X-PLANE vers. 1.0 Released!
Jetstream Catalog
REVOLUTIONARY X-PLANE SIMULATOR
Jetstream Catalog, the world's leading reseller of computer
flight simulators, announces that X-Plane, the most incredible
PC-based simulator ever, is now ready to ship. X-Plane, produced
by Laminar Research, Inc., picks up where Microsoft Flight
Simulator and Flight Shop leave off by letting you fly ANY
airplane, in REAL terrain, under ANY weather conditions, to
ANY airport in the country!
X-Plane is not just a flight simulator--it is an extremely high-
technology aircraft design system that also includes full
simulator capabilities. With X-Plane, you can fly absolutely ANY
fixed-wing aircraft, no matter how uncommon. As simple as a
glider or a 172 Skyhawk, or as complex as a Beech Starship, all
in one simulator.
You can fly your airplane ANYWHERE in the continental U.S.,
through stunning terrain rendered from U.S. Geological Survey
databases, using advanced fractal graphics technology. And
wherever you go, EVERY single airport, from your local grass
strip to the new Denver International, will be there. You can
even land in water if you select a floatplane, with user-
selectable wave direction and size!
To make the experience even more life-like, you can define the
weather from a calm, sunny day to a torrential thunderstorm with
multiple-level wind shear, low visibility, precipitation you'll
actually see blowing across the windscreen, and snow you'll see
on the ground. For glider flying, you can define the presence and
strength of thermals. The weather simulation is so complete that
you'll even notice the clouds getting brighter as you near the
tops and break out above the deck, then see the undercast beneath
you. X-Plane's runway depiction and haze-modeling is superior to
any we've seen in a computer simulator, bar none.
AN INFINITE VARIETY OF SCENERY!
What can be a more interesting place to fly than the diverse
terrain of the U.S.? While other simulators have flat horizons,
or maybe some scenery crowded around a few cities with huge voids
in between, X-Plane's scenery realism is like no other, with the
possible exception of a cruise missile's terrain-following
navigation computer.
Use the night lights of cities, working radio tower beacons, or
even mountain peaks to assist in your depth perception. The USGS
database lets you fly visually up actual mountain canyons or
across the plains or ocean. Or go totally IFR and use only VORs
and NDBs to navigate cross-country. When you get to your airport,
execute whatever published approaches exist for it, from
precision ILSes to circling LOC-DMEs. (Note: X-Plane is not
intended to be a full IFR proficiency trainer like Elite or On
Top; it's IFR capabilities are more like Microsoft's.)
AN INFINITE VARIETY OF AIRPLANES!
X-Plane comes with these pre-defined aircraft: C172-RG, C172-RG
on Floats, Glasair II-S RG, Mooney TLS, Celebrity Bi-Plane, Beech
Baron, Beech King Air, Cessna Citation X BizJet, Beechcraft
Starship, a sailplane and an Experimental Jet VTOL. But like no
other simulator, X-Plane lets you "build" an airplane from the
most basic parts. Pick props, engines, wings, fuselage,
instrument panel and landing gear and assemble them in X-Plane's
3D "PlaneMaker" program, test fly it, then make changes. Or, use
X-Plane's "PartMaker" to precisely design each component and see
graphs for lift and drag for wings and control surfaces or
torque/thrust for engines. Laminar Research put all the brains in
the program so that anyone without training in aerodynamics could
describe to X-Plane the aircraft they actually own and fly. (The
only special tools required are a tape measure and protractor to
measure your aircraft.)
AIRPLANE DESIGN OPTIONS
Here are just a very few of the options X-Plane lets you choose
when designing aircraft:
>> FLIGHT SURFACES: Long arm, vertical arm, semi-span, root
chord, tip chord, sweep, dihedral, stall strips, and up to 10
incidence positions for each aileron, roll spoiler, flap,
slat, speedbrake, tiltwing, and drag-rudder.
>> INSTRUMENT PANEL: EFIS or standard, even heads-up guidance.
>> LANDING GEAR: Retractable, welded, or float. Position, size,
drag.
