Stephen

The plugin is now available for download from the .OrgStore to register KIAD.

I hate scenery plugins, but I can see the direction developers are going with them...

News! - Scenery Release : KIAD - Washington Dulles International Airport by Nimbus Since the start of my simulation endeavours in the X-Plane Simulator. I saw back then eons ago as X-Plane as a giant place to fill in block by block, I called it "Building the X-Plane world one airport at a time". And throughout the years I have filled many, many of theses outsized holes with quality scenery, and it has given in return many hours of pleasure and some really great destinations to return to. But even now a decade hence there are still a lot of significant holes left yet to fill... HEAC-Cairo is one, OMAA-Abu-Dhabi, WSSS-Singapore, and any good Australian Airport that you care to mention, including YBBN-Brisbane, YSSY-Sydney, YMML-Melbourne and YPAD-Adelaide, so the search goes on... WHAT! you say, there are some good Freeware airports of those destinations in X-Plane, yes you can say good, but not in that great or the the required detailed high quality scenery that you need at the quality level. One of those significant holes is "Dulles" or to give it it's full title "Washington Dulles International Airport" or KIAD, and a few years ago Nimbus Simulations announced their version of Dulles, and also mentioned MEM-Memphis at the same time. Things get in the way, like a killing pandemic and now even a bigger killing European war, major floods and even the odd climate change disasters, but here KIAD now is, and this is very high quality "Dulles" that we can all intergrate very nicely into our North American and global network from Nimbus. Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD), is an airport 40 miles west of America's capitol in Washington DC. Dulles is one of the three major airports in the larger Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area, with the others being Reagan National Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Airport, and by land size and the amount of facilities it is the largest of the three. Dulles is considered the region's international air hub, with dozens of nonstop international flights. Dulles also has the most international passenger traffic of any airport in the Mid-Atlantic outside the New York metropolitan area, including approximately 90% of the international passenger traffic in the Baltimore–Washington region. Also included in the package is the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, also called the Udvar-Hazy Center, which is a Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM)'s annex. Features High-Definition Airport Terminals with 3D interior and people HDR lights New 4K textures with PBR materials. Night lighting Ground textures with PBR materials High quality vehicles with PBR material 3D trees Parking lots full of cars Ground markings on each gate and runway Files for empty airport or static planes Animated Airport GroundTraffic (plugin by Marginal) AutoGate plugin with custom highly detailed jetways (plugin by Marginal) Animated people inside the terminals Information screens that shows time, pressure, temperature, destination airport, departure time, delay and the amount of delay People mover Detailed tarmac textures from up close or far out High quality new vehicles and miscellaneous objects Dulles is a huge space of an airport, and this version is highly animated as only Nimbus Sim does, "I'm very excited" (very Apple) to say it is really good, more in a review will follow. The Nimbus Simulations KIAD - Washington Dulles International Airport is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore! NOTE... there seems to be no attached Plugin download? If you have the Nimbus KATL plugin (stored or installed) it will work with the KIAD-Dulles version. All images are courtesy of Nimbus Simulations Designed by Nimbus Studios _______________________________ The KIAD - Washington Dulles International Airport by Nimbus Simulations is NOW available! from the X-Plane.Org Store KIAD - Washington Dulles International Airport Priced at US$29.95 Requirements X-Plane 11 Free Update to X-Plane 12 when available Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.2 GB Current version: 1.0 (March 4th 2022) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 4th March 2022 Copyright©2022: 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

What does changing computer hardware and using different keyboards got to do with aircraft authorisation? this just gets even weirder 😵 The only annoyance is if you have to change your X-Plane storage... I just changed to a larger M.2 and had to reset all the authorisations, but that is a given, nothing to do with a review, but a normal system restart.

The difference is that aircraft with Plugins (SASL) can then be set to be authorised, the ones without the plugin can not. Usually the difference is very evident in the detail of the features... I find the choice of an aircraft by having and not having authorisation a bit of a weird one to be honest? The choice should be made on quality, features and realism, surely... I don't personally think that the top tier aircraft are pricing themselves out of the market, certainly considering the sheer extra detail, features and quailty that is now included in the same price. Only a very few are outside the usual US$69 - $79 dollar market pricing, and those prices have been steady now for a good many few years, certainly not yet pushing or being over the US$100 barrier, that other simulators regularly do... so I see great value for the return of the extensive quality. I do think that will change soon with X-Plane12, the level will go up and so will the price... but for now I would enjoy the value experience.

