Release 0.9
Sky Dolly v0.9 has just been released, but before we go into the new features…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SKY DOLLY
To the day - on February 28 2021 - Sky Dolly was released on flightsim.to.
New Features
- A new IGC (International Gliding Commission) export plugin
- Export of GNSS (“plane altitude”) and pressure altitude (“indicated airspeed”)
- Export of environmental noise level (ENL)
- Waypoints are exported as “C records”
- A new GPX import plugin
- Option to map GPX waypoints, routes and tracks onto waypoints and path in MSFS
- In case the optional elevation and timestamp elements are missing
- the default altitude can be specified
- the timestamps are calcuated based on the desired velocity
- KML import
- Files from flightradar24.com and generic KML files can now be imported
- CSV import
- Files from flightradar24.com and Flight Recorder can now be imported
Improvements
- IGC import
- the timestamp of the imported waypoints (“C records”) are now updated according to the actual flown path (“nearest point”)
- The “initial significant movement” is now determined (internal: new “flight analytics module” - still in an early development stage), reducing “random heading changes” (due to GPS signal noise) while the glider is still on the ground
- The environmental noise level (ENL) - if present - now turns off/on the engine, based on some selectable noise threshold
- Import
- The aircraft selection is now edtiable, with autocompletion
- The last selected aircraft is now also stored in the settings
- Logbook
- The default “Delete” key now deletes selected flights
- Logbook columns are only resized (“fit to content”) upon first loading of the flight data (after that manual adjustments are kept)
- The replay can now be “looped”
Further usability and minor bug fixes, please refer to the complete CHANGELOG on github.com.
Sky Dolly v0.9 binaries are available here:
Source and binaries are also available here:
On a personal note: this release is dedicated to peace everywhere. I was really put off flying any military jet in MSFS for the last couple of days, and for a moment I was very glad that MSFS doesn’t offer anything related to war and destruction.
As a major new feature is turning around glider (IGC) support it is not quite a coincidence that the new “title image” now shows a glider [1] - what can be more peaceful? So this was an easy choice this time for the “title image” (on flightsim.to).
Here is the original screenshot:
You will also notice that the app icon has slightly changed:
(This is some last-minute work, so please be gentle when judging my artwork skills here - it is more about what I want to convey here anyway).
I would like to conclude my thoughts by saying that despite all the sanctions and all that terrible stuff - which remember: they harm ordinary people like you and me everywhere, on all sides, in the end - and the implicit attempt to “divide people” (that do not mean any harm to each other under normal circumstances) Sky Dolly is for everyone in the flight sim community, and for everyone that wishes for peace.
Sorry for the rambling, but I just had to write it down somehow…
[1] the Discus 2c is available on flightsim.to and also discussed here in the forum - there are other free and paid gliders available for MSFS, go check them out!