Stephen

NEWS! - Aircraft Release : Daher Kodiak 100 - DGS Series XP12 by Thranda Design Wasn't that the Quest Kodiak? yes same aircraft, but now produced by the French aircraft manufacturer Daher since 2019. So this is the X-Plane 12 version of the Quest/Daher Kodiak 100. The Quest version stays the same for X-Plane 11 from Thranda, for X-Plane 12 it is basically now a different name, but also only available only for X-Plane 12 because of mostly the different dynamic features and the larger size 8K textures required. Feature list is of course HUGE! X-Plane 12 exclusive New Daher Kodiak 100 simulation Part of the Dynamic Generation Series Ground Proximity Warning System Option to swap autopilot between G1000 bezel and S-TEC55 New 8k highly detailed textures Updated and improved 3D model Upgraded plugin to SASL 3.16, with full support for new Apple processors Uses X-Plane 12's new windshield rain and ice effects SkunkCrafts Auto updater Includes landplane and amphibian seaplane variants Two different interiors and seat configurations: Timberline or Executive Superb material realism - inside and outside, using full PBR features Dynamic Livery Editor - create your new livery while in the sim! Two presets: classic Quest livery, and newer Daher livery Comprehensive menu system with per-passenger Weight and Balance Manager, audio controls, custom slew controls, livery selection, aircraft configuration etc. Swappable pilot and copilot figures Many options, including wheel fairings, tundra tires, skis, mud flaps Aircraft visuals Amazingly deep 3D mesh throughout, based on actual CAD model of the real plane High resolution 8k textures and detailed PBR materials Dynamic Livery generator - generate dozens of livery varieties within minutes, live, while in-sim High quality textures (over 1000 pix/m!) PBR dynamic interior window reflections with realistic scratches and imperfections Window and instrument reflections that emulate sense of depth Numerous covers, tie-downs, chocks, caps - all accessible via menu Modelled and functional GPU Custom lighting throughout (custom strobe flash pattern, custom halos, custom lighting logic) Pulsing landing light option Gimballed internal 3D lights throughout, which cast light on the surfaces they point to (HDR mode) Lifelike, realistically animated Pilot and Co-pilot figures (Co-pilot figure appears/disappears depending on weight) Features a Cargo mode, which covers windows and rearranges the passenger compartment for cargo operations. Cargo that appears and disappears, depending on weight set (in Cargo mode) Detailed engine model under cowlings that can be opened All chrome and reflective materials look realistic in X-Plane, thanks to PBR Extremely detailed and realistic panel, G1000 glass, and steam gauge glass, which is also night-lighting responsive, and features Fresnel effect. Slick 2D pop-up (actually, 'fly-out') window, giving you quick access to all the plane's extra features. Animated air conditioning gimbals throughout. Custom and X-plane default camera presets Hideable cargo pod with doors that can be opened, revealing cargo inside that changes depending on the weight that is set in the pod Open cargo pod doors respond to prop wash or weather wind by oscillating back and forth. Electric tug, to tow the plane (based on a real-life tug model controlled via smartphone.) Flight dynamics and systems Laminar's built-in G1000, which features procedures and synthetic vision Extremely accurate flight dynamics, arrived at with the help of in-house real-time visual tools (Fully updated to X-Plane 12, including water model) Smoke in the cockpit can be brought under control by pulling the 'Firewall Air' via knob on panel. Cargo pod and wheel pants affect aerodynamics realistically Adding cargo pod enables use of weight and balance manager to determine load. Docking Hold Mode for amphibian, which holds the plane in place as if it were tied to the dock, but allows it to rock around with the waves Interface and usability Fly-out pop-up menu featuring six menus: - General (mode, tug, cargo pod, reflections, lights, etc. options) - Livery selector for pre-painted liveries (X-Plane standard system, with animated previews that look great) or switch to dynamic liveries, where you can edit and create your own liveries quickly with the provided tools - Improved dynamic real-time weight-and-balance manager with full scroll support, metric/imperial switching, cargo pod option, ability to load a saved configuration - Camera: select camera snap points visually, or use X-Plane's internal camera preset system, with an added visual interface. - Audio: Mix 6 aspects of audio in the plane, via scrollable volume faders, to get the mix just right for your taste - Slew mode allows you to place your plane in real time in 3D, temporarily bypassing X-plane's aerodynamics. - Misc menu allows access to skis, bush tires, mud flaps, cargo version, executive version, synthetic vision in G1000, autopilot choice (G1000 bezel or S-TEC55), and anti-ice option Advanced sound system Doppler effects are sensitive to how the camera is behaving in relation to the plane. (No more screeching when dollying camera towards the plane.) High fidelity, multi-track fmod sounds, simulating multiple layers of engine and prop sounds, depending on camera angle, distance, atmospheric conditions etc. Different for front of plane vs. back of plane. Panning around the plane yields stunning 3D audio effects Audio positioning is clearly discernible; move around the engine compartment and the sound origin clearly shifts depending on where the camera is pointing. Individual buttons and switches in the cockpit each have their own sound origin, which is mapped across the stereo spectrum. Gimballed AC vents Ambient sounds Realistic electrical sounds, based on bus load and other factors. (Sounds actually give you clues as to what's happening under the hood.) Yoke, throttle quadrant, brake handle etc. make friction sounds that are proportional to their movements, both in pitch and in volume. Combustion roar sound typical for turboprop engines - recorded from real PT6 engine Outside wind intensity is affected by slip and AOA. (The more the surface area of the fuselage is hit by oncoming wind, the louder the sounds) Thranda's "Dynamic Generation Series" is part of the feature list. More about the DGS Series The main feature of the new Kodiak is, 8k textures throughout, with a pixel density of over 1000 pixels per meter. Other things have been updated and brought into full XP12 compatibility, and the dynamic livery editor has been greatly enhanced, to include dirt/scratches layers and a modern/classic livery set. This is a paid upgrade of US$34.95. Designed by Thranda Design Support forum for the Daher Kodiak 100 ___________________________ The Daher Kodiak 100 - DGS Series XP12 by Thranda Design is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here: Daher Kodiak 100 - DGS Series XP12 Price at time of writing US$34.95 Requirements: X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version 1.0 (July 20th 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 20th July 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

Sounds are hard to review, because I can't show you what they are? Its a good package, I may look at it in the future, but not right now.

Aircraft Review : Rand Robinson KR-2S by NhAdrian As in the name X-Plane (Simulator), related to the series of X-Plane aircraft created by the Skunk Works, which is an official pseudonym for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (ADP). In other words "Experimental", in design and in pushing the boundaries of flight. So X-Plane is based on that same simple philosophy. Not only can you fly odd, weird but strange designs, but you can create the same in Planemaker, as well as to checkout your theories in practice, or in the simulator. So it goes that the X-Plane Simulator is a very good basis for real world "Experimental" aircraft, in fact they thrive in this Simulation world in that you can relate to their very different types of flight dynamics. So here from NhAdrian is an interesting "Experimental" aircraft that can be built in "Kit form" from NVAero in Mission Viejo, California/Corona, California, United States. The original Rand Robinson KR-1 is a single-seat, single-engine sport aircraft designed in the United States in the early 1970s and marketed for homebuilding. The two-seat version is marketed as the KR-2, and is the same aircraft as reviewed here. This is also the 2S, which has a 16-inch-stretched-fuselage version of the KR-2, with 2.5 feet greater wingspan, made with composite sandwich construction, using the supercritical AS5045 airfoil. Standard engines choices include the 85 hp (63 kW) Jabiru 2200, 120 hp (89 kW) Jabiru 3300 and the 76 to 100 hp (57 to 75 kW) Volkswagen air-cooled engine. This particular aircraft uses the 2180 cc, at 80hp ((60kw) VW engine. The model also includes a 3-inch higher canopy and already 100 2S kit aircraft have been completed and flown by 2011. All aspects of this KR-2S are from a real world aircraft PH-KRS in dimensions, flight controls, instrumentation, flight dynamics and real world sounds. Modeling is very good, as it always is from NhArdian, but you can see the construction pieces as their whole, the single fuselage, created by a simple wood framework, with foam formers and an over fiberglass outer skin. The removable wings have twin built-up spruce spars and foam ribs, as do the empennage and control surfaces. So basically the construction is very similar in design to a model aircraft, just on a far larger scale. So it's a very, very clean design, with only the nose cowling as a separate section to access the engine... considering the design was originally of the 70's, it feels like a very modern design. Long smooth one piece wings, with a very nice uptake on the tip. inboard three stage flaps are tiny small, compared to the long main thin ailerons. The wing join mounts are highly visible, and easily not modeled, so that shows the attention to detail here, as are canopy catches. The KR is with it's controls that are are all cable activated. Push/pull in most cases, but give good control surface feedback. And those cable attachments can be seen popping out of the frame and wings in various places like for the rudder. Undercarriage is a very simple assembly, and every nut/bolt and brake assembly is created here, nice wear and tear as well. Notable is that the nose wheel is a simple loose castoring wheel, and a lot of these kit KR's are also taildraggers, but here it is the tri-cycle single wheel arrangement. There is a single taxi/landing light built into the nosewheel assembly, rough gear detail is very good and realistic. There is a huge forward bubble canopy, with a small window rear. Nice glass with reflections that highlight the roundness of the glass, all one piece it is well done. Your very aware that a single seater design has been widened to fit two people side by side, the cockpit is almost a rectangle head on, but the KR feels wide and squaty mid-fuselage Flip the canopy lever then raise it via lifting a protruding latch... ... two tight lay seats and a shelf space is set behind their heads. There are two deep pocket bins in the forward part of the shelf as well. Seats are basically pads or very slim cushions known as "conformal foam cushions" to fit in the cockpit, note the nice seatbelt webbing... Well done are the instruments, not at the front of the panel, but as seen from the rear as all the components and the wiring is fully on show. It is impressive work. You get the same under the panel as well, the full rudder pedal assembly, including the moving control cables, and note the huge fuel tank set before you to carry 12.6 USgal (48 Lts) of Avgas, the ideas are simplistic, but also very kit building in the detail. Instrument panel The "Panel" is the apt word here, as it's a single panel with all the few instruments and avionics set across it. There are four analog flight instruments... far left Airspeed, Altimeter, V/S Vertical Speed Indicator and upper mid-panel a Compass/Heading. There is also a "Winter" Slip Indicator below the EFIS. Dynon Avionics EFIS 10A Centre is a modern flight instrument in a Dynon Avionics EFIS-10A. This EFIS (Electric Flight Information System) is an innovative design that consolidates all your flight instruments into a sunlight-readable, 4" diagonal, color LCD. Six buttons below the LCD allow pilots to perform flight-related functions. There is a splash start-up screen when you turn the 10A on. The instrument provides; Attitude, Airspeed, Altitude, Turn-rate, Inclinometer, G-Meter, Up/Down Timers, Clock, and a Voltmeter. There are three options available via the buttons; Baro, Bugs and Timer Above the EFIS is a mounted iPhone or as noted "Navigational Phone". It is based on the AviTab (plugin required), with GPS information also supplied at each end of the screen. Avionics consist of four items; EIS (Engine Information System), Radio and Transponder, with a "Flightcom" 403 mc Panel Mount Intercom EIS covers; Engine RPM, Fuel volume in liter/10, Exhaust gas temperature (EGT), Oil temperature/pressure, Fuel pressure and Cylinder head temperature (CHT). The radio is based on the Funke KRT-2 and has the same LCD/button layout. Finally we have the Garrecht VT-01 and it has the same LCD/button layout as the same instrument. Circuit Breakers (Fuses) are all fully active, and work, and note the important central Electric Trim switch and display. Lower panel is the; Choke, Carburetor heat, Throttle, Fuel valve, Parking brake and Cabin heat. The flap handle is set between the seats in four stages, 0º (up) down to 38º. Passengers and Baggage There are two persons in the aircraft, a pilot (male) and a passenger (Female). If you adjust the X-Plane Menu "Weight, Balance & Fuel", to have above 50kgs on either the Pilot or Passenger then they will appear in the aircraft, both are also fully animated with movable heads and arms. Put the passenger weight below 50kgs and two bags will appear in the right seat. And if you select the Headphones connectors rear shelf, they put on a very nice set of headphones on to each person and dulls the overall sound. Finally selecting the seat bases will hide both people. There are no menus or external features (unless you count the AviTab as a feature), just the few hotspots for the Pilots, Audio, and the side air vents that when open can create more wind noise. __________________ Flying the Rand Robinson KR-2S You start the KR-2S like a car, because basically it is a car engine (Volkswagen), refitted into an aircraft fuselage, note there is even a "choke", I haven't used a choke for years with modern engine management systems and fuel injection. Switch up the secondary Ignition, turn on the fuel flow, and simply turn the key to start, and that familiar air-cooled VDub sound comes from the front of this actually very tiny aircraft. As headroom and knee room are just adequate for a six-footer. At 37 inches wide, the cockpit is very snug with two men in it, but full control throw is still easy on both of the short control columns, and the stick forces are light. Combined with those relatively big control surfaces and for the airframe’s ultra light weight. It sounds excellent, it should do as well as they all come the developers donor PH-KRS, and the feel aurally here is very, very good with FMOD2. So any adjustment of the throttle gives you the full range of VDub sounds, and in being positioned so close, it is, or can be quite loud. Let us get to the taxiing... it's well tricky. On the nose you have a castoring nosewheel, or a sort of reverse taildragger. There are two options in controlling it. Like a taildragger use your toe-brakes, but they are very, very sharp and twist you (quite violently) to either the right or left in their use, even with a soft touch, but you can make them work if you are very proficient in taildraggers. Secondly if you turn off the toe brakes the aircraft will revert to an X-Plane default were you steer with the yaw input. But that is compromised here as well, as the power of the thrust will allow the aircraft to turn (yaw) easily to the right, but harder to the left? If you gain a little speed, it will then turn to the left, but at a low turn speed (say onto a runway), then you have spin right around only to the right to go left on to runway. Yes it is all very authentic, it feels right, but makes the aircraft very difficult to taxi... there isn't even a wheel-lock to help in going straight with the toe-brakes.... tricky. One moment the KR will go left, then it won't so you circle right, then finally your facing the right way... its fun until it isn't. in v1.02, there has been added a "Steering Assistance" option. This is found on the X-Plane Menu KR-2S. Here you can switch to a yaw steering (either joystick or foot pedals) that helps the steering at lower speeds, but you lose the foot toe brakes, however the X-Plane (normal brakes) work fine. Don't get me wrong as the castoring nose wheel is very authentic to the KR-2S aircraft, it's built that way and works in the same way. Real pilots note that it is difficult to taxi cleanly.... it's home built after all. Oddly once you get onto the runway the KR-S2 will settle down and on power up to go quite straight, it has a lot of power for a small (but very light) aircraft and jumps off the line and moves sprightly forward. Surface aerodynamics kick in very, very quickly, so you soon have some effective rudder control. One thing you shouldn't do is to adjust the throttle, even a slight loss of power causes a "Power Drop", so keep it pulling forward. The very hard undercarriage has no give, so as the speed builds it can get a little blurry in the vision with the vibrations, then around 60 knts you feel the lift coming in and when pushing 70 kts you can rotate into a climb. So all your arms and legs are at work, controlling both the rudder and the stick, it's a busy aircraft to fly. Climb-out or Vertical Speed can be as high as 800 fpm, but your never going to use that with either another body or bags on board, but I will settle for 700 fpm... honestly the power from such a small 80hp (60kw) VDub engine is amazing, without it's heavy Beetle body, it just pulls, and pulls. Trim at takeoff is interesting as it totally depends on the weight... ... you can then have the odd situation of having a full down set trim or 5 notches down for takeoff, if the aircraft is set very heavy for it's size, it's a balance thing, as any weight reflects on the handling enormously... I was able to takeoff at a neutral trim setting, but I used a lot of runway to do so, but once in the air you fly up to you required altitude (1,500ft) then trim out to the lowest 5 number.... ... this were it gets interesting. As you have already used up all of your pitch trim, you then have to adjust or trim via the throttle to keep a consistent altitude, even then you need a slight pull (touch) in corrections to the stick. "Experimental" is the game here. Because you can (or need to) experiment on finding the best takeoff trim, then a level flight trim to suit your current conditions, either weight or weather... it's fun to adjust and find the right balance in the aircraft, not actually so much the trim, but the throttle position, and then you can find that level, even if it takes a few experimental flights to do so ... in this aspect the KR-S2 can feel very alive. It is all a very hands (and feet) on aircraft or "Stick and rudder", so light it can get very wriggly in the air, your trick is to find that smooth central point in it's balance and trim. You can find it, that cruise and negative pitch point, and just sail along, but you are still making constant corrections to the stick to keep the KR steady. Once you get it sorted, then your in a better place to turn the Rand around through the sky. The Aircraft is noted as "a lively, responsive, point-and-shoot airplane, with nice, crisp controls and a good, fighter-sharp roll rate, but not at all twitchy. Control forces were light in all three axes, and it needed a mere breath on the rudder to coordinate turns. Its handling was generally exemplary", and I agree with that aspect except that you can feel that small size o the controls and movement. A few years ago, one British couple did fly their KR-2 the 12,000 miles all the way from England to Australia, a truly impressive undertaking considering the "hands on" attitude I found with the aircraft and it's minute size. Performance is Cruise speed: 150–175 mph (241–282 km/h, 130–152 kn), Stall speed: 52–60 mph (84–97 km/h, 45–52 kn) with a Range: 1,300 mi (2,100 km, 1,100 nmi) with 35 U.S. gallons (130 L; 29 imp gal) of fuel, and a Service ceiling: 15,000 ft (4,600 m), the official Rate of climb is 800 ft/min (4.1 m/s). The aircraft is only suitable for VMC and day-VFR flights. Aerobatics are not allowed, but operating limitations mentioned among aerobatic maneuvers is only wing-overs, loops and rolls. Spins are recoverable and there are notes on how to do so, but a few pilot's have however died trying the spin manoeuvre. There is no lighting except for the single nose taxi/landing light, that includes the instruments. My first shot at landing didn't go very well at all... Dropping the flaps 38º had virtually no effect, and I continued to fly at 80 knts+, nose up to rub off the speed, and the KR-2S just floats or pitches slightly up with no loss of speed... actually gains height. So I abort the landing.... try that again. This time I knew I had to work harder, and earlier to contain the speed, as the KR does not react like a normal small GA aircraft. Once I get the speed below that 80 knt barrier I can find a speed and sink rate I like, and a sort of fall towards the runway. Throttle control is critical here, and at points almost full in, but I have better control of the approach... 70 knts! This time I think I have overplayed it too much the other way, once you slip past 60 knts you start to sink more, 55 knts is the landing speed, and I here went too slow... now going to low. Touch more throttle and I glide at the same 100 ft height, enough to get me to the hard stuff runway.... ... still flowing, then I let in more throttle and slip back to 55 knts in a slight flare and touch! The little KR will track and brake cleanly, until you again reach taxi speed. So again that word comes to mind... "experimental" and you need to experiment is with all the flight phases, takeoff, cruise and landing to find the right dynamics to suit the current weight and weather (wind) conditions, it is very addictive the Rand because of this so varied performance window. Finding the balance between throttle (power) and speed (even the right perfect pitch) for approaches takes experimenting, finding the yourself, and finding the aircraft, and it's curious behaviour. So for the "seat of the pants" pilot it is a great aircraft to test out their skills, maybe even learn a few more outside the usual flying envelope, the KR-2S weight and power is distinctly within the Sports Aircraft limitations, but it is a really interesting machine. Note, included in the manual is the full build history by Marcel Driessen of this KR-2S aircraft, including pictures and diagrams. It's a interesting story and on how long and how dedicated you have to be to build a ground up kit plane. __________________ KR-2S Liveries There are one blank and five liveries, Three Dutch and two American. This is a kit aircraft, so your not going to get a professional paint design, that said they are nice if basic designs. __________________ Summary "Experimental" aircraft are the foundation of the core of the X-Plane Simulator, it is a testing bed to try out designs, weird or not, but if they are sound in the way real world aerodynamics work. This aspect can transfer to Kit Aircraft, or home build aircraft like the one here from Rand Robinson, in the twin seater KR-2S, a small, very lightweight single car engined aircraft. The aircraft is a larger version of the original one seat KR-1, built in the 70's and now over the last 50 years has sold over 2,000 KRs that are still flying worldwide. This particular aircraft replicated here is a real aircraft PH-KRS, built by Marcel Driessen over ten years and now owned by the actual developer Adrián Nagy Hinst, so you do get a perfect replica of the Rand Robinson, in perfect detail, not only the actual aircraft in detail, but its real world (excellent) sounds and near perfect performance. It also delivers accurate engine and systems modelling, and fully operational circuit breaker system, accurate radio, transponder, Dynon EFIS and EIS instrument simulation including realistic screen content and functionality. And the aircraft is also fully VR (Virtual Reality) ready. It however does (as does the real aircraft) have a sort of taildragger loose wheel in reverse, or castoring nosewheel, that makes the aircraft difficult to steer on the ground, obviously a taildragger user will love it, but it is tricky to use, and even the developer has provided an artificial help via an menu option. Its oddly a deep simulation, because of the relationship to the real world aircraft, and you feel that through this excellent simulation, there are not a lot of options here or features, but that is not the point of the simulation. The point of the aircraft is to "experiment" with it, test your flying skills to match such a interesting aircraft in the way it fly's with very variable weight, balance and weather conditions, for the pilot jockey it is a great and interesting way to enjoy this sort of personal flying. So the Rand Robinson KR-2S goes deep into the X-Plane foundation of what at the core the X-Plane Simulator delivers, and yet yields a brilliant and interesting simulation in the process. ___________________________ Yes! - the Rand Robinson KR-2S by NHAdrian is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Rand Robinson KR-2S Price is US$24.