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/images/notams/notams22/avio0427/aviotek-5.jpgFrankfurt Airport release date is closer day after day. We wanted to share some more renders, in-sim screenshots will followin the next weeks. We keep receiving many messages regarding thestatus of the project, and we feel the need to share some details: Originally, the approach we planned for this project was different,but we felt the need to integrate and include as many details aspossibile, as well as some unique features never seen before. Our goalhas always been to make our products as close as possible to the realairport environment, but this might take way longer than expectedsometimes (and that's also why we are not able to provide a realisticrelease date, at the moment). /images/notams/notams22/avio0427/aviotek-4.jpg /images/notams/notams22/avio0427/aviotek-3.jpg /images/notams/notams22/avio0427/aviotek-2.jpg /images/notams/notams22/avio0427/aviotek-1.jpgThat's it for now, we hope you will enjoy them! Source
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Aviotek Simulation Software Announces Frankfurt Airport XP/MSFS
Nels_Anderson posted an article in X-Plane
/images/notams/notams21/avio1220/aviotek1.jpgRenders time! These renders of Frankfurt International Airport feature the latest modelsmade by our developers. There are many more ready to be exported andplaced in the simulators. Both the version for X-Plane 11 and MSFS2020 will feature full PBRtextures, custom animations and tons of details. We will share in-simscreen shots as soon as models are placed in both simulators. /images/notams/notams21/avio1220/aviotek2.jpg /images/notams/notams21/avio1220/aviotek3.jpgFrankfurt Airport (EDDF) is a major international airport located inFrankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world'sleading financial centres. It is operated by Fraport and serves as themain hub for Lufthansa, including Lufthansa CityLine and LufthansaCargo as well as Condor and AeroLogic. Source -
/images/notams/notams21/orbx0419/frankfurt-1.jpgLandmarks Frankfurt City Pack for Microsoft Flight Simulator bringsour popular Landmarks series to the German heartland of flightsimulation. The city of Frankfurt, with the Main River coursing through thecity, comes to life with an impressive skyline and custom nightlighting, and downtown being located just north of the final approachto Frankfurt Airport. Lovingly referred to as "Mainhattan" by the locals, we have addedover 100 custom landmarks to detail this global hub of commerce,culture, education and tourism. Features11 high-detail custom landmarks including Europaturm, Hauptbahnhof (railway station), Messeturm, Paulskirche, and Kaiserdom100 custom landmarks, balancing quality and performanceMany enhancements to the city and surrounding areas: improved vegetation and building placements, static trains and boats, cranes, chimneys, and moreExtensive terraforming across the coverage area, enhancing how the custom landmarks sit within the simulator's terrainIncludes a custom model of the Commerzbank Arena (Waldstadion) stadiumCustom orthoimagery covering both sides of the Main, from Schwanheim in the West to the Offenbach photogrammetry areaCustom night lighting based on real-world photographyEnjoy these first previews! /images/notams/notams21/orbx0419/frankfurt-2.jpg /images/notams/notams21/orbx0419/frankfurt-3.jpg /images/notams/notams21/orbx0419/frankfurt-4.jpgSource
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/images/notams/notams21/avio0324/aviotek-1.jpgAviotek Simulation Software have shared some renders of theirupcoming scenery of Frankfurt Airport for X-Plane and Microsoft FlightSimulator: /images/notams/notams21/avio0324/aviotek-2.jpg /images/notams/notams21/avio0324/aviotek-3.jpgOur work on Frankfurt Airport continues and we really wanted toshare some renders with you. PBR is a fantastic stuff, and we areaddicted to it! As we progress, we would like to say a big thank you to all thedevelopers that reached us in the last few weeks requesting our newAugmented Terrain Profile Editor service - we didn't expect so manyrequests from the devs community! We are doing our best to accommodate all the requests we receivedas well as implementing and testing new features. Stay tuned formore! Source
