A Flight Sim Enthusiast's Notebook
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Osaka Itami Airport Photography Spot Introduction Part 3: Itami Sky Park
Near Osaka Airport, there is another famous spot for aviation photography: Itami Sky Park. Located on the south side of the Osaka International Airport Runway, it is a very long and narrow park, running essentially parallel to the Runway. Because it is so close to the Runway, you can capture photos from various angles.
To get to Itami Sky Park, take the JR Fukuchiyama Line from Osaka Station, get off at Itami Station; the ride takes about 15 minutes. After exiting the station, head to the right (northeast), walk through the AEON Mall, cross the Inagawa Bridge, and keep walking for another ten minutes to arrive.
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# Introduction to Osaka Itami Airport Photography Spots Part 2: Night View at Itami Airport
A long time ago, I introduced the famous spotting point at the Runway end of Osaka International Airport (Itami Airport) - the Senri River embankment. It is truly a must-visit place for aviation enthusiasts.
Since I hadn’t taken night photos there, I went there recently and shot for about an hour and a half in the cold wind. Here are a few selected shots to share the results.
All Nippon Airways Boeing 777 before Takeoff
Ideally, for this kind of photography, a tripod is a must, it’s best to use RAW format, and a full-frame camera should be used.
However, due to limited conditions this time, I was shooting hand-held with a shutter speed of 1/30s, using a Canon 7D2 APS-C body in JPEG format, at ISO 3200. But I’m quite satisfied with getting this kind of result. -
Visiting the Techno Bird Simulator in Kobe
I found out online that a new flight simulation company has opened in Kobe, named Techno Bird Flight Simulator Center. They have a total of two simulators, a Boeing 737NG and a Cessna C172, claiming to be the only simulator shop in Western Japan. I happened to be on a business trip to Osaka, so I checked the reservation schedule and saw the C172 had an opening, so I booked it immediately and rushed over after work.
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CAAC Regulations on Drones
I previously wrote about “Japanese Aviation Law Regulations on Drones” and “Another Look at Japanese Aviation Law Regulations on Drones.” Later, I saw someone introducing Chinese regulations on Weibo, “Provisions on the Operation of Light and Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Trial)” Below is a simple excerpt of the parts I am interested in.
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Let's Play with Boeing 777 Cold & Dark Start
Last time, a netizen asked about cold engine starting, and I remembered I had some screenshots from when I was testing the VMAX-777-Pro Boeing 777 Worldliner Professional. So, I decided to put together a quick guide based on the 777 Pilot’s Handbook included with the addon. This manual is authorized by Boeing to the software developer, so its authority is beyond doubt.
First, let’s look at the main menu of this 777 addon. This is where fueling is done.
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China Aeronautical Charts EAIP Updated to 201702
I spent a few hours upgrading all the files to the February 2017 version,
Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) and Airport Charts of China
Please enjoy.
It’s been over half a month into 2017, but I haven’t quite found my rhythm yet, whether at work or in my personal life. I’m drifting aimlessly, just muddling along on the same old trajectory.
Maybe there will be a lot of changes this year, but mentally, I am completely unprepared for this uncertain future. I know perfectly well that passively taking it one step at a time won’t work, yet I still can’t take that new step.
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Installing a Let's Encrypt Digital Certificate
Last year, I wrote Website starts supporting HTTPS and Using observatory.mozilla.org to improve site security. At that time, I was using the free StartCom certificate with a validity period of one year. It is about to expire at the end of this month, so I am trying to install the recently popular Let’s Encrypt electronic certificate.
First, execute these commands on Mac to install certbot. $ brew update $ brew install certbot $ brew ls certbot /usr/local/Cellar/certbot/0.9.3_1/bin/certbot /usr/local/Cellar/certbot/0.9.3_1/bin/letsencrypt /usr/local/Cellar/certbot/0.9.3_1/libexec/bin/ (18 files) /usr/local/Cellar/certbot/0.9.3_1/libexec/lib/ (1946 files) /usr/local/Cellar/certbot/0.9.3_1/libexec/ (2 files) /usr/local/Cellar/certbot/0.9.3_1/share/certbot/ (7 files)
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Zhuhai Airshow 2016 Log: Part V
Continuing from the previous article, here is an introduction to the formation flying of the British RAF Red Arrows Aerobatic Team.
Formation 11: Goose
According to the official website, the next maneuver should be the Goose formation, but what was actually seen was completely different. Two aircraft made a pass from east to west.
The other 7 aircraft formed a triangular formation, trailing white, blue, and red smoke, flying towards each other from west to east. -
Zhuhai Airshow 2016 Record - Part 4
Following the previous article, continuing the introduction to the Royal Air Force Red Arrows Aerobatic Team’s formation flying.
Formation 6: Typhoon Roll
Still a 9-aircraft formation, continuously changing formation during the roll.
Formation 7: Big Vixen Roll
I really didn’t understand why this formation is called “Vixen”,
but you can see the formation completing the roll as a whole, with very precise movements,
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X-Plane 11.00 Beta 3
Checking the public beta release notes for X-Plane 11 this week, I noticed it’s been updated to beta 3. Since I’ve been flying the Cessna 172 exclusively, I decided to try a different airframe for a change. Let’s test the McDonnell Douglas MD-80.
Since this is just a quick test flight, I won’t bother using the FMC to input a flight plan. On the Runway, I set the Flaps to 2 degrees, advanced the throttle to full, and pulled back on the yoke at around 140 knots. The airborne airborne easily.
