Podcasts about microsoft flight simulator x

This past week there was a dramatic, and tragic, event at Sea-Tac airport in Seattle, Washington. An airport worker stole an empty Horizon Air Q400 aircraft and flew it erratically for over an hour before crashing and killing himself. Rather than the NTSB, the FBI is taking the lead in the investigation into this event, which is rightly being called a crime. Even for an experienced pilot, stealing an airliner is no small feat. If the airplane is parked at a gate, it must be pushed back with a tow vehicle and then disconnected from the tow vehicle, which must them be driven out of the way. In this case it was parked remotely, at the cargo ramp, and could be taxied forward once the engines were started. And the cargo ramp is located adjacent to the takeoff position on runway 19L, so once the engines were started there was little to prevent the aircraft from initiating a takeoff. Gaining access to the Q400 aircraft itself is relatively easy, as the main entry door has integral stairs, and there is a YouTube video showing door operation: https://youtu.be/_ai4L3tb92o There is very little information regarding how the individual was able to gain access to the aircraft, start the APU, start the engines, taxi and take off without interruption. The facts as they are now known are: He had no prior experience as a pilot He was an airline employee with access to the airport Secure Identification Display Area (SIDA) His normal employment was in the area of baggage loading and airplane marshalling From his conversations with ATC, he intended to kill himself This is not something that can be accomplished on a whim. I believe the FBI's investigation will reveal that the individual had planned this for some time. He most likely had the Microsoft Flight Simulator X program and had been practicing how to start the engines, adjust the condition levers, take off, raise the landing gear, and fly. There is an add-on program for Microsoft Flight Simulator X for the Q400, and the flight manual for the Q400 is readily available on the internet. If this individual had simply wanted to steal the airplane and crash it, he likely would not have engaged in conversation with ATC. He was clearly a troubled individual, and it is really sad that an intervention was apparently not possible. This is not the first such event. In 1969, Sergeant Paul Meyer, a C-130 aircraft mechanic stationed at Mildenhall Air Base in England, put on an officer's flight suit and stole a C-130, hoping to fly back to the United States. He had been under a lot of emotional pressure and desperately wanted to get back home to his wife of eight weeks. He was drunk when he stole the plane, which vanished after a few hours. There will undoubtedly be a knee-jerk over-reaction in the industry, which will make it more difficult for legitimate crew members to initiate their flights, and which will likely lead to departure delays. Perhaps it would be more productive to educate the public on the signs of mental illness and how to help someone who seeks a permanent solution to a temporary problem. If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. This line is available for 24 hours, every day.

Hosted by Eric McClintock, Mark Stewart, Brendan Farmer, and Chris Palmer. Listen Here: Download Audio Here Video: B-52 From Captain Sim Released Update on Last week's mention, the "external only" model has now been released here for € 9.99. Mark's Secret to Improving your FSX FPS... Compress! Website Here! Also: TileProxy Revisited  Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer var so = new SWFObject("http://www.db798.com/pictobrowserp.swf", "PictoBrowser", "600", "500", "8", "#FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("source", "album"); so.addVariable("userName", "fszone"); so.addVariable("names", "TileProxy02"); so.addVariable("albumId", "5431253536892481073"); so.addVariable("titles", "on"); so.addVariable("displayNotes", "on"); so.addVariable("thumbAutoHide", "off"); so.addVariable("imageSize", "medium"); so.addVariable("vAlign", "mid"); so.addVariable("vertOffset", "0"); so.addVariable("colorHexVar", "FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("initialScale", "off"); so.addVariable("bgAlpha", "90"); so.write("PictoBrowser100126221933");    Honolulu International From FSDreamTeam Honolulu International is a scenery developed for Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) and Flight Simulator 2004 (FS9). It's has