I have successfully integrated the VIP3 model set with SquawkBox 3, so accurate representation of the planes in your vacinity is working.

In related news, I have uncovered a way to control lights, gear and control surfaces on remote aircraft. This means that it is now theoretically possible to accurately see the state of those things on planes. The lights will enhance the realism of night flying and the gear will prevent you from seeing a plane taxi while it hovers several feet off the ground.

I am awaiting delivery of the CSL model set plugin, which will allow more detailed testing of a heterogeneous model set plugin environment.

Of course I get constant questions about when SquawkBox 3 will be done. So I'm attempting to keep people informed as best as possible in this space on progress that I'm making. Here for your enlightenment is my current list of what remains to be done before a beta test can begin.

• Chat window auto-popup logic
  
• Separate module version into its own thread
  
• Integration of the 5x5 Voice Library
  
• Flight plan submission UI
  
• Weather
  
• Integration with the FSUIPC TCAS tables
  
• Options dialogs
  
• Sound effects for message arrival (like SB2)
  
• Complete data mapping CSL legacy codes to new aircraft codes
  
• Standardize virtual airline codes and livery codes for model set developers
  
• Search dialogs for equipment types and airlines
  
• Integration with FS2K4 (awaiting multiplayer SDK from Microsoft)
  
• Installer / Uninstaller
  

I would urge you not to try to extrapolate a release date from this list.

Now that my time commitments at work have waned significantly, development on SquawkBox 3 has accelerated and is continuing to go very well.

I have completed implementation of the network info plugins for both VATSIM and IVAO. A network info plugin is a DLL that SquawkBox 3 loads and runs so that live information on the current list of ATC servers from a given network can be presented in the connect dialog. It's hoped that this feature will stem the tide of news postings where people vainly attempt to connect to a server that no longer exists.

In addition, I have obtained the first model set plugin from the folks that make the VIP model set. A model set plugin is a collection of Flight Simulator aircraft models and textures, and a file loaded by SquawkBox that maps each model to the aircraft, airline and livery that it represents. This is allowing me to thoroughly test the multiplayer system with one of the model sets that will likely ship with SquawkBox 3.

You can download some videos taken from my SquawkBox 3 talk at the VATSIM convention here. Thanks to Kyprianos Biris for making these videos available.