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/images/notams/notams21/egel0211/egel0211.jpgFrankfurt-Egelsbach (EDFE) – The Airport of the Rich & FamousJust 10 km (6.2 Miles) south of the Frankfurt International Airport (EDDF)is a regional airport that is a well-kept secret from millions of travelersthat go through Frankfurt International each year. Frankfurt-Egelsbach AirportWith more than 200 take-offs and landings each day Frankfurt-Egelsbach isthe busiest regional airport in Germany. At first glance it is often viewedas a small airport, mostly for private aviation. In true life there is muchmore to it and with over 70,000 aircraft movements each year it is busierthan some international airports in Germany. /images/notams/notams21/egel0211/egelsbach-1.jpgChallenging ApproachesFrankfurt-Egelsbach offers a special challenging approach procedure onrunway 08 as there are power lines under the southern approach path that mustbe crossed at about 700ft. Coming from north or south you must then make a 90degree turn from over the "autobahn" (German highway) towards the runway andonly have a short distance for final descent to 385ft or 117m. On approach to runway 26 you have much more space for your final approach,but must also use caution not to sink below the glideslope, as there aretrain tracks a short distance from the runway. The train tracks have electricoverhead lines and posts for the electric powered trains to run on. So becareful! /images/notams/notams21/egel0211/egelsbach-2.jpgSo why is the airport also known as the airport of the rich & famousin Germany? Location is what counts! EDFE’s position in the center of Europe makes itattractive to many of the rich & famous who want to avoid the time andhassle of going through a huge international airport as FrankfurtInternational. A 30 minute drive from downtown Frankfurt makes it the keytarget airfield for powerful business people to reach the financial capitolof Europe (Frankfurt) quickly and easily. Settled in the center of the largemetropolitan area called “Rhein-Mainâ€, it is also a great place forcelebrities, such as bands, artists and other influential personalities &politicians to reach a large range of venues in the surrounding major cities,such as Heidelberg, Mannheim, Mainz, Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Hanau and manymore. /images/notams/notams21/egel0211/egelsbach-3.jpgConvenienceLow landing fees, fast customs processing in the small terminal, freeparking, meeting centers, an exclusive restaurant and conference venues righton sight make it even more attractive to a wide range of people. Netjets, Private Jets & Warren Buffet, too!In March 2009 Netjets purchased shares in the airport in through WarrenBuffet’s investment company Berkshire Hathaway. Netjets also created theireuropean hub at Frankfurt-Egelsbach airport. In result the airport got muchmore attention from travelers who can afford the private business jet sectorand therefore thee airport received a growth in air traffic. Netjets soldtheir shares at the end of 2019 to a real estate company and airportmanagement firm. Other shares are held by local communities and a regionalenergy provider. /images/notams/notams21/egel0211/egelsbach-4.jpgMany types of aircraft can land on the 1400m (4593 ft)Many types of aircraft can be seen at EDFE, such as single prop aircraft(i.E. Cessna 172, Cessna 208, Piper (all sorts), Diamond, Beechcraft singleprops, private twin & turbo props such as Diamond DA-42, Beech Barons,King Air, but also business jets such as Cessna Longitude, Bombardier Global,Embraer Phenoms, and even smaller passenger planes, such as the Dornier 328,which can transport 30-40 passengers. The aiport has a weight limit foraircraft up to 20 tones. /images/notams/notams21/egel0211/egelsbach-5.jpgHome to Aircraft Charter Companies, Flight Training Schools and TechnologyBusinesses related to the Aero Industry AOPA - Germany’s largest AircraftOwner & Pilot Association is seated right at the Egelsbach airport. Thereare more than 30 aero related companies located on the airfield. You can haveyour aircraft maintenanced by the aerospace company Roeder Presision, whichis located right by the apron. Purchase FlyingD - Frankfurt-Egelsbach (EDFE) for MSFS 2020
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/images/notams/notams21/drum0124/FlyingD-Scenery-01.jpgNew scenery developer FlyingD Scenery announces that they havestarted development on Frankfurt-Egelsbach Airport (EDFE)- the airport of the rich and famous - for Microsoft Flight Simulator.Development is mostly complete and is currently undergoing testing, withrelease expected in a few weeks. /images/notams/notams21/drum0124/FlyingD-Scenery-02.jpg /images/notams/notams21/drum0124/FlyingD-Scenery-03.jpg /images/notams/notams21/drum0124/FlyingD-Scenery-04.jpg /images/notams/notams21/drum0124/FlyingD-Scenery-05.jpg /images/notams/notams21/drum0124/FlyingD-Scenery-06.jpg /images/notams/notams21/drum0124/FlyingD-Scenery-07.jpg /images/notams/notams21/drum0124/FlyingD-Scenery-08.jpg /images/notams/notams21/drum0124/FlyingD-Scenery-09.jpgSource
