computer pilot 2008-09

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 9SEPTEMBER 2008

USA $7.95CANADA $9.95

AUSTRALIA $9.85 (INC. GST)A PC AVIATOR PUBLICATION

AIRPORTAIRPORT SCENERY DESIGN SCENERY DESIGN Learn the Basics! Learn the Basics!

EXPLORING EXPLORING MADAGASCARMADAGASCAR The Final Leg The Final Leg

SIMULATING THE SPORT PILOTSIMULATING THE SPORT PILOT CHECKRIDE CHECKRIDE How to Pass the Test! How to Pass the Test!

FROM FROM NORTH TO SOUTH… NORTH TO SOUTH… Africa by Air Africa by Air

cpm1209.indd 1cpm1209.indd 1 8/12/2008 12:02:07 AM8/12/2008 12:02:07 AM

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Your Flight Simulator Scenery World Is Now

COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION AT WWW.MEGASCENERY.COM

Say goodbye to boring default scenery forever! MegaSceneryX transforms your Microsoft Flight Simulator X Scenery World

from artificial… to REAL! MegaSceneryX is created from high resolution aerial photos. What you get is not just a recreation of the real world but instead the actual real world ported into Microsoft Flight Simulator X for simulated flight over a world that’s so real you’ll be amazed!

MegaSceneryX lets you experience all the landmarks and features of the area covered and enables you to fly real VFR – Day and Night.

Here’s what you get when you’re flying MegaSceneryX….

• Hyper-realistic scenery at 1.19 meters per pixel recreated from 1 and 2 feet per pixel aerial photos. It’s the real world teleported into Flight Simulator Scenery. 1.19 meters meters per pixel means that you can even see the rooftop on your own house and sand traps on golf courses. Fly VFR like you’ve never flown it before on a PC simulator.

• Day and Night Scenery. Soar and explore the real world - during the day and at night!

• Hi-resolution DEM (mesh). While MegaScenery is so realistic that you don’t need hi-res mesh - our recent releases incorporate hi-res mesh at 10 meters per pixel.

• Faster Framerates! Yes, your Flight Simulator, with hyper-realistic MegaScenery, will run smoother and faster than the default artificial scenery.

• Developed specifically for Microsoft Flight Simulator X

• Printed full color aeronautical charts, bound printed instrument charts and a sizeable manual

• A total value packed, realism transforming scenery product For Microsoft Flight Simulator X that you wouldn’t think was possible for such a low price!

NEAR PALM SPRINGS. MT SAN JACINTO RENDERED IN “DOWN-TO-THE ROCK” DETAIL.

MAKE HAWAII YOUR NEXT HOLIDAY DESTINATIONAND SOAR ABOVE THE ISLAND OF OAHU.

HYPER-REAL AERIAL PHOTOSCENERY FOR MICROSOFT

© 2007 PC Aviator Inc. Aerosoft Australia Pty Ltd. Aerial photography for these products is © AirphotoUSA


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MEGASCENERYX SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA18,000 square miles of SoCal including Los Angeles and San Diego and

surrounding area. Includes Color Los Angeles and San Diego Visual Terminal Charts and 230 Instrument Charts.

$39.95 DVD Media.

MEGASCENERYX DALLAS/FORT WORTH8,000 square miles of Dallas/Fort Worth & Surrounding Area. Includes Dallas/

Fort Worth Visual Terminal Charts and 110 Instrument Charts.$29.95 DVD Media.

MEGASCENERYX PHOENIX7,000 square miles of Phoenix Arizona and Surrounding Area. Includes

Phoenix Visual Terminal Charts and 100 Instrument Charts.$29.95 DVD Media.

MEGASCENERYX HAWAIIThe Hawaiian island of Oahu, spectacularly recreated.

$14.95 CD Media.

MEGASCENERYX LAS VEGASLas Vegas and Surrounding Area.

$14.95 DVD Media.

FS2004 TITLES ARE STILL AVAILABLE. PLEASE VISIT WWW.MEGASCENERY.COM FOR DETAILS

MEGASCENERY XTITLES AVAILABLE

“Hyper-Real”!

EXP:

FLIGHT SIMULATOR X MEGASCENERY TITLESMEGASCENERYX SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - $39.95 DVD MediaMEGASCENERYX DALLAS/FORT WORTH - $29.95 DVD MediaMEGASCENERYX PHOENIX - $29.95 DVD MediaMEGASCENERYX HAWAII - $14.95 CD MediaMEGASCENERYX LAS VEGAS - $14.95 DVD Media

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NEW RELEASE PRODUCTSThe latest flight simulator products in stock!

*Denotes special price for current Computer Pilot Magazine subscribers and reflects a 5% discount off the regular retail price.

Pilatus PC-12The Real “Swiss Army Knife” Aircraft!

Flight One Software continues its commitment to authenticity with its rendition of the PC-12. The performance of the 1200 hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67B turboprop engine, along with its Hartzell 4-blade aluminum prop, will take you to 30,000 feet as you SCREAM along at 310 mph. The available range of 2,239 NM will allow sim pilots to go coast-to-coast, with just one stop.

The FSX version of the PC-12 has had a complete overhaul. Here are just some of the new features that come with this new package.

FSX exterior model with specular lighting and bump mapping.Dual Garmin 430 GPSs replace the single KLN90B.Garmin MX200 Color MFD.Reworked night lighting and lighting logic.Upgraded EHSI with Map mode and range scale from 2nm-50nm.Caution and voice warning alerts.Plus many more refinements and optimizationsOfficially Endorsed By Pilatus Business Aircraft, Ltd.

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Price: US$34.95 // AUD$49.95*SUB Price: US$33.20 // AUD$47.45

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PMDG 747-400 XSimply The Best Jumbo Package Yet!

This add-on package is widely regarded as the best jumbo add-on currently available, and is the ultimate challenge in captaining a classic heavy jet airplane!

The completely new models of the PMDG 747-400 X Queen of the Skies have been exclusively designed for FSX implementing new features such as specular lighting and bump mapping amongst others.

In order to provide the sophistication, technical details and challenge of commercial airline flying to the enthusiast, the PMDG 747-400 X Queen of the Skies meets exacting standards for quality and completeness. From the photo-real cockpit to systems programmed after engineering schematics, no effort has been spared during the extensive development process. This has been verified by a dedicated beta test team, comprised of aviation professionals, airline pilots and Flight Simulator experts.


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X-Plane Version 9Fly Anything! Ultimate Realism, Ultimate Versatility...

X-Plane is the most comprehensive and powerful flight simulator available for the personal computer. X-Plane simulates anything that flies: from single-engine fixed wing props to multi-engine jets; gliders to dirigibles; helicopters to spacecraft to VTOLs such as the V-22 Osprey and AV8-B Harrier.

X-Plane includes scenery for the entire continental U.S.* You can land at any of thousands of airports, as well as test your mettle on aircraft carriers, helipads on building tops, frigates that pitch and roll in the waves, and oil rigs. Weather is variable from clear skies and high visibility to thunderstorms with controllable wind, wind shear, turbulence, and microbursts. Rain, snow and clouds are available for an instrument flying challenge, and thermals are available for the gliders! X-Plane can download real weather data from the internet, allowing you to fly in actual current conditions!


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Messerschmitt BF109Germany’s Greatest WWII Fighter!

The iconic foe of the Allied air forces in WWII, the Messerschmitt Bf-109 was the staple fighter of the Luftwaffe. It scored more air-to-air victories in WWII than any other and was produced in greater quantities than any other fighter aircraft in history, with over 31,000 built.

This superb package brings together F, G and K types of the 109 in a vast array of model variants. But each shares the same thing, a meticulous attention to detail: the start-up sounds are totally authentic, the pilot is accurately clothed and even prop blades alter their angle according to prop settings.

Match this with incredible 3D modelling, including the gauges in the virtual cockpit and a flight model authenticated by warbird pilots and you have a classic you will want to fly again and again!

The boxed edition includes both the Flight Simulator 2004 and Flight Simulator X versions of the software with an extensive printed manual.


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NEW RELEASE PRODUCTSThe latest flight simulator titles in stock!


Spitfire Mk IV & Mk XIVThe Best Spitfire Package To Date For Microsoft Flight Simulator...

Developed by the award-winning team at RealAir, this package includes a total of 20 variations on the Spitfire, including the Mark IX Rolls Royce Merlin and the Mark XIV Rolls Royce Griffon-engined types.

The twenty models have been painstakingly developed from the ground up for Flight Simulator X to take advantage of the new technology Microsoft’s latest sim provides.

The package gives a wide range of fighter variants and even two civilian air-racer models: all designed with the incredible attention to detail and historical accuracy you’d expect from RealAir.

Both the classic elliptical wing models and modified ‘clipped wing’ (which gave sharper/quicker handling at low level) types are included.


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FS Altitude - Western EuropeWorld Photo Scenery For High Altitude And IFR Flight!

Imagine flying your favorite jetliner at Flight Level 350 and seeing the real world as far as the eye can see.... right to the horizon!Well now you can with this groundbreaking scenery title - FSAltitude.

Now your high altitude flying in your favorite jetliner is no longer over an artificial world... it’s now over a photoreal world recreated from sateliite imagery.... and it’s photo-real as far as the eye can see!

FSAltitude is fully compatible with FSX default and add-on sceneries. Due to a multi-resolution display mechanism, as you descend your favorite low altitude scenery (default or photoscenery) automatically kicks in. Now, thanks to FS Altitude, you truly get the best in low and high altitude flying.

Price: US$79.95 // AUD$104.95 *SUB Price: US$75.95 // AUD$99.70

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MegaSceneryX Cameo: Reno/TahoeTrue To Life Detail For FSX

This “cameo” MegaSceneryX title takes you out west to Reno Nevada and lets you fly VFR, both day and night, Reno/Tahoe, Nevada and surrounding area.

This 1,400 square mile area is designed for light aircraft VFR flying and seeing the sites of the area surrounding Reno including the mountainous eastern shores of Lake Tahoe at a high resolution of 1.19 meters per pixel. What you’ll see while flying this scenery is exactly what you’ll see in real life!

Airports included in the area:Reno/Tahoe InternationalReno/SteadMinden-TahoeCarson CitySouth Lake Tahoe

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Ground Environment X: USA / Canada / Alaska Enhance the FSX Ground Environment

Ground Environment X brings all-new ground textures to FSX, and it boasts an incredible 1 m/pixel texture resolution, using native 1024x1024 pixel images, and includes all seasons, meticulously designed night textures and the latest techniques in autogen placement and alignment. All this while keeping maximum Flight Simulator performance in mind during development.

The easy-to-use interface will provide for easy installing the new textures, and is designed with Flight1’s ”keep-it-simple yet powerful” development philosophy.

Complete coverage of the USA and Canada (including Alaska) in 1m/pixel resolution. 1024 x 1024 texture block size, all hand-crafted to extreme detail. Change your FSX world for the better!


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BEST SELLERS...The best selling flight simulation products now available...


Mega Airport Frankfurt XFly To Germany’s Busiest Airport

This award-winning scenery of Frankfurt airport was developed by the German Airports Team for Microsoft Flight Simulator X and FS2004.

This updated version includes all the new buildings and includes the A380 gates and the massive new A380 maintenance hangar in the South East corners of the airport. The scenery is fully updated to the current actual state of the airport, many buildings have been added and others have been removed.

Developed by using the most advanced technology this add-on is a stepping stone in scenery design and simulation. It shows the up-to date Frankfurt airport with all its buildings, exact runway layouts on a photographic ground texture, complete lighting systems, navigation system, all in the highest level of detail.

The package highlights what is possible in FSX airport scenery!


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Rescue Pilot Mission PackNow You Can Be The HERO!

You are a pilot of an air rescue medical service based in the UK and have to respond to emergency calls to your home base. You might need to airlift a injured person from a car accident, pick up a stranded mountaineer, provide a high-speed courier service for a vital organ transplant - and more besides! Your duties will always be a challenge!

You will be called to display your piloting skills to the maximum in a variety of fixed wing and rotary aircraft but Rescue Pilot also offers you a choice of settings to match your skill levels.

The twelve authentic missions - with realistic ATC and convincing scenarios - create a great atmosphere to fly in, along with a custom set of rescue aircraft liveries. Of course, medals and rewards are awarded for success!


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P-38 LightningFly The Forktailed Devil!

The warbird experts at Aeroplane Heaven have spent countless hours developing this iconic aircraft for use in Flight Simulator. With a superb user-friendly Virtual Cockpit, it was decided not to model the ‘traditional’ 2D instrument panel. The aircraft is packed with detail, from the gun and camera bays to the authentic 17 liveries included in the package.

Two famous PR aircraft are included in this package - the planes of Adrian Warburton and Antoine de St Exupery, both of which were lost in mysterious circumstances. Also featured is ‘Glacier Girl’, which force-landed on Greenland ice 60 years ago and has recently been recovered and restored to flying condition from under 260 feet of ice!

Featured models:P38 F P38 J Glacier Girl

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Just Planes DVD: Air DolomitiATR42 - ATR72 - BAe146

Air Dolomiti, founded in 1989, started operations in 1991 and is now part of the Lufthansa Group. The airline now operates more than 750 flights a week with a fleet of ATR42s, AT72s and BAe146s.

The airline’s Head of Flight Operations takes you in the cockpit of the BAe146 for 3 flights to Milan and Naples from Munich. He introduces Air Dolomiti, explains how pilot duties are and gives a detailed presentation of the 146. Also included is some in the cabin action.

You then take a seat in the cockpit of the ATR-72 for 10 flights from the Munich hub to Basel and 4 destinations in Italy.

Running Time: 186 Minutes

BEST SELLERS...The best selling flight simulation products now available...


Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Deluxe EditionLatest Generation Flight Simulator With Added Deluxe Edition Bonuses!

“Flight Simulator X” is the culmination of nearly 25 years of the landmark “Flight Simulator” franchise and the most significant addition to date. “Flight Simulator X” presents players with a wide array of new aircraft to fly in a beautifully rich and believable world which contains greater detail than past entries in the franchise. Players will be able to experience what it is like to be a pilot and have real distractions, to shade their eyes from the glare of reflective paint and the glint from glass and chrome.

Players will enjoy the opportunity to fly their dream aircraft, from classic seaplanes like the de Havilland Beaver and Grumman Goose to the Cessna 172 there is a plane for every terrain and every player.


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Airbus Series Vol. 2Experience The Fly-By-Wire Airbus A340 and A330 Jetliners

After the Award-winning Airbus Series Vol.1, 737 Pilot in Command... Wilco Publishing and feelThere.com now bring fresh air in the Airbus aircraft simulation field.

Whether you’re a beginner or expert flight simmer, here’s your chance to fly 5 different Airbus models;

The A330-200A330-300A340-300A330-600A330-300 MRTT Tanker Transport

This package includes liveries of a selection of over 25 worldwide airlines that have commissioned these jetliners.Whatever your skill level, this Airbus Series is definitely for you!

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The Flight 1 ATR 72-500 Jump Into The Captain’s Seat Of The ATR 72-500 in FSX or FS2004!

Developed with the cooperation of Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) in Toulouse, France, this has been one of Flight One Software’s most exhausting development efforts. Select to fly from the Captain’s or First Officer’s panel in either of the standard brown or newly available blue/grey cockpit configuration.Experience the fully functional and highly detailed virtual cockpit with many never before features, such as truly working windshield wipers that remove the rain from the windows. Take a stroll through the virtual cabin, checking out the detailed 3D interior including 2 different seating configurations, available in 4 different color schemes. Explore the 3D exterior model and listen to the real cockpit and engine sounds recorded from the real ATR in a runup in Toulouse.


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Microsoft Flight Simulator X For Pilots: Real World Training Master The Skills Of Flight With This “Real World” Training Guide

Aspiring pilots will learn the skills of flight, how to master Flight Simulator, and how to utilize the software as a learning tool towards their pilot’s licenses. Those who already have their real-world wings will benefit from guidance on how Flight Simulator X can be used as a continuing learning tool, how to simulate real-world emergencies, and how to use it for training towards advanced certifications.

And those who favor simulation to real-world flying will find tips for making their sim experience as real as possible.

These 725 pages are packed with detailed information on using Flight Simulator X for training. Written by certified flight instructors Kevin Lane-Cummings and Jeff Van West.


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POPULAR AVIATION DVDs!Quality aviation DVDs that “Take You There!”



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Just Planes DVD: South African AirwaysFeaturing the Airbus A300, B737-800, Boeing 747SP, and B747-400

South African Airways, Africa’s leading airline, operates a fleet of more than 50 modern aircraft including the A320, A340, B737 and B747. SAA, created in 1934, operates more than 1000 flights a week around the world has won many awards for its outstanding service! This dvd, previously released on video, features the A300 on a typical regional African flight to Zimbabwe. This is followed by several domestic flights on its most important route between Johannesburg and Cape town. During the arrival into Cape town on the 747SP we are allowed to make a scenic tour of this beautiful city. Last but not least we fly the 747-400 from Cape town on its busiest European route to London.



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Just Planes DVD: Air Namibia737-200 / 747-400

This program was first released on VHS in the year 2000 and now makes its way to DVD in 2008!

First you are in for a bit of history flying the B747-400, which no longer operates with Air Namibia, from WIndhoek to London Heathrow via Lusaka and back from Frankfurt to Windhoek.

That is followed by a series of flights on the B737-200 from Windhoek to Cape Town via Walvis Bay. On the way back the weather into Windhoek is very bad forcing the aircraft to miss the approach twice and go-around. A diversion is made to Eros where the 737 will make its first ever landing.



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Just Planes DVD: GOL TransportersWith the B737-700 and B737-800

NEW PRODUCTION RUN!GOL Transportes Aereos, launched in January 2001 as the first low-fare airline in Brazil, is the fastest growing airline in South America. GOL is also the largest operator of the Next Generation Boeing 737 in Latin America. The airline operates both the 700 and 800 version of the aircraft on routes across Brazil.

After an introduction to the company and a look “behind the scenes” we follow a crew on a 4-day trip across Brazil in the cockpit of the B737-700 including several approaches and landings at the very scenic Santos Dumont Airport located in Rio de Janeiro. We complete the program with a day on the B737-800 from Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre with stopovers in Florianopolis.



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Just Planes DVD: Air DolomitiATR42 - ATR72 - BAe146

Air Dolomiti, founded in 1989, started operations in 1991 and is now part of the Lufthansa Group. The airline now operates more than 750 flights a week with a fleet of ATR42s, AT72s and BAe146s.

The airline’s Head of Flight Operations takes you in the cockpit of the BAe146 for 3 flights to Milan and Naples from Munich. He introduces Air Dolomiti, explains how pilot duties are and gives a detailed presentation of the 146. Also included is some in the cabin action.

You then take a seat in the cockpit of the ATR-72 for 10 flights from the Munich hub to Basel and 4 destinations in Italy.


UTILITIES & PERIPHERALSGet the most from the sim experience with these quality products



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CH Products Pro Pedals USBComplete Your Flight Control Setup And Master Those Crosswind Landings!

Your ailerons are only half of the picture. Complete your authentic flight control set-up with CH Pro Pedals USB, the ultimate choice in realistic rudder pedals! CH ProPedals give you realistic fully articulating (back/forth) rudder motion and also pivot on the toes for differential toe brakes (just like a real aircraft) where supported by the simulator and hardware interface.

CH ProPedals USB also feature smooth gliding motion for precision rudder control input. With your feet sitting on a set of CH Pro Pedals you’ll be able to master crosswind landings, make properly balanced turns and control your aircraft during taxiing, the way it is done in real life…

CH Products Flight Sim Yoke USBOur Best-Selling Flight Controller!

The CH Flight Sim Yoke USB gives you a flight yoke that’s as close as you can get to the real thing without spending the many hundreds of dollars that you would on high end yokes. Now you can control your aircraft like a real pilot would with left hand on the yoke and right hand controlling your throttle, prop and mixture and managing the rest of your cockpit.

20 function buttons on your yoke support such functions as “electric” trim, views, gear, flaps and more!

Fully compatible with Flight Simulator X, Flight Simulator 2004, Flight Simulator 2002, X-Plane and other sims that use Windows interface control software.

Matrox TripleHead2Go Digital EditionExperience Surround Graphics!

Bridge the gap between virtual reality and reality. Matrox TripleHead2Go is a small, black box that adds three monitors to your system and delivers the most immersive flight sim experience ever by offering a wider field of view. This panoramic view of the sim fully engages your peripheral vision on the side displays with the main point of focus on the center display for a more realistic flight experience.

TripleHead2Go Digital Edition delivers the ultimate surround graphics experience!


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Saitek Pro Flight Yoke SystemFlight Yoke And Quadrant Combo At A Great Price!

The Saitek Pro Flight Yoke System is highly engineered to meet the exacting needs of the true flight simulation enthusiast. Stainless steel shaft, ergonomic controls, integrated chronograph and separate throttle quadrant ensure a smooth, accurate and totally realistic flying experience. Unique, 2-position desk clamp keeps your yoke and quadrant securely fixed no matter how extreme the flying conditions. Use the integrated USB Hub to easily connect other parts of the Saitek Pro Flight range of products. Saitek’s powerful Saitek Smart Technology (SST) programming software allows gamers to configure their controls to suit their preferred gaming style, and to save the configurations as personal profiles.


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PC AVIATOR’S DOWNLOAD STOREInstant access to quality flight sim downloads!

Welcome to... PC Aviator’s Download Store!Buy... Download... Fly!

Our download store is now open and was established to provide you with the option to download a number of software titles and electronic products. Products are available by instant download upon successful completion of your credit card, debit card or Paypal payment.

Plus, we offer an exclusive CD-backup service, so if the product download you want is not available in a boxed version, we will put it on a CD for you (at a small additional charge) to save you the download!


WWW.PCAVIATOR.COM/DLSTORE

Piper Cheyenne XAn Extraordinary Replica Of The Twin-Engined Piper Cheyenne

This add-on for the FSX is an extraordinary replica of the twin engine Piper Cheyenne with a new developed weather radar. The package contains four versions of the most successful Turboprop family: Cheyenne II, I, IA and IIXL.

All four aircraft have been rebuilt and animated for Flight Simulator in 3D fashion right down to the smallest of details. In this way mechanical parts such as ailerons, rudders, flaps, engines and even windscreen wipers move just like in the original aircraft.

The 2D- and 3D-Cockpits are equipped with all the avionic instruments and the precise flight dynamics have been developed with the help of real Cheyenne pilots. The sounds, which are being used, have all been recorded on the real thing. Numerous liveries for all the available versions and an extensive documentation round of a superb simulation for both VFR and IFR pilots.

Price: US$52.95FiLeSiZe: 220Mb

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The Unofficial A320 Simulator ManualEssential Reading For Any Virtual Airbus Pilot

Mike Ray has written another wonderful book, this time about the fabulous Airbus A320 airplane. He is releasing this download version for those who prefer the electronic images.

While the material is specifically intended for the professional Airbus pilot community, it is something that should be in every serious Airbus Flight Simmers library.

It is fascinating to read, and written in a style that can be characterized as humorous and yet technically challenging. The document is filled with hundreds of pages in glorious color, each choked with a treasure trove of information.

The beautiful document has been called a work of art by those professional pilots that have read it.


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Wings of Silver - B377 Stratocruiser Classic Prop Aircraft At Its Best!

The A2A Wings of Silver Stratocruiser is unlike any aircraft you have flown in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

A2A Simulations has crafted and pioneered many new technologies for this aircraft which has become the flagship of the Wings of Silver line for Microsoft Flight Simulator X. Never before has the team worked so diligently to produce what we feel, and you may agree, is the most accurate representation of a true “classic” airliner.

The 377 paved Boeing’s entry into the airline business, and you can still see this technology in use today. The Stratocruiser and its massive Pratt & Whitney R4360 engines, represents the highest step in the evolution of aircraft piston-engine technology.

We also created the Pregnant Guppy that was custom-made to transport rocket components for the Saturn V to NASA!


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PC AVIATOR’S DOWNLOAD STOREInstant access to quality flight sim downloads!


IRIS F-20 Tigershark Can You Tame The Tiger?

It’s been a long week but now, it’s time to relax. So you sit down at the computer and start up FSX. Next thing you know your in the virtual seat of the new Iris Simulations F20 Tigershark. You’ve been briefed for a standard test flight which you feel will be anything but ‘standard’.

