i’m on depression…

MegaScenery USA

PC Aviator is running a HUGE sale on their MegaScenery line of products for FS2004. i’ve always wanted to give these a go, but could never bring myself to fork up the cash for all of them. well, i just happened to be browsing their site (because i like to look at the screenshots and think to myself, “man, i really want that”) and came across the MegaScenery USA Mega 5-Pack Bundle Deal. this package comes with:

- Southern California V2 (Full Kit)
- Northern California V2 (Full Kit)
- Pacific Northwest (Full Kit)
- Mid-Atlantic (Full Kit)
- Atlanta

total price for all this? an incredible $35.95 (plus S&H)!!! i couldn’t believe it. that is quite a savings when you consider the normal price of these things is anywhere between $20 and $40. so i had to jump on this the moment i saw it. i ordered on monday and it was delivered yesterday. i gotta say that the box was surprisingly heavy. but i guess it should be since each full kit includes approach charts and area maps.

installation was a breeze, although it took a couple hours. total size for the complete installation of all five scenery packages amounted to approximately 20GB. so you can imagine why it took so long.

once installed, i was eager to check out the new surroundings. i started out at Van Nuys (KVNY) in a Cessna 172. initial loading took so long that i thought my computer had froze. but it just turns out that it actually takes that long to load the new textures. that part was kind of disappointing, but once you get going, it’s well worth it. i took off and climbed to an altitude of 6000 feet and… WOW. i flew up the coast past LAX and back down for a landing on 16R. after initial observations, all i can say is that the amount of detail is incredible. roads, golf courses, mountains… it’s all there. and the best part is that i saw absolutely no hit on frame rates. none whatsoever.

next, i loaded up a flight around DC in the Robinson R22. i started out at Regan National (KDCA) and headed straight toward the mall. i maintained a steady hover at about 5000 feet and just took a look around. i’m a little more familiar with this area and i could clearly make out all the major roads and landmarks.

i have yet to try out the northern california, pacific northwest, and atlanta sceneries. but i have a feeling that they will be just as great. if you are into VFR flying, then i highly recommend this package (and for a great price to boot!).

Airport Sceneries

my flight simming has been mostly confined to US airspace, but i’ve decided to make the leap across the pond after taking notice of some really breathtaking european sceneries and airports. being an avid reader of both Computer Pilot and PC Pilot, i decided to purchase some airports whose reviews caught my attention. in particular, Aerosoft’s Frankfurt and Budapest sceneries, as well as FlyTampa’s Vienna scenery. i haven’t had a chance to get a good look at any of these yet, but i plan on making a few 737NG short hops for Lufthansa and Malev.

Aerosoft Budapest 2007

Highly detailed taxiway and runway layout, with high definition textures
Fully compatible with standard and third party AI-Traffic
Full winter textures
Full night textures
Includes high density mesh of surrounding
Includes full photographic ground texture of Budapest
High level of animated car and bus traffic on airport
Full and detailed lighting
Very high number of objects on tarmac
Superb optimization on every view angle so frame rates are stable and high
A version of this scenery is used in Malév simulators at Ferihegy!

Aerosoft Mega Airport Frankfurt

Over 420 Taxisigns
Over 1400 Illuminated taxiway and runway signs
Over 60 dynamic apron vehicles
Over 450 dynamic Trucks and Cars (in the rush hour) on the Highway A5
Over 185 Parkpositions with 65 dockbridges
Detailed airport and their surroundings
Photo realistic ground texture
All airport institutions and buildings
City of Frankfurt
US Base
Automatic docking system (AGNIS)
All navigation systems (ILS,VOR/DME,NDB,ATIS)
Astounding night-time effects
Extensive description of the airport

FlyTampa Vienna

Vienna-Schwechat International (LOWW) airport scenery
Unique terrain and pavement rendition techniques
Seasonal ground changes (Summer, Spring, Fall, Winter, Hard-Winter)
New award winning control tower
Numerous static and animated objects like service trucks, cars
Docking signs & attendants
English and German documentation

i don’t know what i did to deserve it, but i was treated very well on my birthday this year. first, i got a new 19″ widescreen monitor. since i already had two, this completed the trio of monitors that i would need to fly in virtual cockpit heaven.

then, just a few days later, my parents dropped a bomb on me. well, a package really. this is what was waiting for me at home…

Triplehead2Go!!! i couldn’t believe it. three monitors and a TH2GO. what a birthday!!!

the only problem with the TH2GO is that it doesn’t play too nicely with ATI cards. with a X1950PRO in my computer and an X800XT sitting in the closet, i didn’t want to sell myself short of the full experience. so i shelled out the cash for this…

eVGA nVidia GeForce 7800GS CO… so far, it’s worked flawlessly. it even overclocks further to a stable 472/715. not too shabby for an AGP card.

if you’re interested in the new setup, i shot a little video clip of the new hardware in action. just click on the pic below…