>> ENGINES: Piston, turboprop, jet, and vectored-thrust jet
engines, or none (for gliders). Horsepower/thrust, efficiency.
PICK ANY APPROACH
X-Plane's method of selecting a take-off or approach to any
airport is the easiest we've ever seen. Start by setting the lat-
long of the neighborhood. X-Plane then gives you a complete
selection of all airports in the area. Use your mouse to slide
down the list and select a short, medium or long approach to, or
a take-off from, any runway.
Computer-generated "approach plates" are included for every
airport, mapping out runways, terrain and frequencies. You can
see both your plan view and vertical profile on these charts, or
go to the enroute chart to see the bigger picture.
RUNS ON WINDOWS95 AND POWERMACS
X-Plane has the smoothest flight graphics of any simulator. The
program monitors its own "frame rate" in order to maintain its
exceptional graphics performance level. (Frame rates up 60 frames
per second are possible if your computer can handle it.) If you
set too many options for it to maintain its silky smooth
graphics, X-Plane will automatically reduce visibility, thereby
minimizing scenery calculations in order to maintain a seamlessly
fluid frame rate. This sophistication has a price: X-Plane
requires either a Pentium running Windows 95 or PowerMac
computer.
Recommended Minimum Requirements:
Pentium 100MHz: 16MB RAM, 4X CD-ROM drive, SVGA 800x600 graphics,
Windows 95, 5MB hard disk space.
Mac: 8MB RAM, 5MB hard disk, CD-ROM.
Flight controls: For Mac: CH Flightstick or Thrustmaster FCS or
equivalent. For IBM: Any standard flightstick or yoke. Rudders
optional.
DEMO CD AVAILABLE
Jetstream offers a Demonstration CD that includes a full working
copy of X-Plane for only $10, including FREE shipping to US
addresses. The demo will not allow control inputs and will shut
off after a few minutes, but you'll be able to see all of the
program's incredible scenery, weather and features.
The full version of the program is also now ready to ship. Price
of the full version of is $599, plus $6 shipping and handling to
U.S. addresses (addtional shipping charges apply to foreign
addresses).
EXCLUSIVE WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION
Jetstream Catalog, Portland, OR, USA, is the EXCLUSIVE
distributor for X-Plane. You simply won't find it anywhere else,
period.
FREE CATALOG
If you would like a FREE copy of our 72-page, full-color catalog
describing X-Plane (with pictures) and our 100+ other aviation
software products, all you have to do is reply to this message
via email with REQ: CATALOG as the subject header. We will rush
you our catalog by U.S. Mail at no charge to you. Sorry, but if
you live outside the U.S. or its territories, we must charge $5US
to cover shipping and handling-just include your credit card
number (VISA, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express) and
expiration date. International customers should also mention if
they want to receive the catalog only once or would like a
subscription (three times a year) for $15.
PLEASE NOTE: For us to process your catalog and/or demo CD
request, you ***MUST*** include ALL the following information:
Your full name:
Address, city, state, zip/post code, country:
Daytime phone (req. only if you order the Demo CD):
Whether you are:
1.) A licensed pilot
2.) A "virtual" pilot who is planning to become a licensed
pilot within the next two years, or
3.) A "virtual" pilot only.
Type of computer (IBM or Mac):
The brand(s) of the PC flight simulator(s) you presently own:
If you would rather fax us the information, you may do so to:
503-693-1822. If you do so, please put your fax to the attention
of Marc Coan, Internet Sales Manager.
Konstantin Kukushkin
>
> JETSTREAM CATALOG ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF
> REVOLUTIONARY X-PLANE SIMULATOR
>
> DEMO CD AVAILABLE
>
> Jetstream offers a Demonstration CD that includes a full working
> copy of X-Plane for only $10, including FREE shipping to US
> addresses. The demo will not allow control inputs and will shut
> off after a few minutes, but you'll be able to see all of the
Looks like an AVI video. It does not allow control inputs, shuts off
after a few minutes, but you can really see incredible things. BTW,
you don't have to develop a flight simulator in order to shoot such a
"demo" - just take a video out of the cockpit of a real airplane and
sell it.
