virtual sky - 5th issue

April 2009

Publisher: International Virtual Aviation Organisation

Editor: Vybhava Srinivasan

Layout and Design: Marco MeerkerkRaymond v.d. Ploeg

Website: www.ivao.aero/publrelat/

General Mail: [email protected]

Logo and cover Design: Robert GottwaldMarco Meerkerk

Cover screenshot by: Alberto Curieses Disclaimer: Any information,suggestions or illustrations published inthis magazine are exclusively for usewith computer flight simulation.All views expressed in this magazine arethe views of the respective authors.The publisher does not accept anyresponsibility for those views.

CopyrightNone of the information in thismagazine may be reproduced in anyform without prior permission from the publisher.

Editorial

IVAO Virtual SkyApril 2009

Vybhava SrinivasanIVAO Public Relations Director

[email protected]

April 2009

DDear All,

Thank you very much for downloading the April 2009 edition of IVAOVirtual Sky.And now the success story of IVAO Virtual Sky.... Our previous edition didvery well with over 10,000 downloads and more than 80,000 cumulative down-loads, which is a stupendous achievement for which we have only “you” our readers to thank for all the support and encouragement.

I am sure you will find this an action packaged edition with number of great articles ranging from articles relating to training to others giving you a perspec-tive on the flight simulation community in general. We also feature some new authors both of whom are renowned names in the flight simulation community. Of course many more interesting articles, which I am sure you will enjoy.

In our constant endeavour to improve the quality of this magazine, we will be publishing articles on the review of Latest Releases of Flight Simulation from July 2009 edition. So look forward to the next edition of IVAO Virtual Sky.As always we look forward to articles that our readers would like to contribute to future issues of this magazine.

We hope your journey through this issue will be as fun-filled as ever!

Bye!

Mark the title. It says Flight Simulator and that is meaning Microsoft’s Flight Simulator franchise in general, not ‘flight simulation’. But maybe it should?Anyway, this article is sparked by the recent closure of the Microsoft ACES Studio, a part of their gaming division called MSG (Microsoft Games Studios). Closing ACES sent shockwaves through the FS communities worldwide and was something that most real FS fans and veterans would never have thought could really happen.

Yes, it happens with so many companies, divisions and above all games publishers. Us slightly older people will remember many famous companies that are no more, either folded or gobbled up by a few giants. And the ‘games industry’ nowadays is controlled by the ‘console games’ on Sony’s and Nintendo’s and Microsoft’s own Xbox game computers. Not that many PC games around anymore.That’s also one of the reasons that many FS veterans (I will continue to use this term) feared their beloved Flight Simulator would cease to exist: being ported over to Xbox…. and become a mere game instead of a simulation. But NOT to disappear altogether!??

Before discussing the possible future developments of our hobby – because that’s what it is to readers here – let’s have a quick look at recent history at Microsoft.ACES as such did not exist that long yet, having been formed by buying a few people from the outside and adding the existing inside team to it. They were then made responsible for Flight Simulator, and a little while down the road also for the new-to-be-designed Train Simulator 2.As for the ‘recent troubles’ these weren’t so recent actually. Already before starting work on FSX there was an internal struggle to keep the team together and get permission to continue with developing for FS. In the end ‘ACES won’ and some new plans to increase sales were introduced. Among other things a much more open attitude towards the developers and customers was promoted by allowing ACES developers to blog and comment on flightsim forums. It was also promised to not release this version before it was really ready. Hmmm…. Not everybody was ‘in’ on that and so FSX was released prematurely – as happened a few times before. And then ESP was launched, most likely also with big promises of further increased revenue and profits.In the end all of this went wrong internally and ACES became the victim of just being in the wrong place on the wrong time. And now we’re stuck with that.

So, lets have a look at what this MAY mean for the future. My crystal ball is as clear or as cloudy as yours of course, maybe with the small difference that I have had the time over thirty years to build a slightly larger FS contact list than most?No matter, my guess is most likely as good as yours, so here we go.The main question on many a user’s lips is ‘Will FS (9 or X) die with this killing of ACES?’

April 2009

April 2009

Short answer: I don’t think so. At least not in the short term. Of course, there will not be an FS11 anytime soon. And there will not be an MS Trains 2 either, maybe even more devastating since the trains fans are still muddling along with the 1.0 from back in 2001 or so. And quite a few have gone over to Trainz and other simulators, although these surprisingly are much less ‘open’. And ESP will gone as of March 1st too….. so bye bye Boeing, Raytheon and other large corporations who adapted it and just started projects using FSX… oops, pardon me… ESP.But since there are still a LOT of fans using Microsoft Trains 1, which is by now some 7 years old, AND there are still MANY people running FS9 instead of the hardware-guzzling FSX, I think that chances that FS will live on in numbers for at least 5 more years, and in smaller numbers for more than a decade pos-sibly. Not having new versions has not stopped true enthusiasts from using the ‘old’ software in any way in the past and that will not change in the future.So far most if not all commercial add-on developers have indicated that they will continue to develop new products for FSX, and some even for FS9. Although some are now more actively also eyeing X-Plane or even FlightGear these two systems do not seem to be in any position to take over from Flight Simulator for some years to come.And advantage of NOT having to take into account ‘FSNext’ is that developers now have more time to delve deeper into the inners of FSX, learn more about it and discover more possibilities for adding details and even come up with brand new ways of using it and its features.Microsoft itself was already well on the way of integrating cars (yes, CARS!) into FSX, using models from

one of their other games that were ported to FSX. No doubt that one or more developers will follow suit and continue the ‘road’ that MS was heading with their ESP. There are still MANY untapped resources and possibilities inside the current code that can be unlocked by third party developers.

So then what WILL be the effect of the demise of ‘our’ MS FS develop-ment group? I’m talking about Flight Simulator here, not MS Trains 2. Nobody is really disappointed not having to upgrade again in a year or two. As with most software these days customers are increasingly an-noyed by having to ‘re-buy’ everything they already bought in the past all over again every 2 to 3 years. So NOT having FS11 appear Christmas 2010 is a good thing as far as many are concerned. I happen to agree. We WOULD have liked to see an ‘upgrade’ to FSX, fixing some of the things that went wrong due to the hastened release of it 2 years ago. The DX10 preview mode, which is included as a demo really, could have been made more permanent. Multi-core support could have been introduced in a better way. And a few others loose ends could have been fixed.But we would NOT need yet another totally new base package, the current code is pretty good to build upon.

The OTHER – and more important – effect of not having further deve-lopment and new versions however is that MS will not support the pro-duct range with advertising anymore. And that means a severe drop in ‘new blood’, no new customers to discover the wonders of a true ‘avia-tion simulator’ and no new customer base for the 3rd party developers and on-line hobby communities. Only those that ‘happen’ to discover the on-line news sites and communities such as IVAO, VA’s and flying clubs and all the possibilities of FS will maybe get into the hobby. Microsoft spent a LOT of money in their last version of FS and it showed. They sold more than a million, and even sold a bunch of the Acceleration/SP2 add-on packages. More importantly they introduced FS to many new users. Of course the majority of them have tossed the package in a corner after a few weeks or a few hours because it is ‘not so simple’ to get it working….. and it is not a game with a clear and quickly achievable target. That sort of eliminates the majority of current-day youngsters and ‘gamers’, but hey!

