Flight Unlimited III
Encyclopedia
Flight Unlimited III is a 1999 flight simulator
video game developed Looking Glass Studios
and published by Electronic Arts
. It is the sequel to Flight Unlimited
and Flight Unlimited II
. The game includes ten user-flyable aircraft in total, and several new features. Flight Unlimited III was re-released in 2005 as 'budgetware', under the 'Sold Out' label.
One of the most significant new features was the new weather engine. Before a flight the user could generate and manipulate weather fronts, which would then change dynamically while flying. The simulator also included the Raytheon
Beechjet 400A
. In previous versions, only small- to medium-sized propeller-powered aircraft were included. The Beechjet added a fast jet to the line-up, with a glass cockpit
, GPS, an autopilot
and a working weather radar
using the new weather engine.
The Lake Renegade added a unique seaplane, which had a fuselage shaped like a boat's hull
on the bottom, and unlike the 'Muskrat' could taxi directly between land and water. The Stemme
S10-VT motorglider has a propeller which could be retracted into the nose cone, allowing it to take off under its own power, and then stop the engine to become a glider.
There are now many more aircraft available than when FU3 was first released. These have been created by individual developers and made available via various websites. Examples include: DC3, 747 (and SP), GeeBee, DHC-6 (Twin Otter), Dash-8, various gliders and other small aircraft.
As with Flight Unlimited II
, the simulator concentrated on one small but highly detailed part of the USA, in this version Seattle. It was once again sourced from USGS
satellite photos and real-life elevation data. Outside of the Seattle area, covering more of the Pacific Northwest
, was a less detailed area called the outer terrain region.
AI controlled aircraft would populate the airspace and displayed all phases of a flight, from taxi and takeoff to landing. There were a large variety of aircraft, meaning the user could see airliners at larger airports as well as small private aircraft flying the traffic pattern at local private airfields.
Air Traffic Control
was also programmed into the simulator and was much more advanced than any other home flight simulator at the time, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator
98 which had none at all. The user would build up a message from options and transmit it over the radio. ATC would then reply with instructions. These were accompanied by voices speaking the messages. The many various computer controlled aircraft flying in the airspace were also taken into account.
Other features from Flight Unlimited II include 3d cockpits (although still without working dials), more realistic crashes, water landings, challenges and flight lessons.
If the user had Flight Unlimited II, the high-resolution San Francisco scenery could be installed, making flights between there and the high-resolution Seattle area possible.
The simulator also came with a program called the Flight Unlimited Editor (FLED), which allowed the user to edit the simulator's scenery. This is still one of this simulator's great strengths - it has a free, built-in scenery editor. Anybody can create their own airport, scenery package or just place a few model objects wherever they want. If saved as a scenery 'package', users can upload to the internet (via Avsim.com or similar) and other users can share in the experience. One user (Chris Low from the UK) has created huge super-sets of packages covering entire regions. These substantially improve the flying experience. There are also currently hundreds of extra models available for users to experiment with.
Some features were also removed, such as the FBO
airport interface used in previous versions, which was replaced by a standard menu.
New:
Carried over:
Add-on aircraft by other developers:
Note: this list is not complete and aircraft are still being built for this simulator.
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
video game developed Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios was a computer game development company during the 1990s.The company originally formed as Looking Glass Technologies, when Blue Sky Productions and Lerner Research merged....
and published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
. It is the sequel to Flight Unlimited
Flight Unlimited
Flight Unlimited is a 1995 aerobatic flight simulator video game developed and published by Looking Glass Technologies. It allows players to pilot reproductions of real-world aircraft and to perform aerobatic maneuvers. They may fly freely, race through floating rings against a timer or take...
and Flight Unlimited II
Flight Unlimited II
Flight Unlimited II is a 1997 flight simulator video game developed by Looking Glass Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. The sequel to Flight Unlimited, it eschews its precessor's focus on aerobatics in favor of general aviation...
