Stephen

NEWS! - X-Plane 12 : Revolution Mini-500 by vSkyLabs Oddity aircraft are part of X-Plane's DNA. And vSkyLabs love producing project style aircraft. This one is the Revolution Mini-500, outwardly it looks like a small Hughes 500, but it isn't, but an American single seat light helicopter, designed and built in the 90's by Dennis Fetters, as a home-built kit. The X-Plane version of the Mini-500 was released back in January 2019. This is the fully upgraded X-Plane 12 version, is not just an adjustment to configure to fly the helicopter in X-Plane 12, but a full redesign of the original project, details include... light dynamics latest tuneup to fall in line with the latest X-Plane 12 related helicopter simulation physics. Sounds - new sounds (FMOD 2.0). 3-d external - skids flex animation was added. 3-d external - tail-vibration animation was added. 3-d external - (experimental) damage due mast-bumping visualization was added. 3-d external - rotor-blades flex animation was added. 3-d external - rotor-disc visualization refinements. 3-d int - new PBR textures for most cockpit elements. 3-d int - new higher resolution airspeed indicator plate. 3-d int - new higher resolution VSI indicator plate. 3-d int - new Altimeter with dual pressure system. 3-d int - improved VSL autopilot LED system. 3-d int - new built-in avitab support. 3-d int - new ignition switch. 3-d int - fixes to yaw-string. 3-d int - new hour-meter. 3-d int - added better animation to fuel-tank selector. 3-d int - new high resolution mapping for canopy pieces (in and out). Avionics - new GNS 430. Avionics - new Transponder. Avionics - autopilot, gps, radios are wired via 'avionics' switch. VR interaction - new/improved VR interaction for the entire cockpit. Manual/POH - new manual (please read before flight). All-around refinements and optimizations. Aircraft features include; VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' Project - Professional-grade physics, handling and performance characteristics. Highly defined and engineered flight dynamics model of the Revolution Mini-500, built around the powerful X-Plane flight model. The Mini-500 performance was analyzed by experts. Fully functional VR (Virtual Reality). Multi-Layer FMOD sound pack, composed with actual recordings of the Mini-500 helicopter engine and rotor sounds. Unique aspects of the Mini-500 helicopter are simulated and are part of the flying experience by definition: Manual engine/rotor RPM management, low rotor-inertia aspects, in-flight nose tuck during engine-stop, rotor RPM management, retreating blade stall condition (Vne), typical Mast bumping, typical autorotation capability and more. The VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot': Revolution Mini-500 is designed as if it was a real kit-built helicopter, awaiting for it's first test-flight. Was it built exactly as instructed? Will it fly as expected? wow there is only one way to find out! You will have to get familiar with it step by step...or you might get yourself into serious trouble when mistreating it. Mastering the Mini-500 will sure make you a better helicopter pilot! The original pilot's manual and other 1st hand references contributed by the Mini-500 real-world designer were one of the core-materials during development of this project, and the VSKYLABS Mini- 500 pilot's manual includes the actual data and information of the actual Mini-500 manual. 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). The project is under constant development. Highly responsive VSKYLABS support forums. The vSkylab philosophy is that you are purchasing an ongoing project, so any aircraft you purchase is not fully completed or is completed to 100%, that is the deal you sign up for to get access to the aircraft and all the development is free and ongoing throughout the X-Plane 12 version. These projects are under constant development: the development road-map is including flight model refinements, enhanced systems depth, additional liveries and other improvements. This aircraft is also available for X-Plane 11 (obviously with out the dynamics and effects of X-Plane 12) Images are courtesy of vSkyLabs... The Revolution Mini-500 by vSkyLabs is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore _____________________________________ Yes! - the Revolution Mini-500 Project by vSkyLabs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Revolution Mini-500 Price is US$26.50 (Currently on sale for only US13.20!) Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 3.0 (March 9th 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 11th February 2023 Copyright©2023: 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 : CRJ 1000 Series from Deltawing Simulations AD Simulations landed in X-Plane just over a year or so ago in December 2021. Their first aircraft was the CRJ-700, a regional jet airliner that was designed and manufactured by Canadian transportation conglomerate Bombardier (formerly Canadair) between 1999 and 2020. Seating ranges from 63 to 78 passengers, the -700 has three fuel/weight options: standard, ER, and LR. The ER version has an increase in fuel capacity as well as maximum weight, which in turn increases the range. A X-PlaneReviews review of the CRJ-700 is here; Aircraft Review : CRJ-700 by AD Simulations/Delta Wing A year a so on, and you have had quite a lot of significant development to the aircraft, but also there has been added the -900 version (76-90 Seats), now here is the final and longest version of the CRJ Family... the CRJ 1000. The -1000 is the largest aircraft in the CRJ family, capable of seating up to 97-104 passengers in a standard configuration. The aircraft was designed to be a stretched version of the CRJ-900, offering increased capacity and improved operating economics. The CRJ-1000 features a modern and spacious cabin with larger overhead bins and windows than previous models. It is powered by two General Electric CF34-8C5 engines, which provide improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions compared to older regional jet engines. Notable is AD Simulations ambition, now renamed DeltaWing Simulations, three aircraft released in just over one year is a massive feat, and being on the changeover from X-Plane 11 to X-Plane 12 eras, doesn't help either. But the progress has been impressive, there was a mid-life update for the both the 700/900, and everything updated will be incorporated into this newer longer CRJ-1000. First impressions in X-Plane 12 are extremely impressive, great modeling and a depth of detail... General Notes Basic Systems are programmed based on CRJ-1000 aircraft. In subsequent updates we are making systems deeper and adding new ones. CRJ real life pilots and few simulator enthusiasts are helping us to develop and make them work properly Flight Control Panel knobs support fast scrolling via left mouse button press and hold and precise scrolling via mouse wheel scroll All switches now support new manipulators with Above/Below click for UP/DOWN movement and mouse wheel scroll Mode Control Panel SPEED and other modes simulate the real Autopilot modes on the CRJs. Implemented Electrical System Circuit Breakers are all animated and ready to perform certain actions accordingly to their function in future updates Tablet/EFB on Captain and FO sides Functional Audio Control Panel with lit buttons and animations Rectangular and Arrows Flight Director Command Bars as an Options Center Glareshield All Center Glareshield Knobs and Pushbuttons animated and functional Displays Displays are exceptionally crisp and with letters and symbols easily visible PFD Primary Flight Display Modeled and functioning exactly as real life counterpart MFD Multifunction Display can display following modes HSI The horizontal situation indicator shows the compass card with overlaid selectable navaids, bearing and course pointers NAV SECTOR Navigation display with compass card and a background map. The navigation display shows course pointer and deviation bar. VOR bearing and DME distance information is shown FMS MAP Flight Management System Map shows the track and waypoints programmed in the CDU (Control Display Unit). FMS MAP shows the aircraft heading. TCAS Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System investigates the air traffic control transponders of nearby airplanes and identifies and displays potential and predicted collision threats. FMS PLAN MAP shows programmed waypoints of the route. Shows north at the top of the display. Waypoints can be selected by using UP and DOWN arrows on CDU (Control Display Unit) RADAR- to be implemented in future versions EICAS (ENGINE INDICATION AND CREW ALERTING SYSTEM Displays. Following displays can be shown using ECP (EICAS CONTROL PANEL) PRI STAT ECS HYD ELEC (AC and DC) FUEL F/CTL A/ICE DOORS CAS (not implemented yet) MENU = UP + DN STEP PopUp Displays (movable, scalable able to be dragged to multiple monitors) Tablet/EFB Captain and FO PFD (Primary Flight Display) Captain and FO MFD (Multi Function Display) Primary EICAS Secondary EICAS Left and Right CDU (Control Display Unit) Skunkcraft Updater To be implemented in the future Cockpit and Cabin Lighting There is FULL lighting implemented, FLOOD, INTEGRATED and DISPLAYS with animated knobs and switches You can adjust the intensity of displays, panels and light in any combination you like In addition, CABIN LIGHTS and STAIR LIGHTS are also adjustable via corresponding switches in the back of the cockpit STERILE Cockpit Light working (visible from inside the cabin when cockpit door is closed) AD Simulations CRJ-900 Cabin is using the option called “Atmosphere”It provides Button to adjust DOOR ASSIST, CEILING, SIDEWALL and ENTRANCE Lights. Using combination of different lighting conditions creates different look You can adjust Cabin and Stairs lights using Buttons on the right wall looking toward cabin External Lighting FULL external lighting is available via animated corresponding switches Tablet/EFB and it's corresponding Pop Up DOOR HANDLING PASSENGERS LOAD FUEL LOAD SETTINGS (COLD AND DARK, READY TO TAXI, EXTERNAL POWER) INFO (Loading Take Off Speeds, Landing Speeds and take Off Trim) Sounds FMOD Custom sounds are implemented using FMOD Engine sounds Cockpit sounds: Avionics, Gyro, Relays, Fans (Packs), Controls (Buttons/switches, levers) Warning sounds: Take-off GPWS (Too Low Terrain, Too Low Gear, Too Low Flaps, Terrain Caution, Bank angle, Sink rate, Don’t-sink, Pull Up) Autopilot, Fire, Alerts Cabin sounds: Galley, Cooling Exterior sounds: Gear Roll/Touch, APU, GPU, Flaps, Hydraulic and Fuel Pumps, Wind drag, Packs Weather sounds: Wind, Rain, Thunder, Wind Gust (on the ground only) Cabin and Cockpit muffing effect caused by Cockpit Door closed/open Flight Model Flight model has been carefully adjusted to match the real life CRJ-900. Real life CRJ-200/700/900 pilots were involved in the process. Realistic wing flex Wing Flex has been modelled and adjusted for realistic aircraft behavior FMS FMS and it's Pop Up is customized as far as look but based on the Default X-Plane one. Note: Default XP FMC is based on the Collins FMS-4200 and CRJ is using that one, no Honeywell and Thales types. 3D Modeling and Textures Almost all maps are 4K High Resolution Exterior is modeled with all details existing in real aircraft. Pilots are visible in external views and turn their heads slightly to ward camera view Interior modeling has been made paying attention to details in the real life CRJ-900 cockpit. Cabin and Stairs have adjustable lighting, see above Liveries included in the package are listed below Aegean Airlines, American Eagle, CRJ, Delta, Horizon, IBEX Ana, Lufthansa, Scandinavian 1, Scandinavian 2, Spirit Unique Package Features Stairs Rails can be raised and lowered (per customer request) Cockpit shaders slide and rotate as you need them All Windows Shades, Overhead Bins and Seat Trays are animated and functional VR Compatibility Package is VR compatible Notable is that all RJ-700 and -900 customers can get the CRJ-900 for 30% off. You can find the discount coupon in the original CRJ-700 or -900 invoices at the store. Also both X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12 versions are available in the package. Designed by Deltawing Simulations Support forum for the CRJ-1000 About the team: https://deltawingsim.com/ _____________________ Yes! the CRJ-1000 by Delta Wing Simulations is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : CRJ-1000 Price is US$49.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 (both versions available) X-Plane 12 Only (not for XP11) Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1 GB Current version: 1.0 (March 8th 2023) CRJ-700 and -900 customers can get the CRJ-900 for 30% off. Please find the discount coupon in the original CRJ-700 or -900 invoices at the store ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 10th March 2023 Copyright©2023: 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 Update Review : McDonnell Douglas MD-11 v1.07 by Rotate Nearly one year ago in March 2022, Rotate released their second major aircraft release after their well renowned McDonnell Douglas MD-80. This was the most anticipated release of the year, four years in development, and even by X-Plane standards that is a long time. With such extreme expectations the release of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, the iconic Tri-Jet was always going to be controversial. My first flights on the beta aircraft confirmed the worst, it was an extremely complicated machine, as the design straddled the era between the earlier 1970's analog dial, to the current glass computerised cockpits we fly today. The flight profiles were extremely complicated, as was the aircraft's management systems, it made a "Study" aircraft more like a university degree, and it took me a few weeks to work it all out, worse was that many users became fixated on the last quality MD-11 that was released for Flight Simulator a decade before, very good in it's time, but not relevant to the Rotate MD-11. basically though, for anyone one not prolific in heavy aircraft systems and new to flying heavies, the Rotate MD-11 was always going to be a mountain to climb. For a comprehensive look at the aircraft, here is the X-PlaneReviews review of the release; Aircraft Review : McDonnell Douglas MD-11 by Rotate Yes there were a lot of bugs in the MD-11 original release. From updates v1.0 to v1.04 the lists were endless... but by the time the Skunkcrafts Updater was added in September 2022 (beta access was also introduced). The focus on updates then went to X-Plane 12, just released in the same September... Basically then the last two up dates with v1.05 (October) and v1.06 (December) and both were focused on X-Plane 12. This brings us to v1.07 (beta) currently, and this version can only be accessed via the beta channel in the Skunkcrafts updater. Note that both the "updater.cfg files, the main cfg one and the "_beta" one as well, are both required to update to v1.07. v1.07 is in reality the X-Plane 12 release of the Rotate MD-11 aircraft. It is now fully compatible with X-Plane 12. And a lot of the detail in v1.07 is related to that aspect. In updates, oddly it is sometimes the smallest annoyances that you want fixed... this annoyance was a blinder, in betterpushback. Set the aircraft up for flight, that is twenty minutes of your life, then do the betterpushback... and suddenly the aircraft went into a violent circular spin, burning out the front tyres in doing so. To get out of the drama you had to reset the aircraft, but you lost your perfect setup. As expected I hated it. Now it has been fixed in v1.07 and your set up is kept intact, including your tyres. But currently it all now works, but the front wheels now don't turn but the aircraft does (Now fixed for the update!, if the aircraft still does this, then you have the wrong update). When loading the MD-11 won't beg up on it's tail anymore either, but stay level and flat, this weird X-Plane 12 bug seems to affect a lot of heavy aircraft. On the pushback I was very impressed with the rain effects. With X-Plane 12 you get a conversion of the old Librain plugin, most developers don't adjust the effects, but the swishing and pushing of the rain on the window by the wipers here was very effective, a small detail but an important one from Rotate. If you love heavies, then this MD-11 is a large aircraft that defines the category. Chunky, massive to taxi. Notable is the excellent wing detail, forward leading edge spoilers and the complex flap system... It took four years to create, so revel in the work. My initial flight in the "Diva" was back in X-Plane 11. This release is certifies the aircraft in X-Plane 12, honestly the biggest plus+feature here is the MD-11 in the new X-Plane 12 version, it is glorious to look at. Notable you do get a few anti-aliasing marks along the leading edges and the cockpit instrument surrounds and the textures here are extreme quality 4K. So until X-Plane 12 is adjusted to the cope with excessive texture sizes, then they will show more anti-aliasing jaggies here than many other aircraft, retuned, it is going to be very, very good. One thing you will notice straight away is the XP12 MD-11 is far less dirty... Rotate has reduced the dirty engine smoke effect, which I wish they hadn't as the dirt represents the period past, I never saw the MD-11 as clean aircraft, so it feels far too clean now. Wingflex has also been adjusted to be more realistic, an interesting point when you can step back from the initial development, then you can fine tune these more specific areas. Landing gear bogies have also had the same refined attention. The outer mains have had their tilt reduced, to only a