CT4 A/B Trainer

• • Aircraft, Millitary
AirTourer

PC Aviator Australia have added a bunch more titles to the current extensive sale going on with this new title in particular having a close tie to NZ and Australia. The mighty wee CT4 Airtrainer. I owned the previous FS9 version and also recently picked up the FSX model as available here which includes a general revamp and some new liveries. This is a great wee aircraft and so much fun to fly in the sim. Also be a great multiplayer machine should you fancy doing some formation flying.

The New Zealand CT-4A Airtrainer can trace its ancestry from the Australian Victa Airtourer, designed by Henry Millicer in the 1950s. The Millicer Airtourer, powered by a 65 hp Continental engine, first flew on 31 March 1959, and the production rights were then purchased by Victa Consolidated Industries.

see the sale page here

A320 NEO options for flightsim

• • Aircraft
A320-NEO

Given the NEO has only recently rolled out the hangar door it’s pretty cool to think we can already fly a simulated version right now. There are two options available to the simmer at present, no doubt these will receive service packs over time once the real world performance figures and cosmetic details settle in as the aircraft approaches delivery and enters service with clients. All of these are running a CFM56 engine but the initial production release of the NEO appears to be a P&W powered machine so re-engining is on the cards too.

The other players potentially with NEOs in the works I assume will be Blackbox Simulations and their AirbusXtreme and the FlightSimLabs A320 which has yet to see the light of day but promises to be nicely done given their track record.

Airbus’ first A320neo reaches completion

• • Aircraft, Aviation News
A320_NEO_REVEAL

Good news for Airbus PR wise (despite the recent A350 cancellations) as the first NEO rolls out the hangar door. Looks like the machine is set to start test flights in September. Air New Zealand recently announced an order for 13 new NEOs which will be serving on trans-Tasman routes so we’ll see them soon enough down-under as well.

The assembly of Airbus’ first A320neo has been completed following painting of the aircraft and the mounting of Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines. MSN6101, which will be the first A320neo to fly, will soon start its ground tests to prepare for first flight

see the Airbus press release

Razbam EMB120 WIP shots

• • Aircraft
Razbam-EMB120

Latest work in progress shots of the Razbam Embraer 120, a lovely looking turbo-prop and ideally suited for short-haul stuff in the Pacific. Not an aircraft that’s been on the NZ register as far as I know but a bunch have appeared in Australia over the years. Really looking forward to this one as had a couple of real-world legs in them in California a few years ago.

see: https://www.facebook.com/RazbamSims

 

Review: AusScene’s Sydney airport

• • Reviews, Scenery
ausc0509

Flightsim.com published a Bill Stack review this week of AusScene’s upgrade to their Sydney airport for FSX. There’s a fair amount of review content here and lots of screenshots and Bill ends up summing up with a fairly positive response to this update. We are sadly lacking a detailed YSSY and have been for some time so anything is welcome really, but the reader would do well to take a look at the screenshot comparison Bill provides and note that the improvements seem to be very minor. Also worth considering is the upcoming project from FlyTampa which will be more expensive of course, but also a heck of a lot more detailed.

read the review here.

PCAviator July Sales

• • Sales and Specials
PCAviator-sale

Holy cow, if you’ve got some pocket money burning a hole in your wallet at present take a look over the massive list of sale items at PCAviator.com.au this week. Lots of aircraft with Pacific connections, e.g. Razbam Metroliner, Flight1 BN-2 Islander, the Lancaster and Wellington from First Class Sims, Vans RV8 from Vertigo, Diamond Star DA40 from Lionheart, the Nemeth Huey and Squirrel, WSS Diamond DA42 and DA20, or maybe a Warbirdsim P-51 Mustang.

Something for everyone in this one. Sale page here.

United Island Hopper across the Pacific

• • Aircraft, Aviation News, Flights
UnitedIslandHopper

Fascinating article on Airchive.com this week about a trans Pacific Ocean route serviced by United (formerly a Continental service) all the way from Los Angeles to Guam via the Marshal Islands and a few other planned and un-planned stop-overs along the way. The entire route spent on 737s with connecting options at the Guam end of things onwards to South East Asia, China and Japan. Sounds like a bit of a marathon but most Simmers I imagine would be happy to endure it in real life. Heck, I think I’ll have a crack at it in the PMDG this weekend :)

How about flying on a 737-800 across the Pacific Ocean, westward from Honolulu to the tiny spits of sand which make up the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a 15ish hour travel day which could be completed in 7 on the nonstop to Guam. But for the people living and working on these remote atolls, the United Island Hopper represents their primary connection to the outside world. It is one of the last true “milk run” flights operating in the world

read the entire article here

New Delta Airlines Pacific route (Seattle – Hong Kong)

• • Aviation News
Delta_Air_Lines_Boeing_777_N701DN

Fancy emulating some new wide body US airline long-haul flights across the Pacific? Well you might consider a few legs in and out of Hong Kong now that Delta have established a new route pair right across the ocean from Seattle to Hong Kong…

Hong Kong is merely the latest. The Chinese hub is the ninth international destination in the carrier’s burgeoning Emerald City crown, and the last in its most recent expansion drive abroad. In the past year Delta has added service to London, Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo-Haneda. The four come in addition to previously existing service to Amsterdam, Beijing, Paris, and Tokyo-Narita. In total, the expansion has resulted in the carrier injecting well over 2,500 international seats per day into the city.

see the original article at Airchive.com

 

Just Flight Canberra PR9 bomber review

• • Aircraft, Millitary
JFD-490

Flightsim.com have just published a detailed review written by Bill Stack of Just Flights Canberra PR9 bomber. This model is the photo reconnaissance (PR) variant of the Canberra so technically not one operated by RAAF or RNZAF as far as I know, however it’s pretty close, looks nicely modelled, and Bill’s review is generally positive so this could be well worth a look if you’re hankering for some post-WWII bomber action. Heck, you could even simulate some Malaysian campaign sorties in this bad boy…

Simulating flight in this venerable aircraft with its modern avionics is a special treat. Its unique cockpit and performance characteristics make it unlike any other stock or addon aircraft for FSX. Appearances inside and outside are accurate and detailed. The manuals are comprehensive and beneficial.

read the full review here

Boeing puts 787-9 Brakes to the Test

• • Aircraft, Aviation News, Videos

Very interesting video here direct from Boeing as they complete the Brake testing of the new 787-900. Amazing to see how far they push things, you expect this given the obvious safety implications of something going wrong with the braking system, but wow they really do test things to the limit. Wasn’t aware that the tires had an auto-deflate mechanism built in during over-temp conditions, you see a demo of this near the end of the video.