. The game includes ten user-flyable aircraft in total, and several new features. Flight Unlimited III was re-released in 2005 as 'budgetware', under the 'Sold Out' label.
Gameplay
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
Beechjet 400A
Raytheon Hawker 400XP
|-See also:-References:*Field, Hugh and Hurst, Mike. "". Flight International, 30 September 1978, pp. 1261–1266.*Taylor, John W.R. . Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Defence Data, 1988. ISBN 0 7106-0867-5....
. In previous versions, only small- to medium-sized propeller-powered aircraft were included. The Beechjet added a fast jet to the line-up, with a glass cockpit
Glass cockpit
A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, as opposed to the traditional style of analog dials and gauges...
, GPS, an autopilot
Autopilot
An autopilot is a mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being. An autopilot can refer specifically to aircraft, self-steering gear for boats, or auto guidance of space craft and missiles...
and a working weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
using the new weather engine.
The Lake Renegade added a unique seaplane, which had a fuselage shaped like a boat's hull
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
on the bottom, and unlike the 'Muskrat' could taxi directly between land and water. The Stemme
Stemme
Stemme AG is a German glider manufacturer. Aircraft production is complemented by service, maintenance and repair of their sports & personal aircraft.-List of Stemme aircraft:*Stemme S10- Self Launching motorglider and original aircraft...
S10-VT motorglider has a propeller which could be retracted into the nose cone, allowing it to take off under its own power, and then stop the engine to become a glider.
There are now many more aircraft available than when FU3 was first released. These have been created by individual developers and made available via various websites. Examples include: DC3, 747 (and SP), GeeBee, DHC-6 (Twin Otter), Dash-8, various gliders and other small aircraft.
As with Flight Unlimited II
Flight Unlimited II
Flight Unlimited II is a 1997 flight simulator video game developed by Looking Glass Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. The sequel to Flight Unlimited, it eschews its precessor's focus on aerobatics in favor of general aviation...
, the simulator concentrated on one small but highly detailed part of the USA, in this version Seattle. It was once again sourced from USGS
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
satellite photos and real-life elevation data. Outside of the Seattle area, covering more of the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, was a less detailed area called the outer terrain region.
AI controlled aircraft would populate the airspace and displayed all phases of a flight, from taxi and takeoff to landing. There were a large variety of aircraft, meaning the user could see airliners at larger airports as well as small private aircraft flying the traffic pattern at local private airfields.
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
was also programmed into the simulator and was much more advanced than any other home flight simulator at the time, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator is a series of flight simulator programs for the Microsoft Windows operating system, although it was marketed as a video game. It is one of the longest-running, best-known and most comprehensive home flight simulator series...
98 which had none at all. The user would build up a message from options and transmit it over the radio. ATC would then reply with instructions. These were accompanied by voices speaking the messages. The many various computer controlled aircraft flying in the airspace were also taken into account.
Other features from Flight Unlimited II include 3d cockpits (although still without working dials), more realistic crashes, water landings, challenges and flight lessons.
If the user had Flight Unlimited II, the high-resolution San Francisco scenery could be installed, making flights between there and the high-resolution Seattle area possible.
The simulator also came with a program called the Flight Unlimited Editor (FLED), which allowed the user to edit the simulator's scenery. This is still one of this simulator's great strengths - it has a free, built-in scenery editor. Anybody can create their own airport, scenery package or just place a few model objects wherever they want. If saved as a scenery 'package', users can upload to the internet (via Avsim.com or similar) and other users can share in the experience. One user (Chris Low from the UK) has created huge super-sets of packages covering entire regions. These substantially improve the flying experience. There are also currently hundreds of extra models available for users to experiment with.
Some features were also removed, such as the FBO
Fixed base operator
A Fixed-base operator or commonly abbreviated FBO is a term developed in the United States after the passage of the Air Commerce Act of 1926...
airport interface used in previous versions, which was replaced by a standard menu.