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 (not compatible with XP11) Windows. Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 736 MB Current Version : 1.02 (July 19th 2023) Installation and documents: download for the Rand Robinson KR-2S is 702Mb and the aircraft is deposited in the "General Aviation" X-Plane folder. Full Installation is 814 MB AviTab Plugin is required. Document supplied is: KR2S_1.0.2 There is a huge amount of detail provided here, including installation, specifications, performance, instruments/avionics, but also X-Plane/hardware settings and Checklists. There is also an interesting story of the build of the donor PH-KRS by Marcel Driessen. Designed by NHAdrian Support forum for the KR-2S 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 12.05r1 (This is a Release Candidate review). Plugins: Traffic Global - JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99 Scenery or Aircraft - KHAF - Half Moon Bay Airport by Rising Dawn Studios (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$19.90 ___________________________ Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton 20th July 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 : Skyline Simulations release CYTZ - Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport XP12 Skyline Simulations have released the foreshore airport of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in downtown Toronto, Canada. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is a regional airport located on the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is often referred to as Toronto Island Airport and was previously known as Port George VI Island Airport and Toronto City Centre Airport. The airport's name honours Billy Bishop, the Canadian World War I flying ace and World War II Air Marshal. It is used by civil aviation, air ambulances, and regional airlines using turboprop planes. In 2022, it was ranked Canada's ninth-busiest airport. This CYTZ scenery is still available for X-Plane 11, but here is the X-Plane 12 refined version, with not only higher UHD Custom Textures, but X-Plane 12 weather and season effects as well, of which are a great benefit if flying in Canada. And the famous CN Tower and city of Toronto is modeled here as well. Notable is that purchasers CYTZ - XP11 can purchase this new X-Plane 12 version for 45% off. Please find the coupon code in the original CYTZ XP11 order, a huge savings! Features: UHD Custom Textures using the latest painting techniques Super Detailed 3D modeling PBR Materials XPEco-subsystem XPLCity with Hard surface and Heli fields Animated CN Tower Colors Animated Hangar Doors Animated Marshallers Animated air-conditioning fans Animated Radar Ground reflections and decals Custom 3D Grass and vegetations blends with orthophotos Ultra High resolution custom orthoimagery for the airport and the city of Toronto more than 7 Km coverage Hundreds of 3D custom static objects Accurate Toronto City area using original Canadian photos and OSM data! Custom Hotels, high rise Buildings the famous CN Tower and the whole city of Toronto Night Textures FPS Friendly Including CYTZ Charts Ground Traffic The airport is located on the Toronto Islands, south-west of Downtown Toronto. The airport has one main east–west runway, a shorter runway 20 degrees off, and a seaplane base, Billy Bishop Toronto City Water Aerodrome. The airport is used for regional airline service and for general aviation, including medical evacuation flights (due to its proximity to downtown hospitals), small charter flights, and private aviation. Under its operating agreement, jet aircraft are banned from the airport, with the exception of MEDEVAC flights. There is one passenger terminal at the airport, built in 2010. Images are courtesy of Skyline Simulations __________________________ Yes! CYTZ - Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport XP12 by Skyline Simulations is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : CYTZ - Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport XP12 Price Is US$25.95 CYTZ - XP11 purchasers can purchase this new X-Plane 12 version for 45% off. Please find the coupon code in the original CYTZ XP11 order Requirements: X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Video Card Current version : 1.0 (July 16th 2023 Download size: 1.2Gb ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 17th July 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 : AOA updates Texan II to v1.2 XP12 One of the most active aircraft since the launch of X-Plane 12 for the X-Plane Simulator has been the T-6A Texan ll from Angle of Attack Simulations (AOA). From the initial release (XP12) to the comprehensive update v1.1 on June 3rd, now here is another comprehensive update to version v1.2. X-PlaneReviews did an update review to the X-Plane 12 conversion here; Aircraft Review: AOASimulations-T6A Texan II X-Plane 12 Version 1.2 XP12 (July 16th 2023) We added a basic autopilot [even though the real T-6A does not have one] for our customers who wanted something to hold the airplane at altitude and on course during long cross country flights. A separate Autopilot User Guide pdf is provided in the T-6A root folder / manuals sub folder for customer to study. We improved the unique T-6A integrated Traffic Advisory/Vertical Speed Indicator to bring it even closer to the capabilities of the real thing by adding your altitude / AI target plane altitude delta reporting in the upper right corner of the display. New optional pop up/out radios and engine data displays. The GPS navigation radio, Radio Management Unit (RMU) and the three engine data (primary, alternate and systems) electronic displays can be popped up/out from the panel and resized/repositioned. After you pop them out once, resize and position them to your liking, then close them they remember your setting and popout the next time exactly where and how you set them. Neat, and they are VR compatible. New T-6A_vrconfig.txt file in T-6A root folder. It presets the pilot POV to a point recommended by one of our VR capable customers. Main landing gear wheel brake fade monitoring annunciator built into the Engine System Display (ESD). This warns of brake fade due to high speed, continuous or heavy brake use that can lead to HOT BRAKES and eventual brake failure. 41 page, updated X-Pane 12 version 1.2 User Guide. Like military -1 Flight Manuals we use solid black, vertical bars to highlight new information in our User Guides. So, if you are familiar with the previous versions of the T-6A User Guide (XP11 1.0, 11 1.1, XP12 1.0) these bars help guide you to the newest information. Otherwise, we highly recommend you read the whole UG before attempting to operate this model, because the entire cockpit and basic operating principles are closely modeled on the real thing. 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. Designed by Fabrice Kauffmann and David Austin of AOA Simulations Support forum for the T-6A Texan II To update to v1.2 XP12 then go to your X-Plane.OrgStore account... ___________________________ The T-6A Texan II by AOA Simulations v1.2 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 Windows , Mac (M1/M2 Supported), Linux 4 GB VRAM Video Card Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 360 MB Current version: 1.2 (July 16th 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 17th July 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 : Rand Robinson KR-2S by NHAdrian The Rand Robinson KR-1 is a single-seat, single-engine sport aircraft designed in the United States in the early 1970s and marketed for homebuilding (Kit Aircraft). A two-seat version is marketed as the KR-2. It is a low-wing cantilever monoplane of conventional design with an enclosed cockpit and tailwheel undercarriage. As originally designed, the main undercarriage units of the KR-1 and basic KR-2 were manually retractable, folding backwards into the wings, while the KR-2T tandem-seat version had fixed tricycle undercarriage. This particular release for The X-Plane Simulator is based as a reference of an airframe built by Marcel Driessen in 2016, registered as PH-KRS. The Developer has a personal connection to the aircraft, and has flown the KR-2S many times. This brings you accurate feedback in all phases of flight, and the excellent sound environment that is based on real life recordings of the same KR-2S to increase immersion to the maximum. This an X-Plane 12 aircraft only, X-Plane 11 is not available here... and there is a note for all MAC OS X users, they will need read this article about enabling Rosetta: https://www.x-plane.com/kb/using-x-plane-11-addons-with-x-plane-12-on-mac-systems/ Product features The project is built for X-Plane 12 Design was made based on a real set of Rand Robinson KR-2S building plans Accurate flight model tuned for XP12 latest features Accurate engine and systems modelling Fully operational circuit brakers system Accurate radio, transponder, EFIS and EIS instrument simulation incl. realistic screen content and functionality Automatic toe brake assistance for users without toe brakes assigned to joystick axes Full FMOD sound package 4K high-definition PBR textures XP12 rain effect implemented Detailed simulation of all aviation lights FMOD sound system VR Ready Designed by NHAdrian Support forum for the KR-2S Rand Robinson KR-S2 is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore... priced at only US$24.95! Images courtesy of NHAdrian ___________________________ Yes! - the Rand Robinson KR-2S by NHAdrian is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Rand Robinson KR-2S Price is US$24.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 (not compatible with XP11) Windows. Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 736 MB Current Version : 1.0 (July 15th 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 16th July 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 Releases : Aerosoft releases Menorca XP and Marseille XP With X-Plane 12, Aerosoft have been quiet in releasing and updating their sceneries to the new X-Plane platform. There was the Faroe Islands and Savlbard Sceneries from Maps2Xplane under the Aerosoft banner, but really nothing else in ten months. As the Aerosoft catalogue is extremely large, and a lot of the back catalogue are as old as X-Plane 10, we hope the revival continues. Here now are two releases in succession, with Airport Menorca XP and Airport Marseille XP... Airport Menorca XP Menorca Airport LEMH, also known as Mahón Menorca Airport is an international airport serving the island of Menorca, one of Spain's Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The airport is located 4.5 km (2.8 mi) southwest of the city of Mahón. The airport is primarily used by charter and seasonal flights and is busiest during the April-October season. In 2019, the airport handled over 3 million passengers, making it the fifteenth busiest airport in the country that year. Features: Airport Menorca with all buildings and service facilities High-resolution satellite images (ca. 0.5 m/px) covering the whole island Autogen buildings and vegetation for the entire aerial image area Numerous static vehicles like buses, baggage carts, etc. Detailed animated jetway models (using SAM plug-in) Detailed ground markings Dynamic lighting Custom Mesh ________________ Airport Marseille XP Marseille Provence Airport LFML, is an international airport located 27 km (17 miles) northwest of Marseille, on the territory of Marignane, both communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. The airport's hinterland goes from Gap to Arles and from Toulon to Avignon. Marseille XP is a custom replica of the LFML Marseille airport, extensively created to provide an authentic flight experience. In the scenery has been created with a collaboration with ShortFinalDesign, FSS AG has brought another important airport to the X-Plane 12 world. Features High quality 3D objects with PBR materials X-Plane 12 compatible Includes native weather effects Custom high resolution orthoimagery Individual realistic ground textures Accurate dynamic night lighting Optimized for good performance Scenery Animation Manager integration Custom animated jetways Compatible with SAM vehicles / SAM follow Notable is that you have to use the "Aerosoft One" application to install (update) both sceneries... Installation of Menorca/Marseille XP is done through Aerosoft one installer: Aerosoft One Universal After you have installed Aerosoft One, click on ENTER PRODUCT KEY (under the Library Tab) enter the Serial Number provided in this order. This will give you the option to download the airport. Note the different X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12 installations. __________________________ Yes! Airport Menorca XP by Aerosoft is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Airport Menorca XP Price Is US$23.99 Requirements: X-Plane 12 or - X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Installation via Aerosoft One necessary Current Version : 1.01 (July 12th 2023) Yes! Airport Marseille XP by Aerosoft is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Airport Marseille XP Price Is US$24.99 Requirements: X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 2.6 Gb (Using Aerosoft One) Current Version: 12 (June 23rd 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 14th July 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

Like noted in the review, depends on your bank balance... the X-Crafts is all new with more features... but priced far higher, but the FPS E-195 is great value in quality and detail for the lower price.

Aircraft Update Review : ToliSS Airbus A319-112 v1.9 X-Plane 12 It is a remarkable journey. One that X-Plane users have been on now for five years. In February 2018 ToLiSS released their first aircraft for X-Plane 11, this release was the Airbus A319-112, or the "Baby Bus" as it is sometimes called, even though there is the smaller A318. Initially the ToLiss was created in the focus of about the system depth and the deep immersion of Airbus flight laws. The rest, noted at the time as "Eye Candy", or animated features were not even on the table, other aspects of the time was the average modeling, again not as important as the software side of the machine. Don't get me wrong it was good for the period, light years better than any other Airbus in the X-Plane Simulator... but it was overall compromised. You can check the original release review here; Aircraft Review : ToLiSS319 (A319-122) by ToLiSS With every later release from ToLiSS, first with the A321, then the spectacular A340-600, and earlier this year with the A320-271N NEO. ToLiSS has introduced a lot of new features, plus the "Eye Candy" side has now not been forgotten either, in fact these aircraft are now what you call "Feature Heavy", really heavy, and many of the features are unique as they are highly usable for Simulation users. Throughout this process the earlier A319 has soldiered on, always getting the same new features and updates, eventually also crossing over to X-Plane 12 earlier this year (2023). Notable was that you had an update to fly the A319 when XP12 was released as a beta, but not to the full conversion to X-Plane 12. I was surprised that I actually haven't done a update/upgrade review on the aircraft for quite a few years, although it was always well mentioned thoughout the ongoing period, and with all the updated changes... So it was time to do that as ToliSS brings the A319 aircraft up to the latest spec in v1.9, the same level as the newer A320-27N NEO. To note... the ToLiSS A321 has also now been updated to it's own version of V1.6. importantly the same detail and the new features are exactly the same as described here, so you can cross-reference the same on the two aircraft. What was known as sheen in X-Plane 11 is almost laughable now in X-Plane 12. The lighting engine is totally different, as are all the reflective textures, looking back you could now even call it dull, but they were quite alright for the time. Now the A319 sits in the sunshine, and you can feel and see that X-Plane 12 3d effect, realism they call it... it looks simply magnificent. In the air, you get the same effect, the X-Plane 11 feel and look is now long gone, this is X-Plane 12. Note if you still have the earlier XP11 version, the upgrade to X-Plane 12 is only US$10, a steal for the ongoing updates and service for the whole of the X-Plane 12 run, plus you get all this... First though let us look at your engine options available in the package as there are now three; (Top) CFM56-5B6, (middle) CFM56-5B7 and (bottom) the IAE 2524-A5. Both CFM56-5B's look the same, but they are quite different between the 5B6 and the 5B7 variants. The 5B6 is rated at 23,500 lbf (100 kN), however the 5B7 is uprated to 27,000 lbf (120 kN) for use in higher altitudes, say mountainous areas and high altitude airports like say Mexico City. The IAE 2524-A5 is rated at 23,040 lbf (102.48 kN), or just with a little more power than the 5B6. There is no NEO engine option from ToLiSS for the A319, in the real world only 12 airframes have been delivered, and all to mostly Chinese carriers. So that modern engine variant is not going to come to the airframe. Version v1.8 (6th Jan 2023) Changes to the earlier v1.8 (or X-Plane 12 version) were mostly related to the same... With new adapted cockpit and cabin lighting to XP12, EFB TO performance calculator for detailed TO performance calculation considering Anti Ice, Packs, EFB LDG performance calculator including METAR retrieval (X-plane 11 and X-plane 12 built-in weather) for user-selectable airport, EFB interactive checklist page with user-customizable checklists via xml files. The EFB features are shown here; (Click on images for a larger size) Also you had CPDLC integration based on the Hoppie network and AOC functions for Pre-departure clearance and ATIS/METAR/TAF requests in the Hoppie network. The CPDLC system does actually work in the ToLiSS aircraft, but used mainly for On-Line Flying. You require a "Hoppie ID" to use it and to access the ACARS function (Aircraft Communications, Addressing and Reporting System). Final change in v1.8 was to the X-Plane 12 flight dynamics and physics, plus the better XP12 De-Icing system. Version v1.9 Which brings us to this update in v1.9. First are the new cockpit textures, more an Airbus Blue now than the former Airbus Blue-Green tinge... ... all new of course and with a nice X-Plane 12 sheen, same now as the A320neo style (in colour), but still has that early A319 feel rather than the current feel. But now light years away from the original release look and feel to the cockpit... quality, yes a lot of that as well. Notable is that the startup sequence in simulating MCDU, FWC and FMGS startup times have all been refined, to be more authentic. The big surprise since the earlier version are now your toys (animations)... Who would have thought that you could do this in a ToLiSS... open windows! Powered chairs, with (both) folding armrests, and the chairs also go back and sideways! A tray work table! Yes I can't believe it either... ... and working blinds. Also there is also the function to now print out CPDLC messages and weather reports. Introduced on the A320neo was one of the biggest changes to ToLiSS interaction for years. The main ISCS or "Interactive Simulation Control System" or menus tool was changed from the earlier Green to the new shades of Blue design.... it's now also scalable as well. There are the same seven ISCS tabs available covering: Situations A/C Config, Loading Perfo, Ground Services, Faults Scenerios, Addons, Sound/Actions, Joystick and the General Settings Actions. I'm not going to go through the full detail of the ISCS here, if you want that ISCS detail, then it is already fully noted in the A320-271N NEO review... However I will note the highlights and changes relating to v1.9. Situations A/C Config tab has that extraordinary "LOAD/SAVE" feature, I not going to squawk my infatuation with this feature, in my opinion it is the overall best feature in X-Plane bar none, because it works and works so well in saving and recovering situations saved, even with background auto-saving. A statement on how ToLiSS is number one in clever ideas that translate to making your simulation life far better. On the same tab is the ENGINE TYPE selection... all three types are available here IAE 2524, CFM56-5B6 and CFM56-5B7, and the AUTO option set to a certain Airline or livery. Loading Perfo tab is setting up the A319. Clever (again) is the cross-referencing from SIMBRIEF for Payload, Weight and Fuel settings, Takeoff References and Takeoff trim. And the values can be inserted directly into the MCDU Ground Services tab also has the new additions, introduced on the A320neo. The De-Icing tool, Instant or to use the excellent animated De-Icing trucks. Animated De-icers spray first the main wings and the control surfaces, then move to the tail to do the rear control surfaces and even the rudder, beautifully animated, and now here we have a secondary spray procedure. The brown spray is heated a glycol-water solution, followed by propylene glycol (green) and will remain on the wings as a gel-like substance to prevent further ice accumulation while on the ground and taxing, it takes longer to cover the aircraft, but it is brilliant and very well done feature. On the A320neo you were introduced to Catering Trucks, on doors 1R and 2R, DOORS (all have to be set to OPEN for them to work). Also Baggage carts for both FWD and AFT Cargo hatches. But now there are also added Stairs for Doors 1L and rear 2L. Still no physical GPU though. The same ground extras and new De-Icing spray were updated to the A320neo a week ago, as to the latest update of the A321. C/B's (Circuit Breakers/Fuses) have also had attention with 24 new C/Bs bringing the total to 161 functional C/Bs across three panels, pull a breaker and it shows on the detailed ECAM (Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor). There are 70 new ECAM messages covering new computer faults such as dual