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/images/notams/notams20/sams0720.jpgFrankfurt RealCity X is now upgraded to X2! It is free upgrade forprevious buyers, they will receive email for upgrading details. Update FeaturesColor corrected to photo base scenery Added some buildings into the city center Added street light at night Fixed some autogen Fixed stadium position Fixed building night light textures Added P3Dv5 installerSource
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/images/notams/notams20/aero0312/aero0312.jpgVersion 2.0 Changelog:Fixed bridge sinking issue Fixed SAM jetway config for high jetways Ortho color corrections Added seasonal orthos (SAM2 plugin required) Changed vegetation library and added more forests Fixed N3 taxiway marking /images/notams/notams20/aero0312/airport-frankfurt-xp-03.jpgAbout Airport Frankfurt XPThe busiest airport in Germany, Frankfurt Airport, is now availablefor X-Plane 11. This stunning scenery conveys the unique feeling of alarge international airport. Get started in international aviation anddepart from Germany's main hub. Realistically scaled and with allairport buildings modelled, this add-on takes you on a hugejourney. Taxi along the taxiway bridges to the runway or check out the new Terminal B. High resolution textures, animated jetways, and X-Plane 11 exclusive visual effects will make your pilot's heart skip a beat. /images/notams/notams20/aero0312/airport-frankfurt-xp-04.jpgFeaturesAll 3D objects of the airport area recreated according to the official documents of the Fraport AG Uses advanced X-Plane features such as 3D spill lights and glass reflections Animated passenger boarding bridges, Safedock A-VDGSs and marshallers at all eligible gates/stands (using the freely available AutoGate plug-in) Complete taxiway network for use by ATC and AI aircraft Fully compatible with the X-Life plug-in by JARDesign Makes full use of the new ground service vehicles introduced in X-Plane 11 Thousands of hand-placed objects such as parked cars and streetlights Road network with animated traffic /images/notams/notams20/aero0312/airport-frankfurt-xp-05.jpgPurchase Aerosoft - Airport Frankfurt XP
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Frankfurt XPPublisher: AerosoftReview Author: Paul MortSuggested Price: $32.99/images/fsc/wbicons/store-buy-now-button.pngFrankfurt Am Main Airport by Aerosoft is a recent addition to theever increasing world of payware sceneries for X-Plane, and one I wasespecially keen to review. Introduction Frankfurt Airport is a majorinternational airport located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city ofGermany. The airport covers an area of 2,300 hectares (5,683 acres)of land and features two passenger terminals with a capacity ofapproximately 65 million passengers per year, four runways andextensive logistics and maintenance facilities. The southern side ofthe airport ground was home to the Rhein-Main Air Base, which was amajor air base for the United States from 1947 until 2005. /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_1.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_5.jpgFrankfurt Airport has two large main passenger terminals (1 and 2)and a much smaller dedicated First Class Terminal which is operatedand exclusively used by Lufthansa. As is the case at London'sHeathrow Airport, terminal operations are grouped for airlines andairline alliances rather than into domestic and international routes. Frankfurt Airport has four runways of which three are arrangedparallel in east-west direction and one in north-south direction.During normal operation the two outer parallel runways (07L/25R and07R/25L) are used for landings and the central parallel runway(07C/25C) and the Runway West (18) for take-offs. The three parallelrunways have two markings because they can be operated in twodirections while the Runway West can only be used in onedirection. /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_20.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_2.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_3.jpgInstallOnce purchased and downloaded (461 MB in size) from the FSPilotShop,all that was needed was to place the relevant folders into my X-Plane11 Custom Scenery folder. This involved four folders in total: ParkedCars, Roads, Scenery and Static Aircraft. WalkaboutThe first thing which struck me about the scenery was its sheersize and multitude of buildings. These covered all sides of theairport's multiple runways and helped give the airport a sense ofscale. Next to many of these buildings were parked cars, groundclutter, signs and also animated vehicles, and these all helped togive a 'busy' feeling one would expect from an airport such asFrankfurt. /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_4.