Aircraft
The simulator included ten user-flyable aircraft, with the five from Flight Unlimited II being carried over and updated with new external visual models. Some of the names were changed, possibly due to licencing issues.New:
- Mooney Bravo
- Lake Renegade 270 Seaplane
- RaytheonRaytheonRaytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
Beechjet 400ARaytheon Hawker 400XP|-See also:-References:*Field, Hugh and Hurst, Mike. "". Flight International, 30 September 1978, pp. 1261–1266.*Taylor, John W.R. . Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Defence Data, 1988. ISBN 0 7106-0867-5.... - Stemme S10-VT Motorglider
- Fokker Tri-Plane (based on FokkerFokkerFokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
Dr.IFokker Dr.IThe Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...
)
Carried over:
- Muskrat Seaplane (based on DeHavilland Beaver)
- North AmericanNorth American AviationNorth American Aviation was a major US aerospace manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service...
P-51D MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts... - PiperThe New Piper AircraftPiper Aircraft, Inc., is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Municipal Airport in Vero Beach, Florida. Along with Beechcraft and Cessna, it is considered one of the "Big Three" in the field of general aviation construction....
Arrow - Trainer 172 (based on CessnaCessnaThe Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
172Cessna 172The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.-Design and development:...
) - Twin Engine Windhawk (based on BeechcraftBeechcraftBeechcraft is an American manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. Previously a division of Raytheon, it has been a brand of Hawker Beechcraft since 2006....
BaronBeechcraft Baron|-See also:- Further reading :*Harding, Stephen. U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947. Shrewsbury, UK:Airlife Publishing, 1990. ISBN 1-85310-102-8.*Michell, Simon. Jane's Civil and Military Aircraft Upgrades 1994-95. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 1994. ISBN 0-7106-1208-7.*Taylor, John W. R....
)
Add-on aircraft by other developers:
- BoeingBoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
747 and 747-SP (by Ansgar Avermeyer) - DouglasDouglas Aircraft CompanyThe Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
DC-3 and XC-47 (floatplane version) (by Ansgar Avermeyer) - De Havilland CanadaDe Havilland CanadaThe de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. company was an aircraft manufacturer with facilities based in what is now the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
DHC-2 Beaver by Markus Brunner, DHC-6 (Twin Otter) and DHC-8 (Bombardier Q300) by Jon Point - Gee BeeGee Bee R-1The Gee Bee Model R Super Sportster was a special purpose racing aircraft made by Granville Brothers Aircraft of Springfield, Massachusetts. Gee Bee stands for Granville Brothers.-Design and development:...
R2 replica (by Jon Point) - BlanikBlaníkBlaník is a mountain in the Czech Republic. Its height is 638 meters above sea level. The surrounding area is a small natural reservation.Ancient legends are associated with this mountain. The legend says that a huge army of Czech knights led by St. Wenceslas sleeps inside the mountain. The knights...
LET L-13LET L-13The L-13 Blaník is a two seater trainer glider produced by Let Kunovice since 1956. It is the most numerous and widely used glider in the world. In United States Air Force Academy service, it is designated TG-10C and is used for basic flight training....
glider (by Jon Point) - Grumman Goose amphibious transport
- BeechcraftBeechcraftBeechcraft is an American manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. Previously a division of Raytheon, it has been a brand of Hawker Beechcraft since 2006....
BaronBeechcraft Baron|-See also:- Further reading :*Harding, Stephen. U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947. Shrewsbury, UK:Airlife Publishing, 1990. ISBN 1-85310-102-8.*Michell, Simon. Jane's Civil and Military Aircraft Upgrades 1994-95. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 1994. ISBN 0-7106-1208-7.*Taylor, John W. R....
- various models and repaints by Hennie Van Rooyen, Ansgar Avermeyer and Hans-Petter Roverud. - Various Microlight aircraft (various developers)
Note: this list is not complete and aircraft are still being built for this simulator.
External links
- Avsim Online Flight Unlimited series forum