been created with great attention to visual quality and performance, using the latest available programming techniques, both in FSX and FS9. The product is sold as 2 Products in One. This means, by buying one version, you will automatically get the other for free, since activation and serial codes are shared between FSX and FS9. Features: Fully customized ground and runways in high resolution, both in FSX and FS9 Ground terrain seamlessly integrated with Flight Simulator. Native animated inverse-kinematics based jetways in FSX. AES support in FS9 planned Animated custom ground vehicles. Use of the advanced material properties in FSX, like bump and specular mapping. Fully 3d taxiways lighting. Intensive use of LOD techniques in order to offer the best possible performances. Improved Night Effects High resolution building textures. NEW YouControl™ feature: custom airport actions with easy on-screen menu to trigger animations, events,etc ( FSX only ) RLG Automated Guide-In System docking. Price: 22.90 EUR, download here. Several "teases" from PMDG PMDG 747-400X -8i/F Product Model Extension: Estimated Release: January 2010. (very firm)   PMDG 737-NGX: Estimated Release: Mid 2010. (not firm)   PMDG Bombardier Dash-8 Estimated Release: Late 2010 (not firm) PMDG 777: Estimated Release: Late 2010/Early 2011(not firm) X-Plane 9.42 released X-Plane 9.42 is now available for Windows, Mac and Linux. No extra drag for jet engine nacelles, as was always intended. Rain, hail damage, birdstrikes, sun glare on scratches on the windshield should now cover all of the monitor, no matter the screen res... let me know if you find a case where this does not happen! Control-s in Plane-Maker to save the plane... any time. Kind of convenient. Fixed: Mouse won't jump when fly-by-mouse is selected. Fixed: Draped lit orthophotos become lit all at once. Fixed: Idle speed dataref works on turboprops. Fixed: Landing lights start off - better for panels without lan-light switches. Fixed: Generic text instrument works with "mechanical" lighting now. Fixed: Key frame table works right with generic rotary push button. French translation improved. X-Plane's Austin Meyer wants to build a REAL plane! X-Plane is doing well, but I want to see if I can push the current state of the art in HARDWARE forward a little bit as well. IF I can come up with a new plane that can benefit the aviation community, then I want to. To do this, I give you the "Laminar Research X-1 Cavallo" ("Cavallo" is Italian for "Horse"). The Objectives: 1: Design the plane I want to build by flying models of the above in X-Plane, submitted by multiple learned sources. 2: Build it and fly it hither and yon across the country for personal, business, evaluation, and marketing purposes, documenting it and blogging about it like hell. 3: Present the plane to the public in as much detail as possible. As I use the plane for everyday travel, document this travel for the world to see, and demonstrate the aircraft performance to as many people as possible, I will decide whether it could profitable to make more of them. Interest from other people will help drive this decision. Full documentation on the plane and unfettered home-built flying of the plane will help drive this. 4: Build more of them as a home-built operation. I would establish a small factory at a little-used airport in South Carolina and bring people in to build their planes on-site. Professional staff would build 49% of the plane, the customer the other 51%. All parts, jigs, tools, and staff would be in-house the moment the customer shows up. He would live at the facility and work along an assembly-line to build his plane under guidance... and then fly it home when done. More details and prototypes here. A new Google Earth 3D engine for your sim One of the projects we work on is called GEVision. In the past various attempts had been made to use Google Earth scenery instead of the one included in Microsoft Flight Simulator X. Yet due to limitations in the interface technology this has never been fully achieved. GEVision will enable the use of Google Earth as a full blown 3D scenery engine. Eventually GEVision will be a server / client solution that can connect to a wide range of applications rendering Google Earth views to multiple monitors. GEVision is already working smoothly with Microsoft Flight Simulator X and we hope to be demonstrate it in all it's glory on the Google IO conference. More Info here! Why Fly – New Webzine About Flying A brand