Hello XP simmers turned blog readers! Let's catch up on some recent XP and real world aviation news! Real life news first:
-It is speculated that the 4 "big" US airlines are about to make an avalanche of aircraft orders. I was going to explain it all but this Reuters article explains it better than I ever could: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/01/uk-airlines-orders-idUSLNE76003A20110701
-Air France-KLM is considering a massive aircraft order, somewhere in the range of 100 aircraft. This comes right after speculation of upcoming orders from the big US airlines. Air France-KLM Chief Executive Officer Pierre Henri Gourgeon revealed to French politicians the airlines intention to split the order between Boeing and Airbus. Other airline officials confirmed the statement. This is especially interesting because 180 of 577 French deputies (politicians) signed a petition urging Air France-KLM to order from the French/Europe consortium, Airbus. Airbus has a large French workforce so it is obvious why the French politicians would want an Airbus order. The order is expected to be for aircraft in the 787 and a350 capacity department. It is also possible that they order A320NEO's. Air France is happy with their current A320 fleet but they are aging. At this current juncture, I would be surprised if the order wasn't for 787's and A320NEO's. The A350 program is not looking very promising right now and Boeing's current 737 offerings are not competing well with the A320NEO for orders.
-The final NASA Shuttle launch was succesful. The astronauts are currently inspecting Atlantis for any damage before heading to the ISS. Anyone recreating it in XP?
-The Boeing 787 is currently undergoing test flights in Japan flown by ANA pilots. ANA, being the launch customer, is testing the plane on possible routes. The 787 is scheduled to go into service this fall.
And for X-Plane:
-Goran M, from Leading Edge Simulations and the author of the upcoming Saab 340, is continuing to develop his DC-3. Theo, Leading Edge Simulations Texture artist, has started to texture the model. For all the latest renders and previews check out the development topic over at X-Pilot: Meanwhile the Saab is nearing release very soon. Start saving your pennies kids! After the Saab is released they will have IMHO three PMDG level products. Stay tuned for updates on that!
-The latest .org released product is the AMX International Fighter. I have not purchased it and I don't plan on it unless any of you readers really desire a review. Drop a comment or an email if you do. From what I've heard about the AMX fighter is that it is very good.
That's all the breaking news for now. In the next couple of days expect reviews of the latest freeware scenery files and planes plus a payware review or two. Thanks for reading!
That AMX looks interesting, but is that just a nice shell or does it deliver anything new? Also, until the user's guide is out most of the promised features are probably just out of reach.
ReplyDeleteA review would be nice, probably only after the guide is out.