News

You might have wondered where I had disappeared to for the last six weeks. Well I hadn't abandoned you all. I drove over to France / Germany / Switzerland in the "new toy" for 12 days and great fun it was too. Unfortunately on the way back I was struck down with influenza (the real thin, not "man flu") and it has pretty well laid me out for the last three weeks. It still hasn't gone, but hopefully the doctors have it under control now :-))

When it came to the Ferrari, I was able to "give it the beans" in Germany :-))
Man does it go :-)) It really is a racing car with headlights, but is also really comfortable for long journeys. Anyway it now has over five thousand miles on it, that were not there when I got it :-))

" B-25J Yellow Rose "

I have discovered a problem with the VOR.s on the FSX version of the B-25J "Yellow Rose" package (It seems that MS moved some more goal posts). This I fixed within 48 hours of finding the problem. If you have the new FSX CD from the CAF, send me an email and I will send you the fix.

" General "

There is nothing much else to report. I am just concentrating on getting back my normal self, well as normal as I ever am :-))

Have a good one.

After what seems like an eternity we are delighted to announce the release of our FSX version of the B-25J "Yellow Rose". :-))

This is the FSX PAYWARE version of our highly acclaimed B-25J package. It is only supplied on CD by the 'CAF "Yellow Rose" Squadron' from their website. The CD contains packages for many of the versions of MS FS, including FSX, FS2004 (FS9), FS2002, and CFS2, along with a lots of added information and things of interest.

To purchase your copy for $25 (plus taxes and shipping) visit the CAF website :-

http://www.b-25yellowrose.com/home.asp

This aviation museum does a fantastic job of keeping this real aircraft flying and deserves your support. So dip you hand into your pocket and buy your CD today.
ALL monies go the museum and nothing at all goes to us, as it should be.

" My New Toy "

I have to admit I have been having huge fun with my new toy. What power and handling :-)) Having done over 1600 miles in ten days I am really starting to learn how to handle it properly, although the winter weather here in the UK has been making it exciting. Sun, Wind, Rain, Ice, Sleet and Snow have all happened in the last few days making it very interesting with all that power under your right foot. Never have I had so much fun with my clothes on :-))

I do have to do a little work the month, but am hoping to spend most of my time playing :-))

OK, have a great week.

Roy

As you will have read last month, I intended to take a well deserved rest from FS work and that I am doing :-))

Last year, as you know, was a life changing time for me and I said if I survived I was going to really enjoy what was left of my life. Now I know this is not aviation, but it is fast and sexy :-)) I have bought myself a Ferrari. Those of you that follow this page will know, I had the chance to drive one 18 months ago in the South of France and loved the experience. So now I have my own :-)) Please don't send me hate mail, I am still a nice guy really :-))

The performance is truly awesome with 0 - 60 mph coming up in 4.0 secs

It has a custom interior, which I love

For those of you in Europe and the USA, I know the steering wheel is on the "wrong side" but that is the way we like them here :-))

This really is the fulfillment of a life time ambition for me. I have been mad about Ferraris since I was a kid, and this is a dream come true :-))

So this year I hope to be doing a lot of driving especially around Europe just for the pure pleasure of the experience.

Roll on the good weather :-))

As I am sure you will appreciate, I am a little distracted at the moment, but will not abandon FS completely. Everyday I do a little to keep my hand in and things moving forward.

Have a great weekend.

Roy

I am delighted to say that the Beta Testing on the RCS B-25J "Yellow Rose" for FSX is now complete and the minor corrections have been made :-)) That brings a project that has been running for over two years to a happy conclusion. The "Gold" version and the artwork is now on its way to CD production ready for the launch. I will advice you on this page when it is available for purchase from the CAF website, along with details of how to get to the website.

" The future "

Now after a well deserved rest, work will start on the RCS B-25J RAF for FSX (Freeware) version. Although this is not going to be anywhere near as long a task, because much of the development work has already been done with the PAYWARE version, this is not going to be available in the next couple of months, so don't put off buying the "Yellow Rose" thinking the free one will be along soon. Unfortunately is won't. So guys and girls "Splash the cash" and help the CAF charity.

" I hate phones "

I have to say having now spent days working with my new mobile/cell phone, I have come to the conclusion this is definitely a "Black Art" as far as I am concerned.