> program's incredible scenery, weather and features.
>
> The full version of the program is also now ready to ship. Price
> of the full version of is $599, plus $6 shipping and handling to
> U.S. addresses (addtional shipping charges apply to foreign
> addresses).
> FREE CATALOG
>
What about putting some info and screenshots (and maybe a demo?) on
the Jetstream web site? I visited it recently and I found not a single
word about X-Plane. IMHO, $10 for a DEMO version is a bit too much and
creates a suspicion of unseriousity. I understand that it may be
impossible to put out a FREE demo CD, but I think that some free and
instantly accessible information MUST be put online.
I will certainly NOT order the demo CD. The current offer means I
should send $10 for a non-flyable demo (if any), possibly another $10
for shipping (to Germany) and then WAIT for delivery of a DEMO
version(maybe 4 to 6 weeks). Isn't that too much? Or maybe should I
send $599 (plus s&h) immediately in order to avoid another waiting? I
certainly cannot do that, because I am not sure the company would not
"disappear" during the waiting period.
When the original message appeared, I thought it was an April fool
joke. Now I don't think so, but I still have strong doubts about it's
seriousity. I still hope X-Plane is reality, however...
--
Konstantin Kukushkin
kuk...@itereu.de
Larry Jones
I share Konstantin's concerns. This could be a rip off!
Beware.
Larry J.
Konstantin Kukushkin wrote:
>
> Jetstream Catalog wrote:
> >
> > JETSTREAM CATALOG ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF
> > REVOLUTIONARY X-PLANE SIMULATOR
> ...
> >
> > DEMO CD AVAILABLE
> >
> > Jetstream offers a Demonstration CD that includes a full working
> > copy of X-Plane for only $10, including FREE shipping to US
> > addresses. The demo will not allow control inputs and will shut
> > off after a few minutes, but you'll be able to see all of the
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Looks like an AVI video. It does not allow control inputs, shuts off
> after a few minutes, but you can really see incredible things. BTW,
> you don't have to develop a flight simulator in order to shoot such a
> "demo" - just take a video out of the cockpit of a real airplane and
> sell it.
>
> > program's incredible scenery, weather and features.
> >
> > The full version of the program is also now ready to ship. Price
> > of the full version of is $599, plus $6 shipping and handling to
> > U.S. addresses (addtional shipping charges apply to foreign
> > addresses).
>
> > FREE CATALOG
> >
>
> What about putting some info and screenshots (and maybe a demo?) on
> the Jetstream web site? I visited it recently and I found not a single
> word about X-Plane. IMHO, $10 for a DEMO version is a bit too much and
> creates a suspicion of unseriousity. I understand that it may be
> impossible to put out a FREE demo CD, but I think that some free and
> instantly accessible information MUST be put online.
>
> I will certainly NOT order the demo CD. The current offer means I
> should send $10 for a non-flyable demo (if any), possibly another $10
> for shipping (to Germany) and then WAIT for delivery of a DEMO
> version(maybe 4 to 6 weeks). Isn't that too much? Or maybe should I
> send $599 (plus s&h) immediately in order to avoid another waiting? I
> certainly cannot do that, because I am not sure the company would not
> "disappear" during the waiting period.
>
> When the original message appeared, I thought it was an April fool
> joke. Now I don't think so, but I still have strong doubts about it's
> seriousity. I still hope X-Plane is reality, however...
>
> --
> Konstantin Kukushkin
> kuk...@itereu.de
--
Larry Jones, Custer, WA, USA (95 mi. N. of Seattle)
David McGlumphy
>I share Konstantin's concerns. This could be a rip off!
(This is with reference to the X-Plane software & CD demo)
If it's a rip off, I'm one of those biting the big one because I
have ordered the demo. I called their 800 number and spoke to the
person who's been posting most of the messages. He's a super-nice guy
and it irks me that a bunch of people are jumping his case instead of
just asking questions and making requests. I already had their
catalog for a couple of weeks before I ordered the demo. I don't know
how they got my name and adress unless it was cross-referencing FAA
data with message-posting or something. The catalog it is a very well
done catalog - not something that looks like it would have been
produced by a rip off company. Why don't you give them a call and see
for yourself?
