To each his own I guess. I used to live in the bay area and I am happy that one of the many airports in the area has been released. I like it, I think it's well done, and am happy with my purchase with the low price asked for it. Small unknown airports are still interesting to us that do a lot of flying in the area, keep them coming!

Behind the Screen : November 2024   To most Simulator users it is the flying dynamics and the reproduction of iconic aircraft that is their general focus. To relive, train or learn on how to fly a broad spectrum of aviation's greatest developments. From airliners past and present, General Aviation aircraft, Military, Helicopters and even the weird and wonderful contraptions that can fly through the air. But the environment that you fly in is important as well, and yes "I'm Talking about scenery again".   "Oh god I really wish this guy would move on from this", I can hear the groans from here, the foreheads banging on the desktops.   But it is important as X-Plane is in a critical stage of it's development, it is the biggest issue right now, and an important one to get right. There are other areas that need development in X-Plane, certainly Multi-player functionality and Multi-Threading are major priorities, but even Laminar Research are focusing very heavily on what they call "New Generation Scenery", and over the last few months, trickles of what NGS is now coming out.   And it is an interesting debate, and one that could make X-Plane a prime simulator. There is no doubt that the environment is the Microsoft Flight Simulator's 2020, and now 2024 is a main focus, you can't really call it a flying simulator, it just has planes and helicopters in it, but this is a gaming platform, full of experiences...  even now a career if you want one. That is fine, but the biggest attraction and one of which Microsoft promotes is this significant aspect of the environment...  and this is where it does get interesting.   If you want X-Plane to grow as a Simulator, then you have to embrace the fact that the environment around your aircraft is a major attraction to people who want to use a Simulator. But this aspect always has been X-Plane's biggest imperfection. Since the start of my Simulation involvement, the default scenery has been, well mostly....  crap.   I'm not talking about some of the excellent add-on scenery produced for the X-Plane Simulator, I'm talking about the basics here, and why X-Plane does not have a bigger audience, and some, if most will say, "Well we like it that way", fine, but that way will mean the decrease of investment, not only by user participation, but by the essential developers moving on to better conditions. I'm not going to go all depressed on you again, because actually X-Plane in development has had a very successful year, but the simulator has also lost a lot of talented talent that we couldn't afford to lose, worse it's not attracting talent either, whether you like it or not X-Plane has reached a milestone, that could flip it simply one way or the other. From one perspective it looks absolutely fine if you keep to the basics and use default Global Airports, and yes things at this point are far better than it was 12 months ago. But that crucial line is now more in important than ever, if X-Plane does not grow, and quite significantly over the next few years it will become only a marginal player in Simulation.   And we have to be realistic, in that the default Global scenery has always been a hindrance, limiting the expansion of the simulator. The change from X-Plane 9 to X-Plane 10 was a significant step forward, but except for the new excellent trees in X-Plane 12 there has been no progress for over a decade, were as every other component of the Simulator has had significant upgrades, all the way throughout X-Plane 11 and to XP12. Basically we still have the same two tier autogen and tile mapping, and although the mountainous frameworks are very good, at a ground level the basic low-res ground textures are basically the same as they have been for years. Add in the poor insertion of custom scenery, and those horrible wide green spaces between the default and custom elements on the mesh, and I still cringe every time I land at Tampa, Florida, with those wide green spaces were buildings should be, so I never ever really liked it for realism.   Worse is if you are flying over empty spaces, say the American Kansas west, plains or worse African Sahara, or in my case over Australia, the repetitive patterns (landclass) were all there to see, for hours on end, and those Saharan landscapes are horrible and actually won't fit into any custom scenery, yes there are always options, but this default aspect is not at all good.   I did a demonstration flight in a helicopter hardware simulator with a particularly large audience, it all looked totally brilliant until I landed on those washed out lo-res chunks of textures, I was actually embarrassed of the scene, this was supposed to be a professional simulator, here broadcasting to a crowd that were interested in buying pro hardware, but I could see the reality of X-Plane's weaknesses, and maybe at that moment it has been my overwhelming focus of being on a sort of crusade to fix the "Scenery Problem".   Ben Supnik joined Laminar Research to do the very original scenery for X-Plane 6 with the introduction of DSF (Direct Scenery Format) in XP8, and which also introduced global terrain data. Then Supnik created what you could call the 2nd Gen Scenery for X-Plane 10, this version introduced two other clever elements in using both Autogen to place buildings to the modeling of global terrain data and the OpenStreetMap (OSM) data to provide immersive and realistic landscapes. Remember this was 2011, and at that time is was an extremely big step forward. But OSM had limitations, as you were restricted to it's coverage, so in areas like Africa, South America, and certainly in non-western zones like China, suddenly the lights went out and all the buildings disappeared. Yes Laminar added in more autogen, taller buildings and small industrial areas, but overall it stayed very limited for over a decade, with only a few icons added in extra. alpilotx did do a more Hi-Res version of the original XP10 texture tiles, but he left X-Plane in 2016, since then there has been nothing.   These two areas are currently expanded in X-Plane by replacing the default autogen by using 3d buildings like in SimHeaven's X-World series, again the limitation is that it relies on the same OSM data as the default scenery. Secondly is the addon to use photorealistic terrain using satellite imagery, known as "Ortho" and the Ortho4XP tool. Believers standby these two tools to replace what X-Plane does not provide, but they do take a huge amount of your processing power and storage, overall they are not a perfect solution to the worldwide scenery issues.   