As one of the worlds largest and most sought after flight simulators on the planet, X-Plane continues to dominate the flight sim market to this very day. While many people are perfectly happy only using the aircraft that come stock with X-Plane 11, many others are not aware that there are literally thousands of other aircraft for X-Plane just waiting to be flown. This is great if you’re worried about ever getting bored with the stock X-Plane aircraft, but it can also be rather overwhelming. If you’ve been looking to upgrade your X-Plane experience but don’t know where to start, keep reading! I’ll go over what I think are the best add on aircraft for X-Plane 11 in 2021 in today’s post!

1. Carenado PC-12

Starting off this list with one of my all time favorite aircraft, the PC-12 add on by Carenado is by far one of the best choices for a beginner to get into pay-ware aircraft for X-Plane 11. Not only is the aircraft fairly easy to learn, but it’s a great way to transition into much more complicated aircraft. The physics of the Carenado PC-12 are specifically designed to work with the X-Plane 11 engine and are incredibly realistic. Coming from someone who occasionally gets to fly PC-12s in real life, I love this add on for X-Plane. Not only does the PC-12 function well, but it looks gorgeous! Carenado incorporated full PBR modeling into the PC-12 giving it an incredibly realistic look. Included in the PC-12 add on are 6 HD liveries to choose from as well as one blank livery if you want to make your own! It also includes a PC-12 electronic flight information system, checklists, and performance tables. If you want to check out the PC-12 for yourself, it can be found here!

2. Airfoil Labs King Air 350

Another great aircraft add on for beginners (or even advanced folks) is the King Air 350 by Airfoil Labs! Similar to the PC-12, the King Air 350 is a great way to transition into more complicated aircraft. The difference between the two is that the King Air is a multi-engine aircraft. If you’ve been wanting to step up your game and transition into a multi-engine aircraft, the King Air 350 could be perfect for you. The King Air 350 is a study sim level aircraft, meaning it’s main goal is to achieve the utmost amount of realism possible. The weight and balance aspect of the king air is even derived from real weight and balance information in the King Air Manual! It would take days to name everything that is modeled in this aircraft which should tell you how  much work has gone into its production. If you’re looking for a realistic, and semi-complicated aircraft to add to your collection, check out the King Air 350 here!

3. Carenado S550 Citation II

Yet another aircraft by Carenado, the S550 Citation II is a great aircraft to consider if you’ve been wanting to transition into a jet aircraft. For a jet, the Citation isn’t terribly complicated but it still has incredible performance. The Citation II is modeled incredibly realistically. It is modeled essentially the same way that the PC-12 by Carenado is modeled and comes with the same features. For those of you wanting to get into jets, but don’t want to get in over your head with an over complicated aircraft, the S550 Citation II is a great choice! It can be found here.

4. Toliss A321

The previous 3 aircraft have all been business class aircraft and are relatively small compared to even small airliners! I knoe that many of you fly Xplane for the large, complex airliners that the simulator has to offer. The A321 by Toliss is an amazing option if you’re wanting to try something other than the MD-82 or 737 that comes with X-Plane. One thing I really like about the Toliss A321 is how customizable it is. You essentially are getting multiple aircraft for the price of one! The options to customize your A321 include a choice of CFM or IAE engine, affecting aircraft performance and fuel burn and a choice of sharklets or classic wing tip fences! If you’re someone that likes to practice emergencies in X-Plane, this A321 comes with detailed systems including fault injection for currently about 90 failures! All that to say, I think that the A321 add on by Toliss is an amazing way to enter the wonderful world of airliners. If you want to pick up a copy for yourself, you can get it here!

5. Colimata Concorde FXP V2

This one is meant to be more of a novelty than a training platform, but it is still an amazing plane to have in your X-Plane arsenal! the Concorde FXP X2 by Colimata is an amazing model of the ever famous Concorde. The number 1 goal with this add on is realism. In the words of the developer: “This add-on aims to do justice to real-life Concorde and its developers. How could a great flight simulation like X-Plane not have a payware quality Concorde available?” The Concorde is an extremely complex aircraft and is not necessarily for beginners, but will definitely keep anyone who flies it busy! If you want to check it out for yourself, it can be found here.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, all the add ons I’ve listed here today are great choices for anyone looking to upgrade their X-Plane experience. The module you choose depends entirely on your needs/wants, but I hope this article was able to provide some insight to those of you who were looking for suggestions on which aircraft to purchase! If you enjoyed, feel free to share, like or comment, and I’ll see you all in the next post!

Check out my post on the best yokes for X-Plane here!

The post Best Add On Aircraft For X-Plane 11 2021 appeared first on The Desktop Aviator.

When someone says the name “Blackbird”, what do you think of? If you’re anything like me and many others, the first thing that comes to find is the ever famous, Cold War era SR-71.  Many people however, don’t think of, or even know about the Sr-71’s alleged hypersonic successor, the SR-72 “Son of Blackbird”.  The SR-72 is an aircraft that surprisingly, the USAF has not been keeping much of a secret. This is precisely why I find this plane so interesting. When it comes to highly classified aircraft, the USAF and Skunkworks have always been highly secretive. Why the sudden change? If you’ve been asking yourself this question, or just want to learn more about the SR-72, stay tuned. I have everything you need to know!

Background:

Before getting into more of the nitty gritty stuff surrounding the SR-72, I’d first like to go over a bit of its background in the world of aviation. Not only is the SR-72s background interesting, but it is important to keep note of as it helps explain many questions that I’ll get into later.

