jcomm

Ok guys, again thanks a lot for all you support! I'll report back after trying the ""run as Admin"... This worked for the Katana Load & config app which wasn't doing anything unless run as admin... And yes, I intend to get the 4X version :-) as well as the TO Extended ;-)

Just a follow up... Flight1's fix didn't work - My Katana X still has opaque canopy when it's raining :-( I accepted the install of FSX Gold into the default C:\Programs(x86) folder, in windows 7. I wonder if this was one of my big mistakes (?). Have meanwhile seen recommendations of an install to something like C:\FSX instead to escape the effects of UAC ?

Ok, again thank you Otto and Herman for your prompt and helpful replies :-) I also installed the Twin Otter X, and that one doesn't suffer from the same problem, but I am aware that an "Extended" version is also in the works :-)

Ah, you mean that only the Katana 4x is compatible with AccPack? Thx for the "rainfix" ;-)

It is off, but thx anyway fro the hint ;-) I did enable it (DX10 preview) yesterday. after installing FSX Golden, but then disabled it again, unless something got stuck in the CFG file (?). Where in the CFG files can I see the DX10 setting just to make sure it is off?

I have just installed the DA-20 Katana X download version, on FSX Golden Edition (which includes Acceleration and is fully patched). The installer version is v2.00. When in the VC and raining, the canopy becomes opaque. I believe the update available at my account with SP2 is already included in the v2.00 installer (?) Is there a fix for this rather annoying bug? Thx in advance

Thx for the info Peter.

:-(

Would like to know about successful installations of soaring add-ons, including CumulusX!, Aerosoft Discus X, etc, in LM Prepar3D. Thx in advance for any comments!

Has anyone been able to make CumulusX! work with Prepar3D yet?

Peter, I came here today exactly to post this same subject - just to find out that you already thought about it!!!! Please do include support for Prepar3D - that way I will certainly go for it. I uninstalled FSX and have been using mainly Condor, because FSX would run slow on my computer, I also because I didn't really want to invest my money on scenery and mesh for a platform that is stagnant... I couldn't afford Prepar3D either.... Now I can :-) I will refrain from buying it if I can't see any sound support for glider flying, like the one CumulusX! gave me in FSX, so, if you decide to support Prepar3D, I will go for it :-)

Great reading! Thx!!!

Oh, I know... B21... I spent years around it, and develloped a few FMs, including for commercial products :-), at least two for helicopters :-) (an area really challenging to tweak in MSFS...) My main source of inspiration was Ron Freimuth, with whoom I had the extraordinary oportunity of exchanging many email messages and learn quite a LOT about the insides of MSFS. But it started long before, when Enrico Schiratti was still in the begining of his experience with the sim, as well as Maurizio Gaviolli :-) IIt was some.... 20 years ago! Whow! I was also able to participate on the first tests of SCASM with a scenery for Azores and Madeira, many years ago... I still poll a few sites, namely Herve's exvellent source of information, which you most certainly know: http://www.aero.sors.fr/index.html In the past, and before leaving MSFS ;more than 3 years ago, and all simulation 2 years ago, I tried about all gliders from FSGLIDER, including those I had flown for real since 1980 (some rather old, such as the Bergfalke :-) ). It was allways a disapointment, and although I allways tried to tweak and re-tweak, it was no before starting using Condor and SW that I finally felt at home. Ah, around 1993 I was also an active user of the only glider simulation program available for many years - SFS! The DiscusX from Aerosoft was rather a surprise to me. Actually I had been invited in the past to design a good AS-K21 (a glider I know very well from my RW flying...) but I never really started that project. After testing the DiscusX, and now with CumulusX, using MSFS looks like I have discovered a new completely unknown simulator! The only problem now will be to buy a PC up-2-date... My rather old Pentium4 freezes easily running MSFS, and I keep everything to the minimums in order to get a more or less stable 10-12fps ! Regarding CumulusX!, it's good to know Peter is still actively working on it. I look forward for a possible update including some sort of wave. And, for the time being, and although I keep great expectation in the open Flight Gear project, sailpane & gliding simulation will be rather difficult to achieve at the levels raised by Condor, SW and now FSX2+CumulusX+Aerosoft's gliders. XPlane will certainly not become an alternative given it's rather closed and simplistic weather engine/model...

HarryO Thanks for the interesting notes regarding DiscusK and CumulusX together :-) When you refer to the way FSX deals with water ballast, are you saying that the Polars have nothing to do with the real thing when ballast is used? In Condor, and in Silent Wings, ballast works credibly. I never checked with FSX though...

I had to post yet another report of my recent experience with both CumulusX and DiscusX on FSX2. I have to admit I was really unaware of how realist MSFS can become in as far as soaring / gliding is concerned. As a glider pilot for real, and aslo as a user of both Condorsoaring and Silent Wings (also of SFS as far back as 1994 :-)) I have to say that the only thing now lacking to complete the rather immersive and realistic environment created by CumulusX is proper mesh and landclass for my country - Portugal - as well as for Spain. I now can say that thermal centring, as well as ridge/slope flying is even more close to real in the CumulusX+ FSX combination then in either Condor or SW - this was really a surprise for me. The same goes for the excellent flight characteristics of the DiscusX glider - a true masterpiece, I have to say! All that said, I have a couple of questions: 1) I haven't reinstalled FSUIPC, nor any of the weather injector programs I had in the past, mainly because I believe these could negatively interfere with CumulusX. FSUIPC has wind smoothing parameters, and as far as I know Peter models turbulence on slopes using "windshear", with abrupt wind direction variations as well as wind intensity, and these might get filtered by FSUIPC? Am I wrong? 2) I haven't been able to really profit from the "Smart-Tow", I believe. I set left or right circuits, restart FSX, call for the tow plane using ctrl-shift-y, the tow starts but the airplane keep climbing straight away, never circling right or left (?) 3) Regarding my will to have a better (than the rather poor default one...) landclass for Portugal and Spain, as well as the Mesh, the reason is basically that I learned CumulusX does take this data into account for generating it's auto-thermals and slope updrafts/downdrafts. So, with a more sophisticated landclass/mesh we should expect even better/more realistic performance from CumulusX - am I wrong? 4) Finally, and although I still do not intend to invest on such a platform, I would like to find out if Peter has experimented with CumulusX and the Lockheed platform Prepar3D.