slight tilt, not as dramatic, but more realistic to the real MD-11... just check out the videos. Center landing gear geometry has also been fine-tuned. Over the year, there has been a lot of bug fixes and adjustments to the FMS, noted as the Operative Flight Management Computer. It is a very good FMS system, very deep and detailed, it has also had a lot of attention over the past year and here again with v1.07. SID/STAR procedures LNAV display and guidance have had attention, as has again (and again) the focus is on LNAV trajectory calculations. Users had a fixation of the aircraft's projected curves at a waypoint turn, obsessive even. Personally I never saw this aspect on the MAP display or with the actual maneuver in flight... but still they go mad on about it? More items include VNAV flight path calculations and guidance, and now you have an Implemented flight path interception after early descent command. There are also Improved deceleration distance calculations and better deceleration distance calculations. And there was also a bug now fixed on the AIRWAYS page. X-Plane 12 differences include; CG Calculation and a new GO AROUND page on the FMS. This feature can only be accessed when the TO/APPR is in APPROACH mode (or close to the arrival airport). The K6R key gives you access to the GO-AROUND approach page... ... this page will give you the GO-AROUND mode settings and parameters, a nice new detail. Included now also are slope/wind FMC fields in Situations presets. Finally ILS selection is now by frequency in NAV/RAD page. This one is interesting as the selection of ILS selections can be quite large, and you need the ILS Designator code to find it, sometimes it is easier to set the ILS code closer to the arrival airport as it moves closer to the top of the list There is better throttle and reverser hardware configuration, which is now more user friendly. A lot of addons didn't reflect the aircraft, and a lot of work has gone in to making sure the interaction is now more easier, and there is now support for better throttle beta/reverse axis configuration. In the same sphere, the brake commands and toe-brakes will now work together. But you still can't unlock the parking brake from a default command, a small annoyance, but you will get used to it... also there is the ghosting on the throttles in AUTO-THROTTLE mode, which I find annoying, and there is no selection to turn it off? However keeping your addon throttles at the full MAX position will keep them to a minimum. Now that X-Plane 12 (slightly) more mature, the developers can try to get the lighting more realistic. When a pro developer gets it right, then you see the ambition of X-Plane 12's lighting effects. Here it is excellent. Thankfully adjustment is very easy via the twin OHD panel knobs and the single instrument panel knobs, there is also the side (Briefcase) pilots seating lights and the usual STORM (THNDSTRM) and DOME lighting. Low reflection TakeOff and Landing adjustments are excellent, for a good external view. But the rear cabin/rest area is still completely dark? A needed function as you do a lot of overnight flying in this intercontinental MD-11. I'd like a working toilet as well if possible? Externally it is very good as well, as the lighting is nicely defined... no landing or taxi lighting in the wings on a MD-11, as they are positioned on the fuselage. Navigation, Strobe (HI-INT), Wing & Runway Turnoff and LOGO are all (really) well done. The first update to configure the MD-11 when X-Plane 12 was released, also created probably the worst blackhole aircraft in X-Plane, it was a total blackout in here. Now it is a very nice space to be in. Controversial is the effect of the change of lighting, from the darker front screen view to the "look down", brighter cockpit view. Myself I love it, it works and it feels very natural. You spend a lot of flying hours in here, and you don't want it to grate on your nerves, for me as a well confessed "Hauler", the Rotate MD-11 is probably currently the best Long Haul Freighter you can fly in X-Plane. Note the sharp light silhouettes, the lines are clean and no (if very fine) jaggies. So the cockpit environment is now excellent, yes i'm impressed. There has not been a lot of changes around the instruments. However there are few to mention. The Flight Mode Annunciator (FMA) has had the FMA modes adjusted during descent and approach. The navaids auto-tuning system had a few issues that have been fixed. Heading Bug indicator in LOC mode and ARC commands have also both been fixed. The TCAS symbol is now within the the confines of the ND as is finally the ND aircraft icon during TRK mode is now correctly visible. As i mentioned earlier, the real star of this release is X-Plane 12. You take the two elements of a far more featured Simulator, then add in a sensationally developed aircraft and you get the serious wow factor. In a way this combination shows you the future of X-Plane in both a complex aircraft and a very good simulator environment. Flying from one end of the Mediterranean Sea and back to the other, it was a sensational simulation, I have never in a long time been so enthusiastic in my flying. All I wanted to do was to do it again.... maybe again after that, as this combo really delivers. Look out of your windows at the glorious scenario... the towering cloud formations! This is not X-Plane 11 bland anymore, this is X-Plane 12 spectacular. Admittedly X-Plane 12 is not yet perfect, but the dream is happening, and the future is now here... Fly the Rotate McDonnell Douglas MD-11 in X-Plane 12 and live the dream... I did. ______________ Summary Released just under a year ago in March 2022. The Rotate McDonnell Douglas MD-11 was a complex and buggy aircraft. With a year of numerous updates from v1.0 to v1.06, here is the official update in v1.07 to X-Plane 12. Overall this v1.07 update is just another long bug and fix update. There is nothing here in real new features or details, although the GO-AROUND mode page is new. Everything else here is X-Plane 12 refined, from the details to the internal and external lighting, various FMC refinements as is also the PFD and ND/MAP display bugs and fixes, the full effect of both the refinements and the use of X-Plane 12 cannot be underestimated here, it is spectacular outcome, one very much worth experiencing. And thankfully the betterpushback atrocity has also been fixed, it won't destroy your aircraft anymore! A few points are more wishes... Key input to open the menu. Wanting to load, then unload the same cargo at the other end would be nice (Cargo disappears when the doors close?), upgraded rear cabin area with toilet and lighting... some users ask for the passenger MD-11 version, personally I'm not fussed. VR (Virtual Reality) still needs a few areas addressing. Reading through this update review, you are going to think if purchasing the aircraft if it is just too far in it's complexity. I'm not going to waver from the fact that this is noted as a "Study" aircraft, yes you need a skills and heavy aircraft skills to fly it. But once you understand the systems and preferences, it is a brilliant aircraft to fly, so it is well worth investing your time to learn and master the MD-11. The refinement now coming into the aircraft actually makes it easier to fly, because the aircraft does what you want it to do, and does it well, I think the MD-11 has hit a mature level with all the work put in, I rarely had any issues... understand the MD-11 and enjoy the immense rewards the aircraft delivers... the best aircraft in X-Plane 12 at the moment? That aspect is always debatable, But Rotates MD-11 is certainly currently my best simulation aircraft, addictive and rewarding. _____________________ Yes! the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 v1.07 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.txt Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows 8 or Mac OSX 10.12 or newer (using Rosetta for ARM Processors) , Linux Ubuntu 64b 18.04 or newer 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM recommended Current version: 1.07 (March 5th 2023) Currently the v1.07 update is only available for download using the Skunkworks Updater, the "beta" selection also needed to be selected. Designed by Rotate Support Forum at X-Plane.org or http://support.rotatesim.com/ Full v1.07 changelog is here; MD 11 v1.07 Changelog.txt _____________________ Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton 10th March 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews 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 12.04r3 (This is a beta 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 - LIRF - Airport Rome XP by Aerosoft (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$25.99 - LLBG - Airport Ben Gurion XP by Aerosoft (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$24.99 - Full review availble here: Scenery Review : LLBG - Airport Ben Gurion XP by Aerosoft (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 : RealView Next to v1.30r1 by HighSkyTech Immersion effects can bring out a totally different realism to your Simulation flying. I love them obviously, and they have progressed from the earlier "Headshaker" by SimCoders and the best one currently out there by XPRealistic Pro v2.0 by rk Apps, of which I personally use. Another Immersion effect engine is RealView Next by highskytech or HST. Which brings brand new movement technology, new camera immersion effects and VR compatibility to your flying. This update is for version v1.30r1, which is an essential update for X-Plane 12 compatibility, plus some new effects in; Speedbrake effect, Stall effect, Revised landing effect and Overspeed effect. There is an improved Horizontal hold effect, and better Camera shake effects. Finally the Sounds module is back. V1.30r1 (March 6th 2023) - Added full X-Plane 12 compatibility; - Added new speedbrakes effect; - Added new stall effect; - Added new overspeed effect; - Added new landing effect; - Corrected method of camera shake generation (test mode); - Improved horizon hold effect, now it must works well on all yaw angles; - Plugin updater system temporary is deactivated; - Sounds module is back; The feature list is HUGE! NEW CAMERA MOVEMENT ENGINE All-new camera movement engine provides the most accurate simulation of the pilot's view. Movement and shaking are now soft and are calculated according to a gentle formula. The camera engine calculates the conditions under which you are moving or over what you are flying and what aerodynamic forces are acting on your aircraft. There is no more sharp shaking. From now on, all camera movements follow the movements of the aircraft in the air and on the ground, and you feel exactly what the pilot feels when flying the aircraft. EFFECTS PREVIEW MODE & BEYOND - BRAND NEW USER INTERFACE The updated user interface just got better. A new preview mode for each effect is available, soft transitions and a dose of ready-made presets for aircraft. And if you don't want to deal with setting variables, you can choose Automatic Mode. RealView Next will automatically generate the settings that suit exactly your aircraft on which you are currently flying. FEEL G-FORCE The new G-Force immersion will add extreme flying to you. Set the takeoff thrust and release the brakes and feel yourself being pushed into the seat. Get off the ground and feel the air. If you land the plane very tightly or allow overloads during maneuvers, it will be just as hard for you as for a real pilot. Another one reason to improve your piloting skills. FEEL THE GROUND Acceleration on an asphalt and unpaved runway will be different. The touchdown will not be the same as before, you will feel the touch of your landing gear as soon as you touch the ground. Gear vibrations and all other effects are gently simulated and you will get the full experience of the surface you are driving on. Everything is like in real life. RealView Next simulate each surface, which is presented in X-Plane 11. You can drive off from asphalt runway to grass and you will see a diffrence. Simulated surfaces list: • Grass strip • Concrete • Asphalt • Gravel • Dirt • Snow PRE READY MADE PRESETS AVAILABLE The RealView Next comes with pre-ready made presets available for all types of airplanes and other types of aircrafts. You can choose it by yourself or turn on Auto Mode: RealView Next will setups itselfs. Available presets list: • General Aviation • Glider • Fighter • Heavy Metal • Jet Airliner • Ultra Light • Seaplane FEEL THE AERODYNAMICS Landing Gear - the best speed brakes, feel each vibration during exit and retracting of gear. Feel your flaps, when they are change position. Feel your speedbrakes, when you dissect the air. The modern RealView Next camera engine simulate each vibration, which feel your aircraft during all phases of flight. With new RealView Next - each deployed surface is important. FEEL THE SKY RealView Next is deeply integrated with xAmbience Pro. They both operates to give you the most precise immersion of the real world sky ambience, starts from turbulence ends by air flows. AUTOMATIC UPDATE DELIVERY You don’t need to update your plugin each time via complex reinstall. RealView Next will automatically download all updates and install it. You don’t need to do anything, all processes are automatic! OVERALL PLUGIN FEATURES: - General view movements engine (Pitch; Heading; Horizon) with independent soft channels; - The most modern interface in X-Plane with animations, effects preview and other; - Ability to view manual trough simulator (Optional); - Smooth camera movement during all phases of flight; - Stand-alone plugin written on modern language; - Fast growing list of immersions; - Compatible with X-Camera & ASXP; - Sound Environment (Optional); - Multi monitor support; - Frequent updates; - FPS Friendly; - Vulkan Ready; - VR Support (Beta); EFFECTS LIST: • Pitch General & Angular Axis; Controls view depends of aircraft pitch, view will be changed due increase of speed or pitch; • Horizon General & Angular Axis; Controls horizon angle depends of aircraft bank angle, view will be angled due aircraft angle position or control position; • Heading General & Angular Axis; Controls heading angle depends of aircraft heading, view will be changed due aircraft heading change or ground rolling; • G-Force Simualtion Module; Simulate all G-Forces with soft movements and realistic forces. You need try to land aircraft with Over G or try to pull yoke to yourself - you will feel the G-Force; • Static Camera Motion; Reflects ground surfaces in static camera mode. You will feel vibrations, shakings which reflected by gear in static. • 3D Spherical Camera Motion; Reflects ground surfaces in 3D spherical camera mode. You will feel the ground shakings which reflected by gears in 3D. Your view will softly reflect to it. • Longitude G-Force; When you set your thrust to takeoff, you will feel like you pulled into seat. When you push the brakes, you will feel like brakes tilt you. • Side G-Force; When you leaning your plane too much will push you into the corner of your seat and you will certainly feel it. • Ground Touchdown Effect; When you touch the ground, you will feel how your head beats if you land your plane too hard. If you plane will be landed softly - you will feel a light shake. • Overspeed Effect; When you accelerate a little too hard, the fuselage starts to vibrate from severe stress on it. You need to slow down, otherwise your plane may break down and collapse right in the air! • Landing Gear Effect; The best air brake? Correctly! Landing Gear. As you release and retract the landing gear, feel every vibration that a real person experiences while on the plane. • Engine Effect; Starting a rotary engine is always accompanied by vibrations in the cockpit - the pilots will tell you exactly! Feel every vibration from starting the engine. And if your engine is defective, feel the severe vibration and movement from the engine ahead of you! • Flaps Effect; The flaps are extended and retracted depending on the speed accompanied by vibration. Feel every vibration from your flaps as you retract and extend. • Stall Effect; If you are flying on an airplane and suddenly started to fall, you will understand this thanks to this effect. The intensifying lateral vibrations will not let you lie - you are stalled! • Speed Brakes Effect; The release and removal of the spoilers is always accompanied by a certain retraction into the seat and a slight vibration. This usually happens on every plane that sharply engages them. If you release the spoilers gently, or do not greatly affect the aerodynamic behavior of the aircraft, you will only feel a slight vibration across the cockpit panel. • Automatic View Centerize; Forward deflection can be automatically compensated at different speeds to the correct position. • Smart Zoom In a certain area, try turning the mouse wheel forward, you can get closer and zoom in on the area of the cockpit that you want. Did you do the manipulation? Came back by returning the wheel back. Smart zoom will help you with this. • Angular Accelerations; The yoke turns will be accurately compensated by angular accelerations. You will be able to fully experience the control of your aircraft. • Environmental Vibrations; RealView Next is deeply integrated with xAmbience Pro. You can feel each turbulence and air flow which can be properly inputed from xAmbience Pro Environmental Engine. • Engine Reverse Thrust; Feel reverse thrust of your engine by Longitude G-Force. Set it to full power and feel how your engine breaks you. A promotional video of RealView Next has also been hosted... For support, please contact support@highskytech.com or Support forum for Realview The updated realism engine is well worth checking out, and is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore ____________________ Yes! RealView Next v1.30r1 by HST Simulations is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore RealView Next Price is US$19.95 Current RealView owners will find this new release ready for download in their Org Store Account as an update at no cost. Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 1.30.r1 (March 6th 2023) ____________ News by Stephen Dutton 7th March 2023 Copyright©2023: 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: AOASimulations-T6A Texan II X-Plane 12 By Stuart McGregor Introduction The release of the AOA T-6A Texan ll was done in the change over twilight zone of a legacy version with its ground-breaking advancements that was achieved with X-Plane 11, which essentially is at the end of its commercial run, and the eagerly awaited X-Plane 12, which still had some way to go until it is in its final release state in December 2023. For us armchair pilots this can be a little frustrating in our 365, 24/7 on-the-go world, where patience isn’t a commodity you see a lot of these days, so I can only imagine the dilemma this gives commercial developers. Do you wait until all the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed in X-Plane 12, or do you continue creating and releasing in X-Plane 11, knowing the platform has been superseded by its younger brother? AOA Simulations decided not to wait to bring us their ‘Texan’, the T-6A Texan II. The aircraft was released for X-Plane 11, with a commitment of a free upgrade to X-Plane 12 for existing users when the simulator upgraded to the new version. That X-Plane 12 release has now happened, and to top off the T-6A package you get both versions for X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11. In real life, the Texan is described as a single-engine turboprop aircraft and has been around since the late 1990s. It has been used as a training aircraft by several military organisations around the globe and more than 850 have been built to date. From what I have read, it is still very much the mainstay of the United States Air force and Navy when it comes to pilot training. It has a low wing cantilever design with the majestic Pratt & Whitney PT6A-68 1100 hp engine, tandem seating arrangement with ejector seats to allow the flight instructor and trainee to live every moment together, all topped off with a hefty four-blade constant speed, variable pitch prop. The Texan also has a retractable tricycle landing gear assembly, with many of the features being based on the original development aircraft, the Pilatus PC-9. However, don’t be fooled, because the Texan is indeed a very different aircraft in many ways. To explain this in greater detail, the AOA Simulations folks have included a very nice reference document in the manuals section of their package that describes the Texan’s development journey. This is well worth a read to see just how much it has changed from the original Hawker Beechcraft development PC-9. I personally always like additional features like this because in my opinion they bring a greater level of depth to the user experience and allow a more immersive environment when you know a bit about the aircraft, its history and how it came into being. Documentation I will be honest and say that military jets and combat aircraft are not an area I typically venture into very often, so when I had the opportunity to try out what looked a bit like a fighter jet with a prop on its nose, I was intrigued to find out more. My GA side was screaming, “Oh yes please!” The package in review comes in a 360MB download with the aircraft itself and a couple of liveries, as well as a few added extras in terms of documents. In the Manuals folder, you will find an alternative abbreviated checklist (X-Checklist plugin is required) to the one provided by default, a paper kneeboard checklist you can print, emergency procedures, a training flight tutorial with charts (KNGP to KRND), pictorial overviews of flight instruments, and if you are a MAC user, there is an explanation of a workaround if you experience issues when you first load the model. There is also a highly detailed 38-page User Guide to take you through every inch of the aircraft and that is a must-read if you really want to get the most out of the Texan. The developer has also included some contact details and links of where to request help if you get stuck. Sadly, I can’t offer any comment on how successful the MAC workaround is, as I use a PC, however it looks like the developer has put some serious thought into the issue which is good to see. The Aircraft The developers quote that their Texan has been in development since early 2020 and clearly a huge amount of work has gone into the aircraft. You get a real sense of the details and the hours of work by just reading the manual alone, so I believe it is fair to say that the Texan really does come fully loaded. I loved the fact that both the front and rear cockpits are fully functional, thus providing a unique flying experience from each seat, and it was nice to be able to have the choice. The internal details in both cockpits are well presented and bristle with features. The texturing is of high resolution and high quality, and I found reading the various dials and panels to be of no issue, even in VR, when using my Rift S. The developers even quote that the Texan has been optimised to maximise performance in VR, and I would have to admit, that when using my system, I had no issues and enjoyed a very smooth experience. When you first step into either cockpit, it is a bit daunting if you’re not used to military-style aircraft, however, the automated tutorial-level Checklist provided is very useful when navigating around the various systems. In my tests, I probably only scratched the surface of the instrument capabilities of the Texan, and you literally could spend hours and hours just working through your flows and testing out every feature, switch, lever, knob, button, panel, and fuse. As far as I could tell, everything shown works or is at least animated. If you are used to flying fast jets, I am sure the layout will come very naturally to you, however, I must admit it did take me a little time to work my way around. By the way…the ejection seat does work, so be careful with that handle!!! The unobstructed view that the glass canopy offers, is truly excellent, particularly in VR, and you really get a sense of just how compact and well-fitted everything is around you. The feeling of being in the cockpit was something I really enjoyed, and as I mentioned previously, just moving a few feet back to sit in the rear seat, adds a totally different dimension to the experience. The Texan comes with specially created FMOD sounds and the cockpit interaction sounds were nicely done, from the very subtle fuse click actions to the more distinct canopy locking mechanism. From the X-Plane main menu bar, you can access the dust lock removal option, as when in cold and dark, there are several covers protecting sensitive parts of the aircraft. Even these covers are well modeled, as they sway gently in the wind, a very nice touch and great attention to detail. From the outside when the canopy is open in cold and dark, there are no pilots visible, however, they both appear when closing the cockpit and removing the dust covers. The characteristic turbine whine as the engine starts up is very nice, and you really do have the sense of that mighty Pratt and Whitney engine roaring into life right beside or in front of you. As you move around the exterior of the aircraft, the engine tone changes as you would expect, and this is particularly noticeable when you throttle forward and set the Texan into action. The sense of power from the 1100hp engine and prop thrashing through the air as you accelerate down the runway is something you must experience to really appreciate it. The exterior details of the Texan are superb in my opinion and incorporate very high-quality textures, such as the hydraulic lines in the landing gear, through to the multitude of rivets across the shiny aircraft skin. During prefight, it is worth just taking a few minutes to walk around the aircraft and take in the quality of the modelling, and this is particularly impressive if you can do this in VR. You can literally walk up to the various parts and take a good look, reach out and almost touch the surfaces. There is a significant difference between the X-Plane 11 release version and the X-Plane 12 here. You will see far more detail added, and the surfaces are more highlighted than before, the result is a substantial and better overall realism to the aircraft. The developers really have done a wonderful job both inside and out, and in my opinion, the Texan is one of the best in terms of overall appearance, although I do still think it is a little bit of an oddball with the fighter-style canopy, dual seating arrangement, and that big old prop at the front. It does take a little bit of getting used to at first. Now, if you’re anything like me, when you get a new toy, the first thing you want to do is to try it out, so the thought of working through a full set of start-up procedures may not be top of your list. The good news is that very early on, the developers thought of us “impatient types”, and kindly provided a very nice simple 11-step process on page 5 of the User Guide to get up and flying, and this is very helpful. Now don’t get me wrong, at times there is a real sense of satisfaction about going through every step of your flow and eventually seeing the ground disappear below, however, at times I just want to start up and off I go. I like the fact that in the Texan you can do both and I did, although I must admit that just firing up and heading down the runway was my preference. This is perhaps a suitable time to mention that I am using a VKBSIM joystick and pedal set as my control inputs, and I found these to work very well both on the ground and in the air. As there are no toe-brakes with these pedals, I did use a small script to give me brakes and this worked well, although there is a stick forward option that you can use within the aircraft if you prefer. I had no complaints about the handling of the Texan, although care with the throttle is highly advised both when taxiing and when taking off. There is a mighty amount of power at your fingertips, so my advice is to use it wisely. As they say, ‘with great power comes great responsibility…’ and never a truer word was said in the Texan’s case. Remember this thing can do more than 300 knots when flat out!! The glass canopy really does give an amazing view, particularly in VR, however, if you are using flat screens the developers have included a couple of highly novel add-on features to enhance your views in the cockpit. The manual goes into quite some detail to explain what you can expect; however, the best way is just to try them out. These are actioned via buttons on the glare shield and using dedicated buttons on your controller, and the ‘Roll to See’ feature allows you to pan around while taxiing, as well as some interesting effects when doing aerobatics. The Target Track feature allows you to lock on to AI aircraft if you are flying in formation (a key skill by all accounts) and if you are familiar with other aircraft from AOA Simulations, you are likely to be at home with this feature already. As I do most of my flying in VR, these features are disabled so I didn’t spend a huge amount of time testing them out, however from what I did see, this is quite unique and adds another and different layer of immersion to the Texan. One final system feature I would like to highlight is the Flight Assistance system which allows various assistance features to be turned on and off. The button is a bit fiddly to find (highlighted in the manual on page 11) however there are eleven different features such as AOA indexer and brake cues, airspeed indication of gear and flap speed bands, wind direction and speed, through to braking using the control stick and many more. The basic idea is to make life as easy as possible for any newbie pilot or as realistic as possible by switching this off for those who would like more of a challenge. When you are new to an aircraft, this sort of thing really does help, as there is nothing worse than getting frustrated and giving up before you have even started. The lighting is basic, mostly indirect lights on the the panels and the two side wall lights on the separate consoles. You can move the instrument panel spot lights to where you want them to shine on. Externally the landing and taxi lights don't work unless you lower the gear, as they are positioned on the inner gear struts. As I mentioned earlier, the Texan is fully loaded with so many great details and features, and although this type of aircraft is not necessarily my “go-to” happy place in the sky, the more I flew it the more I came to appreciate just how good an offering this is from AOA Simulations, both in terms of the basic aircraft but also just how enjoyable the overall flying experience can be. If you also like lots of technical details, procedures and everything that goes with that side of things, then again, I believe the Texan has something to offer you. Final Thoughts The T-6A Texan II from AOA Simulations, under normal circumstances, is an aircraft I wouldn’t typically be flying, however, I am glad I had the opportunity, as it’s always good to try something new. When you factor in the excellent internal and external textures, the 3D modelling, the control and integration of features, the sounds, and of course the flying experience, I think it’s fair to say that the AOA team really has put out an excellent product. Available now for both X-Plane 11, and to be experienced in X-Plane 12, all the new features in the sim in combination with the Texan’s feature set, it is something quite special. A real synergistic masterpiece… So, should you splash out $40 on the Texan? Well as always that is down to you, your budget and what you are looking for. However, I truly believe that the Texan is well worth thinking about, especially if you have considered the fast jet challenge but have not been sure where to start. If it’s good enough for real-world pilots, then it certainly works for me! __________________________________ The T-6A Texan II by AOA Simulations is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here: T-6A Texan II Price at time of writing US$40.00 Features: This model was developed using the official USAF 1T-6A-1 Flight Manual and SNFO (Student Naval Flight Officer) P-880 Aircraft Systems explanatory guide. Two default liveries, USAF and U.S. Navy TAW-5. 17 additional liveries will be available on the X-Plane.org freeware download manager. This is the T-6A model with federated (many small units combined into one system) glass display panels. The project has been in development since February 23, 2020 and is our most detailed model to date. The Model High quality 3D model with high-resolution, 4K PBR textures. Fully functional virtual front and rear 3D cockpits with more than 380 control manipulators. Everything works, fly from either cockpit. Both pilot and instructor models visible in cockpit views. Optimized to save FPS in VR. Ground equipment The Flight model Fully aerobatic, high performance dynamic flight model tested and approved by several former T-6A pilots. Single “Power Lever” control of engine and propeller enables "jet like" simplicity. Unique T-6 Trim Aid Device (TAD) is accurately modeled. This compensates for most engine torque effect with automatic rudder trim. Sounds Professional FMOD sound package by SimAccoustics Documentation Detailed 38 page User Guide and detailed avionics illustrated guide sheets available HERE ON OUR SUPPORT PAGE prior to purchase. Several checklists options to choose from including detailed checklist powered by Xchecklist freeware plug-in. Tutorial checklist and example Training Flight to get you up to speed with the aircraft. More details All panel displays are accurately modeled and powered by SASL plugin / lua code Complete electrical systems model. Every circuit breaker on both the battery and generator bus panels is functional. Individual systems can be isolated, failed and restored via its cockpit circuit breaker. Optional "AOA Extras" for student pilots or those who want to know a little more about what's going on with while the fly. Save load feature allows you to save some options once and they are the same on your next flight in the model. Default Laminar G1000 available to use with a custom database in the panel mounted GPS unit. Future developments This model is for X-Plane 11 only. It is not compatible with X-Plane 12. When X-Plane 12 is stable then a new version will be released as a free upgrade for existing users. Requirements: X-Plane 12 or 11 4 GB VRAM Video Card Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 360 MB Current version: xp12 (March 1st 2023) Review System Specifications: Windows 10 64 Bit CPU Intel i9-9900k 64GB RAM Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti Oculus Rift S Aircraft Review by Stuart McGregor 3rd March 2023 Copyright©2023 : 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)

Wow, absolutely agree... X-Plane v12.04b3 is a gem (with the Gribb files fixed), DONT TOUCH IT! it works, but yes there is still room for improvement. Scenery is as mentioned quite dire, even worrying, both Navigraph and Simbrief are top notch tools, and yes even your notes about SAM are correct, bloated, non-working... I don't like it either, all I want is something to put airbridges on doors after arrival.

