We are pleased to inform everyone that the Orbx Palm Springs International Airport has just been released on Steam! Get your copy today!



Overview:



A classic Orbx destination developed by Jarrad Marshall, Palm Springs has been brought to life for IPACS Aerofly FS 2!

With one of the most dramatically scenic backdrops in the United States, Palm Springs is a resort city situated 100 miles east of Los Angeles in Southern California. Explore the resort cities of Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City, Indian Wells, Thousand Palms, Palm Desert and Desert Hot Springs, the high-altitude alpine wonderland of San Jacinto Peak, the windswept wastelands of the San Gorgonio Pass and the harsh beauty of the Coachella Valley desert. Famous during the 50's and 60's as the playground of Hollywood elite, Palm Springs is home to some of finest examples of mid-century Modernist architecture in the world; many examples of which can be found in this scenery. From the vast wind turbine farms, to the impressive 6000ft Aerial Tramway, from the modern skyscrapers of the Reservation Casinos to the retro chic of City Hall, there are literally dozens of interesting landmarks and features to explore. In preparation for the upcoming R22 helicopter, test your skills landing on the precarious helipads atop the Aerial Tramway, or keep your hand-flying skills up to date with low-level F-15 sorties along the western edges of Joshua Tree National Park.

As for airport itself; this field is genuinely suited for all types of flyers - from the heaviest jetliners, through corporate types and even low-and-slow GA flyers, Palm Springs is the perfect destination. Served by most US and Canadian mainline airlines to destinations across North America, the airport is famous for it's unique "outdoor terminal" - wander around the highly-detailed terminal grounds. If that is not enough, be sure to visit the Palm Springs Aviation Museum; many types operated by the US Navy are open for viewing. Optimized for performance, a huge coverage area, beautiful runway approaches for all types of aviators and extraordinary detail around the airport, Palm Springs is your perfect base of operations for Southern California. Far more than just an airport!

Key Features


Ultra-detailed rendition of KPSP Palm Springs International Airport
Enormous 1500sq km coverage
Beautiful hand-edited ground textures at 30cm/1m resolution
High-detail ground poly with bump/spec mapping
All new custom vegetation cultivation
Dozens of custom landmarks
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway helipads
Custom animated content
Orbx PeopleFlow technology
Designed to blend seamless with default Aerofly scenery
Amazing in-sim performance

Today we are going to talk about doors, windows, and canopies OH MY!

As many of you know, we have been busy updating our aircraft fleet with additional functionality, but did you know you can now open some doors, windows, and even a sun visor or two. So let's take a look at what we have done so far. In the below photos we are using our virtual hands but each function also works with your mouse as well!

In the Cessna you will find that the door and window opens:



In the Extra you will find that the canopy opens:



In the Pitts the canopy also opens up:



In the A320 the window opens by sliding it back:



The Q400 has a couple of things that we wanted to point out- the map door opens and our favorite thing so far, check out that HUD!





The B737 window opens up;



And last but not least, the Learjet sun visors now operate:



We hope that you enjoy all of these new features and be sure to look out for more coming your way in the future.

Until next time, Happy Flying!

In the A320, do you keep getting the message 'gear not uplocked' or 'gear not downlocked'?



Be sure to retract the landing gear before you reach 260kts, otherwise the hydraulics are cut off.

Greetings fellow flight simmers,

For those of you waiting for the ORBX TrueEarth Netherlands DLC to come to Steam the wait is over!

This new ORBX masterpiece scenery will be released on Steam shortly. Here is some information for those of you who haven't seen it before, as it's yet another wonderful scenery that truly captures the capabilities of the Aerofly FS 2 graphics engine.

Expect to find extremely dense building & vegetation cultivation, incredible crisp terrain textures, and effortlessly smooth performance. Flying over the Netherlands is a joy - TrueEarth Netherlands contains the entirety of the country complete with cities, towns, and countryside all where they should be. The Netherlands, often referred to as Holland, is a country located in Western Europe. The five largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht (forming the Randstad megalopolis) and Eindhoven (leading the Brabantse Stedenrij). The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe and the world's largest outside Asia. Netherlands literally means “lower countries” - the name came from the country's low land and flat geography, with only about 50% of its land exceeding 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) above sea level. Since the late 16th century, about 17% of the country's current landmass has been reclaimed from the sea! TrueEarth Netherlands is far more than a traditional photoreal product, it features comprehensive (and complete) building and vegetation placements, thousands of hand-placed landmarks and POI and integrated GIS components.

