Boeing 777-200 LR + Ramzzess Aviation Design and Philipp Münzel + Another Look
My name is Tim, a keen flight simmer and software developer from Australia. I will be posting insights and information on X-Plane aircraft and systems issues over the next few weeks, including hardware and performance enhancing tips to maximize your X-Plane performance and experience. I will also discuss aircraft information and insights as they become available.
Well, here it is, probably the most comprehensive and detailed aircraft for x-plane to date – the Boeing 777-200LR WorldLiner, the longest ranged commercial twin-jet in service, with a range of almost 17,300 km.
It is a marvel of technical development, with a phenomenal array of systems and detail that has to be seen to be appreciated. However, it is not without its’ shortcomings…
First of all, such a large and complex aircraft is always going to be hard to develop, and integrate real-world systems. I feel Ramzzess has done a tremendous job in this regard – some may say aspects look “cartooney” or unrealistic; however, one needs to fully read and comprehend the manual and systems in order to gain an appreciation for this aircraft. It is not a model where you can simply “hop in and take off” – it is one where you need to understand how large aircraft perform and operate in order to fully take advantage of the aspects with this model.
Systems are model extremely well, right down to the FMS and EFIS – it is amazing to see the relative simplicity of a modern glass cockpit, and compare to the likes of “steam gauges” panels found in heavies from an earlier era. The electronic flight bag on the left of the captain’s console is a nice touch, and displays airport information for some select airports within X-Plane. No doubt this will be a feature that hopefully sees additional functionality into the future development.
The interior of the aircraft is modelled well – although perhaps not that “life-like” in appearance and with odd configurations of seating. In my opinion however, virtual cabins are an essential addition to any aircraft model: they make the aircraft complete, and add a new dimension to the sim that many of us can relate to on our travels as passengers on real aircraft.
The externality of the aircraft is also impressive, fuselage details and panel lines been modeled extremely well. Small detail such as landing gear hydraulic and break feeds are also a nice touch, and round the aircraft off nicely. One thing I have noticed however is that the aircraft may sit slightly too high on its landing gear overall – the nose gear tires also look slightly too big – it appears they are duplicates of the main landing gear. In real life, they appear to be smaller. This does not deflect from the model too much however.
Incompatibility with current beta versions of XP is not good – with a popup on start displaying you are using a version of xplane that is not compatible (at this time, the only supported version is 10.05). The aircraft does work on beta versions however, but users (including myself) have also reported CTD scenarios on loading the aircraft, as well as mid flight. I suspect this may have something to do with the java plugin the aircraft requires, as well as potential memory leaks. These aspects will no doubt be fixed in upcoming updates, so it is really a matter of waiting.
FPS, for such a large aircraft, it is excellent. As I said earlier, I will be providing some hardware tips on how to optimize aircraft in xplane – one of the secrets I will say now is to install xplane on a separate hard-drive (ideally a SSD or in RAID-0), and once you install any add-on, defragment the drive immediately before playing. For those into the extreme, the option also exist to over-clock your PC – I have been able to obtain significant enhancements to performance and visual quality, e.g. upwards of 60FPS in the 777 in complex city areas.
So there you have it, my insight into the 777. In the coming few weeks, I will be posting more blogs on hardware secrets to optimize your X-Plane installation, as well as other performance tips to improve your experience in X-Plane.
FlightTime56 will have a more detailed look at this release candidate/update, but this release has implications for the R&P777 as this is the new default stable release, and 10.05r1 is now history.
A couple of items on the list are improved runway lighting and roads and bridges have been tweaked, so let’s take a look.
We’re making a circuit around Louis Armstrong International, frede’s latest located in New Orleans and a very nice file indeed…and with varying low sunlight/angles applied in the pattern and on final…
And here’s some complex roadwork, and yes, it looks quite improved.
FT56 will have more for you soon, but this looks like it might be a good one… Hasta later – C
” Hello everyone ! ” Here is Valentin, aka Hueyman, and when I have the privilege to post on this very nice place, it’s usually to speak about helicopter reviews or things like that. But some days ago, I read comments from an X-Plane user who wanted to have a complete, focused post about hardware and how to use it in X-Plane, I hope this will help him, and others who are in the same case.
Let’s take a look !
X-Plane is, yes, in some ways a very simple simulator, but it offers so much possibility when you take time to go a bit deeper into things. I’m used to very demanding sims like those in the DCS series, and we could ask ourselves ” Hey, what could I find better in a civil flight sim than in a complex military one ” ? Well, nothing if we stick to the basics, start engine, power up, climb, land , shutoff. But X-Plane offers way more than that, and is reinforced with the helps of plugins. Although it’s GUI is quite simple, it offers to the end user the possibility to configure almost every SINGLE RIDICULOUS command, and to anything, a keyboard combination, joystick buttons, etc..
I already read here and there that some users ( even developers ! ) are using X-Plane with a very uncommon flight input device… a mouse !! Yes, a mouse… How the devil could you imagine a Mirage 2000 fighter pilot, or an A380 pilot, controlling those mighty machines… with a MOUSE ?!!! No, please God, NO!!! Some of you are spending hundreds and thousands of ” buckeroos ! ” on a high end PC, but end up playing on mouse or toys joystick…. Without getting into all the crazy products that are offered on the market, like $10,000+ flight environments ( cockpit, panels, sticks, seats, Track IR, Vibration system .. ), I think joysticks like the well known Saitek X52 are the good, simple basis to really enjoy X-Plane, or any serious sim ( but X-P is, IMHO the only civil/serious sim … )
I won’t write here a comparison between these peripherals as I don’t know them all, and it’s very different from one person to another, I’ve even met a girl who flew with.. a RC Transmitter ( yes, she knows who is she . I personally owned, since I started Flight Simulation, 3 joysticks, all very differents : A Logitec Extreme 3D Pro, a very plasticy thing.. a tiny handle for throttle, and space-tech lookin’ buttons… later, my father bought me a very nice Saitek X52, that was the real ” wind of change ” thing for me… For the first time I felt like being in a real cockpit ( well, at least more than the logitech : ). When it was new and clean, all pots worked great, that was precise and smooth in operation.. then 4 years later, I fell in love with – maybe the best thing around here – the Thrustmaster HOTAS WARTHOG ! With Saitek Combat Rudder Pedals..
Now I’m playing in the high end side of the thing.. while my 2009 laptop can’t handle X-Plane 10 more than 20 FPS with zero settings ! I know it’s ridiculous but one thing at a time..
This Warthog is a piece of modern engineering and technology, all metal, both units ( Throttle unit & Joytstick ) are about 6Kg, 80% made of metal, only the two Throttle Levers are in good plastic. Many ( real ) Switches, two positions, three positions, spring loaded, halfway etc etc.. 6 hats, many buttons, a wonderful red trigger..
Here is the beast :
Before going further, no, I have no connection with Thrustmasters and they don’t sponsor me, I had to wash many dishes to buy that thing !
I don’t know if you realize how all those switches and buttons will be usefull when correctly configured.. Let me tell you my personnal setup :
One 2 pos switch for Battery ON/OFF, one other for Generator ON/OFF, a 3 way switch : LOW : AP App mode, MIDDLE : Wing leveler – pitch mode, UP : Heading Mode, one push buttons to engage and disengage AP servos, one 2 way switch for landing, the grey slider for Propeller RPM, or Throttle in helicopters, spring loaded 2 way switch for starter ( right one for starter 2, and starter 3 and 4 are for the backward position ), one 2 way switch for fuel open/close ( or mixture full rich, full lean ), a push button for Beacon light, a 3 way switch for : LOW : Landing Light off, MIDDLE : LL On, UP : Taxi light Toggle, a hat push for strobes, a left-right hat for increasing or decreasing AP heading values, vertical hat directions for increasing or decreasing AP Altitude, one fwd, bckwd hat for increasing or decreasing AP Attitude up or down, a 3 way spring loaded for flaps extension or retractaion, a spring loaded switch for helicopter clutch, a push button for helicopter Governor..and that’s all for the Throttle unit !!
