FSBreak 49: Live stream testing, and news! - a podcast by www.fsbreak.net

Hosted by Eric McClintock, and Brendan Farmer.

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PS, if you're looking for the video version please see here for a recording of the live broadcast. We are working on improving the quality of the high resolution version for next week!

Orbx FSX Go Tweak & Launch Released

Welcome to Tweaker's Heaven! The ULTIMATE FSX Launcher.

Orbx's FSX Go puts your favourite tweaks and saved flights together into a single profile. Setting your tweaks and launching FSX with your saved flight is now done in one simple action.

FSX Go has been designed with both casual and ardent tweakers in mind. The package comes with a lengthy list of the most popular tweaks for the FSX.cfg which should satisfy most tweaking needs. It also ships with a tweak editor, which allows you to add and edit your own tweaks to the Master Tweaks list. For those with some knowledge of batch file scripting you can point FSX Go at your own batch file to launch FSX giving you even greater flexibility.


Features

• The ultimate FSX launcher application


• Add as many or few custom tweaks as you want


• Create your own master list of tweaks


• Launch your saved flights, plus apply tweaks on launch


• Launch using your own custom batch files


• Apply custom FSX splash screens


• Many more features!

More Info

Real Environment Xtreme FS2004 Service Pack released

REX for FS2004 has been updated with the released of their Service Pack.

Changes

• Added WASys icon to taskbar when in use (per user feedback)


• Added FSUIPC options to Configuration window to allow user to config custom general FSUIPC settings (per user feedback)


• Fixed cloud handling and missing clouds issue with the REX weather engine


• Fixed the cloud layer issue within the wxtemp.xml file


• Fixed reset of re-load of weather if aircraft passes weather range before auto re-load


• Fixed issue with importing FSBuild flight plans and waypoints not showing


• Fixed water environment reflections


• Fixed Cumulus 32 transparency (per user feedback)


• Fixed Cumulus 53 transparency (per user feedback)


• Fixed Restore function in Configuration window


• Fixed Ocean Water colorization and installation


• Fixed Ocean Water Set 1 (per user feedback)


• Fixed Wave Animation set 05 (per user feedback)


• Revised aircraft reflection file (per user feedback)


• Increased time before auto-loading weather into FS9 when using the REX weather engine


• Adjusted formula for winds aloft

More Info

FS(X)Pilot Is Now Freeware

Both versions of FSPILOT, the universal and standalone autopilots for both helicopters and fixed wing planes, have been transformed to freeware recently. Go to the homepage (-> downloads) of their development team to grab your copy of the program and your registration key.


Via Avsim.com, More Info.

Orbx Releases BOB For FSX For Free

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's your little gift from all of us at Orbx - BOB! "He's had a few birth pains over the past week as we've wrestled with the black science of the FSX aircraft dynamics to get him to behave like something resembling human motion. Anyway, he's now ready for you to take on leisurely strolls through our airports."


via Avsim.com, More Info.

Airshow Pilot Released from JustFlight

More Info.

RealityXP GPS for X-Plane

Leveraging the latest capabilities offered with X-Plane 9.41, the Reality XP GNS 430/530 WAAS can guide you to fly your aircraft through holding patterns, procedure turns and other position-critical IFR flight procedures, with full autopilot coupling for both lateral and vertical path guidance. The new integration also permits coupling HSI LCDI and VCDI for maximum awareness during any phase of the flight. You can now fly fully coupled LPV approaches with the autopilot and experience the extra capabilities of the GNS WAAS in mission rehearsal scenarios and personal self-paced learning environments

More Info.

Chicago X From Aerosoft

Remember the good old days when MS Flight Simulator dropped you in Meigs Field for your first flight lessons? Meigs was sadly closed a few years ago but now it's back in FS(X)! Together with the fourth, largest city and windiest in the US Cities range so far: Chicago!

This scenery will bring you Chicago with as much detail as you never seen before. In this scenery there are hints to the past as it includes Merrill C Meigs fiels and (optional) a glimpse of the future as you are able to see the Chicago Spire, a skyscraper in development that will put Chicago back at the top of skyscraper cities.

US Cities X is a series of city scenery for FSX that covers US cities created by LimeSim. Based on an extensive aerial image it will have all the major buildings and landmarks plus all the airports and heliports that are inside the covered areas.

It is clearly intended to fill the gap between the default scenery and very high dense city scenery such as Manhattan X, London VFR or Venice X. Because the file size is rather large due to the ground image it only includes one season (in most cases this is not a real issue) and no night textures. The VFR flights over these cities are mostly a day time affair anyway.


Features:

• Aerial image coverage (see attached Google Earth file)


• More than 2,000 major buildings included


• About 210,000 (!) autogen buildings placed realistically


• "Retro style" version of Meigs Field that was sadly demolished in 2003


• Major airports in and around the city are covered with new high res ground images (no new building structures added)


• Chicago O'Hare (including new runway layout)


• Chicago Midway


• Chicago Executive (formerly known as Palwaukee Mun)


• Schaumburg Regional


• Brookeridge Airpark (where homes are next to the runway)


• 9 heliports as start locations


• Sound effects like downtown- and highway traffic, gulls...


