VOLUME 13 ISSUE 1

JANUARY 2009
USA $7.95
CANADA $9.95
AUSTRALIA $9.85 (INC. GST)
A PC AVIATOR PUBLICATION

SETTING UP A VIRTUAL AIRLINE

Its All About You!
CPU VS GPU
Maximizing FS Performance
POWERED WINGS
Tips and Techniques for Flying Ultra-lights

A NEED FOR SPEED!

The History of Air Racing

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 2 CPM. V13I01

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 Your Flight Simulator Scenery World Is Now

Y FOR MIC ROSOFT

T OSC E N ER
IAL P HO
A L A ER
R -R E
HYPE

MAKE HAWAII YOUR NEXT HOLIDAY DESTINATION NEAR PALM SPRINGS. MT SAN JACINTO RENDERED IN
AND SOAR ABOVE THE ISLAND OF OAHU. DOWN-TO-THE ROCK DETAIL.

S
ay 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 thats so real youll 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.
Heres what you get when youre flying
MegaSceneryX.
Hyper-realistic scenery at 1.19 meters per
pixel recreated from 1 and 2 feet per pixel
aerial photos. Its 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 youve
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 dont 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 wouldnt think was
possible for such a low price!

COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION AT WWW.MEGASCENERY.COM

4 CPM. V13I01
2007 PC Aviator Inc. Aerosoft Australia Pty Ltd. Aerial photography for these products is AirphotoUSA

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 MEGASCENERY MAIL ORDER FORM
Hyper-Real! BILL TO...

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CITY: .........................................STATE: .............................. ZIP: ..............

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CITY: .........................................STATE: .............................. ZIP: ..............

Phone: ...................................................................................................

Please Check ( ) Each Title You Wish To Purchase

MEGASCENERY TITLES
OR X
FLIGHT SIMULAT
MEGASCENERYX SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - $39.95 DVD Media
MEGASCENERYX DALLAS/FORT WORTH - $29.95 DVD Media
MEGASCENERYX PHOENIX - $29.95 DVD Media
MEGASCENERYX HAWAII - $14.95 CD Media
MEGASCENERYX LAS VEGAS - $14.95 DVD Media

MEGASCENERY X CALCULATING SHIPPING CHARGES: For shipping please add $3.95

TITLES AVAILABLE for first title and 50 cents for each additional title.
e.g. 3 titles add $4.95 for shipping. Shipping is by Priority Mail.

SUBTOTAL: Less 5% for Computer Pilot Subscribers: ...........................

SHIPPING: .................... ORDER TOTAL:........................

PAYMENT METHOD: CHECK MONEY ORDER VISA

MASTERCARD AMERICAN EXPRESS DISCOVER
Please note that these prices are in $USD. If you are ordering from our Australian office,
please call for pricing or visit www.pcaviator.com for Australian dollar pricing. If paying by
check or money order please make them payable to PC Aviator Inc

CREDIT CARD NUMBER:

EXP:

Payment Amount: $ .............................................

MEGASCENERYX SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Name On Card: ......................................................................................

18,000 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. SENDING YOUR ORDER: If you are ordering by mail,
please mail to... PC Aviator Inc. 839 Surfside Drive,
MEGASCENERYX DALLAS/FORT WORTH Surfside Beach, SC, 29575.
8,000 square miles of Dallas/Fort Worth & Surrounding Area. Includes Dallas/
Fort Worth Visual Terminal Charts and 110 Instrument Charts. TO ORDER BY PHONE:
$29.95 DVD Media. Please have your order details ready and
CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-664-0033
MEGASCENERYX PHOENIX between 9am and 5pm Mon Fri. Outside North
7,000 square miles of Phoenix Arizona and Surrounding Area. Includes America CALL +1-843-232-1160
Phoenix Visual Terminal Charts and 100 Instrument Charts.
$29.95 DVD Media. TO ORDER BY FAX: Please fax to: 843-232-1166

MEGASCENERYX HAWAII TO ORDER ONLINE: WWW.MEGASCENERY.COM

The Hawaiian island of Oahu, spectacularly recreated.
$14.95 CD Media.

MEGASCENERYX LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas and Surrounding Area.
$14.95 DVD Media.

FS2004 TITLES ARE STILL AVAILABLE.

PLEASE VISIT WWW.MEGASCENERY.COM FOR DETAILS 5

cpm1301a.indd 5 12/21/2008 6:19:13 PM

 NEW RELEASE PRODUCTS
The latest flight simulator products in stock!
Microsoft Flight International Fighters
Simulator X: Gold Edition 11 Modern Warbirds In One Package!
The Original Plus Expansion In One Box! This package is a collection of 11 extreme
aircraft from all corners of the world.
With International Fighters youll command
Take to the skies again as Microsoft Flight
these aircraft:
Simulator X Gold puts pilots back in the cockpit
for more than 80 missions set all over the world.
V-22 Osprey
Want more? Try the thrilling multiplayer mode
F-15 Strike Eagle
where you can race your friends for victory and
MiG-29 Fulcrum
bragging rights. Microsoft Flight Simulator X Gold delivers that sense
Saab Viggen
of immersive realism that only the award-winning Flight Simulator series
F-117 Nighthawk
brings to flight sim fans. And with advanced DX10 graphics, heading
SU-33 Flanker
into the wild blue yonder has never looked so good.
F-35 Lightning II
AS565 Panther
With Microsoft Flight Simulator X, you can fly any number of aircraft F-111 Aardvark
from the default hangar, or add to the product with many commercially Eurofighter Typhoon
available add-on software packages. A global scenery database allows Mirage 2000
you to fly anywhere in the world and land at just about any airport too.
This Gold Edition includes both the Deluxe Version of Flight Simulator Each aircraft includes a custom panel and detailed exterior model
X and the Official Acceleration expansion pack! ready to fly in either FSX or FS2004!

CODE: Price: US$49.95 // AUD$94.95 CODE: Price: US$29.95 // AUD$54.95

FSXGOLD *SUB PRICE: US$47.45 // AUD$90.20 ABINT *SUB PRICE: US$28.45 // AUD$52.20

FS2Crew: PMDG Around the World

747 Edition
The Real Flight Deck Environment Add-on!
Experience the Ultimate Expansion Pack
for your PMDG 747 - Queen Of The Skies
- both FS2004 and FSX Editions. Captain
your PMDG 747-400 with a real airline crew
on board...
The default voice set that will ship with FS2Crew 747 features the
voice of a real-world 747 Captain for the Captains role, and the
voice of a chief pilot of a corporate outfit for the FOs role.
With FS2Crew, you and your First Officer will perform your duties,
flows, scans, checklists, memory items, etc., and interact with the
Cabin and Ground Crew just as you would in real life.
Youll even be required to handle new situations, such as dealing
with a sick passenger.
For maximum realism, FS2Crew works closely with an active 747-
400 FO to ensure that the procedures modeled mirror reality!
in 80 Flights
Circumnavigate The Globe!
Circumnavigate the globe, heading east from
the historic Farnborough airfield in the UK,
on an epic 80-leg journey around the world.
Fly over the Alps and Pyrenees before facing
the challenge of the mighty Himalayan range.
Explore the Far East and Australia. Blaze a trail from the frozen north,
to tropical Africa. Conquer the lonely Pacific, leapfrogging across a
series of islands as you make your way to the United States. Make
landfall and catch your breath before flying over some of the most
stunning scenery in the world as you head across the vast expanse of
the USA to the Caribbean before venturing a trans-Atlantic crossing
back to Farnborough.
Each of the 80 flight legs can be flown as individual or consecutive
missions and are comprehensively detailed, with a flight plan, pilots
notes, full briefing and a guide to many of the wonders of the world.

CODE: Price: US$29.95 // AUD$54.95 CODE: Price: US$34.95 // AUD$64.95

FS2C747 *SUB PRICE: US$28.45 // AUD$52.20 FCATW *SUB PRICE: US$33.20 // AUD$61.70
*Denotes special price for current Computer Pilot Magazine subscribers and reflects a 5% discount off the regular retail price.
 NEW RELEASEThePRODUCTS
latest flight simulator titles in stock!
VRinsight CDU Panel
Desktop Hardware CDU Input Device
for Flight Simulation!
The CDU Panel from VRinsight is a desktop
Control Display Unit for Flight Management
Computers (FMC) used in Flight Simulators.
The CDU panel supports various types of FS aircraft add-ons (PMDG
B737, 744, Level-D B767, and PSS A319, A320). Alternatively, it works
as input device of alpha-numeric keys and/or user defined control
functions where the FMS is not implemented, such as with original
MSFS aircraft and most freeware aircraft. It is completely interfaced
with FS2004 and FSX through interfacing application software
SerialFP2 (included). The CDU panel can be connected simply
through the USB port of your computer.
Same functionality and external look as actual FMCs.
Offers actual flight circumstance via CDU panel with full
control complement.
Acryl body and metal cover
CODE: Price: US$299.95 // AUD$549.95
VRCDU *SUB PRICE: US$284.95 // AUD$522.45
Flight Operations X:
British Airways
Over 300 Missions Available!
Flight Operation X (FOX) is a new series of
Missions designed to be used exclusively
with Microsoft Flight Simulator X.
Sit in your favorite aircraft and enjoy the realistic
flight ambience, recreated by exclusive British Flight Manager, an
improved software interface which has been part of many of Perfect
Flights products in the past.
There are 303 pre-saved flights that you can edit and compile into a
single mission to use in Flight Simulator X. The Flight Manager allow
you to make your choice of Flight, determine Weather conditions,
Season, Departure Date and Time. Also, you will have Navigation
Charts and Maps available during the flight. The FOX British Airways
fleet includes: Boeing 737-800, Boeing 777-200, Boeing 747-400,
Airbus A321, Bombardier CRJ-700, L-1011 500 in old British livery!
CODE: Price: US$39.95 // AUD$64.95
PFFOXBA *SUB PRICE: US$37.95 // AUD$61.70
*Denotes special price for current Computer Pilot Magazine subscribers and reflects a 5% discount off the regular retail price.
VRinsight MCP
Combo Panel
EFIS, MCP and Comms
On One Panel!
The MCP combo panel from VRinsight features various types
of aircraft panels with full control complement.
It supports built-in MSFS aircraft and most freeware or commercially
available add-on aircraft (Wilcos B737 Classic, PMDGs B737NG &
744, Level-Ds B767-300 and PSS A319, 320, 330, 340).
It is completely interfaced with FS2004 and FSX through add-on
software *SerialFP2. The MCP combo panel enables full simulation
with simple connection to your computer through USB connection.
Package includes universal power supply adaptor (DC 5V)
Each control part; EFIS, MCP & COM has push buttons, rotary knobs,
toggle Switches and/or 2 line character type LCDs. The perfect all-in-
one solution for the desktop aviator or flight deck builder!
CODE: Price: US$449.95 // AUD$849.95
VRMCPCP *SUB PRICE: US$427.45 // AUD$807.45
CH Products Eclipse
USB Flight Yoke
The Latest Version Of The Best-
Selling Flight Simulation Yoke!
CH Products is proud to release the latest and greatest in Flight
Simulation hardware with the release of its new high end yoke, the
new CH Eclipse !! Built with the same high end components you find
in CH Products industrial products, the CH Eclipse brings value added
functions to compliment all your favorite sims.
Fully programmable fingertip paddles
Programmable trim/scroll wheels with center push function
Two backlit push buttons and a third traditional push button
Two 8-way hats with rocker switch/trigger on both sides of handle
Six analog 10 bit axes for aileron, elevator, throttle, propeller pitch,
fuel and rudder
New and improved industrial grade material/components:
indestructible robust plastic, free floating shaft and clamp
extenders for the thinnest of desks...
CODE: Price: US$209.95 // AUD$369.95
CHECL *SUB PRICE: US$199.45 // AUD$351.45
 BEST SELLERS...
The best selling flight simulation products now available...
Spitfire Mk IX & Mk XIV
The Best Spitfire Package To Date
For 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
Microsofts 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 youd expect from RealAir.
Both the classic elliptical wing models and later modified clipped
wing (which gave sharper and quicker handling at low level) types are
included. There is even a contra-prop version of the Mk XIV!
The Early Years of Flight
Relive The Beginnings Of Manned Flight!
This compelling collection of early aircraft
features five machines that smashed records
and finally allowed mankind to break the bonds
holding us to terra firma.
Join with the Wright Brothers and take to the air
for a tour of Ohio in the iconic Model B aircraft
or recreate the achievement of Louis Blriot in a death defying crossing
of the English Channel in the Blriot XI monoplane. Strap yourself into
the Santos-Dumont 14-bis and share the elation of performing the first
unaided take-off of a heavier than air aircraft. The Goliescu Avioplan
with its idiosyncratic design and equally unpredictable performance
may be a challenge to fly but was the first aircraft to utilise a tubular
design that paved the way for aircraft of today. The Handley Page E is
widely acclaimed as the first passenger aircraft, although comfort was
not an option with the passenger seated precariously behind the pilot
in a small bucket seat open to the outside air! Each has been lovingly
crafted, resulting in stunning recreations of these historic aircraft!

CODE: Price: US$49.95 // AUD$74.95 CODE: Price: US$29.95 // AUD$54.95

RASSPIT *SUB PRICE: US$47.45 // AUD$71.20 TEYOF *SUB PRICE: US$28.45 // AUD$52.20

Microsoft Flight DC-10 Collection

Simulator X For Pilots: 15 Model Variations With 38 Worldwide
Liveries Included!
Real World Training One of the first widebody airliners, the DC-10
Master The Skills Of Flight With This features three engines with the centre engine
Real World Training Guide positioned in the vertical tail.

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 pilots 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.
Featuring a massive 38 high-quality worldwide
liveries spread over 15 model variations,
the DC-10 is the latest release in Just Flights F-Lite range. This
package has been designed by the experts at CLS (Commercial Level
Simulations) to be both very high in quality and yet easy to operate.
Giving you the highest quality of model design and textures, animations
and flight model characteristics at an affordable price, this has to be a
great deal!
Also included as a bonus in this package is the USAF KC-10A
Extender and Royal Dutch Air Force KDC-10A air-to-air refuelling
tankers with animated fuel drogues and boom! The manual includes
a tutorial to ensure that your flights go smoothly.

CODE: Price: US$29.95 // AUD$49.95 CODE: Price: US$42.95 // AUD$69.95

BKFSXRWT *SUB PRICE: US$28.45 // AUD$47.45 JFDC10 *SUB PRICE: US$40.80 // AUD$66.45
*Denotes special price for current Computer Pilot Magazine subscribers and reflects a 5% discount off the regular retail price.
 BEST SELLERS...
The best selling flight simulation products now available...
Angle of Attack: PMDG
747 Training DVD
The Ultimate 747 Training Resource!
Are you a professional simmer? Are you on top
of your game in Flight Simulator? If not, look no
further than Angle of Attack!
The PMDG 747-400 is one of the most
amazing aircraft ever made for flight simulator.
This is why we have chosen to train YOU in this aircraft. We teach
you all you need to know to go from point A to point B.
Your PMDG 747-400 Training by Angle of Attack ships in a
professionally printed, packaged and freshly sealed DVD case.
Media is presented on 3 x Dual Layer DVD disc technology, giving you
stunning image clarity for over 6 hours. Also included is a high quality
Angle of Attack Checklist for your many future flights, and an installer
on the DVD which holds follow-along flights, charts, and other free
content! To finish this DVD, we take you on a Full Flight from Preflight
in San Francisco, USA through Shutdown in Frankfurt, Germany!
CODE: Price: US$44.95 // AUD$69.95
AOA747DVD *SUB PRICE: US$42.70 // AUD$66.45
X-Plane 9 (PC)
Fly 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 has the most realistic flight model available for personal
computers. It comes with subsonic and supersonic flight dynamics,
simulating aircraft from the Bell 206 Jet-Ranger helicopter and Cessna
172 light plane to the supersonic SR-71 and Mach-3 XB-70 Valkyrie.
X-Plane comes with 29 aircraft spanning the aviation industry (and
history), and several hundred more are freely downloadable from the
internet. X-Plane includes Plane-Maker which allows you to create your
own airplanes to use in the sim, and World-Maker which lets you create
your own scenery.
CODE: Price: US$49.95 // AUD$79.95
XPL9 *SUB PRICE: US$47.45 // AUD$75.95
*Denotes special price for current Computer Pilot Magazine subscribers and reflects a 5% discount off the regular retail price.
FS Global 2008
Hi-Resolution Terrain Mesh For The Entire
Earth For Microsoft Flight Simulator X
FS Global 2008 is a brand new product. It uses
the NEWEST SRTM data (released by NASA
in late 2006!) plus additional data from various
sources. Resolution in some parts has been
improved to 19m (!). Yes, this is 4 times better
than FS Global 2005 and up to 63 times better
than FS itself! And yes, even than FSX! Default SRTM coverage in FSX
is VERY small compared to the whole world!
FS Global 2008 comes in two versions in one box, which makes
it 6 DVDs. One version is for FS 2004 and one for FSX. Microsoft has
considerably improved scenery management and interaction of scenery
types within FSX. The new scenery concepts provide a more detailed
and realistic far-distance view, textures adapt better to the mesh, the
FSX default scenery is more precise and causes less (optical) conflicts
and last but not least FSX offers more functionality for a seamless
integration of mesh and vector scenery.
CODE: Price: US$64.95 // AUD$99.95
FSGLOB2008 *SUB PRICE: US$61.70 // AUD$94.95
PMDG 747-400 X
Simply 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.
CODE: Price: US$74.95 // AUD$114.95
PMDG747FSX *SUB PRICE: US$71.20 // AUD$109.20
 POPULAR AVIATION DVDs!
Quality aviation DVDs that Take You There!
Just Planes DVD - Just Planes DVD -
Blue 1 Airlines Air Slovakia 757-200
Aboard The Avro RJ85 And MD-90 Featured Flights To Italy, India And Israel
Following AeBal, Air Baltic, Braathens, Almost 4 Hours Of Video Content!
Spanair and Wideroe, Blue 1 becomes the Air Slovakia, based in Bratislava and created in
6th airline in the SAS Group to be featured in 1993, operates a fleet of 737 and 757 aircraft
the World Air Routes series. on scheduled and charter flights to destinations
in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Blue 1 operates Avro RJs and MD90s from its base at Helsinki Airport
on domestic and international routes. On this program we join the 757 on a roundtrip flight to Italy, then
India and ending with Israel.
This 3 hour program spends just over an hour in the cockpit of the Avro See and hear the pilots at work from the aircraft walkaround to the
RJ85 on domestic routes in Finland and completes with a flight in the various briefings and cockpit presentations.
cabin to Sweden.
As usual there is always interesting scenery to see on the World Air
The MD90 is featured for close to 2 hours and includes 5 flights in the Routes flights and we visit Amritsar for the first time in the series and Tel
cockpit to Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Aviv for the first time on DVD.

Running Time: 186 minutes Running Time: 223 Minutes

CODE: Price: US$29.95 // AUD$49.95 CODE: Price: US$29.95 // AUD$49.95

DVDBLUE1 *SUB PRICE: US$28.45 // AUD$47.45 DVDAIRSLO *SUB PRICE: US$28.45 // AUD$47.45

Just Planes DVD - Just Planes DVD -

Cirrus Airlines E170 Rusts / K2 Aviation
Featuring The Embraer 170 Cessna 206 - DHC-2 Beaver - DHC-3 Otter
Cirrus Airlines was established in February Rusts began operations in 1963 and has
1995 and entered into a partnership with continuously grown its fleet. Today Rusts and
Lufthansa in February 2000. Over the years K2 Aviation are based at Lake Hood and
the airline has expanded its fleet significantly Talkeetna, Alaska. The 2 airlines operate
and added scheduled domestic service in Germany. Since 2002 Cirrus passenger and cargo flights around the region as well as a number
Airlines has expanded all over Europe including service to Belgium, of sightseeing services.
Macedonia, Switzerland and the UK.
After a company presentation by Todd Rust and a pilot presentation
This program features our first trip on board of an Embraer 170 and of an aircraft cockpit and outside walkaround we are off for flights to
includes detailed presentations by the crew such as an external several of the Lakes in the area.
walkaround, on board procedures, checklists, startup and a detailed
cockpit presentations. The flights are from Cologne to Olbia, located in We also go on a Mt McKinley viewing tour and a Prince William Sound
Sardinia, and back to Munich. viewing tour and end with another first in the series as we make a
glacier landing!

Running Time: 120 Minutes Running Time: 184 Minutes

CODE: Price: US$24.95 // AUD$44.95 CODE: Price: US$29.95 // AUD$49.95

DVDCIRR170 *SUB PRICE: US$23.70 // AUD$42.70 DVDRUSTS *SUB PRICE: US$28.45 // AUD$47.45
*Denotes special price for current Computer Pilot Magazine subscribers and reflects a 5% discount off the regular retail price.
 UTILITIES & PERIPHERALS
Get the most from the sim experience with these quality products
Saitek Pro Flight Saitek Pro Flight
Switch Panel Yoke System
A Selection Of Realistic Switches Flight Yoke And Quadrant Combo
To Mimic Cockpit Controls For At A Great Price!
Flight Simulation!
The Saitek Pro Flight Yoke System is
The switch panel offers numerous switches and controls as follows: highly engineered to meet the exacting
needs of the true flight simulation enthusiast. Stainless steel shaft,
An engine select/start rotary control knob with positions for L, R, ergonomic controls, integrated chronograph and separate throttle
BOTH/ALL, and START. quadrant ensure a smooth, accurate and totally realistic flying
Engine cowl open/close switch. experience.
Master BATT and ALT switches.
ON/OFF switches for AVIONICS MASTER, FUEL PUMP, Unique, 2-position desk clamp keeps your yoke and quadrant securely
DE-ICE and PITOT HEAT functions. fixed no matter how extreme the flying conditions. Use the integrated
ON/OFF light switches for PANEL, BEACON, NAV, STROBE, USB Hub to easily connect other parts of the Saitek Pro Flight
TAXI and LANDING lights. range of products. Saiteks powerful Saitek Smart Technology (SST)
Gear UP/DOWN lever with associated LED lights for landing programming software allows gamers to configure their controls to suit
gear strut status. their preferred gaming style, and to save the configurations as personal
profiles.
Works with Microsoft Flight Simulator X.

CODE: Price: US$99.95 // AUD$194.95 CODE: Price: US$149.95 // AUD$289.95

STKPFSP *SUB PRICE: US$94.95 // AUD$185.20 STKPFYKUSB *SUB PRICE: US$142.45 // AUD$275.45

CH FighterStick USB CH Products Pro

The Fighterstick Has Everything You
Need To Succeed In Your Favorite
Pedals USB
Combat Simulator! Complete Your Flight Control
Setup And Master Those
The programmable FIGHTERSTICK is one
Crosswind Landings!
of CH Products most popular joysticks
for jet sim combat. Add 20 extra button Your ailerons are only half of the
functions by using the Fighterstick with picture. Complete your authentic
a F16 Pro Throttle. Add a set of CH USB flight control set-up with CH
Rudder Pedals and you have a full hands on cockpit control setup. Pro Pedals USB, the ultimate choice in realistic rudder pedals! CH
ProPedals give you realistic fully articulating (back/forth) rudder motion
The Fighterstick USB is compatible with Windows 98/Me/XP/Vista and also pivot on the toes for differential toe brakes (just like a real
and along with the Control manager software allows a large array of aircraft) where supported by the simulator and hardware interface.
functions and assignments to be utilized. The Fighterstick is the top of
the line F16 joystick from CH Products. Designed with a larger base, CH ProPedals USB also feature smooth gliding motion for precision
gimbal, and spring set, the Fighterstick has the feel you need to win in rudder control input. With your feet sitting on a set of CH Pro Pedals
your favorite combat simulator. youll be able to master crosswind landings, make properly balanced
turns and control your aircraft during taxiing, the way it is done in
Multiple hat-switches put real firepower at your fingertips! real life

CODE: Price: US$129.95 // AUD$239.95 CODE: Price: US$119.95 // AUD$239.95

CHF16FSUSB *SUB PRICE: US$123.45 // AUD$227.95 CHPROPEDUSB *SUB PRICE: US$113.95 // AUD$227.95
*Denotes special price for current Computer Pilot Magazine subscribers and reflects a 5% discount off the regular retail price.
 PC AVIATORSInstant
DOWNLOAD STORE
access to quality flight sim downloads!
Welcome to... PC Aviator Australia Download Store
PC Aviators Download Now Open And Serving Flight Simmers DownUnder!

Store! PC Aviator Australia is proud to announce the opening of our new

download store in Australia. Now customers in the Australasian region
Buy... Download... Fly! can purchase download products from a local supplier that offers
excellent and speedy customer service.

Our download store is now

open and was established to Our Australian download store stocks all the latest and greatest flight
provide you with the option sim download products available, and our secure shopping cart facility
to download a number of allows peace of mind when it comes to protecting your personal
software titles and electronic information. You can Buy, Download, and Fly with ease!
products. Products are
available by instant download Our real-time payment processing, powered by ANZ e-Gate and Paypal
upon successful completion of means you can buy and be downloading your new add-on or product in
your credit card, debit card or minutes! No more waiting for parcels in the mail, and no shipping fees
Paypal payment. either! And whats more, you can actually speak to a real person should
you have an issue with your order. Our download store is backed up by
Plus, we offer an exclusive CD-backup service, so if the product our retail outlet in Melbourne, ensuring you get the best and speediest
download you want is not available in a boxed version, we will put it on service that our competitors simply cannot match! Check us out today!
a CD for you (at a small additional charge) to save you the download!

USA - WWW.PCAVIATOR.COM/DLSTORE AUSTRALIA - WWW.PCAVIATOR.COM.AU/DLSTORE

Pitts Special S-2B P-40 Kittyhawk

Experience White Knuckled Aces Of The Commonwealth
Aerobatic Thrills And Spills With
The Pitts Special! This conversion is more than just
a simple recompile of the previous
FS2004 aircraft. Iris has added four
Youll see one at every aerobatic brand new textures in this product
airshow - the infamous Pitts Special. Heres your chance to roll her, representing four of Australias WWII Aces, complete with new
spin her, dive her, loop her with no hazard to your safety! weathering and effects. They have taken the time to record a brand
new audio package for the P-40 Kittyhawk using authentic P-40
Product Features: recordings featuring full 360 degree sound panning and new ambient
FSX / FSX-SP1-SP2/ FSX-Acceleration compatible sound for when youre sitting on the ground doing pre-flight. Now you
New highly detailed model can hear birds in the fields, aircraft and helicopters overhead as you
Stunning dynamic virtual cockpit, complete with standard ready yourself for flight!
FSX features.
New fully animated vintage pilot. Iris has updated the internal cockpit providing a complete set of new
Dynamic shine. gauges designed for easy reading and clarity, and even added a basic
Mini panel with pop-ups for GPS and throttle lever. modern cockpit for those needing some navigation tools to hand.
Customized engine sounds.
10 skins, 1 Airshow scenery, and more. Pam Brooker has done a superb job of the flight model, giving you an
New smoke effects switch. aircraft which is a true joy to fly, however it is an aircraft you have to
FLY, rather than many point and go aircraft seen these days.