True, I haven't gotten the demo CD yet. I thought it would have
been here by now, but Murphy's law says it'll be in my mailbox when I
get home tonight (hint, hint Microwings).
L8R G8Rs :)
Mark Stotzer
http://www.microwings.com
Bob McKay there says he has a copy-see his earlier postings.
There are also some screen shots there.
In <3175CF...@az.com> Larry Jones <lsj...@az.com> writes:
>
>Does anyone actually have the program?
>
>I share Konstantin's concerns. This could be a rip off!
>Beware.
>
>Larry J.
>
>Konstantin Kukushkin wrote:
>>
>> Jetstream Catalog wrote:
>> >
>> > JETSTREAM CATALOG ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF
>> > REVOLUTIONARY X-PLANE SIMULATOR
>> ...
>> >
>> > DEMO CD AVAILABLE
>> >
>> > Jetstream offers a Demonstration CD that includes a full working
>> > copy of X-Plane for only $10, including FREE shipping to US
>> > addresses. The demo will not allow control inputs and will shut
>> > off after a few minutes, but you'll be able to see all of the
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>> Looks like an AVI video. It does not allow control inputs, shuts off
>> after a few minutes, but you can really see incredible things. BTW,
>> you don't have to develop a flight simulator in order to shoot such
a
>> "demo" - just take a video out of the cockpit of a real airplane and
>> sell it.
>>
>> > program's incredible scenery, weather and features.
>> >
>> > The full version of the program is also now ready to ship. Price
>> > of the full version of is $599, plus $6 shipping and handling to
>> > U.S. addresses (addtional shipping charges apply to foreign
>> > addresses).
>>
--
_________ __ |Mark Stotzer-Assistant Editor, FSNews
/ __/ __/ |/ /__ _ _____ |http://users/aol.com/fsnews/atp.html
/ _/_\ \/ / -_) |/|/ (_-< |See my new ATP "Hot Links" Page at:
/_/ /___/_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ |http://www.netcom.com/~stotzerm/atp.html
David McGlumphy
but not really thoroughly enough. My findings so far are that the
installation wasn't quite as easy as it might have been compared to
other installation processes I've gone through for WIN95. I
encountered an error message which didn't mean much to me. I
interpreted it to mean that there's something missing from the CD for
proper installation. The process made a suggestion which I tried, but
that didn't help. I figured, "What have I got to lose?" and continued
on. The process mentioned replacing some files. That scares me since
I don't really understand WIN95, and I'm waiting to see if my WIN95
dies or otherwise acts strange. (Yes, I took a backup BEFORE I tried
the demo installation. Nanny-nanny boo-boo!!)
I couldn't find the airport that I fly out of, Dallas Bay Skypark
(1A0), which, granted, is a very small airport just north of Lovell
Field in Chattanooga, TN. I did, however, find some other airports in
the vicinity which aren't that much bigger than Dallas Bay such as
Hardwick field in Cleveland, TN. One of the settings you can make is
to establish your lattitude & longitude. Then when you select
"Location", the airports shown are pertinent to where you are
geographically. Cool. Clever.
I didn't find enough/any instructions on how to actually drive this
demo. In fact, the paper work that came with the demo didn't even
tell me how to START the demo, but that's pretty easy to figure out.
Since I don't yet have a yoke or even a joystick, I had to depend
on the autopilot to control the 172-RG which I selected on startup,
but since I have no autopilot experience at all and couldn't find
instructions about how to use one, my abilities were, uh, somewhat
limited. There was a gauge on the instrument panel which I think
might have had something to do with the autopilot, but I still haven't
figured out what it is or what it's trying to tell me. It's related
to headings since it has 360 degrees of indication, but when I was
taking off from a runway, it proceeded in the opposite direction of
the turn that the plane was making. I couldn't stop the plane from
making a left turn immediately after takeoff with the bank increasing
slowly until I finally crashed. Nifty crash. Blood spots all over
the windshield.