Aircraft Review : Piper J3 Cub by SimSolutions The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Piper Aircraft's most-produced model, of which nearly 20,000 Cubs were built in the United States. Its simplicity, affordability and popularity invokes comparisons to the Ford Model T automobile. The aircraft is a high-wing, strut-braced monoplane with a large-area rectangular wing. It is most often powered by an air-cooled, flat-4 piston engine driving a fixed-pitch propeller. Its fuselage is a welded steel frame covered in fabric. It seats two people in tandem. The Cub was designed as a trainer. And it had great popularity in this role and as a general aviation aircraft. Due to its performance, it was well suited for a variety of military uses such as reconnaissance, liaison and ground control. It was produced in large numbers during World War II as the L-4 Grasshopper. Many of these Cubs are still flying today, and the remaining Cubs are highly prized as bush aircraft. The J-3 Cub is the second release from SimSolutions after their first aircraft in the Diamond DA40NG late last year 2021 for the X-Plane Simulator. On the whole the J-3 Cub is well modeled, but does also it feel modeled? To be fair the original "Cub Yellow" or "Lock Haven Yellow" paint hides a lot of the intricate areas of even the real aircraft, the problem is in X-Plane we now have had the more ultra realistic realism, that in high-depth look then anything else can look dated, in the smaller detail however it does show the "Cub" is well done. The wings have that fabric stretched over a frame feel, but the tail structure does not, of which the real aircraft does have, it is highly noticeable here in making the tail assembly feel a bit slab sided, as in any Cub image the pipe frame is very easily noticeable through the fabric... the wing chord however is perfect. This is a "Strut-based" high-wing aircraft, a step removed from a Bi-Plane, and that aspect is well done. Glass is very (if paper) thin and not at all realistic, dirt or wear, or a slight discolouring would make it stand out more against the elements. One of the big features is that you can remove the engine cowling to see in detail the engine. The Cubs came with an air-cooled flat 4 piston engine, which were either a Continental A-40, A-40-2, or A-40-3 engine of 37 hp (28 kW), or A-40-4 engine of 40 hp (30 kW), but it is not noted here of which of the A-40 engine version is installed... The engine detail is not bad, if quite good, but I still feel I'm not getting that full realism effect. However the wood detail on the propeller and central hub is excellent. In an odd thing when flying in the cub is to don't reach out and use a forward hotspot... as as if you do the cowling will fly off in mid-flight? The Cub is a "Tail-Dragger" aircraft as most were in the 1930's... so you have the sturdy main wheels forward, and here they come with slipstreaming wheel covers (fairings), or you can remove them... personally I like the detail of the open wheels, which is very good. The entrance into the Piper is via a two upper and lower hatch arrangement, just click to open (and close). It is very boxy internally, with high sides... so it feels like your flying in an old metal bath. The structural piping frame is very evident, but you do feel the openness as well, certainly not in the Tiger Moth feel, but the visibility surrounding you is very good. The weird thing is you fly the Cub from the rear seat (again like the Tiger Moth), this is because the fuel tank is located forwards (capacity 12 GAL), and pilot is required to sit to the rear for balance. There is a modeled pilot, but in a suit and tie, so it looks a little odd, if very 30"s. There are very (very) few knobs and switches, in fact the Cub doesn't even have an electrical system, just an on/off switch for the two magnetos, so that means there is no lighting either. There are only four instruments and a compass central. Left to right is the RPM, Speed MPH, Altitude feet and far right the Oil temperature and Pressure. A note on the altitude gauge in that there is no Baro adjustment, which can also be dangerous. All instruments are "Stewart Warner" branded and has the "Cub" logo centre. Overall these instruments have been really well reproduced by SimSolutions and look nicely authentic. Lower right is a fuel (push) Primer. Two modern items added by SimSolutions, is the AviTab (left) and a COMM radio (right). The AviTab can't be hidden, which is slightly annoying, but well placed. I can't see how you would operate either from the rear seat, but there you go? On the left side is the Fuel Switch (cock), and the trim winder which basically just adjusts the stick angle. There are of course two throttles for front and rear seating. Overhead right is the said Magneto switch, and lower right side is the Carburettor Heat switch. You are surrounded by control cables, both for the ailerons and rear stabiliser, cum rudder, and all the control cable works very realistically. An odd option available is a Rifle, as on the right wing there is a hotspot to position a rifle in the spars? ___________________ There are three separate (.acf) folders for the three different variants of the Cub J-3; The Standard Aircraft, a Float option and a Bush (Tundra) tyre option. Float The J-3 Cub Float variant is very good, certainly not up to the Thranda ultra quality in detail, but they are still well done. There is a lever left side in the middle of the cockpit to raise and lower the wheels, but I can't see where you raise and lower the rudders, nor is it not mentioned in the manual? Bush Tyres Also called "Tundra" tyres, these are huge surface area tyres for use in semi-wetland tundra areas, like in Northern Canada. To have a separate (.acf) variant just for the these larger optional bush tyres feels a bit overdone (certainly at 560Mb per variant), as most developers can easily add them into the options list on to the standard aircraft. Menu There is a two tab menu option on the X-Plane banner... This allows you to "Toggle Covers" a nice Tonneau cover, and the second option positions some very nice "Ground Clutter", that puts an tepee tent and various bottles and a tool tray around the aircraft. _________________ Flying the 3-J Cub As there is no starter on the J-3, so to start you just turn on (or push) the fuel cock on, then turn on the magnetos. A few pushes of the Primer (right low) does help when from cold, but if warm or a restart then it is not required. The Mixture setting still does work if you have it set on a external lever, and halfway between lean and rich is perfect. Recommended to start the Continental A-40 is to turn the propeller by touching the outer blade, but that action only removes the engine cowling (again)?.... I found touching the centre prop shaft makes the propeller turn to start, but it has to be done via an angle, again the loose cowling will get in the way... I will go on record that I am not really the biggest fan of taildraggers? I even bought a set of rudder pedals with toe-brakes over Christmas to try to break through my pain barrier, they sort of work here. Oddly the J-3 Cub does have a built tail-wheel cable system, but it is not very effectively done here? So you sort of (with the toe-brakes) hop the aircraft into line, but in chunks... ... and even then you steer offline? I got better. "Righty ho..." I pushed the throttle(s) gingerly forward and slowly. It feels seriously weird sitting so far back, it is like the pilot has bailed out and left you to fly the aircraft alone. You do have a strange perspective though, and you soon adjust to it. But seeing anything of the runway is simply impossible? So you sit as central as possible and try to get the best perspective of the aircraft on the runway.... You throttle slowly at first, the trick is too track straight as long as possible (even slowly) until you build up enough speed to get your rudder control working, which it does and quite quickly because the rudder control is quite effective, even at low speeds... ... once with your rudder control the tail will also soon lift up behind you, giving you even more control focus, and allowing you to then push for more power from the throttle(s). You lift around 55 MPH, but gently... .... the J-3 is very sweet to fly, nicely balanced and instantly responsive to any command inputs. It will climb quite quickly as well if you let it, recommended is 540 FPM, but the Cub could easily do far more. The view outside is quite spectacular, wide vistas, because your not cramped up forward by the instrument panel. Then I totally realised the limitations of the Cub. There is low cloud, and it quickly envelopes me, and sending me into a "whiteout" or in this case a greyout. I can't see Bl**dy anything? worse there is no Artifical Horizon instrument, so no up or down.... I could be heading directly into the ground for all I know, there is also no V/S, Vertical Speed meter either, it's Bl**dy scary. I see up to my left (10 o'clock) some patchy blue sky, so I gun all the aircooled 40 hp (30 kW) power I have and climbed swiftly upwards towards the life saving light... ... once into the blue patch of sky the cloud beneath me fades as well and I can see again the safety lay of the land... but now I had another problem, I was completely lost! Everything looked the same, being just a British Countryside, nice mind you, but all the same the British Countryside? Your probably saying "use the AviTab!", true but in the moment of panic I forgot about that... with a look around and then there was Elstree (EGTR), to my left forward. So I got down to 700 ft and stayed visual from to the field from here on in.... Trim is very, very good. You can set the J-3 up to a very nice, to even a "hands off" with the stick to fly the Cub, and it will fly along by itself very nicely. The J-3 Cub's maximum speed is 76 kn (87 mph, 140 km/h), with a cruise speed of 65 kn (75 mph, 121 km/h). The range of that 12 Gallons of fuel is 191 nmi (220 mi, 354 km), with a service ceiling of 11,500 ft (3,500 m) No lighting at all I'm afraid... not even navigation lights... is that dangerous? Sounds are actually very good, and I am going to guess that they are from a real Cub aircraft, but don't hold me to that, but they are custom sounds from SimSolutions... So you purr along with that Air-cooled open engine sound, with the wind rushing around you in a very non-aerodynamic frame, but it all feels very authentic. That 178.5 sq ft (16.58 m2) of wing area is very lifting, as this aircraft is a STOL (Short TakeOff and Landing) machine, but there are no flaps (either) to slow you down... Throttle(s) control is very nice and the engine is so responsive to any inputs, so that also gives you a very nice height control. Time to head back to Elstree... It is to my right as I have been keeping an eye on the airport, but arriving from the north (Rwy 26) there is a lot of tree cover to the approach over the Haberdasher's Aske's School. I'm now very comfortable with the Cub, it is that sort of aircraft in being a very controllable "Stick and Rudder" machine, "Old Fashioned", no not in that sense, but it is a real basic and feel machine. I line up Twenty Six. Although a STOL aircraft you have no flaps to wear off the speed, so you have to find the balance at a slow, speed while holding your height, it is easy to find, again the nice throttle response helps here. I'm feeling a bit high for the approach, but the trees are tall and high as well, I don't feel I could do it better. It doesn't matter really... as landing a huge heavy aircraft or even a lightweight classic monoplane like this, it is still you, the controls and a runway to land on... the essence of flight. So you are dancing on the rudder pedals, controlling the drift and aiming for the centre line... I'm trying to find that point where you are using the wind to almost hover and hoping to control the drop down slowly onto the runway.... your at 55 MPH, and letting the Cub to settle slowly downwards. The side winds picks up the closer you get to the runway, it looks like you are losing it, but I am fully in control, even really enjoying this. 50 MPH is the freeze point on slowly descending and not dropping out of the sky, slowly but surely contact is coming. "Contact!" That was actually the easy part... now I have to stop the aircraft before it runs out of tarmac, problem is I can't touch my brakes if I don't want to go head over-heels... Thankfully Elstree has a huge run-over area, maybe this runway over running is common here? Gradually the tail drops and so does the speed. I recommend to use grass strips with the J-3, with it's better friction to stop the aircraft quicker, as the Cub tends to roll easily on the harder surfaces... Now you lose the forward view again, but I'm more used to the situation now, and I even like the rear seating position. I flip the tail around to start the long taxi back to Elstree's hard parking area.... I know it will be a long slow crawl back. ____________ Liveries There are only five liveries for the J-3 Cub and four of them are in the "Cub Yellow". So overall it is a boring if lazy set of liveries, considering the developers had 20,000 aircraft to choose from? The odd one out is a Central African Republic CF registered Cub? _____________________ Summary This is the iconic Piper J-3 Cub, a basic high-wing, strut-braced monoplane, with an air-cooled, flat-4 piston engine driving a fixed-pitch propeller. Its fuselage and wings are both a welded steel frame covered in fabric. It seats two people in tandem. 20,000 aircraft were produced between 1938 and 1947, and many are still flying today. SimSolutions have already released the Diamond DA40NG late last year 2021, and this J-3 Cub is their second release for the X-Plane Simulator. The Piper Cub is as about an basic aircraft as you can get, with only five instruments and not much else, and not even an electrical system. But it delivers were it counts in the excellent "seat of your pants" flying abilities... it is aviation at it's purest form. Modeling and detail is very good.... but it feels like just another aircraft to the developers and it comes with not much passion to deliver a really iconic representation of the J-3 Cub, and in the details it shows they have the ability to deliver a really substantial simulation. Compared to say "Flying Iron", you do expect far more in contex. However this Cub is priced at only US$17.65, so I suppose it is all relative. For that you also get three variants, in the Standard (small wheel), Floats and Bush (Tundra) tyred versions, and a few nice little features like static elements (a tepee tent), wheel covers and removable cowling with detailed Continental A-40 engine, and all the exposed control cables are animated realistically. Only five liveries provided and four the same yellow colour was boring. So it is all well done from SimSolutions, but for me I would rather pay a little more and get a bit more closer to the more classic frame and fabric feel and look, that is not to say you wouldn't enjoy the aircraft here, it is unique, and quite unique to fly. just don't fly it into any low cloud. _____________________ The Piper J3 Cub by SimSolutions is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore!... Here: Piper J3 Cub SimSolutions Price is US$17.65 Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac and Linux 4 GB+ VRAM minimum Download Size: 1.2 GB Current version: 1.0 (February 27th 2022) Installation and documents: download for the Cherokee 180 C is 1.19GB and the three aircraft folders is deposited in the "General Aviation" X-Plane folder. SimSolutions-J3-Tundra (611.6Mb) SimSolutions-J3-Float (575.5Mb) SimSolutions-J3 (585.4Mb) Full Installation is 1.65Gb Documents supplied are: J3 Cub Info Doc.pdf Basic "ReadMe" (10 pages) of the history of the aircraft and features. ________________ Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton 5th March 2022 Copyright©2022: X-Plane Reviews Review System Specifications:  Computer System: Windows - Intel Core i7 6700K CPU 4.00GHz / 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 8Gb - Samsung Evo M2 2TB SSD - Sound : Yamaha Speakers YST-M200SP Software: - Windows 10 - X-Plane 11.55 Plugins: Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : Environment Engine by xEnviro US$69.90 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99 Scenery or Aircraft - EGTR - London Elstree by Pilot+Plus (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$19.95 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.

