QualityWings Status Update (3Q2014)

• • Addons, Aircraft, Payware
QWingsSim

QualityWings have posted a newsy update on their Facebook page to let everyone know what’s happening on their two highly anticipated projects under way at present. The 787 and their 737 Class (courtesy of the Enigma team joining them). As an AirNZ fan I’m super excited about both these models. The 787 given its just entered service in New Zealand (and with Jetstar in Aussie) but also as the Classic has been operated on both sides of the Tasman for so long and this model looks like its gonna beat the pants of the only other payware level competition from FeelThere/Wilco.

We hope you all have enjoyed your last few months as much as we have. Summertime is a great time to spend with your families and friends, and we are no different here. As the season starts to change for most of us here at QualityWings from the summer to the fall and as we exit this 3rd quarter…it’s time to provide our update on all things QualityWings.

180 degree display from TRC

• • Hardware
TRC180

Oh … Yes …. what we wouldn’t give for one of these in our home sim-pit huh? As reported at SimFlight on Tuesday…

In a newsletter sent to subscribers today, Dutch hardware manufacturers TRC Simulators, developers of the popular “Simkits” range,  have announced that they will be attending this year’s FS Weekend at Lelystad in the Netherlands not only with their TRC 472FG Flight System, but also the new 180-degree display system pictured above.

FSAddon – Avro Anson

• • Aircraft, FSX, Millitary, P3D
FSB-100

The Warbird simming fans really are in luck these days, and in some cases there are multiple options for the same aircraft model. Take the Avro Anson for example, a machine operated by various Commonwealth forces. A2A released one awhile back and now there’s the FSAddon rendition for FSX and P3D. Check it out at fspilotshop and take her for a spin. There’s even an RNZAF livery included, just not sure if it’s the one thats actually flying real-life in NZ after a recent restoration.

At the start of the Second World War, there were 26 RAF squadrons operating the Anson I: 10 with Coastal Command and 16 with Bomber Command. However, by this time, it was obsolete in the roles of bombing and coastal patrol and was being superseded by the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Lockheed Hudson…. In its lifetime the Anson served with the RAF, the Canadian RCAF and Navy, The New Zealand RNZAF, as AT-20 in the USAAF. A few ended up in the Egyptian Air Force and others at the Royal Afghan Air Force ater 1948.There were many more civilian operators after the war and the Anson was made well into 1952.

Interview With Peter Dowson

• • Addons, Interviews
pete_dowson

There’d hardly be an MS FS install on the planet that didnt have a copy of Peter Dowson’s FSUIPC.dll installed on it. Whether we realise or not a lot of the payware addons and 3rd party tools are dependent on this interface. Find out a little more about what makes Pete tick in this interview at flightsim.com published on the 19th…

I tend to write programs which aren’t so visible, at least most of the time. FSUIPC is the most visible of these now, simply because it has a lot of added user facilities, which got added mainly as it seems a very suitable place for them to be. But it didn’t start like that, and for many installations it isn’t really “visible” at all, but simply acting as the interface between FS and some other program, maybe another of mine (like WideFS) but more often another program entirely. That’s how it originated, as freeware and a derivative (with permission) of FS6IPC. Of course it is still freeware for that original purpose.

Air New Zealand 787-9 to Perth, second -9 takes flight

• • Aircraft, AirNZ
AirNZ-B789

As reported over on the Australian Aviation website this week the second of Air New Zealand’s 787-900s is preparing for its delivery flight, and the current in service model has expanded trans-tasman services to Perth now…

Air New Zealand’s debut of Boeing 787-9 services to Perth comes as the airline’s second 787-9 is prepared for delivery after completing its first flight over Washington State. ZK-NZF took off from Everett field on Sunday, September 14 local time and was in the air for one hour and 49 minutes before landing at Moses Lake, according to flight tracking website flightaware.com.

Project Airbus A32X sharklet preview

• • Aircraft, Freeware
PHLshark

Stian from the Project Airbus team has posted an update and some pics of the new sharklet fitted models from them for the entire range of narrow body Airbus. No doubt any Pacific repaints will be adaptable with a tweak for the winglets themselves. Be interesting to see. More info and pics in the form post here…

Here is a sneakpeak of an update for the A32X series.. And yes.. The whole series will have sharklets. From A318 to A321. More previews will come in this topic! First out is two A321’s.. Still WIP. Dont ask for release date!

PMDG 777 review and interview with Rob Randazzo

• • Aircraft, Interviews, Payware, Reviews
pmdg_773er_exterior

I know I know, it’s not like we’ve had a shortage of reviews and accolades for the PMDG 777, but this review has a twist in that it wraps up with a brief interview with Rob Randazzo..

Waiting for Service Pack 1 for the PMDG 777-200LR/F took longer than anyone, including PMDG themselves, expected. But now that it’s finally there, and I’ve had a chance to test it, let’s take a new look at the product in question… When you finish the review itself, keep on reading! Robert S. Randazzo, the CEO of PMDG, has taken some time out of his schedule to answer some questions. The answers he provided are very interesting, and are added to the bottom of this review in the form of a short interview for the readers enjoyment.

Wilco Tecnam P2006T released

• • Addons, Aircraft, FSX, P3D, Payware
tecnam_3d

Wilco have just published a decent looking rendition of the Tecnam P2006T light twin. With a few of these about in the Pacific, and likely to appear in Aero Club and training companies in the region over time, this would be a nice machine to pickup for local simmers…

Wilco Publishing announce a new title in the HiFi Simulations series : the P2006T by Tecnam. The P2006T is a modern 4-seats light twin-engine aircraft.  It is an excellent trainer for twin engined aircraft as used by real life aircraft training companies.  It is stable and provides superb all-round vision with the wing-high configuration.The P2006T features STOL and rough runway operation capabilities.

see the Product Page

New pics of FlightBeam KSFO HD

• • Addons, Airports, FSX
Flightbeam-KSFO-HD

As posted on SimFlight this week there’s a very tasty looking HD rework of FlightBeams already excellent KSFO (San Francisco) in the pipeline. Pics look excellent, and makes for a great long-haul destination for Pacific simmers, and a wicked gateway airport to other domestic USA locations…

Many simmers who own the current version 2 of KSFO San Francisco by FlightBeam Studios are dreaming of the same design quality in their Californian airport like the last products they released. The upcoming KSFO HD will be go even beyond. The designers will introduce “crowd-source”, a new optional feature that bring 3D passengers with very little performance impact.

Google’s Project Wing

• • Aviation News
Google-Project-Wing

Although I don’t really see the attraction of flying a drone model in the sim (despite the obvious irony that we are effectively remote flying in the Sim anyway) there’s been a pretty interesting reveal from Google this week that they have an Amazon like delivery drone program already underway, in fact it’s been in action for two years in Australia. Wonder if this will appear in the virtual aircraft hangars any time soon?

For two years, Google has quietly been developing autonomous flying vehicles that can be used to deliver packages for disaster relief or for commerce purposes, the company revealed Thursday… Prototypes have already been built and tested delivering packages to remote farms in Queensland, Australia. The country was chosen because of its more open rules about drone use, the BBC said. Farmers there received candy bars, dog treats, cattle vaccines, water, and radios.