First Reports:

The first reports of the so-called “Son of Blackbird” rolled in in the year 2007. The reports revolving around the SR-72’s existence were little in numbers at first as almost no public information was made available. However, this all changed on November 1st 2013 when Aviation Week & Space Technology published an article outlining the current development of the SR-72 by Lockheed Martin Skunkworks. These are the first reports that starting making people wonder what was going on with this mysterious aircraft,

Contracts:

Lockheed Martin however is not the only corporation publicly participating in the development of the “Son of Blackbird”. Another, slightly smaller company, Aerojet Rocketdyne partnered with Lockheed Martin to help in the development of a new propulsion system for the SR-72. This can be seen in the form of several NASA contracts made to both companies in 2014. Both of these contracts were somewhere in the ballpark of 1 million dollars and were provided to Lockheed and Aerojet in order to conduct feasibility research on the new engine. The next set of public announcements regarding the SR-72 didn’t come until 2016 and 2017 when Lockheed Martin stated that the SR-72 would be possible to produce for under 1 billion dollars and would start development in 2020. Personally, I find it interesting how public skunkworks is about the production process of the SR-72 considering how secretive they’ve been with other, similar aircraft in the past. I’ll get into why I find this so interesting later, but for now, let’s dig into what the SR-72 actually is.

Design:

The alleged design for the SR-72 is unlike any other aircraft I have ever seen. If the reports from Lockheed Martin are correct, the SR-72 seems much more like a missile than an aircraft. The fact that the “Son of Blackbird” is so much more unique than most other aircraft is what makes it so interesting to speculate about.

Pilotage:

One thing about the SR-72 that’s different from many aircraft today is that it is said to be unmanned. Unmanned aircraft are becoming much more mainstream nowadays but that doesn’t make the SR-72 any less special. What makes the “Son of Blackbird” different from say, an MQ-1 Predator or any other drone is that it’s fast. Really fast. 

Speed:

Another thing I find quite interesting about the supposed SR-72 is that its main goal is to achieve sustained hypersonic speeds. This would be the first time a hypersonic aircraft has flown since the days of the X-15. What makes the SR-72 different from the X-15 however, is that the SR-72 is not only meant to go fast, but also far. One key aspect of any reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft is that they need to go far away and make it back home. The SR-71 had an impressive range of 3000 miles but the SR-72 supposedly will reach a whopping range of 14000 miles! The engine that Lockheed and Aerojet have spent so much time developing is the heart and soul of this aircrafts performance. Without its special propulsion system, these numbers wouldn’t be possible.

Engine:

Something that Lockheed Martin made very clear is that they wanted the SR-72 to be hypersonic, but they did not want the aircraft to have multiple, separate engine systems. The solution that Lockheed and Aerojet came up with is known as a TBCC system. TBCC stands for: Turbine-Based Combined Cycle system. In layman’s terms, this means that the engine would have the ability to transform from a turbojet engine into a scramjet engine by diverting the engines intake flow at the correct time. So in a sense, the SR-72 would still be using two engines, but at the same time it wouldn’t. It’s complicated. Either way, this was Lockheed Martin and Aerojet Rocketdyne’s solution to the problem. Another interesting thing to note about the SR-72s engine is the use of 3d printing technologies to incorporate an internal cooling system that otherwise would be nearly impossible to produce.

Payload:

Perhaps the most intriguing part about the SR-72’s design is the fact that it is intended to be a multi-role aircraft! The SR-71 dabbled a bit in this arena with the development of the YF-12 interceptor, but the design never really took off. Not only is the SR-72 supposed to be a reconnaissance aircraft, but supposedly it will also be a hypersonic missile delivery system. It’s pretty much a missile carrying more missiles! At the moment there is no specific payload that the SR-72 would carry, but it’s still quite interesting as it is.

Theories:

I’m not much of a conspiracy theorist. In fact I don’t consider myself one at all. I do however, think that the SR-72 has already been produced and is currently flying in the skies above us. If it’s not the SR-72, then it must be something else. This belief is not without reason either.

Denials:

Aside from this alleged plane’s history and its supposed design, something interesting to note is that Skunkworks has denied speculation about the SR-72 multiple times. The first time this occurred was in 2018 when Lockheed Martin publicly stated that no SR-72 had been produced and that it was still in the development process. Another thing Lockheed Martin stated in 2018 is that the first prototype of this aircraft would fly in 2025 and it would carry hypersonic missiles. I am in no way saying that Lockheed Skunkworks is lying, But if I their past history with covering up classified aircraft says anything, it’s that they aren’t necessarily the most reliable source out there. It almost seems as if they’re hiding it in plain sight. But I digress.

What Has The USAF Been Doing For The Past 20+ Years?:

In my opinion, the most damning evidence for the existence of the SR-72 is the fact that without it, the USAF would have been flying blind for 20+ years. With the retirement of the SR-71 in 1999, the United States Air Force was left with no reconnaissance aircraft and thus, would have an extreme lack of international intelligence. In a modern day war theater this is unacceptable. But why? With advancements in satellight imaging technology, why would the USAF need an aircraft? The main advantage that spy-planes have over satellights is flexibility. Satellights can not change course and can really only take photos. Spy-planes can alter their course at any time, take higher quality images and video, collect different types of data, and can cover different areas much more efficiently. To think that the United States Air Force has been going 20 plus years without any sort of reconnaissance aircraft in service is ridiculous. Not only would the SR-72 serve as a recon aircraft, but also a long-range strike platform. This is why I believe that the United States has been flying the SR-72 for awhile now. If it’s not the SR-72, then it must be something else because there is no way the United States would shoot themselves in the foot by retiring the SR-71 unless they had something to replace it.

