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A couple weeks ago, EAA Radio conducted an interview with Austin Meyer, who, in the words of one interviewer, “is pretty much X-Plane.” They discuss the origins if X-Plane and its use in aeronautical engineering (testing an aircraft’s design and seeing how it will fly in the real world). They also talk about what it takes to certify X-Plane through the FAA for flight training, and the long road that led to the creation of the VP-400 “Seeker” avionics.

Download Part 1 (MP3, 8 MB) Download Part 2 (MP3, 10 MB)

The Pitts S-2S is a extremely fun aircraft to fly.  The developer, Alabeo, simulated that fun perfectly!  Everything about this aircraft feels and looks correct.  From the beautifully realistic 3D cockpit to the amazing liveries, this aircraft is spectacular!  The panel is quite basic. This is not a problem because the real joy of this aircraft is in the flight handling.  It can do anything from level flight to corkscrews at five hundred feet! Even though there is not very much in the cockpit, they cut no corners to make it functionally beautiful!  There are pop-up menus that allow you to control everything from the FOV  to whether or not the pilot’s helmet has a visor. The S-2S was made as an acrobatic aircraft, not a cross-country machine.  Although it ships with only three liveries, there is a free expansion pack that adds three more beautiful paint jobs. This is an aircraft that you will not regret buying!  It is a steal for only $19.95!  It can be obtained on the Alabeo store. This beauty is a beast!

See ya later!

Thomson

The latest beta version of X-Plane 10 supports ForeFlight. In their words, ForeFlight provides “beautiful, full-screen weather maps; complete airport data; plates; TFRs and AIR/SIGMETs; moving map with VFR/IFR charts and data-driven maps; and much more make ForeFlight Mobile your permanent Second-in-Command.”

This is a tool (primarily for use by pilots in the real world) for getting moving maps, weather updates, and more while in the cockpit. In the words of Austin Meyer, it is “about ten million times better than using paper charts.” Now, though, instead of being limited to real in-flight use, you can connect this tool to X-Plane for training!

How to use it

1. After updating X-Plane to the latest Beta version, launch X-Plane.
2. Open the Settings menu and click Internet Options. There, go to the iPhone/iPod tab and turn on the ForeFlight option.
3. Download ForeFlight from the App Store and run it.
4. Go to the “More…” menu at the bottom of ForeFlight and to the Devices item on the left. Touch it, and see the X-Plane window that appears. Touch that, too, and a window will come up that lets you enable it.
5. Make sure your iPhone/iPad is connected to the same wireless network as the computer you will run X-Plane on.
6. Launch ForeFlight on your iPhone or iPad, and launch X-Plane on your computer. At this point, you can use ForeFlight just like you would in the cockpit! Cool!

Howdy folks!

Today we talked to Fernando Herrera from Alabeo, the company behind the amazing new Pitts S-2S for X-Plane, which we will be reviewing soon! Alabeo has been a part of the FSX and Prepar3D payware markets for some time now. They decided to add X-Plane to their portfolio because they believe we have a bright future. When I asked him if the transition to Plane Maker was a challenge, he replied, “Yes, it was difficult, but we have a very talented team which did the correct things, plus we associated with an X-Plane expert.”  Alabeo will continue to develop aircraft for X-Plane, FSX and Prepar3D. At the moment, their team is working on the WACO YMF for FSX/P3D and the Sukhoi SU26 for X-Plane. This a company that will bring good things to the X-Plane community!

See ya’ later!

Thomson

Howdy, folks!

This week we have interviewed Ntr09, who has made several scenery packages in the Tennessee area. He chose to begin there because that is where he takes flight lessons in real life. He began creating scenery a few months ago after seeing some of the amazing work done by frede and royaloak. While taking lessons around the Crossville area (KCSV) he flies a C172 and occasionally a PA28-151 Warrior. So far he is most proud of his model of Upper Cumberland Regional (KSRB). He uses WED 1.2 on Ubuntu for scenery development. Next up on his list is Portland, TN (1M5). His creations make it very clear that he truly enjoys bringing scenery to life. If you would like to check out his work, download his Jamestown Municipal Airport scenery.

See you guys later!

Thomson