703: MSFS World Update V Now Available

| Tom Tsui

I just updated to MSFS version 1.17.3.0 earlier this morning.

Actually, I didn’t realize it had been updated because MSFS ran thru the update check WorldUpdateVto the Main Menu on its first run.  If there wasn’t a note about the World Update V in the MarketPlace, I would have missed it in the first place.

As usual, I cleared the Community Folder before proceeding to update. But no difference to what the simulator did in the past, the update process didn’t get thru in one shot. It stopped at 55%. I needed to quit and restart the game to finish the download. Continue reading →

News: Zinertek Strikes Back

| Tom Tsui

To those who haven’t decided to choose from Zinertek’s Enhanced Airport Graphics or REX’s Real Global Airport Texture, their headaches should get intensified as version 2.0 of Zinertek Airport Graphics is scheduled to come in a few days on 20 June — a strike back to REX’s airport texture release ?

The company says that there will be new and reworked textures to bring various improvements to the existing version.

Mark the date on your calendar and stay tuned.

Edit: Update to version 2.0 has been postponed to 26 June to ensure the new version won’t cause CTDs with World Update 5, according to Zinertek.
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702: Airport Enhancement – REX vs Zinertek

| Tom Tsui

After Zinertek released its Enhanced Airport Graphics for MSFS a few months ago, REX Game Studio just follows to announce their Real Global Airport Texture for MSFS as well.  To me, it’s pretty similar to what they compete in FSX/P3D environment before.AirportTexture_REX AirportTexture_Zinertek_resize

In terms of pricing, REX’s version is $17.95, which is about a dollar more than Zinertek’s $16.97.

Does that extra dollar makes REX’s new product better than Zinertek’s?

Let’s put aside the quality of enhancement first, the extra one dollar does give users a choice of 4 combinations spawned from New & Used Taxiway Markings and Heavy & Light Rubber Buildups, against Zinertek’s only one universal style.

How are they different and are they better ?

Followings are two sets of photos briefly comparing the two products.  I’ll give my choice at the end of the story.

Since the size of the photos are a bit large (1,800 x 1,100) , be patient if your network isn’t fast. Continue reading →

News: RealSimGear Refurbished Sale

| Tom Tsui

RealsimGear currently is offering discounts on a limited quantity of refurbished components, which are in perfect working condition.   They come with a 12-month warranty and full customer support.

https://realsimgear.com/collections/refurbished

If you are longing for one, this is a good time.

BTW, the GMA350 Audio Panel is not recommended for MSFS.

News: P3D v5.2 Released

| Tom Tsui

Just noticed that Lockheed Martin had released P3D v5.2 a few days ago.  Descriptions sound good with more than 100 new features and fixes and improvements.  https://www.prepar3d.com/news/announcements/2021/06/120786/

Hope this update solves the many issues reported before.

701: Flight Velocity Trim Wheel Pro Review

| Tom Tsui

If you have ever used any trim wheel circuited with an encoder before, you should have experienced that the last position remembered by it could be very annoying if you forget to set its position back to the center at the start of a flight.

TrimPro_01b_resizeSince I got the Cessna Trim Wheel from Saitek many years ago, I’ve been looking for a solution to this annoyance.   But search is futile.

So when I found out Flight Velocity was soon to release a new product called Trim Wheel Pro which would use new software last Decemeber, I was quite excited, hoping that it could be a remedy to my agony.

Unfortunately, after checking with the company, the new player is no exception.  The issue seems to be unsolvable. Continue reading →

700: My Cockpit Rev #30 – Trim Wheel Pro

| Tom Tsui

Yesterday, I got the Trim Wheel Pro from Flight Velocity, which I am planning to replace the Saitek Cessna Trim Wheel which has been in service for many years.TrimWheelPro_01S

A unique feature that distincts it from the Saitek one is an adjustable control knob on the unit, thru which users can vary and finetune the elevator trimming pitch during a flight.

After Logitech chopped the production of Saitek Cessna Trim Wheel since its acquisition, there aren’t similar trim wheels on the market one can find for a long time.

Is this Trim Wheel Pro a good replacement ?

How does it perform ?

Is the adjustable knob useful ? Continue reading →

699: Payware Meshes are still worth it

| Tom Tsui

Unlike the way I spent for FSX and P3D, I am quite cautious about getting airports and sceneries for MSFS these days as the overall presentation in the simulator is quite good already.

One exception, however, is the enhancement addons, such as Meshes.
SwissMesh_01W
No doubt, there are some pretty good freeware meshes or DEMs available as mentioned in my Post 689. But I must say that many payware products are still worth of what they are — the New Zealand Mesh from Orbx and the Switzerland Mesh from FSDreamTeam are two good examples. Continue reading →

698: Aerolite 103 Bundle Gauges

| Tom Tsui

The Aircreation SL582 in FSX/P3D was one of my favorite aircraft since I like low and slow VFRs.  In MSFS, I prefer the Aerolite 103 by Nemeth Designs over it for similar flights.  In particular, the dynamic rotary-style ADF and ADF Signal Reception Features are fun and useful.
MSFS_AL103_ADF_GIFS MSFS_AL103_ENG_GIFS
The other three gauges Continue reading →