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_21.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_6.jpgNumerous stationary aircraft were also visible on the apron andthese really looked the part. To see these aircraft in the sceneryhowever, they must be enabled in the 'Show Parked Aircraft' menu ofX-Plane's settings menu. If this option is not selected, then theaircraft will not be present. Moving further afield - both taxiwaysand runways were accurately placed with texturing on each being of ahigh quality. Frankfurt Airport's main terminal building is nothing short ofmajestic, with the team at Aerosoft really doing the building proud.The 3D modelling and texturing is up there with the very best, and thereflective green glass on the terminal front is both highly effectiveand realistic. All the above is placed on a photographic overlay so as tohopefully add to the realism. Now as many of you know, I'm not thebiggest fan of this design technique; however, in this case, it seemsto work well. Don't get too low though, as they start to deterioratethe lower you go (hence my reason for not being their greatest fan). /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_7.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_8.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_9.jpgNight lighting, as with most X-Plane sceneries, was a joy to beholdand very realistic. The main terminal building was highly impressive,as were some of the other smaller buildings located around theairport. Both runway and taxi lighting was good, and combined withthe buildings, made for a highly enjoyable nighttime experience. One area which I found lacking (yet again) was the absence of people.Apart from the odd marshaller, the airport was devoid of life. Itamazes me how the developers of this scenery can omit such a keyelement as this. To walk around an airport and see hardly any sign ofhuman life, really kills the immersion factor. Please please please,let's see some people in future patches! DocumentationThe included documentation (all PDF) is very impressive andincludes a comprehensive manual, which covers things such as theairport layout, charts, graphical settings and a host of other areas. /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_10.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_11.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_12.jpgPerformanceThe system requirements set by Aerosoft to run this sceneryreliably are as follows: 3 GHz CPU, 8 GB (16 GB recommended), 1 GB VRAM,plus 1.5 GB of HDD space. For the review, I used an i5 3350 CPU,GTX650 (2 GB VRAM) and 16 GB of memory. With this configuration I foundAerosoft's Frankfurt to run flawlessly, with good frame rates and nostuttering. In saying that, I would question the ability to run thescenery on anything significantly less, especially in regards to GPUrequirements. With X-Plane 11, VRAM is key and even 2 GB is pushing itnowadays. For those of you reading this review and are tempted ingetting your feet wet with X-Plane 11, then I highly recommend 4 GBVRAM as a minimum. /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_14.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_15.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_16.jpgCostAt the time of this review, Aerosoft's Frankfurt cost (US $32.99)(GB £24.40) (AUS $42.07), which places it at the medium to highend of the scenery bracket. For that, you get a highly realisticrepresentation of the airport, which includes runways, taxiways andbuildings. ConclusionGood PointsA nicely laid out scenery with good static aircraft, objects and 3D vehiclesVery good quality texturing and custom buildingsNicely animated ground vehiclesCompatible with animated passenger boarding bridges using the freely available Autogate pluginWorks with XP11 ground service vehiclesThe use of a complete taxiway network for ATC and AI aircraftJar Design X-Life compatibility /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_17.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_18.jpg /images/reviews/frankfur/t/cessna_172sp_19.jpgBad PointsHardly any 3D peopleQuestionable minimum requirementsSo to summarise, I would have to say that Aerosoft's FrankfurtAirport is a scenery that I can whole heartily recommend (as long asyou have above the required system requirements). The size of thescenery and attention to detail is very impressive (even with theabsence of any 'meaningful' 3D people) and one that I feel flightsimmers would get a great deal of enjoyment from. /images/notams/notams17/fran1204.jpgHappy flying! Paul Mort Purchase Aerosoft - Frankfurt XP for X-Plane
