Product Information:

• Fully professional development (over 20 months).
• Ten high detail models (for example just the VC of the BT model has 146384 polygons, more than double of what FS2004 could compile) using all the FSX options.
• Highly advanced flight models that are accurate even in spins and other no standard attitudes.
• Over 100 non standard sounds (like flying with open windows, side slips, pending stalls etc) all triggered by FSX variables and conditions using Aerosoft Sound Control.
• Full working water ballast system.
• Two Static ports (with selector) to avoid problems when using the auxiliary engines.
• Dozens of non standard animations, up to elements that move under high G load.
• Very realistic flexing wings created with a new technology.
• All instruments accurate, including TEC and NETTO variometers. Not like this simplified gauges in the default glider in FSX.
• Real usable yaw string that will make coordinated flight a lot easier.
• All models include a highly realistic C4 Flight Computer that allows then pilot to calculate ideal speeds and routes.
• Includes a licensed copy of Winch X! .
• Designed with full support of Schempp-Hirth, SDI Variomers and the SOAR online glider community.
• Includes a FSX manual (English) and the actual 'real' manuals for the gliders and C4 Flight Computer (English and German)

Click for more information on the Discus Glider X from Aerosoft.

Written review by Eric:

Introduction
This product sparked our interest because at the time there were no payware gliders for FSX, so we were naturally intrigued when the Discus Glider X finally made its appearance.

We are not extremely knowledgeable in Gliders, so we are all entering the Discus with fairly clean slates when it comes to how a glider acts, and how it should fly.

As you would expect from any commercial payware, the installation process was very straightforward. Included is a copy of WinchX, a freeware program that improves FSX’s default winch system. Without WinchX you can not winch any aircraft with an engine, which poses a problem with towing two of the three discus models which have small onboard engines.

WinchX installs automatically after Discus Glider X does, and no additional configuration is needed.

Aerosoft also recommends two additional freeware programs, Cumulus X and Sim Probe which both improve the way FSX calculates thermals. It would have been really nice if Aerosoft were able to include these two programs the same way they did with WinchX – But this could be due to technical or licensing reasons. The install process for these two programs does require some configuration, but everything is outlined in their respective ReadMe files.

The Model
Three main models are included:

• B – A traditional glider with no motor.
• BT – A glider with a small motor included. You will still need to use something like WinchX to get airborne, but the motor can be deployed for getting you between thermals, or to get a little extra boost when you’re a little short from the airport.
• BM – A glider with a larger motor included. This motor is powerful enough to take off under it’s own power, and does not need a winch to get airborne. However, with WinchX you will get to your desired altitude much faster than using the motor. The documentation mentions that the “BM” model is very rare, and only 10 of these models were actually made.

It should go without saying, but don’t expect much from either the BT or the BM motors... It is a glider after all, and the motors are only designed for getting you back to the airport in one piece.

The motors are activated via a switch in the cockpit, and specific instructions must be followed to start the motor. These procedures are outlined in the product manual, and differ between the BT and the BM models.

I found the flight model itself to be truly “as real as it gets”. A lot of attention was put into creating a realistic flight model, which is extremely important in a glider as you are relying on a true to life glide ratio, and control surfaces performing as they should. The Discus Glider X has been flown and real Discus pilots have verified the flight model.

Testing the model, you can tell when the glider is performing well and when it isn’t. If you jerk the rudder left or right, you will almost feel the jerking motion in your chair as the glider violently jerks, and then side slips. It is a similar situation to the Ailerons and other control surfaces.

One thing I would love to do if given the opportunity is to fly this model with a good quality force feedback stick. If force feedback is supported, it will nearly take the amount of realism over the edge... The model behavior is so well, it is a shame that when you feel the aircraft struggling you aren’t able to feel it in your joystick.

The Sound
I would normally put the sound under “The Model”, or just stick it in a sentence somewhere... But I think the attention to detail in the Discus Glider X is deserving of its own category.

This model includes more than 100 non standard sounds. Going back to the previous section, when you make hard movements on the control surfaces, in addition to feeling it in the behavior, you can HEAR the glider slipping in the air, and it is all integrated perfectly with the aircraft model.

Considering a glider is designed to be flown without an engine (BT and BM models can obviously be excluded) you aren’t listening to the buzz of an aircraft engine... You’re hearing the wind over the wings, and your rudder, ailerons, and elevator interacting with the air racing by. The combination of the excellent flight model, and the Aerosoft sound system is a perfect match.

The Cockpit
Believe it or not, a glider is a lot more advanced than you’d think! They can have sophisticated flight computers, and gauges not typically found in your standard C172. In addition to all of the instruments, the Discus Glider X features a fully functional ballast system.