Opening the F-20’s unique Ordnance Manager, you customise your F-20C to carry the ordnance YOU select, pylon by pylon and finally you’re set. In the cockpit you busy yourself going through the detailed pre-flight procedures ensuring all the required systems are online and functional prior to starting the F-20C’s Jet Fuel Starter and powering up the General Electric F404 Engine capable of supplying 18,000 lbs of thrust on your command!

Your heart pounds as your thrown back in your seat. As the afterburner kicks in you rocket down the runway gathering speed faster than in any fighter you’ve ever flown. You pull gently back on the stick and soon your looking into the deep blue of pure sky as the plane climbs at almost a thousand feet a second!


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Wings of Power II: The P-40The Legendary Warbird Is Now Yours!

Wings of Power sets new standards in many areas, probably the most notable are the 3D cockpit environments. While they are beautiful to look at, they represent the top layer of an amazing world that lies beneath. The more you fly these aircraft, the more you discover!

Unsurpassed attention to detailCan be flown “by the book” Gorgeously constructed, inside and out, down to the last rivet!Fully clickable cockpits with authentic working gauges The latest wind-tunnel technology helps to create the most authentic, fluid flying qualities, including complex spins and stallsNEW! 3D Lighting System built in Bent-prop damage Finest engine sound recordings available Realistic startup procedures

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Fokker 50Fly The Reliable Fokker 50 In FSX/FS2004

Virtualcol presents this model of the FOKKER 50. This airplane still flies in Europe and some countries of Latin America, with a high record of air safety. Available for FS2004 and FSX. Both installers included with this package!

It includes 8 airline liveries:AIR BALTIC ALBANIAN AIRLINES AVIANCA ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES KLM CITYHOPPER SCANDINAVIAN COMMUTER OCEANAIR VLM

It also includes 3 versions of the model, adaptable to the taste and to the performance of the user’s computer: Full virtual cockpit, virtual cockpit lite, and model without virtual cockpit for best performance.

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Boeing 747-200/300 Fly The Commercial Level Simulations Boeing 747-200/300 for FSX and FS2004

Looking for the ultimate 747 experience? The CLS 747-200 includes 65 liveries, extremely detailed exterior model and realistic Virtual Cockpit (photoreal parts). The panel is equally good with many functions. The CLS Boeing 747-200 includes a free bonus, the Boeing 747-300.

Highly detailed exterior models. High quality interactive 3D Virtual cockpit (VC)2D panel with custom gauges. 65 highly detailed liveries! Detailed manual. Dynamic wing-flex. Detailed flight deck when seen from the exterior. Animations abound; Passenger doors, cargo doors, flaps, rudder, elevators, undercarriage, engine fans, thrust reversers and spoilers. High quality sound sets.

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Price: US$52.95 FiLeSiZe: 35Mb

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Welcome to the September issue.

I have been putting in a few sim hours this month using some of my favorite aircraft. These include the DHC-6 Twin Otter Package and the Dornier Do-27, among others. I even had time to load up the PMDG 747-400 in FSX and take her for a spin. Well, the latter turned into quite a drama! I have flown the PMDG 737 quite a lot and was comfortable with the aircraft, and even the PMDG 747 for FS2004 was no problem in the past. But I was definitely experiencing a case of “use it or lose it” as I discovered my heavy jet flying skills seem to be missing in action of late. It’s quite easy to forget the detailed startup procedures required for getting a heavy jet running from cold and dark, and it took me quite a while to find all the small switches on the panel I needed to bring the Queen of the Skies to life. In the end I had it sorted out, but needless to say, there were quite a few irate virtual passengers who didn’t like the one hour wait at the gate! So keep practicing those flying skills and go through your checklists regularly to maintain your proficiency, whichever aircraft you choose to fly!

You will certainly have enough flight time this issue if you follow along on our special North Africa tours this month. Pick an aircraft you enjoy flying and prepare to log many flight hours. Something low and slow works well, but a small commuter turboprop like the Twotter is equally effective, not to mention great fun to fly. If you want to get places fast, the CRJ might be the best option, especially since Mike Ray has put together a nice lesson on flying the commuter jet in this issue.

Thanks again for the continued stream of comments and suggestions, and enjoy this month’s issue!

Dean BielanowskiEditor

From the EDITOR

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C“A small group with more money than sense hired me to take them on a tour of all the countries in North Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea from Morocco to Egypt as well as a trip to the headwaters of the River Nile.”

18 FLYING GREEN WITH FARMBOYZIM – NORTH AFRICA“What comes to mind when I say “North Africa”? How about the words “Hot, Dry, and flat”? Well, you are about eighty percent right. So why take a “Green Flight” in this barren region? You may be thinking that old FBZ has been out in his fields too long and the sun has dried up his brain!”

24 EXPLORING MADAGASCAR – PART IIIWhen we last stopped our VFR tour of Madagascar it was at Mahajanga (FMNM), the airport is called Philbert Tsiranana. So let’s wind up the Cessna Caravan and take-off for our first city, Tsaratanana (FMNT).

32 AIRPORT SCENERY DESIGN: THE BASICS – PART IScenery design is a massive area and although there is a steep learning curve associated with it, it can be made as simple or as complex as you wish. From adding a few parking spots at your local grass strip allowing AI aircraft to land and takeoff, to creating an international hub using custom-made objects, photorealistic scenery and signage; the choice is yours. But, as always, every journey begins with one step…

8 NEWS AND NEW RELEASESAll the latest news and new releases since our last issue.

REVIEWS52 Messerschmitt Bf10956 Ground Environment X: USA/Canada/Alaska60 FS2Crew: PMDG 747-400 Edition64 A400M Airlifter

12 FROM NORTH TO SOUTH: AFRICA BY AIR

This issue we look at interesting Microsoft blogs, download free wallpapers and FSX missions, look at the Refresh Aircraft command and Target Frame rate sliders, as well as highlight some useful aviation resources.

68 FLYING THE FABULOUS CRJIn this special lesson by Mike Ray, you will explore the instruments and flying characteristics of the popular Canadair Regional Jet. From the aircraft’s history to its FMS and CDU, you will learn all the vital steps to getting this fantastic aircraft airborne!

74 ROUND ROBIN ADVENTURES – ALOHA SCHEDULED ROUTEThis month we are flying a regular scheduled flight for Aloha Airline based in the Hawaiian Islands, USA.

REGULAR COLUMNS:

38 PULLOUT POSTER “DC-3 at Wanaka”

47 SUBSCRIBE & WIN Cool prizes up for grabs!

42 SIMULATING THE SPORT PILOT CHECKRIDEThere is very little (if any) difference between the practical test for a Light Sport license and one of a Private license. There are certain maneuvers specified by the FAA, but the order and detailed performance and testing is left up to each licensed Sport Pilot Examiner. Let’s see if we can make the grade!

48 HORTON’S HINTS FOR FSX


8 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES

A2A SIMULATIONS, formerly Shockwave Productions, have just released their new Boeing 377 Stratocruiser package for Flight Simulator X, and it looks incredible! “The A2A Wings of Silver Stratocruiser is unlike any aircraft you have fl own in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The 377 paved Boeing’s entry into the airline business, and you can still see this technology in use today. The Stratocruiser and its massive Pratt & Whitney R4360 engines represents the highest step in the evolution of aircraft piston-engine technology. A2A Simulations has crafted and pioneered many new technologies for this aircraft which has become the fl agship of the Wings of Silver line for Microsoft Flight Simulator X. Never before has the team worked so diligently to produce what we feel, and you may agree,

“NEW from the studios of Lionheart Creations comes another rare exotic, the Epic LT / Dynasty. This is an actual ‘new’ aircraft produced in the United States, an advanced design that features a complete Carbon Fiber airframe and the high performance version of the PT6, the radical PT6-67A. This 6 passenger executive turboprop can carry people at over 350 knots GS at altitudes of up to 31,000 feet.

This fl ight simulation model package comes with 9 different aircraft registries with variations of interiors, animated pilots, full detail and animated VC and cabin, which

also sports a brilliant ‘soft lit’ interior for great night fl ights. Also featured is a new Garmin G900X glass panel instrument system with ultra-friendly management for beginners of the Garmin panel systems. The Garmin system features a complete PFD and MFD with ‘Direct-To’ capabilities.

To top off the list, this complete, new package also comes with the dual FSX created model sets, new FSX technology textures/materials that feature bloom, refl ection qualities, new soft glare and countless other new material capabilities. All textures in the FSX installer are full DDS

format for fl ights in DirectX 10. This means you get two installers in one, for both FS2004 and FSX.

For those that eye Ferraris and Lamborghinis, for those that love the fast lane, for those that like to own something new that no one else has yet, then maybe the Epic LT is for you.”

If you favor new and unique turboprop aircraft that get you places quickly and easily, the Epic LT is defi nitely worth a look. It is available from popular fl ight sim download stores for around US$25. Lionheart Creations can be found online at www.lionheartcreations.com

is the most accurate representation of a true “classic” airliner.”

Major features include: • Four crew positions – pilot, co-pilot, fl ight

engineer, and navigator. • See the world like you have never seen it

before through 19 cockpit windows for unprecedented visibility.

• Double-decker airliner carries almost 100 passengers in fi rst class comfort

• Built to be fl own “By The Book”.• Fully clickable cockpits with authentically

working systems and gauges. • 3D Lights ‘M’ (built directly into the

model).• Pure3D Instrumentation - Natural 3D

appearance with exceptional performance. • Real-time Load Manager.

• Historically accurate Eclipse-Pioneer PB-10 (autopilot) which looks and functions like the original.

• On-board Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) to power systems with engines off and not drain the battery.

• Hydraulically powered steerable taxi wheel, brakes, emergency brakes, rudder boost, and windshield wipers.

• Bulging tires when placed on the ground with weight.

• Five different liveries.• Authentic A2A Simulations 3D engineered

sound for FSX.

The package is available now via popular fl ight sim download stores for around US$37. This is one not to miss for classic prop airliner fans!

A2A’s Awesome B377

Lionheart offers Epic LT Biz Jet


NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES 9

FSX AND FS2004 fans can look forward to fl ying the awesome Eurofi ghter Typhoon soon in their sims thanks to X1 software. The development team at X1 have announced the upcoming release of the fi ghter package on their website.

“Eurofi ghter Typhoon for Microsoft FS X or FS9 adds the latest multi-weapon air superiority platform to the latest and greatest civilian fl ight simulation. With two versions of the Eurofi ghter, including the single seat fi ghter and the tandem trainer, and the most detailed physical model yet seen on the PC, we are giving the hungry pilot everything he was hoping for.

We have a highly detailed, completely active cockpit including working radar set. Shut down your engines and open your canopy and the ladder appears. Launch your weapons and watch them speed outward. Climb into the rear seat, allowing two pilots to occupy the same aircraft online or via LAN.

We have animated features including fl aperons, foreplanes, leading edge slats, the

DEVELOPERS, CoolSky, and publishers, Flight 1, have just released their Super 80 package for FSX users.

“Ultimate Airliners - The Super 80 Professional is a complete aircraft and panel package which simulates the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 in absolutely amazing detail. All systems in the aircraft are simulated with a very high level of accuracy to make the experience as complete as possible. This package simulates the latest Electronic Flight Deck (EFD) cockpit upgrade given to the MD-80 series. It includes a full EFIS with FMS, TCAS, Systems Display Panel, Engine Display Panel, and many more advanced systems. Real MD-80 pilots will feel right at home and beginners will be able to completely learn the cockpit due to the interactive Integrated Cockpit Training System.

The external model and Virtual Cockpit are fully featured, all designed in 3DSMax and are fully FSX/DX10 compliant. A full sound suite is also included with many audible cockpit sounds.

There are also 330+ pages in the Aircraft Operating Manual accompanying this product to help you fully understand all the aircraft systems.

The Super 80 Professional features the ground breaking Integrated Cockpit Training System (ICTS). The ICTS is an interactive, in-fl ight training system designed to teach you how to operate the aircraft while in the cockpit, and it covers all stages of fl ight beginning from cold and dark.

The Super 80 Professional also features the Automatic Aircraft Confi guration (AAC) system. The AAC system will automatically set

up the aircraft and all systems for the selected phase of fl ight at the click of a button.

The package is shipped with many high quality liveries. In addition to the default liveries, there are additional liveries by McPhat Studios featuring various operators from around the world. McPhat Studios specializes in creating weathered and worn looking aircraft with extremely high attention to detail.”

For more information and to view screenshots, check out the product page at http://www.fl ight1.com/products.asp?product=uas80pro

air braking system, living pilot, articulated landing gear and a drogue chute. We have heat blur, cockpit refl ections, bump mapping and more. An authentic sound set completes the fl ying experience. The model is NOT a port.

New Scenery: To simulate the fi ghting environment we have added eight detailed military bases, including RAF Leeming, Boscombe Down, Coningsby, Rostock-Laage in Germany, Moron de la Frontera in Spain, Caselle in Italy and Rygge in Norway for good measure.

Missions: And of course there are new missions to fl y, in English and German. Eighteen for the standard version and twenty for Acceleration. An in-fl ight cockpit tutorial leads you through the avionics systems. After you become acquainted with the Eurofi ghter, you will participate in active combat missions in Britain, as well as western and northern Europe.”

No release date has been set as yet but keen virtual fighter pilots should bookmark the X1 website at www.x1software.com to keep up with the latest Eurofighter package developments.

Eurofighter on Drawing Board

Flight 1 Release Super 80 Professional for FSX


10 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES

CORSAIR, a worldwide leader in high performance computer and fl ash memory products, announced that its Dominator DDR3 memory modules have again shattered the world record for frequency. The record was set using the Asus ROG Rampage Extreme motherboard (Intel X48 chipset) and Corsair Dominator memory, utilizing Corsair’s award-winning DHX technology. The world record of 2580 MHz was reached at latency settings of 9-9-9-24 using a Corsair Dominator DDR3 memory module. These results were achieved with an Intel® Core™2 Duo E8400 processor overclocked to a breathtaking 645MHz Front-Side Bus frequency. The results are verifi ed by CPU-Z, an industry standard for verifying overclocking results, and are viewable here: http://valid.x86-secret.com/show_oc.php?id=393648

Corsair previously announced on May 20th its world record of 2462MHz and has now raised the record up to 118MHz faster. Corsair achieved these results as part of ongoing lab experiments on the effect of temperature on memory performance. The

MATROX GRAPHICS has announced new triple widescreen modes for the TripleHead2Go Digital Edition: 3 x 1680x1050 and 3 x 1440x900. The new modes allow gaming enthusiasts and professionals to benefi t from the advantages of widescreen technology across an astonishing desktop set-up.

“With TripleHead2Go, users can now drive three widescreen monitors from a single system,” says Caroline Injoyan, Business Development Manager, Matrox Graphics. “The ultra-wide desktop gives gamers a maximum fi eld-of-view for an unrivaled gaming experience and professionals a vast desktop for managing multiple applications.”

The expanded playing area provides gaming enthusiasts with extra pixel space to view wider interactive scenes for a competitive advantage during game play. What’s more, the additional onscreen information in a widescreen Surround Gaming(tm) setup creates a heightened level of immersion for a more enjoyable gaming environment.

“TripleHead2Go offers us an amazing panoramic setup on any system in the blink of an eye,” remarks Marek Spanel, CEO, Bohemia Interactive. “Seeing brand new game worlds spread out to the far corners of your view is quite simply, stunning.”

Professional workstation users can also benefi t from triple-widescreen desktop-less scrolling, toggling, and re-sizing of windows signifi cantly enhances effi ciency and increases overall productivity by ensuring all the information they need is conveniently at their fi ngertips.

Availability & Compatibility The new TripleHead2Go widescreen modes - enabled by connecting the TripleHead2Go to the system’s dual-link DVI connector - are available with select NVIDIA® and ATI® GPUs running under Microsoft® Windows® XP and Windows® Vista(tm) operating systems. For complete compatibility and free software download information, visit www.matrox.com/graphics/triplewide

TripleHead2Go currently supports over 250 popular game titles across a wide variety of game genres. To fi nd out more, visit www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/th2go

2580MHz memory speed was achieved with the entire test platform -- including motherboard, CPU, chip set, and memory -- chilled to -20 degrees Celsius. “We are proud that our Dominator Memory once again hit a new world record” said Martin Mueller, Senior Director of Engineering, Corsair. “Our proprietary technology used on Dominator DDR3 allows for incredible overclocking results; we believe our technology is far superior to any other when it comes to overclocking memory modules.”

Corsair Dominator Memory contains ultra fast chips cooled using Corsair’s proprietary Dual-Path Heat Xchange Cooling Technology (DHX). Corsair Dominator modules are available worldwide through authorized distributors and resellers in a variety of speeds and densities.

To speed up your sim, be sure to look out for these new memory chips at your favorite computer hardware retailer soon. www.corsair.com

Corsair Dominator DDR3 Memory Sets New World Record

TripleHead2Go Supports New Triple Wide-Screen Modes


NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES 11


CPM. V12I912 CPM. V12I9

For this tour of Africa, I used Microsoft FSX fl ight simulator and the default scenery. Except for the Pilatus, all aircraft used are

FSX default planes. The Pilatus PC-12 is the latest addition to my stable and is produced by Flight1 Software. It’s an impressive bird that’s fun to fl y and has outstanding documentation, including performance charts.

The opening screen shot of the route map is from the FSDiscover! software program; another interesting and useful add-on for FS9 and FSX. By the way, even though this is a first person narrative, it is a work of fiction; however the historical background is as accurate as possible.

From North to South: Africa by AirPart I

BY JOHN ACHOR


1313

South Along Africa’s Western CoastA small group with more money than sense hired me to take

them on a tour of all the countries in North Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea from Morocco to Egypt as well as a trip to the headwaters of the River Nile. I managed to get all the paperwork and proper clearances together and was prepared to leap off from Paris the following day with my passengers on board. At the last minute, I received a call from a friend who operates an aircraft delivery business. His pilot got a plane as far as Gibraltar when he discovered his passport was about to expire. My buddy asked if I would ferry the bird from Gibraltar to Casablanca, Morocco. Since Casablanca was already on our route, this wouldn’t be out of the way. I rounded up my merry band and the spare pilots dropped me and a copilot on Gibraltar along with a pair from the tour group. We planned to meet later in Morocco, pick up our Lear 45 and complete the African journey.

It will be a short hop — less than forty miles airport to airport — over the Strait of Gibraltar to Tangier, Morocco.

At its narrowest point the strait is a mere nine miles across, however, the depth in the full strait can run over 2000 feet.

I jumped at this chance for two reasons. The plane I was to deliver is a brand new Pilatus PC-12. Here (Figure 1) I am getting this lovely little bird ready for takeoff. For a single-engine turboprop the Pilatus rivals many small twin jets for speed, altitude and load capacity. The second reason was Gibraltar itself, which is on a peninsula at the southern tip of Spain, jutting into the Mediterranean Sea. I’ve fl own over this fortress, but I’ve never landed there.

Spain ceded Gibraltar, sometimes called The Pillar of Hercules,

to England in 1713 and it was declared a British colony a century later. That status didn’t change until 1969 when the United Kingdom granted autonomy to Gibraltar. After centuries of confl ict, a trilateral agreement was signed between Spain, the United Kingdom and Gibraltar in 2006 and a new constitution took effect in 2007. The UK maintains responsibility for defense, security, and related affairs. Figure 2 shows us as we depart — off we go, leaving that 1400 feet tall headland of limestone they call the Rock of Gibraltar behind as we head across the Strait of Gibraltar.

FIGURE 1 - LOADING THE PILATUS PC-12

FIGURE 2 - GEAR UP AT GIBRALTAR

FIGURE 3 - NORTH AFRICA IN THE DISTANCE ON THE LEFT

Tangier has been controlled by a variety of nations, from the Carthaginians in the 5th century BC to the Romans some four-hundred years later. It was overrun by the Vandals and then under Portuguese rule from the mid 1400s until 1661, when it was ceded to England as part of a dowry. Now there’s an unusual use for property. It was partitioned (1912), made an international zone in 1923 with joint administration by France, Spain, and Britain; Italy was added as an administrator in 1928. It was fi nally given full sovereignty and reunited with the rest of Morocco in 1956.

FIGURE 4 - COAST IN AT TANGIER, MOROCCO

FIGURE 5 – CAMEL RIDES, DRAMAMINE ANYONE?



We spent an afternoon shopping and taking in the sights of this ancient city. A camel ride was a fi rst for everyone in the group. A short ride was okay, but I don’t think I would want to travel far on one of these “ships of the desert.” We also spent several hours walking through the 17th century Kasbah — the fortifi ed section of the old city. The winding alleys were a challenge for us, and fi nding our way back was tough. Depending on who is describing the area, you may fi nd Kasbah spelled with a C or a K.

Capital Of Morocco

The next morning, we left Tangier (sometimes spelled with an “s” – Tangiers), and followed the western shore for 200 miles to Rabat, the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco. Rabat’s history is as varied as that of Tangier and today, has a population of nearly 2 million. We got a good view of the city while on a wide downwind for Runway 04 at Salé — Rabat’s smaller sister city.

My crew would have the Lear 45 fueled and ready for departure the next morning unless we decided to stay an extra day. Depending on who is doing the counting, Casablanca’s population varies from 3 to 6 million making it the largest city in Morocco and the country’s main port.

Many countries like Portugal, Spain and France, have controlled or infl uenced the city. French control of Casablanca was formalized in 1910 and they maintained control of Morocco until March, 1956.

FIGURE 6 - WIDE DOWNWIND FOR RABAT (SALÉ) RUNWAY 04

On the ground we relaxed and in the afternoon visited the royal palace and the Kings’ mausoleum.

The history of the city dates back to the third century BC. The

Romans arrived three- hundred and fi fty years later and held the city for three-hundred years. They left it in the hands of the Berbers who ruled the land until the mid 1100s. By then it was a formidable fortress and the denizens launched attacks on Spain. By 1627 the two cities, Rabat and Salé, united to form the Republic of Bou Regreg, which was controlled by Barbary pirates. The Republic collapsed shortly after 1880 although the pirates continued to use the port as a base of operations. The French set Morocco up as a protectorate in 1912. When Morocco achieved independence in 1956 King Mohammed V retained Rabat as the capital.

Round Up The Usual Suspects

Another 50 miles along the shoreline and our destination was in sight. In Figure 7, I’m on downwind with the runway off the left wing and the city of Casablanca is behind us.

Here in Casablanca I would leave this beautiful Pilatus for its new owner and pick up the plane we would use for the rest of our African tour. I met with the balance of our tour group and briefed them on our trip from here.

FIGURE 7 - DOWNWIND AT CASABLANCA

FIGURE 8 - PILATUS PC-12 ON THE RAMP

FIGURE 9 - RICK’S CAFE, CASABLANCAFIGURE 10 - PROPRIETOR KATHY KRIGER

FIGURE 11 - ANNIVERSARY POSTER


1515

Before getting on with our tour we would spend some time shopping in the markets of Casablanca, and then ...

I didn’t really expect to fi nd Humphrey Bogart or Ingrid Bergman or any of the rest of the cast from the 1942 movie “Casablanca” at Rick’s Café, but the restaurant-piano bar does exist at 248 Bd Sour Jdid, just off Abdallah Boulevard des Almohades.

We were greeted by the host, Kathy (“Rick”) Kriger, an American who decided to move to Morocco and recreate the historic watering hole.

Kathy described their anniversary celebration and escorted us to a table for dinner. Looking around the place I expected to see Claude Rains as the police offi cer, Captain Renault, delivering his famous line: Round up the usual suspects.

Time To Get Back In The Air

I wanted to get an early start on the day but it was tough because we spent too much time last night at Rick’s asking the gent at the piano to play “As Time Goes By.” We agreed to spend another day here rather than fi ghting lack of sleep. A second day of browsing the town would be an enjoyable respite.

We passed over Nouraseur (now Mohammed V International airport), and a bit further south Ben Guerir airbase slid under our wings. These two fi elds along with Sidi Slimane welcomed the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to French Morocco and were an early part of the Cold War. They were storage sites for nuclear weapons in 1950 and by late 1951 the fi rst of the B-36 Peacemakers of the Strategic Air Command arrived. The bases were also used by USAF fi ghters stationed in Europe who came to Morocco for gunnery practice. When control of the country reverted back to the Moroccans in 1956, the USAF was invited to leave and all aircraft were out of the country by 1959.

