FlightGear: relased Version 2.12

FSX anche se anzianotto si difende ancora bene, ma da qualche tempo deve vedersela con un altro agguerrito simulatore, che si chiama FlightGear (il file è di 922 MG).

Il 21 settembre è uscita la versione FlightGear 2.12 che  contiene molte nuove funzionalità, miglioramenti e correzioni di bug. Per saperne di più clicca qui. Ah...dimenticavo di dirvi che il simulatore è open source.

The FlightGear development team has announced the v2.12 release of FlightGear, the free, open-source flight simulator. This new version contains many new features, enhancements and bug fixes. Highlights include improved usability, continued development of the Canvas rendering toolkit, and improved scenery rendering. Read more... 

Il filmato è riferito alla FlightGear versione 2.10

Aviation Weather website

Aviation Weather è un sito interessante per le previsioni del tempo per l'aviazione. Per i simmer è utile per programmare i voli con il tempo reale (poi bisogna inserire i parametri manualmente su FS). All'interno del sito vengono mostrate alcune voci come il continente e la regione, e una serie di opzioni che ho di seguito indicato (ho scelto come esempio l'Italia):

Aviation Weather is an interesting site for the weather and not only aviation ( you can find it in the sidebar of this blog). For simmer is useful to flight simulator with the real weather (even if FS has the connection with the weather Jeppesen). You choose the continent and the region, and then presented a series below (I chose Italy as an example):

  European weather (Meteoblue)
  Italian airport weather
  Italy weather interactive
  TAFs and METARs
  European 18 hour TAFS
  synoptic charts
  winds aloft
  flight hazards
  NOTAMS
  Italy satellite image
  satellite analysis
  thunderstorm activity
  significant weather
  significant weather (24hrs)
  rainfall radar today
  rain forecast
  satellite analysis
  FL100 wind & temp analysis
  FL100 wind 24 hour

FSX: Piper 28 Arrow III

Un altro addon free del Piper 28, questa volta un PA 28 turbo Arrow III, un'aggiornamento del PA 28 201T di Rien Cornelissen disegnato da  Scott "Violingineer". Il file è di 35 MG e all'interno è disponibile un'ottima documentazione di volo e la checklist. Di seguito la descrizione del file disponibile sul sito Simviation:

Another addon free of Piper, a PA 28 Turbo Arrow III, an update of the PA 28 201T Rien Cornelissen designed by Scott "Violingineer", which amended some parts of the original PA 28 T Cornelissen. The file is 35 MG and inside there ther's an excellent documentation and checklists. Below the description of the file available on Simviation:

Updated Rien Cornelissen's PA-28R-201T. Lots of detailed checklists found on the web and added to the kneeboard. Uses Pierre Fassaux's panel bmp. Rearranged most gauges, and added the GPS-500. Fixed the stall horn and warn light, Fixed Pierre's non-working altimeter, added nav/gps switch. Takes oil, etc gauges from Hauke Keitel's Piper and several other freeware. Pierre's latest clock is added. Guarantee you'll like this arrangement. Flap indicator added, not based on anything real, but useful since Piper only has a pull lever. Added more pleasing sounds, especially stall. Rien's is the only Turbo Arrow freeware that has the correct MP gauge set up like a real Turbo, 45 in max, with an overboost warning light. Warn light goes on above 41 MP. Pretty accurate flight dynamics, took out Rien's P-factor, too annoying for me.

FSX: Piper PA 28 Cherokee free

E' disponibile  un bellissimo modello di Piper 28 140 della Scansim interamente gratuito scaricabile  dal sito SimMarket.

Il velivolo è dotato di texture esterne con animazioni complete e riflessi dinamici. La cabina interna include un cockpit virtuale tra cui gauges XML personalizzati per simulare la vera strumentazione del vero PA28 . Altre caratteristiche includono 3Dcustom gauges personalizzati animati con glassand riflettente e Radio stack2D. Caratteristiche • superfici di controllo completamente animate • Ali flessibili • Apertura porta • cappottatura motore • 3 livree •Lista di controllo • manuale operativo PA-28-140 • riflessi dinamici • DX10 compatibile • comportamento reale rispetto al vero aeroplano. Peso ed equilibrio reale. Testato da piloti reali. • effetti notturni reali delle luci sul pannello • frame rate eccellente.

Is available a beautiful model of the scansim Piper 28 140 entirely free download from SimMarket.

The aircraft comes with a detailed exterior model with full animations and dynamic shine. The interior cabin includes a virtual cockpit including several custom xml gauges to match the real PA28 instrumentation. Other features include 3D animated custom gauges with reflective glassand a 2D radio stack.

Features

• Fully animated control surfaces

• Flex Wings

• Opening door

• Opening engine

• 3 Liveries

• Paintkit

• Checklist

• Pilots operational manual PA-28-140

• Dynamic shine / FSX Materials

• DX10 compatible

• Real behavior compared to the real airplane. Real weight and balance. Tested by real pilots.

• Realistic night lights effects on panel and cockpit

• Flex Wings

• Excellent frame rates.

September Aero Safety Word Magazine

Scaricabile da qui il numero di settembre della rivista on line gratuita Aero Safety Word. Un'interessante rivista che tratta i temi sulla sicurezza, con articoli, interviste ed analisi di fatti e incidenti accaduti. E' anche disponibile, aggiornata mensilmente, sulla sidebar di questo blog.

Download from here September issue the online Free Aero Safety Word magazine. An interesting magazine that deals about security, with articles, interviews and analysis of facts and incidents. It 'also available, updated monthly, on the sidebar of this blog.