NEWS! - Aircraft Released : Piper J3 Cub by SimSolutions Just only in November 2021 did SimSolutions release their first aircraft in the Diamond DA40NG for the X-Plane Simulator. The quick follow up release is the iconic Piper Cub, or the Piper J3. The J3 Cub is a two seat, single engine STOL aircraft. It is most often powered by an air-cooled flat 4 piston engine. It has been a staple in the General Aviation community since 1938 with around 20,000 models built and served a mild purpose during World War II under a different title. The feature and livery list is quite comprehensive for such a small aircraft... Features Fully modeled exterior 4K PBR Textures Fully modeled interior Functioning doors Removable cowling 6 instrument panel layout Custom FMOD Sounds Custom Handheld Radio AviTab integration Aircraft Guide (.pdf) Toggleable Covers, Ground Clutter (Tent) Standard Tires, Tundra Tires, Floats Optional Wheel Fairings Hand Propping Liveries Default (NC85GG) CF-KLF C-FOXQ G-BVAF SP-AWP Highlight includes all Standard Tires, Tundra Tires and Float options with a number of quirky features such as a custom hand held radio, hand propping ability, and toggleable covers. Images are courtesy of SimSolutions ________________________________________ The Piper J3 Cub by SimSolutions is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore!... Here: Piper J3 Cub SimSolutions Price is US$17.65 Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac and Linux 4 GB+ VRAM minimum Download Size: 1.2 GB Current version: 1.0 (February 27th 2022) ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 1st March 2022 Copyright©2022: 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.