The model (B, BT, or BM) you choose dictates which virtual cockpit layout you get, and which gauges you get. But overall, you get the following gauges with the Glider X:

• Compass
• Airspeed Indicator
• Altimeter
• C4 Competition
• PDA/GPS
• TEC Variometer
• Electrical Netto Variometer
• Engine operation switch/Hobbs meter/RPM Meter
• Yaw String

Without going into each and every gauge, I will just mention that they are all very well modeled, and look realistic in the Virtual Cockpit even zoomed and at high resolutions.

The C4 Competition flight computer can surprisingly be a very complicated instrument; Aerosoft actually includes the actual manuals from the manufacture, which can be followed with this gauge.

The last gauge I will touch on is the compass... I know you’re probably laughing right now, asking Who Cares! It’s a compass... But I think that such a simple instrument is usually overlooked in most payware models, and the one included in the Discus Glider X is phenomenal. The slight movements of the aircraft are reflected in the vertical and horizontal movements of the compass while in flight... And frankly I’ve never seen anything like it in FSX – You really have to see it to appreciate it.

Documentation
As with every Aerosoft product, the documentation is overall pretty good. It goes into the functions of most of the more advanced instruments and gauges with the model – Which for anyone not familiar with some of the specialized instruments for gliders will need to read to understand what their purposes are.

Aerosoft provides basic “Getting Started” documentation – Which is about 15 pages of material not counting copyright and title pages. This is well labeled, and has many screenshots, which I found very helpful. Also provided are full flight manuals for the “B” and “BT” models, C4 Competition Flight computer, and WinchX.

However, one item missing altogether in the “Getting Started” documentation is any information on the Water Ballast system. The Flight Manual probably includes information on this – But you will have to find it in the 177 pages. There is also very little information on the C4 Competition computer system in the “Getting Started” documentation, just a paragraph on what the computer is and its basic function. While the full manual IS included, it could be a little overwhelming for new pilots.

There is also a pretty good Easter Egg in the documentation... Nice!

Nitpicking...
In my testing of the Discus Glider X, I did notice one item that could be improved on. This is in no way a deal breaker... But I think it should be mentioned..

Cabin reflections not in sync with what they should be!
See below, the reflection looks great, right?

Now if I take out the GPS/PDA, the reflection does not show this change:

...Nothing major, but it would add a little extra bit of realism if the reflection textures were refreshed for major changes – Such as the PDA and the pilot (The pilot can be toggled off and on depending on your preference). I don’t expect a different set of reflection textures to be made for every single movement in the VC (Such as moving the throttle or ballast lever), but for major changes like those mentioned above, it would be a nice addition.

Taking a couple steps back though, this model has been in development for 20 months, and the flight model was completely re- written several times... So if it comes down to putting extra time into the flight model, or the reflections, I would choose the flight model. But it would be a nice change to put in a service pack maybe? If you’ve made it this far though, and you’re interested in the Discus Glider X, don’t let this tiny bug get in the way.

Overall...
Overall, you have to ask yourself if you are a glider person or not. If soaring through the skies, riding the thermals with maybe a little bit of aerobatics tossed in sounds like a great time to you, then I would recommend the Discus Glider X without hesitation. If you have been interested in the default glider included with FSX, you will find this to be MUCH improved and a more realistic aircraft.

After flying the Discus Glider X for a few days, I went back to the default glider included with FSX – The difference is night and day. After flying this model, the default glider feels completely disconnected from the control surface, and the cockpit to be very basic at best.

I would recommend some great scenery to go with it though. A unique experience with a glider is that you have almost a full range of vision. Unlike a small GA aircraft like a C172, you don’t have the engine & prop in your vision, nor do you have the wings or passenger seat. You have uninterrupted vision from the front, side to side, and vertically. If you’re looking to explore a massive scenery expansion (Like Tongass Fjords, Switzerland Pro, Orbx FTX, etc) this glider is perfect to do that. You are able to get lower, slower, and closer than you can with any other aircraft out there.

There are a few small things that in my opinion could be tweaked (Such as the basic documentation and the reflections), and would keep me from giving this a “Perfect” rating... But it is still 99% there.

Pros:

• Top notch flight model
• Detailed, and real to life VC and instrumentation (No 2D Cockpit)
• WinchX is almost necessary, and included with this
• Sound system = Excellent
• Overall, good documentation is included
• No performance hit noticed, FPS friendly

Cons:

• Basic documentation could have been more in depth about the C4 Competition, and does not mention ballast system at all.
• Reflection issue

System Reviewed on:
Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06GHz
4GB DDR2 RAM
nVidia GeForce 8800 512MB
FSX & Windows 7

Thoughts from Danton...

