A Flight Sim Enthusiast's Notebook
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X-Plane12 A330 POH 3
Primary Instrument Panels
Primary Flight Display (PFD) This is the LCD panel on the left side of the avionics cluster. The PFD displays the aircraft’s attitude relative to the horizon, as well as altitude (relative to sea level), shown via the scale on the right. The attitude display informs the pilot whether the aircraft is flying straight or Turning, and whether the aircraft is Climbing or Descending. This information is critical during “instrument conditions,” i.e., when the external horizon is not visible. The PFD also displays altitude and Airspeed information, as well as localizer deviation and glideslope deviation when coupled with an ILS approach. Details of the PFD are introduced in a separate section: Primary Flight Display (PFD) Components.
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X-Plane12 A330 POH 2
Airbus Flight Control Systems
All modern Airbus aircraft (except for the A300 and A310) utilize a “Flight Control System” that enforces Airbus flight control laws, which are a set of protocols defining how the aircraft responds to pilot inputs.
The A330 aircraft has a total of five flight control computers, including three primary computers (PRIM1, PRIM2, PRIM3) and two secondary computers (SEC1, SEC2). If necessary, the aircraft can be operated by any single flight control computer, adhering to the simplest Airbus flight control law—the “Direct Law”.
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X-Plane12 A330 POH 1
The Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) for X-Plane 12 A330 has been released on the official website, so let’s take this opportunity to study it. Here, I have used ChatGPT to translate it into English for your reference.
Pilot Operating Handbook Author: Julian Lockwood ([email protected]) Copyright: Laminar Research 2023 Disclaimer The information in this document is for use strictly within the X-Plane flight simulator. This document is not revised and has not been checked for accuracy. This document is for entertainment use only and must not be used in real aircraft or real aviation. Distribution This document may be copied and distributed by Laminar Research customers and developers for entertainment use. It may also be distributed with third-party content developed for X-Plane 12.
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Using AI Denoising to Re-process Some High-Noise Images
In April 2023, Lightroom Classic (version 12.3) introduced an AI Denoising feature, claiming that
using artificial intelligence to process any Bayer or X-Trans RAW file can reduce noise without losing fine image details.
I tried this feature on the day of its release and found it extremely practical. This weekend, I dug up some old photos that I had given up on due to strong image noise, re-edited them, and brought them back to light.
In the photo above, the ISO is 12800, but after AI noise reduction processing, obvious noise spots are basically invisible.
The ISO of the photo above is 160, but due to strong backlighting, I was not very satisfied with the noise in the original photo during editing.
After processing with AI, the image looks much cleaner when viewed again.
In this daytime photo where air quality was poor and there were many color noise spots in the sky, using AI noise reduction also achieves a certain beautifying effect.
I have been very busy with work recently, so I didn’t have much energy to go to the airport to take photos on the weekend. I had to dig out some old photos to do the job. .
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First Shots of Haneda Airport in 2023
It’s been three years since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, and I’ve been going out for photography less and less. I really don’t know how much longer I can keep up this hobby. It would be a pity to let such good equipment go unused, so I took a holiday at the beginning of the year to visit Haneda Airport to practice.
First, I went to the third passenger terminal to look at the international flights. The most eye-catching one was ITA Airways’ brand new A350. This is the first time I’ve seen ITA Airways (formerly Alitalia) with its blue livery,
and it is the airframe EI-IFF, featuring a special livery commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit.
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Recovery of International Flights at Haneda Airport
The COVID-19 situation has gradually improved recently, and everyone is no longer afraid of infection. After all, even if infected, it’s just a fever and cold symptoms similar to the flu. Therefore, the tourism industry has begun to recover gradually.
Since autumn, I’ve started going out to visit museums, art galleries, concerts, temples, etc. On this day, since the Visibility was a bit better, I decided to head to Runway at Haneda Airport to take some photos of airplanes.
