Stephen

NEWS! - Aircraft Update : T-6A Texan II to X-Plane 12 by AOA Simulations Released late in 2022 for the X-Plane Simulator. The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company (Textron Aviation since 2014). A trainer-twin seater aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the aircraft T-6 has replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna T-37B Tweet and the United States Navy's T-34C Turbo Mentor. This X-Plane version is by AOA Simulations. Since the release there has been already a large update for the AOA T-6A in Dec 2020 to v1.1, but the biggie change is now, in AOA releasing both the X-Plane 11 version, and the coveted X-Plane 12 version. Features include Two default liveries, USAF and U.S. Navy TAW-5. 30 (!) additional liveries will be available on the X-Plane.org freeware download manager. This is the T-6A model with federated (many small units combined into one system) glass display panels. The project has been in development since February 23, 2020 and is our most detailed model to date. The Model High quality 3D model with high-resolution, 4K PBR textures. Fully functional virtual front and rear 3D cockpits with more than 380 control manipulators. Everything works, fly from either cockpit. Both pilot and instructor models visible in cockpit views. Optimized to save FPS in VR. Ground equipment. The Flight model Fully aerobatic, high performance dynamic flight model tested and approved by several former T-6A pilots. Single “Power Lever” control of engine and propeller enables "jet like" simplicity. Unique T-6 Trim Aid Device (TAD) is accurately modeled. This compensates for most engine torque effect with automatic rudder trim. Sounds Professional FMOD sound package by SimAccoustics Documentation Detailed 38 page User Guide and detailed avionics illustrated guide sheets available HERE ON OUR SUPPORT PAGE prior to purchase. Several checklists options to choose from including detailed checklist powered by Xchecklist freeware plug-in. Tutorial checklist and example Training Flight to get you up to speed with the aircraft. More details All panel displays are accurately modeled and powered by SASL plugin / lua code Complete electrical systems model. Every circuit breaker on both the battery and generator bus panels is functional. Individual systems can be isolated, failed and restored via its cockpit circuit breaker. Optional "AOA Extras" for student pilots or those who want to know a little more about what's going on with while the fly. Save load feature allows you to save some options once and they are the same on your next flight in the model. Default Laminar G1000 available to use with a custom database in the panel mounted GPS unit. Video is in X-Plane 11 The Model 3000/T-6 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with enclosed tandem seating for two. It is powered by single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68 turboprop engine in tractor configuration with an aluminum, 97-inch (8.1 ft; 2.5 m), four-blade, constant-speed, variable pitch, non-reversing, feathering propeller assembly and has retractable tricycle landing gear. The aircraft is fitted with Martin-Baker Mark 16 ejection seats and a canopy fracturing system. The T-6 is a development of the Pilatus PC-9, modified by Beechcraft to enter the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) competition in the 1990s. A similar arrangement between Pilatus and British Aerospace had also been in place for a Royal Air Force competition in the 1980s, although that competition selected the Short Tucano. The aircraft was designated under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system and named for the decades-earlier T-6 Texan. This X-Plane aircraft was developed using the official USAF 1T-6A-1 Flight Manual and SNFO (Student Naval Flight Officer) P-880 Aircraft Systems explanatory guide. Update to X-Plane 12 is free, and the X-Plane 11 version is part of the package. If already a current purchaser of the T-6A, then go to your X-Plane.OrgStore account to update the Texan ll to X-Plane 12. Designed by Fabrice Kauffmann and David Austin of AOA Simulations Support forum for the T-6A Texan II __________________________________ The T-6A Texan II by AOA Simulations is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here: T-6A Texan II Price at time of writing US$40.00 Requirements: X-Plane 12 or 11 4 GB VRAM Video Card Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 360 MB Current version: XP12 (March 1st 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 2nd March 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

What is wrong with the MBB Bo 105, it is brilliant, looks brilliant in X-Plane 12 as well? Certainly not junk as you say it.

NEWS! - Aircraft Update : Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 DBS-4 by JRX Design to X-Plane 12 JRX Design haven't been in the X-Plane Simulator for too long, a just a few years or more. But their impact on creating top-notch quality Helicopters is already very highly regarded. They started with the excellent SA 341B and SA 342J Gazelle, then their next release was the Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 DBS-4, a big name, but also a lot of helicopter. Now JRX Design have now released the MBB Bo 105 DBS-4 for X-Plane 12. This release is noted as a brand new version (X-Plane 12), but it is not an upgrade, and it is free to all current X-Plane 11 purchasers, which is a nice feeling. A worthwhile one also for a top-quality helicopter to fly in X-Plane 12. The feature list is quite comprehensive as well... Features Include, but not limited to: High detail, fully animated 3D-model with PBR textures up to 4k resolution. Fully VR compatible, configured by SimVRLabs. Accurate flight model tested, developed, and approved by a current MBB Bo 105 pilot. Complete and accurate start up and shut down functionality. Dynamic weights for optional fuel and part configuration. Bespoke custom made and accurate instrumentation sourced direct from a 105 DBS-4. Optional autopilot unit and a full IFR navigation instrumentation suite. Fully functional circuit breakers and electrical system including AC / DC buses. Working fire warning and extinguishing system. Custom instrument HDR spill lighting. HDR internal and external lighting. Dynamic vibration model with speed increase / decrease, including entering and exiting translational lift. RXP GTN integrated on a custom tablet. AviTab with custom tablet. Highly detailed pilot and co-pilot, with optional dual controls. Optional body decals including HOT3 missiles, working floats, flight steps and cargo hook. Complete FMOD sound package with 113 individual sounds sampled from a real 105. Headset attenuation, with optional ATC radio chatter (US, FR and IE) for better immersion. Particle system for heat blur animations. 26 liveries including civil, service and military variants. Included paint kit for body, seats, ID plates, interior trims and pilots’ uniforms. Flight configuration and options, all done in cockpit either in 2D or VR. Full documentation, including all flight reference cards in cockpit. Real-life reference documentation and video tutorials including the start-up / shutdown procedure: https://youtu.be/ycCgysLNFkE ; https://youtu.be/BLxWiC1FnOs ; https://youtu.be/bz9NmdjchDM https://youtu.be/qGsdB9Jmk-c Full lifetime support at the forum, product updates and development as required: JRX MBB Bo 105 - X-Plane.Org Forum Windows, Mac and Linux compatible. Full release review (XP11) is here; Aircraft Review : Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 DBS-4 by JRX Design A quick look at the MBB Bo105 in X-Plane 12 and it looks quite sensational, gone is the flatness aspect of X-Plane 11. It all feels real world and extremely realistic. Internally the Bo 105 is amazing. The Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 is a light, twin-engine, multi-purpose helicopter developed by Bölkow of Ottobrunn, West Germany. It was the first light twin-engine helicopter in the world, and the first rotorcraft that could perform aerobatic manoeuvres such as inverted loops. The Bo 105 features a revolutionary hingeless rotor system, a pioneering innovation in helicopters when it was introduced into service in 1970. Production of the Bo 105 began at the then-recently merged Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB). Designed by JRX Design Support forum for the MBB BO 105 The MBB Bo 105 XP12 version is now available for download from the X-Plane.Org store, to purchase see below. Download size is 1.01 Gb _____________________________________ Yes! - the Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 DBS-4 by JRX Design is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 DBS-4 Price is US$35.99 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.1 GB Current Version: XP12 (February 27th 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 28th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

