I hope 2012 is ticking along nicely for everyone, the first month has been and gone in a flash but I’ve only just seen my first snow fall of the winter.  Whilst UKD is settling down in its new home I have managed to complete a few flights in between visits to the world of Skyrim so I thought now would be a good time to pen another edition of the rag. As usual real work gets in the way and as we don’t have too many pilots reading this just yet I thought I’d just keep this one fairly short. Similarly the quiz this month is just for fun; prizes will return when we have more pilots. Which reminds me to say hello to Gaz Jones who managed to find the new website by looking at some internet videos (we’ll say no more!) on you tube.

Aviation accidents in the real-world are thankfully few and far between (although probably still more than you think!) and I have some statistics below to compare 2011 to previous years. I am also thankful they don’t count my mishaps in Flight Simulator. I managed to get nearly 30 flights in over the last two months but three of them had incidents.
The first one was when I was readying the 747 I had booked. I was 3rd in line for take-off and running through the check-lists with my virtual co-pilot when an AI pilot in an A320 behind me got impatient and decided to ‘undertake’ me quite literally by driving under my wings. Here’s a Newshound TOP TIP - turn off crash detection! The repairs will be coming out of my wages when I’m writing Directions in 2022!


Left: Newshound (aka Mark 171) demonstrating final landing check procedures!

The second serious incident occurred on a routine run to Jersey airport (EGJJ) in bad weather; using FS Commander to calculate the fuel required I loaded up for the trip and even took advantage of some cheap fuel prices by taking a bit more on top. Unfortunately FSC underestimated the requirement and fighting a very strong headwind all the way compounded the problems. I hadn’t even got near the the French coast when the fuel warning lights came on! In poor visibility I headed to the nearest airfield on the charts. With fuel being used at an alarming rate I descended to the strip, finally breaking through the clouds as the last engine stopped. I scanned the horizon looking for a brightly lit airport with all its facilities waiting to greet me. Thats when the horror set in - the ‘airport’ I was aiming for was no more than a dirt track in a farmers field! Too late to divert now I demonstrated some heroic flying skills and glided the BAe146 on to the ground and came to a safe stop. I felt quite proud of my ‘achievement’ as I disembarked but up popped the FSAirlines window and slapped another penalty on mine and UKDirect’s reputation.  :(   Newshound’s TOP-TIP No.2 - exit from the FSA program next time something bad happens lol (remember you can still finish the flight)!

By now you’d probably be justified in thinking we probably wont get any more passengers! After meeting the UKD disciplinary committee (again) It was felt my talents lay elsewhere which is why my 3rd incident occurred on a cargo trip; this time nothing drastic happened although the potential was there. I had reached the top of my climb and was settling in to the hum-drum cruise phase of the flight. The co-pilot took control and I err ‘examined the back of my eyelids’ - just checking for holes you understand! Anyway after I finished this - about an hour later I checked our progress. Ooops - I had managed to disconnect the heading hold of the autopilot and we were about 100 miles off course! After a quick chat with ATC we cut out the filed route plan and proceeded direct to our destination and managed to land without further incident. I had top-tip no.2 in the back of my mind all the way!

Who says flight simming isn’t fun :D

A nice wintry scene in FSX
Another entry taken by yours truly! Honestly it’s not vanity, if you are proud of a screen shot you have taken in any flight sim send it in.
To enter in the next e-magazine send your entries to Newshound: mark[at]planecrazy.me.uk

Work continues to expand the fleet for FSX, that said a lot of the models are still based on FS2004 versions so there is a good chance they will work in that sim too.

Since the last Directions we now have two paint schemes for the BAe146-300 from Historic Jetliners Group including the cargo variant with opening side doors and the Project Opensky Boeing 757-300 in UK Sun colours. Two models of the Boeing 747-400 have been painted in UKD livery (iFly model) and a cargo variant G-UKCD “Ruud Blaauwijkel” also by Project Opensky.  To round it off we also have a paint scheme for the payware Wilco E-Jets E-190.

Where possible the interiors are updated to reflect our airline and if the model has ground equipment that too is painted in appropriate colours. Many of the models are supplied with panels and these are also embellished with little touches to add to the overall UKD feel.

All new repaints are available on the Fleet page.

Microsoft have released more details of their next flight sim which they expect to be released this spring. It will be available as a free download but limited to a small area with one aircraft - a demo if you will. Reading the accounts from people with hands on experience this new sim will not replace FSX and is aimed at a larger gaming audience. Maybe this will have a knock-on effect encouraging more people to try FSX so its not all bad news. In the meantime it gives X-Plane 10 a chance to grab a larger fan base and means we can expect FSX to be with us for a few more years at least.