For the joystick :
Trigger has 2 position, first is 3D cockpit mouselook, second pos is chase view, one hat is for left,right,up,down, another for rot left, rot right etc…, the big grey hat is up down Zoom In, Zoom Out, left right rudder trim, the thumb hat is aileron and elevator trims, the pinky button is altitude hold, one red push button is for helicopter rotorbrake, the black lever in the bottom of the stick is a brake toggle betwen released and max brake ( actually parking brake toggle ) and THAT’S ALL!!
Needless to say that with all these programmed, you almost don’t have to touch your mouse or keyboard during an entire flight, and you can’t imagine how pleasant that is.. That’s my own setup, but anyone can ( and easily ! ) create their own profile using TARGET software, to shape your controls to your tastes. The stick is very comfortable, a very very high precision resolution ( 65536X65536 values ) and using H.E.A.R.T ( Hall Effect AccuRate Technology ), that offers you the best control over your warbird, liner, stunt plane, helicopter.. or anything you wish to control. Oh, and it’s the detailed reproduction of the A-10 US plane, not very interesting except if you’re a DCS A-10 addict.
The Saitek Pedals are simple, robusts, precise and you get separate brake controls, useful for taxiing your plane, such as the DC-3, that I wish I had…
But X-Plane is known to be bad at taxiing, FS planes are really more comforable to roll and control on the taxiways. It can take a while to assign all that both in X-Plane and in TARGET, but not more than in any other HOTAS, I don’t know CH Products, but many of you seem to have those great looking products, and the setting time should be very similar, you choose a action to do, then you click on the button you want to assign !
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Another side of the equation is a file by of one great ” Very Usefull Plugin Man “: Barbarossa ! And it’s called X-Assign ( get it here : http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=12551 ). Basically, this plugin allows you to entirely configure buttons, axis and everything ( except curves ) PER AIRCRAFT !! That is so great when you switch from the R22 for example, to a S-92, or from a Pilatus PC6 to a Boeing 747.. It took me a little time to understand how it works, but now that is very clear :
1. You open the plugin when your ACFT is loaded
2. Click on X-Assign > Then you got some options, Load Set 1, Save Set 1… That is for the Aircraft you are currently using ! So you: Load set 1, for example, then configure all you want in settings, then you: SAVE set 1 !
3. Global sets are.. global, so you can load them from any ACFT, that is useful for example you can create a defauls Heavy Metal config for Global Set 1, a General Aviation Config for Global Set 2 and a general helicopter config for GS3.. SO it allows you to find your previous settings without always creating a config PER plane ( I noted it’s getting messed up with each new X-Plane beta, so beware .. )
4. Fly away !
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The last thing to be done, before flying away is actually set X-Plane’s own intergrated artificial stab system AND stick travel curves… And that is an important area. Since many addons have, usually in their manual, some recommended settings for stick curves, I personally think it shouldn’t be marked, as it really depends on the hardware you have and how realistically you want to the flight model to feel. The most realistic settings are.. NO ART STAB AND STRAIGHT LINEAR CURVES !
Another big thing that is important to note, is that real size control column are approx between 40 and 80 centimeters high, for sticks, and it allows to be way more precise on a defined travel, thanks to moments theory and level arms. So, for helicopters ( example ), the Joystick I have is really good, but it’s about 25 CM high from rotation point to the top of the stick.. not the previously mentionned 40 cm stick lenght. So you have to be more precise around a defined zone of movements..
I saw that : http://www.warthogworld.com/files/images/extender/full-15482-5331-extattached.jpg
A stick extension that I really think to buy, or build myself, so I could increase a lot the lenght, and place the sticks between my legs, like real world pilots, instead of having it high on the right side of the Desk, which is more like modern fighter/Airbus.. It’s a choice on your own, but you have better control that way, low between your legs, your right arm ( considering you are right handed ) is really offering it’s maximum strength and control, for low fatigue flights and full control over the whole travel of X and Y axis.
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Let’s consider a different kind of peripheral for a moment. I saw that Saitek and CH Product have Cessna-like control wheels/yokes, and I think that while those are great for General Aviation and Airliners, but these are totally ridiculous for helicopters and fighters, or even warbirds.. You understand here that the choice of peripherals is firstly a matter of taste, what you like flying, your height ( I am 1,93 m ! ), where the device will be placed, etc etc. The best would be to benchmark them in your local shop, but let’s admit it’s not easy to come in and say ” Hey, hello, wait 1 hour while I install my X-Plane copy, then let me test all your stuff, from car steering wheels to Saitek Pro Flight Series hardware.. ” No, it’s not possible, so the best way is to read reviews here and there, watch videos of how the real product looks when out of the box ( how many times in a life, when you order something from the internet, are you surprised or disappointed when you finally open the actual product ? ).
We’re coming to the end of our ” Peripheral focused post “, I hope it will help you to fit perfectly your peripherals to X-Plane, and to check out it’s maximum possibilty to feel.. like a pilot !
Hueyman
(note: we share an “Open Mic” at Chaos Manor anytime. If you have something X-Plane related you’d like to write about, drop us a line at our “rocketmail” email address and let’s talk it over. -C)
There’s a lot going on in the image above. First, that new Airfrance livery on the LeadingEDGE DC3, but then you might note the waterline along the beach below, and even the sky colors are different. Last of all, with a keen eye you’d note that the ramps at LFMN Nice are even more clogged with ramp traffic. Well, that’s because four new files were involved in making this image, indeed all the images in today’s issue, so let’s get going and take a look at the news, then some files.
First, a word or three about Hurricane Isaac…and X-Plane’s real weather settings.
Because if you’d like to see what happened to an EADT x737/8Ng when it went flying into Isaac – in X-Plane, watch this short clip from Kevin Grimm:
And finally, another image from Kevin Grimm showing some promising cumulonimbus formations rendered by XP when weather was set to random weather generator:
Despite trying many times, I just can’t manually set weather and get results like this, and not being able to create towering cumulonimbus clouds at all remains a huge disappointment with this weather engine. Still, that’s a good set of clouds, Kevin! Time to experiment again. It’s been an idea of mine to go tornado hunting in XP and see if I can find those towering monsters. Anyone else care to try? Send in your images if you do!
The Federal Aviation Administration is surveying owners and operators of general aviation aircraft, and blogger Scott Spangler encourages pilots and others to respond. “If we don’t care enough about general aviation to spend a few minutes filling out a survey, why should the FAA care any less than it does for the needs of GA?” he asks. Jetwhine.com
A report from JetNet shows a slight improvement in the number of used business aircraft for sale. From July 2011 to July 2012, 13.5% of business aircraft were for sale. The percentage marks a slight decline from the 13.7% of business aircraft for sale in July 2011. AVweb
Sikorsky Aircraft has signed on as a presenting sponsor of the Stuart Air Show in Florida for the second year in a row. “Sikorsky Aircraft prides itself on being the No. 1 helicopter company in the world, and the Stuart Air Show enables us to display our products and capabilities to the community along with assisting the airshow with presenting a first-class event,” said John Fischetti, general manager of the Development Flight Center at Sikorsky.TCPalm.com (Fort Pierce, Fla.)