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Going Places - Sharjah To Frankfurt Main By Rodolfo Astrada This leg will take us from the cargo airport of Sharjah to the cargo and passenger hub of Europe, Frankfurt Main or EDDF as air transport jargon codes. On climb out from Sharjah, first signpost is the island of Kish. While belonging to Iran, Kish is a free trade zone attracting vacationers from everywhere with relaxed paperwork to ease on luxury hotels, malls and other varied attractions. Kish receives over a million visitors any given year. FSX flight planner decided to take us along the western coast of Iran, up northwest clear of Iraq airspace, then eastern Turkey, over the Black Sea, bisecting Romania east to west, over eastern Hungary, then the Czech Republic, Slovakia and finally Germany, 2664 nm or 4837 km as you prefer. Looking afterwards into Flightradar24 this seems to be the regular routing (crowded even in the small hours!), only noticed a dogleg heading from departure towards the Iranian coast and then north by west over Iran. But the bit about Kish I did like to keep in so left it as the way I did the flight instead of the more official one. Anyway, takes over six hours depending on winds so sit comfortably and relax. Sliding over Iran airspace we meet the Zagros range to the right. The Zagros span Iran's west coast for over 1500 km and are the result of the earth's crust folding compressed by the slow motion eastward push of the Arabian plate against the main Asian plate. It is the same mechanism through which the Himalayan plateau was formed by the thrust of the Indian subcontinent against Asia, or Italy against Europe for the Alps and so on. Iran has its roots as far back as 3000 years BC and was cradle for one of the oldest civilizations rivaling Mesopotamia and Egypt. The legendary Persia, which at one time about 500 BC was the largest empire under Cyrus the Great. Only Alexander the Great could muster resources to conquest Persia then under Emperor Dario, 334 BC. After centuries of the coming and going tide of warlords and princes, Muslims got hold of Persia since 600 AD to these days. Looking down the endless string of rural villages with which for us are undecipherable names, one cannot but reflect how life flows there, how it was and how it has changed if any, and how will it ever change in such a rough, unfriendly mountainous and deserted environment. I wonder how the way of coming, staying and quitting from this world has ever changed in centuries. We left in the last feature where the 747 project got started in part as a hedge against failure of the SST project, in part with an eye on the perceived need to bring air freight to a new level of development. Will not get into details how this project almost cost Boeing its existence yet turned one of the biggest and most iconic success stories in the air transport industry. The Jumbo initiated the era of the wide body airliner, the two aisle cabin. Most importantly, the economies of scale brought air travel into the reach of a new layer of users in terms of buying power. Before the 747, the term "jet set" was coined to identify the wealthy, the ones who could afford jet travel, the ones separated from the commons. The wide body revolution ended that state of affairs, or at least separated the well heeled to the forward first class section sharing the ship with maybe more than 400 additional souls packed trailing behind. The Jumbo entered commercial service in 1970, Boeing planned to build about 400 of them; turned out to build over 1500 and counting. So, what were the others doing? In a minute, we are making progress on our trip so let's check. While Iran may at first bring memories of deserts and arid mountains, there is a vast network of reserves and protected areas, one of which is Dehdez. Iran is one of the largest reservoirs of plant diversity in the Old World. Of over 8000 plant species 22% are endemic to the region; this is why it is so important to define areas to preserve form alteration. Dehdez belongs to the Khuzestan province, which was the cradle to the earliest civilization in what now is Iran, the Elamites, people whose language was neither related to Semitic nor Indo-European, thereby singling them as a separate ethnic group. Despite intense oil production which puts the province economy in third place within Iran, it features fertile soils and abundant water resources enabling production from sugar cane to cereals, to timber, citrus and olives. This, and a substantial fishery industry built around abundant