FWC or dual SDAC faults, anti ice system faults, new engine faults, and the Oil temperature indication on ECAM also now changes according to logic specific for the given engine type. Fault scenarios has been Increased in the number of possible simultaneous faults to 20. With added “resettable failures” to the failure system as well as new failure modes, there is now a total of more than 210 failure modes you can simulate, so a fully comprehensive failure system. Sound/Addon Accounts... The SIMBRIEF and HOPPIE CPDLC accounts are now also on the Sound/Accounts page Both Joystick Actions and General Settings are pretty much the same as the earlier (green) ISCS pages, ToLiSS aircraft are still the most configurable aircraft in X-Plane, certainly for home cockpit users and for addon joystick/throttle systems. Lighting has been more refined for X-Plane 12, even the downlights are better, but the focus in this update was better lighting on the console. Cabin lighting is very bright, but good, thankfully you can tone it down between (0 Off and 10 Bright), so you can also find the right ambience that suits you... The cabin doesn't feel old or dated either, feels very up to date considering it's age. Couple of points externally that is worth mentioning, is first the higher resolution on the tyres, not always perfectly round in the past, but the edges have now been cleaned up for a better looking tyre and rim... far, far better now than the earlier slabside look. Second there are now two pilots in the cockpit, not the default Laminar people either, but custom made. _________________________ EDDL (Düsseldorf) to EGPH (Edinburgh) When the ToliSS A319 was introduced back in early 2018. It wasn't the exceptional Airbus laws and protections, or even the flight management systems that were overriding in their complexity and feel. But actually when you turned the auto systems off and just flew the aircraft "Fly by Wire", or normal law in Airbus speak, the one area you have manual control. The A319 felt so alive to me, it was at the time a simple jump in airports, but on approach manually into Schiphol 36R that I had a smile wide on my face... I never forgot that moment, it was a leap forward in feel for a heavy aircraft, in your control for the X-Plane Simulator. So the aircraft has strong reminiscence whenever I fly it. That aircraft was also now five years ago... the changes in here have been very significant, the features and systems detail has probably doubled, but at it's core it is still that great "Baby Bus", that can do a short haul route quickly and efficiently. But the earlier A319 is also quite different in it's X-Plane 12 guise, looks different, not so basic. Services around the aircraft, cockpit feel and even the look is different, and (laughs) you can also now adjust your seat and fold away the armrest, the tablet EFB is there as well. The quality feel now is not only visible externally, but also all around you in the detail. It is extraordinary how far we have come in systems detail in a decade, or even from the first A320 from QPAC for the X-Plane simulator. The Airbus is a strange beast, on the top layer is is an easy aircraft to set up and fly, but underneath everything in here is highly detailed and complex... so you have both worlds. ToLiSS has been able to transfer this aspect to their aircraft with great skill... ... so every procedure in the ToLiSS is very, very authentic to the Airbus philosophy... the aircraft is noted as "Study" and is an official Airbus sanctioned product, a high standard moniker that is high to achieve. So it is good, brilliantly good. So the startup procedure is perfect, as are the sounds by Turbine Sound Studios (TSS) included for all the different engine types. Notable as well there are a few custom sound packs available as well for the A319, the best of course is by Blue Sky Star Simulations, not cheap, but well worth the investment. So the question remains "Can anyone fly the A319?" well actually yes they can, as the Aircraft is very easy to set up and fly in say "Auto" mode, just like the real Airbus. But here the question get a little complicated... to get the very best out of this ToLiSS A319 (In fact any of the A/319/A320/A321 series) is that to learn and understand what is going on behind all those cautions (warnings) and system comments can deeply enhance the simulation. I'm very well versed in these aircraft, but even I can learn something, fly it better, do it better each flight. But also I will be honest, being reviewer you wrestle a lot with aircraft, certainly the buggy ones, half completed builds... so always stepping back into the ToLiSS airbus is a sense of relief, everything works, everything is calmer (because it does what it actually should DO). There are so many helper features here, in setting up the aircraft (SIMBRIEF) and those golden timesavers in "SAVES"... it is just all so good. Importantly the earlier compromises have mostly all been attended to. Like the modeling, "Eye Candy" stuff, but not to the detriment of anything else, actually as we have seen with this update review, so much more has been refined, added to in here are eighteen changes and details in the bug fixes alone, most of it behind the scene, in MCDU/Navigation touches and FBW refinements (all are in the provided changelog). 55 min from the words "Clock Running" and I'm already off the coast of England at Sunderland, time to descend... flight LH244 has gone too quick. Into TLA6D STAR approach, Edinburgh is now only 24 Nm in the distance... I'm very tempted to revert to a manual landing... With the great information of LDG PERF on the EFB, and my PERF Landing references, I decide to do a full auto landing, its a tricky approach in with a very tight turn to finals into Runway 24, and right under the start of the ILS beams at D.9 (ITH) approach. The Forth Bridges now loom in the windshield, yes this is the Edinburgh approach I know. Retuned in v1.9 is the pitch movement balance with extended flaps, so it feels that more steady in the approach phase, then the capture of the ILS (108.90 ITH) at D.4... perfect, yes I'm smiling again... As a party trick I have done a save at the point of starting the approach, so if I want to do this perfectly again (the landing that is) I can, or I can practise the approach as many times as I want to, and yes even do a manual approach next time... genius. Over the boundary wall at 140 knts, full flap, and I let the "Autoland" do it's stuff... Into the (auto) Flare and "Retard, Retard" the throttles, then once touched to the runway, I pull up the reversers... easy, but you still need to know what your doing.... ... that is the point in flying this (or these A319/A320neo/A321) aircraft, you can fly the procedures down to the line, but know the system depth behind the instrument panel is very deep, same with the Normal law with alternate law 1, alternate law 2, direct law and mechanical law.... all laws are hidden but you are using them all the time, on the ground and in the air. To have such immense detail in your hands, shows the serious depth of simulation today, like I have already mentioned, we have come a long way, the real, all to your desktop. Service complete and you already want to turn around and go back to Düsseldorf. ToLiSS's journey has been quite a remarkable one, and the update release of their A319 shows you how far and how big that journey has been. This A319 is actually a very different aircraft in it's X-Plane 12 guise as mentioned, but the spirit of the original A319 from five years ago is in there as well, efficient, that is what Airbus is all about, but it doesn't mean it has to be cold, as found the A319 very warm and inviting to fly, in some ways it was like coming home, but to a bigger and far better home in X-Plane 12. Liveries There are only two liveries with the package; Airbus House Modern, and Airbus Prototype. But there are extensive quality liveries available here. _________________________ Summary In February 2018 ToLiSS released their first aircraft for X-Plane 11, this release was the Airbus A319-112, or the "Baby Bus" as it is sometimes called. Initially earlier the ToLiss was created in the focus of about the system depth and the deep immersion of Airbus flight laws. The rest, noted at the time as "Eye Candy", or animated features were not even on the table. That was five years ago, and here we have the second update for the A319 for X-Plane 12 (you can't really count the "Fly in" X-Plane 12 release in the early beta). In January ToLiSS did an update v1.8 to cover the basic aspects of X-Plane 12 for the aircraft... with adapted cockpit and cabin lighting to XP12, EFB performance calculator with TO/LANDING performance calculators , CPDLC system "Hoppie", plus a better XP12 De-Icing system. There was some initial X-Plane 12 flight dynamic tuning, but only on the basics. This v1.9 update reflects the release of the new Airbus A320neo and its new features and details, but even goes a little more. New cockpit textures, animations with opening windows, moveable seats and armrests, worktrays, blinds. New style ISCS menu (now blue) and scalable, ground services with excellent animated De-Icing, Catering trucks, front and rear Stairs, Baggage Carts... but oddly still no external GPU? Better (more rounded) tyres and custom in cockpit pilots also help out with the realism. The SIMBRIEF interaction (ID required) and that exceptional "SAVE" feature are already the best in the X-Plane Simulator. Plus the hugely substantial system depth is again enhanced with more C/B (Circuit Breakers) and ECAM cautions, and 20 more fault failures and 210 failure modes. Lighting has had another readjustment internally with a focus on the centre console, externally the A319 lighting was updated in v1.8. The Journey of the ToLiSS A319-112 has been also the story of their incredibly rise to being one of the very best developers in X-Plane, maybe the overall best Airbus developers in Simulation as a whole. The aircraft here in v1.9 reflects its current modernity, totally updated in it's X-Plane 12 role as are the whole balance of the ToLiSS Airbus fleet, so the "Baby Bus" has not been left wanting, or certainly it is not at all dated in this competitive environment, but encompasses the detail and the quality required today to be at the very top of aircraft experiences, from an excellent developer... you always wanted the very best, if you want an Airbus, then here it is... and totally X-Plane 12 ready. _________________________ Summary ToLiSS A319-122 v1.9 is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Airbus A319 XP12 by Toliss Price is US$89.99 To upgrade from the X-Plane 11 A319 version, it is only US$10, just go to your X-Plane.Org Account to get the upgrade voucher. ________________ Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Not for commercial use. For any commercial use enquiries, please contact [email protected] Current version : 1.9 (July 10th 2023) Installation Download of the Airbus A319 is 804.34mb and it is installed in your Airliner Folder as a 1.01Gb folder. On start up you will have an activation screen presented to enter your Serial Number (Key), and then press the "Activate" bar to authorise the aircraft. I recommend to restart the aircraft from your desktop to realign all your plugins and load the aircraft cleanly. There is extensive full instructions on how to set up the aircraft to your X-Plane settings (commands) and addons (Joysticks/Throttles) and other 3rd Party items in the ToLiSS A319 1.6.4_SimulationManual. Documents There are Three Manuals Included with the package. All are extensive and well laid out with great details Simulation manual : Describes installation, and setup of the model as well as usage of the “Interactive Simulation Control System”. Tutorial flight, which provides a step-by-step description of a complete flight from cold & dark to aircraft shut-down after landing. This is the best manual to learn flying the aircraft. Aircraft manual, which is primarily intended as a reference after the tutorial has been completed. It provides a reference for standard operating procedures, as well as a more in- depth look into the different systems of the aircraft. Extra Airbus system information is highly recommended and SMARTCOCKPIT is a great place to start. v1.9 changelog A319 v1.9 changelog .rtf _____________________ Aircraft Update Review by Stephen Dutton 15th July 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 12.05r1 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 - EDDL - Airport Dusseldorf by Aerosoft (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$27.53 - EGPH - Edinburgh Airport by Orbx (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 : June 2023 The FlightSimExpo in Houston June 23rd-25th 2023, in a way dominated June 2023. Basically it was a waiting month, waiting not only for the promised new v12.06 release, but also for the expo itself, and in what would be announced and shown off at the annual American event. It was interesting as well, because for the first time both Microsoft with their recently announced FSMS 2024, and Laminar Research also attending with X-Plane 12, now starting to mature, it was the clash of the Flight Simulator titans... or was it? Neither platforms were listed for a seminar, which changed last minute with Microsoft taking the moment to expand more on the their 2024 release features... Laminar, well nothing, as that Austin Meyer nor Ben Supnic were not even present in Houston, just the PR guy, and wonder boy Phillpp. The X-Plane presentation stand however was very successful, as the event had the highest attendance ever for a Flight Simulator expo. Microsoft were throwing around early Christmas presents at pretty everyone who had a MSFS account, with a very nice Boeing 307 Stratoliner to add into your hangar... the amount of releases currently for MSFS is staggering, but also getting a little silly. Coming soon are Pandas, some Lions as well? I mean unless you want a real dumb co-pilot (what about monkeys for X-Plane), what on earth are Pandas doing in a Flight Simulator? or what connection are these animals (except for the odd very low pass) in having them in there and taking up your valuable framerate? Microsoft are also promising to take more of your simulator away from you as well. They want to reduce more on what you download to your computer, and stream more from their cloud network. You can see where this is going. As MSFS will be in time just a cloud platform with your addons kept in folders, it is all very game like, and to hope you have a wide and fast internet connection. It was interesting that almost every exhibitor at the Houston Expo was running at their core X-Plane, not MSFS, why because it is far better to have the simulator in a box running your wares, streaming in another simulator to the expo would have been hard, so to mention that all the "Hard Core" Flight Simmers, are actually using X-Plane and not MSFS is a very good sign of where the platforms are performing. It really didn't help at all though that Laminar were again well behind the 8 Ball, I waited (very patiently) for the release of version v12.06, Laminar told us it was coming very, very soon... but nothing was released, to date it is still not released, and Laminar even now playing down the version as not one to get truly excited about? Honestly I was not very happy about this one, and yes Laminar may have hit a snag on the release, but "come on", if it's not important then put the "damn" thing out, it wasn't a great look at the Expo or in the world of Flight Simming. Basically Laminar are now missing every target set, okay I admit in the grand scheme of things it is not a big deal, you are always waiting for an update or change to any simulator, but it feels we are still in beta, not a final released version of X-Plane 12, I won't mention the wonky bulky clouds if you won't. I recommend to read Dominic Smith's (of X-PlaneReviews) interview with Austin Meyers. It was an excellent piece of interviewing in not getting thrown off by the usual PR fluff from Austin Meyer. He notes there are 25 people now at Laminar, but most work on the site or in PR, Laminar has greatly increased there behind the site team, and yes there has been a few new coders, but the core team still does 80% of the heavy lifting. To be fair X-Plane is a much more varied Simulator than MSFS. That in the box element is important, but the platform has to support a bigger range of users and elements. MSFS is a single pipe (Windows), were as X-Plane is three, plus for support for VR (Virtual Reality), Over at Asobo the VR team they have actually been disbanded (VR) to work on other aspects of the game (note the word game). For home builders with multiple screens, the X-Plane is still the place to go to. So Austin emphasized how hard it is to cover all the different aspects of all the different elements that makes up the X-Plane Simulator. But the complexity is showing on how hard they are struggling to keep all the different elements working together, this is not the old Xplane9 days, but X-Plane 12 complexity. Size and scale are actually quite important aspects to the simulator, but you need to cross continents, while being aware of the minute stones and gravel on a runway, that is of course an immense scale, and very hard to get right But to be honest with you... sitting around at 38,000ft and looking at weird clouds and strange formations, I wasn't particularly impressed six months out from the official release of X-Plane12, then with the no show up at the Expo, and I wasn't a very happy bunny... expecting too much? Well in this case no. Because I believe the basic fundamentals should be fixed first, in this case the sky and clouds elements. When I first looked at MSFS 2020 the one thing that really blew me away was the weather system, it looked not only totally realistic (even if the clouds didn't actually move) but it looked like a real sky. On the X-Plane beta release, I didn't have the same feeling about the X-Plane clouds or the sky colours, it looked... well slightly off or not very real. But laminar are keeping very much to the set program with their updates and versions, the patterns are easy to see, 12.01 was mostly a clean up of the leftover details from the release, 12.02 was for Memory leaks, 12.03 brought you the extra DSF files or better scenery fill missing in the release, 12.04 another minute fill in, plus the introduction of the Zink mode, 12.05 concentrated on the AirbusA330 with a functional MCDU and a major updates to the default aircraft... plus in every release there has been the odd adjustment for the weather, mostly in v12.04r3 that fixed the nasty top level winds, then fixing the Gribb Files for a few days later. So it's been a pretty rough run to date, and v12.06 is supposed to be a bigger update with no zebra-stripes and those funky real weather cloud pyramids, plus better cirrus clouds on the top layer, you can see why I'm screaming for it, and was so disappointed it didn't appear at the Expo. It would have created the situation that, yes finally X-Plane 12 is maturing, through the beta's, through the early bumps in the road, and finally actually to being a workable simulator, yes it's fine now you say? but honestly this aspect should have been priority from the moment X-Plane 12 was released back at Christmas 2022. The one area that you could have leveled with MSFS 2020, is taking ages to come to your simulator. Like I said, it is easy to sit here and complain, getting a decent working weather system is not going to easy from scratch, so yes I will give Laminar some leeway in that aspect, but the money should have gone into it from day one. Basically it is six months behind, or should have been ready with the X-Plane 12 release... knowing our luck v12.06 will come out straight after I post this article, it is as noted at the Expo, due two weeks after or coming this weekend 15th/16th July. But that is not the point, at the Expo, Laminar missed a great opportunity to show how X-Plane 12 could have been a great alternative to MSFS with v12.06, it was actually very successful with punters on the ground, but it could have been a whole lot better. I don't want these monthly post to turn into rants, that is boring, but I do want X-Plane to be enjoyed by users out there and know they are getting at least a solid mature simulator, all simulators are a "work in progress" a never ending stream of changes and updates, "I get that", and as Austin Meyers noted in the interview, nobody pushes harder than the man himself, wants more or demands more of his team, but sometimes you have to put the money of where it does the most good. ATC is a great example... ... ATC in X-Plane 10/11 was a mess, nobody could fix it, nobody in Laminar could make it work. So for X-Plane 12 Meyer's finally gave in and bought in an outsider (now an insider) called Jim Keir. Jim then totally revamped and rebuilt the ATC in X-Plane 12, and guess what it works, not perfect, a note that there is another huge update coming for the ATC (yes, you guessed it) in v12.06! but the point I'm making is that specific areas need specific talents, the old one of that one that fits all just won't work with these huge complex simulators anymore, resources get stretched and the results are these long development times. Weather should have been the top of the list in priority, just one look at MSFS 2020 on it's release would have simply told you that.... I hope you enjoy v12.06... when it finally arrives. A small note on using the Zibo Boeing 737-800 mod. The Zibo is an aircraft that I haven't flown a lot, to be honest. I always found it a little too buggy for my tastes. Another flight from BNE to MEL before Christmas said another tail of woe. I had barely reached the end of my departure SID, before... yes you guessed it, it did a nasty CTD. It's odd to load as well, you have to load another aircraft (default B738), then load in the Zibo, or it freezes on the X-Plane loading phase of "Building World", annoying, plus you can still also get CTD if you set a autosave flight. But I persevered this time, and enjoyed the experience in flying up to Savlbard, up there deep into the arctic circle. In these encounters, you can see why you do Simulation, the flying, the exploring... when it all comes together it is very satisfying thing for your soul... yes I like being in the Zibo 737, it is very good now, but wish the fine tuning could be well... a bit finer. I liked it so much I'm doing another flight from Brisbane (YBBN) to Bali (WADD), and one flight that has been on my bucket list for awhile, if I make it, then the Zibo will stay in the hangar, if it doesn't then it may be parked again for another time. Update... the Zibo goes back into hangar it failed to pass the test. I noted last month I was going to do an X-Plane 12 overview to date, but the required v12.06 update didn't happen, so the article is still waiting, so now that report will be passed on to the first anniversary release of the X-Plane 12 Simulator See you all next month. Stephen Dutton 12th July 2023 Copyright©2023 X-Plane Reviews

