i’m on depression…

Wilco has just released their brand new Citation X. For the time being, it is only available by download for both FS2004 and FSX.

This amazing software brings highly sophisticated ‘Jet Set’ flavour into your preferred simulator!

Combining state of the art technology to an unmatched elegance, Citation X is a powerful business jet you will fall in love with for its wonderful look and aerodynamic shape.

Once onboard, whichever your piloting knowledge level is, you will be astonished by its elegantly furnished cabin while comfortably flying at nearly supersonic speed over the oceans.

Jump back in the Pilot seat and you will be amazed by all latest aeronautical technologies embedded in the cockpit. Some of these don’t even exist in the simulation world yet.

To reflect these high quality standards, the Citation X will proudly bear our ‘Pilot in Command’ label.

BONUS: With Citation X, pleasure felt while in the air does continue even after landing! You will enjoy VIP level welcoming in several business airports around the world : London Heathrow (EGLL), Paris le Bourget (LFPB), Frankfurt (EDDF), J.F. Kennedy Airport (KJFK), Santa Monica Los Angeles (KSMO).

Specific ‘VIP’ animations allow you to book, while arriving at destination airport, vehicles to correctly welcome your VIP passengers.

This brand new animation feature can also be used with any other Flight Simulator aircraft you would fly to these locations.

Greatness, elegance, limos, and red-carpet treatment… add dazzling to your simulator!

For more info, head on over to Wilco’s product page.

this is the extended version of the previous video. in addition to the departure, it now includes the landing.

Southwest Airlines
Flight 1109
KBOS to KPHL
BOEING 737-700

Aircraft:
PMDG 737-700

Scenery:
Boston Logan International Airport v2.1
SimFlyers KPHL
FreeFlow New England
Flight Environment
Ground Environment Pro
Real Environment

VIDEO DOES NOT START AUTOMATICALLY.
PLEASE CLICK PLAY BUTTON.

this is the first part of a video i’m creating. it covers the departure and takeoff from KBOS. i’m still working on the footage during cruise and landing, so keep an eye out…

Southwest Airlines
Flight 1109
KBOS Departure
BOEING 737-700

Aircraft:
PMDG 737-700

Scenery:
Boston Logan International Airport v2.1
FreeFlow New England
Flight Environment
Ground Environment Pro
Real Environment

VIDEO DOES NOT START AUTOMATICALLY.
PLEASE CLICK PLAY BUTTON.

i recently purchased the PMDG 737NG, along with the -800 and -900 upgrade. after watching the Cockpit Secrets DVD, i became much more interested in this aircraft. while the Wilco/Feelthere offering is a solid glass cockpit version of the 737, there’s just something about the NG that’s… well, different. it just looks and feels more modern, and the simulation presented by PMDG does not disappoint.

i spent a few hours flying with the 737NG over the weekend. after using the Wilco/Feelthere 737 for the past couple months, the transition was as smooth as can be. everything from startup to shutdown is nearly identical, so i was able to get this bird up in the air within a matter of minutes and with minimal reference to the manual. my first and only flight so far was a short hop from boston to philadelphia. the approach and landing traffic around the KPHL area was pretty dense. but with the guidance of ATC and the aircraft’s TCAS, i was able to slip right into the pattern and make a perfect and safe landing.

the most surprising aspect of this product was that it had no detrimental effect on FPS at all. using the TrackIR, i fly mostly using the virtual cockpit and it was just like i was flying the default Cessna. that’s how smooth it was.

overall, this product is near flawless. i have a feeling that this will quickly become my favorite aircraft to fly. i mostly go about on short hops since time is often limited for me, and i find this to be the perfect plane for those quickie flights.

• 3 airports: St. Maarten (TNCM), St. Barts (TFFJ), Saba (SABA/TNCS)
• 3 Islands covered with Photoscenery, custom Autogen and Mesh
• Animated AI-Ships ranging from Windsurfers to Cruiseliners.
• Animated car traffic.
• Numerous details on Maho beach / St. Maarten approach
• St. Maarten (TNCM) also available as stand-alone airport package.

For more info, head on over to the FlyTampa website.