Conclusion:

Like I’ve said multiple times in this post, the idea that the SR-72 is already flying is only speculation and will remain to be speculation unless someone comes out and says otherwise. That being said, if it’s not already flying, it will be. Skunkworks readily admits that; which is not something you see very often. Weather or not you believe the SR-72 is already dominating our skies is up to you. But I do hope this was able to provide some insight into this rather mysterious aircraft. If you enjoyed feel free to drop a comment and I’ll see you in the next article!

Missed the first article in the series? Check it out here!

The post SR-72 ‘Son of Blackbird’: Unexplained Aircraft No. 2 appeared first on The Desktop Aviator.

1. Know Your Checklists

I can not stress this enough. Knowing your checklists front and back will help you ace your solo tremendously. Almost every pilot will tell you that not only having your checklists with you but knowing them is vital for any pilot. When I say ‘know’ your checklists I don’t mean to just be familiar with them. I mean to have them memorized. Obviously having every one of your checklists memorized is a little ridiculous, but having the important ones like landing, approach, and emergency checklists memorized will go a very long way.  I know for me having my landing and approach checklists memorized helped me out a TON. Since I didn’t have to worry about flipping through my checklist to find what I needed to do, I was able to focus all of my attention to the landing and set the plane down smooth every time. I highly recommend knowing your checklists before you solo. I’m more than positive it will help you out.

2. Relax

Another thing to keep in mind when you’re on your solo flight is to stay calm, collected, and relaxed. I know just as well as you that your first solo is nerve-wracking, but it’s important that you try and stay relaxed. When you’re extra nervous your natural reaction is to tense up your muscles. This may not seem like much of an issue but it really can be. There’s a saying by Air Force pilots in regards to aerial refueling that goes: “loose muscles are accurate muscles”. This couldn’t be more true. When your muscles are more accurate, you can make more accurate adjustments, allowing you to fly cleaner patters, approaches, etc. I highly recommend trying to keep yourself relaxed. Whistle yourself a tune while you’re flying or come up with a song that goes along with your checklist! Anything to keep you focused and relaxed is more than beneficial to a good solo. Not only is staying relaxed good for cleaner flight, but it will also help keep you safe. Who doesn’t want that?

3. Just Do What You’ve Practiced

Your first solo is definitely not the time to try anything new. Even if you’re extra confident in your abilities, I would not recommend doing anything you haven’t practiced while on your solo. Just fly your pattern, do a few normal landings, and head back. Your solo is a time to demonstrate what you’ve already practiced, NOT a time to practice anything else. You’ve (hopefully) done what you’ll do in your first solo plenty of times beforehand. Just do what you’ve practiced and you’ll be just fine.

4. Talk To Your Instructor

If you’re feeling way more nervous about your solo than you think you should be, talk to your instructor about it! Your instructor will know when you’re ready and wouldn’t let you up on your own unless they were absolutely certain you knew what you were doing. Knowing that helped calm my nerves quite a bit. Your instructor is responsible for you on your solo, so if they think you’re ready, you are. Just have fun with it! Your first solo should be an exciting time not a scary one! Just stay focused and you’ll be alright.

What I Learned From My First Solo

It’s Not Nearly As Scary In The Air

For me, the most terrifying part of my first solo was waiting for it to happen. The actual solo itself was a breeze. The moment your plane leaves the ground is one of the best feelings you’ll ever have. On your solo you get to have complete control of the aircraft for the first time. This thought is scary to some, but for me, it was freeing. My solo was the first time I could fly without any help and show what I was really capable of as a pilot. I can promise you that once you’re in the air, all your fear fades away in an instant. Just have fun!

You Know More Than You Think

What shocked me the most on my solo is that I knew much more, and was capable of more than I thought I was previous to my solo. My solo showed me that I did actually know what I was doing. I believe this is because when we have our instructor in the right seat constantly giving us tips, we tend to second guess ourselves. Your first solo eliminates this and forces you to actually use your knowledge. You’ll be surprised at what you’re capable of. I sure was!

Conclusion:

Your first solo flight will be the first big step on your journey through the world of aviation. It can be both a very scary, and exciting time all at once! However, if you go into your solo prepared and confident in your skills, it will be a lot more fun. Listen to your instructor! If they think you’re ready, you are ready. Don’t worry about your skill level, just do what you’ve practiced and have fun! You’ll be just fine.

Interested in learning about aircraft conspiracies? Check out my new series “Unexplained Aircraft” here!

Check out my Instagram! @thedesktopaviator

The post How To Prepare For Your First Solo (And What I Learned From Mine) appeared first on The Desktop Aviator.

How much does it cost to become a pilot?

The cost of becoming a pilot depends on many factors. These include your location, your instructor, the type of plane you use, the type of instructor you have, what certifications you’re going for, etc. This makes calculating an exact number nearly impossible because everyone’s situation is different. We can however, make a pretty close estimate! Weather you just want to get your private pilots license, or you want to go all the way up to commercial, I’ll break down the costs in the following sections.