NEWS! - UPDATED : Citation CJ4 Proline21 v1.10 by Netavio The core of the X-Plane Simulator is designed to be very versatile. Not just a desktop computer simulation, it is also promoted for the real professional aviation sectors, obviously in training. But home cockpit builders can also create real world home based cockpits to fly their favorite aircraft. So what happens when you can put all of this together. Here Netavio are creating a full simulation system (cockpit and specialised software) to train Citation Pilot's in the systems and details of the CJ4 aircraft. The focus on the project is the ProLine 21 avionics, and the intergration with this certain aspect of instrumentation. A side project to the main training focus is a consumer version of the CJ4 for X-Plane users... like noted the project is focused on the professional side, but this also give us a chance to get in on the action, so to speak. The early release version of the CJ4 had a few X-Plane related issues, but since then we have had three major updates, with this latest v1.10 and it is a big changlog to list through. Version 1.10 (February 27th 2022) New CJ4 Aux panel to open-close all external panels, hide/show pitot and engine covers, pitot covers animate in the wind New GPU option New CDU-3000 “pop-up” and “pop-out” option with Transponder modes for Online ATC Network ProLine21 DME Hold functions simulated Small update to FMOD engine start up sound sequence and flaps motoring sound New silver metallic paint schemes Enhanced 3d flight deck environment, 3d mesh smoothing New premium anodized aluminum pilots lower air-vents, cup holders and map lights New 3d sat phone, ceiling air vents, new improved textures applied Optimization of avionics panels gloss and neutral normal layers, resulting in increased image depth, light diffusion and 3d photorealism New cockpit windshield 3d glass with low-distortion, “you can now actually see and feel the glass profile thickness & reflection on the edges” Fixed the bug with avionic displays not working when panning outside of cockpit windows Fixed weight and balance refs regarding aircraft basic empty weight Increased contrast ratios of Avionic displays, crisper fonts and graphics with new glass layer Cockpit night textures made darker to improve night flying environment Design optimization of the Citation jet nose profile, new 3d model New HF 3d antenna details Smoothing of 3d fuselage sections and tail surfaces Fixed the wings “Fuel” and “No Step” placards and graphics The full X-PlaneReviews release review of the Citation CJ4 is here; Aircraft Review : Citation CJ4 Proline21 by Netavio If you have already purchased the Citation CJ4 by Netavio, then go to your X-Plane.OrgStore account to download the new v1.10 version. ___________________________________ Yes! the Citation CJ4 Proline21 v1.10 by Netavio is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Citation CJ4 Proline21 Price is US$49.95 - Currently ONLY: $44.95 Requirements Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 812 MB Current version : 1.10 (February 27th 2022) ________________________________________ Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton 1st March 2022 Copyright©2022: 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 : February 2022 The current feeling is of being a mountaineer. You climb one difficult mountain only to find yourself facing another massive challenge in another cliff face to climb and digest. This is the life of a Simulation reviewer today. The forward expansion of deep systems and Simulation detail is now getting seriously complex, and it was never quite like this. You always enjoyed the challenge of a new aircraft, delving into it's systems and features with glee. But now you need a University Aviation degree to work through it all, this is now total real world stuff, and you are earning your grades by one book and manuscript at a time. Usually even a couple of years ago. You most did an extreme airliner review in about three days, four at the very most. That spread to six days, but now I am finding I am working through 14 days or TWO WEEKS in just doing one review? That is crazy stuff, and it leaves the site with not much turnover to note what other releases or changes are going on in the world (a lot apparently), we would never abandon the front page news, but for your reviewing pleasure it is not coming out as fast as we would like. But what do you do... these incredible Simulations also deserve their full attention as well. Our X-PlaneReviews philosophy is just to not only show or review a new aircraft, but to do an intergrated tutorial as part of the review. In other words we do the hard stuff and find all the intricate details (tips in other words) so you can get down and deep quickly to enjoy the aircraft, than spending the time and frustration wading through all the ditty stuff. But that is where it is now getting seriously complicated, because these aircraft are now also seriously complicated, as they are in real life. Developers lately have been working on these complicated beasts for three and even over four years in development. That is a very long leadout time, we seemingly now have to wait and we wait for a release, but to get this sort of extreme development takes time, bucket loads of time, then it is our job to sort all out that complexity when it does arrive, and quickly to get the review up. It is all about the developer pushing the boundaries of what they can achieve, lately over the last few years it seems nothing if the ceiling is even yet visible. It is the same for the user. Once a release is out there, you are now faced with a choice... Fly short and happy, or devote yourself to the deeper more engrossing project. I have found over these last few years that the wide broad choice of aircraft that I fly, is slowly being condensed down to only six or seven focus aircraft. Yes I get a lot of review aircraft as choices, but my core flying is being converged down to now only a few. I have a notebook to detail a certain aircraft's attributes. So when I fly that aircraft I can go back over those notes to remember the details I need to know, a lot of the notes and data came from the original or updated reviews. But a also lot comes from manuals or taking notes of real life cockpit videos. That small A5 book and it's page notes is now being set into Folders per aircraft, I now need a filing system to cover the modern releases in their aircraft details and flying oddities. The reviews are also getting extensively long... MEGA we call them, but there is just so much ground in features and system detail to now cover... I tried to do a shortened review version of one aircraft, but felt it was so underwhelming of not only the aircraft, but on what it represented to the user... problem is I hate giving you pages and pages AND pages of review to work through, are we boring you, is it all starting to blur in front of your eyes, it is in the need of going back to a simpler time of just publishing the basics? All big questions, but after four years of hard yakka by a devoted developer, they certainly deserve to have their dedication rewarded as well. Modern aircraft are quite easy to cover, because they have a lot of automated systems. But still developers are drilling down to the smaller details hidden behind the automation. Pressures and pumps deep within aircraft systems are now being simulated, an aircraft's idiosyncrasies are being also developed as are the increasing amount of failures, showing the complexity behind the automation. The most difficult to review are the late analog aircraft, were systems have one foot in one era and are progressing into another. These are the most and complex aircraft to learn and fly in Simulation. The Felis Boeing 747-200 is a benchmark, and it fits right into this category. Another is the regional turboprops like the FlyJSim Dash Q400, again a very analog aircraft in a modern era. Both are exceptional Simulations, but they have learning curves like no other. The Felis Boeing 742 is a particular interesting review... It took FOUR weeks to review the aircraft, admittedly while doing other reviews around it. No manuals and a buggy beta(s) caused everything (computers) and human to be pushed to their absolute limits. It was an absolute nightmare to review, but still a fascinating journey into the soul of these iconic aircraft. Look... I wouldn't do this unless I totally enjoy it, which I do... but sometimes it can very much overwhelm you... or with the external bugs that can cause days (or weeks) of pain, as did the Global Traffic bug that hit during the vFlyteAir Piper PA28R Arrow III G5-E1000 review, a magnificent aircraft ruined by an external issue.... it is all simulation. But the steepest slopes to conquer, are the complex systems. You have to Download/Google tons of information to work it all out, pages and pages of notes are now required, not so much in the moment of writing the review, but for later when you come back to the aircraft, as you need the mental switches in the notes to unlock all that was learnt and to go back through the procedures. "Triggers" for the brain I call them, and so you can see why I culled my fleet down to just a handful to operate these aircraft at the top of my ability. Truth be told, that is what real world pilot's actually do.... they don't fly 40 or odd aircraft in the real world like you can do in Simulation, but progress usually through only four or five types in their flying career. Another thing I learnt over the last few years, also mirroring the real world is flying the aircraft again after even a short (say a few months) break. The first flight back is absolute shit!, the second one better... then by the third flight your back into the groove again. It was never like that a few years ago, as you usually slipped straight back into the seat and flew it perfectly... but now it just does not seem to work out that way. It does keep the brain sharp though. The one thing I have learnt is that flying an aircraft is devastatingly tiring. I can now easily see why airlines or the aviation industry has severe hour protocols on how many hours a pilot can fly before the fatigue sets in. Current simulation is just as fatiguing, certainly if you do everything by the book, and block to block. I set myself a challenge. I followed a real world (Jetstar JQ) aircraft on it's one day roster, four flights around Australia, and I wanted to fly the A320 aircraft by the book, in full departure times and turnaround times (you have 23 min to refuel, reset the route and deplane/board), real takeoff and landing times and to follow the real aircraft (FlightAware) on it's real time route. You think it is easy... it isn't. I was totally buggered by the fourth sector, seriously tired. It was also seriously good fun, but hey "Respect" for the crews who do this day in and day out. Another fun challenge if you are up for it, is to simulate in flying from one point or airport to another point or aircraft using real world aircraft and timetables, not short hops but as a ticket holder to get from point A to point B and to a remote destination (add up the cost it would cost you as well in real world tickets) and across several types of aircraft... it is fun, but again surprisingly harder than you think it is. The context of all this is that Simulation is now reaching a completely whole new level of complexity and detail. Worse it is not going to stop here, it may as we reach the limits of systems slightly level off, but the detail with more computer power is still going to evolve. There is much more also coming in that the Rotate's MD-11 is due soon, and is said to be the most deep and complex simulation for X-Plane yet... then the FlightFactor Boeing 777, which will be another deep and complex aircraft that again is noted to be (oh god) another level of systems complexity again... and FlightFactor still have their Boeing 787-9 in development. It all never ends in the quest of Simulation perfection, obviously there is no endgame or even a final goal here, the ante just gets set slightly higher and higher as the years progress. It is exciting of course as in the last decade's journey has been an unbelievable one, and one I could not simply dream of ten years ago when I got into the genre. But are we hitting the point of splitting Simulation into those that want simple aircraft to fly, or these complex deep system creature simulations... I think it splits the same into those two camps of "Gaming" and "Simulation", and developers will obviously cater for both.... but for me it is the consistent challenge and the mastering of the real life duplication and no matter how hard it gets, that is the attraction to what the core of Simulation really is, the progress towards an ideal replication of a real pilot's work, that is why (and I) got into Simulation in the first place... so the journey continues. Enjoy your flying, and we will be back at the end of next month. Stephen Dutton 1st March 2022 Copyright©2022 X-Plane Reviews