I spent 3 hours in the manual and another 2 on the internet Help website, trying to find out why my text (SMS) messages would not go. Eventually out of pure frustration I went back to the shop and explained my problem to this 17 year old "spotty youth" who took the phone off me, hammered away at the keypad at a mind blowing rate for less than a minute and gave it back to me and said "There you go, Man". Grrrrrr !!!!!!

When I enquired whether what he had done was in the Manual ? He said "NO". My next question was, is this information on the internet ? Again the answer was "NO".
"So how I am supposed to find out ?" I enquired with some irritation.
"Everyone knows how to do that, Man" was his reply. Well I don't !!!!

The next few exchanges are not fit to print on this page, as you can imagine :-))Let us just say, Old Gits 1 - Spotty Youths 0

Anyway I am persisting and it is now a battle of wills. The phone is going to loose. Need I say more :-))

To be honest the phone is brilliant, but as is so often the case, the documentation is rubbish. It assumes a level of knowledge, which with me and I suspect many others, is just not there. Hopefully my Manuals are more complete and easier to understand.

So you can guess what I will be doing this weekend.

Have a good one.

Roy

Two days ago, I reached and passed the sixty years milestone, which brought me considerable pleasure :-)) We haven't stopped celebrating yet as we have a big party on Saturday, but it has been and is being great fun :-))

So folks, I am now an official "Old Git" :-))

Another major mile stone has been reached as we have finally finished the work on the FSX version of the B-25J "Yellow Rose" PAYWARE package and it should be available from the CAF "Yellow Rose" website in about a month. I will make an announcement on this page when it is available.

We are in the final stages of testing and packaging ready for the official release of the CD. This package will not be available for download over the internet, but the CD will be able to be ordered on the net. The CD will contain all versions of the package and much more besides. All proceeds go to the CAF "Yellow Rose" Squadron funds.

" Technology "

As you are all no doubt aware, I am something of a "technocrat" and do not shy away from bits of electronic gadgetry. Well I think I might have finally met my match. A couple of days ago, I got myself and up to date mobile phone (cell phone) which is nothing short of amazing. Phone, still and video camera, internet, email, office, MP3 and Video player, heaps of other functions still to be discovered and even a GPS. The problem is you need a honours degree in advanced programming to configure the thing. I have bee working at it all day and have only made a small dent in it. :-(( I guess if I was 15, I would have it done in a flash, but not me :-)) So you don't need me to tell you what I will be doing for the next few days/weeks :-))

" Sadly "

No useful information was forthcoming on my friend and colleague Arne Bartels, and I am very concerned for his welfare. If anyone knows anything, please get in touch.

" General "

I hope everyone has now recovered from the Christmas and New Year celebrations and have settled back into work.

Personally, as I now get an official pension, I have made the decision to retire. That doesn't mean I will stop painting or doing some of the things I enjoy in the art world, or for that matter stop doing FS work, but it does mean that I am going to take things more easily and do only the things I really enjoy. Anybody that knows me, will be aware I am not one for sitting around and doing nothing :-))

So have a great week, weekend and most of all have fun.

Roy

A Happy New Year to everyone. I hope the holiday season was good to you.

First of all this year I would like to ask for your help. Does anyone know the current whereabouts of my friend "Arne Bartels" ??
Arne appears to have disappeared off the face of the planet and I am very concerned for his welfare. If anyone has a current email address or other contact information, please drop me a line.

" A fantastic holiday season "

I have to say I had a truly "Magical" Christmas and New Year. It started off with us going to France to a surprise birthday party on the 22nd December, for someone whom is very dear to me. To be able to say a proper "thank you" to a "Special Person" who got me through 2007 meant a great deal to me. :-))

So as we were there, we experienced Christmas in France thanks to the hospitality of our French friends, who made us extremely welcome. We checked out the shops and even a Christmas market. As many of you might know, the French people celebrate Christmas in the evening of the 24th, with a traditional meal and a party. Wonderful it was too. :-))

We had a fantastic time and left the party in full swing at 4.30am to drive back to England. We arrived back at "The Tunnel" at 7.30am and were home by 10am ready for the traditional English Christmas Day. I have to admit to being very tired, having had no sleep, but extremely happy. We then spent the rest of Christmas with our UK based family and friends.

