FlightGear Newsletter January 2011

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Welcome to the FlightGear Newsletter!
Please help us write the next edition!
Enjoy reading the latest edition!


We would like to emphasize that the monthly newsletter can not live without the contributions of FlightGear users and developers. Everyone with a wiki account (free to register) can edit the newsletter and every contribution is welcome. So if you know about any FlightGear related projects such as for example updated scenery or aircraft, please do feel invited to add such news to the newsletter.


FlightGear events

Call for volunteers

The OpenRadar project is looking for a new maintainer.

The TerraGear GUI project is looking for programmers to help create a GUI frontend for TerraGear [1].

The FGFSPM (FlightGear Package Manager) is looking for a new maintainer.

Development news

Important FGRun memory fix

FGRun used to keep all loaded aircraft (in one session) in cache for quick re-view on the aircraft selection page. There were cases reported in which the memory usage reached 1GB; slowing down the entire computer tremendously! Since FGRun must stay open during your FlightGear flights, it decreased in-sim framerates. With the fix, FGRun only uses necessary resources.

Experimental: texture mapped line data

I've created a local experimental branch for allowing Terragear to texture map roads, streams, and coastlines. It is in the very early stages, but is starting to show promise. While the Terragear team's priorities are to optimize and import highly detailed land-class imagery, I thought it would be a good idea to enhance existing polygons as well.

I'm keeping status updates here: TerraGear texmapped line data

Nasal for newbies

New software tools and projects

FlightGear addons and mods

In the hangar

Generic Boeing CDU

The Boeing-style CDU as seen on a Boeing 747-400.

Gijs commited a generic - Boeing style - Control Display Unit (CDU) to Git. The CDU comes with two textures: a brown one (as seen on the 747) or a grey one (737). Currently just a small amount of pages is completely resembled, but updates are planned for the near future.

A wiki article has been set up to explain aircraft developers how to implement the CDU in their aircraft.

New aircraft

Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA

Ummon and pjedvaj have started the PAK-FA project. It features a new high-poly model (still unfinished) with some basic animations. Currently there are no liveries available. FDM is still in development, it will feature vector thrust and fly by wire system.

ATR 72-500

The ATR 72-500 in FlightGear.

Skyop has started his latest aircraft project, the ATR 72-500. This turboprop airliner currently features a lighting system, an engine control system (autostart), pushback, and livery over MP. A 3d cockpit will follow in the upcoming months.

DC-9-32

DC9promo.png

A group of developers have started developing the DC-9 with the kind help of Buckaroo. Currently, the aircraft still requires animations and some adjustments to the autopilot. However, the cockpit and other parts are almost complete.

Spitfire Vb

A new version of the Spitfire has been added to the hanger. The Spitfire V, although a stopgap version, became the second most numerous variamt to be produced. It was widely exported to foreign airforces both during and after WWII. The version modelled here is the B version with 2 20mm cannon and 4 .303 machine guns. The cannon amunition was carried in drums, limiting the supply to 60 rounds per gun, and necessitating blisters on top and underneath the wing.

Updated aircraft

LZ 121 Nordstern

The control car of the Zeppelin LZ 121 Nordstern.

The Zeppelin LZ 121 Nordstern has been updated with a new variometer and control car windows and some other details by Anders.

Liveries

Scenery corner

This month, we reached 2000 unique models in the scenery database! Currently there are 2023 models in the database. Help us get to 3000 even faster... Please contribute a scenery model today.

Scenery Models

The highest tower in the world, the Burj Khalifa, former known as the Burj Dubai, has been added to the database. Landmarks have also been added to Lyon, France. Finally, skyscrapers for both Montreal (Place Ville Marie) and Vancouver (One Wall Centre) in Canada have been added.

New York City

A collaborative effort has been launched to model as many skyscrapers and landmarks of New York City as possible. This month, the following New York buildings were contributed, by several different people:

  • Empire State Building
  • Statue of Liberty
  • UN Headquarters Building
  • Citigroup Building
  • MetLife Building
  • GM Building
  • Verizon Building
  • Penn Plaza and Madison Square Garden

We still would like as many custom buildings as possible in this area! If you are interested in contributing to the New York City scenery project, please visit the forum.