Welcome to our new Did You Know series, where you will get to know Aerofly FS 2 better and learn of things that you may not have noticed before.

Aerofly FS 2 has many features that we as developers may not have informed you of so we plan on taking the time to show off some of these features in a highlight released periodically. We hope that you get more out of your experience with this plan.

So, here is your first 'Did You Know':

Did you know that you can preview the flight plan now from within the cockpit of the Airbus A320?

When you rotate the knob for the navigation display mode to "PLAN" and then press the flight plan (F-PLN) page on the MCDU you can use the MCDU arrow keys to step through the remaining route. The MCDU shows you the planned altitudes as well as the calculated track for the legs and on the navigation display you chose to display the constraints now, too! That way you know which altitudes you need to dial in for the descent.

Prepare to feel the salty air on your face as you fly over some of the most beautiful scenery ever created in Aerofly FS 2. From the moment you take off from Miami International Airport on route to Key West you will be mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the Keys as you follow the Overseas Highway over 40+ islands and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. This scenery is a VFR pilots dream come true with detail lurking around every corner.

With this scenery we took special care to capture the true feel of this location, and anyone that has visited the Florida Keys will quickly feel that special feeling of being there once again.
Not only will you see eye popping visuals of high definition imagery spanning from the Dry Tortugas through Miami with 9 highly detailed airports, but this scenery will also come alive with the most cultivation ever seen in a single DLC scenery to date whether flying day or night! Be sure to take time to swim with the manatee at Fort Jefferson at the Dry Tortugas National Park on the island of Garden Key.

This scenery will also take advantage of the upcoming R22 helicopter with a free helipad update allowing you to cover every inch of the islands low and slow, then land at one of two helipad locations.

We hope that you enjoy our rendition of the Florida Keys and South Florida as much as we enjoyed making it for you!





This South Florida DLC includes:
* A large coverage area with over 400 miles of shoreline to explore
* Up to 50cm per pixel aerial images at selected places
* Miami City and Miami Beach fully rendered in high definition
* The most cultivation ever seen in a single scenery package, including
accurate night lighting
* 9 accurately modeled airports and 2 heliports (free update upon release of
our R22); Key West International, NAS Key West, Marathon International,
Tavernaero Air Park, Ocean Reef Club, Homestead ARB, Miami Executive,
Miami International, Miami Opa Locka, Dry Tortugas National Park Helipad,
and NAS Helipad.
* Many custom objects to capture the feel of the Florida Keys

I wanted to give everyone a taste of what we are working on; that is a taste of fresh salty air! Coming soon you will experience what it feels like flying over some of the most beautiful locations around. The South Florida DLC will include all of the Florida Keys as well as South Florida, including Miami with full cultivation coverage!
This scenery is has far too many special features to show them all in this sneak peek, but here is a tease of what's to come soon. Stay tuned for more.

Greetings fellow flight simmers,

with your help over the past week we have been able to address most issues found with the new beta Vulcan rendering system; enough to now move this update forward out of beta​.
Aside from the new beta Vulcan renderer, this update is pretty big in terms of aircraft functionality. For those of you who haven't opted into beta to see an early glimpse of what this update included, you are in for a treat.
Here is a complete list of fixes, changes, and overall improvements packed into this update. This list doesn't even show the amount of work that was involved by the entire team to get this out to you. We hope that you enjoy!

