As a daily reader of the FlightSim.Com news page, I get to know about the history of pilots comparing real and simulated world, new scenaries, new payware planes and new computer information. I enjoy it, and every day I check for new articles to read.

But I feel that there are some parts of the flight simulator world that aren't reflected. One is the modelers area. Another is the repainters area. The scenery makers area was recently covered, and there was a recent triad of articles about the plane modeler Mike Stone.

But in general these parts of the flight simulator world are dark ones. Maybe you, the "just fly" simmers, believe that to make a plane is just to take a 3 view drawing and scan it to obtain a fully flyable plane. And to paint a plane, you just need to take your scanner, go to the airport and apply it over the real plane.

As a long time repainter, I feel I can give you some impressions about the art of converting a small picture in a magazine into an "almost real" flight simulator plane. I have planned a series of articles, with this being the first, about how to repaint a plane. The next ones will be:

2. Pick your model and request permission to repaint
3. "Ready to Fly" files against "Textures Only"
4. Fantasy or real, newer or vintage
5. Drawings, pictures and history of the real plane
6. Painting and weathering a plane or seaplane
7. Uploading the file and some history after the release/li>

Of course, I have mentioned above three areas without cover. I'll be happy if some modeler and some scenery maker agrees with me and releases another series of articles about his part of the hobby.

And maybe there are others areas that you, the "just fly" simmers, or another repainters, want to know.

Alejandro Hurtado
dracosist@cantv.net

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