One of the major benefits of P3Dv5 was the integration of Enhanced Atmospherics (EA) and TrueSky. From the very early days of my experiences with P3Dv5, I had issues (both performance and visual quality) with EA enabled. Of course, in the early stages EA was very much beta. But with each P3D update, I optimistically tried EA only to find myself disappointed in the outcome.
Today I’m running the very latest version of Prepar3D v5.1 (with hotfix 1) and while I’m glad to say that performance is no longer an issue with EA, the over visual quality is still absolutely terrible. I’ve read as much as I possible can, watched countless videos and the look with EA enabled is an over exposed, blurry sky with no defined cloud textures.
While I’m running a few extra texture add-ons such as TOGA Projects EnvTex and EnvShade along with ASCA, Reshade, and the Lucas Cavatoni preset, these don’t have any impact (good or bad) to the overall experience with EA enabled in P3D.
I’ve even followed a few steps to ensure my monitor is correctly color balanced (it was already), but double-checked. I’ve also read (can’t remember where) that EA just will not work with a non-4K monitor. However, I believe I’ve debunked this theory when speaking with a few others who have the exact same experience I’m having on 4K setups.
The bottom line (at least for me) is an assumption that Enhanced Atmospherics still just isn’t ready for prime time. Hopefully Lockheed Martin will continue to work through these issues. But for now, I’m enjoying a very stable, well performing P3Dv5.1 HF1 without Enhanced Atmospherics.
If you’ve been perusing some of the social networks and perhaps listening to some of the more popular Twitch and YouTube streamers, you may have heard that the ever popular VATSIM Cross The Pond events might be in jeopardy. If you are new to the hobby of flight simulation and especially VATSIM, the Cross The Pond (CTP) events are held twice a year with the west bound event taking place in the spring (Europe to North America) and the east bound event (North America to Europe) in the fall. This past Saturday, the eastbound event took place.
I’m honestly not sure just how many years the CTP event has been taking place. I’ve participated in a few over the years and made the early decision to sit this previous one out for a few different reasons. First, I just don’t have the time to dedicate to a full international flight of 8+ hours at this time of my life. Second, I also felt I was a bit rusty on my oceanic procedures and didn’t have the time to do anything about it. Third, with the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 our hobby has exploded with a ton of new simmers and I figured things might be a bit chaotic as a result.
The 2020 Effect
Much like everything else which has occurred in 2020, the earlier westbound event this last spring caused VATSIM to take a few additional measures to ensure the eastbound event ran much smoother. From what I’ve heard, the earlier westbound event was so chaotic with pilots and ATC screaming at each other and ATC just logging off that it became extremely difficult for VATSIM to find enough willing controllers to staff the fall event. This is sad because these events are supposed to be fun for all who participate. For pilots to truly get the “As Real As It Gets” experience, we need controllers who are willing to invest their time in controlling and staffing a full top-down ATC experience.
One of the changes VATSIM made for the fall event was in how pilots requested and were awarded a slot. It was done on the lottery system. VATSIM capped the number of pilot slots and for the very first time requested pilots who did not receive a slot to NOT fly oceanic during the event.
Entitlement, Entitlement, Entitlement
Just like the run on toilet paper the world experienced in the early days of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, entitlement reared its ugly head in the VATSIM world. Pilots who didn’t receive a CTP slot still made the decision to fly across the pond (some even flying the opposite direction) just because they could. Some of these pilots endured lengthy holds both on the ground and immediately after departure and restricted to flying below FL290. I’m hopeful these restrictions helped to minimize the impact to those who had valid slots.
The Future
I’m optimistically hopeful these CTP events can continue in 2021 and beyond. Many in our community are throwing out their own ideas on how things could get better. A suggestion of holding CTP more frequently seems to be one popular opinion. With the amount of events VATSIM is currently holding on an annual basis, I don’t see how they have the bandwidth to add more CTP events to the schedule. The only way this might work would be to restrict VATSIM members from being awarded slots in more than one pair of crossings per year. This still would not prevent those who don’t have slots from flying oceanic anyway.
All this really hinges on each individual VATSIM member doing their part to ensure they follow the guidelines. If VATSIM says don’t fly oceanic without a valid slot, then stay the hell away. But in the world we live in today, this is most likely just a pipe dream.
One More Thing
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. VATSIM is a wonderful multi-player environment which brings together the functions of both Air Traffic Control and Pilots. There is no AI Traffic (default or payware) that even comes close to giving a pilot the same level of experience. In my 20 year experience with VATSIM and SATCO before that, both networks have always been friendly and welcoming to new members. However, there is (and always has been) a slightly steep learning curve to mastering the basics.
I often throw out the comparison with TruckersMP which is a multiplayer server environment for both Euro Truck Simulator 2 (ETS2) and American Truck Simulator (ATS). While TruckersMP has a fairly loose set of rules which must be followed, someone relatively new to ETS2 or ATS could login to TruckersMP and be driving on the network in a very short period of time. This just isn’t the case with VATSIM, IVAO or PilotsEdge.