new, on-line, commercial 'web-zine' has been born. Conceived, designed and ultimately produced and launched by some friends and people many of us know (Hal Bryan and Mike Singer, both fromer MSFS gurus)! It is called Why Fly and is all about WHY we/you love FLYING (and aviation). You can find the website here: http://www.whyfly.aero/ Items marked "Complimentary Content" can be viewed without a subscription, a Monthly subscription costs $7.95 per month. Sample of a great article: http://www.whyfly.aero/photo-munson-outer-banks/ New Project from listener Liam We just want to give a quick mention to a program that a listener, Liam is working one. An "in flight entertainment" program for VA owners to offer to their pilots! Here is a sample of what to expect: If you are interested, contact Liam here. Recommendations Eric: 7-Zip: FREE ZIP/RAR/7Zip/ISO Extractor/Creator. Chris: One Six Right: Great Aviation Film, Free on Hulu. (Sorry Non-US Folks, find more information on how to get this movie from their website.) E-Mails and Voicemails A quick way to add monitors love the show guys. I found this on tiger direct, thought it was worth a look. I did not order one yet but will soon I hope. I'll let you know if it works out well. I'm thinking of using it for a panel display for a home cockpit. Don't think it would be good for the main view, but for gauges I think it may work out. Any way here is the link ---> http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3921559&CatId=467 Later, Steven 3D Monitors? Hey guys -- quick question: I had a conversation with a person who recently tried playing half-life on a 3-D monitor. She said it was unbelievable. Has anyone tried this, and if so, does it make a significant difference for FS? 3D TV's were the big story at CES this year, and I wonder if it will be the next big thing in gaming. Thanks, Dave in Raleigh Gear Down FS Training Videos My name is Mike, I go by the alias of NBGZerO. I'm part of the three man group known as GearDownFS that uploaded the FSX pattern video on youtube. We are great fans of your work, and enjoy listening to your episodes, since we are very interested in whats happening in the FS community. We'd like to thank you for your hard work, and wish you good luck for 2010. For reasons, which are unknown to me, one of us checked your Website and found our video on it. You can guess how we both almost freaked out, since we never thought that one of our videos would be posted on an established FS website. We are in the process of creating a community based platform, dedicated to show interested FS newcomers how to fly "as real as it gets". We strive to create a video series that is straight forward and easy to understand. Having our video on your website shows us, that we are going the right way, and encourages us to work even harder. Ironically, the third team member and creator of said video is unaware at this point in time - hes on a skiing vacation in Europe. On behalf of the entire team, I'd like to thank you. Really, thank you very much :) Regards, Michael http://www.geardownfs.com Landing with gear up! Did you read the news paper story about the pilot that landed his plane but forgot to put down the landing gear. Perhaps Mark or Danton would like to critic that one. Actually I have done that in the SIMS... Thank goodness I'm not a real pilot. The link is as follows: http://calgarysun.com/news/canada/2010/01/10/12410996.html By the way, as always, a good show. I hope they put X-Plane on the Google Nexis 1. Alan  

Hosted by Eric McClintock, Mark Stewart, and special guest Ben Supnik. Listen Here: Download Audio Here Wilco’s Third Airline Pack Released The third Airlines pack for Embraer Regional Jets is now available. It features 13 new real-world airlines liveries to improve the ERJ135 and ERJ145 series for both Microsoft Flight Simulator X and 2004. The addon texturees are created by Mcphat Studios: With a 'out of the box', stock 90+ pixel per meter ratio, which is one of the highest ratios, you can expext textures as sharp as they can be, without being HD. This combined with our signature style, our highly acclaimed textures and our devotion to bring you the best, you may expect what you have come accustomed to from us : Textures that bring your add-on to the next level. More Info RealAir Beech Duke B60 1.5 Update You can now download the Version 1.5 Update of our Beech Duke. This update adds a number of new features to the Duke, resolves a few minor issues, and gives a slight