Stephen

The A350 XWB is not yet available... but it is coming very, very soon.

First question first... The .OrgShop is in transition at the moment to a new store front. And things are still being put in place and other things are not set yet, once sorted the aircraft will be available Second question... The reviewer (me) had a beta and more beta's and has followed the project from the start. X-Plane Reviews work with some the developers to understand the aircraft and their (mostly always) complicated systems to explain them to you, the dear users in what the best features there are and how best to fly them... other times I just cry and beg. SD

It will be available very soon!

Aircraft Review : Boeing B-29 Superfortress by Virtavia and Dawson Designs 8.16.... 6th August 1945. Then for a brief second the world stopped and in a moment later the first Atomic Blast took place as "Little Boy" 1,900 feet (580 m) exploded above the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later on August 9, 1945, Bockscar, flown by Charles Sweeney's crew, carried "Fat Man", with Kokura as the primary target and Nagasaki the secondary target. The weather and earlier bombing smoke made Kokura a poor target and Nagasaki then became the second and last atomic target at 11:02. The delivery aircraft for both of those atomic raids was the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, In just those few days both the attacks and the aircraft that carried the weapons were joined together in history. Enola Gay and Bockscar are now both museum pieces (Enola Gay is currently in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport and Bockscar is now situated in the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio). these two aircraft are the title bearers of the 3,970 Superfortresses that were built, but only one more name in B-29's still lives on in "FiFi", in that it is still the last flying B-29 left which belongs to the Commemorative Air Force (one more is under restoration). But the Atomic (gadget) aircraft are only a small part of the long history of this four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber which was designed by Boeing and was flown primarily by the United States toward the end of World War II and during the Korean War. It was one of the largest aircraft to have seen service during World War II and it was a very advanced bomber for its time, with features such as a pressurized cabin, an electronic fire-control system, and remote-controlled machine-gun turrets. Boeing began work on pressurized long-range bombers as early as 1938. Boeing submitted its Model 345 on 11 May 1940 for the United States Army Air Corps request, in competition with designs from Consolidated Aircraft (the Model 33, later to become the B-32), Lockheed (the Lockheed XB-30), and Douglas (the Douglas XB-31). Douglas and Lockheed soon abandoned work on their projects, but Boeing received an order for two flying prototypes, given the designation XB-29, and an airframe for static testing on 24 August 1940, with the order being revised to add a third flying aircraft on 14 December. An initial production order for 14 service test aircraft and 250 production bombers was placed in May 1941, this being increased to 500 aircraft in January 1942. The first prototype made its maiden flight from Boeing Field, Seattle on 21 September 1942. But because of the aircraft's very highly advanced design and challenging requirements, and immense pressure for war production the development was deeply troubled. The second prototype, which, unlike the unarmed first, was fitted with a Sperry defensive armament system using remote-controlled gun turrets sighted by periscopes then first flew on 30 December 1942, this flight being terminated due to a serious engine fire. On 18 February 1943, the second prototype experienced an engine fire and crashed. In fact the troublesome engines which were Wright R-3350 Duplex Cyclone radial engines then later went on to become a more trustworthy workhorse in large piston-engined aircraft when updated as the later Pratt & Whitney R-4360 "Wasp Major's", but these R-3350 early models were beset with dangerous reliability problems in mostly in keeping them cool and in one piece. Takeoff was known as being an "urgent struggle for airspeed" (generally, flight after takeoff should consist of striving for altitude). But these large radial engines needed a lot of airflow to keep them cool, and failure to get up to speed (or collect that vital airflow) as soon as possible could result in an engine failure and risk of fire. Interim fix measures included cuffs placed on propeller blades to divert a greater flow of cooling air into the intakes, which had baffles installed to direct a stream of air directly onto the exhaust valves. Oil flow to the valves was also increased, asbestos baffles installed around rubber push rod fittings to prevent oil loss, and thorough pre-flight inspections made to detect unseated valves and the frequent replacement of the uppermost five cylinders (every 25 hours of engine time) and the entire engines (every 75 hours). In wartime, the B-29 was capable of flight at altitudes up to 31,850 feet (9,710 m), and at speeds of up to 350 mph (560 km/h) (true airspeed). This was the aircraft's best defense because Japanese fighters could barely reach that altitude, and the few could catch the B-29 even if they did attain that altitude. The B-29's revolutionary Central Fire Control system included four remotely controlled turrets armed with two .50 Browning M2 machine guns each. All weapons were aimed electronically from five sighting stations located in the nose and tail positions and three Perspex blisters in the central fuselage. There was five General Electric analog computers (one dedicated to each sight) that increased the weapons' accuracy by compensating for factors such as airspeed, lead, gravity, temperature and humidity. The computers also allowed a single gunner to operate two or more turrets (including tail guns) simultaneously. The gunner in the upper position acted as fire control officer, managing the distribution of turrets among the other gunners during combat.... now you know why it was called the Superfortress! The crew enjoyed, for the first time in a bomber, full-pressurization comfort. This first-ever cabin pressure system for an Allied production bomber was developed for the B-29 by Garrett AiResearch. The nose and the cockpit were pressurized, but the designers were faced with deciding whether to have bomb bays that were not pressurized as sited between the fore and aft pressurized sections, or a fully pressurized fuselage with the need to de-pressurize to drop their loads. The decision was taken to have a long tunnel over the two bomb bays so that crews could crawl back and forth between the fore and aft sections, with both areas and the tunnel pressurized. The bomb bays themselves were not pressurized. The B-29 was the first strategic aircraft and formed the mainstay of the required combat equipment of Strategic Air Command when it was formally formed on 21 March 1946. Other significant B-29 versions were used to drop the famous Bell X-1 supersonic research rocket aircraft (Chuck Yeager fame) and as a basis of a commercial airliner in the Boeing 337 Stratocruiser. There was only one other significant variant know as the "Silverplate", which was formally the B-29's code reference for the participation in the Manhattan Project, So these versions of which there was 65 converted airframes (Including Enola Gay and Bockscar) are all the atomic aircraft used in the raids or testing of the Atomic Bombs. In time the B-29 was finally superseded by jet-engined powered aircraft like the Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" and the Boeing B-47 Stratojet, which in turn was then replaced by the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. But there can be no doubt of the aircraft's incredible performance and certainly in the B-29's role not only in the famous Atomic raids but in turning the shape and tide of the Second World War in the Pacific Theater and in Korea. Performance: Maximum speed: 357 mph (310 knots, 574 km/h) : Cruise speed: 220 mph (190 knots, 350 km/h) : Stall speed: 105 mph (91 knots, 170 km/h) : Range: 3,250 mi (2,820 nmi, 5,230 km) : Ferry range: 5,600 mi (4,900 nmi, 9,000 km,) Service ceiling: 31850 ft (9,710 m) : Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s). Virtavia and Dawson Designs, Boeing B-29 Superfortress The B-29 Superfortress from Virtavia and Dawson Designs is originally a FS (Flight Simulator) aircraft converted extensively for X-Plane. As in the past with these conversions, X-Plane users seem to get the best from each simulation platform in great design qualities from FS and the great features and flying characteristics from the X-Plane universe. And the B-29 here does not disappoint. The B-29 is a bit of an illusion in that it has always looked a far larger aircraft than it actually is... It is only 99 ft 0 in (30.18 m) in length as the B-17 Flying Fortress was 74 ft 4 in (22.66 m), but the B-52 Stratofortress is a massive 159 ft 4 in (48.5 m) or 60ft longer than its famous predecessor. Design wise the aircraft here is simply excellent, because of the tubular (pressurized) shape it can be very easy to get the aircraft wrong. But here it looks perfect. Externally the aircraft is undramatic, clean and functional. Internally it is in another dimension, with the ribbing and with that huge glass paneled nose. And you will need to love the colour green.... a lot. At first it feels at first like an earlier version of the "Millennium Falcon" of Star Wars fame, but no doubt that pilots converting from the B-17 must have thought the same thing in that they were in some sort of a future spaceship in the way the cockpit design was set out. So the comparison is valid. But in a short time you do find the B-29 quite familiar as you learn where everything is and what it does, but for the pilot and co-pilot a clean line of sight ahead it is still a bit of a challenge. From the bomber aiming position deep in the nose the view is simply excellent. The pressurized front section is like capsule, of which in reality it is in being an airtight vessel. Going rearwards from the far front is first the Bombardier's aiming area and then the pilot and co-pilot's elevated positions... The next on the right behind the co-pilot is the Flight engineer's station and on the left (behind the pilot) is the Navigator. At the rear on the right is then the Radio Operator. The rear of the cockpit is the lower pressure hatch to the unpressurized forward bomb bay. Above is the tunnel to the rear or central positions of the port and starboard waist gunners, top gunner and radar operator, far rear is the tail gunner. Sadly you can't go to the mid-section or into the tail... which is disappointing. B-29 Versions A and B This is a good point to note the different versions you have with this B-29 aircraft. They are the A and B versions. The "A" could be noted as the "Fortress" version, because it has the number of machine guns in the forward dorsal turrets was doubled to four, and there was three turrets in forward one on top of the fuselage and one below and one on top mid-section. The "B" had all the defensive armament removed except for what was in the tail turret. Initially the armament was two .50 in M2/AN machine guns and one 20 mm M2 cannon which was soon changed to three .50 in M2/ANs. The weight saved by removing the gun system increased the top speed from 357 mph to 364 mph (574 km/h to 586 km/h). Also incorporated on the "B" version was an improved APQ-7 "Eagle" bombing-through-overcast radar fitted in an airfoil shaped radome under the fuselage. All the "Silverplate"aircraft (Including Enola Gay and Bockscar) are "B" versions. The two versions can also be seen inside the cockpit with the "A" version having a huge turret base hanging from the roof, and in the "B" with it removed. Flying the Superfortress The pilot's position is quite unusual and you need to familiarise yourself with the controls and the certainly the instruments before flying the aircraft, a quick "I want to fly" will find you scrabbling around trying to find things and the aircraft not performing as you wish it to. All the instruments are all noted here but some are not in the usual form. The manual needs a look over to note what you have. The huge (but beautiful) yoke obscures a few of the instruments and you easily find yourself looking over or around it to see what you want to. Thankfully it does retract downwards and out of the way and line of sight. The three main instruments are positioned separately on the top of the panel. These are your... Airspeed (in miles per hour) - Rate of Turn/Slip Indicator - Vertical Speed Indicator. Directly below on the main panel is your Artificial Horizon. Far left on the panel is your Altimeter and compass. Engine in Manifold Pressure and RPM instruments are on the right of the panel, but are noted in just two dials for each set of engines? But doesn't the B-29 have four engines and not two? The system used here is that each dial has two needles labeled 1 or 2 (on top) and 3 or 4 (on top), only when an engine is running off the speed of the other engine does the needle of that engine show. It is very clever in that if one engine on one side of the aircraft is running not to the performance of the other engine then the needles will distinctly show the differences between the two engines, this system is used throughout all the engine displays. The heading instrument is unusual in that the compass is locked. if you turn the heading to the west (W) then the aircraft will fly west, but unlike modern headings it does not turn as the aircraft turns. It feels a bit odd at first but it is great for navigation. Inset in the heading as well is a Radio Magnetic Indicator (RMI) with a Nav 2 bearing and NDB pointer. These needles will show you the direction of a Nav-Aid on the compass. On the pilots right hand side is a console that has the a basic, but very good autopilot. It is overall very simple to operate with a MSTR switch (on/off) - HDG (heading) - ALT Hold (Altitude hold) - NAV (holds a VOR2 course) - APPR (Standard X-Plane APP). There is a knob top right that adjusts your pitch, or in this case moves the aircraft's rear elevators up or down to climb or descend. There is a metal guard to switch off or reset the AP in one go. On the very top of the console is a red set of four buttons that are the propeller feather buttons. These buttons will allow the require propeller to just windmill and reduce drag or stress on the other engines. Lighting switches and Turbo Boost (used sparingly) and prop speed switches (high or low and again used sparingly) and under flaps are undercarriage raise and lower, and opening or closing of bomb doors (front and rear). Attached on to the side of the console are a rack of radios, In reality they are standard X-Plane radios in a Garmin GNS 430 GPS with pop-out screen (this is your Comm 1 and Nav 1), a Comm 2 and Nav2 radio, transponder and audio selection panel set. They don't look to out of place in a WW2 era aircraft, but there are handy in any case. The co-pilot station has only the main flying instruments, and the aircraft's flap setting in degrees. The B-29 has a very large continuous flap adjustment to 45º and a minimum of 25º is required for takeoff. RPM limits (high) are noted here as well. Panel lighting adjustment is via huge knobs on the side and top of the panels. Huge bucket rudder pedals dominate the floor and they with the engine (four) throttle levers and large trim wheels duplicated at both flying stations. The big Red handles are just the humble parking brake! The Flight Engineer's station is very comprehensive that covers, Main Hydraulic Reservoir Quantity - Main Hydraulic System Pressure Indicator - Carburettor Air Temperature Indicators - Wing Leading Edge De-Icing System Pressure - Cabin Air Temperature Indicators - Engine Fuel Flow Indicators - Emergency Hydraulic System Pressure Indicator - Cylinder Head Temperature Indicators. In a yellow boxed area are the, Engine Oil Temperature Indicators - Engine Oil Pressure Indicators (forward, nose and rear tanks). In the center in blue are the Manifold Pressure and RPM instruments. Red area below is the Fuel Pressure Indicators. In the Grey area are the flight instruments (mostly a duplicate of the pilots instruments) but with a Cabin Differential Pressure Indicator. The B-29 also has a built in APU (Putt Putt) that is started on the lower panel. There are also two (rotary) lighting knobs for the lower and upper panels. This aircraft shows how complex aircraft became when the pressurization systems became a requirement, but also how they started to automate many of the standard functions to cater for that complexity. The engineers station, besides the scanning of the aircraft's systems was also in control of the aircraft's main controls as well, the only thing missing here is the yoke. The view out of the side (small) window is excellent with those huge propellers running hard in the slipstream. Cooling is helped by using the cowl and oil cooler flaps on the engines. These are activated by the switches on the FE's left side. You will need to keep an eye on all the engines temperatures and keep them well into the green zones with these aids, but can't be used high in the cruise zone. The forward Bombardier's station is very well designed and well done. There is a moving gun sight that can be moved into the central position for aiming the automated turrets. If not in use it is positioned on the right and the lower bomb aiming-sighting device is then used. The bombs can be seen through the porthole window in the rear cockpit pressure door. The control panel is on the left wall and the four switches will arm the bombs. The bomb doors can be opened by switches (covered red) on the console by the pilot or by a lever on the floor by the bombardier. you have two firing options in when the left lever is in the mid-way position it will drop each bomb separately, or full forward you get a salvo drop of all the armed weapons. You can reset the armaments by the standard X-Plane Aircraft/Weight and fuel/Ordnance menu. There is a great bombing guide reference in the manual to help you aim (or destroy) your targets... you get the standard X-Plane explosions and smoke. Sorry no nuclear weapons here, just standard bombs. In The Air Aircraft like these fall into two categories in one, average and easy to fly and a bit of fun. Or two are really deeper than they seem to be on the surface. The B-29 Superfortress falls easily into the second category. This is an aircraft that gives you back more the more you invest in it, it has to approached in a more serious way than just as a bit of retro fun. Point is this is a heavy bomber, and heavy bombers are ponderous and slow. But the skill here is to fly them with skill and intelligence. Do that and the B-29 rewards you with a great experience. It is the unusual pilot's seating position that makes the aircraft interesting, the views as you control the aircraft are simply excellent, but it is the feel you get back as well as move this heavily laden aircraft to its destination and back. You need that 25º flap to get you into the air and the aircraft does so and quite quickly, you still need that lift, but also flaps give you lots of drag as well so you are now having to find the best compromise between speed and lift. The aircraft is not a fast climber, 900ft per minute is the maximum anyway (loaded) so 700fpm is a nice start, once clean and more speed above the 200mph range then 500fpm is the best compromise to your final height if you are going above 25,000ft. Climbing slowly to a high altitude will take forever, and it feels like it, but there is a satisfaction in getting the right performance out of the aircraft and keeping the engines within those cooling parameter safety zones. The sounds are excellent as you gradually drag yourself higher and the propellers are biting the thinner air with their lives, the constant drumming gets you into a rhythm that feels safe and powerful. As you leave the coast (Still climbing...) you start to feel what those brave souls must have felt as they left the secure world behind and headed into the dangerous world they were going to. It is fast for an aircraft of this era at nearly 200knts in a low altitude cruise (FL250) and nearly 300knts in a high altitude maximum cruise (FL300), the aircraft will power away and cover the distance at a fast pace, But it soon becomes very lonely, with just you and the aircraft flying up there in empty space. Thankfully the B-29 feels safe and magnificent around you. There are nine liveries all together... The "Dina Might" is the default, and easily the best. The rest includes - Boomerang - Celestial Princess - Enola Gay - FiFi - Gone with the Wind - Heavenly Laden - Pioneer - Wild Hair which is a mixture of standard, A and B versions Night-lighting This is a wartime aircraft so the the lighting is very discrete. instruments can adjusted as noted, but you cannot adjust the red cabin lighting, it is on or off only... but looks good. Outside there are formation lights and three colour recognition lights which can be set at flash or steady. Arriving back home and the aircraft is lighter, but still no machine to toss around the sky. The thrill is getting the B-29 right for landing. Like going up the descent takes time, so you have to plan and start coming down early. the aircraft is quite nice in your hands and you can easily enjoy the view as you do sweeping turns as you get lower and into single digits in altitude. I am doing no artificial aids here like with the X-Plane APP (Approach) or using the GPS on a flightplan. It is just me and me flying the machine with the NDB pointer to guide me in. A long approach is best to get the aircraft pitch down slightly and slowing up the speed, 150mph to 120mph is nice under full 45º flap, but the final approach speed was around 100mph. Frame-rates overall were excellent and always very high (30's and 40's) until I arrived at the final approach to McChord AFB, something was absorbed and it dropped to a unhandling 5 frames, and then as quickly as it came it went back to normal? I tried the approach 4 times with the same effect... no idea what causes it as it does it absolutely nowhere else even with a high default autogen setting? You feel the difference between the heavy and light loads, but the handling is very good at slow speeds, the aircraft will hang there if you let it and the correct slight downward pitch is important, otherwise an approach is very nice and and controllable. In the flare it is same story and the aircraft will balloon if you let it float, keep the B-29 in control and the landing will come nicely, but don't bounce it on those huge rear tyres. Once down you easily run off the speed and take the taxiway. The engines throb away nicely on the taxiway at minimum throttle and you can again enjoy the great view through the windows. Powering down and shutting off all the fuel valves and the aircraft is silent. The nosewheel has a tendancy to stay off the ground when empty, so you have to adjust the CoG (center of gravity) a little to the front to make it make contact again. Entrance and exit into the B-29 is by a hatch above and through the front undercarriage compartment, and it opens with a great view downwards... shame there is no ladder. But the B-29 is a majestic aircraft, an iconic machine as well. Summary On the surface the B-29 Superfortress looks quite bland, the average textures in areas on the outside and inside and not a lot of surface detail on the outside skin can give this impression. However in most cases you don't notice that, and the tradeoff there is the excellent frame-rate. But inside the detailing of this complicated design is excellent, and you really enjoy being at the controls of such an iconic aircraft. In features it is a little sparse, with just opening bomb doors and weapons, and no access to the central or rear areas. No entry ladder or static items, no X-1 of Chuck Yeager fame or a Little Boy or Fat Man Atomic Weapons and a lot of dials, switches and firing buttons that are just for show and don't work. It is in the way you approach and fly the Superfortress is the way you get your rewards from it. I didn't have the time here to do a full mission, but I did do a lot of flights. And the B-29 is a very subversive simulation and even the more so when you design and plan and use the aircraft in your missions. It is slow and ponderous, but that is the huge attraction here, you settle in for a time and really fly the aircraft, watch its delicate systems and manage them over the important takeoff points and delicate landings and those long climbs and descents, and it is really great being in the moment and in there with those huge radials booming away and driving you and your crew to your destination and back. I expected the B-29 to be an average ride to be honest, but came away loving it because it requires a lot of attention and detail to fly it well and pull off that perfect mission, Finally you can fly an aircraft that did change the world in a significant way. ____________________________________ Review by Stephen Dutton The Boeing B-29 Superfortress by Virtavia and Dawson Designs is Yes!... Now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store. Price is currently US$ 34.95 : Get the - B-29A Superfortress - Here. Documents and Install, Download is 209.10mb, that is unzipped into your Warbirds Folder of 309.40mb. The aircraft will only fly in X-Plane version 10.30. Developers Sites : Virtavia - Dawson Design Dev Thread : Support forum for the B-29 12th Nov 2014 Copyright©2014 : X-Plane Reviews Technical Requirements: Windows, Mac or Linux 4GB RAM - 1Gb VRAM Video Card X-Plane 10.30+ Current version: v1.0. Last updated: November 13th, 2014 Updated store# Review System Specifications: Computer System: - 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i5 iMac 27” - 6 Gb 1067 Mhz DDR3 - ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb Software: - Mac OS Mavericks 10.9.4 - X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.30 (final) Addons - Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle - Bose - Soundlink Mini Scenery - Gateway to Boeing Country by Tom Curtis US$29.95 (Seattle, WA - Gateway to Boeing Country)