NEWS! - Aircraft Update : ToliSS updated Airbus A319 to v1.9 or A320NEO Standard With the new release of the ToLiSS A320-271N NEO earlier this year, introduced were a lot of new features, including a new style interface ISCS, newer textures, pilot models and more cockpit animations including cockpit windows, sunshades, tray tables, ACARS Print function, a full ground services suite, and even including the fabulous animated deicing, there was also a comprehensive redo of the sound suite for all engine types. So here those features have been now also introduced (modernised?) into the earlier Airbus A319-112 Notable is that there are now three engine types available on the A319... CFM56-5B6, the IAE 2524-A5 and the up-rated CFM56-5B7 which provides more thrust for operations in mountainous terrain. This is noted as an update. So it is free for everyone who already has upgraded to the XP11/12 version. (I e. Everybody who has V1.7 or newer of the A319), To upgrade from X-Plane 11 there is a upgrade fee of US$10, which is extremely reasonable on your X-Plane.OrgStore account. Update list is also comprehensive Version 1.9 (July 10th 2023) Major new features: - New cockpit textures - Pilot models in external view - Animated cockpit windows, sunshades, tray tables etc. - ACARS Print function - Full ground services suite, including animated deicing - Rework of the sound suite for all engine types Minor new features: - ISCS redesign including a scalable ISCS. - Retuned VLS and approach pitch - Retuned the pitch moment balance with extended flaps - Addition of 24 new C/Bs bringing the total to 161 functional C/Bs - Addition of Radio Altimeter failure model - Improved aircraft startup sequence simulating also MCDU, FWC and FMGS startup times - Oil temperature indication on ECAM now changes according to logic specific for the given engine type - Increase landing gear tire resolution for a rounder experience - Added console lights (XP12 only) - Increase number of possible simultaneous faults to 20 - Added PRED WS OFF memo - Automatic reversion to arrival or departure ATIS request if regular ATIS is not available (via Hoppie network) - Added DDRMI failure flags in case of loss of power or invalid needle angles Bug fixes: - Added autopilot disconnection on manual trim. - Reduced minimum valid preselected speed to allow speeds below 160kts. - Improved mouse wheel pitch trim speed - Fixed a bug with the descent profile following if below transition level and QNH in MCDU and QNH on FCU don't match - Some improvements to the smartcopilot.cfg file - Fixed a bug that caused the GS Mini not to be considered with pilot selected VAPP. - Fixed jitter of the L/DEV and V/DEV scales that can occur under certain conditions when performing a GA during a non-precisiong approach - Inhibit of EGT OVERLIMIT warning following an engine shutdown due to fire - Brought the REV SET ECAM Caution back - Fixed mouse wheel function on WX Radar System switches - Fixed FBW behaviour in case of loss of both FAC (no reversion to direct on L/G extension) - Fixed FBW upmode logic to allow automatic upmode to normal law if conditions triggering a degenerated law are gone. - Fixed link between APU start capability and battery availability - Improved VLS computation in dual hydraulic cases with slats frozen in the retracted position. - Improved rudder authority for VMGC and Beta target - Fixed a crash in PDC/CPDLC messages if there are space characters in the wrong spot. - Fixed a bug with fuel consumption during 200NM jumps The last update for the A319 was Version 1.8 (January 6th 2023), that was the transition version to X-Plane 12, although a basic "can fly in" X-Plane 12 was done on X-Plane 12's beta release in September 2022. The Airbus A319 by Toliss is a 120-140 seat single-aisle mid-range modern state-of-the-art FBW aircraft with a high focus on detailed system modelling. This is an Officially licensed Airbus product Introduction of the Interactive Audio Control Panel to manage ground services, doors, passengers, loading etc. Introduction of custom EFB (currently for detailed weight analysis for the flight.) ACARS functionality: SimBrief flight plan import directly into the FMGS, TO Performance computations and wind upload (from SimBrief plan.) New fully custom engine model for a highly accurate engine performance and new engine specific failure modes Third engine option: CFM56-5B7 which provides more thrust for operations in mountainous terrain. Implementation of over 120 circuit breakers to cut power to certain systems. Added “resettable failures” to the failure system as well as new failure modes, with now a total of more than 210 failure modes you can simulate. Addition of the offset function in the FMGS More than 70 new ECAM messages covering new computer faults such as dual FWC or dual SDAC faults, anti ice system faults, new engine faults etc. _________________________________ ToLiSS A319-122 v1.9 is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Airbus A319 XP12 by Toliss Price is US$89.99 To upgrade from the X-Plane 11 A319 version, it is only US$10, just go to your X-Plane.Org Account to get the upgrade voucher. ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 11th July 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 Review : Embraer E-195 by Flight Procedures Simulation X-Plane over the years has had quite a few parallel developments. The same airport, or aircraft, or even plugins from different developers. One such double up was from Supercritical Simulations Group and X-Crafts with the Embraer E-Jet. In context they were both very, very similar. But the X-Crafts didn't have a custom FMS (hybrid Tekton), so the balance went over to the SSG version to be more authentic with a working more authentic Flight Management System system UFMC by Javier Cortes installed... this was X-Plane 10/11. Coming now to X-Plane 12, and both developers are again releasing Embraer aircraft E-Jets. X-Crafts was the first only a month ago with their X-Craft E-Jet Family for X-Plane 12. Here is the Supercritical Simulations Group version, but now called under another name "Flight Procedures Simulation" (FPS), it is in many ways the same aircraft that was earlier released by SSG in X-Plane 11. However in X-Plane 12, both are also very unlike in their earlier X-Plane 10/11 releases. As there are significant changes to both developments. X-Crafts have notably gone upmarket with their E-Jets... both with quality, systems and price, as their E-Jet Family is all brand new from the ground up, expensive as well, but well worth the investment. The SSG aircraft now FPS, is also a totally different animal, or should I say basically the same aircraft, but just highly upgraded to X-Plane 12. Don't get me wrong, there has been a very big significant upgrade here, as we shall see, so it is not all just a quick flick makeover to convert the E-195 over to X-Plane 12, but notably the aircraft still stays in the same price range of the middle-fifties, making it a more attractive investment. So if you were baulked at the X-Crafts price barrier, but still wanted a nice E-Jet to fly then here is a great option. So that is the aim of this review, is it a cheaper, a good option to the X-Crafts E-Jets in quality, systems for the lower price. This is the E-195 variant, earlier there were two, E-170 Evolution and the E-195 Evolution variants for X-Plane 11 from SSG. The Evolution moniker has been dropped, and the E-170 variant will follow later in a few months. First impression of the FPS X-Plane 12 E-195 is impressive. I will note that X-Plane 12 aircraft all have a very different sheen than the earlier X-Plane versions, so you already expect that visually. Here however the textures have been heavily processed, with a professional texture shader (with a glossy-shader material) and that creates a MSFS like look and feel in X-Plane 12. Its effective here as the E-195 looks very nice in the Munich sunshine. The E-195 is the longest variant in the E-Jet Family, 38.66 m (126 ft 10 in) long, but with a shorter range than the E-190 (150 Nm), but has the larger seating capacity 124@29-31 split. Let us get the question out of the way first. One you are not going to get the same X-Crafts insane detailing and animated features for around US$20 cheaper, but it is still very very good here... But although you still have the earlier SSG modeling, there has been a lot of more attention to the detail done, in that, it lifts this E-195 far higher in quality than what we had before, so it is not just a straight conversion, as for all the higher quality conversion work that has been done here, and it is noticeable... for the price here you get great, even exceptional detail value, and that is what we are looking for. Glass is very good, slightly dark, thick, with a nice rainbow effect in the glass. The surround metal is more darker as well, and the rivets are nice highlights, not the double hex screws on the X-Crafts. Side windows are again nicely done, with a nice plexiglass scratching realism on the surface. Metal wing leading edge is nicely done, however extended the detailed internal mechanism is now looking a bit clunky... ... that is not to say it is good, because it is, it's just a generation behind the current formula of detail, in these Intricate leading edge, flap and airbrake combos... underwing access panels are nicely done, as are all the discharge wicks. Flared winglets are also well carved and designed. All wings has new more variable Wing Flex animation for more realism. Engines are the GE CF34-10E with 20,000 lbf (89 kN) thrust, compared to the 8E on the lower E-170/175 with only 14,200 lbf (63 kN), both engines are equipped with full authority digital engine control (FADEC). Here the pods are great, certainly the mawl of the inlets with twin, high-bypass blades that block out that see-through effect (in other words well done). Rear exhausts have the required chevrons around the heat effected exhaust cone. The engine overall look and the feel is all very well done. Undercarriage is the original, very good then, very good now... Well conceived with highly detailed strut body and piston, all hydraulic lines are well detailed, as are the scissors.... the side strut, although well done, is still left hanging in the wheel bay with no upper connection... this connection should have been fixed by now... worse it is highly visible from many visual angles. Tyres and hubs are well done, but all very sparkly clean for an exposed wheel (à la B737), internal wheel bay is very good in detail. Nose gear is more completed and fully detailed, probably the highlight of the detailing. All doors open, Entry 1 and 2 left side, and Service doors 1 and 2 on the right. Both cargo doors (Fwd/Aft) are well represented as well. However the opening handles are more clunky in detail, but still pop-up and the vent flap moves as well... Sadly missing here was that original lovely airline branded boarding stair? can we have it back please! Chocks are noted, but not represented on the wheels, a nice Ground Power Unit (GPU) is also supplied. Cabin Cabin is all new... The earlier XP11 version of the E-175 cabin was a bit awful, not very nice at all, so thankfully it has had a big overhaul in here, with the cabin itself being new in XP12 as are the seats. Chairs are all new with a metal base and arms, upper luggage bins are all also new with working Seatbelt/No Smoking signs and lit EXIT signs. Only niggle are the differently set window shades from open to closed, I like to choose my view out of the cabin, and this aspect restricts my choice to only a few (open shade) window views? Highlight here are the excellent seat back screens, they change logos with the livery change, as does the different airline seating colours, all very effective in the cabin... ... Front and rear galleys are basic, but still very well done, modern in detail. Overall it is a huge improvement than the earlier version. Cockpit First observation in the cockpit that it is the same one as in XP11. But actually it has been totally remodeled and detailed, when you compare the differences, they are actually quite different. Even the earlier ugly rusted glareshield feature has been removed. So it all now doesn't feel so dated at all, but fresh and X-Plane 12 modern. Both pilot chairs are all new, with better sheepskin covers and hard-back rears, sadly the armrests are still fixed. The rear bulkhead is also completely different, and so is the entrance/door, and a modeled (non-working) jump seat on the bulkhead, overall all the cockpit fixtures and textures have been totally redone with the same colour, you feel it is the same until you look closely at the detail, then you realise it is very far removed and of a far better quality cockpit than before. Note the nice stitching, and netting rear on the pilot seats. EFB Tablet One thing you DO notice is the new tablet EFB (Electronic Flight Bag). Before all options (doors, weights, settings etc) were on the Central column "Adjustments Display", I was not a big fan of the idea, hard to use (very small text) and placed mid-screen, I didn't like it at all. The new Tablet menu screen on the left side is a huge step forward and it is easy to use. When turned off you can then use it as an AviTab, via the button top right of the screen. (plugin required) The Tablet can be added or removed on the First Officer right side, but you have to select (On/Off) EFB or AviTab from only the left side tablet, but once the mode is selected it works or the tablets mirror each other. You have the option to hide the right hand side tablet as well. There are ten icon options across the top of the tablet... The first three options cover the GPU, Chocks and Cabin Lighting selections. The Circular arrows icon is the INIT page that has three options; "Unpowered Cold & Dark", "Powered at the Gate" and "Unpowered And Parked". You select the flight state, then press the green button left to activate that state.... it works well. Fifth Icon is the External options page has two options... "Doors" and "Pushback". You can open and close all six doors noted, but only from here in the Tablet and not manually. The Pushback mode is a bit limited... There is only the option shown to pushback in reverse or forward, brakes have to be off to activate and there is a procedure to follow to turn. Sixth icon is the Payload page... here you can add in your Passenger, Cargo weights... It is a single entry (Payload) entered via the keys 1K/100/10 then you load the aircraft (or compute the load)... you can change from Kgs to Lbs in the lower centre icon. Seventh Icon is Fuel. Basically the same as the payload page, you enter your Block Fuel load, then on pressing Fuel/Defuel it will load/unload the aircraft, the page will also display your fuel trip prediction (but only when you have programmed the FMCU. Eighth icon is the Takeoff Speeds. Here you select the Takeoff mode, or derated power setting (T01/T02/T03) then flap position. It will insert the current (airport) outside Temperature º and the set Gross Weight, then compute the V Speeds, CofG (Centre of Gravity) and Trim position ready to insert into the MCDU Takeoff page. All three set up pages (Payload-Fuel-Takeoff Speeds) are extremely easy and fast to do, so setting up the aircraft isn't going to take ages if you just want to fly. Ninth icon is the Sound page. Seven sliders cover three areas of Engines, Flight Deck and Environment, with a Master slider right. Final and tenth icon is the Options page, divided into "View Options"; Hide Yoke Captain side, Hide Yoke First Officers side, Hide Outside Pilot Figures and Show F.O. Side Tablet. "System" Options include; Link Baro Instrument Settings and Pause 10 NM to TD, again the Weights from KG to Lbs can also be changed here. Obviously the Tablet is a huge change from the fiddly window idea, far better for access and for setting up the aircraft... it is simple but also well done to use. Systems The SSG X-Plane 11 E-Jet series had already some very comprehensive built in systems. So all of that aspect is still in here as well, in fact there was not much to add as it was already in place. Power on via Battery power and the systems show the "Backup Mode". Only when you add in the direct power (GPU/APU/Engines) that you get the fully loaded system. The Embraer E-Jets systems use the Honeywell Primus "Epic", Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) glass cockpit, Five displays across with outer main displays PFD, MFD (Multi-Functional Display) and the middle EICAS (Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System), that all pop-out via the left corner screw, are scalable, also home cockpit ready. The PFD displays information such as airspeed indicator, altitude indicator, ADI, HSI, vertical speed indicator, radio aids, autopilot, flight director and radio altitude data. In the event of a display failure, information will be automatically presented in the MFD. The display controller portion of the guidance panel allows the selection of PFD HSI formats, navigation sources, weather display, and bearing pointer selection. The MFD presents map and plan navigation formats and various systems synoptic formats that are all selectable. The MFD provides redundancy to display both the PFD and EICAS formats based upon reversion. It also has the ability to display maintenance information. The MFD consists of menu softkeys, on the top and bottom of the screen, which are used to select formats and to control the various systems. Note the lower screen "Vertical Profile display", SSG was one of the first to include the feature on their aircraft, and it is very good here. There are three option menus; Map, Plan and Systems... And six system displays; Status, Flight Ctrl (Controls), Hydraulics, Fuel, Electrical, ECS and Anti-Ice. The EICAS displays engine and system parameters such as flap, gear, spoilers and trim positions, total fuel quantity, APU and environmental information. The EICAS also displays warning, caution, advisory, and status messages. In case of failure in the EICAS display, its information may be presented in the MFD by appropriately setting the reversionary panel. An automatic mode de-clutters the EICAS after takeoff. De cluttering occurs 30 seconds after landing gear and flap/slat retraction. The Advanced Advisory System logic has more than 100 messages in logic, comprehensive, and I love the block alert system flashing. Multifunction Control Display Unit (MCDU) The FPS E-195 uses the same FJCC UFMC by Javier Cortes. Refined over the years, it is pretty solid now. Based on the EPIC Load 27 FMS it is easy to use, but has also quite a lot of functionality built in... both left and right UFMC units are individual and can be used separately by both pilots. The MCDU allows FMS control, radio tuning, PFD radio tuning display setup, manual engine rating selection, engine takeoff data set and avionics display setup and test. There is also a UFMC pop-up, activated by the F8 key, there is none for the right hand display. If you haven't used the FJCC FMS before, then you have to install the UFMC data (folder). This is stored in the X-Plane12/Custom Data folder... FPS supplies a full AIRAC-2303 set of data, in the "Documentation" folder, and the full contents are all to be put in the said Custom Data folder... notable is that if you use Navigaph or Aerosoft data, then a separate update link is required to this folder to update the monthly AIRAC. Also notable is that the Flightplans for the E-175 are stored here as well, again if you use the Simbrief Downloader, an address link is required to direct the file to the right flightplan folder. The Flightplans also use a unique .ufmc lauguage, so you have to specific with the flightplan. PERFORMANCE PLAN pages show fuel predictions for each waypoint, CLIMB/CRUISE/DESENT/LANDING pages show full flight performance and detail, including vRef landing speeds... PROG (Progress) page is highly detailed as well. The flight system provides Full TOGA/VNAV/LNAV/RNAV/LOC/GS/Missed APPR functions. SPEEDS with CLIMB/CRZ/DESC with a custom Autothrottle system, Autoland 1 CATI,II and RNAV (non precision) approaches are also possible. All speeds thoughout the flight phases can also be changed into the flight plan and on the performance pages. Overhead OHP is the same, but textures have been redone, even the roof panels are different in design. So you do have this fresher update feel in the space... Centre console is also retextured, but similar to the original, and still has those lovely ceramic throttle levers, why change what was very good in the first place. The lovely Ram Horn yokes are also still perfectly nice. They come with built in (working) Trim switches and a working PTT button. As noted you can hide one or both Yokes via the Tablet. Overall feeling is that the aircraft, externally has been updated over the original modeling, Internally all of the cabin has been totally redone, and so has the textures and details in the cockpit. Systems have had a revisions, and all the original comprehensive details have been retained.... so the FPS E-!95 is certainly far more than an upgrade to X-Plane 12, in reality it is a very comprehensive overhaul of the original X-Plane 11 version, to a point that was needed as the XP11 version is now over four years old. I doubt that these comprehensive changes will go on to the XP11 version to update it, its too X-Plane 12 in feel and use for that, so the E-195 here does feel nicely fresh and new to move on forward in the newer X-Plane 12 version. Lighting First lighting impressions are excellent. You have a lot of adjustment via five knobs at each end of the glareshield, and three (MAIN PNL/OVHD PNL/PEDESTAL) knobs on the OHP, plus the standard DOME switch. DOME lighting is very effective via two (bright) lights in the roof rear, each pilot also get a MAP light which is also very good in feel. You can also tune everything down to just the instruments, of just find a little down-light to see the console switch gear, perfect for night landings or takeoff phases... its very good, looks very nice at night as well. Cabin lighting feels still a bit of a WIP, were it has been done, it looks good, but the lighting only currently only fills out the centre area of the cabin, both galleys are lit, but not over so... more work is needed here. You switch on the cabin lighting via the button on the Tablet, off and you get only the floor light strips. A small annoyance is the red beacon flashes in the cabin? Externally it is very good. All lighting has been switched to the X-Plane 12 lighting, so it is more XP12 LED in feel than before... Navigation, Strobes and beacons all look good, as does the Tail lighting. There are Runway turnoff lights, and effective Wing/Ice lights. Three landing lights covers both wing and nosewheel positions. ________________________ Flying the Flight Procedures Simulation E-195 Flight today is from Munich (EDDM) to Oslo (ENGM), and we are fully loaded and ready on the ramp... I check the bleeds, but being a E-Jet it is all just a turn of a switch on the upper centre console, odd in a way as you do have a BLEED switch on the OHP far right in the AIR/COND panel, so you have an inclination to press it on, and to shut off the PACK valves, that you would usually do in a say a Boeing... but you don't have to do that here, as a clean blank board is the best way to start the engines. The "Pushback" system is a little tricky until you work it out, devilish simple when you do... Release the brakes activates the Pushback mode, then press the pushback option... the tricky part is having the tiller selection up, to steer the aircraft yaw (Joystick), if not you can't steer. Pushback is a little slow, as there is no speed option, but effective in positioning the aircraft on the line, reverse, turn, then forwards to park Just using the park-brake will disable the pushback... you soon get to like it, betterpushback is however not an option here as the plugin does not work with this built in system and the old silly stick pushback is gone as well, of which I really didn't like at all. Engine start is next, and you flip the cover and turn the switch to START, simples... then watch the ITT (N2) kick off and start the start procedure, which is very long here and takes around a minute per engine, as you hear all the separate processes come in and the fans starting to twirl, its all very, very good and very authentic in realism, as you see the full authority digital engine control (FADEC) in operation. Sounds are important of course... The X-Plane 11 SSG aircraft used the "Dreamengine" sound plugin, and even then the sounds felt older and slightly dated. That plugin has gone here, to be replaced by full suite of FMOD2 Sounds and they are really great, with those engines sounds with the many startup stages that are recorded from real engines. That explains the perfect if long start up procedure, as they are timed