* Fixed C90 throttle control with VR Hands
* Fixed enabled VSYNC with Vulkan renderer
* Fixed SteamVR with Vulkan renderer
* Changed Lever behavior with multiple assignments
* Fixed Flight info bar and HUD in pause and replay mode
* Fixed C172 sound
* Fixed F18 flap setting on approach
* Added Cultivation files can reference XRef objects
* Added New ( but experimental ) Vulkan renderer
* Added New repaints for Learjet 45 and F4U Corsair
* Added Option to turn off lens flare
* Added Developer camera in public build ( Activate by pressing CONTROL+F8 )
* Changed Xref system now works world wide
* Added All aircraft (except MB339 and F15e) now have all switches, levers and buttons almost fully interactive including sounds, but many of them have no function yet. Emergency related items were left away.
* Added Most yokes can be hidden by clicking their base or center.
* Added Canopies, windows and doors can now be opened in some aircraft.
* Changed Hitboxes for switches are more precise and move with the switch which improves the precision for VR hands and for the mouse cursor.
* Fixed Several knobs turned in the wrong direction or were too sensitive when using VR hands, this was corrected.
* Added Advanced Autopilot disengages when controls are deflected.
* Added Advanced Autopilot now levels off at altitude constraints.
* Added Advanced Autopilot now features back course localizer capture and tracking.
* Added Advanced Autopilot predicts localizer overshoot and increases bank angle as needed.
* Added A320 twenty-two new MCDU pages with varying functionality. For example; the performance pages work almost completely and allow to set the v-speeds, acceleration and thrust reduction altitudes, climb/cruise/descent speeds, decision heights, etc., pages related to editing the flight plan are not functional yet, so no direct to or waypoint editing yet.
* Added A320 PFDs and NDs show red flags when ADIRS's (or parts of them) are selected to off, manual source reversion is also implemented, fly by wire is also affected.
* Added A320 fly-by-wire direct law and alternate law (finally fly a roll or looping with the A320), ADIRS and ELAC/FAC/SEC flight control computers can be switched off which can cause some flight control surfaces to become unavailable.
* Changed A320 fly-by-wire improved handling qualities with more accurate roll rate, correct long-term bank attitude hold even with asymmetric thrust, better compensation for speed and configuration changes and quicker turn correction for better flight path stability, smoother takeoff rotation.
* Changed A320 improved engine sound mapping with more effects like louder fan buzzing, burner sound and whining on approach (no new engine sound recordings).
* Added A320 wind sounds for spoilers, flaps and gear, more advanced landing gear extension/retraction sound, cabin chime and more.
* Added A320 windows can be opened, tables can be pulled out, standby compass can be dropped down, sun shades can be set down, doors can be opened (not all clickspots for the doors are in reach).
* Added A320 PFD shows status of fly-by-wire control law including advisories to use manual pitch trim.
* Added A320 ND shows speed and altitude constraints along the route and highlights currently tuned VORs or NDBs, route waypoints can be stepped through in PLAN mode, TCAS rose is displayed when on.
* Changed A320 less drag in clean configuration, more drag with flaps out for a more realistic deceleration on final.
* Added A320 autopilot vertical speed protection mode that obeys vertical speed target to keep airspeed within safe range.
* Added A320 autopilot climb mode protection which activates when flying into overspeed and causes the auto-thrust to revert to speed mode to prevent further acceleration.
* Changed A320 autopilot SRS mode only engages with flaps extended.
* Added A320 single engine operations with auto-thrust (set thrust lever to MCT detent).
* Added A320 flaps are not extending when too fast (cruise lock).
* Added A320 gear can't be operated above 260kts, ECAM warnings show up when attempted otherwise. May require to circle the gear lever to reset the faults.
* Added A320 brakes get hot after landing and can be cooled with the brake fans or by flying with gear extended.
* Added A320 several new ECAM warnings.
* Changed A320 more realistic approach category display.
* Changed A320 more realistic flight warning computer flight phase switching.
* Added A320 preliminary APU and ground power (when parking brake set).
* Added A320 PFD, ND and ECAM boot sequence.
* Added A320 pilot loud speaker knob changes volume of altitude callouts.
* Changed A320 ECAM wheel page was overhauled.
* Fixed A320 climb detent now snapping better when thrust levers are retarded.
* Fixed A320 initialization on runway less bouncy.
* Fixed A320 higher texture resolution of the overhead annunciator lights.
* Added LJ45 new repaints.
* Added LJ45 full electric system featuring a dark cockpit and incl. preliminary ground power which is available when parking brake set.
* Added LJ45 fuel system including gravity feeding from fuselage tank (currently already empty) - no weight loss or engine failure simulated yet.
* Fixed LJ45 wind sounds for spoilers, gear and windshield were missing a file and are audible now.
* Changed LJ45 3D model refined (e.g. cockpit coloring).
* Changed LJ45 flight model slightly (pitch down moment from engines reduced, pitch rate is dampened better, pitch trim values more realistic).
* Added LJ45 master warning, master caution and crew warning panel (CWP) which shows indicates emergency battery draining warning, reverser unsafe warning, entry door warning and others.