If you are reading this and you are either brand new or unfamiliar with VATSIM, have a read through a post I wrote back in April of 2019 titled, “The Basics of VATSIM”.
Thanks for reading and I hope everyone in the US has a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.
It’s been a little while since I’ve posted to this blog. My life has been rather busy and hectic the past few weeks. As some of the DIY projects were wrapping up a few other household problems began to surface. The largest was a plumbing issue with a portion of my sewer mainline. This resulted in having a portion of my basement floor jackhammered up and about 15 feet of pipe replaced. As a result of all this activity, I haven’t really had much time to spend gaming. In addition, I also have spent time in my garage woodshop turning pens and other small wood items. If you are interested in taking a look, here’s a link to my Etsy store. With colder weather moving in, the amount of time I have to work in the woodshop has been reduced considerably. But I digress….
The last time I wrote about P3Dv5 I had mentioned that I managed to finally get it dialed in and running smooth. As many will know, this is not always an easy feat. Nothing in flight sim is plug and play. Especially if you choose to run various add-ons which all need to be carefully and painstakingly configured. Everything we install into the sim fights for resources and in some instances one must choose to sacrifice some settings and FPS in order to achieve what we want to experience visually.
P3Dv5.1
The Prepar3D v5.1 update was released by Lockheed Martin a few weeks ago. I initially held off on updating as I almost always do. But around that same time I had been experiencing a few little glitches which I had hoped the update might resolve. As is the case many times, little things will often become bigger things which I would find out soon after updating.
Two Steps Forward, Three Backwards
The little glitches I just mentioned became slightly larger ones after updating to 5.1. My frustration level was high and I was truly beginning to second guess my decision of moving away from P3Dv4.5. I went to bed one night with the plan of uninstalling P3Dv5.1 and going back to P3Dv4.5. But with a BIG cup of coffee and a bit of hope, I decided to try to resolve the issues one last time.
Success At Last
After a few hours of going through some of the basic P3D troubleshooting steps which in this case led to a complete uninstall of my GPU drivers via DDU, updating to the latest Nvidia drivers and clearing shader cache in P3Dv5.1 all was once again stable. I ran in this configuration for a few days just to make sure all was truly fixed.
Enhanced Atmospherics
One of the big changes with the P3Dv5.1 update was Enhanced Atmospherics (EA) going from beta to full production. Honestly, on my system with EA enabled the view out of the cockpit windows appears as if I have a really bad case of cataracts. I didn’t like EA before v5.1 and still didn’t like it after the update. Apparently I’m not the only one. So Lockheed Martin has much more work to do on this.
Lack of Eye Candy
In my P3Dv5.1 setup, I was missing the level of eye candy which I had in v4.5. The sky and cloud textures were boring and just too plain for my liking. Of course I knew this would be the case as it takes time for developers of 3rd party add-ons to make the move from one version to the next. When I heard the TOGA Projects Envtex and Envshade along with ASCA were all compatible with P3Dv5.1 I decided to invest the time to install and configure them. I had used this combination with much success in my P3Dv4.5 setup and had hopes it would work equally as well in v5.1. I did make one small change with the addition of using the popular Reshade add-on to further enhance the visuals.
Nearing Success
As you can see from the images below, the sky/cloud textures with using Envtex, Envshade, ASCA and Reshade look a lot more natural and vibrant. The images below were taken during a early morning departure out of KRDU (Raleigh-Durham) in the PMDG Boeing 738.
I still have a bit of tweaking to do, but all-in-all I believe it’s looking much better. I’ll try to get all my settings documented and available for Envtex, Envshade, ASCA etc. etc. in the very near future.
The product I’m reviewing today was provided to me at no cost in exchange for writing this review. As with all my reviews, it is my intent to provide to you, the reader, a full and un-biased review of this product.
About The Real Wycombe Air Park
Wycombe Air Park (EGTB), also known as Booker Airfield is a general aviation airport located in Booker, Buckinghamshire, 2.4 nm southwest of High Wycombe, England. The airfield celebrated its 55th year of operation on 25 April 2020. Originally opening in ‘41 as RAF Booker it was primarily involved in training during World War II and remained an active military establishment until ‘65. Today the airfield operates three runways consisting of one single asphalt runway measuring 2,411 ft (735m) (06/24) and two shorter grass strips (06G/24G & 35).
Much like my real life experience with London City Airport (EGLC), I have also visited Wycombe Air Park on a few occasions back in the 2001-02 timeframe. My wife lived just a little over one mile east of Wycombe Air Park. From her third floor flat we could watch the GA aircraft fly over her flat as they approached the airport. A few times my wife became just a little anxious while watching as she would hear the pilot practicing an engine out scenario as the aircraft was headed directly for her flat.