April 2009

So the real effects of the extre-mely regrettable decision by the MS Games Studios’ management will only be felt on the longer term, when there will be a fading of FS user. And that will no doubt have its effects on the add-on development companies. They need a flourishing market in order to survive in this ‘marginal business’.One last note that is of interest: a lot of freeware developers have finally dropped out of the industry with the advent of FSX. So much was changed in the source code, that it was just too difficult for many to adapt and re-learn new techni-ques and new technology. Also the tools to work with were changed. One now needs the very expensive 3DSMax design tool to take full advantage of everything FSX has to offer, and the old (free) GMax tool will not do everything, nor is it supported anymore. The only alter-native, the ‘old’ FSDS by Sinclair, still has too many restrictions and can not be used for top-of-the-line products. Maybe there is an oppor-tunity now too.With FSX being now much longer around it will probably spark a new

And the ‘competition’? In my personal opinion, but yours may vary, there simply is none. I have been playing each and every ‘flying game’ and flight simulator since computers exist, even on mainframes back in 1976, and have an open eye for all pro-ducts.Fact remains that FS has grown into much more than a ‘flight simulator’. With all the additional effects (weather, AI traffic in the air AND on the ground, highly sophisticated instruments such as the G1000), the entire world mapped into more or less detail, 24.000 airports and airfields, and so many details on the ground, it has become an ‘aviation simula-tor’.And that’s where it shines and where the competition is left in the dust, really. Programs like X-Plane and the valiant effort of FlightGear are FLIGHT simulators first and foremost and do not offer the depth of im-mersion, nor the amount of detail and possibilities, that FS does. And seeing the way they are run and developed it will be quite a num-ber of years yet for them to catch up, X-Plane is basically programmed by one guy (FS had over a hundred specialists working on it), and FlightGear is made by a loose group of open source volunteers.|These programs are certainly an achievement by their respective au-thors and have a future no doubt, but they are ‘not the same’, nor will they be, for a number of reasons.

interest among freeware desig-ners, because they will have more time to learn and their products will not be obsolete in a few months.

So we’ll carry on with FS9 and FSX and look forward to a whole bunch of new add-ons and new developments in spite of MS pulling out. Maybe if only to show them they were wrong.

About the author:Francois A. ‘Navman’ Dumas is a veteran flightsimmer, having ‘played’ his first ever computer-sim on an IBM 360 mainframe back in 1976, owning and using just about every flightsim and flight game since. Be-fore that François ‘simmed’ with plastic WW2 airplane models hanging from the ceiling of his bedroom, lengthy hand-written hit tables and other paper administration.François finished a career as an international IT executive back in 2005 and started his own publishing company, among other things developing and marketing Flight Simulator add-on products and hel-ping other add-on companies do so. He is also the main force behind the famous simFlight.com news site and forums and a regular writer in Computer Pilot Magazine and other publications. You can find his websites at www.silvercloudpublishing.com and www.fsaddon.com

François

April 2009 Page 7

April 2009

Do you also read the IVAO forum? sometimes you see some of those screen-shots and you are wondering if it’s real or fake out of the flightsimulator? Now it’s time to learn some basics in taking and editting screenshots from your flightsimulator

In this tutorial we will work with the following pro-grams. - Adobe Photoshop - Fraps - Virtual Photographer plugin (freeware) These programs are payware but the most common used programs in taking and editting screenshots.

How to begin ?

Start Fraps and also open your flight simulator. Now whenever the right moment appears, take a screenshot by pressing the short-cut key defined by you. A tip, if possible capture images in .bmp, with maximum image compres-sion quality

STEP

April 2009

Now you have captured your fa-vorite moment at a click of a but-ton. The time has come to deco-rate and present it to the whole world. Open Photoshop, we are first going to create a beautiful black border. And for this on the menu go to “layers” and select ‘create new layer’

Select on Left Toolbox, the “rec-tangle selection” and draw on the image a rectangle on the upper border.

Paint the border with black color from the paint tin tool

STEP

STEP

STEP

April 2009 Page 9

Now, copy the layer (control + C and paste, Control + V) and move the section to the bot-tom.

It is now time to use the ma-gic wand. We will edit the image, using the plug-in filter “virtual photographer”. You can locate this on the menu Filters>>optikVerve Labs>>Virtual Photographer

Let us now select the settings on virtual Photographer. There mul-tiple options, but we recommend these parameters

1. Always on Subtle the tone2. Apply the minimum3. Effect soft yellow4. Some of sub-expose depending of the lumino-sity

STEP

STEP

STEP

April 2009

Looks nice! But there is more scope for improvement. This can be done by changing the colors or contrast. Go to image option on the menu (image/adjust in older versi-ons of Photoshop) and adjust settings of automatic colors, contrast or tone to suit your preference.

Great ! But not quite Perfect. You can further improve. Go to option Filters >> optikVerve Labs >>Vir-tual Photographer and adjust, the following: 1. Underexpose2. Orange effect

Now use the underex-pose tool to create some dirty and shadows ef-fects. Apply this on main clarity zones of the fusalage

It is time for some Sun ef-fect. To do this, go to filters>>distortion>>diffuse glow

STEP

STEP

STEP

STEP

April 2009 Page 11

Now provide some grain effects and adjust the lu-minosity based on your preference. You can see the preview on screen to your left.

Now provide some grain effects and adjust the luminosity based on your preference. You can see the preview on screen to your left.And for the perfect finish, create a hot

exhaust blur, on the exhaust zones. Select these zones with polygonal tool (quickly on the image select L key for polygonal tool)

STEP

STEP

STEP

STEP

On the menu options Go to Filters >> Distortion >> Marine Waves

Apply this effect based on your choice

April 2009

The Result is – A Great Screenshot

Hope you are now equipped to create those stunning screen-shots. Looking forward to seeing your screenshots!

April 2009

The IVAO Desktop Calendar!

Every month IVAO members can submit a screenshot to the Desktop Calendar system. One submission that fits the

months theme is picked as the ‘screenshot of the month’ and will be eligible for the title of ‘the best screenshot of the year.

More Information:

http://ivao.aero/publrelat/

VOR Navigation

The ‘art’ of VOR Navigation

B y C h a r l e s W o o d

Despite inroads from the GPS the VOR remains the backbone of aviation navigation. Flight-Sim pilots deprive themselves of much fun and satisfaction if they don’t well understand how to navigate with the VOR. This is the first of a two-part article that will explain how to competently fly with the VOR. This is not just book learning, though, but includes practice flights to improve your skills, ensure thorough understanding and increase your confidence in VOR navigation.

The VHF Omni-directional Range, or VOR, operates within the 108.0 to 117.95 MHz VHF band and has been in service for over fifty years. The operating principle is simple. A ground-based VOR transmitter radiates two signals. One is a stationary reference signal which always points North. The second signal rotates around the transmitter.

The aircraft’s VOR receiver simply measures the difference in time between the sta-tionary reference signal (North) and the rotating signal received in your aircraft. With that information it can calculate which radial your aircraft is on.

Radial, Radial, Radial … that term is always used with VORs so you best understand it. Radials are like the spokes on a wheel. They start at the center of the VOR and POINT OUTWARD.

The VOR station transmits 360 radials, one for every degree. The VOR signal is at least accurate to one degree and usually much better.

Note the very important detail that the North Radial from a VOR points toward Magnetic North. Since pilots fly magnetic headings it is important that the VOR radial correspond to the aircraft’s compass reading.

Biography Charles Wood

Charles Wood had planned to resume his private-pilot flying after retirement in 1992 but vision problems pre-vented that. He has been an enthusiastic flight-simmer since the days of FS95 and has authored two major websites, DC-3 Airways Virtual Airline and Flight Simulator Navigation. His other hobbies are making videos, both family oriented and related to Flight Simulation, and writing.

Mr. Charles Wood

April 2009

The example here is for the Marconi VOR on Cape Cod, south-east of Boston, Massachusetts. Its mag-netic variation is 16° West.

Here is the Marconi VOR as it appears on the New York Sectional Chart.

The radio information for the Marconi VOR is inside the box: the VOR Name (Marconi), its frequency (114.7 MHz), the three-letter ident code (LFV) and the depiction of the Morse code you would hear for “LFV.”

The Channel 94 info is for military pilots.

Note also the VOR symbol circled in red. (See next pa-ragraph.)

There are three types of VOR installations: The symbol at the center of the VOR compass rose identifies the type, as shown to the right.

1 … VOR only; 2 … VOR plus DME capability 3 … VOR plus TACAN (Military UHF navigation) called a VORTAC, and with DME for all pilots.