Private Pilot’s License Cost:

The main contributor to the cost of aviation certifications is how long it takes to get them. When you’re training you’re paying for every hour you’re up in the air. So the longer you have to be up there, the more cash you’ll have to dish out. When it comes to a private pilot’s license (PPL) it can still be quite expensive, but is the first and cheapest step on your journey as a pilot. The following is a general estimated cost of becoming a private pilot.

hours required: 35

Flight time/aircraft rental: $6,000

Instructor: $2,000

Tests: $500

School: $300

Medical: $150

These prices are obviously not going to be exact and could be more or less depending on your situation. In my opinion, I would prepare for your PPL to cost you roughly $10,000. I know that is a lot of money, and unfortunately it turns many people away from aviation. But I can assure you that learning to fly will change your life. It did mine!

Commercial License Cost:

Like I said before, getting your private pilots license is not only the first, but the cheapest step in becoming a pilot. Because becoming a commercial pilot requires so many more hours and ratings, it unfortunately costs a lot more. Getting your commercial license requires a lot more than your PPL as well. Because so much is required for this license, I won’t break it down like I did for the private pilot’s license. Rather, I’ve taken the costs from several flight schools and calculated the average. The cost of a commercial pilot’s license costs, on average, around $66,000-$90,000. If you’re anything like me, numbers that big might make you a bit sick to your stomach. When I first decided to walk the career path of aviation, I stressed over these numbers for days on end. However recently my opinion on it has changed a bit. Although it does cost an insanely high amount of money to become a commercial pilot, getting your commercial pilot’s license is quite different than your PPL. It’s different in the sense that a commercial license is an investment. A commercial certification is your right of passage to make money with your skills. I believe that an aviation career will pay for itself in the long run. Not only in numbers, but you’ll have a job that you love and a job that lets you see more of the world than most people see in a lifetime. If you’ve been concerned about paying for your flight school, I urge you to think about it as an investment rather than a cost.

How you can save money:

If you’re like most people, you don’t have thousands of dollars laying around that you can toss at flight training. There are however, some things you can do to help you save a few bucks! Who doesn’t want that? The following are just a couple ways that might help you save a bit of extra money!

Part 141

If you don’t know what part 141 is, it is basically a certification from the FAA given to flight schools allowing them to teach at a more accelerated pace and also giving new hour requirements for part 141 students. Most people go the rout of part 61 which is pretty much any instructor or school that doesn’t have a 141 rating. When learning to fly on part 61, 40 dual hours are required for a private pilot’s license. Under part 141 however, only 35 dual hours are required. Although it is only a 5 hour difference, those 5 hours could save you hundreds of dollars! Not only will a part 141 school save you money, but will help you get your certifications much faster! If you have access to a part 141 school such as ATP, I would highly suggest looking into it.

Study!

Something every good pilot must learn to do well is study. Any pilot will tell you that a majority of the job aside from actually flying, is just knowing your stuff and knowing it well. It’s well observed that those who study hard in their training get their certifications quicker than those who don’t. If you’d like to save yourself some money, I highly suggest putting in the extra work and studying hard! It may be grueling at first, but I promise you it will pay off.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, It is unfortunately very expensive to become a pilot in todays world. But like I said, it is more of an investment than anything else. If flying is truly what you want to do for a living, it will pay off in the long run. Aviation is a very freeing experience and the cost of learning to fly is minuscule compared to the way it will change your life.

“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
– Leonardo DaVinci

Want to learn about some cool planes? Check out my new series, ‘Unexplained Aircraft’ here!

You can also check out my instagram here!

The post How Much Does It Cost To Become A Pilot? appeared first on The Desktop Aviator.

What Is The Aurora?

Before we get into why one should or shouldn’t believe in the existence of the Aurora, I’d like to talk about what the ‘Aurora’ supposedly is and where it got its name. The first sighting of the so called ‘Aurora’ occurred in the UK in August of 1989. This sighting was made by engineer Chris Gibson and his girlfriend while on the north sea. Reportedly, the two witnessed the black, triangle shaped aircraft refueling from a KC-135 tanker alongside two F-111 fighter/bombers. This sighting is what kickstarted the search for what this peculiar triangle aircraft was. Many later sightings of the ‘Aurora’ reported a special type of contrail known as “doughnuts on a rope”. This contrail consists of a straight line in the sky (the rope) that has many of evenly spaced vapor rings around it (the doughnuts). These contrails lead to much speculation about the type of propulsion system this aircraft used. Many people speculate that the Aurora most likely uses some sort of ‘pulse detonation engine’. To put it simply, rather than shooting out a constant stream of air like a conventional jet, a pulse detonation engine utilizes a series of well timed, highly powerful explosions to give the aircraft maximum speed and efficiency. If the Aurora exists, it is most likely a high speed spy plane for reasons I’ll get into later. According to speculation, this aircraft could reach hypersonic speeds at insanely high altitudes. This however, is still only speculation. The Aurora didn’t actually get its name until much later. The reason people started giving this aircraft its name is due to a mistake at the pentagon. In the very early days of the B-2 bomber program, documentation regarding the funding for this program was accidentally leaked. In this documentation, the arbitrary name ‘Aurora’ was given to the prospect of funding for the B-2 program. Since not much else was known about the top secret bombers at the time, many people put two and two together and assumed the name to be in regards to all of the black triangle sightings around the world. In recent days, many people have taken to calling this mythical aircraft the SR-91, however the name ‘Aurora’ has stuck like glue. With some of its background out of the way, we can get into why the SR-91 ‘Aurora’ (probably) exists.

