Yes it really is one of the best! Such an amazing addon!

NEWS! - Aircraft Updated : Aeropro EuroFOX by vSkyLabs     vSkyLabs have done a major update to the Aeropro EuroFOX, a small dainty STOL aircraft to X-Plane 12. This v9.0 update's focus is almost totally on the X-Plane12 dynamics, including the Flight Dynamics, Systems, Graphics and Interaction in allowing you to assign all aircraft switches, knobs, levers and interactions to a separated designated, uncluttered section in the X-Plane 12 assignment screen.   The Aeropro Eurofox is a Slovak-built two-seat light high-winged aircraft. It qualifies as a light-sport aircraft in the United States.   Aeropro was formed in 1990, and established its factory at Nitra in Slovakia. Deliveries of the Eurofox commenced in 1990. Since 1999, two versions have been produced, the conventional gear (taildragger) and the Tricycle gear. All versions have an enclosed cabin with two-side-by-side seats and folding wings. From 2009, the Eurofox models were marketed in the US and Canada by Aerotrek Aircraft of Bloomfield, Indiana. This firm has named the tri-gear version as the Aerotrek A240 and the tailwheel version as the Aerotrek A220. Latest versions can be equipped with an optional parachute recovery system. Both versions are offered with the 80 hp (60 kW) Rotax 912UL and the 100 hp (75 kW) Rotax 912ULS engines.   Aircraft variants included in the package: EuroFOX-3K: Tri gear version. Sold in North America as the Aerotrek A240. EuroFOX-2K: Tailwheel version. Sold in North America as the Aerotrek A220. EuroFOX-2K/STOL.   Major Update Release - XP12 - v9.0 (Feb 1st 2025)  Flight dynamics: Airfoils update to the latest X-Plane 12 batch. Complete and deep flight-model overhaul to all 3 variants that covers engine and prop simulation, aero-design, CG and flight controls refinements to fall in line with the latest X-Plane 12 flight model capabilities. Aircraft performance and handling qualities tuneups for takeoff, cruise and STOL. Systems: Airspeed indicator multi-system plate was replaced with two switchable plates; Knots and km/h.  Switching between plates is done via interaction with the ASI indicator (click) or via dedicated assignment. Brakes knob - extended throw and fixed pull/rotate animation. Graphics: Various required tuneups to fall in line with the latest X-Plane 12 rendering engine updates. Interaction: VSKYLABS 'Cockpit-Builders-Heaven' was implemented, allowing to assign all aircraft switches, knobs, levers and interactions in a designated, uncluttered section in the X-Plane 12 assignment screen.           Project Highlights Three aircraft included (A240/A220/A220-STOL). Designed for X-Plane 12 cutting edge flight model environment. Authentic flight dynamics with authentic performance and flight handling characteristics. Built for VR: Tailored for VR, and optimized for 2D usage. Engineered and designed as a genuine, default X-Plane 12 aircraft. The VSKYLABS projects are practically show-casing X-Plane, as they are stretching X-Plane default features, systems and flight model to its limits without any dependencies on complementary plugins or software...delivering a very robust simulation model, having maximum compatibility with the ever evolving X-Plane flight simulator. Perfect fit for beginner and expert pilots. Practice your skills through the Tricycle landing gears EuroFOX, Tail-Wheel variant, and a STOL Bush-Plane variant. Equipped with Alpha Systems AOA 'Eagle' indicator replica. Built-in Avitab Plugin Compatibility (AviTab plugin is not included). FMOD 2.0 sound pack. Autoupdater based on the SkunkCrafts autoupdater - all updates are being pushed smoothly without the need to re-download the entire base package (base package will be updated every once in a while to minimize the gap). Highly responsive VSKYLABS support forums: VSKYLABS offers continuous professional support, from all aircraft related aspects (operating and flying) to X-Plane technical support. Includes the VSKYLABS 'Cockpit-Builders Heaven' assignment layer. It allows assigning all aircraft switches, knobs, levers and interactions in a designated, uncluttered section in the X-Plane 12 assignment screen. Under constant maintenance and development.   This project is part of the VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot' series, designed specifically for use with X-Plane 12 cutting edge Flight Model.   This is a great package at a current low value price!   Images are courtesy of vSkyLabs Design by VSKYLABS Support forum for the EuroFOX ___________________________     The Aeropro EuroFOX Project XP12 by VSkyLabs Flying Lab Project is NOW available! from the X-Plane.Org Store here :   Aeropro EuroFOX Your Price: US$29.00 On Sale US$14.50 You Save:$14.50 (50% off)   Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 9.0  (XP12) (Feb 1st 2025) ___________________________   NEWS! by Stephen Dutton' 3rd February 2025 Copyright©2025: 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    

To me she is the best of all sim airplanes. Very close to the real C172 I've flown IRL (of course with the logical limitations of the sim)

Behind the Screen : January 2025   I wrote in Behind the Screen January 2024, on how of the start of a New Year, I rebuild my X-Plane Application to a clean new version or install a new "vanilla". A major house clean out you could say ready for the new season. I have done this for about six years now, and at the end of 2024, the "2024" version was getting a bit sluggish and throwing up small errors.   So the day after New Years Day, I started the annual process, downloaded a second copy and started the rebuild of X-Plane from the ground up. It didn't take long after the Laminar download had finished, as in about two hours later I was done, mostly resetting connections to the new "2025" version in the third party applications and filing away the non running aircraft and backing it all up, ran X-Plane to check then walked away happy.   It was pretty busy over the Christmas and New Year season this year in X-Plane releases and quite a few updates, no one really took anytime off, so there was a lot to catch up on early in the new year. I had expected to restart on the 6th, but was already posting on the 3rd.   But running X-Plane (2025) it didn't feel right, in fact it was a sluggish mess, barely running in the low 20's of framerate, it was slowing down my work output, and frustrating me no end. I could not understand or see why it was not running better, the idea of a refresh IS to make the application cleaner and more efficient to use, but this version was the opposite of most of the previous years new installations. Was it me, not yet in the groove?   When you step out for a short while (I had an extra week off to visit relatives), then you need to get back into your groove, so was I just a little rusty, I don't think so, but into the first week of January 2025, I was being very distracted by a coughing, stuttering Simulator...  It drove me nuts.   Secondly was my Saitek X-56 throttle was also driving me nuts as well (I was groaning about it even back in Jan 24), it was already only working on one (sticking) lever which I have now suffered for several years, ghosting was another issue, and flickering lights. "Enough" I cried and reached for my credit card, and outlaid a ridiculous sum of money (even with a sales discount) on a Honeycomb Bravo Throttle system, but more about that later.   There is nothing more distracting than something that is not working correctly, so I pulled out my earlier X-Plane 2024 version and re-rebuilt that to get it working again, so I could work. It did run, and far better than the 2025 installation, now I say, that shouldn't happen, they are supposed to be identical X-Plane installations, but both versions were quite different in the way they loaded the Simulator, and different when using it...  head scratching time?   What to do next? well it was to throw away another complete day and do another X-Plane copy download, reset the applications and try again. This "2025 v2" was another reset, and thankfully it worked fine, framerate lifted and the efficiency came back, I was back in business!   But what was the cause? I got a clue a week later, because I was faced with another dilemma. Setting up a flight, all my TrafficGlobal (Just Flight) aircraft just disappeared? no reason "poof" gone! and there was suddenly no activity on the App's schedules. So here you were again downloading and installing the application, three times, and it was still as dead as a New Zealand dodo. Went to the JustFlight forums (very nice there) but after two days Simon and myself were still completely baffled on why the application absolutely refused to work? God give me a break...   When trying fixes, the first thing you do is pull out plugins, which I did, but most of my plugins are well tested over the years, but I did it anyway...  nope not that. Next is you pull out your old preferences, and so I rebuilt my preferences from scratch, and suddenly as mysteriously as they went away, my TrafficGlobal schedules started working again and the airports became populated with aircraft, TG was back in business, but preferences? even Simon couldn't work that one out?   There was another preference bug. This one is associated with the weather, or "Real Weather". X-Plane was not reading the GRIP files correctly (again), and that was creating a stutter, or cycling of the framerate, again making the Simulator hard to use and feeling it was dragging itself through the mud, if "real" weather was heavy, then the Simulator was reacting to that, it was created a download preference that always gave you heavy thick weather that chewed up your framerate, even if you resorted back to a manual setting? the earlier setting still sat there and just ruined your efficiency in the background, and my guess was the cause of the poor performance of "2025 v1". You will be be very happy to know that the issue (GRIB) has been fixed in X-Plane 12.1.4. release. But how long has has that nasty bug been sitting there, ruining your flying hours, sending you mental with frustration.   But you gut feeling is what you go on. You know instinctively that the Simulator is not performing as it should, the poor framerate is part of the clue, but the "Real" weather has been one of the consistent headaches since the start of X-Plane 12, a hidden changeable variable from one Simulation to the next. Hopefully X-Plane 12.1.4 has refined "Real" weather, It feels certainly more stable, and flights are now more within the proper numbers, a test is FlyTampa's EHAM - Schiphol with it's usual heavy weather, and currently it has passed the test with flying colours.    