Proo Pilot 2000 Interview by Ed "Lozhechnik" Reddy
	Q. What new scenery can we expect to see in PP2K? A: In addition to the current US, Canadian and Western European scenery, we have added Hawaiian scenery to the mix. With two fully photo-realistic islands, accurate elevation points, two new metro areas of Honolulu and Hilo, and additional airports, we think this is a great addition to the existing Pro Pilot scenery. Q. The clouds and wind effects in PP99 were excellent. What have you added to the weather in PP2K? A: We have taken the wind effects a step further and use an automated generation system that will generate realistic winds aloft. The turbulence model has been modified to give increased randomness and authentic feel to the effects of turbulence and wind on your aircraft. We are also exploring other weather effects based on the new graphics support. Multiplayer? Q. One feature I thought was missing from PP2K was the ability to fly on-line with friends. Is PP2K still a stand-alone product or will I be able to fly multiplayer? A: This release of ProPilot will still be a stand-alone product with no multiplayer ability. You will, however, be able to share scenic and challenge flights as well as flight plans over the Internet. Q. PP99 had an extensive training program built in. What improvements are there in training for the novice pilot? A: Exceptional beginning assistance is available. We have made it easier to just "get in and fly" with a single key starting sequence for beginner pilots. We have added audio instructor assistance and in conjunction with the "First Flight" demo videos, we are certain that the first hour of use by the beginning user will be productive and allow them to utilize all of the features of ProPilot in no time. Advances in the co-pilot assistance are being implemented as well. Audio Checklists and radio and navigation assistance will lighten the workload of the sim pilot. Q. Will we have the ability to add additional aircraft or detailed scenery in PP2K as in Flight Simulator 98/2000? A: We are currently looking into this scenario with some key 3rd party developers. Flight Dynamics Q. What improvements have you made in the physics modeling? A: Our flight dynamics engine has been redesigned utilizing quaternion mathematics to improve flight modeling for all aircraft. The quaternions are used to represent orientation, a technique which creates a smoother sense of motion. Click to continue		Hawaii Scenery Vector based physics models are subject to discontinuities resulting from singularities in the math; substituting quaternion equations avoids this. Even aside from avoiding these disruptive mathematical singularities, quaternion based motion models have far smoother, more realistic flight qualities than equivalent vector based models. Using this method, we are able to model aircraft stability in an accurate fashion without sacrificing any control authority. These changes will also make aerobatic and "outside the envelope" maneuvers possible. Q. Are there improvements in the navigation aids such as VOR and NAV? A: All of the navaid data has been revisited and updated to reflect some minor improvements, but the biggest navigation feature is the in-dash GPS and it's integrated pop-up moving map display. We have scrutinized several real world GPSs and extracted the features of several different model in order to create the most advanced, but easy to use, GPS on the market. Each aircraft has a GPS that many will find familiar, but the data entry and GPS navigation functions have been modified to allow a simple one-click interface for all of the GPSs main functions. The GPSs are being tested and approved by Global Navigation Services, one of aviation's foremost authorities on Global Positioning Systems. Cessna 172R Panel Q. Have you added dynamic scenery (air traffic) to PP2K? What can we expect to see? A: Included in the advances to the ATC system is a complete dynamic traffic interface. You will be able to see, and hear the dynamic traffic, and if using the ATC system, also be interacting with the controller in order to see and avoid that traffic. Note: there will be a rebate offer for owners of ProPilot '99. Join a discussion forum on this article by clicking   HERE.
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