Evidence:

1. California Sonic Booms

Perhaps one of the most popular pieces of evidence we have for this mysterious aircraft come in the form of seismic data from Southern California. Beginning in 1991, seismologists in Southern California started reading seismic data in the form of sonic booms. The booms appeared to originate from around 90,000 feet and were traveling across the state at a speed of mach 6. For reference, the fastest conventional aircraft (the SR-71) had a top speed of mach 3.4! These were definitely not earthquakes, so unsurprisingly many people started to speculate what could have caused these sonic booms. The booms were reported to be much more powerful than any normal supersonic aircraft. The only two things that maybe could have caused these sonic booms are the SR-71 or a NASA space shuttle. Neither of these however, where operating on any of the days these booms were recorded. Furthermore, the booms always occurred on a Thursday between the hours of 4 and 7 AM. According to one of the seismologists studying these booms, Jim Mori: “We can’t tell anything about the vehicle. They seem stronger than other sonic booms that we record once in a while. They’ve all come on Thursday mornings about the same time, between 4 and 7.” The California sonic booms aren’t a direct proof of any aircraft, but definitely lead to more speculation. If you’d like to read more about these sonic booms, there is a great article on them by the LA Times! You can find it here!

2. “Doughnuts On A Rope”

First spotted in Amarillo Texas in 1992, the “doughnuts on a rope” contrail appeared. This mysterious ringed contrail was accompanied by a deep, rumbling sound. Steven Douglass was the first to provide photo evidence of these contrails. Alongside this, strange radio communications in the area were picked up by Douglass. Most notably two aircraft using the callsigns “Darkstar November” and “Darkstar Mike”. Following this, radio communications were heard at Edwards Air Force Base in California coming from an aircraft using the callsign “gaspipe” reading out extremely high altitudes much higher than the service ceiling of most aircraft. Like before, these strange events can’t be directly correlated to one specific aircraft. However, I personally think that the Aurora is either one aircraft that is responsible for these events, or multiple top secret aircraft. I think it’s more reasonable to believe it is one aircraft rather than multiple. But I digress. Either way, there are undoubtedly strange things happening in the skies above us.

3. The USAF Would Be Flying Blind

The United States Air Force’s most advanced spy-plane, the SR-71 Blackbird, was retired in 1999. This would mean that without a new reconnaissance aircraft, the USAF practically would have been flying blind for more than two decades. Many people bring up the fact that we don’t need to spy-planes anymore with the addition of satellights in the 21st century. However this is not so. The main advantage that spy-planes have over satellights is flexibility. Satellights can not change course and can really only take photos. In a modern day war theater, this is unacceptable. Spy-planes can alter their course at any time, take higher quality images and video, collect different types of data, and can cover different areas much more efficiently. To think that the United States Air Force has been going 20 plus years without any sort of reconnaissance aircraft in service is ridiculous. This is where the Aurora comes in. I, along with many others believe that the either the Aurora or some other top secret aircraft replaced the SR-71 and has been in service since the Blackbird’s retirement. It definitely makes sense. Personally, I think this is the best bit of evidence for the United States having an upgraded spy-plane to replace the SR-71. Another thing to note is that spy satellights have been around since the 50s. Why would the SR-71 have been built if satellights could do a better job?

4. The Air Force Has Done This Before

The SR-71 was deployed and being used for years and was constantly denied before the USAF finally admitted to the public that it existed. This has happened many times in the past. It happened with the Blackbird, it happened with the U-2, it happened with the B-2 and  pretty much any other top secret aircraft you can think of.  In conjunction with the last piece of evidence, I believe that the United States has built and deployed a replacement for the Blackbird and is just trying to keep it from the public until they deem it to be an appropriate time to do so. I would not be surprised if in the next few years, the USAF decides to release a statement confirming the existence of such an aircraft. I believe this aircraft is what many have been referring to as the Aurora for years.

Conclusion

Whether or not you decide to believe in the existence of the Aurora is up to you. Although I believe there is quite a bit to support that such an aircraft exists, there is room for some skepticism. Ultimately, we’ll never know truly if this aircraft exists unless someone spills the beans. All of these bits of evidence could very well be the responsibility of one aircraft, or it could be multiple aircraft that seem like one. We may never know for sure. What we do know however, is that there are very interesting things happening in our skies. The Air Force has cried wolf many times before. Why should be believe them now? With all that being said, I hope you enjoyed todays article! This is the start of a new series I am working on call “Unexplained Aircraft”. If you enjoyed, feel free to share or comment and I’ll see you in the next post!

-Camden Crace

The post Aurora: Unexplained Aircraft No. 1 appeared first on The Desktop Aviator.

Updated Weather Engine

For many simulator pilots, one of the biggest elements when it comes to a flight simulator’s realism, is the weather. Xplane 11 already has a decent weather engine as it is, but with the coming Xplane12 update, it will definitely be kicked up a notch. Perhaps the best part of the new weather engine will be its ability to read local METAR data and realistically model the weather for any area! To me personally, this is a big deal. I have always liked my simulators to be extra realistic and one of the things that always bothered me with Xplane 11 is that I could practice at my airport and use its local time, but I couldn’t practice with the current weather in my area. It isn’t a huge deal as you can try and replicate yourself in the  weather settings, but it will be quite nice to have accurate local weather modeled in Xplane 12! Another function being added to the Xplane weather system will be the introduction of seasons! Any pilot knows that air temperature can make a huge  difference in the way your plane operates. Having seasons being added to Xplane’s weather will also be a nice addition to its realism. It’ll make for some good looking scenery too!