Angel Flight pilot Michael Lawless volunteers to fly patients in need of medical care aboard his Beechcraft Bonanza A36. “It’s really rewarding. Meeting these people, they teach me things. It gives you a certain perspective,” said Lawless, 34. JerseyMan Magazine online (New Jersey)
Minn. pilot Dan Walker volunteers for Young Eagles events through the Experimental Aircraft Association to drum up interest in flying in the next generation. “We do fundraisers throughout the year, and our mission is to get kids involved in aviation,” Walker said. Walker estimates he has given more than 100 children free rides in general aviation aircraft through the program. Byron Review (Minn.)
The Living Legends of Alaskan Aviation project seeks to shine the spotlight on pilots in Alaska. Pilots in the state create a lifeline to more than 80% of settlements that are accessible only by air year-round. The pilots nominated and selected for the project will be honored at a banquet on Oct. 12. AlaskaDispatch.com
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There’s an informative forum post going about which MsFS scenery files convert well (and don’t) to XP here. This could become a very important place to discuss these issues, so don’t miss out of this is your thing.
(note: incorrect link updated now!)
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John from UrbanMAXX is working on some ideas for the Grand Canyon and is asking for comments on the image you see just above. Well? Aside from”PULL UP, NOW!” coming to mind, I kinda like it. What about you? Large image, so click away.
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A bunch of early gripes about the 777 surfaced in comments here and elsewhere concerning a “cartoonish” look to the 777. But there’s more to this story, really. The more time you spend in this file the more systems complexity becomes the big draw. It’s the immersive nature of the file that will win you over, assuming you give it a chance. Here’s a thought. Did these people complaining actually buy the file, or just look at some screens? Have they studied the manual? Tried to get involved with the systems? Believe you me…after a few hours in the 777 you won’t think it’s cartoonish anymore. Move beyond the “looks” issue and get into the FMS, work the problems presented, learn the systems, and I think the more you do the more you’ll grow fond of the file. Here’s a hint. If looks are THAT important to you, fly at night! This is a great night cockpit, with very good lighting…but y’all know me by now. I love flying at night, and that’s where I spent 90% of my time in the T7 beta. Another hint: this ACF works quite well at AeroSOFT’s BIKF with airport settings dialed up a bit, but other objects way down. Hang out there while learning your way around the ‘pit to enjoy better FPS.
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Dan Klaue pointed out yesterday that the empty “innards” box I singled out on the glare shield of the new Alabeo Sukhoi Su26is in fact a clip board that has been loaded down with popup activators, and you can see one of these below. This handy pop up features canopy controls and pilot’s visor up/down activator (among others), while another popup sets up some very nice camera angles. Sorry I missed these features, but I still think the “clipboard” looks kind of weird!
Regardless, the cockpit textures in this ACF are gorgeous, especially the tubular metal supports (very hard to get right in a 3D program and still have decent FPS). Even with all that Molly Ringwald pink, I love flying this ACF!
Because handling in v9 is fine, as mentioned, while v10 has hyper sensitive roll control and something is not quite right with the throttle controls. In v9 the ACF has no trouble accelerating easily to 300KIAS, while in v10 it’s difficult to get the aircraft past 150KIAS, and it barely climbs at all. Seems an easy fix, hope it is quickly. XP10.10b11 is supposed to offer a stable development platform for developers who have been slow to work in v10, so maybe it’s time to try?
Besides the Red Bull livery (seen top), there are two others included in a supplementary download. This red Honda version is a crisp, great looking affair:
While this blue CIAF version looks a screamer.
The Red Bull livery is really very, very well done.
If I left you with an impression I disliked this file, so sorry, but that’s just not the case. I enjoyed this one more than the Pitts in fact, and no, they don’t give us these files or pay us to say nice things about them! We buy ‘em, just like you do, and I’m glad I have this one, too! It’s a blast, just in v9 for now. Get it here.
Leen has done his usual bang-up job here, but this time out you get two for one – so to speak! Portside is KLM, and to starboard you’ll find France… AirFrance, that is! The arrangement may lead to a little case of split personality disorder, but you get used to it, and both sides are equally well done.
A good place to mention those sky colors, too. Note the very subtle (and I might add, very realistic) early morning sky in the image of the DC3 over the water (above) and with the Carenado Seneca (just below).
This is the new SkyCOLOR X file by OSM developer Tom Knudsen, and we most highly recommend this file. The colors rendered are very subtle, and lend a very nice feel to XP10.
It looks like frede has centralized his downloads at his own site, and that’s good news. Frankly, some of the off-putting comments at the Org were simply painful to read. I tend too often to look at the world through a very cynical prism, one formed I’m afraid by Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, where the world is divided between those who possess artistic/engineering genius and those who don’t. In this fictional world the talentless spend their lives tearing down the work of genius, and the talented learn to move on. A good book if haven’t read it, and not as politically charged as her later works.
Oh yes, frede’s KHZR is revised! Another must have file updated! A good day!
More static aircraft and taxiway signage marks this revised package. This is a v10 only affair that adds tons of ground elements to the default AeroSOFT LFMN Nice | Cote de Azur.
We highly recommended this before. It’s simply better now.
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And normal maps have been added to Matija Škerjanec’s Cassutt Racer, a WIP file we’ll be covering in more detail on release.
There’s something about the Trip-7. You know it, I know it, and there’s no way around the matter. Given the history of aircraft development in commercial aviation over the past fifty years an aircraft of this size and complexity was perhaps inevitable, but few ever seriously considered that an aircraft of such unimaginable size would be a twin-jet. Advances in metallurgy and engine design made this aircraft – the one we know today – possible, but still, every time we see one of these beasts screaming down the runway and leaping skyward it’s a “stop and stare” kind of moment, yet to those who could care less, the Trip-7 is just another twin-jet, one perhaps lost in the visual shuffle of 767s and A330s that dominate major airports around the world. But that ambivalence usually stops when boarding a Trip-7, for only then does the true size of this aircraft become overwhelmingly apparent to even the most jaded traveler. The Trip-7 grabs you and shakes you up the first time you board one…you think surely this is a 747…and then you recall seeing just two engines when you were boarding.
“How could this monster possibly fly?”
Well, very well indeed…as you’re about to find out. Particularly with the Ramzzess Aviation Design Boeing 777-200LR in X-Plane 10.
But even saying something as unequivocal up front as “the ACF flies very well”, we’ll have to also state right here at the beginning that this aircraft file for X-Plane can be intimidating. It’s physical handling is unexpectedly complex, the flight model drifts between ponderously heavy and nimble – of course depending on aircraft speed – but even making a circuit around your favorite airport can leave you breathless with exertion, not to mention emotionally tense. Over the course of beta testing this ACF for over a month there were times I simply had to pause the SIM and take a break. I was SO immersed in cockpit dynamics, and failure mode was usually active, so snappy little attention getters like an engine out can really grab you by the short hairs and not let go.
In the end, I was left with nothing more or less than complete admiration for the men and women who pilot this aircraft, and for Ramzzess & Philipp. Perhaps if you spend a few weeks wading through this ship’s systems you will too, but only after you’ve wrestled this bird through a couple of in-flight emergencies will you come to appreciate just how much weight rests on the shoulders of a Trip-7′s flight crew.
Let’s pause and reflect for a moment, and I’ll put it to you this way. The Ramzzess Aviation Design 777-200LR is X-Plane – on steroids. Don’t even think of messing around in this ACF until you’re ready to study for at least a few hours (it will take days to really wrap your head around all the systems). Get out a pad and take notes. Visit SmartCockpit and get other reading material and performance charts, and watch a few YouTube videos of 777s in action. Get into this one and you’ll get your money’s worth. Ignore the manuals and treat it like a video game and you’ll soon grow bored and frustrated.
