The Associates design software for FS 97 and FS 98. Their collection is huge, and combatsim.com recently reviewed the RAF Collection, comprising a total of thirty aircraft that can be flown in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

For those of you who also fly in the real world, and for those who would like to fly in the real world but can't, Flight Sim '98 can benefit from a host of add ons that do everything from improving the detail of the terrain to adding weather detail to assisting in flight planning. Other add ons model additional aircraft, and still others increase the detail and activity level around popular airports. Here are a few of the more recent releases from The Associates.

Airbus 2000

Airbus '98 provided 12 different Airbus model types with a total of 44 variations of airline liveries and models, as well as 4 individual Concorde models, VFR scenery, the Toulouse urban area, and all the relevant Airbus landmarks, factories, airfields, etc.

Airbus 2000 goes beyond this with more than fifty of the best airbus aircraft and a full complement of cockpits, including jumpseat views! The jumpseat views are fantastic for setting the mood and of course are a wide angle view.

Includes: A300, A300-600F, A300-600ST(Beluga), A300B4, A310-200, A310-300, A319, A320-200, A320-300, A330-300, A340-200 and A340-300 as well as 4 special Concorde models: 001, Air France, British Airways and the rare Singapore Airlines/BA livery.

The scenery is comprehensive, with VFR landmarks and night illumination of the Airbus Industrie factories, runways, airfields and the whole Toulouse area. Predefined situations make it easy to find the principal areas of interest if needed.

Airbus 2000 also comes with a special feature: the first Ground Proximity Warning System incorporated into a working Flight Sim guage. Operating features include aircraft height calibration and decision height, with sounds recorded from an actual Airbus system.

Ultimate Classic Wings

You've flown the Cessna, the Learjet and the Boeing 737. Classic Wings '98 was a collection of over 100 accurately designed "classic" aircraft, and Ultimate Classic Wings collects more than 260 aircraft for MS Flight Sim '98.

The cockpits are nicely done across the board, and the detailed instrument panels are based on the cockpit of the aircraft itself. Custom engine sounds for most of the aircraft complete the flying experience. Individual flight models will have you believing that you've actually flown a DC-3, a Hercules or a B757.

Includes the following aircraft:

• Airbus A310
• ATR 42, 72 and 500
• Avro Lancaster
• Boeing 707/720 Series
• Boeing 747/100 to 300 Series
• Boeing 747/400 Series
• Boeing 757 Series
• Boeing 767-300 ER Series
• C-130 Hercules
• Canadair Regional Jet
• Bombardier Global Express
• DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
• DeHavilland DHC-1 Chipmunk.
• Douglas C-47 and Dakota
• Lockheed L-188 Electra & P3 Orion.
• North American T-6 Texan, Harvard, SNJ and Wirraway
• McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom
• McDonnell Douglas MD-11
• Sikorsky S-61 and Sea King Helicopters
• Vickers Viscount

Minimum requirements: PC with Windows 95. 8Mb of total RAM. 5Mb of free space on the hard drive. Dual speed CD-ROM drive. Microsoft Flight Simulator 98. Video card and monitor with a minimum of 800x600 screen resolution.

Recommended requirements: Pentium II. Up to 150Mb hard disk space for installation of entire collection. 17 inch monitor for maximum panel detail.

FS Global Upgrade

For the first time in a flight simulation the whole planet is modeled in virtual reality. FSGLOBAL provides detailed geographic data worldwide. The source data equal the 1:1.000.000 scale ONC-Charts (Operational Navigation Charts), which is the largest scale, unclassified map series in existence that provides consistent, continuous global coverage of essential base map features.

Established digital atlases are based on the same data, so FSGLOBAL UPGRADE is the direct, "flyable" equivalent. Now we have worldwide continuous data for visual flight (VFR). For serious VFR-flights (e.g. according to the ICAO VFR-Charts), this global scenery even provides better information than most existing local or regional sceneries.

FSGLOBAL UPGRADE displays the following information on a WORLDWIDE basis:

• Land/water: detailed coastlines and islands with seasonally changing textures (where appropriate)
• Shelfice, pack ice in the winter
• Inland water: rivers, streams, canals and lakes – perennial (blue) or non-perennial (brown)
• Other wet features: polar ice, glaciers, swamps, inundated areas, unconsolidated materials, coastal shallows, riffs
• Dry features: sand dunes, rice fields, parks/gardens, quarries, salt pans, lava flows
• Detailed city polygons, even small towns
• Railroads, single track and multiple track
• Roads: multiple lane highways (wide, illuminated), roads (dark in at night), tracks and trails, as far as available in the source data
• Above ground pipelines
• Detailed vegetation data
• Elevation data and mountains, implemented by synthetic tiles.
• WORLDWIDE ENROUTE NAVAIDS DATABASE (out of a major airlines B747 onboard system.