Aircraft Update : Diamond DA-42 Twin-Star v3.0 by Aerobask Aerobask have updated their Diamond DA-42 Twin-Star to X-Plane version 10.30 in this the second update of this remarkable twin engined composite aircraft. Released for X-Plane in August 2013, the aircraft has had a significant morphing from an aircraft that was very good in the beginning to something that is now a very mature aircraft. But there is more to this upgrade than meets the eye. As Aerobask is willing to change in this version a significant component of the aircraft to make the design not only more contemporary but also more flexible in the way you fly the aircraft. The DA-42 is a very modern and striking aircraft in design, on the outside th ere is not much new in v3 to notice except an improvement in the textures, and a new livery in the "Swiss Aviation Training" which looks very clean. You do notice the slight difference in the texture quality, as all the liveries look slightly sharper, but are also more frame-rate friendly, but that was never an issue with this aircraft in the first place. The significant difference here is the inclusion of the Garmin GNS530 into the panel of the DA-42. Looking back at the old panel (below) you can see that the X-Plane Flightplan/MAP version has been discarded for the new look GPS. And what a difference it makes... Not only is the GNS530 one of the biggest in X-Plane, it has also been supremely intergrated into the composite display design. The GPS screen does still pop-out but that feature is not needed here as the screen is large enough anyway and in fact it is small than the panel version. You will need a bit of an adjustment to note the slight difference in the placement of the GNS530 knobs and buttons, but it soon becomes second nature as it is a very functional design... The engine display or EIS engine readouts, Load%, RPM with other items Fuel Flow, Oil Press, Coolant Temp, Fuel Temp and Fuel Qty, are now only on the left of the Primary Flight Display and not switchable as before. I found the EIS better now on the PFD as the engine readouts are simply closer to the flying parameter readouts and you don't have to change screens to get the engine and fuel numbers that was on a glance to your right. This is great for setting the RPM for takeoff or landing. The GNS530 is also a better fit with the GFC-700 Autopilot situated lower center panel. The whole panel setup looks now far more professional and workman like and the displays are slightly darker but look far better in quality and depth. And that GNS530 gives the aircraft tremendous versatility for long distance flying as the aircraft had a very good range at 1,693 km (1,052 mi; 914 nmi) before, and with the new GNS GPS it now makes that range very useful and easily more accessible. Other avionics that have had attention are new radio frequencies in 8.33KHz and an added bearing pointer on the HSI. Flying conditions are slight improved as well with corrected trim and better FLC mode nose up/dn rates that has taken out most of that bobbing efect. But still the DA-42 is a very nice aircraft to fly. With a huge amount of power and a very stable airframe, it has matured very nicely since the original release. The hard stick like undercarriage now has some give and the landings feel far better because of that, the wheels will now absorb the runway and not bounce you back hard upwards, in that it made you having to get the speed and contact point almost perfect to create a good landing, it now feels more realistic in operation. You still have to be careful with the correct speed in the ILS capture though. Get the speed wrong and the aircraft won't descend on the glidescope easily but fight it. In most cases you won't use the ILS aid, but be wary of that if you do. Two entrance/exit doors and one storage door are animated and the pilot in the aircraft is all new. Like noted the aircraft is very nicely designed and feels very complete now. v3 Summary In all of Aerobask's designs from the Lancair Legacy FG and the Pipistrel Panthera there is a maturity now and design completeness, not that these aircraft where average on release, because they weren't, as they were still very good. But there is a feeling the developer is over the period of being new to producing aircraft and now is a noted producer of exceptional and interesting aircraft. The quality is now up there and Aerobask's ideas in like fitting the GNS530 in the DA-42 and more importantly making it work so well with the way it is intergrated into the panel shows the expert attention that comes with these aircraft. The DA-42 Twin Star is already a very popular aircraft in X-Plane... this upgrade now cements its already excellent reputation. The 3.0 update is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store. The 3.0 update is free to all users that have purchased the v1 Diamond DA-42 Twin-Star, go to the Diamond DA-42 Twin-Star X-Plane.OrgStore page (below) and "Log-in". Price is currently US$19.95: Diamond DA-42 Twin-Star v3.0 For the FULL Review and more information and details of DA-42 Twin Star (v1) the go here : Review : V2 Update Review is here : Developer Update : Developer Site: Aerobask Dev Thread : Support forum for the DA-42 Update Review By Stephen Dutton 8th Nov 2014 Technical Requirements: Windows, MAC or Linux X-Plane 10.20 or higher - 32 and 64 bit compatible. (X-Plane 9 not supported) Current version: v3.0. Last updated: November 8th, 2014 Updated store# Review System Specifications: Computer System: - 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i5 iMac 27” - 6 Gb 1067 Mhz DDR3 - ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb Software: - Mac OS Mavericks 10.9.4 - X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.30 (final) Addons - Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle v 3.0.7 full Changelog - New GNS included on the MFD screen, fully functional virtual 3D cockpit. - EIS moved on PFD - New radio frequencies 8.33KHz - Add bearing pointer on HSI - Fixed FLC mode nose up/dn - Fixed transponder mode - Now, damping gear are animated - Improvement textures - New liverie by XFlyer : Swiss Training Aviation HB-LUJ - New pilot - Update flight manual

I don't think the problem is the ATR? but the X-Plane setting "dim under high G-Load or hypoxia" it is selected on or off on the Rendering Options menu. SD

Airport Release - UUEE - Moscow Sheremetyevo by Drzewiecki Design Drzewiecki Design is a Polish company that has developed products for simulation since 2003. Specializing mostly in scenery for FS/FSX and Prepar3D the design house has now started to release scenery for the X-Plane Simulator. The first scenery released was for EETN Tallinn XP. But it is this scenery of UUEE - Moscow Sheremetyevo that looks extremely interesting... Highly developed and comprehensive this scenery is well worth adding to your collection. Features Include: Compatible with X-Plane 10 Highest level of accuracy in geographic positioning, modeling and texturing Removable high quality static aircraft Up-to-date scenery including newly constructed terminals, aprons and taxiways HDR or 2D apron lights Navaids and mesh for the whole area Product includes custom-made charts in PDF format System requirements: X-Plane 10.30 (32 / 64 bits) or higher Windows XP (SP2), Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8 (with the latest Service Packs), Mac, Linux 2.6 GHz Dual core processor or better 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended) 3D graphics card with at least 512 MB (1024 MB recommend) Download-Size: 660 MB Price is 19,99 € (US$24.95) For more information then go here: Drzewiecki Design Stephen Dutton 6th Nov 2014 Copyright©2014 : X-Plane Reviews All images courtesy of Drzewiecki Design