Graphical Updates

Perhaps the largest part of the Xplane 12 update is going to be the graphics. I have been a long standing user of Xplane but one thing I (and many others) can say about it is that visually, Xplane lacks greatly. Even in 2016 when it was first released the graphics seemed out of date. Xplane has consistently looked like it was made in 2010. I think the team over at Xplane has finally realized this, following the massive popularity in Microsoft Flight Simulator. In order to try and keep up, the Xplane team is going to be releasing quite a few graphical updates in Xplane 12. Most of them have to do with the way the scenery and atmosphere look, but some of the updates change the way the graphics engine functions. Some of the visual updates include: new fully modeled clouds, raindrops and prop-wash, highly realistic water, and a new forest engine. The clouds and raindrops coming with Xplane 12 are going to be amazing for anyone using Xplane to practice IFR. I’m quite excited about them myself.  When it comes to VFR pilots, especially in tropical regions, the way water will be modeled in Xplane 12 will be a vast improvement. According to the presentation, Xplane 12 will model not only the color, but also depth and wave size based on different bodies of water. This will make deciding your altitude visually easier and more realistic when flying over water. Last but not least, there will be a completely new forest engine in Xplane 12! As much as I hate to say it, Xplane 11 has some of the worst looking trees I’ve ever seen. According to the presentation, all trees will be modeled as you get closer in order to make them much better looking and more realistic. I’m quite excited to see how they look! In regards to how Xplane 12 will produce it’s graphics, it will compute graphics data with the GPU before using the CPU. In other Xplane titles, it has been the other way around, using the CPU first. This will be excellent for anyone using high end graphics processors as you will now be able to use it to its fullest extent.

Sound Updates

One thing about Xplane 11 I have always hated is how quiet it is. The only thing that ever makes any noise is the aircraft. When you’re flying this isn’t such a big deal but when you’re on the ground, it feels awkward. Thankfully, Xplane 12 will bring a variety of ambient sounds to the table, finally making Xplane a bit more immersive. One thing Xplane 12 is not fixing, is the annoying computerized voice of air traffic control. There will be a new ATC interface that will make talking to air traffic control more interactive, but the voice remains the same; making me feel like I’m listening to Ok Computer. This is definitely not a huge problem, but it is a pet peeve of mine.

Aircraft

Perhaps what most people are excited for is the new default aircraft that are coming to Xplane 12. According to the presentation, there will be four new aircraft: a fly by wire A330,  a Citation X business jet, a new Cirrus plane, and an F-14. The first three listed will be great! But I do have an issue with the F-14. I have no doubt that it will be a great model, but there is already an incredible F-14 Simulator out there that is incredibly realistic. This is none other than the DCS World F-14. If you’ve never heard of DCS World or want to learn more about it, check out this article here! Xplane may be trying to catch up to DCS World and I don’t blame them, but considering the F-4 phantom that is in Xplane 11 right now, I’m not expecting anything special. With that being said, the A330, Citation, and Cirrus will be three more great aircraft to have at your disposal!

Conclusion

I know that many people were quite disappointed by the Xplane 12 presentation as they were expecting a lot more out of it. But personally, I’m quite excited to see what Xplane 12 brings to the table. I’ve loved Xplane for its realism but never enjoyed the way it looked, if Xplane can get its graphics on par with Microsoft Flight Simulator, I will be over the moon. Ultimately, we can’t make any judgments about Xplane 12 until it is actually released. But until then, fly safe.

-Camden Crace

The post Xplane 12: What’s New? appeared first on The Desktop Aviator.

Logitech G Pro

A very popular control surface among flight simulator enthusiasts, the Logitech G Pro is a very decent option for your setup. Unlike many other yokes, the G Pro comes with its own throttle quadrant. Having a good throttle quadrant is, in my opinion, a vital aspect when it comes to realism. The difference between using buttons on a keyboard and actually having a throttle in your hand is night and day. Aside from this, the G Pro has a small screen on the front to display times or frequencies which can be very helpful. The G Pro however, is not all perfect. The biggest issue i have seen with the yoke myself is the build quality. The G Pro feels a bit flimsy at times and makes quite a few noises. This however doesn’t impede its usability. If you want to check out the G Pro, the link can be found below!

Honeycomb Alpha

Coming up next is the Honeycomb Alpha yoke by Honeycomb aeronautical. The Honeycomb Alpha is made for student pilots and thus, designed to have the utmost realism. Aside from being an incredibly realistic control surface, the Alpha meets a very high standard of build quality. This is a yoke that will last you a very long time. A vast majority of the reviews in regards to this yoke are overwhelmingly positive. The Honeycomb Alpha truly lives up to its name. The only issue I can see with this yoke is its lack of buttons and a throttle quadrant. These can easily be purchased separately, but it can be rather inconvenient. If you’re looking for a very high quality yoke check it out with the link below!

CH Products Yoke

Third on the list is the yoke by CH Products. Another extremely popular control surface among desktop aviators, this yoke is probably the best bang for you buck. The CH Products yoke has several basic buttons and a throttle quadrant built in! It’s very difficult to find all  of these features in one yoke at this price. This yoke is one that I believe is perfect for beginners who don’t want to spend too much money up front. It has everything you need to get started and at a relatively low price! This low price does however come with a few caveats. The biggest one being the build quality. The CH Products yoke is made almost entirely out of plastic and is a bit flimsy. This is expected however considering the price. If this doesn’t bother you, or you’re a beginner looking to get started, check it out via the link below!