Soaring in Australia
Eric, Brendan, and I take the Discus up for a joint flight around Ayres Rock in central Australia.  After winching up from the nearby airport, we circle around Uluru and then race back.

Cross Country Innsbruck to Salzburg in Austria Professional X
Flying the Discus BM model, I make the cross country trip from Innsbruck to Salzburg, beginning with a long winch tow. Despite having an engine, I take advantage of thermals and ridge lift to gain the range I need for the journey. I start to get some sense of how the C4 computer works in conjunction with the GPS and a flight plan, at least to the point of estimating my altitude at my destination to know when I have climbed high enough. The Alps are beautiful, but I am glad my glider has an engine.

Salzburg City Scenery in Austria Professional X
I return to Salzburg for some more gliding in the non-motorized version. Crossing the Salzach River, I pass over the Altstadt or “Old Town,” which is UNESCO World Heritage Site. The addon scenery is very nice. I dump my water ballast and make my way towards the Salzburg airport. On final, however, I am a little high and fast, so I deploy my speed brakes. They do the trick and get me into the proper glide slope. When flying the Discus, I recommend following Aerosoft’s advice of setting the throttle level to control the speed brakes, giving you much finer control.

Miscellaneous
I found two additional visual curiosities with the Discus. First, when panning inside the cockpit, some views show the pilot after what appears to be an extremely close shave. Second, in the unfortunate event of a crash, even the non-motorized Discus B sometimes explodes in a fireball, causing you to wonder whether the ballast tank may have been filled with avgas (although the attached screenshot doesn’t really capture the occasionally huge conflagration).

Install
The install process of REX can’t be any easier. I have never used the FlightSimStore.com wrapper, but anyone who has used the Flight1 wrapper system should find this process similar.

The wrapper is able to download all files you need, which totals around 4GB of data over about a half dozen different individual files – Much better than downloading each one by itself. After downloaded, you just put in your order number and serial key and away it goes.

Once installed, you’re greeted with the REX Configuration Manager interface. The first thing you need to do is locate your FSX.cfg file (If it can’t find it automatically), and backup your existing default textures – very reassuring. The last step is to enable or disable what options you want to use in REX, they also let you pick your general system specs and it will determine these settings for you.

Configuration Manager
The configuration manager is what makes REX come full circle. It gives you FULL control over your virtual environment. Lets go through just a preview of the possible options…

Sky Selection:
• Sunrise (~12 Sky Textures)
• Daytime (~24 Sky Textures)
• Sunset (~12 Sky Textures)
Cloud Selection:
• 3D Clouds (~50 Cloud Sets)
• Cirrus Clouds (~24 Cloud Sets)

…You get the idea. Each different texture includes a sample screenshot. In addition to the two different categories, you are also able to customize the inland water, Tropical Water, Water Animation, Runways and Taxiway Textures, and Lighting Effects (Sun, lightning, landing lights, strobe lights, runway lights).

Once you’ve picked your settings, you almost forget that you are actually able to load this into FSX! The great interface and sheer number of options of the theme creation make creating a custom theme an enjoyable experience.

You are also able to “Just Fly” though, and pick between a list of premade themes.

Flight Planner
One feature that surprised me was the ability to plan your flight using the REX configuration utility. The process is very simple, simply input your flight information (Type, Aircraft, departure, arrival, etc) and REX gives you printable flight plans, along with navigation information, and weather information.

With the weather information, REX relays the conditions at the airport, the TAF forecasts, and an interactive weather map with your flight plan overlaid onto it.

The Results
So far everything I’ve talked about have all been pre-FSX. Once you’re ready, just click “Fly Now” in the Configuration Manager, and REX will install the necessary textures, which takes about 5 minutes every time you change the textures, and then it starts FSX. If you’ve entered a flight plan, it will automatically load that too.

Starting your flight, you will be met with your custom weather theme, and complete texture set. The clouds are picturesque, however don’t appear to be ‘pictures’. They look and move realistically, which is something you can’t do with just a photo of a cloud. I also noticed something right away too, the performance… But something was different, it seemed like I was actually getting better performance than I was with default weather.

I am sure that we’ve all experienced this, flying near or into a cloud and your simulator suddenly turning into a slide show. I did not experience this with REX, and tested it with a performance aircraft flying in and out of clouds, up and over, and did not notice an impact enough to significantly affect my frame rate.

I decided to change my environment settings to “Midwest Storm”… Something that I am very familiar with this time of the season here in Ohio. For easy comparison, all I have to do is look outside the window…

The results that REX gave me were spot on:

Real Life:

From the atmospheric haze, to the color of the sky, even to the type of clouds used and how the clouds LOOK. Real Environment Xtreme got it exactly right!