Como você despejar ? Ou você quer dizer subir para 13 mil pés

Aircraft Review : Cruz PiperSport PS-28 by Alabeo This aircraft does not look anything like your usual American Piper. That is because it isn't actually a Piper at all? This is because PiperSport was originally created by the Czech Aircraft Works (CZAW) as the CZAW SportCruiser in 2006 in and released in Europe. The aircraft was then later licensed to Piper in January 2010 and renamed the PiperSport. CRUZ was also added to the name as well because it was four-letter ICAO designation for the SportCruiser. The license arrangement however lasted barely 12 months as the American and Czech companies had to many different approaches towards marketing, and the contract after selling only 45 aircraft was torn up. Piper noted that the aircraft's slow sales in the past year had been related only to marketing issues and not any deficiencies with actual the aircraft design. Piper never actually built any of the aircraft anyway as they were still assembled in Czechoslovakia. Both fully built and in kit form. The aircraft was offered in three different trim and avionics configurations, with higher end models offering the Dynon Avionics D100 glass cockpit and autopilot. And the aircraft is still available via Importer U.S. Sport Aircraft and is now known as the CSA PS-28 Cruiser and the "Classic" version is the one with the Dynon Avionics suite. All the aircraft versions (or badge engineering) use the Rotax 912S powerplant of 100 hp (75 kW). Cruz PiperSport PS-28 This version here by Alabeo is the basic aircraft in with no autopilot or Dynon Avionics, it is a basic stick and rudder aircraft that is ideal for basic training. It does however have a nice Garmin GNS530 GPS that will gladden your heart, but it is only really for navigational and radio purposes as installed here. This is a very nice tight design the Cruz, and does look more European than American in hindsight and more in the style of what type of design the French or Italians would produce. Alabeo have certainly done great a reproduction of the design with excellent panels and minor details. There are no cheat items either positioned on the textures, as everything that can be is created in 3d. everything from piping, to brake assemblies, flaps and supports and cooling (NACA) inlets. There are the standard two menus that usually come with a Carenado or Alabeo aircraft... The lower menu (situated lor left of your screen) is the (- O -) Options menu that has the options: Transparent Windshield (front), Instrument Reflections, Static Elements, Cockpit Door and a new one in Scroll Highlight. The top menu is the (- C -) Camera or views menu with zoom and sound adjustments. New Manipulators On the outset the "Scroll" system looks the same as the ones on all of the type in the latest v2 (10.30) Carenado's. But actually it is another step in the development of trying to create a better manipulator system for X-Plane of which the default is quite basic in operation. In the earlier "Scroll" system you used your mouse scroll wheel (a gesture mouse will work as well) to operate the knobs or buttons. Here the system goes one step further in that you can not only scroll (with the wheel) but still also use the standard Carenado directional adjuster at the same time, both manipulations can be used together to turn knobs and flick switches on or off. The colour system to highlight what operations (knobs or switches) can be manipulated can also be switched on or off via the menu selection. It works very well, better still if you have a scroll wheel mouse, of which I don't (single click mouse on a Mac), but it does take a little getting used to and in the PiperSport you are flying with one hand and adjusting with the other. Besides the manipulator ease of programming the GNS530 GPS (It pops out for ease of use), the scroll is best for use in trimming the aircraft with the buttons on the control stick, which the trim is displayed on the lower central panel. It makes the fuel selection a one click operation as well. The usual Tom and Jerry pilots that are seen in every Alabeo and Carenado aircraft also make another appearance here as well. But they do have great animations. The inner cockpit is a beautiful place with real leather beige contoured seats and brushed carpet on the floor, when the static items are selected there is a red brace on the pilots control stick. THere is blind set out over the pilots heads that can pushed right back to give a clear view upwards through the canopy. Flying the PS-28 Even with just 100hp on tap to use, the aircraft feels powerful... when starting the aircraft it immediately exhibited a movement of a nose down stance as the prop begins to bite into the air, and the tri-constructed undercarriage legs then each reacted independently to the forces, as the engine ticked over with a genuine Rotax (3D) sound. The PiperSport pulls away from the runway hold quite sprightly and you have to control your line, as per Alabeo aircraft the front turn on the wheel won't turn unless you are moving forward, so you have to be ready when it does gain some direction, locking it out early (with the "nosewheel_steer toggle") is not advisable either until you have got your direction at a low speed sorted as you need the control. The aircraft does need a fair amount of runway to gain the lift, surprising in that the speed gets up there quite quickly. But you have wait to well into the green zone of the power band or around 85knts-90knts before you can rotate. Once airborne the aircraft then feels quite nice and can easily climb and can bank quite effortlessly. Once your height and heading is sorted out, you will find the aircraft needs constant attention to keep it level, the trim works hard to find that balance point, but it still on top of that needs a lot of input to keep the aircraft in line and to stop the aircraft from moving around and into and out of pitch. This constant workload can make the aircraft tiring without any artificial aids to help you fly for those long periods. You do find a rhythm, but I couldn't fly it for 300nmn or some distance like that. The coloured power bands on the are airspeed indicator cover - White : 32knts to 75knts - Flap Range, Green : 39knts to 108knts - Normal operating range, Yellow : 108knts to 138knts - caution and maneuvers only in still air and Red : 138knts - Maximum speed allowed. And I like the way that instrument works, as it is very easy and clear on what you are required to do. I was soon joined by another PiperSport that was crossing over Anglesey, and we had a few mutual admiration moments before I carried on reviewing the aircraft. The panel is built around simplicity. The Standard Six instruments ( Airspeed Indicator, Attitude Indicator or Artificial Horizon, Altimeter, Turn Coordinator and Vertical Speed Indicator) are all very large and easily readable, lower panel is a selection of rocker switches that cover the - Main Power in Master and Instrument, Then panel lighting in Engine, FLT (Flight), Avionics, Nav Lights, Strobe, LDG (landing lights) the only odd switch is for the fuel pump. And a key turn starter switch. A very large compass is situated on top of the glareshield. Central to the avionics pack is the Garmin GNS530 GPS which is the X-Plane 10.30 default, There also an Apollo SL40 Comm radio and a Garmin GTX327 Transponder unit with clock. Not the most lavish setup but still very versatile and useable. On the right side of the panel are eight gauges and dial instruments that cover (top) - Engine rev counter x1000 min, Oil pressure, Oil Temp, CHT (Cylinder Head Temperature) - (lower) Fuel Press (PSI), Left and right Fuel tanks and Battery condition. Very right on the panel there is a flight hour counter. There is a bright red handle that says "Don't touch me!" It is the parachute release!, but pulling it will only send you back to the start and sitting on the runway again... so don't touch it! The view out is excellent as there is nothing to spoil the view, the overhead blind can intrude but otherwise there is plenty of observation awareness. Night lighting The panel lighting is quite basic, you switch the instrument dials on or off, but there is no fine adjustment. There is a noted "Cockpit Light" but this just illuminates the top of the panel area. But that said the dials are very well lit and look good day or night. Outside there are Nav and Strobe lights and a singular landing light in the nose. Liveries Liveries are also standard Carenado/Alabeo in one default white and N131FF in red and white - N544JL in grey and white - N568US with a tan, red and white - N457YL in a blue, white and turquoise - N346KU with yellow and white tones of which I liked the best, but all are American registrations. Approach and Landing Your speed zone on approach is quite small between 75knts and 65knts, you keep the speed closer to top of the white (flap) zone until you need to descend, which is quite easy with the throttle and not the pitch. The aircraft is highly maneuverable at low speeds and very stable, I also like the look of those upturned wingtips that are quite efficient. You have to be careful not the bang the aircraft down square on its tri-undercarriage (absorbent as it is) as that is very easy to do, and too much pitch nose up is awkward as well, the difference between them is very small but worth getting right for nice smooth landing with no bounces. brakes are very good but the aircraft does need a fair amount tarmac to run off the speed even from 60knts. Once down you can easily taxi to ramp. Summary The Cruz PiperSport PS-28 is a great little hand's on trainer, this is not an aircraft to fly any distance in (unless later Alabeo add in the Dynon system), It is just too needy and wanting to correction that it tires you out when going long periods in a straight line and that is quite hard to trim out. But for local flying and like said training it is excellent, tootling around the sky is a lot of fun because the aircraft is quite fun to dip and soar and can be great and steady at low speeds. Quality is the usual Alabeo/Carenado excellence, great detailing and perfect design work. Sounds are excellent and a perfect reproduction of the Rotax engine. The new manipulator system is a great new feature but needs time to be really proficient with using it. But it is clever. Overall the PiperSport (that is not really a Piper) is another quality great single propeller, two seater aircraft of the lightsport category. Easy to use and easy to fly around the local area... The Cruz PiperSport PS-28 is another winner from Alabeo. And the Cruz PiperSport is available from the X-Plane .OrgStore right now : Cruz PiperSport Price of the Cruz PiperSport PS-28 is US$22.95 Developer site : Alabeo Features HD Textures Default X-Plane 10 GNS530 Volumetric side view prop effect High quality 3D model and textures. Blank texture for creating your own designs. Accurately reproduced flight characteristics 64-bit compatible. Plugin-enhanced FPS-optimized model. Scroll wheel support Technical Requirements Windows XP-Vista-7-8 (or higher) or MAC OS 10.6 (or higher) or Linux X-Plane 10.30 (or higher) Pentium 2 GHz - 1GB RAM 276MB available hard disk space updated store# Installation : Download 208mb, unzipped and Installed (in your general Aviation Folder) 288.60mb. For Mr 3d animations with MONA - EGOQ you will need the "Ground traffic" by Marginal plugin. Documents supplied : Review by Stephen Dutton 1st Nov 2014 Copyright©2014 : X-Plane Reviews Review System Specifications: Computer System: - 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i5 iMac 27” - 6 Gb 1067 Mhz DDR3 - ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb Software: - Mac OS Mavericks 10.9.4 - X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.30 (final) - Hi rez planet textures from ISDG - Hi-Res Runway textures by Jack Skieczius Addons - Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle - bose Soundlink -Mini portable speaker Scenery - EGOQ Mona by Mr 3D (EGOQ_Mona with ground traffic .org)

Sorry no, the B727 Series is available in X-Plane10 only. That is because of the special features like the lighting require the latest X-Plane version.

Boeing 777 Worldliner Pro + Extended Pack V1.7 by Flightfactor-VMAX FlightFactor-VMAX has updated the Boeing 777 Worldliner in Professional and Extended packs to X-Plane 10.30. After game-changing J Rollon CRJ-200 Regional Airliner the next significant step in X-Plane was the FlightFactor Boeing 777 Worldliner series. The aircraft pushed X-Plane forward into the realm that gave the simulator the credibility it deserved in that that this was a world class simulation aircraft. Amazingly it is now over two years from that original release and here we are with another version update in 1.7 In many ways the aircraft has matured into a real quality aircraft, not that it was average on release, but very far from that. But there is a clean and almost perfect operation of how you fly this machine in your simulation flying now, everything is almost perfect, with very few bugs or distractions. The quality of the Boeing 777 is outstanding and the aircraft has a real presence and after many hours of flying this most popular of airline almost homely familiarity. FlightFactor have also been in keeping the aircraft constantly fresh by delivering clever new options. And on the v1.7 in the Extended Pack you now also get the Rolls-Royce Trent 892-17 engine option on the B777-200ER. The RR developed RB211 engine option can be selected on the menu panel, It is noted as well on the FMC readout... When the RR is selected there are EICAS differences for the three-spool Rolls-Royce Trent seen on the Engine display. The Trent 800 family powers the Boeing 777. It is available on the 777-200, 777-200ER and 777-300 variants, with thrust ratings spanning 75,000 to 93,400 lbf (334 to 415 kN). The engine is the lightest in its class; a Trent-powered Boeing 777 weighs up to 3.6 tonnes less than General Electric and Pratt & Whitney-powered versions. In 1990 Boeing abandoned its planned 767X and instead decided to launch a new, larger aircraft family designated 777 with a thrust requirement of 80,000 lbf (360 kN) or more. The Trent 700's 2.47 m (97 in) diameter fan would not be big enough to meet this requirement, so Rolls proposed a new version with a 2.80 m (110 in) fan diameter, designated Trent 800. Trent 800 General characteristics Type: Three-shaft high bypass ratio (6.2–5.7) turbofan engine Length: 4.37 m (172 in) Diameter: 2.79 m (110 in) Dry weight: 16,500 pounds Components Compressor: Eight-stage IP compressor, six-stage HP compressor Combustors: Single annular combustor with 24 fuel injectors Turbine: Single-stage HP turbine, single-stage IP turbine, five-stage LP turbine Performance Maximum thrust: 93,400 lbf (415 kN) It sounds great on the wing of the FF B777 version as well with a completely new sound set for the Rolls-Royce Trent variant. It looks very good as well, nobody has created great or better turning fan blades than FlightFactor, and here they look really good. The B777 cockpit is still one of the very best in X-Plane, beautifully reproduced it is quite perfect. But only one request, in that could the Co-Pilot's NAV/MAP display and FMC be switched like on the B757 separately from the Pilot's? and have access to to the aircraft from the right hand seat. Internal night-lighting in the cockpit and instrumentation is first rate and in any flying mode you cannot but be awed when doing low pass turns. Other 1.7 (version 10.30) changes include both the Pro and Extended packages are: -NEW NAVDATA FOLDER in X-Plane 10.30: The 777 will now load navdata from the Custom Data/ folder of X-Plane. So by installing the navdata update for X-Plane, you automatically have the latest data in the 777 also -optimized the FPS in general -optimized CPU usage on low end machines taking advantage of 10.30 rendering features -improved taxiing simulation with higher tire grip -corrected 25KHz spacing on the COM radios -fixed a bug in loading direct-to legs from from .flp file -fixed a bug on Windows that would not let you load .flp files from the ROUTE REQUEST page -display approach glide path angle on LEGS page -improved depiction holdings in lieu of a procedure turn -fixed a bug in distance indication on the FIX page -added vertical bearing and FPA indication to the VNAV DES page -fixed a bug in choosing too low a cruise speed on the last leg to the T/D -corrected waypoint selectable for approach intercept, based on selected transition So the separate packages now include: Boeing 777-200 LR - (Boeing Worldliner Professional) Boeing 777-200 ER - (Extended Pack) With Pratt&Whitney PW4090 and Trent 892-17 engine options Boeing 777-200 F - (Extended Pack) Boeing 777-300 ER - (Extended Pack) This is another great timely update to what now is a classic aircraft in X-Plane, It was always very good and now it is just really very good. The 1.7 update is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Price is US$59.95 - Boeing 777 Worldliner Professional Price is US$84.95 - Boeing 777 Worldliner Professional - Extended Pack - Designed by FlightFactor (Philipp and Ramzzess) and produced by VMAX The 1.7 update is free to all users that have purchased the Boeing 777 (Pro and Ext) Series. Just go to to your X-Plane.Org Store account and login Developer Site: facebook Dev Thread : X-Plane.org Update Review By Stephen Dutton 25th October 2014 Technical Requirements: Windows XP or Windows Vista or Windows 7 / 8 (32 or 64 bits) or MAC OS 10.7 (or higher) or Linux X-Plane 10 fully updated. 32 or 64 bit 4GB RAM/512 MB VRAM (1GB VRAM Recommended)- 1Gb available hard disk space Current version : 1.70 (last updated Oct 15th 2014) updated store# Review System Specifications: Computer System: - 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i5 iMac 27” - 6 Gb 1067 Mhz DDR3 - ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb Software: - Mac OS Mavericks 10.9.2 - X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.22 (final) Addons - Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle - Bose Soundlink mini

Aircraft Update : Carenado Aircraft to 10.30. C152II, C172II, Archer II, Saratoga and Mooney M20J Carenado have updated their earliest aircraft releases to X-Plane version 10.30. The Aircraft to updated to v3 includes the: C152II C172II Skyhawk PA28 ArcherII PA32 Saratoga Mooney M20J In most cases an upgrade includes just minor changes but here we have a few more significant steps that are worth noting. I was still around Las Vegas after Tom Curtis's review so I headed out to KHND - Henderson Executive Airport where Carenado had laid out the five updated aircraft to give each a quick spin round the basin. So lets see what we have, aircraft by aircraft. Cessna 152II The smallest and most basic aircraft in Carenado's range is the C152II. First thing you will note is the "Mouse Scroll" feature is now available on all Carenado aircraft and the switch back to the standard mouse selection is on every menu in every aircraft listed here. A feature that has divided users in that half really love it and half don't like it at all. But it is a very good feature to have. The aircraft is a great trainer because it is just that... basic. With nothing to divert you from just flying the aircraft except for your basic instruments and hands and feet coordination. But that does not mean the C152II is not a lot of fun because it is. Careando have taken out all the X-Plane9 conversion files to make this upgrade now totally X-Plane10. And you really feel that as soon as you leave terra firma. All the aircraft flown here are all much more smoother and cleaner in their operations, and noticeably so... which is perfect for this trainer. Shop.OrgStore Price US$24.95 - C152 II Review : None Cessna 172II Skyhawk The C172 II is slightly bigger in size and a four-seater compared to the C152II. But it is still a basic simple aircraft to fly like the smaller aircraft. Carenado have updated the textures in 10.30 to match the latest aircraft in its range to the .dds format and that gives you a far higher quality texture but at a better frame-rate equation. This highlights the textures better and it is noticeable here in the C172II even in the smaller details which is again the high Carenado quality we have come to expect and quicker load times. There is a floats version included with this aircraft as well. Shop.OrgStore Price US$24.95 - C172N Skyhawk II Release Review : PA28 181 ArcherII The Piper ArcherII adds in VOR and direction finding capabilities to your general aviation flying. So you have a much more competent (if slightly old-fashioned) radio stack installed in this aircraft. So that makes the aircraft a nice little tourer. In the update the aircraft has had a few touches to the handling and eliminated noise during load with engines running and reduced Doppler-related pitch intensity, Small things, but again in 10.30 the Archer feels much more nicer, smoother and more balanced in the air. Shop.OrgStore Price US$24.95 - PA28 181 Archer II PA28 181 Archer II Release Review : PA32 Saratoga SP The Saratoga is a big broad 70's style aircraft that has a serious cruising range of 840 miles (1361 km). It helps that you have in the Saratoga's cockpit a basic autopilot (It works very well) and of course it now has installed the excellent GNS 430 GPS system that was introduced with X-Plane 10.30. Both features make this aircraft even easier for that long distance cruising. Other changes on the PA32 also include a reduced torque effect on the engine, so it flies slightly better as well. Shop.OrgStore Price US$26.95 - Saratoga PA32R Review : None Mooney M20J The M20J is known as the “Porsche of the Skies” and it goes like crackers at 200mph. Installed is the comprehensive equipment stack and the fact you get the full width of the panel stacked with these instruments, That then makes the Mooney great with all this instrumentation for very long VOR flights across country. It has now the 10.30 GNS430 GPS system installed for you to also do some serious good flight-planning to move things along even better. Also Internal dynamic reflections have been improved (can be turned off) and so has the aircraft's handling, but it is still and feels very heavy to fly. Shop.OrgStore Price US$26.95 - Mooney M20J Review : None To recap, in the update every aircraft has had their textures converted to .dds, the new "scroll feature" and where required the replacement of the GNS340 GPS to the X-Plane 10.30 version. All aircraft are now only available X-Plane10 with these features and there is no compromise to X-Plane9 and all the aircraft feel far better in X-Plane10 for the change of that. All the aircraft here are excellent, and the quality is very good. No doubt the other aircraft in the Carenado's X-Plane10 range will be updated in due course also to X-Plane 10.30 before Christmas and 2015. As they are released we will again check them out to see what modifications that has been done with the updates. If you have an account and a previous purchase of any of the above aircraft with the X-Plane.OrgStore, then check your account to download the v3 (10.30) updates Update Review by Stephen Dutton 20th October 2014 Copyright © 2014 : X-Plane Reviews Developer Site: Carenado

The best in the business.