Conclusion

My goal with this post is to help you make the best decision when it comes to choosing a yoke for your setup. The three yokes I have listed are all very decent, they just have strengths in different areas! If this post did help you make a decision on a yoke, make sure you use our affiliate links! It really helps us out and helps us help you by supplying more content! Feel free to comment and share!

-Camden Crace

The post 3 Best Yokes For Microsoft Flight Simulator and Xplane 11 2021 appeared first on The Desktop Aviator.

Checklists

Perhaps the best way I have found to use a flight simulator in my pilot training is to use it practice my checklists! If you’ve even flown just a little bit you know just how important checklists are to aviation. If there is a task in a cockpit, there is a checklist for it. Because of this, there is a mountain if information pilots need to be familiar with and better yet, have memorized. For most people, sitting down and memorizing the hundreds of tasks in order for all of your checklists is extremely  difficult on its own. This is where using a flight simulator comes in. I’ve personally found that practicing your checklists at home with a simulator has helped me out tremendously. I no longer have to constantly flip through my checklist booklet to find what I need to do. After just a few days of at-home practice, I essentially have my checklists memorized! A flight simulator helps you memorize your checklists by having you associate each task with a physical action rather than trying to shove it all into your mind and risk forgetting it later.  I highly recommend using a flight simulator to help you get familiar with your checklists if you’re having trouble with them.

Traffic Patterns

Another very helpful use of flight simulators for pilots, especially beginners is using them to practices different traffic patterns! I know for me personally, when I was starting out, traffic patterns for different airports where pretty confusing and rather intimidating. Using a simulator to help me practice and understand the different procedures has helped me out quite a bit. The benefit to using a simulator is that you don’t have the pressure of real traffic to worry about so you can focus on what turns you need to do, and when.

Basic Maneuvers

The biggest part of your flight training when you’re starting out is going to be maneuvers. These include steep turns, ground reference maneuvers, stalls, etc. While these are great to practice in a real plane, the biggest issue many people run into is the cost to fly. Flying for any amount of time can get very expensive very fast. While nothing can replace practicing in a real aircraft, if you’re having trouble with something, using a flight simulator to help you practice basic thing on your own time can help tremendously. Like I said before, no simulator can replace practicing in a real aircraft. You can’t feel  your plane in a simulator like you can in a real plane. You should always practice in a real plane if you can. However using a simulator as a supplement is always helpful.

New/Different Aircraft

Last but certainly not least, you can use a simulator to try out new aircraft! Eventually in your aviation career, you will have to change aircraft. Consistently changing up which aircraft you’re flying is extremely beneficial to your general knowledge of aviation. Practicing your skill and knowledge of different aircraft models and systems will make you a more well rounded pilot. The awesome thing about flight simulators is that you have hundreds of different aircraft at your fingertips. With these aircraft you can study their systems, flight characteristics and general information. Like I said before, knowing how to operate a variety of different aircraft will make you an extremely well rounded pilot.

Conclusion

In conclusion, using a good quality flight simulator (such as X-Plane or MSFS) can be extremely beneficial to both your student pilot career and professional pilot career. With that being said, it is not a replacement for your training in the real world. Flight simulators should be treated as a supplement to your training. They are however, still very beneficial to your general aviation knowledge and skill. If you enjoyed, feel free to drop a comment and share!

-Camden Crace

If you’re wondering what simulator to use, feel free to check out my other post on Microsoft Flight Simulator and Xplane 11 Here!

The post How To Use a Flight Simulator In Your Flight Training appeared first on The Desktop Aviator.

1. Crop Duster

When you hear the word “crop-duster” the first thing that comes to mind is probably just some farmer flying his plane around and spraying chemicals. This could not be further from the truth. Crop dusting pilots are in fact highly skilled pilots who have to be trained in, and consistently practice the art of low level flight. These pilots spend their time flying very low to the ground in order to properly disperse whatever substance the crops are needing. Another special thing about this job is that crop dusting planes are specifically designed for the task, meaning only crop dusters get to fly them! If you enjoy nature and also love flying, this could be the perfect job for you.

2.  Skydiver Pilot

One thing that is true with all skydivers is that they can fall, but they can’t fly. That’s where you come in! A vital part of every skydiving venture is the pilot. My current flight instructor flies skydivers part-time on the weekends and he loves it! As a skydiving pilot, you’ll spend your time flying different people to a jump zone and then fly back to the airfield. The job may sound a bit monotonous, but there are actually quite a few perks to this aviation job. The biggest of them in my opinion, is the fact that you get to sleep in your own bed every night. For most careers in this industry, that usually isn’t the case. You get to do what you love, build your hours, and not be away from home all the time! Another good thing about flying skydivers is that you get to meet lots of new people. This is great for this industry because it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

3. Aerial Fire Fighter

In recent years, aerial fire fighters have gotten plenty of media attention. With much of the western United States burning, along with large amounts of Australia, these pilots have seen no shortage of work. Unfortunately, this will probably be the status quo for the years to come. Fortunately for you, this means more work! Aerial fire fighting and crop dusting actually have quite a bit in common! Both pilots have to be very skilled in flying very low to the ground and precisely dropping their payload. They’re both a lot like bombers! The big difference between crop dusters and fire fighters is the plane. Aerial fire fighters fly much larger aircraft, many times being modified jet airliners! If you’ve been thinking about crop dusting, but want to fly cooler planes, this could be the job for you!