NEWS! - Aircraft Update : T-6A Texan II to X-Plane 12 by AOA Simulations Released late in 2022 for the X-Plane Simulator. The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company (Textron Aviation since 2014). A trainer-twin seater aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the aircraft T-6 has replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna T-37B Tweet and the United States Navy's T-34C Turbo Mentor. This X-Plane version is by AOA Simulations. Since the release there has been already a large update for the AOA T-6A in Dec 2020 to v1.1, but the biggie change is now, in AOA releasing both the X-Plane 11 version, and the coveted X-Plane 12 version. Features include Two default liveries, USAF and U.S. Navy TAW-5. 30 (!) additional liveries will be available on the X-Plane.org freeware download manager. This is the T-6A model with federated (many small units combined into one system) glass display panels. The project has been in development since February 23, 2020 and is our most detailed model to date. The Model High quality 3D model with high-resolution, 4K PBR textures. Fully functional virtual front and rear 3D cockpits with more than 380 control manipulators. Everything works, fly from either cockpit. Both pilot and instructor models visible in cockpit views. Optimized to save FPS in VR. Ground equipment. The Flight model Fully aerobatic, high performance dynamic flight model tested and approved by several former T-6A pilots. Single “Power Lever” control of engine and propeller enables "jet like" simplicity. Unique T-6 Trim Aid Device (TAD) is accurately modeled. This compensates for most engine torque effect with automatic rudder trim. Sounds Professional FMOD sound package by SimAccoustics Documentation Detailed 38 page User Guide and detailed avionics illustrated guide sheets available HERE ON OUR SUPPORT PAGE prior to purchase. Several checklists options to choose from including detailed checklist powered by Xchecklist freeware plug-in. Tutorial checklist and example Training Flight to get you up to speed with the aircraft. More details All panel displays are accurately modeled and powered by SASL plugin / lua code Complete electrical systems model. Every circuit breaker on both the battery and generator bus panels is functional. Individual systems can be isolated, failed and restored via its cockpit circuit breaker. Optional "AOA Extras" for student pilots or those who want to know a little more about what's going on with while the fly. Save load feature allows you to save some options once and they are the same on your next flight in the model. Default Laminar G1000 available to use with a custom database in the panel mounted GPS unit. Video is in X-Plane 11 The Model 3000/T-6 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with enclosed tandem seating for two. It is powered by single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68 turboprop engine in tractor configuration with an aluminum, 97-inch (8.1 ft; 2.5 m), four-blade, constant-speed, variable pitch, non-reversing, feathering propeller assembly and has retractable tricycle landing gear. The aircraft is fitted with Martin-Baker Mark 16 ejection seats and a canopy fracturing system. The T-6 is a development of the Pilatus PC-9, modified by Beechcraft to enter the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) competition in the 1990s. A similar arrangement between Pilatus and British Aerospace had also been in place for a Royal Air Force competition in the 1980s, although that competition selected the Short Tucano. The aircraft was designated under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system and named for the decades-earlier T-6 Texan. This X-Plane aircraft was developed using the official USAF 1T-6A-1 Flight Manual and SNFO (Student Naval Flight Officer) P-880 Aircraft Systems explanatory guide. Update to X-Plane 12 is free, and the X-Plane 11 version is part of the package. If already a current purchaser of the T-6A, then go to your X-Plane.OrgStore account to update the Texan ll to X-Plane 12. Designed by Fabrice Kauffmann and David Austin of AOA Simulations Support forum for the T-6A Texan II __________________________________ The T-6A Texan II by AOA Simulations is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here: T-6A Texan II Price at time of writing US$40.00 Requirements: X-Plane 12 or 11 4 GB VRAM Video Card Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 360 MB Current version: XP12 (March 1st 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 2nd March 2023 Copyright©2023: 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 is wrong with the MBB Bo 105, it is brilliant, looks brilliant in X-Plane 12 as well? Certainly not junk as you say it.

NEWS! - Aircraft Update : Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 DBS-4 by JRX Design to X-Plane 12 JRX Design haven't been in the X-Plane Simulator for too long, a just a few years or more. But their impact on creating top-notch quality Helicopters is already very highly regarded. They started with the excellent SA 341B and SA 342J Gazelle, then their next release was the Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 DBS-4, a big name, but also a lot of helicopter. Now JRX Design have now released the MBB Bo 105 DBS-4 for X-Plane 12. This release is noted as a brand new version (X-Plane 12), but it is not an upgrade, and it is free to all current X-Plane 11 purchasers, which is a nice feeling. A worthwhile one also for a top-quality helicopter to fly in X-Plane 12. The feature list is quite comprehensive as well... Features Include, but not limited to: High detail, fully animated 3D-model with PBR textures up to 4k resolution. Fully VR compatible, configured by SimVRLabs. Accurate flight model tested, developed, and approved by a current MBB Bo 105 pilot. Complete and accurate start up and shut down functionality. Dynamic weights for optional fuel and part configuration. Bespoke custom made and accurate instrumentation sourced direct from a 105 DBS-4. Optional autopilot unit and a full IFR navigation instrumentation suite. Fully functional circuit breakers and electrical system including AC / DC buses. Working fire warning and extinguishing system. Custom instrument HDR spill lighting. HDR internal and external lighting. Dynamic vibration model with speed increase / decrease, including entering and exiting translational lift. RXP GTN integrated on a custom tablet. AviTab with custom tablet. Highly detailed pilot and co-pilot, with optional dual controls. Optional body decals including HOT3 missiles, working floats, flight steps and cargo hook. Complete FMOD sound package with 113 individual sounds sampled from a real 105. Headset attenuation, with optional ATC radio chatter (US, FR and IE) for better immersion. Particle system for heat blur animations. 26 liveries including civil, service and military variants. Included paint kit for body, seats, ID plates, interior trims and pilots’ uniforms. Flight configuration and options, all done in cockpit either in 2D or VR. Full documentation, including all flight reference cards in cockpit. Real-life reference documentation and video tutorials including the start-up / shutdown procedure: https://youtu.be/ycCgysLNFkE ; https://youtu.be/BLxWiC1FnOs ; https://youtu.be/bz9NmdjchDM https://youtu.be/qGsdB9Jmk-c Full lifetime support at the forum, product updates and development as required: JRX MBB Bo 105 - X-Plane.Org Forum Windows, Mac and Linux compatible. Full release review (XP11) is here; Aircraft Review : Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 DBS-4 by JRX Design A quick look at the MBB Bo105 in X-Plane 12 and it looks quite sensational, gone is the flatness aspect of X-Plane 11. It all feels real world and extremely realistic. Internally the Bo 105 is amazing. The Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 is a light, twin-engine, multi-purpose helicopter developed by Bölkow of Ottobrunn, West Germany. It was the first light twin-engine helicopter in the world, and the first rotorcraft that could perform aerobatic manoeuvres such as inverted loops. The Bo 105 features a revolutionary hingeless rotor system, a pioneering innovation in helicopters when it was introduced into service in 1970. Production of the Bo 105 began at the then-recently merged Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB). Designed by JRX Design Support forum for the MBB BO 105 The MBB Bo 105 XP12 version is now available for download from the X-Plane.Org store, to purchase see below. Download size is 1.01 Gb _____________________________________ Yes! - the Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 DBS-4 by JRX Design is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 DBS-4 Price is US$35.99 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.1 GB Current Version: XP12 (February 27th 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 28th February 2023 Copyright©2023: 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 : February 2023 Behind the Screen in January 2023, laid out the start of X-PlaneReviews year in X-Plane 12. It was of course a strange mixture of optimism and being faced with the challenges that X-Plane 12 brings to Simulation. Oddly it was partly software, but mostly hardware (Saitek Throttle and Graphic Card) related. The full story is here; Behind the Screen : January 2023 The basis as noted a month ago, is that Behind the Screen is a look behind the website, basically what we are faced with in hardware, addons and software, can also affect you, so the idea is that by us sharing what happens in our world, can hopefully help you in your Simulation. I run X-Plane on average 6-8 hours a day, 6 days a week, which adds up to a huge amount of simulator time, I cover a huge selection of aircraft, scenery and plugins (But I will note I don't use a lot of experimental plugins, because with reviews, you need a basic standard level (base line) to configure the aircraft correctly). After the trauma of January, I was looking forward to a more routine stable month in February, and it got off to a good start. In Simulation as noted you have to have a base line. That is the point were the simulator is running smoothly and the settings are compatible with your hardware. From this line you can see if the aircraft is performing or it's performance is correct. To do that you use aircraft that are very well known to you, and are very stable in their flight and performance envelope. Data in one flight should mirror the next flight and so on, if anything is knocked out of kilter, then you go back to these standard base settings to get or to set your bearings again. Certainly as the Simulator matures you have to reset your baseline, but that is okay if things are running normally. So what happens if you lose your baseline? After all the rigmarole of January. The safest thing to do was to find the new baseline. I did this by using one aircraft in the Rotate MD-11, and I flew the aircraft solidly for six flights, comparing notes and data, then moving to another (ToLiSS A319) and compared the sets of data. I found that yes indeed X-Plane 12 was better, except for in one area... weather. The Weather factor was so bad, you could never find any base line with the huge turbulence/gusting changes, and the aircraft were performing very abnormally... basically it was impossible to review any aircraft in this situation. A side note was that the turbulence actually created in the "Real" weather, also affected (bled into) the "Manual" set weather... so setting the manual settings made no difference (which is crazy), as what you set, should be the same settings that you should get in the simulator... oh and it rained all the time, even with bright blue skies? Laminar Research certainly knew of the problems with the new X-Plane 12 weather engine, and have been working on the situation since the start of the New Year. 12.04b1 release was a biggie. (note this is still a "beta" release, not a version release). As the problematic turbulence (since the start of the release of the X-Plane 12 betas) was finally fixed and so was the "XPD-13715 – Manual wind layer altitudes were ignored" factor, we finally had a stable Simulator... not. Then something really strange happened to X-Plane 12, the .dds files started to fail? .dds is the format used in textures (.PNG is also used , but PNG is not as efficient as .dds), the result of this aspect was that most of your scenery and ortho textures turned grey? and absolutely nothing related to the weather issues. This one really shut me down, for a week... as Laminar fixed it. The problem was probably related to installing Zink, and if you want to know what Zink is, then Sidney explains it all here; Addressing Plugin Flickering. Both new items were introduced in v12.04b3. The Zink problem was it created a fail backup to the loss of the OpenGL API, the AMD users out there got a lot of flickering and CTD, if Vulkan failed... which it does quite often. You are probably shouting, "Why didn't you have a backup?". I do in a core basic X-Plane 12 version, but in my excitement on the weather being fixed, I updated at the same time both my main X-Plane version and my backup version v12.04b1, there was no point in downloading a fresh X-Plane 12 either, as that was tainted in 12.04b1 blood as well, so I was trapped, or had trapped myself. So v12.04B3 is good... not, again. But this issue is not related to the others, in fact it is an external issue with the "GRIB_get_field failed", in other words the NOAA or "NOAA Operational Model Archive and Distribution System", has pulled the GRIB Files that X-Plane 12 uses for the Simulator for downloading Live Weather. (Actually the file location/address was changed). GRIB by the way stands for "WMO standard for encoding gridded fields". You thankfully you could get around this one, by setting the weather to "Manual", so at least I was flying again. And yes the Gribb fix is now also done from Laminar Research, and your live weather is all working again, actually far better than before. You could note this as all the trials and tribulations of sorting out a new X-Plane version, but it is happening AFTER X-Plane 12 went Final, two months after... the baseline should have been more solid at that point of release, and that is the point of the story here, the so called "Stable" release was not stable, yes we are using "betas", but there was no point at all in going back to the "Final" which should have been a stable release either as there was no baseline to work from? So something is amiss here. So you have to feel for the developers in wanting to update or upgrade to X-Plane 12, how do you find a baseline of on such shifting sands, well you can't. Hence the slowing of X-Plane 12 releases. In between of all of this X-Plane 12 is actually getting better with each update, although tainted by the .dds scandal, v12.04b1 was a very good release, everything felt better, from the lighting to the clouds, not perfect yet, but better... so big progress IS being made, and we may be finally getting there. I had to move to a fresher drive, or more so from a platter drive to a NVMe M.2 SSD for most of my storage files, meaning aircraft and scenery and the various odds and bobs. I'm not a big fan of platter drives, as I have had various nasty encounters of them failing on me and taking a large portion of my life with them, you can only have so many backups of the same thing. Yes SSD's can fail as well, but nothing bothers you more than a thin consistently spinning disk with a needle poised above it, you just know it it is someday