The following morning, I managed to get the old girl airborne a little before six am. The sun was still low on the horizon as I turned out of traffi c after takeoff. We would fl y south over a pair of airports with some rich, and more modern, history before heading northeast to Sidi Slimane. Since we’ll be fl ying at low to medium altitudes and the navigation aids are scarce, I planned to use the on-board GPS for navigation.

FIGURE 12 - LEAR IS FUELED AND READY TO GO

FIGURE 13 - SUNRISE TAKEOFF AT CASABLANCA

FIGURE 14 - WATER IN THE DESERT

With our next waypoint entered into the GPS, we headed for the north coast of Morocco. Abeam Rabat, and about 40 miles south of Sidi Slimane, a lake appeared on our nose (Figure 14). Not everything in this country is covered with dunes and sand. This is the confl uence of several rivers and becomes the Rabat River, which fl ows to the coast and splits the “twin” towns of Rabat and Salé.

A few minutes later we passed over Sidi Slimane and it reminded

me of an LP record I owned years ago. I researched the internet and the songs are still available; check: http://www.drinkingsongs.net/mp3s/1960s/1960ca-the-wild-blue-yonder--oscar-brand-(LP)

“The Wild Blue Yonder” record album by Oscar Brand is a collection of fi ghter pilot drinking songs — U.S. Air Force at least — from the 1950s and 1960s. One of the ditties, to the tune of “On Top of Old Smoky,” was dedicated to Sidi Slimane. Here are the fi rst two lines: now gather ‘round closely, I’ll sing this refrain about life in Morocco, here at Sidi Slimane…

FIGURE 15 - RIF MOUNTAINS



Our next waypoint, Cherif Al Idriss Airport, is located in Al Hoceima, Morocco, which is near the center of the Rif Mountains. As we approached and passed over those mountains, we needed to climb to 7500 feet to clear 5000 foot terrain features. We’ll swing southeast as we enter Algeria and get a better look at this mountain range.

At the coastline I made the turn (Figure 15) and picked up an east-

southeast heading for our next destination 200 miles away. We saw more of the Rif Mountains as well as the Atlas Range. About half way to our next waypoint we crossed the border and entered into Algerian airspace. The Atlas Mountains kept us at 7000 feet to maintain 2000 feet terrain clearance.

The Spaniards occupied the area from around 1300, until they were expelled in 1516 when the amir (emir) of Algiers asked a pair of corsair (pirate) brothers to handle the problem. That’s when the Barbary pirates made Algiers, among other ports, their home and they played havoc with shipping and engaged in slave raids throughout the Mediterranean area and beyond. Several European countries fought to subdue the pirates and much later the United States clashed with them as well. In 1541, Roman Emperor Charles V tried to capture the city, but was unsuccessful when storms destroyed much of his fl eet and the Algerians defeated his army. The “Barbary Coast” — spanning Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya — consisted of a series of fortifi ed ports including Salé, Tangiers, Tunis, Tripoli and most powerful of them all— Algiers. The corsairs raided and dominated the entire area for the next two centuries.

The history of Algiers, from the early 1800s to 1962, is bound to the larger history of Algeria and its relationship to France. In 1962, the Algerian Front de Libération Nationale, gained independence for Algeria, with Algiers as its capital. Today, the population of the metropolitan area is 3.5 million.

The city sprawled out before us as I did a zig-zag approach to the ILS fi nal for Runway 23, so passengers on both sides of the plane could have a chance to use their cameras. The city is sometimes called Alger la Blanche (Algiers the White) due to the shining white of its buildings which can be seen rising up during a seaward approach to the coast. FIGURE 16 - MECHERIA CITY AND AIRPORT

FIGURE 18 - OUR BELL HELICOPTER OVER THE CASBAH

The airport at Mecheria is on the far side of the city (Figure 16) and the elevation here is 3800 feet. I cranked the next waypoint into the GPS and it made a smooth turn to about 080 degrees.

It was a short 60 mile hop to El Bayadh. Like Mecheria, the

population here is about 60,000. Good thing the GPS and the VOR found this waypoint because it’s not visible in the Microsoft scenery. The terrain is still climbing; here the elevation is 4300 feet.

With another 200 mile leg ahead of us, we settled back and enjoyed a box-lunch meal prepared by the folks at Rick’s Café.

Even at our medium altitude I picked up the Houari-Boumediene airport at Algiers. I received clearance for a VFR approach and veered out over the water so we could head in from seaward hoping for a good view of the new, as well as the old city of Algiers. Another of the ancient cities of North Africa, Algiers was founded in the year 944 and since then, the Romans, Dutch, English, French and Spanish have dueled for control of the area.

FIGURE 17 - ON FINAL APPROACH TO ALGIERS

After a short rest on the ground, I hired a Bell 206 and took the tour group for a trip over the casbah or citadel, located at an elevation of 400 feet. The entire group, used up a lot of fi lm or fi lled the cards in their digital cameras. I could hear cameras going off like machine guns. (Unfortunately for us, the fl ight simulator scenery designers used mostly modern architecture and none of the “brilliant white” buildings are visible to casual observers here.)

Two Down And Three To Go!

We’ve visited two of the countries along the northern coast of Africa and with two more — Tunisia and Libya — to visit; we’ll be ready to explore Egypt and the River Nile. Tomorrow, I’m planning a mid-morning departure for our 330 mile trip to the next destination. That should put us in Tunis, Tunisia in time for a late lunch, leaving a bit of sightseeing time in the afternoon and the following day if we choose to stay over. Tunisia is the smallest of the countries on the northern coast of Africa.


1717

FIGURE 19 - CAMERA TIME AS WE LEAVE ALGIERS

FIGURE 20 - BOUND FOR TUNISIA

I herded the old girl down Runway 05 about twenty past eleven local time. My passengers were eager to get more pictures of Algiers, so I requested clearance to climb to altitude using a slow east-west orbit over the bay north of the city.

I established the orbit and set the autopilot for a 500 feet per minute rate of climb. After three trips around the race track I reached 7500 feet MSL and clicked the GPS on to take over the navigation and set a course of 090 degrees — it was twenty-minutes before noon. I turned the plane over to the copilot, leaned the pilot’s seat back and assumed a semi-snooze position.

I marveled at the beautiful countryside we’ve had the privilege of

seeing — the rugged mountains and the vast deserts. I was reminded of movies I saw as a kid about this part of the world and the French Foreign Legion. I suppose the most famous movie was “Beau Geste”. I remember the one starring Gary Cooper made in 1939, but it wasn’t the fi rst. Ronald Coleman beat him to it in 1926. Since then there have also been several remakes of the movie including a mini-series produced for television by the BBC. Those movies and the images of the soldiers wearing the round, white kepi head coverings marching across the sand, conjured up dreams of travel, wild exploits and adventures. The Legion, which was established in 1831, is still around and if you have the guts and physical abilities you can sign up for a fi ve year hitch. With those images running around in my head, the Lear hummed along and lulled me into a light sleep.

A slap on the arm jolted me awake and I heard my copilot saying, “Wake up, Boss. Engine failure — Number 2.”

Next Month…Will I be able to make a single-engine approach and landing, or

will I crash and burn in the desert?

Whenever I hear about an engine-out situation I can’t help but remember the story about a single-engine fi ghter jock who heard the pilot of a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress declare an emergency with an engine out and request a landing. The fi ghter pilot punched his mike button and said, “Oh, no! The dreaded seven-engine approach!”

Join our happy band in Part II of our tour as we cope with the

emergency and hopefully continue our trip across the northern coast of Africa. We have a lot of ground to cover, so show up early.

Photo Credits: Table at Rick’s Café, image of Kathy Kriger, and the anniversary poster are courtesy of Kathy Kriger and Issam Chabaa (pianist and web site designer) (http://rickscafe.ma). The photo of the camels is courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos (http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/).



What comes to mind when I say “North Africa”? How about the words “Hot, Dry, and Flat”? Well, you are about eighty

percent right. So why take a “Green Flight” in this barren region? You may be thinking that old FBZ has been out in his fi elds too long and the sun has dried up his brain!

OK, that’s certainly a possibility, but the fact is, North Africa can easily offer up hours upon hours of very diverse fl ying and some pretty cool sites to see along the way as well. Since this is a “Green Flight”, we will also take a look at what’s going on environmentally in the area as well. Although we are fl ying in a “virtual environment”, and this environment is free of pollution and other hazards, I don’t think it would hurt to know what’s going on in the “Real World” as well.

North Africa is made up of the following countries; Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. The continent of Africa is very large, and consists of many individual nations. I’m going to break it down into regions, giving you a general idea where to start and a few things to look for along the way.

This area is also known as the Maghreb, and is an area that is extremely diverse and also has a long, interesting history. This region has been no stranger to invaders over the centuries. Many areas, such as the countries of Morocco and Algeria have been infl uenced through centuries of invasion and occupation. It’s just a “stone’s throw” across the Strait of Gibraltar to the continent of Europe, Spain in particular.

Flying Green With FarmboyzimNorth Africa

BY HAROLD ZIMMER


19

The ties between the United States and Morocco date back to 1777, when American merchant ships were coming under attack on the high seas. A sympathizer of the young country of America, US shipping was declared to be under the protection of the Kingdom of Morocco while sailing in her waters. The ties of friendship between the two nations have remained since that time. As a matter of fact, Morocco was the fi rst country to allow the US to establish a consulate on foreign soil. The country itself is a bit bigger than the state of California. Morocco controls part of the Strait of Gibraltar, to the north, which is the access point in and out of the Mediterranean. Stretching from Morocco to Tunisia in the east is a mountain range called the Atlas Mountains. This range separates the temperate and more livable coastal region of North Africa from the Sahara Desert. The majority of the population resides north of these mountains. Its capital is Rabat, but Morocco is home to a more familiar city, Casablanca, and is both the nation’s largest city and its main port.

When fl ying in Morocco, a coastal run is a must! Not passing through the Strait of Gibraltar would be like not fl ying under the Golden Gate Bridge…virtually, of course! Seriously though, it is rather interesting to see just how close two entirely different continents can be, separated by a narrow stretch of water. A nice, medium length fl ight in a GA aircraft could be from Marrakech, another familiar city to some, north to Casablanca, a short hop to the capital Rabat, and then on up to fl y the Strait of Gibraltar. This route will take you from an area that is just north of the Atlas Range, over to the Atlantic and up to the Mediterranean. All this in roughly 350 miles or so, as the crow (or pilot) fl ies!

If you decide to see what is on the other side of those mountains, you can take off out of Marrakech and fl y southeast, up over the range and into the Sahara. Even in the simulator you’ll fi nd some breathtaking and pretty cool places to fl y (not literally “cool” of course!). There’s a terrain mesh enhancement by Andreas Trawny. It includes the High Atlas, the cities of Agadir and Marrakech and northwestern parts of the Sahara Desert. Search for a fi le named atlas_mountains_srtm.zip. Toni Agramont created very nice freeware scenery for the Kingdom of Morocco, with Casbahs and other monuments.

Morocco has four separate mountain ranges, valleys with rivers winding through them, long expanses of coastline, and of course, the already mentioned desert. Rivers that empty on the southern side of the Atlas range form long green ribbons of oasis-like environments that stretch into the Sahara for short distances, until they dry up in the burning sands of the Sahara. It is hard to imagine that at one time, a VERY long time ago, the Sahara was not an arid expanse of land, but had an environment that could support abundant life. The ever changing Earth (and Man?) at work no less. As a matter of fact, the expansion of the Sahara further into the south is a reality, and is an environmental factor that is being studied intensely.

Although the borders between Morocco and its neighbor to the east are closed in the real world, feel free to enter the airspace of Algeria, the second largest country on the African continent. As you travel along the coastal areas, most of the terrain will be that of hills and some mountains. A small area of Algeria is fertile, but around 85% of the country is uninhabited desert. About the only people you are going to fi nd roaming in the desert would be the nomadic Bedouin tribes that travel in search of grazing land for their livestock. I just had the thought, “Grazing land in the desert?”, as I wrote this. They must surely know all the “hot” spots to graze! Ooohhh! That hurt!

NORTH AFRICANORTH AFRICA

CAIRO ON THE NILECAIRO ON THE NILE

THE “REALLY OLD” PYRAMIDS!THE “REALLY OLD” PYRAMIDS!

THERE IS AGRICULTURE ALONG THE COAST THERE IS AGRICULTURE ALONG THE COAST


CPM. V12I920

PYRAMIDS AT NIGHT, FS9 PYRAMIDS AT NIGHT, FS9

NIGHT OVER CAIRO, EGYPTNIGHT OVER CAIRO, EGYPT

DAAG, ALGIERS, ALGERIA DAAG, ALGIERS, ALGERIA

DAAGDAAG

OUT OF EL ALAMEINOUT OF EL ALAMEIN

PORT SAIDPORT SAID

STARTING THE TRIP DOWN THE SUEZ CANALSTARTING THE TRIP DOWN THE SUEZ CANAL

SOUTH END OF THE CANALS - BUSY WATERWAY SOUTH END OF THE CANALS - BUSY WATERWAY


21

THE CITY OF SUEZ THE CITY OF SUEZ

WHERE THE SHIPS START THEIR TRIP TO THE “MED”WHERE THE SHIPS START THEIR TRIP TO THE “MED”

TOP-DOWN OF CAIRO, EGYPT TOP-DOWN OF CAIRO, EGYPT

CASABLANCA, MOROCCOCASABLANCA, MOROCCO

DIRT STRIPS, CASABLANCADIRT STRIPS, CASABLANCA

MARRAKECH, MOROCCOMARRAKECH, MOROCCO

THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS

PREMIER AIRCRAFT DESIGN’S DEHAVILLAND DHC2- MK III TURBOPREMIER AIRCRAFT DESIGN’S DEHAVILLAND DHC2- MK III TURBO



Algeria is the second largest country on the African continent. Algeria gained its independence from France, which took place in 1962. As you travel along the coastal areas, most of the terrain will be that of hills and some mountains. A small area of Algeria is fertile, but around 85% of the country is uninhabited desert. On the steppes of the High Atlas, gale force winds sometimes blow off the desert, creating a very dusty, choking environment. These winds are called “sirocco”, and are probably best avoided if you are in an aircraft. Algeria is about four times the size of Texas. So here’s a little something to ponder… If 85% of the country is desert, this works out to about three and a half Texas-sized sand boxes! Wow! Ninety-one percent of the population inhabits twelve percent of the land mass, and this is along the coast of the Mediterranean.

The highest point in Algeria can be found in the southern Sahara, and that would be Mount Tahat, which rises 9850 feet. It’s not that impressive in default MSFS land, but with the terrain mesh enhancement from Midouman N., for Algeria, things pop out at you with a bit more life. There are four fi les in total, dz_m01.zip through dz_m04.zip. Once again, most of the interesting fl ying will be found in and around the mountains and the coast, but do not neglect excursions into the desert for some navigation training! Not too many landmarks to fi x on so you better hone up on map reading and make sure there are fresh batteries in your GPS, just in case! There is some nice photoreal scenery for DAAG, the airport in Algiers. You may want to pick up algeri.zip if you are not a big fan of photoreal scenery. This little package has scenery for Oran and Algier Harbors, as well as DAAG and DAOO airport scenery. Toni Agramont is the author of this freeware add-on.

Wedged in between Algeria and Libya is the country of Tunisia. The city of Carthage, in Tunisia, was the birthplace of the great military leader Hannibal, who invaded Italy over the Alps with war elephants. Tunisia is now known for its beautiful coastline and tourism trade, and it is also the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains. There is little difference in terrain features between Tunisia and the countries that border it. On your coastal cruise, Carthage would be an ideal spot to stop for fuel, as the airport there can accommodate mostly all GA aircraft as well as commercial jobs.

Libya is the next stop in our eastern journey across North Africa. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi , Libya’s leader since a coup in 1969, has, in the past, been a thorn in quite a few people’s sides. In recent years, however, Libya is trying to change its “trouble-maker” reputation and become a respected member of the world community. Having deposits of oil that is highly regarded for its low sulfur content making it a very clean burning fuel certainly helps the issue. While fl ying in the skies of Libya, you’re in for much of the same, considering that 90 percent of the country is desert, with most of the population living along the Mediterranean coast. The two points of interest here on a fl ight would be Tripoli and then on to Benghazi to the east. Both of these cities are on the coast. From my explorations, Libya seems to have the fl attest desert so far in this region, with a minimum of mountain ranges to break up the terrain. I could not fi nd any terrain enhancements for this area, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Last, but certainly not least, is a country that has intrigued me as a boy and years later, I would fi nd myself studying this culture in Mortuary Science College. You may have guessed it… Egypt. In this North African nation you not only have deserts such as The Great Sand Sea (sounds appealing) but other avenues for aviation exploration abound in this country. Start in the north, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea; fl y out of El Alamein where massive battles

once raged during World War II. You won’t see any of the burned out hulls of tanks and bent artillery pieces, but as you look out upon the desert, it is not hard to imagine just how harsh of an experience fi ghting in this environment was for the soldiers of both sides.

Head east out of El Alamein, to Alexandria, a truly “Wondrous” city! It is the second largest city in Egypt, and the country’s largest seaport handling the majority of the import and export business for Egypt. Stepping back into the ancient past, Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great, a Greek Macedonian King, around 331 B.C. I had stated it was a “wondrous” city and here’s why. Alexandria was once known for the “Lighthouse of Alexandria”, one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, and the ancient Library of Alexandria, were all located here as well.

From Alexandria there are a few options as to what direction to explore. I chose an eastern fl ight path, along the coast, with the Nile Delta on my starboard wing, and did a fl y-by of Port Said. Along with its usual duties serving as an important gateway for products of Egypt, it is also a refueling station for the ships travelling the Suez Canal. I travelled down the canal, with the Sinai Peninsula off the port wing. The Sinai is an interesting plot of land itself, with a history. There are some nice mountains to cruise over if you want to proceed on into Israel or other parts of the Middle East. There’s a very neat little scenery add-on for the Suez Canal, by the name of suezchannel.zip. The author’s name was not plainly referenced in the readme fi le, but “winfriedorthmann” is referred to. Nonetheless, nice job and well worth adding it in if you want some realistic scenery for this area.

After seeing this desert I really looked forward to fl ying along some waterways and seeing the effect that they have as they slice through the desert. The main channel of the Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The opening of the canal back in 1869 meant that overland travel was a thing of the past. Before the canal was built, this was one of the shortest ways to exchange goods between Europe and Asia. A wealth of information, both past and present is available on this man-made highway of water.

Once I reached the city of Suez at the south end of the canal, I decided to pay the Pharaohs a visit in Cairo. Landing at Cairo International (HECA), I decided that it was time for dinner (my wife called for me to come and eat!), but it was good timing, for the trip was approximately 450 miles. After eating dinner (and helping to clean up by the way), night had come to Cairo. The Pyramids (the virtual ones in MSFS, just to remind you what world we’re talking about) looked impressive that day but at night… absolutely beautiful and a must-see landmark.

I had fl own some of these fl ights in both FS9 and FSX, and preferred, for the most part, fl ying the area in FS9. This is due to the fact that I have FS9 “tuned-up” like an old Hot Rod! Smokin’, if I do say so myself. But with FSX, I’m fl ying in a default world for the most part. However, as I fl ew over the Pyramids in FSX I was treated to a beautifully realistic site, both in daylight and at night. Very nice upgrade in the scenery there gang! My compliments MS. I wanted to explore this ancient land more, so my next fl ight took me south, on the Nile, but not before I checked out the ancient Pyramids!

Out of Cairo and on to the city of Luxor, the site of the ancient city of Thebes. A very interesting place to read about, but keep on fl ying! Nothing especially spectacular to see there in sim land. South of Luxor, continuing along the Nile, we come to the city of Aswan, which lies at the north end of Lake Nasser - a man-made reservoir. Some ancient


2323

sites had to be disassembled piece by piece, and reassembled in other locations due to the rising waters of the newly formed lake. This took place back in the 1960’s. One of the more notable and recognizable sites to be relocated was the Abu Simbel Temples of Ramses II and Nefertari. This was an incredible feat!

I found more freeware add-ons for Egypt than the other countries visited in this article. Among the fi les I found were upperegypt2.zip, featuring the Aswan Bridge, the dams at Lake Nasser, and some land class enhancements. One of the mesh enhancement fi les I also utilized for the region was middle_east_lie_srtm_mesh_part1, 2, and 3.zip (three fi les in all). Quick reminder here… you will probably have confl icts of some sort if you load more than one mesh enhancement for a particular area. Scenery that I used included another freeware fi le by winfriedorthmann (that’s how the names listed as part of the email address), suezchannel.zip. This little package contains scenery for the Suez Canal, Port Said, and the city of Suez. This is a very nice enhancement for the region. Just do a search on any of the major fl ight sim sites in the “Scenery” category and see what else you can come up with.

My hats off to the folks that provided the great freeware models that I used for this adventure.

Brian Gladden’s FS 2004 Noorduyn, repaint by yours truly; Premier Aircraft Design’s DeHavilland DHC2- Mk III Turbo, with yet another paint job by me; and a beauty of a vintage aircraft by Bill and Lynn Lyons, the Travel Air Magic One, for both FS9 and FSX. That B-25 is courtesy of Mid-Atlantic Air Museum (MAAM-SIM) and is a payware product that is well worth its cost! Her name is “Briefi ng Time” and this particular aircraft saw action in the North African Campaign. Thanks to the folks at Flight1 for providing me with FS Ground Environment Pro to enhance the ground and water textures.

What I thought would be a rather mundane adventure, exploring the North African continent, turned out to be a very interesting and diverse fl ight. Now, it wouldn’t be a “Green Flight” if I didn’t comment on the environmental issues of the area. “Desertifi cation”, the spreading of the desert, is the issue that I would like to bring to your attention. If you recall in my article on China, the Gobi Desert is also continuing to expand. The Sahara is constantly spreading as well. Heading up the list of culprits are humans. Folks are clearing land of foliage and other ground cover for agricultural and developmental reasons, and without this “green buffer zone”, the desert continues to walk its walk. Better land management is only one course of action to take. Water conservation is no longer an option, but a necessity in many regions. Only 2.5% of the planet’s water is made up of freshwater supplies, 70% of which is locked into polar ice caps. Just 0.5% of the planet’s freshwater supplies can be used by man. Imagine what the percentage of available water is in Africa!

No matter where in this big, beautiful world we live, we all share

the same “backyard”. If we’re not careful, there’s going to be more regions around this globe that will resemble the Sahara. Personally, I like to fl y around with something other than endless, fl at terrain to look at. I invite you to explore North Africa on your own, both virtually, and informational. There is loads of information regarding this area, of which Wikipedia was an invaluable source.

I hope you enjoyed the article and found it interesting. I think you will fi nd some very interesting fl ying in North Africa! Once again, the side note to these “Green Flights” is to make folks aware of some of the environmental situations that exist today around the globe. After all, are we not all sharing a unique perspective of the world from up on high? Take care and remember to fl y GREEN.



When we last stopped our VFR tour of Madagascar it was at Mahajanga (FMNM). The airport is called Philbert Tsiranana. So

let’s wind up the Cessna Caravan and take-off for our fi rst city Tsaratanana (FMNT). I decided to fl y this trip using X-Plane 9 because it has some really cool airplanes. It will be a treat for readers that have not used X-Plane. Ok we are cleared for T/O, let’s climb to FL180.

ENROUTE TO TSARATANANA

This fl ight is 112.0 nm and should only take about an hour. Here’s a fl ight plan to follow:

• FMNM. • UVGAD: Trk 174, 49 nm at this waypoint turn left to Trk 116.• FMNT is 62 nm. Since we are at FL180 we should begin our

descent at 54 nm from FMNT (using the rule of canceling the last three zeros of the altitude and multiplying by 3).

Exploring MadagascarPart 3

CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF AT MAHAJANGA

BY TOM KURTZ


2525

On approach here’s another little calculation you may use to fi gure your vertical speed needed to maintain a 3 degree glide slope;

Ground Speed (GS) x 5 = vertical descent speed (V/S) in feet per minute (FPM).