performance improvement on most systems. The major changes are as follows: Optimised LOD (Level Of Detail) models. Optional medium and low polygon exterior models. Optional mip-mapped textures. Animated rain-drops on the windscreen glass. Improved GPS HSI integration (using Reality-XP or default GPS). HSI Auto or Manual DTK. Improved ‘Cold and Dark’ function. Improved engine starting. More realistic generator gauges. VATSIM Apres Ski Triangle Event Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCwS1SDaH3g VATSIM have released details of their Apres Ski Triangle online event due to take place on the 30th January, 2010. As the northern parts of Germany this year eperienced something like a real winter with a lot of snow and low temperatures VATSIM Germany wants to celebrate this by adopting a custom with a long tradition in the Alps and therefore invites the community to the Après-Ski-Triangle on Saturday January 30th 2010 18-22 UTC. http://edww.org/300110/ This update also includes all of the older SP1 updates. For this reason the Duke SP1 Update is no longer available. X-Plane comes to the Palm Pre X-Plane for is the most powerful, flexible, and realistic flight simulator in the world for desktop and portable personal computers. It is the gold standard for accurate flight simulation, offering realism that is unmatched by any other simulator. To get the flight-modeling accuracy that leaves all the other simulators behind, X-Plane uses blade element theory to predict the airflow over each bit of the airplane, determining the forces that will act on each bit of the plane, adding them all up, and using that huge amount of information to predict what the plane will do next... about 30 times per second! THIS is how X-Plane has the most powerful and accurate flight model available for personal computers. The flight model is so accurate, in fact, that X-Plane has earned FAA certification for pilots to log flight time towards actual pilot ratings (when used with the appropriate hardware), and is used by many aircraft companies to predict how their next-generation aircraft will fly. As in the full desktop version, X-Plane for Palm lets you experiment with different times of day, weather, sky conditions, wind, turbulence, weights, aircraft configurations and centers of gravity, all while flying multiple different aircraft though many different scenery locales from the stunning terrain topography of Innsbruck, Austria, (home to some of the most challenging mountains and topography for aviation) to the deserts of the American southwest. Fly the popular Cessna 172, the sleek Columbia-400, the speedy Piper Malibu, the revolutionary Cirrus VISION very light jet, the stunning and efficient 350-mile-per-hour Piaggio Avantu, the stout and strong King-Air, or the fascinating little Eclipse-500. Fly in various weather and times of day over Austria, Hawaii, Alaska, Desert Sky in the American south-west, San-Francisco, or the hotbed of general aviation in Southern California. How far it has come... Mark Stewart: This is a review I wrote for flightsim.com in 1997, just over 10 years ago. Take a look at it and make sure to click for the expanded views of the screen shots to see the incredible graphics. Graphics that were so good not everyone could run it. Read the Review here! Eric's $100 Kilauea Volcano Burger Download here, and share your results in the forum! Recommendations Eric: MyFsGoogleEarth - FS9 and FSX (And X-Plane?) tracking for free in google earth. Recommended by David. Thanks David!! http://www.elbiah.de/flusi/MyFsGoogleEarth/MyFsGoogleEarth.htm E-Mails and Voicemails Nice Tutorial on Basic Pattern Work This is a great very BASIC demo of how to fly a left pattern... using X-Plane. He does a real good job of integrating the video with the standard pattern graphic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k3Nvp-OhQY He also has a pretty good tutorial on using autopilot in X-Plane and several other tutorials. Nice demos, easy to understand. very well done. I'm going to post these in the forums too. PS, Here is that video Mark mentioned that goes more in depth... Nice FS Blog Now, I know we usually don't do these sort of plugs and stuff. But I checked out the website and I enjoyed it, plus I saw some stuff on there I had never seen before - That is what is important to me, his message: I just like to let you know about a blog that I write for called Fsim: http://fsim.posterous.com/ Checkout this site! A lot of great content, thanks!