Dden is usually very quick with his updates. So I doubt we will have to wait long.

Yes...

Tom Curtis Update : KLAS Glitter Gulch v1.4 Tom Curtis from Scenery4XP has updated his Las Vegas Glitter Gulch scenery to version 1.4. This update includes now in the package KLSV - Nellis AFB which is situated just to the east of sin city. To check out the scenery I flew the Bombardier Challenger 300 in U.S. Air Force colours to deliver a high ranked VIP to Nellis AFB from Tom Curtis's other large AF base at McChord Field in his Scenery Review : Gateway to Boing Country by Tom Curtis scenery. The area around Las Vegas is mostly desert, and is one of the most significant areas in the world for not only in aviation but also for the famous military testing grounds of places like Edwards AFB, China Lake, MCAS Miramar, Tonopah Test Range Airfield and the not supposed to know but everyone does know "Area 51" in Groom Lake. This is "Top Gun" territory and Nellis AFB is dead centre of all the training and "Red Flag" advanced aerial combat training exercises. That the Air Base it is positioned just a stones throw from Sin City is just a coincidence... right. Tom Curtis's original "Glitter Gulch" release included McCarran International Airport (IATA: LAS, ICAO: KLAS) and Henderson Exeutive Airport (IATA: HSH, ICAO: KHND), There was also included in the package a Las Vegas skyline and the review can be found here: Scenery Review : KLAS - Glitter Gulch by Tom Curtis A second update (v1.3) was released a few months later in November 2013 which included "Autogates" to Concourses C, D and E and more buildings in the Las Vegas skyline and the update can be found here : Tom Curtis Scenery : KLAS Glitter Gulch v1.3 update. Approaching the Las Vegas area you will note that McCarren Intl is right in the heart of Las Vegas, Henderson Exec is to the west and Nellis AFB is directly to the east. 03L/21R 10,123 (3,085m) Concrete 03R/21L 10,055 (3,065m) Concrete Elev 1,867 ft / 569 m AMSL Approaching runways 03L/03R from the southwest is over Las Vegas and Las Vegas North itself and almost parallel to KLAS 01L/01R. If you want an ILS approach then that is only on RWY 21L and that approach is from the north-east. The problem with the north-east approach is that it is closed in on both sides by high ground and ranges, and you have to fly up a valley basin over the Las Vegas Dunes Rec lands to finally collect the ILS on RWY 21L. Tricky? Yes it is. You can try the very tight turns into Nellis coming from each approach path at 90º but that means you will have to be really low to collect the ILS and it is really very tight. Maybe this approach is easier in a GA at a very slow speed, but in a Jet or Military Heavy then you would have your work cut out. So my approach was the slightly easier way of cutting between the ranges and heading directly towards Lake Mead and then doing a 21º heading that puts you on a parallel course to the airbase but on the other side of the range. You follow the basin right up to "Crystal" before doing a total 180º turn back down the other side of the range and follow the lines of the "Great Basin Hwy" (15) almost directly to RWY 21L. I say almost because at the last moment you still have to dog right to finally collect the ILS. It is challenging, and it requires a lot of skill when you get down to your final approach height. Once in the clear of the ranges then KLSV opens out before you and Las Vegas sin city is directly in the distance. Most of the buildings and installations are on the north-west side of KLSV and the tower and DOE (Department of Energy), Bomber Pad areas are on the south-east boundaries. The military airport is very wide and very open, and the runways are very realistic in textures, well signed and taxiway markings are excellent. There is only one cross taxiway mid-field (-B-) and so you have to taxi down the runway a fair way before being able to turn off. Taxi distances are large as the airport is very well spread out and a turn right along Taxiway (-F-) to Base Operations well to the north of the base can take a fair time. You do however take in the various areas and homes to the many air-wings that are based here and including the The USAF Air Demonstration Squadron ("Thunderbirds") as the air demonstration squadron of the United States Air Force (USAF), which are assigned to the 57th Wing. There are simply rows and rows of aircraft positioned here (capacity 300), in fact more aircraft than small country would have all in one place. The Nellis Base reception centre/base ops is a nice welcoming building and the VIP general got all the red carpet treatment. Air Force One or any Government aircraft would not look out of place here. It is important you have the "CustomSBDatarefs004" plugin installed your resources/plugins and it is provided in the package, because it will bring the many flags to life by them moving in the wind, and here at the reception centre they look very good. Nellis Air Force Base Complex Nellis AFB covers about 11,300 acres (4,600 ha) in the northeast corner of the Las Vegas Valley in the Basin and Range Province. Nellis has about 7,000 acres (2,800 ha) of undeveloped space; has areas added since WWII, e.g., Area II in 1969; and had 1 WWII runway removed. The base has 3 areas (I, II, III), and the GNIS names 5 different USGS locations for the base: "Nellis Air Force Base", the airfield, the post office, a Community College of Southern Nevada campus, and the census-designated place (CDP). Nellis Area I has the airfield (2 runways and ramp space for up to 300 aircraft), recreation and shopping facilities, dormitories/temporary lodging, some family housing, and most of the command and support structures in with Suter Hall for Red Flag operations. Nellis Area II northeast of the main base "at the foot of Sunrise Mountain" (formerly the U.S. Navy's Lake Mead Base) has the Nellis Gun Club, the 820th RED HORSE and 896th Munitions Squadrons, and the largest aboveground weapons storage complex[specify] in the United States. Nellis Area III is west of the main base with family housing, administration and industrial areas, and the Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital, (the base's "unincorporated town is called Sunrise Manor". Area III also includes a 23.4 acres (9.5 ha) munitions response area (MRA XU741) which had WWII storage for small arms ammunition, pyrotechnics, and chemical bombs and that now includes 2 remaining WWII buildings (numbers 1039 & 1047), 5 modern igloos, & the RV storage. The Nellis AFB missions of advanced combat training for composite strike forces is commonly conducted in conjunction with air and grounds units of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and allied forces. The base also supports operations at the nearby Creech Air Force Base, the Tonopah Test Range and the Nevada National Security Site. Nellis ground systems for range operations (e.g., by callsign "Nellis Control") include the Computer and Computed Subsystem used to receive microwave signals from the NTTR Ground Based Stations of the Tracking and Communications Subsystem (TCS) for presentation on Nellis' Display and Debrief SubSystem (DDS). Assigned Commands are: 79th Air Base Group, 7 July 1941 70th Base HQ and Air Base Squadron, c. 14 August 1942 82d Flying Training Wing (Flexible Gunnery) 8 January 1943 – 16 June 1946 Assigned Units are: 3595th Pilot Training Wing, 1 April 1948[24]:54 – 1 July 1958 4520th Combat Crew Training Wing, 1 July 1958 – 1 September 1966 4525th Fighter Weapons Wing, 1 September 1966 – 15 October 1969 474th Tactical Fighter Wing, 20 January 1968 – 15 October 1989 57th Wing (Various Designations), 22 August 1969 – present 554th Operations Support Wing, 1 March 1980 – 1 November 1991 USAF Fighter Weapons School, 1 January-1 September 1966; 30 December 1981 (USAF Weapons School on 15 June 1993) 4477th Tactical Evaluation Flight ("Red Eagles"), 1 April 1975 – 1990 USAF Tactical Fighter Weapons Center, 1 September 1966[41] (USAF Warfare Center on 15 November 2005) Nellis Air Force Base was named on 30 April 1950, and the 20 May 1950 dedication was attended by Lieutenant Nellis' family. By 1 July the Air Force had directed ATC to accelerate Korean War training for a new 95-wing Air Force. The first school opened at Nellis, and ATC redesignated the 3595th Pilot Training Wing (Advanced Single-Engine) as the 3595th Training Wing (Combat Crew).On 17 July 1950, Nellis began a replacement pilot training program to provide 115 FEAF F-51 Mustang pilots and 92 combat-ready F-80 Shooting Star pilots. Nellis' advanced single-engine pilot training transferred to Alabama on 1 September 1950. Nellis assumed fighter-bomber training, and ATC established its USAF Air Crew School (Fighter) on 14 November 1950, equipped with F-80s and early-model F-84C Thunderjets. On 1 October, Nellis AFB base management functions transferred from Williams AFB. In early 1951, ATC assigned recently graduated airplane and engine mechanics to Nellis to learn jet aircraft maintenance. The airfield was expanded 1951-4 with longer jet-capable runways, reconfigured taxiways and a larger aircraft parking ramp; and WWII wooden structures were replaced with concrete and steel structures (e.g., barracks and base housing for married personnel). The first Wherry houses were completed in 1954, with updated Capehart houses being completed in February 1960. Nellis AFB has more military schools and more squadrons than any other USAF base. Tom Curtis - Nellis Airforce Base The airbase is separated between the north-east side and the south-west side by the two runways. The layout by Tom Curtis is excellent and is underlined by using photographic plates under the scenery. Here though the plates have been intergrated into the landscape very well and you can't tell the areas were they join up with the default X-Plane scenery. So the outward view of the airbase is excellent. There are a huge amount of hangars, buildings and covered ramp areas on the north-east side, the buildings just go on and on into the horizon. All buildings are functional and are a great reproductions of the original airbase buildings and barracks, you can spend hours just picking out which building is related to whom. Highlights are the Red Flag buildings, USAF Air Demonstration Squadron ("Thunderbirds") complex, Fire Station, 57th Wing operations and the Base operations areas. Great areas of detailed carparks are laid out and with real 3d cars and not just flat photo style images... excellent. In some areas there is a flatness between buildings with the photo underlays, but KLSV is much more better than these sort of bases in the past and the areas are very well covered. In the far north section there are helipads and rotorcraft support areas, that are excellent if you do helicopter support. The ramps are full of static aircraft and their support covers, the areas covered are huge, but this is certainly a great place to base your fighter operations. Off site there are fuel tank areas and other small buildings with great detail spread around a fairly large area. Tom Curtis notes "Numerous aircraft are parked on the ramp in various stages of mission preparation. Some are in the process of refueling, some are uploading bombs and missiles, and several are waiting in the arming area at the end of the runway in preparation for launch. Along with the aircraft you’ll see all of the support equipment required to “turn” the aircraft. You’ll see bomb loaders (Jammers) loading live and inert bombs and Mavericks on several aircraft. The End Of Runway Arming crew can be seen pulling the safety pins from the weapons just before the aircraft take the runway for takeoff". The south-west areas are far less populated, and are mostly a collection of separate cluster areas. The Bomber command areas are to the south of the centrally positioned control tower with the DOE (Department of Energy) ramps to the north. All the south-west ramps can be seen from the excellent tower view including the wide scope of the north-east side. And notable is that although the complete Glitter Gulch scenery is very comprehensive, Tom Curtis's work does not lean very heavily on your computer. So you get both sides of the deal in that it is great detailed scenery, but it is also very kind to your processing power, and that alone makes any Tom Curtis sceneries very worthwhile. Nightlighting The airbase's night-lighting matches in well with KLAS and far away Henderson, but Las Vegas looks a little gaudy on the horizon (Las Vegas gaudy! heavens no) The lighting is comprehensive, but not very different in the types of styles. But overall it is very good. Building texture lighting is very good as well, certainly if you can run your textures res at a high setting, runway lighting is very good, but remember at night those dark shadows are high terrain monoliths and ranges that tower over you... landing at night from the north-east is for the highly skilled only. Other version 1.4 features Also added to the "Glitter Gulch" package in this version (1.4) is the “High Roller”, which a large ferris wheel that towers nearly 300’ high and provides the riders a panoramic view of the entire valley, it is animated as well as it slowly rotates around. Also added are three rooftop heliports on some of the hotels along the strip. You can now start your flight at the Excalibur Hotel, Bally’s Hotel, and Treasure Island Hotel. Just flying around trying to spot them is like a "Amazing Race Around The World" Roadblock task, get all three and you can move on! The 1.4 update also includes a new feature in Jonathan “Marginal” Harris and Mr3D’s animated marshaling crewman. You can now get parking guidance on the Cargo and UPS/FedEx cargo ramps at KLAS and several of the parking spots at KLSV - Nellis AFB and have someone to wave you in. First point to note is that the aircraft you are using has got the the correct settings that are used to connect the "Autogate" to the aircraft. These settings are located in PlaneMaker if your marshaller does not work, of which mine did not with the ABSim DC-10. To set them then go to PlaneMaker, load the aircraft and select the "viewpoint/default" panel. Then set the three coordinates for the boarding door settings are on the lower right of the panel, then save your aircraft and load it into X-Plane... Tom Curtis does provide with the package the full set of instructions on how to do this and also full sets of coordinates for fighter aircraft that don't have boarding doors. The marshaller himself is totally brilliant... turn into the gate and he comes to life guiding you into the bay... brake when he crosses his hands and he will then go back to normal when you turn the engines off. Summary The 1.4 update to "Glitter Gulch" is quite comprehensive in adding in KLSV - Nellis AFB to an already highly set out scenery. KLSV - Nellis AFB alone is worthy of a download, but to be included extra into this already comprehensive package is a really great deal all round. As a side note KVGT - North Las Vegas Airport is part of the default (lego) airports of X-Plane 10.30 that is automatically installed and it is very good. So that area (below) is also filled as well until Tom Curtis replaces it in another GG upgrade. Once there was only desert out there, but this Las Vegas scenery is starting to get crowded, but in a great way. Totally comprehensive and frame-rate lite, and all at such a great price, then Glitter Gulch has it all. And for flying around this area it is one of the very best you can think of, You have all the military ranges and training areas to test your "top Gun" skills, local visual hotspots in the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon and it is brilliant General Aviation country... What more do you want? Yes! the "Glitter Gulch" scenery by Scenery4xp (Tom Curtis) is now Available from the X-Plane.OrgStore : KLAS - GLITTER GULCH Price is US$24.95 If you already have purchased Scenery4XP "Glitter Gulch" then the v1.4 update is free. Just go to your account on the X-Plane .Org Store and check into your account for the v1.4 download. Features This scenery pack includes faithful reproductions of the following airports: KLAS - McCarran International AirportKHND - Henderson Executive AirportKLSV - Nellis AFBTraffic animated on the KLAS AirportAutogates to Concourses C, D and E at KLAS24 Las Vegas Skyline buildings and a Ferris WheelUpdate Review by Stephen Dutton 16th October 2014 Copyright © 2014 : X-Plane Reviews Installation: Download is 109.8meg to an expanded 301.80meg that is required to be inserted into your "Custom Scenery" Folder. Any older "Glitter Gulch area sceneries must be removed In another folder are the plugins that are required for the animations in the scenery in "AutoGate" and "CustomSBDatarefs004" and HANGER OPS ( Courtesy of Shade Tree Micro Aviation ) which animates various hanger doors and other objects. These items are to be inserted into the Resources/Plugins folder in X-Plane unless you have the latest versions already installed. All details are supplied in the OPEN ME! Folder. X-Plane9 version of Glitter Gulch is available on request. Technical Requirements: Windows, Mac or Linux X-Plane 10.32 or 64 bit mode X-Plane 9 version is not included in the download package but is available on demand. Just place the order and send us an email to get it. 8GB RAM/512MBVRAM (1GB VRAM Recommended) Current version : 1.4 (last updated October 16th, 2014) Review System Specifications: Computer System: - 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i5 iMac 27” - 6 Gb 1067 Mhz DDR3 - ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb Software: - Mac OS Mavericks 10.9.4 - X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.30 (final) Addons - Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle Aircraft - Bombardier Challenger 300 Captain Edition by Dden Design - the X-Plane.org Store $24.95 : Bombardier Challenger 300 Captain Edition