However, you’re not getting what you’re paying for with REX if you don’t check out their tropical textures. From the water textures, the wave size and animation, to the ocean floor and the sky, REX does it all! These were taken from the previous $100 hamburger flight (Link):

Overall
Final thoughts on REX… I thought it was simply a replacement cloud texture, like so many products, but it is so much more. It almost turns FSX into a new simulator, because everything you see is improved – The sky, the oceans, and even FSX’s airport lights, and runway/taxiway textures. You can also download improved grass textures, highway/road textures, and other freebies from REX’s website [Link].

I have absolutely no doubt that Real Environment Xtreme is the best addon for FSX for the money. You can purchase one airport addon that drastically improves that area, or even a mesh that improves that region… But I would recommend spending the same amount and drastically improve the entire world using Real Environment Xtreme.

Real Environment Xtreme [Link]

Price: ~40.00USD

System Tested:
Intel Core 2 Duo X9100 (3.06GHz)
4GB DDR2 RAM
Nvidia GeForce 8800 GS (512MB VRam)

Overview

Called the new “Reference Plane for FSX” by SimFlight.com, Aerosoft’s new PBY Catalina certainly lives up to the hype. The model comes as a 300MB installer and uncompressed will eat 1.1GB on your hard drive. The first PBY Catalina made itself known in 1935, and quickly transformed into the PBY5A amphibian model it is known for today. The aircraft served many roles including search and rescue, and shipping and anti submarine patrols.

Model

You get a total of 11 different models, each based on the PBY-5, PBY-5A, and PBY-6A. There are small details between the different models, and each model category includes modern radio and electronics, and another one with accurate 1940’s cockpit equipment. The models include cowl flaps, floats, and accurate landing gear that will realistically affect the amount of drag on your aircraft while in flight, which you really can notice. I did notice what could have been a bug with the PBY-5 model, in that when retracting the landing gear they simply disappeared. I also had an issue when after purchasing the aircraft, it would lock up and crash FSX when I selected the aircraft. I contacted Aerosoft customer support, and they responded in about 24 hours with a fix. It gives me peace of mind knowing that even shortly after a product launch this size, they are still very responsive. The issue ended up simply being that in Windows 7 (And Vista I am guessing) FSX had to be run as administrator. The model handles very realistically, and is overall a joy to fly. There is, however one tip that may come in handy... Aerosoft says in their forums that in order to get more realistic behavior when taking off from water, or while the cowl flaps, floats, or landing gear is extended, the model has “invisible flaps and spoilers” The real Catalina did not have either flaps, or spoilers. However, because FSX does not simulate things like landing gear drag, or taking out of water as realistic as it should, Aerosoft uses additional programming to control these “invisible surfaces” – So Aerosoft recommends de-assigning any command or axis for these surfaces, however it seems as only users who use FSUIPC to handle joystick operations should run into these issues.

Virtual Cockpit

The Virtual Cockpit is where pilots will spend most of their time, and Aerosoft cut no corners on the VC of the PBY Catalina X. The entire VC and all instruments are modeled in full 3D. Depending on which model you select at startup will give you different VC’s. In a modern cockpit, you will be given a Bendix King radio stack, and a Bendix King KLN-90B GPS receiver. Aerosoft says that you’re welcome to download the real manuals for this equipment and use it on the Catalina. In older cockpits, you will be presented with a simulation of a Sperry A-3A autopilot. The VC includes an interactive checklist and allows you to set the startup mode (Cold & Dark or Flying Mode) and engine realism settings. It also includes full instructions for power up, water operation, power settings and much more – All accessible from the VC in FSX. There is also a full virtual cabin, and aerosoft includes helpful pre-placed views to make accessing the back panel, First Officer, and electrical panel easy to use.

Sound Set

There is simply nothing like starting up the engine in the Catalina X. It includes no electronics so starting and tuning the engines must be done by hand. You can find full instructions on their forums, and a video tutorial… Or you could also just choose the aircraft in an already on configuration, but that’s no fun! Lets go through a quick startup procedure. First switch the battery on, and verify that you’re getting at least 27 volts. If you keep the aircraft running from battery too long, you may find your battery running low. Anyone here have jumper cables?

• Now make sure that all other electrical switches are off, cowl gills are open, parking brakes are set, and master ignition is on.

• Go to the back wall of the cabin, and turn your beacon lights on, and set the right fuel selector to both, and the right engine mix to full rich.

• You’re going to need to open the throttle a bit, and turn on the right fuel booster. Engage the starter, and wait 6 seconds… Then prime the engine, turn the right magneto to both, and mixture to auto rich. Turn on the generator, and switch the starter and fuel booster to off.