4. Corporate Pilot

When it comes to aviation, business jets are the epitome of high class, fancy flying. As a corporate pilot, you get to fly some very nice aircraft. Currently I work part time in a private business hangar, I see first hand the level of class some of these business jets are. One of my favorites that I get to work on is the Gulfstream G IV. A classic. If this sounds nice, this could be a good option for you. Aside from living the boujee pilot lifestyle, you get to meet many good names in the aviation community, and for relationships with your passengers. The schedules aren’t as demanding as the airlines, and you get to see some really cool places! Corporate pilots also tend to make a pretty penny, which is always nice!

5. Air Ambulance Pilot

When you think of an air ambulance, the first thing that might pop into your head are helicopters flying to and from hospitals. While many times this is the case, there is a side to air ambulance pilot jobs that many people don’t know about. In fact, a very large portion of air ambulance aircraft are actually fixed wing aircraft! These pilots fly people, and sometimes organs, to locations where they need to be there quickly, but are too far for a helicopter. The schedule for air ambulance pilots is unlike any other job in the industry. For many air ambulance jobs, the schedule is being on call one week on, one week off, one of these weeks being night shifts. This means you get half of the year to yourself! You never know when, or where you’re going until you get the call. If you’re looking for something different every day, this could be the job for you.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the career path that you take is completely your choice. Whatever pilot jobs you choose should best fit your personal desire and needs. I know from personal experience, that trying to choose your job in the field of aviation can be a bit daunting. Many times you feel like your only options are the airlines or cargo. But this is just not the case! My goal with this article is to provide some insight on the different career option in the aviation industry. I hope that it could at least provide you with some helpful information and maybe even give you some leads to a job you might find interesting! If you enjoyed, feel free to drop a comment or share!

-Camden Crace

Check out my last post on ‘chair flying’ here!

The post 5 Uncommon Pilot Jobs appeared first on The Desktop Aviator.

It’s Free! (sorta)

Perhaps the number one reason you should start playing DCS World is that it’s free! The idea of any flight simulator being free is impressive on its own. But the fact that a simulator of DCS’s caliber is free is astounding at the very least. The base copy of DCS World is completely free of charge and comes with two aircraft and two maps to fly around in. The two aircraft included are the TF-51D and the SU-25T Frogfoot. The TF-51 is what is called a ‘high fidelity’ model meaning that most, if not all of an aircraft has been modeled.  The SU-25 is still a high quality and well modeled aircraft, just not as much as the TF-51. Both of these aircraft being included in the base model of DCS World is incredibly generous of the Eagle Dynamics team and are an amazing way to get started in DCS World! This however is only the tip of the iceberg. DCS World has lots of other modules and maps that are available for purchase. On top of that, there are many more community made mods for DCS world and many of them are free! Buying some of these modules, especially the high fidelity ones, allow you to squeeze the full potential out of the simulator. It’s also a great way to pay your respects to the team at Eagle Dynamics and support the evolution of the simulator in the years to come!

It Improves Your Technical Learning Abilities

Like I mentioned before, DCS World was the first flight simulator I ever got to play with. After a few months of piddling around in DCS World I started my flight training in the real world. Right off the bat I could tell that it had given me a considerable head start. I already knew most, if not all of the instruments in the cockpit, how to use them, and some basic flight maneuvers. I attribute most of this knowledge to my time spent in DCS World. This is because, for the most part, you have to teach yourself how to fly and operate the aircraft in DCS World. The module I spent the most time in was the F-5E Tiger II. This is an extremely realistic high fidelity model. Whats more is that each aircraft module comes with an in-depth manual to help you out! Learning about each aircraft and putting fourth your knowledge is very good for not only pilots, but anyone who does anything that requires any sort of critical thinking or technically based knowledge. Because military aircraft are inherently complicated, it makes figuring out less complicated aircraft MUCH easier.

The Community

One thing I have noticed during my time playing DCS World is how welcoming and close-knit the DCS community is. The DCS community is very similar to that of the aviation community! Everyone is friendly, seems to know each other and are all generally just there to have a good time. Not only outside the game, but even in public servers people are generally respectful and try to make sure everyone is having a good time. It’s not often you find a niche community that has a welcoming presence like DCS’s does. What’s nice about this is that for beginners, any questions or concerns will promptly be addressed. I know this first hand. Not only is the surrounding community a great place, but the company Eagle Dynamics is very good about listening to its users and doing its best to address their needs. All in all, the DCS community is a great place and a wonderful addition to the simulator itself.

DCS World Is Fun!

Last but certainly not least, is another reason you should try your hand at DCS World. It’s fun! Almost none of us will ever have the chance to pilot a fighter aircraft in real life. With the addition of virtual reality and highly realistic models and graphics, DCS World brings the experience of being a fighter pilot into your own home. It’s also a great way to meet new people with similar interests! To me and many others, DCS is more than just a game; it’s a hobby. For all military aircraft enthusiasts and the like, DCS World is an amazing experience that’s unmatched by any other program.

Conclusion

Whether you’re looking for a game to pass the time, or a highly realistic simulator, DCS World can fulfill both of these needs. It is a wonderfully developed simulator with an equally wonderful community surrounding it. I hope that more people come to discover Digital Combat Simulator over time and help grow the community over the years. Hopefully this article was able to provide you with some decent insight regarding the world of DCS. If you enjoyed, feel free to share, drop a comment or both! it really helps us out!

***(disclaimer: Do not use DCS World or any other simulator as a replacement for real life flight training. Only conduct flight training under the supervision of certified persons)***

-Camden Crace

The post DCS World: Why You Should Start Playing appeared first on The Desktop Aviator.