Plane Spotting
i haven’t made an actual video in a while, so here goes…
i flew one of my favorite routes from Boston to Philadelphia (with a terrible landing). i was mostly just messing around with some different camera views in FSX and found some interesting ways to manipulate them. first of all, TrackIR gives you a lot of freedom when it comes to moving around the cockpit and cabin, as well as panning around in the exterior views. i used to use Active Camera and DBS Walk and Follow in FS2004, but i’m not about to put up the cash to buy another camera utility for FSX. admittedly, one of the features i loved most about Active Camera was the approach/landing camera that you could set up. but i seem to have found a workaround using some freeware and payware that i already own (FS Recorder and Traffic 2005). here is the result…
WARNING: this is the “high quality” version of the youtube video, so it may take a bit longer to load.
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FSX: Sitka Approach
this is just a video of the “Sitka Approach” mission in FSX. it’s nothing really special. just kinda wanted to show off the new computer. i’ve installed a number of add-ons, but the only one that’s really shown here is X Graphics by HiFi Simulation, which includes a number of different textures, such as clouds, water, sun, lights, and runways. i’m also using TrackIR to pan around the cockpit.
WARNING: this is the “high quality” version of the youtube video, so it may take a bit longer to load.
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New Computer
well, it’s finally time to say goodbye to my tried and trusty ol’ pentium 4 computer. it has served its purpose well, but i’ve decided to get a bit more with the times and update my hardware technology. i’ve failed to keep up with all the latest and greatest, save for reading a few computer magazines here and there. so i did quite a bit of research before tackling this build. here is the list of parts:
- Intel Q6600 2.4GHz Quad-Core CPU
- ASUS P5N-E SLI Motherboard
- 4GB WINTEC AmpX DDR2800 RAM
- EVGA GeForce 8800GT 512MB Video Card
- Seagate 500GB SATA Hard Drive
- Western Digital 320GB SATA Hard Drive
- LITE-ON SATA 20x DVD±R DVD Burner
- Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro 7 CPU Heatsink/Fan
- Cooler Master Centurion 5 Case
- BFG Tech 650W Power Supply
- Antec 120mm Exhaust Fan
- Antec 80mm Intake Fan
i used a pre-built gaming pc that i saw for sale as a template. most of the parts are the same, but i upped the RAM, added another hard drive, improved the cooling, and used a higher rated PSU. even with these changes, it still turned out to be cheaper to build than buying it pre-built. can’t complain about that.
i also picked up a copy of Windows Vista Home Premium. not wanting to lose my familiarity and the stability of Windows XP, i decided to create a dual boot system. it was a piece of cake to do this, although a tedious process having to install drivers and software under each OS.
ok, so first impressions… this thing flies. XP boots up at least twice as fast than on my old computer, and Vista loads just as quickly. i’ve heard lots of complaints about Vista, but after playing around with it for almost a week now, i have to say that i’m a fan. i understand that it’s more of a resource hog than XP, but it’s a lot easier to shutdown and disable any unnecessary background programs and services. the interface is pretty snazzy, but takes some getting used to. i’m sure people probably have gotten comfortable in their ways with XP, but i think it just takes time to get accustomed to Vista.
as far as games go (which is the primary reason why i built this), i don’t think i could ask for more. the Windows Experience Index is a rudimentary tool within Vista that attempts to measure the abilities of various components, and here’s what mine turned up:
Processor: 5.9
Memory (RAM): 5.2
Graphics: 5.9
Gaming Graphics: 5.9
Hard Drive: 5.7
at the moment, 5.9 is the highest score value that can be achieved. so i am more than pleased with the results i got. i plan on overclocking at some point, so hopefully that RAM score will increase.