SKU: COMPATIBILITY: FSX SKU: COMPATIBILITY: FSX

DL-IGPITT FILESIZE: 81 Mb DL-IRP40K FILESIZE: 71 Mb
*Denotes special price for current Computer Pilot Magazine subscribers and reflects a 5% discount off the regular retail price.
 PC AVIATORSInstant
DOWNLOAD
access to quality flight sim downloads!
SimSceneryX: Sydney
Start Your Engine And Explore
The Skies Over Sydney, Australia!
Over 11,000 square kilometers of
photo-realistic scenery coverage!
Features:
+ High resolution 1 meter-per-pixel
photographic day time scenery
textures.
+ Computer generated night time
scenery (1 meter-per-pixel).
+ High resolution 25 meters terrain
mesh (upsampled to 19 meters).
+ Extensive water body definition.
+ Full area coverage for autogen
buildings and Australian vegetations.
+ Realistic road traffic.
+ Unique Sydney bridges and
Olympic Park.
STORE
F-16 Fighting Falcon
Awesome Fighter Jet Add-On For FSX!
The basic fighter for most NATO countries for
several decades, this aircraft deserved a place
in FSX. For the last year Aerosoft has been
working on a high detail model of this aircraft
and now you will see the Fighting Falcon fly into
the virtual world of FSX.
The Aerosoft version includes the most used versions in the highest
possible detail. With close to half a million vertices it most likely is the
most detailed aircraft ever designed for FSX. Where other internally
developed aircraft try to merge all existing models into one universal
model, the F-16 was designed with pure realism in mind, down to the
smallest detail each of the 21 models is as the real aircraft patrols the
skies. In FSX the F-16 is a joy to fly, with the controllability of a light
aircraft and capable of altitudes of 50.000 feet and speeds exceeding
Mach1. It is extremely agile yet easy to control (it will fly where you
point the nose) it allows you to explore the environment of FSX like
never before. Updated every decade the real F-16 remains the basic
fighter for nations worldwide.

SKU: COMPATIBILITY: FSX SKU: COMPATIBILITY: FSX

DL-SIMSCEXSYD FILESIZE: 1.6 Gb DL-ASF16 FILESIZE: 668 Mb

TSS 767 PW Scenery Madeira X

Sound Pack The African Island Of Madeira In
Stunning Photo-Real Detail
Pratt & Whitney Engine 767 Sound
Pack For FS2004/FSX Discover the splendor of Madeira with Aerosofts
latest high-end scenery project, Madeira X.
Here is your chance to custom build your very own 767 sound, so it fits Areal images of 50cm per pixel placed on a 9.5
the correct engines! With this soundpack,we have captured all the best meter mesh form the background for two highly
soundmoments , and put them together, to combine a truly stunning detailed and demanding airports - Funchal and
representation of the Boeing 767 PW. Porto Santo. All the functions of FSX come to life
in this brand new product.
Besides real recordings of the engines, this set also includes:
Custom Wind Both Madeira and Santo Porto islands are included in this project and
Custom Gear next to the two detailed airports the complete islands are ideal for VFR
Custom flaps flights, particular in small and slow aircraft but the Funchal airport is the
Custom Autopilot highlight of this scenery without a doubt. Because there is so little flat
Custom Stall land on the island the airport has a runway that extends over the ocean
Custom Overspeed on a raised platform. Approaching Runway 05 you follow a set of lead-
Custom wheel rumble in landing lights over a curved path that allow you land on the runway
And ambient cockpit sound, just to bring the experience up without crashing into the mountains. Under bad weather its not an easy
from within the cockpit. task at all. A fantastic flying challenge with a great visual backdrop!

SKU: COMPATIBILITY: FSX/FS2004 SKU: COMPATIBILITY: FSX

DL-TSS767PE FILESIZE: 61 Mb DL-ASMAD FILESIZE: 1.2 Gb
*Denotes special price for current Computer Pilot Magazine subscribers and reflects a 5% discount off the regular retail price.
 C
From the EDITOR

Welcome to the January 2009 issue.

It is hard to believe a year has gone by since our 100th issue in January 2008, hence making
this issue #112. The year 2008 will probably not be remembered as one of flight simulations
best. It was a rather quiet year in regards to new sim products and flight sim growth as
a whole. This does seem to be somewhat normal of times between new Microsoft Flight
simulations versions but we did see a few stand out products emerge in 2008 that kept
things moving along. Items such as Saiteks range of flight controls seemed popular, as
did most software that helped simmers fly online with others. We saw a lot of new photo-
realistic scenery products emerge and companies like Aerosoft Germany kept pumping out
new titles at the fast pace. Sure, the global downturn in the economy perhaps led to a lot
less spending on a whole, but I know a lot of simmers took that same opportunity to take
advantage of record low prices in pre-built PCs and PC component prices to update their
systems to run Flight Simulator X, many of which are now discovering just how FSX should
run on a system, with a smile on their face no less.

Computer Pilot Magazine welcomed several new writers, and said goodbye to an excellent
writer, Hans Biggelaars, who lost a battle with illness. It was a year of many altitude gains,
with the occasional altitude loss here and there too, but such is the rollercoaster of life. But
Publisher: Robert Ferraro
2009 certainly looks promising on many fronts, and we are not just talking about the virtual Editor: Dean Bielanowski
weather. Computer Pilot will be there on the front lines to bring you the latest flight sim
news as it breaks, to deliver quality product reviews, and educate you in the ways of the Layout & Design: Tony Liatos
aviation world. We do hope you stay onboard for the ride!
Contributors In This Issue: Dean Bielanowski, Sean
James, Doug Horton, Chuck Bodeen, Jonathan Stern,
Tom Kurtz, Roger Curtiss, Bill Smith, Rob Scott, Francois
Dumas, David Ison, Peter Dodds, Al Pelletier, Rick Bryan.
Subscription Managers: Australia: Adrian Lazzarotto
USA: Mark Jakubowski
Dean Bielanowski Editorial Submissions: Please address editorial matter
Editor to The Editor at editor@computerpilot.com or to the office
closest to you listed at the bottom of this page.
Advertising Inquiries: PC Aviator Inc.
Phone: 843-232-1160. Email: advertising@computerpilot.com
Website: www.computerpilot.com
General E-Mail: info@computerpilot.com

Supplement
your reading in Computer Pilot Magazine
US Distribution: Ingram Periodicals, International
Periodical Distributors, Media Solutions
by visiting the Computer Pilot web site at www.computerpilot.com Printed By: The RL Bryan Company (USA).

As well as features for first time visitors, the web site is Disclaimer: Any information, advice, maps, charts, tables
and other information published in this magazine is exclusively
designed with our readers in mind.
for use with PC flight simulations. The publisher does not
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V13I01

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Computer Pilot Volume 13 Issue 1, January 2009 (ISSN 1324-7336) is published monthly by
PC Aviator, inc., 839 Surfside Drive, SC 29575.
Periodicals postage is paid at Myrtle Beach, SC and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to P.O. Box 15907, Surfside Beach, SC 29587.
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cpm1301a.indd 6 12/21/2008 6:19:48 PM

C 8 NEWS AND NEW RELEASES
All the latest news and new releases since our last issue.

REVIEWS
34 Flight 1s Hawker Hunter
48 Aerosofts Tahiti X
54 Just Flights Traffic X

12 MAXIMIZING FSX PERFORMANCE CPU OR GPU?

When confronted by performance issues with FSX, is it best to upgrade to an
entirely new computer, or would a newer graphics card significantly improve
performance? Is FSX performance mostly a central processing unit (CPU) issue,
main memory issue, or graphics card (graphical processing unit GPU) issue, or
a combination? Doug Horton has the answers

18 COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS OF X-PLANE PART 1

This is the first of two articles about people who have been successful in doing
consulting work for various companies by using X-Plane.

24 THE GOLDEN AGE OF AIR RACING

With Microsoft Flight Simulator X including a very cool multiplayer air racing
module, we thought it would be prudent to take a look back into the history of
air racing, starting with air racings Golden Age

29 TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR FLYING ULTRA-

LIGHTS
Just like flying Jumbo Jets, flying small Ultra-lights requires its own special set
of pilot skills for safe operation. We offer some tips and techniques to make
your next virtual Ultra-light flight successful, safe, and enjoyable.

42 LEARNING FROM ACCIDENTS: DARKNESS AND

DISTRACTION
The crash of Eastern Flight 401 in the Florida Everglades was the genesis of
modern cockpit resource management and the story that became a book and
the made-for-television movie The Ghost of Flight 401. What can we learn
from this terrible event?

cpm1301a.indd 7
45 OLD TED BLUNDERS INTO THE WORLD OF FS
FINAL CHAPTER
Well, last weeks bird strike was a bit of a setback, but Im working hard to get
back on schedule. After safely arriving in Cairo, I celebrated by buying a rather
stylish pith helmet. It just feels right somehow.

62 THE ART OF INSTRUMENT FLYING THE TCAS

It did not take long after airplanes began to populate the skies that they also
began to run into one another. It was not until air travel became more popular
and aircraft were of a more appreciable size that it drew enough attention to
warrant the exploration of technologies that could help prevent such disasters.
Enter the TCAS

65 HOW TO:
CREATE YOUR OWN VIRTUAL AVIATION COMPANY

Not happy with the way your current VA is being run or managed? Or perhaps
it doesnt suit your needs or is not realistic enough? The solution? Make your
own! Francois Dumas explains how.

70 GROUND SCHOOL: THE MAGNETIC COMPASS

Due to a natural phenomenon called magnetism, a magnetic object on
the earth, if suspended from a thin string so that it is free to rotate in any
direction, will always come to rest in the same orientation. Who discovered
this is lost in the mists of time, but Chinese seafarers in the 12th century were
using lodestones, pieces of magnetite (magnetic iron ore) for navigation.

76 ROUND ROBIN ADVENTURES

This month we are flying a cargo freighter for UPS on a three leg journey that
will take us to London, Dusseldorf, and Stavanger!

REGULAR FEATURES:
38 PULLOUT POSTER
Cold War Relics

58 HORTONS HINTS FOR FSX

More great tips and tricks for getting the most out of Flight Simulator X.

12/21/2008 6:19:58 PM
 8 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES
Tilt Rotor Brings Unique Experience to FS
WILCO PUBLISHING has brought
something new and a little different to the
Flight Simulator X and 2004 world with
their new boxed/download title Tilt Rotor.
Tilt Rotor is poised to revolutionize the way
we fly. By combining the speed, altitude, and
comfort of a turboprop with the vertical takeoff
and landing capabilities of a helicopter, we can
enjoy the best of both worlds.
No longer will airstrips and airports be
necessary for high flying executive travel
The Wilco Publishing Tilt Rotor is a simulation
of the Bell Agusta 609, developed by Bell
Agusta Aerospace Company, a joint venture
of Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. and Agusta
Westland. With prototypes already flying, its
official certification is scheduled for 2010.
This simulation breaks new ground in
Flight Simulator! No other VTOL/VSTOL
simulation comes close to replicating
smooth transitional flight the way this
Tilt Rotor does. Simply, it goes where
Microsoft hadnt intended and does it
comfortably and successfully.
Nothing out there delivers the same levels
of exhilaration and sheer fun of flying the
Tilt Rotor!
Package highlights include:
Revolutionary Tilt Rotor aircraft with
unique VTOL, VSTOL and hovering
capabilities, developed specifically for this
model.
Unique ground-handling attributes allow
for ease of maneuvering around airports
and within restricted spaces. The Tilt Rotor
can be parked like a car!
Seven distinct aircraft variants with ten
liveries.
Advanced FSX missions take advantage of
this incredible machines capabilities and
test your flying skills and nerve!
Video introduction to the aircraft, VSTOL
and VTOL operations and a complete
flight tutorial is included.
Unique levels of interior detail including
passenger, patient and medic (air
ambulance) fully animated, military and
civilian style pilots, male and female.
The download version is available now with
the boxed edition shipping February 2009.
Check www.wilcopub.com or your favorite
sim retailer for availability.

Avro CF-105 Arrow Gets Xtreme Treatment

THE FOLKS over at Xtreme Prototypes,
perhaps best known for their X-15 aircraft
series, have just released their model of the
Avro CF-105 Arrow for FSX and FS2004,
and judging by previous work, this one
too should be high quality with maximum
realism factor built in!
The Xtreme Prototypes Arrow add-on
aircraft package contains five variations of
the Avro CF-105 Arrow Mk. 1 equipped with
two Pratt & Whitney J75-P-5 turbojet engines
(RL-201 to RL-205) and one variation of the
Avro CF-105 Arrow Mk. 2 equipped with
two mighty Orenda PS-13 Iroquois turbojet
engines (RL-206).
All aircraft feature custom sounds and dozens The Avro Arrow is available from Xtreme
of special visual effects such as engine smoke, Prototypes resellers or direct from their
wingtip vortices, afterburner flame and shock website at http://www.xtremeprototypes.
wave effects, and aircraft lights. com/ and retails for US$34.99.
The custom flight model includes functional
afterburners, basic autopilot modes and delta
wing flight characteristics. Each Arrow add-on
aircraft model comes with a fully-functional
virtual cockpit which contains over 900 parts
and nearly 200 animated gauges, switches,
levers, light indicators and flight instruments
with tooltips. The full 3D gauges have been
carefully designed and modeled based on the
original analog instruments found in the real
Arrow during the 1950s.

The exterior 3D models contain 600 parts and
60 animations with reflective textures, unique
markings, movable control surfaces (elevator,
ailerons, vertical stabilizer/rudder and speed
brakes), fully animated engine turbine and
compressor disks and exhaust nozzles (petals),
extendable landing gear, movable canopies
with cockpit details, pilot/navigator and
animated parts.
Each Arrow add-on aircraft comes with
one main instrument panel and a number
of secondary panels. An interesting feature
of the Virtual Cockpit is the possibility to
render the canopy invisible to create the
impression that the aircraft is equipped with
a bubble glass canopy. The invisible
canopy gives more visibility to the virtual
pilot, especially during landing.

cpm1301a.indd 8 12/21/2008 6:20:14 PM

 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES 9

Active Sky Goes Advanced!

HI-FI SIMULATIONS, developers of
perhaps the best weather generation and
reporting product for Flight Simulator to date
have just released the newest version of their
Active Sky product, Active Sky Advanced.
When designing this version of Active Sky
we were conscious of what our customers
have been asking for and also some ideas
that we thought you may find invaluable
once you start to use it. Below are just some
of the major features we have developed for
this version of Active Sky:
Universal FS9/FSX Integration
Weve developed a unique dual-interface
for ASA that uses either FSUIPC (FS9) or
SimConnect (FSX and beyond).
Weather Theme Drag And Drop
We have now introduced Drag and Drop
to the map screen to allow you to drag and
drop weather files (.ast) onto locations
on the map and to apply that weather to a
radius anywhere from 5 miles to Global
from that drop point.
Real-Time Global Networked Pilot techniques for better visuals, increased
Reports smoothing, FSUIPC-specific integration
All ASA users will receive networked for direct wind and visibility control, FSX-
Pireps as posted by other users, and can specific smoothing and shift stabilization
make a Pirep at any time. Pireps are also and much more is included!
listed in a data grid as well as on the Map.
Enhanced Mapping Check out www.hifisim.com for full details
New overlays include VORs, NDBs, or check with your favorite sim retailer for
Airmets, Sigmets and Pireps. All are fully boxed or download version availability.
accessible from XGauge v2. At time of print, retail price was still to be
Enhanced Flight and Weather Planning decided.
Additional flight planning capability and
reporting includes helpful information
for fuel calculations as well as Met/Reps.
A new Wx-Finder screen allows you to
quickly find any kind of condition you are
looking for.
New Vertical Air Simulation Technology
For both FS9 and FSX, new realistic up
and downdrafts as well as thermals and
ridge lift are simulated throughout your
flight.
Dozens of Additional New Features
Enhanced high-fidelity wake turbulence
simulation, improved weather depiction

DCS: Black Shark Surfaces

THE BLACK SHARK has come to the
surface to feed! But this shark feeds from
above, and its targets are tanks and armor,
not slime and scales!
DCS: Black Shark is a PC game of the
Russian Ka-50 attack helicopter and is the
first title in a new Eagle Dynamics and The
Fighter Collection simulation series: Digital
Combat Simulator (DCS). Following
Eagle Dynamics tradition of excellence,
DCS: Black Shark will bring an even
more realistic simulation experience than its
predecessor Flaming Cliffs. DCS: Black
Shark will offer an unprecedented level
of realism in regards to flight dynamics,
instruments modeling, avionics systems, and
weapon systems. The artificial Intelligence
of ground vehicles and helicopters has been
improved dramatically as well as weapon
modeling. A new Mission Editor includes
a powerful electronic mapping system that
allows user to easily create missions and
campaigns. A new campaign system allows
the front line of the battlefield to move back
and forth according to your mission success
or failure. Due to the increased flexibility
of the DCS system, additional fixed-wing
aircraft and helicopter add-ons will follow
shortly.
DCS: Black Shark has just recently become
available for purchase via download for
US$49.99. The download is a sizeable 2.1Gb
file, however, a boxed version will also be
released in early 2009. The package certainly
looks spectacular and appears to include a lot
of factors that will affect realism of flight and
real combat environments and scenarios.
Check out Black Shark at http://www.
digitalcombatsimulator.com/

cpm1301a.indd 9 12/21/2008 6:20:16 PM

 10 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES

Mega Airport: Paris CDG Boxed

ONE of the more frequented airports in
Europe in Flight Simulator has to be Paris:
Charles de Gaulle. Now, Aerosoft Germany
is offering this airport scenery on CD in a
boxed version.
Based on up-to-date high resolution aerial
images all the buildings and objects were
placed just as they are on the real airport at
this moment. You will find the airport totally
ready to handle the A380 with new Air
France terminals and the massive new A380
hangar. The many small details and dynamic
vehicle traffic make the airport come to life
and you will have to really take care while
taxiing around on this airport! Compared
to previous releases of CDG you will not
only find many new objects but the fact we
had better images also makes the scenery
more detailed and, above all, more realistic.
Of course Sim-Wings took great care to
keep frame rates as high as possible and
everybody in Aerosoft was very surprised
how smooth the released version is This is
a total rebuild of the previous versions and
will make the main French airport finally
available for FS2004 and FSX.
Features:
All major airport buildings included.
High resolution ground image.
High resolution photo-realistic day and
night textures for all objects.
Thousands of taxiway signs, wigwags and
other small details.
New A380 terminal S3.
New Air France A380 hangar.
Includes special objects like the Concorde
memorial near Terminal 3.
All aircraft parkings defined per airline.
FS2004 version compatible with AES.
Numerous static and dynamic objects such
as service vehicles, buses, trains etc. (AES
Lite).
FSX and FS2004 versions included.
Extensive manual and charts.
The boxed version will sell for around
26 Euros with a download version also
available. Check local sim retailers for
availability or www.aerosoft.com for more
information.

SimScenery Does Sydney

START YOUR ENGINE and explore
the skies over Sydney, Australia. This is
the invitation offered by Melbourne-based
scenery developers, SimScenery. Their
new product offers photo-realistic scenery
coverage for Sydney and its surrounds and is
titled SimSceneryX: Sydney.
The product features:
High resolution 1 meter-per-pixel
photographic day time scenery
textures (from 1 meter-per-pixel aerial
photographic source).
Computer generated night time scenery
(1 meter-per-pixel).
High resolution 25 meter terrain mesh
(upsampled to 19 meters).
Extensive water body definition including
inland lakes and rivers for water takeoffs
and landings.
Full area coverage for Autogen buildings
and Australian vegetations.
Realistic right-hand-drive road traffic.
Unique Sydney bridges and Olympic Park.
Unique Sydney ferries servicing Manly,
Toronga Zoo, Watsons Bay, Parramatta,
Cronulla, and Hawkesbury River.
Photo aligned airports and scenery objects.
Over 11,000 square kilometers of photo-real
scenery is included providing many hours
of flight exploration, or VFR practice! The
scenery is compatible with Flight Simulator
X, Windows XP(SP2)/Vista and retails for
AUD$49.95. It is available through selected
flight sim download stores only, some of
which may offer a disc backup service too.
Check www.simscenery.com for availability
details outside Australia and to view more
screenshots from the package. The package
is available direct in Australia from
www.pcaviator.com.au/dlstore/

cpm1301a.indd 10 12/21/2008 6:20:18 PM

 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES 11

cpm1301a.indd 11 12/21/2008 6:20:22 PM

 Maximizing FSX Performance
A Comparison of CPU Overclocking and Four Generations of Graphics Cards
BY DOUG HORTON
I
ve been amazed how many Microsoft Flight
Simulator users cling to operating FS2004
two years after the release of FSX. Among
other indications, this observation is reflected in
the comparative number of add-on products, both
freeware and commercial, which are routinely
announced for the two versions on prominent
Flight Simulator news and file library sites. In my
nineteenth year of enjoying Flight Simulator, and as
a private pilot, I view the realism and features of FSX
as significantly better than FS2004, but on the other
hand, I know that many users have performance
issues with FSX, particularly with older computer
systems and their included CPU, memory, and
graphics processing capabilities.
12
cpm1301a.indd 12
4
CPU or GPU?
When confronted by performance issues with FSX, is it best to
upgrade to an entirely new computer, or would a newer graphics card
significantly improve performance? Is FSX performance mostly a
central processing unit (CPU) issue, main memory issue, or graphics
card (graphical processing unit GPU) issue, or a combination?
From forum postings and conversations with FS experts, CPU
is thought to be the dominant issue for FSX. If this is true, should
money saved for a new graphics card be better spent on a new CPU,
motherboard, and/or memory, while retaining the older graphics
card, if compatible? Or maybe its necessary to move to a more
capable system that includes a new graphics card? In this article,
well describe a series of benchmarking tests that will help answer
these questions.
There are several means of assessing Flight Simulator
performance, though most users work to maximize frame rate, or at
least set and expect to reach a frame rate cap that seems acceptable.
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:20:25 PM
 Many users are able to achieve acceptable frame rates with changes
to FS configuration settings, though most users dont wish to turn
settings to minimum, which surely will maximize performance MODEL 7800 GT OC 8800 GT 9800 GTX GTX 260
for given hardware. In this article, with the benefit of an easily Relative Graphic Performance ? 23x 26x 36x
overclockable CPU and four generations of nVidia-based graphics GPU Engine Specs:
cards, well hold the FSX settings constant while varying CPU speed
Processor Cores ? 112 128 192
and graphics cards.
Graphics Clock (MHz) 425 600 675 576
Earlier this year, I assembled a new system with the following Processor Clock (MHz) ? 1500 1688 1242
principal characteristics: Texture Fill Rate (billion/sec) ? 33.6 43.2 36.9
MEMORY SPECS:
Motherboard ASUS P5E, with X38 chipset, which includes two Memory Clock (MHz) 1050 900 1100 999
PCI-e 2.0 graphics card slots, one of which is used. Standard Memory, GDDR3 256 MB 512 MB 512 MB 896 MB
CPU Intel Core2 Quad processor Q6600, operating at 2.4
Memory Interface Width 256-bit 256-bit 256-bit 448-bit
GHz default clock speed and 1066 MHz front side bus.
Arctic Freezer 7 Pro CPU fan in place of original fan important Memory Bandwidth (GB/sec) 33.6 57.6 70.4 111.9
for overclocking. FEATURE SUPPORT:
Memory two matched 2 GB Corsair PC8500 (1066 MHZ)
NVIDIA SLI-ready 2-way 2-way 3-way 2-/3-way
modules with dedicated fan for enhanced airflow.
Graphics card Factory reference nVidia 8800 GT with 512 MB NVIDIA PureVideo Technology PVHD PVHD PVHD HD
DDR3 memory.
Monitor 21 Viewsonic LCD model VP2130b, operating at
NVIDIA PhysX-ready
3 3 3
maximum 1600 x 1200 resolution (4:3 aspect ratio).
NVIDIA CUDA Technology
3 3 3
Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit. HybridPower Technology
3
Power supply Cooler Master eXtreme Power 550 watts. Microsoft DirectX 9.0c 10 10 10
OpenGL 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.1
Bus Support PCI-E 1.0 x16 PCI-E 2.0 x16 PCI-E 2.0 x16 PCI-E 2.0 x16
In addition to the current hardware, I still have available for testing
a BFG brand nVidia-based 7800 GT OC (factory overclocked) with
256 MB memory, and nVidia has provided me with samples of
Certified for Windows Vista
DISPLAY SUPPORT:
3 3 3
EVGA brand 9800 GTX and GTX 260 cards. With my 8800 GT,
Max. Digital Resolution (16:10) ? 2560x1600 2560x1600 2560 X 1600
thats four distinct generations of nVidia-based graphics cards. In
terms of nominal performance and amount of memory, each of these Max. VGA Resolution (4:3) ? 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048 X 1536
cards is mid-priced and one or more models below the top-priced Standard Display Connectors Two DVI and Two DVI and Two DVI and Two DVI and
models of the respective generations, though they are not completely one HDTV one HDTV one HDTV one HDTV
comparable relative to each generation. Multi Monitor (# of displays)
3 3 3 2
HDCP 3 3 3
HDMI Via adapter Via adapter Via adapter Via adapter
Audio Input for HDMI SPDIF SPDIF SPDIF SPDIF
Recommended Power Supply 400W 400W 450W 500W

Performance Descriptions
On a qualitative basis, here are excerpts of nVidia website
descriptions of the three most recent cards:

8800 GT

Shown below are comparative specifications and features, as

provided on nVidias website for the three later generation cards,
and for the 7800 GT OC card, from the original product box. Note
also that for the three newer cards, nVidia provides an indication of
relative graphic performance, and it will be interesting to see if these
numbers are a good measure of relative performance with FSX. Note
also that the 9800 GTX and GTX 260 are double wide and longer
cards, which both require two 6-pin supplementary power connectors.