Only with the X-Plane 12.1.4 beta update, my X-Plane Application is now working as normal, three weeks into the month. the Simulator is a complex living thing, and saved preferences can help you, or it will totally ruin your Simulation life. It is alive this code!   As noted I bought the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Unit, to replace my Saitek X-56 Throttle. I have been loyal to Saitek or Logitech as it is now known, but I will be honest, both systems in the X52 and X56 are not what I would call reliable, a worn wire in the X52 joystick head ruining that tool, as you couldn't repair it, then the trials and tribulations of the X56. I always found the throttles too draggy (yes the friction adjustment was set low), but the lever movement was unreliable and poor when trying to fly fine movements, as I used the throttle as a Helicopter collective (set to reverse), and for the fine adjustment for throttle control on landings, then one lever gave up working, unless you pulled the USB out and reinserted it, and yes tried everything to fix it, higher voltage USB ports, even a separate USB power board, to try to give it the excessive power it consumed to keep it active. In the end I just gave up and used the single (left) lever as my overall throttle, but even then it was troublesome, flickering, unreliable data to the Simulator, drove me nuts! As a statement the X56 spring joystick is annoying as well, I use as much fine grease as I can to make it deliver smooth inputs, it's draggy on the centre column, making smooth turns and takeoff pitches jittery, and in making your skilled flying look like a 1st rate amateur. I can't replace both (Joystick and Throttle) at this point, so this over greased up tool will have to soldier on for a while.   The Honeycomb Bravo is a nice bit of kit, but it is a complex system. If you set it up for just one type of equipment, say a twin-engine aircraft, then it is not bad to quickly use. But there are the various choices even for a "Twin", an Airbus A320 setup, doesn't quite fit a B737 setup, then a A350, and the biggie, the FlightFactor B777v2. All close but not exactly the same layout, then the Dash 8 (FlyJSim) has twin throttles and twin mixtures, then it gets complicated with the gate for reverse and cutoff positions. Single engine aircraft can all be set up in various ways, like the excellent Thranda PC12, this machine has a mixture and throttle combined, and a separate PROP lever, then a Cessna can have two knobs or three, then the standard layout, Throttle, PROP and Mixture,then moving up you can have three throttles for the Rotate MD-11P and MD11F (brilliant BTW), and then the big four engine layouts, ToLiss A340 and Felis B742, again slightly different configurations are required to make it work correctly. I haven't yet sorted a Helicopter layout, with throttle and collective, or even say a V-22, with moving rotors.   The problem is that basically most aircraft require their own personal profile, yes a lot do overlap, but X-Plane has a very wide range of aircraft to absorb and configure. It takes time, and the physical adjustment to the various different layouts is quite different in use. Very good mind you. But this was the easy part as you are familiar with the X-Plane settings. You also have to use something called a "HB Configurator Tool" (Config Tool). Were as the hardware throttle connects to your X-Plane settings, the Config Tool does the opposite in allowing X-Plane to talk to the throttle, in annunciators and using the Autopilot switches and knobs. Thankfully when you start the HB Config Tool, it has a load of defaults that cover the basic default settings (Thank God), but if you want to do a custom set up, then the App is quite complicated to understand and use. I have all the basics working that I need, but you need a university degree in coding to use it?   The upshot of all this...  is time. And just setting up basic throttle and lever layouts, for at the moment I have done about twelve aircraft which is slow work, plus every aircraft that I want to use, requires now it's own setup profile, talk about time consuming. Then flying that aircraft to see if the profile is working correctly. Adjustment to the protruding throttles is also a very different scenario than what I am used to, but make no mistake, the HB Throttle system is brilliant to use, but also very, very different than the HOTAS arrangement I am used to.   In most cases a budding pilot will use the HB Throttle in a usually a single setup to the aircraft of their choice, for me, I'm a reviewer, and cover a very wide range of aircraft and systems... I will be doing an "Unboxing Review" of the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle soon, well as soon as I work out a few of the custom HB Config settings...   So is January becoming a reset month and creating annual issues to be solved in resetting the X-Plane Simulator and all it's problems, now with trying to sort out new hardware. it's made for an interesting month, if with a lot of frustration and working through the issues, you have gotta love the simplicity of Simulation.   As you can see on the header, I did an interview with Dominic Smith. I am not one to exult my myself, and more so would just like to work in the background. But showing and revealing the people behind the scenes of the X-Plane.Org and X-PlaneReviews is very revealing of how much the X-Plane.Org is important to Simulation, and people behind the scenes that make it all tick, of which I think is overdue. It was revealing to myself as well, my life and in the way I have a habit of always working too much!   Welcome to 2025, see you all next month.   Stephen Dutton 1st February 2025 Copyright©2025 X-Plane Reviews        

Aircraft Review: Cessna 172NG Analog by Airfoillabs   By DrishalMAC2   Introduction AirFoilLabs has brought the iconic Cessna 172 (C172) into X-Plane 12, offering a deeply immersive, study-level simulation of one of the most popular general aviation aircraft in history. Known for its simplicity, versatility, and extensive use as a training aircraft, the analogue C172 promises a highly detailed and authentic experience that appeals to both aspiring pilots and seasoned simmers. In this review, I’ll explore the AirFoilLabs C172 in X-Plane 12, focusing on its visual fidelity, flight model, systems depth, and overall user experience. As a real-world PPL student with experience flying the smaller C152, I have a solid grasp of how this aircraft should behave. To ensure accuracy, I consulted a C172 flight instructor while writing this review, helping to clarify any knowledge gaps that weren’t directly transferable from the C152. Installation Installing the AirFoilLabs C172 follows a slightly different process compared to most aircraft. After purchasing the product from the Org store, you’ll receive a .txt file containing links to download the AirFoilLabs Product Manager for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Once downloaded, you’ll need to run the installer and follow the setup process. This will install a plugin called XJet into X-Plane. The next time you load a flight, the Product Manager will pop up, prompting you to enter the provided serial key from the store. After activation, the Product Manager will handle the automatic installation of the aircraft and ensure it stays updated. Once installed, the aircraft takes up 3.26GB of disk space, which is relatively small given the extensive features and liveries included. External Texturing & Liveries The external texturing on this aircraft is fantastic. The use of PBR materials results in a stunning fuselage, especially noticeable on polished surfaces under different lighting conditions.     With forty-eight liveries available in total, including a blank default livery, users can choose from a wide range of global operators, adding a personal touch to their chosen aircraft. Subtle weathering effects and signs of wear further enhance realism, making the aircraft look like a well-used trainer. The images below are a sample of some of those included in the package.      3D Model & Animations The AirFoilLabs C172 boasts exceptional external modelling, among the best I’ve seen in this class of aircraft. Every detail, from rivets to aerodynamic fairings, is meticulously recreated. You can even enable or disable fairings on the landing gear and vortex generators on the wings, both of which impact the flight model. If you’re unfamiliar, vortex generators help energise airflow over the wing, delaying airflow separation near stall conditions. This feature enhances low-speed performance and makes stalls more predictable.     The C172’s 3D model is based on real-world schematics, and the attention to detail is evident. Fluid animations include operational doors, moveable sun visors, and even a floating pen during zero-G manoeuvres. On the ground, chocks, tiedowns, and detailed ground equipment create an immersive pre-flight experience. Additionally, removable engine covers allow for a full engine inspection, while fuel and oil caps can be manually removed to check fluid levels. A dynamic damage model simulates wing bending, overspeed flutter, and structural wear, accurately reflecting the consequences of mishandling the aircraft. These visual and physical effects further elevate the realism of the aircraft.     Cockpit & Internal Texturing Step inside the cockpit, and you’re greeted by a fantastic recreation of the C172’s analogue panel. Every gauge, switch, and lever is precisely modelled in 3D. The wear on controls and upholstery tells the story of a frequently flown aircraft, adding to the immersion. Adjustable cockpit lighting allows for customised visibility during night flights, while full VR compatibility makes this an excellent choice for virtual reality pilots. A fully interactive environment ensures that every switch and knob functions as expected.     Avionics & Systems The analogue panel includes all the standard equipment found in a real-world C172, including: Dual NAV/COM radios ADF Transponder GNS 530 Custom electrical system with functional circuit breakers For those seeking more advanced navigation options, Reality XP GTN 750 compatibility is also provided. The systems depth is remarkable, with custom logic for the electrical, fuel, and engine systems. Each component is modelled with wear and failure mechanics, delivering a highly realistic experience. For instance, spark plug fouling, fuel pump degradation, and even oil contamination can occur, requiring proactive maintenance to keep the aircraft in top condition.     