One final caveat to get out of the way. The download comes with versions for XP9.70 and 10.05rcx; current betas (i.e., 10.10b9) are not compatible. If you run the ACF in the latest beta a large splash screen will appear front and center and warn you to revert to the current rc file. I would heed that warning, and you’ll be quite disappointed if you ignore it. In fact, you’ll save yourself some serious grief by installing this file in the last “stable” rc version the first time you make the installation, and not a newer beta. If you try to revert from beta x.x back to the last rc you may get unpredictable results from both XP and this ACF. Clear?
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Boeing 777-200LR + Ramzzess Aviation Design and Philipp Münzel
Rarely will an aircraft model’s varied components be the subject of such intense scrutiny as will this ACF’s. Developers of other large ACF will pour over the details, and I’m sure more than a few will devote hours to finding fault with this or that widget or line. Part of this exercise will for some be honest exploration, but other’s may well be of a more mean-spirited, partisan nature, and a further manifestation of the often virulent Org v XA Wars that have dominated discourse in XP for years. This will no doubt be complicated by a brewing XP vs FsX war, so when you read reviews and criticisms of this ACF in the various forums, keep this fact of life firmly in mind.
Our visual examination of the exterior today will be limited to how well the visibly modeled components represent the real aircraft, and we will not be dissecting wing sections and analyzing hydraulic systems, fun as that might be. We’ll start now by looking over a few images of real aircraft.
Ramzzess is a skilled artisan with 3D object modeling, and he’s proved himself with his SSJ and even the renders of his 757-200, so expectations are high that the exterior will be perfect. Well, let’s take a look starting with an overview, then note details such as:
curved fan blades
main landing gear supports, hydraulics and wiring, and counter-rotating steering rear bogey
flaps, slats, visible interior of wings when deployed
doorways and other entries
Now, a few images of the ACF in action, and these are of various beta files stretching back over two months, so not all features are visible in all images:
CABIN DETAILS
From the cockpit aft, you’re in for a treat. Near the forward galley you’ll find a stairwell leading UP to the crew rest area, First Class, Business Class, and Cattle Class seating is well done, and you’ll find enough Stoli at the various bars to keep the Russian Ice Hockey Team occupied for weeks.
This is a part of the ACF I rarely ever visit and really have little interest in, but the effort is commendably well done.
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THE FLIGHT DECK
The real 777′s ‘pit is a class act, and it’s finished out in the taupes and tans of current Boeing products, and not the blacks and grays of 60s and 70s era Boeings. It’s a glass cockpit, too, and automation plays a key role in almost every onboard system. Still, as with all such systems, garbage in = garbage out. Nothing works unless it’s programmed correctly, so preflights are intense, and knowledge is key.
Just making a quick comparison here, but Ramzzess has the details down, from breakers to hand holds to seat fabric, and while I could take issue with the filthy/dirty/grimy nature of the textures I understand that many folks like this look. Some panel objects could have sharper/deeper 3D structures, but all in all everything appears to be where it should be, and by and large most of the primary objects are functional. There are a few rough edges in these images, and again, there are early beta files imaged here:
The overhead panel carries on the theme of advanced functionality, and aside from the breaker panel you’ll find that most of the controls over head are functional.
There are enough lighting controls to keep even the most fetishistic lighting freak happy. If you can’t get it right in here, you need to take up underwater cow tipping.
Dynamic reflections appear on the cockpit glass and under the glare shield, and these colorful abstractions can really grab your attention!
Gauge legibility is generally excellent, as is display brightness, and the side map display (below) can be amended to include the airport/charts of your choice. Using the arrow controls on the bottom of this screen, you can zoom in or out and scroll around the displayed chart with ease.
Overall, manipulators can take getting used to but that’s to be expected. Most controls were reliable and intuitively operated.
BASIC OPERATIONS, THE FLIGHT MODEL & SOUNDS
I’d like you to consider another purchase with this ACF… a more fully featured set of flight controls than you might already have. I’ve “gotten by” with a Saitek X-52 Pro Flight Control stick and throttle for years, but after a few hours in the T7 I finally broke down and ordered rudder pedals. I went ahead and ordered the Saitek Combat Pedals from the OrgStore, and though expensive they feel very well made and the operational realism of an ACF like this demands all the finesse or muscle you can bring to bear. Incidentally, I ordered the pedals on a Monday afternoon, regular delivery and not overnight specified, and I received a notification from the staff at the Org store within a half hour that the product had been prepped for shipment and a FedEX tracking number assigned. The parcel arrived the very next Wednesday morning before my coffee cooled, all told in well less than 48 hours. Set-up was a breeze, and a hearty thanks to the crew at the Org for a job well done!
So, why do you need pedals? Well, because your legs are probably stronger than your wrist, and by using your feet you free up your hands to work on other problems. Also, you now have a very handy, and suddenly free, control on your stick that can be mapped to control nose-wheel steering, and you’ll immediately find this a real delight when trying to push the T7 around a crowded ramp. Independent axis toe-breaking adds to this capability, not to mention adding yet another layer of realism to your flying. Besides, real airplanes have rudder pedals! You’re missing out on one of the most important aspects of learning to fly…coordinating rudder and aileron motion with your hands and feet…if you stick with a stick. You CAN fly without a rudder if you have a good rig like the X-52, but you’re not learning the same motions that you’d use in a real aircraft.
Okay, let’s get back to the issue at hand. First, the flight model!
This ACF was NOT meant to be a substitute for a Cessna 152, and if your intent when buying this file is to shoot touch and goes at your favorite airport you’re probably not going to have a lot of fun. You CAN do this, don’t get me wrong, but there are a few steps you’ll need to take to get there. On the other hand, if what you want is an aircraft to make ultra long distance flights and as realistically as possible given a desktop simulators basic constraints, this may well be one of the deepest yet for X-Plane, if not THE deepest. I’d say in terms of sheer complexity only Peter’s A321/380 offer an equally challenging operational tempo. All three can make you break out in sweats – or the shakes!
Given Philipp’s involvement with FMS programming with the CRJ200, you’d expect this aspect of the ACF to be a well developed, hyper-detailed part of the SIM, and it is. Auto-flight isn’t an afterthought in a large aircraft’s operational paradigm, it’s integral to everything the crew does, and the 777 paved the way in this regard – for Boeing. It’s different than the Airbus system, and if you can manage the x737 you’ll probably not be too overwhelmed. Still, flying this ACF “by hand” is a joy. The controls are solid and responsive, and it IS relatively easy to fly a pattern and land manually once set up to do so. Low speed handling is not crisp, and making radical maneuvers below 170KIAS is not for the faint of heart.
Sounds are a mixed bag. Engine spool up sounds are muted yet forceful, yet flap sounds are the same “foghorn” loop found in Heinz’s 787, and as the flaps and slats take a while to extend or retract the annoying sound cycles and cycles. It’s the one annoyance in an otherwise nice soundscape that I’d like to see done away with.
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You should by now be familiar with Philipp’s video tutorials, and these ought to be your first stop when learning to program the FMS for auto-flight. Additional material from SmartCockpit offers condensed versions of the information contained in the Boeing manuals and are a worthwhile supplement, and in PDF format they can go right into an iPad for in-flight consultation. Very handy.
Without going into detail, I think with practice you can go from cold and dark to turning onto the active in 15-20 minutes – if you have a correctly pre-formatted flight plan to enter into the FMS. You can of course open the aircraft hot and on the runway, and with a few systems switched to auto then go about your merry business shooting circuits.