13

cpm1301a.indd 13 12/21/2008 6:20:26 PM

 The ideal combination of power, performance, and price, GeForce
8800 GT offers , 112 stream processors, and a 256-bit frame
buffer for jealousy-inducing DirectX 10 game play at ultra fast
frame rates. With 112 stream processors and a 256-bit frame buffer
interface running at 900MHz, the GeForce 8800 GT delivers a level
of price/performance that gamers demand. Ultra-realistic smoke, rain,
explosions, lighting, terrain deformation and motion blur enable
lightning-fast gameplay.
9800 GTX
The NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX-based graphics card enables
full-throttle lifelike game play while providing optimal power
management with HybridPower technology. The PureVideo HD
engine also delivers unmatched video and movie quality. Gaming
and video watching capabilities are taken to the next level. With 128
screaming fast cores each running at a record high of 1688MHz,
this is our most powerful single GeForce 9800 GPU (at time of
publication).
GTX 260
With more gaming horsepower than ever before and 896 MB of
memory, the GeForce GTX 260 GPUs 192 processing cores make
gamesfeel like the real thing. Its powerful NVIDIA PhysX
technology creates rich, immersive physical effects with stunningly
accurate realism. Experience absolute immersion and a 50% pure
performance boost.
Graphics Card Prices ($USD)
Its also worth mentioning that in conformance with Moores
Law (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore), nVidia has been
marketing graphics cards with ever-increasing performance at
decreasing prices. For comparison, I purchased the 7800 GT OC card
about three years ago for $300 (after $50 rebate), the price of the
8800 GT one year ago was in the range of $250-280, and here are
lowest after-rebate, if applicable, prices for the base (not overclocked)
14
cpm1301a.indd 14
models of three newest cards as of mid-October this year, before
shipping and tax, as shown on www.newegg.com: 8800 GT $156,
9800 GTX $160, and GTX 260 $240. And just before deadline for
this article, I saw an ad for an 8800 GT for $120 and for the current
top of the line nVidia GTX 280 for $380 - both after rebates (Frys
October 17). Its not that long ago when top of the line graphics
cards were priced around $600 or even higher.
Overclocking
As indicated above, the CPU speed for the Intel Q6600 quad core
processor is nominally 2.4 GHz, though this CPU is reported to be
safely overclockable up to about 3.5 GHz, Im cautious, so well
limit overclocking to 2.7 (+12.5%) and 3.0 GHz (+25%), which with
the default speed will provide three data points for each card. nVidia
provides tools on their website for overclocking graphics cards at
http://www.nvidia.com/object/nvidia_system_tools_6.02.html (for
version 6.02), but well consider this beyond the scope of our testing.
Benchmarking Setup
Given that framerate is the generally accepted measure of
performance for Flight Simulator, well benchmark performance
using two very simple tools previously highlighted in Hortons
Hints for FSX in the July 2008 issue of Computer Pilot. Well
use FSXMark07 by Gary Dunne and the freeware version of the
frame rate tracking program - FRAPS. Ive used Garys technique
repeatedly as Ive experimented with computer and FSX settings, and
you can download fsxmark07.zip from www.avsim.com or other
FS file library sites. The files include two FSX configuration files, the
benchmarking flight files, and a description of how to use FRAPS,
which is available from www.fraps.com/download.php. FRAPS will
run on Windows 2000, XP, 2003, and Vista 32-bit and 64-bit editions.
The first step in installing the benchmarking flight files is extracting
from fsxmark07.zip the two FSX configuration files and the flight
(scenario) files. These should be saved to the same folder in which
your saved flights are located - usually C:\Documents (or My
Documents)\Flight Simulator X Files.
Next, install FRAPS to a convenient folder, then open it to reveal
its main screen. FRAPS software includes features for benchmarking,
screen capture, and video capture. Its free for basic features, with a
few restrictions shown on its General Tab. All features are available
if FRAPS is purchased and registered. On the General Tab, Ive made
one checkmark.
FRAPS PROVIDES FRAMERATE BENCHMARKING
IN FSX AND OTHER PROGRAMS
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:20:27 PM
 Next, click the FPS tab and indicate None for Overlay Display MESH_RESOLUTION=19
Hotkey, keystroke P for Benchmarking Hotkey, click on upper right TEXTURE_RESOLUTION=24
circle for Overlay Corner, check the checkboxes as shown, and then AUTOGEN_DENSITY=2
type in 300 seconds (five minutes) in the Seconds box. DETAIL_TEXTURE=1
WATER_EFFECTS=5

[WEATHER]
CLOUD_DRAW_DISTANCE=3
DETAILED_CLOUDS=1
CLOUD_COVERAGE_DENSITY=7
THERMAL_VISUALS=0
DownloadWindsAloft=0
DisableTurbulence=0

[TrafficManager]
AirlineDensity=15
GADensity=15
FreewayDensity=15
ShipsAndFerriesDensity=35
LeisureBoatsDensity=35
IFROnly=0
AIRPORT_SCENERY_DENSITY=3
SET UP FRAPS FPS TAB AS SHOWN

Regarding these settings, note that the parameter UPPER_

Next, remember that you can save and load unique FSX FRAMERATE_LIMIT=0 provides for unlimited framerates, which
configurations, which include 38 select parameters from the FSX. is necessary for benchmarking. Also note that there is room for
cfg file. Start FSX, and on the main menu, select Options, Settings, framerate improvement with lower settings of many parameters,
and then Save to pop up a dialog box for saving your current but in this case, for uniformity with other testers, we use Garys
configuration, perhaps with a name indicating the date. After saving High Global configuration and set anisotropic filter to bilinear and
your current configuration, select Options, Settings, and then Load the antialiasing to off, noting that these parameters are not included in the
FSXMark07 Global High.CFG configuration file. This file includes savable configuration file.
the following settings:
Benchmarking Exercise
To try your first benchmarking run, start FSX and load the
[GRAPHICS] benchmarking flight file, FSXMark07.FLT, which will place
TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=512 you in the default Bombardier CRJ700, in the air, just north of
NUM_LIGHTS=6 downtown Seattle. Youll be paused in virtual cockpit mode, with
AIRCRAFT_SHADOWS=1 autopilot active, with some nice 3D scattered clouds in the area,
AIRCRAFT_REFLECTIONS=1 as shown in the accompanying image. This flight runs a flight
COCKPIT_HIGH_LOD=1 plan on autopilot that flies the CRJ700 past downtown Seattle,
LANDING_LIGHTS=1 Boeing Field, Sea-Tac International Airport, and then turns
AC_SELF_SHADOW=1 southeastward toward Mt. Rainier.
EFFECTS_QUALITY=2
GROUND_SHADOWS=0

[SCENERY]
LENSFLARE=1
DAWN_DUSK_SMOOTHING=1
IMAGE_COMPLEXITY=3

[DISPLAY]
BLOOM_EFFECTS=0
SKINNED_ANIMATIONS=1
TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=40
UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=0

[PANELS]
QUICKTIPS=1
PANEL_OPACITY=100

[TERRAIN]
LOD_RADIUS=3.500000
MESH_COMPLEXITY=70 VIEW AT BEGINNING OF BENCHMARKING FLIGHT

15

cpm1301a.indd 15 12/21/2008 6:20:28 PM

 Open and minimize FRAPS, and note the framerate display in the
upper right-hand corner of the screen. Next, press the P keystroke
to simultaneously start the benchmark flight and start FRAPS
counting frames for the next 300 seconds. The FRAPS framerate
display will disappear within a few seconds, after displaying
momentarily a green start box around the yellow framerate number.

Enjoy the scenery for the 5-minute flight until you see the framerate
display reappear with a momentary red stop box around the
number, pause or otherwise end the flight, and then close FRAPS.
If you dont, every successive time you pause and un-pause the
flight, FRAPS will count frames and place another set of data in its
\Benchmarks subfolder. Its very easily to become unsynchronized
between the pause commands and FRAPS continuing to count
framerates and generating summary files.

GENERAL FORM OF EXPECTED RESULTS FROM BENCHMARKING TESTS

After completing the benchmarking exercise, which included

additional runs for each card and setting when results seemed to
be affected by random hard drive activity or other disturbance, the
benchmarking results for the 7800 GT OC were as expected: lower
than with the 8800 GT and increasing with CPU speed.

The results for the newer and faster-by-specifications 9800

GTX and particularly the GTX 260 were not as unexpected, as the
framerate numbers were similar for both cards for each CPU speed,
and they were not much higher than with the 8800 GT, as seen in the
data table and graph of actual results. Note that framerate numbers are
displayed on the graph for only the 7800 GT OC and 8800 GT results,
to not clutter the graph.
VIEW AFTER FIVE MINUTES OF BENCHMARKING FLIGHT, WITH MT.
RAINIER IN DISTANCE

Finally, go to your FRAPS\benchmarks folder, where you will find

files with results. The accompanying image shows results from one
run, from file FSX (date and time stamp) minmaxavg.csv. Optionally,
you can copy these and other benchmarking results to a spreadsheet
and plot results in relation to computer and FSX settings.
DATA TABLE FOR BENCHMARKING TESTS

SAMPLE FRAPS RESULTS FROM ONE FSX BENCHMARKING RUN

Summary of Results
When I changed from the 7800 GT OC to the 8800 GT card last
year, I did see higher framerates, and that result, along with claims of
even better performance with the newer cards created an expectation
of what results would look like on a graph. Based on benchmarking
results I had previously obtained, the accompanying graph shows
the general form of results I expected to see: framerates for each
card increasing with CPU speed, and higher framerates for each card
generation. ACTUAL RESULTS FROM BENCHMARKING TESTS

16 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 16 12/21/2008 6:20:29 PM

 I was not very surprised that the 9800 GTX results were only
slightly better than the 8800 GT because the performance indices
provided by nVidia for these two cards are 26x and 23x, respectively
a difference of 13%. The small differences I observed in
performance between these two cards is also consistent with six sets
of FSX benchmarking results posted on Toms Hardware website,
at http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-
comparison,2007-18.html, where both of these cards were generally
among the top performers, though we dont know what process was
used to obtain these benchmarks.

On the other hand, I was very surprised by the lack of improvement

of GTX 260 results compared to the 9800 GTX. Based on the 38%
difference between respective 36x and 26x performance indices,
I expected that the GTX 260 performance would be significantly
better than the 9800 GTX. And the fact that the GTX 260 has 75%
more memory than the 9800 GTX and 8800 GT also suggests better
performance, as related to the need for continuously loading new
textures and other scenery elements.

I used the latest nVidia Forceware WHQL driver set 178.13 for
testing all four graphics cards at time of writing. Because the GTX
260 card is quite recent and I was not seeing significant differences
between GTX 260 and 9800 GTX benchmarks, I tried additional
benchmarking runs of the GTX 260 with beta driver set 178.24, but
there was no change in observed results.
Just for comparison, I ran 3DMark06 tests with both the 8800 GT
and GTX 260 cards, and I noted a 15% improvement in framerates, so
there was improvement, but not as much as the difference suggested
by nVidia performance indices. Also, for curiosity, I repeated the
GTX 260 test at CPU speed 3.0 GHz with the DirectX 10 Preview
enabled in Display Settings. The benchmark result was unaffected
and new scenery highlights were visible, such as red lights at top
corners of buildings in downtown Seattle and atop cranes at the Port
of Seattle. Because there have been reports of significantly lower
framerates with the DirectX 10 Preview enabled, including in the
introduction to the FSX benchmarks page at Toms Hardware, the
results of seeing similar framerates was a positive finding.
Conclusions
Though my testing was far from extensive, the results confirm
that FSX performance is constrained by CPU performance, which
by extension may also include such factors as main memory
size and speed, front side bus speed, etc. FSX hits a wall of
about 25 FPS with my hardware configuration, and the FSX test
parameters combined with running FSX at 1600x1200 resolution
doesnt take advantage of newer graphics card capabilities.
Nor does FSX benefit from technologies such as installing
dual graphics cards in SLI configuration when the fundamental
processing is CPU-bound. The newer GPU technologies are
providing headroom, but FSX is not taking advantage of whats processing power for rendering FSX graphics features.
available in the graphics card when running at 1600x1200 and not
turning all graphics settings to the maximum.
From my benchmarking experiences, I suggest that if you have an
older system with at least PCI-express 1.0 capability, consider paying
the low price to add an 8800 GT, 9800 GTX or 9800-series cards or
their comparable siblings, as these cards currently provide great FSX
performance per cost, for systems similar to mine. Look for a multi-
core CPU if youre upgrading your system. And because prices for
the newest graphics cards are lower than ever, including top models, a
small additional investment in an nVidia 200-series cards will provide
the capability to operate with larger monitors, multiple monitors,
and/or with most display sliders maximized. Ive spoken with nVidia
in forming my conclusions, and their testing with FSX indicates that
with a 30 widescreen monitor operating at 2560x1600 resolution,
and with all FSX graphics settings maximized, their newest high end
graphics cards will provide a smoother flying experience than with
older cards.
Because adjusting FSX scenery display and other sliders all the
way to the left (minimized) is reported to require higher computer and
graphics processing capability than having sliders all the way to the
right (maximized) in FS2004, its especially important to aggressively
adjust display settings in FSX to gain acceptable frame rates if your
hardware is limiting performance. How important is maximized
AI aircraft traffic to the FSX flight experience, for example? With
the GTX 260 installed, adjusting the two default AI aircraft traffic
sliders from 100% settings to the 15% settings used in the Global
High configuration of FSMark07, increases the framerate from about
16 FPS to the apparent CPU-limited wall of about 25 FPS. From
this benchmarking exercise, this is approximately the equivalent
of migrating upward three generations of graphics cards and
simultaneously changing quad-core CPU speed from 2.4 to 3.0 GHz!
Finally, I suggest that 24 frames per second is an entirely realistic
framerate cap setting, as thats the worldwide framerate standard of
motion pictures. Setting a higher cap subtracts from the availability of
Finally, well hope that FS 11 includes a graphics design that takes
advantage of the newest graphics card capabilities even at common
resolutions such as 1600x1200, as well as including full DirectX
10+ capability. Meanwhile, improve your CPU if you can, obtain a
higher resolution monitor if possible, look for bargains on the newest
graphics cards, and adjust FSX display setting sliders to obtain your
personal balance of performance and features. In a future article, I
hope to publish results of additional benchmarking that compares
FSX performance with changes in individual display slider and other
graphics settings, and possibly with alternative hardware such as large
monitors, and multiple monitors. 4

17

cpm1301a.indd 17 12/21/2008 6:20:31 PM

 4
Commercial Applications of X-Plane
Part 1
BY CHUCK BODEEN

Austin Meyer
There are several people besides Austin Meyer who are involved

T
his is the first of two articles about people who
have been successful in doing consulting work in this work, but lets start with his accomplishments. As the father
of X-Plane, Austin has had a jump start on gathering contracts from
for various companies by using X-Plane. It
companies which could profit from the use of the simulator.
started as a single feature, but the professionals who
volunteered information were so prolific that it soon
grew to larger than Computer Pilot usually accepts in
a single piece.
Anyone who has used the X-Plane simulator knows that it has the
ability to model virtually anything that flies and that it uses basic
principles of aerodynamics and physics to do so. I dont want to
dismiss lightly all the people who have manufactured wonderful
X-Plane models as free-ware or pay-ware, but these articles are
concerned only with the work that has been done for companies and
organizations which have a direct connection to the world of real
flying or training.

Some of the implementations of X-Plane have involved

cooperative efforts of Austin Meyer who made specific changes and
upgrades to the simulator and others who created the airplanes and
instrument panels.

18 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 18 12/21/2008 6:20:32 PM

 X-PLANE
NASAs Space Camp, at Huntsville, Alabama, has several three-
to-six-day aviation education programs for children and adults that
use a version of X-Plane for which Austin enhanced the combat
capabilities. With the standard X-Plane missiles and guns do hit other
craft, but upon doing so, result only in the engine failure of that plane
and a light stream of smoke. With the space camp version the planes
are destroyed in flight which makes for a more exciting environment
for the kids. Ten modern fighter planes have been added to the
stable. An instructor station permits the staff to control 20 X-Plane
networked computers in the simulation room so that the participants
can engage in teamwork while simulating combat for fun.

A special new version of X-Plane is being prepared for Cessna

THE MOTUS FULL MOTION SIMULATOR BY FIDELITY USES X-PLANE AND
IS APPROVED FOR CERTAIN TRAINING APPLICATIONS BY THE FAA.
Aircraft to use to train all new single-engine customers. If you buy a
Cessna, you will learn to fly the Garmin G-1000 glass cockpit suite on
X-Plane before you take up the real plane. X-Plane plugs into a real
G-1000 via an ethernet cable. In this mode, using data from X-Plane,
the G-1000 thinks it is receiving the information from a real plane.
The Garmin device does not notice that it is on the ground rather than
in the air.

The first major commercial triumph for Laminar Research

(Austins company) was FAA certification of the Fidelity Flight
Simulation Motus full motion flight training device in 2002. The
Motus is used to train pilots toward a Commercial- as well as Airline
Transport- Certificates. It was the first time any low-priced software
attained this level of authorization. Fidelity says, Fidelity features
X-Plane flight simulation software in all of its simulators. X-Plane
offers the MOTUS simulator exceptional flexibility, allowing
easy modification to the aerodynamic model to meet regulatory or
customer requirements. This engineering flexibility is as applicable to
helicopter simulation development as it is for fixed wing. Whatever
the aircraft, X-Plane aerodynamic modeling capability ensures the
MOTUS flight simulation device meets all necessary standards.

A project for PFC (Precision Flight Controls) again led to

certification by the FAA, as well as by Transport Canada and
European JAR of four different levels of training devices. The work
involved tweaking X-Plane to mesh with the wide variety of PFC
hardware. Shade Tree Micro Aviation created or modified the models
of the planes and panels.

AT CESSNA, THE REAL GARMIN G-1000 IS ATTACHED TO A COMPUTER

USING X-PLANE. THE COMBINATION IS A PRODUCT OF FIDELITY FLIGHT
SIMULATIONS

KIDS AND ADULTS ALIKE ENJOY USING THE X-PLANE SIMULATORS AT FIDELITY ALSO MARKETS A GARMIN G1000 MOBILE TRAINING STATION
SPACE CAMP THAT USES X-PLANE AS THE DRIVER

19

cpm1301a.indd 19 12/21/2008 6:20:35 PM

 Japan Airlines uses the Beech Baron to train their pilots and Austin
is making sure that the Baron in X-Plane flies like the real one and
that the Garmin G-1000 works as well as it will for Cessna.
Austin has also developed an add-on to X-Plane to emulate the
other glass cockpit systems such as the ones produced by Avio NG
and Entegra EFIS (electronic flight instrument system). The program
runs on a separate, networked computer and you need a special USB
key to unlock the limitations of the demo version. Laminar Research
has sold several Eclipse 500 full cockpit simulators to Eclipse owners
and has other companies in mind.
THIS IS THE REAL SPACESHIPONE, BUT THE SIMULATOR LOOKED JUST
LIKE THIS WITH X-PLANE VISUAL SCREENS ON EACH PORT-HOLE
WINDOW. (COURTESY SCALED COMPOSITES, LLC)
Scaled Composites, Burt Rutans company, used X-Plane for the
visual displays on their SpaceShipOne simulator which was used to
train the pilots of that first privately funded human space flight in
June of 2004. Austin went to Mojave, California, for about a week
and installed X-Plane computers on all of the port-holes around their
training device.
Boeing, Lockheed, and NASA have all ordered copies of X-Plane
for special projects, although Meyer is sometimes not told just how
they intend to use the program. NASA uses X-Plane to simulate flight
on Mars. Rumor has it that Boeing is using x-plane for their very
large blended wing body airliner project. Austin thinks that Lockheed
might be using X-Plane to study unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
but hes not sure.
THE RUMORED BOEING 797 BLENDED WING 1000 SEAT AIRLINER.
(PHOTO FROM TRUTHORFICTION.COM)
20
cpm1301a.indd 20
The Swedish Air Force has a few networked stations where pilots
can dogfight with each other, and each station has three or four high-
end PCs with a few external visuals doing a type of dome projection.
With the fast, networked computers they produce high quality
external wrap-around visuals one of the more serious applications
of X-Plane. Austin was contracted to make a few improvements to get
the networking just right so that the pilots would not complain if there
were timing errors of 0.1 seconds or so.
Austins latest projects, of which he is justifiably proud, involve
the use of Apples iPhones and iPods. X-Plane can be downloaded
from iTunes for a penny less than $10US. With it you can fly any one
of four different airplanes around Innsbruck, Austria. Throttle, flaps,
brakes, and gear are all touch screen and the yoke is controlled by
tilting the iPhone. Once you have loaded the specs for your particular
airplane in X-Planner, then you can enter your destination and
information about winds after which the program will estimate time
and fuel expense at any set of altitudes.
X-PLANE IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR IPHONE AND IPODTOUCH
Jason Chandler
One of Jason Chandlers specialties is creating X-Plane models
of prototype and concept design airplanes. You can see some these
and an impressive list of customers at http://www.c74.net/xplane/_
design.html. His models are extremely well executed and he makes
helicopters as accurately as fixed wing craft. Along with the Piper
Seminole, his Cessna 182T, 205H, and T206H have found there way
into some machines produced by Fidelity Flight Simulation.
JASON CHANDLERS AGUSTA WESTLAND AW109E
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:20:41 PM
 X-PLANE

THE UNIVERITY OF NORTH DAKOTA USES CHANDLERS PLANES IN

INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS. HERES ONE WITH HIS PIPER WARRIOR

CHANDLERS EC135 WHICH HE MADE FOR PHI MEDICAL FLIGHT

Several companies and universities use his models for training

purposes. These include:

The University of Tennessee using his Bell 430.

Airlift Northwest in Seattle, Washington, Lifeflight of Maine,
BOEING X-45
ShandsCair at the University of Florida all use his Agusta
Westland AW109E helo.
PHI Medical Flight uses his EC135 helicopter and the Mayo
Clinic will use Chandlers EC145 helicopter model.
The University of North Dakota uses three of his Piper models
in the creation of some of their Aerocast instructional videos.
You can see these at http://www.undaerocast.com/?cat=3
Greekhelicopters.gr are now using Chandler models of the Bell
109, 430, and 206 in a full size simulator they have for their
pilot member group.
A South African Helicopter instruction agency uses the AATD
version of the Bell 206 for training courses.
Cessna aircraft uses his 182T attached to Garmin 1000 units for
pilot conversion training. NORTHROP-GRUMMON X-47

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

ordered some semi-classified Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
models. You can see Jasons pictures of them at his Boneyard
site http://www.c74.net/xplane/_aad_boneyard.html and see
movies of the real thing at http://www.darpa.mil/j-ucas/ - just
click on X-45 System or X-47 System. Then go to http://www.
is.northropgrumman.com/systems/ghrq4b.html to see the Block
20 Global Hawk. After looking at these ships you will see why some
people say the days of manned military aircraft are coming to a
close. While the models cannot be released, you can find unclassified
pictures on the Internet. NORTHROP-GRUMMON RQ-4 BLOCK 20 GLOBAL HAWK

21

cpm1301a.indd 21 12/21/2008 6:20:43 PM

 Preliminary design and proof of concept applications have also
played a large part in Jasons work:

BradyAerospace.com had a custom design model of their

ADDX-GB made prior to producing it .
MilnerMotors.com ordered two versions of a concept flying car
design and then further refined the design.
Equator Aircraft commissioned creation of their amphibious
next-generation aircraft. X-Plane and the model in varying
configurations and liveries are being used for demonstration,
sales demonstration, and pilot orientation worldwide.

THIS BEECH S35 MODEL WAS USED TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT HAPPENED

IN AN ACTUAL ACCIDENT

Air Traffic Control Consultants, Inc. had an unusual application

which involved investigation of an accident which killed the pilot and
two passengers and injured several people on the ground. They used
Jason Chandlers Beechcraft Bonanza S35 for the demonstration.

THE AMPHIBIAN FROM EQUATOR AIRCRAFT

THE BRADY ADDX-GB

JASON CREATED THIS SPECIAL VERSION OF HIS LEARJET FOR THE

ROCKET RACING LEAGUE

The Rocket Racing League ordered a special livery of Chandlers

Learjet to match the one that flies as the pace-aircraft of the RRL
course carrying VIPs, officials, as well as TV, GPS, and computer
mapping equipment. He is making a Velocity XL with RRL livery
and rocket attached to the tail. It will be used to display the real-
time view of the racing planes on the course by received telemetry
projected on very large displays in the spectator areas. The Velocity
MILNERMOTORS AIRCAR CAR XL model has the official endorsement of Velocity Aircraft.

22 CPM. V13I01

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 IGAMINE THIS VELOCITY XL WITH A ROCKET ATTACHED!

Steve Nelsons Simulators On Site, LLC, has developed a 270+

degree of view display using professional television screens, mirrors,
projectors, and THX surround sound creating a full immersion
simulator that has been at Heli-Expo for two years. Steve is taking
orders from flight schools for his Advanced Aircraft Training Device
(AATD) to use with Jasons Bell 206.

SHOT FROM INSIDE JASON CHANDLERS BELL 206 HELICOPTER

MODEL, THIS VIEW LOOKS OUT ON PART OF STEVE NELSONS 270
DEGREE VIEW DISPLAY

A Look at Next Month

Look to these pages next month for reviews of the more
professional applications of X-Plane. Jim McNeill of Shade Tree
Micro Aviation has done a lot of work for foundations and museums
in Alaska as well as for PFC (Precision Flight Controls).

Marcio Amaral is taking X-Plane to new heights with innovative

displays in Brazil. Brett Sumpter created the Bell 222 for Fidelity
Flight Simulation and a Bell 206 for another company. Last, and
perhaps least, Ill tell you about my own varied consulting work. See
you next month.

