A Flight Sim Enthusiast's Notebook
-
X-Plane 10 Global Digital Download Edition
X-Plane 10 has released a digital download version. This means you don’t need to purchase the DVDs; you can simply buy and download it directly online.
According to the official instructions, after purchasing, you will receive a 24-character Product Key. You can use this to download and run X-Plane, so there is no need to keep the first DVD in the optical drive when launching.
Fin.
-
Runway Overrun Prevention System ROPS
Regarding the news on Airbus’s Runway Overrun Prevention System (ROPS), the ROPS application for the A330 series aircraft has recently successfully obtained airworthiness certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). 空客ROPS应用于A330获认证，ROPS覆盖空客全机型 A330のオーバーラン防止装置、EASAが認可
Here is a summary of the ROPS data. As explained in the article from the China Civil Aviation Network above, ROPS is essentially an alert system. It helps improve pilots’ situational awareness during landing, reduces the risk of aircraft overrunning the runway, and in necessary situations, the system can provide active protection for the aircraft. From now on, all Airbus aircraft models can have ROPS installed upon delivery, and all in-service Airbus aircraft can also be modified to install ROPS.
-
Visual Approach Procedures for Beijing
Reading updates in the AIP can be quite a pastime.
I noticed that Beijing Capital International Airport (ZBAA) will implement a Visual Approach Procedure starting August 1st. It ends at 24:00 on September 3rd; I am not sure what event it is intended for. Regardless, it is a new learning point, so here is a simple note.
Looking at the chart, the Visual Approach uses RWY01. The conditions are: PAPI operating normally ILS operating Radar operating normally Huairou VOR/DME (HUR), Guanzhuang VOR (PEK), Beijing/Capital DME (INJ) operating normally Ceiling 900 meters, Visibility 10km or more
-
Japanese Aviation Law Regulations for Drones
This week, the Japanese government amended the Aviation Law to add regulations for drones. Although the content is brief—only a few hundred words—a new chapter, “Chapter 9 Unmanned Aircraft,” was specifically created, showing the importance placed on this emerging technology.
Here is a brief introduction to its contents.
The first part concerns flight airspace regulations; aside from the following conditions, you must apply to the relevant authorities:
- Flight time is limited to after sunrise and before sunset.
- The drone and its surrounding conditions must be constantly monitored via Visual Line of Sight (VLOS).
- A certain distance from people and buildings must be maintained.
- Entry into venues where crowds gather, such as holidays, public events, or exhibitions, is prohibited.
- Carrying flammable or explosive items, or other objects that could easily harm people or ground structures, is prohibited.
- Dropping objects that could easily harm people or ground structures is prohibited.
Additionally, anyone who violates the above regulations will be subject to a fine of up to 500,000 yen.
-
How to Configure the Saitek Pro Flight BIP in X-Plane
The Saitek Pro Flight Backlit Information Panel (BIP) uses a backlit information panel to provide users with over 50 information commands, such as engine, fuel, electrical, and Autopilot status. Users can customize their information panel to display aircraft-related information and allow different commands to display in different colors (Red, Green, Amber) according to personal preference.
I don’t have a BIP on hand, but Mr. Charles Washington from Taiwan provided valuable setup documentation. Therefore, I have summarized it here for everyone’s reference. Mr. Charles Washington’s original draft is here.
-
Coupled Approach
1 This actually refers to whether a specific aircraft can automatically follow the localizer and glideslope. General aviation in Europe frequently utilizes ILS and MLS, but many older aircraft may not have an autopilot capable of automatically following them.
2 An instrument approach performed by the aircraft autopilot, which is receiving position information and/or steering commands from onboard navigation equipment.
In general, coupled non-precision approaches must be discontinued and flown manually at altitudes lower than 50 ft below the minimum descent altitude, and coupled precision approaches must be flown manually below 50 ft AGL (above ground level).
-
Interference with ILS Signals
I was reading the Aviation Safety Newsletter from Taiwan’s Aviation Confidential Reporting System and saw a report about signal interference affecting the ILS, causing an aircraft on autoland to land deviated from the runway.
I had heard about this kind of thing from a senior pilot before, but I didn’t realize it could be this serious, so I have copied it down here.
－－－－－－Start of Original Text－－－－－－－ A certain flight was cleared by ATC to use the Runway 23R ILS (Instrument Landing System) at Taoyuan Airport for arrival. The flight crew used autoland in good weather conditions but did not notify the Tower in advance. During the approach, about 4 nautical miles from the airport, the Tower cleared another A320 aircraft for takeoff on the same runway. This caused the accident aircraft to experience navigation signal interference during landing because the departing aircraft flew over the sensitive area of that runway’s Instrument Landing System.
-
Factual Report of TransAsia Airways Flight GE235 Accident
Yesterday, the Taiwan Aviation Safety Council (ASC) released the Factual Data Report on the TransAsia Airways Flight GE235 accident and a press conference briefing (in Chinese). Compared to previous summaries, the new report contains very detailed data. However, since it is in English, I didn’t read it all through and just selected the parts I was interested in.
