New update for Aerosoft's PBY Catalina!

[Tim-HH]

Hi,

Aerosoft has released a new update for their Catalina: forum.aerosoft.com

Greetings
Tim

[big-mike]

Thank you Tim for the HU!
I love my Cats.
Michael

[Roger]

Thanks Tim...just downloaded

[Killbilly]

Sweet! This will seriously cut down on my start-up time when I want a quick flight. Thanks, Tim, for the info; and thanks, Aerosoft, for the update.

[Ferry_vO]

Thanks for the heads-up Tim!

[paulb]

Thanks for the HU. Downloading now!

[Warrant]

No joy getting the update! Had to update to 1.11 first, but my account did not allow me to get the later update (even after password resets, wich gives me the grey hair, so many passwords for so many accounts).

Have to wait on reply from Aerosoft.

Edit: It is so long ago i purchased the bird (must be more then a year ago) and they come with an update again. The update is good, but after a year or so i have to figure out accounts i have, tweaks i did, repaints i installed......to grow grey hairs on, big time!
The big bugger here is that i have such a difficulty to get this update (having to recall passwords, proofs of purchase and all)!
It took me over an hour to get to the point that i have to request Aerosoft to give me a download link to download this update, with a proof of purchase attached. All other options failed. Now it is time to go to bed again for work tomorrow! That is a loss of one hour of quality flying time! Thank you very much, F^%*$#g pirates (that is to those who made it necessary to have all this security crap)!

[Carvalho]

Thanks for the HU!:salute:

[W. Bleddyn]

Might have to get this one... a mate of mine has it and I have flown it so I do know how wonderful it is.. has just been a case of too many planes, so little time...

[thisizma]

No joy getting the update! Had to update to 1.11 first, but my account did not allow me to get the later update (even after password resets, wich gives me the grey hair, so many passwords for so many accounts).

Have to wait on reply from Aerosoft.

Edit: It is so long ago i purchased the bird (must be more then a year ago) and they come with an update again. The update is good, but after a year or so i have to figure out accounts i have, tweaks i did, repaints i installed......to grow grey hairs on, big time!
The big bugger here is that i have such a difficulty to get this update (having to recall passwords, proofs of purchase and all)!
It took me over an hour to get to the point that i have to request Aerosoft to give me a download link to download this update, with a proof of purchase attached. All other options failed. Now it is time to go to bed again for work tomorrow! That is a loss of one hour of quality flying time! Thank you very much, F^%*$#g pirates (that is to those who made it necessary to have all this security crap)!

Same issues here!

[hey_moe]

Thanks for the HU Tim, I'm glad someones on the lookout for our members...Mike

[roger-wilco-66]

Thanks for the head-up! Aerosofts PBY is one of my favs in FSX! I wish it had a radar function for Black Cat ship hunting missions in the Solomons or the Bismarck sea...

Cheers,
Mark

[txnetcop]

Hey Tim thank you. I was behind a couple of updates...it sure has made a difference. I like what they have done to engine management and overall performance.
Ted

[roger-wilco-66]

No joy getting the update! Had to update to 1.11 first, but my account did not allow me to get the later update (even after password resets, wich gives me the grey hair, so many passwords for so many accounts).

Have to wait on reply from Aerosoft.

Edit: It is so long ago i purchased the bird (must be more then a year ago) and they come with an update again. The update is good, but after a year or so i have to figure out accounts i have, tweaks i did, repaints i installed......to grow grey hairs on, big time!
The big bugger here is that i have such a difficulty to get this update (having to recall passwords, proofs of purchase and all)!
It took me over an hour to get to the point that i have to request Aerosoft to give me a download link to download this update, with a proof of purchase attached. All other options failed. Now it is time to go to bed again for work tomorrow! That is a loss of one hour of quality flying time! Thank you very much, F^%*$#g pirates (that is to those who made it necessary to have all this security crap)!

Aaahrggh, I seem to go down that same alley.
Sigh.

Cheers,
Mark

[Warrant]

Had a reply from Aerosoft:
You need to register the product at the Aerosoft webpage (PBY Catalina X), enter the required fields and voila.....the update becomes available.

Works for me.:salute:

[TeiscoDelRay]

How would you compare this plane to the A2A B-17? I am thinking of getting either one, just have to decide which one.