Why Consider Add-on Airports
Microsoft Flight Simulator utilizes satellite imagery from Bing maps to create much of the airport scenery and surrounding area we see in the simulator, it’s far from perfect and generally leaves default airports lacking the same level of detail one would might see if visiting in real life. While default type airports have been significantly improved in MSFS (compared with FSX or P3D), there’s still many reasons to consider purchasing/installing payware add-on scenery.
Default MSFS (left column) and Pilot Plus Wycombe Air Park (right column). For these images, I’ve set the weather conditions for clear skies and the time is mid-afternoon. Click thumbnail to view full-size image. As you can tell between the before and after images, the Pilot Plus Wycombe Air Park scenery adds extra details which are missing in the default scenery.
Additional Pilot Plus Wycombe Air Park Views.
I’ve enjoyed watching the glider and GA aircraft from those picnic tables in real life back in the 2001-02 timeframe.
Yes, there’s an actual hangar which you can taxi through and park your aircraft.
Pilot Plus Wycombe Air Park (EGTB) Review
As with my previously posted reviews, I always spend a bit of time enjoying, or in this case trying to enjoy the default airport. I say trying simply because while it’s been 18+ years since I’ve visited this airport in real life, I still had memories of spending a nice Sunday fall afternoon here with my fiancé (now wife) and the default just didn’t provide me the level of immersion I needed to take myself back to that time before. However, the wonderful job the Pilot Plus team did in recreating this beautiful air park allows me to go back in time to those visits.
From a overall system performance perspective, this add-on caused me no issues. No major reduction in FPS and no lag. With the scenery installed, I spent time flying during different times of the day and different weather conditions. My FPS remained in the 60-70+ range. As a point of reference, my hardware specs are as follows: Intel 8700K, GTX1080Ti, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB M.2 SSD and I’m running on Ultra Graphics Settings in MSFS.
I’m very pleased with this add-on scenery and while I don’t typically spend a lot of time flying in the UK…I know this will become my favorite place to spend time flying VFR on this side of the pond.
Pilot Plus is a technology company that builds virtual worlds with a mission to propel accurate digital experiences, creating breathtaking environments for hobbyists and leading software for businesses. Please also visit their Facebook page to learn more about their products and join their community.
About GrizzlyBearSims
Jerry (aka GrizzlyBearSims) is an independent blogger and avid flight simulation enthusiast covering the flight simulation hobby for over 10 years. He began flying computer based flight simulators in the early 80’s on the Commodore 64 and today enjoys both Prepar3D and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
I would like to thank Pilot Plus for the opportunity to review Wycombe Air Park and provide this review to the readers of my GrizzlyBearSims.com blog site. If you have questions regarding this scenery, please visit the GrizzlyBearSims Discord server and let’s discuss.
Thank you for taking the time to read this sponsored review.
Hello and thank you for stopping by. For several years I have wanted to produce more cinematic flight sim productions. However, the amount of time required hasn’t always been something I’ve had a lot of. But times are different now. Of course I love flying and this video was a lot of fun to put together. There will be more soon….
Welcome Aboard to American Airlines flight 777 with non-stop service between Phoenix Sky Harbor International
Airport and Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. Your captain for this flight is JT. Please sit back,
relax and enjoy the flight.
Addons used:
Aircraft:
PMDG Boeing 737-800 (NGXu)
American Airlines Livery
Simulator:
Lockheed Martin Prepar3D v5
Scenery:
(1) ORBX FTX GLOBAL
(2) ORBX OpenLC North America
(3) Flightbeam Studios KPHX
(4) FlyTampa KLAS
(5) FSDreamTeam GSX Lvl 2
Camera Effect:
Chaseplane
Weather:
ActiveSky
I hope you enjoy watching my videos. If you do, please hit that “Like” button! Also, if you are new to the channel, please SUBSCRIBE. It really does help!
Please visit my blog site https://grizzlybearsims.com You’ll find my complete mod list and various articles and reviews on many of the simulation based games I enjoy playing.
Thank you for watching!
J
MUSIC CREDITS
________________
Inflight Music
Dreaming in 432Hz by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Music Library)
The product I’m reviewing today was provided to me at no cost in exchange for writing this review. As with all my reviews, it is my intent to provide to you, the reader, a full and un-biased review of this product.
About The Real Innsbruck Airport
Innsbruck Airport (LOWI), is the largest international airport in Tyrol in western Austria. The airport officially opened in 1925 and handles regional flights around the Alps and seasonal international traffic to many European destinations. Winter is the peak season due to holiday ski travel to the region. The airport features a single runway measuring 6,562 ft (2,000 m) (08/26) and can handle aircraft up to the size of the Boeing 767. Innsbruck Airport is known for having a difficult approach due to surrounding terrain.
Why Consider Add-on Airports
Microsoft Flight Simulator utilizes satellite imagery from Bing maps to create much of the airport scenery and surrounding area we see in the simulator, it’s far from perfect and generally leaves default airports lacking the same level of detail one would might see if visiting in real life. While Innsbruck Airport is one of Microsoft’s custom, hand-crafted airports available in all versions of MSFS, there are significant improvements which have been made to the Orbx add-on that may be of benefit to some users.