• If you start to hear the engine RPM drop, you will need to use the primer until the engine warms up. Repeat for left engine.

The reason I put this under “sounds”, is because you can use the sound of the engine to determine how it is running, and when you may need to prime it. That is how much detail Aerosoft put into this product.

Extras

There are so many extras I can mention. I would have to pick the sheer realism of this model, though. Lets just take a look at some things to remember while flying:

• Keep watching and LISTENING to the engines until your oil temperature reaches 30*C. Keep priming those engines until then as the RPM falls off.

• Watch it while going slow! Keeping the RPM below 1,000 RPM may cause the sparkplugs to misfire, keep the RPM up!

• Keep the carburetor heat on when flying in high humidity or hazy weather to keep your engines from failing due to moisture in the carburetor.

• Watch the ice. Your aircraft will start to slow down if too much ice or freezing rain builds up. Use the de-icer before too much ice builds up otherwise you may find yourself literally starting to fall out of the sky due to the extra weight on the body.

• Don’t cut the throttles too fast. If you’re running a hot engine and you cut the power, it could cause an engine failure due to excessive cooling. Be gentle and move the throttles gently!

Aerosoft also includes a 400 page operating manual for the PBY Catalina X. This is the actual aircraft manual, which you can use for flight in FSX. You can pick up the Aerosoft PBY Catalina X for 27.95 Euro here. [Link] Information in this review can be found in various locations: [Link], and [Link]. Video: Starting the engines in "Realistic Mode" in the Aerosoft PBY Catalina X:

Screenshots: [nggallery id=32]

One of the things that boosts the reality of a flight and helps an airport come to life is other aircraft. Having aircraft parked at the gates, the view of an aircraft paused at the hold-short line or the twinkling lights of an incoming flight on approach, AI traffic is a great edition to the experience.

This week we had the opportunity thanks to “name” of MyTraffic to put his new add-on through it’s paces. There I was, blocking traffic, not clearing the runway fast enough and generally being a real pain in the butt at an airport near you. So why was I doing this? Well, just to see how his new add-on handled my inexperience and sloppiness when it came to simulating other aircraft reactions. I am happy to report that about 80% of the time, the other AI pilots stepped on the brakes or throttled up to go around avoiding me as an obstacle.

Up until now, I had used the add-on Ultimate Traffic which I purchased a number of years ago. It pleased me greatly that MyTraffic had improved upon my previous experience with an AI aircraft manager. So overall, I truly enjoyed the experience and the positive aspects far out weighed the minor breaches in reality. The negatives are really more “wishes” for future patches and editions.

Install

Easy and straightforward, happens in two major parts. (1) Installation of primary program. (2) Building of aircraft database (15-20 minutes). Instructions in HTML format viewed in browser.

Aircraft Quality

Like most AI TRAFFIC MANAGERS aircraft are simpler but still looked quite good. Paint jobs were clear and only faded in quality at a distance. It was a good balance between detail and not bogging down the system with high detailed textures. I experienced a great mixture of appropriate liveries in the airports I was flying out of.

Aircraft Handling & Movement

Aircraft ramp operations, taxi-way, take-offs and landing were performed well. The only aspect I noticed was some turbo-props and smaller aircraft stopped in way to short a distance. The other aspect I noticed that was also present in other add-ons was aircraft taking to long to commence take-off roll. A lot of commercial aircraft start the spool up of engines before they are even lined up to expedite departure for the tower. This was a typical scenario of AI aircraft sitting there and holding on the numbers for 30 seconds to a minute. I don’t know if this is a programming limitation, since it seems to pop-up in stock AI aircraft as well.

Weather Factor

One of the most important things to do when you activate or fly with a package like MYTRAFFIC is to make sure you set up the winds. The program needs to read the winds for an airport in order to set-up the proper departure and arrival runways. If you don’t you will have unrealistic arrival and departure runway assignments for an airport that is not consistent with reality.

Separation Breached & Incursions

I was pleased that in most scenarios MYTRAFFIC sensed when I was on the runways or blocking a taxi-way. I set-up a scenario with landing traffic where I left my tail hanging 10 feet onto the active runway with an aircraft on approach. Sure enough the program set the inbound traffic into a missed approach. It was not so kind with the reverse scenario and my nose partially onto the runway and traffic in take-off mode. The plane taxied on, held and rolled right past me on the take-off roll. It did not sense me clearly breaching the runway 2/3 of the way down. But it is a small point. I was also pleased that there was not a huge wave of traffic that descended on the airport when first starting a scenario.

Sounds

A surprise to me is the sounds made from AI aircraft. There was jet blast sounds and good ambient sound when near the aircraft. It was something I was not expecting.