going to rip it to shreds. Then moving from the old drive to the newer one was a big task, over 2Tb of files, most going back now a decade or so. There is a lot of history in there, a lot of flying elements as well. So it makes you take stock of the current situation. These changes do usually happen between X-Plane version changes, a sort of "out with the old, in with the new" house keeping, but like going through old photographs when moving house, these movements in life can make you stop and think of your journey to this moment. Like again photographs, there are a lot of memories there. Aircraft that created memorable events, even the hard ones you had to master. Can you really associate the current highly detailed X-Plane 12 cockpit to a 2d instrument panel of a decade ago... well not really, and that is why you don't use them anymore (but you still do a short flight now and then to see of where, and how far we have come). The next batch of aircraft are more interesting, we are talking X-Plane 10 era machines. Now we had 3d virtual cockpits, and that changed the game (so to speak). It was the era when Carenado also came into X-Plane, well renowned in Flight Sim, Carenado aircraft in X-Plane 10 were and are still a revelation for X-Plane. Sure if you jump into a lot of them now they have a dated appeal, but a lot still have a glowing quality that makes you miss the quality of the detail and textures of the era, or mostly of the feel the aircraft created. Don't get me wrong here before we go too far, X-Plane 12 aircraft are a very high on the quality and features scale, even past the modeling stage and more like a miniature version of the real aircraft... but, but, these aircraft were gems... the PA34 Seneca V, PA31 Navajo, Cardinal ll, C404 Titan, A36 (V Tail) Bonanza, CT210 Centurion ll, PA46 Malibu Mirage, Archer ll, S550 Citation II and I could go on and on. A few are more precious... the B1900D, the SAAB S340 and the Fokker F50. For X-Plane 11 most if not all Carenado aircraft were upgraded to the new simulator from X-Plane 10, or created for X-Plane 11... in all there were 42 Carenado aircraft of various designs, one thankfully has survived, my F33A Bonanza as you can get a REP package to allow it to fly in X-Plane 12, but it's not a full upgrade revision, but it survived and will live to fly another day, like it does in the header here and in an X-Plane 12 environment. Obviously we are in the early days of X-Plane 12 aircraft conversions, so we really don't know of what aircraft will survive or will be left on the drive platter. And that conversion process will maybe take a year and a half, but there will still be hundreds of aircraft left behind in the churn factor. Yes a lot do belong in the past, and are to be left back there. But a lot don't... they also don't deserve to disappear from our Simulator. Many designs will be re-imagined, like with Thranda and their C206 Caravan, C208 Skywagon and lastly the C337, but they won't be able to replace all of them. So the general aviation market, so heavily dominated by Carenado is going to be quite decimated with no replacements, worse is the loss of the B1900D, S340 and that for me the heavily flown F50. If these machines are not going to be upgraded, and Carenado have no interest in X-Plane going forward, then why not release them to freeware, then users can then patch them up for use in X-Plane 12. This goes for other now gone developers or abandoned payware aircraft. A lot of developers have switched to MSFS, as has Carenado, so again this is creating a very different scenario from the transition of X-Plane 10 to X-Plane 11 for X-Plane 12. There was this churn between X-Plane 10 and 11. But my feeling that it is going to be very different this time. We didn't worry of the transition from X-Plane 9 to 10, because of the revolution of the changes in X-Plane 10, X-Plane 11 grew huge and capitalised on X-Plane 10.... X-Plane 12 however feels very different, and I think we will have to adjust to accommodate the changes. Like I said it is early days yet, but the feeling already is more of the new this time around, than the same of the past. See you all next month Stephen Dutton 1st March 2023 Copyright©2023 X-Plane Reviews

NEWS! Aircraft Updated : Flightfactor A320-214 Ultimate v1.6.1 X-PlaneReviews only did an overview coverage of the FlightFactor A320-214 to v1.5.6 just over a month ago... Aircraft Update : Flightfactor A320-214 Ultimate v1.5.6 gets a serious update! Yet here we are with another one to v1.6.1. Obviously it is not a huge update, could even be considered as a touch up to the significant earlier v1.5.6 release. Myself, I wish FlightFactor had focused more on the immediate problems with the aircraft? The manipulator zones are all over the place, and not focused on the knobs and switches there are supposed to represent, the lighting has had the cabin floor lighting installed, but the cabin lighting framerate plummet is of a frightful kind that has had no attention. Worse is that you now can't see out of the cabin windows, because many of the shades are lowered? So I'm not exactly thrilled with it at the moment... Changelog 1.6.1 Improvements: * cabin visual improvements: shadows and geometry Fixes: * dimmed cabin floor light stripe * VSW stuck and not moving * overspeed protection too aggressive * missed doors in xp11 version * missed internal lights in cockpit and cabin in xp11 version Changes in the v1.5.6 update in the doors and cabin, have now been updated or fixed for X-Plane 11, other v1.6.1 changes include: VSW Stuck and Not Moving: Issue addressed in this update is the VSW stuck and not moving. The VSW (Vertical Speed Wheel) is an essential component of the aircraft, and when it gets stuck, it can cause problems for the pilot. The update fixes this issue and ensures that the VSW operates correctly. ‍ Overspeed Protection Too Aggressive: The overspeed protection in the A320 was too aggressive, which meant that the aircraft would automatically reduce its speed even when it was not necessary. This update fixes this issue and ensures that the overspeed protection operates as intended. Updates are now available via the X-Plane.OrgStore, or by using the X-Updater Application (note to have the "beta" option ticked on) Notable is that 320 Ultimate (XP11) customers can get this X-Plane 12 upgrade for only US$20.00 Please look for the coupon code in your original A320 Ultimate Invoice _______________ The A320 Ultimate XP12 Extended beta is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here: A320 Ultimate XP12 Extended beta Price at time of writing US$89.95 Requirements X-Plane 11 or X-Plane 12 OS: Windows (64 bit) or Mac 10.14 (or higher) Processor (x86-64 Intel or AMD): 4-cores Intel Core I5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2500X, Apple M1 and M2 not supported Video Card: GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 580 with 4 GB VRAM (8 GB recomended) RAM: 8 GB (16 GB highly recommended) Disk Space: 3 GB Last version: 1.6.1 (22.02.2023) Upgrade NOTE! This is upgrade must be installed as a new product - from "scratch", independently of the old version for XP11. You can migrate your settings from the old version. For details, please refer to product manual. If you are using x-updater, select a folder different from the previous version or select 'fresh' install. ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 27th January 2023 Copyright©2023: 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 : He-162 Project v3.0 - VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' Series Released in July 2020. This is another project aircraft from vSkyLabs, called the He-162 Project. Now Updated to v3.0 and is also X-Plane 12 compliant. The Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger (German, "People's Fighter") was a German single-engine, jet-powered fighter aircraft fielded by the Luftwaffe in World War II. Developed under the Emergency Fighter Program, it was designed and built quickly and made primarily of wood as metals were in very short supply and also prioritised for other aircraft. Volksjäger was the Reich Air Ministry's official name for the government design program competition won by the He 162 design. Other names given to the plane include Salamander, which was the codename of its wing-construction program, and Spatz ("Sparrow"), which was the name given to the plane by the Heinkel aviation firm. The aircraft was notable for its small size; although almost the same length as a Bf 109, its wing was much shorter at 7.2 metres (24 ft) vs. 9.9 metres (32 ft) for the 109. Most distinctive was its top-mounted engine, which combined with the aircraft's ground-hugging landing gear allowed the engine to be easily accessed for maintenance. The vSkylab philosophy is that you are purchasing an ongoing project, so any aircraft you purchase is not fully completed or is completed to 100%, that is the deal you sign up for to get access to the aircraft and all the development is free and ongoing throughout the X-Plane 12 version. These projects are under constant development: the development road-map is including flight model refinements, enhanced systems depth, additional liveries and other improvements. Project's Main Features: VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' project Highly defined flight dynamics model of the He-162 First Generation Jet-Fighter Comprehensive damage simulation Built around the powerful, native X-Plane's 'Experimental Flight Model' environment. Highly detailed model of the Heinkel He-162 aircraft. Comprehensive manual - 50 pages booklet Systems simulation: All core systems of the He-162 are modeled Fully functional VR (Virtual Reality) Ready Multi-Layer FMOD sound pack Auto-Updates and Support Highly responsive VSKYLABS support forums XP12 - v3.0 (22nd February 2023) Flight model deep validation to fall in line with the latest XP12 flight model updates (phase #1/2). Variable-area Nozzle performance enhancements (thrust, temperatures, speeds, altitudes). Landing gears physics overhauled. Weight and balance tune-up due latest XP12 aerodynamics updates. PBR rework for interior/exterior (to fall in line with the new XP12 rendering and lighting updates). Fix to 'aircraft is being initiated with nose-up attitude'. Engine RPM tuneup for ground idle. New 3-d modeling of the Revi-16B sight and internal 'projected' mechanism. New 3-d modeling of canopy air-vents. 3-d modeling fixes and improvements, including textures, for throttle quadrant, and cockpit panel. Fix for active gyro sounds in cold and dark, without electrical power. Notable was that the Skunkcraft's updater was added in November 2022 This aircraft is also available for X-Plane 11 (obviously with out the dynamics and effects of X-Plane 12) Images are courtesy of vSkyLabs... The He-162 Project v3.0 by vSkyLabs is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore _____________________________________ Yes! - the He-162 v3.0 Project by vSkyLabs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : He-162 Project Price is US$25.00 (Currently on sale for only US12.50!) Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 3.0 (February 22nd 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 24th January 2023 Copyright©2023: 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 - New Environmental tool VisualXP Ultimate by SimAdditions This NEWS! item has been updated to cover the new options of package pricing versions, as set out below. Personally I'm not attracted to applications or certainly the Lua app, that have interaction with the basic default X-Plane engine, don't get me started on the hundreds of different shader versions that we had to toil through as everyone had their own perspective on how X-Plane should look... I had hoped with the release of X-Plane 12 and it's new complete environmental engine, those days would be in the past, obviously not. I'm not completely honest here. I used throughout the X-Plane 11 run, the Dark Skies xEnviro, oddly not for it's clouds, but for the interface that allowed you to tune X-Plane's look and feel. Odd is the fact that you can change the look of X-Plane via you Graphics Card (mine is Nvidia), but that only changes your monitor look and feel, and not actually the Simulator's. But with xEnviro you could actually do this management aspect and that is what is important here. Struggling with dark images coming out of X-Plane 12, I found I couldn't adjust them internally, so I missed that xEnviro interface, being honest I don't miss the huge xEnviro sucking down of my framerate either. I had hoped that X-Plane 12 would have put all that in the past? But it didn't, and I struggled with the lighting in X-Plane 12, notable is the fact that X-Plane 12 is still in reality a working beta, but I did miss the interaction I had with xEnviro.... which brings us to this new environmental tool from SimAdditions. VisualXP is a tool that will enhance your X-Plane Atmosphere, Clouds, Water, and Scenery(Lights and Shadow) visually. The Atmosphere feature will enhance the Sun lighting, Ambient lighting, Scattering color temperature, Sky colors, Fog density, Aerosol, Visibility range, Horizon scattering, and Zenith scattering. The Clouds feature can control the cloud formations, clouds visibility range, clouds brightness, clouds density, thickness, cloudiness, and clouds details, all of these will work together to give better clouds forms. The Water feature can control the water wave foams, sun gloss, water wave strength, and scaling. there are sliders to control these functions as well. The Lights feature can simulate real-life fog at night where there are multiple lights that illuminate the fog. We also can Enable one of the great features of X-Plane "the Fog Spotlights" which add realistic spotlights for all objects in X-Plane. we can control the light spots' strength on the ground as well, we have sliders to control the size and the strength of the lights as well as spots lights. A main feature in Lights is "the Fog Spotlights" which add realistic spotlights for all objects in X-Plane. we can control the light spots' strength on the ground as well, we have sliders to control the size and the strength of the lights as well as spots lights. The Weather feature can deliver Live Weather, Weather Search, and Weather Briefings. The Briefing Tab will give you all the weather information including clouds altitudes pressure, all aloft for winds directions, winds speed, temperature, dewpoint, winds share, and turbulence, also the status of the water waves. Notable is tha VisualXP is for Windows Only at this point, again like xEnviro. There are three Variations of VisualXP, which are called "Plugin Levels" these plugins level are "Ultimate, Premium, and Basic". The Ultimate version will include all features of VisualXP, while the other levels have some limitations. The Premium level has the mentioned features except for the "Scenery" Tab (Lights functions and sliders) and the "Weather Briefing" tab which is included in the Weather Master Tab. The Basic level will have an Atmosphere, and Clouds Only. These three variations to give the user the ability to choose the one that fits he/her needs. VisualXP Interface Packages consist of: VisualXP Basic Priced at US$9.99 The basic version only includes: Atmosphere and clouds VisualXP Ultimate Priced at US$25.97 The Full package including Atmosphere and clouds; Water; Scenery; Weather - Live Weather; Weather - Weather Search; Weather - Weather Briefing A considered Simulator tool, and an effective one... Images are Courtesy of SimAdditions VisualXP Support is here SimAdditions