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ORBX, a renowned flight simulation software developer, has unveiled their latest release, "Landmarks Brisbane," designed specifically for X-Plane 12. This remarkable add-on package offers virtual pilots an opportunity to explore the vibrant Australian city of Brisbane with unprecedented realism and attention to detail. "Landmarks Brisbane" showcases over 100 of the city's most iconic buildings and landmarks in exquisite detail. From the majestic Story Bridge to the enchanting Wheel of Brisbane and the captivating Queensland Cultural Centre, each structure has been meticulously recreated to capture its unique essence. The use of high-resolution textures, custom-designed autogen, and meticulously crafted night lighting further enhances the immersive experience, bringing the city to life like never before. Employing cutting-edge 3D modeling and texturing techniques, ORBX has ensured that Brisbane is portrayed with utmost accuracy and authenticity. Every architectural detail and characteristic of the city has been captured, allowing virtual pilots to navigate the cityscape with a remarkable sense of realism. The inclusion of custom-designed Heliports adds an extra layer of versatility and excitement to the experience. "Landmarks Brisbane" is now available for purchase on ORBX's official website, catering to X-Plane 12 enthusiasts. By immersing themselves in this meticulously crafted virtual rendition of Brisbane, flight simulators can explore the city's iconic landmarks and revel in the beauty of this Australian metropolis.

Hot Start has released an update for their popular Challenger 650 aircraft, bringing it to version 1.7. The update includes several new features, bug fixes, and improvements. Here are some of the highlights: Two-Pilot Shared Cockpit: The update implements a two-pilot shared cockpit feature, allowing multiple users to fly together in the same aircraft. A quick start guide is provided to assist users in setting up and using this feature. X-Plane 12 Support: The Challenger 650 now fully supports X-Plane 12 on all platforms. Users can enjoy the enhanced features and performance of the latest version of X-Plane. VHF COM Frequency Format: The update ensures that the VHF COM frequency formats now require the leading '1' digit to be entered. However, omitting the decimal point is still allowed. Descent Advisory: If the flight plan does not contain suitable descent constraints for the FMS to anchor a descent, the FMS will provide a green "DES" circle on the flight plan and a "DES ADVISORY" in the MFD VNAV window. This is an estimated point for starting the descent to reach 1,500 ft AGL at 10 nm from the destination airport. Removal of Custom Atmospheric Model on X-Plane 12: The custom CL650 atmospheric model has been removed for X-Plane 12, as X-Plane 12 now implements temperature effects on altimetry natively. Temperature effects are always enabled in X-Plane 12. MIC Selector Audio: Even if the monitoring pushbutton is deselected, the MIC selector will enable audio for the selected radio. Users will still hear the audio from the radio if the MIC selector is set to that radio. HUD Improvements: The HUD FMAs (Flight Mode Annunciators) will no longer display the speed target for FLC or the FPM target for VS, as the real HUD does not show them. Display of Secondary Flight Plan: When the CDU is on SEC FPLN (Secondary Flight Plan) pages or related paths, the on-side PFD (Primary Flight Display) and MFD (Multi-Function Display) will show the secondary flight plan on their map displays only. These updates and improvements enhance the functionality and realism of the Challenger 650 aircraft in X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12. Users can download the update from X-Aviation to enjoy the latest features and fixes.

Colimata has recently released the third version of their Concorde add-on, specifically designed for X-Plane 12 (not compatible with X-Plane 11). This release marks a significant upgrade in terms of visual enhancements, flight model accuracy, and overall functionality. The Concorde, an iconic supersonic passenger aircraft operated by British Airways and Air France from 1976 to 2003, holds a remarkable place in aviation history. Initially developed as a joint venture between the British and French governments in the 1960s, the Concorde showcased a sleek delta-wing design and achieved impressive speeds of up to Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. Its groundbreaking capabilities allowed it to complete transatlantic flights, such as from London to New York, in just over three hours. The Colimata Concorde for X-Plane 12 offers an incredibly detailed and realistic simulation of this legendary aircraft. The 3D cockpit provides an immersive experience, featuring front, center, roof, side, and engineering panels. With 4K texturing and over 1000 clickable regions, the cockpit delivers a high level of interactivity. Additionally, the cockpit incorporates more than 700 custom lights, including warning lamps, night lighting, and exterior lights. The aircraft offers both PRO and STANDARD complexity settings to suit different user preferences. The external model of the Colimata Concorde is equally impressive, with meticulous attention to detail. It accurately represents the aircraft's exterior features, including moving engine parts, opening doors, and service panels. Notably, the engine cowl doors can be opened, and the primary and secondary nozzles are animated, providing a realistic visual experience. The external model utilizes PBR (Physically Based Rendering) technology, ensuring visually stunning 4K textures. The flight model of the Colimata Concorde has been refined to provide an authentic experience during takeoff, landing, and both subsonic and supersonic flight phases. The simulation also incorporates realistic thrust behavior and trim fuel pumping, along with automatic fuel trimming facilitated by the Virtual Engineer feature. Immersive sound design further enhances the Concorde experience, utilizing FMOD 3D sound technology. The add-on includes dozens of sound effects, audio advice from Copilot, Engineer, and Pilot, and various sound spaces, creating a captivating audio environment. The volumes are adjustable to suit individual preferences. With full VR compatibility, the Colimata Concorde allows users to experience the aircraft in virtual reality, providing a heightened sense of immersion. The add-on offers extensive graphical user interface (GUI) functionality, enabling route loading, flight preparation, aircraft management, and interaction with the virtual flight engineer. The GUI is fully scalable and can be popped out for convenience. A dedicated Checklists window and Quick Access GUI further streamline the user experience. The package includes additional features such as a 3D passenger cabin, two liveries, and access to a wide selection of free liveries. A comprehensive set of manuals, including installation and setup, essential guides, full manual, cold and dark startup guide, and navigation tutorial, assist users in mastering the intricacies of the Concorde simulation.

X-Works has recently released their A330-900neo modification for the Laminar Research A330-300 in X-Plane 12. This mod brings the newest variant of the A330 to the simulator, and the development team has worked diligently to bring this modification to users. During the development process, X-Works has provided sneak peeks and modeling updates to showcase the progress of the A330-900neo. However, it's important to note that X-Works has issued a warning regarding the latest X-Plane 12 beta update. They advise users on Windows not to update to beta 7 as it breaks the A330-300 and, consequently, their mod as well. Users interested in using the modification should wait for a fix to be released by Laminar Research. The X-Works A330-900neo mod offers various features and enhancements, including fully remade wings, engines, and fairings, custom wing flex, custom reverse, custom flaps/slats, custom speedbrake, and custom gear door animations. To obtain this modification, you can visit X-Plane.to to download it for free. The installation process involves duplicating the default Laminar Research A330 folder and replacing the files with the new ones when prompted. If you're looking to download liveries for this aircraft, X-Works provides a selection of liveries on their Discord server.

Laminar Research has released X-Plane 10.45 RC-1 to the wild. As per their release, "X-Plane 10.45 is a “small” patch for us in that it doesn’t contain major changes to the code, but it contains a number of features you might like." Changes include: An update to the global airports. The global airports won’t conflict with custom scenery – new exclusion technology prevents overlapping buildings. Nav data has been significantly updated – lots of bug fixes are in 10.45. The GPS data for the G430 now contains IAFs, so you can fly GPS approaches with proper transitions. Proper prop torque for aircraft that opt in.