Verdict

If you don’t own and AI add-on like MyTraffic, I would highly recommend that you go out and support MyTraffic. I have not been flying with AI as much in FSX due to frame rate issue, but turning it on made me realize what I was missing and greatly added to the experience. the program is done well and exceeded my expectations in most areas.

MyTrafficBuilder and MyTrafficBoard

Since Mark’s review above covered the traffic side of MyTrafficX pretty well, I am going to focus on some of the extra features you get with MTX. Most notably the Traffic Editor.

Before appreciating the features of MyTrafficEditor, lets review the MANUAL process of creating FSX AI flight plans:

• • Install FSX SDK
  • Update FSX’s dll.XML file to load the Traffic Explorer.
  • Create each individual flight plan in a text file. The flights must be done in a specific format, using a specific order for the different variables of the flight.

 typeKey,tailNumber,trafficDensity,repeatEvery,flightRules
 {
 departureTime,destinationAirportId,flightLevel[,flightNumber][,circuitEndTime]
 departureTime,destinationAirportId,flightLevel[,flightNumber][,circuitEndTime]
 # enter as many departures as required
 }
 typeKey = one of the typeKeys from fs10.AircraftTypes.csv
 tailNumber = unique aircraft tail number
 trafficDensity = minimum traffic density required (1 to 100)
 repeatEvery = ONE_HOUR, TWO_HOURS, FOUR_HOURS, SIX_HOURS, EIGHT_HOURS, TWELVE_HOURS, ONE_DAY, ONE_WEEK
 flightRules = IFR or VFR
 departureTime = DHHMM, where D = optional day of the week (0=Monday, 1=Tuesday, etc) and HHMM = zulu hour and minute of the day
 destinationAirportId = destination airport ICAO identifier
 flightLevel = the flight level, for example 20 = 20,000 feet
 flightNumber = optional airline flight number
 circuitEndTime = optional time to stop flying circuits at the destination

Each different flight will need to be put in as a separate entry. Afterwards, you need to put the file in the correct directory and compile the scenery through a command prompt entry:

 TrafficDatabaseBuilder /Output=testtraffic0.bgl /AircraftTypes=fs10.AircraftTypes.csv /Countries=countries_regions.csv /Airports=fs10.Airports.dat /Schedules=custom.dat /AutoSchedule=No /log=log.txt

Lastly, drag over the compiled BGL file into your FSX’s addon scenery folder. This is just to show you the labor involved in Manually creating flight plans, if you really want to learn more about this method, check out my tutorial [Link].

The Process with MyTrafficX…

NOTE: MTX REQUIRES the FSX SDK in order to compile the BGL files for your AI. You can find the SDK on the FSX Deluxe disk, be sure you also install all SDK updates (May be found on multiple DVD’s). Unfortunately, if you only have FSX Standard Edition you will not have the SDK files needed by MyTrafficEditor.

• You’ll need to closely follow the instructions for properly copying the Traffic Builder Compiler from the SDK so MyTrafficEditor can use it.
• It is also helpful to follow the manual when creating your first few AI flights.

Basic Operation & Features

• You are able to create your own Airline with up to 4 different Hubs.
• You are able to designate the types of airspace your airline flys in – Domestic, International, Touristic, and Forbidden Destinations.
• You can also select specific aircraft types used by your airline.

• The process of importing custom aircraft is fairly straight forward. It does however require going in to the aircraft.cfg file and pasting in the “title” Parameter. This seems like it could be streamlined.
• Once you create a custom aircraft TYPE, you are able to specify individual aircraft registrations for that type.

• For actually creating schedules, MyTrafficX features a completely automated algorithm that schedules flights all over the world based on logical conditions. This feature is work the price of MTX alone.
• You also have the option of manually creating schedules using a GUI with the departure and arrival airports, times, frequency, etc.

Process for creating a complete custom Aircraft/Airline

• The process is not very initiative without reading the manual, especially since a lot of the screens look very similar, however it is very functional..
  • Create a custom Aircraft Type
  • Create individual registrations and tail numbers for your aircraft type.
  • Create the airline with Hubs, assign the aircraft types or individual registrations for that airline.
  • Next you can either manually schedule each flight, or use MyTrafficEditor’s automatic scheduler. The processing for the auto scheduler takes approx 10 minutes.
  • Lastly, create the flight plans based on the schedules. MyTrafficEditor automatically executes the command to compile the AI flights, and puts the BGL file in the proper folder for you.

MyTrafficBoard

MyTrafficX also includes MyTrafficBoard, which is a complete solution for monitoring AI traffic status and even allows you to interact with it.