Example: 3 degrees glide slope = GS 70 KIAS x 5 = 350 FPM V/S

Therefore, descending 350 FPM at 70 KIAS will give you the standard 3 degrees glide slope. OK, that’s enough math for now. The Tsaratanana airport is just ahead and we are cleared to land.

DC-3 VC PANEL

Wait a minute! There are two guys waving at us and running toward the plane. Oh, my gosh, it is my old friends Andy and Gene. Go open the door and let them come aboard.

Andy threw his suitcase in the corner and promptly settled into the co-pilot’s seat, “Want some help fl ying this old crate?” he asked.

“Sure why not? Why are you guys still in Madagascar? Have you gone native?” I asked.

“We may as well become natives. It seems like Gene keeps getting more work to do for Natural World Magazine. Also, our plane broke down again. I was lucky to get into this airport in one piece. We were going to rent this DC-3, but when the dispatcher told us you rented it, I knew we could hitch a ride. Where are you headed to?”

“We are going to Antsohihy this afternoon then on to some other places. Wherever my client wants to go.”

“Was that the guy who opened the door and helped us on to the plane? He sounds like he’s from Australia.”

“Yes, he’s an Aussie, from Melbourne I think, and works for some sort of aviation magazine.”

“Why are the backs of his hands so red? Sunburn?”

“No, he was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat and I had to keep smacking his hands and yelling, DON’T TOUCH THAT!” Andy laughed out loud.

Ok, everyone buckle up, we are cleared for takeoff. If I remember correctly VR is about 90 KIAS in a DC-3.

Here’s a fl ight plan to follow: FMNT > GATALA > FMNW.

After T/O Trk HDG 094 to the GATALA waypoint - about 69 nm. At the waypoint turn left and Trk 346 to Antsohihy - about 114 nm. The airport at Antsohihy is called Ambalabe.

It is winter in Madagascar this time of the year and it was starting to get dark already by the time we arrived.

LANDED AT TSARATANANA

There isn’t a lot to see or do at Tsaratanana, but let’s have lunch and look around. Like most of the airports in this part of Madagascar they are like remote airstrips. The bush pilots will like them.

Hey, look there’s an old DC-3. I think I’ll rent it to fl y the next leg of this trip. I love to fl y the old planes. There seems to be many of them in Madagascar left here after WWII, no doubt.

OLD DC-3 PARKED AT TSARATANANA

The old plane was in very good condition and the rental fee was reasonable. Let’s fi re this old bird up and get going to Antsohihy (FMNW). Check out the old “steam gauges” on this panel.



DEPARTING TSARATANANA

Specifications:• Crew: 1 or 2 pilots.• Passenger versions: 9 passengers in the standard model or 6 to 8

in the executive model.• Payload: 3503 lb• Length: 47’ 3”• Wingspan: 53’ 3”• Height: 14’• MTOW: 10,450 lb• Powerplant: 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67B turboprop 1200HP.• Propeller: Hartzell Constant Speed HC-E4A-3D/E10477K

4 blade aluminum.• Cruise speed: 312.5 MPH / 270 KTAS• Service Ceiling: 30,000 ft.• Range: 1513 nm with 9 passengers

The PC-12 is comparable to the Piper Meridian or the Scoata TBM.

My client wanted to go to Antalaha (FMNH) on this leg of the trip. So I fi led the fl ight plan and we, Andy and I, went to the plane to begin the pre-fl ight check. I especially wanted to make sure there were no nicks in the propeller blades. You may or may not know that a nick along the edge of a propeller blade is bad news. It can result in loss of the propeller blade which results in making your day very bad.

Andy was really excited about the PC-12. He said he always wanted to fl y one. So I became the co-pilot on the next leg of the fl ight. While my client helped Gene load all his photography gear, Andy and I did the pre-fl ight inspection, took our seats and I read the checklists aloud while Andy performed the checks.

The tower cleared us to taxi to the active runway (it was easy to fi nd because there is only one) and cleared us for takeoff. Compared to fl ying the DC-3 the plane was like the difference between driving a “stick-shift” 1934 Pontiac (don’t laugh I drove a 1934 Pontiac in High School) and a 2008 Cadillac. You could just feel the power and controls were smooth to the touch.

Here’s a fl ight plan you may want to use. Of course you may make your own fl ight plan. It is 135 nm from Antsohihy to Antalaha. The Airport is named Antisrabato.

FMNW > UVGET > FMNH.

Fly at FL180 and plan to arrive at UVGET at 11,000 feet. After T/O Trk 102, 103 nm to waypoint UVGET. At UVGET turn left and Trk 099. Begin your descent as soon as you turn because the airport is about 33 nm from the waypoint.

LANDED AT ANTSOHIHY

GETTING DARK AT ANTSOHIHY

We spent the night at Antsohihy. The next morning my Aussie client had a surprise for us; he rented a Pilatus PC-12. Said he was not going to ride in the back of that “bumpy dumpy” DC-3 again. Hey, if he has the big bucks to rent a hot airplane, OK! The PC-12 had a great paint job. It looked like a parrot. I love it.

The Pilatus PC-12 is by Shade Tree Micro Aviation and it is a “hot” airplane. I have been fl ying it for more than two months in X-Plane 9. It is a single engine turboprop passenger and cargo aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. TAKE-OFF AT ANTSOHIHY


2727

PILATUS PC-12 2D PANEL

LANDED AT ANTALAHA

After we landed Gene took a few more pictures of the PC-12 for his magazine. My client wanted to go into the town to take care of some business and Gene went with him to photograph the local populous.

Andy had tore up one of the main tires when he landed. I caught the smell of burned rubber when we walked around the plane to check it out. Yep, the tire was too damaged for a T/O. It would have to be replaced. We went to the maintenance hangar to fi nd a tire. Of course, in this little airport out in the “boonies” of Madagascar, they didn’t have a tire for the PC-12, but could order one from Switzerland. The mechanic was very happy that he could get us the tire in about two weeks. We told him the plane was a rental and he could order the tire and inform the rental agency back in Antsohihy that the plane would not be fl yable for two weeks.

We went to the terminal to ask about renting another airplane. My client wanted to leave the next day for Sambava (FMNS). The terminal manager called the operations hangar. We couldn’t understand anything he was saying, but he was smiling and nodding his head yes. “Well, he must have a plane for us,” I thought. He hung up the telephone, turned to us, and stopped smiling.

“We have a plane, but there is a problem,” he said in heavily accented English.

“What’s the problem?” asked Andy.

“The airplane, she is experimental.”

I have always wanted to be a test pilot, so I thought it would be fun to fl y an experimental aircraft, “What kind of plane is it?” I asked.

“The plane, she is Italian. Come I show you.” Andy and I looked at each other with that “why not?” expression on our faces.

We piled into the manager’s jeep and he drove us across the airport to what looked like a new hangar, We went inside and there stood the prettiest twin turboprop I ever laid eyes on.

TURNING ON COURSE TO ANTALAHA

ENROUTE TO ANTALAHA (FMNH)

ON FINAL AT ANTALAHA (FMNH) THE P180 AVANTI FERRARI I



Andy started to laugh, “That isn’t an experimental aircraft. It’s an older P180 Avanti Ferrari, probably a Model I,” he said.

I had never heard of a P180, “OK, let’s have a look inside.” The terminal manager was eager to please and opened the door and lowered the entry ladder. We went forward to the cockpit. As soon as Andy saw the instrument panel he said, “It’s a Model I, the Model II has a Glass panel. This bird still has some Steam Gauges”.

I picked up the pilot’s handbook which was lying on the co-pilot’s seat and leafed through it, “Andy, I think we can fl y this baby.” The terminal manager was smiling and shaking his head yes, “You like?” he asked.

“We like,” I said.

The manager rolled his eyes, “You like, but rental is very much,” he said.

I laughed, “Not to worry my client will pay anything to travel in such a luxurious aircraft.”

Andy then told me that the plane was used to transport the Ferrari racing team to their meets. The P180 is manufactured by Piaggio Aero Company which is owned in part by the Ferrari family. The P180 is the fastest turboprop private aircraft in the world with a maximum speed of 391 KIAS. Similar to private jets but consumes 30% less fuel. The service ceiling is FL410. The range is 1800 nm.

Andy and I spent the rest of the afternoon studying the handbook and familiarizing ourselves with the cockpit. When Gene and my client returned I showed them the plane. My client said, “Rent it. I want to ride in this thing. No matter what the cost.”

I winked at Andy, “What did I say?”

Our next port of call was going to be Sambava (FMNS). I fi led a VFR fl ight plan and here is a copy for you:

FMNH > UVGET > FMNS.

Fly at 17,000 feet. T/O and Trk 279, 32 nm to waypoint UVGET. At the waypoint turn right and Trk 038 for 50 nm to Sambava. Begin your descent after you turn.

P180 AVANTI FERRARI 2D PANEL

P180 AVANTI FERRARI LOWER 2D PANEL

P180 VC CENTER CONSOLE

P180 FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM COMPUTER

CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF AT ANTALAHA

P180 TAKE-OFF AT ANTALAHA


2929

Flying the P180 was like sitting in your living room, smooth, and comfortable. This time I was the PIC (Pilot In Command) and Andy worked the checklists and radios.

Gene called his boss at Natural World Magazine and got permission to rent another plane. His boss agreed to rental only if Andy and I would fl y the plane without pay. I was disappointed, but we had to get out of Sambava. Gene still had to take more photos in Antsirana, Nosy-Be, Mamoutzou, and Iconi to complete his photo essay for the magazine.

We went to the rental offi ce to get a plane. There was only one available, a Cirrus Jet. I had jet certifi cation so I would be the PIC. The plane was beautiful.

ENROUTE TO SAMBAVA

ON FINAL AT SAMBAVA

LANDED AT SAMBAVA

Sambava is a commune on the northeastern tip of Madagascar. It is the capital of Sambava District with a population of about 40,000. Farming is the biggest industry with livestock, rice, coconut, and the most important crop, vanilla, being harvested. Remember in Part One I told how the economy of the country hit rock bottom when Coca-Cola stopped using vanilla in their soft drink!

Tourists are attracted to the wonderful beaches, climate, and tours of the rainforests. Also, the airport is a hub where you may get cheap fl ights into Europe and other destinations. My client wanted to make his fl ight connections back to Melbourne from Sambava. He made the fi rst fl ight the morning after we arrived. He also turned the P180 back to the rental agency. So we were stuck in Sambava without any transportation.

THE CIRRUS JET

CIRRUS 2D PANEL

CIRRUS CABIN - RIGHT REAR



PILOT’S SEAT VC. NOTE SIDE MOUNTED JOYSTICK

DOWNWIND AT ANTSIRANA

Andy and I got the plane serviced while Gene went into town to take pictures. Our next stop would be Nosy-Be (FMNN). That’s a funny name! The airport is named Fascene. It is 141.2 nm from Antsirana. Here’s a copy of the fl ight plan:

FMNA > ANDIL > FMNN.

T/O and fl y at FL180. Trk 230 for 111 nm to waypoint ANDIL. Plan to be at 10,000 ft altitude at the waypoint. Turn right to Trk 045. You will be about 30 nm from the airport, so begin your descent as soon as you turn.

TAKE-OFF AT SAMBAVA

We took off and headed for the next stop, Antsirana (FMNA).

TURNING ON COURSE FOR ANTSIRANA (FMNA)

The airport is called Arrachart and is about 20 miles SE of the city. It’s about 150 nm to FMNA. Here’s a copy of the fl ight plan:

FMNS > TIKEL > FMNA.

T/O and fl y at 12,000 ft and Trk 039 to waypoint TIKEL. At the waypoint turn left and Trk 324 to FMNA. Like most of the territory in this part of Madagascar there is nothing much to see but jungle. In this jet it seemed like a short fl ight because it is so comfortable and fast.

ON FINAL AT NOSY-BE

LANDED AT NOSY-BE


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REVIEW

Our next stop would be Mamoutzou (FMCZ). The airport is named Dzaoudzi Pamandzi (good luck on pronouncing that tongue twister). It is 196.1 nm from FMNN to FMCZ. Enjoy the scenery enroute. Here’s the fl ight plan:

FMNN > SOAVI > FMCZ.

T/O and fl y at FL240 (to be sure of clearing any mountains). Trk 270 after reaching altitude. It is 124 nm to waypoint SOAVI. At the waypoint turn right and Trk 318 to FMCZ. Begin your descent as soon as you turn. The airport is 72 nm from the waypoint.

Gene called his boss at the magazine and was told to cancel his photo taking at Mamoutzou because of some civil unrest in the area. So we refueled and took off for our last stop, Iconi, 330.1 nm from FMCZ. The airport is named Avaratra (FMNC). Here’s the fl ight plan:

FMCZ > SOAVI > FMNC.

T/O and fl y at FL180. Trk 137, 72 nm to waypoint SOAVI. At the waypoint turn right and Trk 134, 258 nm to the airport.

It was a long fl ight and our fi nal stop. Gene completed his assignment. Andy and I returned the plane to the rental agency. Then we booked a fl ight back to the United States. We had been touring India and Madagascar for the past three months and needed a break.

Gene called Natural World Magazine and came back laughing. “I just got my choice of the next assignment. I will be going to either Guyana or touring the Amazon River. You guys want to come along?” he said.

LANDED AT AVARATRA

Andy and I looked at each other with that “Why not?” look. “Ok,” I said. Andy shrugged his shoulders, “Makes me no never mind... as my mom used to say.”

Ok, you may fl y these fl ights in whatever fl ight sim you may have. The scenery will of course be different and some of the airports and cities may not be available.

My thanks to Wikipedia for the geography and historical facts. Many thanks to Shade Tree Micro Aviation for producing the Pilatus PC-12.



Scenery design is a massive area and although there is a steep learning curve associated with it, it can be made as simple or as complex

as you wish. From adding a few parking spots at your local grass strip allowing AI aircraft to land and takeoff, to creating an international hub using custom-made objects, photorealistic scenery and signage, the choice is yours. But, as always, every journey begins with one step…

Being a relative newcomer to the world of simming, I am always on the lookout for new areas to explore and having acquired ATC and Traffi c programs I was dismayed that my local airports couldn’t utilise either as much as I’d hoped: both RAF Valley (EGOV) and Caernarfon (EGCK) were very lonely places when in reality both are pretty busy much of the time. Although ATC is present and correct, the distinct lack of AI traffi c made it pretty much redundant. What my airfi elds needed were modifi cations that would allow traffi c to land, park and take-off, and in the process, provide a sharp wake-up call to the dozing air traffi c controllers!

There are many third party sceneries available which include both these modifi cations as well as various static objects – many are free – but creating your own is a lot of fun and gives you ultimate control to tailor it in accordance with your system’s capabilities and the purpose for which you intend to use it. I have actually chosen Aberporth (EGFA) to modify for the purposes of this tutorial as it is small (one short runway) and simple. Being devoid of anything other than a boundary fence (marking the edge of the airport background), a tower, a fuel trigger and an NDB it essentially represents a blank canvas.

Airport Scenery DesignThe Basics: Part One

BY GABRIEL LOGAN

TAXIWAYS HAVE LIGHTING TOOTAXIWAYS HAVE LIGHTING TOO


3333

IMPORTANTThis article assumes that the reader is already reasonably familiar

with the importing and installation of add-on sceneries. If you have not dealt before with BGL fi les or activating scenery in the FSX scenery library, you are strongly advised to download my scenery zip fi le (see “Requirements” – below) in which you will fi nd a detailed readme fi le that covers this and other matters.

I have chosen Airport Design Editor to demonstrate the basic principles involved in creating or modifying airports: it is freeware (although donations are welcome to support server costs) and compares favorably to its competitors (including payware products). The software has evolved over a number of years due in part to a keen community of enthusiasts that contribute in a variety of ways and the fact that support is extremely forthcoming with the typical speed of response to technical queries, quite literally putting to shame many payware developers that I have dealt with in the past.

So, now is a good time to visit Scruffyduck at either their homepage or support forum at FS Developer and download the software. While you’re in downloading mode, get hold of the other fi les listed below: they will come in useful, particularly if you want to get the most of this introductory tutorial. Also, it is recommended that you print the manuals.

To put things in perspective, the ADE manuals stretch to well over a hundred pages and barely touch on some of the more advanced topics, so clearly there is a limit to how much detail we can go into here. As such the most useful approach will be to cover the main areas of relevance, referring you to the manual for detailed (and illustrated) explanations and then fi nish with a mention of other aspects of scenery design that may require either further research or additional software featuring functions that are currently beyond the scope of ADE.

REQUIREMENTSEssential: FSX Deluxe Edition with SDK (and SP1a) installed

Airport Design Editor – from: www.airportdesigneditor.co.uk Or: www.fsdeveloper.com (Forums: /Tools Support/ADE) (Note: printing-out the manuals is recommended)

Optional Files: “big_thumb_pack.zip” – from AVSIM “ramplight_library.bgl” (in: “ESDG_ramplight_rwy12.zip” – from AVSIM) “EGFA_Tutorial_Gabe.zip” – from ‘Computer Pilot’ Magazine website

The key to getting the most out of ADE is experimentation. With an unlimited ‘undo/redo’ system together with a fault-fi nder, you can’t really go wrong and an inquisitive mind and fertile imagination will be rewarded. There are hidden gems here and although the program may occasionally crash (although you can confi gure auto-backups), it is a solid piece of coding: a testament to over 1000 man-hours of dedicated development together with plenty of input from an active community.

Installation Once installed, ADE should be updated to the latest version: go

into Settings, Options and enable Check for Updates. Alternatively go directly to their support forum (www.fsdeveloper.com) and locate the link to the forums. Now might be a good time to register: if you are serious about scenery design you will need help at some point and there are plenty of designers here only too pleased to help out with problems.

ADE should present you with a ‘New User Wizard’ as it needs to know the location of certain folders. You will need to install the FSX SDK from the Deluxe DVD (1) - update it to at least SDK-SP1a.

Go into Tools and Create Databases. This scans the relevant FSX folders and indexes the default scenery objects and navaids. (3rd party libraries need to be indexed individually as we will see later).

It is a good idea to download the updated thumbnail pack from AVSIM. After registering (www.avsim.com) search for: “big_thumb_pck.zip” and download it. Unzip the folder somewhere sensible.

Once the folder is installed, go into Tools and Library Object Manager in ADE, and change the path for the ‘Thumbnail Folder’, pointing it to the location you chose above earlier. Most of the default FSX objects that can be accessed using ADE will now be displayed with thumbnail images aiding your choice of objects. For any that do not have thumbnails available – there are a few – the ADE manual contains instructions to enable you to create your own should you wish.

Optional FilesThe scenery fi le we are going to create includes ramp lights that

look particularly stunning at night (Figures A and B.) However, the Ramp Light object library used is copyrighted 3rd party scenery that needs to be downloaded, indexed by ADE and activated in the FSX scenery library. (This is entirely optional although I recommend at some point that you take a look.)

FIGURES A AND B - RAMP LIGHTS ADDED AND ILLUMINATED AT NIGHT!

FIG. A

FIG. B



The instructions for installing the Ramp Light scenery into FSX are included in the zip fi le (see “Requirements” – above). They actually refer to its use with the ‘Runway12 Objects Placer’, so for now some of the fi les can be ignored. What is important is that the “ramplight_library.bgl” fi le and the associated bitmap textures are copied to ‘Scenery’ and ‘Texture’ folders respectively, which in turn need to be sub-folders of a folder named ‘Static Objects Library’. These folders need to be created, if not already present, as sub-folders inside your ‘Addon Scenery’ folder. The ‘Static Objects Library’ folder will also need activating in the FSX Scenery Library (Figure 2).

Start DesigningOkay, you are now ready to begin creating this scenery for yourself.

Open ADE and on the toolbar to the right of Settings fi nd the drop-down window. Set this to ‘Extremely Dense.’ This ensures that when you open a scenery fi le, everything it contains will be displayed. This also corresponds to the (FSX) in-game setting for ‘Scenery Density’, which shouldn’t be confused with ‘Autogen Density’ – which is entirely different. We will see shortly how this feature allows us to employ a degree of ‘scaling’ in terms of the number of objects that will appear in FSX at various density settings. It also displays in the ADE window exactly what will be displayed in FSX at each setting.

Open the airport you wish to modify: EGFA (Aberporth, UK). Click on File, Open Stock Airport and type the ICAO code (EGFA) into the narrow box and click on Find Now. When the airport appears in the window below, double-click on it.

FIGURE 1 – ADDING OBJECTS

FIGURE 2 – SCENERY LIBRARY WINDOW

Once the fi les are installed and activated, ADE needs to index our Ramp Light BGL fi le. The procedure for this is the same for any 3rd party library object fi les you install. To index the ‘ramplight_library.bgl’ fi le (or indeed any new BGL fi le), click on Tools, Library Object Manager and click on the Tools button (upper left on the dialogue box). Click on Add Objects (Figure 1) and navigate to the fi le you have just installed. ADE will then index it adding it to the others that are accessible via the Library drop-down box in the Object Manager menu – more on this later.

You may also wish to download my scenery folder: “EGFA_Scenery_Tutorial” (downloadable from the Computer Pilot magazine website (using your magazine code) which will enable you to load my fi nished scenery fi le into both the ADE program and FSX itself. By opening my airport BGL fi le in ADE and/or activating it in FSX, it may help you understand how things work (and how they should look in FSX) rather than relying purely on the images here. Note: detailed instructions for installation into FSX and for viewing in ADE are included in the ‘readme’ fi le in the main folder.

FIGURE 3 - OPENING THE AIRPORT IN ADE

FIGURE 4 - THE MAJOR COMPONENTS IN AIRPORT DESIGN

FIGURE 5 - ADE AND FSX SIDE-BY-SIDE – MAKE THINGS SIMPLE!


3535

FIGURE 6 - CREATING THE APRON

We should now delete any default objects that may still be present (such as the tower and any other objects such as fuel pumps/triggers) which we will replace later. Note: leave the NDB where it is – ‘naviads’ represent a more advanced area and you should refer to the manual and support forums for more information.

The fi rst thing we need to do is to ‘convert’ this BGL fi le into an ADE working fi le. This allows ADE to delete or modify any pre-existing objects and/or add our own. Firstly, ensure FSX is not running. Then, go into File, and Save Airport. ADE will now save into a default working folder - this can be changed if you wish. From now on, anything we do to the airport will not affect the stock (default) version of the airport which will remain operational should we de-activate or delete our version.

It is important that you never compile the BGL while FSX is running – it may cause severe problems. It is, however, safe to work on the ADE fi le (and this can be saved) while FSX is running, but always close FSX before compiling the BGL fi le.

Now we have created the working (*.ADE) fi le, we should also create an initial BGL fi le – the scenery fi le that is read by FSX. Go to File and Compile Airport. The location for the saved BGL fi le should be a scenery folder that can be activated in the FSX scenery library in the same way as we activated the ‘Static Objects Library’ earlier. Using the same structure, create a scenery folder naming it so as to avoid confusion - for example: “Bobs_EGFA”. Create the usual ‘Scenery’ and ‘Texture’ sub-folder (the latter merely for completion as it is not needed at the moment) and direct ADE to save directly to the ‘Scenery’ sub-folder. Don’t forget to ‘activate’ this in the FSX scenery library next time you start FSX.

Having saved our scenery project in both ADE and BGL formats we can now subsequently open our scenery fi le from either format. ADE will also save to and read from ‘XML’ fi le formats – see the manual for more on this.

You may fi nd it useful to open ADE and FSX together, both in windowed mode. Resizing the windows allows you to view them side-by-side (Figure 5). By clicking Connect (top right of the ADE toolbar), you’ll see a large red symbol showing the exact position of your aircraft. This has many uses: as you ‘slew’ around in FSX, your aircraft’s position is synchronized to this symbol in the ADE window. This is also a good reason (or excuse!) to invest in a second monitor: dragging the ADE window to a separate monitor makes life a lot easier (letters from enraged spouses direct to the Editor please!)

You can also use the middle mouse button to zoom the image of the airport, or by keeping it depressed move the mouse to reposition it. It can also be rotated using the middle-mouse-scroll together with either the Shift or Ctrl keys. Try both out, they differ in effect.