NEWS! Scenery Released : KSYR - Syracuse Hancock International by VerticalSim After a very prolific year of scenery releases in 2021, VerticalSim now releases it's first scenery for the X-Plane Simulator in 2022. This is a New York based scenery in KSYR - Syracuse Hancock International airport, which is a joint civil-military airport five miles northeast of downtown Syracuse, in Onondaga County, New York, and 65 miles (100 km) south of Watertown in in upstate New York. Syracuse Hancock has services featuring commercial, GA (both single-piston & private jets), cargo, & military. Most notably, and this airport serves as a home for the 174th Attack Wing & their MQ9 Reapers. FEATURES 4K PBR texturing Circa 2022 airport layout SAM jetway support Animated vehicle traffic HDR night lighting Taxi routes for use with AI traffic addons 👀 Download size is quite large at 1.7Gb. A quick look says this scenery is again very "Impressive!". the best yet from VerticalSim, and a sure winner in the download stakes... a must have! The free SAM plugin is required for this airport to work. You can get it here SAM3 Suite. Images are courtesy of VerticalSim __________________ Yes!... KSYR - Syracuse Hancock International by VerticalSim is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : KSYR - Syracuse Hancock International Price is US$19.99 Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.7 GB Version 1.0 (Feb 26th 2022) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 27th February 2022 Copyright©2022: 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

It is really all about the numbers... knowing your Gross Weight, Fuel Weight and importantly the Takeoff trim, luckily ToLiSS provides all of this data... Once the settings are done then just follow the speed bugs and correct power settings, it should not be that much different from a lighter B737/A320. One note in climbing to altitude, is that climb to the power required, even slowly at a heavy weight, once to FL300 then step up to your cruise altitude. I fly 500nm before stepping up when very heavy, but I don't see the A321 as really a heavy, heavy aircraft, as say a MD-11 or Boeing 747. If you want a heavy, then I suggest ToLiSS's A340... it is brilliant, and a good transition aircraft from the lighter pairs.

NEWS! - UPDATED : Bell 47G-2A1 v1.71 by FlyInside The Bell 47G-2A1 is an iconic if the template for the helicopter genre. From it's bubble canopy to the long matrix tail, it shouts "Chopper" in all it's forms, also made famous for it's appearance in the M*A*S*H Film and Television appearances. I really did like the 47G-2A1 by FlyInside in the review; Aircraft Review : Bell 47G-2A1 by FlyInside An interesting aircraft, that is the first to be duplicated in development between the MSFS 2021 Flight Simulator, and our own X-Plane11 Simulator, comparison's are very interesting, but the non-texture design is a drawback, even considering the expert modeling. So here is the first up date to v1.71... First and foremost is that all three platforms in Windows, Mac OS and Linux are now all supported with this release, more dynamic effects, flight model enhancements... and the Replay mode is now also supported (or now properly fixed!) "Yeah!". Changelog v1.71 Mac OS and Linux now supported in X-Plane Adds dynamic and static blade droop and rotor coning effects Flight model engine enhancements Adds two-minute engine limitations and failures Adds temp gauge indications of engine overstress Updated cockpit placards X-Plane Replay Mode now supported X-Plane wind effects now supported For previous owners the v1.71 update is free, go to your X-Plane.OrgStore account and download... __________________ Yes! the Bell 47G-2A1 by FlyInside Helicopter is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Bell 47G-2A1 Price is US$34.95 Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1 GB Current Version: 1.71 (February 25th 2022) _____________________ NEWS! - Aircraft Update by Stephen Dutton 26th February 2022 Copyright©2022: 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! - UPDATED : Traffic Global XP v1.1.0103 by Just Flight Doing a review a few weeks ago (vFlyteAir's Piper PA28R Arrow III G5 - E1000) we came across a nasty bug that crashed the SASL plugin and made the review extremely hard to process and complete. Problem was we couldn't find the culprit? Was it in the vFlyteAir aircraft itself (very rare, as vFlyteAir are exceptional in their release products), but it took a week or so to locate and outer the issue. Oddly the problem was caused by Just Flight's Traffic Global plugin... again another extremely rare thing to happen, and why would it cause so much damage to the PA28R Arrow? Just Flight had only just earlier done an extensive update to Traffic Global v1.1.0012 12th January 2022, and included was details of changes to the X-Plane Traffic Warning system (or to intergrate the plugins aircraft with your aircraft). Called the "Traffic Collision Avoidance System", or TCAS this system shows and alerts you to other aircraft on a collision or in your immediate vicinity, and usually shown on your aircraft MAP or HSI display. So we had a nasty conflict, caused by "Apparently the X-Plane datarefs sometimes getting set to NIL values" and between two areas not really connected... and this is why the TCAS system in X-Plane has never really worked well together in synchronicity. There is also the current situation that with the highly updated version of the ATC (Air Traffic Control) in coming in the new, now close to release X-Plane 12, in that the TCAS system will be better intergrated into the core X-Plane default software (we hope of course). So did Just Flight jump the gun too quick in intergrating the new X-Plane 12 TCAS system into the older X-Plane11 version? Or was it just a nasty bug, or even a bad idea that didn't work? Well here is a very quick follow up update release to cover the problem in TG v1.1.0103. Just Flight have also done other changes, but overall this update was put out to fix the TCAS conflicts, that means if you use Traffic Global, then you will need to update to this new version to fix the nasty bug conflicts that goes to heart of any SASL plugin that uses X-Plane's TCAS features. v1.1.0103 Changelog - Stop labels jittering - Compatibility workaround for RXP - Don't apply ft/m conversion when formatting flight-level values for labels. - Fix incorrect positioning of radar/flightplan/departureboard window buttons after disabling and re-enabling the plugin. - Improvements for runway operations where a single taxiway enters two connecting runways - Add squawk codes to TCAS data - Replay mode didn't start correctly and didn't restore aircraft after replay ended - Fix exit positions for aircraft with offset reference datum - Fix debug display of exits and ground positions - Fix for default key mappings possibly not being added - Clearer indication of why ASXP may not be connected - ActiveSkyXP NetAddress value is not read from config.ini correctly - Fix distant labels not being drawn (broken in 1.1.0081) _________________ Who says life is easy being a reviewer.... If you have Traffic Global XP from Just Flight, then go to your JF account and download the new Traffic Global XP v1.1.0103.exe installer, and do the update by following the prompts. _________________ Yes! Traffic Global XP v1.1.0103 by JustFlight is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Traffic Global (Windows) Price is US$52.99 The application is also available directly from JustFlight Traffic Global (Mac) Price is US$52.99 Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows only - For the MAC Version, go here Download Size : 2 GB Current version: v1.1.0103 (February 22nd 2022) ____________________________ NEWS! UPDATE by Stephen Dutton 25th February 2022 Copyright©2022 : 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 Release : KMTH - Marathon Airport, Florida by FS Designs If your flying down the Florida Keys (usually to Key West) then you usually fly over a blank airport about mid-way down the key chain. This is Marathon Airport, a small but very strategic general aviation airport. Thanks to FS Designs, that hole in the keys can not only be filled in, but can be also used as a great little GA destination from the south of Florida. Marathon airport (KMTH) is located in the Florida Keys adjacent to the city of Marathon and the US1 highway. With its 5008 foot long runway, it serves all types of aircraft from the Classic Cessna 150 to the modern Cessna Citation X with the ability to accommodate aircraft as large as the 737 (although there is only 26m to spare so we would advise against trying this at home). Key features include: All buildings are custom, handcrafted with added detail to ensure accuracy. High resolution 4k textures All taxiways, signs, and markings are placed accurately. Custom cut high resolution aerial imagery for the airfield and surrounding area. 3D vegetation Accurate night lighting Custom high quality Physically Based Rendering (PBR) Free updates for X-Plane 12 Images are courtesy of FS Designs... Priced at an extremely low price at US$7.50, the Marathon Airport is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore _____________________________________ Yes! - KMTH - Marathon Airport, Florida by FS Designs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : KMTH - Marathon Airport, Florida Price is US$7.50 Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 BG VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.8 GB Current version: 1 (February 24th 2022) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 25th February 2022 Copyright©2022: 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 Release : LTFE - Bodrim Airport Turkey by JustSim Bodrim Airport is an international airport that serves the Turkish towns of Bodrum and Milas in the southwest of Turkey. The airport is situated 36 km northeast of the town of Bodrum, and 16 km south of Milas. This is another X-Plane Simulator release again for the Turkish and Greek areas of the Mediterranean Sea. There has been a significant amount of releases here over the last few years from not only JustSim (here again with this LTFE-Bodrim) but also from FlyTampa and Aerosoft. A spacious new international terminal was completed in 2000 at Bodrim; this then became the domestic terminal in 2012 following the completion of another newer international terminal. The older terminal, now reserved for only domestic flights, and is positioned next to the international terminal. Features: Detailed airport objects and vehicles Custom textured taxiways, runways and apron Custom surroundings Custom airport lights Handplaced autogen, greenhouses and trees Compatible with X-Plane 11 features Shading and occlusion (texture baking) effects on terminal and other airport buildings High resolution ground textures / Custom runway textures High resolution building textures Excellent night effects Realistic reflections on glass World Traffic compatible X-Life traffic compatible Optimized for excellent performance Custom patch for Ortho4XP for real runway curvature Images are courtesy of JustSim... The LTFE - Bodrim Airport Turkey by JustSim is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore _____________________________________ Yes! - LTFE - Bodrim Airport Turkey by JustSim is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : LTFE - Bodrim Airport Turkey Price is US$16.90 Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac, Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 1.0 Download size: 1.2 GB ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 24th February 2022 Copyright©2022: 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