Features:

• Stand Alone Program uses SimConnect API to interact with FSX.
• Sort by Arrivals/Departures/Both at specific airports near you, or at ALL airports near you.
• Board Displays: Schedules Departure, Scheduled Arrival, Airline Name, FLight Type (VFR/IFR), From Airport, To Airport, Departure Remarks, Arrival Remarks, Departure/Arrival Gate & Runway, Aircraft Type, Aircraft Registration, FSX Flight ID, Current Status, and Flight Category.
• Board can be sorted by all of the different types of categories above, and by the airport you choose.

You can also right click each individual flight, and set yourself up to view the flight in FS or chase the flight in FS.
MyTrafficBoard is a welcome addition to the MTX addon, my only complaint is that it is a stand alone program, and can’t be accessed without Alt+Tabbing out of the sim.

Overall…

Overall, given that you are getting one of the best possible AI flight packages in FSX history with MyTrafficX, you also get a decent traffic editor. While the editor application certainly can use a redesign, and perhaps be made to work a little more intuitively (IE, without requiring reading an instruction manual), it does what it does, and it does a great job of that. I think that ability to plug in a custom aircraft and airline and AUTO generate flight plans is well worth the cost of MTX alone. MyTrafficBoard is a great tool for managing all of your AI flights too.

MyTrafficX can be found at SimMarket for EUR 39.27, or about $45 USD. [Link]

Other notes about MyTraffic X:

• We talked to someone from the MyTrafficX company, and asked them – Bottom Line – How is MyTrafficX different from other payware AI addons or freeware AI addons.
• Over the years, MyTrafficX has grown to 1900 Airlines (With 4900 Repaints), as a comparison Matthew from MTX tells us World of AI has 600 Airlines, and JustFlight’s Traffic X just 400.
• Freeware AI packages are based on either ProjectAI, PSPainer, or AI Aardvark models in the FS2002 data format. MTX uses the FSX format for most models which offers new visual effects, and about 2.5 times better performance.
• They also had someone go through each airport with AI bugs (For example, aircraft landing before the proper runways), and adjusted the Afcads on each problem airport.

Reviewed by: Eric McClintock & Mark Stewart

Click each image for original size.

Installation & Documentation:

Anyone who has ever used the Flight1 system knows that the process is extremely painless and easy. Just download the installer package from Flight1 (194MB), put in your order details and you will be on your way, or you can purchase right from the installer. One useful tip that can be gained from the flight manual is not to start a brand new flight with the Citation Mustang, instead start a flight with a different plane, any default plane will do, and once in game switch to the Mustang. This will ensure that all gauges and flight systems load properly. The product is very well documented. It includes a 93-page user manual, with plenty of visuals and sections. In order to get the full experience if you’re not a Citation Mustang expert, I would recommend printing out the manual and keeping it nearby. The manual also includes all of the checklists you need, and aircraft data.

Model:

The aircraft model is detailed down to the last light in the full virtual cabin… But we’ll start with the external model for now. The Flight1 Citation Mustang includes 6 different paint schemes, including one used for the certification test flights. It also includes front and rear baggage areas, which can be controlled through that standard Shift + E + # key commands, or a pop up control panel, and the same for the main exit. In order for any of these surfaces to be activated, Engine 1 N1 must be below 25%, which will prevent accidental opening while in flight, leading to depressurization of the aircraft.

The Flight1 Cessna Citation Mustang includes a lot more than just fancy doors. As you would expect, all external surfaces are modeled. Including aircraft lights, engine fans, speed brakes, flaps, rudder, ailerons, elevator, and even communication equipment at the top of the aircraft. In addition to all of this, the pilot’s head moves according to your joystick input, a nice touch. The aircraft includes a full slew of aircraft camera views to enjoy. Going inside the aircraft is where the work put into this aircraft really shows, Most specifically in the Virtual Cabin. The virtual cabin includes dozens of “clickable” items to interact with, including seat arm rests, lights, tables, drawers, the main cabin door, even window shades and the toilet. Yes, there are even instructions in the Pilot’s Guide about how to interact with the Mustang’s toilet…  But we won’t be spending too much time in the cabin, lets move on to the cockpit…

Virtual Cockpit:

Before going on to the Virtual Cockpit, I think we should really start with the 2-D cockpit, which is something typically not included in a lot of modern payware packages, which is a shame because in my opinion, it comes in useful and yields better FPS than a VC. The 2-d cockpit also  makes clicking switches and turning knobs easier.