Constructing ApronsHaving opened our airport in ADE (and optionally in FSX) we

should see something similar to Figure 3. If you are using photo-scenery in the airport’s vicinity, you may wish to use the ‘Background Image’ facility. This allows you to use aerial images (from in-game or Google Maps for example), importing them into the program so you can align your airport’s runways and aprons accurately. Space does not permit us to look at this in any detail here but if you wish to employ this feature, refer to the manual: “Using Background Images”.

Okay, take a look at the labelled screenshot showing some of the major components relevant to airport design (Figure 4). You will also notice a number of icon buttons on the ADE toolbars which, if clicked, change the cursor’s shape and color. By clicking again, inside the ADE window and dragging (keep the left-mouse button depressed) this cursor and then releasing the mouse button, you can effectively ‘draw’ lines of different lengths. These lines represent ‘links’ such as taxi or vehicle links (colored lines labelled as: A, V, R and C) and ‘aprons’. In addition, there are various ‘nodes’ (blue, red and yellow solid circles) and on the lowest toolbar: ‘parking spaces’ (green circles), fencing lines (two types), sundry polygons (green amorphous icon), ‘add vectors’, apron lights and apron polygons (grey box with green corners). Refer to the manual for a full explanation of all these features.

A KING AIR TAXIS TO THE RAMPA KING AIR TAXIS TO THE RAMP

HERE WE GO!HERE WE GO!


CPM. V12I936

Once an icon is depressed and the cursor changes form (and possibly color) ADE remains in that ‘mode’ until you click on the ‘arrow icon’ (upper left of toolbar). When back in ‘pointer’ mode, you can then access menus, select objects or links, or access right-click menus or toolbar in the normal fashion.

First we’ll create some guidelines to mark the shape and boundaries of our main apron. Click on the graph-like icon to the left of the red ‘+’ icon and simply...‘draw some lines’. Notice how once you’re in pointer mode, you can highlight any line by clicking on it once. Most (such as links and objects) turn orange, have a yellow circle at one end (indicating the line or object’s heading) and a tooltip should appear when the cursor is hovered over any part of it. Unlike link and apron lines, a guideline’s length cannot be changed once drawn although its heading can. It can also be moved by clicking on it and dragging. Simply delete and create new ones as required. To delete a guideline, highlight it and hit “delete” (or right-click and Delete).

Use the drop-down dialogue box to the right of the Apron icon button (grey with green corner spots) to select the material you wish to construct the apron from – here I have chosen cement.

To create the apron, click on the apron icon and ‘click-and-drag’ the cursor to create a straight line, releasing it at the desired point (Figure 6). This creates the fi rst section of our polygon (or apron edge) and is essentially represented by a straight line with green squares at each end. These are ‘vector points’ and can be clicked on in pointer-mode to modify the dimensions and heading of the line. Press the arrow icon again and try this. Now return to apron-mode (click on the apron icon) and click on the green square at the end of our initial apron line and drag your cursor in a new direction. This creates the second edge of our apron border. If at any time the green squares are not visible, the apron needs activating: click anywhere inside a complete apron or directly onto a single section to highlight it.

Repeat this process until you have an octagon similar to mine in Figure 2. (Ignore - for now - the small area on the lower left of the apron with the tooltip next to it.)

To complete the apron, the fi nal line should be drawn to meet the fi rst (initial) point we made earlier, releasing the left mouse button while the cursor is directly over the green vertex point. The apron polygon can now be ‘closed’ with a left-mouse click directly onto this point. If done correctly the polygon will transform into a solid block and the green vectors will disappear. Don’t worry if you fi nd this awkward at fi rst; when you get the hang of this it becomes second nature. Unfortunately there is no ‘elegant’ way of describing this process – just play around and you will quickly understand how things work.

Once the grey apron polygon is ‘closed’ click on the arrow icon to go back into pointer mode and click inside the apron: this highlights the polygon and the green vector points can be clicked on individually and with the left mouse depressed, dragged around. Moreover, additional vectors can be added by hovering your cursor (still in pointer-mode) over the edge of the polygon where you require the extra vector point, until the tooltip identifi er appears, then left-clicking whilst holding ‘Shift’ on the keyboard. For more complex shapes, particularly curves, you may well need to add extra points.

As you can see from the images here, I utilised guidelines to help line-up and create symmetrical shapes for my aprons and taxi paths, but their usage is entirely optional. Designers tend to fi nd their own methods of doing things. When designing realistic scenery – using background images of photoscenery or ‘Google Map’ screenshots – guidelines (together with ‘position markers’ (upper-right red+ icon) are very useful for planning purposes or accurately lining-up parking spaces and taxiways (Figure 7). It is these to which we will be turning our attention to in the second part of this tutorial next month.

FIGURE 7 - USING GOOGLE EARTH TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

In the meantime download my scenery fi les and make sure you are familiar with how scenery folders and fi les are used in FSX. Installing the ramp lights fi les and my main scenery fi le should allow you to see how our modifi ed airport will look – in the day and at night. If my airport shows up – and it’s lit up – then you know your scenery folders are arranged correctly and you have successfully activated them in FSX.

Also, why not start to plan out how you want your local airport to look. Plan out your apron sizes and placements on paper, the type of parking spots you require and where you want them. Next time we’ll join our aprons to the runway, add markings and lights to them and start to populate our airfi eld with (animated and static) vehicles and buildings.

See you next time. (My thanks go to Jon and Jim at Scruffyduck and the FSDeveloper

ADE support forum for their unerring and patient support.)

(Aircraft featured in images: Flight1’s ‘Cessna Skyhawk 172’ / Real Air Simulation’s ‘SF 260’/ Just Flight’s 300 CBi)

LOOKS LONELY HERELOOKS LONELY HERE

POSITIVELY BUZZINGPOSITIVELY BUZZING


37

Write To Computer Pilot INBOXIf you have something you want to share with fellow fl ight simulator enthusiasts, then Computer Pilot INBOX is the place to be heard. Each issue, we’ll choose the best letter as the letter of the month and reward that reader with a prize!The easiest and quickest way to submit your letters is by e-mail to: [email protected]

“Hilton Day”

WINS 12 MONTH COMPUTER PILOT

SUBSCRIPTION/EXTENSION!

Subject: Quick Start Icons for FS

In my quest to be able to start from the real beginning of a flight, I have come up with a way to configure an icon on my Windows desktop, that when you double click it, you are immediately taken to your aircraft, with hardware properly configured for that aircraft. Again, in trying to keep it as real as possible, different multi-engine planes have different layouts for throttles, etc. Some aircraft, you prefer to use a stick instead of a yoke. I think I remember this being mentioned previously in your magazine before but I think it was limited to how to copy the configuration file and maybe batch files were mentioned. Below, I’ve provided detailed instructions that may or may not need a little tweaking that shows how to have as many desktop icons as you want that give you instant startup to whatever plane/flight combination you desire.

1. Create a flight and and save it. a. For my example the flight was saved as BaronParked. Don’t forget to

make sure all controls are mapped correctly to the peripheral hardware you own according to your preferences. When absolutely everything is set and saved, exit Flight Simulator.

2. Make sure you can see what you need to see. a. Double click on my computer. b. Click on Tools, Folder Options, and then the second tab, View. c. Under advanced settings click “Show hidden files and folders” and

uncheck “Hide extensions for known file types” (This helps if you decide to use copy and paste in creating the batch files.)

d. At the top of the same window click on “Apply to All Folders” for good measure.

e. Click OK.

3. Make a copy of the controls settings file. a. Double click on Local Disk (C:). b. Double click on Documents and Settings. c. Double click on the user’s name flying Flight Simulator. This is usually

the login name for the PC but if there is more than one user logging in to the PC, then whomever this is being set up for will be the name to click on.

d. Double click Application Data. e. Double click Microsoft. f. Double click FSX. g. Double click Controls. h. Right click standard.xml and select Copy. i. Right click in white space below standard.xml and select Paste. j. Rename the “Copy of standard.xml” to something appropriate like

Baron.xml.

4. Create the batch file a. In the same window as standard.xml, Right Click on white space and

select New, Text Document. b. Rename it to something appropriate. ie. Baron.bat. Windows will

prompt you to verify that you want to change a text file to a batch file – Click Yes.

c. Right click the new batch file and select Edit. d. Notepad will open and the contents will be blank. e. Edit the file so that it contains the following two lines. i. copy Baron.xml standard.xml. ii. start “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft

Flight Simulator X\FSX.EXE” “C:\Documents and Settings\SKing\My Documents\Flight Simulator X Files\ BaronParked.FLT”.

f. Note about the batch file contentsi. The first line copies Baron.xml back into standard.xml so all your control settings for that particular aircraft are the way you want them to be for that aircraft. The second line is broken into three pieces but all on the same line. Start (a batch file command), “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\FSX.EXE” (what program to start) and “C:\Documents and Settings\SKing\My Documents\Flight Simulator X Files\BaronParked.FLT” (what specific file to use with the program being started) The program to start assumes the default install location for FSX. The file to use is located, as indicated above, under C:\Documents and Settings\SKing\My Documents\Flight Simulator X Files\BaronParked.FLT. The quotation marks are very important because Windows get confused when names being used in commands contain any spaces.

5. Create a desktop icon i. Right click on the batch file and select Send To, Desktop.

6. Test the new icona. Double click your new icon and it should go straight into the loading screen for Flight Simulator unless there is some typo somewhere. If so, Right click the batch file and select Edit to review the contents.

For ease of maintenance, a batch file can be created for maintaining your configuration file if, for example, you make any control setting changes during a flight that you want to keep. For the above example the batch file would be as follows:

File name: BaronBkup.batContents: copy standard.xml Baron.xml

A word of caution here. To execute a batch file merely requires double clicking on it. About the only thing that may be observed is a brief if even perceptible flicker of the screen. If you miss and double click on the wrong backup batch file, you’ve just copied the standard.xml to most likely the wrong aircraft!

7. By repeating all of the above steps, icons can be created for as many different scenarios as your flying heart desires.

Enjoy!

Hilton Day


3939

REVIEW

“The DC-3 at Wanaka, NZ”Photograph by Rick Bryan


CPM. V12I940

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For some time in Europe and elsewhere, small airplanes with maximum takeoff weights less than half of those of traditional single engine

general aviation ships have been in production. Most of these did not meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certifi cation requirements, so they could not be sold or fl own in the United States. ASTM International, originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, formed a committee and in 2005 the U.S. FAA accepted 15 industry-agreed standards for aircraft design, manufacturing and maintenance on Light Sport Aircraft. At the same time “Practical Test Standards” were issued to regulate training and licensing of LSA pilots.

There are parts of the rules that apply to seaplanes, ultralights, gyroplanes, and balloons, but let’s stick with the LSEA (Land Single Engine Air) category. Here is a summary of the details – somewhat simplified:

The Airplane:• Maximum gross takeoff weight - 1320 pounds• Maximum airspeed in level fl ight - 120 knots• Maximum stall speed - 45 knots• Number of seats - One or two• Landing gear - Fixed• Propeller - Fixed pitch -Ground adjustable• Engine Single, reciprocating

The Flying Conditions:• Night fl ying - Not Allowed• Carry passengers for hire - Not Allowed• Business fl ying - Not Allowed• Share cost with another pilot - Allowed

The Pilot:• Minimum Age - 17• Speak and Understand English - Required• Student Sport Pilot Certifi cate - Required (New)• Ground Training - Required• Flight Training - Required• FAA Written Knowledge Test - Required• FAA Practical Test - Required• 3rd Class FAA Medical Certifi cate - May substitute valid driver’s license

Simulating the Sport Pilot CheckrideBY CHUCK BODEEN


4343

There is very little (if any) difference between the practical test for a Light Sport license and one of a Private license. There are certain maneuvers specifi ed by the FAA, but the order and detailed performance and testing is left up to each licensed Sport Pilot Examiner. My friend, Earl Downs, is such a person and has told me what he actually does in this regard. Earl is the editor and publisher of “The Oklahoma Aviator” newspaper and he writes a monthly LSA column in EAA Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft magazine.

The Practical TestThe Practical Test is described in Section 1 of FAA-S-8081-29. Space limitations allow me only to summarize the detailed contents of the Sport Pilot Practical Test Standards (PTS), but you can download the full document from http://www.faa.gov/education_research/ by following the links to “Airmen Practical Test Standards / Pilots / Sport Pilot…”

There are nine “Areas of Operation” to the Practical Test:

I. PREFLIGHT PREPARATIONII. PREFLIGHT PROCEDURESIII. AIRPORT AND SEAPLANE BASE OPERATIONS IV. TAKEOFFS, LANDINGS, AND GO-AROUNDS V. PERFORMANCE MANEUVER VI. GROUND REFERENCE MANEUVERSVII. VII. NAVIGATIONVIII. SLOW FLIGHT AND STALLS IX. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

The fi rst of these is done on the ground and must be passed before the rest of the exam can proceed. You must know a lot more than you would to obtain a driver’s license. Area of Operation I covers weather, cross-country fl ight planning, national airspace system, operation of aircraft systems, aeromedical factors, aircraft performance and limitations, principles of fl ight, prefl ight inspection, cockpit management, engine starting, taxiing, before takeoff check list, radio communications, traffi c patterns, as well as signs, markings, and lighting for runways and taxiways.

In addition to the Areas of Operation, there are Special Emphasis Areas that examiners use throughout the fl ying parts of the test. Among these are:

1. Positive aircraft control 2. Procedures for positive exchange of fl ight controls 3. Stall and spin awareness4. Collision avoidance 5. Wake turbulence and low level wind shear avoidance 6. Runway incursion avoidance7. Controlled fl ight into terrain8. Aeronautical decision making/risk management 9. Checklist usage

EARL SAYS: The PTS actually gives the examiner the okay to pass a person that exceeds tolerances but takes quick corrective action to return to the tolerance. I tell my students this is the “never give up; never give in” clause.

In this section of the article, I’ll cover each fl ying part of the Practical Test with the offi cial name in Bold Title letters.

Spin Awareness (Oral Only): The FAA no longer requires spin training, but you must understand what causes a spin and how to get out of one.

EARL SAYS: The pre-test briefi ng is where we go through all the papers involved to make sure you and your aircraft qualify for the test. When the gross weight of the paperwork equals the gross weight of the airplane, you are ready to fl y. During the oral phase, the applicant plans a cross-country trip and the fi rst part of the fl ight is to begin the planned trip. I try to make it as real as possible, and I expect the applicant to treat the trip like the real deal.

Normal and Crosswind Takeoff and Climb: In the real world, unless there is no wind, every takeoff involves some component of the wind that is not parallel to the runway. These are easy to set up in both FSX and X-Plane. Brett Goldsmith has created a crosswind takeoff and landing video using FSX. This is so well done that I don’t need to tell you anything more about the subject. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I96s0VLB_rU. Hal Stoen is a real pilot with a lot of simulator experience. He has a nice website with several tutorials about sims and real fl ying. Go to http://stoenworks.com/Tutorials/ and select “Crosswind Landings.html”

Pilotage and Dead Reckoning: This is a demonstration of VFR navigation. The PTS says you should maintain the appropriate altitude, ±200 feet and headings, ±15°, but you would surely wander far from any dead reckoning course with those loose tolerances. EARL SAYS: I do all the nav stuff and expect them to use all nav equipment. It is allowed for the applicant to plan the XC trip before they arrive and the examiner reviews it. This saves time. Most examiners do this.

Emergency Operation- Diversion: Of course, you should always be aware of where to land if something goes wrong.

EARL SAYS: After determining the applicant is meeting the PTS requirements for this cross-country planning task we divert to an alternate airfi eld. When the diversion looks successful, I discontinue that part of the test, and start the high altitude maneuvers.

BLACK SHOWS THE INTENDED PATH OF STEEP TURNS AND RED SHOWS WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IF THERE WERE NO CORRECTION FOR WIND. THE WIND DRIFT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE FOR THIS HIGH ALTITUDE MANEUVER THAN IT IS FOR THE GROUND REFERENCE

MANEUVERS

Although the next four parts of the test are done at a minimum altitude of 1000 feet AGL, the real application is in takeoffs and landings. You never intentionally want to stall the airplane near the ground, but if that occurs, you should know the best way to get out of trouble.



AIRSPEED CROSS WIND 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

5 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 310 14 12 10 8 7 6 6 515 22 17 14 12 11 10 9 820 30 24 19 17 14 13 12 1025 39 30 25 21 18 16 14 1330 49 37 30 25 22 29 17 16

CRAB ANGLE NECESSARY TO COUNTERACT A PERPENDICULAR CROSSWIND

These procedures would be relatively simple if it were not for the wind. The table tells you how many degrees off course you must aim the nose of the plane, if you know the speed of the cross component of the wind. This helps when fl ying the sides of a rectangular course, but when you are turning, the correction is constantly changing. Using a simulator, you set the wind, but in real fl ying you must judge the drift off-course visually and correct for it.

The PTS says that for all ground reference tasks the applicant must maintain altitude ±100 feet, airspeed ±10 knots, keep the altitude above 600 feet AGL, and apply adequate correction for the wind. You are also reminded to divide attention between airplane control and the ground track while maintaining coordinated fl ight. My instructor had me do these at 2,000 feet AGL and over a remote practice area where no one but us would be hurt if the plane crashed.

EARL SAYS: The FAA requires only one of these to be performed during the test, but the student had better be prepared for all three.

Rectangular Course: Plan the maneuver so as to enter the pattern 45° to the downwind leg. This is to simulate a landing pattern at an airport. S-Turns: Reverse the direction of turn directly over the selected reference line.

Turns Around a Point: Exit at the point of entry heading ±15°. That surely seems to be a generous tolerance.

EARL SAYS: Finally, we head for an airport and complete the takeoff and landing phase of the test.

Forward Slip to a Landing: This is a way to lose altitude quickly without gaining airspeed. You bank into the cross-wind and apply opposite rudder when the plane starts to turn. This keeps the ground track parallel to the runway, but the plane is yawed and rolled. It takes practice because too much aileron and rudder can lead to a stall and spin.

EARL SAYS: Slips are performed only if the airplane is capable. I will always do slips in a no-fl ap plane but I often skip them if the applicant demonstrates good use of the fl aps. If there are no crosswinds at the time of the fl ying test, I cover that subject in the oral exam.

Soft-Field Takeoff and Climb: Short-Field Takeoff and Maximum Performance Climb:Short-Field Takeoff and Maximum Performance Climb:Short-Field Approach and Landing:

Steep Turns: “Steep” means the bank angle is to be 45 degrees. When I did these turns as a student pilot my reference was not on the ground, but on a distant mountain. I used that landmark to determine when I had completed a circle and I used the view of the real horizon to maintain altitude as I turned. Turning in the opposite direction is at the option of the examiner, but especially in a side-by-side cockpit it is wise to be able to turn in both directions.

Slow Flight: This involves fl ying around on the verge of a stall – but without stalling.

Power-Off Stalls: The important thing about the stall maneuvers is the recovery. You want to push the nose down to drop the angle of attack and simultaneously apply full power.

Power-On Stalls: These stalls emulate the conditions you might encounter during a poorly planned takeoff. You are required to use at least 65 percent power and pull up the nose until you stall.

EARL SAYS: Next, we head down for the low altitude maneuvers and, during this phase of my examiner’s plan of action (POA), the applicant can expect a simulated emergency resulting in a simulated forced landing. I pull the throttle for a forced landing into a field to about 300 feet AGL and then give them back the engine and climb out. This can be the go-around maneuver. When we get back in the airport traffic pattern, I have them cut power abeam the end of the runway and glide for the approach at idle thrust. This is the landing part of the forced landing and can count for the normal landing as well.

Emergency Approach and Landing (Simulated): Establish and maintain the recommended best-glide airspeed ±10 knots. Select a suitable landing area. Plan and follow a fl ight pattern to the selected landing area considering altitude, wind, terrain, and obstructions. Prepare for landing or go-around, as specifi ed by the examiner.

Go-Around/Rejected Landing: This is, perhaps, one of the most important parts of the test because we all either make mistakes in landing or get waved off by the air controller. You’ll want to apply takeoff power, retract fl aps, and move over to the side of the runway to avoid any possible confl icting traffi c.

EARL SAYS: The simulated forced landing brings us to lower altitude and I have the applicant perform the ground reference maneuver portion of the test.

GROUND REFERENCE MANEUVERS: GRAY INDICATES THE GROUND REFERENCE, BLACK INDICATES THE DESIRED COURSE, AND RED

INDICATES THE COURSE IF NO CORRECTION IS MADE FOR THE WIND


4545

FirstFlight, a rich multi-media online training system, is the brainchild of Trevor J. Saxty, an active FAA certifi cated fl ight instructor and holder of several pilots certifi cates. For less that $50 you can get six months of access to animated fl ying lessons. The free trial lesson covers Advanced Takeoff and Landing Techniques including soft and short fi eld takeoffs and landings. Go to http://www.fi rstfl ight.com/

After Landing, Parking, and Securing: At last we are back on the ground, but there is still work to do. EARL SAYS: It is easy to look at the prospect of a 4 to 5 hour practical test as sheer torture. Of course, the pilot examiner does not want you to feel this way and will do everything possible to put you at ease. We are not here to hassle you; we are simply here to affi rm you comply with the minimum standards. After all, that’s what you are trying to do and we both want the same outcome.

Simulating the Practical Test The fi rst thing to do here is to fi nd or create practice areas in the

scenery of FSX and X-Plane. I selected a location 86 miles due west of Brisbane International airport near the Oakey, Queensland, military airbase. I looked around in Google Earth for places that had rectangular farmland. In the United States, this type of terrain is aligned with geographic coordinates and designing the boundaries would have been relatively simple. I found, however, that in this part of Australia, the alignment is with magnetic directions. The magnetic variance at Oakey is about 11 degrees – I abandoned the idea of using the corners of the rectangular fi elds and used Google Earth to locate latitudes and longitudes. My practice area is bounded by four “runways” and contains three short grass, dirt, and gravel strips.

In both FSX and X-Plane I used runways for the edges of the rectangular area and added shorter runways of grass, dirt, and gravel inside the boundaries. The free trial version of Airport Facilitator X (AFX) from Flight1.com made it very easy to add runways to FSX. The convenient latitude and longitude scales on the AFX screen make placement a snap. AFX also allows a wide range of runway surfaces.

The World Editor (WED) for X-Plane can be downloaded for free from scenery.x-plane.com and is similar to AFX for FSX. However, since I wanted to just add some runways to an existing airport (YBOK, Oakey) I chose to use the straightforward method of editing the apt.dat fi le. The latest data and format instructions are available from Robin Peel at http://x-plane.org/home/robinp/ . All you need to do is input the latitudes and longitudes of each end of the runways and specify the surface type.

For simulated exercises in FSX I used the Piper Cub that comes with the simulator. Many existing Cubs have maximum takeoff weights below 1320 pounds, so they qualify as LSAs.

GOOGLE EARTH SHOWS FIELDS ALIGNED WITH MAGNETIC NORTH WHICH ARE NOT RENDERED IN FSX (CENTER) OR X-PLANE (RIGHT)

THIS IS THE “AFX” SCREEN WITH A BACKGROUND OF THE AREA FROM FSX. IF FSX IS RUNNING AT THE SAME TIME, YOU CAN SEE THE RESULTS

OF YOUR WORK IN THE SIM IMMEDIATELY

THE CUB LIFTS OFF FROM A GRASS FIELD WITHIN THE FSX PRATICE AREA

THE BEST WAY TO DO TURNS ABOUT A POINT IS TO KEEP ONE EYE AT A LANDMARK SUCH AS THIS ROAD INTERSECTION AND TO KEEP THE

OTHER EYE ON THE HORIZON OUT THE WINDSCREEN



HERE THE FSX CUB IS 1100 FEET AGL AND BANKED AT 45 DEGREES. THAT’S OAKEY AIRBASE STRAIGHT AHEAD. EVEN IN THE RELATIVELY FLAT

AREAS OF AUSTRALIA YOU CAN FIND A LANDMARK WITH WHICH TO JUDGE YOUR STEEP TURNS

THE FLIGHT ANALYSIS OPTION IN FSX SHOWS THAT I DID A REASONABLE JOB OF MAINTAINING ALTITUDE DURING THE TWO TURNS ABOUT A POINT. EVEN WITHOUT WIND, MY GROUND PATHS WERE NOT EXACTLY CIRCULAR. IN THE REAL WORLD, SUCH AN ANALYSIS IS ONLY IN THE MIND AND PERCEPTION OF THE EXAMINER AND THIS MIGHT

JUST BE GOOD ENOUGH TO PASS

In X-Plane I downloaded from X-Plane.org the European Jodel D20 by Serge Michaux. This is a nice low wing ship that has a maximum takeoff weight of only 1012 pounds.