Behind the Screen : February 2023 Behind the Screen in January 2023, laid out the start of X-PlaneReviews year in X-Plane 12. It was of course a strange mixture of optimism and being faced with the challenges that X-Plane 12 brings to Simulation. Oddly it was partly software, but mostly hardware (Saitek Throttle and Graphic Card) related. The full story is here; Behind the Screen : January 2023 The basis as noted a month ago, is that Behind the Screen is a look behind the website, basically what we are faced with in hardware, addons and software, can also affect you, so the idea is that by us sharing what happens in our world, can hopefully help you in your Simulation. I run X-Plane on average 6-8 hours a day, 6 days a week, which adds up to a huge amount of simulator time, I cover a huge selection of aircraft, scenery and plugins (But I will note I don't use a lot of experimental plugins, because with reviews, you need a basic standard level (base line) to configure the aircraft correctly). After the trauma of January, I was looking forward to a more routine stable month in February, and it got off to a good start. In Simulation as noted you have to have a base line. That is the point were the simulator is running smoothly and the settings are compatible with your hardware. From this line you can see if the aircraft is performing or it's performance is correct. To do that you use aircraft that are very well known to you, and are very stable in their flight and performance envelope. Data in one flight should mirror the next flight and so on, if anything is knocked out of kilter, then you go back to these standard base settings to get or to set your bearings again. Certainly as the Simulator matures you have to reset your baseline, but that is okay if things are running normally. So what happens if you lose your baseline? After all the rigmarole of January. The safest thing to do was to find the new baseline. I did this by using one aircraft in the Rotate MD-11, and I flew the aircraft solidly for six flights, comparing notes and data, then moving to another (ToLiSS A319) and compared the sets of data. I found that yes indeed X-Plane 12 was better, except for in one area... weather. The Weather factor was so bad, you could never find any base line with the huge turbulence/gusting changes, and the aircraft were performing very abnormally... basically it was impossible to review any aircraft in this situation. A side note was that the turbulence actually created in the "Real" weather, also affected (bled into) the "Manual" set weather... so setting the manual settings made no difference (which is crazy), as what you set, should be the same settings that you should get in the simulator... oh and it rained all the time, even with bright blue skies? Laminar Research certainly knew of the problems with the new X-Plane 12 weather engine, and have been working on the situation since the start of the New Year. 12.04b1 release was a biggie. (note this is still a "beta" release, not a version release). As the problematic turbulence (since the start of the release of the X-Plane 12 betas) was finally fixed and so was the "XPD-13715 – Manual wind layer altitudes were ignored" factor, we finally had a stable Simulator... not. Then something really strange happened to X-Plane 12, the .dds files started to fail? .dds is the format used in textures (.PNG is also used , but PNG is not as efficient as .dds), the result of this aspect was that most of your scenery and ortho textures turned grey? and absolutely nothing related to the weather issues. This one really shut me down, for a week... as Laminar fixed it. The problem was probably related to installing Zink, and if you want to know what Zink is, then Sidney explains it all here; Addressing Plugin Flickering. Both new items were introduced in v12.04b3. The Zink problem was it created a fail backup to the loss of the OpenGL API, the AMD users out there got a lot of flickering and CTD, if Vulkan failed... which it does quite often. You are probably shouting, "Why didn't you have a backup?". I do in a core basic X-Plane 12 version, but in my excitement on the weather being fixed, I updated at the same time both my main X-Plane version and my backup version v12.04b1, there was no point in downloading a fresh X-Plane 12 either, as that was tainted in 12.04b1 blood as well, so I was trapped, or had trapped myself. So v12.04B3 is good... not, again. But this issue is not related to the others, in fact it is an external issue with the "GRIB_get_field failed", in other words the NOAA or "NOAA Operational Model Archive and Distribution System", has pulled the GRIB Files that X-Plane 12 uses for the Simulator for downloading Live Weather. (Actually the file location/address was changed). GRIB by the way stands for "WMO standard for encoding gridded fields". You thankfully you could get around this one, by setting the weather to "Manual", so at least I was flying again. And yes the Gribb fix is now also done from Laminar Research, and your live weather is all working again, actually far better than before. You could note this as all the trials and tribulations of sorting out a new X-Plane version, but it is happening AFTER X-Plane 12 went Final, two months after... the baseline should have been more solid at that point of release, and that is the point of the story here, the so called "Stable" release was not stable, yes we are using "betas", but there was no point at all in going back to the "Final" which should have been a stable release either as there was no baseline to work from? So something is amiss here. So you have to feel for the developers in wanting to update or upgrade to X-Plane 12, how do you find a baseline of on such shifting sands, well you can't. Hence the slowing of X-Plane 12 releases. In between of all of this X-Plane 12 is actually getting better with each update, although tainted by the .dds scandal, v12.04b1 was a very good release, everything felt better, from the lighting to the clouds, not perfect yet, but better... so big progress IS being made, and we may be finally getting there. I had to move to a fresher drive, or more so from a platter drive to a NVMe M.2 SSD for most of my storage files, meaning aircraft and scenery and the various odds and bobs. I'm not a big fan of platter drives, as I have had various nasty encounters of them failing on me and taking a large portion of my life with them, you can only have so many backups of the same thing. Yes SSD's can fail as well, but nothing bothers you more than a thin consistently spinning disk with a needle poised above it, you just know it it is someday going to rip it to shreds. Then moving from the old drive to the newer one was a big task, over 2Tb of files, most going back now a decade or so. There is a lot of history in there, a lot of flying elements as well. So it makes you take stock of the current situation. These changes do usually happen between X-Plane version changes, a sort of "out with the old, in with the new" house keeping, but like going through old photographs when moving house, these movements in life can make you stop and think of your journey to this moment. Like again photographs, there are a lot of memories there. Aircraft that created memorable events, even the hard ones you had to master. Can you really associate the current highly detailed X-Plane 12 cockpit to a 2d instrument panel of a decade ago... well not really, and that is why you don't use them anymore (but you still do a short flight now and then to see of where, and how far we have come). The next batch of aircraft are more interesting, we are talking X-Plane 10 era machines. Now we had 3d virtual cockpits, and that changed the game (so to speak). It was the era when Carenado also came into X-Plane, well renowned in Flight Sim, Carenado aircraft in X-Plane 10 were and are still a revelation for X-Plane. Sure if you jump into a lot of them now they have a dated appeal, but a lot still have a glowing quality that makes you miss the quality of the detail and textures of the era, or mostly of the feel the aircraft created. Don't get me wrong here before we go too far, X-Plane 12 aircraft are a very high on the quality and features scale, even past the modeling stage and more like a miniature version of the real aircraft... but, but, these aircraft were gems... the PA34 Seneca V, PA31 Navajo, Cardinal ll, C404 Titan, A36 (V Tail) Bonanza, CT210 Centurion ll, PA46 Malibu Mirage, Archer ll, S550 Citation II and I could go on and on. A few are more precious... the B1900D, the SAAB S340 and the Fokker F50. For X-Plane 11 most if not all Carenado aircraft were upgraded to the new simulator from X-Plane 10, or created for X-Plane 11... in all there were 42 Carenado aircraft of various designs, one thankfully has survived, my F33A Bonanza as you can get a REP package to allow it to fly in X-Plane 12, but it's not a full upgrade revision, but it survived and will live to fly another day, like it does in the header here and in an X-Plane 12 environment. Obviously we are in the early days of X-Plane 12 aircraft conversions, so we really don't know of what aircraft will survive or will be left on the drive platter. And that conversion process will maybe take a year and a half, but there will still be hundreds of aircraft left behind in the churn factor. Yes a lot do belong in the past, and are to be left back there. But a lot don't... they also don't deserve to disappear from our Simulator. Many designs will be re-imagined, like with Thranda and their C206 Caravan, C208 Skywagon and lastly the C337, but they won't be able to replace all of them. So the general aviation market, so heavily dominated by Carenado is going to be quite decimated with no replacements, worse is the loss of the B1900D, S340 and that for me the heavily flown F50. If these machines are not going to be upgraded, and Carenado have no interest in X-Plane going forward, then why not release them to freeware, then users can then patch them up for use in X-Plane 12. This goes for other now gone developers or abandoned payware aircraft. A lot of developers have switched to MSFS, as has Carenado, so again this is creating a very different scenario from the transition of X-Plane 10 to X-Plane 11 for X-Plane 12. There was this churn between X-Plane 10 and 11. But my feeling that it is going to be very different this time. We didn't worry of the transition from X-Plane 9 to 10, because of the revolution of the changes in X-Plane 10, X-Plane 11 grew huge and capitalised on X-Plane 10.... X-Plane 12 however feels very different, and I think we will have to adjust to accommodate the changes. Like I said it is early days yet, but the feeling already is more of the new this time around, than the same of the past. See you all next month Stephen Dutton 1st March 2023 Copyright©2023 X-Plane Reviews