This model includes a full 2-D cockpit, with 6 separate viewing angles, and 7 additional pop-up panels for the Throttle, MFD Controller, Autopilot and lighting panels, and the auxiliary panel for controlling the items we’ll talk about in the “extras” section. The aircraft can be totally managed from the 2-D panel if needed. However, lets move on to the Virtual cockpit. Like in the virtual cabin, there are plenty of extras such as dome lights, map lights, and no aircraft is complete without a “Seatbelt” light, complete with the “Ding-Dong” sound, which actually does produce a Seat Belt light in the cabin as well. Getting even more granular, one of the first things I noticed in the VC was the slight swinging movement of a long coiled microphone cord. Again, a nice touch, and it really gives you the feeling of being in a real living cockpit. I sometimes wonder how many additional lines of code something like this takes, but in the end it is a nice little touch.

The virtual cockpit is completely usable, and you’re met with the wonderful Garmin G1000 system. It includes panels for the pilot and co-pilot, and a multifunction display which gives you full engine information, oil, electrical, cabin pressurization, warnings and more. To the right, you can find a more customizable section, which allows you to display a navigation and traffic map, waypoint information, trip planning, GPS status, system status and more. You really do realize that this is one sophisticated aircraft with nearly everything electronically monitored and controlled. The development team of the Flight1 Citation Mustang did an amazing job pulling off a near perfect replication of this aircraft’s computerized systems. I say “near perfect” because I am still exploring all of it’s different features. If you are not familiar with the Garmin G1000 system, you are going to want to print out at least this section from the manual and read it over, keep it nearby while you are in flight. Version 1.02b also adds Navigraph navigation data support with SIDS and STARS. I should also commend the team for making the glass avionics “pop-up-able” from the virtual cockpit, it helps for inputting data into the MDF, and just makes it easier to read.

Wrapping up the features of the VC, both the Pilot and Co-Pilot yokes are removable, and as with the external model, the VC includes dozens of different views. A lot of them are in my opinion not needed, as I only found myself using 2 or 3 views, and it took some time to cycle through them… But they are there and you should find one you like. My one complaint with the VC is that I found the throttle control very touchy, and I actually was not able to cut either of the throttles through the VC without having them “Pop” back to the top. In this case, I had to go the 2-D cabin view, bring up the throttle stack, and cut them through there.

Aircraft Systems:

Ice Protection:

One amazing feature with the Flight1 Citation Mustang is the detailed icing systems. If you fly through icing conditions, over time you will gradually see the ice build up on the aircraft windows, engines, and wings. If no action is taken in the case of the aircraft windshield, it will eventually get to the point where you are unable to see past the ice build-up. In the lighting panel, you are provided with a wing inspection light, which can be used while in flight at night to see build up of ice on the wings. The aircraft recreates all of the de-icing features of the Citation Mustang, including engine, wing, stabilizer, and windshield anti-ice.

Cabin Pressurization:

Aside from the Garmin G1000 system, the complete pressurization system has to be one of my favorite systems of the Citation Mustang. You are able to control all aspects of it including air source, oxygen source, and whether or not the system is active or not. If you de-pressurize the cabin in flight, oxygen masks will deploy from the virtual cabin ceiling, and swing in the air with the movement of the aircraft. I have never seen anything like this before in any FS addon, bravo! You may also notice that the pilot and co-pilot have their Oxygen masks attached too and the masks show in the exterior spot view.

Extra Features/Goodies:

The Flight1 Citation Mustang includes an “Auxiliary” control panel which lets you control special features, such as:

• Pilot and/or Co-Pilot is visible (And wearing sun glasses)
• Pilot call-outs enabled/disabled.
• Complete external exit/door control.
• Wheels chocked, carpet rolled out, cones placed, and engine intake covers.
• GPWS active.
• Fuel Truck, and reload aircraft.
• You are also able to take in-game screenshots and listen to Wav audio files through the “audio panel” accessible from the cockpit or VC.
• In the cockpit view, if the pilot has their microphone source though their Oxygen Mask, you can hear breathing. I found this pretty amusing…

While I can go on and on about the features of the Flight1 Cessna Citation Mustang,  I have to stop at some point.  It is a great plane to add to any hangar.   If you still have any doubts, have a read at the Pilot’s Guide:

http://flight1.100megabyte.com/manuals/mustang_pilots_guide.pdf

You can find out more information about the Flight1 Cessna Citation Mustang here. [Link]

Technical Stuff

Version Tested: V1.02b

Product Site: http://mustang.flight1.net/cmx_landing.aspx

Technical Information: Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06GHz, 4GB DDR2 Memory, nVidia Geforce 8800GT 512MB. FSX Acceleration edition, on Windows 7 Ultimate RC1.

“High” Settings, No AI, at 1920x1200x32, with Anti-Aliasing.

Control (Default C172): Spot: 25FPS | VC: 21FPS

F1 Mustang: Spot: 17FPS | VC: 10FPS