* Added LJ45 annunciator test.
* Added LJ45 door can be opened, sun shades, glarshield can be pulled out.
* Added LJ45 thrust lever detents and engine rating readout on EICAS.
* Changed LJ45 new reverser logic with appropriate status readouts on EICAS and warnings on CWP.
* Added LJ45 secondary pitch trim: set switch to "SEC" before using the pitch trim selector on the pedestal.
* Added LJ45 steering can be disabled by pressing the autopilot disengage button or key, can be enabled with the nose wheel steering button near the gear lever.
* Added Q400 head up guidance system (HGS).
* Fixed Q400 both condition levers can be moved together with VR hands or right mouse button held down.
* Added Q400 engine relight is available in the air when fuel cut off was selected accidentally and condition levers are moved back to the start/feather position or above.
* Added Q400 engine torque overtravel for up to 125% emergency power when levers are moved with VR hands or mouse (may happen on accident when throttle axis is slammed forward or when throttle was not at idle when aircraft is loaded).
* Changed Q400 propeller feathering is now slower which is more gentle to the passengers and removes transient over-torque.
* Added Q400 emergency/parking brake can be pulled to an intermediate setting.
* Fixed Q400 clean state bleeds are on and windshield is heated, engine de-rates are now correctly selected.
* Added Q400 started work on electric system (with only minimal effect on existing systems so far).
* Added B737 ADF tuning.
* Added B737 radar decision height can be set with "push to set" button on radar altimeters.
* Added B737 windows can be opened.
* Added B737 annunciator test, yoke memory unit, yoke checklists, altitude alert.
* Added B737 preliminary APU implementation and ground power (available when parking brake set).
* Added B737 manual electric bus transfer (no effect but looks and sound cool).
* Added B737 metal bar to set all landing lights on.
* Added B737 autopilot trim can be disabled.
* Fixed B737 autobrake warning now showing more accurately.
* Fixed B737 was rolling to the side at low speeds.
* Fixed B737 tiller was oriented the wrong way.
* Changed B737 flight model setup was improved, maximum thrust now more accurate, a lot more drag with flaps out and less drag in clean config, slower stall speed with flaps full.
* Added B747 radio navigation page with similar functions like the existing A320 radio navigation page.
* Added B747 annunciator test.
* Added B747 yoke checklists.
* Added B747 upper and lower rudder work independently.
* Added F18 E-bracket shown on HUD when gear extended.
* Added F18 HUD displays flight path ladder or pitch ladder depending on several different factors, the display will appear off-center during crosswind.
* Added F18 HUD reject mode to declutter the view.
* Added F18 HUD radar/baro switch including warning when radar is selected above 5000ft.
* Added F18 approach lights on nose gear strut (red/yellow/green depending on angle of attack).
* Added F18 throttle lever stop at full military thrust.
* Added F18 canopy can be opened.
* Added F18 wing fold can be stopped at intermediate position (HOLD).
* Fixed F18 slight issue with the autopilot modes not being displayed properly on the up front controller (UFC).
* Added Pitts engine can be turned off and back on.
* Added Pitts full electric system.
* Added Pitts canopy can be opened.
* Added B58 landing gear cannot be retracted with idle power, throttle has to be advanced in order to retract the landing gear - just like in real world aircraft (it's a feature not a bug!).
* Added B58 gear up warning annunciator when flaps full and gear up or when throttle at idle.
* Added B58 annunciator light test.
* Fixed B58 flap deflect 30 degrees.
* Fixed B58 landing gear sound no longer triggered when aircraft loaded.
* Fixed C90GTx landing gear sound no longer played when aircraft loaded.
* Fixed C90GTx now has only three flap positions: Up, Approach, Down.
* Added C90GTx annunciator test and landing/taxi switch warning when gear up and lights still on.
* Added C90GTx detents on power lever.
* Fixed C90GTx autopilot vertical speed target was going off the scale.
* Changed C90GTx reduced altitude callout volume.
* Added Extra route and waypoint overlay to moving map.
* Added Extra canopy can be opened.
* Added F4U new repaints.
* Added F4U tail wheel lock.
* Added F4U canopy can be opened.
* Changed F4U removed gun sight.
* Added F15e throttle lever military thrust stop.
* Fixed F15e autopilot toggles between steering modes.
* Fixed F15e parking brake on appropriate switch (on the right side).
* Added P38 parking brake.
* Fixed P38 flight physics changed to allow for a main wheel landing (already published in a recent update, not yet mentioned previously).
* Changed P38 removed gun sight.
* Added C172 doors and windows can be opened and cause drag in flight.
* Fixed C172 flap lever hitbox is larger and now easier in VR.
* Fixed C172 GPS approach no longer shown as armed.
* Added MB339 independent frequencies front and rear.
* Added MB339 control shift added to determine if pilot or copilot is master over the navigation receivers.
* Added MB339 HSI source can be changed to show deviation from route, autopilot uses the current deflection and follows it (route can be flown by autopilot).
* Added ASG29 more information on the digital display: ground speed, ground track and air temperature.
* Added ASG29 sliding window and canopy can be opened (may cause drag in flight, so leave it closed...).