So you can see, I might be getting on in years (60 in three weeks time), but am just as "whacky" as ever :-))

Santa was good to me this year, as always, bringing me a number of new "toys", which included a Nikon D300 camera body. What a tool, but that is another story. Quality cameras to me are very much "a tool of my trade" as a professional Wildlife Artist, but I still get excited by major advances in technology.

The New Year was "seen in" with friends and wasn't that London firework display superb !! So, off we go for another year.

This year started off well on the medical front, as my eyes were given an excellent report by my ophthalmic surgeon. A very important thing for me, as I am diabetic and rely on my eyes for work. I have lost my sight once before and do not want to go down that road again.

" FSX Service Pack 2 "

As you might have noticed, FSX SP2 has been released. Basically this is the so called "Acceleration Pack" without the extra aircraft and missions. I DON'T recommend it, because of the reasons I gave in my report on the "Acceleration Pack" a while ago. But to summarize, it will kill your frame rates back to those before SP1 and many add-ons will not work, with missing or corrupted textures.
So, install it at your peril. You have been warned !!!

" General "

As we settle into winter many of us will be doing more with FS. As in the past I will try and keep you up to date with what is new, what is good and what is bad. So watch this space.

Lastly I want thank you all for the hundreds and hundreds of email and printed Christmas cards. Every year I am staggered by the quantity and the warmth of your greetings. Thank You :-))

I hope 2008 is good for you and yours.

Have fun.

Roy

If is difficult to believe that Christmas is with us again, but sure enough another year has gone. You might think I cannot wait to see the back of this year, but although there have been many bad and trying times, there have been some truly amazing and wonderful times as well. If I had to remember one thing from 2007 it would be the tremendous love and affection shown to me by a staggering number of people. If there was ever a year that reinstated one's faith in human nature then 2007 was it.

I want to give special thanks to that small number of people that gave me a second life. Not only the surgeon and his team, but also to that small number of people whom are dear to me, in the USA, here in the UK and in France that gave me the courage and the strength to face the ordeal. You know who you are, THANK YOU.

So in this season of good will, amongst all the gifts and making merry, let us all try and spare a thought and a kindness or two for all those less fortunate than ourselves.

Well the 8,000+ email Christmas cards have been sent (I hope you have received yours), so we are now closing down for the year. Perhaps a little early this year, but why not ? :-))

Have a fantastic Christmas and thanks to you all for your support during 2007.

Merry Christmas

and a

Happy New Year 2008

From Roy and the RCS Panels Team

Having had to reinstall Windows Vista Ultimate after physical damage to my Vista Boot drive, I discovered that you no longer have 30 days to activate it. As soon as Windows Updates install themselves, your activation time is reduced from 30 days to 15 days at a stroke.

As it happens this time it made no difference to me, but if you are doing an install for test purposes, and know you are going to reformat the drive at the end of your tests, you do not activate it to save having to use up "your lives". Well now you only have 15 days for your tests.

I have to say this is getting beyond a joke. You spend a fortune on a PC, you spend another large amount of money on an operating system and Microsoft treat your PC as if it belongs to them. I have news to you lot, it's my PC and I will decide what I do with it and how I use it.

An example of this, recently it has been reported that the facility to "Turn off" Windows Updates has overruled by MS. You think they are turned off and MS will update you machine whether you like it or not. If this is in fact the case, this is outrage and probably illegal. I am not sure if people in the US accept this sort of behaviour, but here in the UK we certainly don't.

While on the subject of Vista, it seems that many companies are now refusing to accept new PC's with Vista and demanding XP instead, give the suppliers no option but to preinstall XP.

I used to be a big supporter of MS, but since Mr Gates departed, it seems they have completely lost the plot.

Anyway, have a good weekend.

The Wildlife Art Show is over for another year and it was good to see so many people. Even the weather was good to us, which always helps. :-))

So now we can get back to other "important" matters, like FS :-))

It appears my comments on "Joysticks and Vista" were of use to more of you than I had expected. I was glad to be of help to so many people.

" Amazed !! "

I have to admit to being absolutely amazed reading the odd "review" about the "FSX Acceleration Pack". What is so difficult in telling the truth ?? The truth is what the readers really want to know about, instead they skirt around the main issues, making no useful comments and go on for ages about trivia.

How about a New Years resolution folks - Some HONESTY for a change.

" DirectX 10 Specification change "

Christmas is nearly upon us again and it is that time of year when we rush around the shops and spend far too much money. From an FS users viewpoint there is little out there this year to stick on your Christmas list. However, one thing I would advice against is a DirectX 10 video card for your PC if you don't already have one. It appears that Microsoft are changing the specification for DirectX 10 to a new DirectX 10.1 specification and it is rumoured that the current DX 10 video cards will not work with the new DX 10.1 software.

I am sure it is possible that the video card manufacturers might write compatible drivers, but it is not looking hopeful at the moment. So I think my advice has to be hold off for the time being, until they all start singing from the same song sheet.

I guess that is about it for now. Enjoy your weekend and try not to have to much fun :-))

Roy

This years "Wildlife Art Show" opens to the public in the morning :-))

It has been struggle this year, mainly because this idiot damaged his arm on Sunday, making it extremely painful to use and has had to work one handed all week. But we got there thanks to a little help from others.

So if you can pop along you will be made to feel very welcome. It is completely FREE, with no obligations to buy anything, although we do not stop you if you wish to :-))

" Joysticks and Vista "

Ever since Vista hit the streets, I've been cursing because my trusty "MS ForceFeedBack MK 1 Joystick" which I love, had to be retired because it is MIDI connection and Vista does not support them, even if a suitable card is installed. Nice one boys and girls !!!. Microsoft Operating system (Vista), Microsoft Joystick, and they will not work together. Furthermore MS stated it was impossible for a fix to this problem, so "go buy a new one". Thanks :-((

Well think again, because a clever chap called "Daniel Kawakami" who I believe is connected in some way to Creative Labs, has come up with a solution and it works :-))

The solution is slightly involved and you need to read the instructions with a bit of "Creativity" (excuse the pun), but it does work. I tested it with a few MIDI joysticks and all functioned correctly :-))

As it is rather difficult to find this information on the net, I have placed the page on this website, from where you can download the necessary file.

Click Here

I take no credit or responsibility for this cure to the problem, and do not wish to get involved in fixing your particular joystick problems, but I thought you would appreciate this information.

So I have been reunited with my old friend and am looking forward to many more hours flying together.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers in the USA. For us in the UK, it is back to work :-))

Have a good one.

Roy

On Monday this week I was delighted to hear the results of my six month follow up CT scan on my cancer was completely clear :-)) What a huge relief that was !!!
The news also got better as kidney stones that were in my good kidney have gone and I must have passed them :-)) So it is celebrations all round :-))

" Work "

As you will imagine I haven't exactly had my mind on the job for the past couple of weeks, but as my annual Wildlife Art Show opens in just over a week, I have been trying to concentrate on painting and have had to ignore FS work, although I continue to keep and eye on what is going on.

" General "

I have to admit I have been very amused by the total lack in reviews on the "FSX Acceleration Pack". I think the silence speaks volumes :-)) Backbone seems to be in short supply :-))

I continually test the new Nvidia drivers, especially the DX10 ones, but nothing really significant yet. The latest Beta Drivers seem to be the best so far, but there is little difference in those compaired with the last official release. If you are not in the habit of updating your Nvidia drivers, then it is something you really should do from time to time. The process is normally painless and just involves one reboot. If you don't like the new ones you can always "roll them back".

OK that's about it for now.

Have a good one.

Roy

All the other problems mentioned in my previous review remain the same.

I have however now observed that the flashing scenery problem only occurs at certain airports and scenery areas (for example - Seatle Int) where others are fine. This flashing occurs in both Full Screen and Windowed modes.

Furthermore, I can now confirm there are major issues with textures in both DX10 and non DX10 modes. Many textures either flash, do not show up, or are not transparent. This is particularly true with add-on products such as scenery and aircraft. This "Acceleration Pack" has moved the "goal posts" yet again for developers and many patches will be necessary for your favourite add-ons even before we get to SP2 to screw it up again.

So many thanks to JCW for his original email and the exchanges since, which have enabled us to make a few small steps forward. But we need a "giant step for mankind" or should I say "FSX mankind" to make this the product we deserve.

Have a great week.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 :-

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

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 !!!

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 :-))

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.

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).

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.

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 !!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 :-))

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 :-))

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 !!

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.

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 :-))

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.

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.

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.

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 :-)

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 :-)

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 :-))

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.

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.

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.

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. :-((

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" 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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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 :-))

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 !!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. :-)