THE SIX HUNDRED POUND GORILLAS IN THE OTHER ROOM
Yes, the 777 is a very popular product right now, and with Captain Sim’s new 777-200 just out and doing well – and the PMDG 777 going into beta (…and with tantalizing images surfacing every now and then) – it’s fair to say that interest in this aircraft has never been higher in the flight sim community than it is right now. So this new ACF for XP faces some stiff competition – outside of XP, anyway.
Because then there’s the XPJet’s 777. Rumors swirl around this one like a fast ebbing tide, but the bottom line is no completion date has been announced, and the same outrageously good screenshots that were posted a few years ago are all that’s out there to keep public interest going forward on this project. We hear rumors all the time, but of course don’t report them, yet we have tried to contact XPJets a few times in the past but we’ve never heard back from them. Until we hear otherwise, we’re as “in the dark” about this file as you probably are. Hopefully we’ll hear about progress someday soon, as interest remains high.
Still, those XPJets screenshots ARE out there, and it’s inevitable that a few will compare R&P’s T7 cockpit to the XPJet screenshots, or to PMDG’s. As always, some will complain, others will praise, yet about all we can say is Ramzzess and Philipp have seen a tough project through to completion, and an extraordinarily complex ACF brought to market. We’d hope all concerned have the good grace to offer congratulations.
And we bring up these other files for a reason. Our focus remains X-Plane, but not to the exclusion of other platforms. In other words, if the best 737 out there is for FsX there’s just no real reason to claim otherwise, and we’re going to try – in the near future anyway – to show you why this is so. Conversely, if an ACF for XP is the clear choice, we’ll endeavor to explain our reasoning. Again, Simon and I are doing this because we love flight sims, and flying, and broadening horizons is just good for the soul.
This ALERT is not a first look or a review, it’s just that…a post letting you know the file is out there now, and if you want it, go get it. Without going into our reasoning at this point, we’d say it’s best suited for experienced heavy metal operators, and we’d define this person simply:
If you know what an FMS is, and can program one, that’s good. If you can program a SID/STAR, and fly it, that’s even better. If you can make an entire flight under the hood, and comfortably, that’s by far the best indicator that you’ll enjoy this file. If you don’t know what “under the hood” means, you might want to look elsewhere for amusement.
We think this is a ground breaking file, on many fronts, and after being involved with it for a month plus, we can recommend it highly. Pay attention to installation and hardware requirements, and you should be happy with the purchase. With a complex file like this one, there will be bugs as unforeseen operating system errors pop up. Don’t lose your cool, just go to the forums and log your issue. Ramzzess and Philipp are good people; they’ll take care of things.
That said, we’ll have more on this ACF soon. Hasta later – C
Sorry, I know most of you are waiting for word of another ACF release, but life goes on! Carenado’s aerobatic offshoot – ALABEO – has just released their second ACF in as many months, and this new Sukhoi is a predatory beast in XP9.70, and just a beast in XP10.10.b11.
The model and textures are once again first rate, and the flight model in XP9.70 is tight as a drum and immensely fun. In XP10 the roll rate is almost beyond the ability of a mere mortal to control, and throttle response is almost nonexistent. I’d say that this ACF should have tremendous appeal to folks still using XP9, and if you’ve committed to XP10 you’ll want to look through the forums and see if people are reporting similar issues before buying.
On top of the glareshield in both XP9 or 10 there is an instrument shell, complete with active manipulators, that has no innards (see image above and below), so what is it? Documentation is once again sparse, but then again, features are too. This is a hot rod. Point it at the sky and shove the throttle to the stops and go throw her around the sky for a half hour. That’s what it’s for, and it does a good job in v9.70. About the only unusual feature on the model is a nicely animated canopy, and the tinted glass is very well done.
The file is currently available at the Alabeo e-store, priced reasonably at just under 20 buckeroos, USD. Three additional “free” liveries are available after download. The hot pink livery is actually pretty cool. I think Molly Ringwald would approve.
Had a few folks ask about the clouds in yesterdays main image of the Cassutt Racer; here’s a reminder:
Questions ranged from “are these default clouds or an add-on package?” to “what were your settings?” Well, yes, these are indeed XP10.10b11′s default clouds, and what you’re looking at is three layers of “cirrus” clouds, and here’s what settings look like for a sea level airport:
And here’s a sunrise at EGMD (and see below for a quick review of bosun’s latest airport file):
Setting the OAT (temp) to a lower value (here at 39F) seems to help generate more colors when the sun is at lower angles, but I think a lot of other factors might come into play to get these. Setting cloud detail in the main rendering window has a great deal of impact too. Here the number is 59, and that seems to work out well generally. If you increase the lowest level cirrus layer to a higher value the entire effects seems to fall apart, so get the lowest layer at the altitude of your airport, and add the other two layers at +2k increments.
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Note at the top of the page a slightly revised layout, and a few items may be of direct interest to you today. We’ll be posting our own screenshots in this section, sometimes of WIP images of files that we may be working on (either scenery or a beta ACF), AND we’ll be posting reader’s screenshots. Send submissions to our rocket mail email address, and try to limit images to your very best work or something that you really need to share with all of us. We will be choosing only the best images, so please don’t send a deluge of files! There are some nice Chicago images from P3D already in the FsX category, and more images of frede’s latest KMSY in the X-Plane section, as well as Kevin Grimm’s latest work, at AeroSOFT’s Toulouse.
Now let’s look at some files.
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KMSY | Louis Armstrong/Crescent City International Airport | New Orleans, Louisiana + frede
Another outstanding airport in frede’s growing collection of southern airports, and his largest commercial airport yet. KMSY | Louis Armstrong is an international airport as well, another first in his series. Here’s the imagery from Google Earth:
Here’s the list of carriers and destinations served, and concourse listings:
Air Canada Express Jazz Air
Toronto-Pearson
D
AirTran Airways Southwest Airlines
Atlanta, Orlando [begins March 9 2013]
B
American Airlines
Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami
C
American Eagle
Chicago-O’Hare
C
Delta Air Lines
Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Memphis, New York-LaGuardia, Salt Lake City Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul
D
Delta Connection Chautauqua Airlines
Memphis
D
Delta Connection Comair
Cincinnati [ends September 29, 2012]
D
Delta Connection Compass Airlines
Minneapolis/St. Paul
D
Delta Connection ExpressJet
Memphis
D
Delta Connection Pinnacle Airlines
Cincinnati [begins September 30, 2012], Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK
D
Delta Connection SkyWest Airlines
Salt Lake City
D
Frontier Airlines
Seasonal: Denver
C
Frontier Airlines Republic Airlines
Kansas City [ends October 26, 2012]
C
JetBlue Airways
Boston, New York-JFK
C
Southwest Airlines
Baltimore, Birmingham (AL), Chicago-Midway, Dallas-Love, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston-Hobby, Kansas City [begins November 4, 2012], Key West [begins March 9, 2013], Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Newark [begins March 9, 2013], Orlando, Phoenix, St. Louis, Tampa Seasonal: Milwaukee [begins January 6, 2013]
B
Spirit Airlines
Dallas/Ft.Worth [begins January 24, 2013][26]
C
United Airlines
Chicago-O’Hare, Denver, Houston-Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, Washington-Dulles
C, D
United Express Colgan Air
Houston-Intercontinental
C, D
United Express ExpressJet
Cleveland, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark
C, D
United Express GoJet Airlines
Chicago-O’Hare, Denver, Newark, Washington-Dulles
C
United Express Shuttle America
Chicago-O’Hare, Newark, Washington-Dulles
C
United Express SkyWest Airlines
Chicago-O’Hare, Denver, Washington-Dulles
C
US Airways
Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington-National
B
US Airways Express Republic Airlines
Charlotte, Washington-National
B
And here are the images, starting with Interstate Highway 10 images, and the causeway to Baton Rouge, a prominent VFR landmark:
XP10 does a fantastic job of getting this roadway down in the swamp. Yes, swamp. The entire highway is built on pilings to keep it out of the water – for miles and miles! (below) Approaching the airport:
Some of the main areas/hangar complexes (below):
And a few closeups of the main terminal area (below):
All in all, most of the airport seems modeled in this v1.0 release. There may be more tweaking of this file but it already represents a wonderful effort, and is a must have file. A lot of optimization seems to have been done here as well. The file weighed in at less than 400Mb with HDR rendering (basic level) active, and with objects and airport detail maxed out. Most highly recommended.