Flight Model & Performance AirFoilLabs has partnered with real-world pilots and flight instructors to fine-tune the flight model, and it clearly shows. The C172 retains the same forgiving characteristics that make it an ideal trainer. It feels smooth and predictable in flight, just as I would expect from this high-wing aircraft. Stalls and spins, in particular, feel remarkably close to my real-world flying experience.   Take-off and Climb Take-off at 75 knots is smooth and predictable, with climb performance closely matching real-world figures. Crosswind ground handling feels natural, and soft-field take-off behaviour is well modelled.     Cruise At 2300 RPM, the aircraft cruises comfortably at around 110 knots, with accurate fuel consumption and power settings. Its responsiveness to control inputs makes navigation and training manoeuvres a pleasure.     Landing Landing characteristics are spot-on, with predictable flare dynamics. The forgiving landing gear makes it easier for newer pilots to achieve smooth touchdowns. Adverse conditions, such as crosswinds, are well modelled, offering the same challenges as real-world flying.     Sounds The FMOD sound system delivers a rich and immersive audio environment. Engine noises, control surface movements, and environmental effects, such as rain and wind, are accurately reproduced. Sounds dynamically respond to throttle settings, weather conditions, and pilot actions, further enhancing the sense of realism. Additional Features Damage Simulation: The damage model is a standout feature. Overloading the wings, striking the ground, or neglecting maintenance can result in visible and functional consequences, so it's important to check the failures menu and monitor the aircraft’s condition regularly. Weather Effects: Rain and icing effects on the windshield enhance the flying experience, particularly with X-Plane 12’s updated weather engine. These effects are visually impressive and make flying in winter conditions more immersive and enjoyable. Failure Scenarios: A custom failure management system allows users to simulate realistic emergencies, ranging from electrical malfunctions to engine failures. Scenarios can be saved and replayed for practice, making it a valuable training tool.   Integrated Headshake: AirFoilLabs has integrated both external and internal camera effects exceptionally well. Despite already having XPRealistic, I found myself really enjoying AirFoilLabs’ headshake effect, which responds dynamically to G-forces and adds to the overall immersion. Live 2D Electrical and Engine Panel: During flight, you can open a 2D electrical or engine panel, both of which display detailed system information. This is a fantastic tool for students looking to better understand the C172’s systems. As an Aerospace Systems Engineering student, I was thrilled to see this feature included, it genuinely excited me!     User Interface (UI) This aircraft includes several unique UI features that enhance usability. One standout feature is the ability to open the Checklist, POH, Performance Charts, and Emergency Procedures using a checklist button located in the bottom-right corner. These UI buttons remain invisible until hovered over, keeping the screen uncluttered. The General page displays a POH cover image alongside a diagram showcasing the aircraft’s size. Next, the Limits pages outline all aircraft flight limits, making them a valuable reference for student pilots. You also have access to normal and emergency checklists, which can be set to manual or automatic mode within the aircraft settings. Additionally, there are five pages of performance data and charts. This is a well-structured and detailed feature, though PDF versions would be a welcome addition.     On the bottom-left of the UI, there is a camera selection menu, allowing users to switch between various internal and external camera presets. Also on the left-hand side, there is a comprehensive options menu with the following choices: Aircraft states 2D electrical and engine panels Ground equipment Aircraft variant options Weight and balance Failures Aircraft settings menu Load/save situation The layout is intuitive and easy to navigate, making aircraft customisation simple. In addition, the aircraft features a custom cinematic start sequence when loading into a flight. This optional feature enhances immersion right from the start, complementing the aircraft’s highly detailed UI elements.     Conclusion The AirFoilLabs Cessna 172 for X-Plane 12 is a masterclass in simulation fidelity. With exceptional systems depth, impressive visuals, and an authentic flight model, it stands out as one of the most comprehensive general aviation aircraft available for X-Plane, or any flight simulation for that matter. All told, it has thoroughly impressed me! Whether you’re a student pilot honing your skills or an X-Plane enthusiast looking for a highly detailed and enjoyable flying experience, the AirFoilLabs C172 delivers on all fronts. This aircraft is a must-have addition to any X-Plane 12 hangar.     ________________________     The C172 NG Analog by Airfoillabs is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:   C172 NG Analog Priced at $59.95   Features New X-Plane 12 Features: New detailed 3d Model Interior/Exterior built from scratch! Customizable, Highly Detailed Analog Gauges Reality XP - GTN 750 compatibility Brand new X-Plane 12 flight model Internal Camera Enhancements (G-Forces) - Immersive camera effects out of the box Complex External Camera Enhancements Toe Brakes Smoothing Option for a better experience  3D Model 3D Model based on real aircraft and rebuilt from the ground up Exquisite PBR Texturing Lycoming IO-360-L2A with all engine parts Engine Heater, GPU, Refueling details, Fuel Sampling, Oil Management Covers, Chocks, Tiedowns Interior with many animations, vibrations, zero-G floating objects, baggage, and more Damaged Aircraft Parts Many detailed passengers and pilots Rain, Icing, Broken Windshield Custom Particles Effects 48 Liveries Countless additional details, features, and animation HDR Lighting System FMOD Sound More than 320 sounds + detailed, layered engine samples with audible failures simulation Many real aircraft recording sessions All animations, movements, and situations produce sounds Weather effects outside and inside of the aircraft Flight Model Based on real aircraft flight recordings Performance tuned and correlated with performance tables Behavior details consulted with Pilots and Flight Instructors Additional custom behavior: Stall and Spin, Soft Field Takeoff, Crosswind Ground Operations Lift, Drag, Moment Forces Airfoils Data customized by internal plugin-based tweaker Detailed Damage Simulation as Bending of the wings, Overspeed Flutter, Flaps damage, etc. Wing Tail and Fuselage ground strike simulation. Flight Model is influenced by - Vortex Generators, Flap Gap Seals, Bush Wheels, Fairings, Broken Windshield, etc. Aircraft Systems Custom Fuel System Simulation, including fuel flow and individual components logic and failures Landing Gear plugin-based tuning of forces, including Side Moments, Skidding, and more Detailed Landing Gear Damage - Bending Struts, Tire Wear, Flat Tire, Brakes, etc. Flight Controls Damage simulation Electrical System Plugin Based Custom Electrical System designed according to real C172 Electrical Scheme Simulating All Circuit Breakers, Electrical Components Failures, Short Circuits Custom Busses, Fuses, Corrected Voltages, Amps, Batteries, behaviors, etc. Electrical Scheme 2D Panel with live states Engine Logic Custom Engine Components Simulation and Wear Per Cylinder Simulation of Temperatures, Wear, and Failures Custom Oil Temperature, Pressure Simulation Custom Per Cylinder EGT simulation 2 Magnetos and 8 Individual Spark Plugs Simulations Spark Plugs Fouling Simulation Additional Engine Components Wear and Failure Simulation (Air Intake, Fuel Pump, Exhaust, Fuel/Air Control Unit, Fuel Flow Transducer, Oil Filter, etc.) Failure Management System and Scenarios Saving Custom Plugin-Based Failure Management System 175 Individual Components Simulated Each Aircraft Component has a Wear property with custom Logic Components Wear and Failures influence each other Components State Saving Option Failed at Altitude ASL/AGL Option Possibility to Save Failure Sets as Individual Scenarios with thumbnail and description 30 Scenarios Provided C172 Knowledge Base All of the 175 failable components are explained in detail in a 2D window It provides valuable C172 information about how the aircraft works in real-life Engine Components are 3D clickable from the outside with Instant Descriptions, Explanations, and Illustrations. User Interface and 2D Panels New Gen User Interface with Floating Menu - Ergonomy and Ease of Use in Mind Instant Loading of Aircraft States: Cold&Dark, Before Start, Before Taxi, Before Takeoff Aircraft Options Menu Weight & Balance Detailed Options Complex Failure Management System General Settings include aircraft states, component conditions, sounds, intro, etc. Custom Load/Save Situations Dialog Camera and Quick View Interface Automated Checklists with Performance Calculators (Takeoff, Landing, Cruise) Stylish Intro Animation Aircraft Options Wheel Fairings, Stylish Disc Wheel Covers, Bush wheels Vortex Generators, Flap Gap Seals Cockpit AoA Indicator and Tablet with AviTab Implementation Headphones Logic and Noise Canceling Checklist and Performance Complex Automated Checklist System Camera Focus on Instruments Option Checklist Flow Options: Manual, Semi-Automatic, Automatic Checklist Hints Short Field Takeoff Calculator Short Field Landing Calculator Ground Operations Manual Towing Exterior Manual Check of Flight Controls Covers, Tiedowns, Chocks Manipulation Manual Fuel Sampling Manual Refueling and Fuel Quantity Check Manual Oil Refilling and Oil Quantity Check Engine Heater Operation Logic Walk Feature and QuickLook Camera with Collisions Walk Feature with Terrain and Aircraft Collisions Walk, Run, Crouch, and Gravity Simulation Climb on the aircraft to refuel, get in/out Customizable and Comfortable QuickLook System for Hat Switch Joysticks, compatible with other plugins Requirements X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows, Mac Intel, Mac Silicon, or Linux  8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 1.1.0 (December 13th, 2024) Review System Specifications Windows 11, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 32GB DDR5 RAM, RTX 3070Ti  ________________________ Aircraft Review by DrishalMAC2 31st January 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).  