Looking at the Chinese briefing first, the fatal part is here:
10:52:38 The aircraft passed through 1,200 ft, an aural warning sounded in the cockpit; The procedure "ENG2 FLAME OUT AT TAKE OFF" appeared on the Engine and Warning Display (EWD). 10:52:43 PF said: I'm bringing back No. 1 engine; PM replied: Wait a second, cross check; At this time, the ENG1 throttle position was recorded moving from 75 degrees to 66 degrees. 10:53:00 PM: Okay, engine flame out check. Continued: Check up-trim yes, auto feather yes. 10:53:06 PF: Number one brought back; Afterward, ENG1 throttle was moved to 49 degrees, Meanwhile PM: Okay, now confirmed it's No. 2 engine flameout. 10:53:09 PF replied: Okay; ENG1 throttle remained at the 49-degree position.
Regarding the alarm for the No. 2 engine, the PF immediately disengaged the autopilot and then began to retard the throttle on the No. 1 engine. Although the PM mentioned the No. 2 engine, the PF seemingly didn’t notice. He then continued to pull the throttle back, and shockingly, the PM failed to spot this error and neglected his monitoring duties, ultimately resulting in the terrible tragedy of the aircraft’s destruction and loss of life.
-
Taiwan ATC Surveillance Minimum Altitude Chart
I was quite ignorant; today, while browsing Taiwan’s AIP Electronic Flight Guide, I discovered that many airport charts include an ATC Surveillance Minimum Altitude Chart, translated as “航管监视最低高度图” (ATC Surveillance Minimum Altitude Chart). Learned something new.
For example, Taoyuan Airport
Kaohsiung Airport
Songshan Airport
These three charts are densely packed with marked sectors; they look quite strenuous. I wonder if they are divided so finely, do pilots have enough time to monitor them effectively? I am genuinely a bit confused.
-
Some Airway Updates
Mainland China <a href=/x-plane10/view.php?file=doc/IFRMFCNr1507.pdf>International Flight Routes from Mainland of China Nr1507 <a href=/x-plane10/view.php?file=doc/IFRTMCNr1507.pdf>International Flight Routes to Mainland of China Nr1507 <a href=/x-plane10/view.php?file=doc/OFRNr1507.pdf>Overflying Flight Routes Nr1507 <a href=/x-plane10/view.php?file=doc/RFRNr1507.pdf>Regional Flight Routes Nr1507
Japan <a href=https://yinlei.org/x-plane10/view.php?file=doc/JP-eAIC-2015-032-en-JP.pdf>Flight Planning Routes 20 AUG 2015 Flight Planning Routes 30 APR 2015
United States NFDC Preferred Routes Database Query NFDC Preferred Routes Database
-
Reading ASRS Reports from the Japan Aviation Safety Reporting System
I have previously introduced the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) in mainland China and Taiwan. Recently, Japan’s ASRS has also launched; its system is called 航空安全自発報告制度 (Voluntary Information Contributory to Enhancement of the Safety), or VOICES for short. Its registration system uses a different URL, which can be found here.
Currently, VOICES has released two information feedbacks, published quarterly on the website: No. 2014-001 from last December and No. 2014-002 from this March. After reading them, I found that the information here not only reflects problems but also includes many reflections and information sharing from aviation practitioners. This may be related to the national character, I suppose.
-
X-Plane 10.40 Beta 4
Beta 4 is also out. Checking the release notes, it’s still bug fixes, such as the issue with QPAC products not working, some Plane-Maker issues, and improvements to some minor issues. I test-flew for nearly an hour and didn’t find any major issues, so everyone can upgrade with confidence.
Fixed for Beta 4
Restored sorting and first character of apt.dat. This fixes the QPAC plugin. (bug 1673) Fixed crash in Plane-Maker on deeply animated aircraft like the Jar A330 Fixed rendering presets to have no roads in lowest setting (bug 1672). Fixed winds-aloft parser to read lat/lon stations Added ultralight classification to Plane Maker Fixed tail number bugs in Plane-Maker: empty tail numbers are allowed, 6 digit tail numbers are allowed, and existing tail numbers are not erased. (Bugs 1665,1666,1679) Disabled glideslope on AP when back course is selected (bug 1680) Better ATIS report - we now correctly report variable wind directions, and issue wind shear alerts the same time a real windshear alert system would Fixed dewpoint reporting in the ATIS ATIS now reports few clouds instead of scattered if the METAR reads ‘few’. Commands alphabetized for easier location. Default to 3-d cockpit rendering option only shows 3-d cockpit if the airplane has a 3-d cockpit (bug 1677) Nosewheel steering with tiller interpolates with rudder correctly (bug 1676) Fix for engine flooding when boost pumps are on (bug 1675) Pro-key option to not get update notifications fixed. Command interface scrolls to show all commands.
-
ATC Surveillance Minimum Altitude Chart
Reading the AIP (Aeronautical Information Publication) out of boredom, I noticed a new type of chart added in the China Civil Aviation eAIP — the ATC Surveillance Minimum Altitude Chart. Since this was a new piece of knowledge for me, I decided to look it up.
