Version 7.61

7.61 came out pretty quick after 7.50 to fix the Mar scenery. Once again, in typical X-Plane fashion, we had a couple of betas for 7.60 and then suddenly the version number changed to 7.61 for the final release.

• More accurate propwash modelling to handle a wider variety of possible cases.

• More robust modelling code: You can now run planes without linked props that still have more props than engines without confusing the sim. This configuration is not officially supported, so the extra props will just windmill (as with an autogyro), but the physics will be right for that case.

Visuals:

• Sunglassess on/off feature in the View menu... Use the key (control-`) or a joystick button to put them on... aim right at the sun and then put on your sunglasses... this darkens things a bit and reduces glare as well! Pretty cool!

• Turn on the 3-d flightpath ('o' key, hit it up to 6 times to cycle through the 6 modes) during an ILS with an ILS that you are close to tuned in and switch to an external view... and see the ILS! Pretty cool!

• Weapons can now have clear or partially-clear textures. .. use PNG files to get the full range of clarity.
  
  

Instrument Panel Upgrades:

• New instrument: Avidyne PFD! Just like in my Ciurrus! Cool! Detailed Avidyne MFD to follow soon!
  
  
• VERY COOL NEW POWER FOR PANEL-DESIGNERS! You can now resize the INSTRUMENT FONT layers for the instrument panel to any size you like, with no restrictions. If you want fonts that are 50 pixels tall that is fine... just resize the PNG files to give any size font, and X-Plane will figure out how big the fonts should be based on the size of the layer-3 or layer-4 PNG file.
  
  
• Smarter default EFIS VVI range, faster HITS display.

Systems:

2 inverters (each with failure capability) as well as pitot-tube and static-port blockage! Both of the failure items above have caused many accidents, including an inverter failure taking down a King-Air a few years ago (all aboard dead) and a pitot-tube blockage knocking out all the speed systems in a Cirrus (pilot parachuted the whole plane down, not a scratch) and an airliner taking off with some tape over the static port (for washing) and causing countless systems in the plane to indicate wrongly and set off countless alarms in the cockpit, causing the paniced pilots to land the plane immediately with half their instruments not working or agreeing, and many alarms and bells and warnings all going off at once, the airplane thinking it was too high, too low, too fast, too slow, and underground all at once.

Refinements:

• More JOYSTICKS allowed, and more BUTTONS allowed! Even the new 6-axis CH-Producs throttle quadrant is now supported!
• Better (faster, smaller) communication between networked copies of X-Plane.
• A few new parameters for the flight data recorder inputs, including WAV-file warnings, speech synthesis warnings, text-markers, and warning-period events drawn as red tubes over the flight-path. This stuff is good for people doing 3-D FDR replays.
• A few new parameters in Plane-Maker engine screen... turn on the "auto-set prop RPM with throttle" and then you can enter the prop RPM linkage to the throttle, as the Cirrus does.
• Check out a few new options in the VIEWPOINT screen in Plane-Maker... specify when the fuselage is drawn from INTERNAL views... though it will only work if you made clear windows!
• New layer for the weapons-guidance camera instrument.
• Easier bank-angle control on the heavy metal heading selectors.
• Autopilot now further tuned... It is now smarter in all pitch modes (pitch-for-speed, vertical speed, altitude, and ILS).
• And, on a similar note, smarter, smoother, safer AI pilot when flying with AI mode on.
• You can turn on and off the nav and strobe lites independantly.
• The hot-air balloners quit ballooning at night.
• Smarter carrier approach, etc speeds. Now based on the Vs you enter in Plane-Maker.
• Better autopilot on the glideslope, including auto-land.

Bug Fixes:

• Mars scenery operative
• Custom digital limits (Plane-Maker limits window) operative... Though if you change the number of digits, you have to update the custom PNG files to have the same number of digits! This is an advanced feature for panel-designers.
• Custom cockpit objects now have LIT textures used, and update as you switch aircraft, even if their filenames are the same.
• Weapons load-out selection fixed in X-Plane.
• All nav and com frqs available... a few were not accessible before.

Version 7 Overview

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