Most airlines use the B789 far more than the shorter 788, it has the legs to do 7,635 nmi (14,140 km) to the 7,355 nmi (13,620 km) of the 788, plus the heavier payload, knowing FF, I think there is a good chance the 788 varaiant will come later, but for now the 789 is the more popular choice.

NEWS! - UPDATE : C172 NG DIGITAL v1.3.1 by AirFoilLabs Since it's release on the 14th December 2021, AirFoilLabs have done three subsequent updates on their excellent C172 DIGITAL aircraft. The first was just a minor quick update (v1.1) after the release on the 20th Dec 21, they then followed that version up with a slightly more comprehensive one in the middle of January 22 (v1.2 12th Jan). And here is the big one in v1.3.1 (14th Feb 22), and quite a fix list it is. Most of focus in v1.3.1 update has been on the 2d panels and a lot of performance tuning... oh and the Hanger now also plays music if you own the AirFoilLab's KAWO Arlington Area scenery. Version 1.3.1 (February 14th 2022) GPU - cable connect sound missing Fuel Consumption tuned Cylinder Head Temperature tuned Oil Temperature Tuned New graphics features on 2d Engine Panel 2d Central Panel - Fuel selector bug 2d Central Panel - Trim manipulator and indication corrected 2d G1000 panels - button animations corrected 2d G1000 panels - now dimmable Failure System Logic - deactivated during Replay Mode to prevent incorrect failures Interior animations fixed during Replay Mode Cockpit Builders/Custom controllers - additional documentation and commands added Quick View system / Memorized Views now working correctly also in external cameras Intro Logic corrected Hangar Music now playing all songs 2d Throttle Panel Manipulators refined 2d Switch Panel Manipulators added functionality The "Enhanced Engine Panel" diagram is noted in the release for the new 2d panel details. Full comprehensive X-PlaneReviews review is here; Aircraft Review : C172SP NG DIGITAL by AirfoilLabs The best current General Aviation aircraft in the X-Plane Simulator... it has to be right up there for the detail and features! "The most successful aircraft in history the Cessna 172S is now rebuilt from scratch by Airfoillabs for X-Plane as New Generation Airfoillabs Product Series. You can expect unprecedented Study Level Simulation of C172S with G1000 Avionics." Support forum for the C172 NG Digital ________________________________ The C172SP NG DIGITAL by AirfoilLabs is NOW available here at the X-Plane.OrgStore 172SP NG DIGITAL Price is US$49.95 The v1.3.1 update is free to all current purchasers of the C172SP NG DIGITAL, just go to your X-Plane.OrgStore account and download the new version. This aircraft is a noted aircraft for X-Plane11 but X-Plane12 will be supported. Requirements: X-Plane 11 X-Plane 12 - Planned ! Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 1.3.1 (February 14th 2022) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 16th February 2022 Copyright©2022: 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

Well that is great news! Notable is the takeoff, and the arrival procedures to set the aircraft up for landing... they are tricky to get perfectly right, but that is like I said the challenge of the aircraft. Would like to know your thoughts?