Interview : X-Plane.Org - Stephen Dutton the Man behind X-PlaneReviews   Conducted by Dominic Smith     Introduction Stephen Dutton is the man behind X-PlaneReviews, one of the Org's most trusted review sites. Over the years, Stephen’s passion for X-Plane, combined with his eye for detail and extensive experience, has made him a key figure in the world of flight simulation. In this interview, we learn more about Stephen’s fascinating journey, the origins of X-PlaneReviews, and the challenges of running a review site. We also explore how his work, as part of the X-Plane.Org team, has contributed to the growth of the community and its developers.   Stephen, to start, could you tell us about your history with aviation and your background in business?   I was born about two miles from the now Airbus Hawarden complex outside Chester UK, so I’m Welsh, and most of my family have or are still working at Airbus, but back then it was Hawker Siddeley Aviation building the HS 125, so you were aware of the industry, and family were always talking about their work. I would have probably gone there, but my father had a serious accident, and we moved to Blackpool.   My best friend at school was the first aviation nut I encountered, I visited his home and there was literally hundreds of model aircraft hanging from the ceiling and covering every space in the front living room, so we went spotting, Speke in Liverpool and Ringway at Manchester, watching turboprops (Viscounts, HS 748) and early jets (BAC one-eleven, Tridents). Martin wanted to go into the RAF, but was not accepted, and actually he later ended up working for Airbus at Hawarden!   At the same time my father became a chef at Heathrow in the hotel off season, so I would spend the winter holidays at the London airport, this was the late sixties, early 70’s, the B747 services had just started and Concorde was doing service trials, but my eyes were always on the Vickers VC10’s, the most beautiful machine ever flown, but you still had the dozens of 707’s, DC-8’s, Caravelle’s, more Tridents, all trafficking around you, and you had a lot of airport access back then, until the Middle East high-jackings.   But I was never going to be a pilot. I had a tonsil operation at six that went wrong by pulling a nerve in my neck, I was left deaf and slightly blind on the left side, so I would never pass a medical, certainly not back then, but maybe I would actually pass today. So, an aviation or Service career was never possible.   My father then moved to Australia in the early seventies, so my career was riding the technological waves from the late 70’s to mid-2000’s. So I never worked for anyone else, but ran businesses that started with renting Video Recorders, opening the first Video Store, Video Cameras, then went pro into AV (Audio Visual) in supplying conventions and tradeshows with video projectors and pro monitors stacked together. I then moved into the first computer Video editing work with the just opened Qld Film Studios at Coomera, then moved into creating and developing DVDs for distribution. This aspect required a lot of graphic work, so anything visual, imaginative was my forte, then streaming came along…  so, I was then looking at Digital Signage (my email is still dirdigital when I registered it), or the big video display signage that are very common now, anyway my doctor told me that if I didn’t stop working 15-hour days I would be dead in a year, today it’s what you would call a career change.   What was the first flight sim you used, and when did you start using it?   Microsoft put out an Apple Mac version of Flight Simulator in eighty-six, so I suppose I used it around eighty-eight. I was confronted with VOR’s, ILS, NDB’s, Waypoints, it was 2d (or even 1d if you think back) just a horizon and sky, very basic but it taught me the basics with a little desktop joystick. Then later I tried Fly2 in the early 2000’s, which was far better, still got it somewhere.   So, around 2008, I went to a RAAF Open day at Amberley, by Brisbane, and there was a group of Simulation pilots flying F16’s in frames with keyboards strapped to the top and bottom, joysticks and rudder pedals, it was totally brilliant, and I thought “Yeah I want to do that”.   When was the first time you tried X-Plane, and what drew you to it?   Again, it was because X-Plane was an Apple Mac Flight Simulator, I had never used Windows at that point in 2009, as I hated Bill Gates for stealing the idea from Steve Jobs (who stole it from Xerox). Being in graphics the Mac was always far superior for graphic manipulation and video editing, I went to study art and had to use the Windows in a classroom, hated it even more, usually took the assignments home and redid them in a fraction of the time on the Mac, they printed out better as well with a colour-laser printer. Now I use Windows as my main X-Plane computer, for one Windows 10 went towards the Apple graphic model, secondly Windows are far more easily updated internally and is essential for running plugins, but the site and graphic work is still completed on a Mac, connected to the Windows. So, I had a new Mac Mini at the time and X-Plane would run quite well on that in X-Plane 9, and it was a load of fun.   And why did you choose X-Plane over MSFS or other flight simulators?   I quickly realised that MSFS was not great at the aerodynamics, plus the old, dated code restrictions that came with it like with 3gb file sizes. Whereas as X-Plane felt and acted more like in what a real aircraft would fly (The famous blade element theory) as I am big on authenticity, I wasn’t interested in MSFS.   What inspired you to start X-PlaneReviews.com, and how has being part of the Org team helped you in running the site?   Starting X-PlaneReviews wasn’t my idea. Like anything, when I do something I’m all in, and at the time around 2009 review sites were pretty average. I quickly became the third person in with Chip and Simon W at X+Sim+Reviews as it was the best one around at the time, mostly at first to clean it up graphic wise, make the site look more modern, then I was soon doing reviews. And I found I was very good at it, and learning fastIt was a crazy, mad place and a lot of fun. Then, life took its toll as Simon left and Chip faced significant challenges, and the site eventually fell apart. But it was a very good and entertaining site.   I was then recruited by Aerosoft for their own new ASN Review Site, it was badly put together and badly run, very restricting creatively, not very innovative, so I left well before Aerosoft also gave up ASN and shut it down. I went on to what you would now call “Gardening Leave” for six months in the wilderness, but I really missed being part of that side of the X-Plane world, then I got an email from Nicolas Taureau, of the X-Plane.Org.   He asked me if I wanted to run a review site and helped me set it up by allowing me access to the Org Store product and setting up the IPB site format, so basically X-PlaneReviews is his idea. Like everything, most X-Plane users don’t see the background work and the help the .Org does for the Simulator and in attracting new talent, but this massive support should be acknowledged in the history and growth of X-Plane, it also gave me a new career, and it’s nearly twelve years since that initial August start that X-PlaneReviews have been active.   Running a review site sounds like a lot of work. What’s been the biggest challenge for you in keeping X-PlaneReviews going, and how has being part of the Org supported your efforts?   If you want a successful site on the internet, then consistency is the most important aspect in achieving that goal, always being there and posting regularly is important, it can also mean a lot of work and effort, mostly time, and time is your enemy in reviewing. So, running a site is very demanding, it takes up a lot of your time, even personal time, and so you must be very careful in not to burn out.   You’ve reviewed countless products over the years. What’s your process when putting a review together, and are there specific things you always look out for?   The other issue is trying to keep content interesting, as in most cases you are in reality doing the same review over and over again. Thankfully a lot of the content has a new feature or highlights, say a new FMS system or something to focus the review on, or the feature list. Another point is to teach users on in how to use these complicated new features, so I combine the review with a tutorial as part of the process, again study and actually in mostly working it all out to simplify the transition for new users or even people not associated with aviation, in a format they can understand and can then easily use the technical information. This aspect is important, as when I started in X-Plane I found a lot of the systems confusing or finding it hard to find the information in on how to use it. I never forgot this aspect, so I see myself as a teacher as well as a reviewer.   What’s something you wish more people knew about X-PlaneReviews or the Org team’s efforts in keeping the community engaged?   It is the behind-the-scenes efforts. Feedback and testing of the new products, now more so as a lot of developers have dropped alpha testing, throwing betas out there, now the later fixing is the opposite of refining the product before it goes on sale. I tend to drive developers mad in finding things early, then, them saying “oh I don’t see that issue”, then three weeks after the release saying, “Okay I found that and fixed it”. The Org is a huge support system for developers, and that aspect is critically important, as the developers are at the heart of the Simulator, a lot of users contribute to X-Plane, but quality developers are the soul of the Simulator, they move it forward and keep us wanting the clever products they deliver.  Again X-PlaneReviews I will note is the central balance, our aim is to deliver the best product for users and at a value price so the feedback going both ways is critical in achieving this. But it is very important that the developers are rewarded for the huge amount of work they put in, it is an important balance, if developers are found wanting in loss for their work, they will move on or leave to do something that rewards their skills better.   