23

cpm1301a.indd 23 12/21/2008 6:20:50 PM

 The Golden Age of Air Racing
BY TOM KURTZ
W
ith Microsoft Flight Simulator X including
a very cool multiplayer air racing module,
we thought it would be prudent to take a
look back into the history of air racing, starting with
air racings Golden Age
Air racing has a very rich and interesting history. The first air race
was held in 1909, only six short years after the Wright brothers first
flight. The first race was from France to England. In the 1920s the
United States instituted the National Air Races and the Womens Air
Derby. Then in 1947, an All-Woman Transcontinental Air Derby was
established; right away it was nicknamed the Powder Puff Derby
and it lasted until 1947.
Back in the 1920s there was a lot of competition among pilots all
over the world. Who could fly the fastest, who could fly the farthest,
who could fly the highest? It was a wonderful time. The race pilots
became celebrities and hometown folk heroes. Their names are still
remembered today with pride by the countries they called home.
Names such as Jimmy Doolittle (General Jimmy Doolittle who led
24
cpm1301a.indd 24
4
the first bombing mission of Japan in WWII), Glenn Curtis, Colonel
Roscoe Turner, Frank Hawks, Howard Hughes, Charles Lindbergh
(first pilot to fly the Atlantic in a plane he named The Spirit of
St. Louis), and Charles Smithy Kingsford Smith, the famous
Australian pilot who was the first to fly across the Pacific in a plane
he named the Southern Cross. The Kingsford Smith International
Airport (YSSY) in Sydney is named for him.
Then there were the famous women racer pilots of the era;
Amelia Earhart - first woman to fly the Atlantic, Laura Ingalls - first
American woman to fly over the Andes mountains, Bessie Queen
Bess Coleman - the first African American (male or female) to
become a pilot, Jacqueline Jackie Cochran - first woman in
the Bendix Race, the first woman to break the sound barrier, and
the first woman to fly a jet across the ocean, she became head of
Womens Air Force Service Pilots in WWII.
There are many more men and women we could talk about, but it
would take more space than this article allows to write it. Maybe this
article will inspire some of the readers to delve into aviation history. I
know it has inspired me as I researched facts for this article.
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:20:54 PM
 In this Part One about air racing we will look at and fly some of I flew the R2C-1 Army version over Seattle. Racing aircraft are a
the historic aircraft. You may find many freeware simulations of them little unstable (just like good fighter planes) and tricky to fly. I found
online at Simvation, FlightSim, Avsim.com etc, and of course there this to be the case with all the simulation aircraft I flew for this article.
are some payware versions too. So lets get started.
The Hall Bulldog of 1932 flew in the National Air Races, but
didnt do well. It was scrapped shortly after the races. However, it did
First lets look at the types of racing planes. represent an advanced design by Robert Hall. Too bad I couldnt find
1. Biplane class are small, aerobatic aircraft that can exceed 200 mph. a simulation to fly.
2. Formula One - These aircraft are raced and built by the pilots.
3. Sport - This class are high performance aircraft usually built
from kits. These planes are raced on a 6.37 mile course at speeds
nearly reaching 350 mph.
4. T-6 - This class is made up of stock aircraft. Usually raced at the
Reno, Nevada 5.06 mile course at speeds up to 230 mph.
5. Jet - This class of racing started in 2002 as an invitation only to
qualified pilots and aircraft. Speeds are 400 mph and more.
6. Unlimited - This class is open to any piston-driven aircraft. This
class is mostly made up of WWII modified fighter planes. You
will find many P-51s in this class such as the famous Crimson
Reaper which I will fly and write about in Part 2.

The Curtis RC3 was built in 1925 by the Glen L. Curtis Company.
The land plane version was the R3C-1. Both the Army and Navy
bought the plane. Army Lt. Cyrus Bettis flew the R3C in the Pulitzer
Trophy Race on October 12, 1925. Lt. Bettis won the race flying
248.9 mph. Then on October 25, 1925 an R3C-2, float plane version,
piloted by Army Lt. Jimmy Doolittle flew the R3C-2 and won the 1932 HALL BULLDOG
Schneider Cup Race. In 1932, Doolittle clocked up a speed of 296
mph to set a new world high speed record for land planes. Now lets take a look at my favorite, the 1931 Gee Bee Zee Racing
plane. This plane was designed by Robert Hall (yep, the same guy
who designed the Hall Bulldog) and built during the Great Depression
by the Granville brothers. They were hoping to win the large money
prize at the Cleveland National Air Races. The plane won the 1931
Thompson Trophy race in Cleveland. The Granville Brothers showed
the country that they could build the fastest planes. Their pilot Lowell
Bayles was killed flying speed dashes in the Zee when a wing tore off
and the plane rolled into the ground. That is sad, but no doubt Bayles
died doing what he loved... flying fast. I found a simulation of the Gee
Bee for FSX at Simviation. It flies beautifully, but it is difficult to fly
and takes a little time to learn how to take-off and land, shes a little
nose heavy. Try it youll like it.

The Gee Bee Zee is powered by a P&W R-1340 750HP engine. She
broke the land plane 3 kilometer speed record of 278.48 mph in 1931.

CURTIS R3C

R2C-1 OVER SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 1931 GEE BEE RACING PLANE

25

cpm1301a.indd 25 12/21/2008 6:20:54 PM

 GEE BEE VC PANEL

HUGHES H-1B 1935

OVER THE CITY OF RENO, NEVADA

HUGHES H-1B RACER ON RWY 34R KSEA

LOW OVER RENO

Now lets fly my next favorite, and the most difficult to fly, the
Hughes H-1B racer. This plane was designed by Howard Hughes and
Richard Palmer to be the fastest land plane in the world. It was built
by Glenn Odekirk. On September 13, 1935, in Santa Ana, California,
Howard Hughes flew the H-1B and set a new world speed record
of 352.322 mph. The H-1B is now on exhibit in the Golden Age of
Flight gallery of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington
D.C. If you see the 2004 movie The Aviator, a picture biography of
Howard Hughes, the H-1B is featured in the film. HUGHES H-1B 2D PANEL

26 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 26 12/21/2008 6:20:56 PM

 LAIRD TURNER METEOR 1936
HUGHES H-1B CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF AT RENO, NEVADA KRNO

The Laird Turner LTR-14 racer was the fastest pylon racer of its
day. It was flown at 280 mph in pylon racing and the top speed was
said to be 350 mph. Designed and piloted by Colonel Roscoe Turner.
It was named the Laird Turner Meteor, but was flown under different
names in racing, depending on the sponsor. Here are some of the
names; Laird Turner Meteor Miss Champion, The Ring Free Oil
Meteor, and the Pesco Special. Colonel Turner was the only three-
time winner of the Thompson Trophy Races flying the LTR-14.

HUGHES H-1B OVER RENO, NEVADA

Colonel Roscoe Turner was a famous racing pilot and aircraft

designer. He designed the LC-DW Super Solution in 1931. This little
biplane won the 1931 Bendix Race, piloted by Jimmy Doolittle with
an average speed of 217 mph. I could not find a simulation of this
plane to fly. I hope someone will make one sometime.

LAIRD TURNER METEOR AT THE THOMPSON TROPHY RACE 1939

The LTR-14 was powered by a P&W S1B3-G Twin Wasp, 14

Cylinder 1,000 HP engine. I love flying the simulation of this aircraft.
Like the other racers it is hard to fly, but fun.

LAIRD LC-DW SUPER SOLUTION 1931

The next racer Colonel Turner designed and flew was the Laird
Turner Meteor LTR-14. It was his most successful design. LAIRD TURNER LTR-14 2D PANEL

27

cpm1301a.indd 27 12/21/2008 6:20:59 PM

 NORTHROP GAMMA 2A 2D PANEL

LTR-14 OVER THE SEATTLE SUBURBS

The Northrop Gamma 2A racer was the first of a series

of successful Gamma racing planes. The Gamma 2A set a
transcontinental speed record in 1933 piloted by Frank Hawks.
Hawks made the flight in 13 hours, 26 minutes and 15 seconds at an
average speed of 181 mph.

Howard Hughes broke Hawks record flying transcontinental in

9 hours and 27 minutes in a later version of the Gamma 2A. Then
in 1935 Hughes beat his previous transcontinental record, flying his
H-1B racer, from California to New York in 7 hours, 25 minutes. His NORTHROP GAMMA 2A OVER SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
average speed was 322 mph.

I found the Northrop Gamma 2A was the easiest of the racers to fly.
I really like the looks of the plane too.

NORTHROP GAMMA 2A PARKED AT PAINE FIELD, WASHINGTON

The design of many of these racing planes became the basis of the
World War II fighter planes such as the F4F Wildcat, the F6F Hellcat,
the P-47 Thunderbolt, just to name a few. In part 2 we will look at
later racing planes.

Many thanks to the authors of the simulations I used, the Wikipedia

encyclopedia, AirplaneRaces.com for historical facts and history
NORTHROP GAMMA 2A 1935 notes, and AviationCentral.com for historical facts and photos. 4

28 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 28 12/21/2008 6:21:01 PM

 4
Tips and Techniques for Flying Ultra-lights
BY SEAN JAMES
O
n accepting this assignment I thought I
would have no difficulty typing out 2500
words. After all the World Wide Web is a
great source of information and when combined
with personal knowledge and experience the going
should be relatively easy. After a week or researching
I realised that I was in for a bigger challenge than
estimated!
My brief was simple; write an article on how to fly an Ultra-
light safely. I hope that what you read will be both informative and
challenge you to spend more time flying micro-lights such as the one
provided in Flight Simulator X. I have found the Air Creation Ultra-
light both challenging and immersive when flown according to the
manufacturers recommendations.
cpm1301a.indd 29
A brief history of micro-light aircraft
The sport of flying micro-light aircraft gained popularity in the early
70s. Much of the aircraft available at the time were knocked up in the
garages of private homes. As a result safety and training was not a big
consideration and many amateur aviators paid with their lives.
A derivative of the hang-glider, micro-lights, or Ultra-lights as they
are now more commonly referred to, benefitted from the advancement
in power plant technology and commercially available components
to build a flying machine. The original hang-glider concept is
a throwback from NASAs early conceptualization of landing a
spacecraft safely back on earth. In the 1960s a NASA scientist,
Francis Rogallo, designed a collapsible delta wing that would deploy
from the capsule after re-entry allowing the craft to return to earth
safely; the concept of a weight-shift wing was born.
Naturally, mans urge to take to the sky like the birds had a lot
to do with this. Many early attempts were made by enthusiasts and
the safety record of the home-built aircraft left much to be desired.
Nonetheless, man was not to be deterred. Driven by the desire to
fly, small companies began springing up in the US and Europe.
Development into and production of Ultra-light aircraft became
necessary if the sport was to grow, develop and prosper, and it has.
29
12/21/2008 6:21:04 PM
 Safety concerns
Training and safety fell under the spotlight and legislation was
introduced to improve safety records. The cost of ownership became
more affordable and recreational flying was now within reach of the
less wealthy. Many questions relating to safety have been bashed
about over the years. Much of the negative sentiment is due to media
reports seeking to sensationalize incidents involving Ultra-light
aircraft. Ultra-light aircraft and the training of pilots are subject
to the same rigorous legislation as regular aircraft. Although the
Ultra-light pilot is issued a licence with restrictions, the training
and airmanship needed to obtain a licence is the same as many PPL
courses in many countries. Fortunately we can get away with a lot in
our flight simulation world, but for the purpose of this exercise, try
to keep things as real as possible, including realism settings and the
downloading of real weather.
The attitude adjustment
Flying an aircraft requires an attitude shift, especially when flying
an Ultra-light. Flying an aircraft is not like hopping onto your moped,
cranking over the engine, slipping it into gear and launching off the
pavement as you set off on the way to your destination. Enroute you
notice that you are low on fuel and the oil has not been checked in a
while. You pull into a service station and refuel. At the same time you
pour in almost half a tin of molly-free oil and add 1 bar to the already
partially flat tyres.
AHEM YES, NOW WHERE IS THE NEAREST ULTRA-LIGHT STATION?
WHAT! THERE IS NONE AROUND HERE?!
Now swap the moped for the Air Creation Ultra-light and a
normal every-day event becomes a life-threatening aviation incident!
Statistics show that more accidents occur with pilots who have more
than 600 flight hours. Opinion is that older pilots have lost their fear
(anecdotal). They become blas and overlook the small things such as
running through the full pre-flight checklist before EVERY takeoff.
EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE FLYING A WING, AN ENGINE FAILURE IS
STILL A SERIOUS EVENT IN AN ULTRA-LIGHT
30
cpm1301a.indd 30
Some basic rules
There are a few basic rules that if followed will keep you alive;
Never fly a plane that has been in a major accident.
Never fly a plane that has undergone major repairs.
Never test fly someone elses plane.
Never fly a plane you do not know intimately.
Never fly if you dont feel 100% OK. A bad mood can result in
poor decision making.
Get professional flight instruction - fly all the tutorials in FS
concerning the Air Creation Ultra-light, several times.
Preparation
So you have taken your first solo flight and your instructor has
passed you with flying colors. Now its time to take that first flight as
a licensed pilot. Preparation is critical. We all fly because we enjoy
it, it relaxes us and we feel good about ourselves. Good preparation
helps to ensure an enjoyable, incident free flight. The best time to
fly is early morning or late afternoon. The weather is most favorable
during this time of day. The sunset and sunrise is spectacular from the
air but dont stray too far from the airfield in the afternoon or you will
find yourself flying blind with insufficient instrumentation for night
flying.
Decide where you are going and plot the course on a map. It is
a good idea to do this the day before or at least 3 to 4 hours before
departure. Choose a route you are familiar with or have flown in the
company of others. Identify emergency landing spots along the route
and mark them on your chart. Get a weather update for the planned
route 30 minutes before departure. Make sure you post a copy of
your intended flight plan on the club bulletin board. It is a good idea
to give a copy of your flight plan to friend or family member in case
you go down. This will assist search and rescue teams to locate you
quicker.
ULTRA-LIGHTS CAN TAKE YOU TO WONDERFUL, BUT ISOLATED PLACES.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FLIGHT PLAN AND LET SOMEONE ELSE KNOW
ABOUT IT!
Always keep a small tool kit handy and a set of back-up batteries
for the radio. Ensure that your GPS unit is charged the night before.
Program the GPS as part of the pre-flight. A good friend of mine
had the embarrassing experience of having to get the tower at the
local airport to vector him into an airfield after straying off course
and then discovering the GPS batteries were not charged. All this
can be simulated in your imagination. Fortunately for him the chap
in the tower that day was a member of the local flying club and the
authorities were not notified.
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:21:05 PM

PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS ARE VITAL BEFORE YOU FLY ANY AIRCRAFT
The pre-flight is very important. In FS I like to do a virtual walk
around before starting the engine. The following checklist will help
you avoid overlooking anything.
Place helmet in seat.
Check controls for free and correct movement.
Check integrity of seat, lever throttle, seat mount assembly and
attach point hardware.
Check seat support down tube integrity.
Check nose tire inflation and integrity of wheel hub.
Check forward integrity of landing gear-nose struts, foot bar,
tension struts and connecting hardware.
Check integrity of triangle bar tubes and attach points including
lower wing wire connections.
Walk under wing and check root tube integrity.
- Check all root tube bolts for security including kingpost
attachment and height adjustment.
Check fuel tank mounting security, on-off valve position for ON
and check fuel quantity.
Check all fuel lines, the fuel pump and filter, and carburettor
mount for integrity.
- Check the fuel tank cross over and if it contains impurities,
drain until contamination is gone. Remember, water in the fuel
can cause engine failure!
Check pull starter and all engine components for obvious
problems. Check spark plug caps, all mounting bolts and
hardware for security.
Walking to your right, or toward left wing, look and feel down
leading edge spar checking for dents, bends, etc. that may not be
visible because of sail cloth covering.
Check integrity of leading edge wires.
Check integrity of compression struts and connecting hardware.
Walk around left tip and sight and feel down trailing edge.
Check integrity of ribs, and make sure they are fully in position.
Check integrity of trailing edge wires.
Check left and right main tire inflation and integrity of
wheel pants.
- Check axle, axle shaft and axle hardware for integrity.
- Check integrity of landing gear down tubes and wires.
Check integrity of reduction unit and condition of belts, belt
tracking and tension.
Check propeller condition (switch off) looking for cracks or deep
nicks. Check prop hub, mounting bolts, and tip clearance.
Check muffler bracket, shaft coupler and bearings for security.
Check integrity of tail brace tubes.
Look up at kingpost and visually check that all hardware is secure.
cpm1301a.indd 31
Move to right wing and check trailing edge spar and wire
integrity.
Check all compression struts, ribs and lines for integrity.
Walk around right tip and check leading edge spar and wire
integrity.
Check muffler integrity and attach point springs (safety wired).
Sit in the seat. Adjust and secure shoulder harness/seat belt.
Buckle your helmet (earplugs are suggested), and connect
parachute emergency recovery system to aircraft in
secure manner.
Check airspeed indicator integrity.
Check kill switch integrity.
Actuate all controls several times making sure you can comfortably
reach throttle, control bar, pull starter and kill switch.
Program GPS and review plates for the airfield.
Flight operations
Before you start the engine ensure that you are comfortable and
the seat harness is properly secured. Before you swing the starter,
call out clear prop and wait a few seconds to allow any onlookers
who may have approached outside your field of vision to step clear.
It is a good practice to taxi for about 6 minutes allowing the engine
time to warm up and ensure that fuel is flowing correctly. Many
fatal crashes have occurred during takeoff because the pilot forgot
to open the main fuel cock.
When operating from un-controlled airfields it is wise to keep a visual
for arriving and departing aircraft. Be particularly vigilant as you turn
onto the active runway. Always assume the other pilot cant see you.
BE VIGILANT AROUND THE RUNWAY AND AIRFIELD!
When throttling up do so gradually with breaks applied allowing
the CHT to reach 350c.The EGT should stabilise around 1000c. Do
your mag check at 3500 rpm. At full throttle release breaks and check
free movement of all controls once more. Rotate between 40-45 knots
depending on the weight you are carrying.
After rotation it is a good idea to track slightly off the centerline of
the runway. Should you experience an engine failure you should have
enough room to make a gentle diving turn back to the runway. By doing
this you increase the length of the runway. Obviously the measure of
advantage gained is governed by the length of the airfield and how far
down the length of the runway you may already have tracked. I have
tested this in FS and it does work. The common practice is to take off into
the wind. I am not an advocate of this practice. I like to take off in the
direction of an open field, road or airfield in case an emergency landing
is required. Think of it this way, it is easier to land dead stick without
having to change direction too much. As for the down-wind takeoff, if the
wind is blowing that much why are you flying your ultra-light anyway?
31
12/21/2008 6:21:07 PM
 TRACKING A LITTLE OFF CENTER

Climb out at full throttle to 2000 ft before throttling back. The

trade-off between altitude and engine life is weighted in the favor of
altitude. Look at it this way; the more altitude you have the bigger the DEAD STICK APPROACH TRY TO MANAGE THE TRADEOFF BETWEEN
selection of emergency landing spots you will have. The Rotex engine ALTITUDE AND SPEED
has to be overhauled every 300 hours anyway. Practice this regularly
using the failure settings in FS. Each time reducing the time to engine
failure and slowly build your confidence until you are able to land
safely from virtually any position after rotation.

Landings are by and large the most difficult phase of flight. Engine
failure on finals can be a terrifying event. Practice by first bringing
the engine to idle when you are sure you can make the landing. With
each attempt bring the engine to idle earlier until you are able to do
this on the downwind leg and still make the landing safely. Never
run your downwind leg below 1300ft AGL. Be sure that you have
enough altitude during the downwind leg to ensure you can grease the
landing.

One of the most important things to remember about flying delta-

wing weight-shift ultra-light aircraft in windy conditions is that
the pilot must fly the craft onto the runway unlike conventional
aircraft. In a conventional aircraft the pilot has to flare the aircraft
meters above the runway to arrest the rate of descent and ensure a soft
touchdown. This makes dead stick landings particularly tricky and
you will need to un-learn much of what you have leaned in relation to
conventional aircraft. Pushing forward on the bar raises the nose. Try
KEEP UP THE SPEED AS YOU GET CLOSER TO THE GROUND NEAR THE
inverting the controls on your joystick to experience this. RUNWAY OR CLEARING

Great, so you have the basics. Lets look at some challenging

exercises. Stalls and steep turns must be mastered in order for you
to have a sound understanding of the aircraft. Power-off stalls are not
recommended. In FS try the following. Establish level flight at 3000ft
AGL, reduce throttle to idle and hold the aircraft level until the speed
drops off. This is what you should have experienced; the aircraft nose
does not pitch up by much, speed scrubs off rapidly as does altitude
and before you can recover you find yourself plummeting to earth at
around 19 knots before the nose dips and you enter a flat spin.

The preferred induced stall should be executed as follows; establish

WHEN AN ENGINE FAILS, THERE IS LITTLE TIME TO SPARE. QUICKLY
SCOUT FOR A LANDING SPOT AND ACTION IMMEDIATELY TO GET THERE
3000ft AGL, pitch the nose up at around 45and hold at throttle.
The aircraft stalls at around 31 knots. Expect the wing to dip gently.
Recover by lowering the nose, apply full throttle and gently turn into
the direction of the low wing to establish 45 knots airspeed. Once
the airspeed passes through 45 knots establish level flight. In both
situations the recovery can be mastered with practice.

32 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 32 12/21/2008 6:21:08 PM

 Steep turns are tricky in this type of aircraft. It is easy to wash out
and end up in a dangerous side slip that can not be recovered from.
Practice your steep turns at a good altitude to establish where the
threshold is. I found that 45 is about the limit at 45 knots. More than
that and you are looking for trouble. This is what I like to call the
45/45 principle. Practice your steep turns by doing figure of eights.

AN EXTREME TURN ATTITUDE!

There are some great missions to fly in the Air Creation Ultra-light.
They will test all of your newly acquired skills. Give them a go. The
Ultra-light in FSX is great fun to fly. Set up some decent winds for
some real seat of your pants flying!

Thanks to NMG Trading for the South African Small Airports

Scenery. 4

POWER-ON STALL THE BEST VIEW THIS SIDE OF THE EIFFEL TOWER

33

cpm1301a.indd 33 12/21/2008 6:21:11 PM

 Hawker Hunter Review
BY ROGER CURTISS
T
ime for another blast from the past. In this
episode, we dial back the clock to 1951 and the
debut of the Hawker Hunter. This single seat,
single engine jet fighter was designed with all-metal
stressed skin construction, a 40-degree sweepback,
mid-set monoplane wing and fully powered controls.
Match this 17,000 lb airplane with a brute of an engine, the Rolls
Royce Avon sporting 10,000 lbs thrust enabling the Hunter to fly at
Mach 0.95 and 36,000 feet. With an initial climb speed capability of
approximately 10,000 feet per minute the Hunter was destined to be
the peak of development for subsonic jet fighters. It was eventually
rolled out in a variety of models and the 1985 aircraft produced saw
many years of active duty with air forces in over 15 countries.
34
cpm1301a.indd 34
4
The Simulated Version
AlphaSim developed and Flight 1 publishes this seminal fighter
in a package compatible with FS9 and FSX. At the time I obtained it
for review it was available as a download only but I am told it now
comes in a CD version. And as is the case with most flight sim add-on
products these days, it installed effortlessly. Once in the hangar you
will find eight selections of four slightly different model types. The
variations give you a choice of different drop tank configurations (2
or 4) and markings from a few air forces. The flight characteristics
of the airplane remain pretty much the same with all. You can also
download a Hawker Hunter paint kit that will allow you to create
custom liveries.
This is a mid-life crisis cure of an airplane. Sleek, fast,
maneuverable, pretty to look at and entirely impractical. But it sure is
a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I am unable to demonstrate the absolute
best feature, and that is the sound. I do not often spend much flight
time using external views of the airplane but the sound of this Avon
engine is amazing and cannot be fully appreciated from inside the
canopy glass. AlphaSim nailed this one with the unabashed roar of
pure power and the very accurate modeling of the lag between throttle
input and engine response.
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:21:16 PM
 REVIEW

The Details
Lets get the bad stuff out of the way first.
It is a good thing that being an observer of this airplane is so
enjoyable because the cockpit experience leaves a few things to be
desired. The instrument panel is pure 1950s black and white steam
gauges and until one has gained some familiarity it can be very difficult
to quickly ascertain what each gauge represents. That learning curve is
helped considerably by a PDF file with photos of the panel and an index
to identify each gauge. Also provided is a comprehensive checklist that
details the steps to get the engine started and proper flight techniques.
There are a few colorful buttons labeled for controlling bombs, rockets
and chaff and flare dispensers as well as an upfront gun sight, however,
disappointingly, these are strictly eye candy. The pilot has a choice of 2D 2D COCKPIT
or VC presentations and I had a hard time deciding which one I preferred.
The VC offers the ease of navigating around the cockpit but in using
it you are half blind. The Directional Gyro is hidden behind the center
joystick and can only be viewed by initiating a severe aileron bank to get
the stick out of the way. The ADF indicator to the right of the DG does
rotate to show the aircraft heading at the top of the display but when
heading south, for example, the display is upside down. It would have
been nice to have the option of removing the animated stick or having a
magnetic compass mounted within view.

The 2D panel has no stick and the gauges are all readable but there
are limited mouse click spots thus rendering it less than optimum.
The landing gear and flap levers are inoperable and both gear and
flaps have to be selected by keyboard press or clicking on their
position gauges.

The rudimentary instrumentation also makes deciphering airspeed AFTERBURNER (OR REHEAT FOR THE BRITS) ENGAGED
and vertical speed a bit tricky as well. The airspeed indicator has
an outer dial for 0-400 kts and an inner one that continues to 750
kts but with a single pointer so it can be tough to know by a quick
glance at the gauge whether you are going very fast or slower.
Similarly, while the airplane is easily capable of climbing at 10,000
fpm and descending at over twice that amount the gauge pegs out
at 4000 fpm in either direction so you know you are exceeding
that amount but not by how much exactly. Granted, the fact that
the altimeter needles are moving at warp speed will give you a
definite clue but if you want to get a precise value you will need a
stopwatch and some mathematical skills. And about those altimeter
indicators you will need to dust off your analog gauge reading
skills. There is no window to indicate your speed - it is all a matter
of interpreting the three pointers; hundreds, thousands, and tens of
thousands of feet.

The ability to go places is also constrained. There is a single

Comm radio, one Nav radio and an ADF receiver (remember, we AUTOPILOT CONTROL PANEL OPEN. PRETTY BASIC.
are talking 1950s cockpit here). Tuning an ILS frequency initially
seemed to do nothing as far as corresponding instrument displays.
I eventually figured out that one needs to activate the small radar
display to the right of the altimeter. It has two modes - in radar
sweep it looks pretty but the radar does not actually detect anything
- I tried doing intercepts on AI traffic and it was all purely visual.
The second mode serves as a secondary attitude indicator with
the only digital instrumentation in the cockpit and also as an ILS
receiver. The digital figures show heading, altitude and airspeed but
the numerals are small and indistinct making them unreadable except
in an extreme close-up view. But that is okay and befitting the 1950s
vintage of the Hunter before digital readouts existed. There is also no
landing or taxi lighting modeled. Whether this an intentional move to
reinforce the fact that there were relatively few all-weather fighters in
the Hunters heyday is open to debate.