Aircraft Review : Beechcraft 1900D HD Series by Carenado Route : PAJN (Juneau, Alaska) to PASI (Sitka Rocky Gutierrez) In the commuter 19 seater aircraft market only one aircraft stands alone... The Beechcraft 1900D. The aircraft does compete with the Swearingen Metro and the British Aerospace Jetstream. The Metro production ended in 1998 and the Jetstream also ceased production in 1993, but the 1900D soldiered on until Raytheon ended production of the Beechcraft 1900D later in the next decade in October 2002. And because it was the latest and most popular in this light commuter market, many if most of the 695 aircraft produced are still working in service with 443 examples in operations with 50 airlines or small service operators. A good example of the type of services that perfectly suit the B1900D is ERA Airlines of Alaska (now known as RAVN Alaska). That does very short distance services (usually the average distances are up to 300 miles (480 km)) and to sometimes very short runways. Here we are going from Juneau, Alaska out to Sitka on a coastal Island in that which is a very small distance, but requires very high performance because of the high mountain ranges between the two ports. In many ways the B1900D is a sort of hybrid aircraft, It looks slightly ungainly with such a tall cabin (to let passengers stand up the cabin) and it is the largest of the series of Beechcraft's famous King Airs. Yes the 1900D is a King Air! This is an aircraft has been stretched not only in length but also as noted in height as well. In fact the aircraft is performance wise and weight wise 10,434 lb (4,732 kg) empty - (17,120 lb (7,764 kg) Max/Takeoff) compared to the still large B200 King Air at 7,755 lb (3,520 kg) Empty - (12,500 lb (5,670 kg) Max/Takeoff) very different aircraft again, but oddly from behind the controls it looks and feels (except for the weight) the same aircraft. The only significant visual difference is that the engines and propellers are not right there in view to the left or right of the cockpit, but are here they are set well back and so you are required to look hard over your shoulder and view through the engine the rear most cockpit window. The 1900 is Beechcraft's third regional airliner. After the very famous Beechcraft Model 18 which was a 6- to 11-passenger utility aircraft produced from 1937 to 1970, and which was used by the military, airlines, charter operations, corporations for executive transport and freight carriers. The 15-passenger Beechcraft Model 99 Airliner then replaced the Model 18 and was produced between 1966 and 1975, and also from 1982 to 1986, but was not successful as the former earlier design. The Beechcraft 1900's design lineage is different than the Model 18 and Model 99 aircraft, but the story still began back in 1949 with the Beechcraft Model 50 "Twin Bonanza", which was a 5 passenger, reciprocating engine utility aircraft designed for the U.S. Army. A larger passenger cabin was added to the Twin Bonanza's airframe and that variant was called the Model 65 "Queen Air." This aircraft was then in turn, further modified by adding turboprop engines and cabin pressurization and named the Model 90 "King Air." Then another stretched version of the King Air was later developed and designated the Model B200 "Super King Air". Beechcraft developed the Beechcraft 1900 directly from the Beechcraft Super King Air, because the B200 was pressurized aircraft and could fly as high as 25,000ft. Performance : Cruise speed: 280 knots (518 km/h, 322 mph) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m) : Range: 707 km with 19 passenger payload (439 mi) : Ferry range: 2,306 km (1,432 mi) : Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,620 m) : Rate of climb: 2,615 ft/min (797 m/min) Once the passengers are seated and their baggage is stored in that huge cavern of a baggage hold, you can shut all the doors and start the engines. Once the right temperatures of the engines are correct and the flightplan on the GNS 350 GPS is verified, you are ready for clearance and departure. One thing you notice is that if you move the tiller the front steering wheel does not turn? Only when the aircraft has movement can you turn in the direction you want to go. My guess (and it is a guess) is that the aircraft is too heavy on the wheel to turn it standing still, but requires the movement to allow the tyre not to grip so firmly. Once moving however and the tiller is quite light and you can turn in quite a tight circle. Taxiing you can keep the throttle at idle and still have the right pace, but that pace is ideal in that it not fast or too slow, but you do need to give the aircraft a little shove of power to turn any tight turns to the runway. The size of this Beechcraft in that it is in one respect small for an airliner but big as a large GA machine and that does have a significant effect on the performance were the weight is concerned, If the aircraft is half full at say around 13,000 Ibs the 1900D will on power up will simply burst out of the starting gate like a jackrabbit on heat. You will need a little forward pressure to keep the nose down as well, but the performance is staggering from those mighty two PT6A-67D engines, of each are rated at 1,279 shaft horsepower. But go to Max weight at around 17,000 lbs with a full load of 21 people aboard and all their luggage and a big fuel load and the effects are highly noticeable. The aircraft does not turn into a ponderous beast (although it should). But you certainly feel the effects from the two seats at the front. The 1900D will take in far more runway to get the speed it requires and when it lifts you don't accelerate or climb nothing like you did when when it was significantly lighter. So you have to adjust your flying skills to the moment. I do as in most aircraft like this, I only give the throttles usually only a slight push until I have the air and the control of the tail feeling from the rudders and only then do I give the aircraft its full power. Power up from the start of the runway will mean you will fight the aircraft a little until finding the control, and this is very noticeable in the 1900D, certainly when it is heavier and it will track more straighter. But that rudder control is needed from the start. Once in the air and the aircraft climbs like a freight train pulling 20 carriages behind it, It feels so powerful and the torque is simply overwhelming. At a light weight and you can easily climb at the recommend 2500fpm (feet per minute), It just goes up and up and you can be at a high 20,000ft (25,000ft ceiling) easily within a short distance from your departure point and still with the speed needle static in the whole ride up to the heavens. Full weight and 1500fpm to even 1800fpm is still easily achievable as the aircraft just leaves those peaks below and down there in the distance. But you still have to ride the engines on the soft side, I found that heavy it is best to aim at 180kts and not to push your luck too far past that performance. Even when leaving terra firma you need to find that nice spot just under full throttle that gives you the required push, but will not also over strain the engines. Get that right and the aircraft is simply perfect. In many ways the 1900D does feel like the B200 in that way, but with better performance and feeling more powerful. The aircraft feels better heavy than light. It has a sturdy feel and is more balanced. Once the trim is fine tuned the aircraft feels very nice through the yoke and the turns are very sedately, and you feel the movement of the turn only when looking at the regions around you. In a way you would think when that for an aircraft which is really a compromise it shouldn't really fly like this but it does... More lighter the 1900D is, then the more jiggly it feels... but you feel the speed far more effectively as well and the aircraft is closer to the B200 to fly at this end of the scale. A new feature on the B1900D is the "Scroll" wheel, of which you can adjust various items in the cockpit if you have a scroll wheel on your mouse, a gesture mouse will work as well, If you don't want to use the feature you can turn it off. personally I didn't like it, just grabbing the item with the mouse and moving it is in my mind still quicker, but many would love it and I am sure it is a worthwhile feature (I didn't like the colours it created in the cockpit as well?). On the trim you can either move the trim wheel or move the trim switch on the yoke, the effect is the same and the choice is yours. The speed dial has great set bugs for maximum speed and Vrev takeoff speeds or flap and minimum speed settings on landing, and they were very handy for with the different weights you are carrying. The yellow "Master Warning" light on the glareshield can annoy you... pressing it does not solve anything as it is only a warning and not a significant problem (That's the red one next to it!) When you start up you will find both pitot tubes "heat" are not on, so you can fix that by flicking the switches, The "engine-auto to on" switches are the same. The battery can take time to recharge itself if you use an amount to start up the aircraft from cold, so that warning glares at you for ages (the B200 is the same). The one that does confuse you is the "Autofeather"? The autofeather sync switch is on but the warning will flash? only when you are airborne will the "Autofeather" sync and the warning lights will turn finally green. My point is you will look around to find switches to turn off to kill the warnings, but they go off automatically once they reach their right condition. In the mean time you have this warning light flashing in your eyesight worrying you have not set something correctly. The aircraft comes with the latest GPS GNS 530 system (X-Plane 10.30 is required) and it is again glorious in an aircraft like this. It pop's out for setting and using. The autopilot (AP) is the same as the excellent one in the C90 and the B200 and it pops out for the ease of use. Although the AP arrangement is the same with the autopilot panel situated on the pedestal. You also have a push button version right in front of you on the main panel. This is a great change and even means you don't have to use the pop up all the time... but you can not change the heading or the vertical pitch rate from here. The pop up AP can still also be made smaller or larger which really helps when flying and if you need it on the screen at that period in time. The autopilot is part of a system that is called the EFIS or Electronic Flight Instrument System by Rockwell Collins, which includes the Electronic Attitude Director Indicator (EADI) & Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator (EHSI) and the altitude selector. All three work together as one system that in effect gives you a very comprehensive automated flight control system, That is although complex it is very easy to use and here in the 1900D it is very effective. In doing short service sectors like from PAJN to PASI the aircraft this aircraft is unparalleled. You have the huge amount of power to climb quickly and then the speed to get to your destination quickly. With also the GNS350 and Autopilot tools at your disposal flying the aircraft is excellent even if you want to switch off all the aids and fly the aircraft manually. Views out are excellent with brilliant reflections (you can turn them off if you want to) making the aircraft very realistic from either of the two front seats. Again that odd feeling that you are flying one aircraft in the B200 is shown in the oddness that the panel is the same, but certainly it is not. Because the B200 (right) panel looks far more empty than the 1900D panel, no doubt the workhorse environment of the 1900D shows how much more equipment is required. The most significant thing that I didn't like is the artificial horizon on the B1900D is very dull, and that shows how much here ( I tried the adjustment knob under the ADF and this is still at full brightness?). The aircraft can fly out of and land on short runways. But at maximum weight you would have to check if the runway is not too long or short and would a compromise be required? Stika's runway (11/29) at 6483ft does not give me that problem, but it is worth noting. There is a speed warning at 140knts? noisy and trilling it notes not the speed but that the undercarriage is up? If you want to rub off the speed and set the flaps down a few degrees you can't do that unless you lower the gear... your choice is to lower 17º of flap at 150knts, but you will lose speed in the drag right down to 135knts and will have to put up with the noise and until youcan power it up again over the 140knts noise limit with the flaps now set. The 17º limit is still set a lot higher at 188knts, but be warned that the stall speed on the 17º is only 92kts so you have to be prudent with your workflow and not lose too much speed with the drag. With great balance you can use 35º of flap (under 150knts) to get the best approach speed of around 120knts. And try to use the flare in not bouncing the aircraft too hard on a landing which is very easy to do, so your throttle to yoke control here has to be quite skilled to get it just right. Once down on the runway then pull throttles right back in the gate to activate the reverse thrust which is highly effective and will push you forward into the seatbelts with their powerful thrust. Your landing distance is really reduced significantly once they take effect, which is highly needed in airports like PAJN - Juneau because there is high terrain on both sides of the runway and in many cases you touch down a long way down the runway, mostly when coming in from the North on RWY8, Then a taxi to the terminal and is quite easy to a shut down of the engines. Carenado HD Series B1900D The B1900D is the largest aircraft to be released by Carenado for X-Plane to date. But all the qualities that signify the aircraft from Carenado are not at compromised here in any area. The B1900D is superb in quality and features. The work is simply outstanding in every area. At this level of design and delivery you don't really look at the aircraft as simply a reproduction of an airliner, but in most respects more of a clone of the real thing on a computer screen. Walk around the machine and you would be seriously hard pressed to find any fault. Nothing has