Roy Chaffin's  

      -LATEST NEWS..............  2003 - 2007

18th December 2007

" Christmas is here again  "

1st December 2007

" Joysticks and Vista - addition  "

" Windows Vista Activation "

30th November 2007

" Back to FS "

22nd November 2007

" Wildlife Art Show opens "

14th November 2007

" Great Personal News :-)) "

28th October 2007

" FSX Acceleration Pack - Follow up"

25th October 2007

" FSX Acceleration Pack "

According to the dictionary, the word “Acceleration” even in “American” English means :- “the act of accelerating; increase of speed or velocity”, so you could be excused for thinking this add-on for MS FSX is going to make it go more quickly, giving increased frame rates. Well think again because the opposite is true, according to my tests. (see details below)

So having accepted the name is very misleading at best, what does this package really offer ?  Well to cut to the chase, three extra aircraft (F14 Tomcat, P51 Mustang, Helicopter) and extra missions, some of which are multi player, some needing extra scenery which is included and basically that is it. But it comes at a fairly heavy cost and I am not talking about money.

A year after the release of FSX, which promised to have DirectX 10 support in the original release, you would think at last we would have it in this pack. Well think again, all we have is a “DirectX 10 Preview” option which doesn’t work very well. (again see details below)

As far as I can see, the extra missions are fine, but I haven’t had time to test them all and the extra aircraft are OK.  However, in my view there are better add-on aircraft available for free,

Even forgetting DirectX 10, this package is far from finished. In my humble opinion this has been “rushed out” as another cynical move before Christmas.

I so wanted to write a good review of this add-on package and to finally say that FSX along with its Service Pack 1, had become the product it was originally promised to be, but it still falls woefully short of that. I am very disappointed and I sure you will be as well if you pay out good money for it.

OK, lets get to the details.

All my tests were done under controlled conditions with real results not ‘guestimates’. This is all tested on a top of the range PC with a top end DX10 graphics card (testing a range of the latest graphics drivers). I can swap between Virgin FSX, FSX with SP1, and FSX with SP1 along with the Acceleration Pack and between XP and Vista by using different boot drives on the same PC, so all results are a true comparison.

As you will remember me reporting previously, SP1 gave a 30% increase in frame rates over the original release version. Well the “Acceleration Pack” removes most if not all of that improvement. It is pretty well back to the position it was in before SP1.

The textures on some buildings and the ground, flash from normal – black – white and back to normal again, several times a second. Clouds appear, disappear and reappear again at will. When looking at the external view of an aircraft and moving around it, strange and unexplained large black shadows appear on the aircraft surface. Very spooky  !!!

If we invoke the “DirectX Preview” option things change. On the good side the frame rates increase to SP1 levels :-)  However that is where the good news stops. The flashing textures are still there, but now we have extra vertical “black lines” (like telegraph poles) appearing and disappearing many times a second all over the scenery (which are very annoying). The new DX10 water with wonderful reflections has great potential, but these reflections flash on and off at will. Add to that, the intensity of the water colour is just about acceptable close to, but is way “over the top” at a distance and things are not good. A lake at 10 miles looks like it is painted in “dayglow blue”. Not very authentic !! Lastly a number of add-on aircraft I tried in the DX10 preview mode displayed no textures at all. To be fair this is only a “Preview” mode, so they know it doesn’t work properly, but my question is, why include it at all ??  I don’t think you need to be Albert Einstein to answer that one :-))

You will undoubtedly read the usual batch of ridiculous reviews saying how wonderful it is, but this time it is going to stretch the reviewer’s credibility even further than normal. As has become my trademark, I tell it the way it is and not what others want me to say.  So do you spend your money of this product ??  Well that is up to you, at least you are now doing it with your eyes open. For me there are far to many disadvantages for a few extra missions and three extra aircraft, it will definitely be staying off my proper FSX machine.

I really don’t understand this add-on package at all. The product name does not describe it. It is an “Expansion Pack” and that is all it is, adding aircraft and missions, but at a cost. It strikes me that the original intention was for it to be much more, giving extra speed and DX10 but the developers failed to deliver, and instead of either renaming it and leaving out the unfinished DX10 code that slows it down, or delaying the release until it was finished, they released it anyway.

I my humble opinion FSX with SP1 gives by far the best results, so there must be better things to have for Christmas. 

" General "

That is about it for now, I will continue testing and report anything else of interest. We are still making slow but steady progress with our FSX packages, but I have nothing solid to report at this point.

Have fun.

Roy

22nd September 2007

" Back to work "

I am now back from my annual holiday to the South of France and had a fantastic time as usual. After the events of this year, the month away was a particularly welcome :-))  Wonderful food, brilliant wine and the company of very special friends, what more could one ask for ?  Answer :-  Nothing :-))

On the drive down we spent three days with our very special friends in the Champagne Region of France, where I had a fantastic time delighting in the people and the food, not to mention the odd glass of the local brew. :-))

Then is was down to the South Coast about 30 miles west of Monaco for three weeks of complete relaxation, where I was able to recover in body and soul. The weather was stunningly good, along with all the usual pleasures. This year I had to offer to play with a new Aston Martin, but I turned it down. I am a Ferrari and Jaguar man through and through.

Completely rested and recovered, next it was off to the Swiss boarder to spend three days with my very good friend and colleague Tony D'Ambrosio. As always we had a fabulous time and put the world to rights for another year :-))

Then it was back to the Champagne Region again for more good times, not to mention some quality control on the local produce :-))  Hic !!!!

Unfortunately it is now back to reality :-))
Many things need your attention when you are away for an extended period, not to mention a couple of thousand emails to deal with. But they are all clear now, along with all the jobs. Now I need to get my head down and do some painting.

I hope you have all had a reasonable summer. I know here in the UK it has been dreadful with very little sun at all. I suppose it is not to late to get some, but I wouldn't hold your breath. It seems the weather has been very strange the world around this year. Let us all hope for better things to come.

Nothing else to report at the moment.

Have a great weekend. Best wishes

Roy

9th August 2007

" A major goal reached "

Finally we have got to the stage of Beta testing our FSX products and the initial reaction has been very good. A few bug reports are coming and requiring a few minor fixes, but nothing major so far.  We still have a couple of items to be finished, one to ease installations and another to add functionality, but I am hopeful these will be available by the time I return from my annual holidays.

"General "

This time of year is normally a quiet one for us developers and the sun is normally shining so we don't want to be slaving away at a hot keyboard, but the weather has been so bad this year that writing code has been preferred to getting wet :-))

There really hasn't been anything much of interest to report on for the past month and definitely no new products on the market of any significance.

We are all waiting for the FSX DirectX 10 Patch (Service Pack)  and the "FSX Acceleration Pack" which is due out in time for Christmas 2007. Which will come first is anyone's guess.

That is about it for now. Have a great holiday season and recharge the batteries.

Roy

16th July 2007

" General "

Work has continued on development of our FSX products but the progress is painfully slow. We are getting there, and I can see light at the end of the tunnel, but it is a long tunnel :-((

As we learn more and more about FSX and the way it works (or doesn't), we realise that pretty well all aspects of an addon product have to be changed to update them, even from fully compatible FS9 products.

There is little doubt in my mind that this is one of the main reasons there is so little quality add-on products around for FSX.

Nevertheless we do not give up and will continue to move forward.

“ Top Tip “

During testing, a customer commented that installations were going through properly and finishing in the normal manner, but nothing appeared to have been installed ??
No warnings had appeared and there was nothing out of the ordinary except the programme wasn’t there after installation, or the programme had not done its job.

It came as no surprise that this was a “Vista” only problem and XP worked perfectly. Investigations soon proved this to be another of  “The delights of Vista”. (What a hateful operating system it is, but you know my thoughts on that subject) Basically this happens when an “exe” file is not “digitally signed”. In other words the developer has not paid out vast sums of money for a “digital signature”.

As we deal here in “Solutions” not “Problems”, here we go with a “Top Tip”.

To install any programme on Vista, don’t just double click on the “exe” file. Instead, “Right Click” on it and choose “Run as administrator”. You will then be faced with a warning screen. Click on “Allow” (even though the screen tries to frighten you out of it). Finally follow the onscreen instructions as normal.

This will save many hours of head scratching and sending emails to developers.

" Comment "

I am sure you will find that above tip useful as many FS developers are not in the position to pay for "Digital Signatures". We are in a fortunate position we could pay, but I refuse out of principle. We here at RCS Panels, like others, are trying to add to the enjoyment of our hobby by providing you with software as cheaply as possible, if not completely FREE of charge. We DO NOT expect to have to shell out "shed loads of money" for the privilege. It seems to me the Microsoft have completely forgotten that it is people like us that have made their product what it is today, not them.

OK rant over :-))

Have a great week.

Roy

HONOUR

" We are Honoured "

There are very few times in my life when I am left speechless, but a few days ago there was one such time, as I opened a package from Texas, USA.

You will probably remember that a couple of years ago RCS Panels produced and donated an FS version of the real life B-25J "Yellow Rose" to the CAF Museum in Texas to help raise awareness and funds for their cause.

Neither I nor my team wanted or expected anything in return, other than the knowledge we had helped to put something back into aviation. Well it seems that the CAF Museum were not prepared to let it rest there and wanted to say "thank you" in a very special way.

Earlier in the year, the "Yellow Rose Squadron of the CAF" hosted the "2007 Doolittle Raiders 65th Annual Reunion" at their base in San Antonio, Texas. They managed to get 7 of the 14 surviving members of the "Original Raiders" to the event and got them to sign a specially produced print of a B-25.

Each member of my team and I, have been presented with  individual signed prints along with photos of the original aircrew signing them. What a fantastic gift.

As if this wasn't more than enough, to celebrate the 65th Reunion, the CAF had minted 400 numbered copies of a special coin to commemorate the event. Numbers 1 - 20 were presented to the "Original Raiders" and their families, and numbers 21 -25 were presented to us. What an amazing gesture and honour.

Last, but certainly not least, comes the letter from Steve Gladwin (B-25 Yellow Rose Squadron) that came with this superb presentation. It is impossible to describe the magnitude of the words and how much they mean to my team and I.

The letter :- Click here to read

There are a few things in life that are beyond monetary value, but this is certainly one of them. I just cannot find the words to express our gratitude for this honour. What can one say other than :-

Thank You

Roy, on behalf of the whole RCS Panels team
(Roy Chaffin, Steve Wayne, Brian Withers, Alan Landsburgh, Bob Guzman)

29th June 2007

" Add-on Developers "

I have recently spent some time trawling through the websites looking at what is new and available  in the way of "Add-ons" for FS and was somewhat surprised at my findings. It seems the days of numerous good FREEWARE add-ons have long since gone and everything has become PAYWARE. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against developers making money out of their creations, but money seems to have become "King". There is very little FREEWARE anymore, which I think is a great shame. It was the backbone of this hobby and what made it so successful and long lasting. So come on you proper developers how about joining us and doing something for FREE from time to time ?

