Cameron

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.

Boundless has released their rendition of Beauvais-Tillé Airport (LFOB) for both X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12. As the tenth busiest airport in France, Beauvais-Tillé Airport serves as a popular destination for low-cost carriers, including Ryanair and WizzAir, which use it as a base for their Parisian operations. Located just 85 km from Paris, the airport is often referred to as "Paris-Beauvais Airport" due to its proximity to the famous French city. With lower landing fees, less congestion, and a convenient location away from the hustle and bustle, it has become the preferred choice for many charters and low-cost carriers. The airport has experienced significant growth since Ryanair embraced Beauvais in 1997, leading to the construction of a second terminal in 2010 to accommodate the increased traffic. In addition to Ryanair and WizzAir, Beauvais-Tillé Airport is also served by Air Moldova with flights to Chisinau, HiSky with flights to Baia Mare and Chisinau, and EasyJet with flights to Lisbon (with flights to Milan and Nice to be introduced in mid-2023). The Boundless rendition of Beauvais-Tillé Airport features an accurate depiction of the airport, including the real-world layout. The scenery includes up-to-date high-definition orthoimagery, 4K photorealistic textures, PBR textures on the ground and buildings for enhanced realism, dynamic night lighting based on real-life color tones, 3D vegetation and grass, nearby houses and farms, rain and seasonal effects on the ground (exclusive to X-Plane 12), custom high-definition PBR vehicles, and fully accurate ground markings with realistic wear and tear. The scenery can be purchased directly from Boundless for approximately $17.05 and requires a minimum of 880 MB of free disk space for installation.

Aviotek Simulation Software has released their highly anticipated rendition of Frankfurt International Airport (EDDF) for both X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12. As the busiest airport in Germany and the fourth busiest in Europe, Frankfurt Airport handles an impressive average of 69 million passengers annually. It boasts an extensive route network, offering over 300 destinations across five continents, making it the airport with the most direct routes in the world. Frankfurt Airport serves as the main hub for Lufthansa, Germany's national carrier, which operates a comprehensive route network both within Europe and on transcontinental flights. Additionally, Lufthansa CityLine, the regional subsidiary of Lufthansa, also operates from FRA with its fleet of regional aircraft. The airport also serves as a focus city for several low-cost carriers, including Eurowings, Eurowings Discover, Condor, and TUI fly Deutschland, offering many seasonal routes to popular destinations in Spain, Greece, and Portugal. The Aviotek Simulation Software rendition of Frankfurt Airport features a high-quality depiction of the airport, including detailed apron and terminal buildings. The layout is updated to reflect the current airport configuration, and the scenery includes custom animated jetways (compatible with the SAM plugin), accurate taxiway and runway signage, over 15 square kilometers of hand-placed high-resolution orthoimagery, custom animated airport vehicles and highway traffic, more than 150,000 hand-placed custom objects, realistic terrain and runway profiles created with specialized software, realistic high dynamic range night lighting, a wide variety of ground service equipment and custom airport vehicles, and accurately positioned static aircraft. The scenery can be purchased from Orbx Direct for approximately $27.33 and requires approximately 11.22 GB of free disk space for installation. However, the developer advises potential users about potential issues with X-Plane 12, as the platform is still under active development and things may not work as expected. Customer support will only be provided for X-Plane 11 until the compatibility with X-Plane 12 is fully established.

TaiModels has released their highly anticipated rendition of Heathrow Airport (EGLL) for both X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12. As the largest airport in London and the eighth-busiest in Europe in terms of total passenger traffic, Heathrow welcomes an impressive average of 80 million passengers each year. The airport serves as a major hub for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, with a comprehensive route network that encompasses both domestic and international destinations, offering connectivity to various parts of the world. TaiModels' rendition of Heathrow Airport showcases meticulous attention to detail, featuring high-quality models and textures with PBR (Physically Based Rendering) materials. The scenery includes interior details for Terminal 5 (T5) and Terminal 2 (T2), ensuring a realistic and immersive experience. Additionally, the scenery incorporates performance optimizations to maintain smooth performance, SAM (Scenery Animation Manager) animated jetways for seamless aircraft boarding, compatibility with Ortho4Xp's flat options, autogen surrounding the airport for enhanced realism, a ground traffic plugin to simulate airport vehicle movement, and weather textures specifically designed for X-Plane 12. If you are interested in acquiring the TaiModels Heathrow Airport scenery, it is available for purchase at a price of approximately $28.00.