Note: you can see more images in the X-Plane Screenshots section found in the header at the top of the page.
Bosun’s latest is a great addition for cross channel GA hops, and perhaps even a few RJ-type flights. Here’s the overhead imagery:
The following carriers operate from EGMD:
Bin Air
Stuttgart
LyddAir
Le Touquet
Bin Air operates Swearingen Metro freighters out of Munich, and LyddAir operates Barons/Super King Airs/ Navahos to LFAT +Le Touquet – Côte d’Opale, as well as charters and freight.
The file appears to be a WIP, but is already quite well on, and very nicely done.
We’ll have more as things develop. Hasta later – C
I don’t know what it is exactly about the sky – and clouds! – that moves us so, but there’s hardly a day goes by that I don’t stop and stare at an interesting cloud formation, and every now and then I’ll go online and look for images of dynamic, threatening clouds. Who doesn’t remember as a little kid staring up at the deep blue sky and watching summertime cumulus clouds drifting overhead…maybe wondering where they were headed or getting caught up with the sudden shapes that sometimes appeared in them. “There! There! that one! It looks just like Mrs Dunsworth!” (my 4th grade teacher, by the by). Then there were those times when dad and I went up in the Bonanza and darted around and in-between clouds (this was the 1950s, so no, we weren’t breaking the rules…well, maybe we were bending them a little!). It’s something to be flying along on a hot summer day at low altitude too, when the cabin of a GA single over Texas can get incredibly warm, and then to fly into a big, puffy summer Q. It’s incredibly white inside, but instantly quite cold as chilled water vapor streams into the cabin through the little vent invariably pointed right into a eyeball – then poof! – out into the sun again, and back into that warm summer sun. We used to fly down to the Texas Hill Country to our farm, and the only way to cool off was to dip into a cloud from time to time. You’d putter along until the sweat got to be too much, then find a cloud – and poof!
Anyway, I love clouds, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a more interesting monster than this one, which I ran across last night. Apologies for the quality, as it’s just three iPhone images tacked together in Photoshop, but I thought it worth sharing.
Lots of energy in this one, too. It was a wild night, and today isn’t much better. The earthworms are having a blast, however.
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McPhat Studios posted these new images of the CoolSky DC-9 [WIP only, for FsX] , and these are excellent looking images. We’ll have more soon, but please note that I’m not the only lunatic out here making dark images!
(insert long flatulent sound)
So there!
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And here’s a gorgeous iPad/iPod based HSI to run in (of course) FsX (only), and it’s part of a similarly styled series of NAV/COMM/AP heads to run beside FsX on multiple iPads. You can change heading on this unit of course, and there’s an OBS knob, as well as ADF and DME functionality too. We were hopeful that devs would make instruments like this one for XP when these mobile devices first came out, but it’s yet to happen. Oh well, time waits for no one, but if you look on the downloads page you’ll note the dev states he’s making a universal MacOS version that will (insert drum roll here please) be compatible with X-Plane! Yeah! Awesome! I bought the thing just because! $3.99 at the App store, too.
The launch of a new series of PanAm liveries begins with the Boeing 717, nee MD 85, and this ACF has a rather simple 2D photo textured panel that is nevertheless quite nicely done:
Recommended livery at this point as there are no LIT textures, but we’ll keep an eye on this series. Fun stuff, and you’ll find a link for the ACF at the DM link. Note, the ACF we’ll need to be saved in Planemaker 9.70 before use in XP10.
Here’s a nice new United Airlines for the X-Plane Freeware Project’s perennial favorite, the 757-200. If you have trouble getting the 757-200 to work in XP10, open a copy in Planemaker v9.70 and save it, then put this modified copy in to 10 and see if that doesn’t fix the problem. rjmf’s livery is well executed and worth having.
Remlap’s 767 paints might be of interest to you as well. You’ll find them here, and here.
frede’s KBTR + Baton Rouge, Louisiana has been revised. Additions include military vehicles, flags, and some taxiway improvements. Still a must have file, and seen here with SSG’s beta EMB170.
I’m not too sure why an OSM file for Wyoming was needed. After all, the biggest cities out there are prairie dog towns, and Wyoming is just one of those places, if you know what I mean. You know…where men are men and sheep a scared. Civilization is a relative term out there. There’s Jackson Hole, then…not much else. Oddly enough, it’s also one of the most beautiful states in the lower 48, and is home to Yellowstone National Park and one of the most peacefully idyllic villages on earth: Hulett, Wyoming. There’s also an airport in Hulett (w43), and while it’s one of those towns where deer roam the streets (elk too) it’s also the closest town to Devil’s Tower, Wyoming.
The Tower is in a couple of the images above, and in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and it’s truly a magical spot and as this is one of the most spectacular physical landmarks in the Americas I was hoping this file might add something to it.
It doesn’t.
OSM continues to leave me totally in the dark. These files eat framerates for breakfast, lunch and dinner but often give very little in return. I’ll keep looking them over, but I mean really. Wyoming? All them scared sheep and all?
This revision brings XP10 compatibility, notably lighting. Worth a download, but this one still has more detail off airport than on. Great bridges, especially.
From the same dev., LEVT + Vitorio is located in Basque Country, NE Spain, and is primarily a freight/cargo facility, but you’ll find it near several of XPFr’s Spanish airports, and worth including in your scenery folder. The terminal and ramps are a little bare, but that Carenado DHL cargo Caravan has a new place to play!
Here’s the locale:
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Cassutt Racer + Matija Škerjanec
WIP file, preview images only
Seen flying over our own KMPI + Mammoth Yosemite, xx’s new Cassutt Racer is a kick in the pants, and fun enough to heat up any Saturday afternoon. Still a WIP, this little hot rod promises more than a little excitement, and perhaps as soon as this Fall. Right now there are the usual v9 jitters (the aircraft just can’t keep still even when standing still!) but the motion cancels out as soon as throttle is applied. Also, the pilot’s head sticks up through the canopy right now (gotta mess up that hair in a hurry!), but all in all, for a 2D cockpit barnstormer this is a fun ride.
We’ll keep you posted on release dates and download locations, but so far this is a very promising new file.
Hopefully a 3D cockpit will make it into the final version, but if not…it’s still a tight handling ACF, and quite fun to fly.
We’ll have more on this bird soon, and it promises to be a fun little aerobatic scooter.
A lot of thoughtful – and thought provoking – comments to yesterday’s issue developed concerning XP vs FsX, Mac vs Linux vs MsWindows, the meaning of it all and that most nagging question of all…just where does navel lint come from? Oddly enough, all this sturm und drang resulted from Kevin Grimm’s images, and how he’s gone about converting FlyTampa/FsX scenery files to use in XP. This lead to a lot of head-scratching concerning why FsX developers don’t or won’t commit to porting their products to XP, and like all good discussions there was some finger pointing too.