Retract the landing gear, retract the Flaps. -
New Photos of Some Airlines' A350-900
After finishing the first photos of the Airbus A320neo, I realized I still had some photos of the A350 taken over the past month, so I decided to share them as well. Two years ago, I introduced “Rain Man’s” first encounter with the A350 XWB, which was Airbus’s test flight aircraft. Last year, I posted photos of Vietnam Airlines A350-900 Ground Ops and photos of Vietnam Airlines A350-900 Takeoff. Today, I will be introducing the brand new A350s of Singapore Airlines, China Airlines, and Cathay Pacific.
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First Flight in Airbus A320neo
The Airbus A320neo (New Engine Option) began commercial operations this year. As the A320 series has been the best-selling passenger jet for nearly 30 years, its new variant, the neo, is expected to continue to hold the top two spots on the sales charts alongside the Boeing 737 series.
According to Wikipedia,
Compared to the original A320 series, the main changes in the A320neo involve the use of larger and more efficient new engines, reducing fuel consumption by 15% and operating costs by 8%, along with lower noise and nitrogen oxide emissions. A320neo customers can choose between two engine types: the CFM International LEAP-X or the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G. Additionally, the A320neo airframe has undergone changes; in addition to installing newly designed Sharklets (also known as winglets, wingtip sails, or wingtip devices), the overhead bin space and air filtration systems have been improved to enhance passenger comfort.
I hadn’t had a chance to photograph this latest 320 model until yesterday, when the first A320neo introduced by ANA, registration JA211A, flew back to Haneda. Finally, my wish to photograph it was fulfilled. It is a pity that the aircraft landed late; the sun had set some time ago, and the ISO reached 16000, so I was unable to capture high-definition details of the airframe. I will have to find another opportunity to make up for this later.
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Zhuhai Airshow 2016 Record: Part 3
Regarding the formation flying of the British Royal Air Force Red Arrows aerobatic team, I found their formation explanations on the official website, and referred to the analysis of Red Arrows maneuvers. Combining these with the photos I took, I have listed the various formations to create a reference page.
Formation 0: Formation Taxi Entry
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Zhuhai Airshow 2016 Record Part 2
The photos are basically sorted out and uploaded to flickr. Feel free to visit. Today I’m writing about a niche topic: the APU of the BAE Systems Hawk trainer.
This time, watching the spectacular aerobatic formation flying of the British RAF Red Arrows at Zhuhai,
they use the Hawk trainer manufactured by British BAE Systems. -
The Flight School Feature in X-Plane 11
X-Plane 11 includes a Flight School feature, which is perfect for beginners to learn the basics of flight. For General Aviation, there are courses for Takeoff/Landing/Traffic Pattern using the Cessna 172. They are very easy to understand and beginner-friendly, highly recommended. Additionally, the system scores your performance (out of 100) based on your flight path after each practice. Evaluation items include maintaining a climb speed of 75 knots, the degree of deviation from the Runway centerline during landing, landing roll distance, and so on.
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Unexpected Surprises at the 2016 Zhuhai Airshow
I became interested in the Zhuhai Airshow. One reason was that I bought a certain aviation photography guide book when I went to Hirosaki Park to see the cherry blossoms –ヒコーキ写真バイブル
The book contained a photo of the J-31, and the details of the airframe were very clear, leaving a deep impression on me.
The commentary mentioned that the shooting location was a derelict hotel on the south side of Zhuhai Airport (commonly known as the “Gun Tower”),
so I firmly remembered this shooting spot. -
X-Plane 11 Free Demo Installation and Trial
X-Plane 11 public beta version is finally out. The demo can be downloaded from Download the free X-Plane 11 demo, which gives you the X-Plane 11 Installer.app to proceed with installation.
It seems the installer for the demo and the full version is the same, so be careful to remove the X-Plane 10 disc (including virtual discs) before installation, otherwise it will go directly into the full version installation state.
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Record of Zhuhai Airshow 2016 Part 1
I went to Zhuhai and took four or five thousand photos, but just haven’t had the time to sort through them. This weekend, I checked about a tenth of them, and only retouched a few dozen. I don’t know much about fighter jets, and my photography experience is limited, so I’m really not satisfied with many of the photos..
On the morning of Saturday, November 5th, I didn’t go to the main venue. I went to the south side of Zhuhai Airport first. This is the rooftop of a dilapidated hotel, referred to as the “Gun Tower” by Chinese netizens and as “Ruins” by Japanese netizens. Since this location has front-lighting in the morning, a large number of professionals come here to shoot. For instance, I saw a CCTV crew, and the world-famous aviation photography master Katsuhiko Tokunaga was also there.
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X-Plane 11 Hardware Requirements
X-Plane 11 has been released. Please check out the latest report: Installing and Trying the X-Plane 11 Free Demo!
The official website has released two consecutive posts discussing the hardware requirements for X-Plane 11. X-Plane 11 System Requirements introduces the Minimum Hardware Requirements as
CPU: Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 CPU with 2 or more cores, or AMD equivalent. (Dual-core CPUs slower than 3 GHz should try the demo before purchasing.) Memory: 8 GB RAM Video Card: a DirectX 11-capable video card from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel with at least 512 MB VRAM
My own machine isiMac 27-inch, Mid 2011， CPU is 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5, Memory is 12G, Graphics driver is AMD Radeon HD 6770M Graphics Processor (512MB GDDR5 Memory)
which basically just meets the minimum requirements, so I estimate it will barely run.Additionally, the Recommended Hardware Requirements are:
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Temporary Prohibited Flight Zone Established for Incoming President
With real estate tycoon Trump winning the US presidential election held on November 9, the Federal Aviation Administration has established a temporary flight restriction zone for him. See this NOTAM.
From November 10 until January 21 next year, the area is centered on the new president’s residence in New York, within a radius of two nautical miles, and at altitudes from the surface up to 3000 feet. The red circle in the center of the image below shows the area.