been compromised or poorly executed... It is quite simply perfect. Textures are 4K which means high-Definition (HD), and they have a depth of quality you only dreamed of a few years ago. The textures have been highly processed to give the highest quality to the best frame-rate in performance. Detailing is highly commended from items smaller than you can imagine on an aircraft of this size to the intricacy of the undercarriage assemblies, I love the part front plate that covers the top of the retracted nosewheel and when on the ground has the hole for the taxi light to shine through. It looks brilliant in the day but amazing at night. The huge Hartzell composite four bladed propellers are beautifully reproduced and have volumetric side view prop effects that are highlighted by the HQ digital stereo sounds are recorded directly from the real aircraft. Yes the 1900D sounds great, highly realistic and will send you almost deaf if you play these 3d sounds at high volumes like I do on my bose sound system. The aircraft comes with three tabbed menus on the left lower side of your screen, bottom to top, the first (A-Autopilot) is the pop-up EFIS panel that I usually close by clicking the menu again and rather than closing it by the close/cross on the panel itself... It is far quicker action that way. The second menu tab is the (O-Options) that gives you your main options menu. The first two options cover the window and instrument reflections. The third is the static elements that includes "remove before flight" tags, engine inlet covers, wheel chocks and removes the pilots from the cockpit. The next three options allows you to open and close doors in the Cockpit door, main external passenger door and that large baggage door. The last option is to switch on/off the mouse scroll feature. The menus to a point are quite simple but are highly effective and efficient. The top and final menu is the (C-Camera) or views menu. This is the standard Carenado views menu that also has a built in zoom slider. The standard X-Plane menu system is better for me around the cockpit, because I can set my views up to the same key in points with every aircraft I fly. The X-Plane key default is however not quite as good when you get out of the cockpit and here the menu view options are far better to going very quickly to the rear cabin and for the multitude of external views. You can also adjust the sound here as well. B1900D Cockpit The B1900D cockpit is certainly the most comprehensive cockpit from Carenado they have produced yet for X-Plane. As note above in that I thought the B200 cockpit was quite detailed and highly loaded with flight instrumentation, but this aircraft is levels above again. The detailing is simply overwhelming, and everything works and switches just like the real Beechcraft. When the aircraft is cold you find yourself admiring the full set up and how realistic it all really is, the instrument reflections alone are simply staggering. Can you realistically expect any aircraft to be better than this... that is a big ask and I don't think any other aircraft in X-Plane can deliver this sort of quality. The panel really has the same set up as most King Airs, but it feels like everything is beefed up for the aircraft to be used as a more larger workhorse than the the private/executive aircraft of the smaller King Airs. The standard six instruments are well presented, but the Rockwell Collins EFIS or Electronic Flight Instrument System and the EADI & EHSI here take the places of the artificial horizon and the heading indicator. The airspeed indicator, and the RMI (automatic direction finder) is on the left and the altimeter and Vertical speed indicator (VSI) is on the left. Above is the Collins autopilot button panel and below is the propeller sync switch. The standard twin sets of King Air of gauges set down the right of the main panel and they cover the engine ITT (*Cx100) - (Interstage Turbine Temperature), Torque (FTLB x 100), Prop - RPM, Turbine % RPM, Fuel Flow and Oil temps. Central panel there is that great GNS350 dominating the central panel and a AVIDYNE Entegra EX500. This unit is very good but also limited in application. The COMM panel is above and has a nice touch in "Avionics by Carenado" signed on it and two engine fire handles set out top of the panel. Below is the ADF and IDENT tuners and the final part of the EFIS system in the altitude selector which shows a zigzag alert below 10,000ft and none above and a warning alert light. On the co-pilots side the instruments are almost a mirror of the pilots, but has an oxygen outlet pressure gauge instead of a Collins slew selector. The main warning lights are set in a panel on top of the glareshield. Both of those beautiful yokes will disappear at a touch of their bases, the pilot's center hub has a chronometer function and the co-pilot's has a round clock. The left lower panel is focused on the electrical/power systems and Ice protection (anti-Ice) switches.To start (engine-auto to on) then flick up the "Ignition and Engine Start" switch for each engine to start the start sequence which will take a fair while before they churn noisily into life. The "engine-auto" start switches are already switched on and the warning lights will note to turn them off once the engines are running. Note the warning light "pitot heat" switches are here as well. Right lower pilot's side of the panel is also the undercarriage knob and indicators. On the co-pilot's lower panel are the environmental, temp and oxygen switches and gauges, with also a "bones of mercury" vacuum gauge. Centre pedestal is a work of art in design with (twin) Throttle with built in "Go around", Prop (feather) and Condition/fuel cut off. Flap lever in "up - 17º - 35º" settings, lower/side of the pedestal is the ailerion/rudder trim knobs and wheels. You have a set of instruments set at the top of the pedestal that are standard KIng Air in the Flap position, Cabin Climb (pressure) and Cabin altitude. Above the gauges are a banks of warning lights and alerts. Lower pedestal is the radio and main EFIS controls, and a very welcome set of cupholders for coffee! On the right side of the pilot is the fuel panel gauges and backup fuel pump switches, the panel is quite simple in operation and is again pure King Air in function. At night it looks excellent. The darker side of life All lighting is controlled by the switches and knobs on the overhead panel. The lighting systems are very effective, flexible and certainly very impressive with HDR switched on. The panel is simply gorgeous in that faintly blue colouring and the above spot lights will twist and focus to your hearts content. You can get away with HDR off here, certainly you lose the spot light and feature functions, but the basic lighting is still very good because it is so flexible via all those knobs. In the rear passenger cabin it is again a wonderful place to be, both in the daylight and at night. And again the detailing is so overwhelmingly good. Outside lighting is just as good as the internal systems. The tail lighting at night is excellent, and so is the ice lighting on the wings. There are two landing lights each side of each engine and two "RECOG" (Recognition lights) right out on each wing tip, they are more effective however as extra landing/taxi lights as they illuminate the edge of the runway/taxiways. strobe lighting and Nav/beacon lighting is also excellent and there is a taxi-light on the front wheel support. Lighting spread is very good on the ground and finding your way around taxiways to the runway is a breeze. Night operations are highly realistic, the aircraft is very easy to use around the airport and looks very good when parked or waiting for passengers... A small tip is to leave your landing lights and recog lights on to help the passengers board if you are on a dark ramp, but watch your battery levels! Effects Carenado are always polishing and enhancing their aircraft and effects... here is just one example in the rain/ice effects. Raindrops splatter on the windows, and if you turn on the wipers the water is swept away. Note that they are as real on the outside as from the comfort of the cockpit. Put the power up and as you speed up the droplets then get smaller, or bigger if you are landing? clever stuff. The pilot's have regained their motion again after a few pilots in the last few Carenado releases were more static, they look up and down and also glance around at the engines, which is very realistic. Their salary and food requirements however are still quite high, Pilots are still pilots and they are still expensive to employ to fly your aircraft as those costs come out your own pockets. Liveries The aircraft comes with a set of liveries that have very fancy names... AzureWisp, BlackGold, BlueShark, OrangeWisp and SwissAir the white/blank is default. There are six extra airline operator liveries that you can download from the Carenado site once you have purchased the aircraft, and these include - ERA, Air Canada, Air NewZealand new and old, Next Jet and United Express. All liveries are exceptional in detail and design, the 4K textures help here as well. Summary Carenado notes the minimum requirements to use the B1900D and they are a "MultiCore Processor with 2.6 Ghz or faster - 4gb RAM - 3D video card with at least 1gb". The aircraft does demand a powerful computer as it is highly complex and dense in what it requires to be processed. But this is not in the way you think it is. Most frame-rate issues usually stem from processing the graphic overload of textures and the requirements on the X-Plane simulator itself. But that is not the issue here. In most cases I used the 1900D well under my graphic limits of 512mb at usually around 365mb when flying the aircraft. The HD textures here are highly processed to be as frame-rate efficient as possible, in fact they are the very best out there in quality and efficiency. And the actual aircraft as been processed to take advantage of X-Plane 10.30 features that can reduce frame-rate with objects that can be disabled when they are not in view, it is noted as "Dynamic loading/unloading of 3D parts and plugin logic for FPS optimization". It is very clever stuff and without both of these enhancements then aircraft of this nature would not be as efficient as they are. But the B1900D does still require a machine that has a lot of computer grunt. more so if you run a large monitor size in pixels. There is also a lot of similarities with the other King Air's in Carenado's HD series. If you struggled with power with them then the 1900D will be a little bit better but not by much. I found a common issue was the panel lighting across all of the King Airs that hurt my frame-rate and I don't have the power to over-ride that (strangely it issue does not effect other Carenado aircraft?). but that is not saying the aircraft is bad in this area, if fact the opposite is true, the aircraft is the best yet in this heavy loading simulation with the demands of X-Plane features as well, so it does require the power to run it, If you have the minimum requirements then you will have no issues. Certainly if you only have 512mb and a slower machine you will have to make compromises in your X-Plane settings or screen size... But that does not mean you can't use or fly the 1900D, as it is still a very, very worthy aircraft to have in your hangar. In quality and as an investment then you really can't go past the Beechcraft 1900D. At this price it is simply a bargain in what quality and features that you receive. As a simulation it is a level and size again above other Carenado aircraft and they were already impossibly good. The aircraft is powerful and is full of very clever features to put a smile on your face anytime you fly it, It has the GNS530 GPS as standard and that great Rockwell Collins EFIS system in that if you have flown any of the other Carenado King Air's you will feel totally at home here as well. The design and outstanding workmanship is the very best on offer in X-Plane at the moment, so are the HQ digital stereo sounds and visual lighting and it all comes with an aircraft performance that will take your breath away (well for a regional airliner anyway). Again X-Plane as a simulator is highly enhanced with an aircraft like this, It shows how really great the simulation is now achieving in quality and features and also feel. The B1900D is just simply brilliant and is the best investment you can make for the future and in having the very best aircraft to fly. _____________________________________________________________ The Carenado B1900D HD Series is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store. Price is currently US$34.95 : Get the - B1900D King Air HD Series - Here. Included in the package is: 5 HD liveries - 1 HD Blank Livery B1900D Emergency Checklist PDF - B1900D Normal Procedures PDF B1900D Performance Tables PDF - B1900D Reference PDF B1900D EFIS X-Plane PDF - B1900D EVVI X-Plane PDF Recommended Settings PDF Documents and Install, Download is 302.10mb, that is unzipped into your General Aviation Folder (or if you have one a Regional Aircraft folder) of 676.70mb. Extra liveries are 223.30mb and the full installation is 970mb. The aircraft will only fly in X-Plane version 10.30. I also recommend to download this Raytheon Beechcraft 1900D-Limitations pdf. It has excellent B1900D aircraft performance limitations and operating limits. Raytheon_Beechcraft_1_00D-Limitations.pdf Developer Site: Carenado Review By Stephen Dutton 9th October 2014 Technical Requirements: X-Plane 10.30+. Windows XP/Vista/Windows7/8, Mac, Linux MultiCore Processor with 2.6 Ghz or faster - 4 GB RAM -3D video card with at least 1 GB Version 1.1 (last updated 8th October 2014) Includes the Service Pack 1 Review System Specifications: Computer System: - 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i5 iMac 27” - 6 Gb 1067 Mhz DDR3 - ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb Software: - Mac OS Mavericks 10.9.4 - X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.30 (final) Addons - Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle - Bose - Soundlink Mini Scenery - Final Frontier version 10.2 by Tom Curtis (X-Plane Store $24.95) For a full overview of the updated "Final Frontier" by Tom Curtis then go here: Developer Update : Final Frontier version 10.2 by Tom Curtis