rivers and dam reservoirs in time feeds a renowned regional cuisine where species, onions and cilantro can be counted on. When not deep fried rice with ground meat and species similar to kibbeh, you can count on oriental gastronomy as varied, special, and deeply rooted in tradition. What were Douglas and Lockheed doing then? Launching a project like an airliner takes more than a bout of inspiration and instinct; it is a serious and risky business undertaking which must follow well accepted business practices. There must be a need for the product, there must be a qualified forecast of sales, of who will be the customers, how much will they be willing to pay for the machine to make good business with it and make shareholders happy, how much will it cost to design, develop, build, test, certify, manufacture, sell, maintain, the list goes on and on. Both Douglas and Lockheed set to work on respective projects for wide body airliners which made sense in terms of an expected booming in air travel if history teaches something. Only they settled on different objectives with respect to Boeing. While the 747 started with capacities from slightly less than 500 passengers up, Douglas and Lockheed more conservatively targeted less than 400 passengers. Boeing gambled on its first line customer, Pan Am, and its intercontinental routing network. Douglas and Lockheed talked primarily with domestic carriers with shorter and less dense routes. The selected capacities and ranges they targeted had an important advantage: the planes could be powered by three engines instead of four. To be true they could have been powered by two engines but with severe restrictions in maximum takeoff weight, range and over water / high ground operation. Engine operating cost is the biggest single one after fuel, so dropping one engine means huge savings. Jokingly, if one could fit and certify a single 777 class engine on a 767 size airframe it should be unbeatable in cost per seat mile. Thus projects DC-10 and L-1011 were born, very similar and yet fatefully different in outcome. The DC-10 was first ordered in 1968, first flew in 1970, entered commercial service in 1971, and little over 400 were produced not counting the MD11 derivative. The TriStar L-1011 was first ordered also in 1968, first flew just weeks after the DC-10 in 1970, entered service in 1972 but only 250 units were built. While superficially they are quite similar, they were very different under the skin. Douglas had just been acquired by McDonnell who established a doctrine of cost control and mature technology in order to attain the lowest overall product cost. Lockheed aimed to the latest technology capable to be incorporated in the new design, placing it well ahead of the competition. The TriStar featured the most advanced avionics and the first CAT III autoland capability. It also featured the newest most efficient turbofan in existence, the Rolls Royce RB211. These design goals made it expensive, just a little lower than a 747 and much costlier than the DC10. The RB211 choice as single option for engine was also an unlucky one that almost destroyed the project. Not that the RB211 were a bad engine, it proved later to be an awesome and extremely successful design, but at that time Rolls Royce happened to go into bankruptcy just when engine production quantities were needed to keep the L-1011 line going, and had to be salvaged by the British government. US congress in time had to weigh in to bail Lockheed and resume production, but a whole year was lost so L-1011 booked sales were diverted to DC10's or others and lost forever. 500 TriStars had to be sold to break even; when it was obvious this was not to be, production was finished at 250 units. L-1011 pilots, passengers and fans can only praise the TriStar, which for that matter proved to be an extremely safe, comfortable and great performing modern plane. Business logic dictated its retirement but it was missed. We have now been flying for some time over Turkish airspace and are about to leave it to get wet feet in the Black Sea. The city of Sinop dates back to the Hittites, and was later a major port in the route from Mesopotamia through the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. Along its history saw domination by Greece, Persia, Rome, was conquered, lost and conquered again by Turks until the definitive consolidation of modern Turkey. Soon enough we make landfall in Romania over the ancient city of Constanta, formerly known in Roman times as Tomis. Poet Ovidio was exiled here by Emperor Augustus, AD 8, purportedly because of praise of adultery in one of his literary works, Ars Amatoria, but something of a more