Even we here at RCS Panels do produce a PAYWARE package in the shape of the RCS B-25J "Yellow Rose" but that is to raise money for the museum that owns the original aircraft and mot a single cent/penny goes into our pockets. Even our expenses come out of our own pockets.

The other thing that struck me during my research was the lack of proper add-ons for FSX. (I do not call the hundreds of "repaints" proper add-ons) I mean new aircraft, panels, scenery and utilities. If you compare now with a similar time after the release of FS2004, there is virtually nothing in comparison with the same time after the release of FS2004. Does one read from this, that the FS users/developers are just not interested in FSX  ?

I know because of the stupidity or ignoranceof the developers of FSX many unnecessary changes were made to the core of FS, meaning the a great deal of add-ons that worked perfectly with previous versions of FS were useless. Many of the features within FS were also changed for no good reason at all. I use just as an example the removal of configurable " views" from a cockpit (panel SDK). What point was there to that ??  Answer NONE !!!

" The future ? "

I am all for progress and development because without it, nothing improves, but in my view it has to be done alongside listening to what people say and that means the bad news as well as the good. Unfortunately "ARROGANCE" which in my opinion is what has been displayed by the FSX developers, is what comes before a fall.

" Conversions to FSX "

One has to say, conversions of FS2004 products to FSX format is not an easy process especially when it comes to anything more complex than a simple model. I think it is fair to say, that had I and my team realised some two years ago what would be involved we would not have bothered. However, two years down the line we are still working hard on making our B-25J fully compatible. I am not making promises, but I am hopeful we might have a version of the B-25J "Yellow Rose" ready for release soon. Then hopefully the FREEWARE  "RCS B-25J RAF" will follow.

" FSX SP1 "

I have also been doing more testing of SP1 for FSX.  There is definitely much more use of the extra cores in a processor which has got to be good. There also seems to be quite a number of "Bug fixes" or "Feature enhancements" (as MS would call them) in the Service Pack. So far I have found no downsides. I would however suggest you upgrade you Video Card Drivers to the latest versions.

While on the subject of FSX, can I just suggest if you haven't tried the missions in FSX already, you should, there is a lot of fun to be had with them, not to mention the opportunity to improve your flying skills.

" RCS Panels Honoured "

I am pleased to tell you that I have just found out that my team and I, have been acknowledged for the work we have done for charity. To say we are very honoured is an understatement. We are delighted :-))

I will post the full report (with photos) in the next week or so.

OK, that is about it for now.  Have a good week.

Roy

14th June 2007

" Where did that three weeks go ? "

I just realised that 3 weeks have passed since I posted anything here. Ooops !!!  To be honest not a great deal has been happening here, I have just been trying to get back into work very slowly.

" Back to work "

I spent three days at an Art Show (Near Nottingham) I normally perform at, but this year I was just there as a guest. It is a great show and we see many thousands of visitors over 4 days. It was really nice to have the opportunity to look around the show, rather than doing five or six demonstrations every day and seeing nothing. I did however get talked into doing one 1 hour presentation / demonstration on the second day. I had nothing with me, but it was all provided. It went well, but it did prove to me I have a way to go to be fully fit. I was absolutely exhausted afterwards. Nevertheless we had a great time and a couple of fun nights out which did me good :-))

I am now preparing for an Art Workshop I am running in 10 days time, which will be my first proper work since the surgery. There is always a lot of preparation work to be done beforehand, but we are getting there :-))

" FS and computer work "

I am sorry to say, I have had little or no time to do any FS or computer work, not that there is much happening at the moment. I continue to get horror stories reported on Vista, and my personal experiences are not encouraging me to make a permanent move in that direction. I think XP is here for the long term.

" Anti Virus Software "

Let me just follow up on the Anti Virus situation. AVAST is proving to be a wonderful product and has massively improved the productivity of my PC's. Over a period of time I will completely replace Norton on all the machines here. To add to that I have had many emails from people that have been using AVAST for years and swear by it (rather than swear at it, as with Norton).

" Adware "

Something else of interest. I did have an instance of my Internet Browser being "Hijacked" (not going to the page you select), and none of the "Anti Adware / Malware" packages could find the problem and believe me I tried them all. However there was one, that not only diagnosed the problem but fixed it quickly and efficiently. "StopZilla" was the program. It is NOT free, but in my opinion is worth the small amount of money it costs. It even flags up and stops websites that carry "Adware / Spyware / Malware" so you can browse with confidence. You can find it on the net by doing a search.

OK folks that is about it for now. Have a fun weekend.

Roy

21st May 2007

" Norton -The final straw "

I spent the best part of yesterday stripping Norton Internet Security out of my email machine and installing Norton Internet Security 2007. (which was not cheap) The installation was not easy, and 24 hours later "Auto Protect" bombs out and will not reactivate, no matter what you do. :-((

So after years of loyalty to Symantec, Norton has been "trashed" for good, never to darken my door again. Why should we the customers pay out a fortune to be treated in such a cynical way ?  (Don't answer that)

So having previously tested AVAST that is what now replaces it. Installation straightforward, machine runs much quicker, its free and you get good protection. What more could you want !!!

Have a great week.

Roy

19th May 2007

" More information on FSX Service Pack 1 "

I have now done more testing on FSX SP1 with two other computer setups.

Firstly I have tested it on an Intel 3 Ghz HT (single core) machine, and was pleasantly surprised. It appears I was wrong when I said the SP1 would not give a 30% increase in frame rates on a single core machine because it does. The increase is pretty well identical to the 2 Core Duo, in percentage increase terms. This however begs the question. Why ?
Microsoft state that SP1 now makes use of the second core. If this is the case then there should be a bigger increase in the 2 Core Duo machine.  My only explanation is the original Release Version of FSX didn't support HT processors either. It does seem you have to "winkle" the truth out around here :-((

Secondly I have tested it on the 2 Core Duo with Vista. The increase in frame rates were exactly the same as with XP Pro. FSX still doesn't run as well and as smoothly on Vista as it does on XP.  Mind you if you are using an Nvidia graphics card, I do suggest you download the latest drivers for Vista. This is especially true if you are running the 8800 card.

A few other modifications have been made to FSX. You no longer have to look at a black screen while the first 70% of the loading takes place. This is a step forward.

" Windows Vista "

I still don't like Vista with a passion. It is just not stable. During my tests with FSX SP1 it crashed on me four times, for no reason. This is like a step back to Windows 95 or 98. Hopefully SP1 for Vista will start to get it right, but we haven't got that yet. My advice to you is, if you don't have to use Vista, give it a big miss.

" Anti Virus Software "

I have been becoming more and more fed up with Anti Virus software suppliers, who seem to want more and more money for something none of us can do without. Furthermore the software from one of the leaders in the field seems to slow the PC to a crawl. So as is my way, I have been looking around and was put onto some AV software from "AVAST". This is not only FREE for "Home Users" it doesn't appear to slow down you system while it is doing its job.  What I call a result :-))   All you have to do is register and you get 12 months for FREE, when that runs out you register again for another 12 months and so on.

Currently I am testing it on Vista, and so far it seems to perform well. 

OK that is about it for now.

Have a great weekend.

Roy

16th May 2007

" FSX Service Pack 1 "

Service Pack 1 for FSX was released today and is available for download.

As you would expect I have downloaded it and done a  number of quick tests.

Using my Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme X8600 PC (as specified lower on this page), running XP Pro, I saw a 30% increase in frame rates. This is significant if you already have frame rates in the 20's or better, but if you are down at 10 then it only increases it to 13, which is not a lot, and still pretty useless :-((

My initial feeling is most of this increase is due to the better use of the second core in the processor and therefore it is not likely to be seen in single core processors.

My other initial impression is, there are more "stutters" after adding SP1. I will say more about this after more tests.

Tests will continue on other machines and on Vista. So watch this space, for more information.

In summary, SP1 is without question an improvement, but whether is a big enough improvement, only you can judge.

Over the next few days, I will give SP1 a good workout and report my findings in my usual truthful manner.

Have a good week.

Roy

15th May 2007

" Stop Press "

13th May 2007

" Medical Update "

7th May 2007

" Sitrep "

Nothing much new has happened here over the past week. Progress on my recovery has been steady but slow :-)

I have been mainly filling my time learning to speak French. Languages is not something I have any natural talent for, so I am finding it extremely difficult. But you know me, I am very persistent :-))

I am very slowly bringing myself up to speed on what has been happening in general and our projects in particular. Steady progress is being made on our package conversions for FSX. As you know we are way behind schedule on those, but this has been due to a number of factors, my health being the major one. However, with FSX being in the state it is, there seems to be no hurry. I am hopeful we will have the first package published within eight weeks (but don't hold your breath) :-))

Your good wishes continue to flood in, for which is am extremely grateful :-))

OK folks, have a great week.

Kindest regards and thanks

Roy

1st May 2007

" I'm back :-)) "

As you can see I am back with you and recovering well :-))
I am still somewhat weak and sore, but slowly I am getting back to normal, well as normal as I ever am :-))

The past few months have been very traumatic but we have made it through with the help of the huge number of people that have supported us with their good wishes and prayers. You have all been FANTASTIC and I cannot thank and praise you enough. THANK YOU.

To say that recent events have been a life changing experience, and one for the good, is the understatement of the year. I don't think I will ever look at things or people in the same way again. I was given a second life on the 16th April 2007 and I intend to make the very best use of it. So look out world "Chaffin" is coming :-))

" FS News "

It will come as no surprise that no FS work has been done over the past couple of weeks and little is likely over the next few, but I will slowly pick up where I left off and get back to work.

I understand a "Service Pack 1 for FSX" is due anytime. It is suggested this will speed up the Frame Rates by using more than one core of multi core processors. Not before time if you ask me !!!  In my opinion this should have been in the original release along with DX10 support. I understand DX10 support is still unlikely to be included in SP1, and isn't expected until the autumn. Words fail me. I am glad my surgeon was more competent.

I have said it before and I will say it again. I am totally amazed that "unfinished" products can be released to the public and the public are expected to pay full price for them !!

" General "

So I am back and intend to be a "thorn in the side" of those few people that wish I wasn't, and for a very long time to come :-))

Anyway folks, I am delighted to be back with you again, if only in a limited way for the time being.

Have fun.

