A New Video Starring Twin Oaks

A fellow Twitterer (Tweeter?) posted this link a couple of days ago, and I’m just now getting around to passing it on to my blog crowd. Sim-based videos are popping up like dandelions in spring, but this one really stands out. It’s called “Slowdown – Indian Summer at Stark’s Twin Oaks”. Life got you stressed? This will take the edge off, I promise. Great work, Andreas!

(Mouse over the vid and click the full-screen icon to the left of “Vimeo” for best viewing.)

Introducing Stark’s Twin Oaks Airpark for FSX!

Okay, maybe “introducing” is a smidge of hyperbole since I’ve been yakking about this scenery for a while now. What I’ve been waiting to say for ages is finally true, however…

Fanboy Friday Gets Real

As real as it gets… that’s the simmer’s nirvana. We all have our varying ideas on what constitutes “real”, and often it’s hard to articulate what draws us into a simulated environment to the point where we forget that we’re watching a screen. All we know is, when that rare magic strikes, it puts a grin on our faces that lasts for days. Well, I’m still grinning from an experience I had last weekend that was just the opposite of that.

Fanboy Friday: Announcement Time!

I had a whole FF post worked up in my head, and was just about to start writing yesterday when I got an email from John Venema that was like a red-hot poker to my backside (in a good way). I’ve been waiting a long time to say this.

Big Release News

Here’s the news a whole lot of anxious ‘simmers have been waiting for:

Just when you thought there wasn’t going to be a Fanboy Friday…

I’m a little late today, but better that than missing altogether, I figure. Here are some sim bits and pieces that flew across my desk this week:

Twin Oaks Video Uploaded

John Venema, the big cheese behind Orbx Simulation Systems, has just released a video blog entry featuring Twin Oaks and the fabulous new Sibwings Bird Dog. Both are still in beta, but as you can see, both are getting dangerously close to finished. Thanks, John!

Don’t forget to visit the YouTube page and watch it in full HD!

Introducing Stark’s Twin Oaks Airpark

This one has been a long time in the making, but the preview pics are finally available. My first project for Orbx is nearing completion: 7S3: Stark’s Twin Oaks Airpark. It’s designed to fit seamlessly into the upcoming FTX NA Blue Pacific Northwest scenery, but it’ll stand alone as well.

If ever there was a small airport that captured the spirit of GA flying in America, this is it. From the official blurb:

Nestled in the rolling farmland of the fertile Willamette Valley near Portland, Oregon, Stark’s Twin Oaks Airpark is ideally located for sightseeing in the Pacific Northwest. The rural location makes for less traffic and a relaxed atmosphere, while providing an easy jumping-off point for flights to either the coast to the west, or the rugged peaks of the Cascade range to the east.

The scenery includes a large area of 30cm/pixel aerial photoreal terrain, featuring the various orchards, Alpaca ranches, and small farms in the area. One special point of interest is the massive Glacier rock quarry, located a few miles to the southeast of the field. It deftly shows the sim possibilities when high-resolution terrain mesh is matched with detailed and meticulously color-corrected aerial photography. The high-quality mesh also makes another appearance, in what is quite possibly a first for an FS airport: multiple elevations. Twin Oaks is carved from the side of a gentle slope, and as a result, the Starks’ house, garage, and two of the hangars are on a hill overlooking the rest of the field. Lead developer Bill Womack has obsessively researched and photographed the airport over the last few years, with the enthusiastic support of owners Bob and Betty Stark. We’re proud to offer the definitive sim rendition of one of Oregon’s aviation jewels.

Check out the preview pics here. And while you’re at it, have a look at the other releases planned for both North America and Australia.