FlyTampa has released their highly anticipated rendition of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol for X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12. Schiphol is renowned as the world's third busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic, with an impressive annual volume of 70 million passengers (as of 2021), making it the third busiest airport in Europe as well. As a major hub, Schiphol serves a variety of prominent airlines including Corendon Dutch Airlines, KLM, KLM Cargo, KLM Cityhopper, Transavia, TUI fly Netherlands, and Martinair. Additionally, it serves as a base for easyJet. With its extensive network, the airport provides connectivity to destinations around the world. FlyTampa's rendition of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol features an accurate and highly detailed representation of the airport. The scenery includes PBR (Physically Based Rendering) materials, high-resolution ground textures with custom weather maps, meticulously crafted surrounding scenery with numerous custom buildings, tridimensional terrain that accurately incorporates tunnels and bridges, surrounding photoscenery, animated apron and local road traffic, dynamic lighting for enhanced realism, animated jetways, and VDGS (Visual Docking Guidance System), which requires the SAM (Scenery Animation Manager) plugin. To acquire the scenery, you can visit FlyTampa's website, where it is available for purchase at a price of $28.00. The installation requires a minimum of 3.78 GB of free disk space.

Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini have recently released the ALPS UHD package for X-Plane 12. This package covers a vast alpine area spanning 8000 square kilometers, situated between Italy, France, and Switzerland. It includes four main packages: Eiger Park, Matterhorn Park, Aosta, and Mont Blanc, along with the prominent peaks of the Alps. Each package within the ALPS UHD collection offers an accurate reconstruction of the area using 3D models and photographic textures. The major cities and towns are represented with custom building placement, including churches, stations, monuments, public buildings, and houses that match the local architectural style. Additionally, the package includes the main airports, airfields, and heliports found in the region, totaling 5 main airports, 15 airfields, and 46 heliports, each featuring their unique characteristics. The ALPS UHD package is available for purchase on the X-Plane.Org Store. It is currently priced at $49.95, with a 17% discount from the regular price of $59.95. To install the package, a minimum of 3.3 GB of free disk space is required.

Sierrasim Simulation has recently released their rendition of Antonio Nariño Airport (SKPS) for X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12. Located in Chachagüí, Colombia, and serving the city of Pasto, this airport is commonly known as Pasto Airport. It is situated on a plateau, featuring a tabletop runway with an elevation of 5,951 feet and a runway length of only 2,312 meters. The airport is notorious for having one of the trickiest approaches in Colombia, often affected by crosswinds that can render takeoffs and arrivals impossible and unsafe, particularly in August. The airport is frequented by airlines such as Avianca, Latam Colombia, EasyFly, and Viva Air Colombia. Avianca and Latam Colombia operate routes to Bogotá and Cali, while EasyFly offers flights to Cali, and Viva Air Colombia serves Cartagena and Medellín. The airport handles approximately 330,000 passengers annually, based on figures from 2019. Sierrasim Simulation's rendition of Antonio Nariño Airport features high-quality textures and models based on aerial imagery, photo-realistic Physically Based Rendering (PBR) textures for buildings and vehicles, orthophoto scenery, a sloped runway, and performance-focused optimization, among other features. It provides an immersive and realistic experience for X-Plane users interested in flying to and from this challenging airport. You can obtain it for $11.39 from SimMarket.