Eastern Asia

Many buildings in Eastern Asia were added to the database this month, including:

  • Akashi Kaikyo bridge (Kobe, Japan)
  • Ruygyong Hotel (Pyongyang, North Korea)
  • Bank of China (Hong Kong, China)
  • CCTV Headquarters (Beijing, China)
  • Bitexco Financial Tower (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
  • Petronas Towers (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

If you would like to fly near them you can use TerraSync or download an updated objects file from http://scenemodels.flightgear.org.


Airports

Charlottesville Albemarle Airport (KCHO)

KCHO under development

I admit that I've taken a couple of weeks off, but I have made some significan progress since December. I have made the rain canopy (or whatever it's called) almost completely accurate, I've made the building more realistic (height-wise), and I've added the cylinder part of the airport. My goals to get to by February are completing the doors, add-in the second waiting room (external of course), and add the windows to the cylinder.


Samedan Engiadina Airport (LSZS)

REGA Helicopter at LSZS (by F-SIG)

Eventually the Engiadina Airport LSZS, close to Sankt Moritz (Sant Murezzan, in Ladin), is available on Terrasync. You may reach it comfortably from LOWI Innsbruck following upstream the Enn River (Engiadina); after the flight you may have a Calanda Beer at the cafeteria aside of Terminal C.

The building have been done with the contribution of HHS, who provided the untextured blend files, and ot-666, who gave precious hints. F-SIG took the screenshot. For those not using Terrasync the files (including the .stg file) are available for download at http://digilander.libero.it/scighera_fg

Aircraft of the month

Airport of the month

Screenshot of the month

Suggested flights

TNCM St. Maarten is one of the most popular airports in FlightGear, in large part due to the custom objects and land cover. However, St. Maarten is only one of several detailed airports in the region - and, while the approach for TNCM is one of the most memorable in the whole world, the land cover for St. Kitts and Nevis makes it a lovely place to fly.

British Airways, US Airways and American Airlines, among others, all fly into TKPK in real life.

Take off from TKPK in a Piper Cub and make a northward, clockwise circle of the island. Start your descent on the east side of the island, and focus on the small hill which separates the north from the south. Start hugging the coast near the beach and look to the west - as soon as the railroad heads to the southwest, you're about ready to turn for final. Make your right hand turn for final and taxi to the terminal.

If you want to fully explore this whole country, take off in a Beaver, which has a little more speed, and fly a figure eight. Take off from TKPK and circle the airport to the north like in the Cub. Then instead of landing, perform a touch-and-go and turn left over the boat terminal and make for the west coast of Nevis. Enjoy the beauty of the south coast of St. Kitts before circling Nevis. Over Nevis, you have several options - cut your flight short and land at TKPN on the island of Nevis, complete the "figure eight" by heading back to TKPK, or check your fuel and head east across the Caribbean to Antigua (which does not have custom land cover).

Aircraft reviews

Wiki updates

New articles

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Community news

FlightGear on Facebook

Since early December, FlightGear has an official Facebook page. Four weeks after its creation, over 1000 people "liked it". Please join our page, if you have a Facebook account.

FlightGear on YouTube

New tutorials and screencasts

Forum news

Multiplayer

FlightGear Flying Club

The FlightGear Flying Club (FGFC) released a promo video; in the search for new members. Details are available at FlightGear Flying Club.

Useful links

And finally ...

Contributing

One of the regular thoughts expressed on the FlightGear forums is "I'd like to contribute but I don't know how to program, and I don't have the time". Unfortunately, there is a common mis-conception that contributing requires programming and lots of free time. In fact, there are a huge range of ways to contribute to the project without needing to write code or spending days working on something.

For ideas on starting to contribute to FlightGear, you may want to check out: Volunteer.

Reminder: Google's Summer of Code 2011

We would like to remind all readers that the FlightGear project is planning to participate in GSoC 2011. However, doing that really requires a fair amount of work, planning and organizing. This is not something that can be done by a single person. It really needs a coordinated team effort, or otherwise FlightGear won't be able to apply/participate at all.

So all users are invited to help us progress further with our preparations for GSoC 2011. If you have any questions or other feedback, please use the forum to get in touch.

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