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For this weekend only, you can get the FS Dreamscapes products for Flight Simulator X for only $5 each!

You can choose from any (or all) of the following products:

• 10m Mesh+ Arizona
• 10m Mesh+ California
• 10m Mesh+ Utah

AlphaSim have released a rather splendid looking F-106 Delta Dart for FSX and FS9.

New addition to the USA section - the F-106 Delta Dart ! ‘The Ultimate Interceptor’ arrives for FSX and FS9, both single-seat and 2-seater configurations are included with three authentic texture sets each. A full compliment of AIM-4G Falcon missiles can be swung out from the bomb bay and targets can be tracked using our versatile Tracking Radar system (radar is FSX only).

The FSX model is of course fully SP2/Acceleration/Vista/DX10 compliant and has all the features you should expect from a model sold for FSX - self-shadowing, bump mapping, bloom effect and v-c self-shadowing. Other effects include awesome turbine and afterburner flames, startup and exhaust smoke, wing flashover and wingtip vortices.

The virtual cockpit was modelled using the the real operators manual as reference, all switches are authentically placed and labelled. Where feasible, many are mousable too, including the very useful drag chute ! A suitably thunderous soundset is included and the flight dynamics are right on the mark, so get ready for a challenging ride.

A ‘clean’ configuration model and a very easy-to-use paintkit are also in this great package. It’s an indispensable addition to any Cold War collection, and you don’t have to wait for 3 months for the AlphaSim F-106 - it’s here now !

For FSX (SP1, SP2/Accel) and FS2004 only.

PC Aviator has released a “mini” Megascenery package for Reno/Tahoe at the bargain price of $9.99.

This “cameo” MegaSceneryX title takes you out west to Reno Nevada and lets you fly VFR, both day and night, Reno/Tahoe, Nevada and surrounding area.

This 1,400 square mile area is designed for light aircraft VFR flying and seeing the sites of the area surrounding Reno including the mountainous eastern shores of Lake Tahoe at a high resolution of 1.19 meters per pixel.

The altitude of the Reno/Tahoe area is 4,500+ feet above sea level and presents an interesting challenge for takeoffs and landings for typical light aircraft.

What you’ll see while flying this scenery is exactly what you’ll see in real life.

Airports included in the area include

• Reno/Tahoe International
• Reno/Stead
• Minden-Tahoe
• Carson City
• South Lake Tahoe

Features

• 1,400 square miles of Reno, Nevada and surrounding area
• Created from 1 foot per pixel aerial photos and displayed at 1.19 meters per pixel
• Includes daytime photo-scenery and night scenery
• Custom autogen
• Created from high resolution aerial photography
• Includes MegaScenery NightScene technology for an equally realistic night, dusk and dawn flying experience
• Includes all airports in the area
• Includes custom autogen scenery
• Includes 60 page PDF manual with 38 instrument approach charts

I found this great newspaper article from the 1934 issue of Modern Mechanix:

Compare this with even our own relatively modest home cockpit setups and you can see we’ve come a long way!

Be sure to check out some of the other articles on that blog. There’s some terrific and often bizarre articles

Saitek have issued a press release announcing they will be previewing their latest products at CES 2008. Of most interest to we simmers will be their previously announced Flight Instrument Panels:

The new Saitek Flight Instrument Panel - a color LCD screen designed to replicate the instruments used in real aircraft cockpits - will be available in early 2008. One or multiple Pro Flight Instrument Panels can be mounted on the Pro Flight Yoke System to display cockpit instrument panels from Flight Simulator X, including Altimeter, Attitude Indicator, Airspeed Indicator, Navigation Indicator etc. A supplied Software Development Kit will also allow programmers to develop further interactions with other games.

I can see these units making their way into many a cockpit builders rig.

Tags: saitek Pro Flight Instrument Panel