CLEAN LINES, BUILT FOR SPEED 35

cpm1301a.indd 35 12/21/2008 6:21:17 PM

 CONTROL STICK DEFLECTION NEEDED TO VIEW THE HEADING.
CLOSE-UP OF THE RADAR DISPLAY SHOWING HEADING 096, SPEED BUT WITH THAT MUCH BANK THE DIRECTION WILL BE RAPIDLY
468 KTS, ALTITUDE 10578, AND DME READING CHANGING. NOTE THE SIDEWAYS MOUNTED ADF

EXTERIOR MODELING IS SUPERB GREAT ATTENTION TO DETAIL

IF THAT SPEEDBRAKE DOES NOT SLOW YOU

DOWN NOTHING WILL! JUST A JOY TO WATCH THIS AIRPLANE FLY

THE AIRSPEED INDICATOR SHOWS THE SPEED AS EITHER

ON THE RAMP WITH CANOPY OPEN, PILOT 120 KTS OR 470 KTS. A GLANCE AT THE MACH METER
36 CPM. V13I01
LADDER AND INTAKE COVERS IN PLACE TELLS US IT IS THE LATTER

cpm1301a.indd 36 12/21/2008 6:21:21 PM

 REVIEW

But it will be difficult to have that debate with the development

team for while the panel manual directs readers to consult the support
forum, the AlphaSim website reports that as of October 6, 2008 there is
no longer such a forum for any of their products. They say they made
the decision to close the forum because We are confident that a leaner
AlphaSim is the way forward and this increased efficiency will result in
more and better models and scenery in the coming years. One hopes this
is true but cannot help thinking that it sounds like a company desperate to
cut costs because they are in trouble. We shall see. Nonetheless, one has
come to expect and rely on support forums if for no other function than to
interact with other owners of the same product and not having a dedicated
VC OFFICE VIEW location to meet makes that communication much more difficult.

But perhaps I dwell too much on the niggling aspects.

There is also a basic autopilot with altitude, vertical speed and

heading hold functions but the developer notes even specify that while
the autopilot is functional, the Hunter was intended to be hand flown
and autopilot use is best initiated by easing the airplane close to the
desired altitude and then engaging the autopilot to hold it there rather
than adopting a more modern set it and forget it mode.

The question is: Who needs a stinkin ILS, autopilot and landing
lights? So the Hunter is a fair weather friend. Since the engine sound
can only be fully experienced in an outside view anyway, it should
generally be flown in good weather conditions and as I stated before,
this is one sports car of an airplane.

VENTRAL SPEEDBRAKE - LIKE A SHOVEL PROJECTING I did some flight testing above Washington state and over Colorado
INTO THE SLIPSTREAM
just east of the Rocky Mountains. The jet is quite responsive with
the ability to do a complete aileron roll in just under 2 seconds
and capability to perform all the usual aerobatic maneuvers. It is a
delight to perform an outside loop and watch from the spot view as
the condensation forms on the wings and fuselage from compressed
air. Close attention must be paid to airspeed, however. While the
Hunter will give you much room to fly slow (its clean stall speed
is 135 kts) and once it does stall the stall break is docile, the flight
model has a tendency to enter a flat spin and I found that recovery
was only possible sometimes by applying substantial rudder in
order to regain control responsiveness.

In one outing I departed from Denver in a full power climb.

And even though the rated service ceiling is 36,000, I managed to
continue past that to 40,000 before I needed to reduce the climb
rate to 2000 fpm. The airplane eventually petered out at 49,000.
At that point I pointed the nose down, brought the throttle to idle,
dropped the anchor of a ventral speed brake and aimed for the
VISIBILITY FROM THE COCKPIT IS OUTSTANDING
outline of the city of Pueblo that was no more than ten miles in
front of me. The Hunter kept its airspeed in check as it rapidly
dropped earthward and within 2 minutes I was pulling up the nose
at 9,000 and setting up for a visual approach to Runway 17 at
KPUB. During taxi to the ramp I did what any driver of a British
sports car should do on a nice day I put the top down (Shift+E
slides back the canopy) and enjoyed the fresh air.

The Bottom Line

In the Hawker Hunter, AlphaSim has developed an airplane
that is simply fun to fly and even more enjoyable perhaps to look
at. The US$34.95 price tag is not unreasonable and is just about
the bottom line for an FSX-compatible simulation. Think of it this
way: The exterior engine sounds alone might be reason enough to
purchase this product and when you do you also get a fun airplane to
fly as well. You can purchase the boxed version from all good flight
simulator add-on retailers. 4

WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS I WOULD SAY!

37

cpm1301a.indd 37 12/21/2008 6:21:28 PM

 38 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 38 12/21/2008 6:21:32 PM

 REVIEW

Cold War Relics

Photograph by Rick Bryan

39

cpm1301a.indd 39 12/21/2008 6:21:39 PM

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cpm1301a.indd 41 12/21/2008 6:22:55 PM

 4

Learning from Accidents:

Darkness and Distraction
BY JONATHAN M. STERN

The missed approach took the L-1011 out over the Florida

T
Everglades. The weather was clear and visibility unlimited, but there
he crash of Eastern Flight 401 in the Florida was no moon that night. It is hard to imagine how indistinguishable
Everglades was the genesis of modern cockpit earth and sky can become until you have experienced flying on a dark
resource management and the story that night over water or terrain completely free of light sources of any
kind. December 29, 1972, over the Everglades was that type of night.
became a book and the made-for-television movie The
Ghost of Flight 401. Flight 401 was a four-month old
Lockheed L-1011 operating from New Yorks John F.
Kennedy International Airport to Miami, Florida, on
the evening of December 29, 1972. It is the story of
what can happen when a flight crew is distracted by a
problem and loses its focus on the most important task
at hand for an airplane in flight, flying the plane.
Flight 401 departed JFK at 2120, estimating arrival in Miami at
2330. The flight was uneventful until its arrival in the Miami area.
When the crew extended the landing gear for its approach to Miami,
the nose gear light failed to illuminate. The crew cycled the landing
gear but still did not receive a down & locked indication for the
nose gear. The captain elected to execute a missed approach in order
to troubleshoot the nose gear before landing. DURING DAYLIGHT, TERRAIN AND FEATURES ARE EASILY DISTINGUISHABLE

42 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 42 12/21/2008 6:23:07 PM

 AT NIGHT, HOWEVER, THERE ARE VERY FEW, IF ANY VISUAL
REFERENCES OVER THE EVERGLADES. IMAGINE THIS IMAGE AS PITCH
BLACK (BRIGHTNESS ENHANCED SLIGHTLY TO MAKE SOME DETAIL
VISIBLE FOR PRINT)
Flight 401 was instructed to maintain 2000 feet as it headed out
over the Everglades. The captain directed the first officer to engage
the autopilot. The flight crew and a deadheading Eastern employee
began to troubleshoot the nose gear indicator light. The captain and
first officer became occupied with the indicator light itself, while
the second officer entered the electronics bay, located beneath the
cockpit, where one could visually inspect the nose gear to determine
whether it was down and locked.
DISENGAGING THE AUTOPILOT (HOWEVER IT WAS DONE) WAS A
CRITICAL FACTOR
While the captain and first officer were troubleshooting the
indicator light, the cockpit voice recorder recorded a tone that
indicated deviation by 250 feet from its selected altitude. The flight
crew did not react to the tone. Apparently, the autopilot had been
inadvertently disengaged, perhaps by pressure on the control yoke. A
minute later, the approach controller, having observed the aircrafts
mode C readout at 900 feet, queried the crew by, How are things
comin along out there? He did not mention their altitude. The crew
responded with a request to return to the airport, which the controller
granted. The crew acknowledged the instruction and began a turn
back toward the airport. During the turn, the first officer commented,
We did something to the altitude were still at 2,000, right? The 92.8/272.8 magnetically (see airport diagram). If any reader has an
captain said, Hey, whats happening here? Three seconds later, the
airplane impacted terrain in a 28-degree left bank. It was destroyed.
cpm1301a.indd 43
IMAGINE THE IMPACT IN THIS CONFIGURATION BUT IN PURE DARKNESS
Due to the dark, moonless night coupled with flight over terrain
relatively free of ground lighting, the flight crew was not visually
aware of the airplanes descending flight path. The NTSB determined
that the probable cause of the accident was the failure of the flight
crew to monitor the flight instruments during the final four minutes
of flight and failure to detect an unexpected descent soon enough to
prevent impact with the ground. Preoccupation with a malfunction of
the nose landing gear position indicating system distracted the flight
crews attention from the instruments and allowed the descent to go
unnoticed. Despite having a cockpit crew of three professionals, all
of them involved themselves in addressing a relatively minor problem
(what turned out to be two burned out light bulbs) no one flew the
airplane or carefully monitored its flight path.
Retracing the Path
To see how this could happen, lets start our flight simulators with
clear skies and unlimited visibility but at the right date and time. Set
the date to December 29, 1972, and the time to 23:34, the time at which
the flight crew reported the nose gear indicator problem to ATC and
requested an opportunity to circle. Flight 401 had begun its approach to
Miamis Runway 9L. After noting the problem, it climbed to 2000 feet
andwhen over the airportturned out to the northwest.
My suggestion for a substantially-shortened version of the flight from
New York is to start at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport
(KTNT), a training airport 36 miles west of Miami in the Everglades.
Select an airplane close to the L-1011. If you have an L-1011, use that.
Otherwise, a heavy transport such as the DC-10, MD-11, or B-747 will
do. Set up on runway nine. Set the weather to sky clear and visibility
unlimited, the prevailing conditions on the night of the accident.
Tune your Nav 1 radio to 110.3 (IMFA), the ILS for Miami
Internationals Runway 8R. Those of you who are paying close
attention may be wondering why Runway 8R when Flight 401
approached Runway 9L. As we will see, things have changed in
the 25+ years since the crash of Flight 401, and runway numbering
is one of them. Miami added a fourth runway to the north of the
original Runway 9L and renumbered the two runways 8L and 8R.
This presumably was to distinguish them from Runway 9, which
used to be Runway 9R, on the south side of the airport complex. I
have not been able to determine why 9L, 9C, and 9R were not used
as the numbering scheme, given that all three runways are oriented
idea, please drop me a line. In any case, Runway 8R is the runway to
which Flight 401 shot its approach.
43
12/21/2008 6:23:09 PM
 Take off from Dade-Collier and turn right to a heading of 120
to intercept the localizer. Fly a normal approach to Runway 8R.
Lower the landing gear five miles from the threshold. When you
reach decision height, execute a missed approach and climb on
runway heading to 2000 feet. Over the mid-point of the airport,
start a left turn to 270. Fly this heading for two minutes, and
then turn right to 300. Accelerate to and maintain 240 knots,
but leave the landing gear extended for troubleshooting the nose
gear indicator. Now, set the autopilot to maintain 2000 feet and
your 300 heading. Take the airplane out into the Everglades
(continue on present heading for eight minutes). At this point on
Flight 401, the three-man flight crew was singularly focused on
determining whether they had a bad indication or if the nose gear,
in fact, was not extended and locked. The captain and first officer
were attempting to remove the nose gear indicator light from the
instrument panel and swap out the bulbs. The second officer had
gone into the electronics bay below the flight deck to perform a
visual confirmation that the nose gear was down and locked.

Somehow, the autopilotat least its altitude hold mode HOPEFULLY YOU LANDED SAFELY IN MIAMI?
disconnected. The L-1011 began a gradual descent over the pitch
black Everglades. To simulate this, program the autopilot for a
vertical speed descent of 1000 feet per minute. From 2000 feet, we The Federal Aviation Administration has assembled some
have less than two minutes to recognize the error. Imagine that you training materials from the accident involving Flight 401. For a
are pre-occupied with trying to determine whether the landing gear video recreation of the accident, go to http://accidents-ll.faa.gov/
is extended and locked. Would you notice the airplane descending L1011Everglades/reenactment_pop_up.htm. An animation of
slowly toward the ground? the accident flight path is available at http://accidents-ll.faa.gov/
L1011Everglades/flightpath_pop_up.htm. 4
What I found in this exercise is that the ground was visible the
entire time. In the 26 years since Flight 401, the populated areas of
Dade and Collier Counties undoubtedly have grown and pushed out
from the coastal regions toward the center of the State. Thus, what
once was black on a moonless night may now have more electric
lighting. I believe the problem, however, is more the fact that Flight
Simulator does not accurately replicate nighttime terrains. From
experience, I know that they can be truly black. Whether it is the
ground texturing or the use of generic textures, the nighttime ground
in remote areas is too bright.

I do have an alternative suggestion for experiencing what the crew

of Flight 401 likely experienced. Climb back up to 2000 feet and
reset the autopilot to hold altitude. Continue on your 300 heading.
This should take you across the State and in the vicinity of the Naples
Municipal Airport (KAPF). Overfly Naples Municipal and head
out over the Gulf of Mexico. This, I strongly suspect, is what the
Everglades looked like to the flight crew of Flight 401 on the night
of December 29, 1972. For an even more disorienting experience,
program an overcast layer of clouds above you, say 5000 to 6000 feet,
to remove the sky full of bright stars from view. Now, turn off your
instrument panel (W/W). Disconnect the autopilot. Do you have any
hope of keeping your airplane flying safely? I think not.

One could accurately assert that Flight 401 crashed as a result of

two burned-out light bulbs. More accurately, however, would be the
statement that Flight 401 crashed because of the flight crews failure
to safely divide the tasks that were created by two burned-out light
bulbs. This tragic accident led to developments in crew resource
management that likely have prevented countless other distractions
from becoming accidents.

As a flight instructor, I always told my students: First, fly the

plane. That adage remains true whether you are flying an ultralight
or an L-1011. Calls from ATC, questions about gear status, and the
like are secondary.

44 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 44 12/21/2008 6:23:11 PM

 4
Old Ted Blunders intoFinaltheChapter
World of FS
- Chapter 4
SIM FICTION BY BILL SMITH
Dear John,
Well, last weeks bird strike was a bit of a setback, but Im
working hard to get back on schedule. After safely arriving in
Cairo, I celebrated by buying a rather stylish pith helmet. It just
feels right somehow. The next official stop on the Kangaroo
Route to Sydney is Karachi but of course the DC-3 will have
to make a great many fuel stops in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and
Iran before I make it there. I made mention of my grand
multi-continental tour to my flight instructor Sarah, and she
responded with all kinds of encouragement. She has loaned me
some Jeppesen route charts for the Middle East which are a great
help. What else? Well, the window has been repaired and Ill get
the stitches removed from my forehead tomorrow. Ill keep you
apprised of developments.
Cheerio,
Dad.
cpm1301a.indd 45
O
nce again, I failed to fill John in on all of the
details of the past week. The fact is, when
I told Sarah about my idea of traveling
to Australia to visit John upon completion of my
virtual tour she unexpectedly become quite excited.
She poured me some tea as we sat in the flight
briefing office and said
Do you know Ive never been there? My last overseas trip was to
Hong Kong, on business but that was back in 2004 she said.
I told her a little about our trip to Canada for Johns wedding in 1998.
I said that the flight to Vancouver was pretty long, but reckoned that
London to Sydney must be a veritable marathon, even in the comfort
of a 747.
Yes, she agreed And with only one stop in Singapore, theres no
real sense that youve covered any great distance at all. Its more
like spending18 hours in a sensory deprivation chamber. At least
with the original multi-stop-over Super Constellation flights
you would have experienced a significant change of scenery over
the 3 days that it took to get you there.
45
12/21/2008 6:23:13 PM
 Why cant I book a flight like that these days? I asked.
Yes, it would be soromantic to travel like that. But how much
do you want to spend Ted?
I told her that, just like most people I wanted to spend as little money
as possible on traveling to my destination. But at the same time, I
said I wouldnt mind a one-day stopover in Singapore, just to see how
much its changed in the last 30 years. I wondered out loud
Do you think it would be hot in Singapore at Christmas time?
Ted, I think youll find its unbearably hot in Singapore any time
of the year. Does John know that youre planning this?
No, if I decide to go, I want to surprise him. I replied
emphatically.
Will his wife be OK with that?
Theyre separated. Louise lives in Vancouver. Theres really
no chance of reconciliation and frankly, I think hes better off
without her.
When she heard that, she seemed suddenly keen to know more about
my son. She already knew from Reg that John was a police forensic
photographer who was crazy about flight simulation. She vaguely
remembered that Reg had shown John around their Jet Simulation
Center prior to the opening of the business. That was during his flying
visit back to London for his mothers funeral. Then she took me
completely by surprise when she said,
You know Ted, I havent had a break since Reg and I opened this
business. Are you serious about this trip to Sydney?
Trying to hide my sudden feeling of anticipation I took a sip of tea
before responding with a studied nonchalance.
Would you like to come with me?
Sure! I think I can trust Reg to run the business without me for
10 days or so.
So, what do you think about staying a couple of days in
Singapore along the way?
Even before those words left my mouth, I had a sudden vision of
Sarah lounging by the swimming pool of the Raffles Hotel in a
striped neck-to knee bathing suit, leafing through a copy of the A320
operators handbook. It was almost too much for an old bloke like me
to handle. Then she said,
Let me know the exact date, and Ill pack my string bikini.
The mental image she imparted was so unexpected that I involuntarily
sprayed a mouthful of tea all over her desk.
Over the next couple of months, I flew my DC-3 steadily and
inexorably towards Sydney, my ultimate destination. With each new
entry in my logbook, I was accumulating a raft of new simulated
flying stories to share with John when I made my surprise visit to him
at Christmas. When Reg learned of Sarahs plan to accompany me to
Sydney at the end of the year, he became so jealous that he removed his
meager belongings from my house and moved into the Jet Sim Center.
46
cpm1301a.indd 46
Sarah continued to train Reg so that he would be fully ready to take charge
of the business when she and I departed for Australia on the agreed date:
December 20.
My determination to complete my virtual tour before that date was
frustrated by extreme thunderstorms over South East Asia that saw
me grounded for several days. I was sorely tempted to load up a copy
of the Airbus that I had finally learned to fly properly, so that I might
soar above the weather and land even in appalling weather with zero
visibility. But I stuck to my original plan and continued to fly the
Dakota through all kinds of hazardous turbulence. When I finally
made it to Singapores Changi airport, I found the FS2004 Scenery
very disappointing. I only hoped that the real thing would look far
more exciting when Sarah and I arrived there in a few weeks time.
Later, after departing Darwin in the tropical far north of Australia, the
weather cleared and it was smooth sailing for the run down towards
Sydney, which was a good thing because I had run out of my supply of
incontinence pants. (Too embarrassed to buy them myself, I had written
Perma Dry pants on the shopping list only when it had been Regs
turn to shop for groceries). Now flying in clear, smoother air I could
trust the Sperry autopilot to hold the DC-3 steady for long enough for
me to use the bathroom during the longer flights.
Acutely aware that back in the real world there were now only a
few days to go before Sarah and I flew out of Heathrow to visit John, I
eased my DC-3 off the 5000ft runway at Dubbo and turned south-east
to complete the final leg of my marathon low and slow virtual flight
to Sydney. Unfortunately, soon after takeoff I lost the ability to transmit
radio communications. I think I must have selected the remain in
pattern option on the ATC menu and then continued to fly out of
range of the airport. Whatever mistake I made, it came back to bite me
later. As I entered the controlled airspace around Sydney International
Airport, I tuned the radio to the correct traffic frequency but was
unable to send any messages to the Sydney tower to inform them of
my intention to land. With hindsight, I should have listened to the ATIS
before I decided to land on Runway 16R. I set my aircraft up for a very
smooth touchdown, which immediately sent the air traffic controllers
into a frenzy.
World Travel 63, you were not cleared to land. Clear the
runway.
As I trundled the DC-3 down the runway towards the next exit, I
suddenly saw the landing lights of a giant Boeing triple seven coming
straight at me on its final approach. Evidently, I had landed from the
wrong direction!
Cathay 138, go around.
At the last moment, the 777 launched itself into the air and retracted
its landing gear, missing the top of my plane by only a few feet.
Dear John,
Well, I made it to Sydney safely, just as I planned. I am now
officially a flight sim zombie. I cant remember what I used to
do with my spare time before I got hooked on FS.
Cheerio,
Dad
PS. Be prepared to receive a phone call from me on Christmas Eve. I
have a little surprise for you.
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:23:14 PM
 A week later, Sarah and I were touring the stunning city of Singapore
using every means of air conditioned public conveyance at our
disposal. I was staggered at the way the city had transformed in the 35
years since my last visit. Pristine mirrored office towers loomed over
the last remaining British Colonial architectural icons and the whole
place was spotless. It was also hot beyond belief!

I was horrified to see the digital photos that Sarah took of me sitting
by the pool at the Pan Pacific Hotel. The humidity had caused my
pale complexion to look pink and blotchy and wrinkled. Anyone
seeing us together might have assumed that Sarah was traveling with
an elderly relative. My toupee came unstuck in the sweaty heat, so I
finally ditched it in exchange for the baseball cap that Sarah bought
for me. It had the words Too Much Flight Simulation emblazoned
on the front. Over afternoon tea on Christmas Eve, Sarah continued to
gently press me for details of my sons obsession with flight sim. The
much anticipated meeting of Sarah and John brought with it a whole
new world of intriguing possibilities.

Well Sarah, youll get to meet him in person tomorrow. Why

dont we phone him now to let him in on our surprise?

I asked Sarah to make the call, as even though I could now enter data
into a Flight Management Computer, I still could not come to terms
with the operation of a mobile phone. Johns number started to ring
and she handed me the tiny telephone.

John speaking

John, its dad!

Dad, how are you doing and hows the miserable English
weather?

I couldnt tell you son Im calling you from Singapore.
There was a pause before he responded with,
Youre not kidding are you?
No, and theres someone with me who is quite keen to meet you.
How are you doing anyway?
Well dad, its a long story, but due to a totally unexpected turn of
events, things are better now than they have been for along time.
What about you?
Ill tell you tomorrow. Were about to head out to Changi airport
to catch a plane to Sydney. Well be arriving very early tomorrow
morning flight number QF 6.
Really?
Yes, really! So warm up your flight simulator son, because I
think there are a few things I can teach you.
S
itting in the creaking leather seat of my old
Dakota, looking out over Mitiga Airport, I
suddenly remembered that Tripoli was one
of the ports of call on the old Kangaroo Route
from London to Sydney, Australia. I reckoned that
by Christmas I should be able to fly all the way
to Sydney. Clearly, my DC-3 would have to make
a lot more stops than the post-war Qantas Super
Constellations, but that suited me just fine. More
stops would mean less pressure on my bladder and
more airports meant more opportunities to hone my
landing skills. I started to daydream about the type
of hat I might buy when I made it to Cairo, but my
reverie was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the
alarm clock ringing inside the cockpit. It was time to
go and see Sarah again!
Dear John,

Thats great dad. Ill come and meet you at the airport. At last, I had a breakthrough during this evenings Airbus session
with Sarah. As you know, ever since she (and Reg) taught me how to
You dont have to do that John. enter data into the Flight Management and Guidance Computer, I
have had no real difficulty operating the A320 in managed mode.
Hey, its no problem at all. If I can drag Louise out of bed, she As Ive said before, the plane practically flies itself. Tuning the
can come too. navigation radios into the Instrument Landing System is easy once
you know how, and if you can capture the localizer before engaging
The End 4 approach mode then, with two autopilots operating in tandem, the

47

cpm1301a.indd 47 12/21/2008 6:23:14 PM

 4
Tahiti X Review
BY SEAN JAMES
I
f you cannot afford the chance to soak up some
rays in sunny Tahiti, then perhaps Aerosofts new
Tahiti X scenery offering for Flight Simulator is
the next best thing!
Tahiti, or French Polynesia as it is officially known, comprises of
118 islands slap bang in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean. Some
of the islands are mere specs on the chart and are not even included
in the default Flight Simulator X scenery. The islands are spread over
4000 km of ocean but the actual land mass when combined totals a
meagre 1600 km.
The islands attract some 250,000 tourists from Japan, Europe
and the USA annually. Many theories as to how the islands became
populated by Polynesian people have been mooted. The most popular
is a recent suggestion that the people migrated from Asia, most lightly
from ancient Taiwan. It is thought that these ancient people migrated
over centuries populating first Papua New Guinea and then on to the
Solomon Islands until they reached Polynesia. Polynesia comprises of
Tahiti, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.
48
cpm1301a.indd 48
The Scenery:
Tahiti X is available in both download and boxed versions. As I am
located on the tip of Africa, South Africa to be precise, I opted for the
download version to avoid delays in the postal system. The download
is a hefty 183Mb and took two hours to pull from the Aerosoft server
(on my slow connection).
With the business end completed I was keen to get the software
installed so I could take those first transitory looks at the new
addition. With the registration key inserted the add-on was installed
in no time. 14 of the major islands and 9 airports in total are included
in the package. A detailed mesh, well shaded textures and countless
animations have been included. During my many excursions island
hopping I have encounter birds, boats, ships, cruse liners and even
dolphins. The birds can often be seen rising up in large flocks around
the airports and airfields. On several occasions I found myself firming
the grip on the control yoke bracing myself for a bird strike so
convincing and unexpected they were.
The most significant wow factor must be the texture rendering of
the waters around the islands and atolls. Aerosoft have convincingly
created the impression of varying water depths and wave motion
orientation is particularly well rendered. In fact I would venture to say
that I think this is the best I have encountered to date.
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:23:16 PM
 REVIEW
One would think with such detail frame rates would take a Faaa, Tahiti Island is the largest of all the islands that comprise
hammering, not so. Even with the settings well above the recommended French Polynesia. Like most island paradises the skyline is made up
I was posting frame rates well above the 53fps mark. This was quite a of palm trees, new and old buildings and Tahiti Airport has old and
relief as I have had several bad experiences with poor frame rates on new sections to the airport. Aerosoft have modelled this accurately as
both payware and shareware ware downloads in recent months. I must far as I was able to determine.
note though that the airports are relatively uncluttered with jetways and
the like which are notoriously frame rate hungry. The airport has a large amount of vehicle traffic and animations
making this a fitting departure for a round robin tour of the nine
Aerosoft have successfully introduced something unique on each airports featured. Tahiti Island has two airports. When used in
island. I will try to point out as many of these as I have space for conjunction with a good AI traffic package the effects are immersive.
without spoiling too many surprises. I have followed a basic round
robin flight plan to explore each of the islands. I recommend you fly Fare, Huahine (NTTH)
them in the order listed below. I selected the Aerosoft Twin Otter for
the research of this review. The Twin Otter is a fantastic aircraft that
balances great STOL capabilities and good cruise speed with a useful
payload capacity.