in to the real thing, and it is very good aurally to listen in the full startup experience. The adjustment of the sounds is excellent as well, with great sound control, to get the right external, internal feel. Set your TakeOff references (Bugs), Flaps (2), TO.PITCH (0.7) on the trim, again nicely laid out for ease of use. APU off, throttles up and your moving. I'm set at 47,518 Kg at my Takeoff Weight, not totally full but still a fair payload, so a little bit of heft is needed from the engines to move you off the line... ... I'm going to honest with you is that I didn't like the very jiggly tracking, the aircraft struggled to stay straight on the taxiway until I changed the yaw sensitivity way down to give me more leverage on my yaw axis, then it felt fine and was easy(ier) to track down EDDM's long taxiways. Note the impressive wing flex as you taxi from the cabin windows. The idea of these E-Jets is to be very easy in all operations, to load, to set up, to start and to fly, in reality they are a true Airbus... but from Brazil. Power up and throttles to the full position, it doesn't matter to regulate the power as one, you have set that in the FMCU, and two, the FADEC system will keep the engine thrust within the limits or 92.0% (TO.1). The CF-34 wail is nicely heard in the cockpit, a totally different sound as it is in the cabin, but highly realistic, so all sounds are doppler and 3d. Tracking is down the middle, better with the sensitive yaw adjusted, and callouts "V1" and "V2.. Rotate", at 147+10 Knts, and you pull cleanly away from the runway into a "positive climb". Nice gear sounds as they retract. The flight model is an upgrade of the earlier E-Jets Evolution Series, yes it has been revised for X-Plane 12 and yes it handles and feels very good, because it always was. There is a full "Custom Fly By Wire" system that provides flight protection limiting and control laws according with the FMS Protection System logic, again very Airbus. So refined is the word here... but of the few older foibles have however sneaked through. Climbrate can be as high as 2,000fpm, but your going to set it around 1,600fpm, at this setting the engines do surge a lot in the climb phase under the Autothrust, never really hitting the speed marker? I climbed to FL340 (34,000ft), then increased the speed to m78. In doing so increasing the speed, the aircraft also climbed again at 1,000 fpm? above the set FL340, I arrested it at 35,000ft, were as the aircraft dropped back to it's earlier height of FL340? so a bumpy ride for the passengers... I do remember this aspect from the SSG X-Plane 11 version, and it has not been tuned out here either. So if you are well versed in the older aircraft then you will either feel right at home, or want a more stable platform, depends on your nature, but once at FL360, at m78, the aircraft settled down with no throttle hunting and held the set settings. Max. speed / Ceiling Mach .82 @ 41,000 ft (12,000 m), Cruise Mach .78 (447 kn; 829 km/h)... the E175 range is 2,300nmi / 4,260 km. Several likes... The Progress strip on the MFD above the Vertical Profile, the Progress info is also available on the MCDU (PROG), The "Bank", is set on the Rate of Turn indicator in the PFD, is another neat detail. The office and the nice cabin... you can go a long way in this aircraft as you cruise along, the sounds help, as they feel very good. TOD, or "Top of Descent". You can descend far faster than your initial climb to the service flight level, here at 2,000fpm, then I'm selecting STAR LUNI4L into RWY 01L ENGM Oslo. Descent is to first around 15,000 ft going into the approach phase, and it is good to follow the height limits on the chart, because there is some hilly terrain around Gardermoen... If you are used to the SSG XP11 version, it will all feel very familiar, but there has been many improvements in the flight dynamics to meet the X-Plane 12 performance, so it all feels a bit sweeter than before. Note the nice route curves if you go down to a very low map range, that aspect is still very SSG (B748), and it's in here as well, and very welcome. Spoilers flip up on turns to help the dynamics, a neat detail, but authentic to the aircraft... down goes the gear on the final turn to 01L (OGRAS), and the wind noise increases. As I enter the beams (110.30 OBW) I'm adjusting the speed.... I'm still on Autothrottle, and as the aircraft goes into the 300 fpm descent, it finds it hard to find a level, first too slow (nose up), then too fast (nose down), even when I set the required speed (133knts) full flap.. so you adjust, and that makes it even more unhappy, as the throttles hunt between too much, and too little... so it's hard to find a clean solid line going down and with slight nose up on the final approach... certainly a manual approach would (and it did as I tested it) be better and you can fine tune or hold the power more steady, than using the Autothrottle in this critical approach phase. So again that hunting from the earlier XP11 aircraft needs a bit more fine tuning. Finally I got the speed to approach descent right at around 127 Knts... over the fence! Thankfully the speed stays solid in the critical flare phase, slightly more nose down than I would like, but still easily arrested with some nice pitch in the flare to get the rear wheels to touch first... Spoilers activate automatically with pressure on the wheels, then retract again when wheel speed is below 45 kts for at least 5 seconds. Reverser sounds are also excellent, you can hear them roar from the cockpit, and they are very effective as well. Autobraking was set to "Low" as I like a lot of foot braking control in the final landing phase, this aspect also worked very well, with a nice braking feel. So you have an odd combination here. A lot of the original feel of the older SSG version is mixed in with the newer dynamics of X-Plane 12, overall it works, certainly to the positive if you are very well used to the older aircraft, but good in another way that it feels different in using the aircraft with the better X-Plane 12 dynamics, as for all the conversions between the two X-Plane 11/12 versions it is felt more here than on any other aircraft, again that is too the positive I must stress. Welcome to Gardermoen! Liveries There are a couple of liveries from the older X-Plane 11 batch, namely the Alitiala and Lufthansa Regional. The rest are new in Delta (fictional), American (why not American Eagle?), KLM, LOT (Polish), TAP and a blank. Missing however is the nice Dolomiti. Another livery that was in the XP11 version but not here, is the JetBlue livery that was originally default, but that one has been added to the X-plane.Org, it is a very nice new version of the JetBlue colours, so it is included here. __________________ Summary You can't avoid the fact that if you wanted to fly an Embraer E-Jet in X-Plane, then the choice was between X-Crafts, which didn't have a custom FMS (but used the hybrid Tekton), so the balance went over to the other SSG version to be more authentic with a more working Flight Management System system UFMC by Javier Cortes installed. Both were good in their various ways. Coming into X-Plane 12 and X-Crafts have notably gone upmarket with their E-Jets... both with quality, systems and price, as their E-Jet Family is all brand new from the ground up, expensive as well, but well worth the investment. With SSG or "Flight Procedures Simulation" (FPS) as they are now called, they have released a variation of the same aircraft that was earlier released by SSG in X-Plane 11, but the cost is basically the same around the middle-fifties in your dollars This is an upgrade to their E-195 (the E-170 will follow in a few months), but it is not just a quick conversion. There has been some very significant attention to the detail here including; better (shiny textures), total revision of the cabin to a far more modern one, new cockpit textures and detail, in fact most of the internal areas are all different and upgraded. kept however is the strongest area of an (well tried and tested) UFMC and excellent deep systems with a fully detailed EICAS, Vertical Profile and Graded Turns. So there is already a lot of system depth here, and it's all been updated and refined for X-Plane 12. Changes also in a new pushback system that is easy to use, but kills betterpushback in operations. Exceptional are the new sounds (now FMOD2, not the older dated "Dreamengine" sound plugin, and a big difference they are in real recordings of the E-175, startup procedures and in flight sounds. Wingflex is also all new, and again very good, on the ground and in the air. All lighting is now X-Plane 12 dynamic, with great highly adjustable cockpit lighting, and external lighting, new cabin is however about half completed, but looks good to date. Yes in some areas the older XP11 SSG E-195 creeps through, older modeling of gear (good! but unconnected arm?) and under wing Slat/Flap detail, and in some areas there is a performance noticeability with hunting throttles, on the climb and in the final approach phases, FPS have also taken away those lovely branded stairs. So overall if you want a thoroughly decent E-Jet, without the extreme price, then you can't go past this significantly upgraded E-Jet 195 from Flight Procedures Simulations. You could say it is proven and tested, certainly for the older users of the SSG version, who will quickly settle in and be comfortable in their newer updated surroundings. It is great if a clever upgrade to already a good aircraft, and older purchasers of the previous E-Jets by SSG can get this FPS E-195 for 20% off, and that is a great value deal to upgrade the aircraft to X-Plane 12, and all it's modern features. So the E-195 is highly recommended for that great value price, without sacrificing the quality. __________________ Yes! - the Embraer E-195 by Flight Procedures Simulation is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : FPS Embraer E-195 Price is US$55.00 Requirements X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows or Mac (not compatible with Linux) 8GB + VRAM Minimum Download Size: 718 MB Current version : 1.0 (June 30th 2023) Owners of the previous E-Jets by SSG (only the SSG version) can get this FPS E-195 for 20% off. Please find the discount code in your original E-Jets Invoice. Designed by Flight Procedures Simulation (ex SSG) Support forum for the FPS 195 Download The FPS E-195 is a 858.17MB download with an installation size of 2.17Gb, in your X-Plane Aircraft folder, this is an X-Plane 12 aircraft only. All updates are via the built-in Skunkcrafts Updater Notable for new users, is you have to install the FJCC FMS data in the Custom Data folder, install instructions are provided and so is a more current 2303 AIRAC data pack. Documentation There is excellent full coverage documentation and installation details for the E-195, including; AIRAC_2303_manual_install.zip Custom_Commands.txt FPS EMB 195 - Lights and Switches v1.0.pdf FPSEmbraer_195_Changelog.txt Installing the FPS EMB 195 .pdf _____________________ Aircraft Upgrade Review by Stephen Dutton 10th July 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 12.05r1 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 - EDDM - Munich Airport by ShortFinal Designs (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$26.95 - ENGM - Airport Oslo XP by Aerosoft (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$24.95

NEWS! - Scenery Release : Cleveland Hopkins International Airport X-Plane 12 by TearWear Designs If there is one word that will pick up the ears of any X-Plane users life it is the word of.... "Free", yes folks X-Plane users love anything that is free, even to the detriment of their own platform. So this is good day for the said users, a FREE quality airport via the X-Plane.OrgStore. The airport in question is Cleveland Hopkins Airport (KCLE). Previously the main hub for Continental Airlines and currently the main domicile for United Airlines, Cleveland Hopkins provides an expansive selection of both domestic and international flights for commercial, cargo, and private purposes. Provided by TearWear Designs, this is a full representation of Cleveland CLE for X-Plane 12, including the built in X-Plane 12 effects, to but note that you need some very odd libraries installed to use it, including the Zero Dollar Payware Library, MisterX Library, Sam Developer Pack and even the ALES DEV Library. The features include: •     A 2023 airport layout and taxiway structure reflecting the latest modifications. •     Custom-made objects meticulously crafted for the entire airport. •     An intricately designed terminal interior reflecting real-life aesthetics. •     True-to-life airport texturing, markings, and groundwork providing unparalleled realism. •     A custom mesh designed for compatibility with Ortho4XP (patch included). •     Hand-placed autogen and vegetation, enhancing the airport's natural look. •     SAM Jetways and Marshallers for added functionality and immersion. •     Optimization for superior performance, ensuring a smooth experience. •     Custom prebuilt ortho tile rendered at ZL16, with high-resolution ZL17 through ZL19 around CLE. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is an international airport in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is the primary airport serving Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, the largest and busiest airport in the state, and the 43rd busiest airport in the U.S. by passenger numbers. Located in Cleveland's Hopkins neighborhood 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Downtown Cleveland, it is adjacent to the Glenn Research Center, one of NASA's ten major field centers.[1] The airport has been at the forefront of several innovations that are now commonplace. It was the first airport with an air traffic control tower and a two-level design separating arrivals from departures. It was also the first airport in North America to be directly connected with a rail transit line. Now available for FREE! from the X-Plane.OrgStore... You will require 3.5 GB of free hard disk space to install... the airport alone takes 1.5GB, and the mesh uses another 2Gb. __________________________ Yes! Cleveland Hopkins International Airport X-Plane 12 by TearWear Designs is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Cleveland Hopkins International Airport X-Plane 12 Price Is Zero, Zilch, Nought... diddly-sqat Requirements: X-Plane 12 Windows, Mac or Linux Download Size : 1.5 GB + 2 GB (Orthos) Current Version: 12 (July 2nd 2023) These libraries are required for this scenery: Zero Dollar Payware Library MisterX Library Sam Developer Pack ALES DEV Library ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 3rd July 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

Scenery Review - Svalbard XP by Aerosoft/Maps2XPlane Svalbard... No never heard of that place. Spitzbergen, yes I heard of that, a port in Norway somewhere? Probably related to the battleship Tirpitz, that was once sent to attack the garrison and destroy the settlements there, or as the English call it Spitsbergen. Otherwise no clue. But Svalbard is a place, a Norwegian archipelago set high in the Arctic Ocean, north of mainland Europe. it lies about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole (500 miles). The islands of the group range from 74° to 81° north latitude, and from 10° to 35° east longitude of an area 62,045 km2. The largest island is Spitsbergen, followed in size by Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. The largest settlement is Longyearbyen, but all up only 2,500 people live up here within the Arctic Circle. (google) Well now Svalbard is available in the X-Plane Simulator. The scenery comes from the same team that created still the best overall scenic scenery in the Faroe Islands in the Simulator called Faroe Islands XP by Maps2Xplane. This scenery is an absolute personal favorite. Maps2Xplane also did Seychelles XP as well, another scenery worthy of your investment. So they are the perfect choice to deliver Svalbard. A note says in reality the islands were never in X-Plane at all, as they are positioned inside the Arctic Circle... anything 73/74th north lines of latitude is not available in X-Plane unless you own an add on scenery, say Grand Arctic XP12 By HSimulators that covers above Greenland to the North Pole, so there is no conflict with this addon from Map2Xplane, but both situated together will certainly cover in (or fill) this expansive area. Can you walk to the North Pole from Svalbard? well no, but the Arctic Pack Ice (Shelf) starts not far from the Northern part of the Islands in the winter, so Svalbard is usually the first stop of a base for any Arctic Expeditions. Which brings us to the weather... If you are flying into Svalbard then the time of the year to go is highly important. The average summer temperatures on Svalbard range from 3 to 7 °C (37.4 to 44.6 °F) in July, and the winter temperatures from −13 to −20 °C (8.6 to −4.0 °F) in January.The highest temperature ever recorded was 23.0 °C (73.4 °F) in July 2020 and the coldest was −46.3 °C (−51.3 °F) in March 1986. That is -13ºC to -20ºC EVERYDAY... it's cold, and the weather is usually overcast low cloud. Then there is the light. A December night in Longyearbyen lasts almost 24 hours and the days start about 11 hours later, or from mid November to mid January there is no sunset (or sunrise). In May and June, the sun is in the opposite position and above the horizon all the time, or a Midnight Sun. Having fun yet... So any flight into Svalbard is going to be interesting, and a place to really test your flying skills. The major airport here is "Longyear" or ENSB/LYR. If you could call it an airport, at least there is an airport here, and thankfully one ILS system to get you in (also out). Up for a challenge, I (stupidly) thought, I'll fly into Longyear (ENSB/LYR) from Oslo (ENGM/OSL), "That'll be interesting". I'm flying the Zibo Boeing 737-800. The B738's do run into LYR, as SAS and Norwegian.com, both have regular services (weather permitting) and at 2hr,55min, Oslo to Longyearbyen, it is also the longest domestic flight on the SAS route map. Route distance is 1,122 nm, but that is not the issue here, your going out on a limb, and the nearest Alternate is ENAT/ALF at VAKKER, back on the Norwegian Mainland, or 595 Nm back again? so your carrying INRES+ALTN 4514 kgs extra fuel. You don't really want to do a missed landing.... do you. I really love these civilisation to remote nowhere airports. The hustle and bustle of a large mega airport to the one small strip in an outlying bleak place. That was the attraction of Vagar in the Faroes, mostly you flew from Edinburgh in Scotland or my usual route from Kalstop, Copenhagen, here with another Maps2Xplane scenery I'm doing the same again, going out on that limb, but here twice as far. Once clear of the SID, it is a turn to the north and a climb to 34,000ft... then settle in for the long haul (pun intended). It's an impressive flight, tons to look at while you skim over the top and the coast of Norway, X-Plane 12 can dazzle sometimes and here it does. I am not going to deny it, I'm very apprehensive. Not only being a fair way out into nowhere, but the weather concerns with a very low cloud forecast, which you could take as normal for Svalbard. Thankfully I'm going into LYR in the peak of the summer, I would hate to think what it is like from Nov to Jan, with no light and low dense cloud... I have to get the approach into ENSB perfect, spot on, but to be honest I don't know what I will be faced with until I get there. Time to descend, but I do a long slow descent to get a feel of the weather and to study over and over the approach charts, imprinting it into my mind. From waypoint INPAR, you turn 24º heading and below is the huge Fjord of Isfjorden, you can't see it until you drop out of the 2,015 ft cloud, but you do get some breaks through the clouds to see the landscape... yes it is all very Faroe in the approach. But Longyear is still covered in murky goo, nothing ahead to see. Then a bit of turbulence as well, "Why not", double scare me... Entrance to the approach is LALAD, and final turn to (95º) to LYR is at LOLVO, height 2,500 ft. I have set the Boeing up with full flap and gear down early, all my attention needs to be on the approach... the one I still can't actually see. I would love to take in the magnificent scenery, but there is no time, your busy, focused. I'm looking for the ILS beams (110.3 LB) for runway 10, the opposite approach in Rwy 28 has a RNP approach profile (but X-Plane notes an offset beam 109.5 LA)... the go-around notes are very specific, I hope I don't have to use them. As I start the ILS descent, suddenly the runway appears out of the murk, the airport is jutting out on a piece of land, hard to see. I follow the beams, but ready now to take manual control as I can now see the threshold, my heart is thumping, I need to get this right. On that note the width of the ILS beams are very narrow, you have be almost perfectly aligned to collect them, stray slightly out of the box and you will not engage, or a go-around procedure. 