Now Supnik is faced with his biggest challenge yet, to recreate the scenery system for a modern Simulator, and that aspect is harder than what you think. It's the "World" and not just the small play area that is recreated in Games of say around 30nm. In that small game area, it is quite easy to recreate sensational scenery for the characters, but when you have the massive expansive world to recreate, then this huge scale has so many different aspects to recreate. Okay I may be over hard on X-Plane scenery for what it currently does, as to a point it does recreate the world quite well, but a decade on the game has now shifted (no pun intended).   Although lauded, Microsoft's approach to scenery has it's limitations as well. For landclass it is very good, shapeshifting the world in all it's elements, but it has one massive deficiency, it is when you get close to the ground. The major issue is ground distortion, plus any buildings, but mostly bridges that have space below that are sheared in physically into the ground. If you are flying at a 1,000ft it is not a very realistic scenario, and this is an important aspect of VFR flying, yes the correct buildings are there, but basically they are all generated shapes.   X-Plane's approach in this case for VFR is actually better, but not expanded out to cover major detailed areas. So how do you fix this. The Ortho believers think their approach is the best, but Ortho is not great either, as in many areas the buildings are only burnt in, leaving flat photographic images. But at the same 1,000ft point of view the Ortho works best, as it looks photographically realistic, the problem here though is when you get close to the ground, because the flat photo plate and the island looking 3d buildings, again doesn't look realistic.   Like myself Ben Supnik does not like Ortho, his argument like mine is the burn effects, trees, buildings will always have shadows, cars are burnt into the roads and so on, so with the daily time scale of moving light it doesn't work. His work is to try to find a compromise between the Ortho detail, but with not the absolute photo effects errors, so like with our current ground textures it is the best compromise in realism.   So what new scenery aspects are coming? well better ground textures means new "Terrain Rendering". Laminar wants to cram in more and more stuff on a tile, make it more dense with data. So overall it looks like what Laminar are working on is a completely new and different approach in creating better ground detail, as at the moment the current DSF is not scalable, but NGS or also known as "Direct Scene Snapshot" (DSS) is highly scalable, also highly streamable, plus has better and faster loading properties.   But DSS will at first only be an alternative to DSF, as if it replaced DSF, it would render most of the current Custom Scenery library obsolete. One other feature of DSS is that it will allow for Ortho images to be streamed directly into the Simulator if users still want to use that point of view, The interesting aspect of this "Tile Streaming", is the "streaming" is currently a reference in how the data gets into the sim engine. But will that "Streaming" be local (in the computer), or externally like Microsoft does?   Well a bit of both. X-Plane Mobile is actually already a streaming Simulator, so X-Plane desktop is probably going to go the same way with cloud streaming (Amazon's AWS), but with the cache to download the areas that you want to fly in off-line. Instead of downloading the current large DSF tiles with data, the streaming DSS files will be far smaller, but broken up into immediate high data quality visuals, but lower res (data) for far distance visuals.   The trick is that Laminar are trying to do is have the best of both worlds, the photo aspect of Orthos, but without the problems of the format (flat and burn ins), so the idea is with these smaller DSS tiles is that they will also be non-repeating, or have no Landclass category, meaning that a single image will be in the future just not repeated over and over to represent the area (my pet hate), but to represent the photo aspects without the photograph, so you will get the best of both worlds, great ground detailing, without the shadows and minute that affects Ortho images, plus the tiles will perfectly reflect the area they represent. Is this the mythical solution?   The biggest challenge however is filling the world in. X-Plane will still use the autogen model, but probably expanded. The biggest success over the decade was SFD's (ShortFinal Designs) excellent SFD Global, that took the current duel (USA/European) autogen modeling and added in more regions to it around the world, so yes you can currently see Middle-eastern housing in Dubai, and Japanese housing in Japan, and Australia housing in Australia.    Justin Kissling (mister-x, SFD) was already working on an expanded v2 of SFD Global, but has since been recruited by Laminar Research, this certainly means that SFD Global v2 will now be the default in X-Plane, plus in a far more expanded form, but what of those towns and cities?   This is still the biggest challenge facing X-Plane as a realistic VFR Simulator. I always like the autogen spread, with central custom city objects as a great way of doing this in a realistic scenario. In payware efforts were cities have been reproduced; New York, Washington, Seattle, London, Paris, even the excellent Orbx Brisbane and Detroit are excellent examples, the idea works well, the trick is to expand it worldwide to cover most if not if all major population centers. The problem is with custom city scenery is that it is very time-consuming to recreate, building by unique building, and annoyingly these city packages don't repay well for the developer's time consuming task. This is an area that could be redefined, could the new tools of A.I. build our custom cities for us? takeaway the overwhelming task of creating custom scenery... ten years ago this aspect was not possible, but it now may be realistic.   Ben Supnik notes that the new NGS scenery will be released is stages, and not completely all at once, so access will be available sooner than later, then the development will stretch out over time like with the Vulkan/Metal roadmap, so this a long term project more than the next X-Plane version journey, but certainly the NGS is coming more sooner than later, hopefully in 2025.   If done right, the above NGS development has the potential to revolutionise X-Plane as a Prime Simulator, it's an interesting take in that it is using all the best elements, and is discarding the negative ones, it will also make the Simulator even more efficient, but also in delivering an excess of a more visual detailing and a realistic environment for us to fly in. If you understand the concept, you will find it very exciting on what it can achieve... it is a vision of the future of realism in Simulation.   As usual there will be no December "Behind the Screen" 2024 issue, but our full yearly round up of the year 2024 review is to be published on 13th December 2024, so watch out for that.   Stephen Dutton 4th December 2024 Copyright©2023 X-Plane Reviews    

It's only 9 bucks? look at all the nondescript releases in MSFS, at least KPAO is an interesting major General Aviation airport for the SF area.