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Instructor Station for X-Plane 12
Want to set weather, time, failures, and everything else an instructor sets when controlling the desktop version of X-Plane 12? Then...... this application is for that exact purpose!
I saw the official website introduce the “Instructor Station” app on iOS, so I immediately downloaded and tested it. I found it to be truly practical for instructor use. Here are a few screenshots for an introduction.
After downloading and installing the app from the App Store, Instructor Station will automatically search for the X-Plane 12 application on the local network and complete the initial setup.
You can see the instructor’s management terminal UI is quite simple. -
New ATC Features in X-Plane 12
The official website summary of the new ATC features in XP12 is quite good, so here is a brief translation. New ATC Features in X-Plane 12
New Features in XP
- 6 different regions (Asia, Australia, Europe, India, United States, and Global)
- Choice of male and female pilot voices
- Voice changes based on signal reception strength, distance from transmitter, and intervening terrain
- Artificial intelligence will now wait for the controller’s instructions before executing them
One of the major changes, and perhaps one of the least noticeable, is that a global region system has now replaced the previous single global control area (the old system only simulated US-specific rules and information). Having independent geographic regions means different parts of the world can use voices appropriate to the location, but more importantly, regions can have different procedures and standards. To accommodate regional accent differences, the system now supports more than one voice per region, providing more variety, as well as male and female voices. In the voice settings page, pilots can also choose between male and female voices.
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X-Plane 12.00 Beta3
X-Plane 12.00 Release Notes Beta_3 X-Plane 12.00 Beta 3 is out, fixing over 20 bugs. Upgrade now.
Next, I conducted a test flight. Departing from Mammoth Yosemite Airport (KMMH), I flew a Cirrus SR22 over Yosemite for about an hour. The simulation ran stably without any issues.
Landed safely back at Mammoth Yosemite Airport.
By the way, the ATC feature in X-Plane 12 is much more convenient than before. You can communicate with Air Traffic Control at any time and request VFR landings. There are many more presets, so it is highly recommended.
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First Impressions of Getting X-Plane 12
After waiting for nearly a year, I noticed early this morning that the Early Access version of X-Plane 12 has been released. I immediately purchased and installed it. X-Plane 12.00 Release Notes
Downloading the scenery took about 2 hours, and finally, the installation was complete.
Startup screen
Main menu
I found that the various settings pages are no different from X-Plane 11, so it’s quick to get started.
No need to specifically explain the settings. -
New Image Editing Powerhouse: TourBox Elite
I purchased a piece of hardware called TourBox Elite for photo editing.
After getting the hang of it for a bit, it feels pretty good.I used it for editing in Lightroom. After completing the initial setup, and spending nearly 30 minutes memorizing the locations of the knobs, scroll wheels, D-pad, and various function keys, the rate at which I used the keyboard and mouse did indeed drop significantly.
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X-Plane 12 Flight Model Report
X-Plane 12 Flight Model Report
The developers have released detailed technical specifications about X-Plane 12 on their blog, but it is really, really too long, so I won’t translate the full text…
If you have time, go read it. The chapters are as follows:
Table of Contents 1 Introduction 2 Clouds 3 Real Weather 4 Thermals 5 Microbursts 6 Wings 7 Flaps 8 Fuselage 9 Propellers 10 Helicopters 11 Seaplanes 12 Gear and Tires 13 Braking 14 Icing 14.1 Math: The Effects of Ice 14.2 Applying the Math to N844X, My Lancair Evolution 14.3 General Case Discussion of What a Pilot Might be Thinking in Icing Conditions 14.4 Hypothetical Scenario for a Day in the Life of N844X, My Lancair Evolution 15 Jet Engines 16 Weight and Balance 17 Airbus Flight Control Laws 18 Conclusion
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X-Plane 12 Development Update
X-Plane 12 Development Update - May 19, 2022
It has been over half a year since the announcement of X-Plane 12 last September, and we have finally received an official update. It seems the Early Access release will be coming soon (mid-June?), and the price remains at $59.99, allowing players to purchase it online.
