We are very proud and excited to release the FlightGear 1.9.0 for Mac OS X. This release gives more fun and flexible flight to every single Mac user. It runs on both Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) and 10.5 (Leopard). FlightGear 1.9.0 for Mac OS X comes with the fancy GUI launcher that eases your flight. You can change aircraft, airport, and options as you like.

The launcher also makes it possible to fly with your wing mates. Enabling multi-player mode pops up a fancy on-line map so you can find your new wing mates. Tail-to-nose flight can be more fun with fgcom, an integrated voice chat client. It allows you to chat with your wing mate for better communications including Voice ATC. Moreover, FlightGear Mac OS X finally integrates Atlas - the navitation map that helps your flight plan. Thanks to the easy installer in the launcher, you can add new aircraft, scenery, GUI updates, Nasal scripts, and any updates for existing files in a few seconds. Please consult ReadMe enclosed in the package for further information.

You can download FlightGear 1.9.0 from Downloads page, as always.

Have a happy flight, and a happy holiday!

I've reported that FlightGear may crash on Macs with nVidia Graphic cards due to likely driver bug in hardware mipmapping in a multi-thread environment. I've already introduced a workaround for this issue on 1.9.0 but it didn't cover all the nVidia drivers.

So I decided to disable hardware mipmapping on all nvidia drivers for avoiding annoying crash report.

How to update?

First, please read "Who needs to update" below and check if you need to update the framework. If you have never encounter a crash report while running FlightGear, you don't have to install this update. If you need this patch, then follow the instructions below:

1. Download osg.framework that includes a workaround for this issue.
2. install osg.framework.tar.gz using the GUI Launcher by selecting "Advanced Features >> Others >> Install Add-on data"
   • make sure there's no errors on the "Installation Completed" dialog.
3. restart FlightGear (the GUI Launcher).

Who needs to update?

If you get a crash report that include the examples below or similar (the point is if your crash log include either gleGenMipmaps or gleGenMipmapsToLevel), please download the patched osg.framework and install it via the GUI launcher. This patch is applicable only for 1.9.0. 1.0.0 or prier versions does not need this patch.

crash log example 1

Thread 0 Crashed:
0   com.apple.GeForce3GLDriver   	0x0281e90c gldDestroyVertexArray + 53952
1   com.apple.GeForce3GLDriver   	0x0281ee90 gldDestroyVertexArray + 55364
2   com.apple.GeForce3GLDriver   	0x02826ef8 gldGetQueryInfo + 19612
3   com.apple.GeForce3GLDriver   	0x02826720 gldGetQueryInfo + 17604
4   com.apple.GeForce3GLDriver   	0x0282a4a4 gldGetTextureLevel + 7436
5   GLEngine                     	0x02b00ef8 gleGenMipmapsToLevel + 148
6   GLEngine                     	0x02a1dc88 glTexImage2D_Exec + 864
7   libGL.dylib                  	0x92f2a05c glTexImage2D + 172
8   org.OpenSceneGraph.osg       	0x012ce988 osg::Texture::applyTexImage2D_load(osg::State&, 
     unsigned, osg::Image const*, int, int, int) const + 1920
9   org.OpenSceneGraph.osg       	0x012d5164 osg::Texture2D::apply(osg::State&) const + 1440

crash log example 2

Thread 0 Crashed:
0   <<00000000>>        0xffff08a0 __memcpy + 256 (cpu_capabilities.h:228)
1   ...er.AppleIntelGMA950GLDriver      0x01f05dfb glrLoadSysTexture + 4163
2   ...er.AppleIntelGMA950GLDriver      0x01f07688 glrGenerateTexMipmaps + 3962
3   GLEngine                            0x12b3ff92 gleGenMipmaps + 134
4   GLEngine                            0x12a23881 glTexImage2D_Exec + 1071
5   libGL.dylib                         0x92b37676 glTexImage2D + 139
6   org.OpenSceneGraph.osg              0x012cb741 osg::Texture::applyTexImage2D_load(osg::State&, 
     unsigned, osg::Image const*, int, int, int) const + 2819
7   org.OpenSceneGraph.osg              0x012d28ea osg::Texture2D::apply(osg::State&) const + 2400

I've fixed some issues on the GUI launcher for 1.9.0. You can download the GUI updater from here.