It’s nice and all but I’m afraid developers are going to have to do better then a small unknown GA airport to get me flying more xplane. Xplane is my favorite but we need something eye opening than. It’s too bad this has been the trend with scenery lately. Not to mention ORBX flat out lying about supporting xplane. 

NEWS! - Scenery Released : KPAO - Palo Alto Intl Airport by FSDesigns     FSDesigns have released the Northern Californian airport of Palo Alto International Airport in collaboration with CieloSim.   Palo Alto Airport is a general aviation airport in the city of Palo Alto in Santa Clara County, California, United States, near the southern end of San Francisco Bay on the western shore. Facilities at this busy towered airport include a staffed terminal and multiple repair shops with, Advantage Aviation (Cessna & Beechcraft Authorized Service Center), WVAS Inc. dba Aero Works (Diamond Authorized Service Center), Rossi Aircraft, and Peninsula Avionics. The airport is also home to a number of flying clubs (in order of establishment): Stanford Flying Club (est. 1930),[3] West Valley Flying Club (est. 1973), Sundance Flying Club (est. 2006), and Advantage Aviation Flying Club. The airport is located within one-half mile of U.S. Route 101.   Note... If the airport has a customs office or is designated as a port of entry, it can accommodate international arrivals for private or charter flights, making it technically international or noted having as Customs and Border Protection Facilities, but in reality Palo Alto does not have International Airline services.   Key Features     3D Vegetation     Accurate up-to-date ground textures     Realistic PBR textures     Weather maps for 12 features     Realistic hand-placed night lighting     High resolution orthoimagery     Highly optimized for FPS     Added dirt, grime, and details     So just how do you fly "quietly"?   Palo Alto Airport has one approach to runway 31. The RNAV (GPS) approach to runway 31 has 460' MDA/1-mi visibility minimum for category A approaches. The VOR approach has been decommissioned.   Images are courtesy of FS Designs...   KPAO is priced at an extremely low price at US$8.99, and now available at the X-Plane.OrgStore. _____________________________________     Yes! - KPAO - Palo Alto Intl Airport by FS Designs is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here :   KPAO - Palo Alto Intl Airport Price is US$8.99   Requirements X-Plane 12   Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 200MB Current version: 1.0 (Dec 2nd  2024) ___________________________   News by Stephen Dutton 3rd December 2024 Copyright©2024: 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 Released : KJAN - Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport by Fly2High     An interesting but great scenery choice is Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport, in Jackson, Mississippi. This scenery is by Fly2High.   Jackson–Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport is a city-owned civil-military airport located in Jackson, Mississippi, United States,approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Downtown Jackson across the Pearl River. JAN is located in Rankin County between the suburbs of Flowood and Pearl, whereas the majority of the city of Jackson is located in Hinds County.   It serves commercial, private, and military aviation. It is named after Medgar Evers, the assassinated Mississippi Field Secretary for the NAACP during much of the Civil rights movement, and is administered by the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority (JMAA), which also oversees aviation activity at Hawkins Field (HKS) in northwest Jackson.   In March 2011, the Jackson–Evers International Airport was ranked the 8th-best airport in a worldwide consumer survey conducted by Airports Council International (ACI). It was the only airport in the United States to be ranked in the top ten.   This is the second X-Plane 12 Simulator Fly2High release after the excellent KSAV - Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport   Features handplaced night lighting hand placed cars 3D vegetation Weather effects using XP12s engine High quality PBR ground textures Interior modeled C17 models for military side Custom overlays for realistic grunge/dirt       This is a very expansive scenery at a great discount price of only US$16.00, pick up a great investment now...   Images are courtesy of Fly2High _______________________________     KSAV KJAN - Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport by Fly2High is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:   KJAN - Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport Price is only US$17.99   Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 8GB + VRAM Recommended Download Size :  1.6GB  Current version : 1.0  (Dec 2nd 2024) ___________________________   News! by Stephen Dutton 3rd December 2024 Copyright©2024: 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 Updated : SR-71-TB v2 by vSkyLabs     vSkyLabs have updated the SR-71 "Thunderbird" to version v2.0. The focus of this update is the inclusion of a flyable variant of the D-21 Mach 3 launchable drone.   The Lockheed D-21 is an American supersonic reconnaissance drone. The D-21 was initially designed to be launched from the back of an M-21 carrier aircraft, a variant of the Lockheed A-12 aircraft. The drone had maximum speed in excess of Mach 3.3 (2,200 miles per hour; 3,600 kilometers per hour) at an operational altitude of 90,000 feet (27,000 meters). Development began in October 1962. Originally known by the Lockheed designation Q-12, the drone was intended for reconnaissance deep into enemy airspace.   Flight Dynamics, Cockpit graphics and new Interaction elements like the built-in Avitab compatibility were also added in V2, plus two bat-visors.   Version 2.0 (November 29th 2024)  Launchable D-21 Mach-3 drone:  VSKYLABS flyable variant of the D-21 Mach 3 launchable drone was implemented.  D-21 (slightly) modified version of the authentic operation and launch panel was implemented in the front-seat (the  back-seat is currently a WIP, as part of the project development road-map).  Flight Dynamics:  Interactive configuration setup for M-21/SR-71 configurations. To interchange configuration, load/unload the D-21  'weapon' in X-Plane 12 weapons menu.  Graphics:  Various cockpit textures improvements.  Interaction:  Built-in Avitab compatibility was added.  Two bat-visors were added to the cockpit.  VSKYLABS 'Cockpit-Builders Heaven' assignment layer:  Allows assigning all aircraft switches, knobs, levers, and interactions in a designated, uncluttered section in the X-Plane  12 assignment screen.     