Before & After Images
Default MSFS (left column) Orbx Innsbruck Airport (right column). I’ve set the weather conditions for clear skies and the time is mid-afternoon. Click thumbnail to view full-size image. As you can tell between the before and after images, the Orbx Innsbruck Airport scenery adds extra details which are missing in the handcrafted default scenery.
Additional Orbx LOWI Innsbruck Views
Orbx Innsbruck Airport (LOWI) Review
I’ll be brutally honest and say that when I first heard Microsoft was going to include several custom, hand-crafted airports in MSFS I certainly had hoped they would be up to the same standards we’ve come to expect from many of our add-on airport developers. After all, Microsoft certainly has a much larger development budget and resources to truly make each of these custom airports shine. Upon getting MSFS installed back in August, Innsbruck was one of the first airports I loaded up in the sim and had a look around. I did somewhat cheat a bit and fired up P3Dv5 to take a quick look around just to refresh my memory and soon realized there was a difference between what I could see in P3Dv5 compared to MSFS. Thankfully, with the Orbx Innsbruck scenery installed in MSFS all is once again right in the sim world.
Much like I did with my first look of London City Airport review, I spent about an hour flying around and exploring the custom, hand-crafted Innsbruck Airport which comes standard in all versions of MSFS. Compared to the standard default airport, the Microsoft custom, hand-crafted version is nice. During my time exploring, I flew the default Cessna 172. My FPS ranged from the mid 70’s to low 80’s in various areas of the airport scenery.
With the Orbx Innsbruck Airport (LOWI) scenery installed and using the same default Cessna 172, my FPS under clear skies (around mid-day) held an average FPS in the low to mid 70’s. Introducing clouds and evening skies did drop the FPS down into the low to mid 60 FPS range. I did some circuit work around the airport and even flew down the valley about 15nm from the airport and then back with no stutters or freezes on approach. As a point of reference, my hardware specs are as follows: Intel 8700K, GTX1080Ti, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB M.2 SSD and I’m running on Ultra Graphics Settings in MSFS.
Note: As you can see from a few of the above screenshots, my FPS did drop down into the low 50’s. This only occurred under cloudy, evening conditions. Knowing that MSFS still isn’t fully optimized and for the most part I’ve never experienced FPS in FSX/P3D above 35 in these same conditions, I’m personally not troubled by this. While the jury is still out on what may or may not happen when we start adding more complex aircraft into MSFS, the sim remain stable with no lag. Remember, FPS is just a number. You always want to tune your sim for a smooth and eye pleasing experience. I believe this is exactly what I’ve done.
In comparing the Orbx Innsbruck Airport runway 26 with that of Google Earth, I believe Orbx did a fantastic job in recreating the runway as you can see in the below images. Images from left to right: Google Earth, MSFS custom and Orbx. Orbx even provided a much closer looking mowed grass texture. Remember, it’s sometimes the little things like this that truly helps to add to the level of realism we experience when flying.
Another area I’d like to point out which Orbx included in detail is the general aviation area. Once again, from left to right: Google Earth, MSFS custom and Orbx.
How To Purchase
The Orbx LOWI Innsbruck Airport add-on can be purchased one of two ways. Users may purchase directly from the MSFS Marketplace (see image below) or from Orbx direct. If purchased from Orbx, you’ll need to install via the Orbx Central application. The cost of the add-on is $26.99 AUD.
MSFS Marketplace
Orbx Central
I install in the Main Library
Install Complete
Once installed, just launch MSFS and select LOWI as your departure airport and enjoy!
About Orbx
Orbx has been the leading developer of scenery for flight simulation since 2006 and have published over 800 high-quality add-on products for Flight Simulator X (FSX), Lockheed Martin Prepar3D, Aerofly FS2, X-Plane 11 and now Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.
About GrizzlyBearSims
Jerry (aka GrizzlyBearSims) is an independent blogger and avid flight simulation enthusiast covering the flight simulation hobby for over 10 years. He began flying computer based flight simulators in the early 80’s on the Commodore 64 and today enjoys both Prepar3D and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
I would like to thank Orbx for the opportunity to review LOWI Innsbruck Airport and provide this review to the readers of my GrizzlyBearSims.com blog site. If you have questions regarding this scenery, please visit the GrizzlyBearSims Discord server and let’s discuss.
Thank you for taking the time to read this sponsored review.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
Parting Shot
With the sun going down on my Innsbruck adventure, it’s time to shut down and head over and grab me one of those picnic tables and enjoy a cold brew. Thanks again for reading.
I recently received an email from one of my long-time blog readers asking my opinion regarding the recent announcement from REX on their upcoming release of Weather Force 2020 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. With his permission, I’m going to post a portion of his email and then provide my opinions.
