Happy New Year from SWFSG

As we wave goodbye to what has been the most challenging of years we all hope for better things in 2021. 

On behalf of the steering group I'd like to wish all our members a happy New Year and that you continue to stay safe.

Group meetings at this time seem to be as far away as ever but rest assured once we are able we will resume monthly gatherings at Ipplepen.

In the meantime our Facebook page is fairly active by virtue of a small core of members.

Some members are regularly flying online with MyAir in a relatively structured way while some of us are having occasional GA fly-ins which can only be described as more Seat of the Pants! 

Whatever your approach to online flying it can be an enjoyable way to get together and have a catch up in these challenging times.

With the ongoing development of X-Plane, MSFS and DCS to name but a few we have plenty going on to keep us well and truly busy and very often if you find yourself struggling with any aspect of simulation there will be someone in the group with an answer. 

Our Facebook group provides the ideal platform for this and is also an excellent vehicle for showing off your favourite screenshots.

It only remains to say stay safe and hopefully we can look forward to brighter times in 2021.

Regards Steve Mullen

 

 

New Year's Resolution

Just Flight's brilliant 146 Professional - update 1.06 now sports an EFB

 

A wonderful aircraft for serious flightsimmers

146 Professional Changelog

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Latest Update: 22/12/2020

The below log shows all updates for this product since release:

v1.06

- EFB added - provides control over animations, announcements, fuel and passenger load (refer to FAQ here)
- Fuel quantity gauges changed to KGs to match other indicators
- N1 and TGT bugs can now be set with electrical power off and positions will be saved/restored with panel state
- Glideslope/localiser capture issues after using RNAV - fixed
- FDE changes (cruise attitude, stability in IAS/MACH modes)
- HSI CDI now working correctly when flying from a VOR
- Minor livery fixes
- Various improvements to custom sound system
- Tweaks to cabin announcements
- New wing views added
- 300QT GSX profile fixed
- Engine anti-ice intake low pressure remaining illuminated after engine start at low N1 values - fixed
- Tweaks to air-con system (e.g. flight deck and cabin fans now affect temperature change rate)
- Power icon and menu state options can now only be selected when on the ground to avoid inadvertent selection during flight
- Added further GSX compatibility (e.g. doors will now auto open/close, cabin crew arm/disarm door announcements triggered by GSX boarding/deboarding status)
- Animation panel now indicates when doors are open, stairs are extended or GPU is enabled
- Speeds card clickspot will now also set N1 and TGT bugs
- FMC fixes (including DTO)

v1.05

- FMC not appearing for some users - fixed

- Pilot and cabin announcements added (refer to the FAQ here for more details)

- MWS ground op mode added

- MWS trigger time delay added

- DC meters now show battery voltage when selected, regardless of battery switch position

- Yellow hydraulic system no longer indicates pressure with only DC pump on

- Air-conditioning recirculation valve will now only open with sufficient air flow from packs

- Engine air valves will now only open with sufficient air flow from engines

- APU TGT will now vary depending on APU air, pack and recirc selections

- TGT logic improved to produce more realistic values at engine idle, start and max thrust

- Galley power will now add to electrical load

- Fuel flow logic tweaked

- HSI glideslope indicator flag always visible when using NAV 2 - fixed

- Autopilot VLOC mode not holding course when using NAV 2 - fixed

- RMI logic fixes

- Cabin lights not illuminated on 146-300 variant - fixed

- Stall buffet sounds added

- Quick select added for course/heading knobs

- Glideslope/localiser capture logic fixes

- Flood lighting colour tweaked for better match to real aircraft

- Tail navigation lights added

- Appearance of digital display screens improved

- Payload manager fixes

- CTD when switching between 146 variants - fixed

- Flight idle animation added to thrust levers

- APU needles now swing to zero when switch moved to STOP

- Airbrake control range increased

- Volume increased for various custom sounds

v1.04 - 04/12/2020

- F/O ASI inoperative on 200/300 variants - fixed

- Various autopilot tweaks and fixes

- Elevator trim no longer initialising to take-off position on first load - fixed

- 'Turnaround' aircraft state menu option added 

- Weather radar Active Sky compatibility fixes

- Decimal point missing from altimeter inHG barometric setting - fixed

- Flap animation tweaked

- Livery and minor texture fixes

- Light effects tweaked to avoid cockpit light spill on -300 variant

- Glideslope/localiser capture logic fixes

- Clickspot added to FMCs for toggling 2D pop-up

- Speed bug clickspot logic improved

- Improvements to exterior glass

- External AC/DC power can now be supplied by GSX jetway or GPU

- Flaps now retract fully when selecting ‘Cold & Dark’ state

- MWS amber caution will now automatically cancel if no amber captions remain

 

(We continues to work on a solution for the FMC not appearing bug and other feature requests/bugs)

v1.03 - 02/12/2020

- FMC font display issue - fixed

- Custom sounds missing from 146 Statesman - fixed

- Improvements to brake temperature logic

- State saving toggle not working - fixed

- RMI needle logic changes

- ADF2 middle digit cannot be selected to '0' - fixed

- AP sync mode can now be toggled using the yoke sync buttons

- Mouse wheel logic reversed for elevator trim wheel

- Flight director now available with IAS/MACH modes

- F/O lighting control animations fixed

- QT/QC cargo door open/close rate slowed

- Glideslope deviation triggering GPWS audible warning but not lights - fixed

- GPWS glideslope warning can now be disabled by pressing the GPWS PULL UP button