Microsoft press release: Flight is an entirely new PC game that lets players jump into the challenge, fun, and freedom of flight with no special hardware or past experience. Whether players want to fly freely or choose to master real instruments and controls, Microsoft Flight is easy for a beginner while challenging for the most accomplished PC pilots.The game immerses players in the flying experience with realistic graphics and accurate physics, and will continually evolve with new terrain, aircraft and challenges that can be downloaded via expansion packs.

Top features include the following:

You're at the Controls. Microsoft Flight offers hours of exciting gameplay for free with the initial download. Set the pace by choosing to turn on flight aids or use the cockpit controls to perform authentic piloting procedures. Choose how to play, whether it's completing missions, finishing challenges, exploring the sky or finding aerocaches. Players looking to deepen their experience can download additional packs that add new aircraft, regions and customization options. As a player's experience grows, so too does Microsoft Flight, with frequently released new content like daily aerocache challenges and regular mission updates designed to keep the experience fresh.

If You Can Use a Mouse, You Can Fly. With Microsoft Flight, players can jump into the challenge and fun of flying with no special hardware or past experience. At the push of a button players can see all available missions, be transported to specific locations, view the airplanes in their hangar, or track and share accomplishments. After a brief tutorial, they'll be soaring past the lush, breathtaking cliffs of the historic Waipio Valley or witnessing the vast crevices of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with a view from above.

Stunning Realism. Microsoft Flight features a visually stunning and realistic representation of the region-specific weather patterns, foliage and terrain, landmarks and flight physics. Players can explore in highly rendered, accurate cockpits of airplanes, or fly with a view of the airplane from the outside.

Flight website  www.microsoft.com/games/flight/

Sascha W. Felix developer of FlightSim Commander passed away January 4th 2012. Sascha was one of the authors of the popular FS Commander product offering flight planning for a number of simulators and add-ons. Volker Heine while announcing the passing of his co-author Sascha stated in the FS Commander forum the product will continue to be developed according to Sascha’s wishes. Directions and UKD would like to extend our condolences to his friends and family and thank Sacha Felix for more than twelve years of contributions to our hobby.

Quiz Time

An edition of Directions wouldn’t be complete without a quiz and this one will be no exception! This time round we have two pictures. The first is of a new six-engined, T-tail, bi-plane design being trialled by the UKD Research dept. Can you identify the two aircraft it is developed from?

The next picture is of a UK airport. It is an international airport that shuts down at night. It is used by UKD and is located along the south coast roughly north of the Isle of Wight. There is a single runway 02-20. Where am I?

Answers on the back of a stamped, self-addressed email! Send to me at mark [at] planecrazy.me.uk
All will be revealed in the next mag.

Christmas 2011 quiz answers :  1. 737-300   2. Dash 8   3. Do328   4. BAC 1-11   5. S-61
 

The Aviation Safety Network released the 2011 airliner accident statistics showing a total of 507 airliner accident  fatalities, as a result of 28 fatal multi-engine airliner accidents.

The year 2011 was a very safe year for civil aviation, Aviation  Safety Network data show. The second safest year by number of fatalities and the third safest year by number of accidents. Also, 2011 marked  the  longest period without a fatal airliner accident in modern aviation history. This record  period ended at 109 days on 30th Jan 2012. The fatal crash that ended that run is detailed below.

Over the year 2011 the Aviation Safety Network recorded a total of 28 fatal airliner accidents, resulting in 507 fatalities and 14 ground  fatalities. The number of fatalities is lower than the ten-year average  of 764 fatalities.
The worst accident happened on January 9, 2011 when an Iran Air Boeing  727 crashed while on approach to Orumiyeh, Iran, killing 77.

The number of accidents involving passenger flights was relatively  high with nineteen accidents as compared to the ten-year average of 16  accidents.

Seven out of 28 accident airplanes were operated by airlines on the EU black list as opposed to six out of 29 the year before. The EU added a total of nine airlines to the black list and removed three airlines based on improved safety records.

In 2011 Africa showed a continuing decline in accidents: 14% of all  fatal airliner accidents happened in Africa. Although this is still out  of sync compared to the fact that the continent only accounts for  approximately 3 percent of all world aircraft departures. Russia  suffered a very bad year with six fatal accidents.

Click the above picture to enlarge it.
All statistical data is provided by the Aviation Safety Network. A visit to their website is recommended if your interested in finding out more.
http://aviation-safety.net/index.php

30 JAN 2012  An Antonov 28 airplane was destroyed in an accident near Namoya, D.R. Congo. Two of the five occupants survived the accident
The airplane departed Bukavu (BKY) at 07:45 on a domestic flight to Namoya. The plane failed to arrive and a search was initiated. The crew of  another aircraft found what looked like the debris of the Antonov in a  forest. A government spokesman could not confirm whether any had  survived, but said that it was unlikely given the degree of debris at  the crash site.
Namoya is located in a gold mining area in Maniema Province.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that 9Q-CUN was involved in the accident. The  manufacturer reported that the airworthiness of this aircraft (msn  1AJ006-11) had expired on June 12, 1993.