The Jet. Cirrus Design unveiled their newest concept aircraft to the public today and it is nothing that I imagined it would look like. The V-tail is a nice touch. What do you think of it? I see they are continuing the tradition of dual doors, an uncommon feature of the latest VLJs.  Will it be as successful as the SR-20 & SR-22?  Only time will tell.

While we were in Batavia this weekend, I realized that the predominant color of Roy's chromalusion paint is really a teal color (shown below) and highlights a bright purplish magenta color.

So, I spent today modifying my textures to represent this, and I made a quick video of the results.

 
Video: Improved Chromalusion effect

Roy was kind enough to invite me along on a flight to visit the home of Sporty's Pilot Shop in Batavia, Ohio today. It just so happened to also be a CFO fly-in where the AOPA Catch-A-Cardinal would be displayed with a (nearly) complete airframe.

The view of the appalachian mountains over North Carolina and Tennessee.

The view of short final into Batavia.

Roy and I were lucky to have run into Sporty's President Michael Wolf when we arrived, and he gave us a sneak-peek at the Cardinal.

Sporty's founder and Chairman Hal Shevers insisted that Roy's plane be parked next to their 2007 sweepstakes plane and with a wave of his hand, several Sporty's associates moved Roy's plane within seconds.

While we were waiting for the "official" events to kick-off, we saw this beautiful P-51D Mustang depart the field. We later spoke to the owner, and said the plane would be making an appearance at the Gathering of Legends.

This weekend marked the 150,000th hotdog given away by Sporty's in appreciation of their customers.

Julie Boatman taxied the Catch-A-Cardinal up to the main Sporty's terminal so everyone could get a closer look. She was kind enough to pose with the plane and I.

We were all surprised to see none other than AOPA President Phil Boyer fly in to get a first look at the Cardinal in a nearly-complete state. Julie was proud to show him the great progress first-hand. Phil and Roy enjoyed reuniting with a brief conversation.

And finally, Hal Shevers (on the left) and Michael Wolf (on the right) pose for a photo with me in front of the Sporty's Pilot Shop. What a great pair of gentlemen to host such a great event! If you are near Batavia, Ohio (I69) on any given Saturday, be sure to drop in for your free dog and check out Sporty's, it is a first class operation.

New from Jeppesen is version 4 of their SIMCharts add-on for Microsoft FSX at a reduced price. Originally released in November of '06 at $59.95 USD, the price is now $41.95 USD with an unlimited subscription duration!

Some FAQ information:

Does SIMCharts by Jeppesen offer paper enroute charts? No. Unlike version 3, paper enroute charts are not available. Jeppesen provides Microsoft with a customized extract of its "NavData" (aeronautical navigation database). This NavData is used by Microsoft to render the enroute segments of the flight. Since there is a very high correlation between the information contained in the NavData extract and Jeppesen's paper enroute charts, the use of paper charts is no longer deemed necessary.

Are all airports included in SIMCharts by Jeppesen? There are over 25,000 charts available in SIMCharts 4.0. We have included almost every airport that has a 6,000 foot or longer runway and a Standard Instrument Approach Procedure.

How realistic are SIMCharts by Jeppesen? SIMCharts are real Jeppesen charts, the same charts that are used by professional pilots around the world. The only difference is that they are not current and hence are for Simulation Use Only.

Why isn't there an upgrade from v3.0 to v4.0? The entire chart library in SIMCharts v4.0 has been updated to match Flight Simulator 10. This means literally thousands of images have been updated - it's essentially a new product, and therefore, an upgrade isn't available.

How does SIMCharts v4.0 differ from v3.0? SIMCharts v4.0 is a web-based service. There is no physical product associated with the new service so no worries about lost, late or broken CDs. Users request and retrieve charts through an interactive Internet session when using Microsoft Flight Simulator v10. Downloaded charts can be printed, saved to disc or discarded at the user's discretion.

Will SIMCharts v4.0 work with Microsoft Flight Simulator (FS) 2004? No. SIMCharts v4.0 uses entirely new technology and protocols for serving up terminal charts. It also utilizes new protocols associated with Microsoft's version 10 Flight Simulator and the technology is not backwards compatible.

Why are the charts not current? SIMCharts uses Jeppesen Terminal Chart cycle 02-2005 to match the navigational data used in Microsoft Flight Simulator X.

Screen captures can be viewed here.

If you are looking to expand your FSX experience by using real charts, SIMCharts 4.0 at the reduced price is the way to go!

I had a request to get a short video up showing the color change on the Twin Comanche, so here it is!

 
Video: Paint flip-flop on Twin Comanche in FSX

After a long wait at Schemya, Alaska, Barrington made it to Anchorage on Sunday. Today he is enroute to Juneau and is on US FAA radar for the first time since March 30th! Barrington is attempting to make it to Seattle, but I understand a bit of rough skies are between Juneau and Seattle that is a little too much for the Columbia 400 to "weather."  His reception gala has been postponed due to his long stay at Schemya, but with the progress he is making, I'm sure it will not be pushed back too far.  God Speed Barrington!