Roy

26th April 2007

" Latest Medical Update "

We are delighted to report that Roy is home from hospital and is doing extremely well. He is able to walk around and looks well. He is still on strong pain killers and is under strict orders to do NOTHING, which he is finding very difficult, as he is not a "do nothing" sort of person. However, for once he has to do as he is told :-))

He sends you all his best wishes and hopes to be back with you all soon.

Tests on the removed kidney identified it as a particularly "nasty" cancer, but the long term prognosis is now very good. It appears that the accidental discovery of this tumour a year ago was an absolute "God Send".

Roy will not be back to work for some time, but the future is now looking bright. Thank you all for your truly wonderful support.

Dinah (Roy's wife)

22nd April 2007

" Medical Update "

Thanks to everyone who has been concerned about Roy. Your concern and support has touched and helped us both enormously.

He had the operation to remove his kidney on Monday. The surgery took four and a half hours and he was in intensive care until late Tuesday.

The tumour was cancerous but the surgeon is confident that that it was
completely contained within the kidney and has been removed without spread.
So we are very much more hopeful now, although of course further tests still
have to be done.

Roy is still feeling very groggy but we are told he should be able to come
home soon.

Thanks again from us both for your good wishes and not sending emails. We would respectfully ask you continue your restraint.

Kindest regards
Dinah (Roy's wife)

 

16th April 2007

" Update "

By the time you read this page, I will either have had, or will be having major surgery to remove a large tumour.

As I am sure you will appreciate, this is a very difficult time, but I hope to be back with you, and before to long.

For at least a few weeks this page will not be updated or emails answered, which I am sure you will understand. However as soon as my family or I are able, we will post a progress report here.

You have always been very supportive of me and my family, and we really appreciate your emails and messages, but on this occasion could I ask that you please do not email us for at least two weeks from today, so the mail boxes are not jammed full.

Can I just say as a final word. Over the years I have been producing software and running this site, you have been FANTASTIC. You have supported me through good times and bad, and it has been hugely appreciated by me.

Good wishes to you all.

Roy

PS.   I'LL BE BACK

6th April 2007

" Little to report "

There is little to report from the past month as I have been taking a number of "time outs". Work has continued on development, with bugs slowly being ironed out, but I have to admit my mind has been on other things and is likely to remain so for a while.

I appreciate your restraint with emails, as I am spending little time in front of the PC at the moment, so keep up the good work :-)  Junk mail of course piles in no matter what :-(

Spring seems to be finally showing its face which is great news. Even the odd warm sunny day here in the UK :-)

Have a good one.

Roy

8th March 2007

" Date Change "

For those people that know about the "BIG EVENT" in my life that is coming up, the date has now been changed to 16th April. Which does not cause me any problems. For those that don't know, disregard this information :-)

" General "

Nothing useful has been done here for the past ten days as I have been in France. This was a spur of the moment decision and in less than 24 hours from the first idea I was driving through central France. I spent a few days with my good friend and colleague Tony D'Ambrosio, and also seeing other good friends in the same area. Then it was back up to the Champagne region to spend time with some time someone that is very special to me.  I had a great time and it was a fantastic break,  putting a smile back onto my face, which has been something that has been sadly lacking in the past few weeks.

We are all extremely good at having a moan about things, and I am no better or worse than anyone else. As you know I can moan and grump with the best of you, but their is something I have learnt over the past year or so, which maybe you haven't as yet.  Your friends, and I mean your real friends, are the most important things you have in your life, so make sure you tell them while you are still able to do so. You might be surprised how much of an improvement it might make to your life.

On that important thought, I will leave you and get back to answering the emails that have piled up in my absence.

Have a good one.

Roy

23rd February 2007

" X-Plane "

After considerable difficulty I finally managed to get X-Plane installed and running on Linux. The installation instructions that are supplied with the software are hopeless, if you don't know how to do it before your read them you certainly will be no wiser afterwards. An email from X-Plane (Linux) Tech Support was three lines of "gibberish" that didn't help. It wasn't wrong if you could understand it, but totally unhelpful. Anyway after hours of research on the Net I managed to figure out a way of installing it.

Just when I thought my troubles were over I "hit the buffers" again :-(  Try as I might, I was unable to get X-Plane to run in Linux, although it was supposed to be compatible. Every effort failed, and even a panel of Linux experts were unable to solve the problem. As you would expect I fired off another email to the X-Plane Tech Support function which initially received no reply. Only after I complained to the Manager Customer Services (who was helpful) did I receive what can only be described as "a load of unhelpful waffle" on how to run it, from the X-Plane Linux tech support person.

As I discovered from hunting around the net for more hours, the answer was simple. The full retail version I had bought and paid for, that was delivered to me on DVD version 8.40 was NOT compatible with Linux. There was no mention of this on the website or in the accompanying documentation. The first thing you had to do having installed your new DVD's was to download a massive upgrade to the package before you could even run it up. Not what you would call the most instinctive of actions. Version 8.50 is compatible with Linux but is not the one supplied on the DVD's. Really helpful !!!!!

So the only information the tech support person needed to give me to solve my problems would have been "Upgrade your installation to version 8.50 and it will run in Linux".  I have to admit this support function is the worst I have ever come across in all my years in computing. So much so I wrote to the Manager Customer Services a second time giving chapter and verse of the treatment I had received at the hands of his operative, but this time I declared who I was, were as before I had just acted like a normal member of the public who had bought the product in good faith. I did receive a pleasant reply, but it remains to be seen if the useless person is replaced and lessons are learnt.

Now that I have X-Plane running in Linux, it runs well. I have now got used to the fact the scenery is not the "real world" and find the experience quite enjoyable. As the aircraft are not really up to scratch, I have already reworked an aircraft package I found on the net that is now is a joy to use (this is just for my own use). This rework has taught me a great deal about the development process, which should come in useful in the future. There is however much more to learn.

It is worrying however, that there appears to be a new version of package every month or so, with changes and/or new features. This cannot make it easy for developers who are trying to build complex third party add-ons for it. I will watch with interest.

There is much to like about X-Plane, with birds in the sky, and even runways that are not flat. This is an impressive feature that I really like. You do however have to have a pretty powerful PC to get the best out of it.

If you have a broardband connection to the internet, I do recommend you download the Demo version and give it a try. You have got nothing to loose.

OK that is about it for now. Have a good week and weekend.

Roy

14th February 2007

" No DirectX 10 for FSX for a very long time "

I want to share with you something that one of our kind German readers has sent to me, which might make your blood boil.

It appears from reading this post on an MSDN forum that it is going to be a very long time before we can use FSX with DirectX 10.

http://blogs.msdn.com:80/ptaylor/archive/2007/01/31/fsx-progress-update-sp1-and-dx10.aspx

Just in case the above entry on the forum is removed, I have placed the contents on a page here.

Click here to read

Microsoft have encouraged us loyal FS users to go out and buy FSX, Vista and a hugely powerful and expensive new PC for absolutely nothing, because a patch to put in what should have been in FSX at the launch, will not be available for a very long time to come. That is nothing short of disgusting.

To add insult to injury, what do we get out of virtually all the FS websites ?  No comment !!  You can draw your own conclusions why that is.

It also appears the FSX only makes a 20% use of a second core on your multi core processor. Another "little gem" that appears to have slipped out.

Am I the only one that thinks we are being "stitched up like kippers" ??  Come on guys make your voices heard.

" More investigations "

On a happier note, I have been doing more investigations with "X-Plane".

Once you accept the scenery is not the "real world" it can be quite fun to use.

In quieter moments, I have been looking at the construction of aircraft and panels to see what the possibilities are for development. I have to admit what I have seen so far as FREEWARE (on offer from current developers) has not inspired me, but I haven't done an extensive search. Maybe the time is right for RCS Panels to raise the bar ?   No promises at this stage, it is just an idea that might or might not happen.  That is probably taken me off the "Christmas list" of a load more Payware people :-))

OK as it is Valentines Day I guess I better keep this short :-)

Have a great week.

Roy

11th February 2007

" Linux and the future ? "

The last week has seen me doing much more investigation into Linux. I moved on from "Ubuntu" which I felt had limitations to "SUSE 10.2" which seemed much more capable, not to mention bigger. This was a serious download at 6 CD's or 1 DVD as apposed to 1 CD for "Ubuntu".

Installation wasn't the easiest thing in the world, and finally after two installs I had it licked. The problem is you don't really know the implications of the answers you are giving to questions you are being asked during the install until it is to late.

With "SUSE" you have the choice of two separate desktop environments. "Gnome", which is roughly based on the MAC desktop and "KDE" which is roughly based on Windows. KDE is probably the more capable of the two, but now I have got use to it, I think I prefer Gnome.

Installation of video drivers was a nightmare again, but I got there in the end. To be honest installation of any software is not really a straightforward process.

I have to say, a few days experience with Linux does make you appreciate Windows.

" What Windows programmes can you run on Linux ? "

The answer to what Windows programmes you can run on Linux is now much clearer to me. Using the FREE version of "WINE" you are very limited, and even if they do install and run, they often have limitations or problems.

I have now found a programme called "CrossOver Office" which is NOT free, but works very well and much better than the free version of WINE.

I am certainly going to do more work with Linux and give it a good thrashing.

So to the £64,000 question, Will MS FS run ?  NO............   and I now know it never can. FS uses DirectX for graphics and Linux does not support DirectX and only OpenGL. End of story. :-((

So if you want to use MS FS, as we do, we are stuck with Windows at least for the time being.

" X Plane "

I finally received my full version of "X Plane" version 8.5 which came on 8 DVD's. I must say the delivery by UPS was good and on time, be it somewhat expensive. For the price of "X Plane" ($69 plus shipping) I was expecting the full boxed version. No wrong !!!   8 DVD's in paper packets was all that arrived. Not very professional.

As you would expect installation did take a long time, although you don't have to load all the DVD's at one time. They are broken up into scenery areas around the world, so you can pick and choose what you install. Altogether it is boarding on 60gbs for the full install.

Once I had it all loaded, I was full of expectations about this Worldwide Photographic Scenery, but I should have guessed disappointment was just around the corner. It turns out it is not proper Photographic Scenery at all, it is Generic Photographic Scenery thrown together in a patchwork to look pretty. You will be able to recognise absolutely nothing.

Just checking out areas that I know, they are RUBBISH. San Francisco for example: Even I know as a resident of the UK that the Golden Gate Bridge has two major "H" towers with the suspension bridge hung between. According to "X Plane" there are four towers, and it is not RED it is BLACK. The island of Alcatraz has no prison on it. I could go on and on. Seems the authors cannot even get their own country correct, so what hope have the rest of us ?? Answer NONE. As far as I can see nothing anywhere in the world is correct or even close to it. What a waste.