NEWS! - UPDATE: ToLiss updates A340 to Version v1.0.3 Another update? Yes another revision of the excellent ToLiSS A340-600 and only a month (and a day) since v1.0.2. There are a few new features in Cargo fire extinguishing test is now operational, NAV mode will now re-engage automatically on Go Around initiation and the engine model to allow "seeing through" the bypass channel... NOTE- The Cargo Fire Extinguishing Button although noted actually still doesn't work. As there is no clickspot on the button? The fix will come in the next update. Full Changelog v1.0.3 is below Version 1.0.3 (February 10th 2022) Minor new features: - Cargo fire extinguishing test is now operational (now for real) - Added the Option to have NAV mode reengage automatically on Go Around initiation - Updated engine model to allow "seeing through" the bypass channel as in real life Bug fixes: - Fixed an issue with sounds and particle effect after loading a situation with landing gear retracted - Fixed dancing XPDR switch after pressing CLR twice - Increase flap lever sound volume by 3dB - MCDU CI entry is now range limited - Inhibited the speed trend indication below 30kts IAS on ground - Vertical FD guidance during TO rotation much smoother now - Improved FMA indications for ALT CRZ capture and VS 0 - Improved behaviour of the ALT push button on FCU - Improved default wing flex magnitude - Engine sound volume readjustment - Changed Radalt offset such that radalt reads 0 when first set of wheels touches Full ToLiSS X-PlaneReviews A340-600 release review is here: Aircraft Review : Airbus A340-600 by ToLiSS The v1.0.3 update is free to all current purchasers of the ToLiSS A340-600, just go to your X-Plane.OrgStore account and download the new aircraft file or use the SkunkCrafts updater.... For new a purchase of the A340... the details are noted below. _________________________________ Yes! the Airbus A340-600 v1.0.2 by ToLiSS is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Airbus A340-600 by ToLiSS Price is US$89.99 Requirements X-Plane only - not available for MSFS Support for X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12 when available Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.5GB Current version: 1.0.2 (January 6th 2022) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 11th February 2022 Copyright©2022: 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! - UPDATE : Airbus A300 Classic B2-200 v1.5 by ASSP ASSP have updated their Airbus A300 B2-200 to version v1.5. This is the seventh update to this the very first of the Airbus (Then Airbus Industrie GIE consortium) A300. The first production aircraft version of the A300 was the B2. Powered by General Electric CF6 or Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines (the same engines that powered the 747 or the DC-10) of between 51,000 and 53,000 lbf (227 and 236 kN) thrust, it entered service with Air France in May 1974. The prototype A300B2 made its first flight on 28 June 1973 and was certificated by the French and German authorities on 15 March 1974 and FAA approval followed on 30 May 1974. The first production A300B2 (A300 number 5) made its maiden flight on 15 April 1974 and was handed over to Air France a few weeks later on 10 May 1974. The A300B2 entered revenue service on 23 May 1974 between Paris and London. Version 1.5 (February 10th 2022) • PAX VERSION 1.5 - wing new light effect - wing light problem in replay mode solved - engine problem in replay mode solved - TCAS test return logic implemented - full operative brake temperature indicator - brake TEMP warning sound fix - trim wheel time corrected - doors shadow fix - exterior antenna night texture fix - better autopilot rotor knob for user - HSI miss alignment fix - EFB load manager page added - EFB quick config is added for users - EFB trim setting is added to speed page The v1.5 update is now available from your X-Plane.OrgStore Account, just logon and download _____________________________________ Yes! the Airbus A300 Classic B2-200 by ASSP is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Airbus A300 Classic B2-200 Price is US$49.00 On sale: $39.99 Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 760 MB Current version: 1.5 (February 10th 2022) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 11th February 2022 Copyright©2022: 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! - Released - VSkyLabs RC-PILOT: Jump Jet 2830 Testbed This is the second of the RC-PILOT series in the Jump Jet 2830 Testbed. Note... this aircraft is not a full sized aircraft you can fly, but a MINIATURE R/C (Radio Controlled) AIRCRAFT MODEL. The first RC-PILOT release from VSkyLabs was the Carbon Gunship 950, of which you can checkout here; Carbon Gunship 950 -VSKYLABS RC-PILOT The VSKYLABS ‘RC-PILOT’: Jump Jet 2830 Testbed is an advanced simulation of a 1:5 scale Turbine powered Radio Controlled model airplane. It is powered by an RC Scale Turbofan power unit that provides thrust vectoring propulsion. The propulsion system provides bleed air pressure to stabilizing vanes in each wing tip, under the nose and in the tail boom, to allow pitch, roll and yaw control while hovering. The highly defined VSL Jump Jet 2830 Testbed simulation is powered by X-Plane’s latest Experimental Flight Model environment, providing the most advanced flight model, aerodynamics and physics existing nowadays in real-time flight simulation software. Project Highlights: VSKYLABS 'RC-PILOT' project: built around the powerful, native X-Plane's 'Experimental Flight Model' environment. Highly engineered VTOL/CTOL model airplane simulation scaled down to 1:5 (length of 2,830 mm), with true-to-life RC specs. On-screen operations: Easy and straightforward operation of the model, including flight reset, auto-start and other operations without the need to go through menus… VR (Virtual Reality) Ready. Multi-Layer FMOD sound pack. STMA Autoupdater is included: Project updates are fast and efficient! Project under constant development. Highly responsive VSKYLABS support system. To note the VSkylab philosophy, is that you purchase an ongoing project, so any aircraft you purchase is not fully completed and 100%, that is the deal you sign up for to get access to the aircraft, all updates to the aircraft are free but changes can come infrequently if sometimes slowly. Images are courtesy of vSkyLabs... The Jump Jet 2830 Testbed Project by vSkyLabs is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore _____________________________________ Yes! - Jump Jet 2830 Testbed by vSkyLabs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Jump Jet 2830 Testbed Price is US$10.00 Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 1.0 (February 9th 2022) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 11th February 2022 Copyright©2022: 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! - Released - aeroG Aviation aG-4 "Liberty" eVTOL v.3.0 This is v3 of the aG-4 "Liberty" eVTOL a futuristic carrier of UAM (Urban Air Mobility), Cargo, Medical, and VIP categories. The aG-4 is a combination of theoretical quadrotor flight physics and novel design techniques, and comes with a new ducted fan system. X-Plane is brilliant at creating futuristic modeling of designs. A new world is opening up for "Drone", style aircraft powered by batteries and not liquid hydrocarbon fuels. As we move forward these exceptional and very different forms of transport will gradually take to our skies, it is exciting to see a whole new form of transportation evolve... more so as X-Plane can like here deliver the ideas and forms before reality. In that you and others you get to fly the future first. This is a new release from Aero-G Aviation, even though it is noted as a v3... confused, yes. Improvements from v2.0 Revised plugin commands to ensure more simplistic pilot input required for stable flight. New ducted fan design with eight coaxial rotors generating thrust and lift. Refined animations and texture improvements. New Livery – Helijet concept. Improved engine sound files Full lifetime support at the forum, product updates and development as required Fully VR compatible Windows, Mac and Linux compatible. Now available at the OrgStore! Images are courtesy of Aero-G Aviation ______________________________________ Yes! the aeroG Aviation aG-4 "Liberty" eVTOL v.3.0 Multicopter is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : aeroG Aviation aG-4 "Liberty" eVTOL v.3.0 Price is US$29.95 (Owners of the v2 version can get this new model for $15 off. Coupon code can be found in original v2 invoice) Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Video Card Minimum Download Size: 240 MB Current version: 3.0 (February 7th 2022) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 10th February 2022 Copyright©2022: 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

No I don't think he did? Certainly it would be interesting of what he would have to say now... those comments were v1.1, we are now at v1.43r3 and the changelog list is huge inbetween. So a lot of the details have been addressed by Rotate. I can only say from my own personal experience that this MD-80 is in my top 10 best simulations, even my top four. It is not perfect, even very challenging to fly (but that is the general idea). Systems are complicated, and Rotate do have a few quirks still surrounding the takeoff trim. It is a study aircraft and one to dedicate a lot of your time to, but the rewards are huge. Get it right block to block and you will walk head high for days.