Hello Jerry,
I hope you and your family are well. I’ve really enjoyed reading all your blog posts regarding the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. Like you, I’ve been excited about this new sim ever since I first learned about it. But I’m slightly confused about a recent posting over on FSElite regarding a new add-on being developed by REX. REX appears to be developing a weather add-on for MSFS, yet I thought (I think we all thought) MSFS had real world weather baked into the sim and weather add-ons from REX or Hi-Fi Simulations (ActiveSky) would no longer be needed. I’m curious what your opinions are on this subject?
Thanks again for all your efforts.
Confused in Cleveland, Bill
Bill brings up a very valid point and one that I’ve taken some time to ponder. He’s right! From the very early news regarding the new Microsoft Flight Simulator we’ve been led to believe that the sim would include real-time weather injection that would be far superior to anything we’ve had as default in the past and there would be no need for a 3rd party add-on to provide this function. Microsoft actually released a video in October of last year where they specifically discussed the new weather system within Microsoft Flight Simulator.
It is worth noting, at the present time…Microsoft is well aware and working to resolve the real-time weather functions within MSFS. We expect to see a fix in the upcoming “Patch 2” release from Microsoft in the next few days that hopefully will address the weather (or lack thereof) issues within the new sim. I personally remain extremely confident that in time (and that’s the operative word or phrase we must all understand) Microsoft will address all these issues/bugs and MSFS 2020 will be an amazing sim.
The news article which Bill references from the FSElite site can be read here. It’s also worth noting some fine print which REX discusses on their website“Even though the REX weather engine is pushing the proper temperatures and winds aloft data through to the simulator, due to core issues of Microsoft Flight Simulator, temperatures and winds aloft are not properly rendered yet. Microsoft & Asobo are aware of this issue. (September 13, 2020)”
My personal opinion and certainly my initial plan is to take a “wait and see” attitude regarding all things weather in the new sim. While it’s been an almost necessity to use an add-on weather engine in FSX/P3D, the jury is still out on whether this will remain true in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. At the present time, I’m not even sure the default aircraft flight models are stable enough for real-world, real-time weather. This is also currently being worked on and improvements to both aircraft aerodynamics, avionics and systems are part of this update #2 patch.
Interestingly enough, later today Hi-Fi Simulations commented on the future of their Active Sky product as it directly relates to Microsoft Flight Simulator. This announcement was posted to FSElite and can be read here. One of the key takeaways from that article reads, “Sadly, Damian did say that right now they are not aware of any way to bring weather interpretation into the simulator or what the possibilities will be.” I find this statement rather interesting considering the REX product announcement discussed earlier. I’ve tried both REX and Active Sky over the years and always found that Active Sky does a much better job with accurate weather interruption and injection.
Having said all this, does this still mean there will never be an opportunity for a 3rd party weather add-on in Microsoft Flight Simulator? Where I personally believe some type of weather add-on might be beneficial is for those who enjoy flying with historical weather. But I plan to allow Microsoft time to address the current issues with real-time weather functionality and go from there.
I appreciate Bill taking the time to email me his question and would like to invite anyone else the opportunity to do the same. You can contact me via email or by Discord private message.
Thanks to all for taking the time to read my blog articles. I hope you find them educational and entertaining. Stay tuned for more…
The product I’m reviewing today was provided to me at no cost in exchange for writing this review. As with all my reviews, it is my intent to provide to you, the reader, a full and un-biased review of this product.
About The Real London City Airport
London City Airport (EGLC) is a small international airport located in the Docklands of East London, England near London’s Financial District. The airport features a single 4,948 ft (1,508 m) runway (09/27) which allows for only multi-engine, fixed-wing aircraft capable of flying a 5.5 degree approach. The largest aircraft allowed to conduct operations at London City Airport is the Airbus A318. London City Airport is the 5th busiest airport serving the London area and in 2019 handled over 5 million passengers.
Over the past 18 years, I’ve had the opportunity to fly into and out of London City Airport numerous times on flights from London to Antwerp, Belgium.
Why Consider Add-on Airports
Microsoft Flight Simulator utilizes satellite imagery from Bing maps to create much of the airport scenery and surrounding area we see in the simulator, it’s far from perfect and generally leaves default airports lacking the same level of detail one would might see if visiting in real life. While default type airports have been significantly improved in MSFS (compared with FSX or P3D), there’s still many reasons to consider purchasing/installing payware add-on scenery.
The Orbx EGLC London City Airport add-on includes a full PBR representation of London City Airport and the surrounding area with full HD textures throughout. Includes the Excel building and the Tate & Lyle Sugar factory along with other nearby landmarks.
Before & After Images
Default MSFS (left column) Orbx London City (right column). I’ve set the weather conditions for clear skies and the time is mid-afternoon. Click thumbnail to view full-size image. As you can tell between the before and after images, the Orbx London City Airport scenery adds extra details which are missing in the default scenery.
Additional Orbx EGLC London City Airport Views.
Orbx London City Airport (EGLC) Review
Before writing this review, I’ve spent a few hours flying into and out of the London City Airport in both the default configuration and also with the Orbx London City Airport installed. During the default experience (flying in the default Cessna 172) my FPS ranged in the 60 to 70+ range. Note: during my default testing I also did not have the London City Pack by Orbx installed as I wanted a true default experience. I’ll review the Orbx London City Pack soon.