I was also dismayed to find out there were NO extra aircraft with the RETAIL version than were in the DEMO.

All in all, what do you get for your money ? nothing other than a world of RUBBISH scenery. Oh, yes I nearly forgot, you can use your joystick for more than 6 minutes without it cutting out as it does in the DEMO, but even that doesn't count as there is a freely available crack on the Net that gets around that limit.

To sum up, "X Plane" has some very nice features and can be a pleasure to fly, but it still needs a pretty powerful PC to run it. Tests have been done since my last post and it does not run well on anything less than a 3ghs PC. The aircraft are very hit and miss. Some are good, most are not, and those that are tend to be payware. What they really need is some decent developers working on it for scenery and aircraft.

It has great potential, but in my opinion has not really come of age yet, so don't trash your MS FS quite yet. The good thing however is it will run on Linux and MAC as well as PC.

By all means test it for yourselves, download the demo and the crack and you can have some fun, that way you can see for yourself exactly what I mean.

" Still no FSX patch for DirectX 10 "

I am disgusted to say there is still no patch for FSX so we can use it with Vista and DirectX 10. I also read during the week there is another significant problem with FSX which is going to require a patch.

I said back at the time of release "the product wasn't finished" and how right I was.

Hopefully we will have some good news to report some time this year, but don't hold your collective breath. :-((

OK that is about is for this week.  Have a good one.

Roy

3rd February 2007

" Alternative Operating Systems ? "

With the advent of Windows Vista and all the testing that I have been doing with it, I started wondering if there was anything to the various claims made about LINUX as an alternative Operating System.

Well my findings were interesting to say the least, but don't trash Windows quite yet.

I started off using the latest release of a version of Linux called "Ubuntu" which can been downloaded and burnt to a CD. Furthermore the whole operating system and programs can be run from the CD without making any changes or additions to your hard drive. This is extremely useful in itself and it is also FREE.

The FREE CD package is quite amazing. not only do you get the operating system, but also a full version of "Open Office" (Like Windows Office) plus Graphics packages, Email, Web Browser, Games and more besides, and all on the one CD. The packages are not rubbish either. To give an example the Word Processor package is very like "MS Word 2003" and easy to use and very powerful.

If you want to download "Ubuntu" just do a search on the net for it, and you will find it :-)

To give you and example of a use for it. If you need to go and visit someone, do some work on their PC, and you don't know what packages they have to work with, this is a very useful thing to have in your bag. You can even save your files to a "Flash Drive" and take them away with you if necessary, and it doesn't affect their PC at all.

So after this, I decided to install it onto a spare hard drive, which does boot faster, and then do some more investigations about what was possible.

" Customising Ubuntu "

Customising "Ubuntu" and probably any Linux system is not easy. Anything is possible, but it is extremely difficult. Much of what has to be done to modify Linux, has to be done from the "Command Prompt" and this is a big step backwards to DOS days, which is not somewhere we really want to go. Even installing Nvidia Display drivers was a "Nightmare from Hell". I nearly "lost the will to live" in the process.

" Online Help "

There is an online IRC (Forum) to help people with over 800 users online at any one time. But this is a joke when it comes to getting help. The idiots really are running the asylum. Even the so called "Moderator" is a complete "Whally", who seems more interested in trying to instruct you on how to ask a question than being of any useful help. Lets face it guys, I have been around the block a few times and know how to ask a technical question, not to mention answer them. Eventually I just gave up on them as they are worse than useless.

Anyway drivers installed and it customised to my requirements, I went about investigating which software was available.  Basically all software is bespoke to Linux, but there are Linux versions of most things available and most of which are completely FREE.

" Windows Programs on Linux "

I also heard during my investigations, that it was possible to run Windows programmes on Linux using a special piece of (FREE) software called "WINE"(WINdows Emulator). Well I have to say WINE is very clever and creates a Windows Virtual drive where the Windows programmes are stored and run from. Not to go into to much detail, WINE converts the Windows DLL files "on the fly" to Linux instructions sets so they can run. This all sounds far to good to be true, and I have to say it is :-(

Using WINE, you can certainly run a great number of Windows programmes pretty well perfectly, but certainly not all. But to answer the question that is in all of your minds, Can you run FS ???  Sadly NO,  well at least I have to say so far I have been unable to do so, after many hours of trying. Even the information on the Web seems to confirm my findings. But if you know better I will be glad to hear from you.

" Alternative Simulators "

This lead me the start looking at the other FS packages to see whether they were possible on Linux. "FlightGear" was the first that came up, which is again FREE. The Windows version installed under WINE and worked, but the Linux version I could not get to work. I have to admit I didn't try for more than a few hours, because when I tested "FlightGear" on Windows, it was RUBBISH compared with MSFS.

Next came "X-Plane", which I have to admit I have never looked at before. This again installed perfectly in Windows, and runs well. To be honest it is very impressive, be it somewhat different from FS9. But the frame rates are exceptionally good and the graphics and realism is impressive. I will give it more time over the next few weeks. (This however is NOT free).

Installation of the proper version of "X-Plane" into Linux again turned out to be another major problem and one I have still not solved. :-(

Another thing that seems to be a problem with Linux is hardware manufacturers such as Logitech do not make drivers for Digital Joysticks for Linux and therefore there is no support for them.

" Conclusion "

In conclusion, I think that Linux is a complete "non-starter" for any of us that love FS, but maybe worth a look for other purposes.

I do however have a "Top Tip". If someone is buying a new computer or just recycling and old one, that just wants to do the "normal" things with it, like accessing the internet, email, create or modify office type files, handle graphics and all that stuff, then Linux and in particular the "Ubuntu" version is a very cheap (FREE) way of having a load of powerful packages for nothing. Even the Internet Security and Anti Virus packages are free. This is what I call a "real result".

" No FSX patch yet !! "

It will come as not surprise to anyone that MS have stitched us all up again, and still haven't released a patch for FSX so it can run DirectX 10 and we can have all those wonderful features we were promised with FSX.

Far be it for me to stir the pot, but it is about time that the FS community started to exercise some "People Power" and make their voices heard. We put up the money and it is about time they put up what we paid for.  Over to you.

OK folks, have a good weekend.

Roy

30th January 2007

" Vista Launched "

Well Windows Vista has been available for a few hours now, and a great wave of apathy has washed over every one.

To give Nvidia their due, the Vista drivers for the 8800 graphics cards were released within a few hours and seem to work, with both Full Screen and Windowed mode working correctly in FSX. There isn't however any increase in frame rates. In fact just based on my "Gut feel" I would say it stutters more, and is more jerky.

Microsoft have "played the blinder" I had expected and have not released the upgrade to FSX today, to enable us to use DirectX 10 in Vista. Considering FSX was being "trumpeted" for this feature, in my view the whole situation stinks. So the wait continues to find out exactly what FSX is capable of in Vista.

So I ask yourself this question. Does FSX do what it says on the box ??   You answer for yourself, but I know what I think.

" Good News ?? "

I have to say it would be nice to be able to report some good news on this page for a change. It seems there has been nothing but "doom and gloom" recently. But sadly I have noting for you along that line at the moment.

" Minor Glitches "

I can report a couple of minor glitches with FSX in Vista :-

1. When you minimize FSX when in "Full Screen Mode" it is a heck of a job to get it back up again. Don't ask me why, it just doesn't want to come up again. Sometimes restarting FSX is the only cure. Not good if you are in a long flight.

2. In FSX the Vista Cursor turns BLACK, which makes it impossible to find either at night or on a dark panel.  A completely new game, Find the Cursor :-))

These are both minor annoyances, but worth mentioning.

That's about it for now. More in due course.

Roy

28th January 2007

" Update "

Further investigations with FSX and Vista, convinced me that FSX was not using DirectX 10 although it is part of Vista and we were strongly lead to believe that FSX was DirectX 10 ready. So now we know why no performance increase or improved graphics.

Further investigations on the net, came up with less than obvious post from MS that a "patch" will be necessary for FSX to take advantage of the new DirectX 10 features when they are available.

See the bottom of this page :-

http://www.fsinsider.com/About/Frequently-Asked-Questions/Technical-Questions/Vista-and-DirectX.htm

When we can expect to see this "patch" is anybodies guess, but rest assured I will be onto it as soon as it is available and give you a full report.

You can draw you own conclusions from the information that is starting to creep out, but I know what I think. Keep you money in your pockets

More in due course.

27th January 2007

" Nvidia's Drivers "

After chasing several "red herrings" to find Vista Nvidia Drivers for the 8800 GTX video card, I finally managed to find them (version 100.30) and get them installed. It is still a mystery to me, why we are not allowed to have them even in Beta form. I even heard rumours that one website had been threatened with legal action from MS and Nvidia if they didn't remove a link to some drivers. Come on guys has somebody been giving out stupidity pills ??

Apparently Windows Vista hits the street on Tuesday and one assumes that the proper drivers will be released by then. But maybe you shouldn't hold your breath.

As you all know I have been a strong supporter of MS and Nvidia over the years, but the "wheels seem to have come off" recently.

Now the drivers are installed I am able to run Windows Vista in the proper resolutions and fire up FSX on the new system.  At last !!!!

In full screen mode, FSX works fine. There appears to be little or no difference in appearance between FSX in Windows XP and FSX in Windows Vista. I am yet to see whether some of the effects are better with DirectX 10, but my first reaction is there no improvement in "effects". More to follow on this subject later.

A couple of things do jump out immediately. Firstly there appears to be no support for older "Joysticks" that use the MIDI port on a sound card. The problem here appears to be that Vista doesn't support MIDI ports anymore, which I do find very strange, maybe I have it wrong, but more investigation will be done. Secondly, the Nvidia drivers do not work in "Windowed Mode" and even the aircraft selection screen is corrupt. However to be fair these are not "release" drivers so I hope that will be fixed.

" Vista and XP perform the same "

Comprehensive tests prove there is absolutely no difference in frame rates between FSX running in Vista and FSX running in XP. They perform exactly the same on the same machine. Interesting; so much for all the hype. Obviously new drivers might make improvements, but don't bank on it.

So far I think there are a number of issues with Vista that need to be looked at more carefully. It basically seems a good operating system, but it is very difficult to engineer. So many folders have moved and had their names changed, that you will find you waste hours trying to do the simplest of tasks that would have taken seconds in XP. You will be nagged to death, with security warnings and denied access to things when you are "the administrator" ??  Go figure that !!!

I have to say my advice to you, is not to be the first in the line on Tuesday morning to part with your money and then stick it on your main FS machine hoping everything is going to work and you are going to get increased performance, because disappointment is going to hit you squarely in the face. If you have a second machine or a "Caddy Drive System" then load it on another machine or hard drive and play with it first, if you must.