Here is the ICAO explanation for the ATC Surveillance Minimum Altitude Chart:
This supplementary chart must provide information which will enable flight crews to monitor and cross-check altitudes assigned while under radar control by a controller using an ATS surveillance system.
-
Thoughts on Trying Out FlightGear
I saw a beautiful female commercial pilot introduce FlightGear on Baidu Tieba—another famous flight simulation software, so I installed and tried it for an hour or two. Although I didn’t use it for long, I feel this software is worth playing more. Compared to X-Plane, its features include: 1 Completely free 2 Scenery can be automatically downloaded from the internet, no need to search for them one by one 3 Small size, the download package is only 1G, compared to X-Plane’s 8 DVDs, it is easier to install, and has lower requirements for network and hardware 4 It is also relatively lightweight during flight, the control feel is direct, and the response is fast, not as slow and heavy as X-Plane 5 Many extension functions, and good hardware support 6 The texture of the 3D models is a bit poor, so it looks more like a game software, so in terms of realism, it is quite inferior to X-Plane
-
Review of All Nippon Airways Flight NH1259 from Tokyo Haneda to Shanghai Hongqiao
It has been quite a while since I last wrote a trip report like this. Looking back, the last one was from that CX543 flight two years ago. Since last September, Japan lifted the ban on the use of electronic devices on aircraft, but since I rarely travel, the opportunity to film and document an entire flight was delayed for a long time.
For this trip (N months ago) to Shanghai, I booked ANA flight NH1259. Since it was a private trip, a relatively cheap economy seat plus a window seat was quite satisfying. Following my routine, before departure, I went to the observation deck at Haneda’s International Terminal to look at the airframe I would be riding: a Boeing 777-200ER, registration JA708A, manufactured in May 2000, serial number 28277, Spot 110.
The weather on the day wasn’t great; thick layers of stratus and cumulus clouds covered the sky. -
X-Plane 10.40 Beta 3 Is Out
10.40 Beta 3released. Of course, there are no new features here, just bug fixes; these are minor issues from beta 2.
Fixed performance loss with spinning props on NVidia Windows. Fixed crash on startup for some Macs. Fixed legacy GPS/FMC not detecting KTPA and other airport codes. Fixed real weather not assigning METARs to the right locations. Fixed crash in scenery engine when objects have incorrect ordering of animations. This fixes EHLE. Scenery that -started- crashing in 1030 may start working again, but should still be fixed by their authors. Updated Magnetic Variation Fixed R22 Clutch Fixed replay of sliders Fixed bogus log messages for empty apt.dat files Fixed typos in German menus in Airfoil-Maker Fixed hobbs time to properly be saved between uses of the aircraft. Fixed new nav radio 3-10 datarefs to function properly. Fixed UI error in “operations and warnings” when USB pro key is in use Startup sequence less dark and gloomy
-
Scenery for 25000 small airports
For beginners, the most incomprehensible thing about X-Plane is that it occupies dozens of gigabytes of hard drive space, yet most airports are empty, basically just a Runway and wasteland, which is a huge disappointment.
As you gradually get used to it, you will learn to download and install various Scenery Addons and move past the beginner stage.
However, today I discovered a pretty impressive Plugin, Scenery for 25000 small airports.
-
First Impressions of X-Plane 10.40 beta1
As soon as I got home, I upgraded X-Plane to the 10.40 beta 1. I flew around Matsumoto Airport. It feels just as described in the previous introduction; the distant visibility has improved significantly, but the display speed has also slowed down considerably. The frame rate has dropped from 25-30 to around 10-15. Let’s take a look at a few update points combined with screenshots.
In the Operations and Warnings settings above, there are quite a few new options.
For example, inside Startup, "Offer to reset to default if crashed" allows you to choose the display mode after a crash.
In Warnings, "show ATC taxi instruction arrows" is used to turn off
-
10.40 beta1 Released!
<a href=http://www.x-plane.com/?article=x-plane-10-40-release-notes>X-Plane 10.40 beta1 is finally out. Let’s take a look at what’s new in this version:
Added 576 new airport sceneries, including Beijing Capital, Shenzhen Bao’an, and the new Hong Kong International in China, as well as Narita and Sapporo New Chitose in Japan. The system now totals 1,730 3D airports.
Added a shortcut key to regenerate weather: “sim/operation/regen_weather”.
High-altitude wind information can now be obtained from the network.
-
Matsumoto Airport Scenery RJAF
Nagano is a region in Japan that became famous for hosting the 1998 Winter Olympics. With snow-capped mountains exceeding 3000 meters in elevation and pleasant scenery, it is a paradise for hiking and skiing enthusiasts. I usually visit Nagano once a year, but my main purpose is to enjoy the hot springs.
With the release of the Matsumoto Airport Scenery, naturally I couldn’t miss it. Download the package from x-plane.org, and after extracting, move the
RJAF Matsumoto jpdirectory toCustom Scenery. Then, add the following line toscenery_packs.ini: SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/RJAF Matsumoto jp/ That’s it.