Changelog 2.8.0

This changelog is a draft.

FlightGear 2.8.0 ChangeLog

The FlightGear development team is happy to announce the v2.8.0 release of FlightGear, the free, open-source flight simulator. This new version contains many exciting new features, enhancements and bugfixes. New features in this release include an experimental renderer supporting real-time lighting and shadows, and improved terrain rendering.

Founded in 1997, FlightGear is developed by a worldwide group of volunteers, brought together by a shared ambition to create the most realistic flight simulator possible that is free to use, modify and distribute. FlightGear is used all over the world by desktop flight simulator enthusiasts, for research in universities and for interactive exhibits in museums.

FlightGear features more than 400 aircraft, a worldwide scenery database, a multi-player environment, detailed sky modelling, a flexible and open aircraft modelling system, varied networking options, multiple display support, a powerful scripting language and an open architecture. Best of all, being open-source, the simulator is owned by the community and everyone is encouraged to contribute.

Download FlightGear v2.8.0 for free from FlightGear.org

FlightGear - Fly Free!

Some of the major changes include:

Aircraft operations

AI system

AI Traffic

• Improved Aircraft models and textures.

Flight dynamics

• FlightGear has been synced with the JSBSim project.

Environment

• Region-specific terrain textures are used for Europe and Hawaii. Now towns in Europe look different from towns in the USA.
• Cities and towns now look more populated due to random 3D buildings, complete with lighting at night.
• Scenery looks more realistic due to improved placement of random objects, buildings and trees.
• Airport signs are now rendered in 3D, with support for double-sided signs. Full apt.dat 850 syntax is supported.
• You can now select between summer and winter scenery in-sim.

Instruments & HUDs

• There's a new fully scriptable 2D rendering system supported for creating instruments, the so called Canvas which allows you to create fully dynamic cockpit instruments and HUDs, even by loading and drawing vector images. This can be used to create CDUs/MCDUs for FMC, complex glass cockpit avionics (MFDs, EICAS etc) and any other "glass" instruments that could previously only be created in C++ space. All of this has now become possible just by using Nasal scripting, without having to rebuild FlightGear.

Interface

• Support for translation of the main menu into languages other than English.
• A Nasal API is available allowing access to Navigation and route-manager data.

Highlighted new and improved aircraft

• Airwave Xtreme 150: complete new (JSBSim) flight dynamics, new model, advanced pilot animations.
• Cessna 337G Skymaster

Project infrastructure

• Various improvements to our scenery database make it easier than ever to add, delete or update objects to the FlightGear world.

Visual effects

• An experimental renderer, named after the famous painter Rembrandt, is included for testing purposes. The Rembrandt rendered supports multiple light sources (landing lights, instrument lights), real-time shadows and ambient occlusion across aircraft and scenery for a much more realistic visual experience.

Other

• Additional joysticks and rudder pedals are supported out-of-the-box:
  • InterLink Elite
  • Qware USB
  • Saitek Cyborg X (F.L.Y. 5)
  • Saitek Pro Flight Cessna Yoke
  • Saitek Pro Flight Cessna Trim Wheel
  • Saitek Pro Flight Cessna Rudder Pedals
  • Speedlink Defender
• A French partial translation of The FlightGear Manual is now available.

Bug fixes

• See our bugtracker for an extensive list of the bugs fixed in this release.