• Traffic on most major roads


• Low price, very good value for money


• Includes a separate Scenery Density tool


• Manual as a .pdf-File (English)

More Info.

SimFlight3D Announces Spirit Of Texas

SimFlight3D is currently designing its first racing plane, the Spirit of Texas aircraft. This Sea Fury aircraft raced in the Elite Unlimited Gold race at the 2009 Reno Air Races.


More Info.

VAFlash Provides VA News

I would like to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year! 2009 was a great year and we saw lots of transition at VAFlash.com.  The site was brought back from the brink of extinction partly because of the generosity of the J.A, the founder and former owner of VAFlash. We also have partnered with many new and older VAs alike and continue to give the flightsim community the very latest news in the virtual airline arena.

More Info.

FS Recorder 2.0 beta released

Finally here is the first beta of FS Recorder 2.

It is now almost exactly a year since I started the complete rewrite of the code for version 2. The code has grown to more than 13000 lines (without comments and blank lines), and I spent lots of hours hacking FS9 and FSX to get the new features working.

FS Recorder 2 is rewritten from scratch. There are some exiting new features and lots of improvements in v2. Besides the new features I improved the FSX version a lot: Playback performance should be much better now, it should now be similar to the FS9 version; camera features (called advanced views in v1) are now also available in the FSX version.

I won't list all the new features here, I don't even remember all the small improvements right now. Just try the new version and read the manual, then you'll discover all of them.

IVAO’s IVAP FS9 Updated

VAO.AERO’s Christmas gift is a new version of their pilot client IVAP for FS9. This new version includes major changes which improve the realistic experience on the biggest online FS network enhanced realtime weather support like worldwide aloft winds, new traffic interpolation and peer-to-peer traffic engine for smooth multiplayer environment.


More Info.

E-Mails

Orbx PNW News from Ted

Not sure this was on Today's show... but, this is from John Venema over at Orbx


http://orbxsystems.com/forums/index.php?topic=17022.msg148377#msg148377

"We don't announce release dates at Orbx. We were hoping for a xmas release but at this stage it's looking more like January sometime, since there's still some work to do with the seasonal colouring, traffic and also the night lighting, which I just don't see getting done in time for Santa's sleigh, sorry."

 

Ted Also Writes in with:

For another show idea, you might also want to tell folks about the EAA Young Eagles program for kids ages 8 to 17.


http://www.youngeagles.org/

My daughter is 10. We'll see if she wants to take an intro flight or not and then see if she wants to join. One of the benefits is, when the youngster is a member of Young Eagles they get FREE access to Sporty's online pilot training course.


http://www.youngeagles.org/sportys_faq.pdf

I know you have several listeners of the podcast who are under 17 years of age and they might benefit from this.

Ted

Engine Failure Procedure

Absolutely love the podcast, listen every Wednesday night, litterally since day one. My names Jordan I'm a PPL from Windsor, Ontario (next to Detroit) and have been a flight simmer for since the 95' days. This message is with regards too Mark's Engine Failure Procedure. I like to shed some light on how it's done here in Canada, and would really appreciate if you posted this on the sight.

So there you are flying along in let's say a 172. Then the engine quits, what now? First thing you do is Trim from your Best-glide-speed; let's say 62kts, then you need to find where the wind is coming from, some ways of doing this would be looking at smoke from a stack at a factory, maybe look at some water if there is any around to get an idea. If all that fails you could listen to a nearby ATIS or contact TWR etc.

Now that you have Trimmed and you know where the wind is coming from, Only now can you truly find a proper "field." In this part of SW Ontario most fields run length ways from West to East, so now you will have somewhat of an idea of which direction you will be landing. Finding a good field (highway etc) involves a few simple things.

Number one, you'd like anything long, level with no powerlines and the less obstacles the better. You also want to take into account the crops/conditions (if your landing in a field). For example, if its fall and your landing you 172 on a field that has been plowed recently your probably going to kill yourself and your airplane because its so rough. If its late summer and Corn has been planted your going to have reduced depth perception because by that time Corn is 6' tall. Soybeans however work great... They provide a soft, usually level surfac to touch down on.

Now, you want to confirm that the engine has actually failed...

Why wait until now, isn't it logical to do this at the beginning instead of waiting?

No! Why? well .....because the time it takes you to figure out if the engine actually failed or if you accidently pulled the Mixture out instead of the Throttle, is time you could have spent at a higher altitude looking for a good surface to touch down on. Remeber, if at this stage you realize you screwed something up all you have to do is restart and go back up right? Makes sense doesn't it. This procedure (of finding out what happened is called a Cause Check), essentially, and memorized checklist of things to look at before you make the next step.