Support __________________ Yes!... VisualXP by SimAdditions is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : VisualXP Basic Priced at US$9.99 VisualXP Ultimate Price is US$25.97 Requirements X-Plane 12 Windows Only - Not Compatible with Mac or Linux at this time Things Things To Be Considered Before Buying If you are using DataRefTool or DataRefEditor, you need to disable them before using ViualXP, VisualXP will stop working instantly once one of these plugins is detected as Enabled. and it will inform you with a message in the user interface to disable these plugins. Do not use any other plugin, scripts, or mods that controls one of VisualXP features as that will make conflict and will make bad visuals. The performance will be different from one plugin level to another because of the features that each one has, the higher level will have more performance effects, but no worries with the plugin sliders you can lower the settings to fit your device capacity. The plugin can't work in offline mode, a connection to the internet must be available for the license system and downloading weather. We cannot offer any demos at the moment. The plugin has been developed using the windows 10 platform and will be for windows only at this time, sorry for Mac and Linux users, we will support these platforms in the future. The functions of the plugin can be increased or decreased depending on the X-Plane 12 version and the ability that Laminar Research offers. ___________________________ News! by Stephen Dutton 22nd February 2023 Copyright©2023: 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! - X-Hangar updates the DHC4 C-7a Caribou to X-Plane 12 It's an odd looking critter of an aircraft, but one with amazing short field performance and clever STOL (ShortLanding and Takeoff) abilities. My connection with the aircraft was with the large numbers at my closest Australian RAAF Amberley airbase, so they were very frequent and active around our local skies, sadly the DHC-4 are now all retired, but there are still a few left around to look at, at airshows and in museums. The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou (designated by the United States military as the CV-2 and later C-7 Caribou) is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. The Caribou was first flown in 1958 and although mainly retired from military operations, is still in use in small numbers as a rugged "bush" aircraft. The de Havilland Canada company's third STOL design was a big step up in size compared to its earlier DHC Beaver and DHC Otter, and was the first DHC design powered by two engines. The Caribou, however, was similar in concept in that it was designed as a rugged STOL utility aircraft. The Caribou was primarily a military tactical transport that in commercial service found itself a small niche in cargo hauling. The United States Army ordered 173 in 1959 and took delivery in 1961 under the designation AC-1, which was changed to CV-2 Caribou in 1962. X-Hangar are converting their aircraft quickly to X-Plane 12, not a week goes by without another aircraft released. Here is the next aircraft released in the DHC4 C-7a Caribou. Features here Include: 3 flyable models: radar pod, no radar pod, and bare metal Rain effect on windscreen and windows Garmin 430 with pop up panel Opening engine cowls Opening cargo doors Opening passenger doors Sliding radio tray Detailed 3d engine and props Many custom 3d gauges Many liveries included Pilot figures including pilot, co-pilot, and loadmaster Custom sounds Animated controls Many detail parts Checklist included .pdf manual included that tells you how to fly and use the instrument panels Night LIT textures included Real pilot tested Link to download a 450+ page beautiful, crisp, and clear real world pilot's manual Version XP12 - February 20th 2023 new update features: v11 rain limited to win vulcan only (plugin limitation) new passengers that load with payload weight new seats for passengers new car for cariboub (loads with added payload weight. need near max weight to display) the cargo bay now has a mixture of passengers and cargo intended to enhance the FSE experience v12 rain effects v12 better taxi and landing lights v12 new payload system New X-Hangar support forum Images courtesy of X-Hangar ________________ Yes! the DHC4 C-7a Caribou by X-Hangar is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : DHC4 C-7a Caribou Price is US$22.95 Requirements X-Plane 11 fully updated Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum Download Size: 472 Mb Version XP12 - Feb 20th 2023 ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 21st February 2023 Copyright©2023: 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 Update Review : Gulfstream 550 v1.10 by AKD Studio Since it's release back 28th October 2022 there has been 10 (including this one) updates to the AKD Studio Gulfstream 550, obviously four months and with 10 updates in that time period, it shows the huge amount of the development that has changed on the aircraft in those few months, a lot obviously, and the changelogs are long. I'm not going to note all the fixes here in this update review, but only the ones that are significant. I really liked the aircraft on it's release, but the G550 did however feel a little bit under developed, it is a new developer to the X-Plane platform as well in AKD Studio's so there is a lot to learn and refine, but the above changelogs shows the improvements are going in there and very quickly... Release review; Aircraft Review : Gulfstream 550 by AKD Studio After four months both the Gulfstream 550 and X-Plane 12 feel far better than they did back in October... as together they have both matured nicely. Externally there have been small changes, however not still on the front windscreen surround, as they are still missing the screws? but the side windows now show the glass reflections, and not a hollow hole, so the fuselage as a whole feels far better (the cabin windows here on the G550 are really big). Cabin window blinds/shades were added in v1.04, very nice. Biggest change in v1.10, is the addition of a cargo hold area, this is on a revised menu "Ground Handling" page noting now an opening rear door, set below the Main Door operation. Access can also be through the rear bathroom (new door) to the very well done cargo bay, I like the wire protected lights, a nice touch... you can also open and close the cargo hatch manually from the inside. More new features in v1.10 include both an AC and DC GPU's (Ground Power Units), and they are both well done, both available on the Ground Handling page. The "Fuel" or loading page has been upgraded as well. You can set your fuel load by the + or -, but also by scrolling on the REQ TOTAL to add in or off load fuel... When pressing SET you get now a well modeled tanker outside. You can also set the cargo weight (both Kgs and Lbs are available), and finally your Passenger load of up to 16 Passengers, weights are adjusted to the loading parameters. Pressing BOARDING, will activate a Tesla Car (It takes ages to turn up) and proceeds to deliver passengers and luggage to the aircraft... when done it goes away, to unload passengers you press the selection "Take Passengers to Terminal". If you had read the release review, we have seen this Tesla before, but at the totally wrong scale. It is now the right scale, but in reality it is all still a bit odd isn't it... I mean how would you get 16 passengers into a 5 seater Tesla? A Mercedes Bus would have been a better idea, the Tesla doesn't feel finished either? The Fuel truck has an annoying foible as well, it appears simply out of nowhere, then suddenly disappears again when the aircraft is refueled, so there is no animation to the jet or in leaving? Static Elements can now also be selected to appear on startup. Other external notes include... wheels now actually touch the ground! In v1.04 the internal lighting had an overhaul. There are sixteen individual sets of lights around the huge cabin, these can be all switched on or off manually at each light, or on the selections of the CABIN LIGHTS Menu page... Thankfully you can "Turn on all Lights", and do the same to turn them all off again... And very nice it all is in the cabin... there is a secondary lighting page that covers three areas, rear Bathroom and each side downwash lights... This gives you a more softer cabin feel, and lights up separately the bathroom. It does also help lighting up the galley area which was extremely dark before, and sort of the entrance, which I complained about in the release review. Oddly the Red on to the Green off selections are the opposite of the cabin lighting commands? Lighting is better, but it still doesn't quite all work? as separate galley and baggage area lighting is what is really required here, and you still some entrance lighting missing... the stairs have the inbuilt lighting elements shown, but it doesn't work... as light bleed into the cockpit with no door is a problem? External lighting was upgraded in v1.05. It is very good, if the main landing lights a bit over bright? There are Navigation, Strobe, Beacon (belly), Ice/Wing and wheelwell lights.. the tail light is too dull to be effective. Cockpit lighting is good, and it comes with a lot of adjustments, with glareshield dropdown lighting, yoke, overhead and side panel lighting. The only thing I didn't like, was that I couldn't dial out the footwell lighting... this made bright reflections upwards on to the instrument displays, so an all dark cockpit was not possible. While we are still in the cabin, the window frames are still quite average and they come with nasty gaping holes and badly fitted cabin (glass) windows. Yes while flying you do have to look through these badly made windows and I'm not in liking the view!... however the "Time to Destination" has been added to the Cabin Display. Don't get me wrong here, the lighting is now very good, but still needs more refinement to be effective, or totally realistic. Instruments The HUD (Head Up Display) now works... just touch it to drop it down. You have to adjust it, as the form and lettering is too thick and that is done via the knob above, it works, but it's not the best available, it also still feels like a WIP. "Banana" indicator is now working on the PFD. On the MAP/MFD you now have the Terrain Radar working as well. It is the DrGluck (Plugin v1.30+) tool and the plugin is required. The Terrain shows the Independent terrain display on both the left and right displays, and it also gives you a working Vertical Situation Display. I always had issues with the METAR report on the menu. Add in your ICAO code and the system would freeze, or CTD. Now it works, but not by pressing the PRINT METAR? but by doing a keystroke RETURN, still very odd? But at least you now don't freeze the Sim. Support for 8.33 kHz radios is now also available. Flying v1.10 Gulfstream 550 For updating the Skunkcraft's Updater now works with the aircraft, thankfully with so many updates it is a very useful tool. In v1.07 in December, a Manual was also delivered (by Ivan Luciani), seriously you had to wait two months for a Manual, and you wonder why reviewing is hard without developer notes. Look closely and you will find now there are pilots flying the aircraft, they are the default Laminar Pilots, but still a great addition. In v1.05, there was a lot of performance changes (a change over to SASL v3.15 was also completed) by AKD. I found the release aircraft not to bad to fly actually... but in the takeoff roll and climbout, it was even far better in this later version. Changes include engine performance, flight model and better airfoils. And the new wingflex is also very noticeable, mainly because it wasn't done before? It is worth noting that the engine performance and flight models, are tuned to each different X-Plane version, X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11. Obviously the X-Plane 12 dynamics are better, as felt here. Added or refined is the rain effects (V1.03) on both forward windscreen and side cabin windows The AKD G550, is a quite complicated aircraft to fly, there is a lot of detail to cover in here with the Symmetry Flight Deck, and the specific glareshield "Display Controller" system. But it is well worth the effort to do so. I will admit I'm not crazy about the manuals? There is a lot of them in sixteen categories, but they are done in a drawing layout? Interesting in one way as the detail is very good... but odd in another. Specifications are; Range 6,750 nmi (7,770 mi, 12,500 km) range, with a High Speed Cruise: M0.85 at 41,000 ft (12,497 m) or the standard Long Range Cruise: M0.80 at 41,000 ft (12,497 m), and you can cover the ground with a Service ceiling: 51,000 ft (16,000 m) Flying 41,000ft at m.80 is the dream of living with the Gods, but you can easily do that with this Gulfstream, it is a great simulation with high numbers. Fixes on the the instrument panels are high; NavSource on Display Controller, squawk page in FMS3 radio panel, better RNP indicator on DU1/DU4 and fixed AoA indicator DU1/DU4, Stall warning system logic, Altitude mismatch on ALT tape and Autopilot FLCH mode. Note a confusing thing is using the Autopilot. Noteable is that the G550 does not have an Autopilot, hence the trickery here... To activate the Autopilot, which is set below the Speed selector... you press one of the screws on the left of the panel, hard to find if you don't know where it is, otherwise you get a yellow caution alert. At Mach 80, faster if you want to, you travel and arrive at your destination quickly, here I'm back at EVRA Riga, Latvia. You just like looking at the Gulfstream, because it is a very nice aircraft to look at... I still can't work out how to ARM the Airbrakes for landing, press the button, positioned rear the centre console, but it doesn't ARM? Nice 6º nose up flare, shows nice control in the flare, and you lower the power to sweetly touch the runway... nice and easy. Sounds haven't had much attention in the updates, but the reverse thrust is loud and powerful... Flaps are MASSIVE, and lower to the full 39º... The full landing configuration is shown on the PFD, and I really still can't get over how much I like this visual FLT arrangement, brake pressure is shown as well. The Gulfstream 550, puts the world at your feet, it is an intercontinental flying machine, and in v1.10 it better than ever, not totally perfect, but a great simulation. Summary In world of the elite, then the word of Gulfstream is the biggest token you can play in this upper exclusive club. The Gulfstream G600/G700/G800 Series was built upon the last series of G500/G550 Series and that series evolved out of the Gulfstream V as the GV-SP. First an almost disclaimer on the review and the aircraft. The Gulfstream G550 is a first time project by AKD Studios and obviously they have to pick an extremely complex aircraft to start with, add the release right in the middle of a new X-Plane 12 Beta run, and you can expect a lot of bugs and weird things with the aircraft. It's not like that at all in context, in fact it flies very well. But it is very hard to do development on shifting sands. This update review covers the extensive update list from the release aircraft (v1.0), to the current version v1.10. The update list here is extremely long, but the main features are a new Cargo/Baggage area, with animated door, internal detail is very good. New Fuel Tanker, Two GPU AC/DC units and a smaller (scale) Tesla car, with a lot of touchups and details externally. Cabin lighting has been totally redone, but still needs some fine tuning and stair lighting, but