[paulb]

Very difficult to compare. The Catalina is an older offering and is cheaper. I bought my for (around) £17 at Amazon. The A2A B17 (with Accusim) will cost a fair bit more.

From what I have seen the A2A Accusim offerings eg B17 and B377 are more detailed and complex. Getting into PMDG territory in one way. The Catalina is good, but not quite in the same league re VC and realism.

I like the Catalina. It is a bit heavy on frame rates on my old pc and I can't use it with OrbX scenery. However, I am very happy with my purchase. For me, I also think of any purchase in terms of aircraft that I have seen in real life and also the history of the aircraft. Both score in that respect. Also both have a lot of repaints available for them, which is very nice.

Overall, I think that price is a key point. Plus the 'use on water' option! The Catalina is IMHO the best flying boat available for FSX in that respect.

Hope this helps a bit.

[Alan_A]

Agree that the Catalina is the best FSX flying boat available, and really atmospheric. And price counts. On the other hand, the A2A B-17 is one of the best aircraft available for FSX in any category. To the Catalina experience, it adds: much more detailed engine and systems modeling, behavior that responds to environment (i.e. startups are different in cold weather vs. hot), persistent wear and tear, and an interactive crew that not only reduces labor but also adds considerable entertainment value. The B-17 is faster and has a better thought-out cockpit layout (a quality of the actual aircraft - no slight here against the Aerosoft Catalina). It's less versatile (land only, medium- to long runways). It's more expensive, but I'd say the added cost adds considerable value. A tough call between them. I'd lean toward the B-17 but it really comes down to what you're looking for.

I recommend also that you download and read the B-17 manuals (aircraft and separate Accusim manual) available at the A2A site. I don't recall if the Catalina manual is available for download but if it is, have a look at that, too.

Hope this helps.

[Crusader]

Had a reply from Aerosoft:
You need to register the product at the Aerosoft webpage (PBY Catalina X), enter the required fields and voila.....the update becomes available.

Works for me.:salute:

Thanks Warrant for supplying the rest of us an easier way of trying to figure out the registering and updating process . I'm 100% for better security but there has to be a better way .

Rich:salute:

[paulb]

Thanks Warrant for supplying the rest of us of a easier way of trying to figure out the registering and updating process . I'm 100% for better security but there has to be a better way .

Rich:salute:

Hi Rich

I can well understand your frustration when anything causes a delay. However, I find the Aerosoft approach OK - it does limit the benefit of pirated copies of the software - plus if you have the DVD version you dont need online autorisation to load it. I hate having bought a CD only to find that it has to be activated online. If I do a reinstall, then I usually have to go back find an old invoice and hope that the company is still around! Some companies do this and it makes me think twice about buying from them.

Cheers

Paul

[Paul K]

If you bought the Catalina from Simmarket, as I did, all you need to do is log into your account to get the update link.

[SADT]

As a person who has both the Cat and the A2A B-17 (Actually my brother has the Cat be we use the same FS computer, so no licensing issues here :-) , the B-17 is far better in terms of realism, as well as faster, as Alan pointed out. The Catalina is fairly good, though the B-17 is much easier on frames than the Cat, and IMO is visually more refined. If you need a floater/amphibian and want an quite a bit of realism (Over the default A/C), go with the Cat, If you need good frames, and want the fully monty, including the responsive crew and persistent damage, go with the B-17. It will cost you though. I have had fun with both models, though i do find the B-17 more "enriching" to my flightsim experience.

[jimjones]

I, too, had not updated to v1.11. Doing so began a long series of events and fixes. During
one of my "cleaning house" activities I removed some Cat paints and planes. Wrong!! When
attempting the update I received a message to reload the Cat from the beginning. Ouch! Anyway
I attempted to see if anything had changed and trying to load ANY plane in FSX caused the
program to crash. Ignoring the Visa message to wait while the problem was being reviewd for
the cause and cancelling the review resulted in the FSX process not being seen and not
allowing a restart of FSX because FSX was still running, and requiring a reboot to run FSX.
Deleting the Cat, reloading it, the updates, and paints finally had FSX and the Cats going
again. 4hrs wasted! Lesson learned. Don't remove paints or planes that may be updated. Had I
known what and how future updates were to be achieved the grief caused by the updates may
have been avoided.