On behalf of the entire IPACS team, thank you for your continued support. We aren't finished just yet!!

You have provided us with your bug reports from the latest released update and we listened. A new update (version 2.01.05.15) has been posted to our beta channel today.

This update fixed some of the commonly mentioned bugs reported by the community. This update addressed the following issues:

* Fixed enabled VSYNC with Vulkan renderer
* Fixed SteamVR with Vulkan renderer
* Changed Lever behavior with multiple assignments
* Fixed Flight info bar and HUD in pause and replay mode
* Fixed C172 sound
* Fixed F18 flap setting on approach
* Added Cultivation files can reference XRef objects

As always, please let us know of any bugs that you may find related to these fixes, and thank you all for being loyal supporters of Aerofly FS 2 Flight Simulator.

Greetings Flight Sim Enthusiasts,

after a lot of hard work our next big update is preparing to land, gears down and cleared to land!

This update will not only include a completely rebuilt graphics engine that will provide you with better performance with the standard OpenGL rendering engine but we now introduce the all new 'beta' Vulkan rendering engine that can yield even more performance. We have also included a new 'High AA' setting that can be enabled only with the Vulkan renderer at this time. This new graphical setting can provide you with an even crisper image than before. Please remember that the Vulkan renderer is beta and will be improved as we move forward.

This new update not only improved what's under the hood but we have also made a lot of improvements to the Aerofly FS 2 aircraft fleet. We have also listened to community requests and have made some changes to reflect those requests as well. For a complete changelog visit our WIKI: https://www.aerofly.com/dokuwiki/doku.php/manual:aerofly_version_changelog

Here is just a small highlight of what's packed into this update!

* We added an option to turn off lens flare
* Added developer camera support
* Added the ability to hide most yokes by clicking on or touching the base
* Improved precision when using VR Hands and mouse cursor
* In the A320 we added twenty-two new MCDU pages with variing functionality
* Windows and doors can be opened and closed in some aircraft. You have to try the Cessna; don't forget to unlatch the lock!
* Added many new autopilot features
* Added some new aircraft liveries
* Added a new Q400 head up guidance system (HGS) that can drop down by turning the hinge
* Added a lot of new overall functionality in most aircraft; too much to list here!

We will continue to work hard adding more features and functionality in future updates. As always, we thank you for your overwhelming support while we all work towards the best flight experience around!


We are confident that this update will improve the overall Aerofly FS2 experience and begin building upon a whole new level of quality and control.

This update will be released on Steam in the public beta channel first so be sure to opt into beta in Steam to receive this update. The update will be open in Steam shortly.