Review: Hifi Tech - Active Sky 2016

With Active Sky 2016 flightsim pilots can take complete control of the weather, something real world pilots can only dream of. The utility gives FSX and P3D users control of what weather is used, whether real or user-defined, offers features like flight planning, and improves how the sky looks. This review covers the full details.

Hifi Tech - Active Sky 2016

Being a flight simmer who focuses on how the environment looks and feels as well as my aircraft, Active Sky Next has always seemed quite appealing. However, I was unsure of how it would look and perform on my system so it left me in a kind of limbo. Then, quite recently Hifi Tech announced that they were releasing a new version of the package: Active Sky 2016. Fed up of sitting on the fence, I decided to bite the bullet and quickly purchased it.

In this article, we will take a look at what the software adds to Microsoft Flight Simulator, how it looks visually within the sim, and most importantly if it is worth the $49.99 price tag.

Features

Active Sky 2016 is a weather simulating program that takes METAR data directly from weather stations and airports and inserts it into FSX. It also comes with a built-in flight planner and flight briefing page which allows the user to set up their aircraft and plan their routes based on the real-world weather reports.

There are five different scenarios the user can choose from, based on real-world events in which the weather played a part. These range from Delta Airlines Flight 191 which crashed short of Dallas/Fort Worth due to a microburst, to spatial disorientation which caused the death of John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife.

A map is also included which gives the user accurate cloud data displaying where the clouds are in relation to the weather station. This information can also be viewed within the simulator through the use of the 'XGauge' panel. This optional feature places a weather radar into each of your FSX aircraft, but you choose which aircraft this panel is installed into.

Download & Install

Via the FSPilotShop, a ZIP file and product key are supplied. The ZIP file only contains a single item - an installer, which installs the Active Sky software onto your hard drive. IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you purchase the correct version of the software (FSX, P3D) as it is not cross-compatible.

Once installed, the software will ask you to install its own software similar to SimConnect called ASConnect 2016. As this additional software is required for the installation, click accept. The base files are then installed into your simulator, in my case FSX.

Contained within the Active Sky directory, you'll find a folder called 'Documentation' which includes PDF and Word Document versions of the Active Sky API and User Guide.

The API document explains some of the code behind the simulator and how it works, whilst the User Guide goes into depth about each and every one of the program's features and explains in more detail how the program works.

Functions

When you load up the software, you are taken to the Active Sky home page which contains popular METAR data from around the world, news and updates from the developers and a list of storms and hurricanes along with their locations.

The second tab named 'Wx Control' is where the user can select what type of weather the simulator will enable. There is a choice of three different modes: Live Weather, Historical Weather (going back 2 years) and the third option, Custom Weather, which allows the user to create their own METAR data and apply it to a station.

The third tab shows an interactive world map which allows the user to zoom into different locations, toggle different pieces of information such as clouds and stations, and look at specific information regarding AI aircraft, visibility, airports and weather stations.

The fourth tab allows the user to input an airport ICAO code, which then feeds back information such as the airport's location, the local time, temperature, wind speeds, visibility and even its elevation. METAR data for each airport is also given and includes conditions (in intervals of 3000 feet) from ground level, right up to 56,000 feet.

The fifth tab is a flight planner which allows the user to import an FSX flight plan and edit it based on the current weather conditions. Active Sky then plots the route onto the Map tab and also allows the simulator to focus on more accurate information (based on where the aircraft is located).

Linked to the flight planner, the sixth tab is a flight briefing, which splits up the flight plan based on waypoints and VORs. It also calculates the amount of time it will take the user to fly between each one, based on certain variables. These include type of aircraft, the speed of the aircraft, wind speed and the weather conditions found on each waypoint. Other general information about the flight is also displayed.

The seventh tab is a scenario list which includes a selection of scenarios (from real world events) for the user to choose from. At the time of this review, there are five different scenarios to choose from, with more hopefully coming in the future.
A final tab is a search option which allows the user to look for locations based on METAR data and certain tags. An example of which are: precipitation, visibility, wind speeds, cloud ceiling and thunderstorms.