THIS SERIES OF SHOTS FROM X-PLANE REPLAY MODE SHOW THE JODEL D20 EXECUTING A SHORT FIELD TAKEOFF. THE PROCESS IS

NORMAL FROM A TO B. AT C THE NOSE IS LIFTED OFF AND THE PLANE IS ALLOWED TO BUILD UP SPEED IN THE GROUND LAYER WHERE LIFT IS HIGHER AND DRAG IS LOWER THAN IN AIR ABOVE. THEN AT D THE SHIP

STARTS TO CLIMB

THIS IS MY BEST X-PLANE RECTANGULAR COURSE WITH A 10 KNOT WIND FROM THE EAST. MY CORRECTION FOR DIRECTION ON THE

NORTH AND SOUTH LEGS WAS GOOD, BUT THE WIND BLEW ME TO THE WEST AS I MADE THE TURNS

HERE’S A LONG SHOT OF THE RECTANGLE TASK IN REPLAY SO THAT I COULD CHECK MY ABILITY TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. THE CORNERS OF

THE PRACTICE AREA HAVE BEEN MARKED IN RED

IN THIS X-PLANE SHOT OF THE JODEL D20 POWER-OFF STALL, THE PINK LINE IS THE PATH OF THE CENTER OF MASS. THE WHITE LINE SHOWS

THAT THE RIGHT WING TIP IS FALLING OFF WHILE THE LEFT TIP (BLACK LINE) RISES

I’m not going to try to fool you by proclaiming that I am ready for the checkride. Using the simulators it is diffi cult even to maintain all of the ground reference criteria, especially without the proper visual and acceleration cues. But I have shown you just how well I did after a few tries and some of the differences between the two simulators.


4747



HORTON’S HINTS for FLIGHTsimXBY DOUG HORTON

Here’s another collection of hints for FSX, gathered from various sources, including my own trials and discoveries in “fl ying”

the program. This issue includes miscellaneous hints from various sources. Whatever your level of Flight Simulator experience, I offer these hints for your fl ight simming enjoyment.

FSInsider NewsletterMicrosoft’s FSInsider website, at www.fsinsider.com, is

now publishing newsletters to communicate new and additional information about FSX, such as:

• A letter from the Editor.• Links to favorite articles.• Tips for getting the most out of

Flight Simulator.• Insider information about

what’s happening at the Aces Studio in Redmond.

• Information about upcoming events and contests.

• Promotional offers related to Flight Simulator and similar products.

You can sign up by browsing to http://www.fsinsider.com/newsletter/Pages/Newsletter.aspx, and then click the “Sign Me Up!” button. Subscribing to the newsletter is easy, and it’s FREE. You’ll need to have a Windows Live ID, or create one during the sign-up process. An archive page for previously published issues is at http://www.fsinsider.com/newsletter/Pages/NewsletterArchive.aspx


49

HORTON’S HINTS FOR FSX

Free FSX: Acceleration WallpaperWhile you’re visiting the FSInsider site, take at look at the freely

downloadable collections of Windows wallpaper, in two resolutions, at http://www.fsinsider.com/downloads/Pages/AccelerationWallpaper.aspx. I like the wallpaper on offer which depicts the “Rocket Launch Air Cover” mission.

Free Bonus MissionsMicrosoft has posted three free bonus missions for FSX

Acceleration. Go to http://www.fsinsider.com/downloads/Pages/BonusAccelerationRacingMissions.aspx to download the installer for these missions:

• Reno T-6 Class Course.• Reno Sport Class Course.• Alpine Sailplane Hoop Course.

Microsoft FSX Team BlogsSeveral members of the Microsoft Flight Simulator development team

publish web logs (blogs) that contain useful information about the latest developments in Flight Simulator and related communities. An example is Phil Taylor’s blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/. This blog also provides links to blogs maintained by several other FS team developers. As an example of contents, Phil’s blog recently included a listing of high-detail airports and high-detail cities in FSX, as summarized in the next paragraph. After you browse to Phil’s blog, look at the Recent Posts list, and then click on “High-Detail Feature list and then some.”

High Detail Airports and Cities. According to Phil’s blog, high-detail airports are not auto-generated by “canned” facilities information; instead, they have custom facilities data. Similarly, high-detail cities include a variety of custom scenery objects. Phil reports that for high-detail airports, FSX contains 39 in the Standard version, 44 in the Deluxe version, and 48 total with Acceleration added to the Deluxe version. For high-detail cities, there are 77 cities with more than one custom object and 38 cities with ten or more custom objects. The lists are available in the blog article.

Restoring Default Startup FlightsAfter more than a year and half since FSX was released, most of us

have changed our default startup fl ight. Suppose you wish to fl y the original default fl ight. Unfortunately in FSX, you can’t load this fl ight from the fi le list when you press the Load button from the startup screen; nor can you use the Flights, Load menu within FSX, because these actions only access the fi les in your \Documents and Settings\(username)\Documents\Flight Simulator X Files\ folder. Instead, the default fl ight fi les are located in your (FSX)\Flights\Other\ folder. Fortunately, there are three workarounds for this FSX limitation.

There are seven different default fl ights in the (FSX)\Flights\Other folder for different language versions, as shown in the accompanying table, the starting locations and aircraft are quite varied, and these fl ights provide interesting discoveries of new scenery areas.

The fi rst workaround is simply copying the default startup *.fl t and *.wx fi les from the (FSX)\Flights\Other\ folder to your \Documents\Flight Simulator X\ folder, and then use the Load feature from the menu or startup interface. Note that in the \Flights\Other folder, the Fltsim.fl t and Fltsim.wx fi les are renamed copies of the default startup fi les for your language version. Find the fl ights on the Load interface by looking for titles beginning with “Over….” Also remember that if the fi le list in the Load screen is out of order, you can alphabetize the list by click the column heading.

The second means of going back to the original default fl ight is to remove the fl ight fi le entry in the [UserInterface] section of your FSX.cfg fi le. When FSX restarts, it should load the default fl ight for your language version.

[UserInterface]SITUATION= (leave this blank)

The third alternative is for FSX users who run the registered version of Peter Dowson’s FSUIPC4, with the relevant option enabled. After enabling “Provide menu entry for fl ight loading” on the Miscellaneous Tab, FSUIPC4 users can browse to any fi le location by using the Load Flight command that’s added to the Add-ons menu. This feature also solves another problem: some add-on installers from previous FS versions place fl ight fi les in various folders, such as subfolders under the Flights\ folder or elsewhere, which can’t be accessed with the regular FSX Load feature.

Trying out all seven startup fl ights is a great means of exploring FSX. From the “Over Normany startup fl ight in France, I fl ew the “kite” around the famous Mont Saint Michel abbey in the Bay of Biscay. The nearest airports for landing can be located on the Map screen. They’re Granville (LFRF) to the north and Pleurtuit–St. Malo (LFRD) to the west. While you’re checking the map screen, if you have airspace boundary display enabled, notice the blue circle around Mount Saint Michel – denoting a restricted area for real fl ying.

FILENAMES TITLE AIRCRAFT DESCRIPTIONDefault_deu.fl t Over Frankfurt Cessna Skyhawk 172SP Paint2 Fly over Germany near Frankfurt/Main airportDefault_enu.fl t Over Puget Sound Aircreation 582SL red Explore Friday Harbor and the San Juan islands in Washington State, USADefault_esp.fl t Over Barcelona Cessna Skyhawk 172SP Paint2 Discover the Spanish coast near Barcelona’s El Prat AirportDefault_fra.fl t Over Normandy Aircreation 582SL red Visit Mont Saint Michel near Pleurtuit-Saint Malo Airport in FranceDefault_ita.fl t Over Calabria Cessna Skyhawk 172SP Paint2 Fly along the coast of Italy near Reggio Calabria AirportDefault_jpn.fl t Over Japan Cessna Skyhawk 172SP Paint3 See the sights near Mt FujiDefault_pol.fl t Over Poland Cessna Skyhawk 172SP Paint4 Tour the north coast near Lecha Walesy Airport

STARTUP FLIGHT IN AIRCREATION 582SL, NEAR MONT SAINT MICHEL IN FRANCE


CPM. V12I950

From the “Over Calabria” startup fl ight in Italy, I fl ew southwestward along the coast of the Calabria region, and then I explored the port city of Reggio di Calabria on the east side of the Strait of Messina. Setting AI ships and ferries traffi c, as well as scenery complexity and autogen density to maximum, provided a nice view. I then changed the time in one hour increments until I saw an AI traffi c ferry at the dock, which likely goes to Messina, Sicily. If you’re looking to land after exploring this area, the nearby Reggio di Calabria airport is LICR.

Target Frame RateWhat is target frame rate, and what do users mean by saying theirs

is “locked at 25?” If they’re referring to the “Target Frame Rate” slider, that slider is not to “lock” the frame rate. It is actually a frame rate “cap.” It defi nes the frame rate below which FSX allocates more than minimal CPU time to background operations, such as loading scenery and building textures. Setting it too high will minimize background work in an attempt to produce a higher frame rate.

More Aviation ReferencesIn the last Hints installment I provided a few links for downloading

free, offi cial FAA handbooks and other materials. Here are a few more links, along with a link for fi nding international fl ight procedures by country.

First is a link for downloading the FAA Student Pilot Guide (2006), which describes the process for obtaining private pilot certifi cation in the U.S.A.: http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aviation/media/faa-h-8083-27a.pdf. This publication is intended to serve as a guide for prospective student pilots and for those already engaged in fl ight training. This guide presents in “how to” fashion, general procedures for obtaining FAA student pilot, sport pilot, recreational pilot, and private pilot certifi cates.

PORT OF REGGIO DI CALABRIA, SOUTHWEST OF “OVER CALABRIA” STARTUP FLIGHT

Refresh Aircraft CommandSuppose you’re modifying fl ight parameters or the control panel

of an aircraft, and you’re fl ying that aircraft in FSX. Can you modify the applicable aircraft.cfg or panel.cfg and check the progress of your work without restarting FSX? Yes, and one means of doing this is selecting another aircraft and then re-selecting the aircraft that you’re modifying, but that requires working though the Select Aircraft interface twice. A less obvious and quicker means of checking your modifi cations is assigning a keystroke to the “Aircraft (reload)” command. On the FSX menu, click on Options, Settings, Controls, and then click on the Buttons/Keys tab. Scroll to fi nd the Aircraft (reload) command, and then assign a keystroke. I found Shift+Tab was available and assigned it for this purpose.

ASSIGN A KEYSTROKE TO THE AIRCRAFT (RELOAD) COMMAND FOR QUICK RELOADING OF USER AIRCRAFT

COVER OF LATEST VERSION OF FAA STUDENT PILOT GUIDE

For FS users who use real FAA aeronautical charts, there’s a new 2008 version of the Aeronautical Chart Users Guide available. Six individual PDF fi les can be downloaded free, or the full printed guide can be ordered for delivery within the U.S. for only $4.30 including postage, from http://avn.faa.gov/index.asp?xml=naco/online/aero_guide. The guide serves as a basic reference for information on:

• Visual fl ight rules (VFR) charts and symbols.• Instrument fl ight rules (IFR) enroute charts and symbols.• Terminal procedures publications, charts, and symbols.


51

HORTON’S HINTS FOR FSX

COVER OF 2008 AERONAUTICAL CHART USER’S GUIDE

In you wish to search for references for countries other than the U.S.A., the FAA provides a webpage on which you can fi nd a list of countries, each of which is a clickable link to fl ight procedures for that country at: http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffi c/air_traffi c/publications/ifi m/country_list/.

Note that in the page layout process, the cover image in the last Hints installment was incorrect for the FAA Instrument Procedures Handbook. The link for the download page for this handbook is http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aviation/instrument_procedures_handbook/, and the accompanying image depicts the correct cover image.

COVER OF FAA INSTRUMENT PROCEDURES HANDBOOK



The Messerschmitt BF109 is probably one of the most well known Axis aircraft from the World War II era and if you have ever seen a BF109

in person you will have to admit one thing, it has a certain foreboding look to it. Its overall performance and maneuverability made it a defi nite threat to any Allied plane during WW2 and was often a favorite amongst Axis pilots of that time. Now Flight 1 has released a boxed version for Flight Simulator fans.

The fi rst time I saw a BF109 was at the Tillamook Air Museum (located in Tillamook, Oregon) on a family vacation to the coast. Until then my only exposure to this aircraft was from movies, documentaries and books. I think I spent about a half hour covering every defi nitive angle of this plane with my video camera when I was there! For those that have not been to the Tillamook Air Museum, the museum itself was built around what used to be NAS Tillamook

during WWII, and was used for an operations base for coastal patrols and housed two large hangars containing military blimps. Now, only one of those hangars still stands, but when you are driving north or south on HWY 101 it is defi nitely something you cannot miss!

The museum itself is located in the remaining hangar and hosts a nice collection of aircraft that includes everything ranging from an F-14, a P-38, DC-3, a Mini-Guppy (377), a PBY to a Stearman Kaydet. I have to say what I found most impressive out of their 34 different aircraft on display was the BF109 and the Messerschmitt 108, simply because they seemed so out of place amongst all the other US aircraft.

There are some wonderful add-ons for Flight Simulator that

incorporate this venerable aircraft but there is one that actually stands out by way of the story behind it, and the history the designers of this model have captured in their package.

Messerschmitt BF109 ReviewBY GENE DAVIS


53

REVIEW

109 ON DISPLAY109 ON DISPLAY

109 FLYBY!109 FLYBY!

LOW LEVEL PASS AT THE YAKIMA AIRSHOW!LOW LEVEL PASS AT THE YAKIMA AIRSHOW!

AFTER THE SHOW!AFTER THE SHOW!

The SkyUnlimited BF109 from Flight 1I remember when the fi rst version of this plane came out. I believe I

did a short review of it on another site and I remember how impressed I was with the external model and the sounds. Well, since then SkyUnlimited has grown quite a bit and they have subsequently modeled the F, G and K versions of the Bf109. They have made signifi cant enhancements with the fl ight models, visual models and the cockpits and with each new edition of this product it has evolved even more.

Now enter publisher, Flight 1. Flight 1 has taken all three versions

of the BF109; the F, G and K versions and compiled them into one great package and then re-released it for distribution on CD. What the consumer receives is a product that covers an entire aircraft line, all with accurate paints and squadron markings for each individual aircraft. In total there are 22 different models and 32 different textures to choose from and fl y! I have to tell you, there are literally so many that I have yet to see them all.

The Story Behind The Story!Illustrated in the back of the manual is the ‘story behind the story’

of how the designers of this add-on worked diligently with a company called Warbird Recovery to make the BF109 a true-to-life representation of the actual plane.

Flight Replica, the group responsible for designing the BF109 for

Flight Simulator designed the model of Major Horsts Carganico’s BF109-F4 that had crashed during WWII. It would be ultimately recovered by Gordon Page and the Warbird Recovery group while on an expedition to fi nd it in Russia so that it could be fully restored. For me this just added a completely new level of realism because it adds an element of history to an aircraft designed for Flight Simulator and gives the aircraft some resemblance of real life.

Installation and PackagingThe installation, as with most Flight 1 products is as easy as pie!

Simply insert the disc and go. Once the disc auto-runs a menu will appear that will ask you what version of Flight Simulator you want to install the product to. In my case I wanted to install the product to both FSX and FS2004. This can be done by simply installing one version right after the other with little or no hassle.

On the back of the box you will fi nd minimum requirements

listed for this add-on. These suggest that you have a processor faster than a single core 2.8Ghz. What surprised me was the lack of information about running it with FSX Acceleration or SP2 because, as a rule, the lack of such information generally means that it was not set up for Acceleration or SP2 and is merely a port from FS9. Nevertheless, I soldiered on and could not wait to get into the sky in my own personal collection of BF109s.

The add-on does come with a printed manual that outlines everything you need to know about fl ying the BF109 as well as assisting in installation and other hardware or software related questions. Most impressive is that all of the checklist and performance information about fl ying each plane is provided in the document, making for easy reference.

The Flight Replica BF109Once the product has been installed you will fi nd 22 different

models along with over 30 different paints associated with all of the aircraft. Each model has been designed from the ground up and refl ects the changes between the F, G and K versions visually as well as incorporates any fl ight model improvements throughout the life of the plane.


CPM. V12I954

BF109 F PARKED IN LIBYA –FSGWBF109 F PARKED IN LIBYA –FSGW

SCRAMBLE SCRAMBLE -FSGWSCRAMBLE SCRAMBLE -FSGW

FLIGHT OF THE 109FLIGHT OF THE 109

A WAITING 109 -FSGWA WAITING 109 -FSGW

BF109 G COCKPIT -FSGWBF109 G COCKPIT -FSGW

ON PATROLON PATROL

CLIMBING INTO THE BF109 FCLIMBING INTO THE BF109 FBF109 K COCKPITBF109 K COCKPIT


5555

REVIEW

In The EndIs this a good product? Yes! If you have the opportunity to use it

in FS9 then I would say emphatically yes! Would I buy this product for FSX and Acceleration? Probably, because I am a WWII aviation nut and I have to have everything WWII, but I would be upset when I found out that I just spent $44.95 for a product that did not support Acceleration and SP2!

I can’t express how much I do not like going on the “fi x hunt” when I buy a new product and it is one of the reasons I will not buy games for the PC anymore because I absolutely dislike having to look for patches and updates just to make something work. I often come away with the feeling that I have been recruited into some kind of pre-release beta test that cost me a good deal of money and lose interest in it altogether. In the end I just expect what I buy to work and work as it is advertised, or if it is not, simply state that on the box so that the consumer is aware before he or she buys it!

The Flight 1 BF109 package is available for around US$44.95 in boxed CD-ROM format from all good fl ight sim retailers.

When you look at the plane from the external view you really do get an idea of the amount of work that went into designing it. Take the external fuel tank for example, the locks that hold the tank in place have been designed in excruciating detail and they actually move when the tank is released. There is no lack of eye candy and if you have the opportunity to have a look at the plane in FS9 I defi nitely urge you to do so!

Climbing into the cockpit will take you back to an era of fl ight that

is no more and will also put you center seat into the confi nes of an Axis fi ghter plane from WWII that was for all tense and purposes not built for comfort. Lack of comfort defi nitely shows as you pan around from within. Controls and avionics are simple, but the plane remains as deadly as it was the day it rolled off the assembly line. If you are using FS9 you will fi nd that everything from within the virtual cockpit is clickable and has some function for use during fl ight. However if you are using FSX you will fi nd that some of the extra features do not work. Things like the drop-able fuel tank will not drop from the plane and in some cases I even had a hard time getting my fl aps to deploy in FSX. Switching to a different model usually cured the fl ap problem.

The engine sound for the BF109 is magnifi cent and actually sounds

better in FSX then it does in FS9. Why? I could not tell you but it just does. Now, as for the sound with the landing gear I was appalled to fi nd that it was the default landing gear sound from the Cessna back in FS9. I did some searching and found landing gear sound on another airplane that would be more believable and replaced it with the default one. I really cannot express how disappointed I was when I went to retract the gear and I was met with that sound, it just takes away from the quality of the entire product.

Performance In FSX with Acceleration

If you are buying the 109 for FS9 then you really will not have to worry about performance issues - the plane looks and fl ies wonderfully! But if you are looking to add this to your FSX hangar there is some things you should know fi rst before jumping in. This entire product is a port from FS9, meaning that it has not been upgraded to work with FSX and FSX Acceleration or SP2, but if you are running FSX with SP1 then it should be okay.

What I found in FSX with Acceleration actually shocked me when

I looked at the BF109 for the fi rst time. The propeller has not been updated so things like the clouds actually bleed through the prop texture and make for an unsightly mess, and things like the external tanks do not drop and I had some issues with making some of the levers work correctly in the cockpit as well as a few control issues that I mentioned above. I was able to correct prop issue with a trip to the SkyUnlimited Forums and I was directed to a fi le that I could use to fi x it, but I was left wondering as the fi le itself wasn’t available on either the Flight 1 or SkyUnlimited sites but located on a third party site.

Once I was able to sort out the issue with the prop texture I found that, because the aircraft is a port from FS9, its overall frame rates tanked in FSX with Acceleration. Where I get 30 FPS with any other FSX native aircraft I can only squeeze 12-15 FPS with the BF109 no matter where I fl y! A little comparison here would be good. I just recently updated my A2A Simulations ME BF109 that came in the WWII Fighters Package and my frame rates do not drop below 28 when I am fl ying their plane. So, I am left wondering, maybe the Flight 1/ Sky Unlimited/ Flight Replica BF109 needs an extreme FSX makeover to make it what it should be so that it can compete well in the FSX Acceleration/ SP2 market, because it most certainly deserves it!



Ground Environment is probably one of the most well known add-on programs for Flight Simulator and literally transformed FS9 into

what it is today by giving it a complete and much-needed texture makeover. Now the FSX version is here. Does it offer the same necessary enhancements?

When FSX was released the fi rst thing I noticed were the excessive desert textures that littered almost all of the landscapes when fl ying in the USA, Canada and Alaska. Even after the fi rst day on my hard drive, I was surfi ng the web and looking on the Flight 1 website for when the FSX version of Ground Environment might be made available. The answer to those ugly textures fi nally came one month later when Flight 1 released Ground Environment X for the USA, Canada and Alaska. It was almost pure celebration as I gripped my credit card and downloaded the new Ground Environment X (GEX) package.

Ground Environment XGEX simply removes the default land textures that are in the USA

and Canada/Alaska and replaces them with its own custom scenery textures. The result is a new landscape that is not littered with the “cat box syndrome” desert textures, as I like to call it, and presents the world as we know it in a more realistic manner. I guess you should say that it is how it should have been, rather than what it was.

Mountainous regions, cities, towns, rural areas, and even desert areas have all had an extreme makeover. The biggest difference that I noticed was when fl ying in and around Alaska. With the default it was littered with those hideous desert textures, even in places where it should not have been! With GEX, the mountains now have a rockier look and feel to them and the snow is not mixed in with the sandy desert textures at the higher altitudes.

Ground Environment X Review BY GENE DAVIS


57

REVIEW

FLYING OUT OF TALKEETNA WITH RUSTS AVIATIONFLYING OUT OF TALKEETNA WITH RUSTS AVIATION

OVER CANADA NEAR OTTAWAOVER CANADA NEAR OTTAWA

GEX GRAPHICS INTERFACEGEX GRAPHICS INTERFACE

ULTRA REALISTIC RURAL TEXTURESULTRA REALISTIC RURAL TEXTURES

The textures that come with GEX have been derived from actual aerial and satellite imagery based on the different regions of coverage and you can certainly see a difference when you are fl ying over Canada or the US versus the default textures from other parts of the world.

I have owned GEX since its release and I have always been happy with it, but I have to tell you I was pleasantly surprised to see that Alaska was part of the coverage. I guess what it boiled down to was that I never really paid that much attention to the product description at Flight 1 and it wasn’t until I received the boxed version that I noticed it did include the Alaskan region. Therefore, for the last week I have spent a great deal of time exploring the vast landscape that is Alaska in FSX with GEX, and for the fi rst time in a long time, I have hung up my FS9 disc and spent a lot more time fl ying FSX.

Installation and Knowing What to Do! The GEX software installs separately from FSX and does make a back

up of the existing FSX textures before installing its own. This is good in the mere event that you will not like what you see, but if you are like me, you will never go back and just delete those default textures anyway.

Once you install the software from the disc it is important to know that the installation process is not fi nished yet. Immediately following the installation, the GEX interface will load and it will prompt you to backup existing textures from within FSX, as well as ask you where the textures should be stored and ask you to point to your FSX directory for the new texture fi les to be placed correctly.

To complete the installation of the product you must select which

textures you want installed. They are listed on the interface as:

1. GEX Enhanced USA and Canada Main.2. GEX Enhanced Special Landclass fi x.3. GEX UTX textures.4. GEX Enhanced UTX/LUX Textures.

