click on ENTER PRODUCT KEY (under the Library Tab) Then enter the Serial Number provided in this order. This will give you the option to download the airport. Note the different X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12 installations. The earlier X-Plane 11 version is also included in the package, but without the XP12 effects __________________________ Yes! Newcastle XP12 XP by Aerosoft is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Airport Newcastle XP Price Is US$19.99 Requirements: X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download size: 4.7 GB - Installation done via Aerosoft one and serial number Version 1.0.0 XP12 (March 20th 2024 ) 1.0.2 for XP11 ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 26th April 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Scenery Released : RPLI - Laoag International Airport - Philippines by Airwil Sceneries Midway through last year, Airwil Sceneries released a series of airport destinations in the Philippines, including Davao International Airport, RPVE - Boracay Caticlan Airport, RPSP - Bohol Panglao International Airport and RPMR - General Santos International Airport, now all four have been recently updated to X-Plane 12. Here is another Filipino scenery to add into the collection... RRPLI - Laoag International Airport. Laoag International Airport is an airport serving the general area of Laoag, the capital city of the province of Ilocos Norte in the Philippines. It is the only airport in Ilocos Norte and is the northernmost international airport in the Philippines. It has one 2,784-meter runway and is designated as a secondary/alternate international airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a body of the Department of Transportation that is responsible for the operations of not only this airport but also of all other airports in the Philippines except for the major international airports. The single terminal building serves both passenger and cargo traffic. As an international airport, it houses immigration desks for screening of arriving international passengers. It is also equipped with a carousel baggage at the reclaim area for passengers with checked-in items. The terminal previously had a combined capacity of 140 international and domestic passengers. It has since been expanded in 2021 to accommodate 200 international and 240 domestic passengers. This scenery is available for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11, both versions are included in the package. Features: Moving airport ground servicing vehicles Numerous custom handcrafted objects/buildings Close to real life rendition of the Laoag International Airport Terminal Laoag Control Tower Cab (with interior modelling) Highly detailed landside (parking area) Custom ground paint textures Close to real life rendition of the airport's runway Filipino Houses Filipino Jeepneys Comes with free ortho imagery from ortho4xp for better realism Marginal's Autogate Jetway for X-Plane 11 (requires Marginal's Autogate Plugin installed The low well below $10.00 price to the quality of these excellent Filipino sceneries, make for a great collection of all five... start collecting now! Images are courtesy of Airwil Sceneries _______________________________ RPLI - Laoag International Airport XP12 XP11 - Philippines by Airwil Sceneries is NOW available! from the X-Plane.Org Store RPLI - Laoag International Airport XP12 XP11 Priced at US$8.99 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 8GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.7 GB Current version : 2.0 (April 24th 2024) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 26th April 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Aircraft Update : SimSolutions Diamond DA-40NG updated to v1.2.2 SimSolutions have updated their delightful Diamond DA40NG to v1.2.2. The changes on this incremental .2 update are small (four in all), but interesting enough to note. First is the Skunkcrafts Updater, always a nice addition. That Mac OS crash has also been attended to. The fictional beacon light has been removed and some older settings have finally also been removed... Version 1.2.2 (April 20th 2024) SkunksCraft Updater support fix: CTD on macOS (#93) fix: remove fictional beacon light (#99) fix: unused settings are still listed The Diamond DA40 Diamond Star is an Austrian four-seat, single-engine, light aircraft constructed from composite materials. Built in both Austria and Canada, it was developed as a four-seat version of the earlier DA20 by Diamond Aircraft Industries. By the end of December 2020, 2,200 DA40s had been delivered, including 500 NG models. Highlights include "Custom" FMOD Sounds by FTSim+ and AviTab integration (AviTab Plugin required), and also now available for all three OS Windows, Mac and Linux platforms. ________________ The Diamond DA40NG by SimSolutions is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore!... Here: Diamond DA40NG Price is US$24.99 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac (OS 10.15 and higher . Silicon Processor supported ) and Linux (tested on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS) 8 GB+ VRAM Download Size: 340 MB Current version: 1.2.2 (April 20th 2024) ________________ NEWS! by Stephen Dutton 26th April 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Right Reserved.