NEWS! Aircraft Updated : Flightfactor A320-214 Ultimate v1.6.1 X-PlaneReviews only did an overview coverage of the FlightFactor A320-214 to v1.5.6 just over a month ago... Aircraft Update : Flightfactor A320-214 Ultimate v1.5.6 gets a serious update! Yet here we are with another one to v1.6.1. Obviously it is not a huge update, could even be considered as a touch up to the significant earlier v1.5.6 release. Myself, I wish FlightFactor had focused more on the immediate problems with the aircraft? The manipulator zones are all over the place, and not focused on the knobs and switches there are supposed to represent, the lighting has had the cabin floor lighting installed, but the cabin lighting framerate plummet is of a frightful kind that has had no attention. Worse is that you now can't see out of the cabin windows, because many of the shades are lowered? So I'm not exactly thrilled with it at the moment... Changelog 1.6.1 Improvements: * cabin visual improvements: shadows and geometry Fixes: * dimmed cabin floor light stripe * VSW stuck and not moving * overspeed protection too aggressive * missed doors in xp11 version * missed internal lights in cockpit and cabin in xp11 version Changes in the v1.5.6 update in the doors and cabin, have now been updated or fixed for X-Plane 11, other v1.6.1 changes include: VSW Stuck and Not Moving: Issue addressed in this update is the VSW stuck and not moving. The VSW (Vertical Speed Wheel) is an essential component of the aircraft, and when it gets stuck, it can cause problems for the pilot. The update fixes this issue and ensures that the VSW operates correctly. ‍ Overspeed Protection Too Aggressive: The overspeed protection in the A320 was too aggressive, which meant that the aircraft would automatically reduce its speed even when it was not necessary. This update fixes this issue and ensures that the overspeed protection operates as intended. Updates are now available via the X-Plane.OrgStore, or by using the X-Updater Application (note to have the "beta" option ticked on) Notable is that 320 Ultimate (XP11) customers can get this X-Plane 12 upgrade for only US$20.00 Please look for the coupon code in your original A320 Ultimate Invoice _______________ The A320 Ultimate XP12 Extended beta is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here: A320 Ultimate XP12 Extended beta Price at time of writing US$89.95 Requirements X-Plane 11 or X-Plane 12 OS: Windows (64 bit) or Mac 10.14 (or higher) Processor (x86-64 Intel or AMD): 4-cores Intel Core I5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2500X, Apple M1 and M2 not supported Video Card: GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 580 with 4 GB VRAM (8 GB recomended) RAM: 8 GB (16 GB highly recommended) Disk Space: 3 GB Last version: 1.6.1 (22.02.2023) Upgrade NOTE! This is upgrade must be installed as a new product - from "scratch", independently of the old version for XP11. You can migrate your settings from the old version. For details, please refer to product manual. If you are using x-updater, select a folder different from the previous version or select 'fresh' install. ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 27th January 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Aircraft Update : He-162 Project v3.0 - VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' Series Released in July 2020. This is another project aircraft from vSkyLabs, called the He-162 Project. Now Updated to v3.0 and is also X-Plane 12 compliant. The Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger (German, "People's Fighter") was a German single-engine, jet-powered fighter aircraft fielded by the Luftwaffe in World War II. Developed under the Emergency Fighter Program, it was designed and built quickly and made primarily of wood as metals were in very short supply and also prioritised for other aircraft. Volksjäger was the Reich Air Ministry's official name for the government design program competition won by the He 162 design. Other names given to the plane include Salamander, which was the codename of its wing-construction program, and Spatz ("Sparrow"), which was the name given to the plane by the Heinkel aviation firm. The aircraft was notable for its small size; although almost the same length as a Bf 109, its wing was much shorter at 7.2 metres (24 ft) vs. 9.9 metres (32 ft) for the 109. Most distinctive was its top-mounted engine, which combined with the aircraft's ground-hugging landing gear allowed the engine to be easily accessed for maintenance. The vSkylab philosophy is that you are purchasing an ongoing project, so any aircraft you purchase is not fully completed or is completed to 100%, that is the deal you sign up for to get access to the aircraft and all the development is free and ongoing throughout the X-Plane 12 version. These projects are under constant development: the development road-map is including flight model refinements, enhanced systems depth, additional liveries and other improvements. Project's Main Features: VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' project Highly defined flight dynamics model of the He-162 First Generation Jet-Fighter Comprehensive damage simulation Built around the powerful, native X-Plane's 'Experimental Flight Model' environment. Highly detailed model of the Heinkel He-162 aircraft. Comprehensive manual - 50 pages booklet Systems simulation: All core systems of the He-162 are modeled Fully functional VR (Virtual Reality) Ready Multi-Layer FMOD sound pack Auto-Updates and Support Highly responsive VSKYLABS support forums XP12 - v3.0 (22nd February 2023) Flight model deep validation to fall in line with the latest XP12 flight model updates (phase #1/2). Variable-area Nozzle performance enhancements (thrust, temperatures, speeds, altitudes). Landing gears physics overhauled. Weight and balance tune-up due latest XP12 aerodynamics updates. PBR rework for interior/exterior (to fall in line with the new XP12 rendering and lighting updates). Fix to 'aircraft is being initiated with nose-up attitude'. Engine RPM tuneup for ground idle. New 3-d modeling of the Revi-16B sight and internal 'projected' mechanism. New 3-d modeling of canopy air-vents. 3-d modeling fixes and improvements, including textures, for throttle quadrant, and cockpit panel. Fix for active gyro sounds in cold and dark, without electrical power. Notable was that the Skunkcraft's updater was added in November 2022 This aircraft is also available for X-Plane 11 (obviously with out the dynamics and effects of X-Plane 12) Images are courtesy of vSkyLabs... The He-162 Project v3.0 by vSkyLabs is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore _____________________________________ Yes! - the He-162 v3.0 Project by vSkyLabs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : He-162 Project Price is US$25.00 (Currently on sale for only US12.50!) Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 3.0 (February 22nd 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 24th January 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! Updated - New Environmental tool VisualXP Ultimate by SimAdditions This NEWS! item has been updated to cover the new options of package pricing versions, as set out below. Personally I'm not attracted to applications or certainly the Lua app, that have interaction with the basic default X-Plane engine, don't get me started on the hundreds of different shader versions that we had to toil through as everyone had their own perspective on how X-Plane should look... I had hoped with the release of X-Plane 12 and it's new complete environmental engine, those days would be in the past, obviously not. I'm not completely honest here. I used throughout the X-Plane 11 run, the Dark Skies xEnviro, oddly not for it's clouds, but for the interface that allowed you to tune X-Plane's look and feel. Odd is the fact that you can change the look of X-Plane via you Graphics Card (mine is Nvidia), but that only changes your monitor look and feel, and not actually the Simulator's. But with xEnviro you could actually do this management aspect and that is what is important here. Struggling with dark images coming out of X-Plane 12, I found I couldn't adjust them internally, so I missed that xEnviro interface, being honest I don't miss the huge xEnviro sucking down of my framerate either. I had hoped that X-Plane 12 would have put all that in the past? But it didn't, and I struggled with the lighting in X-Plane 12, notable is the fact that X-Plane 12 is still in reality a working beta, but I did miss the interaction I had with xEnviro.... which brings us to this new environmental tool from SimAdditions. VisualXP is a tool that will enhance your X-Plane Atmosphere, Clouds, Water, and Scenery(Lights and Shadow) visually. The Atmosphere feature will enhance the Sun lighting, Ambient lighting, Scattering color temperature, Sky colors, Fog density, Aerosol, Visibility range, Horizon scattering, and Zenith scattering. The Clouds feature can control the cloud formations, clouds visibility range, clouds brightness, clouds density, thickness, cloudiness, and clouds details, all of these will work together to give better clouds forms. The Water feature can control the water wave foams, sun gloss, water wave strength, and scaling. there are sliders to control these functions as well. The Lights feature can simulate real-life fog at night where there are multiple lights that illuminate the fog. We also can Enable one of the great features of X-Plane "the Fog Spotlights" which add realistic spotlights for all objects in X-Plane. we can control the light spots' strength on the ground as well, we have sliders to control the size and the strength of the lights as well as spots lights. A main feature in Lights is "the Fog Spotlights" which add realistic spotlights for all objects in X-Plane. we can control the light spots' strength on the ground as well, we have sliders to control the size and the strength of the lights as well as spots lights. The Weather feature can deliver Live Weather, Weather Search, and Weather Briefings. The Briefing Tab will give you all the weather information including clouds altitudes pressure, all aloft for winds directions, winds speed, temperature, dewpoint, winds share, and turbulence, also the status of the water waves. Notable is tha VisualXP is for Windows Only at this point, again like xEnviro. There are three Variations of VisualXP, which are called "Plugin Levels" these plugins level are "Ultimate, Premium, and Basic". The Ultimate version will include all features of VisualXP, while the other levels have some limitations. The Premium level has the mentioned features except for the "Scenery" Tab (Lights functions and sliders) and the "Weather Briefing" tab which is included in the Weather Master Tab. The Basic level will have an Atmosphere, and Clouds Only. These three variations to give the user the ability to choose the one that fits he/her needs. VisualXP Interface Packages consist of: VisualXP Basic Priced at US$9.99 The basic version only includes: Atmosphere and clouds VisualXP Ultimate Priced at US$25.97 The Full package including Atmosphere and clouds; Water; Scenery; Weather - Live Weather; Weather - Weather Search; Weather - Weather Briefing A considered Simulator tool, and an effective one... Images are Courtesy of SimAdditions VisualXP Support is here SimAdditions Support __________________ Yes!... VisualXP by SimAdditions is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : VisualXP Basic Priced at US$9.99 VisualXP Ultimate Price is US$25.97 Requirements X-Plane 12 Windows Only - Not Compatible with Mac or Linux at this time Things Things To Be Considered Before Buying If you are using DataRefTool or DataRefEditor, you need to disable them before using ViualXP, VisualXP will stop working instantly once one of these plugins is detected as Enabled. and it will inform you with a message in the user interface to disable these plugins. Do not use any other plugin, scripts, or mods that controls one of VisualXP features as that will make conflict and will make bad visuals. The performance will be different from one plugin level to another because of the features that each one has, the higher level will have more performance effects, but no worries with the plugin sliders you can lower the settings to fit your device capacity. The plugin can't work in offline mode, a connection to the internet must be available for the license system and downloading weather. We cannot offer any demos at the moment. The plugin has been developed using the windows 10 platform and will be for windows only at this time, sorry for Mac and Linux users, we will support these platforms in the future. The functions of the plugin can be increased or decreased depending on the X-Plane 12 version and the ability that Laminar Research offers. ___________________________ News! by Stephen Dutton 22nd February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - X-Hangar updates the DHC4 C-7a Caribou to X-Plane 12 It's an odd looking critter of an aircraft, but one with amazing short field performance and clever STOL (ShortLanding and Takeoff) abilities. My connection with the aircraft was with the large numbers at my closest Australian RAAF Amberley airbase, so they were very frequent and active around our local skies, sadly the DHC-4 are now all retired, but there are still a few left around to look at, at airshows and in museums. The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou (designated by the United States military as the CV-2 and later C-7 Caribou) is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. The Caribou was first flown in 1958 and although mainly retired from military operations, is still in use in small numbers as a rugged "bush" aircraft. The de Havilland Canada company's third STOL design was a big step up in size compared to its earlier DHC Beaver and DHC Otter, and was the first DHC design powered by two engines. The Caribou, however, was similar in concept in that it was designed as a rugged STOL utility aircraft. The Caribou was primarily a military tactical transport that in commercial service found itself a small niche in cargo hauling. The United States Army ordered 173 in 1959 and took delivery in 1961 under the designation AC-1, which was changed to CV-2 Caribou in 1962. X-Hangar are converting their aircraft quickly to X-Plane 12, not a week goes by without another aircraft released. Here is the next aircraft released in the DHC4 C-7a Caribou. Features here Include: 3 flyable models: radar pod, no radar pod, and bare metal Rain effect on windscreen and windows Garmin 430 with pop up panel Opening engine cowls Opening cargo doors Opening passenger doors Sliding radio tray Detailed 3d engine and props Many custom 3d gauges Many liveries included Pilot figures including pilot, co-pilot, and loadmaster Custom sounds Animated controls Many detail parts Checklist included .pdf manual included that tells you how to fly and use the instrument panels Night LIT textures included Real pilot tested Link to download a 450+ page beautiful, crisp, and clear real world pilot's manual Version XP12 - February 20th 2023 new update features: v11 rain limited to win vulcan only (plugin limitation) new passengers that load with payload weight new seats for passengers new car for cariboub (loads with added payload weight. need near max weight to display) the cargo bay now has a mixture of passengers and cargo intended to enhance the FSE experience v12 rain effects v12 better taxi and landing lights v12 new payload system New X-Hangar support forum Images courtesy of X-Hangar ________________ Yes! the DHC4 C-7a Caribou by X-Hangar is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : DHC4 C-7a Caribou Price is US$22.95 Requirements X-Plane 11 fully updated Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum Download Size: 472 Mb Version XP12 - Feb 20th 2023 ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 21st February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Right Reserved.