With Orbx London City Airport installed, and real time weather I witnessed no impact to my FPS as observed with FPS counter in upper left corner. I was still maintaining an FPS ranging from 60 to 70+ during circuit flying in and around the airport with no lag. My hardware specs are as follows: Intel 8700K, GTX1080Ti, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB M.2 SSD and I’m running on Ultra Graphics Settings in MSFS.
I compared the Orbx London City Airport details with that from Google Earth and noticed no irregularities with the airport including runway and taxiways. I enjoyed the added level of immersion the Orbx scenery has added to London City Airport and surrounding area. As this is an airport I enjoy simulating flights to/from I regard this scenery as a must have for my collection.
How To Purchase
The Orbx EGLC London City Airport add-on can be purchased one of two ways. Users may purchase directly from the MSFS Marketplace (see image below) or from Orbx direct. If purchased from Orbx, you’ll need to install via the Orbx Central application. The cost of the add-on is $20.99 AUD.
MSFS Marketplace
Orbx Central
I install in the Main Library
Install Complete
Once installed, just launch MSFS and select EGLC as your departure airport and enjoy!
About Orbx
Orbx has been the leading developer of scenery for flight simulation since 2006 and have published over 800 high-quality add-on products for Flight Simulator X (FSX), Lockheed Martin Prepar3D, Aerofly FS2, X-Plane 11 and now Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.
About GrizzlyBearSims
Jerry (aka GrizzlyBearSims) is an independent blogger and avid flight simulation enthusiast covering the flight simulation hobby for over 10 years. He began flying computer based flight simulators in the early 80’s on the Commodore 64 and today enjoys both Prepar3D and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
I would like to thank Orbx for the opportunity to review EGLC London City Airport and provide this review to the readers of my GrizzlyBearSims.com blog site. If you have questions regarding this scenery, please visit the GrizzlyBearSims Discord server and let’s discuss.
Thank you for taking the time to read this sponsored review.
Last week I wrote an article titled “The Wonderful World of Virtual Airlines”. I discussed the finer points of why one might want to join a VA and provided a short list of examples of those VA’s which I’ve had direct experience with. As I mentioned in that article, virtual airlines are not for everyone. For all the reasons why one might want to join one, there could certainly be an argument made towards all the reasons why one shouldn’t follow that path. It really boils down to the individual and what he/she wants to get out of the flight simulation hobby. There really is no right or wrong answer.
With a few rare exceptions, I’ve typically been a one VA at a time type of person. The free time I often have to enjoy my simulation hobby is sometimes limited. One of the points I tried to hammer home in that previous article was most (if not all) VA’s will require a minimum level of participation to remain active within the organization. While this is typically only 1-2 PIREPS per month, there have been times where I’ve completely burned out due to too much going on in my life and just need to take an extended break. Other times I’ve lost interest in flying online and if you fly for an online only type VA, then this can be an issue. But I digress…
With the gaining popularity of flight sim after the release of the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, and my own enjoyment with the new sim, I’ve wanted to do more with my new investment. As I’ve pointed out in previous articles, for me…MSFS2020 will be used (for now) as mostly VFR GA flights. I just don’t feel the default aircraft are VATSIM ready and I do enjoy flying jets on the VATSIM network. So until such time as study level aircraft are available for MSFS2020, I’m going to stick with GA in that sim.
A few days ago I saw a Facebook posting in the VATSIM group regarding UK Virtual being compatible with MSFS2020. I had heard great things about UK Virtual over the years and decided to check out their website. I really liked what I saw with regards to the number of airlines they feature (over 120) and the airlines schedules (over 35,000). But what really caught my eye was their GA (general aviation) tours. The wheels in my brain began to turn and within a few minutes I had filled out my application and was anxiously awaiting the approval confirmation.
UK Virtual, but not virtually all UK
The name might imply that this is mostly a UK based virtual airline. Not true! While the vast majority of members might be from the UK, UK Virtual has members from all over the world. The 100+ airlines they feature are also from all over the world. All the major US airlines including the major freight carriers are represented. So the possibilities are truly endless.
Touring with MSFS2020
Those wheels in my head I mentioned a few minutes ago now have me flying the default Cessna 172 in the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 as I’m flying along the old Route 66 from Chicago all the way to Santa Monica, CA. This tour (the first one I’ve attempted with UK Virtual) is divided into two parts. Part one consists of 15 flight legs with the first leg departing Chicago O’Hare (KORD) and ending at Tucumcari, New Mexico (KTCC).
Departing Joliet Regional (KJOT) on leg 2 (part 1) of the Route 66 Tour.
The tour ends on 30 September, but as I’m half way through part 1, I shouldn’t have an issue making it all the way to Santa Monica.
Somewhere over southern Illinois on my way towards St. Louis.
