i was wondering if anyone has a non broken Phoenix rc flight simulator dongle they aren't currently using that they might be willing to lend me. My USB lead into the box has been damaged during my house move and I could really do with practicing my take offs and landings before I risk my airplane. 

thank you for reading 

emma

What follows is personal opinion on this, and a suggestion. (I was an early buyer of v1, so Phoenix and I go way back!)

Under the original programming team/ownership at the time of the change from v2 to v3, I spent a few months pre-launch as one of the Beta Test team. At one stage I had the program running across four very different computers with differing hardware and OS. I spent many hours a week on it (unpaid, before anyone asks!). Launch issues centered around hardware anomalies, with next to no issues with program operation or features.

Shortly after HH bought it, they launched on a major work over of the base code. Why this was attempted was never fully made clear.

Under HH ownership a very different more closed off operation was undertaken.  As a result, so many third party people drifted away, some talented plane and scenery builders stopped modelling freeware and low cost payware when the base program changes meant the skinning format of their graphics no longer worked. I had models that I had successfully reskinned, yet all of a sudden the fuselage graphic was appearing  halfway down one wing, etc, etc.  I could not be bothered with the rework. I wasn't alone.

Suffice to say the HH rewrite did not go well, and over a year later some models in the old program were still not reintroduced, some features were poor shadows of their former ability, slope soaring gliders and wind effects were for example effectively broken, and the program had lost its way.

With the last official update dating from middle 2016, and some lost aspects of the program still unresolved, it could be sensed that time was not on the side of the program when the parent company was appearing increasingly distracted by other priorities.

"Heavy" Models that had worked perfectly before were being blown across the runway by a 10mph breeze. Ridiculous! 

There are a few freeware developers left, "rickp" on RCG deserves lots of credit for continuing to make very good models. (I contributed to a few, so maybe bypass them!!).

How long the servers for download and multiplay will continue is a moot point.  I suggest that if you have an interest in keeping your copy running (until a Microsoft OS change wipes it away!), you need to download and store to safety all the files you can. Backup, Backup, Backup!!! 

So looking around for a legit Phoenix v5.5, or even a v5 seems to be proving fruitless and impossible.

eBay has a guy selling "copies" for £40, one bloke even had one at £1000 with a DX5, but even phoenix sim themselves state out of stock on their website with the media being £15...

How on earth can I get hold of the latest v5.5 to use with my official Wireless USB adapter?

My old v2.5 only updates to v4, and wont update from that any further now, it seems (It used to)..

Bit stuck as to how to get v5.5 now.

An enquiry by another group member eventually produced a statement that it was down for "server maintenance".

Needless to say there is NOTHING on their website under "News", and nothing appearing in any obvious information transfer media.

Please Email Phoenix Support and ask why the server is down and how much longer it will be so. A one line EMail is sufficient!

Failure to do so will just concede and reinforce their willingness to leave it down or even possibly cease the service.

Stumbled across a post on RCGroups with hundreds of user-made models available for download for Phoenix. Among those listed was an IC Cougar 2000 which I thought may be worth sharing here, since I know a couple people at the club (including me) own one. I've also made an electric edit to suit the spec of my one. Drop a comment if yours is electric too and I can post the electric variable file, as well as installation instructions (slightly different). To get the stock model into phoenix, right click the zip file once downloaded, click "extract all" and choose the location as Documents > PhoenixRC > Downloaded > Models > User-Made > Airplanes

NB the downloaded model seems horribly tail heavy. If you want to fix it then, with the Cougar selected within Phoenix, go to Model > Edit > (Detailed Mode) > Model > Physical > Centre of Gravity and set Z to -0.12 (and while you're there set X to 0 otherwise the plane will be ever so slightly unbalanced laterally).

Comment if you have any questions about it.

Here's a link to the RCG post: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2382571-User-Built-Models-for-PhoenixRC&highlight=User Built Models for PhoenixRC#post31220771 To download a model, pay attention to the number next to its name, then click on the link and scroll down to the post with the corresponding number and download the zip file. Then follow the steps as above

Happy simulated landings! 

Sevan.

Cougar_v31.zip

As you may know, recently we have re-started the project of creating a Fickleshole site on Phoenix RC Simulator. I thought it would be good to create a build thread to make new versions easier to find.

The files are held on Google code as they are generally far too big to be uploaded directly to the forum. This thread will be updated with every new version that gets released. Previous, current and source code versions are also available by visiting the projects website created by Arun.

I wish to encourage as much feedback as possible, so if you have any ideas as to how it can be improved please post below. There are plans to re-take the scenery background to improve optics but in the meantime - something is far better than nothing!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHERE TO DOWNLOAD...

LATEST VERSION 0.3.2 Download from HERE .. 13.2Mb

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOW TO INSTALL...

• Download the zip file from the link above to your computer
  
• Find and then right click on the zip file once downloaded and click Extract All
  
• Navigate to "Documents\PhoenixRC\Downloaded\Sites\User-made\" and Click Extract
  
• (on older versions of Phoenix this was "My Documents\PhoenixRC\Flying sites")
  
• Open Phoenix and the site should appear at the bottom under "User-Content"
  
• Enjoy!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHANGELOG v0.3.2:

REMOVED ANNOYING BARRIERS AT ENDS OF RUNWAY

IMPROVED HEIGHT MAP

IMPROVED OPTICS

RE-ALIGNED SKYLINE

MAPPED OUT PIT AREA

ROUGHLY MODELED OUT THE CARS AND OTHER HAZARDS

MADE PIT AREA AS OPTICALLY CORRECT AS POSSIBLE

APPLIED ALPHA MASK TO CUBEMAP

CHANGELOG v0.3.1:

Purpose of update:

To help resolve ongoing optical issue, model unable to crash into fur tree, elements of simulation not working/missing.

-CREATED BOUNDARIES AROUND RUNWAY

-RAISED PLANE FLOOR

-SMOOTHED OUT RUNWAY HEIGHT MAP

-LOWERED LEVEL AT END OF RUNWAY BY FUR TREE

-ADJUSTED DISTANCE OF BARE TREE(BEHIND PILOT AREA) AND FUR TREE

-CREATED WINDSOCK

-MOVED POSITION OF SUN (LIGHTING)

CHANGELOG v0.3:

Initial version modeled by shanemarsh28.

Just a shout out to anyone that has been thinking about buying Phoenix simulator, but has not yet!

A lot of shops will still discount it to just under £100....

Atm you can still get it between £70 / £80!

There are also some new aircraft to download inside the Sim once it has loaded. (nothing very spectacular though)

Allow extra time to do all this if not using it before a session!!

One of the latest downloads is the Blade 230s Helicopter. I have this model and have also flown one not owned by me. I think very highly of the model, it flies very well, acts like a 600, and is 3D straight out the box.

Sadly, the Sim version isn't very good as it stands, its too rigid, the controls are hard to harmonise turns with, and the throttle too nervous with a poor hover zone. If I had used the Sim to determine if I wanted one, I'd have missed out.

I'll have a go at editing it when I have time. (Going back, it took several days to get the Sim Sceadu 50 flying like mine, it's not a simple task)

OK, here we go, the first two sites, both tested by me under 5.5d.

Watergate Bay, Cornwall, Sunset

Peninsula Halfmoonbay

http://www.szenerien.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=63

These are both ZIP files that you will need to download and then extract with their folder name as in archive.

The EXACT place to extract them to varies as per version of Windows, but basically you will need to place user-made sites in your Documents folder tree under:-

Documents\PhoenixRC\Downloaded\Sites\User-made

The PhoenixRC folder and sub folders are created by Phoenix during installation, so you need to find them, not make them.

These sites add to "Countryside Hill", which is a standard site and will not be listed where you are saving files to.

Unfortunately "Lagos Rock" and "Montebello Castle" could have been other useful for slope Phoenix standard sites, but there is no wind set, and when setting your own wind for a site, you cannot control the lift and banding properly.

Anyway, these two extra sites will give some variety.

Go for it!!

Go on, add some variety!

I particularly like the Australian Sports Field and will use this on some sessions.

http://www.kissouraces.com/index.php

The most useful current source I have found is a post on RCGroups Forum.

This is in Aircraft - General, Simulators, User-Built Models for PhoenixRC

Here:- http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2382571&highlight=User+Built+Models+for+PhoenixRC#post31220771

Post 1 has an Index to posts with downloads.

I have not loaded and tested all (yet!), but the following I have and I suggest are worthwhile downloading for use:-

Posts (NOT pages!):

15

18,47,55,105 (where there are multiple posts, work backwards due to updates)

60

76

78

86

91,95

115

116

126

133,144

Have Fun..................

I intend hosting Phoenix online sessions over winter.

If you have not been active recently, listen up, Punk!!

You should already be aware that to multi-play online we all need to be on the same version.

Currently, the Launcher is at v1.2, and the main program at 5.0w.

However, a change to 5.5 is imminent, and 5.5d is as I write available for beta download via the "advanced" menu in the 1.2 Launcher.

I currently have a PC on each, 5.0w and 5.5d Beta. I have not had any significant issues with the Beta, and "d" seems to be operating well.

Again, if you have not kept up, both the official site and others now offer not only extra flying sites and recolour schemes for existing models together with a level of variant flight tuning, but also now completely new user made models.

Extra Schemes and Sites can transfer between versions, variant in performance cannot. Phoenix state that the Beta load process backs your existing system and you can therefore revert if required by menu operation in Launcher.

I will not deal with the how and where to do this NOW, but after a fair bit of testing and selecting I will be using some few selected user made sites, models and schemes NOT contained at the moment within Phoenix's own download system. Its not rocket science nor very time consuming to do, and greatly enhances multiplayer operation.

SO, to keep this post short:-

1. Is your Phoenix launcher and main program up to date? (Done online from the Phoenix website)

2. Are you prepared to load and use the Beta (which may shortly be unavoidable anyway)? (Recommended)

3. Are you prepared to load a few extra model and site files from locations I will provide to enhance the prog? (Recommended).

Up for it???

Please advise..........................

Unfortunately there is NO info on what this does for you (or to you!!), presumably it might have when it was T and U but these now don't exist nor is any text they might have put up for them ..........do these IT people EVER proof read their info???

Winters coming, break out that Sim to have some Online fun.................

http://www.phoenix-sim.com/news.asp

Full reskins and model making ability!!

I'm especially interested in anything that adds decent new aeroplanes or gives me very high-resolution graphics of London so that I can fly over my house

Cheers

http://www.kingslynnmodelshop.co.uk/Fli ... ning+Offer

I'm curious. Having searched the forum it appears the idea of a custom site for Ficklehole is not a new one and a lot of work had already been put in to make it a reality.

The latest download I could find was v0.2, which I downloaded from here:https://code.google.com/p/camfc-phoenix/

I loaded it into Phoenix today and it runs OK apart from not being able to hit a single tree!! Although when I come to think of it, maybe that's a good thing!

Does anyone still have the project files for it? (Arun? Dave?) .. Now that I'm not at work and have experience in this kind of graphics, I thought I might have a little "play" - see if I could further improve it.

Many Thanks,

Shane

PS: Phoenix has an upgrade .. version N is now available.

[attachment=0]pawnee.png[/attachment]

I've been practicing quite a lot recently, with varying wind speeds/cross winds and setups (getting quite good too ). When the wind speed is above 10-12 mph on the Sim, it seems soo strong that it practically blows the model off the runway!

In real life, 12 mph winds don't seem to affect 40 size trainers anything like that ..

Shane

http://phoenix-sim-szenerien.de.tl/Szene-Downloads.htm

You might have the first few, or earlier versions of them, but the later ones were new to me.

(So many scenery panoramas are shot when the light is against the model or very dull poor contrast, these are all good)

So much more peripheral vision makes a massive difference

[attachment=0]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1341396758.662223.jpg[/attachment]

More info here:

http://www.microsoft.com/games/flight/

Loaded latest drivers for G Card............

Won't run 3D landscape generation and heli rotor discs are rubbish with bad moire patterning..

Emailed Support with Diag file and pics.............

Suggest you don't bother yet !!!!