The aircraft VOR gauge has five components:

1. The Rotating Compass Card. The arrow at the top points to the selected VOR Radial, here 345°.2. The OBS … Omni Bearing Selector. This knob rotates the Com-pass Card.3. The CDI … Course Deviation Indicator. This needle swings left or right indicating the direction to turn to return to course. When the needle is to the left, turn left and when the needle is to the right, turn right, A centered needle indicates that the aircraft is on course.4. The TO-FROM Flag which indicates whether you are flying TO the VOR Station or FROM the VOR station. When the arrow points

up, you are flying TO the station. When the arrow points down, you are flying FROM the station.5. The Track Deviation Scale … each dot represents two degrees off course.

A bit more information and we begin flyingI recommend that you fly the practice flights with a low and slow aircraft. The Cessna 172SP is a good candidate, although I think that the panel is a bit cluttered for basic navigation training. Another option is the standard C172SP but with a custom panel. You can find that on both AVSIM and FlightSim.com, with file names learnfs9.zip (fs9) and learnfsx.zip (FSX). The custom panel also has a much better view over the panel. They are easy one-step install programs. Here is a picture of that panel:

April 2009

What Radial am I on?• Move your aircraft to Runway 7, Provincetown Airport, KPVC. Do not takeoff, stay on the runway!• Tune your Nav receiver to 114.7 MHz. Verify that the Morse code ident is LFV. The VOR needle should swing left or right.• Click the OBS knob to rotate the compass card. Continue this until the needle centers and the TO/FROM flag points down, or FROM as seen to the left. You can rotate the compass card in either direction depending on which side of the OBS knob that you click.• The arrow at the top of the gauge should now point to 307°, informing you that your aircraft is on the Marconi 307° radial. Remember that Radials can only extend FROM the VOR station.

• NOTE: The needle can also center at 127° (the reciprocal of 307°) but the TO/FROM flag will point UP, i.e., TO the station. That would be your course, in this case, to fly to the VOR, but Radials are only identified with a FROM flag!

Most of the illustrations in this article are with VOR-2 to avoid the clutter of the Glide Slope needle.

How does the aircraft orientation affect the VOR reading?With your aircraft still on Runway 7 at KPVC we are going to rotate it 90° to the right, to 165°, to see the effect on the VOR reading.

Go to the Map View using the Map Icon on your front panel and type 165 into the heading box. Then click OK.

The aircraft now has a heading of 165° and the VOR gauge with the needle centered still shows that you are on the 307° radial.

The VOR gauge reading does not depend on the aircraft orientation!

Flying the Needle:Here is a planned course of 135° TO the station. We have set the VOR OBS to 135° and the TO flag is showing (pointing UP) indicating that we are flying TO the station. Our needle is nicely centered indicating that we are on course.

Here we see that our aircraft is to the Right of our desired course line. Obvi-ously we must turn Left to get back on course. Note that the VOR needle is to the Left of the gauge center mark. With VOR navigation we fly toward the needle to get back on course. Here the VOR gauge tells us to turn left to get back on course. We turn towards the needle. We are off course by 4° … The VOR gauge sensitivity is 2° per dot under the needle. You can see that the needle is two dots to the left of center

In this case our aircraft is Left of our desired 135° course line. We must turn Right to get back on course. Note that the VOR needle is to the Right of the center of the gauge, indicating a turn to the right is necessary to return to course. We turn toward the needle. Here our aircraft is 6° off course, known because the needle is three dots from center.

April 2009

Whoa … What happened here? I was holding course so good until I got near the VOR. The needle was right on center!

What happened was that you became a victim of the increase in “sensitivity” of the VOR as you move closer to it. Each VOR radial is one-degree in width. At 20 nm from the VOR, for example, that one-degree width is 2123 ft (647 meters). But at 1 nm from the VOR the width of its one-degree radial would be 1/20th of what it is at 20 nm. So if you are flying right at the outer edge of a given radial at 20 nm, and maintain that same distance from the radial (in feet or meters) as you approach

the VOR you could be 20 degrees away from the desired radial at 1 nm!

There are two very important considerations here: 1) When the VOR needle begins to rapidly move off center you know that you are very near the VOR station, and 2) more importantly, DO NOTHING! – do not chase the needle to re-center it. After passing the VOR station, assuming that your course remains unchanged, the needle will return back near center gauge again as you move away from the VOR.

How do I know when I am over the VOR Station?The first requirement is that station passage must not come as a surprise. Either know how far you are from the VOR with a DME or with a time estimate from the previous waypoint. We already mentioned above that there may be a rapid movement of the VOR needle when you are very close to the station. But that won’t happen if your piloting puts you dead on the desired radial or the VOR is coupled to your Autopilot.

Normally, station passage is indicated by the LOSS of the TO flag. At that mo-ment, a warning flag is displayed as shown in the illustration above. But be forewarned that the warning flag appears in four separate instances: 1) The Avionics power is off; 2) The Nav receiver is tuned to the wrong frequency; 3) The Nav receiver is tuned to the correct frequency but the aircraft is out of range of that station; and 4) being directly above a VOR station. This last occurrence causes the warning flag to appear because a VOR station transmits no signal directly overhead. Just a few seconds after station passage, the FROM flag will appear.

If you are a bit off course and thus not directly over the VOR, the low-signal warning flag may not appear but rather the TO flag will directly switch to the FROM flag.

The Autopilot and VOR NavigationMost modern aircraft in fs9 and FSX include an autopilot that can couple to the aircraft’s VOR equipment. Note first that only VOR-1 can couple with the autopilot. The autopilot controls the heading of your aircraft to maintain flight on the radial selected by the OBS on the VOR-1 gauge.

You should intercept the desired radial before engaging the autopilot. Then press the “NAV” button on the autopilot. The autopilot can control flights both TO and FROM the VOR. The autopilot will automatically adjust for any wind component to maintain accurate flight on the chosen radial.

Recall that at station passage, the VOR signal briefly drops to zero, as discussed above. That will auto-matically disconnect your autopilot from the VOR-1 equipment in your aircraft. Be alert for that.

April 2009 Page 17

Practice Flights Three and Four… Intercept a FROM radial

You will depart from Hanscom Field, KBED, fly north and intercept the 334° radial FROM BOS VOR, then land at Nas-hua Airport, KASH.

Move your aircraft to KBED, Runway 5,Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts. Tune your Nav to 112.7 MHz, BOS VOR, and set the OBS to 334°.

You will intercept the BOS 334° radial but the intercept angle is 41°, too large for a smooth intercept. Thus the intercept will require two heading changes.

Depart KBED on Runway 5 and maintain Hdg until 500 ft, then turn left to 015° and continue climb to 3000 ft. When the VOR needle moves to within one needle-width of center, turn left to 345° and continue until the needle has mostly centered, then turn further left to intercept the 334° radial from BOS VOR. At 26 nm DME from BOS, begin descent to 1000 ft and make a straight-in approach to KASH, Runway 32. The airport is 34 nm DME from BOS. Time; about 15 minutes.

Flight # 4 … Same as above, but set the wind to 300° at 20 kts. Depart from Rwy 29 and turn right to 015° at 500 ft then continue as above. You must adjust your aircraft heading to compensate for this wind both on the north-bound leg as well as to maintain your VOR radial. Time, about 17 minutes.

Victor AirwaysMany countries have established aviation airways, generally routes between designated VOR stations. In the United States those routes below 18,000 ft MSL have a “V” as the first letter of its name followed by one to four digits such as, V146. Because the first letter is a “V” they are called Victor Airways. Some of these details may vary outside the US. The image below shows how Victor airways appear on a Sectional Chart (VFR Charts) and on a Low Altitude Enroute Chart (IFR Charts).

The Sectional Chart, left, shows that V146 is on radial 300° from the Nantucket VOR. The “27” in the box above V 146 is the nautical miles between Navaids for this segment. Note in the IFR chart to the right, that V146 also lies on the 119° radial from the Martha Vineyard VOR. The “2000” above the V146 is the Minimum Enroute Altitude, MEA, for that segment. The I-MVY frequency info in the box is for the ILS, not the VOR.

