Escape the winter chill and head to tropical Key West Airport. With the unique Caribbean atmosphere and vibe, be sure to take a Cessna around the island to indulge yourself. The carefully crafted airport comes complete with PBR materials on all surfaces in the airport and finely detailed static aircraft in the airport for the ultimate Key West experience. You can even see the detailed reefs under the water near the runway.Ĭombining our experience of X-Plane development with our love for tropical and sun-drenched destinations, Key West is the perfect blend of visual delight and silky-smooth performance. Extra attention is paid to ensuring the ultra-high-resolution satellite imagery blends seamlessly into the water and surrounding area. Sparing no details, we have included all the buildings, hotels and major landmarks surrounding the airport, along with smaller details such as road signs, benches and much more. Key West Seaplane Adventures is also based out of Key West offering scenic flights around the islands on tourist trips. This short runway, along with regularly high temperatures, often means pilots face a challenging take off with a small margin of error. The largest aircraft to visit the airport is a Delta Air Lines 737-700, with American soon to have an A319 visit frequently. On the real life 777 engaging a/p is a complete and whole different thing than disengaging it no matter what mode is engaged. Only a 5,076-foot runway is used to get your aircraft into the air. If you bind default xplane a/p toggle it wont work for the 777, this is because default xplane X/P toggle is a on/off feature while the real life 777 doesnt even has this button. Situated on an island that is only 8-square miles means that the airport is relatively small. Watch as the waves roll in and sea sparkle ahead of you. Key West Airport is sat along the stunning Smathers Beach providing you with great views on the wing as you come into land on the short runway. For a quick overview of PFC’s certified simulator and the design behind them, read the interview here.Located closer to Cuba than Miami, Key West benefits from year-round sunshine, tropical delights and stunning sunsets. conducted a quick interview with Mike Altman, president of PFC. However, most users will find that it is more efficient to purchase a simulator already certified by GLEIM or PFC. There is nothing stopping users from getting in touch with the FAA and working through the steps to certification from there.
The FAA-certified version also has some of the purely fun stuff (like space flight) removed–even though those situations are simulated accurately in X-Plane, just like the FAA-certified subsonic terrestrial flight. The biggest difference is that the FAA-certified versions have custom aircraft files with larger instrument panels, which are set up to work with hardware radios like those found in the physical cockpits. However, the software available for about $60 at is almost identical what is found in the $500,000 full-motion FAA-certified platforms. The retail version of X-Plane purchased at is not certified for flight training right out of the box, since certification requires a software and hardware combination. The certified software is available for $500 to $1,000 per copy from PFC and GLEIM and the hardware runs from around $8,000 to $500,000 depending on your needs. This is because flight training systems can only be certified as a complete package (a software and hardware combination). However, getting the actual certification through the FAA takes a great deal more work than getting the X-Plane software ready.Ĭertification requires not only that the user have the certified X-Plane software, but also certified hardware (cockpit and flight controls) available through companies like Precision Flight Controls and GLEIM Aviation. Note that you will need one pro-use license-whether digital download or USB key-per computer if you’re planning a multi-machine simulator.įor professional-caliber flight sim hardware, we recommend Precision Flight Controls.Īny copy of X-Plane purchased from can have the features required for FAA certification unlocked using a special USB key or digital download product key.
What makes it "X-Plane for Professional Use"?