The money you would spend on Vista, would be better being spent on better hardware.

I will post more information as I play more and come up with more findings, but don't expect any radical changes.

" RCS FSX Packages "

Despite me unexpectedly being in hospital last week with kidney stones, which was completely unrelated to other problems, I am now well again and did manage to get some work done on the B-25J for FSX. We now have a full working set of gauges that perform in FSX :-))  Most of the programming issues has been resolved and things are moving forward well. We still have a few problems to fix, but I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel :-) It has certainly been a long slog so far.

" General "

I was gratified to read reports during the week to confirm my findings about the differences in performance between Intel and AMD. Intel certainly came out on top, and by a good margin.

I am hoping over the next week to do much more evaluation of Vista and FSX, to be able to give your some more solid facts about the benefits, problems, pitfalls and performance differences if any, so bear with me.

If you are intending to go for Vista, DO NOT "burn your boats", because you might be running backwards fairly quickly. You have been warned.

OK, have a good week.

Roy

11th January 2007

" Nvidia's Own Goal "

I have been in the IT business for a very long time and thought I had seen and heard it all by now, but yesterday I was stunned to silence again.

Nvidia have been plugging their flagship 8800 GTX video card for months now as the "best thing since sliced bread", saying it is the first and best DirectX 10 video card.  So in the interests of keeping you folks up to date with all things FS, I thought I would do a load of tests with Windows Vista and FSX on the new "all singing and dancing" machine with the 8800 GTX video card.

Well everything went smoothly until I discover that Vista does not have drivers for the Nvidia 8800 GTX. Not a problem I thinks as we are used to having to download the latest drivers from product manufacturers. Now you will understand my horror when I find that Nvidia have not released any 8800 drivers for Vista the operating system it was designed to be used with ????   Not even Beta Versions !!!

Words fail me. How stupid can they be ???     Don't answer that !!

According to the pundits, it is not because they don't have them, because apparently they do. They just choose not to let us have them. Not even people that do product testing and are supposed to be promoting their products. 

What an own goal !!!

"NVIDIA "

is awarded the RCS Panels

"Platinum Award for Gross Stupidity"

So folks I'm afraid you are going to have to wait for your test results until Nvidia deem us worthy to be given the drivers for the video card we have paid out huge amounts of money to buy over a month ago.

" Even more stupidity "

Whilst on the subject of stupidity, it came to my ears this week, it seems that one of our FS add-on software suppliers are worthy of a mention.

Apparently, if you buy PMDG's 747, and maybe other of their packages, and have chosen NOT to have your FS computer connected to the internet (which quite a number of us do for safety reasons) you cannot activate the package. Apparently you don't find this out until after you have paid your money. But, and this is the crunch, there is no means of activating it in any other way, so you are "stuffed". So will PMDG give people their money back ? Apparently not.

You have been warned

As this information is not from my personal experience, I will happily remove this post if what I have been told proves to be wrong, but I fear it is correct.

" General "

I must admit it would be nice to have some good news to report for a change. So far this year it has been all "doom and gloom", but perhaps things can only look up, and get better. :-)

I am encouraged to learn that slowly I am not the only one that seems to see the truth about FSX. It seems the large majority of flight simmers and developers are giving it a miss, at least for the time being. Which I must say, in my opinion is a wise move. But I say again, it will be good when we have the hardware to run it.

We are still developing FSX versions of our software, but the urgency has certainly gone out of it, with so few people using FSX.

"Medical "

Thanks to everyone that has emailed me in the past week. You have been very kind and it is really appreciated. Just to clear a possible misunderstanding. My current medical problems have nothing to do with diabetes. This is a serious kidney problem.

"Have fun week "

OK, that is about it for now. I hope to have more information for you as soon as I have some drivers or anything else to report.

Have a great week.

Roy

4th January 2007

" Not a good start "

I am very sorry to say the year has not started off well. A major health issue has resurfaced and is going to require drastic action to deal with it. I am not being secretive, but this is not the place to go into any details.

Many people have already sent very supportive emails, for which I am extremely grateful. It is at these difficult times when your friends are so important. So THANK YOU.

As much as possible I will try to continue "business as usual".

" FSX "

Nothing has changed on the FSX front. I have had a very large amount of emails saying how people confirm my findings and thanking me for "telling it the way it is".  This does make me wonder, who is driving the hype ?

We continue to work on updating the current packages for FSX, and i will let you know when release dates are available. It is a massive amount of work and I do wonder if it is worth the effort. What I am sure of, is there is no urgency because we really don't have the hardware available yet.

OK, that is about it for now. I hope you have a good 2007.

Roy

24th December 2006

" New FSX PC Update "

Since my last posting on this page, I have done much more testing with the new machine and have now changed to 800 memory from the 667 that was initially installed. This change only gave an increase of  between 1 and 2 fps. But when every extra little bit helps it was worth the change. I used Kingston HyperX 800 memory.

There is little doubt in my mind now, that the "Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme" is a much more capable CPU with FSX than I have originally thought. It is difficult to be precise across the board, but I would say in FSX frame rate terms, you are looking at an increase of between 10% to 20%, which is a lot. This really makes that massive increase in price for the "Extreme" processor worth the money. Lets face it, we are spending a lot of money here, so is it worth skimping ??  It is you decision obviously, but I thought it was worth giving you my thoughts.

" The holiday is here :-) "

So enough of the technical stuff for now, as the holiday season is here :-)
I am taking at least a couple of days off and away from computers or paint brushes.

Can I thank the huge number of people that have sent me Christmas emails. I am totally overrun :-)  I had hoped to answer you all before I broke off, but there are so many I am not going to be able to do that. So many thanks everyone, I will answer in due coarse. Please be patient :-)

Can I thank everyone for being wonderfully supportive, during what has been a difficult year for me. Because of you, this year has also had some magically good moments. :-)

Merry Christmas

and

Happy New Year 2007

Roy on behalf of the whole team

13th December 2006

" FSX and a new PC "

Introduction

There is Good News and Bad News. The "good news" is, I have finished my research into the hardware that is necessary to run FSX properly. The "bad news" is as I feared, it is currently impossible to build a PC that can run FSX to its full potential, where you can "Max Out" all the settings and still get over 20 fps at "low level" in a scenery intensive area like Seattle.

You can however build a machine that can run FSX well, as long as you have realistic expectations, are prepared to accept compromises and spend a shed-load of money. Over the past few weeks a lot of time and effort has gone into testing the various options. My starting point was my own existing P4 3Ghz HT system with 2gbs of DDR RAM  and an Nvidia 6600 256mb video card, which was clearly not up to the task. It would run FSX but with many options turned down or off. Really a "Non-starter" !!!

Specification

So what did we end up with ?

In a few words, the fastest PC than can be built with parts that are currently available to the public, and at a cost that really will make most peoples eyes water. I will start with the specification and then explain the reasons and options if there are any.

Video Card - Asus EN8800GTX 768mb DDR3

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme X8600

Motherboard - Foxconn 975X7AB

RAM - 4Gbs of Kingston KVR667D2N5/1G (fitted) 800 on order

Power Supply - Hyper Power - HPU-4M730-SK (730 Watt)

Hard Drive/s - SATA2 7500rpm 500Gb

DVD Drive - Sony Dual Layer DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW and DVD-RAM

Operating System - Windows XP Pro

Graphics Card

All the major components in the PC have an effect on the overall performance but the graphics card is probably the most important. There really is only one option when it comes to a graphics card, the new "Nvidia 8800 GTX". Nothing else performs like it with FSX, and in my opinion nothing else is good enough.

This version of FS is all about the visual experience, so don't skimp or try to save money in this area.  It is a beast of a card, being pretty long, taking two slots and being very heavy. There is 768mbs of DDR3 RAM onboard and FSX needs every bit of it. This is an expensive card and prices vary considerably, but currently there is nothing to pick between the names on them, as they are pretty well all the same. As long as it is the 8800 GTX, just get the best price you can. In the UK £450 is a good guide.

You can in theory "SLI" three of these graphics cards together, for better performance, but at the price they are, I fear this is not an option. Apart from having a space issue not only on the motherbaord but also in the case. Cooling of the top one or two cards would be a major problem.

While on the subject of this brilliant graphics card, removing it once installed can be difficult. As on most AGP or PCI Express motherboards there is a locking catch at the end of the slot to stop the card falling out, which is very necessary with this "lump". Great idea, but with such a large card the release catch is hidden under the double width card and impossible to get at with your fingers when the card is in place. My advice is attach something like a piece of cord to the release catch so it comes out beyond the card so you can pull it to release the catch if you need to. (just a helpful tip)

Main Processor

The main processor is also an important item and we boiled it down to one of two. My recommendation is the top of the range Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme X8600. This is currently the fastest processor money can buy. More about the alternative later.

Motherboard

Very few people give enough consideration to the motherboard, and tend to treat is like “the table” that you put everything on, but if you want performance then getting the right one is vital. I deliberately went for a Foxconn  975X7AB because all tests indicate this is the best option. Foxconn has been making components for motherboards for years, but have only relatively recently got into making the whole thing. Well the results are fabulous. If you have problems finding one my supplier listed at the bottom of this report will be happy to sell you one. Alternatively if you cannot find one ,I would recommend an Intel board.

RAM

When it comes to RAM I suggest you need 4gbs of the best and fastest you can get. DDR3 800 is perfect, but my test machine only has DDR3 667 at the moment, as I am waiting for the 800 to arrive. Our tests have shown that slower memory really "chokes down" the overall performance of the machine. 533 memory does not perform well, 667 is good, but 800 is better.

Power Supply

The power supply is a very important component in this machine. The graphics card takes a lot of power and even the processor is fairly hungry. I would suggest a good quality 650 Watt PSU is fine but should be considered the MINIMUM you should use. Personally I went for a 730 Watt unit.

Hard Drives

Now we come to Hard Drives. These have to be SATA2 7500 or 10000 rpm drives. But be sure you set the jumpers so that they perform in SATA2 mode. Personally I went for 7500 rpm as I feel they run cooler and are currently more reliable.

DVD Recorder/Player

The DVD drive is up to you. I would recommend a recognised name that gives you Dual layer, and all three formats DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW and DVD RAM.

Operating System

When it comes to operating system you are limited to Windows XP at the moment.

Comment

This system will give you good performance with FSX but you need to set the sliders and options carefully.

Cost

The system I just laid out costs approximately £2,500 sterling, which does not include a monitor, keyboard, mouse or joystick etc. In other words just the box. That to me is expensive to use a package that costs less than £100. But we are all enthusiasts so we pay the price !!!