Faaa, Tahiti (NTAA)

Huahine airport is located on a semi-atoll outcrop of flat land on the

northern most side of the island. The approach is usually straight in from
the east on Runway 07. There are no ILS systems so navigation will need
to be accurate or you run the risk of missing the island completely. To the
starboard side on short finals I found a gem of a surprise; a construction
site complete with mechanical digger and animated camp fire, just one of
many hidden things to find on every island.

49

cpm1301a.indd 49 12/21/2008 6:23:18 PM

 After parking you will be greeted by waving family members and a
baggage handler all marvellously animated.
Water effects have been so convincingly simulated and resemble an
image from Google Earth.
Fetuna, Motu Nao Nao, Raiatea (NNAO)
Maupiti, Maupiti (NTTP)
Maupiti is formed by a series of atolls that surround a larger
island. Due to the volcanic topography of the larger central island
the airport is situated on one of the atolls. Facilities are sparse and
the runway is relatively short. Larger regional jets will not be able
to operate from this runway making the Twin Otter an ideal aircraft
for island operations.

This island, with its towering jagged volcanic rock formations

protruding high up, offers very little place to land an aircraft. The
topography is easily misjudged due to its thick covering of lush green
vegetation. Raiatea Airport is located on the southern-most tip of
Raiatea. The short strip is surrounded by water and makes for a truly
scenic approach and landing but you need to keep it slow and flat
on the final approach, the runway is short. The runway is flanked on
both sides by trees and the old terminal building offers the very basic
amenities for travellers. Sailing boats lie at anchor off shore as their
crew await the passengers you have brought from the mainland.

50 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 50 12/21/2008 6:23:23 PM

 REVIEW
As I waited for my passengers to disembark I noticed several
dolphins playing in the shallows close to where the sail boats are
moored. Yes Aerosoft have actually animated dolphins jumping out of
the water!

Motu Mute, Bora Bora (NTTB)

Bora Bora is one of the more familiar names and you may well
have heard of it. The long runway was put to use during World War
II for long range bombing excursions by the US Air Force. The
runway is situated on one of the larger atolls complete with a disused
runway. Approach and departure from both ends is wide open making
VFR approaches ridiculously easy... NOT! The airfield has a nasty
crosswind that will lay bare a lack of skill and airmanship.

Temae, Moorea (NTTM)
Moorea airport is another prime example of the depth of detail
Aerosoft have created. While I was panning around the airport I
spotted a fellow with his leg in a splint. Obviously an adventure
seeker who got more than he paid for and now waiting for an island
pilot to take him back home. Temae Island is small and you can
circumnavigate it in minutes. The detail and resolution of the terrain
mesh is particularly well rendered offering much more than the
default scenery. As in all the other islands the textures are also a
welcome relief from the default offering in Flight Simulator X with
lush green vegetation.

51

cpm1301a.indd 51 12/21/2008 6:23:29 PM

 Tetiaroa, Tetiaroa (NTTE)

Tetiaroa, a series of small flat islands is easy to miss if you are
navigating old school. Fortunately the rough, unmarked runway is
east to spot from the air which is quite helpful as there are no navaids.
Flying in and out of Tetiaroa can be likened to the experience a bush
pilot would have in the Lake Hood area. The runway is very short and
inexperienced pilots are often forced to go around. The airfield is not
a controlled airfield but air traffic in the area is not plentiful.
Maupihaa
Maupihaa is one of the islands that do not have a landing strip
at all. The only access is by boat or seaplane. The island is densely
vegetated making landings on dry soil impossible. Flying to the
island proved to be quite the challenge. I took of from the island of
Maupiti on a heading of 230 and hoped for the best. I did make some
allowance for the wind and only drifted 3 miles over the 150 mile
trip. The trip can be tedious as there is nothing but ocean to look at
but navigation will keep you busy.

The island chain has much boat activity and is clearly a favorite for
the rich and famous.

Tupai, Tupai (NTPX)

Tupai is a flat, sparsely vegetated chain of atolls far from any
neighboring islands. The terminal building is so small that it probably
would not house more than 20 people. There are several tents dotted
around the islands and backpackers flock to this paradise mecca for
scuba diving. The waters around the atolls are pristine and warm
making this an ideal location for adventure divers.

52 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 52 12/21/2008 6:23:34 PM

 REVIEW
Motu One
Motu One is the smaller of the three and very easy to miss
completely. The atoll lays 15 to the north of Manuae. Reaching the
islands at dusk highlights the remote beauty of this uninhabited island
and forms the 2nd leg of the triangle of islands without airfields.
Flying the triangle is both dangerous and challenging and highly
recommended. Try it with real weather; it adds an interesting dynamic
to compass navigation.

Manuae
Manuae lies about 100 miles North-West of Maupihaa on a bearing of
250. The island chain of atolls looks a lot like Maupihaa and can easily
be mistaken. This could spell disaster for pilots navigating by compass; it
did for me and I had to refer to the GPS fitted to the Twin Otter.

Summing Up
Aerosofts Tahiti X is a superb add-on for FSX. The package will
add value to your flight simulation experience and is well worth the
price. There are a few small irritations such as the palm trees that
appear to have been stuck into the ground but do little to detract
from the overall quality of the scenery. A set of approach plates and
maps are available for download but unless you can read French you
will have difficulty with them. Nonetheless the symbols used comply
with international standards so you will find them useful.

I found the scenery ideal for testing navigation skills other than
of the GPS variety. There are so many islands to visit including six
which have no landing strips and require a sea plane to be reached by
air. The scenery has longevity as an add-on and offers great value.

The download and boxed disc versions of Tahiti X are available

from good flight sim retailers worldwide with prices starting from
US$19 for the download version (boxed slightly more). 4

Thanks To:
www.thetahititraveler.com
The Valhalla Municipal Library
Granny May
Aerosoft Germany

53

cpm1301a.indd 53 12/21/2008 6:23:39 PM

 Traffic X Review
BY ROB SCOTT
F
light Simulator X is advertised as being As
Real As It Gets. Personally I think this could
be interpreted as false advertising. One of the
first things that you will see at any airport in the real
world is a great range of other aircraft sitting on the
tarmac waiting for passengers to board. Planes are
constantly landing and taking off as the demand for
air travel increases. If you load up FSX and sit at
the ramp of any major international airport, even
with the AI settings at 100% you wont see much of
this; the default AI is shocking! For some people this
will be acceptable, some will just put up with it and
continue flying whilst others, such as the development
team at Just Flight, will set about resolving this
massive problem. And I think they may have done
just that!
54
cpm1301a.indd 54
4
What Is It?
Traffic X is the latest in a long line of AI Traffic programs from Just
Flight, so I guess you could say they know what they are doing when
it comes to this area of FS. Traffic X uses completely reworked and
updated aircraft for FSX and all come with high quality and detailed
liveries. With all the combinations of aircraft models and liveries
there are over 1700 individual aircraft; commercial airliners, regional
jets and turboprops, biz jets, GA Aircraft, Helicopters and for the first
time in the Traffic series military aircraft. And theres more. Traffic
X comes with its own Traffic Control Center (TCC) program which
allows you to easily customize and expand your AI traffic, so if you
arent happy with the level of traffic at your local airport, its easy to
change it. Traffic X is DirectX 10 compatible and is future-proofed
as far as possible for DX10 use. You also get a follow me car and a
pushback tug to explore the airport with from ground level, although
the pushback tug doesnt actually push back the aircraft, but its still
fun to practice hooking up to the aircraft. Last but not least is Spotty!
If you dont want to make a flight but just want to watch the traffic
coming and going, load up Spotty and slew to where ever you want
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:23:44 PM
 REVIEW

on the airfield to watch the aircraft coming and going. Just Flight have
also included some control towers so that you can watch the airports
traffic movements from a controllers point of view. Other than the new
levels of traffic, the thing that I most liked about Traffic X around the
airports were the new custom sounds which have been added to the AI.
If an aircraft is starting up its engines you will hear them spooling up.
When it takes off, if you are nearby, you will hear the aircraft blasting off
the runway, and when it lands again youll hear the reverse thrust kick
in. This single thing has completely transformed the airports at ground
level as they have some atmosphere to them. I did notice, however, that
sometimes whilst airborne and in close proximity to another aircraft, I
heard the sound of the other aircraft spooling up its engines.

This new add-on comes available as a boxed DVD, 518Mb download BUSY AT GATWICK
(3Gb once installed) or as an upgrade for Traffic or Traffic 2005. The
upgrade version is still the same Traffic X as the download or boxed
version, but is offered at a reduced rate to owners of the previous
releases. This review focuses on the download version. Once I had
downloaded the file from the Just Flight website all I needed to do was
run the installer and verify the copy I had by entering the codes e-mailed
to me. Once the copy was verified as genuine I just left the installer to
do all the work for me. When I received my copy there was already an
update available from the Just Flight website, so I installed that straight
away before I loaded up FSX. This hotfix solved the problem of low
levels of traffic at some airports. So it was with great anticipation
that I loaded up at my local airport to see.nothing! No traffic at
all. I checked my sliders and they were on 100%, but there was no
traffic. I could hear the aircraft spooling up and departing/arriving, but
couldnt see them. A quick search around various forums diagnosed
the problem as being an AI traffic file which had been left over from
a previous freeware AI traffic add-on I had used, and thought had CHOPPERS ARE GREAT FOR EXPLORING THE AIRPORT
been removed before installing Traffic X. Once I removed this file the
traffic showed up first time. This is no fault of Just Flight, but the un-
installer of the previous program which didnt do its job correctly.

The Contents
Now that the problems were out of the way it was time to see if
Traffic X could live up to the hype. There are very few add-ons that
are released that I just HAVE to have, but this is one of them. I hate
flying around an empty world, and downloading and installing 3rd
party freeware AI add-ons is time consuming as I have to search for
the airline I want, download it and install it. Then if I want to remove
it completely, it doesnt work. Traffic X is a one-stop-shop for all
this. Pay your 24.99/37.95/US$49.99 to Just Flight or your sim
retailer for the boxed version and with the click of a button your
FSX world will be transformed with over 100,000 scheduled airline
flights, along with GA flights and military flights. The list of aircraft
and liveries included is endless; if I were to list them all here it
would probably take up a page of the magazine. It is fantastic to fly FOLLOW ME CAR
routes between two major airports and have traffic going in the same
direction and coming back the other way, not to mention the traffic
which is flying everywhere else. Flying around major airports now
requires that you keep an eye out for other aircraft. Not because you
will fly into them, but because they will fly into you! Unfortunately
the pilots whom Just Flight hired for Traffic X appear to be kamikaze
pilots, so you need to keep your eyes and ears open. Something which
I would suggest downloading and installing to run with Traffic X
is the updated AI Smooth utility (freeware). This tool helps stop AI
aircraft flying into you and keeps them out of your way by placing
them into a holding pattern until you have passed. This tool came as
standard with a previous version of Traffic, but not with this one as Just
Flight would have needed a license to use it for Traffic X, along with a
new license to FSUIPC, plus the latest version of AI Smooth is available
for free. I admit that go-arounds at airports add to the reality, but not to

I'M GLAD I'M NOT AT THE BACK OF ALL THAT! 55

cpm1301a.indd 55 12/21/2008 6:23:45 PM

 IT COULD GET MESSY IF EVERYONE WANTS TO LEAVE AT ONCE LOTS OF LIVERIES

IT'S FUN TO PRACTICE MORE TRAFFIC

IT'S GREAT TO LAND AT AN AIRPORT THAT HAS SOME TRAFFIC

WITH REAL WORLD LIVERIES PUSHBACK TUG

56 CPM. V13I01
LOOKS QUITE BUSY HERE! SPOTTY IS BACK!

cpm1301a.indd 56 12/21/2008 6:23:49 PM

 REVIEW

the extent that you have gone around so much you end up flying a
glider into a local farmers field! Of course the other way to stop this
is to turn your AI sliders down, but why would you want to do that
when the reason you bought the program is to add traffic to the skies?
Once I had installed AI smooth, arriving at an airport became much less
annoying as I didnt have to go around or take evasive action to stop
another plane flying through me.

The Effect
So how realistic is Traffic X? It may sound odd, but at some of the
major airports it is so realistic it becomes unrealistic when the traffic
SYDNEY AT DUSK sliders are at 100%. I drove around Frankfurt in the follow me car and
the whole of the taxiway alongside the runway was a giant parking
lot for AI aircraft. Had I wanted to make a flight, I would have had to
have waited a long time before I got to the top of the queue. Not only
were these aircraft waiting to take off, but there was a huge stream
of aircraft landing too. Whilst this may happen at real world airports,
the air traffic controllers are a lot more intelligent and skilled than the
FSX ones and the pilots manage to clear the runways much quicker
after landing. I found the best compromise for this was to turn down
my AI slider to around 50-60% at major international airports and
then once I was airborne move it back up again so that I had a good
level of traffic once in the air. I didnt need to turn the sliders down
again on approach because AI smooth kept the other traffic out of the
way. It is great after landing and turning off the runway to look back
where you have come from and see masses of landing lights on final
approach and beacons flashing as other aircraft fly overhead.

Its well known that AI traffic programs do cause a significant hit

IT TOOK A WHILE TO GET TO THE END OF THIS LOT
on frame rates, and Traffic X is no different. You just have to find
the right balance for your system and stick with it. It might take a
fair amount of trial and error but its good fun even if it does get
frustrating. There are a few problems with Traffic X at the moment,
but these are just small. Some aircraft dont have visible wheels so
they appear to float around; a few of the cargo aircraft I saw were
taxiing around the airport with their cargo doors open; and even
when the airport is empty (you have to turn your AI slider down
a bit to get that) you will still hear aircraft engines spooling up.
I have spoken to Just Flight about this and they are aware of the
issue which will be fixed in a forthcoming update (which may
even have been released by the time you read this). Some of the
aircrafts registrations arent correct for the country which they
are flying in either, but these are all minor problems which you
probably wouldnt notice unless you went looking for them and
Im sure that they can be put right via an update.

The Result
UP-TO-DATE AIRCRAFT
Once again Just Flight have a winner on their hands. I
thoroughly recommend this add-on to anyone and everyone. It
completely transforms FSX into a very realistic world. Not only
do you get a great product straight out of the box, but you have
the ability to customize it the way you want. With the TrafficX
community site now up and running, you can expect to see lots of
files on there from other users to enhance the program even more.
The only thing more realistic as far as FSX goes is flying online, but
even then you cannot guarantee having traffic in the area, whereas
with Traffic X where ever you fly the airport will be populated, and
its easily scaleable too. The one downfall of the product is that it did
not ship with AI smooth to help control the AI aircraft, but it only
takes a few minutes for you to download and install this. All thats
left for me to say about Traffic X is to go and buy it!

Traffic X is available from all good flight sim retailers worldwide

or from the Just Flight website in the UK at www.justflight.com 4

57
WHY DOES HE NEED BINNOCULARS!

cpm1301a.indd 57 12/21/2008 6:23:56 PM

 HORTONS HINTS for FLIGHTsimX
BY DOUG HORTON

H
eres another collection of hints for FSX,
gathered from various sources, including
my own trials and discoveries in flying the
program. This issue includes a description of weather
categories as related to visual and instrument flying,
information about a great site for choosing flights for
then-current weather categories, a description of the
Ground Proximity Warning System settings in FSX,
and a how-to on AI aircraft parking assignments.
Flight Weather Conditions
To set us up for the next section we need to review the categories
of weather that are reported on area forecasts of aviation weather,
as listed in Section 7-1-7 of the FAA 2008 Aeronautical Information
Manual:

Category Ceiling (feet) Visibility (miles)

VFR - Visual Flight Rules greater than 3000 and greater than 5
MVFR - Marginal VFR 1000 to 3000 and/or 3 to 5
IFR- Instrument Flight Rules 500 to less than1000 and/or 1 to less than 3 In real flying, of course, pilots plan their flights based on weather,
LIFR Low IFR less than 500 and/or less than 1
including selecting an alternative airport, if required by forecast
weather at the destination.

58 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 58 12/21/2008 6:24:00 PM

 HORTONS HINTS FOR FSX
Four Flights
FS enthusiast Garen Evans has developed a unique website that
once per hour generates VFR, MVFR, IFR and LIFR flights based on
the reported real weather, at www.fourflights.com. The website is
still under development, so features and flight areas may be enhanced
beyond those currently shown. For example, during the writing of
this article, FourFlights began experimenting with expanding flights
to Europe, based on availability of METAR reports, and flights were
shown for several European countries, such as Austria, Belgium,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, and Sweden.

COLORED DOTS INDICATE WEATHER CATEGORIES FOR US AIRPORTS.

ABOUT PAGE FOR WWW.FOURFLIGHTS.COM

As an example, the accompanying image shows an IFR flight
generated from Corvallis Oregon Municipal Airport KCVO to
Bowerman Airport, Hoquiam, Washington, KHQM. Detailed information
is displayed, along with corresponding weather icons, as well as the
runway with least crosswind component. According to Garen, flight
pages have a built-in auto-refresh capability, so if you leave a flight page
displayed in your browser, youll see a new flight generated every hour. If
you are interested in only IFR flights, for example, you can load the page
one time and let it idle in a separate browser tab.
FLIGHT RULES SHOWN AT HTTP://WWW.USAIRNET.COM/WEATHER/
FLIGHTRULES/
FSX Weather/Cloud Selections
I flew the IFR flight described above from Corvallis KCVO to
Hoquiam KHQM in FSX with ATC, but the FSX weather didnt
display a low ceiling when I arrived, in spite of the FSX ASOS
weather for KHQM reporting 900 feet overcast at the time. In
checking this out, Four Flights author Garen Evans reminded me to
check if I had FSX clouds set to Simple or Detailed on the Weather
tab of Display Settings, as shown in the accompanying image.

SAMPLE IFR FLIGHT FROM CORVALLIS KCVO TO HOQUIAM KHQM

You can see a map with colored dots that correspond to the areas
with VFR, MVFR, IFR and LIFR weather at http://www.usairnet.
com/weather/flightrules/. This web page also shows the definitions,
as shown in the accompanying image. You can also select zoomed
portions of the map by region or state. SETTING DETAILED CLOUDS WILL SHOW CLOUDS MORE ACCURATELY
WITH REAL WEATHER

59

cpm1301a.indd 59 12/21/2008 6:24:03 PM

 Id been using the simple clouds setting to help with frame rate,
and I changed the setting to detailed clouds. Because Id saved the
flight about 25 miles out, I was able to re-fly the flight to check the
clouds, and sure enough, with detailed clouds set, FSX correctly and
realistically displayed the overcast cloud layer. See the accompanying
screen images for comparison of Simple and Detailed cloud settings
for the approach to KHQM. The cloud coverage density slider will
also affect the cloud realism and I keep it set to High.
IFR APPROACH TO KHQM WITH CLOUDS SET TO SIMPLE
IFR APPROACH TO KHQM WITH CLOUDS SET TO DETAILED
Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS)
GPWS is a system designed to alert pilots if their aircraft is in
immediate danger of flying into the ground or an obstacle. The system
monitors an aircrafts height above ground as determined by a radar
altimeter, though monitoring GPS is also possible in some aircraft.
A computer then keeps track of the height above ground, calculates
trends, and it will warn the crew with visual and audio messages if the
aircraft is in certain defined flying configurations.
FSX includes a GPWS in the default Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with
the following settings (in red) found in the [GPWS] section of its
aircraft.cfg file.
60
cpm1301a.indd 60
The height below which a warning is activated:
max_warning_height=1000
If an aircraft exceeds this rate of descent a warning is activated:
sink_rate_fpm=-1500
If an aircraft exceeds this rate of descent an urgent warning is
activated: excessive_sink_rate_fpm=-2000
If an aircraft starts to descend during takeoff, and exceeds this rate
of descent, a warning is activated: climbout_sink_rate_fpm=-100
If an aircraft is landing, and exceeds this rate of descent without
flaps or gear extended, a warning is activated:
flap_and_gear_sink_rate_fpm=-100
Several add-on aircraft Ive added to my FSX installation include a
GPWS section in their aircraft.cfg files, and from my limited testing,
thats all it takes to add the warning system to other aircraft. Though
the real Cessna 182S I fly doesnt have a GPWS system, copying the
[GPWS] section from the FSX default Boeing 737-800 aircraft.cfg
to the aircraft.cfg of the FS2004 Cessna 182S I use in FSX adds the
GPWS features, complete with voice annunciations such as Dont
sink! and Pull up!
Custom Parking
How can you accomplish the following challenge? You have a
particular AI aircraft that you wish to see parked at a specific parking
spot at a particular airport. How would you make this happen?
The simple answer is that you need to match the aircraft and airport
parking specifications. What are the details? You need to match the
aircraft parameters in the applicable aircraft.cfg file, for the applicable
livery (repaint), to the parking parameters in the applicable airport
facility data file. The first part is simple. Go to the aircrafts aircraft.
cfg file, in its container folder, which is usually in the SimObjects\
Aircraft folder. Look for the particular [fltsim.x] section for the livery
you want to set up. Based on the FSX SDK, on the next page are
explanations of the applicable parameters:
Lets work with the last example in the table and set the aircraft.
cfg for a particular aircraft livery to atc_parking_types=RAMP and
atc_parking_codes=Z123.
Though we could use programs that extract the xml contents of
the airport and facilities data for a particular airport, there are two
freeware and one commercial so-called AFCAD programs that can be
used in a very simple manner to identify and code a particular parking
spot at a selected airport. All three programs are graphic programs
for modifying FSX airport and facilities data files, though more
specifically, they create new airport and facilities data files in *.bgl
format, which take precedence over default files after theyre added to
a higher priority in your Scenery Library. Here are the links for these
programs:
Airport Design Editor (freeware by John Masterson) -
http://www.airportdesigneditor.co.uk/
Airport Facilitator X (commercial program by Flight1) -
http://www.flight1.com/products.asp?product=afxv1
FSX Planner (freeware by zBlueSoftware) -
http://www.zbluesoftware.com/fsxplanner/index.cfm
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:24:07 PM
 HORTONS HINTS FOR FSX

atc_parking_types= Specifies the preferred Examples:

parking for this aircraft,
used by ATC. If this Default Cessna 172
line is omitted, ATC atc_parking_types=RAMP
will determine parking
according to the type Cargo aircraft
of aircraft and parking atc_parking_
available. types=CARGO

If multiple values are Commuter aircraft

listed, preference will be atc_parking_
given in the order in which types=GATE,RAMP
they are listed.

The valid values may

be one or more of the
following: RAMP, CARGO,
GATE, DOCK, MIL_
CARGO, MIL_COMBAT.

atc_parking_codes= Specifies one or Airline example ICAO

more airline or other
designations so that ATC
can direct the aircraft to
a gate that has also been
designated specifically for
that designation.
ICAO codes do not have
to be used, and codes
can be as short as one
character, as long as the
text strings match, but
for airlines, ICAO codes
are recommended. Can
use letters and numbers,
and codes are not case-
sensitive.
code:
American Airlines at all
airports atc_parking_
codes=AAL
Custom examples:
F/A-18 Hornets of Strike
Fighter Squadron VFA-
34
atc_parking_codes=FA34
Selected AI aircrafts
desired parking spot at my
home airport
atc_parking_codes=Z123

If multiple parking codes

are entered, separate
them with commas.

Essentially, the needed operation in each of these programs is using

an existing or newly created parking spot and then setting its parking
type to one of the RAMP types and parking code to the example Z123
in this example, or any other code that matches what you set in the
respective aircraft.cfg file.

Because the interface in Airport Facilitator X (AFX) is most familiar

to previous users of the groundbreaking but discontinued freeware
AFCAD program series by Lee Swordy, which doesnt work in FSX,
well use AFX as an example. Looking at the accompanying image
that depicts a portion of the AFX graphic interface, I double-clicked
the parking spot highlighted in yellow, and this caused its parking
properties box to pop up. In the properties box, I verified that a RAMP
parking type was selected, and then I entered Z123 in the parking codes
box. With matching parking types and codes, the desired AI aircraft AIRPORT FACILITATOR X PARKING PROPERTIES FOR HIGHLIGHTED
will park in the designated spot at the selected airport. 4 PARKING SPOT NUMBER 7

61

cpm1301a.indd 61 12/21/2008 6:24:08 PM

 The Art of Instrument Flying:
TRAFFIC COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM (TCAS)
By David Ison

THE ART OF DESKTOP

INSTRUMENTFLYING TRAFFIC COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM (TCAS)

By David Ison

I
t did not take long after airplanes began to
populate the skies that they also began to run
into one another. The first set of airliners to meet
each other aloft occurred in 1922 over France. While
midair collisions were certainly an uneasy concept
even in the neophyte years of aviation, it was not until
air travel became more popular and aircraft were of
a more appreciable size that it drew enough attention
to warrant the exploration of technologies that could
help prevent such disasters.
The accident credited with providing the precipice to the creation
of traffic avoidance technologies occurred in 1956 over the Grand that participating aircraft, i.e. those with the appropriate equipment
Canyon. Two airliners, a DC-7 and a Super Constellation, collided installed, could calculate the likelihood of a collision threat. One of
resulting in the deaths of 118 people. This high profile accident the first systems determined the distance at which one aircraft might
caused a public and governmental uproar. Thus the concept of a pass another. If this value was determined to be unacceptable, the
Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) was born. threat would be made available to the pilot. Of course, the major
downside to this and other inventions of the time was that special
Initially, there were a variety of warning systems that were put equipment was necessary in order for things to work. Thus there was
into development. The general premise of these early systems was a certain amount of financially oriented resistance to such solutions.