Ok, so here we are. Got 62 KIAS, we are TRIMMED, we know the direction of the WIND, and we also have a FIELD picked out. All the while you turing that key too ATTEMPT A RESTART of our failed engine.

It won't start! Ok, now we need to do a couple things. First I'm going to "Sqwauk" 7700 (emergency code on the transponder) so ATC knows something is wrong and can give the Emergency crews a idea of where you are. Next I'm going to contact someone. Who you contact depends on where you are. You'll get much faster assistance if you contact an ATC facility near you, you don't have to be talking to anyone. So a nearby TWR, UNICOM, or the famous 121.5, which is the universal emergency frequency, which by the way pilots are suppose to be monitoring so that when something like this does happen they can relay it back to FSS or whatever. A transmission would contain the following:

• MAYDAY MADAY MAYDAY (yes says it 3 times)


• C172 Tail Number (3 times)


• ENGINE FAILURE, 3 miles south-east of Essex, Landing in a field two miles East of Highway #3.


• MAYDAY C-GDIO OUT.

You want to tell the ATC facility who you are, where your going, what your intentions are and what the problem is. Remember the better the information, the faster the Emergency services can get to you if things go South.

Now, if you have PAX (passangers) aboard they are going to be soiling there pants, there is no denying to them (nor should you) that there is a problem with the airplane, so you want to complete the PAX BRIEF. Talkt to them like a human being, tell them that everything is fine, the airplane is having problems and you doing to have to put it down in a field in the interest of safety. Before you took off (by fed. regulations) you should have shown them how to use the fire extengishers, locations of exits, how to operate to exits etc, you do this in the pre-flight so that you don't have to do it all now, saves time right? Remember where are getting lower as a write this. The PAX Brief should sound something like this:

"Ladies and Gentlmen (lol in a big Captain voice), where are expereincing as engine failure. We are going to be landing in a field," (point it out) so they have an idea of whats going on. "If you are wearing glasses or have pen's, pencils or anything else sharp in your possesion, please put them in the seat back pocket infront of you. When the airplanes lands we will be exiting and meeting at (so and so spot) where we will wait for emergency crews." Now you get the idea right? Just talk to them.

I'm not going to get into specific Aircraft types, becuase every plane is differnet, esepically when you get into multi's. At my flight school we never had a "checlist" for engine failures. It was memorzied and that way we could keep our heads out the window and not looking a a piece of paper.

Next security, after flying over or around your field you set yourself up for an approach, set your final flaps (when landing assured). A few hundred feet before landing you want to SECURE the airplane. This involves turning everything off, from pulling the mixture too turing the battery off. Try to insure that there is no power going through the airplane when you touch down, it will make things better for ya if you acutally crash. Insure everyone has there seatbelts on, and in some models of airplanes you actually open the doors before landing so that if you do smoke the ground the doors don't jam and you can get out incase there was a fire or something. And thats pretty much it.

SUMMARY:

• BEST GLIDE SPEED


• WIND


• FIELD


• CAUSE CHECK


• ATTEMPT RESTART


• PAX BRIEF


• MAYDAY CALL


• SECURITY

FINAL WORDS: I was assuming VFR in a 172 at lets say 3500' over a non-populated area. This is a general way of following through with a "forced landing." All of these things can change depending on WX, Terrain, Aircraft Types etc etc. This may seem like a lot of information and procedures, but in the hands of a good pilot it should happen very fast, this way you can keep your eyes out the windows looking for traffic and assessing the field you may want to land in. A last tip would too anyways, no matter where you are, to have your eyes out the window looking for a field, even if the engine is working fine. Failures will NEVER EVER happen when its convient for you. Hope someone finds this interesting. Thanks........

Jordan Collins

say...I always wondered, with Mark's high level of knowledge, what ratings does he have? Commerical, ATPL? Thanks.....hey if you ever need a fill in on the show, let me know. Take Care.

FSBreak Changed Me... From Tim

Hi Everyone!

I've been a listener to the show for about a month now, and love it! I don't even mind those long 3-hour episodes because of my long commute. I'm nearly caught up with all the shows. Yes, I really did listen to them all in only about a month...!

FSBreak has really changed the way I do my simming. Here is a list of things that I now do differently compared to prior to the time I was a listener:

• I now use more than one flight sim. Before I only used FSX. Now I have reinstalled FS9 and purchased X-Plane.


• I have doubled my frame rates in FSX (average is now about 40) but I keep it locked at 30 to avoid studdering.


• I have switched from primarilly being a commercial pilot in the sim to GA.


• I once again am active on VATSIM (after a 3-year drought).


• I have purchased numerous add-ons for the sim based on the recommendations of the show hosts.

I want to thank you for producing the show, which I look forward to listening to when I am stuck in my car!



- Tim

Further episodes of FSBreak - The Flight Simulator Podcast

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Website of www.fsbreak.net