far better than the original set up. HUD HeadUp Display now works, as does the inclusion of DrGluck's Plugin v1.30+ that has Independent terrain display on the left and right displays, and a working Vertical Situation Display. Pilots have been added as has WingFlex, and a lot, a real lot of changes to the engine performance, flight model and custom performance for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11. I still have a few quibbles, poor window surrounds, lighting still not right, default FMS, pop in/pop out Tanker and other quirks, but you have to understand to a point this aircraft (and by the extensive list of updates) is really still a work in progress, it has in reality come a very long way since it's release late October 2022, obviously released too early, but the developer has made some highly significant progress on the aircraft. Personally I absolutely love the Gulfstream G550. X-Plane has wanted a really excellent transoceanic Private Jet for decades and here it is, it is also available in X-Plane 11 and more importantly in X-Plane 12 in the same value package of just over US$30. For your money you get a lot of aircraft with it's Gulfstream related systems. ________________________________ The Gulfstream 550 v1.10 by AKD Studio is NOW available here at the X-Plane.OrgStore GLF550 - Ultimate Business Jet by AKD Studio Price is US$31.95 This aircraft is now both X-Plane12 and X-Plane 11 supported Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.1 GB Current version : 1.10 (February 7th 2023) Download for the Gulfstream 550 by AKD Studio is 1.03GB And the final install in X-Plane Aircraft folder with the above loaded liveries is; 2.53gb. Authorisation is required. The AviTab plugin is also required to use this aircraft, and it is deposited in your X-Plane Plugins folder. Simbrief proflie is; https://www.simbrief.com/system/dispatch.php?sharefleet=256234_1658264083720 Documents AKD GLF550 Introduction.pdf FMS_Manual.pdf GLF550 Normal Checklist.pdf GLF550_air_conditioning_system.pdf GLF550_auxiliary_power_unit_(apu)_system.pdf GLF550_electrical_system.pdf GLF550_fire_protection_system.pdf GLF550_flight_control_system.pdf GLF550_fuel_system.pdf GLF550_hydraulic_system.pdf GLF550_ice_and_rain_protection_system.pdf GLF550_landing_gear_and_brakes_system.pdf GLF550_oxygen_system.pdf GLF550_pneumatic_system.pdf GLF550_powerplant_system.pdf GLF550_pressurization_system.pdf Changelog Changelog v1.10.txt Designed by AKD Studios Support forum for the Gulfstream G550 _____________________ Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton 18th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews 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 12.01r3 (This is a beta 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 - ELLX - Luxembourg Findel Airport v2.1 by JustSim (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$19.95 - EVRA - Riga International Airport v2 by JustSim (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$18.50 (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 : Everest Park - Nepal 3D XP12 by Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini The Italian climbers are back... and this time they have updated their excellent Everest Park - Nepal scenery to X-Plane 12. Called Everest Park - Nepal 3D XP12, and the scenery covers that most famous and highest region of the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. Mt Everest at 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) is of course situated here, but the scenery covers also all the other famous surrounding peaks; Lhotse (8516), Makalu (8463), Nuptse (7861), Pumori (7161), Ama Dablam (6812), Taboche (6543) and Baruntse (7129). Other highlights include the "Most Dangerous Airport in the WORLD" and that is big announcement, but that is what VNLK - Lukla is, and a huge challenge for any X-Plane flyer of distinction with it's steeply committed runway, VNSB - Syangboche, Namche Baza, Tengboche and the famous "Everest Base Camp" are all in here as well if you want to follow the footsteps of some of the greatest climbers that ever climbed. The Everest scenery encompasses an area of about 8000 square kilometers in Himalayan range along with other eight-thousanders on the border between China and Nepal. The area also includes a large area of Nepal south of Himalayan range with several reconstructed villages in; Lukla, Namche Bazar, Tengboche, Dingboche, Gorak Shep, Yeti Mountain and to the SOUTH Phaplu, Basanta Nazar, Rumjatar and Lamidanda. Five new airports and more Helipads have also been included, highlighted by; VNLK (LUKLA) Sloped Asphalt Runway, VNSB (SYANBOCHE) Runway in beaten earth, VNPL (PHAPLU) Short asphalt runway (new), VNRT (RUMJATAR) Asphalt Runway (new), VNLD (LAMIDANDA) Asphalt Runway (new) and VNKL (KANGEL DANDA) Short Runway in beaten earth (new). Helipads include; HELK Lukla Helipad - HENB Namche-Bazar Helipad - HETB TengBoche Helipad HPRH Pheriche Helipad - HCNR Pyramid CNR Helipad - HEBC BaseCamp Everest HBNF BaseCamp Everest North Face - HYET Yeti Mountain Helipad - All airports also have an Helipad Ultra-High Definition Scenery Pack The main mountains of the area have been rebuilt with 3D models. DEM data was used and further corrected with 3D graphics programs. Summer and Winter Textures (XP12) Manual included The original Everest Park Scenery review is here; Scenery Review : Everest Park 3D by Frank Dainese & Fabio Bellini It is important to note that... owners of Everest XP11 can get this new X-Plane 12 version for 40% off. Please use the coupon code found in your original Everest XP11 invoice. Highly Recommended! Images are courtesy of Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini Designed by Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini. Support forum for Everest 3D XP12 __________________ Yes!... Everest Park - Nepal 3D XP12 by Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Everest Park - Nepal 3D XP12 Price is US$30.90 Requirements X-Plane 12 (not compatible with X-Plane 11) Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM - 8 GB+ VRAM Highly Recommended Customers who own of of this previous Everest mountain package can get this new Scenery for 40% off. Please find your coupon code in the original invoice. Eligible packages: Everest Park 3D for XP11 ___________________________ News! by Stephen Dutton 18th February 2023 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! - SimBrief updated by Navigraph The absolute horror of it... they changed Simbrief!, it's almost a religion. Back on April 1st 2021 (note the April Fools Day reference), Navigraph acquired the free SimBrief virtual dispatch system. Created in 2013 by "Derek", this extraordinary free tool will create a full virtual flight planning service. It features detailed fuel calculations for over 120 aircraft types, an extensive route database, real-world weather forecasts, current NOTAMs and ETOPS planning. It also allows you to also download a generated flightplan to install the created route. For myself it is the data to program the aircraft's route (via waypoint) plus the correct SID and STAR procedures, and fuel, passenger and cargo loading calculations. It is a simply invaluable tool to any simulation user. Notable was Navigraph's change to their own Navigraph Charts 8 application only last November 2022. It was a significant change to the design and layout to charts, but months in it is a certainly a revolution in the way we access data information and airport charts. I absolutely love the design, and the application is well worth the subscription. So now Navigraph have overhauled SimBrief as well... when I heard that I was really not sure about the idea at all... Besides the fresh new clean look (very similar to Charts 8), and the changes include; Improved Interface Personal flying statistics Dark mode and large text options A larger and more convenient interactive flight map Built-in airframes for popular third-party add-ons Improved alternate airport filters and options Easier sorting through saved flights and saved airframes A new and improved user guide ATC Flight Plan Start dashboard is very different with noted "Latest Flightplan", Your last flightplans over 30 days, Aircraft Types (30 Days) and your Navigraph Subscription, current AIRAC Cycle. Yes the long form flightplan layout has now gone, with the Map/Route separated in to a new larger window panel, again it is all very Charts 8 in feel. Dark mode is sensational, I'm also (very) happy the MAP has been moved out of the long form, and out of the way... I had a problem with my Apple Mouse scrolling the zoom badly every time I went over it, it was a real distraction in repeatably zooming it back into context. New is the ATC Flightplan (I never saw this before?) and is printable (copy and paste), and the long form Briefing is still there, but not as widely set... Departure and Arrival Airport information is more detailed, which is also handy. Certainly the weather conditions, as also available in Charts 8. Certainly there is a new format now to navigate. As with Charts 8, you will soon workout the new layout, if hunting for the same information in a different context. But the flow here and navigation looks far more better... only grip is that you can't adjust the "30 Day" period use to a longer period? A brilliant tool made now even better by Navigraph, also a good deal is that the tool is free and can be used in a Browser, on a PC, Mac, IOS and Android... can be found here; SimBrief Dispatch System What is not to like! ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 17th February 2023 Copyright©2023: 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! - X-Hangar releases Learjet Model 36 X-Hanger have released a version of the Model 36 Learjet, one of the most famous private jets ever built. The Learjet Model 35 and Model 36 are a series of American multi-role business jets and military transport aircraft manufactured by Learjet. The aircraft are powered by two Garrett TFE731-2 turbofan engines. Its cabin can be arranged for six to eight passengers. The longer-range Model 36 has a shortened passenger area to provide more space in the aft fuselage for fuel tanks. The engines are mounted in nacelles on the sides of the aft fuselage. The wings are equipped with single-slotted flaps. The wingtip fuel tanks distinguish the design from other aircraft having similar functions. Features Include: Avitab display for both v11 and v12. This is powered by a plugin that you can download if you do not already have. Instruction in the .pdf manual. 3d Pilot Figures. The co-pilot will hide with the preflight menu. The pilot is only seen in external view. Easy to read instruments GPU and flight options menu including, engine covers, chocks, remove before flight flags, etc 5 passengers load with payload weight. Hidden when activated with a menu. Many international liveries included Blank livery to make your own Stripes and weathering layers to help paint your livery Use the Autopilot with the FMC (GPS1) or Garmin 530 (GPS2). Rain effects for both v11 and v12. v11 is limited to Windows Vulcan. This is a plugin limitation. Animated Reverse Thrust Animated Spoilers Animated ground emergency chute User manual in .pdf format Checklist in .txt format to use in the sim v11 and v12 use stock FMC Garmin 530 with a pop-up panel or press buttons Updated landing and taxi lights for v12 Updated payload system for v12 Updated gear system for v12 Works with FSE out of the box New X-Hangar support forum Images courtesy of X-Hangar ________________ Yes! the Learjet Model 36 by X-Hangar is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Learjet Model 36 Price is US$22.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version : 12 (Feb 15th 2023) ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 16th February 2023 Copyright©2023: 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! - Aircraft Update : Cessna 206 updated to v1.2: Full v11 and v12 compatibility by Thranda Design With X-Plane 12 going final in December 2022. Now developers are working hard to make their aircraft X-Plane 12 compliant. Here is the Thranda U206G update to version v1.2, for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11. Notable is that on a restart you have to pick which X-Plane version you want to use, once selected, you can't go back, unless you reload the aircraft. Developers notes include; XP12 updates we´ve been waiting for have been implemented (such as: support for wheel fairing and cargo pod drag, night lighting compatibility, and being able to gradually apply dirt/scratches layer), we now finally have an update to the C206 to provide full compatibility with XP12. V1.2 February 13, 2023 -Full XP12 compatibility. -Added new glass texture -Fixed pop-up window for instrument 53 -Fixed position of circuit breakers -Night Lighting improvements for XP12 -Corrected wrong text in panel -Added DefrostWindshield module to hook up defroster knob to windshield de-icing -AP Sounds button restoration -Fixed FMO related errors in log -Fixed some internal sounds -Fixed up dirt and scratches layers to work in XP12. -Added the ability to swap pilot/copilot figures. -Updated lights for XP12. -Updated SASL3 -Addressed some spelling errors on the engine instruments -Went through tool tips on click spots, and added where they were missing. X-PlaneReviews Update v1.1 review is here; Aircraft Update : Cessna U206G Stationair DGS series v1.1 by Thranda Design The Thranda Design U206G update is now available at the X-Plane.OrgStore. Just go to your account and get the free update... or use the featured Skunkcraft's Updater. Images are courtesy of Thranda Design Support forum for the U206 Stationair by Thranda _______________________________ Yes! the Cessna U206G Stationair DGS series v1.2 by Thranda Design is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here: Cessna U206G Stationair DGS series Price is US$39.