Testing

Prior to installing Active Sky 2016, I think it's safe to say, that I've never seen the sky look so impressive! Even though the clouds don't move as with OpenClouds, flying through them really is something special.

When flying inside a cloud, and when viewing from within the VC, Active Sky 2016 triggers a 'Motion Effect' which causes a smoke effect to appear in front of the cockpit windows. This works well at convincing the user that they are entering a cloud. Also, when looking from the external or passenger wing views, the tips of the wings disappear through a 'wing fade' effect. If for some reason you do not want this effect to happen however, you can disable it in the settings menu.
(Changing the time so as to make it more visible, shows you how it works. It's simple yet very effective!)

Another feature I like is the XGauge panel which the software allows you to install into your aircraft. This panel gives the user a tremendous amount of information and includes airport info, clouds, visibility in certain locations, weather stations, air traffic, navigation aids, wind shear and much more. Initially, the panel is really small when first opened (Shift + N or via the toolbar menu) but you can resize it and toggle each option on or off.
There is also a little option in the menu which, if you select it, gives you a small GUI made in the default FSX style and tells you about the weather in your present location and also your departure and destination airports. It's a nice little extra and is also very helpful.

One thing we do lose however (which Active Sky Next included) are the sounds from turbulence and wind hitting the cockpit canopy. From a personal point of view, it would be nice if these features were added in future updates as they create an additional depth to the weather effects.

Editing my own custom weather within Active Sky 2016 was slightly tricky and took me a few tries to successfully get it working. The reason being, you do not go (as I thought) to the Wx Control tab and select 'Switch to custom weather'. What you are actually meant to do is to go to the map, right-click and select 'Add new custom weather here'. This then allows you to either type in your own METAR data or go through the step-by-step configuration. When saved, you then go back to Wx Control where you can select it from the now populated list.

Mixing and Matching

One thing that Active Sky 2016 really excels at is the sheer amount of customisation it allows for within the simulator. Being primarily an external program, the clouds you have installed within FSX, or P3D for that matter, make little difference to how the program operates. Knowing that, Hifi Tech has released their own Sky Art package which changes what the sky and clouds look like within the simulator. This works with and without Active Sky 2016 being activated.

If you're not a fan of their own cloud textures however, you can use any other 3rd party cloud add-on. This includes payware and freeware and best of all, they're all compatible! I personally use REX Soft Clouds within my simulator because as well as looking good, they're also volumetric, which really adds to the complexity of the skies within FSX. It's also probably the most commonly mixed package when it comes to using the Active Sky series.

Within the software as well, there are plenty of customisation options available. There are two preset configurations - realistic and easy - plus over 50 different options, meaning you can adjust what the software does and how it looks to your own liking. You can also export and import other user settings by downloading .CFG files online.

Opinion And Closing Remarks

As a whole, I am very impressed with the outcome of Active Sky 2016. It's built upon the very successful Active Sky Next and succeeds it in almost every way possible! The sky looks great and there is no noticeable drop in FPS. Also, by using real-world METAR data and other sources of weather information, the package comes extremely close to perfecting how the weather outside should look within a simulator. Customising your own weather settings is also fairly easy to follow.

At the time of writing this review, Active Sky 2016 cost $49.99 which means that the package does fall into the pricier end of the scale. However, in my opinion, what you get in terms of features, more than makes up for the cost. If this is above your price bracket though, you could take a look at the previous version of the software, Active Sky Next. Although older, it does include many of the features of Active Sky 2016, albeit minus a few customisation options and scenarios.

If you already own an older version of the software such as Active Sky Essentials 2012 or Next, the upgrade to the latest release probably won't make that much of a difference to you.

If on the other hand, you're new to Hifi Tech and their weather software, definitely take a look at Active Sky 2016 as you'll definitely be impressed with what it offers.

Left:

ActiveSky 2016 weather. Clouds are softer, linked with one another and follow realistic patterns that match real-life. High level clouds are also added.

Right:

FSX default 'Real World' weather. Clouds are harder, patches left in the distance with no clouds and the horizon of the earth is also visible -- unrealistic.