April 2009

Practice Flight #5This final flight is representative of a common course-change procedure.

Tune your Nav receiver to SEY, Sandy Point VOR, 117.8 MHz and set the OBS to 130°. Depart Runway 14 from Westerly State airport, KWST, and climb to 3000 ft. At 500 ft, turn right to 170° and intercept V58, 130° inbound to Sandy Point VOR. At the VOR turn left and intercept V268, R046° north-east to Newport State airport, KUUU. Land on Runway 4. Total flight time: about 26 minutes.

Note that your left turn at Sandy Point VOR, from 130° to 046°, is nearly 90°. The image below shows your route of flight at station passage.

With a left turn from 130° (V58) at station passage to 046° your heading will correspond to V268 but you will be 0.5 nm off course, right of the V268 airway. At 100 kts, the radius of a 90° standard rate turn is 0.5 nm. Ob-viously you have to continue your left turn until intersecting with V268 but you are very close to the VOR and the needle will move rapidly so don’t rush the intercept. If you turn too sharply you will cross V268 and then must turn right to get back to V268, creating an “S” turn intercept, not a lot of fun.

I recommend that you save this flight after satisfactory intercept of V58, 130°. Then you can practice the turn and intercept of V268 without having to repeat the entire flight.

That finishes this installment. Next time we will discuss and fly Intersections and VOR Instrument approa-ches. Both are easy to understand and fun, plus you will be surprised how well you can approach a run-way shrouded in IMC weather without an ILS.

Charles Wood

April 2009

A Air Traffic Control, Provides a service...

It sounds like a simple statement, it was once brought up by a friend of mine, but .... looking at this statement by itself, there is lot to say.

ATC is providing a service to the pilots. Not just one, but infact several services at the same time (http://academy.ivao.aero/node/36). These services can go a long way. Look back and listen to the tapes of the by now famous Hudson landing in New York (http://be.forum.ivao.aero/index.php/topic,100567.0.html).

If you have the right tapes to listen to, you will hear that at serious moments there is only one task left for an ATC - Follow the situation and assist the pilots in any way possible. Be at their service like a good and devoted servant and do what ever is needed, whether asked or necessary at such a moment. What else could you do as ATC?

Provide your service and assist (http://academy.ivao.aero/node/90).

On the pilot’s side, I would say, as shown in New York, use their service to its optimum. Ask ATC what ever you need to ask that could help you in the situation you are in. They are there waiting and more than willing to be at your service.

Now we can move away from the New York scene. In general, I would say to Pilots, “Your ATC is there for you to help you and to make your flight a pleasant, successful and above all, a safe one.”

That does not mean ATC is a slave or somebodies door-mat. Not at all. Pilot and ATC are a team. In a way they perform together. Any flight that takes place in these big (IVAO) virtual skies. Each with its own role and adding to each other. ATC is or could be an addition to the position of the pilot. ATC assists with information, provides pro-per separation for the safe conduct of flights, is there as a the guide in the air in any situation, especially in case of an emergency. ..... In short, ATC plays a very impor-tant role in the performance of a pilot.

April 2009

Londen Heathrow, 1968. © NATS.

So, let’s aim for a good relation between them, between ATC and pilots.

Ah, and realise that in this IVAO hobby here, one may say that ATC is a duty, where a pilot is ha-ving fun..... Think about it :)

When we compare an emergency situation, there is a considerable difference between the real life and IVAO situation, For an IVAO pilot, in most cases he continues to fly his aircraft, whereby in fact the computer will do most of the work. Keep pushing the right buttons and continue. For an IVAO ATC this is very dif-ferent. For him it real gets busy since he is absolutely alone and on his self. Contrary to real life, where a controller hardly ever will be alone.

In IVAO, we strive to hand-over emergency traffic from the one controller to the next, as

usual. In that case, more and more controllers will get some experience with handling an emer-gency. But, in fact before you hand-over an aircraft in emergency, you should advise the next controller of the situation and tell him whatever there is to tell for his convenience and for that of the pilot. Just to avoid to asking the pilot again to explain the whole story. Meanwhile your normal traffic continues and need some care as well. In short, ATC is at duty.

While ATC is on duty, he will immediately recognise the newbie, the beginner and the pilot in need of help. ATC will remain calm and will assist in any way possible to make the pilot at comfort. Whether it is talking in a slow (!!) mode, or with repeating if the pilot did not copy the first time. And you know what, pilots will be grateful for that. In return it will make the ATC happy. At the end of his duty he will look back and say to himself “….That was fun, again today I made many pilots happy, even if it was my duty:..”

Which brings me to a forum topic that I read recently about motivation and challenge or say satisfaction. Interesting to read that some IVAO users see and re-alise that there is a limit in the top we can reach here. Indeed, there is that limit. If you climb the ladder and finally reached the top as a C3 controller or even a C4 and you can call yourself a “principle controller”, than what is next? Not necessarily instructor.... This is interesting where many people think that instructor is a next rank that you can reach so as to be on top of some one else. Wrong!

You know what an instructor is? That is not someone ABOVE you, but that is someone NEXT to you. That’s the guy who sits next to you and will try to tell you how you could do the work of ATC or how to fly as a pilot. You know, instructor is something the one has within and attains. It is a kind of a talent. You are able to do it or you cannot. Therefore, it is not part of that bewished ladder and badge system.

April 2009

As it is in real life these days, a tower simulator with instructors next to you.

April 2009

http://academy.ivao.aero

SSomeone could be a very good C1 instructor while training IVAO friends to become a TWR controller. But he does not need to have an instructor rank for that purpose. The driving motivation is, every day again, to satisfy the pilots as happy customers. To provide the service which they are looking for and which they need. One way or the other. If the pilots are happy, ATC can be happy.

What is the challenge? The challenge is to have all those pilots, time again, guided through your area in a safe and expeditious way. To help them when they need help, to provide them with that missing piece of information they need. Every day again, since every day is different, any moment is different.

On the other side, Yes I can understand the question of motivation and challenge or of satisfaction. You know, in real life an ATC would look for an interesting hobby next to his professional work and duty as ATC. Just to relax and have something different from time to time. Maybe an idea for IVAO as well ..... ?? Look for a hobby, maybe of IVAO piloting ?? Do some flying from time to time and experience the other side of the line. Like we do in real life where ATC makes their cockpit flights regularly, to meet pilots and to see how they are at thier work and enjoy the ATC services.

Enjoy, either side.

Bob (PATCO) van der Flier

[email protected]

April 2009

Coming soon...

IVAO Brand Shop!

W e a t h e rOf all things which influence the safety of flight, the weather, the characteristics and behavior of the Earth’s atmosphere, is without doubt the most powerful.The following can have a direct and indirect influence on flight safety: Turbulence associated with convective activity (for example, thunderstorms), terrain (for example, the movement of air masses over mountains), jet streams and the interaction between air masses, can cause structural damage to aircraft. Ice Formation on Aircraft can alter the aerodynamic characteristics of an aircraft and cause damage to or loss of function of the engines and seriously affect the performance of an aircraft. Aircraft and In Flight Icing Risks discusses the commonly-encountered issues whilst High Level Ice Crystal Icing of turbine engines is a recently-identified and improperly understood phenome-non which occurs outside the normal icing envelope. Ice may form on aircraft whilst they are on the ground prior to flight and this must be removed and any further ac-cretion on the airframe prevented by the Aircraft Ground De/Anti Icing so that any aircraft is free of ice deposits at the point at which it gets airborne. Reduced visibility, associated with cloud, mist, fog, or sand storms, can make safe flight difficult or even im-possible, even with the help of technology (ILS, weather radar, synthetic vision systems, etc)

Surface contamination; standing water, ice, or snow on take-off, landing and maneuver surfaces. Wind Velocity; the influence of wind on directional control cross-wind or aircraft stability during take-off and landing, and generally on en-route performance.

Precipitation; for example rain, hail, and snow af-fect aerodynamics and visibility.