Yes I really love that carbon livery... There is no Kuwait Livery on the list, as I have checked. So you might have to request that on the .Org.

Aircraft Review : Airbus A330-300 by Jetsim Note! This version is now not available... The new updated v2 version Review is here! In the last few years Airbus gained a lot of sales out of an aircraft that was technically past its prime. The cause was the delay after delay of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner from "The Boeing Company". Many of the airlines operators that had ordered the Dreamliner were totally caught in that it would be years before the new generation aircraft could and did join their fleets. So they had to fill in the gap. Only one aircraft came very close to filling that service hole and that was the Airbus A330-300. So from out of nowhere this aircraft was suddenly the biggest wanted serviceable aircraft in the world and any fleet that had them would find buyers and leasing companies clamouring and out bidding each other to secure an aircraft at any price. For Airbus they couldn't turn out enough A330's either from a production line that was close to finishing in a few years time. The demand is so much that Airbus has even decided to give the A300 the NEO (New Engine Option) upgrade to keep the aircraft into production now well into the 2020's and 30's. For X-Plane the A330 has come to us quite late. There was the wonderfully converted FS versions from Samen. But these aircraft just didn't get their final tuning to make them really exceptional. So finally X-Plane has an A330 and with a virtual cockpit from Jetsim, Jetsim is a new developer on the simulator scene and the A330 is their first aircraft. Airbus A330-300 The Airbus A330 series is a medium wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of European Airbus Group. Versions of the A330 have a range of 7,400 to 13,430 kilometres (4,000 to 7,250 nmi) and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry 70 tonnes (150,000 lb) of cargo. The origin of the A330 dates to the 1970s as one of several conceived derivatives of Airbus's first airliner, the A300. The A330 was developed in parallel with the four-engine A340, which shared many common airframe components but differed in number of engines. Both airliners incorporated fly-by-wire flight control technology, first introduced on an Airbus aircraft with the A320, as well as the A320's six-display glass cockpit. In June 1987, after receiving orders from various customers, Airbus launched the A330 and A340 as a replacement for less economical trijets in the DC-10 and L1011 Tristar. The A330 was Airbus's first airliner that offered a choice of three engines: General Electric CF6, Pratt & Whitney PW4000, and Rolls-Royce Trent 700. The A330-300, the first variant, took its maiden flight in November 1992. The A330-300 is based on a stretched A300 fuselage 63.69 m (208 ft 11 in) long but with new wings, stabilisers and fly-by-wire systems. The −300 carries 295 passengers in a three-class cabin layout, 335 in two-class, or up to 440 in an all-economy layout. It has a range of 10,500 km (5,700 nmi). It has a large cargo capacity, comparable to that of early Boeing 747s. It is powered by the choice of two General Electric CF6-80E, Pratt & Whitney PW4000, or Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, all of which are ETOPS-180 rated. The −300 version entered service with Air Inter in January 1994. Performance A330-300 - Cruise speed: Mach 0.82 (871 km/h or 470 kn or 541 mph at 11,000 m or 36,000 ft cruise altitude) : Maximum range, fully loaded 11,300 km (6,100 nmi) : Takeoff Distance at MTOW 2,770 m (9,090 ft) : Maximum fuel capacity 97,530 L (25,760 US gal) : Service ceiling 12,527 m (41,100 ft) : Maximum service ceiling 13,000 m (42,651 ft). JetSim A330-300 The Jetsim Airbus A330-300 comes in the three engine variants that is available on the aircraft... So we will go through those first. Rolls-Royce Trent 700 : Rated: 71,100 lbf (316 kN) - ETOPS-180 rated The iconic bulbous pod shape of the Rolls Royce engine is prominent on the wing of this variant, The aircraft comes in four liveries of Cathay Pacific (default), Air Canada, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. General Electric CF6-80E1 : Rated: 72,000 lbf (320 kN) - ETOPS-180 rated The CF6-80E1 is a derivative of the successful CF6 family. The engine started by being installed in the DC-10 as the original CF6, and entered service in 1971. The CF6 was also selected for versions of the Boeing 747. Since then, the CF6 has also powered versions of the Airbus A300, 310 and 330, Boeing 767, and McDonnell Douglas MD-11. The aircraft variant comes in three liveries of Qatar (default), Qantas and Finnair. Pratt & Whitney PW4000 : Rated: 70,000 lbf (311 kN) - ETOPS-180 rated The second family of the PW4000 is the 100 inch (2.5 m) diameter fan engine developed specifically for the A330 twinjet. It has certified thrust from 64,500 to 68,600 lbf (287 to 305 kN). Models are numbered PW4164, PW4168, and PW4168A. It features advanced technology materials and Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) for good fuel economy and reliability. The aircraft variant comes in three liveries of Thai Airlines (default), Delta and Northwest Airlines. Design Any new project is a design in quality in this category of payware aircraft. And for a first time developer the A330 is very good and very well done. The aircraft looks really good and very well constructed and the detailing is very good as well but not exceptional. All animations that include flaps, leading edge spoilers and undercarriage in rear bogies and twin front wheels are very well recreated and animated. Retraction on takeoff of all the gear is very realistic. The various types of engines and certainly the 3d engine fans (when stationary) are very well done as well. But there are signs of areas that are not fine-tuned or not finished... The wing strobes and a beacon are not connected to the aircraft (and wings) and there is no glass in the sides of the fuselage and they are just just holes. The tyres are a bit too shiny for me and none of the doors or cargo doors open as well, but the interior is very well fitted out in all three classes. Lighting is okay but just the standard light dots for the main landing lights and front gear strut lights. The panel on this A330 is not the latest Airbus TFT (Thin-Film Transistor liquid- crystal panel display) but the older CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) style displays for the EFIS and ECAM. These six CRT's do create a very different look of the panel for an airbus, and that is great when you want diversity in your flying as this is of the older style variety . Overall though this is an airbus through and through and it is very well modeled in here and all the switches work and click like they should do. Detailing is fabulous, but in an X-Plane way you will struggle to turn a few of the knobs. The Electronic centralized aircraft monitor (ECAM) systems are all here except notifications that of things that are active like your AUTO/BRK settings and airbrake ARM... the display is empty? otherwise the feedback from the ECAM display pages are excellent. There are twelve pages of displays altogether including... Cruise (default), Engine, Bleed (engine/APU), Cab Pressure, Electrics, Fuel, Status, Hydraulics, APU (Aircraft Power Unit), Wheels, Conditions (air/temp systems) and doors (not really useful here). These pages are selected by the rows of keys on the pedestal (airbus standard). So all your systems are active and are well modeled, and any action will be noticed on the ECAM display page for that operation. Pedestal layout is standard airbus (two engine version and not the four engine A380 version) and you have the two FMC/MCDU's screens at the top of the unit. FMC/MCDU The Jetsim A330 comes with a working MCDU (Multifunctional Control Display Unit ), and it is a sort of derivative of the Smiths Thales FMC that is used in Airbus aircraft. It does come with a built in SID/STAR (Standard Instrument Departure/Standard Terminal Arrival Route) system and it is pretty easy to use. Flying the A330-300 Pushback is built in. And it is accessed by pressing the "ALL" button on the "CALL" segment on the Overhead panel. You get a fixed view from the front of the aircraft and press "Start" to pushback. And you can turn with your joystick or yoke. It goes a little fast so you have to use the brakes to keep the speed down. When done the press "STOP" to finish and another button is there to return you to the cockpit. It is great idea, but the panel is very large and blocks out most of the aircraft and would be better lower and at the bottom of the screen away from the aircraft. And as the view is fixed, so you can't scroll around to get a better viewpoint? After pushback and taxiing is very good. The aircraft feels good on the ground is easily at the hold point. It is important to understand the way Airbuses are being controlled in X-Plane, It is not a new idea but it is now being used in a more forefront fashion than before like with the coming A350 from FlightFactor. Before you pressed the space above the knob to (push) or let the aircraft's computers fly the systems (Managed) and grabbed the knob (pull) to manually control the aircraft (Selected Mode). Now you use the finger to "push" and the hand to grab to "pull" out. That is great and really a two point action in either "push" or "pull". But there is another action in here as well in activate. So it is a three way action and not just two. The issue is you don't know if you are active or not? Some actions do show on the PRF (Primary Flight Display), but in many cases you are not really sure until you feel the aircraft is in the active mode. The trick in flying the A330 well is knowing when that the active mode is... well active. The A350 as noted uses the same system, but I didn't have the issues with that as I have here, It worked in all three modes. Preparation is always important, but in the A330 it is crucial. I set all the manual settings ready even though in Airbuses you use the automated systems. You have to make sure the Altitude is armed, which is not easy but you do get three squares in the V/S display, I set the V/S (2000fpm) anyway. Transition Altitude is 8500ft, but if you are not armed the aircraft won't stay at the designated altitude and keep climbing? Heading is set as a backup in case the route is not active. Again to set the heading you have press the finger, but that is putting the system into "selected" mode and out is "managed" mode, but you can pull the knob out but the aircraft will not respond to the action, A push then will activate the "managed" mode and the aircraft will turn to the heading... confusing. well it is at first, and you have to very well prepared that you are in the correct active mode on every selection in Speed, Heading and Altitude if using the manual modes. with the V/S you just select your pitch and pull the knob out. You can pre-set the autothrottle (A-THR) and you know it is armed by the white rectangle on the upper right of the PFD. Full throttle up and takeoff is very nice with a 7º pitch. The throttle quadrant has a set three place setting you have to push (or click). You can still use your add-on throttle to push up the power to the engines, but you can here also press a point by the side of the throttle quadrant that takes you directly to the TO-GA (Takeoff-Go Around) position, you can also select the FLX (Flex) position and once airborne the CL (Climb) position. by pressing the touch point you engage the throttle to that position which is good to press and them let the throttle go directly to the correct place. If you have flown Airbuses with a add-on throttle, you know when you are in the correct zone by the "speed" in the PFD, but sometimes it can be a bit hit or miss as you don't look directly at the throttle quadrant itself. So here you are sure you are engaged in the right detent, however it also means you have to look away and down at the throttle quadrant at the crucial point of climbing out of the airport... So which way is the best? Certainly the adjust the throttle by hand version, but I did find once I got used to the system it was a one click to the CL detent and forget action. The actions of takeoff are challenging in the fact that you have to set all your Speed, Heading (press in "managed" mode will lock the aircraft into the flightplan) and Altitude. It is a winning skill to make sure your speed is armed and your altitude is armed correctly, get it wrong and your speed keeps climbing and so do you in height. Get it right and the aircraft will settle on the settings correctly. Your speed has to absolutely spot on when you clean the aircraft up... If not you go into the bounces! That is your aircraft will climb and then stall, pickup speed and then climb again and then stall again an... In other words a nasty rollercoaster ride. Yes you can get into this difficulty on any aircraft, but here it is very pronounced, and you have to absolutely correct on your speed to retract the flaps to get that smooth transition to a clean aircraft. This issue is explained better in the landing phase later. At this point there are no fixes or Nav-Aids in the Navigation Display (ND) ...noted to be coming soon? Which is really annoying if you are wanting to track to a position, as noted the flightplan course and names are too big as well, so if there were any fixes you would see them anyway? There is no "PLAN" mode for the flightplan either. The Compass Rose does not show the VOR/ADF indicators, so you have to rely on the manual backup Radio Magnetic Indicator (RMI) needles, The VOR (VOR2) does show on the ND display, but only at the final landing phase. Settle into the cruise and the aircraft is very good. The climb and steps were quite good to FL355, and the numbers feel good, there is still room for a bit more fine-tuning, but they didn't seem too bad. Nightlighting The instrument/switch high-lighting is very good, but there is no storm or overhead lighting and that makes the cabin quite dark. HDR on makes no difference either? On the external as noted the main landing lights are little too small (not by much) but the runway turnoff and wing lighting is very good, as is the logo (but only in the dark). The cabin is lit, but with no glass in the fuselage it comes over as too bright. You can say one thing, but the Delta livery looks brilliant on this aircraft. Frame-rate is excellent as the modelling is quite light, even the 3d cockpit won't really tax your system. So the aircraft is very useable, but HDR on in the cockpit at night sent me down to single digits? But I wasn't too concerned about that as I didn't really need to use the HDR. Like when you retracted the flaps to after takeoff, the reverse situation comes into practise on landing and more so. It is important then to look at those flap limits and landing speeds. Flaps limits (441,405 lbs GW) 1 - 1+f - 2 - 3 - full Maneuvering 220 - 210 - 190 - 175 - 165 Vref 179 - 170 - 167 - 161 - 148 Vapp 184 - 175 - 172 - 166 - 153 Note on how low those speeds are? nothing really in the approach phase is above 200knts, so your speed has to come down a long way before you start to bring the flaps out, get the speed wrong and the aircraft is nose down very quickly and again the reverse is in then too going to slow and you are stalling again. So your numbers at each flap stage has to be absolutely spot on, there is no room or flexibility available for you (or you will get that nasty bounce behavior again). The bonus is that your final approach speed is very low (I found it was around 155knts). And here again you are reminded on how very precise you have to be with this aircraft in all the phases of the flight, you have to hit the numbers and the right actions at the right time to get that smooth transition right from the point of leaving the runway and right back to the point of touching back down again. Landing On an Airbus panel you use the LS to switch on the ILS vertical and lateral deviation guides to show your deviation to the runway. However here the deviation guides are turned on by the LOC button? So you can't use the guides to show your position to the runway if you are approaching from an angle. (You have no fixes either at this point in time to guide you either) because the moment you activate the LOC to get the guides you also get the direct LOC onto the runway as well and the aircraft will then focus itself directly on the ILS beam. So you can only use the guides when you want to finally lock on to the tractor beam (in other words close in). My approach is to press the LS and then center the aircraft to the runway with the guides and then press the APPR button to lock on when ready. If you are lazy then the LOC version is easy. But is that flying an approach correctly? A side point is that that when the deviation guides are activated, they push the artificial horizon sideways to make the guides fit in the PFD? As noted earlier you have no notifications your AUTO/BRK settings and airbrake ARM for landing... so are they armed? The radio is quite basic in VOR1 on the left side of the RAD NAV page of the MCDU and VOR2 on the right side... There is no separate ILS freq channel on the FMC. Input is without a decimal in 10995 instead of 109.95 . Speed correct and height is correct and the aircraft will capture the ILS easily and as that landing speed is very low the aircraft is easy to handle in the flare, however you will like with the B777 make the wings flap on landing a little no matter how smooth you are. Off the runway and taxi speed is easily reached to taxi to the gate. Summary If you fly Airbus aircraft a lot, then you will find the A330-300 from Jetsim slightly quirky. Not outlandishly so... but just the small things that you do in the flow naturally are just different. In some aspects the ideas here can be a better, but this is not the right set of procedures either. They are small things in the whole, but that sums up the aircraft. Flying the aircraft is a precision of actions to get the flow from leaving the runway to landing again as smooth as you can. Miss an action or a speed point and the aircraft will tell you by behaving rather badly or not doing something it should. Get the procedures right and get them in line and the aircraft will reward you... but you will have to practise a lot to get to that point. So what is missing is flexibility and finesse in the way the aircraft is set up with the FMC and all the small bugs that are still not covered or even some basic items are simply missing altogether (ND waypoints and Nav-Aids), In trying to make the FMC a more simple process for users that find FMC's hard to learn, it just corrals you in with no flexibility and actually makes the programming of routes harder. There are no menus or features except the pushback that comes with most modern payware aircraft today in like stairs, fuel tankers, chocks or even a GPU (ground power unit), and the doors don't even open. But the interior is fully modeled and is well done. Raw and challenging is the way I would describe the A330-300 from Jetsim at the moment, but the fundamentals are all in there and the bonuses of a great 3d cockpit design and great frame rate make the aircraft highly useable and flyable. Dig deep into the characteristics and the aircraft will reward you, I found my first flights were so out of the box I wondered if anyone could fly it, but it soon came together and the aircraft is addictive in that you keep redefining your own parameters to dig deeper to get that perfect gate to gate flight. No doubt the A330-300 is one of the more interesting aircraft that has come our way, and in a short time and some final fine tuning it will be also be a very good aircraft for those medium to long routes. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Note! This version is now not available for sale... The new updated v2 version Review is here! Support Thread : Jetsim v1.1 support - A330 Review by Stephen Dutton Copyright © 2014 : X-Plane Reviews 1st October 2014 Technical Requirements: Windows, MAC or Linux. X-Plane 10.30 or higher - 32 and 64 bit compatible. (X-Plane 10.25 not supported - X-Plane 9 not supported) 8Gb RAM - 1Gb VRAM Current version: 1.1 - Last updated on September 27th 2014 Updated store# Review System Specifications: Computer System: - 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i5 iMac 27” - 6 Gb 1067 Mhz DDR3 - ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb Software: - Mac OS Mavericks 10.9.4 - X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.30 (final) Addons - Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle - Bose Soundlink WiFi Speaker Scenery - Singapore WSSS - Singapore Changi Int 1.3 by Kris28 Free (X-Plane.org - WSSS - Singapore Changi Int 1.3)

A milestone for X-Plane was passed this week with the 300,000th member signing on to our favorite simulator portal. Could you imagine our X-Plane universe without the .Org? No I can't either, as it is part and parcel of our daily online checkout. Cludo's go to the guy's that keep the wheels turning year after year in Dave, Brett, Andy and others, and of course Nicolas. To celebrate the 300,000th member to the site there is a new screenshot contest that will be run from - Sep 30th to October 12th 2014 This is the biggest contest X-Plane giveaway contest yet: They are giving away 42 payware aircraft and scenes from our partners including the upcoming Airbus A350 and A320 Neo By Peter Hager (will be awarded when ready). Each day we will select 3 random winners from the posters in the 'What Plane Did You Fly Today?' thread. At the end of the contest an additional 3 random winners will get a special prize (see below). 30-Sep-14: KFLL-Fort Lauderdale; AMX Fighter; Boeing 787 1-Oct-14: Boeing 747-8i; Mitsubishi Zero; Egod Airfield 2-Oct-14: ERJ-140; Seamax; KSEA-Seattle 3-Oct-14: Airbus A320 by JAR; DHC-3 Otters; Ultimate Glacier 4-Oct-14: Yeepee; Boeing 727; Wilmington 5-Oct-14: Bombardier CL300; Diamond DA-42; KMIA-Miami 6-Oct-14: Blackshape Prime; Instant Approach; Dash-8 Q400 7-Oct-14: RealHUD Transport; Grumman Goose; Bell 206 8-Oct-14: Spitfire; PC-12 STMA; Pacific Islands 9-Oct-14: Embraer E195; Robinson R-22; Superjet S-100 10-Oct-14: Mig-29; AS-350; KBUF - Buffalo 11-Oct-14: Lancair Legacy; PA-28 Arrow; Final Frontier 12-Oct-14: P51 Mustang; Canadian Rockies; DHC-2 Beaver Special Prizes are also picked from any date: Peter A320 Neo; Airbus A350 and the Boeing 777 extended. Rules Contest starts on Sep 30th and ends October 12th 2014 at midnight (US Central Time) To enter the contest you simply need to post a picture in the 'What Plane Did You Fly Today?' thread. Pictures posted in other threads do not qualify. Any picture will qualify as long as it follows the screenshot policy (see below). Pictures have to show a recognizable aircraft in x-plane. Only 1 entry per contestant per day (midnight to midnight US Central time). If you post 2 pics, you are disqualified for the day. Only 1 picture per post. if you post has multiple pictures, it will not count for the contest. 3 random winners will be selected each day using a random time-stamp generator. whoever is closest to the random time generated wins. Andy Goldstein will be the judge of this contest and will match the winners to the random time-stamp A post that do not follow the rules will be automatically disqualified - You will not be notified if your post is disqualified So lets celebrate the X-Plane.Org with style! Stephen Dutton 30th September 2014

The answer is no... Developers usually use their tried and tested testers to get the right feedback they require. Public testers are users and not testers, In that the very good ERJ-195 had a 100 public beta testers but received almost no real significant feedback on how to develop the aircraft? Most beta aircraft are very much not the final aircraft you buy, in fact that is why most users hate them because they are so buggy and not correct... that is why they are called betas, and not a final release.