This update is recommended for all FlightGear Mac OS X users. This update will fix the following issues:

• Fixed: archived aircraft couldn't be installed properly
• Fixed: some other minor bugs in installer (e.g. archived GUI-Updater was not installed properly)
• Fixed: FlightGear couldn't start if the path for FlightGear.app contains one or more white space.
• Changed: No more alias for data folder under <Home>/Documents/FlightGear/1.9.0 (since you can open data folder via the GUI launcher)

How to install

1. download the GUI updater file
2. extract the tar.gz file (Safari may do so for you. If not, you can double click the tar.gz file to do so yourself)
3. install the extracted "GUIUpdater" folder via the GUI launcher by selecting "Advanced Features >> Others >> Install Add-on data."

Note

Please make sure you extract the tar.gz file, and then install the extracted "GUIUpdater" folder via the GUI launcherThe GUI launcher will NOT be updated properly if you install the tar.gz file.

FlightGear 1.9.1 for Mac OS X has been released. This release is a bug-fix version of 1.9.0, and only binaries and the GUI launcher are updated. Therefore, the data and aircraft are the same as 1.9.0. You can download the package from Downloads page, as always. See below for further information on this update.

The bugs fixed in this releases includes:

• Black box showed up on some video card (Rarely happens on Macs)
• Possible segmentation fault while flying
• Some causes of possible NaN (Not a Number) errors while flying (that may freeze the simulator)
• Flickers on 3Dclouds (I'm not sure it this fix completely eliminates flickers but it seems OK to me).
• FlightGear crashes on some Macs with NVIDIA graphic chips
• Some other minor bugs.

The GUI launcher bug fixes and modifications are shown as follows:

• Fixed: Archived aircraft couldn't be installed properly
• Fixed: FlightGear couldn't start if the path for FlightGear.app contains one or more white space
• Fixed: Some other minor bugs in installer (e.g. archived GUI-Updater was not installed properly)
• Changed: No more alias for data folder under <Home>/Documents/FlightGear/1.9.0 (since you can open data folder via the GUI launcher)

Mac only update:

• terrasync (on-the-fly scenery downloader) internally uses subversion libraries for Tiger and Leopard users.

Have a nice flight.

Here comes the binary package for FlightGear/CVS as of 2009-05-19. The main features in this release are:

• Model View
  • enables you to see other aircraft models on Multi Player servers.
• Wildfire integration (see Environment >> Wildfire settings from the menu)
• JSBSim update as of 2009-05-10
• Ridge Wind
• Ambient color setting has been changed (it requires all aircraft to be updated)
• Lots of bug fixes, performance improvement, cleanups

This binary package also contains Mac specific updates such as:

• fixed a problem on terrasync
  • it didn't work on Mac OS 10.4 (Not tested yet, but should work...)
• Added command-line tools (fgjs, js_demo, metar, yasim. fgjs probably won't work though...)
• Fixed a problem on option interpretation, which may make FlightGear ignore given options.

You can download the latest package from here

I've released the FlightGear CVS binary package as of 2009-07-08 (r229).

The new feature on this release (for Mac OS X) is the Aircraft Preview. Thanks to fgviewer utility, it is really easy to see and tweak aircraft 3D models. You can try "Advanced Features" >> "Aircraft" >> "Preview" on the GUI launcher to preview the selected aircraft. On the preview window, you can tweak a model using keyboard and mouse. Pressing "h" key on the window will show you some brief instructions.

Other changes since the last CVS package are:

Changes for all platforms

• JSBSim updates as of 2009/06/26
• Improvement on generic network protocol
• Some minor fixes, cleanups, and refactoring

Mac specific changes

• Fixed a bug that the menu bar and Dock cover FG menu on fullscreen mode.
• Fixed (again) a problem loading terrasync on Tiger
  • it crashed by "Incompatible version of libiconv.2.dylib"; this should be tested.
• Aircraft preview using fgviewer
  • you can see and move a selected aircraft's 3D model by pressing "Preview" button on the Aircraft tab
• Xcode project updated for FG/SG as of 2009/07/08

You can download this release from here

Only for Mac OS X 10.4 users

This GUI launcher may crash. Please download the core file of the GUI launcher (named FlightGear) from here. and install it to /Applications/FlightGear.app/Contents/MacOS.