The latest offering from FlightLevel DVD is a behind-the-scenes look at commercial pilot training. The downloadable film is divided into three separate files and goes for approximately $15. I recently made the purchase and can say that it’s definitely worth a look. Here’s the official press release:

“Flying is much safer than you might think.”

• A 2 hour documentary about challenging situations and emergencies performed in a special flight simulator with real pilots
• From the makers of Secrets of Ferihegy Airport

DETAILS AND CONTENTS:

See an amazing 737NG cockpit based on FS2004 in action!

Using a special, full-size Boeing 737NG cockpit and with the participation of real world pilots, Cockpit Secrets features simulated situations that you can never (or very rarely) see on real flights or in other cockpit videos. The documentary explains that there are precise procedures for virtually every emergency, and flying remains absolutely safe - even in case of failures or challenging weather conditions.

Thanks to the simple narration and over 30 animated illustrations, Cockpit Secrets can be enjoyed and understood by anyone, and there is no doubt that those interested in aviation and flight simulators will also find this documentary absolutely fascinating.

Total running time: approx. 116 mins.
Language: ENGLISH audio (narration, pilots), Hungarian parts subtitled in English

CONTENTS OF THE DOWNLOADABLE VERSION:
Introduction
The Simulator and the Pilots
Crosswind
Landing in Fog (a CAT IIIb approach)
Going Around
Aborted Takeoff
Engine Fire (after V1)
Problems in the Wheel Well (plus alternate flap extension)
Engine Restart in Flight (Crossbleed)
Gliding in an Airliner
Steep Descent (Innsbruck)
A Perfect Turn (Madeira)

For more info, check out the FlightLevel DVD website.

For buying info, check out the simMarket product page.

ok, so third time’s a charm. i finally completed the O’Hare to San Francisco flight. this video is basically an extension of the previous one, which was just a takeoff from O’Hare. i gotta say that i was pretty pleased with the landing, but i somehow forgot to turn on the landing lights. oops…

United Airlines
Flight 931
KORD to KSFO
BOEING 777-200LR

Aircraft:
PSS 777-200LR

Scenery:
SimFlyers KORD
FlyTampa KSFO
Flight Environment
Ground Environment Pro
Real Environment

VIDEO DOES NOT START AUTOMATICALLY.
PLEASE CLICK PLAY BUTTON.

yet again, i’ve attempted a flight in the 777 from KORD to SFO… and yet again, i didn’t finish. i used FSRecorder in order to get a lot of the in-game footage. but after playback of the taxi through takeoff sequence, the aircraft systems went to hell—the engines shut down and i couldn’t get them restarted in mid-air. so if i ever decide to attempt this flight again and make a full-feature video out of it, all i have to worry about is getting footage of the landing. (on a side note, i just got a hold of VideoStudio 10. so i mostly did this just to get a feel for the program.)

Aircraft:
PSS 777-200LR

Scenery:
SimFlyers KORD
Flight Environment
Ground Environment Pro
Real Environment

VIDEO DOES NOT START AUTOMATICALLY.
PLEASE CLICK PLAY BUTTON.

this is the first set of screenshots that i was able to take while flying the PSS 777-200LR. i took off from KORD and reached a cruising altitude of 38,000 feet. after some time in the air, i saved the flight, never reaching the scheduled destination of KSFO. i had fully intended on resuming the flight after work today, but i think i’m just going to start over. besides, i was having some fuel issues, even while still on the ground. using FSBuild’s fuel planner, the calculation was way off. i think i may try to come up with an aircraft profile of my own specifically for the PSS 777-200LR.

Aircraft:
PSS 777-200LR

Scenery:
SimFlyers KORD
Flight Environment
Ground Environment
Real Environment

ready for pushback…

third in line for takeoff…

positive rate of climb…

departing KORD…

climbing through FL270…

all systems are go…

cruising at FL380…

The much anticipated service pack for Microsoft Flight Simulator X has been released for beta testing. With non-disclosure agreements still in effect, one can only speculate what issues it will address. At the very least, I would expect bugs to be fixed and the code to be cleaned up a bit. Hopefully, some degree of performance increase may be seen, or better yet, support for DirectX10 hardware.

Check out Phil Taylor’s blog for more info.