screenshot by Scott "sf4JC" Frerking

Welcome to SOAR!!
An online community interested in virtual soaring in Microsoft Flight Sim,
real life soaring, and/or RC soaring!

For questions, suggestions, etc. about SOAR please contact
Don (general issues) or Karen (website related)
 

Updated 8 April 2010 - by Scott (sf4JC)

I am scheduling a FunFly/Contest the last full weekend of April if anyone is interested.
If you are using FSX, you will need to download and install
FSHostClient.  Everyone will
need to have their Flight Sim version of the
SOAR Ranch and high resolution terrain mesh to
really enjoy the event.  I will have a download available for those that want to do some
practicing before
the event, or just want to enjoy flying the area in which the contest will be held.

As a treat for those of you that have been a part of SOAR since FS2002/FS2004, we
are going to run the old Lake Circuit contest.  I may have updated weather conditions for it, but
unsure at this time.  More details will come later this week or the beginning of next week.

If anyone has upcoming glider events in Microsoft Flight Simulator that they would
like to possibly get posted in this news area, PLEASE let us know at
this email.

Updated 25 March 2010 - by Scott (sf4JC)

If you haven't been to Wolfgang Piper's site for a while, he's got a few new
updates for February and March.  If you enjoy his SF 25C motor gliders, then you
will want to download the updates.  The
Ka4 Rhönlerche had the rear VC and yawstring
worked on.  And last but not least, the "PolarCalc" program was corrected.

If you ever need to now if the aircraft you have downloaded from him have been updated,
go about 3/4th of the way down his menu to the "New Files" section, and you will see what he
has been working on.  THANKS Again Wolfgang for all the aircraft you have created to
really make Microsoft Flight Simulator more enjoyable to SOAR for so many years!

Updated 20 March 2010 - by Scott (sf4JC)

Check out what I was finally able to convert!  Hey! Is that?


Well looky there, It's the SOAR Ranch for FSX!!!

I was able to convert most of the Ranch with some
very OLD & some very NEW editing tools.  I would like to ask the SOAR
community for any comments/suggestions on if there is anything
we want to update or add to the airport, like maybe a fence surrounding
the airport, or maybe even placing the Tower View in a
different area or height.

I am going to keep in contact with the creator of the SOAR Ranch, and
former Director of SOAR, Chris Gordan, so we can try to
keep within a reasonable view of his dream of the Ranch so as not to
deface it in any way.  So if you have any suggestions, please go
to the
SOAR Forums to do that.
The SOAR Ranch-FSX can be downloaded
here.

Updated 17 November 2009

Check out our new header submitted by Scott!!  Thanks once again for another
creative header!!   We really appreciate your hard work!  Here is info on
the header:
.

*ScreenShot taken mid-summer at the somewhat modified FS2004 "SOAR Ranch" inside FSX
*The background consists of a fleet of Schempp-Hirth designs, 9 in all
.

**We may have an FSX "SOAR Ranch" by February 2010 if everything goes well.  In fact, I think I may smell a Bar-B-Q and FunFly comin. 

 

Updated 22 September 2009

Have added the great Cross Country Soaring 2004
by Eric Carden as a download in our Utilites section!
Several of us at SOAR have tried unsuccessfully to contact you Eric, so
we decided to go ahead and make the program available to the public. As
you are a member of SOAR and we had permission to host your CCS dat files,
we hope you will not mind us doing this!  We have had many requests from
FS9 pilots for your wonderful program and it does not seem to be available
anywhere else on the web!  If you want us to remove it, we will be very
sad at losing this creative, great addition to FS9, but will abide by your wishes!


 
Recent Updates

The Message Board has now officially moved to Aerosoft.  Please go to
New SOAR Message Board

Your user name and password are still good.

Please read the message in our old board in the admin section regarding the move.

Check out the new modifications of the Pilatus - B4 submitted by Scott (sf4JC) Frerking!
You will find one for FS9 and also one for FSX.  Please download them from the appropriate
section in our downloads menu to the left.   Thank you so much Scott for your
great contributions to SOAR!!
 
 

Check out our new header submitted by Scott!!  Thanks so much
for your great header!   We really appreciate your active
participation in making SOAR even better!
 Read Scott's comments below:
 
* Screenshot taken in the Summer season near Albert Lea, MN USA in FSX by Scott "sf4JC" Frerking
** Was using the FS Recorder v1.3 for FSX to get my flight partners.
*** Various screenshots still from downloads available in the SOAR Aircraft Download Vault!

Updates for the SOAR DG808S for FSX
Version 3 is now available
 
Get your download on our FSX download page

or you may also download it at:
Ian's website
Update for the SOAR DG808S for FSX
Get your download on our FSX download page 
 

New download for FSX!
Bert Bruin with help from Peter Lürkens, has modified the Astir CS
(originally by Max Roodveldt)
and graciously made it available for all to enjoy.

Get your download on our FSX download page 

The event will be for both FS2004 & FSX and held at Albert Lea, MN USA on May 31, 2008.
A person can come anytime during the day, with thermals between the hours of 10:30AM to 5:30PM
local time (GMT-6:00 Central Time). There will be recognition for the individual times for the
contest (50.2km course with times ranging from possibly 25-55minutes expected,
depending on the time of day. It will be also dependant upon aircraft type)
There will be an overall winner for the most time in the air, both consecutive and not.
If you can take any screenshots, feel free to post them on SOAR Message Board
as there may be a winner for that too.

For those wanting to just freefly, you can do this all day,
but please keep track of possible race contestants so as to not get in their way.

You will need to go to http://sf4jc.spaces.live.com/default.aspx in the FS2004 & FSX files section
at the bottom left side of the page, and DOWNLOAD 'AlbertLeaMN FunFly May-31-2008'.

Each contestant needs to save his/her flight as an .IGC file with the FSZwever Viewer program
for me to determine their race times and such.
ALSO, you need to be at or below 2000' AGL (about 3200') at the starting gate.

For current updates, keep checking the SOAR Message Board
Albert Lea Fun Fly topic
 


 
FSX screenshot by Don Hamilton

Ridge Lift in FSX without using CCS files

Sim Probe is the exciting new creation of Ian Forster-Lewis which works in conjuction
with CumulusX.  It creates ridge lift "on the fly" so users no longer need to create
CCS files or place thermals along ridges in order to simulate lift.  We now have the
freedom to soar along ridges anywhere in the world!!   Great job Ian !!

You can download your beta version on Ian's site, just click on the following link:

Sim Probe
Remember you will need to have CumulusX installed first!
See below for links to CumulusX

Screenshots taken in FSX using Sim Probe ridge lift
Soaring the Ramparts in the Stemme S10


 screenshot by Don Hamilton

 
 screenshot by Don Hamilton

 


www.AVSIM.com