62 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 62 12/21/2008 6:24:10 PM

 THE ART OF DESKTOP INSTRUMENT FLYING
TCAS In Practice
It was not until the 1970s and after more midair collisions
that the final push was made towards the creation of the collision
avoidance systems that are used in aircraft today. In reaction to the
aforementioned equipment cost concerns, it was determined that
it would be best to have a collision avoidance system that relied
on available technologies and avionics. Utilizing existing aircraft
transponders, an improved network was developed that also enlisted
help from air traffic control radar. This particular arrangement would
use radar interrogation data (when radar asks transponders to talk)
to locate proximate aircraft. Unfortunately, this system necessitated
ground based radar antennae that are close enough to provide this
data. Therefore, this system would not work when out of range of
these facilities.
Finally, in the early 1980s pieces of these different puzzles
were put together to formulate what we now know as TCAS (or
Airborne Collision Avoidance System [ACAS] outside the U.S.).
TCAS was designed to be autonomous of ground based facilities
and to rely on existing equipment, i.e. transponders with altitude
reporting capabilities. The way current TCAS works is through the
interrogation of transponders of close-by aircraft. Simply, the TCAS
asks who is close by? The generally accepted range of this net is
around 40 nautical miles, though it is not uncommon for TCAS to
detect aircraft at farther ranges. The distances of local aircraft are
calculated by taking the time it takes to send an interrogation and
receive a reply and applying the speed of the transmission. TCAS also
has the capability of determining from which direction such replies
are sent. Aircraft altitude data is also collected and then compared
to the altitude of the interrogating aircraft. The intruding aircraft or
targets are then plotted on some kind of display in the cockpit.
NOTE SEVERAL DETECTED (NON-THREATENING) AIRCRAFT TO THE
LEFT AS WHITE DIAMONDS, HOWEVER, A MORE SERIOUS THREAT
(WITH RESOLUTION ADVISORY) IS SHOWN AS A FILLED RED SQUARE
BOX. ACTION IS NEEDED IMMEDIATELY TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH
THIS AIRCRAFT
The simplest form of TCAS is referred to as TCAS I. This type
plots the location of aircraft in relation to the interrogator aircraft in
terms of range and direction. The relative altitude (if the reporting
aircraft have altitude reporting capability) is also displayed. This
means that the altitude of intruding aircraft is shown as + (above) or
(below) the interrogator aircraft in hundreds of feet. When an intruder
is climbing or descending at a minimum of 500 feet per minute, an
arrow symbol is depicted with an up arrow indicating a climb and
a down arrow indicating a descent. The level of threat of an aircraft
cpm1301a.indd 63
is conveyed to pilots by the type of symbol shown on the display.
A hollow white diamond indicates a detected aircraft that is not a
threat. On the other hand, a proximity advisory, an aircraft which has
been determined to be a possible threat, is shown as a filled-in white
diamond. Finally, an aircraft that has been determined to be a real
collision threat, i.e. a traffic advisory or TA, is shown as a yellow
circle (if on a color display). Upon the issuance of a TA, the TCAS I
unit will announce traffic, traffic to draw the attention of the pilot.
Clearly, just pointing out where traffic is in the sky may not be
enough to avoid a collision. That is why a more sophisticated system,
TCAS-II, is now standard equipment on modern airline aircraft.
In addition to providing all the features of TCAS-I, TCAS-II can
handle up to 45 intruder aircraft at one time and has the additional
feature of being able to issue resolution advisories (RAs). An RA is
an instruction issued by TCAS to avoid a potential collision. RAs are
shown on displays as a red square and are accompanied by an aural
prompt. Another mind-boggling attribute of TCAS-II is that it can use
datalink transponder capabilities (Mode-S) to communicate with other
TCAS-II equipment. Consequently, if two TCAS-II aircraft are in
conflict with one another, the two TCAS units will coordinate the best
escape maneuver and ensure that the systems do not command the
aircraft to fly into one another. In fact, TCAS-II can simultaneously
handle three of these resolution advisory co-ordinations.
As can be expected with the true-to-life flight simulation add-on
aircraft available today, many come with highly realistic TCAS.
These avionics supplements interact with the flight simulation
traffic generation capabilities and then translate that data into a
life-like TCAS traffic display. Most of these simulated TCAS
arrangements are replicas of TCAS-II. So what should be expected
when using these nifty tools? Well, normally, there will be at least a
few aircraft on the TCAS display. These are generally open diamond
aircraft, meaning that theyre not a threat. Once an aircraft closes
within about 1200 feet and 6 nautical miles of the interrogating
aircraft, the symbol turns solid white, indicating a potential threat.
When an intruder closes within 20 to 48 seconds of impact, the traffic
symbol turns into a yellow circle and a traffic, traffic message is
conveyed to the pilot via a computer generated voice.
If an intruding aircraft continues its closure, the symbol will turn
into a red square indicating a resolution advisory. This means the
intruder is less than 35 seconds from impact. The system will provide
a variety of escape maneuver recommendations depending upon the
current altitude of the intruder, that of the interrogating aircraft, the
closure rates, and trends of each of these. Pilots should immediately,
though smoothly, respond to RAs. The RA calculation is predicated
on the assumption that pilots will begin the escape maneuver within 5
seconds of the given command. If the autopilot is engaged, it must be
disconnected, as autopilots are not yet designed to fly RA instructions.
When an aircraft is predicted to meet the interrogating aircraft from
below, TCAS-II will command climb, climb. The opposite command
descend, descend will be issued when intruders threaten from above.
Depending upon the avionics display, these commands are coupled
with visual cues on the vertical speed indicator (VSI) and/or attitude
indicator. For example, on the VSI the safe vertical speed range will be
shown as green and that which may result in a collision will be coded
red. On glass cockpit attitude indicators, there may be a display of
a pitch attitude that is unacceptable which will be indicated by a red
outline of where not to fly. There will be times when a climb RA will be
given and changes in the situation dictate a change in action. TCAS-II
will then issue a message adjust vertical speed, adjust. Pilots should
then respond to the vertical speed command shown on the VSI.
63
12/21/2008 6:24:12 PM

ANOTHER RESOLUTION ADVISORY ON THE TCAS (WHAT IS ATC DOING?)
REQUIRING IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. THE INTRUDING AIRCRAFT IS EVEN
CLOSER, ALTITUDE WISE, THIS TIME! NOTE THE RED OUTLINE DISPLAYED
ON THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR AS WELL
Not all pilots are aggressive enough with initiating the RA
commanded inputs. Thus if TCAS-II detects inadequate pilot
response, it will make it known. Say a climb command is issued and
the pilot does not attain the required vertical speed. An additional
voice prompt climb, climb now will be issued. Pilots should
respond instantly. The opposite command descend, descend now
may be issued when pilots are not descending at a fast enough rate
to avoid a collision. These messages may also be given if the TCAS
determines that the original climb or descend command needs to be
reversed. This may occur if the other aircraft sees the interrogating
airplane and then changes their flight path.
PHEW, A NEAR MISS! LUCKILY IN THE SIM THERE ARE FEW
CONSEQUENCES IN THE REAL WORLD HOWEVER THERE COULD BE
MASSIVE LOSS OF LIFE, OR AT BEST INSTANT LOSS OF JOB OVER THIS ONE
In some cases, no actual maneuvering is deemed necessary by
TCAS-II status-quo is the key to avoiding a collision. Scenarios
such as this will be met with a maintain vertical speed, maintain
instruction. Pilots should then ensure their vertical speed is within
the narrow green range provided on the VSI. Along similar lines, if
TCAS-II predicts that a pilot will be safe as long as they do not allow
their vertical speed to migrate into a certain dangerous range, it will
state monitor vertical speed, monitor vertical speed.
TCAS-II is capable of issuing a number of more complex
commands. If a pilot is climbing towards a descending aircraft, it
may seem counterintuitive for the TCAS to announce a need to
64
cpm1301a.indd 64
climb. Therefore TCAS-II reinforces the command by stating climb,
crossing climb. In other words, TCAS-II is stating it knows that the
aircraft will cross trajectories but has calculated this in the escape
recommendation. A related order maintain vertical speed, crossing
maintain may be given when aircraft paths will cross, yet to ensure
the avoidance of collision, the pilot must sustain the vertical speed
originally offered. Finally, once the intruding aircraft is no longer
considered a threat, TCAS will call out clear of conflict and the RA
information will be removed from all displays. This is when pilots
can take a deep breath and return to their original flight regime.
Of course, TCAS has a set of controls in the cockpit, normally
somewhere close to or part of the transponder panel. Though the
actual knobs and selections vary from aircraft to aircraft, there are
several common features. Obviously, there is a way to control the
range of the view on the TCAS display. Another typical option is
to view traffic in three different parts of the sky: above, below, and
normal. In the above mode, TCAS will show aircraft from just below
the aircraft up to around 9000 feet above. This is best used during
takeoff and climb. Below mode provides the opposite, showing planes
from slightly above the aircraft to 9000 feet below and is designed for
use during descent and landing. Normal mode is used during other
phases of flight and looks up and down approximately 4500 feet.
There is also the capability to operate TCAS-II in TA only mode so
that no RAs are issued. Most TCAS-II have a software induced RA
suppression on the ground to avoid unwanted warnings.
MULTIPLE MODES ALLOWS FOR READOUTS TO BE DECIPHERED MORE
EASILY BY THE PILOT
One last comment about TCAS. It is critical that pilots listen to the
commands offered by TCAS. These systems are smarter than and can
think quicker than any human pilot. TCAS is also a far better judge of
traffic separation requirements than air traffic control radar. Therefore,
if a controller offers an instruction contrary to a TCAS instruction
(which they should not), comply with TCAS. The proper procedure
in handling a TCAS RA is to notify air traffic control of what TCAS
evasive action is being taken. Once clear of the conflict, pilots are
expected to return to their previously cleared route/altitude/clearance
unless told otherwise.
Whenever flying in crowded skies, it is best to have all the help one
can get to avoid other airplanes. Even in the world of flight simulation
there is typically a wide range of traffic with which pilots must share
the virtual skies. And for those die-hard realists, there is nothing more
satisfying than seeing all those airplanes on a life-like TCAS display
fixed in the cockpit. Moreover, nothing gets the blood pumping like
hearing the shout of TCAS to take some sort of evasive action to
avoid becoming scrap metal. So now that you are aware of all the
inner workings of TCAS, load up your TCAS equipped add-on and go
find some traffic! 4
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:24:14 PM
 HowCreate
To: Your Own Virtual Aviation Company
4
BY FRANOIS A. NAVMAN DUMAS
E
ntire forests have been cut down to provide the
paper upon which Virtual Airline articles have
been written and printed, I am sure. Virtual
Airlines (VAs) are one of the most popular off-shoots
of flight simming and provide hours, days, weeks,
months and years of enjoyment for their participating
pilots and staff. They come in all sorts and sizes,
from really seriously run virtual companies to loosely
formed alliances of online (multiplayer) pilots tearing
around in the virtual skies.
So why, you ask, have I decided to have yet another tree cut down
and write yet another VA story? Well, I have been a member of
quite a few VAs, large and small, and enjoyed my stints at them, but
somehow I always kept this nagging feeling that they were lacking
something. Or, in some cases, adding too much for my liking. Maybe
it is just my allergy to authority, mind you. And because I am not
going to write here on the classic Virtual Airline if such a thing
exists I made the title of the article Virtual Aviation Company. It
is about my experiment to found a (sort of) VA that I like and can
be happy with. Since I have been having loads of fun doing this lately
I decided to share my experience with you, and perhaps provide you
with an idea or two to try out yourself?
cpm1301a.indd 65
First of all, I am not emphasizing any criticism on any of the
existing VAs. Far from it, I think it is wonderful how much time
people pour into this hobby for their own pleasure, and most certainly
also provide pleasure to others. Keep that going folks!
But, were not all designed equal, and one person may like to be
part of a large VA and sim according to stringent rules while another
likes to mimic the real world by actually duplicating an existing real-
world airline. Others thrive with their totally fantasized company.
And the levels of realism and immersion are varying across a wide
spectrum too.
One step beyond flying for a VA is to create and manage one
yourself, either alone or with some fellow simmers. Not only does
that add more realism in a sense, it also hugely increases the time
youll be spending on it, and yes, reduce the time you are actually
flying yourself.
The major advantage of running your own VA is that you can
shape things yourself. Even choose your fellow pilots, and staff. And
of course decide where you will fly, in what, how and when.
Alright, none of that is news to you I guess, so what is my angle
on all of this?
65
12/21/2008 6:24:17 PM
 THE VAFS (CLIENT) START-UP WINDOW I PICKED MY FLIGHT FROM PAPG TO PAKT IN ALASKA

THE OVERVIEW WINDOW FOR THE PILOT (MEMBER) YOU CAN USE THE FUEL CALCULATOR TO LOAD YOUR PLANE

A SERIES OF AVAILABLE FLIGHTS TAKE OFF FROM PAPG, A VAFS MESSAGE APPEARS AT THE TOP

66 CPM. V13I01
OVERVIEW OF PART OF THE EVA FLEET LOOKS AS COLD THERE AS IT DOES OUTSIDE OF MY OFFICE!

cpm1301a.indd 66 12/21/2008 6:24:17 PM

 MY FAVORITE PLACE ON EARTH TO (VIRTUALLY) FLY: ALASKA KETCHIKAN RUNWAY DEAD AHEAD, ALMOST HOME!

VAFS IS WITH YOU DURING FLIGHT, SHOWING STATS IN REAL-TIME! LANDED SAFELY IN SPITE OF THE HEAVY TURBULENCE

SUDDENLY A GLIMPSE OF KETCHIKAN AIRPORT THROUGH THE CLOUDS SAVING THE FLIGHT DATA BEFORE SIGNING OFF

TURNING ON FINAL IN A BLINDING RAIN AND I MADE SOME MONEY FOR THE COMPANY! 67
LOTS OF TURBULENCE

cpm1301a.indd 67 12/21/2008 6:24:33 PM


VAFS ALSO CALCULATES YOUR FUEL
Well, I decided to start a VA of my own for reasons I will explain,
consisting of one person to begin with: Me! Oh yes, and for technical
reasons I invented a co-pilot, of course by the name of Michelle, and
the company also has a mascot in the form of a dog called Blue.
But that was it, to begin with.
So what made me decide to do this, and may make you decide to
do it this way as well?
Two things:
1. I was introduced to a wonderful bit of software that keeps track
of your airline or aviation company for you via the Internet and
lets you manage all aspects of it.
2. I accepted the invitation to become pilot at yet another virtual
bush airline, run by a good internet friend of mine, and
observed a few things I wanted changed.
Reason #1
Lets talk about the software first. Any airline, any company will
need some sort of administration. In its simplest form youll need to
know who is part of it, what assets you have, where you are flying
and when. And you may also want to extend it beyond just flying and
work with virtual money to pay for things.
Today there are a few such systems available, some free, some
commercial, but the one I was introduced to sort of stole my heart
from first installation as a pilot (i.e. the client end of the program).
So much so that I got really curious as to how the back end would
work and I subscribed for a year!
The software is called VAFS (the client) or VCAS (the main
system) and can be downloaded from www.vafinancials.com. Let me
quote from Mikes website VA Financial Systems (VAFS), the
ultimate one-stop solution for virtual airline management, has taken
a giant leap towards increasing the realism of managing a virtual
airline. VAFS, the only real-time web-based VA management utility,
is very proud to announce the release of VAFS3.
And proud he should be, because the system works extremely well,
is reasonably reliable (although it got hacked the other day) but above
all it provides a lot of immersion and hence fun!
68
cpm1301a.indd 68
Reason #2
When I joined the other start-up airline (Eagle Valley Air from my
friend Larry Pappy Hickerson in the US) I had a lot of fun at first,
because of the VAFS statistics, because of having a reason to fly
in the bush again, my favorite pastime, and because meeting many
new faces with the same knack for flying (mainly) low and slow
over remote areas of our virtual world. Very different from a copied
British Airways or United Airlines, and more my style.
After a short time I also observed something I did not like in terms
of reality. The VA grew way too quickly as compared to what I would
deem as real of a small start-up. Almost from the start there were
quite a few pilots, with various hubs (bases to fly from) and a wide
variety of aircraft being bought.
Even though all of this could happen in the real world, given
enough financial backing, it is not how I would have it happen.
So the only solution to satisfy my needs was to start one myself
and do it my way wasnt that a famous song? Hence MPP
Aviation was founded.
MPP Aviation Simplicity
Being overloaded, overworked and usually over time with many
things, I really dont have time for yet another activity. But hey! I
needed a name and came up with MPP, which stands for My Pet
Project. Whats in a name, anyway?
The basis for this particular venture is what this is all about, and the
part Id really like to share with you. You may follow in my footsteps
to get a taste of building a VA without the many hassles of having
to manage others, or run into the stress caused by having to run a
larger organization with people wanting things from you.
My way of doing it is based on a book I am writing (dont ask) and
goes like this:
A middle-aged pilot with a little money inherited from a distant
uncle finds himself stuck in some remote place in Alaska and decides
to buy a small two-plane local airline from the old owner who wants
to retire. That pilot is me (or you).
BETTER MAKE THAT TURN SNAPPY
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:24:46 PM
 The fantasy part of this is that I am past middle-aged a bit already.
Oh yes, and the fact that we play this on our computers.
So we start with two dated aircraft, with a small office on one
airfield and a little shack on another airfield. Thats it. No other
(human) pilots, nobody to report to, nobody to guide and manage,
nobody dependent upon my time. Now, you may find this extremely
boring of course, certainly if youve done VAs before, but consider
youre a beginner, please.
This is the ideal way to learn about setting up and running a VA,
minus the community bit of getting other pilots, having to run a forum
and do their administration.
I CANT STOP LOVING THE OLD GOONEY
Adding Physical Stuff
Lets get things set up technically first, shall we?
Alright, so I subscribed to the VACS software and installed my VA
on it. It is all very well explained and not difficult, even if you are
not a computer whizz. They also have a good support forum. You do
need broadband Internet access of course, since it is web-based and
real-time.
You also need to install the VAFS3 client software on the PC you
are simming with. It runs for FS2004 or FSX, your choice (I run
both). And a web browser you already have, so you can access both
the VCAS system and the VAFS reports.
Since I am a computer and Internet whizzkid alright, leave the
kid out I of course wanted just a little bit more. So I built a little
website to go with it. An extremely simple one, using Wordpress blog
software, which is almost ready made. Actually I just did it because I
wanted to see how I could integrate (display) the VCAS information
on my website.
But thats it. Thats all you need to start your little true-to-life
aviation company.
The VA Stuff
Of course having installed the software and before starting to use it,
you need a plan.
Youll need to decide where that office will be, and where the
possible other shack is; where you want to have your story take
cpm1301a.indd 69
place, basically. Once you know what and where you want to play, you
can start entering the data in the VCAS system. Notice the word play?
I use it here in the sense of a theater play, or movie, because thats
basically what you are doing; pretending to live through something
fictional but close-to-real.
Youll enter a HUB, i.e. your main base of operations from where
youll be flying. You enter the two aircraft you have bought (or leased)
into the system. You of course enter yourself as pilot, and maybe a
fictional second pilot too, like I did. And then you start entering a few
routes to fly.
I am not going to tell you how to do all that, youll learn from the
software and forum. Any questions are promptly answered there,
usually.
Thats It! Go Run Your Business
Really thats all there is to it to build a true-to-life little aviation
outfit and spend lots of hours flying, and maybe even a few hours
learning website stuff on the side. Once you have all this up and
running and have become really good at it, who knows, you may want
to drag in a few friends, or even strangers, and start building and
expanding!
Myself, I am happy with leaving the company small as it is now and
just help others to expand.
Do you want to know the best thing about this little aviation company
of mine? It is the only activity I have where the tax inspectors are not
bothering me. I hope nobody is going to make a virtual tax program!
Places to Look on the Internet
Here are a few links to get you started. First of all, of course, the MPP
Aviation site I built for my experiment, nothing large, nothing fancy,
just the bare basics (and continuously under development):
http://mpp-aviation.fssupport.com/mpp-aviation/
Heres the site to grab the administration software: www.vafinanicals.com
And they have a great support forum too: http://www.vafinancials.
com/forums/index.php
And here is the Eagle Valley Air website where I discovered the admin
software and where I fly as a pilot when I have a few hours to spare:
http://eaglevalleyair.com/
Their forum is here: http://eaglevalleyair.com/phpBB3/index.php.
Here you can find a tutorial on how to use the VAFS system, set up by
Larry Hickerson for his EVA airline: http://eaglevalleyair.com/data/
vafs_instructions.pdf
Not directly related, but an airline close to my heart for its longevity
and relaxed ways is TCA (Tradewind Caribbean Airlines) here: http://
www.tradewind.org
Last but not least, if youre new to the VA concept altogether, then
maybe you want to check out this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Virtual_airline
I hope I have roused you interest in VA flying in general, administration
of it more particularly, and maybe running your own, very realistic little
airline on your PC to start with.
Have fun! 4
69
12/21/2008 6:24:49 PM
 GROUNDSCHOOL...
The Magnetic Compass
D
ue to a natural phenomenon called
magnetism, a magnetic object on the earth, if
suspended from a thin string so that it is free
to rotate in any direction, will always come to rest in
the same orientation. Who discovered this is lost in
the mists of time, but Chinese seafarers in the 12th
century were using lodestones, pieces of magnetite
(magnetic iron ore) for navigation.
If you hang a long linear and magnetic object such as a steel needle
in this way, it does the same thing. The direction in which it points,
depending on where you are on the earth, is generally in a North-
South orientation. This is because the earth itself has magnetism and
the lines of magnetic force just happen to lie broadly in a North-South
orientation. Observation of this phenomenon and making use of it led
to the development of the magnetic compass, an invention almost as
important to humankind as the wheel.
70
cpm1301a.indd 70
Skill Level: All Levels Instructor...Peter Dodds
Because a compass needle always points north-south of course,
you can move along a path which is in a steady direction, with your
compass, because all you have to do is keep the needle pointing in
the same direction relative to you. Thus early explorers were able
to travel in a straight line and arrive somewhere that they intended,
rather than wandering aimlessly across the planet and discovering
new lands by accident (although a lot of that was also done!).
Marking your Card
There are, however, certain limitations on its use for following a
heading. For example, when you travel north, the needle obligingly
points in the direction you are going. Travel in any other direction
and it doesnt. So the compass card quickly evolved, marked with
north, south, east and west and other subdivisions in between like
north-west, south-east. Centuries of sophistication and the ability to
navigate more precisely further subdivided the scale into points such
as north-north-east (022.5 to us flyers) and further again such as
nor nor east by east (033.75)
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:24:51 PM
 GROUND SCHOOL
Eventually divisions of 11.25 (the angle between north-north-east
and nor nor east by east) became too coarse. Divisions of 11.25
were fine for finding a big landmass, but you might miss the port you
are aiming for if you were one division adrift. It was then that using
degrees instead of named compass points came into use.
The Compass in Aviation
In aviation graduating the compass in degrees was essential
because greater navigational precision became necessary with the
faster speeds, and because airfields are even harder to find than
harbors. Long before the days of gyroscopic direction indicators, the
magnetic compass was the sole navigational instrument available to
aviators. As late as World War II aircraft were being built with no
gyros, just a compass. Compensation magnets were built in to correct
for any stray undesirable magnetism from iron parts of the aircraft,
and the compass bowl filled with oil to act as a damper.
When North isnt North
The Earths magnetic north pole, towards which the compass
points, has the unfortunate habit of wandering about. In most
places, it rarely coincides with true north more than once every
couple of hundred years. There is a delightful animated diagram
of how magnetic north changes over time on wikipedia, at http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination. Aviators learn a little
rhyme Variation east, magnetic least. Variation west, magnetic best.
This means that if the variation (also called declination) is east of true
north, then a magnetic bearing will be less than the true bearing, so
you subtract the variation to get the true bearing, and vice versa. This
is important because when you measure a bearing on a chart, you get
the true bearing, but you actually have to fly by the magnetic bearing,
because thats what the compass uses of course.
The P-type Compass
The compass in general use in the RAF at that time was the P-
type compass, which had evolved through a number of versions,
P2, P4 etc. up to P8 as fitted in the Lancaster Bomber (although the
Lancaster also had a type of gyro compass too see below).
The P-type compass is a fairly massive piece of engineering some
7 inches in diameter and 5 inches deep which occupied a significant
amount of cockpit space. Because it needed to be viewed from the
top, it was mounted low down in the bowels of the cockpit below the
panel; in smaller aircraft in front of the pilots knees, and in larger
ones usually to one side.
THE P-TYPE COMPASS IS A SIGNIFICANT LUMP
OF METAL IN A SMALL COCKPIT
cpm1301a.indd 71
The glass on the top of the compass bowl was held in a rotatable
bezel known as the grid ring which was marked in degrees and held in
position by a cam locking lever. The glass itself had two parallel lines
etched in it as a heading guide. If, when you glanced quickly down
at the compass, the needle was aligned somewhere within those lines,
preferably parallel to them, then you would not stray too far off course.
To set a heading you simply rotated the grid ring until the heading you
wished to steer was against the line marked on the fascia on the aircrafts
longitudinal axis (the lubber line) then turned the aircraft until the red
painted north point of the needle pointed to the large red N for North
on the grid ring (known in the RAF as flying red on red).
There was one significant problem with the P-type compass which
sometimes had nasty consequences during WWII, and it was one of
those insidious problems of human perception. You had to remember
that when you wanted to get home, you set the reciprocal course. Those
who didnt, flew on and on across Europe until they ran out of fuel.
This problem occurred so frequently that some squadrons used to block
off the southern half of the grid ring as a reminder.
The later models of the P-type compass had the cross hairs in a T
shape and the tail of the needle had a short crossbar added. As well as red
on red, pilots now flew tee to tee keeping the tee on the needle in the
same orientation as the tee-shaped crosswires. This modification helped
to alleviate the problem of tired pilots flying the wrong heading in error.
The E-type Compass
Ships compasses had for more than two centuries combined the
compass card and needle into a magnetised disk, graduated in degrees.
Then, not only would the N on the disk point north, but the bearing
you wished to steer could be read directly against the lubber line. The
E-Type compass fitted to most modern aircraft of all sizes and types
also has a rotating card allowing direct reading.
It has been adapted for mounting in an aircraft instrument panel, or
above it, to be viewed edgeways, not top down. This means that the
rotating card has to be marked in reverse. With the aircraft facing due
north, the N is seen in the viewing window, naturally, but if you could
look at it top down, you would see that the S is pointing north. Similarly
the E and W are reversed. This has the slightly disconcerting effect
that if the compass is indicating N and you want to fly 030, the 3 on
the card is to the left of the N, so your instinct is to turn left, whereas of
course you need to turn right. You just have to get used to that!
EVERY AIRCRAFT, EVEN BIG ONES, HAVE A MAGNETIC COMPASS
71
12/21/2008 6:24:54 PM
 Directional Gyros
The next development of the compass was the Remote Indicating
Compass (RIC). This was an instrument which comprised a magnetic
sensor, installed in the planes wingtip, and a gyroscopic heading
indicator. The sensor detected magnetic direction and transmitted the
information to the heading indicator. Although these existed from the
nineteen thirties, they were not fitted to a number of British service
aircraft of WWII, especially fighters. British bombers such as the Avro
Lancaster and some others did have RICs as well as P-type compasses.