Flying VFR and following the old Route 66 towards St. Louis.
The mighty Mississippi River as we near St. Louis.
Part two of the tour will depart Tucumcari, New Mexico and end in Santa Monica, California. I’m sure I’ll provide an update as part two as I begin in a week or so.
Over all I’ve been very pleased with the way this tour was setup. There’s a mixture of large airports and smaller municipals mixed in for variety. When flying VFR with GA aircraft I do prefer the smaller municipal/regional airports to the larger airports as it cuts down on taxi time. But all-in-all I’m having a fun time with this tour and with UK Virtual.
Of course UK Virtual offers plenty of tour options for jet aircraft which I’m sure I’ll explore in time. I’ll also provide a similar update in a few weeks as I explore the many airline schedule offerings so stay tuned.
As I’ve been writing about the flight simulation hobby for just over 10 years, I’ve covered the topic of virtual airlines a few times. However, with the release of the brand new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 the doors of our hobby have been swung wide open and we’re seeing hundreds, thousands and even perhaps tens of thousands of brand new flight simmers arriving into our hobby. As a matter of fact, Microsoft recently released some statistics regarding just how many individual users have been flying MSFS2020. Care to wager a guess as to how many have spent some time with the new flight sim? As of 3 September, over 1 million unique users have used the new sim and recorded over 1 billion flight miles. WOW. You can read more about these statistics here.
Of course, within these numbers are individual YouTube content creators and Twitch Live streamers who were given a copy of MSFS2020 (some even a full setup with yoke, rudder pedals etc.) who spent a bit of time and will never, ever return. But I digress…
What is a Virtual Airline and Do I need to join one?
Virtual Airlines or VA’s for short, are essentially online clubs or groups which are formed to represent one or more real world airlines. In some cases a VA might represent a completely fictional airline, but most will emulate a real world airline in some form. The majority of VA’s I’ve been associated with will also operate under a ranking system whereby you’ll work your way up from smaller aircraft as you accumulate flight hours. However, this may not always be the case. Finally, each VA should have an established set of rules which will need to be followed to remain in active status. I’ll discuss this a bit later.
have been around for over two decades and perhaps even longer. I’ve told the story about my friend and I who both had Commodore 64 computers in the mid 80’s. We both owned Flight Simulator for the C64 and we both tracked our flights, shared our numbers with each other. On at least a few occasions, we came together in the same location with each of our C64’s and flew from point A to point B. One could argue this was a virtual airline, but thankfully the world of VA’s have vastly improved since the days of a Big Chief tablet and a number 2 pencil. Of course, a VA is much more than just tracking flights and accumulating hours.
Virtual airlines began to appear in the mid to late 90’s, however I’ve heard of VA’s existing on AOL, CompuServe and other online BBS systems even before the internet became what it is today. The first internet VA I joined was in the 1998 timeframe. At this time the websites were often crudely designed and there was very little in the form of automation. PIREPS (Pilot Reports) were often just a web form which needed to be reviewed by the hub manager and then he/she would update the roster. It was all a manual process. Today’s more modern VA’s will offer completion automation in the form of an ACAR’s application that tracks all elements of the flight and will automagically file the PIREP once you’ve safely arrived at your destination and parked at the gate.
The heart of any good VA is its people and management team. In the almost 25 years I’ve been flying for internet based virtual airlines, I’ve flown for some of the best and a few of the worst. While a spiffy website and lots of bells and whistles might lead you to believe it to be a quality VA, some of the less shining examples have been some of the better ones I’ve experienced. But as I’ve said, it really boils down to the members and the management team overseeing the operation.
Have It Your Way
Depending on what you want from your virtual airline experience, you shouldn’t have an issue finding a VA that fits your flying style. If you are new to the flight simulation hobby, I highly encourage you to find a VA that offers a rank structure and while I know everyone eventually wants to fly the heavies…you’ll appreciate the time, patience and personal rewards of starting out as a CAT 1 pilot and put your hours in. After all, in the real world a brand new pilot doesn’t go from nothing to flying a Boeing 747 without first serving their time in a Boeing 737. When I first began my VA career back in 2000 with an American Airlines VA, I served my time flying short hops of generally 1-2 hours in a Saab 340B and ATR-72. After about 100 hours I was able to move up to the Fokker 100, MD-80 etc. If memory serves, it wasn’t until I had racked up ~500 hours before I could fly the 777.
Choices, Choices and even More Choices
Most will choose their VA based on airline preference, others might select a VA based on aircraft selection. Some would rather transport boxes and cargo. Regardless how you like your tea, you’ll certainly find what you’re looking for in the VA world. Of course, some pilots will fly for more than one VA and there’s certainly nothing wrong with this pending you have the available time to meet your minimum requirements.
Speaking of Requirements
At a minimum, most VA’s will require you to fly at least two flights per month to remain in active status. Some VA’s require more and some less. Of course, most will allow a short LOA (leave of absence) to accommodate real life schedule conflicts. However, keep in mind that some VA’s will limit the number of times per year that any pilot can request a LOA.