The SR-71 was designed for flight at over Mach 3 with a flight crew of two in tandem cockpits, with the pilot in the forward cockpit and the reconnaissance systems officer operating the surveillance systems and equipment from the rear cockpit, and directing navigation on the mission flight path. The SR-71 was designed to minimize its radar cross-section, an early attempt at stealth design. Finished aircraft were painted a dark blue, almost black, to increase the emission of internal heat and to act as camouflage against the night sky. The dark color led to the aircraft's nickname "Blackbird".   This project is part of the VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' series, designed specifically for use with X-Plane 12 cutting edge Flight Model.   Images are courtesy of vSkyLabs Design by VSKYLABS Support forum for the SR-71 TB ___________________________     The SR-71-TB V2 by VSkyLabs Flying Lab Project is NOW available! from the X-Plane.Org Store here :   SR-71-TB Project by VSKYLABS Your Price: US$39.95 On Sale US$31.96 You Save:$7.99(20%)   Requirements X-Plane 12   (not for XP11) Windows, Mac or Linux 8GB VRAM Minimum Download Size: 794 MB Current Version : 2.0 (November 29th 2024) ___________________________   NEWS! by Stephen Dutton' 2nd December 2024 Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews   (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved    

Aircraft Review: Gulfstream G550 Business Jet by X-Hangar   By Michael Hayward   Introduction The Gulfstream G550, a business jet developed by Gulfstream Aerospace, first flew in 2002 and remained in production until 2021. During its two-decade run, over six hundred airframes were produced, catering to a wide range of clientele including corporate executives and government agencies. The G550 was eventually succeeded by the more advanced G600.   X-Hangar is a well-known developer for X-Plane, offering a mix of props, experimental aircraft, and business jets since the days of X-Plane 10. Their focus has always been on easy-to-run aircraft that the vast majority of users can enjoy. In this review, I’ll take a closer look at their latest release, the recently released Gulfstream G550 for X-Plane 12, and see how it stacks up within the X-Plane hangar.   Download & Install Installing the Gulfstream G550, like any X-Hangar model, is straightforward. Once purchased from the X-Plane.org store, you’ll receive a zip file containing models for both X-Plane 11 and 12. Here you simply select the version you have installed (in my case, X-Plane 12), and then drag and drop it into your aircraft folder.    Upon loading X-Plane, you'll notice that two versions of the G550 are included: one that uses the X-Plane camera feature and another that does not. According to the manual, the camera-enabled version can impact performance, costing up to 10fps in certain scenarios. If you don’t intend to take photographs, the non-camera version is recommended. X-Hangar has always prioritized performance, and the G550 is no exception.   The aircraft includes a user manual located in the 'docs' folder, which provides a basic guide to operating the G550. This covers updates and differences between the XP11 and XP12 versions, startup checklists, door locations, key features, plus tips for using the autopilot or flying at night. This is well worth taking the time to read through, as it highlights the finer details of the G550 and helps you get the most out of the aircraft.   Exterior Model The Gulfstream G550’s modelling isn’t overly complex, but X-Hangar has done a great job at recreating the aircraft’s design without compromising on frame rates. The aircraft features a sleek, elongated nose that leads into a slim, narrow fuselage. Along the roof, there are various sensors and aerials, while an angle of attack sensor and pitot tube sit below the front windshield. The long and wide and wide wings are designed to enhance climb and cruise performance, and the tail arches over the top, forming the easily recognisable ‘T’ shape configuration.     External textures are rendered in 4K resolution and cover the entire aircraft, including the registration codes. These textures are crisp and detailed, even when viewed up close. X-Hangar has employed vector graphics to stretch and shape these textures across the fuselage, maintaining clarity without increasing the file size or VRAM requirements. Bump mapping has also been used effectively to highlight panel gaps and riveting, particularly around the windshield frame.      Unlike traditional rounded airline windows which usually shape towards the vertical plane, the G550 makes use of wide, oval-shaped windows, which stretch longitudinally along the fuselage. Seven expansive windows stretch along the side of the aircraft, offering a broad view inside and making looking out quite an experience, more on that later!   Little details when stationery on the ground, such as the pitot and engine covers, the red carpet beneath the stairs, and the extending roof canopy, really help bring the aircraft to life. Such thoughtful touches are certainly appreciated!      X-Hangar has also included twenty-one liveries, ranging from real-world registration codes to more ‘generic’ business colours. This variety allows users to choose a livery that suits their flying style or intended route and makes for a great selection.      Cockpit and Interior The cockpit of the X-Hangar G550 is functional rather than fancy, but this doesn’t detract from the overall product. It features the full X-Plane default avionics suite, customised to replicate the systems found in the real aircraft. Using the default avionics has its advantages as they are familiar, frame rate friendly, easy to operate, and benefit from regular updates by both X-Hangar and Laminar Research.     The main display panel has a brown textured base and houses three screens. These provide important flight information when airborne and offer door controls and loading options while on the ground. Beneath the main displays, you’ll find a backup virtual horizon and altimeter, along with two FMS screens, IRS switches, and engine controls. All in all, the cockpit is easy to navigate with all your displays clearly laid out in front of you.     