Possible savings

If money is an important consideration, then there are a couple of things you could cut down with only a relatively small drop in performance. Firstly you could go for the Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 processor, which is only slightly slower, but saves you quite a lot of money. Lastly you could go for 667 memory rather than the 800, but that really only saves you a small amount. A word of warning, however tempting as it is to change other things in my list for alternatives, you would be wise not to do so, because you will pay the price in lower performance. You have been warned !!!

Performance

So what performance can you expect from the system above? Well much rubbish is spoken about frame rates with people quoting silly numbers with no details of the environment that they are flying in. It seems that “bragging rights” are a bit like men talking about the size of their manhood; Not to be believed. We can all get 50 fps on an average machine at 40,000 feet where there is no scenery, but that means nothing.

So what is a realistic test ?

Sitting on the end of the Runway at Seattle – Tacoma Int. facing Seattle City in the default Cessna showing the 3D cockpit is a good test. I would expect between 20 – 25 fps with the settings I will detail below.

I would also expect the fps to increase as you turn away from Seattle to the west, south and then east, in level flight at 2,000 feet.

Settings

Firstly you need to set 4092 mbs of “Permanent Virtual Memory” in Windows – Control Panel -System on your fastest hard drive.

The easiest way for me to give you the settings is for me to show you the screen shots below. Pay particular reference to the Autogen Scenery, which is turned off (This feature is one of the main killers of good frame rates). Personally I hate Autogen as it looks so fake and unrealistic, but that is just me and my artistic eye. Next note the settings for other traffic, aircraft, boats, cars, animals etc. These are another great killer of frame rates. These two items are the last thing you should start increasing to gradually bring your frame rates down to a constant approx 25 fps.  Why 25 ? because that is the fastest the human eye can see. Any more is a total waste.

In my opinion you should also set the “max frame rate” to “Unlimited” as it appears from my tests that holding it down reduces the overall frame rates rather than increasing them. This does not seem correct, but it is true, and I know others have found the same.

Summary and Conclusions

To sum up, if you take my advice exactly as it is laid out, you will end up with a PC that will run FSX nicely, be it not to its full potential, but this is the best we can do at the moment.

Personally I think it is poor that Microsoft have yet again put out a product that requires hardware that is not yet available and unlikely to be for some time. I would love to know for sure what FSX was demonstrated on, but I have my strong suspicions that is was not a PC or at least one that is available to the public.

MS always say they like to build their new products to take into consideration the advances in hardware to come in the future, but this time I fear they have gone way to far into the future, making this product “unfit for purpose” well at least for most users and the foreseeable future. In two years time, when the hardware has caught up and another version is about to be released, it will be good.

So the choice is yours, you can either spend a huge amount of money now and have a machine that will run it reasonably well, or save your money until things get better and cheaper. What is for certain from my tests, is it is pointless and a total waste of money to try and upgrade an existing machine, because it will not “cut the mustard” no matter what you do.

As a final word, I will just say that I am happy with the machine I have finally built and I am sure it will serve me well, but I am eternally grateful that I had the facilities to test and evaluate before I had to spend my money,

As usual I want to thank my supplier SRS Microsystems here in Watford  www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk for their cooperation during these tests. If you want good service then they are worth giving them serious consideration.

OK time to have some fun with the new system.

Have a good one J

Roy

25th November 2005

" The work is finished and the show is open "

The painting is finished and the "Roy Chaffin Studios Annual Exhibition" opens in a few hours. 11.00am - 5.30pm  25th - 27th November 2005.

As promised you can have a sneak preview the finished painting of the "nude with tigers" on this page, by clicking on the link below.

The painting is titled "Tiger Dream", and is intended to be a "fantasy" painting. The whole image is packed with symbolism. A map of Germany, and India indicated by a damp patches in the sand, where the girl and the tigers come from. Her name is Chloe, and in her hand she has clasped a rock, which is placed on her home in Berlin. Each rock or group of rocks has a meaning. There is much more to this painting, but this is not the place to explain it. I will let you judge the painting for yourself, but I hope you like it.

Click here to view the painting

If you would like to see the painting for real and you live in the UK and are within striking distance, then do pay us a visit during the weekend show.

Blackwood, 10 Nascot Wood Road, Watford, Herts, WD17 4RS. UK

More details can be obtained by clicking on this link.

Roy Chaffin Studios Open Studios Exhibition 2005

Have a great weekend, and I look forward to seeing you here if you can make it.

Roy

11th November 2005

" Working hard "

Things have been quiet on this page for a few weeks now. I could give you a load of waffle, but I won't. I have been working on a new painting project of a "nude with two tigers" which pushed my skills to new levels and took all my waking hours. Painting tigers is my stocking trade, but pretty girls and all that smooth skin is another thing entirely. I have invented and developed a few new skills and I think the finished result is something pretty special, but you can judge for yourselves when the painting is officially unveiled at the end of this month, when I will post a photo on this page. It has absolutely nothing to do with FS, but you might like to see it, or even come and see it for real at my annual exhibition on 25th, 26th and 27th November. That is if you are within striking distance of the UK.

After that painting was finished, some weeks later than scheduled, I only had a couple of weeks to complete the other paintings for the show, so things have been and still are, a little on the hectic side. I have managed however to keep up to date with emails and give technical support to those who need it.

The team has not been lazing around in my absence, well I hope not :-), work has continued on a new project, although I am still unable to give you a release date. Hopefully before Christmas this year.

Sadly I haven't even had a chance to get my wheels off the ground for some weeks now, but I hope that will change during December. :-)

Well I guess I better get back to the paint brushes.

Have a great weekend.

Roy

28th September 2005

" Ducth FS Weekend Update "

The following information is published as supplied directly from our friends in the Netherlands :-

*************

FSweekend News

    www.Fsweekend.com

www.FSweekend.comm  more then 300000 hits ????
More then 5 weeks to go and al ready more then 235 participants have subscribe to this great  Flightsim event. A lot of commercial  exhibitors will be show and sell  their hardware and software. All FS clubs, FS organizations, FS website's,  Cockpit builders and individual Flightsimmers from all countries, who will give info or demo's can participate on this great international Flightsim event.
We can tell you the friendly and relax atmosphere is an unique experience on this great event. Of course this weekend is the perfect place to meet other Flightsimmers and cockpit builders from the Netherlands and the other countries, and exchange experience with them. Don't miss this great international Flightsim weekend. We expect visitors from all European countries.

For all info   www.FSweekend.com 

*********

If you are interested in participating then click below to download the "Invitation"  and "Entry form".

Invitation           Entry Form

21st September 2005

" Flight Simulation Weekend in the Netherlands "

If you want to have your eyes opened about what is possible with our hobby of Flight Simulation then you need to visit what is billed as "The world's biggest Flight Simulation Event" in the Netherlands on the weekend 5th and 6th November 2005.   www.fsweekend.com/uk

This is basically a show organised by and for FS enthusiasts. Unlike most shows, this is NOT commercially oriented to screw as much money out of your pocket as possible. If you have been before you will know what I mean. Every year it gets bigger and better and this year is no exception.

So if you would either like to visit or take a space, visit the link above. This is a fantastic show and you will be made very welcome.

Have a great week.

18th September 2005

" Back at the helm "

I have just returned from three glorious weeks in the South of France which I must say I did enjoy, but it is also fair to say the holiday was "Eventful" !!!!

I will not bore you with the details, but just give you a taster for the 21 unfortunate incidents that occurred during the trip. It all started off when driving down through France on the first day. Stopping at Dijon for the night, after dinner walking down the main high street with my wife around 10pm, I was shot at with an air rifle. Although I was hit in the back of the neck, the impact was taken by the collar of my leather jacket, which is about eight thicknesses of leather at that point. So no harm was done. :-) This was followed by being hit squarely on the head by a fig falling off a tree while I was sitting in a restaurant having dinner the following day :-) During the remainder of the three weeks things happened at the rate of about one a day, with included, having both feet stamped on by pedestrians, in two separate incidents. I did spend a couple of days hopping around, with very swollen feet, but it takes more than that to stop me :-) It will come as no surprise that when I got home, I checked myself very carefully to try and find the target that was obviously  on me. But it must have been done in invisible paint :-)

Nevertheless for all the above there were at least three fantastic events that more than made up for everything :-)

On top of the three fantastic events, the weather was superb, as was the food and wine.  :-)

" Thanks "

I am very grateful to one of the readers of this page for the information on the whereabouts of my friend Jean-Pierre. As a result Jean-Pierre and I got together again with our wives and had a wonderful time in Monaco.

" Urgent Message "

While on the subject of emails, here is a message for Steve Wayne. Your email address is currently "Bouncing" all emails sent to you, from anywhere or anybody.  Please get in contact.

" Two questions for my French readers "

I have a couple of questions for my French readers. I have driven in France on many occasions and absolutely love the road system, but why do the majority of French drivers constantly straddle the centre white line, especially when going around a corner ?  This means you always meet oncoming traffic in the middle of the road, meaning both drivers have to swerve to avoid each other ?. Secondly, what is the fascination for "Tailgating" especially on the pay roads ?  What I mean is the habit of sitting on your tail, about five feet from your rear bumper, with their indicator flashing along with flashing their headlights, on or just over the speed limit ??  If you move out of the outside lane, then they do not overtake you, and if you speed up they drop bank ?  !!!  Perhaps someone could explain these two strange habits :-)

" Useful advice "

A couple of days ago I had a long chat with my suppliers of PC parts, and the whole scene is very quiet at the moment. Even on the graphics card front there is little happening, other than AGP graphics cards are becoming very scarce in favour of PCI Express. This I find very worrying, as it now means if your graphics card dies, you are pretty well forced into changing your motherboard and probably memory as well. Somewhat of an expensive option !! Therefore I recommend that should you find good AGP graphics cards going cheap, it might be worth having a spare in stock. I will certainly be doing so.

" Now back to work "

Since my return, I have been clearing a number of PC problems for friends and people who's machinery I maintain, but hopefully that is now all done, as I must get some painting done for this years show.

OK, that is about it for now. I hope you have all had a good summer and are now looking forward to some serious flying.

Have a good one :-)

Roy

16th August 2005

" Urgent Message - for - Jean-Pierre Barthelemy "

I am desperately trying to contact my friends Jean-Pierre & Marie-Luise in the Monaco area who have recently moved. If by chance you read this message or a message gets to you, please telephone me either on the mobile number you have, or at our usual Hotel.

" General "

There is little to report on the FS side at the moment. Try as I might, to find something exciting, I have failed. But unlike some people, if I have nothing useful to say, I keep quiet :-)

Our latest project is still progressing well, in fact quite large steps forward have been achieved in the past four weeks.