personal character is suspect. Roman influence on the country is obvious, from its name to a language intensely tied to Latin roots. While flying over Romania, the city of Ploesti lies not far to the left of our route. It is probably not widely known Romania has important oil reserves, and Ploesti is a major industrial extraction site. During WWII several air raids were launched from North Africa targeted to the German controlled Ploesti installations to deny vital fuel for the war machinery. They were dangerous missions suffering heavy losses, and where the B24 Liberator had a major role, but they did not impact significantly on production. The B24 had the most advanced wing design for the time which gave it unrivaled endurance, so much it was later assigned to long range maritime patrol and antisubmarine and convoy coverage during the latter stages of the Battle of the Atlantic. The B24 wing and general fuselage shape comes from the PB2Y Coronado four engine flying boat developed by Consolidated after the immensely successful PBY Catalina long range patrol flying boat. Today Ploesti is home to Petrom, Romania's largest corporation--guess in which business it is. The Vrancea Mountains belong to the Carpathians range, Transylvania. This is the land of the night terror, of vampires and undead. Truth is like most of Europe in the Middle Ages, ruthless warlords spread terror and gave birth to tales of blood and gore, passed and mutated through oral and written tradition to our days. The Transylvania region is inhabited by as many Romanians as Hungarians, been ruled by both nations once and again when not under the domination of Ottomans. Further on, Lake Tisza slides under and at left, second only to more crowded Lake Balaton as a summer vacation center and across the border to Slovakia the Tatras are the last significant mountain range for this trip. Terrain now rolls more or less smoothly towards the frontier with the Czech Republic which not long ago with Slovakia formed the republic of Czechoslovakia. So rounding up, the wide body paradigm initiated with the Jumbo was quickly followed by the DC-10 and the L-1011. All used what we now call steam gauge instruments and required a crew of three to safely operate and monitor such big and complex machines. Unlike the L-1011 which was committed only to the RB211 power plant, the DC-10 started with General Electric CF6 engines but incorporated Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines for the DC-10-40. The DC-10 was built in many variants in size, fuel capacity, weight and configuration coping to different market / routes / duty requirements. An Air Force version for aerial refueling was heavily used, the KC-10 Extender. Announced in 1969 and first flown also in 1972, a newcomer changed the commercial aviation landscape forever, that being the A300 built by the European consortium Airbus. At 260 seats and up it was smaller than either the DC-10 or the L-1011, but it was the first twin engine widebody and could hang CF6 or JT9D engines or later European powerplants as they became available. Decisive for success of the A300 was the fact it was the first ETOPS-90 certified aircraft. ETOPS stands for Extended range Twin engine Operation Performance Standards, though the twin engine qualifier no longer applies, that is, there are four engine airliners ETOPS qualified. In short what ETOPS certification brought was a relaxation in route maximum distance from a suitable airport in case of engine failure. Previous restriction was 60 minutes flight time, the A300 was approved for 90 minutes and in a progressive upgrade ladder for each model, accumulated flight experience without problems enable application for 120 and 180 minutes and so on. ETOPS also stands for Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim. Of course the economies we noted earlier regarding reduced engine count weighted mightily in so the A300 performance in this area was better than similar three engine airliners. Equally important, it was the first mainstream airliner to make extensive use of composites to save weight and in soon to follow versions it was the first in its size range to be certified for a two pilot crew due to the incorporation of emerging technologies and design features like glass cockpit as opposed to steam gauge instruments and the need of a flight engineer. Boeing had to wait until 1982 to enter service the 767 with a crew of two, glass cockpit, and sophisticated navigation and control / avionics systems together with capacities from 180 to over 370. If the A300 announced the end of the trijet era the 767 confirmed it. The Vestonice reservoir together with the Musov and the