Lightning; a lightning strike can be very distressing to passengers (and crew!) but physical damage to an aircraft is not likely to threaten the safety of the aircraft. Of greater concern is the effect a lightning strike can have on avionics, particularly compass systems, and the potential for the transient airflow disturbance associated with lightning to cause engine shutdown on both FADEC and non-FADEC engines with close-spaced engine pairs.

This shot shows a lightning bolt striking an airplane taking off Osaka's airport, then hitting the ground.

April 2009

April 2009

W e a t h e r(Continued previous page)

Many of the operational safety issues can be affected by weather: Runway Excursion: The indirect contribution of weather to runway surface state and the direct effect of crosswind compo-nent on directional control. CFIT: CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain) accidents often oc-cur when an aircraft is in cloud or in reduced forward visibility, when the crew may be subject to extra workload, be distrac-ted, or have reduced situational awareness associated with the weather conditions.

Loss of Control: as a result of turbulence or wind shear such as might be experienced in a Microburst or as a result of a exposure to In-Flight Icing which exceeds the capacity of the Ice Protection Systems.

There are numerous specific mitigation strategies to maintain the safety of flight in certain types of weather. These may be technical, procedural, or navigation related, or all three, and it may be appropriate to re-route, delay or cancel a flight if no satisfactory mitigation is available.

Now days many aircraft do have weather radar integrated within their instruments.

Those systems tells something about bad weather enroute like rain and turbulence.

I n - F l i g h t I c i n gIce accreted on an aircraft structure and/or its engines and their air inlets as a result of flight in atmospheric icing conditions. Description:The freezing point of water is 0°C. If the local tempe-rature near an airframe or powerplant external surface falls to zero or below, then ice may form from water droplets freezing on or immediately after contact with the aircraft surface.Considerable quantities of atmospheric water continue to exist in liquid form well below 0°C. The quantity of "supercooled" water steadily decreases until, by about

-40°C, most has frozen. The size of supercooled water droplets and the nature of the airflow around the aircraft surface, dictate how many of the drop-lets will impact the surface. The size of a droplet also determines what happens after impact, for example larger droplets tend to splash and break up into smaller ones. Finally, the size is related to the mass of water in the droplet, which determines the time required for the physical state change. Larger droplets which do not break up into smaller ones will take longer to freeze and can form a surf-ace layer of liquid water before freezing occurs.

April 2009

(Continued previous page)I n - F l i g h t I c i n g

Effects of Icing:Airframe Icing can lead to reduced per-formance, loss of lift, altered controllabi-lity and ultimately stall and subsequent loss of control of the aircraft. Hazards of icing include:

Adverse Aerodynamic EffectsIce accretion on the airframe is likely to modify the airflow pattern around airfoil surfaces such as wings and propeller blades leading to loss of lift, increased drag and a shift in the airfoil center of pressure. The latter effect may alter longitudinal stability and pitch trim requi-rements. Longitudinal stability may also be affected by a degradation of lift ge-nerated by the horizontal stabiliser. The modified airflow pattern may significant-ly alter the pressure distribution around flight control surfaces such as ailerons and elevators. If the control surface is unpowered i.e. manually operated, this change in pressure distribution can ultimately cause uncommanded control deflections that may not be able to be overpowered by the pilot.

Blockage of pitot tubes and static ventsBlockage of the air inlet to any part of a pitot static system can produce errors in pressure instruments such as Altime-ters, Airspeed indicators, and Vertical Speed Indicators. The most likely origin of such occurrences to otherwise ser-viceable systems has always been the non-activation of the built-in electrical heating which these tubes and plates are provided with.Communications problems Ice forming on unheated aerials can degrade the performance of radios.

Surface Hazard from Ice Shed-dingIce shed during in-flight de icing is not of a size which could create a hazard should it survive in frozen form until reaching the ground below. However, there has been a long history of ice falls from aircraft waste drain masts. There are many documented cases of hazardous-sized pieces of so-called "blue ice" falling from aircraft and damaging property and occasional reports of such falls nearly injuring people. Most of these events are recorded where there is a high density of long haul commercial air traffic in the vicinity of a large airport which is located near a densely populated residential area. Many have been attributed to drain masts from air-craft galleys or toilet compartments which should have been heated to prevent ice formation but the heating systems have been found to have been faulty.

Types of Ice Accretion:Rime Ice Rime ice is formed when small super cooled water droplets freeze on contact with a sub-zero surface. Because the droplets are small, they freeze almost instantly crea-ting a mixture of tiny ice particles and trapped air. The ice deposit formed is rough and crystalline and opaque. Because of its crys-talline structure, rime ice is brittle and appears white in colour from a distance.Rime ice forms on the leading ed-ges and can affect the aerodynamic characteristics of wings as well as forming an obstruction at engine air intakes. Rime may start with no particular shape, instead just coa-ting the leading edge area roughly. As it develops, it may protrude forward into the airstream, although it is limited structurally in how much of a “horn” it can develop.

Clear IceClear, or Glaze, ice is formed by larger supercooled droplets which take longer to freeze. This results in some degree of runback, fewer air bubbles, and leads to the ice ac-cretion being transparent or trans-

In extreme cases and depen-dant on the temperature and droplet size, the ice accretion on a leading edge may take the shape of a “double ram’s horn” with protrusions on the upper and lower leading edges. These horns can oc-cur at a variety of angles and across a wide range of locati-ons around the leading edge. They may become somewhat large as glaze ice tends to have more structure than rime. Cloudy or Mixed Ice is the description given to ice accre-tion which has features of both Rime and Clear/Glaze Icing. Because it forms in the wide range of conditions between those which lead to mostly Rime or mostly Clear/Glaze Ice, it is the most common and may tend to have a relatively more rime-like or glaze-like character and appearance. Some other terms which may be encountered in connection with airframe ice accretion include: Supercooled Large Droplets (SLD), Runback Ice, Intercy-cle Ice.

lucent. If the freezing process is sufficiently slow to allow the water to spread more evenly before freezing, the resultant transparent sheet of ice may be difficult to detect. The larger the droplets, and the slower the freezing process, the more transparent the ice.

We hope you have found this article interesting. Stay tuned on the next issue. On behalf of the IVAO Training Department.

R.Henschen

April 2009

April 2009 April 2009

April 2009

The Colombian division of IVAO has been active for a few years now. This division has grown under difficult a circumstance to what it is today “the second largest division in South America” with around 1,350 mem-bers. The Division offers a number of activities to its members. Some of the important activities have been:

ToursThe Division has developed some famous IFR and VFR tours. Including, unique tours like the ULM or the Special Operations Mega tour. The division has its own “Tour reporting system” that makes reporting tour legs more exiting and con-venient.

EventsDivision’s event department hosted the prestigious edition of Real Flight Event – America. Further, every month the division conducts high traffic events such as crowded skies, dangerous approach, Special operations, etc. Most of these events are successful in simulating real world traffic and giving members the experience of the real world.

As a regular feature the division conducts “Online Day” on all Saturdays starting at 20:00 UTC with full staffed ATC position in principal airports of Colombia.

Factsheet Colombia- Language: Spanish (official ICAO language)- Capital: Bogota- Form of Government: Republic- Surface: 1.138.914 KM2 (8,8% water)- Residents: 45.013.674 (2008)- Timezone: UTC -5- More info: http://www.colombiaemb.org http://co.ivao.aero

April 2009

TrainingThe training department has created their own training center based on Moodle Platform, which contains official material from the Colombia Aviation Entity. The training pages have been successful in improving the skill sets of the Colombian Division members.

For more information, we welcome you to visit our website at http://co.ivao.aero.

Regards from Bogotá, Colombia.Nicolás Pombo, CO-DIRRicardo Sarasty, CO-TC

April 2009

Avianca © Airliners.net

Coming soon...

IVAO Brand Shop!

Located at 6° 10′ 30″ S, 106° 49′ 42″ E, Kepulauan Nusantara (archipelago), Indonesia is truly a gem of the equator.