As part of the Org team, how do you see the community’s role in helping platforms like ours continue to thrive, especially with the flight sim market becoming more competitive?   The core and heart of X-Plane is the experimental aspect, and the Org is the engine room that allows users to say tinker, adjust, try ideas and create great tools for other users, it is a share environment, and a community project that we all do together, and we must continue to attract such people and their talents.  Allow them to thrive in a good accommodating atmosphere, at the heart it is great community that I have been very proud to have been associated with as we all share the same spirit.   Was there a particular moment in X-Plane’s history or development where you felt it picked up a gear? Maybe something that had a direct impact on how you saw the sim or how you approached writing your reviews?   You basically react to the X-Plane Simulator itself, as it goes through its version changes. X-Plane 10 was the most significant release, it brought in big ground texture changes, 3d cockpits, FMS Systems and the most significant was the introduction of plugins to give aircraft developers freedom from the restricting Plane Maker system, X-Plane 11 built on that foundation, refining it, also bringing in the Vulkan/Metal changes. X-Plane 12 is certainly another huge breakthrough, but those original ground textures are now feeling their age.   The flight sim world has changed a lot over the years. How do you think X-Plane has evolved, and what excites you most about where it’s headed?   X-Plane has always been an innovator in Simulation, it is a very wide platform as well covering the Windows, Apple and Unix systems, so you are not restricted only to Windows, like with MSFS. That allows for a much wider scope and a vastly different user base. But it is in its consistent forward innovation that has been keeping the Simulator relevant, it is also very adaptable to new ideas, and can implement those ideas quicker, can adjust to those changes better. The Vulkan/Metal changes were extremely important to move X-Plane forward into the future, as everything new will be built on and supported by that APL platform. But it was a deep surgical operation to install it, one we can only now move on from, so I do expect X-Plane to move forward, as it lost a lot of its pace with that coding transformation, but you can now see that quicker forward building momentum returning.   With Laminar Research starting their own store and forum, how do you think the X-Plane community can continue to thrive in the future?   This is a tricky situation. As we have seen, the X-Plane.Org is a huge support network for users and developers, it also supports itself financially by the Org Store. I don’t think that on the surface Laminar Research has thought through the situation enough by just following the Microsoft model in using a built-in store. Even to damage a very successful central support hub could even be seen as even careless, I can understand it, and why, but X-Plane’s foundation is built on Laminar managing the Simulator’s technical side, and the Org supporting the big user base.    That said, the one biggest challenge facing X-Plane at this point is growth. If anything, MSFS 2020 has shown that there is a very big user base out there that is interested in Simulation, and X-Plane will need to tap into that huge market to grow, as its user base has been flatlined for a few years. So, the future should all be about growth, building, even doubling that user base and welcoming new pilots to the platform, this aspect will benefit everyone and the Simulator itself.   What advice would you give to new users looking to get more involved in the X-Plane.Org community and become a true part of it?   I was like most new users when I started in X-Plane, I devoured hard drives and hard drives of free content, most of that content is still all loaded on platters in the cupboard, and I rarely use it. I was even blocked on my first day for over downloading, so the Org shut me down quick smart.   What I found is there are two tiers of X-Plane, the what I call the “Low Res” X-Plane built on default aircraft and tons of free downloads, and “Hi Res”. This is a simpler X-Plane built on Quality Aircraft+Quality Scenery+ and a few clever Plugins. My X-Plane folder is a fraction of the size of what I used in the first two or so years of the Simulator. But my quality of Simulation is very high, I have invested to have the best and rarely now download free stuff unless required for a review.   So yes, I invest a lot back into my Simulation, or as I see it in returning benefits to the developers in what they deliver in quality product. This aspect helps everyone. (note, reviewing aircraft is earning it, in testing and refining the product, so it is not actually free).   When you’re not reviewing, what other hobbies or interests keep you busy?   Most hobbies have usually turned into my main life’s work, X-Plane is a good example of that. I’m older now, so time off is usually resting, I have always loved Film, and the production of Film, and had the experience of being a part of that process for a few years, but I feel film as a medium is struggling, lost its narrative in Special Effects, so I rarely go to the cinema now, note I say Film not Movie, as it is now more an entertainment medium, not an ideas or creative medium anymore, but I do have a big DVD collection to watch none-streaming films. Travel of course, anything that will get me on a seat on an aircraft or a berth on a ship and I am happy, I’m also a trained Travel Consultant, so I am very good at building up travel arrangements and ideas. In my off time, I’m also still flying my Boeing 747’s from London to Singapore, but in vastly different conditions and circumstances than in X-Plane 9, the tools and detail you have available today in X-Plane 12 is sensational.   Finally what advice would you give to someone looking to get more involved in the X-Plane.Org community and become a true part of it, and what do you think makes the Org community stand out in this often-crowded environment?   The beauty of the X-Plane.Org community is that anyone, from a 10-year-old to a 90-year-old can be a part of it, help each other, and we all grow together as basically a big family. The advice is also there as Simulation is also very complex, the Community admin, and experienced users (old timers) will help you with your problems, and mostly sort out your issues, and the support base is massive as is the huge amount of content available. But overall, it is the respect we give each other, treat each other for the support of one another that has made it one of the best online communities, and one we are proud to say the one we are also committed to.   Now you know the man behind the reviews and the incredible dedication he brings to the X-Plane community. Stephen, I know firsthand how busy you are, so thank you for taking the time to do this.   Yeah, it was a lot of fun!   ______________________________

Scenery Review : LZTT – Poprad-Tatry Airport, Slovakia by Chudoba Designs and Flying Partners   In the hub and spoke system, were as a "Hub" is a major airport, usually associated with a city, to the "Spoke" or a small regional Airport that is an interesting destination. Most Simulation users usually stay on the "Hub to Hub" main line of the connections of the airline system, but I like the differences that a large Hub to a small Spoke destination, mainly to explore places you would never usually go to, or to "go off the beaten path" so to speak. Chudoba do a lot of these excellent Hub & Spoke sceneries. This is such a spoke regional airport, or destination in LZTT - Poprad-Tatry Airport that is in Slovakia.   Poprad  is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains, famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. The largest town of the Spiš region and the largest of all towns in the vicinity of the High Tatra Mountains in both Slovakia and Poland, Poprad is the tenth largest city in Slovakia, with a population of approximately 50,000.   The Poprad-Tatry Airport is interesting because of it is one of the highest elevations in Central Europe, at 718 m, which is 150 m higher than Innsbruck Airport in Austria, but 989 m lower than Samedan Airport in Switzerland. So you will have to calculate carefully your landing altitude and not to create a large hole in the ground.   This is a destination more popular than you would think, as even Wizz Air and Ryanair connect out here to bring in the holiday makers to these excellent resorts, it is cheap skiing compared to the heavily used French and Swiss resorts.   As noted Chudoba Designs does a lot of these interesting sort of niche sceneries like; Göteborg Landvetter Sweden, Brno-Tuřany in the Czech Republic, Bratislava Airport and even Marsa Alam, which is one of the most visited tourist airports in Egypt. Here with Poprad there is local connection with another another developer in Flying Partners Slovakia, an established MSFS 2020 developer.   It is only a short hop from Vienna to Poprad, so there is no need to climb any higher that 26,000ft, before descending down to the resort town, as it is only 170 nautical miles between the two Airports (You could drive there really). Equipment? the A319 from ToLiss, the baby bus, perfect for the short route.     Arrival is via EPEDA3D, into runway 27 (ILS- 110.1 TT), there is no ILS on the other end of the 8,530 ft (2,600m) runway (09)...   Poprad–Tatry Airport Letisko Poprad-Tatry 09/27 - 8,530ft (2,600m) - Concrete 07R/25L- 2,493ft (760m) - Grass 07L/25R - 2,493ft (760m) - Grass Elevation AMSL2,356 ft / 718 m   First view is just of a single runway, and with no airport infrastructure to be seen, "did I load in the scenery folder right?" yes I did, but all the way down there, the landscape looks oddly empty from your height. On final approach it is still the same dilemma, just a runway, nothing else?     In the 27 approach your in a valley, the High Tatra Mountains to the East, and the Low Tatras to the West. Poprad township is to your left as you approach the 27 threshold...     ...   09/27 is a long, looong runway, you feel the length, but I still missed the first turn cutout to the left.     