Click to continue . . .

FSGLOBAL UPGRADE is compatible with FS5.1, FS95 (FS6.0) and FS98 (FS6.1), but the maker strongly recommends FS98. The large amount of vector data is stored on two CDs, and it is not necessary to copy it to your hard drive. The reloading from CD is implemented through a "booster system" and works fine even on slow computers.

The scenery for FSGlobal is designed in a way that allows later addition of micro-sceneries, which could implement more detailed airports, mountains or buildings. Switching between the FSGLOBAL UPGRADE-world and the old "Microsoft-world" is possible any time, even in-flight.

Besides the geographic data (more than 1GB of vector data in 15.872 BGL files), FSGLOBAL UPGRADE also provides WORLDWIDE enroute navaids (VOR and NDB) in a consistent database extracted from the navigation system of a real aircraft. This is another exclusive in the Flight Simulator world. Additionally Pilot's has contributed a large network of airports of their well-known quality. It allows the virtual pilot to discover all parts of our world.

FSGLOBAL UPGRADE package contains the first official FSGLOBAL UPGRADE-compatible freeware scenery. The "USSR-Scenery," made by the Belgian developer Fernand Verbraecken, contains 100 detailed airports of the former USSR states.

Does FSGLOBAL really deliver? The difference in detail is fantastic. If you can only choose one of these add ons this Christmas, FSGLOBAL is an excellent choice, adding great atmosphere to the FS 98 world and creating the foundation for all your explorations.

Requirements: Flight Simulator 98, Flight Simulator for Win95 or Flight Simulator 5.1, 486 or higher, 16 MB RAM, 2X CD-ROM drive, SVGA (3D accelerator recommended). Windows is needed for automated installation.

Airport 2000

I always hated flying into a large airport (Atlanta or JFK) in FS 98 with no other traffic around and the airport almost deserted. Airport 2000 was made for those of us who want a little more life in our simulated travels. No more lone departures and arrivals in deserted terminals. No more generic instrument panels and simplistic adventures.

For the first time, airport buildings are textured and you can recognize all the familiar places. Vehicles and ground-markings are just like the real thing. On the ground you'll see airplanes belonging to Air France, Delta Airlines, Lufthansa etc., and airlines are shown as they are in reality. (Even the departure lounges are modeled!)

In Airport 2000 you take the controls of airplanes which are perfectly replicated, each with its own features and instrument panels. Original new functions are included: virtual views, linear-type gauges. A copilot will also guide you during the various procedures.

The adventures, designed by professional pilots, are completely interactive and make use of resources which have never been used before: push-back, ground traffic management, observation of official procedures, approaches determined by the uncertain weather conditions , "go-around" procedures with copilot’s help, sound warnings for non-respect of procedures, GPWS system…

Seven large airports are included with plenty of detail:

• Brussels/Zaventem
• Paris/Charles de Gaulle
• Frankfurt Main
• New York/JFK
• Atlanta Hartsfield
• Los Angeles/LAX
• Tokyo/Narita

Buildings and vehicles are all nicely detailed, and static aircraft are also impressive. More than fifty flight adventures are in place, and a large selection of approaches is included.

Airport 2000 includes eight different aircraft, each with carefully modeled panels reproduced from photographs:

• Boeing 737-300/400
• Boeing 777
• Airbus A320
• Airbus A330
• Airbus A340
• DC-10
• ATR-42
• MD-83

News Flash! Just released by The Associates for Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator, Combat Pilot No.1 (Attack) Squadron. These aircraft are not just converted from Flight Simulator 98, they have been meticulously designed from the ground up just for Combat Flight Simulator.

No. 1 (Attack) Squadron includes fighter, attack and reconnaissance aircraft from the second World war European theatre. Aircraft from the RAF, USAAF and Luftwaffe are represented in this new, exciting, dynamic package. Included:

• V1 Buzz Bomb
• Me163 Komet
• RAF Typhoon
• P38 Lightning
• P51B Mustang
• JU87 Stuka
• Piper L4 Grasshopper