Aircraft Update Review : Gulfstream 550 v1.10 by AKD Studio Since it's release back 28th October 2022 there has been 10 (including this one) updates to the AKD Studio Gulfstream 550, obviously four months and with 10 updates in that time period, it shows the huge amount of the development that has changed on the aircraft in those few months, a lot obviously, and the changelogs are long. I'm not going to note all the fixes here in this update review, but only the ones that are significant. I really liked the aircraft on it's release, but the G550 did however feel a little bit under developed, it is a new developer to the X-Plane platform as well in AKD Studio's so there is a lot to learn and refine, but the above changelogs shows the improvements are going in there and very quickly... Release review; Aircraft Review : Gulfstream 550 by AKD Studio After four months both the Gulfstream 550 and X-Plane 12 feel far better than they did back in October... as together they have both matured nicely. Externally there have been small changes, however not still on the front windscreen surround, as they are still missing the screws? but the side windows now show the glass reflections, and not a hollow hole, so the fuselage as a whole feels far better (the cabin windows here on the G550 are really big). Cabin window blinds/shades were added in v1.04, very nice. Biggest change in v1.10, is the addition of a cargo hold area, this is on a revised menu "Ground Handling" page noting now an opening rear door, set below the Main Door operation. Access can also be through the rear bathroom (new door) to the very well done cargo bay, I like the wire protected lights, a nice touch... you can also open and close the cargo hatch manually from the inside. More new features in v1.10 include both an AC and DC GPU's (Ground Power Units), and they are both well done, both available on the Ground Handling page. The "Fuel" or loading page has been upgraded as well. You can set your fuel load by the + or -, but also by scrolling on the REQ TOTAL to add in or off load fuel... When pressing SET you get now a well modeled tanker outside. You can also set the cargo weight (both Kgs and Lbs are available), and finally your Passenger load of up to 16 Passengers, weights are adjusted to the loading parameters. Pressing BOARDING, will activate a Tesla Car (It takes ages to turn up) and proceeds to deliver passengers and luggage to the aircraft... when done it goes away, to unload passengers you press the selection "Take Passengers to Terminal". If you had read the release review, we have seen this Tesla before, but at the totally wrong scale. It is now the right scale, but in reality it is all still a bit odd isn't it... I mean how would you get 16 passengers into a 5 seater Tesla? A Mercedes Bus would have been a better idea, the Tesla doesn't feel finished either? The Fuel truck has an annoying foible as well, it appears simply out of nowhere, then suddenly disappears again when the aircraft is refueled, so there is no animation to the jet or in leaving? Static Elements can now also be selected to appear on startup. Other external notes include... wheels now actually touch the ground! In v1.04 the internal lighting had an overhaul. There are sixteen individual sets of lights around the huge cabin, these can be all switched on or off manually at each light, or on the selections of the CABIN LIGHTS Menu page... Thankfully you can "Turn on all Lights", and do the same to turn them all off again... And very nice it all is in the cabin... there is a secondary lighting page that covers three areas, rear Bathroom and each side downwash lights... This gives you a more softer cabin feel, and lights up separately the bathroom. It does also help lighting up the galley area which was extremely dark before, and sort of the entrance, which I complained about in the release review. Oddly the Red on to the Green off selections are the opposite of the cabin lighting commands? Lighting is better, but it still doesn't quite all work? as separate galley and baggage area lighting is what is really required here, and you still some entrance lighting missing... the stairs have the inbuilt lighting elements shown, but it doesn't work... as light bleed into the cockpit with no door is a problem? External lighting was upgraded in v1.05. It is very good, if the main landing lights a bit over bright? There are Navigation, Strobe, Beacon (belly), Ice/Wing and wheelwell lights.. the tail light is too dull to be effective. Cockpit lighting is good, and it comes with a lot of adjustments, with glareshield dropdown lighting, yoke, overhead and side panel lighting. The only thing I didn't like, was that I couldn't dial out the footwell lighting... this made bright reflections upwards on to the instrument displays, so an all dark cockpit was not possible. While we are still in the cabin, the window frames are still quite average and they come with nasty gaping holes and badly fitted cabin (glass) windows. Yes while flying you do have to look through these badly made windows and I'm not in liking the view!... however the "Time to Destination" has been added to the Cabin Display. Don't get me wrong here, the lighting is now very good, but still needs more refinement to be effective, or totally realistic. Instruments The HUD (Head Up Display) now works... just touch it to drop it down. You have to adjust it, as the form and lettering is too thick and that is done via the knob above, it works, but it's not the best available, it also still feels like a WIP. "Banana" indicator is now working on the PFD. On the MAP/MFD you now have the Terrain Radar working as well. It is the DrGluck (Plugin v1.30+) tool and the plugin is required. The Terrain shows the Independent terrain display on both the left and right displays, and it also gives you a working Vertical Situation Display. I always had issues with the METAR report on the menu. Add in your ICAO code and the system would freeze, or CTD. Now it works, but not by pressing the PRINT METAR? but by doing a keystroke RETURN, still very odd? But at least you now don't freeze the Sim. Support for 8.33 kHz radios is now also available. Flying v1.10 Gulfstream 550 For updating the Skunkcraft's Updater now works with the aircraft, thankfully with so many updates it is a very useful tool. In v1.07 in December, a Manual was also delivered (by Ivan Luciani), seriously you had to wait two months for a Manual, and you wonder why reviewing is hard without developer notes. Look closely and you will find now there are pilots flying the aircraft, they are the default Laminar Pilots, but still a great addition. In v1.05, there was a lot of performance changes (a change over to SASL v3.15 was also completed) by AKD. I found the release aircraft not to bad to fly actually... but in the takeoff roll and climbout, it was even far better in this later version. Changes include engine performance, flight model and better airfoils. And the new wingflex is also very noticeable, mainly because it wasn't done before? It is worth noting that the engine performance and flight models, are tuned to each different X-Plane version, X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11. Obviously the X-Plane 12 dynamics are better, as felt here. Added or refined is the rain effects (V1.03) on both forward windscreen and side cabin windows The AKD G550, is a quite complicated aircraft to fly, there is a lot of detail to cover in here with the Symmetry Flight Deck, and the specific glareshield "Display Controller" system. But it is well worth the effort to do so. I will admit I'm not crazy about the manuals? There is a lot of them in sixteen categories, but they are done in a drawing layout? Interesting in one way as the detail is very good... but odd in another. Specifications are; Range 6,750 nmi (7,770 mi, 12,500 km) range, with a High Speed Cruise: M0.85 at 41,000 ft (12,497 m) or the standard Long Range Cruise: M0.80 at 41,000 ft (12,497 m), and you can cover the ground with a Service ceiling: 51,000 ft (16,000 m) Flying 41,000ft at m.80 is the dream of living with the Gods, but you can easily do that with this Gulfstream, it is a great simulation with high numbers. Fixes on the the instrument panels are high; NavSource on Display Controller, squawk page in FMS3 radio panel, better RNP indicator on DU1/DU4 and fixed AoA indicator DU1/DU4, Stall warning system logic, Altitude mismatch on ALT tape and Autopilot FLCH mode. Note a confusing thing is using the Autopilot. Noteable is that the G550 does not have an Autopilot, hence the trickery here... To activate the Autopilot, which is set below the Speed selector... you press one of the screws on the left of the panel, hard to find if you don't know where it is, otherwise you get a yellow caution alert. At Mach 80, faster if you want to, you travel and arrive at your destination quickly, here I'm back at EVRA Riga, Latvia. You just like looking at the Gulfstream, because it is a very nice aircraft to look at... I still can't work out how to ARM the Airbrakes for landing, press the button, positioned rear the centre console, but it doesn't ARM? Nice 6º nose up flare, shows nice control in the flare, and you lower the power to sweetly touch the runway... nice and easy. Sounds haven't had much attention in the updates, but the reverse thrust is loud and powerful... Flaps are MASSIVE, and lower to the full 39º... The full landing configuration is shown on the PFD, and I really still can't get over how much I like this visual FLT arrangement, brake pressure is shown as well. The Gulfstream 550, puts the world at your feet, it is an intercontinental flying machine, and in v1.10 it better than ever, not totally perfect, but a great simulation. Summary In world of the elite, then the word of Gulfstream is the biggest token you can play in this upper exclusive club. The Gulfstream G600/G700/G800 Series was built upon the last series of G500/G550 Series and that series evolved out of the Gulfstream V as the GV-SP. First an almost disclaimer on the review and the aircraft. The Gulfstream G550 is a first time project by AKD Studios and obviously they have to pick an extremely complex aircraft to start with, add the release right in the middle of a new X-Plane 12 Beta run, and you can expect a lot of bugs and weird things with the aircraft. It's not like that at all in context, in fact it flies very well. But it is very hard to do development on shifting sands. This update review covers the extensive update list from the release aircraft (v1.0), to the current version v1.10. The update list here is extremely long, but the main features are a new Cargo/Baggage area, with animated door, internal detail is very good. New Fuel Tanker, Two GPU AC/DC units and a smaller (scale) Tesla car, with a lot of touchups and details externally. Cabin lighting has been totally redone, but still needs some fine tuning and stair lighting, but far better than the original set up. HUD HeadUp Display now works, as does the inclusion of DrGluck's Plugin v1.30+ that has Independent terrain display on the left and right displays, and a working Vertical Situation Display. Pilots have been added as has WingFlex, and a lot, a real lot of changes to the engine performance, flight model and custom performance for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11. I still have a few quibbles, poor window surrounds, lighting still not right, default FMS, pop in/pop out Tanker and other quirks, but you have to understand to a point this aircraft (and by the extensive list of updates) is really still a work in progress, it has in reality come a very long way since it's release late October 2022, obviously released too early, but the developer has made some highly significant progress on the aircraft. Personally I absolutely love the Gulfstream G550. X-Plane has wanted a really excellent transoceanic Private Jet for decades and here it is, it is also available in X-Plane 11 and more importantly in X-Plane 12 in the same value package of just over US$30. For your money you get a lot of aircraft with it's Gulfstream related systems. ________________________________ The Gulfstream 550 v1.10 by AKD Studio is NOW available here at the X-Plane.OrgStore GLF550 - Ultimate Business Jet by AKD Studio Price is US$31.95 This aircraft is now both X-Plane12 and X-Plane 11 supported Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.1 GB Current version : 1.10 (February 7th 2023) Download for the Gulfstream 550 by AKD Studio is 1.03GB And the final install in X-Plane Aircraft folder with the above loaded liveries is; 2.53gb. Authorisation is required. The AviTab plugin is also required to use this aircraft, and it is deposited in your X-Plane Plugins folder. Simbrief proflie is; https://www.simbrief.com/system/dispatch.php?sharefleet=256234_1658264083720 Documents AKD GLF550 Introduction.pdf FMS_Manual.pdf GLF550 Normal Checklist.pdf GLF550_air_conditioning_system.pdf GLF550_auxiliary_power_unit_(apu)_system.pdf GLF550_electrical_system.pdf GLF550_fire_protection_system.pdf GLF550_flight_control_system.pdf GLF550_fuel_system.pdf GLF550_hydraulic_system.pdf GLF550_ice_and_rain_protection_system.pdf GLF550_landing_gear_and_brakes_system.pdf GLF550_oxygen_system.pdf GLF550_pneumatic_system.pdf GLF550_powerplant_system.pdf GLF550_pressurization_system.pdf Changelog Changelog v1.10.txt Designed by AKD Studios Support forum for the Gulfstream G550 _____________________ Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton 18th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews Review System Specifications:  Windows - 12th Gen IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU - 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB XLR8 - Samsung 970 EVO+ 2TB SSD Software: - Windows 11 Pro - X-Plane 12.01r3 (This is a beta review). Plugins: JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99 Scenery or Aircraft - ELLX - Luxembourg Findel Airport v2.1 by JustSim (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$19.95 - EVRA - Riga International Airport v2 by JustSim (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$18.50 (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Scenery Release : Everest Park - Nepal 3D XP12 by Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini The Italian climbers are back... and this time they have updated their excellent Everest Park - Nepal scenery to X-Plane 12. Called Everest Park - Nepal 3D XP12, and the scenery covers that most famous and highest region of the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. Mt Everest at 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) is of course situated here, but the scenery covers also all the other famous surrounding peaks; Lhotse (8516), Makalu (8463), Nuptse (7861), Pumori (7161), Ama Dablam (6812), Taboche (6543) and Baruntse (7129). Other highlights include the "Most Dangerous Airport in the WORLD" and that is big announcement, but that is what VNLK - Lukla is, and a huge challenge for any X-Plane flyer of distinction with it's steeply committed runway, VNSB - Syangboche, Namche Baza, Tengboche and the famous "Everest Base Camp" are all in here as well if you want to follow the footsteps of some of the greatest climbers that ever climbed. The Everest scenery encompasses an area of about 8000 square kilometers in Himalayan range along with other eight-thousanders on the border between China and Nepal. The area also includes a large area of Nepal south of Himalayan range with several reconstructed villages in; Lukla, Namche Bazar, Tengboche, Dingboche, Gorak Shep, Yeti Mountain and to the SOUTH Phaplu, Basanta Nazar, Rumjatar and Lamidanda. Five new airports and more Helipads have also been included, highlighted by; VNLK (LUKLA) Sloped Asphalt Runway, VNSB (SYANBOCHE) Runway in beaten earth, VNPL (PHAPLU) Short asphalt runway (new), VNRT (RUMJATAR) Asphalt Runway (new), VNLD (LAMIDANDA) Asphalt Runway (new) and VNKL (KANGEL DANDA) Short Runway in beaten earth (new). Helipads include; HELK Lukla Helipad - HENB Namche-Bazar Helipad - HETB TengBoche Helipad HPRH Pheriche Helipad - HCNR Pyramid CNR Helipad - HEBC BaseCamp Everest HBNF BaseCamp Everest North Face - HYET Yeti Mountain Helipad - All airports also have an Helipad Ultra-High Definition Scenery Pack The main mountains of the area have been rebuilt with 3D models. DEM data was used and further corrected with 3D graphics programs. Summer and Winter Textures (XP12) Manual included The original Everest Park Scenery review is here; Scenery Review : Everest Park 3D by Frank Dainese & Fabio Bellini It is important to note that... owners of Everest XP11 can get this new X-Plane 12 version for 40% off. Please use the coupon code found in your original Everest XP11 invoice. Highly Recommended! Images are courtesy of Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini Designed by Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini. Support forum for Everest 3D XP12 __________________ Yes!... Everest Park - Nepal 3D XP12 by Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Everest Park - Nepal 3D XP12 Price is US$30.90 Requirements X-Plane 12 (not compatible with X-Plane 11) Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM - 8 GB+ VRAM Highly Recommended Customers who own of of this previous Everest mountain package can get this new Scenery for 40% off. Please find your coupon code in the original invoice. Eligible packages: Everest Park 3D for XP11 ___________________________ News! by Stephen Dutton 18th February 2023 Copyright©2022: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - SimBrief updated by Navigraph The absolute horror of it... they changed Simbrief!, it's almost a religion. Back on April 1st 2021 (note the April Fools Day reference), Navigraph acquired the free SimBrief virtual dispatch system. Created in 2013 by "Derek", this extraordinary free tool will create a full virtual flight planning service. It features detailed fuel calculations for over 120 aircraft types, an extensive route database, real-world weather forecasts, current NOTAMs and ETOPS planning. It also allows you to also download a generated flightplan to install the created route. For myself it is the data to program the aircraft's route (via waypoint) plus the correct SID and STAR procedures, and fuel, passenger and cargo loading calculations. It is a simply invaluable tool to any simulation user. Notable was Navigraph's change to their own Navigraph Charts 8 application only last November 2022. It was a significant change to the design and layout to charts, but months in it is a certainly a revolution in the way we access data information and airport charts. I absolutely love the design, and the application is well worth the subscription. So now Navigraph have overhauled SimBrief as well... when I heard that I was really not sure about the idea at all... Besides the fresh new clean look (very similar to Charts 8), and the changes include; Improved Interface Personal flying statistics Dark mode and large text options A larger and more convenient interactive flight map Built-in airframes for popular third-party add-ons Improved alternate airport filters and options Easier sorting through saved flights and saved airframes A new and improved user guide ATC Flight Plan Start dashboard is very different with noted "Latest Flightplan", Your last flightplans over 30 days, Aircraft Types (30 Days) and your Navigraph Subscription, current AIRAC Cycle. Yes the long form flightplan layout has now gone, with the Map/Route separated in to a new larger window panel, again it is all very Charts 8 in feel. Dark mode is sensational, I'm also (very) happy the MAP has been moved out of the long form, and out of the way... I had a problem with my Apple Mouse scrolling the zoom badly every time I went over it, it was a real distraction in repeatably zooming it back into context. New is the ATC Flightplan (I never saw this before?) and is printable (copy and paste), and the long form Briefing is still there, but not as widely set... Departure and Arrival Airport information is more detailed, which is also handy. Certainly the weather conditions, as also available in Charts 8. Certainly there is a new format now to navigate. As with Charts 8, you will soon workout the new layout, if hunting for the same information in a different context. But the flow here and navigation looks far more better... only grip is that you can't adjust the "30 Day" period use to a longer period? A brilliant tool made now even better by Navigraph, also a good deal is that the tool is free and can be used in a Browser, on a PC, Mac, IOS and Android... can be found here; SimBrief Dispatch System What is not to like! ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 17th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Right Reserved.

