Features

Shade Tree Micro Aviation has been creating X-Plane add-on aircraft for quite a few years. Here reviewer Paul Mort examines their WWII era AT-11 Kansan. Similar to the Beech 18, this plane was often used to train bombardiers. Paul found the plane nicely detailed and both rewarding and satisfying to fly.

REX SkyForce 3D is one of those products that will literally change your world. Well, your flight simulator world anyway. Used with Prepar3D v4 as reviewer Ray Andersen did (it also works with FSX), it changes the sky around you, the weather, clouds, lightning, even the moon so that everywhere you fly things look more realistic. It offers a tremendous set of controls, something to really excite the weather geek but any flightsimmer will enjoy the improved look.

The Where In The World series challenge from Ron Blehm continues as readers have stepped up with a bunch of new destinations. Last month's location in a smaller city proved challenging though many people were up to it! This month's challenge looks scenic but without a lot of clues. How is your geography knowledge?

The F33A Bonanza was recently released for X-Plane 11 by Carenado. It features engine dynamics especially designed for XP11 and flight and ground handling also optimized for XP11. There are five HD liveries, full PDF documentation and more included. Reviewer Sean McLeod found that Carenado again met their usual standards for high quality aircraft.

In the flight simulator world we can choose our weather, time of date, season and so on and take the exact flight we want. In the real world--things happen. Real world pilots of course do plenty of flight planning but events can occur that throw off the best plans, sometimes ending up with the plane landing somewhere other than intended. Airline captain Tony Vallillo shares several "diversionary tales" from his long career.

The Hawk T1/A Advanced Trainer has been a very successful military aircraft for many years and used by a variety of countries. Just Flight recently released a version for X-Plane 11 and reviewer Shawn Weigelt was eager to try it. He found it great fun to fly low and fast, with the plane being simple enough that it was easy for a flight simulator GA pilot to transition.

Carenado is well known for creating great looking general aviation aircraft. Their Cessna 340 II has been around for years in different versions, but is now available for X-Plane 11 and brings new features like PBR materials that make the exterior really look like the metal on a real airplane. Reviewer Shawn Weigelt loved the look of plane and was satisfied with the accessible flight model.

Flight simmers enjoy making their sim cockpit more realistic, so companies like Cockpit phD are a great benefit in making this possible. Though founded only four years ago, the Cockpit phD team has created an expanding line of cockpit controls that make the home cockpit more real. Raymond Andersen interviews them about their passion for flight, how they got started, future plans and more.

If your idea of the American west is based on western movies, you're likely thinking of Monument Valley. Located on the Colorado plateau near the Arizona/Utah border, the rugged terrain makes for some scenic flying, which Orbx has captured with their usual style. This version is for X-Plane 11 and reviewer Sean McLeod enjoyed blasting over the desert and into the canyons.