Nove were formed between 1975 and 1989 by damming of the Dyje, Jihlava and Svratka rivers. The creation of these reservoirs sparked criticism from conservation groups on the grounds that not only the town of Musov was sacrificed, but also many archeological sites, and has had an adverse impact on the local ecosystem. This region is now a Nature Reserve and Special Protected Area. Bohemia ahead and the Sudetes beyond, where Hitler played the prelude to WWII probing the European resolve by annexing the region to Germany. Just sailing past Bayreuth ATC commands us down to FL280. For those completely uninterested in classic music in general or Richard Wagner in particular, the following bit of trivia can be safely skipped with no regrets on my part, I do not particularly appreciate certain branches of music or artists either so it is OK and I respect and encourage freedom on musical tastes. Turns out Richard Wagner happened to visit the Margrave Opera House of Bayreuth in 1870, for he was told it was the right size for The Ring of the Nibelung Tetralogy based on Germanic folklore of demigods and warrior heroes. Many classic music lovers despise Wagnerian music finding it overblown in effect but lacking in creative worth, some artists go so far as to decline to perform Wagner creations. While arguably there are split opinions on this respect based on some features of his music, it is also true pieces like the "Prelude and Love-Death of Tristan and Isolde" conform an intimate and deeply beautiful masterpiece which could not be more remote from stridence. The stage itself was fine but (Sigh ..) the orchestra pit turned out to be not large enough for the required amount of instruments (oh well here we go ...). To make it short, Wagner proposed, and was granted support for building a completely new venue and this is how the Festival Hall was born and inaugurated 1876. Both Wagner and Hungarian piano virtuoso and composer Franz Liszt whose daughter was Wagner's wife are buried in Bayreuth. The world famous Wagner festival takes place here, July and August every year. OK back to aviation and flightsimming. Talking about flight simulations, ever heard about the Link trainer? Devices for simulating flight, be it for civilian or combat learning without risk of personal injury and property damage were created almost at the same time airplanes themselves. Among several trials, it was one Edwin Link from Binghamton, NY who built a device in 1927, patented it and put for sale a couple of years later. It was basically a box with stubby wings and empennage just to remind users what it intended to emulate, but what mattered was it was capable of pivoting on three axes under command of normal stick and rudder inputs, powered by bellows and electric motors. It had actual instruments which allowed for serious piloting except for any maneuver implying visual cues. While the student sweated out in the box, an instructor played controller at the same time recording each and every movement for further analysis and corrections. Flight schools and the US Army were natural candidate customers but despite Mr. Link efforts, interest was underwhelming. Then came 1934 and the Army Air Force was contracted by government to carry mail. Appalling human and aircraft losses followed in just the first weeks of service due to recurring bad weather faced by pilots poorly trained to cope with. It was then as is usually the case, when someone remembered Ed Link, asked to come have a talk. Luck had the day of the appointment Link flew in undaunted by prevailing poor visibility due of course to his simulator training. Thus the first dozen units were purchased, setting him on course for a flourishing business. When WWII came, thousands of Link trainers were put into operation to churn out the hundreds of thousands of new pilots needed for the allied war effort. And this is how we round up the third installment, landing in a snowed at EDDF. Never been there much less in winter so I hope FSX is rendering a correct version for the airport. Next time I will invite you to my home turf; this will be recreating the Lufthansa cargo schedule from Frankfurt to Buenos Aires by way of Dakar, Campinas and Montevideo, usually served by MD11's. When landing in Montevideo I will taxi past the new passenger terminal which though small, we find pretty and are proud of. Then, I hope to count on you to share and explore routes to Hong Kong via Almaty, to Mexico via Chicago, to Johannesburg via Nairobi and who knows which others we may happen to find out and be lured to follow. Rodolfo Astrada Read other articles in this series -
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