i installed FSX, Rail Simulator, Crysis, and Unreal Tournament 3 under Vista. i finally have a machine that runs FSX decently, averaging about 25-30 FPS most of the time. that number tends to drop in the more densely populated areas, but i haven’t seen it go below 15 FPS yet. this seems to be more than acceptable. Rail Simulator isn’t really a demanding game, but it is DirectX 10 compatible. it runs with all settings completely maxed out, and without a hiccup. Crysis is the ultimate test for a gaming rig. i think this game really shines when played with DirectX 10. with the new rig, i am perfectly capable of playing with all settings maxed out at “Very High,” but some of the cutscenes bring the machine to its knees. after searching around the internet, this seems to be the general case. oh well, what can you do. lastly, Unreal Tournament 3 also runs with all settings maxed out. this was the case even with my old computer. i think this is more a testament to the newest Unreal engine, itself.
i have a Matrox TripleHead2Go (analog version) and three 19″ widescreen monitors. Matrox developed a tool under XP that offered more resolutions to accomodate the growing trend of widescreen monitors. the digital version of the TH2G has widescreen support built in. so far, my only complaint is that i cannot get these widescreen resolutions in Vista with my analog TH2G. but this is more an issue with Matrox, rather than Vista. after searching around, Matrox has indicated that they will not be developing this same tool for use under Vista, and that the only alternative is to purchase the digital version of the product. talk about poor product support. i refuse to shell out another $300, so i’ll just restrict my TH2G gaming to XP.
i’ve been messing around with Vista so much that i haven’t gotten around to getting the XP partition completely setup. i got as far as installing drivers and basic software, but have yet to install the rest of my game collection. FS2004 will take hours alone, given the number of add-ons that i need to install. but i’m looking forward to getting it up and running. if FS2004 ran that well on my old computer for that long, then i can only imagine what this new rig can do.
Lufthansa, Flight 442
Lufthansa Airlines
Flight 442
EDDF to KJFK
BOEING 747-400
Aircraft:
PMDG 747-400
Scenery:
Aerosoft Mega Airport Frankfurt
SimFlyers John F. Kennedy International
Flight Environment
Ground Environment Pro
Real Environment
(click on thumbnail to open gallery…)
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Random Screenshots
Aircraft:
Level-D 767-300ER
PMDG 737NG (-700)
Scenery:
ImagineSim Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (KCVG)
FlyTampa San Francisco International (KSFO)
FlyTampa Vienna-Schwechat International (LOWW)
Flight Environment
Ground Environment Pro
Real Environment
(click on thumbnail to open gallery…)
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Lufthansa, Flight 784
Lufthansa Airlines
Flight 784
EDDF to LHBP
BOEING 737-700
Aircraft:
PMDG 737NG (-700)
Scenery:
Aerosoft Mega Airport Frankfurt
Aerosoft Mega Airport Budapest
Flight Environment
Ground Environment Pro
Real Environment
(click on thumbnail to open gallery…)
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MegaScenery: Southern Cailfornia
these are the first screenshots while observing the new MegaScenery textures. they were taken shortly after departing out of KLAX en route to KSFO. stay tuned for more from other parts of the country…
(click on thumbnail to open gallery…)
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MegaScenery & New Airports
MegaScenery USA
PC Aviator is running a HUGE sale on their MegaScenery line of products for FS2004. i’ve always wanted to give these a go, but could never bring myself to fork up the cash for all of them. well, i just happened to be browsing their site (because i like to look at the screenshots and think to myself, “man, i really want that”) and came across the MegaScenery USA Mega 5-Pack Bundle Deal. this package comes with:
- - Southern California V2 (Full Kit)
- Northern California V2 (Full Kit)
- Pacific Northwest (Full Kit)
- Mid-Atlantic (Full Kit)
- Atlanta
total price for all this? an incredible $35.95 (plus S&H)!!! i couldn’t believe it. that is quite a savings when you consider the normal price of these things is anywhere between $20 and $40. so i had to jump on this the moment i saw it. i ordered on monday and it was delivered yesterday. i gotta say that the box was surprisingly heavy. but i guess it should be since each full kit includes approach charts and area maps.
installation was a breeze, although it took a couple hours. total size for the complete installation of all five scenery packages amounted to approximately 20GB. so you can imagine why it took so long.