Online vs. Offline Flying
Some VA’s may require all flights to be flown online. While flying on the VATSIM or IVAO network may not be everyone’s cup of tea, flying online is an awesome experience and just simply can’t be duplicated by artificial ATC. Yes, there is a significant learning curve to with VATSIM/IVAO. These are not just online networks where one can connect and do whatever he/she pleases. There is a structure and organization to flying online and is meant for serious virtual pilots. If you are interested in learning more about flying online and specifically the VATSIM network, please read this.
Misc
Virtual Airlines which use an ACARS type flight tracking system may have certain requirements regarding landing rate. In other words, if you haven’t quite mastered the art of smooth landings you should probably practice, practice and practice some more until you can successfully land your aircraft as smooth as possible. While I personally detest landing rate competitions and placing an importance around ultra low numbers. A landing rate above 500 FPM in most situations will be regarded as a hard landing. Anything above 750 in a jet is considered very hard and in the real life could actually cause damage to the aircraft and endanger the lives of passengers and crew. VA’s who have policies around landing rate requirements may choose to reject a filed PIREP if the landing rate is high.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Much like I stated in my “The Basics of VATSIM” tutorial (near the bottom), if you’ve reached this point and have realized joining a virtual airline seems more trouble than its worth, that really isn’t my intention. Within the flight simulation hobby, I’m my most happiest when I’m flying for a VA as I enjoy the structure and the camaraderie which only a virtual airline can provide. However, for the enjoyment of all….you will need to be prepared to follow the rules and as I’ve pointed out the rules (or lack thereof) will vary from VA to VA. Failure to comply will only force the VA and their management team to quickly show you the door.
I’m going to provide you a few recommendations based on my experiences over the past 20+ years. I would encourage you to visit these VA websites and read their policy manuals, then choose the one that you fill best suits you.
American virtual Airlines
American virtual Airlines, AvA earned the distinction of being the very first virtual airline to be affiliated with the VATSIM network. It is also one of the oldest. AvA requires all flights to be flown on the VATSIM network, requires two flights per month to remain active and requires pilots to adhere to a rank structure. You really won’t find a better VA, and certainly not one representing American Airlines. AvA allows pilots to fly any of the OneWorld partner flights which in addition to AAL offers the virtual pilots another dozen or so airlines to choose from.
Virtual United Airlines
Virtual United Airlines, vUAL is the premier VA representing the real world United Airlines. vUAL does require a minimum of two flights per month, but does not require flights to be flown online. However, you will need to use their ACARS program.
Southwest virtual Airlines
If flying the Boeing 737 is your cup of tea, then you’ll find no better representation of Southwest Airlines than at SWAVirtual. SWAVirtual requires one flight per month to remain active and does not require online flying (but highly encourages it). A general knowledge exam is administered at the time of submitting an application.
British Airways Virtual
BAVirtual has been around since 2000 and once held the distinction as being authorized by their real world counterpart, that being the real British Airways. BAVirtual requires one flight per month and does not require online flights. BAv does limit the number of pilots and therefore a waiting list might delay your application approval. Much like SWAv, a general knowledge exam with a passing score is required at the time of submitting an application.
UK Virtual
If you really don’t want to be tied down to just one airline, and you aren’t interested in joining multiple VA’s, then you might be interested in UK Virtual. UK Virtual is the home to over 100 different airlines and over 20,000 schedules to choose from. All the major airlines are available including freight carriers like Fedex, UPS and DHL. UK Virtual does not require online flights, but of course highly encourages it. There are no aircraft restrictions and basically you can fly for any of the airlines they feature and any of the aircraft within those airlines fleet. UK Virtual offers many different tours around the world.
Well, there you have it. The above list of virtual airlines are some of the best you’ll find on the internet. I’ve spent some time with each of them over the years.
In Summary
At the top of this article I asked whether or not you need to join a virtual airline. Hopefully by now you’ve figured out the answer to that question. I can’t really tell you one way or the other as everyone has their own method of defining their own enjoyment factor. In the 20+ years I’ve been flying, I’ve spent time flying with VA’s and I’ve spent time just doing my own thing. For about three years I even operated my own fictional cargo based airline and built up the member community to over 100 active virtual pilots.
Today I’m only flying for AvA and UK Virtual. These two VA’s give me exactly what I’m looking for. AvA provides the structure I enjoy while belonging to a virtual airline and UK Virtual provides me the flexibility to more or less do whatever I want, whenever I want. I’m really enjoying the UK Virtual tours at the moment and working my way through the first half of the Route 66 tour.
If you have questions regarding VA membership, please drop me a note or head over to my Discord and message me. I’d be happy to answer any questions.
Hello and thank you for stopping by. For several years I have wanted to produce more cinematic flight sim productions. However, the amount of time required hasn’t always been something I’ve had a lot of. But times are different now. Of course I love flying and this video was a lot of fun to put together. There will be more soon….
