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The diligent programmers of Laminar Research have updated their flagship product, X-Plane to version 6.20. The new version adds a number of new features, as the website lists:

Flight Model Improvements

• Propwash and P-factor are in there now along with the engine torque... you will really need that right rudder at the beginning of the takeoff!
  
• You used to be able to get by without it, but no more! You gotta have that right rudder in strong prop planes!
  
• For designers: be sure to use all 10 elements on your horizontal and vertical stabs! The resolution will really help get that twisting propwash just right across the whole flying surface!
  
• More translational lift in the helos.
  

New Features People Requested

• Enter Vle (max V landing gear extended) in Plane-Maker... and lose your gear doors if you bust the limit in the sim! Duh-OH! Be sure you turn on the warning option in the warning screen in the settings menu!
  
• "Auto-Ignition" annunciator when torque drops too low.
  
• Auto-coordination optional in helos, even if you do not have rudder pedals... Set the option in the equipment options screen.
  
• Working switches for nav and strobe lights, as requested.
  
• Auto-brakes can now be set in levels from 1 to max in the cockpit on auto-brake equipped airplanes.
  
• New failure option: fail at altitude. Nice to have stuff fail at a certain point in the climb.
  
• Different hi-speed constants for art stab system... Designers: be sure to update your acf files to have rate constants in the hi-speed system,
  since they are no longer automatically copied from the lo-speed system! Not clear on how the artificial stab system works? Check out the new dynamic descriptions in Plane-Maker art stab screen! Also, the artificial stability system can be turned on or off with a switch in the cockpit.
  
• The HUD now shows an 'x' for the BACKWARDS velocity vector. Good for de-orbit burns and flying BACKWARDS in helos and VTOLs!
  
• Speedbrakes on the vertical stabs fully supported... both visually and in the flight model... good for craft like the Space Shuttle.
  
• Enter spool time for even prop engines in Plane-Maker... good for turboprops and turbo-lag simulation!
  
• Option to deploy elevator with flaps. Good for experimenting with lift-augmentation and stability.
  
• New World-Maker features: Grid flatten, grid align, body-ID edit.
  

Refinements

• Autopilot switches to Mach-hold rather than indicated speed hold at 28k not 18k.
  
• Fuel tank switching logic better.
  
• Differential-braking for steering only used at low speeds (below the nosewheel steering transition speed already defined in Plane-Maker).
  
• FMS is now faster, and allows 100 entries (up from 50, as requested). A SMALLER FMS is also available!
  
• Start up engine running or not now expanded to include all switches for your pre-start checklist, if desired.
  
• Lots more joystick button options and lots more data IO, with various data IO re-organization... If you use UDP data IO, you may have to update the selections you get from the sim a bit!
  
• Faster scenery-loads.
  
• No frigates and aircraft carriers wandering around in the rivers and lakes. ;-)
  

Tech-Changes

• Prefs file format changed... it has to be expanded to include new capabilities.
  
• More Precision Flight Controls hardware support.
  
• Camera location and angle are outputtable in the data output screen.. sounds boring until you realize that you could write a UDP program to send the data right back in... direct your own movies!
  
• Custom NUMBER UDP input to supplement the needle and annunciator input. Also, you can send in UDP message to FAIL (and fix!) any failure mode in X-Plane... see the UDP docs included with the download!
  

Bug Fixes

• New and old-style turn coord done accurately.
  
• Airspeed indicators scaled for knots or MPH correctly.
  
• Elevators with ailerons work in BOTH directions now.
  
• The engine shuts up (audibly) when separated form the airplane.
  
• Mars lighting and textures working properly.
  

Laminar Research (add to watch list)

X-Plane 6 (add to watch list)

Download X-Plane 6.20 Mini-Update (6.2 MB)

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