There are four turnaround cuts on the left side of the runway, I snag the second from the top, but it is still a long taxi back.     Once rotated into the southern direction, finally you can see the terminal area, set deep into the trees to your right. The single long taxiway A is a tight turn into, you have to get it right, even with this small Baby Bus.     Once on the apron, there are four parking slots, all twist the aircraft around to be mostly parallel with the terminal.     The Poprad-Tatry Airport was originally built in 1938, and it's age is still reflected in the buildings, certainly Poprad-Tatry has been modernised, well several times with terminal additions, but the original airport layout feel is still here.     That long 8,500 ft 09/27 runway dominates any view, and the intergration of the scenery to the surrounding X-Plane default is very good, using the fence line as the boundary. The two grass runways 07R/27L and 07L/27R are well intergrated as well, if hard to see when in use.     As noted the original terminal still stands as built for the World Championships in classic skiing at Štrbské Pleso in February 1970, the administration and built in control tower, built at the same time as the terminal is still also represented at the airport.     The central terminal is well done, but there is a sort of FlightSim feel about the building. In the modeling and graphics, but it works really well in context despite it's origins. There are no internal details.     There has been two terminal upgrades, in 2008, Poprad–Tatry Airport extended its arrival terminal and (also, upgraded the lighting approach system for runway 27), Then later, on January 31, 2014, a new departure hall was inaugurated, meeting all Schengen requirements, with construction costs totaling nearly €2.62 million. Both are well defined in the scenery.     Both sections are separated, and fully detailed internally...  first Arrivals. There are two arrival zones, Red and Black. Separated for International and Schengen.     Departures is twice the size and more detailed.     So the newer extension terminal is highly detailed and with great quality detail at that.   The 70's Control Tower and Administration building is very authentic, there is also a built in Fire Station and an original hangar as part of the complex. You also have excellent quality X-Plane 12 active trees as part of the fauna.     Tower detail is excellent, with a basic internal control layout.   Air Transport Europe (ATE), established in 1991, is a Slovakian aviation company that has a big presence at Poprad. The company specializes in helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), particularly in the High Tatras region, and offers various aerial work services, including logging, liming, construction, and agricultural operations. ATE use the biggest hangar here and have an administration building set behind. Modeling and textures also have that FlightSim look and feel, but it is well done and feels nicely authentic. ATE operates a flight school offering specialized helicopter training programs. Their courses include type rating for Agusta A109 K2 and Bell 429 helicopters, as well as a Type Rating Instructor (TRI(H)) course. There is a secondary Flight School on the north apron called JetAge, and a secondary hangar opposite. Note the BMW X5, it is the only animated vehicle in the scenery, but it is well done, in doing rounds of the facilities.   If you look very carefully, a few of the buildings are not quite properly connected to the ground (Floating), it is not a distraction, but it is visible, like with the ATE Admin building. Landside is small, and basically just one carparking area, but it well designed and filled with nice detail, highlight is the great signage.   Ground textures are good, very good. Great variations in textures, from the stoney asphalt (correct scale), rubber touch marks, to concrete and other hard surfaces. Cracks, oil repair or asphalt cement mixed with petroleum solvents to fix cracks and wear and tear damage is really well done...  as is the wear and tear surfaces, only slight is the very straight lines on the surfaces edges, a shame as everything else here is so very good. Lineage wear and tear is top notch as well, very realistic.     The grass runways are well done, but the wild tuffs of grass, don't quite work in context.     X-Plane 12 dynamics are of course developed into the textures. PBR reflections and normal maps are dynamic with burnt-in ambient occlusion which are all active... snow conditions are very good being this high in altitude.     Lighting is very good, but again a mixture of the old and new, or with antiquated FlightSim or X-Plane 12 effects. Runway approach lighting is top rate with RAIL on the 27 approach, but be aware there is no centreline lighting, neither on the Runway or the Taxiway A.     Outwardly Poprad-Tatry looks great...     ...  but the older modeling has the dreaded FS greyed out windows, the newer modeling is modern and fine, unfortunately the old overwhelms the new.     The ramps are however excellent for night operations, great beam throw and nicely well lit.     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 "LZTT – Poprad-Tatry 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.   Summary This is another (hub &) spoke airport by Chudoba Designs in association with Flying Partners Slovakia. Set deep in the Slovakian Tatra Mountains is LZTT – Poprad-Tatry Airport, positioned by Poprad, a city in northern Slovakia. A single runway airport that services the ski fields of this exclusive area.   Modeling is a mixture of old FlightSim and new X-Plane 12, and the combination works very well to create an original authentic scenery. There is both old (70's) terminals and administration/control tower and new terminal (2008). Excellent lighting though is offset by older  buildings ex FlightSim windows, that look very dated and now misplaced. Great textures and X-Plane 12 trees and fauna create dynamic seasons and weather, signage is very good, but only a single animated BMW X5, that rides around the airport.   Overall Poprad-Tatry is great experience, a great high altitude destination that is authentic, Ryanair and Wizz Airlines service the airport, and at a value price of only a below US$20 price, even currently discounted to US$12.95, so a winner for your Eastern European collection, verdict, far better than I thought it would be!   👍 Great eastern European authentic scenery, great combination of old and new styles, excellent lighting and textures/signage 👎 Old fashioned FlightSim night windows ________________     Yes! - the LZTT – Poprad-Tatry Airport, Slovakia by Chudoba Designs and  is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here :   LZTT – Poprad-Tatry 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 (January 9th 2025)   Download for LZTT – Poprad-Tatry Airport is 3.24Gb. The download and Authorisation is done via Chudoba Designs own application, called Antileak, you get an automatic referral to the site. Install is different for X-Plane 11 (STEP 2) as you have to install a different "Earth nav data" (Provided) file...  You install only one folder; LZTT_ChudobaDesign-FlyingPartners Provided is both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11 versions of the scenery, plus the Chudoba "Library", not required if you already own a Chudoba Scenery.   Full Installation is 1.05Gb in your Custom Scenery Folder. (only X-Plane 12 was installed)   Documentation: no documentation ___________________________   Scenery Review by Stephen Dutton 27th January 2025 Copyright©2025: 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 12.1.3 Plugins: JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 Scenery or Aircraft - Airbus A319 XP12 by Toliss (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$89.99   (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 : LFNJ - Aspres-sur-Buech, France by FSX3D     FSX3D are back with another of their small but highly detailed French sceneries, their first for 2025. This time we get to visit Buëch region in the South of France with LFNJ - Aspres-sur-Buech.   Aspres-sur-Buëch Airport (ICAO code: LFNJ) is a small airfield located in Aspres-sur-Buëch, within the Hautes-Alpes department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France. The airport is situated at an elevation of approximately 2,726 feet (831 meters) above sea level. It has two runways, with North-South Runway 18/36, the runway is 900 meters (2,953 ft) in length, and the East-West Runway 10/28, 650 meters (2,133 ft), there are no charts available for LFNJ...   This is an unique airfield located on a small plateau with a view of the Buëch region. Some pilots call it "the aircraft carrier" because landing there feels a bit like landing on a ship's deck! LFNJ is also called Chevalet aerodrome, this airfield has a rugged, natural charm. Tucked away in a sunny valley surrounded by mountains, it's perfect for pilots who enjoy flying in quiet, remote areas. However, its specific wind and weather conditions mean that only authorized pilots can fly there.   Features: Ultra detailed 3D PBR Textures Ambient occlusion (Objects and ground) Wet track effects Dynamic lighting Compatibility Ortho4XP Compatibility AutoOrtho HD photorealistic ground South-Est Z17 (Ortho4XP 1.40) with personalized elevations at one centimeter of arc Autogen (Houses,Lights,Cars)     Again here is another cheap nifty French scenery, which all are of great value, and now there are quite a few sceneries from FSX3D to collect if you are flying around France.   Images are courtesy of FSX3D _______________________________     LFNJ - Aspres-sur-Buech, France by FSX3D is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:   LFNJ - Aspres-sur-Buech, France Price is US$12.99   Requirements X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB VRAM Minimum Download Size: 485 MB Current version : 1.0  (Jan 24 2025) ___________________________   News! by Stephen Dutton 27th January 2025 Copyright©2025: 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: Stockholm Archipelago AIRTaxi by LagoFlightLabs   By Colin Parker   Introduction The Stockholm Archipelago is the largest archipelago in Sweden, and the second-largest archipelago in the Baltic Sea (the largest being the Archipelago Sea across the Baltic in Finland). Inhabited by farmers and fisherman since the 1400s, it has become a popular tourist destination since the 1950s. It’s possible to visit the larger islands in the archipelago all year round, but during the winter months the routes depend on the ice conditions.   