With its 17,508 islands, she is the world’s largest archipelagic country. Air transport plays a very crucial role in transporting commuters from one island to another

Garuda Indonesia (ICAO: GIA; IATA: GA) is the national flag car-rier, that connects Indonesia with the world.

Other than Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia sky is colored with various airlines, to mention some:• Citilink;• Merpati Nusantara Airlines;• Pelita Air Service;• Lion Air;• Batavia Air;• Mandala Airlines.

The IVAO Indonesia Division welcomes your presence in Indonesia airspace; We wish you a pleasant flight ahead! For more information about ID division procedure, visit: http://id.ivao.aero.

Some major airports in Indonesia...

April 2009

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (ICAO: WIII; IATA: CGK)

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (or what Indonesian usually calls as Soe-Ta) is the main airport serving Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. It is named after the first Pre-sident and Vice President of Indonesia, Soekarno and Muh. Hatta, respectively.

This airport was the 35th busiest airport in 2004-2006, according to Airliners World Magazine, but yet rank as the 6th most punctual airport in the

world (Forbes).

There are two parallel runways running on the North and South of the airport:• RW 07L/25R – on the North (12,887 ft)• RW 07R/25L – on the South (11,811 ft)

The most common scenery used is made by Budi San-toso and can be downloaded from http://www.iscenery.net

Ngurah Rai International Airport (ICAO: WADD; IATA: DPS)

Located in Pulau Dewata (the island of the gods), Ngurah Rai Airport becomes the window for tourists from various places to come and visit Bali island.

The airport, situated, in the “small throat” in the south of Bali island, offers any pilot a fantastic view during appro-ach with the view of the sea on your three sides.

The runway is equipped with ILS navigation system when you are approaching from the East. However, if you are approaching from the West, there is only VOR DME ap-proach available.

The airport is capable of receiving wide bo-dies and being a major tourist destination, has direct routes to and from various places in the world, such as: Singapore, Japan, Aus-tralia, Bangkok, China, Hongkong, Russia, and Korea.

Juanda International Airport (ICAO: WARR; IATA: SUB)

The second busiest airport in Indonesia after Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Juanda International Airport is the gate to enter Kota Pahlawan (The Heroes’ City), Surabaya city, the capital city of the East Java province. The new apron with an area of 148,000 m² can handle 18 aircraft simultaneously, including two wide body, 11 medium and five small aircraft. There are two 3000x30m parallel taxiways, including five exit taxiways (30m wide) and four connecting taxiways (also 30m).

Approach to Juanda Airport, is ILS on RW 10 and VOR DME approach on RW 28.

Some Interesting Approaches in Indonesia...Polonia International Airport (ICAO: WIMM, IATA: MES)Ever wondered what it takes to approach an airport situated by residential areas? Alt-hough not as dangerous as Hongkong Kaitak International Airport, but approaching Polo-nia Airport, Medan could be as interesting!

Polonia airport is located at the city of Medan, the capital of North Sumatera Province. It is the fourth largest airport in Indonesia after Soekarno-Hatta, Juanda and Ngurah Rai.

There is a single asphalt runway (RW 05/23) which is 2.900 m and 45 m wide, but has only 2,625 m of usable length. Moreover, there is no run-off space beyond the runway thresholds. Its location in popu-lated residential areas has taken its toll for more than 400 lives over the course of 25 years.

The approach to this airport is challenging not only because of its location in the residential area, but also because it is located at the proximity of Gunung Sibayak which has its peak at 7,257 feet. Due to this terrain condition and the airport location, if there is not much wind, the departure will be from RW23, and the arrival will be on RW05.

Departing from Polonia Airport, it is customary to be held at 3,000 ft until ap-proximately 15 nm from MDN VOR. The rule-of-thumb when controlling is to have the arriving traffic above and the departing traffic below. The key of success in controlling in this area is the familiarity of the controller with the sur-rounding terrain and airport characteristic.

Padang, Tabing (ICAO: WIMG; IATA: PDG – No longer operating)Although no longer operating, but this airport still become a major attraction for a lot of virtual pilots. Tabing Airport is located at Padang city, famous for its food called Rendang. A newer airport is built to replace Tabing Airport. However, ap-proach to these airports is still interesting.

Approach to Padang is not easy because of the area is surrounded by hills. No straight-in landing is allowed; only circling to land is permitted.

To complete the difficulty, you may think you have runway insight, but watch out, which one is Tabing?

There are real cases whereby the pilot land at the wrong airport. So will you be the next one? Try it yourself and see!

We hope to welcome you soon!For the Indonesia Division, Rinaldi Hanafi, ID-DIR

April 2009

April 2009

Campus Party 2009 is the biggest net-work event held in Brazil. The event originated in Spain and in 2009, the se-cond edition of this prestigious event was held in Brazil.

IVAO’s Brazilian Division for the second con-secutive year was responsible for Civil Flight Simulation section of the event and was respon-sible in educating the visitors on the basics of flight simulation.

Brazil Division’s participation was made pos-sible due to the presence of most of its staff members from almost all parts of Brazil. The following staff members were present during the event:

The staff did a magnificent task in educating the visitors about IVAO and impressing upon them the advantages of IVAO through live demonstra-tions. The visitors were shown the capabilities of IVAO’s software.

IVAO Brazil division also had also organized a live streaming of the entire event which was available on the Brazil division’s website.This was a big event and the staff are hopeful they have been educa-te visitors on IVAO and hoping very soon many of these visitors will register as members on IVAO net-work.

This event was a huge success and was made possible due to the tireless effort of IVAO Brazil staff members, members like Sandro Almeirda (EX-Ivaobr staff) and many others.

For Everybody I can say Thank You.

With pleasure and Regards,Leonardo Ferreira, Brazil Events Assistant Coordinator

- BR-DIR,Fabio Ferragi

- BR-AOC, Rodrigo Hahnekamp

- BR-FOAC, Peter Von Adamovich

- BR-TC,Fabiano Vasconcellos

- BR-EAC,Leonardo Ferreira

- BR-TA5,Guilherme Maguerroski

- BR-WM, Victor Troz

- SBBS-CH,Giovani Scarpati

- SBBS-ACH,Winder Mendes

- SBCW-CH,Mauricio Rodrigues

- SBCW-ACH,Cesar Franke

April 2009

MCAS MIRAMARAIRSHOW 2008

It has been a few months now that the US Division held the Miramar MCAS Air Show. After reviewing the whole event, I must say that I am very satisfied with the final result. More than 40 participants joined the event by providing fantastic shows or splendid ATC services. Although we didn’t had a lot of spectators, the global reactions were great. We had around 10-15 diffirent natio-nalities and the same number of diffirent planes. I’m very excited to make similar events in the future and I really advise other divisions to make an air show too.

Faster than I thought, day 3 arrived. This day included a display with the thunderbirds toge-ther with Air Force One. As final act, the F-16 display team of the Belgian Air Force made a spectacular show. The event was officially closed.. It was a succes! I saw only the best of the best during these 3 days..

The air show was officially opened by the Mexian Air Force and we already had some spectators online. Each pilot or team received 15 minutes for the show. Due a smooth organisation, we only had 3 or 4 pilots who were de-layed. On the end of the First day, the french air

force closed the First part of the show, A magnificent display.

The 3 highlights of the second day were the 2 F-14’s from the “dreamsky air show”, the solo display of Tiger31 with his F-16 and the USF022 a.k.a. Raptor. Via an IVAC connection, you really could see the professionalism of these pilots.

By Sam Bogaerts US-SOC

April 2009

Every issue in this section we will hunt down the hottest downloads available in the flight simulationcommunity. We also take this opportunityto salute these freeware developers, who devote their timeand efforts in creating some awesome add-ons,available to us for FREE.

Marco Meerkerk

PlanePath NavDataFS2004/ FSX UtilitiesFilenames: VariousAuthors: PlanePathSource: http://planepath.com/html/dafif.html

‘Flying around with an old AIRAC cycle, getting SID or STAR clearance and your FMS does not seems to have them in the database?’ It’s over now! PlanePath is you website for FREE AIRAC updates. Updates to be downloaded every 4 weeks.