My major enemy at the moment is time, or the lack of it. So many people and things are putting demands on my time at the moment. I guess it is better than being bored, but I have to say the opportunity would be welcome from time to time.

" Save your money "

I was asked the other day about a piece of software that claims to "enhance the performance" of your Windows XP PC especially when using FS. Well I am sure it will come as no surprise, when I tell you that the software does absolutely nothing to improve the performance of your machine that you cannot do by following the simple and completely FREE advise given on this website. It is one of the usual "con jobs" where you can try it for 30 days and then have to shell out your cash. Many people are convinced they see and improvement when there isn't one. Believe me, if your machine is set up properly, there is nothing to gain by using such software, and in fact a great deal to be lost.

The two major pieces of FREE advice are :-

1. Close down all unnecessary programs before running up FS (using something like "EndItAll" or "MSCONFIG").

2. Set a PERMANENT Virtually Memory setting of 2048 mbs (2 gigs) on your fastest hard drive.

One of my "pet hates", is where certain people collect a number of items or pieces of advice that are given away for free, repackage them and then charge unsuspecting punters for them. Get wise and save your money for the important things like quality hardware.

" Summer Holiday Season "

Well it appears the summer holiday season is well and truly upon us. I wish you all a very pleasant break if it yet to come and I hope you enjoyed yours if you have already had it.

Have a good one :-)

Roy

27th July 2005

" Windows Vista "

Microsoft has finally announced its next new operating system for the PC called "Windows Vista" (formally known as 'Longhorn'). This is due to hit the streets in 2006. Why they are calling it "Vista" seems to be unknown, but there are many theories.

I have to admit I haven't seen the Beta version and know little about it, other than what I have read, but apparently the biggest changes are with internet browsing and security. I will report more when I have more reliable information.

My personal view, although there are a few issues with Windows XP, it is the first really stable and reliable operating system we have had, and I will think long and hard before I move away from it.  But who knows, "Windows Vista" might be stunning, and bring massive improvements. We will see.

" New Hardware "

I would like to report there were many new and exciting things on the PC hardware front, but to be honest, there is still absolutely nothing to tempt the money out of my pockets.

Most people these days are using flat panel monitors rather than the old CRT monitors, and I have to admit I would never go back to a CRT.

There is one tip here through. If you use a flat panel, and it has the facility for "Digital" input as well as or instead of "Analogue" input, then use it. The increase in picture quality using "Digital" input is quite dramatic.

Please do NOT email me with questions about whether your monitor is capable of digital input or how you tell the difference. Your instruction manual for the monitor will tell you, and your video card will have a "Digital" connector if it can give a digital output.

"FS Development work "

The team here are reaching the end of a project we have been working on for a very long time. This was one of those projects we have all had, which started off as a "quick job" :-)  Yep you guessed it, everything took ten times longer than expected. Oh well, the end is now hopefully in sight. We will let you know what it is, when it is finished :-)

" Email Address "

Many of you might know already, we are running down the use of the old Hotmail email address (roychaffin@hotmail.com) and replacing it with (roy@roychaffin.com). The old Hotmail address will continue in use, but it will not be monitored as frequently or given the same priority as before.  Therefore I suggest you change your address books accordingly.

OK I guess that is about it for now, which doesn't seem much for a month, but that is all there is. I hope you are all enjoying the summer, or for those of you in the south, I hope the winter is not to bad :-)

Have fun.

Roy

27th June 2005

" Long time, no update "

As you will have noticed, it has been a long time since this page has been updated, for which I apologise. I am sorry to say this has been due to illness, but I am delighted to say the "parties" that have been arranged to celebrate my demise, will have to be cancelled, because I am now back and fighting fit again :-)

I will not bore you with the details, but basically the diabetes got totally out of control, due to NO fault of mine :-(

To aid my recovery, I spent a very enjoyable couple of weeks in Switzerland/France and met up with my good friend Tony D'Ambrosio. Not only did we have a great time together, but we had the chance to talk about future developments in our FS work, so the time was not wasted.

I would like to thank the large number of people that sent me messages of concern and best wishes, during my absence. In this "money grabbing", "couldn't give a sh-- for anyone else" world of today, it is very heart warming to know  there are still nice, honest, and caring people around. :-)

So again I am catching up with things and hope to be much higher profile from now on.

I think I have already answered all your outstanding emails.

" New hardware "

I have also done quite a lot of testing of new hardware, but to be honest there is little new to get really excited about so far. Well at least nothing to tempt the money out of my pockets. However watch this space.

There is however one thing I would mention for your consideration. More and more I am coming to the conclusion that it is sensible to fit at least a 500watt PSU (Power Supply Unit) to your PC. These days we are putting more and more into our boxes, like DVD Writers, more and bigger hard drives, and more fans to keep the whole lot cool. All of these consume power. Only last week, I had a machine in that had a totally trashed hard drive, because the PSU couldn't cope. Considering the minimal cost of a 500watt PSU (Around £25 / $40 max) it is not sensible not to do it. Just an idea for your to think about.

That is about it for now. Thanks for keeping the faith and returning to this website.

Have a great week.

Best wishes

Roy

16th Aoril 2005

" Finally finished !!"

After what has been a marathon event, I am delighted to say this years filming of the art teaching programmes is finished :-)  The final editing has been completed and it is now all off to the duplication company, ready for release at the beginning of June 2005.

So, now I can start to focus back on all those things that have been ignored in the past few months, which includes FS.

It is going to take me a while to catch up with events, and get up to speed on what is new, but from what I hear, that isn't a lot.

During the time I have been away, I have tried to keep up with Technical Support emails, and have been pretty successful, but I have really appreciated the restraint shown by most people, in keeping the emails to a minimum. Thanks :-)

Anyway, I am going to catch a few days off.

Have a great weekend.

Roy

10th March 2005

" Vulcan To The Sky Part 2"

You can now watch "Part 2" of Jonathon Elliot's informative interviews recorded when he visited the Avro Vulcan restoration project.

 http://www.airsidetv.com

5th March 2005

" Time slips past ! "

I'm afraid a few weeks seem to have slipped past since the last update on this news page. I have been working around the clock on my series of teaching TV/DVD/Video programmes on the subject of Art and this has prevented me from any sort of FS activity. Well that is beyond just keeping the team ticking over on current projects. Unfortunately I am on a very tight schedule, which is giving me absolutely no time for other activities. However I am keeping my eye of what is new in the video card  and PC market and other things of interest, but there is little happening at the moment of any significance. All developments now seem to be down the "PCI Express" and "64 bit main processor" line, which will be the next area I will be looking at, but not for a while.

Be assured that I have NOT dropped out of the FS scene and am working behind the scenes, but this "art teaching project" is something I have been planning for about ten years. I want to get all my specialist knowledge recorded before it is to late and it is lost forever. So bare with me "I'll be back"  :-)

Enjoy your flying.

Kindest regards

Roy

28th January 2005

" Vulcan To The Sky "

If you have even a casual interest in the Avro Vulcan, which was one of the UK's "V" Bomber force, there is a fascinating programme on http://www.airsidetv.com that is well worth a look. If you haven't heard, there is a project underway to get an Avro Vulcan back into the air. Jonathon Elliot interviews Project Director Dr Robert Pleming about this huge undertaking. Not only is the interview very interesting, but there is also some wonderful footage of the aircraft, both on the ground and in the air. Do click on the link above and watch the interview.

" Video Cards "

Over the past few months I have been testing video cards to try and find a replacement for the trusty Nvidia Geforce FX 5700  256 DDR or the MSI Nvidia Geforce FX 5950 Ultra 256mb DDR. Well I am sad to report, that everything I have tried has fallen way short of the mark in performance terms. I think those two cards will remain the best for FS, until such time as we get well into PCI Express. I think however it will be a while before I personally go down that route.

" General "

There is little else to report at the moment. Work continues on our various projects. Since Christmas, I have spent a lot of my time doing all those jobs that never get done during the normal year. You know how it goes :-)

OK, have a great weekend, and enjoy your flying.

Roy

31st December 2004

" What a Fabulous Day Out "

On Monday last, I was lucky enough to spend the day at the Newark Air Museum, Nr. Nottingham, UK. What a wonderful place, with some of the most amazing aircraft, and displays. I was accompanied by my good friend Norman Hancock, and I have to say the staff at the museum made us extremely welcome.

Brian Withers with Avro Shackleton MR3/3 WR977

It was also great to meet up again with my fellow RCS Panel Team member and friend Brian Withers, who was in charge of the Avro Shackleton MR3/3 for the day. It is a long time since I crawled around one of those, in fact back in the days when I was in Aden in 1966, but what a trip down memory lane that was. My experience was all with the MK 2, but what an aeroplane in any form MK2 or MK3 :-)

Roy inside WR977 (Photo by Norman Hancock)

The version at the museum is a MR3/3 which has six engines. 4 Rolls Royce Griffin piston engines that drive the counter rotating props and two Viper jets in the rear of the outboard engine pods, for extra boost. This amazing aircraft had an endurance of around 24 hours without refuelling, which is quite remarkable.

WR977 is still fully fitted out, and gives you an amazing insight what it was like to be airborne and working in this aircraft for prolonged periods.

Brian was very generous, not only to me, but to all visitors, in sharing his considerable knowledge and experience of this wonderful aircraft. Not only did he have considerable experience on this aircraft type as a pilot, but had actually flown this particular one for some 200 hours.

The whole museum is extremely well done, and a very interesting place to visit. So much so that Norman and myself got completely "frozen to the marrow", on what must have been the coldest day of the year so far, added to which the wind chill factor made it cut right though you, and feel even colder. No matter Dinah and Sylvia our respective wives didn't complain for a moment, and kept us well supplied with hot drinks from the excellent and warm cafe that is onsite. Cold or not it was a brilliant day.

Norman Hancock with Avro Anson

I have included a few of the many photos taken during our visit, just to give you a flavour of the place, and some of the most unusual aircraft on display. Do yourself a favour, pay a visit to the museum if you can.

Details of the museum can be found by clicking on this link :

http://www.newarkairmuseum.co.uk/

" Overwhelmed "

I have been totally overwhelmed by the many thousands of wonderful email/e-card greetings I have received this year. Wow !!!!!  I have always received quite a number, but this year has been exceptional, well in excess of 5,000 during the Christmas week alone and they are still coming. :-)   Thank You !!!

To know there is that level of support out there is very touching, and means a great deal to me.

I sincerely hope you all have a WONDERFUL 2005

Roy

*** Happy New Year ***

23rd December 2004

" Wonderful TV Series "

There I was, watching some TV last night and I happened to come across a programme, one of a series of "Great British Aircraft" on Discovery Wings. This particular programme was about the Avro Shackleton, an aircraft that the RCS Panels Team have more than a passing connection with. Not only have I flown a few hours in them back in the distant past, but more importantly our own Brian Withers flew them for many years. Brian as you might know is our flight dynamics expert, and the main builder of our B-25J model.