LagoFlight-SA’s latest 'AIRTaxi' scenery pack includes five fictional airfields, each scattered across the largest islands of the Stockholm Archipelago: Möja, Namdö, Ornö, Runmarö, and Utö.   This pack follows the footsteps of LagoFlight-AG’s Balearic Islands AIRTaxi scenery, imagining routes that could be operated by an air taxi company using small GA aircraft, if the airfields existed. Each airfield features a short, hard-surface runway, along with a range of terminal styles and air traffic control towers. Active ATC frequencies and services are integrated with X-Plane 12’s ATC model. One quirk to the scenery is that there’s a slight Victorian railway station feel to these airfields, in that they’re a bit over-engineered for the modest traffic the tourist trade might bring. But let’s be honest, realism isn’t the goal here, it’s enjoyment. This scenery gives you a chance to sharpen your flight planning, short-field flying, and weight-and-balance skills in some truly stunning locations, and in that, it certainly excels.   Stockholm & Surrounding Area   Installation & Documentation After purchasing, the scenery pack downloads as a small 191KB zip file (yes, you heard that right) and unzips to a mighty 1.6MB! To install the scenery, simply unzip the folders into your X-Plane 12 Custom Scenery folder, then launch X-Plane 12. The documentation is limited to a single page Readme .pdf, which provides basic installation instructions and guidance on locating the airfields in X-Plane. It’s short, but it gets the job done!  Exploration & Graphical Quality The airports all feature high-quality textures and objects, along with native X-Plane 12 vegetation. I tested the scenery under various weather conditions, and it performs well with rain, snow, and wind. Each airfield includes a passenger terminal, cargo area, and refuelling points, offering plenty of opportunities to practice taxiing and other missions. All facades and objects come from the standard Laminar libraries for X-Plane 12, hence the download size. The developer suggests using Orthophotos or Auto Ortho for the best visual experience, so I installed tiles +59+017, +59+018, and +58+017 using Ortho4XP, and I can confirm that the scenery looks much better with Orthophotos in place. I also added X-World Europe by simHeaven and Global Trees as these really help bring out the best in the package.  Möja Möja (ICAO: ATXM) is the northernmost airfield in the scenery pack, with an elevation of 0 feet. Located on Möja Island, just a short distance from the town of Möjastrom, it’s surrounded by lush forests and features a small brick terminal, an outdoor cargo area, and a control tower with internal detail.     The hard-surface runway runs 01/19 and stretches six hundred and fifty meters. It’s not entirely flat, with a slight upward slope from the nineteen threshold, levelling off just past the aiming point markers.      Fuel is available from a bowser, and there’s limited baggage handling. Although the airfield has surveillance RADAR, operations are strictly VFR, with no instrument landing capabilities. The runway is lit at night, making it suitable for night flying.     There are three ramp starts, though they’re positioned too close to the terminal for an aircraft to taxi away easily. Pushback is not available, so you’ll either need to pull the aircraft back using the map or rely on a turbo prop with reverse thrust.     Runmarö Runmarö (ICAO: ATXR) is the next airfield south, sitting at an elevation of eighty-eight feet. Located on Runmarö Island, the closest of the archipelago’s islands to mainland Sweden, it features a striking glass-and-concrete terminal, an integrated control tower, freight handling, and a workshop building. Fuel is available on-site. There are three ramp starts in front of the terminal, all positioned well enough for a small plane to turn before taxiing. Pushback isn’t available, though.     The animated vehicles on the airfield occasionally follow odd paths, driving across the grass or even through fences. A few of the vehicles also seem a bit too large for the aircraft typically operating here, but then again, it wouldn’t be X-Plane if you didn’t have at least one oddity!      Like Möja, the airfield boasts a well-lit hard-surface runway, oriented 01/19. At seven hundred meters, it’s fifty meters longer than Möja, and operations are strictly VFR, with no instrument landing capabilities. The runway is twenty-five meters wide.     Namdö Namdö Island lies five nautical miles south of Möja. The airfield (ICAO: ATXN, elevation thirty-nine feet) features a large terminal, a small car park, and a separate control tower with an outdoor freight handling area. There are three ramp starts outside the terminal, but no pushback facilities are available. The taxiway operates on a one-way system. Fuel is provided via pumps rather than a bowser.     The well-lit, hard-surface runway is five hundred meters long, thirty meters wide, and oriented 06/24. Operations are strictly VFR, with no instrument landing capabilities.     Ornö Ornö is a larger island, located eleven nautical miles southeast of Namdö. The airfield (ICAO: ATXO, elevation forty-nine feet) features a single-storey brick terminal, a military control tower, and a larger fuel facility than the other airfields in the pack. Of all the airfields, this feels most in tune with its surroundings.     As with the other airfields, there are three ramp starts, all of which are easy to taxi away from without issue.   The well-lit, hard-surface runway is oriented 17/35, five hundred meters long, and twenty-five meters wide. It crosses a public highway near the seventeen threshold.     Utö Utö (ICAO: ATXU, elevation twenty-six feet) sits at the southernmost edge of the archipelago, nine nautical miles southwest of Ornö. It’s the largest airfield in the scenery pack, with six ramp starts spread around the terminal. The hard-surface runway runs 14/32, measuring nine hundred and fifty meters long and thirty meters wide.     The airfield features a multi-storey car park, a large concrete terminal, and a multi-tier control tower. Nothing like planning for the distant future! There’s also a helipad, though it’s not available as a start position.     Surveillance RADAR is available at the airfield, but, like the others, operations are strictly VFR with no instrument landing capabilities. The runway is lit at night, making it suitable for night flying.     Night Lighting X-Plane has always excelled when it comes to night lighting, and this scenery is further proof of this. With the right weather conditions, the lighting effects can be pretty impressive.      Performance Being such a small scenery in terms of SSD/HD space, the package consumes minimal processing resources and has no noticeable impact on frame rate. If you can run default X-Plane 12, you can run this package with similar performance.     Conclusion To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this scenery at first: fictional airfields serving a demand that doesn’t really exist, with somewhat oversized terminals and aircraft handling facilities. But there’s something to be said for a collection of airfields so close together, offering plenty of opportunities to practice and refine core flying skills. If you pair the scenery with the three ortho tiles mentioned in the documentation, along with X-World Europe by simHeaven and Global Trees, the experience really comes to life. That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable on a standalone X-Plane install, it’s just that these extras make it far more worthwhile.  There are a couple of small issues that LagoFlight-SA could address, such as the positioning of the ramp-starts at Möja and the odd routes taken by animated vehicles on some of the airfields. But aside from that, this scenery is a lot of fun to fly in.     ___________________     Stockholm Archipelago AIRTaxi by LagoFlightLabs is available from the Org store here:   Stockholm Archipelago AIRTaxi Priced at US$15.00   Features: Medium sized Terminals ATC Frequencies 4k Textures High attention to Detail 3D Native XPlane 12 Vegetation Very Performance light Parking lots with lots of Parked Cars Detailed Tarmac Textures with custom Patterns and Cracks Taxi Line Native X-Pane 12 Ground Truck Traffic Airport service High quality ground Vehicles Ground Markings Cargo area Fueling station ATC Towers Advanced Night Lightning Water and Snow effects Custom ICAO Codes Optimized for X-Plane 12 Requirements: X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows, Mac, or Linux 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version: 1.0.0 (December 10th, 2024) Reviewers System: Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-Core Processor 3.80 GHz Memory: 32.0 GB Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060   Aircraft Review by Colin Parker 25th January 2025 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! - Laminar Research releases X-Plane 12.1.4 beta     Laminar Research have released a new version of X-Plane in v12.1.4 in Beta form. It quite a visual based update, with a load of new ideas, new objects and features.   The headline feature is "FlightLessons", with Austin Meyer. Personally I don't know if Austin Meyer is the best person to be shouting at you while learning to fly, but there you go. There are four beginner flight lessons in the Cirrus SR22...     The four lessons consist of; Lesson 01 - Cirrus Intro, Lesson 02 - Basic Handling, Lesson 03 - Advanced Handling and Lesson 04 - Cirrus Landing.     Survive that, and you can uprate to the bigger Lancair Evolution, with another three lessons, including; Lesson 5 - Evolution Intro, Lesson 06 - Emergencies and finally Lesson 07 - Cross Country     Give it a try!   