In contrast to the cockpit, the cabin has received a lot of attention, and it shows. The rear section includes a sofa, individual seats, and tables where business passengers can relax or chat. There’s also a kitchen area stocked with steaks, shrimp, fruit salad, and toast (quite the combination!), a toilet and sink, and a luggage store at the back, complete with suitcases. You can even spawn virtual passengers to occupy the cabin, which only adds to the sense of realism. The cabin walls feature wood trim, creating an atmosphere that strikes a balance between being homely and a corporate meeting room. The wide oval windows offer plenty of light and visibility to the outside world and provide stunning views when at cruise altitude, particularly when flying at 51,000 feet.     Sound The Gulfstream G550 uses a combination of custom engine sounds and default X-Plane audio. Custom sounds include recordings of the Rolls-Royce BR710 engines, along with cockpit alerts and alarms captured from the real aircraft. The engine sounds are dynamically adjusted in volume and pitch according to your throttle setting, while alarms within the cockpit are both audible and clear. While the audio may not be the strongest feature of this add-on, it is far from disappointing. The combination of custom and default sounds provides enough variety to create an immersive experience, especially when paired with a good audio system. Flight Dynamics The Gulfstream G550 is indeed a nimble jet! Upon departure, the power of the engines is palpable as you make a steep initial climb. It ascends effortlessly to its cruising altitude, typically between 45,000 and 52,000 feet. Once level, it remains steady, with the only resistance coming from high-altitude jet streams. The G550 is eager to soar, making ascent a breeze     On autopilot, the G550 is remarkably steady, providing you ample opportunity to mingle with business guests or enjoy the cabin and scenic high-altitude views. The aircraft is also agile during banks and turns, simplifying complex procedures often encountered in challenging departures and arrivals.     I highly recommend trying out the valley approach and sharp turns at Aspen, Colorado. With some forward-thinking and careful chart planning, you can easily land this aircraft in no time. It’s a joy to fly the G550 hands-on, pushing it to the limits of what a jet aircraft can achieve!     Night Lighting The night lighting on the G550 sticks to X-Hangars tried and tested formula, simple yet effective. The cockpit lights are bright enough to see everything clearly, and the cabin has a nice, soft glow. Given that X-Plane’s frame rates can dip during sunset and nighttime hours, the G550 proves to be an excellent choice for night flying.      Performance During my tests, I experienced no frame rate issues with the G550, which is a testament to X-Hangar's ability to deliver models that perform well above the norm. Gerald’s models consistently achieve higher frame rates compared to many more demanding add-ons, which is one of the reasons they are so popular.   Opinion and Closing Remarks The first thing to mention is that X-Hangar is a one-man show and a passion project of Gerald. He has developed this add-on from the ground up, alongside all his other projects, and the dedication clearly shows! I've thoroughly enjoyed flying the Gulfstream G550. Although it doesn't quite reach the level of detail and fidelity you might find in the cockpits of Aerobask or AKD Studio models, the price point reflects this, offering good value. The G550 is a blast to set up and fly from point A to point B. Its handling and performance are impressive, making it a nimble jet that can achieve super high altitudes and cover almost any global route. While the cockpit and audio features might lack somewhat, the modelling and flight dynamics certainly pull their weight, affirming its status as one of the world's most iconic business jets. If you're in the market for a business jet that's easy to operate, the X-Hangar Gulfstream G550 is definitely worth considering! ___________________     Gulfstream G550 Business Jet by X-Hangar is available from the Org store here:   Gulfstream G550 Business Jet Priced at US$22.95   Features: Two separate models (with and without camera) The camera model may lower your FPS when powered on. Crew and Passengers modeled. They display with added weight. Many international liveries Easy to paint your liveries with layers included for stripes and weathering Instrument panel menu included in the PFD display Checklist.txt used in the sim (default x-plane) Static objects are clickable inside and outside the aircraft User manual in .pdf format Internal camera views with zero thru nine on the keypad Shades, monitors, and tables animate and stow 3d HUD (power off to stow) FMS x-plane default GPU included Remove flags and plugs with a click Requirements: X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 (both versions available) Windows, Mac, or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 350 MB Current version 12.1.1 (October 9th, 2024) Reviewers System: Windows 10 Professional AMD Ryzen 5 5900X Processor 32GB RAM Palit GeForce RTX™ 3080 GamingPro   Aircraft Review by Michael Hayward  29th November 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews     (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copying of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions)   

NEWS! - Chudoba releases LKTB - Brno-Turany Airport, Czech Republic     This is another Eastern European airport from Chudoba Design...   LKTB - Brno-Turany Airport in the Czech Republic.   LKTB - Brno-Tuřany Airport is an international airport located in Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic. It serves both passenger and cargo flights and is a key transportation hub in the South Moravian Region. The airport primarily caters to seasonal charter flights and low-cost carriers. As of 2024, Ryanair operates regular flights from Brno to destinations such as London Stansted and Milan Bergamo. The airport also experiences significant general aviation traffic and serves as a base for charter flights to various global destinations. Airlines like Neos, utilizing Boeing 787 aircraft, and Smartwings, operating Boeing 737s, are prominent in offering charter services from this airport. Features: Custom ground with hand-crafted PBR textures Custom terminal buildings High level of detail Buildings with PBR textures Accurate HDR lightning Custom HQ orthophoto Optimized for best performance X-Plane 12 Ready       Notable is that in downloading Chudoba scenery, they use a third party system to Authorise and Download the scenery. When you purchase the scenery you are given a Authorisation key and then are directed to the Chudorba Design (Antileak) website. You paste in the authorisation code, then select the LKTB - Brno-Turany Airport scenery, then the site will check your credentials and verify your purchase...  then to install you then press "Download" to do the installation of the product.   