I feel like I'm being a little hard on the demo - especially since
I haven't spent much time with it, but therein lies the biggest
problem. THREE MINUTES OF DEMO TIME IS **NOT** ENOUGH!!!
I hope the authors of the demo will reconsider and expand the demo
time to at LEAST ten minutes!! Frankly, I think that 20 minutes would
be more reasonable since anybody really wanting to check this demo out
needs that much time to get used to how deal with settings and so on.
I wouldn't be content to try to actually use the system with only
twenty minutes of flying time. If I wanted to really use the system,
I'd HAVE to spend more than 20 minutes with it, and that would mean to
buy it. Again, THREE MINUTES AIN'T ENOUGH, GUYS!!
The scenery isn't quite what I expected, but you'll have to make up
your own mind about that. I didn't have enough time to fly around my
local area to see if the demo's scenery approximated what I see when I
actually fly.
Get the demo - IF THEY UP THE DEMO TIME. (Do you suppose they've
got the hint by now?) (Marc, please forward this message/review to
the right guys.)
I tried only the 172-RG, so I can't comment on the other planes in
the demo. I don't know if they are good, bad, or indifferent. I
wouldn't know how to fly them anyway even if I were actually in one
since I have no time in anything reall except C-152, C-172s, and
several small Pipers, so I stuck to something I figured I could
already handle. I know. I am supposed to use this software to LEARN
how to fly the other aircraft. Patience, please.
Overall? Generally, I like what I see. Am I ready to buy the
full-blown version? Not yet. Would I be more favorably impressed
with a stronger demo? You bet.
More later, maybe. L8R G8Rs :)
Clifford Coles
OPINIONS- your mileage may vary.
Installation: Just copy the folder off the CD and onto your HD. There's
also an installation of "DirectX" that needs to be done. No big deal I
thought, but then it asks if you wish to replace sound and video drivers with
"theirs." That required just a bit too much faith for me, I said NO.
The program: Well, I didn't like it. Here are my (positive and
negative) observations:
-256 color mode required- I usually run in 16bit or 24bit color, why the
hell should I have to "switch down"- particularly for entertainment software.
-Runs in Windows/Win95- not really a problem, except that the
program complains about how slow my machine is (see below). Why not run
in DOS and gain more processor power?
-View switching accomplished through a menu, no keyboard equivalents.
Plus, you can't see your airplane. Lame.
-Whenever I increase visibility/cloud bases, a dialog pops up. I can't
remember the words exactly, it's something like: "The frame rate isn't
fast enough! I will maintain animation speed by reducing visibility and
cloud bases. Faster machines wouldn't have this problem!" Okay, maybe
it isn't *that* insulting, but the tone is obvious. Personally, I don't
mind a slower frame rate as long as the "eye candy" is there. I resent
being forced into a lower visibility, that should be *MY* option. The
"faster machine" sentence (obviously) riled me. So I don't choose to be
on the bleeding edge (or anywhere near it); should I be *insulted* for it?
(BTW it's a P5-90MHZ that I'm running on)
-Graphics are- interesting... featureless ground, how... quaint.
Mountains and hills *do* look nice, but there's NOTHING ON THE GROUND- no
buildings, no bridges, no lakes, just the runways/taxiways. Maybe it's just
the demo. To be fair, at dusk/night it's MUCH nicer, there are little
lights everywhere, radio towers, etc. But where are these objects during
the day? The rain/t-storm effect is nice, and the colors chosen give a
nice moody feeling to the graphics. But I want to fly during the day as
well, and the graphics just aren't as attractive when the sim is set to
"day."
-No ATC, no other aircraft traffic. The last nail in the coffin for me.
If this had been released shareware, I would have been very impressed.
If they sell this for <$15, I *might* consider it. Of course I've already
forked over $10 for the demo...
As far as the graphics are concerned, go to www.microwings.com and see
for yourself. I'll be using FS5 in the future, personally.
Cliff