NEWS! - X-Hangar releases Learjet Model 36 X-Hanger have released a version of the Model 36 Learjet, one of the most famous private jets ever built. The Learjet Model 35 and Model 36 are a series of American multi-role business jets and military transport aircraft manufactured by Learjet. The aircraft are powered by two Garrett TFE731-2 turbofan engines. Its cabin can be arranged for six to eight passengers. The longer-range Model 36 has a shortened passenger area to provide more space in the aft fuselage for fuel tanks. The engines are mounted in nacelles on the sides of the aft fuselage. The wings are equipped with single-slotted flaps. The wingtip fuel tanks distinguish the design from other aircraft having similar functions. Features Include: Avitab display for both v11 and v12. This is powered by a plugin that you can download if you do not already have. Instruction in the .pdf manual. 3d Pilot Figures. The co-pilot will hide with the preflight menu. The pilot is only seen in external view. Easy to read instruments GPU and flight options menu including, engine covers, chocks, remove before flight flags, etc 5 passengers load with payload weight. Hidden when activated with a menu. Many international liveries included Blank livery to make your own Stripes and weathering layers to help paint your livery Use the Autopilot with the FMC (GPS1) or Garmin 530 (GPS2). Rain effects for both v11 and v12. v11 is limited to Windows Vulcan. This is a plugin limitation. Animated Reverse Thrust Animated Spoilers Animated ground emergency chute User manual in .pdf format Checklist in .txt format to use in the sim v11 and v12 use stock FMC Garmin 530 with a pop-up panel or press buttons Updated landing and taxi lights for v12 Updated payload system for v12 Updated gear system for v12 Works with FSE out of the box New X-Hangar support forum Images courtesy of X-Hangar ________________ Yes! the Learjet Model 36 by X-Hangar is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Learjet Model 36 Price is US$22.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version : 12 (Feb 15th 2023) ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 16th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Right Reserved.