Price for this excellent Czechoslovakian Scenery is currently an amazingly low US12.49!   Images are courtesy of Chudoba Design _________________     Yes! - the LKTB - Brno-Turany Airport by Chudoba Design is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here :   LKTB - Brno-Turany Airport Price is US$12.49 You Save:$7.50(38%) Retail Price:$19.99   Requirements X-Plane 12 Only  (not for XP11) Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB VRAM Recommended Current Version : 1.0 (November 26th 2024) ___________________________   News! by Stephen Dutton 28th November 2024 Copyright©2024: 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! - AOA Simulations updates both the F-22A Raptor and V-22 Osprey     Coming only a few days after the X-Plane 12 updates for the T-7A Red Hawk and T-6A Texan II. Angle of Attack (AOA) have now updated the F-22A Raptor and V-22 Osprey to the same configuration standard. Meaning converting both aircraft to the latest SASL plugin version in v3.17.3.   F-22A Raptor The F-22A Raptor is a fifth-generation fighter jet developed by Lockheed Martin, with contributions from Boeing for certain structural components and avionics integration. It is a key component of the U.S. Air Force’s fleet, known for its exceptional stealth capabilities, agility, and advanced avionics. The F22A is exclusively used by the U.S. Air Force, as export sales are restricted due to concerns over safeguarding its advanced technology.   Version 2.1 (November 21st 2024) Updated SASL plugin to version 3.17.3 Fixed GPS D 'direct' function that X-Plane 12.1.2s new G1000 background processes broke. Adapted flight model for X-Plane 12.1.2 Converted left MFD engine N2 displays from digital to analog gauges.   Features High quality 3D model for both X-Plane 12 (Fully optimized for XP12) and X-Plane 11 3 models: Air-to-Air, Air-to-Ground and EFT (External Fuel Tanks) Highly accurate 3D exterior model Every door and control surface animated All F-22 unique flight control actions accurately reproduced Every switch and control in the detailed 3D cockpit works Ground equipment 4K PBR textures Beautiful 4K liveries out of the box Smooth and VR-friendly cockpit control manipulators High quality sounds Professional FMOD sound package by SimAcoustics Audible high lift wing rumble and pilot anti G strain sounds when pulling G's Accurate doppler, distance attenuation and flyby effects Active Noise Canceling feature for pilot's helmet Flight model Extremely maneuverable Pitch vectoring engine nozzles Carefree handling to any AOA (Angle Of Attack) Super cruise to Mach 1.8+ without afterburner AOA Simulations “standard” features SASL plug in controls all cockpit displays and aircraft systems Ground, "virtual" and "AI" in-flight refueling capability without having to use drop down menus, load special situations or interrupt your current flight "Roll-to-see" dynamic pilot head camera plug-in "Target Track" plug-in locks pilot camera on AI planes for easy formation flying Functioning Auto GCAS (Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System) Approach Power Compensation autopilot auto-throttle mode All automatic aircraft systems can be disabled with cockpit switches Basic Helmet Mounted Target displays in addition to the F-22 Raptor HUD Other Audible engine start checklist Automated in-flight engine re-start checklist AviTab tablet compatibility 90+ pages flight manual       X-PlaneReviews full F-22A Raptor review is here: Aircraft Update Review: AOA F-22 Raptor for X-Plane 12 ____________   V-22 Osprey The V-22 Osprey is a revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft that combines the capabilities of a helicopter and a fixed-wing airplane. It is designed to perform a variety of missions, such as troop transport, medevac, and special operations, with unparalleled speed and range compared to traditional rotary-wing aircraft. The V-22 can operate from aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, or improvised landing zones, the V-22 can carry up to 24 troops (seated) or 20,000 pounds of cargo internally.   - New X-Plane 12 only model - MAC native ARM (Rosetta not required) - FMOD sound package - Latest SASL plugin version 3.17.3 Four Osprey models - US Marine Corp MV-22B - USAF SOCOM (Special Operations Command) CV-22B - US Navy CMV-22B COD (Carrier Onboard Delivery) - Japan Self Defense Force MV-22J - Each version has its own unique internal (fuel) configuration and external distinguishing features The 3D Model - High quality 3D model with high-resolution, 4K PBR textures - One default US Marine Corp MV-22B livery - Additional liveries available on the X-Plane.org freeware download manager at: Aircraft Skins – Liveries > AOA Simulations > V-22 Osprey - Adjustable electroluminescent IR formation light, including rotor tip lights - Custom particle effects (APU, engine exhaust heat blur) Animations - Fully animated Blade Fold Wing Stow process can be controlled from in or outside the cockpit - Crew entry and ramp/cargo doors fully animated - 3D modeled rear cargo area/troop compartment - Extending/retracting Tilt Rotor Air Air Refueling probe - Emergency escape system blowout cockpit side windows - Extending/retracting under slung cargo hooks for lifting slung loads - Three optional slung loads: cargo crates, water trailer or a Tesla Cyber Truck Cockpit - Fully functional virtual cockpit with > 300 control manipulators. - 4 x semi independent Multi Function Displays with > 29 different page options - All left and right MFD soft key functions are display page dependent - Control Display Unit (CDU) with Engine Instrument Crew Alerting System (EICAS) - Extensive system status, caution and warning display on lower CDU EICAS screen - 5 page CDU System Status layer with sub menus - 11 pilot/copilot CDU sub system control menus that operate independently from each other - Pilot & copilot CDU keyboards; 63 duplicate active keys on each board - Military TACAN channel auto-tune capability - Custom, SASL Lua script based quick load GPS database with 70 preset airfields - Default G1000 integrated for easy flight plan creation and activation - Full VR compatibility - All cockpit displays are drawn by SASL plugin system LUA scripts - All aircraft system operating logic is performed by SASL plugin system LUA code The Flight model - Model developed referencing the 2019 1A-V22AB-NFM-000 - Unique “tilt rotor” flight model - Takeoff and land vertically as a “helicopter” with the engine/nacelles tilted up ~ 90 degrees - Tilt the engine/nacelles forward/down to transition through “tilt rotor” mode to become an “airplane” - To land, tilt the engine/nacelles