Avro Shackleton MR 3/3 Reg. WR977

It turns out that a good deal of the programme was filmed at a Aircraft Museum at Newark, Nottingham, UK, very close to the place I was born. Furthermore Brian made quite a significant contribution to the film, sharing some of his first hand knowledge and experience. It is a strange feeling when your friends talk to you from the TV screen :-)

The museum has a very nice website that is well worth a visit, as is the place itself, if you live close enough.

http://www.newarkairmuseum.co.uk/

The museum is open most days other than Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Years day. The range of aircraft is quite extensive, making it well worth a visit if you can. So much so, that I have decided to get away from the turkey and festivities on Monday 27th December and spend an afternoon there. So if you have had enough of the usual Christmas and need an injection of aviation fuel, then do come and join us. :-)

On that pleasant note, I will take my leave until 2005 :-)

Roy

A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2005

from

RCS Panels

16th December 2004

" Christmas "

Well Christmas is nearly upon us once again. Where does the time go ?
I have managed to get the "E cards" out to you already, which is good news for me. I hope you receive them. It will be interesting to see this year just how many get rejected with the new Anti Spam measures that many of you have put in place. So if you want to be sure to receive yours next year, then make sure that roy@roychaffin.com is "white listed" in your Spam Filter. Warning ...  With the huge number of E-cards that we send, we will NOT be "applying for permission to be allowed in" as some filters insist upon. So if such a message is received, no action will be taken.

Let me take this opportunity to thank you for the hundreds of electronic Christmas Cards we have already received.  Each and every one of them is much appreciated :-)

" What's HOT on the Christmas list"

That is certainly the $64,000 question ? I guess it has to be a 3ghz PC if you don't already have one, but other than that, there isn't much new and exciting around at the moment. PCI Express and all that comes with it, is certainly the future, but personally I am waiting a while for the prices to settle down before I dip my toe into that pond. I tend to think unless you are "made of money" then to be one step behind the front line is a much more sensible option.

" New FMC "

My good friend Tony D'Ambrosio, has just reworked his B747 and B777 packages so as to enhance the performance with FS9. A new version of the FMC fixes some issue with FS9 and things like input of flight plans. Included is a new version of the FMC used in my Airbus Packages.

Download them today :-

B747-400 version 2.1

B777-300 version 2.1

" Merry Christmas "

The RCS Panels Team, would like to take this opportunity, to wish you and your families, a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Eat, Drink and be sure to be nice to each other.

Have a good one :-)

Roy and the whole team.

28th November 2004

" Success "

I am delighted to report that this years Wildlife Art Show is now finished and was another great success. It was really good to see so many of you, and have a chat. More importantly, to all of you, I can now concentrate a little more on FS matters, rather than painting. :-)

" Sad individuals "

Sadly, while I was preoccupied with the show, certain infantile people seemed to think it would be good to "hack" one of the RCS servers, while I was not watching, causing some disruption, making temporary changes to a few files and the loss of a few emails. It was not difficult to track the culprits, and their identity came as no surprise to me. Amazing !!!

I am pleased to say, that the vast majority of people in the FS community are good, honest, and grateful people, who enjoy our hobby, appreciating the effort we put into improving things, in particular tying to keep the spirit of FREEWARE going in the face of ever growing "commercialisation" and "sharp practice". I am also pleased to say we will not be deflected by these undesirable "silly" elements that try to intimate and destroy what we all enjoy.     Enough said !!

" FS9.1 Upgrade NO CD patch "

Although I have still found no hard evidence that the old NO CD patch for FS9 does not work perfectly with the upgrade, apparently there is now a new NO CD patch for FS9.1 available on various websites. So if you are worried about using the old one, now you have an choice.

"Christmas I coming"

Well can you believe it, only four weeks to Christmas !! So if you haven't yet got that new PC on the "Christmas List", it is about time you did :-)

Have a great week.

Roy

12th November 2004

" Words of warning "

This is a word of warning for those people in the UK that use BT Yahoo, as I do as one of my ISP's. Today they offered an Anti-Spyware package for FREE which is great credit to them. However you might run into a problem if you download and install it, as I did. This is no major problem if you know what you are doing and know where to look if things go wrong.

I downloaded and installed the package as instructed, and ran it. All appeared to function correctly and it removed a few "cookies" and other questionable things, and all seemed fine until I attempted to access the internet. Then to my horror nothing could access the internet. The long and the short of it was, that the Anti-Spyware software had completely "screwed up" Norton Internet Security so that all your personal setting were lost and nothing can get in or out :-(  Not to helpful.

The fix was simple, if slightly time consuming. You just have to setup NIS  again, doing a full system scan, and set the "Internet Access Control" settings and "Zone Control" settings. Problem solved.

Once you are aware of this possible problem, then it is no great problem, but I thought I would post the information here, just in case any of you have the same difficulty, or think you might just quickly install the Anti-Spyware software.

I have to admit I do use "Ad-aware" which I have always found extremely good.

" General "

FS work with me is at a stand still at the moment, as I am working around the clock on new paintings for my show in a couple of weeks time. The work is going well ,be it slowly, but I am pleased with the results so far.

Anyway the "Crazy Season" is nearly finished for another year, and then we can get back to some sort of normality. Well as normal as life ever is around here :-)

Have a great weekend.

Roy

20th October 2004

" Fantastic reception in the Netherlands "

I have just returned from a wonderful time in the Netherlands, where we had a stand at the Dutch FS Weekend at the Aviodome, Lelystad. It is fair to say, I have never received such a fantastic reception from the FS community anywhere in the world.  We had many visitors from all around Europe and the warmth of the people and the compliments were unbelievable. :-)

It was great to talk to so many like minded people, fortunately pretty well all of which spoke English as my Dutch is zero, and my German and French is not to hot.

My wife and I were joined on the stand by my friend Enno Borgsteede from the Netherlands, and my friend colleague Arne Bartels from Germany. Arne will be known to most of you, for programming the brilliant Sperry Mk III that we use in our packages.

To my mind the show was made all the better because of the fact that it was not commercial in any way. There wasn't anybody there trying to relieve you of money at every opportunity. The only chance you had to spend money, was on "at cost" CD's with various designers packages on them, which were being offered as a service to those who still do not have broadband connections. In my opinion it is about time we stopped paying for rubbish and got quality products whether they are payware or not.

The whole show was held amongst the aviation exhibits in the NEW Aviodrome Museum, which is a day out on its own. I was delighted to see whole families coming to the event, and really enjoying it.

The show was wonderfully organised by Frans Broekhuijsen. who was very well supported by the Aviodome staff and a number of others.

Most of the exhibitors were either individuals, groups or clubs, and the range of equipment on show was mind blowing. Multi-Screen displays, 60" Plasma Displays, not to mention most people, including ourselves, had Digital Projectors, (or "Beamers" as the Dutch call them), throwing large images on screens so that everyone could see clearly. The biggest of all, was six, 20 foot by 12 foot screens joined together in a semi circle using six projectors, to give a complete 180 degree "wrap around" display filling a lagre room. There were also whole cockpits, some homemade, some professionally made, and when it came to control systems, you have never seen such equipment.

To sum up the whole show was an amazing experience, and one I will remember for a very long time to come. The Dutch certainly set the standards for FS shows.

To mention and thank, all those people that said such nice things and paid me so many compliments, by name on this page would be impossible, so I would just like to say a collective THANK YOU to you all. It is because of you, and your kindness, I put in the thousands of hours I do to bring you the FREEWARE products.

" Video Cards "

Recently I have tested a few more video cards, and to date have found nothing that is better "frame rate wise" than the Nvidia Geforce FX 5700  256 DDR mentioned lower down on this page. However I have found one that is at least as good. The MSI Nvidia Geforce FX 5950 Ultra 256mb DDR gives pretty well identical performance. The downside is the price. It is reasonably expensive, as you will see if you look on the net. However I do know where this is one going at a reasonable price http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/

On the same subject, I did test the latest from ATI and although it was nearly as fast, I was not impressed with the clarity of the display. It lacked "crispness" when running FS, in my humble opinion.

" FS9 Update and No CD patch "

Although many people are offering opinions on the subject (as usual), I have still not found any evidence that the old FS9 No CD patch reduces the functionality of the FS9 upgrade. However investigations continue, and I will post any information as soon as it is proved.

" General "

OK that is about it for now. It is time for me to get on with painting for my forthcoming Wildlife Art Show at the end of November.

Have a great week.

Roy

9th October 2004

" Oops "

It seems that I put the wrong date on my last post on this page (26th August when it should have been 26th September)  Sorry !!!

" FS9 Update and No CD patch "

As you will notice on most FS websites, MS have released an Upgrade to FS9, to take it to version 9.1

I am being asked repeatedly, whether or not the "No CD" patch, that enables you to run FS9 without having to put Disc 4 into you CDROM still works with the upgrade ??  The answer is YES it does.

To install the upgrade, first save the "No CD" version of the "fs9.exe" file and replace it with the original version. Now do the upgrade to FS9 to 9.1. Once the upgrade has finished installing, replace the current "fs9.exe" with the "No CD" version. All will then work as before.  To the best of my knowledge there are no significant internal changes to the "fs9.exe" file.

" FS9 Update and 3rd Party add-ons "

According to the information supplied with the FS9 version 9.1 Upgrade, there are a number of 3rd Party add-ons that will not work with the upgrade and some will even prevent the installation of the upgrade. It is vital that you read the documentation that comes with the upgrade and that is available on the MS website.

As far as I can find, there are no problems with the RCS Packages and the new upgrade.

" Video Cards "

I have been doing a number of tests on new video cards, and so far have found nothing that performs better than my previous recommendations. I will let you know as soon as I do find anything significant.

Have a great weekend.

Roy

26th September 2004

" Back from holiday "

As you can see I am back from my much needed holiday. Three weeks in France was just what the doctor ordered :-)

During my time away, my wife and I were able to spend some time with our good friends Jean-Pierre and his wife in Monaco, and even spend a few days with my good friend and colleague Tony D'Ambrosio (RealCRT gauges) and his partner in Annecy.  All in all, we had a fantastic time, not to mention exchange notes on our various latest projects. Without giving away any secrets, I think the FS world is in for a few "treats" in the next few months :-)

As is always the case when you return from a long break, it takes time to catch up, but we are getting there.

I have placed a request in with my supplier, for some of the latest video cards, to see how they perform with FS, so expect some feedback from me in the next few weeks.

Have a good week.

Roy