Second feature is a really interesting one...  a Physics-Based Camera   It has two modes; Physics-based camera for internal views (optional) Hand-held camera for external views (optional)     The internal called "G-Loaded Camera" is basically a "shake" camera to add in movement in the cockpit, there are of course a few of those reality plugins, but this one looks and feels very much smoother in operation, creating Turbulence, Shaking, and Ground Movements in G effects. The External "Hand Held Camera" is not a walkaround mode, but rather a shaking of the aircraft externally (Shift -C). There was another addition not mentioned in the notes of a "Lock geographically" this freezes the view to the location. All three new modes are in the X-Plane/Banner/View Menu.     There has also been a "Safe Mode" added. For situations where X-Plane crashes due of a plugin. This can also be activated manually by holding the CTRL key during startup, or by using a new startup scripts located in (X-Plane/Support) folder. Now you won’t have to go through the tedious process of removing addons one at a time to isolate crashes.     X-Plane has returned to the parts of Southern Germany, Northern Italy, and Austria, which is now (again) the demo area from Portland, with Salzburg being the location for the new flight lessons.       With the returned demo area, then Salzburg LOWS Airport scenery is also in having a significant update, with the Red Bull hangars and Salzburg Castle now available.       Second Scenery update is for Barra Airport (Port-adhair Bharraigh).     Barra Airport is a short-runway airport (or STOLport) situated in the wide shallow bay of Traigh Mhòr at the northern tip of the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The airport is unique, believed to be the only one in the world where scheduled flights use a tidal beach as the runway.     The correct runway choice is critical, with delicate wind and tidal conditions...     Laminar have made the Tide indicator and Windsock fully active to help with your takeoff or landing choices.     The Garmin G1000 has had more attention, with a Search and Rescue (SAR function to allow specialised flight paths when being involved in search and rescue operation).     There has been added a huge amount of New Library Objects, there are a fair few additions, including Snow and De-Icing Equipment...     Firefighting Scenarios and Ambulances     Trucks   All vehicle styles are however very biased to American vehicles, not much in worldly variations?   Airside and Airport Operations     But overall it is all very good visual quality stock for the Simulator.   Gateway Airports and since the last update in v12.1.3, with this update 1,481 Gateway airports have been refreshed.     Fixes and Enhancements General New Joystick profiles for the VKB S-TECS Throttle Mini Adjusted magnetic pole in X-Plane to match real world data Fixed an error when resizing the windows using a Wayland session on Linux AI aircraft will obey STAR altitude restrictions when on final (XPD-16285) Fixed an error when changing audio devices in the sound settings page (XPD-16365) Glider Tow crashes when activating TCAS Override (XPD-16422) Aircraft Cessna 172 SP - Improved the climb and idle performance to better match those of the real airplane Grumman F-14 Tomcat New manual on how to operate the F-14 Tomcat ATC Entering an airport in the flight-plan as waypoint will no longer override the destination airport We’ve updated the voice pack to include additional aircraft manufacturers and models Don’t allow read-back before the message has been fully heard (XPD-163479) Pilot voice says “Ukraine International” instead of “international” at ENGM (XPD-16405) Many additional fixes and smaller enhancements Scenery Added some “Warning Jet Blast Signs” at Princess Juliana International Airport (IATA: SXM, ICAO: TNCM)  Systems General Fixed KDAB ILS7L.HANAV when flying a slow aircraft, such as the Cessna 172 Boeing 737 autopilot turns to north upon capturing LOC instead of inbound course when flying the ILS32R at EDDK (XPD-16462) Garmin G1000 Pressing the small FMS knob on the MFD will no longer have an effect while being on the map display (XPD-16433) FMS Fixed stutters when calculation the mach change-over altitude Weather Improved the display of wind directions in the weather map Many improvements around the METAR reader, especially the handling of GRIB data: Sea-state group is recognised and ignored in METAR ‘M’ for ‘Missing’ is recognised and ignored in automated METAR More robust parsing of QFE No-data groups are handled fully. This should fix many cases of incorrect temperatures/wind/vis/QNH etc. where the METAR contains slashes. Previously these would leave the default – ISA – settings in place. Many more METARs should be read fully, instead of partially or not at all Zulu time is read and used to affect how much influence each METAR has on the current weather. This means you can no longer simply read the current/prior METARs and assume they will be equally weighted. Tops on CU/CB should no longer have a chance of being several thousand feet higher than reported in the GRIB METAR reporting CB no longer sets all cloud layers to CB CB chance is read from GRIB files and used to affect CU/CB classification Cloud layer blending over time for the same station changed to use the same method as elsewhere Cell blending changed to have smoother transitions Web API Added support for calling commands using the Web API   As noted the Weather has had more attention, Those GRIB files are still not perfected. I had a bad stutter or framerate cycling on the "real" weather download, I am hoping this aspect has been fixed in this v12.1.4b update.   Overall it is a another significant update from Laminar Research, the first for 2025.   Enjoy!   You can update to X-Plane v12.1.4 beta now via the built in X-Plane Installer application, just select "Update X-Plane" and make sure the "beta" selection box is ticked. It is a 5.2 Gb Installation.   ___________________________   NEWS! by Stephen Dutton 25th January 2025 Copyright©2025: 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! - Update Release : Maule M-7-235B Project XP12 v1.5 by vSkyLabs     vSkyLabs have released an update to the Maule M-7-235B Project in v.1.5, this is an extensive revamp of this very popular and versatile aircraft.   The Maule M-7 is an easy to fly, 4 or 5 seat Taildragger STOL American aircraft built and based in Moultrie, Georgia . Most models can be fitted with floats, skis or bush tires, and there is also a nose-wheel version. The aircraft is agile and very versatile, and has a large and easy to access cargo area. The Maule M-7 is a favorite bush-plane, and also favorite among commercial operators and private pilots.   V1.5 is a comprehensive major update, details included are; Flight model: Engine idle RPM tuneups. Empty aircraft CG refinements to all variants. Aircraft handling refinement in pitch/roll/yaw axes to better replicate the Maule M-7 responsiveness in all phases of flight. Landing gears - Differential-braking feature when using only rudder equipment (no to brakes hardware) was refined to allow more docile 'automated' brakes with rudder input. Systems:  All CB's are now wired up into the electrical system and fully functional (two panels - front and RH). S-TEC 55x autopilot was implemented in the analog variant. Dual GNS-430 bundle was implemented in the analog variant. Night lighting - instrument panel - improved. Heading bug was re-positioned to the correct instrument in the panel. Graphics: G1000 module was replaced with enhanced 3-d model. Various PBR touches for external textures and liveries. Interaction: VSKYLABS 'Cockpit-Builders-Heaven' was implemented, allowing to assign all aircraft switches, knobs, levers and interactions in a designated, cluttered section in the X-Plane 12 assignment screen. Fuel selector manipulator was replaced with improved 'rotatable' knob functionality. This improves interaction in 2-d and especially in VR, where you simply 'rotate' the fuel tank selector to the desired position.   Bug fixes: Gears indicator display (float-plane) fix (lights illuminates at night).         The development of the VSKYLABS Maule M-7-235B project for X-Plane flight simulator was approved by Maule Air, Inc. However, it is an independent VSKYLABS project which is not related, affiliated and/or endorsed by/with Maule Air, Inc.   PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS Three aircraft included (land and amphibian, Analog/G1000, Classic gears/35" Bushwheels). Designed for X-Plane 12 cutting edge flight model environment. Superb flight dynamics with authentic performance and flight handling characteristics. Built for VR: development was tailored specifically for VR, and optimized for 2D usage. Engineered and designed as a genuine, default X-Plane 12 aircraft. The VSKYLABS projects are practically show-casing X-Plane, as they are stretching X-Plane default features, systems and flight model to its limits without any dependencies on complementary plugins or software...delivering a very robust simulation model, having maximum compatibility with the ever evolving X-Plane flight simulator. Perfect fit for beginner and expert pilots. Equipped with Alpha Systems AOA 'Eagle' indicator replica. Built-in Avitab Plugin Compatibility (AviTab plugin is not included). Autoupdater based on the SkunkCrafts autoupdater - all updates are being pushed smoothly without the need to re-download the entire base package (base package will be updated every once in a while to minimize the gap). Highly responsive VSKYLABS support forums: VSKYLABS offers continuous professional support, from all aircraft related aspects (operating and flying) to X-Plane technical support. The project is under constant maintenance and development. The project includes the VSKYLABS 'Cockpit-Builders Heaven' assignment layer. It allows assigning all aircraft switches, knobs, levers, and interactions in a designated, uncluttered section in the X-Plane 12 assignment screen. 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 Maule M7-235 ___________________________     The Maule M-7-235B Project XP12 by VSkyLabs Flying Lab Project is NOW available! from the X-Plane.Org Store here :   Maule M-7-235B Project XP12 Your Price: US$32.95 On Sale US$16.48 You Save:$16.47(50% off)   Requirements X-Plane 12  - Not compatible with X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended  Current version: 1.5 (Jan 23rd 2025) ___________________________   NEWS! by Stephen Dutton' 24th January 2025 Copyright©2025: 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