Plan-G aggiornamento - Update at version 3.0.5.67 Plan-G

Plan-G è il più noto software per la pianificazione di volo. Ora è disponibile dal sito tasoftware.co.uk l'aggiornamento alla versione v3.0.5.67 per Windows 7, Vista e XP, e gira su FSX SP2, FS9 e X-Plane 9/10.

I nuovi aggiornamenti includono:

Plan-G is the most well-known software for flight planning. It is now available from the website tasoftware.co.uk. and working on Windows 7, Vista and XP, for FSX SP2, FS9 and X-Plane 9/10. The new update includes the following fixes:

* Start Plan from here (context menu) now sets the QuickPlan From ICAO if it is not already set
* Added random destination button to Quick Plan dialog
* Added Quick Destination Options dialog accessed from Flight Plan Ribbon launcher button (sets min/max dist, runway type & length, general direction)
* Updated map control to latest version
* Fixed crash changing ADF values when connected to FS through FSUIPC
* Fixed Com frequencies missing from X-Plane airports
* Fixed some X-Plane addon airports did not show up in the database
* Fixed Build MSFS database crashed if addon contained invalid approaches
* Fixed Create User Waypoint did not show new wpt on the map until the map was refreshed
* Fixed Database Build Options dialog title was missing

Costruire scenari per X-Plane - X-Plane Scenery Package

Benchè questo sia un blog che tratta prevalentemente articoli relativi a  FS di Microsoft, ho ritenuto interessanti gli articoli di Brian Godwin sulla creazione degli scenari per X-Plane.  Come sapete il punto di forza di X-Plane è l'aerodinamica (molto reale tant'è che è stato scelto come simulatore dalla FAA americana) mentre, al contrario, non eccelle nella grafica (e qui FS fa la parte del leone.). Con questa serie di articoli, editi su Flightsim e che io ho qui  raccolto, Brian descrive come creare gli scenari per X-Plane.

This is a blog that describe some articles related to Microsoft FS, but I considered interesting the following articles by Brian Godwin on creating scenarios for X-Plane. As you know the strength of X-Plane is the aerodynamics (very real point that was chosen as the simulator by the American FAA) while, in contrast, does not excel in graphics (and here FS does the lion's share.) . With this series of articles, published on FlightSim and that I have collected here, Brian describes how to create scenarios for X-Plane.

1) Preliminary Work And Tools
2) World Editor (WED) Phase 1
3) Modeling And Texturing
4) WED Phase 2, Testing And Publishing

Suoni per aerei dell'AG per FSX - Cockpit Sound FSX airplane

Un piccolo addon free che sarà molto utile per rendere più "real" gli aerei dell'A.G. in FSX. Cockpit sound riproduce i suoni degli switch, pompa carburanti, fuel tank, freni, batteria, generale, NAV/GPS, magneti ecc. ed è riferito particolarmente agli aerei dell'Aviazione Generale come il C172, Piper 28, Mooney, Baron e a tanti altri sia di default che addon. Il file è poco più di un mega. Per l'istallazione dovete seguire attentamente le istruzioni contenute nel file readme. Il file è scaricabile dal sito AVSIM, (basta l'iscrizione, username e pw), poi andate nella libreria e digitate "cockpitsounds_v2.zip"

Cockpit sounds is a small add-on that will add "click" sound of switches and other levers. This version is either suitable for general aviation airplanes with metal switches. However it will work on nearly all airplanes, the sounds are not suitable for Jetliners, like airbus that have "push" switches and electric parking brake.

The file can be downloaded from AVSIM site (just a username and pw), go to the library and type  "cockpitsounds_v2.zip""
You Will hear a nice "click" for :
- battery
- gen
- Avionics
- all lights
- fuel pump
- anti-ice
- pitot
- NAV/GPS
- magnetos
* and aslo a small "tictictic" when selecting VOR/NDB direction
* a big "clang" when putting the parking brake
* and a light "sblug" when selecting a fuel tank.

FSX Acceleration Pack - Agusta Westland EH101 revised package

Per chi possiede "Acceleration Pack" è disponibile free un revised package free dell'Agusta Westland EH 101  di default. Con questo package da 119 mega, l'autore mette dentro tanta roba implementando la precedente versione di default con delle novità, come descritto nel file readme:

For those who have "Acceleration Pack" is available a revised package free of Agusta Westland EH 101 by default. With this package from 119 mb, the author implementing the previous version by default with the new add, as described in the readme file:

"AgustaWestland EH101v2 Complete Aircraft The EH101 one of the world's best helicopters, but Microsoft did not put much effort into this model and it lacked a lot of stuff. I have reworked many areas of the helicopter to make it more like the real world aircraft. 1. Reworked the aircraft configuration flight dynamics to stabilize the engine surging that occurs with the default aircraft. 2. Reworked the air file to make the aircraft handle more realistically. 3. Added a couple of landing lights on the rear struts found on the Asian and S.O.P. operators of aircraft. 4. Added heat and exhaust effects to all three engines. 5. Added new reflective strobes that double flash off body of aircraft. 6. Added two working radars that will track aircraft. 1st the Pilots radar has tracking for aircraft only. 2nd the Co-Pilots Radar has tracking for airports, land mass terrain following, aircraft, NDB's, VOR's, airport I.D. 7. Added Radar controls for both systems within the VC. 8. Added easy to read MFD and PFD screens 9. Moved engine read gauges to lower level 10. Added Helmet Mount Display (HMD or HmountD) with mouse clickable switches with groundspeed that will read in negative (reverse) flight and useable timer. 11. Added radios (Default Extra 300) 12. Added pop up GPS 13. Added pop up door control gauge, for quick access to aircraft. 14. Added pop up light switch. 15. Added switch-able vocal ground proximity warning system with fire alert, rotor low / high alert, under carriage alert, altitude alert 16. Added auto-hover gauge. 17. Added pop-up radar control for ground track system."