Below is a translation of the progress for various functional modules:
–Flight Model -Final testing -Austin is currently writing a blog post outlining the changes made for X-Plane 12.
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A Glimpse of Aomori Airport
Spring Cherry Blossom Season: Traveling to Hirosaki for Hanami, flying from Haneda to Aomori Airport. Due to limited time, I made a brief stop of just over ten minutes at the Aomori Airport observation deck to take some commemorative photos.
Several famous landmarks are visible on the right side before landing: Lake Towada
Mt. Hakkoda
And the Aomori city area.
The central long white building is the Aomori Central Wholesale Market,
The circular building slightly above is the Aomori Prefectural Skating Rink,
And the triangular building by the distant seaside is the Aomori Prefectural Tourism and Product Center. -
2022 Revisiting Senrigawa at Osaka Itami Airport
It has been five years since my last visit to the plane spotting holy land—the Senri River bank at Osaka Itami Airport. This time, taking advantage of the Golden Week consecutive holidays, I made a special trip to Osaka for another few hours of photography. Speaking of which, local transportation has evolved somewhat. First, take the Hankyu Railway from Osaka Umeda to Sone Station. Then, use the shared bicycle app “HELLOCYCLING,” and after a ten-minute ride, you’ll arrive at the Senri River.
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A Glimpse of Hakodate Airport
Due to the pandemic, I haven’t been able to travel for a long time, let alone have the opportunity to photograph airports in various places. Fortunately, having recently completed three doses of the vaccine, and with the local government lifting various travel restrictions after mid-April, I can finally get out and about. Today, I’ll start with a glimpse of Hakodate Airport. Also, the airport charts are here.
Following the usual routine, I started by checking out the environment from the observation deck on the 3rd floor of the terminal.
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First Shots at Haneda Airport in 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t let up, so I haven’t been to the airport to spot planes for nearly half a year. I’m really rusty, so I headed to Haneda Airport on this day (Vernal Equinox holiday, March 21st) to practice.
Also, due to the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, European international flights have largely been grounded, so I skipped Terminal 3 and just hung out at the Terminal 2 observation deck to try and regain my old touch. By the way, I bought the Sony a7m4 several months ago and took it out for the first time to shoot planes, but I only ended up with these two shots. The other photos were still taken with the Canon 5D4.
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Commemorating the Ukrainian Su-27 Air Show
I read online that the Ukrainian pilot, Colonel Oleksandr “Grey Wolf” Oksanchenko, was shot down and killed over Kyiv on the night of Friday last week by an S-400. From 2013 to 2018, he served as a Su-27 display pilot for the Ukrainian Air Force. I also photographed his display in the UK. I am posting some photos here to honor and thank this excellent pilot for his spectacular performances.
July 14, 2018
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First Flight of 2022
Now that we’ve entered 2022, I look forward to health and happiness for my loved ones, hope the viral pandemic leaves us soon, and eagerly await the early release of X-Plane 12. This blog has been updating for 10 years since December 2011; I hope it can continue for the next 10 years as well. Woke up early with nothing to do on the first day of 2022, so I decided to fly a bit in X-Plane 11 to commemorate the occasion.
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Simple Performance Test of X-Plane 11 on a New MacBook Pro
Apple recently released the new MacBook Pro with the Apple M1 Pro chip. After purchasing it, I used X-Plane 11.55b2 to run a quick performance test. The machine is running macOS Monterey, with 16GB of memory, a 10-Core CPU, a 16-Core GPU, and a 1TB SSD.
The X-Plane 11 graphics settings are as follows:
Visual effects: High, Global object count: High, Texture quality: High, Reflection detail: High,
Anti-aliasing: 4x, Anisotropic filtering: 8x,
and using Global shadows, with the Meta driver enabled.
Additionally, the external monitor resolution is 2560x1440.