(Image courtesy FlightAware.com)

This is looking at the fuselage at a normal angle. I realize that real chromalusion paint works based upon the angle of viewing, but this specular technique is the best possible means to replicate it within FSX.

Here we are with the light reflecting from the sun toward the viewer, allowing the magenta below the blue to shine through brilliantly! I love it!

I'm in the process of getting the Twin Comanche going in FSX with a true FSX aircraft model, and I've been working on the specular maps today. I was so delighted with the results, I thought that I would share the first public image of the Twinkie in FSX! Be sure to click the picture for a slightly larger version. I have put one of my former FS9 images up just as a comparison of how the specular map is really making the ChromaLusion paint really flip flop.

FSX

FS9

There's a lot being said lately in the FS blogosphere...

• Adrian explains when a draw call is not a draw call.
• Arno has some lessons learned when developing 3rd party jetways in FSX.
• Jon provides some Vancouver+ comparison shots and has been experimenting with MyTrafficX.
• Phil has written an extremely detailed article on the different classes of "blurries," and how to avoid them.  He also explains some issues with hacking out-of-memory errors in Vista.
• Bill describes a nice trip to the east coast.
• Finally, Bob has a write-up describing his visit here in SC last weekend, and a short interview he did of me while he was here.

Have a great weekend!

 
Video: Roy Wilbanks' Twin Comanche

When Roy and I returned from Griffin yesterday, he asked me to get a video of him doing a fly-by so that he could hear what his airplane sounds like from the outside. Everyone has told him that the aircraft sounds incredible from the outside (and it does), and he wanted to get a taste himself.  I thought that I would share the video on soapbox, so here it is (my debut video baked in Windows Movie Maker). Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

Before I get to the topic at hand, let me give some background on how things unfolded.  My good friend Roy Wilbanks was out at the airport on Monday morning updating his GARMIN GPS databases when a slick Globe Swift taxied up to the FBO.  Roy stepped outside to get a closer look and struck up a conversation with the gentleman who had flown her in.  During the conversation, Roy asked where he flew from and where he was headed.  "I came from Griffin, Georgia" said the gentleman.  "Griffin, Georgia!" Roy exclaimed. "That's where that AOPA Cardinal is!"  The man agreed.  "Yes and my wife is in charge of that aircraft."  It turns out the gentleman is the husband of Julie K. Boatman, technical editor for AOPA Pilot magazine, and project lead for the Catch-A-Cardinal sweepstakes plane.  Roy then proceeded to let Mr. Boatman know that he was the recipient of the 2004 AOPA Win-A-Twin Comanche.  Mr. Boatman had dropped Julie off in Griffin and was on his way back to Frederick, Maryland.  It was blind luck that he stopped in Greenwood at the very moment that Roy was there.

Roy calls me and says that he wants to fly over to Griffin to see the Cardinal and meet Julie.  Christy Lake had been under the weather earlier in the week, but she was okay to go to daycare and I had finished all of my household duties, so I was in the clear to ride along this morning.  So we hopped into N204WT and took off.

Skies were clear with visibility around 10 miles, so we flew VFR.

When we arrived in Griffin, it was pretty easy to spot the Cardinal from the ramp, so we pulled up and parked next to the hangar. The Cardinal is currently getting an engine overhaul and other structural modifications and refinements.

Here you can see the thousands of signatures that were gathered at Sun-n-Fun. Jim Rhoads from Flight1 was one of the signatures I saw pretty clearly.

Roy and Julie posed while I grabbed a couple pictures of them together in front of the two aircraft.

On the flight back to Greenwood, we were greeted by numerous clouds that were hovering around our cruising altitude of 5,500 feet. It was great fun weaving around them to stay VFR legal. Check out how the prop looks like it is bent in my photograph. Pretty cool, eh?

It is not everyday you get to meet someone as famous in the aviation community as Julie K. Boatman. For the three years that I have been an AOPA member, I have enjoyed reading her articles. Getting close to the Cardinal was a treat as well. It sure is shaping up to be a very nice aircraft. If you are a current member of AOPA, perhaps you'll be getting a closer look from behind the yoke when they award it next February!

I'm a sucker for unconventional airframes, and the Dornier Do-228 certainly fits in that category. I was saddened to hear about the demise of OSS and with it the Do-228 for MS FS in September of last year.  I am delighted to see that Viktor Schacht and André Resag are continuing the project on their own.  They just started a blog on the project, and have already posted some fantastic looking screenshots showing the progress of the aircraft.  I'm uncertain if this will be a payware or freeware project, but what I see of it thus far, it sure is shaping up nicely.