Realtime NG SeriesMiscellaneousFilenames: N/AAuthors: Jasper BussemakerSource: http://www.utr-online.com/Software.asp?page=5

The Realtime NG Series is a browser-based flash applet, which displays online flights of IVAO or VATSIM sorted by departure / destination airport or airline. You can use it yourself or embed it at your website!

April 2009

Poznan - Lawica Airport (EPPO2009) and Navaid FixFS2004 sceneryFilenames: eppo2009_255660.zip & eppo2009au.zipAuthors: Mateusz Stabryla - MK StudiosSource: http://www.avsim.com

Poznan - Lawica Airport (IATA: POZ, ICAO: EPPO), built in 1913, is one of the oldest airports in Poland. It is located 7 km west of Poznañ city centre. High quality textures (five seasons + night textures), Detalied autogen, Realistic trees, 3D grass, other details, NEW Ultra realistic snow.

LOWG 2009 - Graz ThalerhofFS2004 sceneryFilenames: LOWG2009.zipAuthors: Michael Eder, Gerhard Brunner, Simon Hötzinger (FS Terminal)Source: http://www.fsterminal.at/site/index.php?site=lowg

Beautiful and framerate-friendly state-of-the-art scenery of the austrian airport Graz-Thalerhof (LOWG). Photoreal layout, controllable lights, etc.

Rotterdam, Netherlands (EHRD/RTM) version 1.03 FS2004 sceneryFilenames: ehrd_mod_v103.zipAuthors: Harmen BosmaSource: http://www.avsim.com

This is version 1.03 - complete package (no previous update files neces-sary). This is a highly realistic rebuilt of the default EHRD. In this version the ILS frequency of runway 24 changed to 110.90 as in real-life. Further-more, a Word-document in included containing some information about the airport. For full detail, please check the readme file.

Boeing/BAe T-45C Goshawk for FSX:Acceleration FSX aircraftFilenames: t45cfsxe.zipAuthors: Dino CattaneoSource: http://www.avsim.com

The T-45C Goshawk is a heavily modified version of the Bae Hawk single engine jet trainer, adapted to aircraft carrier ops.This package contains an entirely new visual model, with self shadowing,bump mapping and photore-al hi-res textures, working virtual dynamic cockpit, 3D gauges, and reaso-nably accurate flight model. Version 1.25:miscellaneous visual and functio-nal improvements. Acceleration package required for HUD,MFD,sound and carrier ops. Designed by Dino Cattaneo.

April 2009

April 2009

If you have download tips for the ‘Freeware zone’, feel free to contact the Public Relations staff anytime or report your find on the IVAO forum.

Dubai XFSX sceneryFilenames: dubai_x_part1.zip & dubai_x_part2.zipAuthors: Olivier BOCHUSource: http://www.avsim.com

After Dubaï2004,Here is a two parts file give you Dubaï city with : Photo real ground texture (Day & Night) of the 65 km shoreline, Most amazing buildings in the world, the last evolution of airport, the Palm island and The World islands. Only for FSX. Part 2 is needed for airport & airport ground texture

Nord3202 v1 (package with English documentation)FS2004 aircraftFilenames: n3202v1fs9eng.zipAuthors: Andre Chancel, Restauravia teamSource: http://www.avsim.com

The Nord 3202 is a single-engine aircraft, intended for pilots instruction, built by Nord Aviation (a french manufacturer) in the sixties. This package contains the whole model with 4 liveries, panel 2D, fully functional Virtual Cockpit and original sounds. By Andre Chancel and the RESTAURAVIA team.

Airbus A300B4-600ST BelugaFSX aircraftFilenames: beluga_for_fsx.zipAuthors: UKFlightsim, Jonathan Reeves, Tom Ruth, Dave Hazelgrove, Emil Serafino Jr.Source: http://www.avsim.com

This is the UKFlightsim Airbus A300B4-600ST Beluga for FSX. This pac-kage contains 1 model and 3 Texture Sets. Created by Jonathan Reeves, Tom Ruth, Dave Hazelgrove and Emil Serafino Jr.

Allen Sindel, is one of the founders and a very senior and respected member of IVAO. He has been around with IVAO for over 6 years, during these years he has had held various important positions in United States of America(USA) Division and also as Senior Staff of IVAO. As of date he continues to serve IVAO as Vice President of IVAO and Training Advisor of USA. Let me take this opportunity

to Introduce to Allen, the side not all of us know about him

Vybhav: What was your first experi-ence with virtual aviation? Allen: My first experience was with MS FS2000 and MS’s network. I tried it several times but at that time the MS multiplayer network was more of a game then trying to simulate a VA experience like we do today with IVAO.

Vybhav: You have been actively involved with the USA division for a very long time. A number of people would recognize you for the contribu-tion you have made to that division. How much have you seen the division change over the years? Allen: When I first started with IVAO in Jan 2003, the US Division had very little participation. Generally at any time during the day or night there was very little traffic and to see ATC online was very rare. Through the years, I met Jim Ramos, Todd Moore, Eric Olson and many others where we improved our training programs, de-veloped new members to participate, improved our events, and website to what you see today. Although, we still have a lot more development to do, we certainly now have more participa-tion then when I first joined IVAO via the US Division.

Vybhav: You have been through a number of senior staff positions in IVAO! What has been your most che-rished experience and Why? Allen: My most cherished experi-ence was during the time we finalized IVAO as an NPO and developed our relations with the Microsoft Flight Simulator team. We had many is-sues during that period, but working

as a team with Erwin Lion, Gustavo Hernandez, Alain Debrouwer and others, the framework of what we see today was established for transparency and communication with our members. The relationship we developed with the MS Team at that time also allowed the Software Development Team, which is lead by Filip Jonckers and Kenny Moens, to make very significant advances in our software like IvAc and IvAp.

Vybhav: If I am right you were also one of the first few staff members in the Public Relations Department, can you share with us some of your experiences in that position? Allen: When the Public Relati-ons Department started, I was the Assistant Director. Primarily the Software Development Department was at the final stages of releasing IvAc and IvAp which were to re-place ProController and Squawk Box. IVAO at that time did not have any know public releases to the VA world news sites so when the PR Department first made news relea-ses we were not even sure they would publish them. Well, to our surprise they published them for IvAc and IvAp. That started a long string of successes which included IvAe, Events, and World Tours.We had many exciting times in the beginning and I think are members enjoyed the fact to see IVAO news items showing on the Virtual Avia-tion news sites. I know the Div and Sr Staff appreciated that we took an active role in promoting the aware-ness of IVAO to our community of enthusiast.

Allen is married, with (6) children and 14 grandchild-ren. He and his family live in (Ellington, CT) which is near Bradley International Airport

(KBDL).

He attended Ohio State Uni-versity where he received a BS degree in Welding Engi-

neering. After graduating, he has worked in the Navy Nu-clear, Oil and Gas Upstream equipment, and recently with Alstom Power in the Utility Power Generation industry.

During his professional career, he has held positi-

ons as the Vice President of Manufacturing, Vice President

of Operations, and served on the Board of Directors for two major companies within the USA. He also servers on several technical committees

with the American Welding Society, American Petroleum

Institute, and has three (3) patents related to welding and

separation technologies.

April 2009

April 2009

Vybhav: You have been elected as the Vice-President of the IVAO NPO organization for the second time now. For our average members, what are your roles and responsibili-ties as a Vice President? Allen: The Vice President role/res-ponsibilities are to assist the Presi-dent in areas whereby he/she can not chair the Board of Governors and/or General Assembly meetings. In addition, the Vice President ser-vers on the Exec Committee where the day to day management of IVAO is conducted. In addition, the President can assign specific task for the Vice President to accomplish, like writing letters for a specific is-sue, being a mediator for resolving complaints, reviewing overall IVAO Rules/Regulations, and performing long range strategic planning.