Toliss has released version 1.2 of their highly anticipated A340-600 for X-Plane. This update brings several new features and improvements to enhance the user's flight experience. One notable addition is the completion of the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB), which now allows users to communicate with Air Traffic Controllers via the Hoppie Network. The EFB also provides accurate performance data for takeoff and landing calculations. The interactive checklist on the EFB can be customized by modifying the XML files to suit individual preferences. Additionally, users can obtain METAR weather reports for any user-selectable airport directly through the EFB. Toliss has also focused on improving compatibility for Mac users, with native support added for Mac devices using the M1 chip, resulting in better performance when using the aircraft. If you're interested in flying the Toliss A340 for X-Plane, you can purchase it from the X-Plane.org Store. Currently, the product is on sale for $67.49, which is a 25% discount from the regular price of $89.99. Keep in mind that the sale is for a limited time, and once it ends, the price will return to $89.99.

Chudoba Design has recently released their rendition of Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (Otopeni) for both X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12. As Romania's busiest international airport, Otopeni is located north of Bucharest, which is a popular tourist destination known for its iconic landmarks. In 2019, the airport served well over 14 million passengers. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the total number of passengers significantly decreased by nearly 60% in 2020. Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport offers a wide selection of airlines that operate flights throughout Europe and some parts of the Middle East and Asia. The airport features two parallel runways, each with a length of 3500 meters. The Chudoba Design scenery for Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport can be purchased from SimMarket for $16.99. To install the scenery in X-Plane, a minimum of 2GB of free disk space is required.

Orbx has recently announced their upcoming project, Detroit Metropolitan Airport (KDTW), for X-Plane 12. The development of this airport is being undertaken by a group of independent developers who have had exclusive access to real-world drawings and the airport itself for reference. Detroit Metropolitan Airport, with an average of 35 million passengers annually, is one of the busiest airports in the United States. It serves the city of Detroit, as well as Toledo (Ohio) and a portion of Ontario in Canada. The airport acts as a major hub for Delta Airlines, holding over 50% of the market share. Endeavor Air and Spirit Airlines follow with 12.95% and 11.69% market share, respectively. Detroit Metropolitan Airport serves as Delta Airlines' gateway to Asia for the eastern United States, offering frequent flights to destinations such as Shanghai, Seoul, and Tokyo. Popular routes to Europe include Amsterdam, Paris, and Frankfurt. The upcoming scenery for KDTW promises a comprehensive feature list, including detailed and accurate hangar interiors, custom mesh for both X-Plane and Microsoft Flight Simulator, high-definition ground service equipment (GSE) and static elements with real-world liveries and vehicle types, toggleable hangar lighting effects (via the SAM plugin in X-Plane), openable hangar doors (via the SAM plugin in X-Plane), highly accurate terminal interiors, custom airport lighting, and custom SAM jetways for X-Plane. While specific release date and pricing details are not yet available, Orbx will likely provide updates in the future.

Xometry Design has released their highly detailed rendition of Oklahoma City Will Rogers Airport (KOKC) for both X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12. Also known as Will Rogers World Airport, it serves as a civil-military airport and handles an average of 3.5 million passengers annually. The airport is named after Will Rogers, a local comedian who tragically passed away in 1935. KOKC is well-connected, with several major airlines serving the airport. These include Alaska, Allegiant, American Airlines (including American Eagle), Delta Airlines (including Delta Connection), Frontier, Southwest, and United Airlines (including United Express). Additionally, the airport accommodates cargo operations by FedEx, Martinaire, and UPS. Xometry Design's scenery package offers a highly detailed representation of Oklahoma City Will Rogers Airport. It features high-resolution ground textures, custom SAM jetways and marshaller animations, disassembled aircraft parts scattered around the airport, realistic wear and tear on surfaces, and accurately placed custom buildings and clutter. If you're interested in experiencing the realism of Oklahoma City Will Rogers Airport in X-Plane, you can purchase the scenery from the iniBuilds Store. The price is approximately $21.72, and the package requires a minimum of 4.32 GB of free disk space. The scenery is compatible with X-Plane versions 11.50 or higher, as well as X-Plane 12.00 or higher.