Perhaps the most constructive comment came from Fly-J-Sim’s head honcho (Captain Jack, right?), who opined that what’s needed is a petition – from: We the Faithful to: Snidely Whiplash and his minions (aka FlyTampa) telling them that it’s high time they climb down off their Olympian high horses and get to work satisfying our wants and desires! And right now, too!
Oh…FlightTime56 thinks he has the perfect solution for XP10′s scenery woes, too:
Oh, is every one clear that by double clicking your right mouse button you can get the old free-ranging 3D motion back? Just make sure you keep the navel lint off your desktop.
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So, let’s really muddy the waters today and talk about that red-headed step-child in the room: XP9.
Whatever happened to XP9? Does anyone ever use it anymore?
Well yes, there are a few (besides Bamboo Cougar, who I thought fer shure was the last holdout), and yet oddly enough Kevin Grimm is one of ‘em too. He sent along some images he made this week in XP9, and at Tenerife, Cestomano’s glorious file with those spectacular orthos. Kevin hasn’t added a thing to it, either.
So, this may be a little like a one-legged man entering an ass-kicking contest, but here we are almost 10 months into XP10, and what are your feelings about XP9? If you’ve made the switch to 10, do you ever (and secretly even, in the middle of the night perhaps, when no one is looking?) go back and fly in v9.70 anymore? What do you think and feel if and when you do?
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A reminder, ChrisK’s vehicle extension library was revised this week, and this file puts all kinds of unique motor vehicles into XP 9 or 10, whether in a parking lot (uh, that’s car park, sorry) or out on the Interstate (er, motorway/autobahn/autostrada/goat path). Alternate link here. If you like cars in XP, this is your file!
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In some other news:
Hawker Beechcraft says it is nearing a $1.79 billion deal to sell itself to China’s Superior Aviation Beijing Co. The Wichita, Kan.-based aircraft manufacturer, which filed for bankruptcy this year, also has completed a deal with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. over the company’s underfunded pension plan. Fox Business/Dow Jones Newswires
Lt. Col. Kevin Roethe from the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s General Aviation Outreach Program joined Tom Zecha from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association in flying into a Special Flight Rules Area in Washington. “A beautiful landing put a proper ending to an educational experience in the SFRA,” writes Roethe. “I was relieved the flight was over, but I realized that although there were a few more procedures while flying in the SFRA, it was actually fairly simple.” Read NORAD blog.
Eurocopter plans to build a completion center in Tianjin, China, for its Ecureuil light helicopter. Eurocopter President Lutz Bertling signed a memo of understanding on Thursday with Feng Zhijiang, president of the Tianjin Free Trade Zone. The memo says the company will build the center by 2013 in Tianjin, about 70 miles away from Beijing. AIN Online
The return of supersonic flight could rely on alternative fuels to power flights faster than the speed of sound. HyperMach Aerospace is developing a hybrid electric turbine propulsion system for its supersonic jet. EADS is also investigating biofuel derived from seaweed for its Zero Emission Hypersonic Transport. Business Insider
The Republican National Convention ended this week with Barbie and Ken, er, Mitt Romney getting the nod as his party’s nominee, and as best as I can tell the main reason he’s going to be the next president is he has better hair. Both of ‘em went to Harvard so what difference does it really make?
We received the following product announcements today:
Update: we have pulled the AWG Simulations Terrain: EuropeXP announcement. We’ll have an update in a few days.
R C Simulations Announces: SimPlugins’ Panel Builder 2.1 Most flight simulation enthusiasts dream of building their own cockpit but may have been put off by the difficulty of setting it up or simply by the price of buying instruments. SimPlugins’ Panel Builder 2 lets you simply choose the instruments that you need to set up a general aviation aircraft or helicopter panel. These can be placed with your mouse and scaled to size with the mouse scroll wheel and the movement is very smooth, just like real gauges.The background of the panel is a simple bitmap. Perhaps this product should have been called Panel Builder for the novice as the set up is now automatic.You can run Panel Builder on a single PC or on a simple network with additional monitors if required. You can choose a version for X-Plane 9 or 10 or for Microsoft Flight Simulator X. All you need is a spare monitor. You can try Panel Builder for free by downloading from:www.rcsimulations.com
We’ll be looking over the Terrain: Europe XP file and will let you know our take on this product asap. Now let’s look at a couple of great new liveries.
Holy Guacamole! I mean really! This is outrageously good work, from the wingtips to the “body art” on the aft portion of the fuselage. We now have two really good Virgins for this ACF (recall that excellent FsX conversion a few weeks ago?), but this is just over the top cool.
Oh, imaged at Karingka’s KBOS conversion (FlyTampa original), mentioned in yesterday’s issue.
Anyway, a must have file. Do yourself a favor and subscribe!
What a class effort! It’s a total nightmare to get horizontal “A” lines squared away on these ACF, especially at the nose and aft joins, and a lot of hard work went into making this one “just so”. Enlarge this series and take a close look, as this may well be one of the very best third-party efforts yet for the SSJ.
And once again, imaged at KPSP + Palm Springs, California. I’d like to see this airport carried into XP10 – with lighting applied everywhere! Anyway, hard to imagine a better match than these two first class tickets!
FYI: lots of “new” USAir paints for this bird included with the purchase, so this 90s paint is a real treat.
So, a most highly recommended file, and about all we’ve got ready today. Hasta later. C
Every time we post Kevin Grimm’s images it seems that almost the entire X-Plane universe goes into a collective ecstatic fit and wonders just when he’s going to release his files to a waiting, and often adoring group of fans. Heavens…maybe next he’ll walk on water!
Sorry, but it doesn’t work out that way.
What you see in Kevin’s images represents a lot of extremely creative hard work (not to mention his often astonishing artistic capabilities), AND the use of off the shelf components (mainly FsX scenery file elements) to create what you see. Worse yet, the man works for a living (as opposed to fiddling around with X-Plane all day like , er, yours truly) and he makes these airports, ahem, for his own enjoyment. That said, Kevin simply cannot distribute his creations because he would be distributing copyrighted FsX material, and he’s a professional artist. Got it?
That said, here’s his reaction to your reaction to yesterday’s image: “I see a lot of nice comments about my screen shot of St. Maarten and I would love to take full credit for all of the elements that you see in the St. Maarten TNCM scenery screen shot I sent you yesterday, but it’s a combination of many elements from multiple scenery packages and of course, some of my own handiwork. Since I don’t own all of the elements that I used, I can never release it to the public. The buildings were created by Fly Tampa. Their scenery packages are incredible. Unfortunately, only a few will convert well to X-Plane. I would strongly suggest that anyone who likes what they see in my screen shot go online and buy the St. Maarten package from Fly Tampa and convert it to an X-Plane scenery package (using FS2XPlane); they would see close to what my screen shot looks like. The “overlay editor” is also a great way to add realistic details to an airport. It’s so simple to use, I’m not sure why others aren’t using it to enhance their favorite scenery packages?”
Cameron’s needling aside, that’s a good question. I’m sure more than a lot of the answer has to do with awareness, more still probably comes from not knowing where to go to get help, or even documentation to study, yet these issues are handily overcome with Google and a little patience. If you’re in need of a little inspiration, here are four more images from around the area, once again by Kevin Grimm:
Look at the tide line on the sandy beach, the gently falling underwater contour, the lighting on the patios!