NEWS! - Aircraft Update : Cessna 206 updated to v1.2: Full v11 and v12 compatibility by Thranda Design With X-Plane 12 going final in December 2022. Now developers are working hard to make their aircraft X-Plane 12 compliant. Here is the Thranda U206G update to version v1.2, for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11. Notable is that on a restart you have to pick which X-Plane version you want to use, once selected, you can't go back, unless you reload the aircraft. Developers notes include; XP12 updates we´ve been waiting for have been implemented (such as: support for wheel fairing and cargo pod drag, night lighting compatibility, and being able to gradually apply dirt/scratches layer), we now finally have an update to the C206 to provide full compatibility with XP12. V1.2 February 13, 2023 -Full XP12 compatibility. -Added new glass texture -Fixed pop-up window for instrument 53 -Fixed position of circuit breakers -Night Lighting improvements for XP12 -Corrected wrong text in panel -Added DefrostWindshield module to hook up defroster knob to windshield de-icing -AP Sounds button restoration -Fixed FMO related errors in log -Fixed some internal sounds -Fixed up dirt and scratches layers to work in XP12. -Added the ability to swap pilot/copilot figures. -Updated lights for XP12. -Updated SASL3 -Addressed some spelling errors on the engine instruments -Went through tool tips on click spots, and added where they were missing. X-PlaneReviews Update v1.1 review is here; Aircraft Update : Cessna U206G Stationair DGS series v1.1 by Thranda Design The Thranda Design U206G update is now available at the X-Plane.OrgStore. Just go to your account and get the free update... or use the featured Skunkcraft's Updater. Images are courtesy of Thranda Design Support forum for the U206 Stationair by Thranda _______________________________ Yes! the Cessna U206G Stationair DGS series v1.2 by Thranda Design is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here: Cessna U206G Stationair DGS series Price is US$39.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 2 GB Current version 1.2 (February 13th 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 16th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Aircraft Release : Cessna T337G by Skytouch Duh! You get one Skymaster in X-Plane, then a few weeks later you get another one? This version is the G, after version H when the 337 then became a pressurised aircraft, and you also get the split airstair entry door and turbocharging. The T stands for TURBO! Cessna T337G Pressurised Skymaster is a pressurised variant of a most popular "push-pull" configuration airplane in the world, the... Cessna 337. Both tractor and pusher engines of this plane produce inline thrust which is very safe and comfortable for the pilot. Almost 3000 of all Cessnas 337 were built. The pressurised cabin allows the aircraft to easily climb up to 20000ft without the need of using oxygen masks. Features Fully 3D modeled Both interior and exterior have been modeled. We put all effort to create realistic 3D models! Sounds like a real T337G! Using a modern library we created realistic sounds, most of them are real sounds from a real aircraft. Interactive menu and monitors We created useful interactive menus and monitors for you, to make your experience easy and exciting. All features High Resolution, 4K and 2K textures. Fully modeled exterior. Interior and cockpit panels are 3D. Inclusion of normal maps, PBR (Physically based rendering) textures. Flight Model based on real data. Supports Avitab plugin Interactive, smoothly animated cockpit. Typical Cessna’s gear retraction animation and sound from a real airplane. Wing icing visualization. Both G430 and G530 are installed. Inlet covers, Chocks. Custom, handy menus: checklists, weight data, settings, volume controls, chocks and covers. Working pressurization and interior heating system. Ever heard of Skytouch? me neither... so they must be new developers to the X-Plane platform, notable this is a 2.5GB download, large, VERY LARGE download for an aircraft. This is because you have separate aircraft folders for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11. Images are courtesy of Skytouch __________________________ Yes! Cessna T337G by Skytouch is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Cessna T337G Pressurised Price Is US$29.95 Requirements: X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 (both versions included in sperate zip files) Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Version 1. February 14th 2023 ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 15th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - E175 & E195 v2.5 by X-Crafts are now FREE! Everyone's ears always pick up on the word "Free", certainly more when it is a quality Payware aircraft, and from a well recognised developer X-Crafts. Well X-Craft's have released their v2.5 well regarded E175 and E195 aircraft free to X-Plane, a great development, but it comes with some restrictions (of course). First the aircraft are for X-Plane 11 only, secondly they won't receive any future updates either... so that counts out X-Plane 12. The two aircraft come with dozens of liveries, YouTube videos, and resources, we are hoping that everyone will enjoy these E-Jets while waiting for the new X-Crafts E-Jets Family to be released soon. You can follow the development updates here. "Soon" is the word... X-Crafts are working on a completely new product line. These will be brand new add-ons, entirely redesigned and recreated from the ground up using cutting-edge software and techniques. So these older versions have now been passed on to the community. The new add-ons will feature new highly detailed and accurate models of the interior and exterior, authentic FMS, enhanced systems - at or above the ERJ Family level, all across the board. We are working with real E-JETS pilots to help us fly to a higher level of authenticity than we have reached before. The E-JETS Family will include all variants of the E-JETS: E170 | E175 | E190 | E195 | Lineage 1000 Notable is that announced by X-Crafts, is that all existing customers of the previous E175 v2.5 and E195 v2.5 will get a discount for the new products. There is a video here (In X-Plane 11, not X-Plane 12). Don't ask for a release date of the X-Plane 12 E-Jet versions as I don't know, but a guess would say before Easter. You can get the earlier E170 and E190 v2.5 here: E-Jets Combo by X-Crafts | E175 & E195 v2.5 2.5.0 Last X-PlaneReviews update is here: Aircraft Update : E-175/E-195 v2.4 by X-Crafts ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 13th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Scenery Release : KSAN International Airport, KNZY Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Base San Diego by FunnerFlight San Diego was always a tricky scenery scenery to do, do one aspect in KSAN "Lindbergh Field", and in the other areas in San Diego downtown and the huge Naval Base here would feel wanting... several developers have had a go at it, but ultimately any San Diego scenery could never live up the ultimate promise. Scenery developer FunnerFlight or Jeff Mueller of LAX and PHNL fame has however is giving the challenge of San Diego a go in recreating the impossible, in all three aspects of KSAN International Airport, KNZY NAS North Island and Naval Base San Diego that make up the full area. And at a sub-US$20 price, you get value as well. Notable is that the download consists of two files, KSAN (263 Mb) and KNZY (626 Mb), and both are loaded into your X-Plane "Custom Scenery Folder". Also notable is that that the scenery can be heavy on your system requirements, both a minimum 8Gb Graphic Card and 16Gb of RAM are both the requirements for this scenery. San Diego International Airport, formerly known as Lindbergh Field, is an international airport three miles (4.8 km) northwest of Downtown San Diego, California, United States. KSAN is the busiest single-runway airport in the world. The airport's landing approach is well known for its close proximity to the skyscrapers of Downtown San Diego, and can sometimes prove difficult to pilots for the relatively short usable landing area, steep descent angle over the crest of Bankers Hill, and shifting wind currents just before landing. San Diego International operates in controlled airspace served by the Southern California TRACON, which is some of the busiest airspace in the world. KSAN has 2 terminals, with a total of 48 gates. Each terminal has 2 concourses. Coast Guard Air Station San Diego is near the southeast corner of the airport. The installation originally supported seaplane operations, with seaplane ramps into San Diego Bay, as well as land-based aircraft and helicopter operations using the airport's runway. Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) is located at the north end of Coronado Island in San Diego Bay and is the home port of several aircraft carriers of the United States Navy. The installation also hosts nearly all of the Pacific Fleet's helicopter squadrons, several fixed-wing squadrons, multiple Naval Air Reserve activities and is home to both the Fleet Readiness Center Southwest and the headquarters for Commander, Naval Air Forces. It is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy, the 57,000-acre (230 km2) Naval Base Coronado. Naval Base San Diego is the second largest surface ship base of the US Navy. It is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of over 50 ships. This triple scenery package contains: KSAN and KNZY (Naval Air Station North Island) airports Naval Base San Diego Over 12,000 objects 9 Amphibious Assault Ships 4 Cruisers 9 Destroyers 7 Littoral Combat Ships Aircraft = F-18 fighters, MQ-8C Fire Scout, MH-60 Seahawk, and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters; VTOL aircraft: F-35's, Harriers, and V-22 Osprey... and a few others. Ship building yards and cranes Major Hotels Coronado Bridge 50 sq mi of Ortho photography (Thanks to USGS). Many animations of ships, aircraft, submarines, and other less known things that go bump in the night! Options include Ortho or Laminar runways and animated traffic and shipping. __________________________ Yes! San Diego KSAN & KNZY Naval Station by FunnerFlight is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : KSAN International Airport, KNZY Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Base San Diego Price Is US$19.95 Requirements: X-Plane 12 only Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8 GB+ VRAM recommended Download size: 275 MB (KSAN) + 660 MB (KNZY) Current version: 1.0 (February 11th 2023) ___________________________ News! by Stephen Dutton 13th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