up from zero to 90 degrees, becoming a helicopter again - Auto and Manual Nacelle Tilt protection modes - Auto and Manual Flap modes Plugins - AOA Simulations R2c (Roll to See) dynamic 3d cockpit pilot pov camera - Target Track, locks pilot pov camera on AI plane for EZ formation flying - In cockpit preflight ground refuel capability - Virtual inflight refueling - TAAR (Tiltrotor Air Air Refueling) from AI planes - Optional AI Flight Engineer to assist the basic pilot/copilot crew - Avi-Tab compatible - Xchecklist compatible Popup Options menu - Initiate complete auto engine start from inside or outside the cockpit - Manage Blade Fold Wing Stow process from MFD or popup menu - Access X-Plane Weight & Balance menu to add external sling loads - Select which version of the model you want to fly - Individually enable or disable plugins     Both the TF-22A Raptor and V-22 Osprey-7A Red Hawk and the T-6A Texan ll can be updated via your account on the X-Plane.OrgStore. _______________________     The  F-22A Raptor and V-22 Osprey by AOA Simulations are both now available from the X-Plane.Org Store:   F-22A Raptor Priced at US$40.00   Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11    4 GB VRAM Video Card Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 413 MB Current version: 2.1 (November 21st 2024)   V-22 Osprey Price at time of writing US$44.00 You Save:$11.00(20%) Retail Price US$55.00   Requirements: X-Plane 12 or 11 Windows , Mac (M1/M2 Supported), Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 409 MB Current version: 2.3 (November 19th 2024)  ___________________________   News! by Stephen Dutton 25th November 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews   (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved    

Scenery Review: VSKYLABS Airbases: Base-8   By Dennis Powell   Introduction Alaska, the Last Frontier, the 49th state, a land of untamed wilderness, rugged mountains, wild rivers, glaciers, and the Northern Lights. Located on the Knik Glacier, roughly fifty miles northwest of Anchorage, Base-8 is VSKYLABS' in-house testing area for VTOL airplanes, bush planes, helicopters, autogyros, LSAs, and ATVs. VSKYLABS Base-8, located on the Knik Glacier near where it empties into the Knik River, is divided into seven distinct areas. Each offers different challenges, unique surfaces, and their own tower viewpoints. It’s a place where bush and helicopter pilots can let their imaginations run wild. There’s a massive 2400-metre runway for larger GA aircraft, a turf runway, broken concrete strips, a roadway section, and even a covered runway with a twist. There are plenty of helicopter landing spots, along with challenges designed for those who enjoy driving ATVs.     Installation Process The installation process is straightforward. Simply download the 71 MB file and paste it into the custom scenery folder of your X-Plane 12 installation. For those less familiar with the process, the documentation provides a detailed explanation to guide you. Updates are managed through the SkunkCrafts AutoUpdater, which will automatically check for new updates as they become available. In its current form, the base doesn’t support AI aircraft. However, with the SkunkCrafts AutoUpdater, future updates will include AI support, making the process seamless. Documentation The package includes three PDF documents, separate from the file loaded into the custom scenery package, with an additional PDF located within the scenery folder itself. The three PDFs are: a “How to Install” guide, a VSKYLABS brochure, and a document marked “Important,” which explains the SkunkCrafts AutoUpdater process and provides links to the updater. The PDF within the scenery folder is a copyright file outlining the end-user agreements. This level of thoroughness isn’t something I usually see in addon scenery, so credit to VSKYLABS for their attention to detail. As for charts, there’s only one image showing the base’s location, but no navigation charts are included, as this is a fictional base.   Exploration Walkthrough Approaching the base, you’re immediately greeted by the towering Chugach Mountains. The Chugach Mountains are part of a state park and a national forest, protecting this wilderness and making it a popular destination for hikers, campers, and nature lovers of all kinds. I flew in at 7,500 feet and still found mountain peaks rising high above me. Fortunately, the Knik River offers a mountain-free approach from the west. The Knik Glacier, cutting through the mountains, is beautifully rendered, with its cracks, crevasses, and ridges all well represented.      The base sits directly on the glacier, though it looks a bit out of place, it’s the only spot on the ice with trees. Once at the base, you’ll find seven distinct areas, each with its own runway or landing zone, complete with individual tower viewpoints.     The 2400-metre runway: This is the largest and widest runway, ideal for larger twin-engine aircraft. Vast parking ramps flank both sides.     The 500-metre paved runway: While not as wide, this area includes several helicopter landing spots.     The 350-metre unpaved runway: A bit more challenging, this strip features two massive radio telescopes that block a direct approach from the east, requiring some careful dodging to land safely.     Next, we have the ramp yard, road section, and general playground: The ramp yard adds an exciting twist with its ski-jump-style ramp that launches you over a pile of wrecked cars. It also has several helicopter landing challenges, including metal shapes with very limited surface area.     The general playground features a log pile and a dump truck with a levelled bed. The bed is a tight, confined space that’s easy to crash into.     Lastly, there are the indoor runways: Marked Indoor A and Indoor B, these runways are wide enough to hover-taxi a Bell Jet Ranger. Indoor A even has a dogleg turn inside for an added challenge.     Helicopter landing spots are scattered across the scenery, some of which are quite demanding. The dump truck beds are incredibly tight spaces, and the small metal pyramids require precise landing, as the helicopter will tilt if the skids aren’t perfectly centred.     Other landing zones include log piles, large stone pads, and select shipping containers (though not all containers can be used for landings). There’s also a rooftop-style helipad, oddly not attached to any roof. None of the buildings are landable, and many objects that resemble helicopter landing pads are actually just cargo-handling equipment. If in doubt, you can always land your helicopter on the ground as the base is relatively flat and free of obstacles that would hinder a safe touchdown.     