1000 ft and I take manual control... Steady, focus... slight flare. Main gear touches at 132knts, As soon as the nosegear touches, I hit the reversers and brakes, the runway length is 8127 ft (2477m), not that long, but enough for a Boeing 737. Runway surfaces are really well done, asphalt with a ribbed surface to help braking. Once the speed is arrested and everything is folded back up, I can finally look out of the window... before me are ships, and a port (Longyearbyen) is further away down the coast, the town is only 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of the airport. If you are expecting a large international airport out here, then you are going to seriously disappointed, the facilities are small, but there is a terminal building... There is a lot of the same quality feel as Vagar (Faroe), so it all works quite handsomely, the feeling is of real authenticity, but you know you are also in a very remote place on the earth. Seriously impressed.... and totally relieved to be down and parked. Svalbard XP To install the Svalbard scenery you will need to use the Aerosoft One client installer. You get a authorisation number on purchase, and then you enter the Product Key lower left. Both X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12 installations are available. Then the installer will check your storage space, and then start the install process.... it's a big install of 6.52 GB, so you have to have both the storage space, and the graphic card VRAM to run the scenery, it notes a 4Gb card will work, but I recommend at least a 8Gb graphic card. When the installation is completed, the installer has inserted seven files, five airports, XTRA folder and a large MESH file. It is important to note that this scenery is basically all about the textures. Because of the huge scale of the area, your not going to get the very high-definition of the Faroe Island detail. But the quality and detail here is still highly customised and scaled far higher than the X-Plane default textures, so the quality is somewhere in the middle between the two extremes, but more to the Hi-Def Faroe quality than the average X-Plane textures. Delivered here then is very high resolution mesh that creates a full landscape of detailed coast lines and the shapes of glaciers. __________________ There are five separate sceneries that cover the only airports/heliports on the islands... Svalbard lufthavn, Longyear (ENSB), Svea (ENSA), Ny Alesund (ENAS), Barentsburg (ENBA) and Pyramiden (ENPY). (google) Svalbard lufthavn, Longyear (ENSB) Svalbard Airport is the main airport serving Svalbard in Norway. It is 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of Longyearbyen on the west coast, and it is the northernmost airport in the world with scheduled public flights. The first airport near Longyearbyen was constructed during World War II. In 1959, it was first used for occasional flights, but could only be used a few months a year. Construction of the new airport at Hotellneset started in 1973, and the airport was opened on 2 September 1975. It is owned and operated by state-owned Avinor. In 2014, the airport handled 154,261 passengers. Scandinavian Airlines operates daily flights to Tromsø and Oslo in mainland Norway. Lufttransport also provides services to the two other airports on Svalbard: Ny-Ålesund and Svea, using Dornier 228 turboprop aircraft. There are also regular charter flights. One runway 10/28 - 2,484m (8,146ft) Asphalt Jutting out on Isfjorden. Svalbard's main (and only) international airport is breathtaking, yes again I will compare it to Faroe, as it has the same feel and look as the southern neighbouring islands. The textures give great photo realistic detail, but because all of the islands are based on the same texture tones, there are no airport boundaries matching up to the X-Plane default, it is all in a pure and a perfect transition into all of the surrounding areas. Basically the airport consists of two large maintenance hangers, a control tower, admin and airport work facilities... dead centre is the small terminal. All the facilities are quite dark in dark-greys and matt-blacks, but the detail is in there with a feel of great realistic Arctic worn textures to the buildings. Internally the terminal is well modeled, with waiting passengers. When on the ramp it is highly realistic with the see-through glass. The control tower is mid-complex adjoining the terminal, again clad in very dark material, it also well done... tower view however puts you in-between all the aerials on the roof, but the approaches are clear. The biggest building and also the most seriously impressive here is the Luftthavn maintenance hangar, really authentic in detail, with a magnificent scenic view set out behind. There is a smaller (for the Dornier 228's?) hangar at the opposite end, again really well modeled and designed. North of the airport is a small port with a huge oil tanker in dock.... Longyearbyen (the capital) is just a bit north, again there is a well modeled cruise ship, and a few basic buildings on top of the photo ground textures. As per Maps2Xplane you are wanting more to cover the flat photo images, like Tórshavn in Faroe, it is all a bit bear and of wanting more fill. Svea (ENSA) Sveagruva or 'Swedish Mine', or simply Svea, was a mining settlement in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, lying at the head of Van Mijenfjord. It was the third largest settlement in the archipelago (after Longyearbyen and Barentsburg). Around 300 workers living in Longyearbyen commuted to Sveagruva for work on a daily or weekly basis. The mine was operated by Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani. There is no road to Longyearbyen or any other settlements. The airport featured a gravel runway measuring 800 by 30 meters (2,625 by 98 ft). Flights were operated about thirty times per week by Lufttransport using their two Dornier 228s. Magnificent and remote, Svea is a great destination... the site is very well modeled as the mining town with a very workmanlike feel to the place. Small tower and operations building is excellent in detail and realism. As is all the well modeled mining accommodation and main site... ... highlight is the very realistic gravel runway, great stoney textures as well. Seva is also the most southern airport in the scenery. Ny Alesund (ENAS) Ny-Ålesund Airport, Hamnerabben is an airport serving the research community of Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard, Norway. The airport is owned by Kings Bay, who also owns the company town. The only flights available are to Svalbard Airport, Longyear, operated two to four times a week by Lufttransport using Dornier 228 aircraft. The services are organized as corporate charters and tickets are only available after permission from Kings Bay. Between 1925 and 1928, Ny-Ålesund saw four air expeditions to the North Pole, two of which required the construction of an airship hangar and mast. The first proposal for an airport in Ny-Ålesund was launched in 1956 by Norsk Polar Navigasjon, who proposed an airport at Kvadehuksletta. Soviet protests against the airport caused the Norwegian authorities to oppose the plans, which were laid to rest in the early 1960s. Construction at Hamnerabben started in 1965 following the decision to build Kongsfjord Telemetry Station. ENAS has only one runway 12/30 - 808m (2,651ft)- Gravel. The same great gravel textures as Svea. Based here is the Kongsfjord Telemetry Station a satellite ground station. It was used between 1967 and 1974 as one of the four initial ground stations which were part of the European Space Tracking Network (ESTRACK) serving the European Space Research Organization's (ESRO) first generation of satellites. The station provided radio tracking, telemetry and commanding services as well as data download. Although owned by ESRO, the facilities were constructed and operated by the Royal Norwegian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (NTNF), also represented is the Ny-Ålesund Geodetic Observatory. The dish here still works... and it will follow the sun as it changes direction in the sky. The central area of Ny-Ålesund is a company town that is owned and operated by Kings Bay, which provides facilities for permanent research activities by 19 institutions from 11 countries. The town is ultimately owned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment and is not incorporated (i.e. is not recognised as a town by the Norwegian government). Ny-Ålesund has an all-year permanent population of 30 to 35, with the summer population reaching 114. Barentsburg (ENBA) Barentsburg is the second-largest settlement in Svalbard, Norway, with about 455 inhabitants (2020). A coal mining town, the settlement is almost entirely made up of ethnic Russians and Ukrainians. The distance from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg is about 55 km (30 mi) but there are no roads connecting the two settlements. Most contact between the two is by boat, snowmobile, or helicopter. Basically this scenery is only made up as a large Heliport H.... 4 km (2 mi) north of Barentsburg, as the township itself is sadly not represented in the scenery as seen below. Pyramiden (ENPY) Pyramiden; literally 'The Pyramid') is an abandoned Soviet coal mining settlement on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard which has become a tourist destination. Founded by Sweden in 1910 and sold to the Soviet Union in 1927, Pyramiden was closed in 1998 and has since remained largely abandoned with most of its infrastructure and buildings still in place, the cold climate preserving much of what has been left behind. Since 2007, there have been efforts to make it a tourist attraction; the town's hotel was renovated and reopened in 2013. In summer there is a population of six caretakers. Here it is only another Heliport H At least at Pyramiden you have a custom if abandoned township, all nicely done right on the Sassenfjorden. __________________ Lighting As you spend three months of the year in total darkness in Svalbard. Lighting is important. Thankfully it is very good, even excellent. At Svalbard lufthavn the approach lighting is nice and bright, which conforms to the X-Plane 12 official standards. Not only do you have excellent tower lights (white and beacon red), but nice dropdown lighting on the buildings. Ramp lighting is absolutely brilliant, bright and effective. Longyearbyen is pretty basic, but still some nice fill lighting. Sadly the cruise ship is not lit up. Seva is obviously basic, but well done. Approach and runway lighting is all very good, highlight is the lit control tower/receiving building, the town is mostly just street lighting, as they usually are in these remote places. Ny-Ålesund is pretty similar to Seva, nice (with RAIL lighting?) approach and runway lights, lit apron area, and a nicely lit township... highlight here is the red lit receiving dish... glows nicely in the dark! Barentsburg has the Hangars and buildings lit, but Pyramiden is completely dark, and neither Heliports have any Pad lighting?... pretty basic. __________________ Seasons Like Faroe, you get all the seasons up here, X-Plane 12 has of course seasons. For X-Plane 11 you get the two different seasons in summer and a white winter in provided textures (Generic Mod Enabler). It's an odd feeling though... In reality there is the nice summer season which is seen mostly here throughout the review (June), But move only to October and your already in the snow and ice, you can't really see the full winter experience because it's hidden away in the dark? This is mid-September... a little more snow. Move to mid-October and the light is already fading, now with more thicker snow and ice coverage that highlights the valleys... Fly here to Svalbard anytime between March to October and then vary the dates around, and every flight will reveal a totally different feel, light and snow coverage.... Then fly around these huge islands for some extreme scenic vistas, there is so much to explore and discover. A bit of trivia... the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, is a secure facility built into the side of a mountain on Spitsbergen. This amazing project is built into the side of a mountain and is intended to safeguard the seeds of the world’s food plants in the event of a global crisis. The site was chosen for its cold conditions and permafrost deep in an old mine, which would help preserve the seeds in the event the vault’s cooling systems failed. Construction began in June 2006, and the vault was ceremonially opened with its first consignment of seeds on February 26, 2008. It is positioned just south of Longyearbyen just behind Svalbard lufthavn, a dot in this huge landscape, I don't know if Maps2Xplane modeled it, but it is worth a look and see where real seed bank is situated. These sceneries are what you call scenic vistas, but there is a realistic side to them as well. Svalbard has both, an exciting destination, with a lot of square mile exploration... Summary Svalbard is a set of islands, a Norwegian archipelago positioned high in the Arctic Ocean, north of mainland Europe. it lies about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole (500 miles). It is quite a bleak but exotic place that has three months of darkness in winter, and a Midnight Sun in Summer. The scenery comes from the same team that created still the best overall scenic scenery in the Faroe Islands in the X-Plane Simulator, called Faroe Islands XP by Maps2Xplane. This scenery is an absolute personal favorite of mine. Maps2Xplane also did Seychelles XP, so Maps2Xplane specialise in photo realistic landscapes, perfect for these sort of highly scenic sceneries. In the X-Plane Simulator anything north 73/74th lines of latitude is not available in X-Plane. So this scenery provides a complete set of photo realistic textures covering an area of 61000km² of high resolution mesh, that creates a full landscape of detailed coast lines and the shapes of glaciers, a landscape that comprehensively fills out this remote territory. Like Faroe XP this is exceptional scenery and visually amazing, highly realistic, it covers the main airport Svalbard lufthavn, Longyear (ENSB), single runway Svea (ENSA), Ny Alesund (ENAS) and two heliports in Barentsburg (ENBA) and Pyramiden (ENPY). All the settlements are well represented except the township of Barentsburg, where's there is only the Heliport... Svalbard lufthavn is exceptional with terminal interior and great lighting. Seasonal textures are provided, built in with X-Plane 12 and winter textures for X-Plane 11, used with the Generic Mod Enabler. Other extras include a custom Lufttransport livery for the Carenado B200. Granted Svalbard XP is not cheap for a scenery, but if you loved Faroe Islands XP, then you will know what a brilliant investment this scenery will be, it delivers in every area, scenic, incredible scenes to absorb, challenging flying with low light and extreme Arctic conditions, plus a huge massive area to explore... if you want the best in scenery then Svalbard XP is at the top, literally at the of the world and quality scenery. __________________ Yes! Svalbard XP by Aerosoft - Maps2XPlane is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Svalbard XP Price Is US$38.99 Requirements: X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 2.6 Gb (Using Aerosoft One) Current Version: 12 (June 23rd 2023) Installation and documents: Installation of Faroe Islands XP is done through Aerosoft one installer: Aerosoft One Universal Svalbard XP is download of 2.6Gb download. There are seven folders as part of the installation; Svalbard4XPlane - MESH Svalbard4XPlane - XTRA Svalbard4XPlane - ENAS Svalbard4XPlane - ENBA Svalbard4XPlane - ENPY Svalbard4XPlane - ENSA Svalbard4XPlane - ENSB 6.52Gb is installed into your Custom Scenery folder (via designated drive) There are options with the scenery Supplied X-Plane 11 Winter Mesh Custom livery for the Carenado B200. Documents There is a supplied manual in both English and German. Also provided is a png Map with airport locations Manual_Svalbard_XP_de-en.pdf Map_Svalbard_XP_de-en.png __________________ 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 12.05r1 (This is a Release Candidate review). Plugins: Traffic Global - JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99 Scenery or Aircraft - ENGM - Airport Oslo XP by Aerosoft (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$24.95 -Boeing 737-800X (ZIBO mod)- Free __________________ Scenery Review by Stephen Dutton 30th June 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 : Embraer E-195 by Flight Procedures Simulation In the E-Jet sphere, then X-Plane had two sources for these iconic Brazilian Embraer Jets. Both basically were released in time with each other, one was from X-Crafts and the second was from the Supercritical Simulations Group. In context they were very similar. But the X-Crafts didn't have a custom FMS, so the balance went over to the SSG version to be more authentic... this was X-Plane 10/11. Moving into X-Plane 12, and a few months ago X-Crafts released their exceptional X-Craft E-Jet Family for X-Plane 12. With this release though and now with a custom FMS installed, the X-Crafts E-Jet Family was moved into a higher, far more significant expensive category. It is certainly worth it as the review confirmed, but with this new release Embraer E-195 from Flight Procedures Simulation (FPS), this is the original SSG E-Jet 195 version upgraded to X-Plane 12. Notable is that Flight Procedures Simulation is now shifted away from Supercritical Simulations Group to form their own design studio, but basically the aircraft is still SSG in feel and form. Important to note is the cost, as noted the X-Crafts are now higher graded into another category, were as this FPS E-Jet is still in the original US$55 dollar category, interesting because if the X-Crafts E-Jets are a bit out of your financial reach, then this E-Jet option will fill in the space in your hangar for an E-Jet, plus it comes with a 20% off offer for previous purchasers of the SSG E-195, makes it another entrance to X-Plane 12 E-Jet flying. Notable is that the aircraft is for X-Plane 12 only, if you want the X-Plane 11 version, then you need to use the older (SSG) version. The feature list is looong This model is a complete X-Plane 12 upgrade from the iconic Ejets Evolution Series from SSG. The Aircraft is modeled as near as real one with many details such as a satellite antenna and various vents, drains, etc. Detailed landing gear/gear doors with proper animation. Opening doors. Wing flex animation. Custom external lights design with realistic width, direction and range. External 3D cockpit and cabin with enhanced graphics and physic based rendering lights. Detailed overhead, pedestal, forward panels with most animated buttons, knobs and switches. Custom Systems description Brake system with autobrake and antiskid. Functional gear steers system. Hydraulic system logic. Electrical system logic. Bleed system Logic. Air Conditioning system logic. Advanced Advisory System logic with more then 100 messages logic. Lights switch test system. Fire test system. Fire dish with bottles system. Display brightness. Wipers with speeds and real recorded sounds. Flight Model The flight model is an upgrade of the iconic Ejets Evolution Series. Custom Fly By Wire system that provides flight protection limiting and control laws acording with the FMS Protection System logic. The advanced and accurate flight performance, engine thrusting, consumption, speeds etc. Flight Management System - FMS Navigraph supported flight plans and AIRACs. High resolution displays and Pop Ups with the real font type. IRS implemented with automatic alignment function. Navigation Display (ND) with accurate functions, TCAS and default XP Weather radar. Complete custom autoflight system management with FMA - Flight Management Annunciators. Primary Flight Display with Pop Up. EICAS Display with Pop Up. Complete synoptics pages with Pop Ups. Aural system advisory and EGPWS implementation. Functional Stby Instrument. Dual integrated Custom MCDU similar as the real one load 25 and/or load 27 with : • Nav page with FIX and HOLD functions • Plan page • Progress Integrated Fmod Sounds Engines sounds with many stages recorded from real engines. Cockpit sounds recorded from real cockpit as rolling and windy stages. Integrated Tablet with option functions and Avitab support. Initialization with 3 states. Ground operations (Doors, pushback truck, Workable GPU, weight mode) Loading (Payload sheet) Fueling (fuel loader with trip prediction) Sound Options integrated with Fmod sounds. Preferences (Pilots outside, Yokes, Tablet, baro, TD) Autosave for Preferences and Sound mixer. Documentation FPS EMB 195 - Lights and Switches Guide v1.0 Installation Guide Commands List Navidata files Liveries with the package American Airlines KLM CityHooper Delta Connection Alitalia Cityliner Lufthansa Regional Additional liveries will be available for download on the forum Designed by Flight Procedures Simulation (ex SSG) Support forum for the FPS 195 Images courtesy of Flight Procedures Simulation ___________________________ Yes! - the Embraer E-195 by Flight Procedures Simulation is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : FPS Embraer E-195 Price is US$55.00 Requirements X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows or Mac (not compatible with Linux) 8GB + VRAM Minimum Download Size: 718 MB Current version : 1.0 (June 30th 2023) Owners of the previous E-Jets by SSG (only the SSG version) can get this FPS E-195 for 20% off. Please find the discount code in your original E-Jets Invoice. ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 1st July 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! : SiFi Release - VSKYLABS Skyscenders 76' X-Plane is all about the experimental... a word there to pause on is "Mental". So how mental is this from vSkyLabs, in three out of this world experimental aircraft, certainly within the X-Plane spirit of adventure.... The VSKYLABS Skyscenders 76' consist of 3 cutting edge fictional aircraft, which are "brought to life" using X-Plane 12 cutting edge physics and flight dynamic model, with the purpose of exploring X-Plane 12 physics, scenery and weather environments. Version v1.x of the project is designated as 'Beta': All 3 aircraft are fully operational yet still under constant development. Autopilot is not available in version v1.x (due to the nature of the various aircraft, it is not required as well). One of the aircraft in the package is a hypersonic low-orbit spacecraft. This aircraft can stretch X-Plane 12 flight dynamics and physics capabilities to extremes, sometimes into unknown territory, where no add-on aircraft have been flown before (for example: low orbit trajectories, hypersonic flight and more). It is highly recommended not to try and challenge X-Plane 12 with the hypersonic low-orbit spacecraft: Trying to get shot into deep space, or trying to exceed high hypersonic speeds in X-Plane's lower atmosphere may result with unexpected X-Plane 12 behavior! Features 3 aircraft included (Turbine-VTOL, Jet-VTOL, Hypersonic spacecraft). Highly capable aircraft designed specifically for X-Plane 12 scenery and weather exploration. Ultimate fun, provides hours of challenges for novice and expert pilots! Automated systems. Designed for VR (optimized for 2-d). FMOD 2.0 sounds. Projects under constant development - updates are free. 