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 2 GB Current version 1.2 (February 13th 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 16th February 2023 Copyright©2023: 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 Release : Cessna T337G by Skytouch Duh! You get one Skymaster in X-Plane, then a few weeks later you get another one? This version is the G, after version H when the 337 then became a pressurised aircraft, and you also get the split airstair entry door and turbocharging. The T stands for TURBO! Cessna T337G Pressurised Skymaster is a pressurised variant of a most popular "push-pull" configuration airplane in the world, the... Cessna 337. Both tractor and pusher engines of this plane produce inline thrust which is very safe and comfortable for the pilot. Almost 3000 of all Cessnas 337 were built. The pressurised cabin allows the aircraft to easily climb up to 20000ft without the need of using oxygen masks. Features Fully 3D modeled Both interior and exterior have been modeled. We put all effort to create realistic 3D models! Sounds like a real T337G! Using a modern library we created realistic sounds, most of them are real sounds from a real aircraft. Interactive menu and monitors We created useful interactive menus and monitors for you, to make your experience easy and exciting. All features High Resolution, 4K and 2K textures. Fully modeled exterior. Interior and cockpit panels are 3D. Inclusion of normal maps, PBR (Physically based rendering) textures. Flight Model based on real data. Supports Avitab plugin Interactive, smoothly animated cockpit. Typical Cessna’s gear retraction animation and sound from a real airplane. Wing icing visualization. Both G430 and G530 are installed. Inlet covers, Chocks. Custom, handy menus: checklists, weight data, settings, volume controls, chocks and covers. Working pressurization and interior heating system. Ever heard of Skytouch? me neither... so they must be new developers to the X-Plane platform, notable this is a 2.5GB download, large, VERY LARGE download for an aircraft. This is because you have separate aircraft folders for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11. Images are courtesy of Skytouch __________________________ Yes! Cessna T337G by Skytouch is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Cessna T337G Pressurised Price Is US$29.95 Requirements: X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 (both versions included in sperate zip files) Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Version 1. February 14th 2023 ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 15th February 2023 Copyright©2023: 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! - E175 & E195 v2.5 by X-Crafts are now FREE! Everyone's ears always pick up on the word "Free", certainly more when it is a quality Payware aircraft, and from a well recognised developer X-Crafts. Well X-Craft's have released their v2.5 well regarded E175 and E195 aircraft free to X-Plane, a great development, but it comes with some restrictions (of course). First the aircraft are for X-Plane 11 only, secondly they won't receive any future updates either... so that counts out X-Plane 12. The two aircraft come with dozens of liveries, YouTube videos, and resources, we are hoping that everyone will enjoy these E-Jets while waiting for the new X-Crafts E-Jets Family to be released soon. You can follow the development updates here. "Soon" is the word... X-Crafts are working on a completely new product line. These will be brand new add-ons, entirely redesigned and recreated from the ground up using cutting-edge software and techniques. So these older versions have now been passed on to the community. The new add-ons will feature new highly detailed and accurate models of the interior and exterior, authentic FMS, enhanced systems - at or above the ERJ Family level, all across the board. We are working with real E-JETS pilots to help us fly to a higher level of authenticity than we have reached before. The E-JETS Family will include all variants of the E-JETS: E170 | E175 | E190 | E195 | Lineage 1000 Notable is that announced by X-Crafts, is that all existing customers of the previous E175 v2.5 and E195 v2.5 will get a discount for the new products. There is a video here (In X-Plane 11, not X-Plane 12). Don't ask for a release date of the X-Plane 12 E-Jet versions as I don't know, but a guess would say before Easter. You can get the earlier E170 and E190 v2.5 here: E-Jets Combo by X-Crafts | E175 & E195 v2.5 2.5.0 Last X-PlaneReviews update is here: Aircraft Update : E-175/E-195 v2.4 by X-Crafts ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 13th February 2023 Copyright©2023: 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 : KSAN International Airport, KNZY Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Base San Diego by FunnerFlight San Diego was always a tricky scenery scenery to do, do one aspect in KSAN "Lindbergh Field", and in the other areas in San Diego downtown and the huge Naval Base here would feel wanting... several developers have had a go at it, but ultimately any San Diego scenery could never live up the ultimate promise. Scenery developer FunnerFlight or Jeff Mueller of LAX and PHNL fame has however is giving the challenge of San Diego a go in recreating the impossible, in all three aspects of KSAN International Airport, KNZY NAS North Island and Naval Base San Diego that make up the full area. And at a sub-US$20 price, you get value as well. Notable is that the download consists of two files, KSAN (263 Mb) and KNZY (626 Mb), and both are loaded into your X-Plane "Custom Scenery Folder". Also notable is that that the scenery can be heavy on your system requirements, both a minimum 8Gb Graphic Card and 16Gb of RAM are both the requirements for this scenery. San Diego International Airport, formerly known as Lindbergh Field, is an international airport three miles (4.8 km) northwest of Downtown San Diego, California, United States. KSAN is the busiest single-runway airport in the world. The airport's landing approach is well known for its close proximity to the skyscrapers of Downtown San Diego, and can sometimes prove difficult to pilots for the relatively short usable landing area, steep descent angle over the crest of Bankers Hill, and shifting wind currents just before landing. San Diego International operates in controlled airspace served by the Southern California TRACON, which is some of the busiest airspace in the world. KSAN has 2 terminals, with a total of 48 gates. Each terminal has 2 concourses. Coast Guard Air Station San Diego is near the southeast corner of the airport. The installation originally supported seaplane operations, with seaplane ramps into San Diego Bay, as well as land-based aircraft and helicopter operations using the airport's runway. Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) is located at the north end of Coronado Island in San Diego Bay and is the home port of several aircraft carriers of the United States Navy. The installation also hosts nearly all of the Pacific Fleet's helicopter squadrons, several fixed-wing squadrons, multiple Naval Air Reserve activities and is home to both the Fleet Readiness Center Southwest and the headquarters for Commander, Naval Air Forces. It is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy, the 57,000-acre (230 km2) Naval Base Coronado. Naval Base San Diego is the second largest surface ship base of the US Navy. It is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of over 50 ships. This triple scenery package contains: KSAN and KNZY (Naval Air Station North Island) airports Naval Base San Diego Over 12,000 objects 9 Amphibious Assault Ships 4 Cruisers 9 Destroyers 7 Littoral Combat Ships Aircraft = F-18 fighters, MQ-8C Fire Scout, MH-60 Seahawk, and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters; VTOL aircraft: F-35's, Harriers, and V-22 Osprey... and a few others. Ship building yards and cranes Major Hotels Coronado Bridge 50 sq mi of Ortho photography (Thanks to USGS). Many animations of ships, aircraft, submarines, and other less known things that go bump in the night! Options include Ortho or Laminar runways and animated traffic and shipping. __________________________ Yes! San Diego KSAN & KNZY Naval Station by FunnerFlight is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : KSAN International Airport, KNZY Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Base San Diego Price Is US$19.95 Requirements: X-Plane 12 only Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8 GB+ VRAM recommended Download size: 275 MB (KSAN) + 660 MB (KNZY) Current version: 1.0 (February 11th 2023) ___________________________ News! by Stephen Dutton 13th February 2023 Copyright©2023: 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

I'm currently i'm not to thrilled with the X-Plane 12 nightlighting, certainly where bad/dark cockpits are concerned, I don't think any developer is going to touch this aspect until it has been resolved by Laminar Research...

NEWS! - Bell 412 now fully X-Plane 12 compatible by X-Trident When X-Plane 12 went to beta (Sept 2022), X-Trident put out a patch to allow you to fly the Bell 512 in the new Simulator version. It was just a patch mind you, not an X-Plane 12 compatible aircraft. Here is v5.0. And with this version release you now get full compatibility with X-Plane 12 (now final, but that is actually debatable?). In others words, one of the very best helicopters for the X-Plane Simulator is now X-Plane 12 updated and compliant. The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter of the Huey family manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212, with the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor. The v5.0 update covers the full compatibility with X-Plane 12, with the added rain (Librain) and wipers effects. A new feature is the added weight sliders for every transportable item (pilots, crew, cargo). Feature list is excellent; Full compatibility with X-Plane 12 (and X-Plane 11) Rain and wipers effects (XP12) Weight sliders for every transportable item (pilots, crew, cargo) Highly detailed 3d model and 3d cockpit. Most switches operable Detailed rotor kinematic modeling Detailed lights Close to real fuel, hydraulic and electrical systems; start-up sequence follows the real checklist almost line by line Custom failures Working custom auxiliary tank and water drop system Working dolly pad for precision landing Custom warning panel Custom governor Custom artificial stability Custom 4 channels autopilot with over 10 modes Flight model approved and tweaked by real pilots Hyper detailed rotor with all its levers moving ud and down, Custom GPU Custom Remove Before Flight with dangling flags (with FOD) ADF with bank error Working doors with changing sound volume effect Many liveries plus a paint kit; smart configuration of optional objects attached to each livery Plugin for Windows, Mac and Linux - detailed custom menu Includes a licensed version of Dreamfoil's Geforce plugin Working NIGHTSUN Spotlight Working FLIR Camera Custom Winch and SAR operations X-PlaneReviews update v3.0 review is here; Aircraft Update : Agusta Bell AB412 v3.0 by X-Trident The X-Trident Bell 412 v 5.0 update is now available at the X-Plane.OrgStore. Just go to your account and get the free update... __________________________ Yes! Bell 412 XP12 v5.0 by X-Trident is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Bell 412 XP12 Price Is US$35.99 Requirements: X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Mac, Windows, Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 5.0 (February 10th 2022) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 11th February 2023 Copyright©2023: 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! - Developer Update : MLAeroDG updates to X-Plane12 With the conversion to a new X-Plane Simulator version, in this case X-Plane 12. It can in most circumstances create a bit of a confusion. Like in life, developers can come and go, a lot just die. So many old school developers can also leave you hanging. If an aircraft has been not updated or upgraded to a current simulator version, then what if for the next one in the revolution? So you pray and hope that they will keep your beloved machine flying for at least another term. In MLADG's case or ML Aero Design Group... he has been quiet for a few years with no updates or changes to his aircraft, of which are mostly WW2 era aircraft. But no... he's back and (thankfully) updated four of his aircraft to X-Plane 12, so somewhere out there, there is still a god. In order here are the aircraft updated to X-Plane 12 (and the X-Plane 11 version is also included in each package), they are: Messerschmitt Me 109 Bf Package includes: detailed Model of the Messerschmitt Me-109 G-2 new Me-109 G-10 variant included fully implemented virtual cockpit with almost every switch functional detailed outside model custom night lighting Tropical version of the plane included 3 liveries (including a paint kit) 4k textures for the outside model The model reproduces the Bf 109 G2 version: V12 DB605 engine with 1455 hp service ceiling 11600 m 685 km/h at 7400 m VFR equipped The Messerschmidtt Bf 109 was the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 airframes produced from 1936 up to April 1945. It was one of the first truly modern fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. The Bf 109 first saw operational service during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II, during which time it was the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. Messerschmitt Me 262 Features: Based on real documentation SASL based features and failures Fully functional 3D cockpit Paint kit included for repaints Fully animated model Realistic instrumentation based on real counterparts In flight refuel possible JATO can be used for short fields Metrical instrumentation VFR plane with limited radio navigation equipment Gun sight available This package includes several models Me-26-A1a Me-262-A2 Bonus Plane #1: Me-263 Komet Bonus Plane #2: DFS Habicht Sailplane ! Release Review available: Aircraft Review : Messerschmitt 262 A-1a Schwalbe (Swallow) by MLADG The Messerschmitt 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet fighter aircraft. Approximately 1400 models have been built, mostly for the German air force. MiG-15 General features: Detailed 3D interactive cockpit - detailed outside model Instrumentation based on real counterparts In flight refuel possible JATO can be used for short fields Civil version features: Western instrumentation (altitude in feet, speed in knots) Equipped with western avionics: VOR/DME Removed military equipment English labels available Military version features: Metrical instrumentation Gun sight available Can be loaded with drop tanks, bombs, guns Designed by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich (MiG). First flight in 1947. Designed as one of the first fighter planes with swept wings and a jet engine. Ca. 18000 planes have been built and have been used mainly in countries of the Warsaw Pact. Some MiG-15 are still flying today. Aero L-29 Delfín XP12 Custom, interactive 3D cockpit front and rear cockpit available and usable for flying animated controls, flaps and gear custom instrumentation and cockpit layout based on real documentation IFR equipment: VOR, DME, NDB basic weapons model 7 liveries included, inspired by real L-29s flying in the past and today Instruments/ Procedures manual included 4 versions are included: racing version used in Reno with 3750 lbs thrust single seater "Akrobat" version "Akrobat" version with 3750 lbs thrust Militarized version New Bonus Aircraft LET L-13 Blanik Glider now included as a bonus plane The Aero L-29 Defin is a military trainer aircraft. It was manufactured by Aero Vodochody. It made its first flight in 1959 and was produced from 1963 to 1974. Ca. 3500 aircraft were built. The aircraft was used mainly in the air forces of the Warsaw Pact. Today the plane is still used by civilian operators for fun, show and race purposes. All four MLAeroDG aircraft can now be updated for free to X-Plane 12 at the X-Plane.OrgStore, so now yes, your WW2 favorites will keep on flying on for a bit longer yet. And a big thanks must go out to MLADG in doing the update. Images are courtesy of MLADG ________________ Yes! MLAeroDG Aircraft are NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Messerschmitt Me 109 Bf Price is US$19.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, MAC or Linux Support: Support forum for the Me109 Current version: 2301 (February 7th 2023) Messerschmitt Me 262 Price is US$19.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, MAC or Linux Support: Support forum for the Me262 Current version: 2301 (Feb 7th 2023) MiG-15 Price is US$19.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, MAC or Linux Support: Support forum for the MiG-15 Current version: 2301 (February 7th 2023) Aero L-29 Delfín XP12 Price is US$19.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, MAC or Linux Support: Support forum for the L-29 Current version: 2301 (February 7th 2023) ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 10th February 2023 Copyright©2023: 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.