The ground textures seem to utilise X-Plane 12’s newest features, showing mowing tracks and paths. The base itself is surrounded by trees on three sides, with two additional tree-covered areas in the centre. It’s an unusual sight on a glacier, but since the base is fictional, VSKYLABS could design it however they wanted.     The base’s location offers some truly stunning surrounding scenery, with more to admire than just the glacier and mountains. The glacier carves a dramatic path through the rugged peaks before emptying into the Knik River, which winds its way through a wide valley. This valley not only provides breathtaking views but also serves as the best approach to the base. The river eventually leads to the nearest airports, the closest being Butte Airstrip, about ten miles from the glacier. Other nearby airports include Palmer Municipal, twelve miles to the west; Merrill Field, around forty-five miles southwest; and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, approximately fifty miles to the southeast. Also in Anchorage is the Lake Hood Seaplane Base, offering a unique perspective for seaplane simmers.     Alaska wouldn’t be Alaska without a bit of snow, and when it sets in, the base feels even more remote and isolated. The surrounding wilderness becomes less inviting, making you appreciate the rugged conditions pilots face in real life. It’s also a great showcase for X-Plane 12’s weather engine, which does a fantastic job of creating a realistic and immersive environment when the snow starts to fall.     Night Lighting Here’s where things get interesting. At night, it’s impossible to miss this base as it’s lit up like a Christmas display put together by that neighbour with far too much time on their hands. Anything taller than thirty feet seems to have an anti-collision light, and ramp lights are everywhere. The runways are well-lit, and even the indoor runways have centre lights. With no other lights for miles, the base is the only illuminated spot in the area. Surrounded by ice and water, the light reflects brilliantly, creating a glare that spreads across the landscape. At one point, a stretch of the river was so well lit that I thought there was something of interest in that direction. Since this is Alaska, I had to adjust the time of year to experience proper darkness. During summer, the sun barely sets, so total darkness is only achievable later in the year.     Performance One of VSKYLABS’ stated goals for this scenery package was minimal impact on lower-end computers, and I can confirm it delivers. I didn’t experience any issues with frame rates at all. Any problems I encountered were down to my own aircraft handling skills, not the computer struggling to process data. VSKYLABS recommends a graphics card with at least 8 GB of video RAM, and my card, with 12 GB, handled everything flawlessly. Performance was smooth and seamless, running without a hitch on my setup. My landings, particularly with taildragger aircraft, were less seamless, but that’s another story.     Conclusion All in all, I found this to be a fantastic little base for testing my skills with both helicopters and STOL planes. There are plenty of challenges to keep you busy, and I could easily spend hours here practicing landings, whether it’s trying to bring down a taildragger without ground looping or perfecting confined landings with a helicopter. The surrounding scenery adds to the appeal, making sightseeing trips well worth your time. Being situated inside a state park, the base offers some of the most breathtaking mountains I’ve ever seen.   As mentioned earlier, the scenery package doesn’t support AI aircraft just yet, so for now, you’ll have the place to yourself. VSKYLABS has indicated that future updates will include AI support, and thanks to the SkunkCrafts AutoUpdater, those updates should be seamless.   If you’re into helicopters, STOL planes, off-airport adventures, or even just exploring Alaska, this scenery is well worth the price.   ________________________     VSKYLABS Airbases: Base-8 is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:   VSKYLABS Airbases: Base-8 Priced at $16.00   Features A dedicated testing ground in the rugged Alaskan wilderness, purpose-built for VSKYLABS’ aircraft development needs. Note: If you own any VSKYLABS Aircraft, you will receive an Automatic 25% discount at checkout. VSKYLABS Airbases: Base-8 is an actual development tool developed by VSKYLABS for its own in-house testing and needs. It is specifically designed and optimized for X-Plane 12, with the purpose of hassle-free, zero third-party plugins/add-ons dependencies. It is a 'plug-and-play' scenery that is easy to install and low on PC resources. It is designed around X-Plane 12 default resources, combined with optimized VSKYLABS assets and additions. This configuration ensures high performance and maximum long-term compatibility alongside X-Plane 12’s ongoing evolution. VSKYLABS Base-8 makes use of the Skunkcrafts Autoupdater. This feature is a groundbreaking element in terms of product updates and future growth! VSKYLABS Base-8 is one of several in-house testing facilities, designed for the rigorous evaluation of the VSKYLABS STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) aircraft, Bush-Planes, LSA, Gyroplanes, and general-purpose vehicles development. Base-8 includes 7 different testing perimeters (airfields). The airfields are varied in runway characteristics, providing ad-hoc testing conditions mainly focused on General-Aviation, Bush-planes, Gyroplanes and helicopter operations. From 2,400 meters paved runway to confined airstrips and playgrounds. Each perimeter is defined as a separate airport, having its own ramp-starts, tower view and runway/helipad selection. This configuration provides easy orientation and selection in X-Plane 12 menu. Base-8 is situated in the Knik Glacier in Alaska. Knik Glacier is a stunning, massive glacier located about 50 miles (~80 km) northeast of Anchorage, Alaska, in the Chugach Mountains. Requirements X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows, Mac, and Linux- 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Note: If you own any VSKYLABS Aircraft, you will receive an Automatic 25% discount at checkout. Review System Specifications AMD Ryzen 5 7600X – 32GB RAM - Nvidia RTX 2060 12GB – Windows 11    __________________________________   Scenery Review by Dennis Powell 22nd November 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews   (Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copying of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions).