Rotorwash Magazine Blog

FSX Expansion: great news for the rotorheads

2007-05-29T14:32:00.001+01:00

It seems us rotorheads are up for a nice treat with FSX's expansion pack:

[...]Alot of the missions are helicopter scenarios, many of which ustilize our new slingload or hydraulic hoist systems (or both). I can tell you it's a blast lifting loads with a cable, so the good news is that we have an awesome and realistic new system for you to play with. The bad news is that it's realistically difficult to pick-up, fly, and place objects. So those of you that are helicopter fans or have newly discovered the fun and challenge of flying helicopters will have some new challenges to explore.[...]

Read the full text at P-12C Pilot's post here.

New issue and some changes

2007-05-22T22:25:00.000+01:00

We know, we know... We are late. Quite late, actually.

Unfortunately, our commitments don't allow us to focus on the magazine full-time. Priorities take place, and we are forced to delay some stuff - such as Rotorwash.

Due to this unability of maintaining a steady release, Rotorwash will go from a quarterly-released magazine to a "when-it's-ready"-released magazine. This means that we won't be releasing the magazine on January, April, July and October but rather whenever we have the material and the time to release it.

For this we apologize but we don't really have a choice. The other option would be to shut the magazine down which we really don't want to.

Thank you all for your support.

Just Flight to release the Robinson R44

2007-04-25T17:04:00.000+01:00

Just Flight has announced they will soon release their Robinson R44. So far no further information was released.

Issue #3 delay

2007-04-23T21:33:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone.

I'm just writing this post to assure you Rotorwash is alive and kicking. We are strugling to get #3 out as soon as possible, despite some problems we are having at the moment.

Stay tuned for more news soon.

New column for #3

2007-04-02T17:42:00.000+01:00

For #3 we are starting a new column called "Real Deal". This column will be about real world helicopter ops.

As the debut article, what better than start with a squad that is very special to me? Thanks to the Portuguese Air Force availability, I was able to spend some time with the helicopter acrobatic team: the Rotores de Portugal (rotors of Portugal).

My deepest thanks to the Portuguese Air Force and all the Rotores de Portugal team.

Issue #3

2007-04-02T17:40:00.000+01:00

Hello there.

We're working hard on #3 and we hope to release it by the end of April. We are having some issues with delayed articles and contacting some of the authors but we hope to have it all sorted out soon.

Stay tuned!

Rescue Pilot

2007-02-28T13:43:00.000Z

Just Flight has just announced their new product for Microsoft Flight Simulator:

"Rescue Pilot – Mission pack makes use of the new mission system that FSX has supplied and is the first in a series of mission pack for FSX. Our first pack is based in the UK and is based on a realistic air rescue medical service. You will be expected to fly missions on a variety of both fixed wing and rotary aircraft thus: - Helicopter: Bell JR206 - Single engine aircraft: C172 - Multi-engine aircraft: King Air - Jet aircraft: Learjet All the aircraft come in a custom designed rescue livery as shown in the pictures. A paint tool allows users to create their own liveries if they wish. The missions include custom objects, sounds and effects. The mission settings, (the environment of each location), is high quality and custom built, with special effects such as fire and explosion as well as custom objects and animated objects. The aim is to give you the feeling of "being there". The missions involve the ‘Linkmis - Linking Motion’ ™ element comes into play when walking to aircraft and changing aircraft. Different settings of difficulty can be selected such as the time for completing the missions and/or changing weather to accommodate for different users experience. Be prepared for unexpected changes! A routine flight can turn into a challenge! And of course Medals and rewards are given for success. At the custom built company base the user chooses company name will be displayed on the company building. Every mission will start with an aircraft selection; the user can select one aircraft out of the provided aircraft to fly by "walking" from the building up to the chosen aircraft. Sometimes mission will be flyable in both a helicopter and a fixed wing, sometimes a certain type of aircraft is required to complete the mission. The mission briefing will allow enough information to allow a sensible choice."

For more information and other images check Just Flight's forum.

What about Issue #3?

2007-02-24T04:01:00.000Z

We are aware that, due to the fact that Rotorwash is released quarterly, people may often wonder if we are working on the next issue or not - being this a small fan project.

And indeed we are. Actually work usually starts even before the release of the previous magazine (for #3 we have started working on it right before #2 went out).

Althought not yet set on stone, we have pretty much figured out what will be included in the next issue. We already have set a cover article, a few reviews and a couple of regular columns (something we didn't have so far) that we hope you'll all enjoy.

So, stay tuned as we are all hard at work to get you the next issue of Rotorwash.

Until then: keep hovering!

And it's out!

2007-01-23T23:08:00.000Z

Issue #2 is out! Head out to our website and get your free copy now!!!

Issue #2 is done!

2007-01-20T19:09:00.000Z

I'm happy to announce that, despite a delay, Issue #2 is ready. We are currently reviewing the issue that should be out within the next 2-3 days.

Thank you all for your patience and support!

A day in the life

2007-01-10T23:12:00.000Z

A great video featuring the Bell 206 JetRanger III I made for FS 2004 showing a day in the life of the News 4 chopper! Made especially for Rotorwash Magazine - enjoy!

-JOH

Christmas Giveaway Winner

2006-12-21T11:40:00.000Z

We got a winner! One of our lucky readers won over US$240 in FS goodies! Check out who here.

Issue #2

2006-12-21T11:29:00.000Z

We're getting closer to the release of our #2 issue. We are planning on releasing it in mid-January and I can tell you it's filled with juicy rotorhead content.
Stay tuned as we will let you know the contents very soon.

Polar First

2006-12-05T15:20:00.000Z

A couple of days ago I found out this really interesting site about a team of two pilots (Jennifer Murray and Colin Bodill) trying to establish a world record by flying around the world from pole to pole. This is their second attempt and you can read more (and track their progress) at polarfirst.com.

Nemeth Brothers' S-76 is out

2006-11-30T09:06:00.000Z

Nemeth Brothers' Sikorsky S-76 is now out. I've tried it last night and she's great! You can get it here at Simmarket.

Real World News

2006-11-29T12:31:00.000Z

A few days ago, have added a new item to our home. Kindly provided by Vertical Magazine, we now have a Real World News section in which you can read the latest headlines of the helicopter industry.

Rotorwash Magazine / Just Flight Promotiom

2006-11-24T14:03:00.000Z

We are happy to announce we have established a partnership with Just Flight in order to get you access to a special 15% discount in Just Flight's Schweizer 300CBi.

You can get it for £7.99/€11.99/US$14.99 instead of £9.75/€14.50/US$17.50.

To get your discount head out to our website at www.rotorwash-magazine.com, login and access your special discount link.

We truly hope you enjoy the 300CBi!!!

Christmas Giveaway

2006-11-17T21:17:00.000Z

Christmas time is here!

It's that time of the year once again... The time for good will, getting together with our family, and CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!

Of course, Rotorwash Magazine could not let Christmas pass by! We have prepared quite a treat for one of our readers: a nice Christmas Pack comprising of several great prizes, including one copy of Flight Simulator X - DELUXE. That's right!

Head out to our website and find out some more about our giveaway!

And while you're at it, why don't you spread the word among your friends? Give one of your friends the opportunity to grab this amazing package!

Owen's 206 for FSX

2006-11-05T13:40:00.000Z

A few days ago, George Arana has release an unofficial FSX update for Owen Hewitt's B206 III.

You can get it at Hovercontrol.

Just Flight's Schweizer 300cbi preview

2006-10-28T15:45:00.000+01:00

Flightsim.com has posted a small sneak-peek by yours truly, on Just Flight's Schweizer 300cbi.

Just Flight did an excellent job on this little helicopter which will be out in a couple of weeks at a very nice price too!

Check out the preview here and the product page at Just Flight by clicking here.

New sections

2006-10-25T20:42:00.000+01:00

We have just put up 2 new sections on the site.

Now you can check out the core team that works on the magazine and know a little more about us and what we do.

We have also opened a Amazon.com aStore with some very cool products we're sure you'll enjoy! Check it out at our site!

Nemeth Brothers' S-76

2006-10-19T08:43:00.000+01:00

George Arana was very kind and sent me some very nice shots of the Nemeth Brothers' Sikorsky S-76.

As usual, Peter and Tamas are doing an excellent job and the model is really in a world of its own.

The date of release is not yet set.

My very first impressions about helis in FSX

2006-10-17T09:15:00.000+01:00

Like I said before, I received my copy of FSX a few days ago (actually I got it exactly one week ago). I must say I didn't have the time to take a very deep look at it - I think I must have only logged a couple of hours on it yet - but all my time was logged on the 206. By the way is worth to mention that the default FSX helicopters are the same ones as in FS9: The B206 and the R22.

One thing that will immediately hit you is that the flight model for helicopters is a bit easier; hovers are now easier to maintain since the helicopters are more stable. This is certainly going to please the average flight-simmer but in a rotorhead perspective, this is somewhat of a downside. I'm sure add-on developers will soon come around it.

What you'll also notice is that the anti-torque effectiveness is now constant. In FS9 the anti-torque would decrease effectiveness when you reduced collective and vice-versa. In FSX this doesn't happen anymore. Another upside - which, I must say, I haven't tried yet but there are reports from several simmers out there - is the ability to autorotate decently now. Pretty good!

I know this is not much of a review (it isn't meant to be one anyway) but I just wanted to give you my very first impressions on the helis in FSX. I'll try to write some more about it soon.

Keep hovering!!!

Hi everyone

2006-10-16T12:34:00.000+01:00

I've known Sergio for a few years, thanks to the development of the Bell 206B JetRanger III. I am impressed with the first issue of Rotorwash, so I'm glad that Sergio invited me to become a member of the staff. I'm excited to say my first article that will be in issue #2. After issue 2, I will be authoring a technical column, highlighting different areas specific to model development. I hope everyone enjoys reading Rotorwash!

Owen

FSX: first thoughts

2006-10-13T13:23:00.000+01:00

Earlier this week I got my copy of FSX.

I must say my first impression was of disappointment. Having the low-end PC I have right now, I sure wasn't expecting to be able to get the same quality we have seen in the past few months in screen shots all over the internet. Nevertheless I was expecting to be able to, at least, get the same quality as with FS9. That wasn't the case. To be able to play at a decent frame rate (I usually limit FS to 20FPS and pray for it to maintain around 17-20FPS) I had to make it look almost flat, with very low quality textures... A complete mess.

Chatting with Chris (sorry about all the ranting, buddy) he managed to calm me down a bit and made me understand that FSX is a lot like FS9: you really have to find the "sweet spot". Try different settings, balance all aspects of the graphic options. It's actually a trial-and-error process. My suggestion: lower ALL setting down and start building from there. I'd also like to give you a tip: if I have to choose between higher textures or higher mesh, I usually go with the textures. Good textures (and the FSX ones are really nice) can fool the eye and make the scenery look better, even with lower mesh quality.

Oh yes... I did try the helicopters. But I will leave that for another post.

Keep hovering!!!

Some nice heli flying in FSX

2006-10-12T14:28:00.000+01:00

Over at the Hovercontrol forums, I found a post about a very nice helicopter. You can check it here.

This is a very cool demonstration of FSX running in what I think to be a high-end rig (or some very nice video editing).

Owen Hewitt joins in

2006-10-10T14:54:00.000+01:00

Owen Hewitt, the author of excellent aircraft for Microsoft Flight Simulator has joined the staff.

Owen is now a MVP and is known in the heli-community as the author of the freeware Bell 206, which was also used by Dodosim. Check out Owen's blog here.

Chris Gaeth joins the team

2006-10-05T14:52:00.000+01:00

Chris Gaeth, Instructor Pilot for Hovercontrol has joined Rotorwash Magazine as Consulting Editor.

Welcome aboard, Chris.

Rotorwash Magazine #1

2006-09-25T14:50:00.000+01:00

Rotorwash Magazine Issue #1 was released today. Register yourself now if you haven't and get your copy right away!