Let’s hope Heatblur fulfill their ambitions… and that the BO-105 will follow soon after
The PBY is freeware: Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina 9767 - Military Aircraft - X-Plane.Org Forum
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That looks quite alright! Cockpit is a bit sparse but other then that it looks hella fun!
I also did some flying boat scouting last night but for X-plane 10 nothing drew my fancy. Not sure what to fly with yet, I think I’ll sample my sizable stable on the way there, many small stops in New Zealand so… plenty of chance to hop around from aircraft to aircraft!
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Hmmm… I do believe I have a story idea now…
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I feel like we are both feeling the same idea here? 
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I recently picked up Air Hauler for X-Plane, which is usable now with XP11 through the use of a mod. You start out using a C172, which really can’t haul all that much, so I picked up the Alabeo Cessna 207 which has a lot more capacity. The C207 is not an airplane I would normally be interested in but, because of Air Hauler, I have a mission for it. As a bonus, it is also compatible with the GTN750 by Reality XP (which in itself is pretty awesome).
So, here it is on a freight run heading to Kitimat from my base of operations at Prince Rupert B.C.
Recently I have been using FSGRW in conjuction with Ultra Weather XP 2.4 and I have to say I am very happy with the results. The variety of clouds, combined with several distinct layers, provides a very realistic visual result.
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That sounds really cool, Paul.
Air Hauler, some interesting airfields and detailed terrain plus weather that works well would be a pretty perfect combo for GA practice for me. Now that I have a 1080Ti I might even be able to run those.
AH gives you a good excuse for it all, which is nice - I don’t mind ‘just flying around’ but having a reason to plan a flight somewhere in particular sounds great.
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I like that you can also tailor it a bit to your kind of flying by changing the size of airports and ranges you want to fly to. I’ve found some really, really interesting airports in the PNW…
I’m finding you can pick up several contracts at once to maximize profits on multi-leg trips. Right now I am sat in Stewart BC with a plane full of shrimp that I need to take to Ketchikan Alaska (just a short hop). From there I fly empty back to Prince Rupert, to pick up cargo for Port Hardy. I found a decently paying load from a nearby airport that needs to be taken back to Prince Rupert. It’s kind of neat, and rather addictive. Getting into some of the airports can be interesting, especially when the weather is low.
Using the mod to import aircraft is a bit fiddly (but at least it works)… it took me awhile to realize that you have to manually launch X-Plane 11 after you click on Fly in Air Hauler. Once you figure it out it is pretty straight forward. What I particularly like about Air Hauler is that you are given a reason to visit small airports off the beaten track, that you would normally never bother with.
The same goes for aircraft. You no longer pick your favorite airplane and go fly. Instead you pick the airplane best suited for the task at hand. If you don’t have the optimal aircraft you either make do with what you have in your company hangar, or purchase something more suitable. Personally I never looked twice at the 207 for example. I think it is a rather ugly and boring airplane… but it carries a good load at about 140 knots and can get into some quite small runways. Suddenly I kinda like the 207 .
I already have the 207’s replacement lined up… the Carenado Navajo. It will be awhile before my company can afford to buy one though.
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Indeed. It is great fun. And I’ve found that sometimes (oops) I commit to a contract that goes to a field with no instrument approach and the weather is dog-poo… That ratchets up the fun too!
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I moved my base of operations to Prince Rupert because I figured I should have an Instrument Approach available to get me home…
Parked up at Ketchikan.
The airport there is quite interesting because the runway is a higher elevation than the ramp area. The scenery by Northern Sky Studio looks really nice (although the bizjets on the ramp could be a little more detailed)…
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I made a quick run from Prince Rupert down to Port Hardy to drop off some beef. I landed with less than 5 minutes left on the contract. It started off a nice flight, but the weather deteriorated as I got closer to the destination…
XP11 is at times simply stunning to look at.
Flying the ILS to runway 11 at Port Hardy. It was a rough ride!
Always a good feeling when the runway comes into sight.
Short final for what Air Hauler tells me was a greaser!
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You’re putting the fever in me!
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I haven’t fired up DCS once since getting Air Hauler I’m almost ashamed to say… but you know… just one more contract before mowing the lawn/cleaning up the house/dinner/bed etc etc.
It doesn’t help that you have to complete the contracts before the allotted deadline, which is in real world time. It’s like "what flights do I HAVE to get finished today…wait, what? I only have 2 hours until the deadline? The destination is 1 hour and 50 minutes away? I have to go, and I have to go NOW! LOL.
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Hi Paul, do you VR in XPlane or flat screen?
It really depends. My recent Air Hauler flights have been flown on a 2D screen, mainly because I get into the cruise and engage the autopilot so that I can go and do something productive. I check in periodically to take screenshots, check progress and switch fuel tanks if required. For general bush flying or sightseeing flights, VR is definitely the way to go.
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