And here’s a kick in the pants. Karingka’s KBOS (summer and winter) is a Fly Tampa conversion too, and try as we might, neither he nor any of us here at Chaos manor have been able to talk FlyTampa into entering the X-Plane market. We can buy their grand looking FsX files and convert them ourselves, but that’s about it and pardon my French, but that’s just silly on their part. Why ignore a market for your product? Anyway, enough of that. Kevin takes the self-conversion route, and the results are self evident. The conversion process may not be painless, but no pain, no gain. The set of images above ought to convince you that XP10 can handle some really impressive scenery chores if you feed the SIM a steady diet of good files. Sadly, these files are just not coming online fast enough, and with just frede and a few others regularly contributing worthwhile files it’s going to take about three hundred years to fill out Texas.
A lot of comment yesterday seems to echo sentiment around here that Laminar is walking the razor’s edge right now, and more than a few people are voicing concerns that X-Plane is running out of time. Part of this is frustration, anger with all the perceived setbacks while breaking trail along the Beta highway. There’s growing sentiment that -64 bit is the promised land, and for a lot of these people (myself included) who’ve invested heavily in hardware to run XP10 – only to find that their new hardware is being underutilized by the program – that anger is well founded. Yet even so a lot of that frustration falls back to a single point: Laminar failed to appreciate that in order to fill out a plausible world they’d need a better game plan than what’s being used. The whole Rancho Cucamonga Estates housing look and feel may be the most lamentable aspect of this strategy, but the snail’s pace of new scenery development is turning out to be a real killer. And God only knows what happens if 64-bit turns out to be a dud. Trouble in River City, anyone? The herd will stampede getting outta here.
Worst of all, guess what will be the direct beneficiary of all this nonsense?
FsX. We’re hearing from a lot of people that they’re tired of all the betas, the continued lack of good scenery files, and worst of all, no clear roadmap out of this mess. And they’re either going back to FsX, trying P3D, or just moving on to other pursuits. And these are long term XP users we’re talking about here. You want an illustration of why this is so, perhaps?
Well, guess what? We knew this was going to happen if Laminar didn’t take on more crew and start addressing these scenery concerns head on. We wrote about it a year ago, and they slammed us. Yet still the clouds in XP are an issue, terrain is an issue, buildings are an issue…and new payware scenery files are coming on in a trickle.
But what could Laminar have done differently?
Well, here’s a simple idea. Break the world down into geographic regions, and code them…like western Europe as Region 1, central Europe region 2, etc., then make regional specific housing and industrial/commercial buildings for each global region, and when XP loads scenery for that specific region appropriate architecture is deployed. No Rancho Cucamonga Estates in Phuket, and we’d find chalets dotting the hillsides above Zurich instead of Generican suburban sprawl. How long would it take the folks at Laminar to work this out and deploy these new assets? How much complaining and griping and people walking away in frustration would be avoided if they did?
We’ll see an entirely new terrain program being released this weekend to address just one perceived part of this problem, a whole new program other than UrbanMAXX, yet this obviously isn’t the first such program to address scenery concerns, and I doubt it will be the last. Sadly, this type of programming should have been completely unnecessary. As many have pointed out, going down the OSM highway was a choice fraught with risk. It’s proving a very risky choice indeed, as for many people the scenery and sky they operate in is as important as the aircraft they fly. Let’s hope this observation isn’t lost in the stacks of code flowing through South Carolina.
Oh, did you notice that T7 up there? Yeah? Well, let’s go look at some files.
The airport you see above began life in XP9 years ago, but as so often happens with these things life overtook events and the file languished. It’s been resurrected by Tom Curtis, the Dean of X-Plane scenery creation and to whom so much is owed by so many, and he finished it up. So, we owe him big time for completing this file, not simply because it’s a fine piece of work but because he stepped into the breach when he saw the need and pulled a lot of hard work out of the rubbish heap and put it back into play. As always Tom, thanks for all you do for the community.
This is an excellent file, a total must have addition, and for a number of reasons. Aside from being so well done, the airport is very close to BIKF + Keflavik (that glorious AeroSOFT add-on) and so will open up new opportunities to use that facility (think helicopter, GA, Cargo…you get the idea?).
Here’s the lay of the land to get you oriented:
Above, you can see the relationship between the two airports, with BIRK highlighted to the right and BIKF off to the left. The distance between the two is a mere 30 or so miles (50Km). Below, the overhead in XP10:
You can see an extensive ortho surrounding the airport, and more importantly, that there are lot’s of additional buildings added to this scenery, and outside the airport proper – making this a much more immersive and realistic file.
Next, a little background from wikipedia: Reykjavík Airport is the chiefly domestic airport serving Reykjavík, Iceland, two kilometres from the city centre. Possessing rather short runways, it normally only serves flights within Iceland and to Greenland and the Faroe Islands, and small international charters, ferry flights over the Atlantic and private flights. When weather conditions are not good enough in Keflavík Airport for landings, aircraft like the Boeing 757-200 and smaller divert to Reykjavik Airport. Most international flights use Keflavík International Airport, 50 km out of town, which can handle practically all aircraft. Reykjavík Airport is the main hub of Air Iceland and Eagle Air. Of the three runways, currently two are active all year round – the shortest runway, 06/24, is usually used only in winter. Takeoffs from 24 and landings on 24 and 06 are allowed, but takeoffs from 06 are forbidden because of safety and noise. Reykjavík Airport is owned and operated by the state enterprise Isavia.
Now let’s take a look around, but first, the settings used:
First observation concerns performance. Tom Curtis is an expert at optimizing large airports for smooth FPS and this expertise shows at BIRK – in spades. Note that with HDR set to ON the total scenery load was less than 400Mb, and this with objects dialed way up there. This of course allows for the addition of a lot of AI aircraft, and boy-oh-boy does this file come alive with four aircraft on the ground!
Over summer months the next two images are about as dark as you’ll see it that far north…
…and with so much water around it’s fun to keep water reflections turned up…here at “complete”.
Clouds were set with three layers of cirrus, at 2k, 4k, and 6k AGL.
And a low angled sun brings these layers of thin cloud alive.
As alluded to above, there are gobs of detail all over the airport grounds, but also all around the airport. You’ll find custom buildings galore, and many are important local landmarks.
And so look around and take it all in, and with three AI ACF and the x737 on the ramps:
This is as good a file as we’ve seen in a while, and a total must have file for the weekend. Lots of high latitude flying in store for you, wot?
Not too many liveries come along for this ACF, and those that do tend to fall into one of two camps: garish or classy.
Safelight’s “Private Livery” definitely falls into the classy category, don’t you think? Understated elegance, almost muted but cleanly masculine. Hell, sounds like an aftershave promo!
Well, it’s not. Just high praise for an excellent, must have livery for an excellent, must have ACF.
Oh, that airport? That’s KPSP + Palm Springs, California, and it’s actually an ancient file by XP’s standards, yet it still looks grand in XP10. Get it at the link and enjoy!
That’s all for now. Lot’s to do to get ready for…things… Hasta later – C
. I personally owned, since I started Flight Simulation, 3 joysticks, all very differents : A Logitec Extreme 3D Pro, a very plasticy thing.. a tiny handle for throttle, and space-tech lookin’ buttons… later, my father bought me a very nice Saitek X52, that was the real ” wind of change ” thing for me… For the first time I felt like being in a real cockpit ( well, at least more than the logitech : ). When it was new and clean, all pots worked great, that was precise and smooth in operation.. then 4 years later, I fell in love with – maybe the best thing around here – the Thrustmaster HOTAS WARTHOG ! With Saitek Combat Rudder Pedals..