once installed, i was eager to check out the new surroundings. i started out at Van Nuys (KVNY) in a Cessna 172. initial loading took so long that i thought my computer had froze. but it just turns out that it actually takes that long to load the new textures. that part was kind of disappointing, but once you get going, it’s well worth it. i took off and climbed to an altitude of 6000 feet and… WOW. i flew up the coast past LAX and back down for a landing on 16R. after initial observations, all i can say is that the amount of detail is incredible. roads, golf courses, mountains… it’s all there. and the best part is that i saw absolutely no hit on frame rates. none whatsoever.
next, i loaded up a flight around DC in the Robinson R22. i started out at Regan National (KDCA) and headed straight toward the mall. i maintained a steady hover at about 5000 feet and just took a look around. i’m a little more familiar with this area and i could clearly make out all the major roads and landmarks.
i have yet to try out the northern california, pacific northwest, and atlanta sceneries. but i have a feeling that they will be just as great. if you are into VFR flying, then i highly recommend this package (and for a great price to boot!).
Airport Sceneries
my flight simming has been mostly confined to US airspace, but i’ve decided to make the leap across the pond after taking notice of some really breathtaking european sceneries and airports. being an avid reader of both Computer Pilot and PC Pilot, i decided to purchase some airports whose reviews caught my attention. in particular, Aerosoft’s Frankfurt and Budapest sceneries, as well as FlyTampa’s Vienna scenery. i haven’t had a chance to get a good look at any of these yet, but i plan on making a few 737NG short hops for Lufthansa and Malev.
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Aerosoft Budapest 2007
Highly detailed taxiway and runway layout, with high definition textures
Fully compatible with standard and third party AI-Traffic
Full winter textures
Full night textures
Includes high density mesh of surrounding
Includes full photographic ground texture of Budapest
High level of animated car and bus traffic on airport
Full and detailed lighting
Very high number of objects on tarmac
Superb optimization on every view angle so frame rates are stable and high
A version of this scenery is used in Malév simulators at Ferihegy!
Aerosoft Mega Airport Frankfurt
Over 420 Taxisigns
Over 1400 Illuminated taxiway and runway signs
Over 60 dynamic apron vehicles
Over 450 dynamic Trucks and Cars (in the rush hour) on the Highway A5
Over 185 Parkpositions with 65 dockbridges
Detailed airport and their surroundings
Photo realistic ground texture
All airport institutions and buildings
City of Frankfurt
US Base
Automatic docking system (AGNIS)
All navigation systems (ILS,VOR/DME,NDB,ATIS)
Astounding night-time effects
Extensive description of the airport
FlyTampa Vienna
Vienna-Schwechat International (LOWW) airport scenery
Unique terrain and pavement rendition techniques
Seasonal ground changes (Summer, Spring, Fall, Winter, Hard-Winter)
New award winning control tower
Numerous static and animated objects like service trucks, cars
Docking signs & attendants
English and German documentation
Matrox Triplehead2Go
i don’t know what i did to deserve it, but i was treated very well on my birthday this year. the first surprise came when my fiancée blindfolded me in the car and drove me to an unknown location. when we finally arrived, i discovered that we were at circuit city. why? i had no idea. i sat in the corner while she went to merchandise pickup. lo and behold, they hand her a 19″ widescreen monitor, which she hands to me! this was certainly an unexpected surprise! since i already had two monitors, this completed the trio of monitors that i would need to fly in virtual cockpit heaven.
then, just a few days later, my parents dropped a bomb on me. well, a package really. this is what was waiting for me at home…
Triplehead2Go!!! i couldn’t believe it. three monitors and a TH2GO. what a birthday!!!
the only problem with the TH2GO is that it doesn’t play too nicely with ATI cards. with a X1950PRO in my computer and an X800XT sitting in the closet, i didn’t want to sell myself short of the full experience. so i shelled out the cash for this…
eVGA nVidia GeForce 7800GS CO… so far, it’s worked flawlessly. it even overclocks further to a stable 472/715. not too shabby for an AGP card.
if you’re interested in the new setup, i shot a little video clip of the new hardware in action. just click on the pic below…
Scenic Flight (11.24.06)
this is a slideshow of a scenic flight i took with my brother over southern New Jersey, towards Cape May and over Atlantic City. i was sitting in the back seat and his instructor was up front.
click to view video —> Read more
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