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

NEWS! - Bell 412 now fully X-Plane 12 compatible by X-Trident When X-Plane 12 went to beta (Sept 2022), X-Trident put out a patch to allow you to fly the Bell 512 in the new Simulator version. It was just a patch mind you, not an X-Plane 12 compatible aircraft. Here is v5.0. And with this version release you now get full compatibility with X-Plane 12 (now final, but that is actually debatable?). In others words, one of the very best helicopters for the X-Plane Simulator is now X-Plane 12 updated and compliant. The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter of the Huey family manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212, with the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor. The v5.0 update covers the full compatibility with X-Plane 12, with the added rain (Librain) and wipers effects. A new feature is the added weight sliders for every transportable item (pilots, crew, cargo). Feature list is excellent; Full compatibility with X-Plane 12 (and X-Plane 11) Rain and wipers effects (XP12) Weight sliders for every transportable item (pilots, crew, cargo) Highly detailed 3d model and 3d cockpit. Most switches operable Detailed rotor kinematic modeling Detailed lights Close to real fuel, hydraulic and electrical systems; start-up sequence follows the real checklist almost line by line Custom failures Working custom auxiliary tank and water drop system Working dolly pad for precision landing Custom warning panel Custom governor Custom artificial stability Custom 4 channels autopilot with over 10 modes Flight model approved and tweaked by real pilots Hyper detailed rotor with all its levers moving ud and down, Custom GPU Custom Remove Before Flight with dangling flags (with FOD) ADF with bank error Working doors with changing sound volume effect Many liveries plus a paint kit; smart configuration of optional objects attached to each livery Plugin for Windows, Mac and Linux - detailed custom menu Includes a licensed version of Dreamfoil's Geforce plugin Working NIGHTSUN Spotlight Working FLIR Camera Custom Winch and SAR operations X-PlaneReviews update v3.0 review is here; Aircraft Update : Agusta Bell AB412 v3.0 by X-Trident The X-Trident Bell 412 v 5.0 update is now available at the X-Plane.OrgStore. Just go to your account and get the free update... __________________________ Yes! Bell 412 XP12 v5.0 by X-Trident is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Bell 412 XP12 Price Is US$35.99 Requirements: X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Mac, Windows, Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 5.0 (February 10th 2022) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 11th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Developer Update : MLAeroDG updates to X-Plane12 With the conversion to a new X-Plane Simulator version, in this case X-Plane 12. It can in most circumstances create a bit of a confusion. Like in life, developers can come and go, a lot just die. So many old school developers can also leave you hanging. If an aircraft has been not updated or upgraded to a current simulator version, then what if for the next one in the revolution? So you pray and hope that they will keep your beloved machine flying for at least another term. In MLADG's case or ML Aero Design Group... he has been quiet for a few years with no updates or changes to his aircraft, of which are mostly WW2 era aircraft. But no... he's back and (thankfully) updated four of his aircraft to X-Plane 12, so somewhere out there, there is still a god. In order here are the aircraft updated to X-Plane 12 (and the X-Plane 11 version is also included in each package), they are: Messerschmitt Me 109 Bf Package includes: detailed Model of the Messerschmitt Me-109 G-2 new Me-109 G-10 variant included fully implemented virtual cockpit with almost every switch functional detailed outside model custom night lighting Tropical version of the plane included 3 liveries (including a paint kit) 4k textures for the outside model The model reproduces the Bf 109 G2 version: V12 DB605 engine with 1455 hp service ceiling 11600 m 685 km/h at 7400 m VFR equipped The Messerschmidtt Bf 109 was the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 airframes produced from 1936 up to April 1945. It was one of the first truly modern fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. The Bf 109 first saw operational service during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II, during which time it was the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. Messerschmitt Me 262 Features: Based on real documentation SASL based features and failures Fully functional 3D cockpit Paint kit included for repaints Fully animated model Realistic instrumentation based on real counterparts In flight refuel possible JATO can be used for short fields Metrical instrumentation VFR plane with limited radio navigation equipment Gun sight available This package includes several models Me-26-A1a Me-262-A2 Bonus Plane #1: Me-263 Komet Bonus Plane #2: DFS Habicht Sailplane ! Release Review available: Aircraft Review : Messerschmitt 262 A-1a Schwalbe (Swallow) by MLADG The Messerschmitt 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet fighter aircraft. Approximately 1400 models have been built, mostly for the German air force. MiG-15 General features: Detailed 3D interactive cockpit - detailed outside model Instrumentation based on real counterparts In flight refuel possible JATO can be used for short fields Civil version features: Western instrumentation (altitude in feet, speed in knots) Equipped with western avionics: VOR/DME Removed military equipment English labels available Military version features: Metrical instrumentation Gun sight available Can be loaded with drop tanks, bombs, guns Designed by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich (MiG). First flight in 1947. Designed as one of the first fighter planes with swept wings and a jet engine. Ca. 18000 planes have been built and have been used mainly in countries of the Warsaw Pact. Some MiG-15 are still flying today. Aero L-29 Delfín XP12 Custom, interactive 3D cockpit front and rear cockpit available and usable for flying animated controls, flaps and gear custom instrumentation and cockpit layout based on real documentation IFR equipment: VOR, DME, NDB basic weapons model 7 liveries included, inspired by real L-29s flying in the past and today Instruments/ Procedures manual included 4 versions are included: racing version used in Reno with 3750 lbs thrust single seater "Akrobat" version "Akrobat" version with 3750 lbs thrust Militarized version New Bonus Aircraft LET L-13 Blanik Glider now included as a bonus plane The Aero L-29 Defin is a military trainer aircraft. It was manufactured by Aero Vodochody. It made its first flight in 1959 and was produced from 1963 to 1974. Ca. 3500 aircraft were built. The aircraft was used mainly in the air forces of the Warsaw Pact. Today the plane is still used by civilian operators for fun, show and race purposes. All four MLAeroDG aircraft can now be updated for free to X-Plane 12 at the X-Plane.OrgStore, so now yes, your WW2 favorites will keep on flying on for a bit longer yet. And a big thanks must go out to MLADG in doing the update. Images are courtesy of MLADG ________________ Yes! MLAeroDG Aircraft are NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Messerschmitt Me 109 Bf Price is US$19.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, MAC or Linux Support: Support forum for the Me109 Current version: 2301 (February 7th 2023) Messerschmitt Me 262 Price is US$19.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, MAC or Linux Support: Support forum for the Me262 Current version: 2301 (Feb 7th 2023) MiG-15 Price is US$19.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, MAC or Linux Support: Support forum for the MiG-15 Current version: 2301 (February 7th 2023) Aero L-29 Delfín XP12 Price is US$19.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, MAC or Linux Support: Support forum for the L-29 Current version: 2301 (February 7th 2023) ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 10th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Right Reserved.

As noted in the review... Centred ready to fly, and you have to set the T/O Trim (wheel), but more importantly set the "TURN" trim on the rear console, if not centred the AP (Autopilot) will not activate in flight.

Scenery Update Review : Faroe Islands XP to X-Plane 12 by Aerosoft The interest usually is that when an update comes along and the update list is small, in this case just two lines? Then you would probably overlook, or not even bother with a download, certainly when it is big download of 1.3Gb. That is what on the face the Faroe Islands XP by Maps2Xplane (Matthias Seewald) looks like with this update to v2.2. But the notes are very deceiving in the detail. It actually looks like a correction, but again it is not, this is the excellent Faroe Islands upgrade to X-Plane12, not much in actual changes, but X-Plane 12 itself changes everything with this scenery... totally. Reviewers are supposed to be Impartial, unbiased, but with this scenery I will state front and forward, it is one of my most favorite sceneries in X-Plane. There are other various reasons for all that gushing here, but put simply it is a brilliant scenery. Oddly Faroe is nothing more than a collection of islands, or 18 islands about 540 square miles (1,400 km2) in size. Sited almost directly between Norway and Iceland, and 200 miles (320 km) north-northwest off the coast of Scotland, in the area known as the North Atlantic. The biggest feature here is the high resolution HD terrain mesh that is extremely detailed, and it covers the whole whole archipelago. We will look at that detail soon. Second biggest feature is actually the one you lose with the update, well lose is the wrong word, more changed... In X-Plane 11 we didn't have a feature called "Season's". So there was the clever setting that switched the textures to either a Summer (very green) or a Winter (very white) season. It was a huge attraction to pilot's (certainly in low visibility, slippery winter conditions) to try out your skills in getting into or out of the very hidden EKVG - Vágar Airport, Faroe's main Airport. With Faroe Islands XP v2.2, the Scenario is totally changed as the X-Plane 12 engine of seasons takes over from the more manual version. Add in a very new and different weather and lighting engine, and goes from already very good, to "Jesus, that's just brilliant". Yes this Update review is just going to be a lot of pretty images, but what images they are... also it shows you the immense potential of the X-Plane 12 engine on a very good detailed high resolution HD terrain mesh. So here are the three areas of seasons, Summer, Spring and Winter. Summer.. Then add in the X-Plane 12's new water engine... Wow! Then April (Spring), and half cast snow scenery... Finally Winter... Over the seasons it changes the feel from a lush summer to a very stark winter... Yes... I am ga ga over this, because it is all so very good. Just to note this is Vágar in January, then the island is only in daylight from sunrise at 9.41am to sunset at 3.26pm, that is barely six hours of daylight, and it is mostly just dull, but get a bit of sunlight... FAE EKVG - Vágar Airport No updates or changes to the Faroes main airport, not that it really needed anything changed, (better night terminal window textures would have been nice though). As the original modeling was excellent, and the detail here is first rate. The Terminal (old and new) and the iconic Atlantic Airways yellow maintenance hangar all stand out in quality and realism. Again X-Plane 12 adds in better water (wet) effects, and that runway 12/30 1,799m (5,902ft) is extremely icy and slippery in most conditions, again courtesy of X-Plane 12 effects, the runway is sloped and that aspect is well represented here... Faroe captial of Tórshavn is also well represented, but as noted in the past, more iconic larger buildings like the missing red building "Tinganes" is STILL not represented here, which is the historic location of the Faroese landsstýri (government), and it is an important focal part of Tórshavn. The name means "Parliament Jetty" or "Parliament Point". Come on guys! The prominent Skansin lighthouse however has been added. Floating around waters are many animated shipping, freighters, fishing boats and ferries, very good they are too, and a bit of an aerial game in finding them all... There are Faroe settlements, villages and townships that are dotted totally throughout the scenery on all islands with connecting active traffic. Besides the main airport at Vágar there are also eight helipads that are spread out all over the islands as in most cases it is only by air that is the main way (or the only way) to navigate the islands, all have this great infrastructure or buildings built around the pads and as they are not just plonked directly in there as most scenery developers usually do... the Heliport at Tórshavn is the standout. Top developer Albert Ràfols is the main contributor of the airport Vágar and all the helipads. Official notes of this Update v2.2 Version 2.2 (Feb 3rd 2023) Added XP12 support (i.e. compatibility-patch for XP 12.01r3) Hot fixes i.a. broken animations (caused CTD) and vegetation Note the "Aerosoft One" Application is now used to install or update Aerosoft Scenery. Live the dream and watch this real life approach to Vágar Airport's Rwy 30. How different from the X-Plane 12 approach, not as much as you would think it would be. I have also added in some arrival shots of the same EKVG Rwy 30 approach, thankfully a good day, weather wise, but more rare than the usual blizzard conditions... spectacular it is, but difficult to do right. Two X-PlaneReviews covers the original release of the scenery Faroe Islands XP January 2019, and an expansive update .v2.0 April 2019. _____________________ Summary Faroe Islands XP is landmark scenery in the vein of Frank Dainese & Fabio Bellini by Maps2X-Plane, distributed under the Aerosoft banner. Released in early 2019, Faroe Islands XP was the joint winner of the best landscape scenery of the year. And well deserved was that accolade as well. Situated between Norway and Iceland, and 200 miles (320 km) north-northwest off the coast of Scotland, in the area known as the North Atlantic. These are a collection of islands, or 18 islands about 540 square miles (1,400 km2) in size. This v2.2 update in actual details is very small, in reality just two lines in; added XP12 support and some hot fixes, but that is missing the point here. As in just supporting the scenery to be used in X-Plane 12, it transforms the scenery significantly. In all areas; Lighting, Seasons weather and water effects... the results are beyond spectacular! Good news is that the entrance price to the scenery has been reduced by US$10 to US$35.99, still expensive for a scenery, but the results are more than worth the investment. Personally I fly here a few times a month, usually from Copenhagen or Edinburgh, but also from Oslo and Keflavik in Iceland. Over the long X-Plane12 period, then it makes it great value, and the contrasting different seasons just make Vágar an attractive destination year round. Top of my list in X-Plane scenery and now spectacularly available for X-Plane 12, what is not to love... Absolutely recommended. _____________________ Yes! Faroe Islands XP X-Plane 12 by Aerosoft - Maps2XPlane is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Faroe Islands XP Price Is US$35.99 Features: Compatible with both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11 Realistic recreation of the complete Faroe Islands with an area of about 1.400 km² High resolution terrain mesh with various texture sets for a seasonal representation Customized local terrain details, e.g. realistically sloped runway at the Vágar Airport Detailed rendition of the Vágar Airport and the eight helipads spread over the archipelago Faroese themed autogen, navigation obstacles and dynamic traffic on the islands Hundreds of custom objects with PBR materials, 3D vegetation, night lighting Requirements: X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4Gb VRAM Minimum Download size: 1.3Gb Current version: 2.2 (Feb 3rd 2023) Installation Notable is that you now have to use the "Aerosoft One" application to install (update) the scenery... Important: If you ordered Faroe Islands XP before it was on Aerosoft One and do not have a serial number, please contact [email protected] to get a serial number Installation of Faroe Islands XP is done through Aerosoft one installer: Aerosoft One Universal After you have installed Aerosoft One, click on ENTER PRODUCT KEY (under the Library Tab) enter the Serial Number provided in this order. This will give you the option to download the airport. Installed order is; Faroes4XPlane - Terrain Faroes4XPlane - Addition Faroes4XPlane - Airport Faroes4XPlane - Overlay  Total scenery Install is : 2.67gb Documents Manual_Faroe_Islands_XP11_de-en_web (In German and English) _____________________ Review System Specifications Windows - 12th Gen IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU - 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB XLR8 - Samsung 970 EVO+ 2TB SSD Software: - Windows 11 Pro - X-Plane 12.01r3 (This is a beta review). Plugins: Traffic Global - JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99 Aircraft or Scenery - A319 - Airbus A319 XP12 by Toliss (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$89.99 _____________________ Review by Stephen Dutton 8th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions.