SEE HOW THE COMPASS LAGS BEHIND THE D.I.

WHEN TURNING NORTH

When turning towards south, roll out wings level when the needle
points some 30 after the heading you want. For example, if you
are flying 090 and want to turn onto a heading of 140, turn until
LANCASTER: A REMOTE INDICATING COMPASS AND A P-TYPE WITH the compass indicates 170. As you roll wings level, the indicator
ROTATING GRID RING BUT STILL POINTS THE WRONG WAY. will start to move back again, and if your skill at this exercise has
improved, it will settle at 140. Similarly, to fly a heading of 220,
from 270, let the needle swing to a heading in the region of 190 and
The directional gyro (Direction Indicator D.I.) made things much
when you level the wings, the compass will swing back to 220.
easier again. Once the instruments internal gyro was up to speed it
would stay in that position so long as it was spinning sort of! As
part of the standard pre-flight checks, the D.I. is set to the magnetic
compass heading. A simple magnetic compass remains an essential
instrument in all todays aircraft because it needs no calibration or
power supply and almost never fails.

So having set the D.I. you steer the required course by reference to
the D.I. and not the compass. After a while, because of gyroscopic
drift (precession) caused by the earths rotation, you notice that
although you are steering the correct course on your D.I. the compass
shows a different heading. So you must adjust the D.I. to read the
same as the compass, and steer by the D.I as before for another 10 or
20 minutes or so when you have to do the cross check again.

Flying with a Compass

The Earths lines of magnetic force do not lie parallel to the surface
but are inclined towards the poles (magnetic inclination). For reasons
to do with the way the compass compensates for this with balance
weights, the needle or card (indicator) does not always point north
when the aircraft is turning, accelerating or decelerating.
TURNING SOUTH YOU HAVE TO OVERSTEER ON THE COMPASS
When turning north, the indicator actually moves ahead of the BECAUSE IT RACES AHEAD OF THE D.I.
aircrafts rotation, and when turning south, the needle lags behind the
aircrafts turn. This leads to one of those numerous mnemonics with The good news is that when turning due east or due west the effect
which aviation abounds UNOS. Understeer north oversteer south. is cancelled out and you can roll wings level 10 before your required
heading, the same as for a D.I.
When turning towards north, turn until the indicated heading is
further than the heading you want. For example, if you are flying
090 and want to turn onto a heading of 010, turn until the compass The precise amount of understeer and oversteer necessary is a
indicates 040. As you roll wings level, the indicator will continue function of several factors turn rate, heading required, climbing and
to move, and if you have got it right, settle down pointing 010 or descending, accelerating or decelerating for example, but it can easily
close to it. Similarly, to fly a heading of 350, from 270, let the be 30 or more. You can only get it right reliably with experience.
needle swing to a heading in the region of 320 and when you level Go and practice it - it is one of the fun things about flying vintage
the wings, you wont be far off 350. aircraft in FS.

72 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 72 12/21/2008 6:24:57 PM

 GROUND SCHOOL
I did say a paragraph or two ago that the magnetic compass
almost never fails. It does have a propensity to point towards large
mountains full of iron ore rather than north in some parts of the world,
and is often persuaded by thunderstorms to point somewhat in their
direction, potentially leading the pilot rather closer to bad weather
than they might like. Apart from that though, come Armageddon, the
magnetic compass will still point to magnetic north.

The Compass in Flight Simulator

MS have made things easy for us in Flight Simulator. You have to
switch gyroscopic precession on (it is off by default) if you want extra
realism. If precession is off, the D.I never reads incorrectly. Even if
you have Gyro Drift selected you merely have to press the D key
on your keyboard to realign it with the magnetic compass.

One of the default aircraft in Flight Simulator 9, the DeHavilland

TURNING ONTO AN EASTERLY HEADING
THE COMPASS AGREES WITH THE D.I.
Comet racing aircraft has a P-type compass available as a pop-up
window, the first time this instrument had been modelled for FS. This
nicely modelled instrument has been copied into a number of other 3rd
party built aircraft in which, in the real world, they would have been
fitted. Unfortunately, the Flight Simulator version of the P8 compass
fitted in the FS9 DeHavilland Comet has one fundamental flaw. The
needle does not point North; it points to the heading you are flying.

THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE P-TYPE COMPASS IN THE FS9

DEHAVILLAND COMET IS WRONG

73

cpm1301a.indd 73 12/21/2008 6:25:00 PM

 Try this experiment. Load the DH Comet on the ground The only aircraft that I am aware of with a correctly functioning
somewhere and open up the map view. In the Heading box, type 360. P-type magnetic compass are the Warwick Carter and John Woodside
Close the map and open up the P-type compass window. The aircraft Tiger Moths for which I created new panels, and included the
and the compass needle should be pointing north. corrected P-type compass. If you would like to use this compass,
contact CP and we can send you a copy, with full and simple
Now go into slew mode, and rotate the aircraft slowly round instructions on how to install it. 4
clockwise to face east. You will see the compass needle also rotate
clockwise and point to the E on the compass card - East. If you
were never a Boy Scout (or a Girl Scout) and have not spent much
time using a magnetic compass, then this behaviour might not seem
odd. You are facing East, the needle points to East on the compass
whats wrong with that, you may ask?

Well a real compass doesnt do that of course. As you slew your

aircraft clockwise to point East, the compass needle should rotate
anti-clockwise. This is because it continues to point north all the
time. If you are unconvinced, try it with a Boy Scouts compass, if
you can find a convenient Boy Scout!

Microsoft also decided that not only should the needle move
the wrong way and point to the wrong bearing, but the grid ring
should not be capable of being rotated. This means that the big red
N remains in the 12 oclock position and navigation using this
compass becomes a significant mental arithmetic exercise and nigh on
impossible when under pressure. What Microsoft actually presented I MODIFIED THE XML CODE TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM
IN MY TIGER MOTH PANEL
Flight Simmers with in 2004 was a very nicely modelled instrument
which never had existed the P8 quasi-magnetic direction indicator.

None of the default aircraft in FSX have a P-type compass fitted.

There are some 3rd party aircraft, such as Dave Garwoods (and his
team) very fine DeHavilland Dragon Rapide for FSX, and Plane
Designs Avro Lancaster for FS9, (reviewed in the May 2006 issue
of CP), which have P-type compasses. Dave even boasts in the
ReadMe that the aircraft has an accurately modelled P8 compass.
Sorry Dave, but it rotates the wrong way.

THE TIGER MOTH HAS NO D.I., SO THE SKILLS DESCRIBED

HERE BECOME VITAL

DAVE GARWOODS FSX DRAGON RAPIDE USES THE DEFAULT FS9 P-TYPE
COMPASS WITH INEVITABLE RESULT

A Proper P-Type Compass for Flight Simulator

Because the FS9 P8 compass is an XML gauge, fortunately it can be
easily changed to behave correctly. The Plane Design team even made
the Lancasters compass grid ring rotate by holding down the mouse
pointer to the right hand side of the grid ring to turn it clockwise and to
the left side of the grid ring to rotate it anticlockwise. But the Lancaster MAINTAINING HEADING 040 WITH A P-TYPE COMPASS
still has the needle rotating the wrong way. WHICH BEHAVES PROPERLY

74 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 74 12/21/2008 6:25:01 PM

 GROUND SCHOOL

Subject: Defeating the Dreaded Blurries!

Like many sim pilots I have spent a lot of time and money enhancing
my flight sim (FS9): upgrading the mesh, landclass, waterclass, clouds,
lighting, coastlines, roads, rivers, correct stars, the list goes on and on.
Then I have over 1300 payware and freeware airports and sceneries trying
to create the most realistic experience possible, so Im not about to throw
all that away to move up to FSX just yet.

T
Kim PUTER PILO
One of the biggest problems I suffer, which almost made me dump it all
was the DREADED BLURRIES. I had searched all the forums I could find
and tried every suggestion with no luck. Time for a computer upgrade
O N T H COMTENSION!
12 M
then, I thought. I now have a 3.4GHz dual core CPU, 300Gb twin disk
/EX
WINS BSCRIPTION
drives, 2048Mb Ram, and a Geforce Nvidia 9800 GTX+ graphics card. My
problems solved I loaded up the flight sim only to find I was still getting
those darn blurries. What do I have to do? I cried, sell a kidney on the
black market and buy a CRAY Super Computer? Then there came a light SU
shining through the dark night. While discussing another matter on a
forum, I came across this bit of information that I had never seen before:
one of the main causes of the DREADED BLURRIES is the slow speed that I understand you cant publish every email you get so perhaps this
FS9 loads textures. information could be included in the next Hortons Hints column. I am
sure it will bring a great sigh of relief to many Flight Sim pilots.
To repair this problem open up the FS9.cfg file, search for the line;
To all your staff and writers, many thanks for a great magazine,
TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=20
Cheers
By default this is set ridiculously low at 20 so increase this value Kim
considerably to the limit your computer setup can handle. Youll know if
you go too far as you will experience Visual Shuddering when flying. I [Kim, No we cant publish every email, unfortunately, but we can publish
have mine set at 900 and with my frame rates locked off at 49, I now this one! I am sure it will help more than a few FS2004 pilots who
have beautifully clean, smooth flight: the DREADED BLURRIES have been are struggling with blurry textures. Thanks for the tip. Enjoy your free
banished forever. subscription/extension Ed].

Subject: X-Plane Convert Hi,

Having been involved in Aviation for the past 30 years as an occupation
and private pilot I naturally dabbled with Microsofts Flight Simulator,
indeed, I have had every edition published.
Several years ago my wife mentioned to me that one of her girlfriends
husbands played X-plane and did I know about it. Yes I had -that was for
Apple/Macs! No way would a PC purist consider Macs.
Over the years I have published several freeware panels and aircraft
repaints to the flight sim community in an attempt to contribute to the
realism of the hobby. It was while reading a recent issue of Computer
Pilot that the taboo subject of X-plane surfaced again. I had no
intention of purchasing a Mac to play it but thought Id see how it
compared with FSX. Googling indicted that X-plane.com was the home
of the beast. I typed in the address and shock horror, X-plane is PC
compatible and has been for a long, long time. Not only that, the package
includes aircraft and scenery design tools. Better still, a demo version
can be downloaded for assessment. Some 4 hours later (its a big
program), I was ready to try it.
After installation and running I was totally in awe of the graphics and
realism that this program has to offer, so much so that I immediately
ordered a copy online and am waiting in anticipation for its arrival.
Further Googling resulted in an excellent site, x-plane.org, with every
imaginable add-on to download, and its mostly freeware.
As a convert to X-plane and a Computer Pilot subscriber I was wondering
if you might run more future articles on this truly realistic flight simulator
program.
Regards
Steve Southey
Australia
[Steve We have been covering X-plane for many years and try to have
at least one X-plane article in every issue. While the Microsoft Simulator
users far outweigh the X-Plane fans, the gap is certainly decreasing each
year, especially as X-Plane grows in realism and improves its graphics
engine with each major release Ed].

Write To Computer Pilot INBOX

If you have something you want to share with fellow flight simulator enthusiasts, then Computer Pilot INBOX is the place to be heard. Each issue, well 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: inbox@computerpilot.com

75

cpm1301a.indd 75 12/21/2008 6:25:06 PM

 ROUNDROBIN ADVENTURE
BY AL PELLETIER
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 fly,
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
fly 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.
76
cpm1301a.indd 76
HEAVY CARGO TO STAVANGER
R
ound Robin adventure
Heavy Cargo to
Stavanger: This month
we are flying a cargo freighter for
UPS, or the many other liveries
available, using a Boeing 747-
200F as equipment. I got the idea
for this flight after installing the
Boeing 747-200/300 from the
Commercial Level Simulation
team. I had seen one other product
from this team before (DC-10
which will also work very well
in this article). CLS belong in
the same quality level as PMDG,
Dreamfleet2000 and other great
airplane programming company.
I cant get enough of flying this
Boeing 747-200. It is so accurate.
I had the privilege of having an
ex-Boeing 747-200F flight engineer
(2nd officer Ron Pinke, who had a
long career on the 747) sit by and
watch me fly this airplane and he
was astounded at the accuracy
of all the panels and the flying
dynamics. Well done CLS!
I have uploaded some great charts at the
Computer Pilot web site, so dont miss out
and download them. Again, some very rare
and special charts are included for this one.
Great add-ons for this flight:
(Most freeware files can be found at www.
flightsim.com or www.avsim.com)
Aircraft and Panel (Payware):
**I used the CLS B747-200F kindly
donated by the Commercial Level
Simulation team located at:
http://www.commerciallevel.com/
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:25:12 PM
 ROUND ROBIN ADVENTURE

SCENERY (Payware):
** UK 2000 from www.simmarket.com
** German Airports series

SCENERY (Freeware):
**Great scenery for most of Norway can be
found at: http://www.flightsim.no/norway/
This freeware scenery is very worthwhile
installing. It is certainly one of the best
freeware scenery add-ons that I have found
for FS2004.

More aircraft and panels:

There are also numerous freeware at www.
avsim.com and www.flightsim.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
youll have the flight plan fairly clear in your
mind. Especially in a fast medium or large
jet aircraft, there isnt much time to spare and
definitely no room for errors.

The scenario and tasking for this exercise:

We are flying a cargo run from Germany
to Norway, London England, and back to
Germany. I used a Boeing 747-200F from
the CLS team for this exercise. You could
also use a DC-10, MD-11 or any other large
cargo or passenger airplane would do the job.
This route can be flown in FS2002/FS2004/
FSX or any other flight simulator with the
necessary navaids and scenery.

Round Robin Adventure:

DUSSELDORF INTL Airport
(EDDL) >>> SOLA/STAVANGER
(ENZV) >>> LONDON
HEATHROW Intl (EGLL) >>>
DUSSELDOR (EDDL).
Approx total distance 1400nm.

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. Im 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 take

off, taxi and landings, you might be given
different RWY or taxi way, depending on the
weather. You might even input the whole trip
in a FS flight plan and fly it that way.

BEGIN

77

cpm1301a.indd 77 12/21/2008 6:25:14 PM

 First leg:
Dsseldorf Germany (EDDL)
>>> Sola/Stavanger Norway
(ENZV)
Approx 470nm.
Select Dsseldorf airport under Airport/
Germany. Ramp cargo.
Early December. Departure time 0900L.
Weather at your discretion. I used real
weather.
Dial in the REKKEN (RKW) VOR/DME
frequency 116.80 on NAV2.
Taxi to and Take off (T/O) RWY 23L for a
KKN 1T Departure (see appropriate SID).
Climb RWY HDG to DUS02 (I couldnt
find DUS01 in FS2004 as per SID, but
DUS02 will also work). Over DUS02
or 600 (which ever is the later), turn
right HDG 004, track the RKN VOR and
continue climbing to 5000.
78
cpm1301a.indd 78
On top the RKN VOR, turn left HDG 359
and climb to 35,000. Dial in and track the
EELDE (GRONINGEN) (EEL) VOR/
DME frequency 112.40
NOTE: Use NAV 1 as we will need to fly
down a radial passed the EEL VOR.
Over the EEL VOR turn left HDG 348.
Set course 348 on your NAV 1 OBI and
establish on the EEL/348 radial. Proceed
to the ISEC GREFI (located at EEL 348 /
112nm).
Over the ISEC GREFI continue down the
348 radial for another 58nm to the ISEC
BUSOM.
Over the ISEC BUSOM turn right
HDG 006. Dial in and track the SOLA/
STAVANGER (ZOL) VOR/DME
frequency 116.85 and begin descent to
3000.
Enroute, dial in the LOC-SL frequency
111.35 and set course 002 on your NAV
1 OBI. Also tune in the VARHAUG
(VAR) NDB frequency 319 in preparation
for an ILS/DME to RWY 36 at SOLA/
STAVANGER (actual RWY course 002,
elevation 29, RWY length 8383).
Passing through 10,000, reduce to
approach speed or below 250kts.
Home the VAR NDB on reception (about
40nm out) and intercept the LOC for final
approach.
Pre landing checks.
Over the NDB, descend to 2000 and
continue with the final approach
5nm back, you are cleared for a full stop
to RWY 36 at Sola/Stavanger Intl Airport.
Check gear down.
Land at Sola and take first available left
taxi to cargo terminal, located mid field
north of the pax terminal. (I used Google
maps for this info).
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:25:19 PM
 ROUND ROBIN ADVENTURE
Second leg:
Sola/Stavanger (ENZV) >>>
London/Heathrow (EGLL)
Approx 620nm.
Month December, Clock to 1500L.
Weather at your discretion.
Dial in the SOLA (ZOL) VOR/DME
frequency 116.85 on NAV1 and set course
214 on your NAV 1 OBI. Also tune in the
VARHAUG (VAR) NDB frequency 319
on the ADF.
Taxi to and T/O RWY 18, climb RWY
heading to the NDB, hence a right hand
turn to HDG 248 and continue climbing to
36,000.
Establish on the 216 radial of the ZOL
VOR to ISEC CUTEL (ZOL215 / 206nm).
cpm1301a.indd 79
This positions us on Airway UP5.
Over the ISEC CUTEL turn right HDG
257. Dial in and track the NEWCASTLE
(NEW) VOR/DME frequency 114.25 to on
top. We are now on Airways UP15.
Over the NEW VOR turn left HDG
197 and descend to 20,000. Dial in and
track the POPE HILL (POL) VOR/DME
frequency 112.10 to on top.
Enroute, dial in the LOC-ILL frequency
109.5 and set course 273 on your NAV1
OBI in preparation for an ILS to RWY 27L
at HEATHROW (Actual RWY course 273,
elevation 77, RWY length 12,306).
Over the POLE HILL VOR turn left HDG
153. Dial in and track the BROOKMANS
PARK (BPK) VOR/DME frequency
117.50 to on top.
95nm out of (before) the BPK VOR,
descend to 4000.
Over the BPK VOR turn left HDG 128.
Dial in and track the LAMBOURNE
(LAM) VOR/DME frequency 115.60 to on
top for an OCK 1H arrival (see STAR).
Over the LAMBOURNE VOR turn right
234 and descend to 2500 to intercept
the LOC (15.5nm to interception. See
approach plate).
Intercept the LOC and continue with the
approach.
5nm back, you are cleared for a full stop to
RWY 27L at Londons Heathrow. Check
gear down and locked.
Land at Heathrow and take first available
left taxi to main cargo terminal.
79
12/21/2008 6:25:21 PM
 Third leg:
London Heathrow (EGLL) >>>
Dsseldorf (EDDL)
Approx 299nm.
Clock to 1900L (or make it the next
morning if you want a day trip).
Dial in the DETLING (DET) VOR/DME
frequency 117.30 on NAV 1 and the
DOVER (DVR) VOR/DME frequency
114.95 on NAV 2. Also tune in the
EPSOM (EPM) NDB frequency 316 on
the ADF
Taxi to and T/O RWY 27R. Climb RWY
HDG for 2 miles followed by a max rate
left hand turn to home the EPM NDB on
a heading of 140 (See included SID for a
DET 2F departure).
Over the EPM NDB turn left HDG 095
and track the DETLING VOR to on top.
Over the DETLING VOR turn HDG 111
and track the DOVER VOR to on top.
80
cpm1301a.indd 80
On top the DOVER VOR turn left HDG
098. Dial in and track the KOKSY (KOK)
VOR/DME frequency 114.50 to on top.
Enroute, dial in the LOC-IDSE
frequency 111.5 and set course 054 on
your NAV 1 OBI in preparation for an
ILS DME to RWY 05R at Dsseldorf
(Actual RWY course 054, RWY length
9843, elevation 115).
Over the KOKSY VOR turn right
HDG 107. Dial in and track the
HULDENBERG (HUL) VOR/DME
frequency 117.55 to on top.
25nm out of (before) the HUL VOR begin
descent to 5000.
On top the HUL VOR, turn left HDG 077,
continue descent to 5000. Dial in and track
the MAASTRICHT (MAS) VOR/DME
frequency 108.60.
Over the MAASTRICHT VOR turn left
HDG 053 and descend to 3000. Dial in
and track the MONCHENGLADBACH
(MHV) VOR/DME frequency 109.80 to
on top.
Over the MHV VOR turn right HDG
100 to intercept the LOC. If you can dial
a decimal on your ADF, you can tune
in the DUSSELDORF NDB frequency
284.5 and home to it. Also, dial in the
DUSSELDORF (DUS) VOR frequency
115.15 for DME info on the approach,
should you want it.
Continue with the final approach.
5nm back, you are cleared for a full stop to
RWY 05R at Dsseldorf. Check gear down
and locked.
Land at Dsseldorf and take last exit right
to the cargo area located at the far end of
RWY 05R.
Welcome home and good job!
END
CPM. V13I01
12/21/2008 6:25:23 PM
 ROUND ROBIN ADVENTURE
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. Doesnt work for all of them, but
does most of the time. Try it for the Stavanger airport. Amazing!

NOTE 1: I am still using FS2004 to write my articles. The route

was checked with Abacuss Co-Pilot 3.5 for accuracy in FSX. Many
thanks to the Abacus team for this great flight planner.

NOTE 2: Again, the freeware scenery add-ons by Arne Sundsboe,

Kjell Arild Bersaas and their many contributors are really worth
installing. Just awesome!

Als thank you box:

Without the help and generosity from the people below and our
payware/freeware designers, I couldnt write these articles. So my
sincere thanks to all those and to flightsim.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 flying the route. Chris is a retired
military pilot with over 12,000 hours of flying time.
3. I use FSNavigator and Abacus Co-Pilot for all my flight
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.
SOLA STAVANGER OPERATIONAL CHART
5. To Miguel Blaufuks of SimMarket for the great add-ons. (www.
simmarket.com) Thanks Miguel!
6. To Arne Sundsboe, Kjell Arild Bersaas for the great Norway LONDON AREA AIRSPACE
scenery.
7. To AVSIM and FLIGHTSIM.com for being there!
8. To PCAviator for the great selection of Flight Sim software
add-ons. (www.pcaviator.com)
9. To the Commercial Level Simulation team for the
complimentary Boeing 747 (http://www.commerciallevel.com/)

Cheers and keep on reading Computer Pilot

* Dont forget to download the maps from computerpilot.com. I have

uploaded some great high resolution maps for your enjoyment!

Al 4

81

cpm1301a.indd 81 12/21/2008 6:25:27 PM

 COMING UP ...
...in the February 2009 Issue
FlightSim Manager Version 2.8.0
FS2002/FS2004 Utility
Filename: fsm280.zip
Author: Rana Hossain
Available From: www.ranainside.com or www.flightsim.com

WIN!
FlightSim Manager is a tool that provides many housekeeping features
for your flight simulator installations. It will work with both FS2002 and
FS2004. The feature set in this software provides important tools for both
new and experienced flight simulator pilots. For those new to the hobby,
this utility can help you to add new aircraft and scenery files to your
simulation, without the need to manually edit configuration files. More
experienced pilots may wish to take advantage of the interface to per-
form tweaks to some of the basic WIN flight simulator parameters. In addition
A SUBSCRIPTION
to these features, the programtoprovides several diagnostic
Computer Pilot Magazine tools to check
the status of yourHave installed aircraft
something and
to say scenery
about files,simulation
the flight and makehobby?
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if necessary. These are only
simulation a few of the
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related? Developers
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Send your letters of 400 words or less to inbox@computerpilot.com
To continue our look at Ultra-light flying, we take you Island Hopping for your chance to win a free 12 month (12 issue) subscription or
to further experience the flying of powered wings. You will accrue extension if you already subscribe to Computer Pilot. Each month, we
valuable stick time as you make many takeoffs and landings amongst Stearman Kaydet will choose the best letters with the best angle/take on a flight simula-
some great island scenery. But watch out for those winds coming FS2002/FS2004
off Aircraft/Panel/Scenery
tion topic and publish them in our Inbox column.
the sea!
Commercial Applications of X-Plane PartFilenames: 2 davstea1.zip (FS2002), stear04.zip (FS2004)
Have Your Say!
Authors: David Eckert, Mark Smith, Dennis Seeley, Louis Sinclair
This next article concludes Chuck Bodeens roundup of contract work Many articles appearing in Computer Pilot magazine are a direct result
Available From: www.flightsim.com
performed by professional X-Plane users. This month Chuck wrote of your emails and feedback. If you have a topic you would like us to
about the special applications by Austin Meyer and Jason Chandler. cover, or just have some general constructive magazine feedback, let us
The next time you feel like flying low and slow with reference to the bare
Next month he explores the commercial work of Jim McNeill, Gerald know and we will do our best to address your request/feedback. Send
minimum of flight instruments, I highly recommend you consider David
Rader, Brett Sumpter, Marcio Amaral, and himself! your comments, article ideas or suggestions to...
Eckerts Stearman Kaydet. I am showing the Kaydet in Army Air Corp
The History of Air Racing Part 2 colors, and there are five other liveries editor@computerpilot.com
included in the FS2004 version.
Have more need for speed? Next month we continue our look The military trainer versions include little in the way of avionics - true to
the era, while theWhile
at the history of air racing with more modern aircraft and racing we may
civilian not be
version able tomodern
includes personally answer
radios andthem all, we
a GPS. Thedo read
environments, many of which are in use today. Stearman for FS2004 everyisemail and take
packaged your
with feedback
Mark Smithsonboard for for
scenery planning
Eagleof future
issues. ItsKansas.
Field (7KS9) in Bentley, your way to make
The an impact
old hangars andongrass
the content
strip fiand direction of
t the
Meet Your Makers Bill Womack the magazine!
Stearman
Bill is not far short of a legend in the Flight Sim world, particularly with nicely. Flight dynamics for the Kaydet are by Dennis Seeley.
Since Ive never flown a real Stearman, I cant say if the dynamics are
the bush pilots. He is the author of many scenery add-ons and products
like the real aircraft or not - but I can tell you the airplane is well-man-
and his latest release, Plum Island, is particularly interesting. Francois
nered
Dumas quizzes Bill on his life and loves (thats flight sim of course) in and a lot of fun to fly, even with a yoke. Flown with a joystick, Im
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An Expedition Around Lake Michigan single livery and does not include the scenery for Eagle Field. David and
Join Doug Horton as he takes you on an aerial adventure around hisLake
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Subscribe online now at www.computerpilot.com to have your
www.pcaviator.com
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82magazines home delivered for 6, 12, 24 or 36 issue periods!
Trident 2 and 3 CPM. V13I01
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cpm1301a.indd 82 12/21/2008 6:25:34 PM

 ROUND ROBIN ADVENTURE

83

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 84 CPM. V13I01

cpm1301a.indd 84 12/21/2008 6:25:55 PM