Hello, Pilots!,

It seems crazy to think that nearly a year ago I was given a pre-release copy of X-Plane 10 to begin testing out X-Aviation products and ensure stability, as well as report bugs. Looking back, a year sure can go quick, especially when you’re busy!

Speaking of busy, that’s what it’s like for all of us at X-Aviation right now, and if you’ve kept up with various forum topics from our X-Aviation developers at X-Pilot you are likely aware of this. However, it’s still good to cover all that’s going on and what we have to look forward to in the coming months, so let’s do that now!..

Development World

First up, Jason at 4Forces is working very hard on the update for the Cessna 152, as well as the newly announced Piper Archer III. The Cessna 152 has been long known as the best flight model of its type for X-Plane, and that still holds true today. That said, it never hurts to further expand and update your model, and that’s precisely what Jason is doing for us! You can see multiple screenshots of the Cessna 152 update in the 4Forces forums.

Second up, Javier at JRollon is working on continued development for the Jetstream 31/32, and it’s looking real nice! If you haven’t checked this one out you really should. There are numerous posts in the forums, and Javier is very good about updating everyone on this project. We’re cutting him a little slack over the last few weeks though…he’s a newly married man and is enjoying his family! Congratulations, Javier!

Next up, we have RealScenery. It’s been really quiet on this front for a long while now publicly, but in the background it’s a whole other story! We are really close now to finalizing NORCAL, and we’re really excited about this one! This is a very large package, and as we have previously discussed it will be buyable both as an entire package, or tile by tile. This gives you greater flexibility to purchase only what you wish. NORCAL has gone through several re-makes, each time getting better and applying new scripting and graphical techniques. We know a lot of people ask us about this one, and we wanted you to know that it genuinely is close to being complete! The installer/downloader system for it is vastly improved, and once released we’ll begin supporting Linux downloads. NORCAL is my primary area to fly in X-Plane due to its beauty!

Last up is Leading Edge Simulations. These guys are incredibly hard at work, producing so many aircraft behind the scenes that are unannounced it is scary! This said, I can’t tell you about all of them, but I can tell you about the primary product I’d like to focus on in the bunch, and that’s the Saab 340A! As some of you will remember, this product was on the cuff of a release last year. However, due to various issues (including time), we had to put the project on hold and re-think a few things. This worked for the better, as we were able to come back to the project in full force and bring the 3D model up to an even higher standard. You can see a couple of pics in the forums. Something we haven’t shown a lot of since reviving this product is some of the programming that’s going on for this project. It will be a part of our Take Command! product line, so you can expect high fidelity and systems to function, and you will need to read the manual! This product features custom OpenGL displays, a custom autopilot, and many, many other features. Originally I was the programmer in this project, but due to constraints on keeping X-Aviation in check and developing new shop-driven code, I had to step away from this project and hand the source code over to Jim from JGX-Designs. He’s now with Leading Edge Simulations full-time and is doing a phenomenal job in bringing the product to completion! To give you a little sneak peek, check out the following image showing an interactive diagram utilized for in-house testing to ensure the custom programming and various bus systems are working correctly in the aircraft per the Saab 340 Operation Manuals…

That’s the light version of what we having going on in the development cycle (that we’re ready to go public with at least). It’s fun to give you a glimpse, and we’re really excited to get these products out the door and in your hands! This is not all that we have going on, however! There’s more, so read on…

Customer Service World

In the event you missed it, X-Aviation has a free giveaway going on right now. Five people will be selected to choose ANY X-Plane product of their choice on the X-Aviation store! If you haven’t gotten in on this yet, you should! You can find out more information on the giveaway page at X-Aviation.

I am extremely pleased to announce we have implemented our live chat support service and so far it’s a big hit. We have this open almost 24/7, and anyone on the line is able to assist you with ANY issue you have! Customer service is one of the most important aspects to X-Aviation, so I am really enthusiastic about things that make the experience better for you guys. That, and I (as well as the other guys) really enjoy interacting with all of you here in the X-Plane community! Drop by anytime if you have any questions or issues and we’ll certainly be happy to help!

Another new way to get in touch with us includes our brand new FaceBook page, as well as our already long time existing Twitter page! We are very receptive to your support issues or opinions on any matter, so check us out! I personally interact quite a bit at X-Pilot as well.

I hope this post has been a quick, enjoyable getaway to your day, and as usual, I really appreciate you coming here to read what I have to say! Thank you so much for being the best customers around. The X-Plane community truly is great!

Blue Skies!,

-Cameron