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. Design by VSKYLABS Support for the Skyscenders 76 You gotta admit... it's pretty awesome! Skyscenders 76' by vSkyLabs is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore, only 15 bucks! ___________________________ Yes! - the Skyscenders 76' by vSkyLabs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : SKYSCENDERS 76 Price is US$30.00 On sale: $30.00 US$15.00... You Save:$15.00(50%) Requirements X-Plane 12 Windows, Mac or Linux 8GB VRAM Minimum Download Size: 840MB total - 3 download links Current Version : 1.0 (June 29th 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 30th June 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-Crafts updates the E-Jets Family to v1.02 It is to date the aircraft release of the year 2023. X-Crafts sensational E-Jets Family of four aircraft... E 170 - E 175 - E 190 - E 195, that is a big package, but if you don't want all of them, then you can also buy a specific version, the favorite is the longer range E-190. More details can be found on the extensive X-Crafts site here... E-Jets Family by X-Crafts The v1.02 update is quite substantial even with the non-moving throttles being fixed, but only together and not individually. The full update notes are below. v1.0.2 Release Notes AUTOPILOT & AUTOTHROTTLE The throttle animation was fixed. They are not separate and they now move backward in reverse The reaction of FLCH climb/descent rates slowed down a bit AT stability improved in X-Plane 12 Note: Finding the right values for the AT is a very time-consuming process. It is currently still not perfect but should be much better now than before. We will continue improving this in future versions. SYSTEMS IMPROVEMENTS Engine Start sometimes fails to ignite - Fixed. Engines should now always start under normal conditions Flaps 1 and 2 now take much longer to extend, as per the real aircraft Fixed Fuel Crossfeed switch which wasn’t working The right Radio is now off in DC power, left one is powered Fixed sterile lights switch not moving on DC power Wing Ice Protection switch indication fixed PFD Added a preceding zero to the altitude dial for FL values lower than FL100 as on the real aircraft The speed trend is now only displayed once the speed tape is live (above 30 kts) Fixed speed tape showing incorrect value while the aircraft is stationary in strong ground winds Fixed VS indication not clearing on the PFD when switching from VS to FLCH (VNAV) mode during the climb Enhanced the APPR1/APPR2 modes on the PFD: APPR 1 (CAT I ) will be Engaged and green if the following conditions are met: Minimums are set to BARO Flaps are set to 5 or FULL Radio altitude is less than 1500ft APPR 2 (CAT II ) will be Engaged and green if the following conditions are met: Minimums are set to RA Flaps are set to 5 or FULL Radio altitude is less than 1500ft MFD Brake temperatures now display correctly, and the temperature now increases after braking. It will take around 15 minutes to cool off after applying full brakes on landing. This is only available in X-Plane 12. Fixed temperatures sometimes incorrectly showing 0°C on the ANTI-ICE page Fixed last waypoint on missed approach missing identifier on VSD. Fixed crash when plugins provide bad TCAS aircraft's data. Fixed north-up map not orientated to true north on the PLAN. Fixed VSD focus waypoint out of order in some situations. Fixed reversed left/right of track indicator. Fixed CTD when perf available with no flight plan. Fixed TOD drawn over TOC on VSD with short flight plans. Fixed TOD position inaccurate on VSD with some flight path angles. EICAS Fixed OIL PRESS being too high in X-Plane 12 Fuel flow for left engine displayed in tens, not single digits as on the real aircraft EFB Fixed airport database filtering out non-IFR airports. There should be no more issues finding an airport Fixed: No explicit connection timeout set on libcurl requests. (For Linux users) Fixed: Status bar showed wrong day SOUNDS No smoking and seatbelt sounds no longer play when there is no battery power. Park brake sound now only makes sound when the handle moves. Fixed a typo that was preventing the oxygen supply test from working on the 190, 95, and Lineage. Interior APU sounds are now working as intended. Sound now fades in when sim is unpaused, or when returning from a menu screen. Added interior cabin electrical to the rear of the cabin. Added engine windmilling sound when engines are off (X-Plane 12 only) Added 1000, 500, 200, and 100 callouts. (Sounds generously provided by Mango Studios) Rebuilt the packs event to more closely match the functionality of the real plane Rebuilt avionic fans to be more consistent. Rebuilt touchdown sounds to happen independently as each gear touches down. Added interior engine start sounds. Fixed cabin/cockpit rattle sounds that were not playing properly. X-PlaneReviews did a full release review here; Aircraft Review : E-Jets Family by X-Crafts You have several options to update the E-Jet Family aircraft... Option 1: Use the Updater If you have v1.0.1 installed, you can use the SkunkCrafts updater. If you have v1.0.0, then please redownload the new version from the store as the updater may not work. Detailed instructions on how to use the updater can be found here. Option 2: Redownload from the store This option guarantees a “factory reset”, so you can be sure that the add-on will work correctly. Detailed instructions can be found here. I recommend the second option and download a complete clean version from the X-PlaneOrgStore _____________________ Yes! the Embraer E-Jets Family v1.02 by X-Crafts is currently available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Embraer E-Jets by X-Crafts Price per single aircraft is US$74.95 Embraer E170 by X-Crafts Embraer E175 by X-Crafts Embraer E190 by X-Crafts Embraer E190 by X-Crafts Purchasers of the E-Jet v2 (X-Plane 11) can get this new XP12 version with a 15% discount Embraer E-Jets Family by X-Crafts Price for the FULL E-Jet Package is US$134.95 Includes every E-Type | E170 | E175 | E190 | E195 Plus + Linaeage 1000 Private jet (When Released) Purchasers of the E-Jet v2 (X-Plane 11) can get this new XP12 version package with a 15% discount Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 The first few initial updates will still be X-Plane 11 compatible, however, 6 months after the release, the X-Plane 11 version will be final and development will continue only on the X-Plane 12 version. Windows, MAC or Linux - 4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 1.02 (June 26th 2023) ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 27th June 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! - Scenery released Svalbard XP by Aerosoft/Maps2Xplane There are two things that are extremely interesting about the X-Plane Simulator. One is that something will always pop up that will deepen your interest, the second is you learn something you didn't know before. This new release from Aerosoft, or the developers Stairport Sceneries/Maps2Xplane is a place or a set of islands called Svalbard... Svalbard? seriously after all my decades alive I have never heard of Svalbard, more odd I thought that Iceland was the Islands farthest north, except for Norwegian Islands. I'm half right as Svalbard is part of Norway, but set far higher than Iceland and positioned deep into the Arctic circle. Svalbard is also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegianarchipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it lies about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range from 74° to 81° north latitude, and from 10° to 35° east longitude. The largest island is Spitsbergen, followed in size by Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. The largest settlement is Longyearbyen. Maps2Xplane have a huge reputation in X-Plane. To a point they created still the best overall scenic scenery in the Faroe Islands in the Simulator called Faroe Islands XP. This scenery is a personal favorite. Maps2Xplane also did Seychelles XP as well, another scenery worthy of your investment. So another island destination like Faroe is always going to be a great adventure in this extreme far northern Svalbard. As this area isn‘t covered by the XPlane default scenery. The Svalbard scenery package not only fills this gap in the X-Plane landscape but also includes all airports and heliports of this region: Svalbard lufthavn, Longyear (ENSB), Svea (ENSA), Ny Alesund (ENAS), Barentsburg (ENBA) and Pyramiden (ENPY). Features: for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11 Highly realistic recreation of the complete islands group of Svalbard with an area of about 61000km². High resolution mesh with detailed coast lines and shapes of glaciers Customized local terrain details where reasonable, a.e. in the surrounding of the airports High detail models of all airport buildings and installations with customized objects Photo realistic generic ground textures Winter season included Realistic night time effects Compatible with World Traffic 3 Customized paintings of local airlines for several X-Plane aircraft Installation done through Aerosoft One Note that "Winter Season" textures are provided, but only required if you do the X-Plane 11 installation. Using the X-Plane seasons feature you actually have a more varied change of seasons, but to note, it is more winter here than even say the different seasons of Faroe. Longyear (ENSB) Svea (ENSA) Ny Alesund (ENAS) Barentsburg (ENBA) Pyramiden (ENPY) Several notes... this is a very big download (mostly textures) of 2.6Gb with an installation of a massive 6.52Gb. Notable is that you have to use the "Aerosoft One" application to install (update) the scenery... Installation of Faroe Islands XP is done through Aerosoft one installer: Aerosoft One Universal After you have installed Aerosoft One, click on ENTER PRODUCT KEY (under the Library Tab) enter the Serial Number provided in this order. This will give you the option to download the airport. Note the different X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12 installations. A brilliant investment that rewards you whenever you fly to the north of Norway, well worth the challenge. And the Svalbard Islands XP12 scenery has a price of only US38.99. __________________________ Yes! Svalbard XP by Aerosoft - Maps2XPlane is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Svalbard XP Price Is US$38.99 Requirements: X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 2.6 Gb (Using Aerosoft One) Current Version: 12 (June 23rd 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 27th June 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! - BSS A321 LEAP Sound Pack Expansion released Only days after the KOSP Project released a sound package for the ToLiSS A321 NEO, here comes Blue Sky Star with their own soundscape for the same aircraft. This package however only covers the LEAP1A engines, not the other three... CEO (Current Engine Option), CFM56-5B3 and IAE V2533-A5, and the NEO package of NEO (New Engine Option) of the PW1130-JM ""PurePower" engines" (PW1000G series). But it is far cheaper at US$12.99. If you want the PW1130-JM ""PurePower" engines" (PW1000G series) for the A321, then that package from BSS is available here; Toliss A321 PRO full pack (Pratt Whitney) This expansion is priced at US$22.95. LEAP expansion The LEAP CFM turbine engine's sound features combine to create a captivating auditory experience, replicating the real-world characteristics of this advanced engine. From the initial start-up to full power and beyond, each sound element showcases the engine's power, performance, and technological sophistication. Features include Inside and Outside sounds Reverse High-Quality Samples Start-up and Shutdown sounds Rush sounds Howling sounds Unique LEAP sounds N1 and N2 separate sound design The sound of the engine depends on the seat in the aircraft Unique high and low pitch frequency sound Pretty much the digital engine model of sound transferred to reality Carefully extracted from authentic recordings, all thrust levels have been meticulously preserved and seamlessly integrated into XP12. Prepare to be captivated by the immersive blend of inside and outside sounds, creating a truly dynamic audio environment that mirrors the real aircraft experience. Designed by Blue Star Simulations ________________ The Blue Sky Star Simulations - A321 LEAP Sound Pack Expansion is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore!... Here: BSS A321 LEAP Sound Pack Expansion Price is US$12.99 Requirements Toliss A321 is required Toliss A321 NEO extension is required Current Version: 1.0 (June 24th 2023) ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 26th June 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.

Scenery Review - KJAX -Jacksonville International Airport by FS Designs Florida... thoughout my over long decade in the X-Plane Simulator. I have been drawn a lot to this one part of the world that is Florida. Why "God Knows", but Florida produces a lot of interesting flying. Coast to Coast, up and down, oddly there isn't a lot of visual landmarks either, as long as you don't count the Disney Kingdom, but I just like flying here. One of my favorite flights I do on a regular basis is from Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), cross the state to pick up the east coast then fly north to KJAX or JAX in the eastern far north of the state. Mostly because I had good scenery for both airports. After a decade, now both ports are feeling a bit tired in X-Plane 12. So I was extremely interested when FS Designs released a brand new X-Plane 12 featured KJAX -Jacksonville International Airport. FS Designs are developers focused currently on only Florida sceneries, with their earlier FS Design airports that covered KMTH Marathon on the Florida Keys, then later KPNS Pensacola International Airport in Escambia County. So this latest Jacksonville release is their third for the sunshine state. Jacksonville International Airport is a civil-military public airport 13 miles (21 km) north of Downtown Jacksonville, in Duval County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. You can't miss Jacksonville Airport from the air. It has twin V shaped runways sited on a brown clearing inset a forest of green, with the tip of the "V" pointing west. Is this aspect correct? the heavy brown field. Well no actually from a Google map point of view. Yes it is a brown field, but the field is also covered in a slight shade of green... or grass. So has the developer let us down? again no. Because get down low and yes there is a lot of lovely 3d green grass that covers the field, just like the real field... so what is the problem? actually it is X-Plane's FOD. The FOD is so short it is creating lines and mostly hiding the green over-layer of the grass, it stands out quite markedly low to the ground... It is of course an X-Plane trait we have had for years, but please fix it, as it really works against the scenery here.... Jacksonville has two separate areas. The commercial single terminal airport... .... and in the southwest quadrant of the airport is the Jacksonville ANGB, which is basically a small air force base, albeit without the military housing, military hospital or other infrastructure of major U.S. Air Force installations. The Air National Guard provides a fully equipped USAF Crash Fire Rescue station to augment the airport's own fire department for both on-airport structural fires and aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) purposes. Jacksonville International Airport IATA: JAX - ICAO: KJAX - FAA LID: JAX 08/26 - 10,000ft (3,048m) Concrete 14/32 - 7,701ft (2,347m) Concrete Elevation AMSL30 ft / 9 m Terminal The terminal at JAX is composed of a baggage claim area on the first floor and a check-in ticketing area on the second floor at the front of the structure landside. Past baggage claim and ticketing is the central mezzanine, where shops, restaurants and the security checkpoint are all located. Beyond the mezzanine are the airport's Concourses A and C, which include 10 gates each (for a total of 20), along with other shops and restaurants. It is all a very nice well thought-out easy flow layout. Concourse detail is excellent here... the shaping and modeling is first rate, curved roofs to perfect glass creates a very realistic exterior. Both Concourses A and C are identical, or mirror, so what is done on one is exactly the same on the other. Ground clutter is excellent as well, just enough and not too much, but not airport branded... there are no animated service vehicles either, so JAX is a bit lacking in visual movement. All gates are SAM3 active, and the airbridges are nicely authentically styled and again no branding, only oddity is the truck squashed under Gate C5, it's not hard to miss? Only the two ends of the Concourses are modeled internally, good, even basic, but well done with monitor screens. Nice touch is the imprint image on the end of each Concourse, a very nice attention to detail. Landside arrivals is really nicely done in the modeling, but get in closer and the texture detail is very low-res (resolution), more low-res areas are the photo based ground textures, and then even more in creating a (photo) but surrounding flat ground areas. You can get away with this low-res effect from a distance, as it actually looks very good, but it can't bear close scrutiny and certainly can't be walked around in a realistic sense, note the well done entrance station, and the double carparks are masterfully modeled. All areas here have full 3d carparks, so overall the view is very well done, its you just don't want to look too close and lose the detail. Again there are no animated vehicles, so that makes the landside a bit no-active also. Rear of the Carparks is the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Jacksonville Airport hotel. Modeling is fine, but the low-res textures mean you can't even read the name of the hotel? Interesting is the water. You have a mix of photo and X-Plane water, the problem with the X-Plane water is the very sharp straight boundaries around the lake, however they look more realistic (reflections) than the photo flat based water. The Jacksonville Aviation Authority building and area is well done, but again the join between the photo and X-Plane default textures could have been more professionally executed, again highly noticeable, and this time from the air. Control Tower Not only is there a field tower at Jacksonville, but it is also home to "Jacksonville Center". This center is responsible for approximately 160,000 square miles of airspace — airspace that covers parts of five states: Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina. Notable is that JAX is an "international" airport because it maintains a federal inspection station and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol service to accommodate international traffic, but it doesn't host international scheduled services, except for charters. Both facilities are well modeled here, positioned spot center in the field, as is the tall tower. But again the viewing room up top is only photo textures, and not detailed glass windows. Cargo South by the threshold of Rwy 32 there are three ramps for cargo... both FedEx and UPS are big operators here with the FedEx facility being very large. All three ramps are covered in the scenery and the detail cargo ground clutter is very well done. Set behind the FedEx is the Embraer Regional maintenance facility and at the rear is Forward Air Cargo. General Aviation To the north of the terminal area is the large General Aviation ramps. There are two, in one called G1 the main GA ramp, and the FBO ramp Most of my flights to JAX were to these ramps, as mostly I flew General Aviation aircraft across Florida. They are good, but just bland images on the Sheltair Aviation JAX building (terminal), and it is nowhere as good as my decade old version? Yes the feeling on the ramp is bland with a wide open apron that needed some detail to break it up, although its need is to cater for those extravagantly large personal jets, say a B727 or "Trumps' B757. The FBO ramp is dominated by "Signature Aviation", and their terminal is slightly better, as are the row of six Signature Hangars, with another larger one set behind the FBO ramp. Ground photo textures here are very good. Highlight here is the Golf ball top radar, set in the middle of the carpark, it can be seen from everywhere at KJAX. Another final point on the ramps in the terminal and GA areas. Is that FS Designs has placed a few static aircraft, one a UPS cargo on the cargo ramp, and a few GA's on the GA ramps... there are also a few static airliners set at gates C2/C4 and A3, but these badly interfere with Traffic applications (in my case Traffic Global) so you get double or spawn aircraft on top of each other. There is however both a "Non Static" and "Non Grass" options available with the scenery, so just drag those options and replace. Jacksonville Air National Guard Base Concurrent with the closure of Imeson Airport, the 125th Fighter-Interceptor Group (125 FIG) of the Florida Air National Guard (FANG) relocated to Jacksonville International Airport. Military Construction (MILCON) funds provided for the establishment of Jacksonville Air National Guard Base in the southwest quadrant of the airport and placement of USAF-style emergency arresting gear on the JAX runways. Upgraded from group to wing status and redesignated as the 125th Fighter Wing (125 FW) in the early 1990s, the wing is the host unit for Jacksonville ANGB and operates F-15C and F-15D Eagle aircraft. The 125 FW is operationally-gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC). Positioned right on the threshold of Rwy 14. FANG is well laid out and detailed... again your not going to do a walkabout, but for a visual aspect it is very good... again low-res textures means there is not a lot of detail, and the signage is all very blurry up close. The separate military radar is set at the entrance to the ANG, plus two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagles guard the same approach. Shame they are not placed on the flight line or in the bunker hangars as well, as those areas are empty of static aircraft. Mid-field is an animated rotating radar, which well done, but let down by the poor low-res textures of the demountable buildings. ___________ Textures KJAX is an all concrete airport, both the runways and the taxiways, even the ramps are made up of large concrete blocks. The ground textures are excellent, different types of concrete surfaces for the different areas, runways are well rubbered in, and gunge is well done. However there isn't a lot of a stony feel, it's all quite flat. This is an X-Plane 12 airport. With that you get X-Plane 12 weather effects... but don't expect heavy snow in Florida. But the wet and rain effects here are very good. Lighting The night time here at JAX is very disappointing... runways use the standard X-Plane illumination numbers, so they are okay, but the rest is dull. All the ramps around the terminal and concourses are very dull, or at best just viewable, you can't work down there in this darkness. In fact the whole terminal is in darkness, even the glass areas? Internally it's a little bit better, but its not enough. Oddly the best place to work is under the terminal/concourses... it is all nicely lit under there? Most outside working areas including cargo is very poorly lit, barely worth the effort. GA areas and hotel, are all bland grey none (or feebly) lit areas... ... only the carparks show any sign of bright life. Navigation signage is fine, a bit low-res, and come with no ground reflections. Summary Jacksonville International Airport is a civil-military public airport 13 miles (21 km) north of Downtown Jacksonville, in Duval County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. JAX is a favorite primary destination of mine as I fly around Florida in the United States a lot. So a good KJAX Jacksonville with X-Plane 12 features is very well received. In detail and from the air the airport is excellent, there is a lot of objects and features here. The central terminal and two winged Concourses (A&C) are really well modeled and designed with internal areas in both concourses. SAM3 (plugin required) is also active here on the 20 gates available. Landside is excellent with two large storied carparks, Hilton DoubleTree hotel and the Jacksonville Aviation Authority building all represented. The spread of detail over the wide airport area is very well done, and covers the Jacksonville Air National Guard Base to the southwest of the field. Concrete ground textures and varied clutter is well done (certainly the carparks), but there is no vehicle animations Airside or Landside. Both "No Grass" and "No Static (aircraft)" options are available Any deeper interaction however is limited by the poor low-res textures on the buildings outside of the terminal area. The General Aviation areas which are significant to me are generally quite poor, even my decade old JAX X-Plane 10 GA areas were far, far better than this... disappointed, as also is the very poor lighting, the terminal areas really can't be used after dark. A lot of flat photo textures were also used to reflect the ground areas, including water, the idea is fairly successful, but don't look to closely. A note here is these low-res textures in the scenery, all my graphic sliders are at the "Full" settings, but I got a lot of Low-Res images in X-Plane 12, We are waiting on (late again) for X-Plane 12.06, which is supposed to have better and improved performance and reduce the risk of blurry textures. I'll revisit this scenery when the upgrade is available. I can recommend JAX Jacksonville a lot, as it is a very really well done scenery. Interaction with the excellent terminal area is well done, but we have to understand is that just don't look too closely, or expect a detailed walkaround experience.... otherwise it is a great JAX scenery _____________________________________ Yes! - KJAX - Jacksonville International Airport by FS Designs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : KJAX - Jacksonville International Airport Price is US$19.99 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.6 GB Current version: 1.0 (June 5th 2023) Installation and documents: JAX is download of 1.38Gb download. There is only one folder as part of the installation; FSDesigns KJAX Jacksonville Intl Airport 2.08Gb is installed into your Custom Scenery folder. There are four options with the scenery Non-Grass & Non-Static Version Non-Static Version Non-Grass Version X-Plane 11 Version In each option folder there is the "Earth nav data" and "earth.wed" files to change over for the conversion. SAM Plugin - Scenery Animation Manager - Suite 3.0 or higher is required for this scenery Documents There is a supplied manual; ReadMe.pdf InstallationInstructions.pdf Changelog.txt There is a full Installation pdf ________________________________________ Review System Specifications Windows - 12th Gen IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU - 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB XLR8 - Samsung 970 EVO+ 2TB SSD Software: - Windows 11 Pro - X-Plane 12.05r1 (This is a Release Candidate review). Plugins: Traffic Global - JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99 Scenery or Aircraft -none- ___________________________ Review by Stephen Dutton 26th June 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! - Released Laminar Cirrus SR-22 Enhanced Flight Model One of the most interesting things that has come out of the X-Plane 12 Simulator release, is modifying it's default fleet of aircraft. In X-Plane 11, the biggest interest was with the Zibo conversion of the default Boeing 737-800. In fact it became the most transfigured aircraft in X-Plane's history, the original currently barely identifiable. So since X-Plane 12 was launched these enhancement projects have been coming out in waves. Simcoders are biggest converters in the game with their REP packages and only this week they delivered one for the default Piper Super Cub. X-Aerodynamics is a well known developer of flight dynamics in X-Plane. Countless major developers has used his skills to refine flight models to perfection, and a lot noted in many of the reviews X-PlaneReviews covers. He has already done a full list of flight enhancements to current aircraft including the C90B King Air, VANS RV10, C-172 and the Beechcraft Baron and the full list is here. And he is supported as a X-Plane Sponsored Project. So here is a Enhanced Flight model for the Default Cirrus SR-22. That provides New (better) flight dynamics that provides a more realistic handling and performance of the stock Laminar Cirrus SR22 aircraft.... features include; Utilizes the excellent SR22 graphics and sounds included with X-plane 12 by Laminar Research. Improved ground handling, with ‘springy’ main gear, as in the real aircraft. Cruise speeds accurate across all altitudes and power settings. Accurate maximum speeds. Accurate stall speeds, flap up or down. Correct rates of climb. Accurate take-off and landing distances. Accurate ‘feel’ and handling. Accurate fuel consumption at all altitudes and power settings. Accurate wing airfoils for accurate handling (stock uses the same airfoil as the C-172!). ‘Cuffed’ wing modeled in airfoils and geometry – outer wing stalls after inboard wing, so that full control is maintained. Aircraft CG and payload weights moved to accurate locations. Tail and all controls adjusted to correct shapes, areas, and deflections. Fuselage shape and drag revised. Increased flight model detail throughout. No plugins to ‘force’ the flight model. No hidden parts. No cheating the sim. This is a far more deeper and enhanced package than say the fix-ups or refinements of the earlier projects X-Aerodynamics noted he has researched and prepared extensively to develop the most accurate and thorough SR22 flight dynamics yet seen for desktop flight simulation. As while the stock SR22 is very good graphically, audibly and so on, the flight dynamics had some limitations. Important: This an upgrade of the stock (default) Cirrus SR22 that comes with X-Plane 12. No other purchase is necessary to use it. And here you can just get maximum accuracy and careful tuning to get the full potential out of an X-Plane aircraft! Images are courtesy of X-Aerodynamics ________________________________________ The Laminar Cirrus SR-22 Enhanced Flight Model is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore!... Here: Laminar Cirrus SR-22 Enhanced Flight Model Price is US$19.99 You Save:$5.00(20%) Requirements X-Plane 12 Linux, Mac, and Windows 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version : 1.0 (June 21st 2023) Please follow the installation instructions carefully. ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 22nd June 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! - KOSP PROJECT - A321 CFM56 & LEAP1A Soundscape released Honestly, if you mentioned sound at the start of my flying in the X-Plane Simulator, it would have been very low on my list of features. Jump ahead a decade or so and that aspect has changed completely. In an immersion sense, sound is now extremely high on my list on having a quality simulation experience... so what happened? Mostly it was via Blue Star Sky sound packs, in that I realised that really good aural feedback can give you a far better experience, since then I have been hooked. Most would note that aircraft already have good sound packages built in. To a point that is true, but a really well and professionally created sound package can still deliver an experience above and beyond. That brings us to KOSP, who has brought out a soundscape for the ToLiss Airbus A321. This package covers the CFM56 and LEAP1A engines. To use you would need not only the donor Toliss A321 aircraft, but also the A321 NEO ADD-ON to access the LEAP1A33 Engines. But this is were it gets a little odd? There is altogether four engine options on Toliss A321 with the NEO addon... The basic Toliss pack comes with two engines in the CEO (Current Engine Option), CFM56-5B3 and IAE V2533-A5. Added into the mix is the NEO package of NEO (New Engine Option) of the PW1130-JM ""PurePower" engines" (PW1000G series) and the CFM-LEAP1A33. That is all great... So to note this KOSP Project soundscapes only covers 1 CEO engine... the CFM56, and 1 NEO engine in the... LEAP1A33. Not the other CEO IAE V2533-A5 or the NEO PW1130-JM... so why odd? Well you would think that you would pick either the CEO option engines or the two NEO engines, not one from each package option? So you have brilliant sound (yes it is very, very good), on the CFM56, and the LEAP1A, but dull sound on the other two? In reality the sound option I wanted was the PW1000G, but that engine soundscape is not available here? So the question arises, it this release just a part release of the A321 sound package (the developer does note he has other work to do on the FlightFactor 777 v2), or is this it? and in time, will it be that all the engine options of both CEO and NEO soundscapes will be covered... My hope is that all engines will be covered as the quality of this package is very good. Installation is extremely easy... just move the 8 required files to the "TolissA321/fmod" folder and when prompted, replace the current set of files... done! The details are all in the provided USER MANUAL. Features and details -All mechanical switches, levers, knobs, armrests etc were recorded on a real Airbus A320 series using a condenser microphone. -Extreme attention was given to the acoustics of the engines. Frequencies were broken down, cleaned, and individually reconstructed using semi-synthesis techniques. -Systems such as Door Energizers and Cockpit Seat Movements were also recorded (PTU/Y-pumps are of course included). The feature list is too long to be listed. However, all sounds that are expected to be present on the real aircraft will be included in the set. What sets us apart from other sound pack providers? -We have implemented even tiny sounds like the friction between the display unit brightness knobs. -System sounds, such as PTU, have been isolated and equalized by hand to achieve the clearest samples of the system. -For example, the exterior blower startup is rarely heard by operators sitting inside, but it has still been recorded and implemented. -Our sounds have been built with full awareness of sound propagation characteristics and filtering according to distance, rather than simply fading away. -Flybys will sound dramatic on certain view types but will remain smooth on chase-plane cameras for listening comfort. Our main focus, the engines, are nearly indistinguishable when overlaid on real aircraft videos. This was a proof of concept demonstrating the true capabilities of the FMOD sound engine. KOSP do note this is a "Project", but the two engines covered here are quite exceptional, as are the array of sounds in the cockpit, the cranky PTU is excellent... as are many other smaller noises around the aircraft. KOSP note the sounds are dramatic, and I won't at all disagree to that notion, as this is an excellent sound pack. Two demonstration videos are provided... ________________ The KOSP PROJECT - A321 CFM56 & LEAP1A Soundscape is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore!... Here: KOSP PROJECT - A321 CFM56 & LEAP1A Soundscape Price is US$19.99 Requirements Toliss A321 is required Toliss A321 NEO extension is required X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Download Size: 40 MB Released June 19th 2023 Note that XP12 users may experience clipping noises near the wing, due to an ongoing issue with XP12 and fmod sound cones. This will hopefully be resolved by Laminar. ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 21st June 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! - Cami de Bellis updates Kathmandu Tribhuvan Intl and Paro Intl Airport, Butan to X-Plane 12 Known for her intricate, well detailed sceneries. Cami de Bellis has a big reputation as a quality scenery developer for the X-Plane Simulator. Now another two of her say "Greatest hits" of quality scenery have been upgraded for the latest interpretations of Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and VQPR Paro International Airport in Butan, both to X-Plane 12. Notable is that both sceneries are "Upgrades", so a new purchase is required, however both sceneries are 40% discounted for the upgrade. Also the custom CBD library is required for both sceneries. Tribhuvan International Airport Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport VNKT, colloquially referred to as TIA, is an international airport located in Kathmandu, Bagmati, Nepal. It has a tabletop runway, a domestic terminal and an international terminal. As a main international airport, it connects Nepal to over 40 destinations in 17 countries around the world.. The airport is a hub for two international airlines, the flag carrier Nepal Airlines and Himalaya Airlines, along with multiple domestic carriers. The airport is considered as a starting point for Mount Everest international tourists, with several daily flights to Lukla. Several airlines also offer Everest sightseeing flights out of Kathmandu. Scenery details are; Highly accurate scenery for VNKT-Kathmandu Tribhuvan Airport with all buildings modeled Over 220 custom objects all with Ambient Occlusion DSF mesh created and modified to fix bump terrain and set and correct the topography of Airport’s area Photo real textures on buildings, vehicles etc. Photorealistic ground textures based on a satellite image Professional ortho imagery 50cm – 25 km square meters – with share license authorization Detailed airport objects and vehicles Custom textured taxiways, runways, and apron Custom surroundings buildings Custom airport lights HD Custom forest and flora trees High resolution building textures – all in 2K and 4K Excellent night effects World Traffic 3 compatible Native characters created specially X-PlaneReviews Tribhuvan Intl X-Plane 11 review is here; Scenery Review : VNKT - Kathmandu Tribhuvan Intl Airport by Cami De Bellis Paro International Airport Welcome to the "Land of the Thunder Dragon"... Paro International Airport (VQPR) is the sole international airport of the four airports in Bhutan. It is 6 km (3.7 mi; 3.2 nmi) from Paro, set in a deep valley on the bank of the river Paro Chhu. With surrounding peaks as high as 5,500 m (18,000 ft), it is considered one of the world's most challenging airports. Flights to and from Paro are allowed under visual meteorological conditions only and are restricted to daylight hours from sunrise to sunset. Paro airport was the only airport in Bhutan until 2011 Paro Airport is accessible by road, 6 km (3.7 mi; 3.2 nmi) from Paro city, and 54 km (34 mi; 29 nmi) from Thimphu by Paro-Thimphu road. Scenery details are; Exact reproduction 3D of the airport buildings, houses, hangars, Dzong, Pagodas and others Detailed textures and custom objects Reproduction of staff and local people 3D Hand placed 3D trees Volumetric grass Complete reconstruction of the airport's lighting equipment Detailed ground markings Custom night lighting Many Animations in and around airport Very detailed 3D Models covering the whole airport Ground Traffic by Marginal X-PlaneReviews Paro International Airport review is here; Scenery Review : VQPR - Paro International Airport by Cami De Bellis Images of VNKT and VQPR are courtesy of Cami de Bellis ________________ Yes! both Kathmandu Tribhuvan Intl and Paro Intl Airport, Butan by Cami de Bellis is Available now from the X-Plane.Org Store here : VNKT - Kathmandu Tribhuvan Intl Airport XP12 Price Is On sale: $27.95 US$16.75 40% off Requirements X-Plane 12 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 Gb VRAM Minimum. 8 Gb+ VRAM Recommended CDB-Library is required Download Size: 1 GB Current version 12 (June 15th 2023) ________________ VQPR Paro Intl Airport, BHUTAN XP12 Price Is On sale: $19.95 US$11.97 40% off Requirements X-Plane 12 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 Gb VRAM Minimum. 8 Gb+ VRAM Recommended CDB-Library is required Current version 3.0 (June 15th 2023) ________________ NEWS! by Stephen Dutton 21st June 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! - Simcoders releases REP pack for XP12 Piper Super Cub Simcoders have released their next REP package for the XP12 Piper Super Cub. The Super Cub is a default aircraft as part of the X-Plane 12 Simulator fleet, so it's free and already installed in your Aircraft folder if you use X-Plane 12. The idea of these "Reality Expansion Pack" REP packs are to bring a bit more of the everyday running of a GA light aircraft to life, and to also add in more functionality and extra features not found in the original package. Basically if you have used one REP pack then they are all the same with just the aircraft they are attached to in being different. The feature list is quite extensive... Code driven flight dynamics - Super smooth to fly, requires your attention all the time - Realistic takeoff, landing, cruise, and overall performance - Realistic roll speed at both high and low speeds - Realistic slow speed behavior Interactive Walkaround - Lights checks - Aileron, rudder, elevator, and flaps check - Tire check and choks removal - Tie-down removal - Pitot tube check - Engine cowl check Realistic onboard systems and procedures - Custom Kneeboard (in-sim) and PDF Normal and Emergency Checklists included - Custom vacuum system - Custom steering system Mass & Balance Tool - Load the airplane and check the C.G. and weight limits at takeoff and landing - The airplane behavior changes when the C.G. moves Complex Damages System - Triggered by the pilot actions - Based on real-world data - Target every system in the aircraft - Meant to teach how to correctly manage an airplane Simulation state saving - Every single switch and lever position is restored when you reload the aircraft - The battery may discharge if you leave it on and then close X-Plane - When X-Plane is launched, the engine and oil temperature are restored based on the time passed Economic System - Can be enabled/disabled on the fly - Earn virtual money when you fly - Use virtual money to buy fuel and do maintenance/repairs - Realistic fuel prices around the World - Fully compatible with FSEconomy - More info at https://www.simcoders.com/reality-expansion-pack/economy 100% Custom Piston Engine - The Lycoming O-320 is modeled down to the smallest bolt and breathes air like a real engine - Custom fuel pumps and fuel filter - Realistic Oil System affected by Oil Viscosity. Choose the best oil grade for your kind of operation. - Spark plugs fouling. Change the spark plugs type in the maintenance report. - A custom algorithm simulates the fuel/air mixture and its combustion - Custom injection system simulation - High fidelity power curve - Custom system failures - Realistic startup behavior and procedures - Automatic startup option for a quick start Interactive towing - Push, pull and steer using the joystick - Towbar simulation Realistic Landing Gear - The landing gear is damaged by hard landings - The brakes and tires are damaged if not managed correctly Custom simulation of Hypoxia - Tunnel vision - Hard breathing Learn with the in-flight tips - A noninvasive tip with a suggestion about the conduct of the flight is shown when you are not flying the airplane properly - A noninvasive tip with a suggestion on how to recover the problem is shown when you damage the airplane Native Virtual Reality Support - Complete support of new X-Plane SDK 4.0 - Menu visible in VR - Windows visible in VR Developed with love - Coded by real pilots Automatic Updates - The airplane is constantly improved - Issues are quickly fixed Very easy on FPS - Written in C++ with no compromises More features include... Custom Airfoils: The Super Cub's flight characteristics have been meticulously modeled using custom USA35B airfoils. This ensures that the aircraft behaves realistically, with accurate stall and slow-speed behaviors, as well as precise cruise pitch and speed parameters. Custom Tailwheel Steering: Ground handling a real Super Cub is no easy task, requiring utmost attention to prevent messy ground-loops. Now, with the custom model for tailwheel steering in X-Plane, you'll experience the same level of realism. You'll find yourself fighting to keep the plane straight during takeoff runs, just like in the real world. Lycoming O-320 Engine: The REP for Piper Super Cub features an incredibly detailed and sophisticated engine model. Going beyond the default X-Plane model, this custom engine model, developed using C++ code, grants full control over the engine behavior. It includes features such as precise power curve matching real-world data, realistic power lever control (managing both RPM and Manifold Pressure), a customized fuel system with a fuel filter, and a realistic oil system with interchangeable oil types that affect temperature and pressure. You'll even need to deal with spark plug fouling and choose from different spark plug types. The custom carburetor system simulation adds another layer of realism. Custom System Failures and Startup Procedures: The REP introduces custom system failures, requiring you to troubleshoot and resolve issues. Realistic startup procedures are also included, allowing you to go through the proper steps to get the engine up and running smoothly. If you prefer a quicker start, there's an automatic startup option available as well. The Maintenance Report provides a detailed overview of all airplane systems, helping you identify and address any maintenance needs. Economy System: For those seeking an even more immersive experience, the REP offers a custom economy system. This system rewards you with virtual money after each flight, which can be used to repair the aircraft and purchase fuel at realistic prices worldwide. Additionally, you can integrate the Economy System with other platforms like FSEconomy or X-CPL-Pilot, further expanding your virtual aviation adventures. Developed by Simcoders Support forum for the REP PA 18 Super Cub X-Plane 12 (Piper Cub) is required for this addon to work. Images are courtesy of Simcoders ________________________________________ The Reality Expansion Pack for XP12 Piper Super Cub by Simcoders is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore!... Here: Reality Expansion Pack XP12 Piper Super Cub Price is US$19.99 Requirements X-Plane 12 Current version: 1.0 (June 19th 2023) ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 21st June 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! - Navigraph introduce Weather Layers to Charts 8 One application that has been very innovative and has changed almost entirely has been the Charts tool from Navigraph. Initially Navigraph only provided simulator navigation data, the monthly AIRAC, then later Jeppesen's worldwide IFR and VFR charts. Then they created applications to use charts and mapping world wide, and the biggest change was with the Charts 7 release. Then a complete rewrite bought Charts 8 in November 2022. This comprehensive update provided; – Worldwide VFR Charts – Drag and Drop Route Construction (only Desktop and Cloud in initial release) – Seamless Zoom – 3D Globe Projection – Autopinning of Procedure Charts – Airport Crosswind and Weather Information – Vector Charts Now added into Charts 8 is another new feature.... Weather layers. Dynamic weather layers now in Charts 8 provides up-to-date meteorological insights. From AIRMETs/SIGMETs and wind barbs to radar and convective cloud layers, and all can be used for planning and decision-making for VFR and IFR simmers. Radar – Monitor real-time precipitation and storm activity. The weather radar also supports a 2 hour playback to facilitate the anticipation of weather conditions for your flight. AIRSIGMET / CWA (AIRman’s METeorological Information / SIGnificant METeorological Information / Center Weather Advisory) – Stay informed about significant weather hazards and hazardous flying conditions such as thunderstorms, turbulence and icing across your route. ‍ METAR (METeorological Aerodrome Report) – Display real-time meteorological aerodrome report information such as temperature, dewpoint, wind and ceiling to gauge current weather conditions at airports around the world. Turbulence – Identify regions of potential turbulence along your flight path to ensure a smoother journey. Icing (Severity) – Understand the severity of icing conditions in different regions and adjust your flight plan accordingly. ‍ Reflectivity – Gain insights into precipitation by visualizing areas of precipitation and their severity. Cloud Cover – Evaluate cloud coverage and make informed decisions based on ceiling conditions displayable from FL20 up to FL500. ‍ ISA (International Standard Atmosphere) Temperature – Gain a better general understanding of the regional temperatures and plan your flights more accurately by incorporating International Standard Atmosphere temperature variations. ‍ Tropopause – Identify the upper limit of the troposphere to gain a better understanding of weather at high altitudes. ‍ Convective Cloud Top Level – Visualize the top levels of convective clouds to assess the potential for severe weather. ‍ High Cloud Top Level – Identify the altitude of high-level clouds, allowing for a better understanding of high altitude weather. ‍ Visibility – Display regions with low visibility to ensure safe and efficient navigation. ‍ MSL (Mean Sea Level) Pressure – View mean sea level pressure to understand the regional atmospheric conditions. ‍ Jet Streams – Discover the location of jet streams at different altitudes and plan your flights accordingly. ‍ Wind Barbs – Observe wind directions and strength with wind barbs at different altitudes for increased situational awareness and accurate flight planning. A 24-hour forecast is available for all layers except AIRMETs/SIGMETs, METAR, and radar; A 6-hour playback is available for all layers but AIRMETs/SIGMETs and METAR, while the radar offers a 2-hour playback. There is a video provided by Navigraph to explain all the various Weather Layers you can use. Navigraph Charts are not free as you need to subscribe to Navigraph on a monthly or yearly basis or EUR 9.05 / mo or EUR 81.64 / year, so you could do a month update of the AIRAC cycle and then drop out again. But lately I have been leaving my monthly subscription active all the time. As the whole system since acquiring SimBrief last year is just all so brilliant... now even indispensable tools as they are both now highly intergrated. NEWS! - SimBrief updated by Navigraph Just so brilliant... at only a slight cost per month. _____________________________________ Yes! Navigraph v8.0 with Weather Layers is now Available Navigraph Subscription only on a monthly or yearly basis or EUR 9.05 / mo or EUR 81.64 / year Download Download applications are available for both Windows and Mac. SimLink is also available for download and in inserted into your X-Plane Plugins folder.... Internet connection is required for this application. SimBrief is now also intergrated into the Navigraph application, get it here: SimBrief Navigraph Charts Review version v8.28.0 _____________________________________ Application NEWS! by Stephen Dutton  20th June 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)