The fi rst 2 are required, but if you own Flight 1’s Ultimate Terrain USA or Canada add-on you will need to activate number three as well. The fourth is if you have a third party landclass add-on installed into FSX. If you have one you will need to activate it, but if you rely solely on the Ultimate Terrain series for your land class as I do then you just need to activate the fi rst three.

Once you have made your choices, click on the “install selected options” button and after about 5-8 minutes you will be ready to go on your fi rst fl ight over your new terrain! On another note, it is important to check for updates periodically and that can be done through the interface as well. On many occasions I have had updates lapse thinking they would just be minor fi xes, but in reality most of the fi xes that Flight 1 release for GEX are considerably major and in some cases add some remarkable enhancements to an already well-rounded product.

Flying Over the GEX WorldThe biggest aspect of this product is that it covers such a wide

area of fl ight. It is not a product that is confi ned to one specifi c town or city, but encompasses the United States, Canada and Alaska and gives you coast to coast coverage, all in one nice little package.

Flying over the terrain reveals more realistic looking cities and towns, but most importantly you will fi nd that when fl ying into airports you are no longer met with the sand box textures that


CPM. V12I958

GONE IS THE “SAND BOX”GONE IS THE “SAND BOX”

DETAILED RESIDENTIAL TEXTURESDETAILED RESIDENTIAL TEXTURES

OVER CENTRAL PARK IN GEXOVER CENTRAL PARK IN GEX

OVER SEATTLE, WAOVER SEATTLE, WA

DETAILED FARM LAND, I THINK I AM IN TROUBLE!DETAILED FARM LAND, I THINK I AM IN TROUBLE!

TOURIST FLIGHT OVER THE GRAND CANYONTOURIST FLIGHT OVER THE GRAND CANYON

OVER THE WETLANDS IN FLORIDAOVER THE WETLANDS IN FLORIDABREAKING THE RULES IN LIONHEARTS EPIC!BREAKING THE RULES IN LIONHEARTS EPIC!


5959

REVIEW

surrounded each airport in the default FSX; for me this was the biggest disappointment in FSX as it made it look ugly and unrealistic. I often noticed it the most when I would fl y into places like Newport Municipal, located in Newport, Oregon. Here we have a coastal town which I live near and it is green almost year round, but in FSX I was greeted with a big sand box that surrounded my favorite airport and it was one of the reasons I stayed with FS9 for so long because it looked better in this regard. Now, enter GEX, and that sand box is gone! This had to have been one of the biggest improvements in FSX with GEX in my opinion as it has changed my overall opinion of FSX and made it look so much more realistic.

Desert’s are no longer a bright sandy mess but have substance to them and that brings me to the other area that I frequent quite often in Flight Simulator, and that is Yakima, WA. If you have ever been to or fl own over Yakima you will notice that it is defi nitely in desert country, but it does not look like it does in the default FSX. When I saw Yakima for the fi rst time with GEX I was, to say the least, impressed because it gave it that much needed depth and presented itself in a more realistic manor with brighter and deeper coloring, as well as greatly enhanced texturing.

Flying from Yakima to Ellensburg is another fl ight that I enjoy, simply because the wind conditions in Ellensburg can be unpredictable. The fl ight itself is only about a 20-minute fl ight, if that, but if you choose to do a little sightseeing you can fl y through the Yakima River Canyon. This canyon is as picturesque as it is a nice casual alternative to driving I-82 from Yakima to Ellensburg in the real world. GEX adds the needed rocky type of terrain texture for this area. If you have ever been over this part of the USA you will know what I am talking about.

One of the biggest enhancements made by GEX was the Grand Canyon. We all know what the default Grand Canyon looked like so I won’t even go there, but with the GEX Grand Canyon it offers deep and vibrant colors that make the whole thing look all that more realistic. It is important to note that the Grand Canyon improvement was one of GEX’s free updates and it has now been added permanently to the Ground Environment software, rather than via an update.

Performance

What can I say about performance? GEX does not affect the overall performance of FSX at all and in many cases I believe helps improve its performance! There are some things you should know before getting started with GEX and getting the most out of FSX. My story starts within the last week of writing this review as I ended up having to purchase a new video card. My choice was either a Zotac 9800 after having read some positive posts over at Sim-Outhouse.Com about video cards. This card’s overall performance and cost was a no brainer for me.

Over the last year or so I have been using an ATI Radeon 1950 Pro and I have always blamed many of the graphic anomalies that I have experienced on software rather than the video card itself. Though the textures in GEX were far more superior to that of FSX textures I did have some issues. One of which was textures developing a case of the blurries when fl ying at high speeds and low altitudes. I mainly blamed that on my aging 1950. When I installed my new Zotac card I found that the textures remained crisp and clear no matter how fast I was fl ying and that I was able to run FSX at my monitor’s highest resolution with little or no frame rate drop.

Once in FSX I decided to fi ddle around with the settings to bring the textures out even more and was ultimately successful when I changed the texture resolution from 1cm to 60cm. This was something I could not have even considered with the old card and was amazed at how well the GEX textures stood out even more while still remaining crisp and clear.

In The EndIt is hard for me to fi nd any fault with this add-on as I consider

it the Holy Grail of add-ons when it comes to generic FSX texture replacements. It is my opinion that everyone should have this product because, frankly, if GEX had never come to be I do not think I would be using FSX as much as I do and would still be using FS9. The biggest selling factor for me was the textures surrounding the airports. This alone made GEX worth every dime!

Again, we are looking at what should have been, but wasn’t. Realism is the name of the game and for me, and if what is outside the aircraft doesn’t present “realism” visually, then this issue is as important as how realistic the plane is that you are fl ying in, and it is ultimately what brings you back to the sim, or turns you away.

We reviewed the boxed DVD version which retails for around US$43 and is available from most good fl ight sim retailers.



“Captain, can you get a few more blankets please? We don’t have quite enough in the cabin.” Sure, I said. I reached for

the COM2 just as the ACARS started printing and the First Offi cer said “Uh-oh, John, you’d better have a look at this.” Hmmm. Strong turbulence expected enroute. I had better tell the crew and passengers. “Captain, is the fuel OK?” comes the request from the ground engineer. Er, yes, just a minute… It’s a bit like that episode of Yes Minister, where Sir Humphrey says that if only they could get rid of the patients the hospital would run smoothly! If only everyone would leave me alone, I would be able to fl y this plane much more easily! Welcome to the world of FS2Crew!

If you are familiar with the FS2Crew products then you know what this is about. If not, and if you enjoy fl ying the heavies, then you really should have some FS2Crew products installed. The aim of FS2Crew is to simulate the full airliner environment and procedures. Each product

is tailored to a specifi c aircraft and uses real-world airline procedures as its basis. So we have to interact primarily with our First Offi cer, but also with the cabin crew, the ground crew, engineers and company operations of course.

This is my second or third FS2Crew product. I was fi rst introduced to it with the ATR72. That is a very complicated simulation, and correspondingly rewarding when you are able to complete fl ights with it. Adding FS2Crew was quite a challenging experience. Until it all clicked I felt that I was just pressing buttons at a specifi c time in response to simulator events. If I got it wrong then the whole procedure seemed to fall apart. I felt like a robot. When I mentioned this to the developer, Bryan York, he said “Well its not an interpretive dance you know!” But once I had gone through the procedures a few times, and it started to make sense to me, and I learned to trust the First Offi cer to do things, then it did start to seem like a natural way of sharing the duties on the fl ight deck. The strict adherence to procedures started to seem like the rational way to proceed, and the fl ows felt more like natural procedures than rote learning. Indeed, it added a whole new dimension to fl ying the ATR and soon I would not consider a fl ight without using FS2Crew! It added so much to my understanding

FS2Crew: PMDG 747-400 Edition ReviewBY DR JOHN LATTANZIO


61

REVIEW

FIGURE 1 - FS2CREW START CENTER CONTROLS ALL FIGURE 1 - FS2CREW START CENTER CONTROLS ALL FS2CREW PRODUCTS AND UPDATESFS2CREW PRODUCTS AND UPDATES

FIGURE 2 - THERE IS A WX BRIEFING PAGEFIGURE 2 - THERE IS A WX BRIEFING PAGE

FIGURE 3 - WX IS CUSTOMIZABLEFIGURE 3 - WX IS CUSTOMIZABLE

FIGURE 4 - PMDG747 PAGE IN THE START CENTER FOR FIGURE 4 - PMDG747 PAGE IN THE START CENTER FOR CHOOSING CONFIG FILES AND OTHER OPTIONSCHOOSING CONFIG FILES AND OTHER OPTIONS

and enjoyment of the ATR and its detailed systems, that I was using FS2Crew all the time. So it was with much enthusiasm that I approached the PMDG 747-400 version of FS2Crew.

For those familiar with earlier versions, let me say that this version is very intuitive. The user-interface is much improved and the whole thing is a delight to use. The fi rst change for me was the FS2Crew Start Center – see Figure 1. This is a program that sets up details for FS2Crew for the different aircraft. If you have not installed them then that page is just ignored. This application gives you a link to the latest FS2Crew news and updates as well, and has tabs for the RSS feed for AVSIM as well as other aviation news webpages. There is also a tab for the current weather (Fig 2). This defaults to the US weather but it can be changed – just point the WX line in the FS2CrewX.ini fi le to an appropriate weather image (Fig 3).

But for now, we go to the PMDG 744 tab and see the setup features available – as shown in Fig 4. This is where you put info for your fl ight, as well as set up the main and secondary buttons for communicating with people in FS2Crew. But I think the best way to explain it all is to quickly run through the tutorial fl ight in the FS2Crew manual. That will give you a good idea of what is involved.

Installation is easy, as expected. There are a few things that have to be set up correctly – such as turning off the V-speed callouts in the PMDG tabs or you will get them coming from both the PMDG add-on and FS2Crew. Make sure that you have assigned your Main and Secondary button, for communicating with various people in the simulation. There are defaults for both the keyboard and the joystick, but these are easily changed with the FS2Crew Start Center. Incidentally, this Start Center allows you to turn off FS2Crew so you do not need to use it for each fl ight. You very neatly just switch back to the default with a single button press. Nice. So, with those preliminaries all set up via the Start Center, and a passenger load set with the PMDG Load Manager, let’s fi re up FSX (available from the Start Center itself) and away we go!

Unlike some earlier versions of FS2Crew, one does not need to load a default aircraft fi rst. This means we can set up our fl ight and go straight to that scenario. Once the PMDG 744 has loaded, you must load the FS2Crew panel state fi le if you want to get everything set up as it would be for you taking over for a fl ight. This ensures that your aircraft is in a condition close to a realistic turnaround. Battery is on but that is about it. The rest is up to you and your crew. There is a special click-spot to bring up the FS2Crew Main Selector Panel – this is the compass in the 2D cockpit (and the clock on the VC). Let’s look at the Main Selector Panel, which is the driver for your FS2Crew experience. From left to right, this covers the main phases of fl ight, main briefi ngs, checklists etc. Of course, you can move it around to a convenient position and remove it entirely and return it when you want. I left it at the top of the screen but moved the PMDG panel selector to the top of the glare-shield on the right.(see Figure 5). It’s nice and unobtrusive. There is a close-up of the panel shown in Figure 6, so you can see the main features. The green performance manual, sitting on the glare shield, can be removed (or returned) by clicking on the PM button, third from the left.

This panel drives most things you do. We will work our way from left to right. The exceptions are the last three on the right which are used for communications at various stages. Buttons beginning with a B produce a Briefi ng page where we fi ll in appropriate values to ensure that our briefi ng is correct for the fl ight. The buttons with a red bar underneath are those associated with a checklist, details of which we confi gure ourselves. When a checklist is active a yellow dot lights up above the button to remind us which phase we are completing. Do not move to the next phase until that dot goes out, which then indicates that you have completed your current task. So, its all very straight forward.


CPM. V12I962ALL LINED UP – LOOKING GOOD!ALL LINED UP – LOOKING GOOD!LATE AFTERNOON DESCENT INTO TOKYOLATE AFTERNOON DESCENT INTO TOKYOPASSENGER VIEW ENROUTEPASSENGER VIEW ENROUTE

CLIMBING TO CRUISECLIMBING TO CRUISEBEAUTIFUL VIEW FROM THE FLIGHT DECKBEAUTIFUL VIEW FROM THE FLIGHT DECKAND AWAY WE GO!AND AWAY WE GO!

PASSENGERS LOADINGPASSENGERS LOADING

FIGURE 12 - THE MAIN SELECTOR PANEL IS NOT FIGURE 12 - THE MAIN SELECTOR PANEL IS NOT OBTRUSIVE AND I LIKE FLYING WITH IT VISIBLE OBTRUSIVE AND I LIKE FLYING WITH IT VISIBLE

ALL THE TIMEALL THE TIMEFIGURE 11 - SPECIAL COMMANDS YOU CAN FIGURE 11 - SPECIAL COMMANDS YOU CAN

ISSUE TO THE FIRST OFFICERISSUE TO THE FIRST OFFICER

FIGURE 10 - VARIOUS OPTIONS FOR MAKING PA FIGURE 10 - VARIOUS OPTIONS FOR MAKING PA ANNOUNCEMENTSANNOUNCEMENTSFIGURE 9 - SET UP THE TAKE-OFF BRIEFING HEREFIGURE 9 - SET UP THE TAKE-OFF BRIEFING HEREFIGURE 8 - TAKE-OFF SHEETFIGURE 8 - TAKE-OFF SHEET

FIGURE 7 - OXYGEN TEST PANELFIGURE 7 - OXYGEN TEST PANEL

FIGURE 6 - FLIGHT PLANNING PAGE – MANY FIGURE 6 - FLIGHT PLANNING PAGE – MANY OPTIONS SELECTED HERE FOR FS2CREW TO OPTIONS SELECTED HERE FOR FS2CREW TO

RESPOND TORESPOND TOFIGURE 5 - THE MAIN SELECTOR PANEL ALONG FIGURE 5 - THE MAIN SELECTOR PANEL ALONG

THE TOP OF SCREENTHE TOP OF SCREEN


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REVIEW

By now you get the idea. The specifi c tasks are broken down into briefi ngs and checklists and you follow the procedures, with the FO checking and challenging the settings. If you take the time to check each one you will fi nd you are busy and that the whole experience is very rewarding.

Once you are up in the air there is not a lot to do, of course. The FA will call every 30 mins and see if there is anything you want. You can also call her at any time. There are some random conversations you can engage your FO with. There are pre-recorded public address announcements to cover most of the likely conditions you need, from a welcome through to various diversions and rejected take-offs! See Figure 10.

That pretty much covers the basics. But FS2Crew does allow for unusual events and faults. For example, Fig 11 shows the special commands you can issue to the FO, which includes procedures for a damaged window, which I got on one fl ight! Or you may want to lower the gear earlier than normal, if you are too hot for landing for example (I know, this never happens to you). So there are ways of issuing such commands.

FS2Crew allows for non-precision approaches as well as the usual ILS, including Visual. There is a Go-Around procedure as well. Usually during landing the main button calls for fl aps 1, then fl aps 5, then 10, then 20 and gear, then 30. At the decision height the main button is used for continuing, and the secondary button announces a go-around.

Basically, most things are covered in FS2Crew. When you are interacting with ATC and possibly FSPassengers as well, there is enough to keep you fully occupied!

So in summary – FS2Crew is great. If you want to toggle all the switches yourself, then maybe it’s not for you, But if you want to see the real procedures, and be part of a real crew and a real fl ight, then there is no option - you need FS2Crew. This package can be found on numerous download stores online for around US$25 or at www.fs2crew.com

First open the Flight Planning Page by clicking on the leftmost button. See fi gure 6. Here we set various parameters for our fl ight, such as arrival city, fl ight level, transition altitude and level, etc. We can monitor the fl ight attendant announcements if we want, and we can even choose to skip the pre-departure events if we are in a rush to get into the sky. But I think its best to leave them on if you want full immersion and the most accurate simulation! So, set up the page for your fl ight and click START. Now FS2Crew is activated and the pressure is on!

Your fi rst job is to start the APU and put the power on the buses. Soon after that the FO will go for his walkaround. The Flight Attendant (hereafter FA) will call for a briefi ng, and you can confi gure that panel when it appears and then brief her with the fl ight info. Complete the programming of the FMC and enter the V-speeds into the Flight Planning Page (see Fig 6, bottom right corner). Load key data (V2, HDG etc) into the MCP and do your oxygen check (Click the O2 button, and a special panel appears as shown in Fig 7). The FO will return from his walkaround, check the maintenance log and begin his pre-fl ight procedure. Due to the way the PMDG 744 is coded, its not possible to know how many switches are confi gured, so in some ways the FO is blind. He fl icks the switch, assuming it was in a particular position. So if it starts in an unusual position, he may turn something off when it should be on. This is why its important to start with the FS2Crew initial panel state fi le. Another consequence of this is that a panel must be visible for him to alter switches on that panel. So you will see a mini-panel appear in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. I actually liked this – I like to know what he is doing! I trust no-one!

Clicking on the Performance Manual will bring up the Take-Off performance sheet (Fig 8). This uses info from the Flight Planning Page so ensure you have entered the correct values. When the FO has done his oxygen test you can call for the pre-fl ight checklist (click on PF button). To respond to a challenge from the FO, just click the Main button on your controller or the keyboard. Occasionally you use the Secondary button, but this is rare. Usually its just the Main button. I prefer to check the settings myself and then click the button, rather than just respond automatically. After all, we are using this to check!

Soon you will hear the ACARS printer going, and that will be the arrival of the Pre-Departure Clearance. That is our cue to run through the departure briefi ng (DB on the Main Selector Panel). This opens the DB panel as shown in Figure 9. Clicking in the text boxes changes the value among pre-set alternatives. Note that the default is for you, the Captain, to be the PF but it is possible to have the FO do the takeoff. That is covered in the manual of course. Once set up, play the briefi ng for the FO.

The engineer will contact us to check that the fuel load is OK and then a fuel sheet will pop-up, which we “sign” by clicking the click-spot. During this time you may get a message from the FA concerning minor problems with passengers, or seats, or the in-fl ight entertainment system etc. You then have to call Operations or Maintenance and ask them to come and check out the problem. Usually this then triggers someone to confi rm to you that it is all fi xed. Lots of things are going on, all adding to the feeling that you are really there!

Soon the load sheet arrives, and the ground crew are ready to pushback. Push the PB button for options concerning distance and angle required for pushback. The ground crew tell you when to release and reinstate the parking brake. The FO begins his pressurization fl ow and when completed you call for the Engine Start checklist (ES on the Main Panel).



Wilco Fleet A400M Review

The Year 2008 sees the fi rst fl ight of the Airbus A400M medium haul airlifter. The A400M is designed as a replacement to the

C-130 Hercules and the Transall that have been the mainstays of many European air forces for decades now. The A400M has a solid Airbus pedigree and so does Wilco Publishing who recently released a classy A400M add-on for both FS9 and FSX.

The A400M is a four-engined multi-role turboprop that will be able to lift a payload of 37 tonnes out of a 1000 meter soft strip, airdrop 116 paratroops or cargo with precision, and even be able to carry out the air-to-air refueling role.

Computer Pilot readers will recall the Airbus 1 and 2 series of add-ons that have been reviewed by Computer Pilot magazine and there are standalone A320 and A380 titles also available.

I reviewed the boxed CD-ROM version which comes with a fairly comprehensive manual. After installation there are numerous liveries available including the RAF, the German, French, Spanish, Belgian and Turkish Air Forces plus UNICEF, the Red Cross and the U.S Coast Guard. A Paint Kit is included for the creation of your own liveries via the use of Photoshop or similar programs..

Once we enter the fl ight deck, we can see that Wilco Publishing have delivered a reasonably faithful representation of the aircraft. One bug I quickly discovered was that, going straight into the virtual cockpit, all the screens were blank. Wilco Publishing recommends you fi rst go into the 2D cockpit and then back into the virtual cockpit where now all the screens have come to life.

Looking around we can see our trusty co-pilot and we are also able to walk through the cargo bay via a utility included on the CD-ROM. The utility requires a wheel mouse to work correctly. In FS9 you need to open the cockpit door fi rst before you can get into the bay. In FSX however, the rear cargo bay door cannot be opened.

FSX, however, does allow for new exterior viewpoints such as the gear and wing and I found the frame rates acceptable on my 12 months old HP laptop with 2 GB of RAM and a 512 Mb 3D card.

The aircraft looks great with the exterior views which have high resolution refl ective textures and dynamic shine. The eight bladed propellers are nicely rendered when the engines are not running. Animations include reverse thrust and all fl ight controls. The sounds, both internal and external are realistic and add to the immersion factor of this title.

BY MIKE GLYNN


65

REVIEW

2D COCKPIT VIEW2D COCKPIT VIEW

APPROACHING RUNWAY 28 AT RICHMONDAPPROACHING RUNWAY 28 AT RICHMOND

CLIMBING OUT OF KABULCLIMBING OUT OF KABUL

CONTROL SURFACES ARE NICELY MODELLEDCONTROL SURFACES ARE NICELY MODELLED

Settling into the left hand seat we can see the Airbus pedigree faithfully reproduced for this aircraft. Those with a grasp of the Airbus philosophy will be comfortable immediately in this cockpit. The engines are controlled via a FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) and moving the throttles forward, you will hear a click as the various thrust modes of IDLE, CLB, FLEX and TOGA are cycled through.

The fl ight instruments are a standard Primary Flight Display (PFD) and Navigation Display (ND). The modes emulated closely follow those of the other aircraft in the Airbus stable. The Flight Control Unit (FCU) on the glare shield also closely approximates the Auto-Flight features of other Airbus aircraft however the aircraft has only one Flight Director switch, similar to the philosophy of the A380. A single Flight director switch means that both the Captain’s and Co-pilot’s fl ight directors must be both on or off at the same time, eliminating possible mode confusion.

The Heads up display gives basic fl ight information in the 2D view but didn’t operate in the virtual cockpit. The Flight management system (FMS) is reasonably detailed and incorporates the ability to display downloaded fl ight plans along with Standard Instrument Departures (SIDS) and Standard Arrival Procedures (STARS) for various airports. It is not however the same as the real FMS on the A400M. Pilots will note a representation of the real FMS appearing next to the simulated one. This is similar to the new A380 FMS but it not modeled in the title.

The A400M incorporates the Fly-by-wire (FBW) systems of its stable mates, which includes stall protection and fl ight envelope protections, which I discovered when I attempted to barrel roll the aircraft and the angle of bank stubbornly refused to move past 67 degrees. I did fi nd it very easy to overspeed the fl aps however, something that is not supposed to happen on a real Airbus.

TCAS (Traffi c and Collision Avoidance System) and GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System) are also included and the Rad-Alt callouts on approach and landing are identical to a real Airbus.

The autopilot generally works as advertised with most real-life modes accurately simulated.

Other features includes pop-up EFIS screens which are detachable for multiple monitors and hotspots on the panel to access multiple 2D panels.

The title also includes support for TrackIR and GoFlight modules.

Flying the A400MI decided to put the A400M through its paces by fi rst carrying out

some circuits at my old stomping ground, the Richmond RAAF base, at the base of the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney, Australia.

The A400M add-on comes with a Load Manager program that is installed directly into the Windows start menu. For circuits I made sure that the aircraft was at a representative training weight of around 70 tonnes and empty of cargo. Take-off is done at Flaps one or two. Full Flap is achieved after four stages. Selecting fl aps 2, I armed the Autobrakes in the RTO mode (Rejected Take-off) and applied TOGA thrust. There is a click heard as the throttles pass through the various modes. This is useful in the virtual cockpit where the thrust modes cannot usually be seen in the view.

The A400M quickly gathered speed and I rotated at 110 knots and selected gear up. The aircraft climbed rapidly to 1500 feet where I selected 140 knots in the airspeed window and pushed the selector to engage the managed speed mode as I returned the thrust to the CLB


CPM. V12I966

32 BLADES OF THRUST POWER!32 BLADES OF THRUST POWER!

THE VISUAL MODEL IS CLEAN AND CRISPLY RENDEREDTHE VISUAL MODEL IS CLEAN AND CRISPLY RENDERED

FISHING ANYONE?FISHING ANYONE?