NEWS! - UPDATE : CowanSim 222B/222UT v2.60 This is the dual versions of the CowanSim version of the Bell 222, an American twin-engine light helicopter built by Bell Helicopter. The standard is the 222B, with the 222UT being the utility version. Both aircraft can be purchased separately or in a duel package. Both aircraft have now been updated to v2.60. Full X-PlaneReviews CowanSim 222B/UT review is here; Aircraft Review : CowanSim Bell 222B + UT ___________________ Changelog v2.60 is in an unusual form, but still noted here (credits to CowanSim) 222B/UT v2.60 – Updated 02/04/2022 If something you requested or reported was not fixed or added then don’t worry. This is an ongoing project and will be updated further. Development takes a LOT of time, but we will get there. ***INSTALLATION*** Never overwrite the old version when updating. It will leave behind old textures, code, objects and other things that will ruin the new version. The new folder has a new name, so simply extract it as is and you will be okay. Thanks Auto Pilot The mode selector/flight director system was changed from the ground up. As requested by many simmers, the ALT knob will now change the altitude when ALT is selected. Previously, the selection made with the knob was where the VS would settle. Now when pressing ALT (have to double click) your current altitude will be held and can be changed with the ALT knob. The top three buttons, ALT, IAS and VS can only be used one at a time. SBY: Turns the auto pilot system ON/OFF. ALT: Holds the current altitude and programmable as described above. IAS: Holds the airspeed when changing collective input. VS: Holds the vertical speed with cyclic at rest. Self centering joysticks need to be centered first. HDG: Holds the heading of the heading bug on the HSI. NAV: Provides steering commands for both VOR, localizer navigation and area navigation. ILS: Used to make a full ILS approach. Pressing the ILS button with a LOC frequency tuned arms both the localizer and the glideslope mode. BC: Engages back course approach mode. VOR/APP: Engages the VOR approach mode. GA: Activates go-around mode. When engaged the flight director computer commands a roll level attitude and a pitch attitude of 750-1000 FPM rate of climb. The pilot must maintain desired air speed by adjusting the collective. ADF/RMI This was request by a couple sim pilots. There was no more room on the panel for any other instruments. The decision was made to replace the standby attitude indicator to the left of the main one. The standby attitude indicator is still there, so if you want that instead there is a click spot hovering over the ADF. Clicking it will make the standby attitude indicator appear in place of the new ADF indicator. Sounds The fmod sounds got a huge makeover. One of the issues with the CowanSim 222s was muffled sounds. There was a high pass hiding in one of the main sound banks, essentially chopping off half of the highs. (same with the old 500E sounds) The entire fmod project was scrapped and brought back to life with several new approaches and sounds added. Rotors Rotor animations are now complete with the trigonometry included so the pitch of the blades follow the swash plate. Rotor textures and mapping were updated too. NOTE: Since the rotor textures are new then all liveries must be updated if the rotor texture was edited. This will happen from time to time if you are editing things outside of the paint kit. The old kit did included rotor textures and not sure why that was in there. Those were removed. Torque Gauge The 3 needles on the torque gauges for both engines and the rotor were calibrated at max weight. They should be more accurate now. NAV1, NAV2, GPS Mode Selector This selector was broken on the 222UT. It is now working. Ground Power A ground power unit was added and is accessible in the clipboard and upper menu options. Flags The HSI flags now work correctly. Starting With Engines Running There are too many messages from users who are stuck at idle when starting with engines running. The idle stop relays on the collective box need to be activated to unlock each throttle from the idle position. After that you have 5 seconds to roll the throttles to off or full. Now when starting with engines running the throttles are both set to flight idle to eliminate the confusion. This is all in the manual. Various bugs, fixes and additions. Noticed the fully automated start camera views are not compatible with X-Camera. It would have to be disabled for that to work correctly. ___________________________________ Bug Fix! There was a bug in the last update. The menu option to change from luxury to medical didn’t work correctly, it would only work using the clipboard. This is now fixed and available for download. ___________________________________ The v2.60 update is now available from your X-Plane.OrgStore Account, just logon and download... Yes! the Bell 222B + UT by CowanSim v2.60 is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : CowanSim 222B Price is US$24.95 CowanSim 222UT Price is US$24.95 CowanSim 222B+UT Price is US$39.95 Features 222B+UT This package includes both variants: The 222B The 222UT Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 595 MB Current version : 2.6 (February 4th 2022) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 5th February 2022 Copyright©2022: 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! - UPDATE : Boeing 747-200 Classic v1.06 by Felis Planes Since its September 2021 release. The Boeing 747-200 Classic from Felis has had a ton of updates, this is the sixth update to v1.06, from only a huge update released only last month in late January (I have listed both updates below). Busy, busy... X-PlaneReviews full comprehensive review of the Felis 747-200 is here; Aircraft Review : Boeing 747-200 Classic by Felis Planes The good news is that with each new digit update, the list is getting far shorter. Nice to know that the aircraft is now reaching a high quality standard. Love it. Changelog Version 1.0.6 (February 4th 2022) HYD electric pump now works only from AUX power and will trip off, when any changes there. AP trim threshold reverted to previous setting Attempt to fix 2D panels popping up on loading GPU should not disconnect, when acf is on chocks and parking brake is OFF flight yoke manipulator now optional KILL objects feature is now optional fixed warning for IDLE and gear not down for 2-axis landing gear now use some oil from hyd system added fake light to lit up overhead Version 1.0.5 (January 21st 2022) moved cockpit door frame to the cockpit_walls.obj upon loading the airport stab trim set to 4.2 ground effect reverted to 1.0.3 version and retuned textures fixes AP moves stab trim more precisely fixed 2D panels in undocked mode added KILL function for some objects in attempt to optimize graphics attempt to optimize the codes added option for 2 axis throttle control 4 engines fixed errors in weight calculations in the EFB apps GS ALIVE callout temporarily disabled new pitch ATT for initial climb calc corrected parameters for landing gears in PlaneMaker increased turning speed for body gear. improving taxi behavior added additional checks for libradio datarefs existence rolling friction is stable for BetterPushback altimeters baro setting now limited to 0.5 increments reduced volume of the APU inlet sound reduced volume and distance for flaps and slats sounds The v1.6 update is now available from your X-Plane.OrgStore Account, just logon and download... or use the built-in Skunkcraft's Updater. __________________ Yes! the Boeing 747-200 Classic by Felis Planes is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Boeing 747-200 Classic Price is US$70.00 Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.1 GB Current version : 1.0.6 (February 4th 2022) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 5th February 2022 Copyright©2022: 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