- Glideslope/localiser capture logic improved

- ASI bugs can now be set automatically to speed card values for take-off or landing (click on speed card)

- Menu option added for toggling the automatic syncing of Captain and F/O altimeters

- Elevator trim change rate slowed for more refined pitch setting in manual flight

v1.02 - 30/11/2020 

- FS avionics master logic - fixed

- ICE DETECT annunciator remaining on despite anti-ice controls switched on - fixed

- Probe icing occurring despite probe heaters switched on - fixed

- 'Toggle Panel Selector' menu option - fixed

- Autopilot altitude capture 100ft below target - fixed

- Livery fixes (including smile added to 146-100 PSA)

- External aircraft effects added (with configuration tool option added for enabling/disabling effects)

- Improvements to exterior glass reflectivity

- Changes to security validation to reduce risk of failure

v1.01 - 28/11/2020

- MWS cautions triggered with electrical power off - fixed

- 300QT ASL airlines livery - fixed

- Improvements to spray effect

- Autopilot not following FMC route with LNAV engaged - fixed

- Heading bug not settable with LNAV engaged - fixed

- Minor changes to FDE

- Improvements to exterior glass reflectivity

- Changes to security validation to reduce risk of failure

 

PC Pilot Jan/Feb 2021 out now

 

Thranda Design DHC-2 Beaver - Floats preview (free update)

 

P&W Wasp Radials: Blood, Sweat, and Tears of Joy!

Introducing the Thranda de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver.

This is to be a truly unique review.

It won't carry excessive descriptive words detailing textures and hi-fidelity objects, there will be no bulleted points revealing specifications, nor any of the usual nitty-gritty descriptions.

If reading about the fully configurable VC panel, the Wasp ignition cycle panel, or the comprehensive configuration options which include bubble windows, ski options, or cargo pod is what you want, then go read Stephen Dutton's exceptionally detailed review of this fine machine here for I can say no more than he has already said.

Instead, I will focus on superlatives as these will do the sort of justice that I wish to bring to the party for something that has been crafted by absolute masters of virtual engineering, Thranda.

For those of you who are familiar with the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, then you will no doubt already be acquainted with the rousing sensations of the Pratt & Whitney R985 Wasp Junior rated at 450 hp. If not, then install XPRealistic, and go try again.

You'll also not need to be reminded that operating this aeroplane in the flesh will inevitably lead to grubby hands dripping with oil and grease, but what you don't know is that flying the Thranda DHC-2 Beaver under X-Plane 11 will lead to equally oily and sweaty palms because to fly this is to live this.

You will see, feel, and smell the oil and worn leather, and with it the many hides taken from beasts burdened long ago by our hard working Beaver. Nested in the background there'll be that unmistakable fishy odour from long since devoured Alaskan salmon ferried unnaturally aloft from river to plate by our DHC-2.

Reagrding Stephen's review of the magnificent Thranda DHC-2 Beaver, I would go on to say that in fact it may well be the aircraft of the decade, and I'd even surpass that by suggesting that it may be the best of the best of the best in the history of flight simulation. I say this with the utmost of respect to all developers, yet they would, I am sure, all tip their caps in recognising it to be an outstanding product of the finest calibre, one deserving of every imaginable accolade.

And yet, how can this possibly be gauged?

The answer is simple - you'd need to be there. It's a bit like seat of the pants flying and following your nose home. Once seated in the Thranda DHC-2 Beaver, only then will you realise how and why this machine is the definition of virtual flightsim nirvana.

It's impossible to recall flying anything that felt and sounded so real, and in conjunction with XPRealistic, it all becomes unimaginably immersive too. Once the VR helmet is donned, then you'll be magically transported to Beaver territory, Alaska, until you take it off.

Make no mistake, this contribution from Thranda is of special significance simply because it raises the bar to previously unimaginable levels. Just take a look at the landing gear leg, with the immaculate detailing of the disc brake, the hoses, the rivets, the steps, and so on. In my eyes this aeroplane is unequivocally the single most seminal virtual fabrication that ever there was.

Thranda have used their own Wasp radial to shred the rule book, it is no more.

This is an exceptional virtual machine that has been reproduced and rendered atom-by-atom and molecule-by-molecule as per the real McCoy, and is as if Thranda has taken a real DHC-2 Beaver and found a way, as per a science fiction B-movie, to materialise it inside our very heads.

Today the cost is $35, and soon it will be $40. At some point an expansion pack will add a few more dollars to the bill, and yet as with any single thing of true beauty, it is already priceless.

Astonishing, astounding, an astronomical achievement bar none, and should you think that I have lost my marbles, then yes, perhaps I have, but then I am not the cause of it.

Shake, rattle, and roll; that engine is either vibrating or it is out of focus.

You decide which.

Some images have been taken from the X-Plane.org Store Thranda DHC-2 sales page (here).

A tribute to EGHD - come back soon