FULL FLAPS AND SPOILERS TO MAKE A QUICK STOPFULL FLAPS AND SPOILERS TO MAKE A QUICK STOP

THE A400M HAS A REAR FIN LARGER THAN JAWS!THE A400M HAS A REAR FIN LARGER THAN JAWS!

BIG AND HEAVY, BUT GLIDES LIKE A BALLERINA...BIG AND HEAVY, BUT GLIDES LIKE A BALLERINA...

DON’T TELL THE BOSS ABOUT THIS!DON’T TELL THE BOSS ABOUT THIS!

HEADING OUT IN ADVERSE WEATHERHEADING OUT IN ADVERSE WEATHER


6767

REVIEW

OVER THE HINDU KUSH WITH THE RED CROSSOVER THE HINDU KUSH WITH THE RED CROSS

TURNING IN THE MOUNTAINSTURNING IN THE MOUNTAINS

VIRTUAL COCKPITVIRTUAL COCKPIT

VIRTUAL VIEW WITH CO-PILOTVIRTUAL VIEW WITH CO-PILOT

detent. Leveling off, the Autothrust feature adjusted the thrust to maintain 140 knots and we turned on to downwind.

I selected gear down abeam the threshold and full fl ap as we turned base. The aircraft felt very much like the medium size airlifter it represents. I wound the speed back to 120 knots as the fl ap speeds are quite limiting in this aircraft, set the Autobrakes to Max and enjoyed the sense of déjà vu as I approached Runway 28 at Richmond.

Over the threshold I heard the familiar Airbus radio-altitude callouts, fl ared at 20 feet and reduced the thrust to idle on the “retard” command. Holding the F2 button down engages reverse thrust and the aircraft came to a halt with a 500 meter ground roll. Not bad!

Going TacticalI decided to simulate one of the missions that the A400M may

be called upon to carry out; a short range, low level resupply mission from Richmond, through the gorges and canyons of the Blue Mountains, then a landing on the short grass strip at Camden. Using the Load Manager program I loaded two trucks and one jeep and 10,000 kg of fuel. Our weight was slightly over 80 tonnes. I programmed a short 100 nm jaunt through the Blue Mountains and downloaded it directly into the FMC. I selected 120 knots as my initial climb out speed and 2500 feet as my initial cruising altitude, although I was planning on using NOE (nap-of-the-earth) as my fl ying technique.

Once again I selected Flap 2 for takeoff and after a short ground roll I was airborne and heading into the mountains. I reselected 240 knots and managed speed after putting the thrust into the CLB detent. My speed was looked after by the FADEC from then on. Over Katoomba and then down into the Grose Valley provided a spectacular way to get to Camden. Flying through some steep gorges it was interesting to note that the real life pilots of this aircraft will have an aircraft that is both maneuverable and protected by the FBW system. For instance, if an emergency climb is requires to avoid a mountain, simply placing the sidestick in the full aft position and selecting TOGA thrust will allow the aircraft to climb at a maximum rate without overstressing or stalling. I know this because that’s exactly what I did!

Soon Camden came into view and I began to set up for the landing. With about 8 miles to run I reduced the selected speed to 115 knots. This was VLS (Velocity Lowest Selectable) +5 knots which is read straight off the airspeed indicator or the FMS in real life. I then lowered the gear and started progressively lowering the fl aps. I selected MAX auto-brake. Runway 10 is a grass strip of 720 meters in length and fairly representative of the airfi elds that the A400M was designed for.

The FADEC controlled the speed nicely for the approach. As the “20” call was annunciated on the GPWS I pulled the thrust back, raised the spoilers on touchdown and applied max reverse with the F2 key. The result was a stunning ground roll of around 350 m.

For an old tactical transport driver such as me, the A400M represents the realization of an ideal aircraft for such a role. Capable, agile and well equipped, I envy the pilots who will get to fl y it. Wilco Publishing can also be proud of this addition to their impressive list of titles. I found their Airbus A400M to be good value for money, detailed and fun to fl y. What more can you ask for?

Wilco’s A400M is available in boxed CD format for around US$40 from all good fl ight sim retailers.


CPM. V12I974

BY AL PELLETIER

ROUNDROBIN ADVENTURESCHEDULED FLIGHT FOR ALOHA AIRLINE

If you have undertaken previous Round Robins, skip the next paragraph, jump right in, and have fun. For those who are new to this, Round Robins are published with the intent of having Flight-Simmers fl y, look at the scenery, refresh our geography, practice our cross country navigation, perform approaches at different airports all over the world, and have some FUN. In the message, you will be receiving info like: airport departure and runway number, VORs and NDBs enroute, two or three middle airport destinations, for VFR or INST approach, and back to your point of departure (Round Robin). You will also be given ILS and LOM freq., minimums, procedures etc., and a little background on the geography of the area. After you fl y a few of these you will have a much better command and understanding of the different types of published procedures. You will learn to handle a lot of information in a very short time, while still maintaining control of your aircraft.

Round Robin adventure. Aloha Airline: This month we are fl ying a regular

scheduled fl ight for Aloha Airline based in the Hawaiian Islands, USA.

Sadly, Aloha had to declare bankruptcy in the spring of 2008. The airline was founded as charter carrier Trans-Pacifi c Airlines by publisher Ruddy Tongg, as a competitor to Hawaiian Airlines, commencing operations on Aloha Friday, July 26, 1946, with a single World War II-surplus Douglas C-47 (DC-3) on a fl ight from Honolulu to Maui and Hilo.

After fl ying Viscounts, DC-10s and BAC-111s, the airline went shopping and placed an order for two Boeing 737-200s in December. Named “Funbirds”, the Boeing jets entered service on March 2, 1969. (There is a famous picture of one of those “Funbirds” opening up like a sardine can, with terrible and tragic results. N73711 on April 28, 1988, operating as AQ243 outbound ITO enroute

HNL, the aircraft experienced explosive decompression and fuselage upper skin separation at FL240. It carried an amazing emergency landing at OGG. 1 fatality, 64 injuries were the fi nal results. If you want to read more about it, go to: http://www.aloha.net/~icarus/index.htm

On February 14, 2000, the airline began mainland service, fl ying newly-delivered Boeing 737-700s (PMDG model has a great livery for this one) from Honolulu and Kahului to Oakland, California.

But! Citing losses from a protracted fare war incited by inter-island competitor “Go” and high fuel prices, Aloha fi led for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 20, 2008. Ten days later, on March 30, 2008, Aloha Airlines announced the suspension of all scheduled passenger fl ights, with the fi nal day of operation to be March 31, 2008. The shutdown resulted in the layoffs of about 1900 of the company’s roughly 3500 employees.

I have uploaded some great charts at the Computer Pilot’s website, so don’t miss out and download them. Again, some very rare and special charts are included for this one. Don’t miss them!


75

ROUND ROBIN ADVENTUREROUND ROBIN ADVENTURE

Great add-ons for this flight:(Most freeware fi les can be found at www.fl ightsim.com or www.avsim.com)

Aircraft and Panel (Payware):I used the PMDG B737-700 kindly donated by the PMDG team. http://www.precisionmanuals.com/

The PIC Boeing 737-300 by www.feelthere.com and www.wilcopub.com (I couldn’t fi nd an Aloha livery although Aloha did fl y the 737-300).

Aircraft and Panel (Freeware):Boeing 737-200 by TinMouse. Do a search at AVSIM for “TinMouse” or Boeing 737-200. It is a very extensive install with many updates, with a bit of a learning curve to it, but well worth the trouble if you take the time to learn. Another great freeware add-on.

TinMouse 737-200 Aloha “funbird” repaint by Jeffrey S. Bryner

Scenery (Payware): MegaScenery Hawaii by PC Aviator – www.megascenery.com

Scenery (Freeware): I found some great scenery for Hilo, Kahului (Maui) and Kona by Bill Melichar.

Files to look for at AVSIM are HILOV3.ZIP, KAHU2.ZIP and KONAV3.ZIP More Aircraft and Panels: There are also numerous freeware at www.avsim.com and www.fl ightsim.com

(A lot of notes regarding ATC will pertain only to FS2002\FS2004\FSX users)

May I suggest, that you READ the route a couple of times before starting out, so that you’ll have the fl ight plan fairly clear in your mind. Especially in a fast medium or large jet aircraft, there isn’t much time to spare and defi nitely no room for errors.

The scenario and tasking for this exercise: We are fl ying a regular scheduled route for Aloha Airline. We will be fl ying to Maui and then on to the BIG Island for a couple of stops, and back to Honolulu. As mentioned in the “Add-ons” box, you can use either of the “TinMouse” Boeing 737 (AVSIM search for TinMouse), the PMDG 737-700, and the PIC 737-300 (I couldn’t fi nd an Aloha livery although Aloha did fl y the 737-300) or, to keep it easy, the default Boeing 737 will do just fi ne. Any other Jet

passenger airplane would do the job. This route can be fl own in FS2002/FS2004/FSX or any other fl ight simulator with the necessary Navaids and scenery.

Round Robin Adventure: HONOLULU INTL Airport (PHNL) >>> KAHULUI (MAUI) INTL Airport (PHOG) >>> KONA INTL at KEAHOLE (PHKO) >>> HILO INTL (PHTO) >>> HONOLULU (PHNL). Approx total distance 530 nm.

NOTE: For the purpose of these exercises, we will assume that we are receiving radar vectors to different VORs or ILS interception points. In the “real” world of today, aircraft usually receive vectors to the interception points to ensure proper separation. I’m also assuming that you will have a good look at the approach plates for each segment.

One more note. If you are using ATC for takeoff, taxi and landings, you might be given a different RWY or taxiway, depending on the weather. You might even input the whole trip in a FS fl ight plan and fl y it that way.

BEGIN


CPM. V12I976

First leg: Honolulu (PHNL) >>> KAHULUI (Maui) Intl Airport (PHOG)Approx 114 nm.

• Select Honolulu airport under Airport/USA/Hawaii. Ramp medium or cargo.

• Month of Sept, 0700L. Weather at your discretion. I used real weather.

• Dial in the KOKO HEAD (CKH) VOR frequency 113.90 on NAV 1 and the MOLOKAI (MKK) VOR frequency 116.10 on NAV 2 for a MOLOKAI FOUR departure (see included STAR).

• Taxi to and T/O (Take Off) RWY 08R with an immediate right hand turn to HDG 090 (This is to avoid fl ying over the city, but

you will still get a good look at Waikiki beach), track the CKH VOR to on top and continue climbing to 19,000.

• On top CKH, slight right turn to HDG 093 and track the MOLOKAI VOR to on top.

• While enroute, dial in the LOC I-OGG frequency 110.1 and set course 204 on your NAV 1 OBI for a LOC/DME Back Course to RWY 20 at KAHULUI (MAUI) (actual RWY course 204, elevation 12, RWY length 7000).

• On top the MOLOKAI VOR turn left HDG 056 and begin descent to 3000. Maintain HDG until ISEC BLUSH located at 056/30 nm from the MKK VOR.

• Over the ISEC BLUSH turn right HDG 114 to ISEC KRANE located at 114/26.1

nm from ISEC BLUSH. On the way to KRANE, prepare your aircraft for landing. We will be intercepting the LOC at KRANE. (Remember that this is a Back Course ILS and your needle will behave backwards).

• Over ISEC KRANE turn right HDG 204, reduce to approach speed, and intercept the Back Course LOC for a fi nal approach.

• Continue with the approach.• 5 nm back, you are cleared for a full stop

to RWY 20 at KAHULUI Intl Airport. Check gear down.

Land at KAHULUI and take far right taxi to terminal.


77


Second leg: KAHULUI (PHOG) >>> KONA Intl at Keahole (PHKO) Approx 92 nm.

• Clock to 0945 L• Dial in the MAUI (KAHULUI) (OGG)

VOR frequency 115.10 and set course 185 on the NAV 1 OBI, and dial in the UPOLU POINT (UPP) VOR frequency 112.30 on NAV 2. Also tune in the VALLEY ISLAND (VYI) NDB frequency 327 on your ADF for a BEACH TWO DEPARTURE (See included STAR).

• Taxi to and T/O RWY 20, turn left over the VALLEY ISLAND NDB and establish on the OGG 185 radial until ISEC HARPO located at 185/16.8 nm from the OGG VOR, and continue climbing to 9000.

• Over ISEC HARPO turn left HDG 114 and track the UPP VOR to on top, while passing over the ISEC MAKEN.

• Enroute dial in the LOC I-KOA frequency 109.7 and set course 174 on NAV 1 in preparation for an ILS to RWY 17 at KONA Intl (Actual RWY course 174, RWY length 11000, elevation 47).

• Over the UPOLU POINT VOR turn

right HDG 201, descend to 3000 to ISEC VECKI, located at 201/17.8 nm from the UPP VOR, to intercept the LOC. (Slow to approach speed and prepare your aircraft for landing).

• Intercept the LOC and continue with the approach.

• 5 nm back, you are cleared for a full stop to RWY 17 at KONA. Check gear down and locked.

Land at KONA and take fi rst available left taxiway to main terminal.


CPM. V12I978

Third leg: KONA Intl (PHKO) >>> HILO Intl (PHTO) Approx 115 nm. • Clock to 1530L. • Dial in the KONA (IAI) VOR/DME

frequency 115.7 and set course 328 on your NAV 1 OBI. Also dial in the KAMUELA (MUE) frequency 113.30 on NAV 2.

• Taxi to and T/O RWY 17. Climb to the IAI VOR with a right hand turn to HDG 340 to the ISEC MYNAH which is located at 328/10 nm off the IAI VOR, while continuing climb to 15,000. (Have a good look at the 3rd leg fl ight plan and it will help you along).

• Over the MYNAH ISEC (328/10 nm off

the IAI VOR) turn right HDG 057 and track the MUE VOR to on top.

• On top MUE, maintain 057 to the ISEC PARIS located at 057/27 nm off the MUE VOR.

• Enroute dial in the LOC I-ITO frequency 110.7 and set course 259 on your NAV 1 OBI in preparation for an ILS/DME to RWY 26 at HILO (Actual RWY Course 259, RWY length 9800, elevation 37).

• Over the ISEC PARIS (MUE 057/27 nm) turn right HDG 145, begin descent to 2000. Dial in and track the HILO (ITO) VOR/DME frequency 116.90 to on top.

• Over the HILO VOR turn left HDG 079 until 9 nm out. At 9 nm out, make a right turn to HDG 124 for 2 minutes (reduce to approach speed and prepare your aircraft

for landing) followed by a left turn to HDG 304 to intercept the LOC. (Have a good look at the approach plate).

• Continue with the fi nal approach.• 5 nm back, you are cleared for a full stop

to RWY 26 at HILO. Check gear down and locked.

Land at HILO and take fi rst left to terminal located south of RWY 26

TIP: I use Google maps (maps.google.com) to help me with terminal information and to give me a very good look at the airport, along with the location of passenger terminals. Doesn’t work for all of them, but does most of the time. Try it for the HILO airport. Amazing!


79


Fourth leg: HILO Intl (PHTO) >>> HONOLULU Intl (PHNL)Approx 235 nm. • Month September, Clock to 1830L. This

will give us a nice dusk takeoff and a night arrival at Honolulu.

• Dial in the UPOLU POINT (UPP) VOR/DME frequency 112.30 on NAV 2 and the HILO (ITO) VOR/DME frequency 116.9 on NAV 1.

• Taxi to and T/O RWY 08, climb RWY HDG over the HILO VOR and then on to the ISEC VEWES located 079/5 nm from the HILO VOR and continue climbing to 28,000.

• Over the VEWES ISEC turn left HDG 288 and track the UPP VOR to on top.

• Over the UPP VOR maintain HDG. Dial in and track the LANAI (LNY) VOR/DME frequency 117.70 to on top.

• Enroute dial in the Localizer I-HNL frequency 111.7 and set course 079 on your NAV 1 OBI. Also tune in the EWABE (HN) NDB frequency 242 in preparation for an ILS to RWY 8L at Honolulu (Actual RWY course 079, RWY length 12,357, elevation 12).

• Over the LANAI VOR turn left HDG 278 and begin descent to 5000. Proceed to the ISEC ALANA located at 278/57.3 nm of the LANAI VOR for a JULIE FOUR Arrival (see included STAR).

• Over the ISEC ALANA turn right HDG 302, descend to 3600 and proceed to the ISEC SELIC. Dial in the HONOLULU (HNL) VOR frequency 114.8 for DME

info. SELIC is located 15.5 nm west of the HNL VOR or 302/22 nm passed ALANA. (Again, please have a good look at the fl ight plan, STAR and approach plate. It sounds a lot harder than it actually is and you will follow along with just a bit of practice. For those that can, you can fl y a 14DME arc HNL VOR to the LOC interception. This can also be better achieved using your GPS. Reduce to approach speed and prepare your aircraft for landing.

• Over SELIC (or just 1 nm before) turn right HDG 079 to intercept the Localizer.

• Continue with the fi nal approach.• 5 nm back, you are cleared for a full stop to

RWY 8L at Honolulu. Check gear down and locked.

Land at Honolulu and take fi rst left to terminal.



NOTE: I am still using FS2004 to write my articles. The route was checked with Abacus’ Co-Pilot 3.5 for accuracy in FSX. Many thanks to the Abacus team for this great fl ight planner.

Good Job!

NOTE: The freeware scenery add-ons by Bill Melichar are really worthwhile installing. Just awesome!

END

Al’s thank you box:Without the help and generosity from the people below and our payware/freeware designers, I couldn’t write these articles. So my sincere thanks to all those and to fl ightsim.com and avsim.com

1. Quotes and photos from Airways magazine are courtesy of and with permission of the Editor. Many thanks!

2. To Chris Squire for test fl ying the route. Chris is a retired military pilot with over 12,000 hours of fl ying time.

3. I use FSNavigator and Abacus Co-Pilot for all by fl ight planning, a courtesy of the FS Navigator team, and Abacus.

4. To Justin Tyme (fsgenesis.net) and to Ruud Faber (www.fscene.com) for the great terrain textures that make my writing so much more enjoyable.

5. To Miguel Blaufuks of SimMarket for the great addons.. (www.simmarket.com) Thanks Miguel!

6. To Bill Melichar for the great freeware scenery add-ons of the Hawaii region.

7. To AVSIM and FlightSim.com for being there!

8. To PC Aviator for the great selection of Flight Sim software add-ons. (www.pcaviator.com)

9. Again to my good friend Robert Randazzo at PMDG for the fi nest B747-400 and 737 simulators (www.precisionmanuals.com)

Cheers and keep on reading Computer Pilot

Don’t forget to download the maps from computerpilot.com. I have uploaded some great high resolution maps for your enjoyment!

Al


81

ROUND ROBIN ADVENTURE


CPM. V12I982

FlightSim Manager Version 2.8.0 FS2002/FS2004 Utility

Filename: fsm280.zip Author: Rana Hossain Available From: www.ranainside.com or www.fl ightsim.com

FlightSim Manager is a tool that provides many housekeeping features for your fl ight simulator installations. It will work with both FS2002 and FS2004. The feature set in this software provides important tools for both new and experienced fl ight simulator pilots. For those new to the hobby, this utility can help you to add new aircraft and scenery fi les to your simulation, without the need to manually edit confi guration fi les. More experienced pilots may wish to take advantage of the interface to per-form tweaks to some of the basic fl ight simulator parameters. In addition to these features, the program provides several diagnostic tools to check the status of your installed aircraft and scenery fi les, and make repairs if necessary. These are only a few of the many available features in this utility. FlightSim Manager is the winner of a FlightSim.com Developer’s Award - check it out and you’ll see why!

Stearman Kaydet FS2002/FS2004 Aircraft/Panel/Scenery

Filenames: davstea1.zip (FS2002), stear04.zip (FS2004)Authors: David Eckert, Mark Smith, Dennis Seeley, Louis SinclairAvailable From: www.fl ightsim.com

The next time you feel like fl ying low and slow with reference to the bare minimum of fl ight instruments, I highly recommend you consider David Eckert’s Stearman Kaydet. I am showing the Kaydet in Army Air Corp colors, and there are fi ve other liveries included in the FS2004 version. The military trainer versions include little in the way of avionics - true to the era, while the civilian version includes modern radios and a GPS. The Stearman for FS2004 is packaged with Mark Smith’s scenery for Eagle Field (7KS9) in Bentley, Kansas. The old hangars and grass strip fi t the Stearman nicely. Flight dynamics for the Kaydet are by Dennis Seeley. Since I’ve never fl own a real Stearman, I can’t say if the dynamics are like the real aircraft or not - but I can tell you the airplane is well-man-nered and a lot of fun to fl y, even with a yoke. Flown with a joystick, I’m sure you could perform some of the same maneuvers taught to aspiring WWII pilots. There is a FS2002 version available as well - it comes with a single livery and does not include the scenery for Eagle Field. David and his team have created a very high quality freeware package - if you’re looking for an airplane to fl y just for the joy of fl ying, please consider the Stearman.

Premier Aircraft Design TB10 Tobago FS2004 Aircraft

Filenames: tb10gdbg.zip (A/C), tb10_g-e.zip (Gauges/Effects), tb10_snd.zip (Sounds)Authors: Premier Aircraft DesignAvailable From: www.premaircraft.com

Here’s a very nice 4-place, fi xed gear airplane to consider fl ying on your next cross-country trip. The Tobago is produced by Socata, a division of the European EADS Corporation. This rendition for fl ight simulator was created by the newest member of the Premier Aircraft Design team, Jean-Pierre Brisard. He was assisted by Premier Aircraft’s founder, Barry Blaisdell, and original member, Bob May. Samy Fay created the aircraft and panel tex-tures shown above. Barry’s team has been creating great freeware aircraft packages for a long time now, and the TB10 is another fi ne example of their combined talents. The custom panel will seem a little unconventional to those of you primarily familiar with Piper and Cessna aircraft, but with use you discover that everything is where it should be. Many pop-up win-dows are available to make instrument and avionics adjustments easier. As is always the case with Premier Aircraft, the documentation for both the panel and aircraft features is thorough and straight-forward. General avia-tion fans will defi nitely want to check out the TB10.

Hawker-Siddeley Trident 2 and 3 FS2004 Aircraft/Panel

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Building Scenery for FSX Series ContinuesNext issue we will create some of the parking spaces on our apron

along with the taxiways needed to connect those spaces to the runway. Then we’ll look at creating vehicle pathways for airport services to use

– such as fuel trucks – along with how we can populate the airfield with a variety of static and animated objects ranging from aircraft and

motor cars, to hangars and flocks of birds!

North Africa by Air – Part IIBy now you and your aircraft could probably do with a good clean

after flying through the sands and dust of North Africa. Next month we continue the journey and visit more areas of this great continent.

Across the Pacific – Part IIUnfortunately we couldn’t squeeze Part II of this series in this issue! But alas! You will find it in next month’s issue, which gives you more time

to work on your tan in the Pacific Islands…

C-182 Panel CustomizationGetting right into the panel modification articles, next month Doug

Horton looks at customizing a Cessna 182 panel to better match real world 182 flight deck layouts. Take the next step to becoming a panel

design expert!

How To: Make Your Own Photorealistic Scenery!Photorealistic scenery is often considered the holy grail of scenery add-ons. The trouble is, you have to be quite lucky to find an add-

on package that covers your home town. However, using specialized tools now available, and a little time on your part, you can create

photorealistic scenery for your local area. We show you how it is done next issue!

Mike Ray – Flying PropsWe continue our exclusive series of Mike Ray designed articles. This

month Captain Mike steers away from his usual jet specialty and enters the world of prop aircraft and old “steam gauges”. Learn all the vital

facts of prop aircraft operation in an entertaining and unique way. Not to be missed.

ReviewsWe have planned reviews of these great new flight simulation products:• Wilco’s E-Jets Package • Just Planes’ Rusts Aviation Flight Deck DVD

• Checklist Manager • And More!

PLUSFreeware Frenzy

We scour the internet for the latest interesting and high quality freeware releases and present them to you in a concise and

informative manner.

Old Ted Blunders Into the World of FSBill Smith’s latest mini-series of the continuing simulation saga!

AND EVEN MORE WITHPullout Poster

More quality aviation images to decorate your walls.

News & New ReleasesThe latest news information from around the flight sim world.

Landing October 2008Subscribe online now at www.computerpilot.com to have your

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COMING UP... ...in the October 2008 Issue


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