NEWS! - Scenery Upgrade : Faroe Islands XP to X-Plane 12 by Aerosoft The Faroe Islands XP scenery released in 2019 by Maps2XPlane (distributed under the Aerosoft banner) was a pronounced scenery that changed the quality of landscape scenery significantly in the X-Plane Simulator. It won X-PlaneReviews "Best Landscape Scenery" 2019 as well. The scenery is unique in many ways. There is 1.400 km² of hi-quality HD terrain that covers the entire set of islands that makes up the Faroe Chain, and back then (X-Plane11) you could also change the seasons from the stark white of winter to the bright green of summer, besides the impressionable Vágar airfield, there are also eight helipads that are spread out all over the islands. Positioned almost directly between Norway and Iceland, and 200 miles (320 km) north-northwest off the coast of Scotland are the Faroe Islands. This archipelago area of 18 islands is about 540 square miles (1,400 km2) with a general population of 50,322 and is part of the 1814 Treaty of Kiel that granted Denmark control over the islands, along with the two other Norwegian island possessions of Greenland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands have been a self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948. I reviewed the scenery twice, the release review in 2019; Scenery Review : Faroe Islands XP by Aerosoft - Maps2XPlane, then the extensive update Faroe Islands XP v2.0. That was followed again by a smaller update a month later, a touch-up release if you want to v2.1. Let me be clear, I love this scenery immensely. It is in the same visual scenic vista vein scenery, more of like the high-qualty detailed mountain scenery recreated by Frank Dainese & Fabio Bellini. But both Vágar airfield approaches, certainly in the winter season, are some of the most difficult and challenging as you can find... I have flown frequently both from Denmark and Scotland, and all the services to Vágar are my most favorite of simulations, and throw in some great island hopping as well. Here with this update v2.2, you get added XP12 support (i.e. compatibility-patch for XP 12.01r3 and Hot fixes i.a. broken animations (caused CTD) and vegetation. Not a lot new in detail, but bringing in the X-Plane 12 elements are a big deal for this scenery. Version 2.2 (Feb 3rd 2023) Added XP12 support (i.e. compatibility-patch for XP 12.01r3) Hot fixes i.a. broken animations (caused CTD) and vegetation Note, images here are still X-Plane11, I will replace them when I get access to the scenery. Notable is that you now have to use the "Aerosoft One" application to install (update) the scenery... Important: If you ordered Faroe Islands XP before it was on Aerosoft One and do not have a serial number, please contact [email protected] to get a serial number Installation of Faroe Islands XP is done through Aerosoft one installer: Aerosoft One Universal After you have installed Aerosoft One, click on ENTER PRODUCT KEY (under the Library Tab) enter the Serial Number provided in this order. This will give you the option to download the airport. A brilliant investment that rewards you whenever you fly to the north of Scotland, well worth the challenge. And the Faroe Islands XP12 scenery now has also a lower entrance price of only US35.99 __________________________ Yes! Faroe Islands XP v2.2 by Aerosoft - Maps2XPlane is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Faroe Islands XP Price Is US$35.99 Features: Compatible with both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11 Realistic recreation of the complete Faroe Islands with an area of about 1.400 km² High resolution terrain mesh with various texture sets for a seasonal representation Customized local terrain details, e.g. realistically sloped runway at the Vágar Airport Detailed rendition of the Vágar Airport and the eight helipads spread over the archipelago Faroese themed autogen, navigation obstacles and dynamic traffic on the islands Hundreds of custom objects with PBR materials, 3D vegetation, night lighting Requirements: X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4Gb VRAM Minimum Download size: 1.3Gb Current version: 2.2 (Feb 3rd 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 6th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

NEWS! - Scenery Update : SBGR- São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport by Globallart Last year 2022, São Paulo as a region has had a lot of X-Plane attention. Not only are there the two releases of the major airports in SBSP - Congonhas Airport and the main gateway of SBGR - Guarulhos International Airport. But also there is a great collaboration City scenery between Globallart and Paulo Ricardo to create a MEGA scenery package of São Paulo, extensive as a full package it all is, the review is here; Scenery Review : São Paulo Mega Scenery This update is for SBGR - Guarulhos International Airport v1.2. It is not noted as X-Plane 12 in the details, but it can be used in the requirements, so I'm going to note it here as an X-Plane 12 scenery. (So expect Congonhas to follow). An extensive v1.2 update list it is as well... Version 1.2 (February 2nd 2023) 10-28 Runways Markings update 10-28 Taxiway Signs update 10-28 Taxiway Markings update New Runway Texture New Grass Texture Includes 9 missing Taxiway Signs DC-8 Beta Cargo near Apron 10 Apron 10 Lights and new objects Includes missing fences New American Airlines Hangar with interior. New Localizer antennas BASP NA-T6 & Xavante display Airplanes Andrew Parish also did a SBGR scenery review last year; Scenery Review SBGR- São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport Scenery Features üAccurate replica São Paulo International Airport, Guarulhos, updated 2022. üPrecise modeling, based on original references, plans and other studies. üFully customized pavement, with ambient occlusion included in textures. üCustom Jetways compatible with SAM plugins. üAuto Gate Marginal Compatible Custom Jetways. üStandard VGDS system. · Controlled by Dataref Marginal Plugins. · Controlled by Dataref SAM Plugins üStatic objects, vehicles and aircraft are present in the scene. üAvenues and streets with custom and standard vehicle traffic. · Controlled by the Marginal Ground Traffic Plugin üHDR lighting with custom night textures. üCustom textures with ambient occlusion. üX-Plane standard animated traffic service. üStandard Approach Light Systems (ALS). üIncluded taxi routes for aircraft, “taxi route". üCompatible taxi routes configured for World Traffic (WT3) and other plugins. üRamp Start set for airlines. üTerminal 2 and 3 with rendered interior. üCompatible with Mega São Paulo – Paulo Ricardo. üCompatible with SBSP Congonhas Globall Art. If you have already purchased SBGR - Guarulhos International Airport for X-Plane 11, the free update is now on your X-Plane.OrgStore account, download is 0.98 GB Mega São Paulo by Paulo Ricardo is highly recommended with this Guarulhos Airport scenery. Images are courtesy of GloballArt. __________________ Yes!... SBGR- São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport v1.2 by GloballArt is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : SBGR- São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport Price is US$24.95 Requirements X-Plane 11 - X-Plane 12 Windows. Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1 GB Current version: 1.2 (February 2nd 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 6th February 2023 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

Nice reply thanks. Personally I lived in that bubble, pretty well over the last four years, I even thought I could have gotten away with it for XP12. But the problems starts once you update or upgrade one component, then you get a cascade of items in wanting to be upgraded, it is like a falling of the cards, same last year with my iMac, it was a 2009 series computer that ran all software from that period perfectly, but with the subscription model, they force you to upgrade the software. The photoshop software worked, or still does work fine, but Adobe canned it. So the machine is now redundant... I will say this, on the other side with faster computers and the up to date software, and that mega power card, it is a nice (if expensive) place to be S

The Dreamfoil S300C is not an X-Plane 12 aircraft, but only designed for X-Plane 11? and it hasn't yet been upgraded? I can't understand either how the helicopter can actually work, and yet X-Plane 12 does not? X-Plane is not actually my software either, but created by Laminar Research? A lot of odd questions here... and not a lot of clear information.