Hosted by Eric McClintock, Danton Berube, Mark Stewart, Brendan Farmer. Listen Here: Download Here Real Environment Extreme for FS2004 Released   Complete with the same great flight planning and weather tools that come with the FSX version. It also includes great HD 3D clouds, and more. More screenshots and details here. It is slightly cheaper than the FSX version, at around $35 US.. Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer var so = new SWFObject("http://www.db798.com/pictobrowserp.swf", "PictoBrowser", "600", "500", "8", "#FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("source", "album"); so.addVariable("userName", "fszone"); so.addVariable("names", "REXFS9"); so.addVariable("albumId", "5413095742114998289"); so.addVariable("titles", "off"); so.addVariable("displayNotes", "off"); so.addVariable("thumbAutoHide", "off"); so.addVariable("imageSize", "medium"); so.addVariable("vAlign", "mid"); so.addVariable("vertOffset", "0"); so.addVariable("colorHexVar", "FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("initialScale", "off"); so.addVariable("bgAlpha", "90"); so.write("PictoBrowser091208235747"); AirSimmer A320 Basic Edition Released   AirSimmer A320 Family is a complete, ultra-realistic and immersive simulation of an Airbus A320 Family of aircraft for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 and Microsoft Flight Simulator X. The A320 Family comes in two editions: Basic and Advanced.The Basic Edition is perfect for Flight Simulation enthusiasts who are just introducing themselves to flying the A320 and want to learn the basics without the pressure of having to read extensive documentation. It is also perfect for those who enjoy top-quality visual models, immersive sound environment, and the ease of flight that the A320’s Fly-By-Wire technology offers. The Advanced Edition is geared towards seasoned flight simmers and hard-core Airbus fans who want a simulation that will challenge their knowledge of both Standard and Emergency Flows, Systems, and airmanship. The table below allows you to see which edition is perfect for you.Whichever one you choose, there is no compromise in regards to the fidelity of  simulated systems and features.To learn more about product features, click on the feature title.  More details here. Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer var so = new SWFObject("http://www.db798.com/pictobrowserp.swf", "PictoBrowser", "600", "500", "8", "#FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("source", "album"); so.addVariable("userName", "fszone"); so.addVariable("names", "Airsimmerbasic"); so.addVariable("albumId", "5413095354636734353"); so.addVariable("titles", "off"); so.addVariable("displayNotes", "off"); so.addVariable("thumbAutoHide", "off"); so.addVariable("imageSize", "medium"); so.addVariable("vAlign", "mid"); so.addVariable("vertOffset", "0"); so.addVariable("colorHexVar", "FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("initialScale", "off"); so.addVariable("bgAlpha", "90"); so.write("PictoBrowser091208235818"); QualityWings Ultimate 757 Collection Released   The Ultimate 757 Collection is the most extensive 757 Package ever created for Microsoft Flight Simulator. There is truly something for everyone. Every 757 ever to come off the line from Boeing has been reproduced for your enjoyment. And with Mid-Level systems programming, we've simplified the simming experience while providing you the look and feel that makes the Boeing 757 such a special airplane to fly. For full details, click here! Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer var so = new SWFObject("http://www.db798.com/pictobrowserp.swf", "PictoBrowser", "600", "500", "8", "#FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("source", "album"); so.addVariable("userName", "fszone"); so.addVariable("names", "QualityWings757"); so.addVariable("albumId", "5413095935972225841"); so.addVariable("titles", "off"); so.addVariable("displayNotes", "off"); so.addVariable("thumbAutoHide", "off"); so.addVariable("imageSize", "medium"); so.addVariable("vAlign", "mid"); so.addVariable("vertOffset", "0"); so.addVariable("colorHexVar", "FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("initialScale", "off"); so.addVariable("bgAlpha", "90"); so.write("PictoBrowser091208235837"); Abacus Flight Deck 6 Released Flight Deck, one of the world's best sellers has been TOTALLY revised and is now Flight Deck 6. Carrier-based flight is the ULTIMATE challenge in aviation! Climb into the cockpit of these super-detailed, high performance aircraft and put your piloting skills to the test. Flight Deck 6 also works with Flight Simulator 2004. We're taking you back to the basics... New to the Flight Deck series is a brush with Naval training. Not only will you experience the rush of landing on a moving carrier, but you'll get to go through the paces as a Naval cadet learning to fly combat maneuvers in the propeller trainer the T-34C Turbo Mentor. After passing with the T-34C, you will graduate to the T-45 Goshawk jet trainer where you will focus on your landing and more intense maneuvers. Landing on a heaving deck can be a white-knuckle terrifying experience for even the most seasoned Navy pilots. There's a good reason that the flight crew refers to a landing aircraft as a "recovery." FSX Version also includes missions and training. Price: $30 US   For full details, click here. Orbx Releases Caloundra Airport for FSX Features Airport in 15cm/60cm per pixel Made using hundreds of photos taken onsite Major township buildings are modeled Full GA AI traffic included Video:   For full features click here! Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer var so = new SWFObject("http://www.db798.com/pictobrowserp.swf", "PictoBrowser", "600", "500", "8", "#FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("source", "album"); so.addVariable("userName", "fszone"); so.addVariable("names", "OrbxFtxYcdr"); so.addVariable("albumId", "5413095150703430225"); so.addVariable("titles", "off"); so.addVariable("displayNotes", "off"); so.addVariable("thumbAutoHide", "off"); so.addVariable("imageSize", "medium"); so.addVariable("vAlign", "mid"); so.addVariable("vertOffset", "0"); so.addVariable("colorHexVar", "FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("initialScale", "off"); so.addVariable("bgAlpha", "90"); so.write("PictoBrowser091208235856"); Eaglesoft 10% Holiday Discount Eaglesoft Christmas 2009 Discount Coupon may be used with ANY FS9 or FSX Aircraft Purchase! Eaglesoft Christmas 2009 Discount Coupon is now available. Expires December 31st. http://www.eaglesoftdg.com/coupons.htm Microsoft Licenses ESP IP to Lockheed Martin   Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Microsoft Corp. entered into an intellectual property (IP) licensing agreement that allows Lockheed Martin to further develop the Microsoft ESP PC-based visual simulation software platform to better train warfighters for battle. The agreement provides Lockheed Martin with access to the ESP technology portfolio enabling the company to build cost-effective simulation solutions for customized training for its worldwide customers. Lockheed Martin’s software development teams will extend the current capabilities of ESP to enable a whole new suite of innovative ESP-based solutions that will evolve beyond flight training to include ground and civil agency applications. The Microsoft ESP IP licensing agreement builds on the existing Microsoft/Lockheed Martin Strategic Alliance to bring meaningful information technology services and products to market and continue to fuel innovation. It is also an example of Microsoft’s broader efforts to collaborate with industry through IP licensing. Microsoft ESP is a visual simulation software development platform that brings immersive games-based technology to training and decision support for commercial, government and education organizations. Read Full Release Here.   X-Plane Release: Grumman G21-A Goose The Grumman G21-A Goose is a commercial amphibian plane designed in the late 30s. The Goose was very successful and many are still flying today.New: pop-up control panels Switch & animation panels Both panels can be accessed in any view: 2D, 3D and outside view. Use of normal maps for superb texturing (new in X-Plane 9.40) Full 3D model. Interior and exterior. Virtual cockpit. (2D cockpit available) Fully animated: inside out outside doors, windows, engine hoods, etc . Use of plugin to model many systems after the real G21 Goose. Pictures Here. More Details. X-Plane Release: MBB/Kawasaki BK-117 The MBB/Kawasaki BK117 is a medium twin engine utility and transport helicopter. This X-Plane 9.40+ model is one of the most detailed aircraft you will ever find. Super detailed fully functional 3D cockpit Custom systems, including autopilot, trim, SAS, engine control, GPS and more... Realistic startup and shutdown Unique dynamic cockpit lighting Detailed interior and exterior High resolution textures with normal and specular maps Advanced animation of all moving parts, including rotor heads Realistic flight model characteristics and performance Flight tested by a real BK 117 crew member In-depth documentation   More Details. Video:  Amazing X-Plane CRJ-200 $100 Hamburger: Air Emergency Download everything here! Recommendations Eric: KatMouse - Mouse Enhancement http://ehiti.de/katmouse/ Request: FSX Google Earth tracker. I've tried FSX get, and have heard of FSEarth. Mark: X-Plane P28 181 Brendan: World of AI  

Hi all, episode 41 is here, and not a moment too soon!Show Notes:Microsoft officially endorses homebrew XBOX 360 games!Nintendo confirms free online play on the WiiE3 is no more!? Gen Con to replace it?Previous Weird Game of the Week sells 4 million copiesWill we soon have a holodeck?DIY Quad SLi at last!Microsoft Flight Simulator X screensBombhappies: MadnessCourtesy of music.podshow.comHave an awesome week!