Vybhav: The World is of constant change. I am sure over the past 10 years IVAO too has changed; to some extent you may have also been instrumental for these changes being a senior staff. In your view what have been these significant changes in our community? Allen: As we all know the tech-nology advances are improving at a very significant rate. Many of us have had the opportunity to live through the times of not even knowing what a PC was to today they are as common in house holds as having a telephone (Note: And even the telephones have changed too!!!). In our community, IVAO has recognized the need to develop our technology to support our members through our own software which is under our control. During my time as Sr Staff in various positions, I have always supported these ef-forts in every position I have held by promoting IVAO has having the best software for Virtual Aviation, attending conferences promoting our software, participating as a Beta Tester, working with the Training Departments (Div/HQ), and naturally flying on the IVAN to answer questi-ons from our members. Therefore, the most significant changes, which are always performed by working to-gether as a TEAM, are: 1) The Best Software available that is under our control, 2) Working relationships with external FS news sites, 3) Sr Staff/Member Communications and Transparency, and 4) IVAO Finan-cial Stability.

Vybhav: What do you think has been IVAO’s biggest achievement over the last 10 years?Allen: When we formed the NPO. This set up the foundation for financial stability and member involvement through the General Assembly and Board of Governors. As we move forward, which we will always have areas for improvement, this single event allows for a more diverse involvement of our members to shape the future of IVAO and maintain our continued growth and stability for the future.Vybhav: Where do you see IVAO heading over the next 5 years in terms technology, membership base, etc.,?Allen: Our immediate challenge is the future of FS with the demise of the MS Games Studio, i.e. Ace’s Team. In the immediate future, FSX can carry us for some years into the future and since MS is shifting to a new release of XP7 then I am confident the Software Development Team will meet the challenges. As such, I am equally confident that IVAO, which develops are own software, will still be the leader in this area. As for membership base, I think we will continue to grow as more and more enthusiast become aware of us through our news relea-ses and other promotions we have taken through the distribution of MS add-on software. We also must ad-dress how we work with Virtual Air-lines to help promote their involve-ment with IVAO. With respect to the Training Department, we are making significant advances in our training information and the requirements for Pilots/ATC. Through the Training activities I would foresee that new members would first be introdu-ced into the technology, friendship, events, and the enjoyment of being a member of IVAO.Vybhav: You have around 1,000 hours as an Air Traffic Controller and over 5,000 hours as a Pilot. So I as-sume you love flying online. Which aircraft do you fly? Which is your favorite route?Allen: Lately I fly the MD-11.However, I usually pick long rou-tes since it gives me time to see how our weather server responds to many changes in geographical areas. My favorite route is to depart for Boston USA (KBOS) to Honolulu USA (PHNL). Since in real life I usu-ally depart from Boston and I have not been to Honolulu, I guess it is in anticipation of fulfilling a dream that my wife and I have for the future.

Vybhav: Are your children or grand children influenced by your hobby are joined IVAO as members?Allen: Well they are not members of IVAO but as my children where growing up they were influenced. Ge-nerally by, “Where is Dad?”; answer from Vicki my wife, “Where else but in his cave, flying on IVAO!”. My grand-children, when the come to visit, sometimes get the same response as my children received from my wife. Howe-ver, my grandchildren do fly on IVAN with me, but we tend to use autopilot and I answer, “What is this??”.

Vybhav: Did you read the ‘Virtual Sky’? What do you think about the magazine?Allen: Yes I read every issue. The magazine is of tremendous benefit not only to our members but also to promoting IVAO. The different subjects covered each month give the readers and in-depth view of IVAO and the Virtual Aviation world.

Vybhav: Many thanks for the interview. It was a pleasure to hear your views. Allen: Thank you giving me the opportunity to share my views and thoughts. I would also like to thank all of our members and Sr Staff for giving me the opportunity to work within IVAO to help pro-mote our network and for the experience to enjoy my hobby. We have the best environment for members to meet people from all around the world and to enjoy one common goal, which is virtual aviation. From my involvement with IVAO over the years, I have made and met many friends in many different countries. As I travel in real life, I have met many personally, and my business associates are always amazed and ask, “How do you have so many friends all over the world?”. My answer is always the same, “Join IVAO, and you too can enjoy our friendship and passion for virtual avia-tion.”

April 2009

IVAO INTERVIEW

Interview with Hüseyin HocaTop Ranking Pilot on IVAOby Vybhava Srinivasan

Huseyin Hoca is the Top Ran-king Pilot in IVAO and has been on the network for over 7 years. As of January 1, 2009 have about 20314 online hours and still counting. Which means on an average he is online for about 9 hours every day. An inspiring pilot of IVAO, we were honoured to catch up with him for an exclusive interview.

Vybhav: What is your pro-fession in real life? Most of us think that you are a real world pilot.Huseyin: No, I am not a real world pilot but from my child-hood I want to be a real world pilot. My profession is bowling and I am working in Bowling Club since 1998.

Vybhav: How did you come across IVAO?Huseyin: I have been flying with MS Flight Simulator since 1995 (offline). In March 2002 one of my friend’s who was also a real world pilot introdu-

ced me to IVAO. Since March 2002 I have been flying with IVAO. And my senior ERIM FUNDA (Director of IVAO Turkey Division) continuously helped and encouraged me to fly with IVAO.

helped and encouraged me to fly with IVAO.

Vybhav: From your profile it is clear that you love only to be a Pilot. What kind of aircrafts do you fly?Huseyin: Yes you are right, I love to be a pilot and IVAO gave me an opportunity to fulfil my dreams. Normally I fly with every aircraft but I love to fly with BOEING 777-300 and AIRBUS 310.

Vybhav: Over 20,000 hours is no joke. I am sure it means a lot of flying. Probably even more than what most profes-sional pilots would achieve. What has been the motivating factor for this mammoth achie-vement?Huseyin: I would like to thank

IVAO for giving me such an opportunity. Meet new people having similar interest, I like this very much and also love to fly IVAO world tours.

Vybhav: Although you have over 20,000 hours, your rating is only a pilot. Is there any reason why did not pursue a higher ratings on IVAO?Huseyin: Actually I don’t know the answer too. “I love to fly and I can carry on flying with current status” and hence I never looked at my rating. But now your question has set me thinking and hopefully very soon I try to obtain higher ratings.

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Vybhav: What would you like to say to a newbie pilots who has a passion to pursue a hobby as a virtual pilot?Huseyin: My message to new pilots is ....just to follow the rules and take the hobby seriously and do everything properly. The most important thing I would like to stress is “communicate “. This may the ATC if one is online else through Unicom via text. IVAO is our family just take care of it.

Vybhav: As you may be aware IVAO has completed 10 years. What would you want to say to the members and staff on this occasion?Huseyin: In first I want to Congratulate all members and

staff for completing IVAO’s 10 Years. Actually I am not finding any word to say something to IVAO’s admin and staff mem-bers but…. I can’t forget their great efforts and struggle to maintain IVAO and provide us with such opportunity of flying. Vybhav: What changes have you seen in IVAO over years you have been a member?Huseyin: I have seen many technical and other changes in IVAO during my period. The software’s have been periodi-cally updated to provide many other good features. IVAO family has increased. The journey from squawk box to IVaP and Roger Wilco to Team speak has been an amazing

one and symbolised an im-portant progression. I pray for this journey to continue to the newer horizons. Vybhav: Many thanks for accepting our request for the interview.Huseyin: Thank you very much Vybhav. This interview is an honour for me.Once more thank you and many thanks to IVAO.

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Overall top 100 facts:- With over a amazing amount of 30000 hours, Dieter Salzl (AU division) is leading the top 100 of most hours spend on the network as a pilot and controller, followed by Hüseyin (TR Division) with over 20000 hours;- As well as the top 100 of all members, Dieter is leading the Controller top 100 as well, followed by Jürgen Hahn (DE Division) with over 6500 hours of controlling;- The Pilot top 100 is led by Hüseyin with 20000 hours, to be followed by Frank Phlippo with al-most 20000 hours.

These members are making IVAO to what it is today!

At his real life profession place, the Bowling Club.

Hüseyin behind his ‘working place’, Flight Sim.

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virtual sky - 5th issue

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