How to install:

1. Control-click the FlightGear.app icon and choose "Show Package Contents."
2. Open Contents/MacOS on Finder.
3. replace the original "FlightGear" file under the MacOS folder with the downloaded one.

Have a wonderful flight!

I've released the GUI launcher updater for 1.9.1, which is available from here.

The updater fixes the following issues:

1. FlightGear might not be invoked due to misconfiguration of FG_ROOT (data directory)
2. Some options like aircraft and airport are not properly parsed, and c172p and KSFO are used even though you specified other aircraft or airport.

Please install it from Advanced Features >> Others >> Install Add-ons from the GUI Launcher. And then restart FlightGear.app.

This updater is a temporal one (since I need to fix a few more bugs), and the official updater will be prepared when I fix all these bugs.

I've released FlightGear 1.9.1-r232, the latest package for FlightGear 1.9.1 (update for GUI Launcher and add-ons, not for simulator itself). I recommend all Mac FG users update the package.

This update contains the following bug-fixes and improvement to the GUI Launcher and add-ons:

Bug fixes from 1.9.1:

• Only mpserver02 was used regardless of a given server name
• Some options did not applied and their default values were used instead
• terrasync got dynamic link error and didn't work on Mac OS 10.4.x (Tiger)
• fgcom got dynamic link error and didn't work on Mac OS 10.4.x (Tiger); but it still doesn't work properly on some Macs due to OpenAL restriction.

Improved from 1.9.1:

• Modified: Improved installer so it can handle files under Contents (e.g. Info.plist)
• Added: FG_ROOT to fgfs.sh for avoiding NO FG_ROOT on some macs
• Added: Vinson and Foch to airport / carrier database

Enjoy your flight!

According to Ashley Hinton's report, FlightGear works on Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Now you can update Mac OS to 10.6 with no problem in terms of running FlightGear on your mac. :-)

Thanks Ashley for your report!

FlightGear/CVS snapshot package as of Sep-07-2009 has been released. The changes from the last snapshot (as of Jul-08-2009) are:

New Features

• JSBSim updates as of 2009/09/05
• Shader effects
• Generic input device support (Advanced Input subsystem) for Linux and Mac OS X
• processing the ICAO.ils.xml scenery data into ILS/LOC nav records

Improvements

• More precise matching of ILS records to navaids
• Update FGRunway to process information from threshold.xml files
• Enable EffectCullVisitor
• Supports random objects, vegetation, and static models on fgviewer
• Allow the joystick hat to move the view, even when the sim is paused
• Correct logic to determine if we really have a hit (on scenery)
• fgviewer can be invoked from fgfs using --figviewer option
• Start supporting "In-scenery" airport data (described in scenery files)
• Add Bertrand Coconnier's latest landing gear code to JSBSim
• a means of looking up scenery elevation is improved

Bug-fixes

• Division by zero problem in JSBSim, dme
• Fix the rendering of the KLN89 on the 2D panel that was broken during the move to osg
• Small fixes to generic protocol
• Fix the fgfs crash at exit (happened when deleting subsystems)
• Minor bug fix patch for terrasync
• Fix transmission of float and double values in generic protocol
• Fix the fgjs crash on Mac OS X (caused by PLIB)

Misc

• Refactoring and cleaning up the code
• Xcode project updated for FG/SG as of 2009/09/06

Mac specific changes

• terrasync finally works on Mac OS X 10.4
• fgcom starts running on Mac OS X 10.4, but it still gets error due to OpenAL(?) restriction

   (it works fine on OS X 10.5 or later)

• improvement on installer.
• Fixed the bug that mpserver cannot be changed on the GUI Launcher.

You can download it from here