3rd Place !

 

Now Updated !! FSCargo now also works for LARGE AIRCRAFT, providing tons of fun for airliner pilots who want to ferry something else than just passengers. Caters for ALL types of aircraft, from Cessna 172, to DC-3, King Air all the way up to the Boeing 747 Cargo !!

FSaddon.com's FSCargo was conceived by Francois Dumas... being an 'old' bush pilot, flying around with EMPTY aicraft in Alaska. Beautiful scenery, serene flights, yes...... Fun ?? Yes, but could be much better !

The men who made my virtual dream come through are Maurizio Gavioli (the master of FS interaction and author of such wonderful tools as IntelliScene, ViMaCore and many more !!) and Bill Womack (who you may know of the 'MAAM airfield' in Reading, 'our' Antelope Trail Ranch in Misty Fjords, our Freight Dogs and so many other wonderful sceneries).

Maurizio and Bill have come up with two things:

1. the 'functionality' of it all -->> Maurizio
2. the visualization of the idea -->> Bill

So what is FSCargo? Where is it more than a 'load manager' ?

FSCargo is the first interactive system that will allow you to get an assignment (of carrying freight), SHOW you the cargo waiting for you at an airfield, allow you to LOAD it into your plane, fly to somewhere else, DROP it at that destination and actually SEE it again after unloading !!

Sounds simple!? It isn't, really!! Sounds fun!? IT SURE AS HECK IS !!!!

The way it works (in simple terms) is that you start the FSCargo module (in your menu bar in FS), and ask for an assignment. The system will generate a few possible options (based on WHERE you are). It will provide you with two airfields (the 'from' and 'to') and a type (size, weight) of cargo. If you like the assignment, you accept it (pressing a Function Key), if you don't you can ask for another.

Once you accept an assignment you will have to fly to the departure airport (in case you are not there yet), FIND the cargo area - which Bill has made visible for you (see the pictures), ride up to the cargo and LOAD it, again by pressing a function key. It is SO GOOD that you can even see you airplane sag down a bit when the weight of the cargo is added. YES... it ADDS the weight to your aircraft of course !! Making it important to check your fuel and take-off weight !! The cargo is now no longer visible.

When you start taxiing the TIMER starts ticking. We've made it a bit more interesting by calculating a maximum time allowed for the assignment. If you complete it within that time, you get a better rating! But you can ignore that if you like ;-)

When you reach your destination airport you'll have to find the Cargo Area again, taxi up to it and press a key, UNLOADING the cargo. And there it is, sitting safely on the platform.....

We are now at VERSION 1.2 of the product, allowing for larger loads and large aircraft. Further expansions will follow.. we have many ideas. Some will be free even... some will be additional products, based on the 'engine' we have designed now (like the brand new FSCargoX that we are working on for FSX !).

Of one thing we are sure: you will LOVE all of them !!! :-))

If you have questions, PLEASE TALK TO US: We have a special forum for it, at simFlight (where you have to register).... FIND IT HERE !

That's it folks.. there are many more things we want to tell you, and to show you.... another time....
Like the 'user editor' that Maurizio has made, allowing you to make your own assignments.
And the extensions we have in mind.... bigger freight, other cargo, cargo areas and destinations.
About FSAddon Cargo going to be an integral part of all our sceneries...
About multi-player FSCargo........ ;-)

Just check back here once in a while.. we'll keep you posted of our progress!

And below are some more pictures - courtesy Jaap van Hees