Aircraft Update : Pipistrel Panthera version 2.0.9. by Aerobask As X-Plane goes final on the 10.30 version of the simulator a lot of the aircraft are being updated to the new version. Quick out of the blocks is Aerobask with their excellent Pipistrel Panthera. X-Plane Reviews did a full review of the Version v1 (release version) of the Pipistrel Panthera very early in 2014 here: So I am back in Ljubljana, Slovenia to find out what is new on the Panthera. On the ramp at LJLJ - Ljubljana-Brnik the aircraft looks the same but has a new livery in Panthera 2. This is an extra livery to the original seven liveries that came with version one. Jumping in the aircraft as it warmed up the first thing you notice is the second large screen to the right... It looks different because it is. This right hand screen is now a GPS screen and a version of the X-Plane GNS 530 GPS. So yes you will need X-Plane version 10.30 for the new Pipistrel. And how brilliant it has been integrated into the aircraft. It take a minute of so to work it out, as the knobs are the wrong way round and the direct button is on the far right of the panel. But it is brilliantly done in the way it looks so realistic and not even an add-on to the aircraft. And BIG, its huge! It you want the standard 10.30 GNS 530 then that is there as well if press the center of the screen, so for functionality this is a great addition to the aircraft. The engine display is still on the left of the screen (this was the old MFD (Muliti Functional Display), but the engine display can be moved to the right hand PFD (Primary Filght Display) screen if you want them. To a point you do need to know your way around the controls of the GNS530 to see where the repositioned knobs and buttons are now situated. You soon pick it up, but there are laid out in slightly different places. The map is now in with the Garmin GTN screens, which are touch menu driven panels in the center of the panel and the weather and map has had some great fine tuning to make both far more sharper. I didn't really like the old MFD Map display, It wasn't bad, as the colours were nice, but the actual map was set off centre and too low, and the zoom is still quite wide even at the low 10miles setting, so making very close navigation decisions is was hard. The new version is perfect in every respect and I love it. Another point is that with the change in the right hand screen, is that the left hand screen is far better as well. It is far sharper and better coloured than before and now looks the part as the EFIS has had many improvement textures. I had set up a (very) simple flightplan to fly again to LJPZ Portorož Airport. And the large display showed me my route. There is a great G meter that replaces the heading rose, and an instrument you don't want to look at while doing tight manoeuvres. Again very realistic. Powering up and you realise the Panthera sounds different? That is because in the nose is a new type of engine in the Lycoming IO540v - 260HP instead of the 210HP Lycoming engine in the first version. It sounds more haughtier and growling and of course you have more power to pull you up and through the air. The sounds now are simply far better than the original version, the aircraft feels more heavier and more realistic. And power into the sky you do... This light-weight composite aircraft now just builds up speed in a way you are hanging on more than taking off... it goes fast. More fixes and changes include the radio frequencies now goes as low as 8.33KHz, there is a bearing "To" Indicator arrows on the HSI and the textures and night lightning have been touched up and improved. The flight model has had some tuning as well, so the aircraft feels better, in fact overall the aircraft feel slightly different, more solid and real. It is a real enjoyable ride in there and the aircraft is very nice and posed to fly. There are some new and even more modern and fancy bucket seats, the seat cover textures are simply very good and I love the bright orange, sliver and black colour scheme. Update Summary Outwardly this is not just an update to the aircraft but really a new variant of the Pipistrel Panthera. The changes are quite significant, and in many ways this is a different aircraft from version one. I would if you are upgrading then keep both as you may want a different version to fly for various reasons. Certainly this v2 is far superior and now better refined. The insert of the GNS530 GPS is a masterstroke, and the way it has been implemented into the flight display panel is sheer genius. Priced still below US$20 this aircraft was a great buy before, but now with this update it is simply a bargain... If you already have the original Pipistrel Panthera then update now, if not then what are you waiting for if you want the best in a lightsports cruiser aircraft. ______________________________________________________________________ Yes! the Pipistrel Panthera update 2.0.9 by Aerobask is now Available from the X-Plane.OrgShop : Pipistrel Panthera Price is US$19.95 To upgrade to version 2.0.9 then go to your account at the X-Plane -.orgStore and download the new version. Installation : Download is 291.80mb, and installation size in your aircraft folder is 348mb. Documentation : Support: Pipistrel Panthera Update Review By Stephen Dutton 27th September 2014 ©copyright 2014 : X-Plane Reviews Technical Requirements: Windows, MAC or Linux. X-Plane 10.20 or higher - 32 and 64 bit compatible. (X-Plane 9 not supported) Current version: v2.0.9 Last updated: September 26th 2014 Review System Specifications: Computer System: - 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i5 iMac 27” - 6 Gb 1067 Mhz DDR3 - ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb Software: - Mac OS Mavericks 10.9.4 - X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.30 (final) Addons - Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle - Bose Soundlink Mini Scenery - LJLJ Ljubljana-Brnik - tdg (.org LJLJ) - LJPZ Portorož Airport - Aerobridge (Aerobridge)

Aircraft Release : B1900D HD Series by Carenado The big, big King Air is here in the B1900D as Carenado unleashs this small prop liner on X-Plane. The aircraft comes with the usual spectacular Carenado effects and features... Inside the cockpit and cabin the B1900D is simply gorgeous. The bonus is that if you are already familiar with other King Air's from Carenado, then you will slip right in and feel at home, as the systems are very much the same layout. Features include: HD quality textures 3D gauges Original HQ digital stereo sounds recorded directly from the real aircraft 3D stereo effects, such as outside sounds entering open windows. Customizable panel for controlling window transparency, instrument reflections and static elements such as wheel chocks and turbine inlet/exhaust covers. Realistic behavior compared to the real airplane. Realistic weight and balance. Tested by real pilots. Realistic 3D night lights effects on panel and cockpit. Individual passenger 3D reading lights and numerous HDR lighting effects. Dynamic loading/unloading of 3D parts and plugin logic for FPS optimization. Ice and Rain effects Included in the package: 5 HD liveries. 1 HD Blank livery B1900D Emergency Checklist PDF B1900D Normal Procedures PDF B1900D Performance Tables PDF B1900D Reference PDF B1900D EFIS X-Plane PDF B1900D EVVI X-Plane PDF Recommended Settings PDF And you get... 6 EXTRA FREE Liveries after you buy it. Technical Requirements are: Windows XP - Vista - 7 (32 or 64 bits) or MAC OS 10.6 (or higher) or Linux X-Plane10.30 (or higher) 2.5 GHz processor - 4GB RAM - 1GB VRAM 900MB available hard disk space (incl. free downloadable extra liveries) Price of the B1900D HD Series is US$34.95 Developer site : Carenado Stephen Dutton 26th September 2014 Copyright©2014 : X-Plane Reviews All images are courtesy of Carenado©

European it is... But I doubt the French will see it that way as the amount of money they have poured into the company.

First Impressions : Airbus A350 XWB by FlightFactor aero Route : LFBO Toulouse-Blagnac to BIFK Keflavík FlightFactor aero on the 20th Sept 2014 released their first beta version of the A350 XWB aircraft. This comes after the huge success of their other range of aircraft from Boeing in the Boeing 777 and the Boeing 757. Here in this release FlightFactor aero have switched camps to the European style manufacturer of Airbus. That in itself is a huge change in many aspects as the philosophy of Airbus is very different from the American style of bulletproof practical workman like designs (until the B787 Dreamliner that is), were as Airbus is a very automated and more computerized efficiency driven design. Deep down both companies really now run the same computerized philosophy, but their outlook on the flightdeck is really miles apart. This is not a review, as the thoughts here are on just seeing and flying the A350 XWB for the first time. As this is a beta then things can change between now and the release version, and their are few items that will be changed and fixed before the release date. Also in the images are a few things that won't look right, they are very minor but they are there. This is a beta and that means also that not everything is finished and a few items are not working so we are just going to look at the overall picture and not much very the in-detail stuff. In saying that then the very first impression is that for a beta the A350 is very well completed. Many a time when you launch a new aircraft beta your eyes will roll to the obvious problems that are still facing the designer/developer, in most cases there is usually a lot of work still to do. But here overall the A350 is very complete, that is not saying it will be released in a few weeks or even longer, because there is always a buried gremlin that can put any plans in the bin. But there is a few things going for us here in that Laminar Research have just finalised their last 10.30 update, and that means the X-Plan platform is stable and nothing that has to be changed to fit any X-Plane betas that could mess up the works and then that angle is not an issue here for FlightFactor like it has been in the past (there is nothing worse for a developer than being in the middle of a X-Plane beta release when you want to launch an aircraft). In a first flight everything worked very nicely and that shows the experience of the FlightFactor team in how they now have reached a certain level of quality in their aircraft. Yes there are a few issues but I couldn't see any real bad nasties in there that could ruin any holiday and put off a release for months. The biggest issue (for me) is usually framerate, but the A350 XWB ran very well in that department from the first off, so that was a big relief from the word go. Trying to dial in framerate is one of the hardest things to do in any aircraft, but again the lessons learnt from the past has shown through here, I was extremely happy to see green framerate numbers from the word go. FlightFactor aero have with this aircraft created a new category or have split their product line into two separate types of aircraft in professional models (i.e. B777 and B757) and now another in the “advanced” version in that pro models have like lighting effects, particles, menus, high 3D graphics and textures, cabin and fully functional cockpits, and the Adv versions are not so in depth and hard to fly. From a developers point of view you can't win in that if you keep one section of pro-fliers happy and then the other users can't access the aircraft because of the high level of systems that need to be set up and programmed. On the other side if the aircraft is simple to fly then the pro-fliers will hate such a basic simple machine. So here FlightFactor has tried to cover both bases in trying to keep both camps happy. The Adv is just that with basic systems and the Pro version with all the bells and whistles will come later in time for the A350 XWB. So does one camp still lose to the other or do both camps lose in this change... That was the first question I wanted to answer when I got the beta. Well the result is that that both camps win. The A350 XWB does not feel like a stripped out version of the other FlightFactor aircraft, the systems are very much in there and still totally complete, so the Pro users won't feel completely alienated either, but there are a couple of compromises that help the first users and the "I want to fly straight away" crowd. The good thing is that the compromises are clever in fact you (or I did) find that I could fly far quicker and set up in less time than with any other aircraft in this category. So both Pro and Adv users can access this Airbus and the manual is excellent for anyone new to this sort of Pro flying. And that is the benefit here in that any novice can with the A350 bridge that gap between the Pro and Novice world's because this aircraft meets you halfway. That does not mean that it is simple... as you will still have to study the manual and learn the aircraft, but at this level you can proceed to the next and get yourself closer to using the Pro aircraft because that wide technical bridge has been crossed without wading right through a 1000 page manufacturer operations manual. A good example of this is the FMC (Flight Management Computer). You still have your INIT page were you set up the route and preferences. You set up your airport departure runway and your destination airport arrival runway and then you only have to to insert the route which is extremely easy. Just put in your fixes and nav-aids under each other and then when completed your route you then eliminate the F-PLN DISCONTINUITY and your done! So where are my SID-STARS? well there isn't any (on this version) but you can not only save the whole route to the X-Plane FMS file but also any SID and STARS you have created (as a header and footer to your route) and it is done. It took me only six minutes to set the aircraft up with the LFBO - BIRK route and I was ready to go. So it goes both ways in that if the Pro want to do the whole SID - Route - STAR flightplan then they can do so, but if you want to input a quick flight (plan) then it will only take you minutes to do so. Another great side effect of this system is that your route is laid out on one of the display panels (center or like I preferred on the left side pilots panel) and it will show not only the distance but the exact time of your arrival at not only each fix, but also the destination airport. Adjust your speed and the arrival time will change as well.... love that? Well yes I did a lot. The quality of the cockpit is overwhelming, extremely good and totally functional, It felt slightly darker in there than what I expected from an Airbus environment. The angled side screens will be a love or hate thing... I found them overwhelming the PFD and some times turned them off to get rid of the distraction. The information can be shown on the central pedestal screen as well if you need it. The six large screens dominate the panel, Airbus notes that they wanted to put in the commonality with the bigger A380 flightdeck, but this A350 design feels nothing like the A380 from the pilot's seat (from Airbus's point of view and not FlightFactor's design work). Features abound, FlightFactor have again changed their menu options (now on the side screens) from the window menu on the B777 and the (preferred) X-Plane plug-in bar menu with the B757. but it does make them very handy and easier to use. Ground equipment supplied is overwhelming, and you get the lot. In setting the aircraft up it looked great with even people standing around, push-back is built in there as well. The only thing that I wasn't crazy about was when you select the stairs you get both forward doors or two stairs, great in one context but not usable if you are parked at a gate... (that may change yet). The livery packs are to be supplied again in sets of 10 like with the Boeing 777, Oceania, Africa & Middle East, Asia, Atlantic, Europe 1, Europe 2 and Pacific will be available besides the basic seven that comes with the aircraft. Quality is very good and so is the range. Here is small example. Airbus fly-by-wire systems are extremely complex and are the make or break in the feeling of functionality and use in flying Airbus aircraft. FlightFactor has used the QPAC designed systems and that means you get the best Airbus flying experience and it shows as you use it. It is also now highly tuned and has all the QPAC features like Alpha prot (High Angle of Attack Protection) and alpha floor protection. Normal law, alternate law 1 and alternate law 2 and mechanical law. So it was relatively easy to quickly get into the feeling of flying this aircraft if you have spent time on QPAC's A320-232 and Peter's Airbus A380 which use the same systems. Aircraft design is excellent. In the low arctic light the aircraft looked amazingly good (The first picture is now my desktop image) and the aircraft flew the whole route with no desktop crashes or things that could cause headaches. A lot of concern was made that the performance of the A350 XWB was not going to be correct in that the aircraft is still not in service and as solid operational data is not yet available. The A350XWB certainly felt good to me, but I wasn't looking at the numbers real closely either (because there isn't any), but I think FlightFactor have got them as close as possible on what data is available. Certainly as the real data stuff does become available it will be interesting to see how close the numbers will actually be and any adjustment (if any) will be done. No doubt that X-Plane's horizons will be expanded yet again with this aircraft, It will be a fantastic addition to our flying world, just like the real aircraft will be to the aviation world. Sitting on the cargo ramp at BIKF the aircraft looked great in the darkening wet sky and in some ways you can't believe that we already have this aircraft here and almost soon in the near future also ready for release in X-Plane. There are make no doubt still a few items like with the real aircraft that need attention to before it is released on the wanting public as the beta program progresses. Overall the first signs for the Airbus A350 XWB are very good. Stephen Dutton 24th September 2014 Features noted: Fully custom aircraft systems (elec, hyd, air cond, ADIRU, etc.) Fully custom ECAM monitoring system with all screens and functions included Fully functional airbus style alert system with multiple status and procedural lists Fully functional interactive airbus electronic checklist system Airbus a350/a380 unique “touch screen” interfaces with dozens of screens and hundreds of functions Fully custom and unique MFD (multifunctional display) system with most of flight planning pages implemented in a new graphical interface, as well as FCU and radio backups just like on the real plane Full OIS screen system with options, ground equipment control, passenger and cargo loading, and even a full user’s manual inside the plane. Old style MCDU and fully functional aux instruments as backup. Full FBW with Highly realistic implementation of the Airbus “normal law” by QPAC – the most realistic fly-by-wire implementation for desktop flight simulation. In v1.0 an advanced flight planning interface (based on XP native data) Basic SID/STAR implementation using X-plane fms-files that you can create yourself and share with the community. "What you see is what you fly" flight path indication on the ND (i.e. curved trajectories with the turn radius properly computed based on speed and angular turn distance.) Implementation of all Airbus AP modes, except some non-precision approach modes (Selected and managed modes, speed constraints respected, "at or below" contraints in phase climb, "at or above" constraints in phase descent.) Full PFD and ND displays with fully independent display and different data sources for the captain and copilot displays. Independent autopilots Many new options like scroll wheel support for switch manipulation As usual a very advanced 3D model with HD textures and complete and animated mechanics. Developer Site: FlightFactor aero Developer Site: facebook A350 Dev Thread : X-Plane.org Scenery used in this post. - LFBO Toulouse-Blagnac - Aerosoft (X-Plane.OrgShop US$21.50) - BIKF (Keflavik) - Aerosoft (X-Plane.OrgShop US$19.20)