Flying on the A319 may not seem to be anything out of the ordinary if you are taking a 2 or 3 hour flight to your favorite holiday destination. However, flying on an A319 on a cross Atlantic flight from Toronto to London will definitely raise a few eyebrows for the average enthusiast.

Our round trip flight today takes us from Toronto to London via a short stop over at St.John’s. We start off with a very extensive briefing by our two captains, one of which is being checked out for ETOPS flights. During the briefing presentation you will learn a wide range of information related to ETOPS procedures as well as reason why the A319 was selected for this flight.

After the briefing is complete, the Check Captain (Brian Bartlett) does an external walk around of the A319 prior to departure. During this time Capt. Mike Rhados, who is being checked out for ETOPS qualifications is busy in the cockpit setting up the aircraft for our flight. The external walk around was very interesting and it always insightful to know what exactly pilots do and look for when they perform this essential part of their flight preparation.

When this important task is completed, we join the crew in the cockpit as they make their final preparations. The departure out of Toronto was uneventful yet very scenic. The views from the cockpit include not only the airport but the entire city of Toronto.


During the cruise, our pilots give various presentations as it relates flying procedures and approach briefings. Our Check Captain also provides viewers with information as it relates to his role in the company and the requirements for being an ETOPS qualified pilot. The approach into St.John’s was a definite highlight of this flight. Apart from the discussions on various procedures during the approach, you will surely be captivated by the landing in heavy rain and fog at St.John’s.

After a short turn around, our crew once again makes preparations for our flight to London. These preparations include reviewing the flight plan, extensive cockpit checks and obtaining clearance from ATC. After departing St.John’s we now begin the most exciting portion of our trip.

The flight from St.John’s to London is packed with highlights. For example, during the cruise portion of the flight, the pilots discuss more about ETOPS flying procedures and how alternates are selected. Breaking away from the aviation aspect of things you will also be blown away by the spectacular views from the cockpit while over the Atlantic. The approach and landing into London Heathrow was uneventful but interesting due to the various camera views available to the viewers.


The return trip from London to St.John’s and onward to Toronto also featured many interesting highlights. During our Atlantic crossing, the crew discusses more about ETOPS procedures and the A319 ETOPS procedures booklet prepared for Air Canada pilots.

During this segment of our flight you will also see a presentation on the cabin service which showcased the service provided to passengers onboard our flight. The final segment from St.John’s to Toronto featured Capt. Mike Rhados being signed off and approved for ETOPS flights by Captain Bartlett.

Publisher: Just Planes Format: DVD Reviewed By: Marlon Carter

While this DVD will be a sure hit for Airbus enthusiast, I think that everyone with a taste for aviation will enjoy this program to the full. The insightful discussions and scenic views from the cockpit and cabin makes this an entertaining experience not to be missed! - Recommended

Additional Information

What I Liked About the DVD

• Great scenery
• Creative editing and camera views
• Features very unique destinations and aircrafts
• HD and widescreen format
• Fantastic Airline and Flight Crew.
• The price of $30.00 is fair

What I Disliked About the DVD

• Nothing….

For the very first time, Ethiopian Airlines has opened its doors to Just Planes in order to create a series of DVDs aimed at aviation enthusiast around the world. The first release features the B737 and the Dash 8 Q400 on various flights within the African Continent.

Let’s have a look at some of the highlights of this DVD.

Highlights

After a very majestic introduction that featured various aircraft from the Ethiopian fleet, we start off with a very insightful presentation by the company’s CEO. In this presentation you will learn about the history and future goals of this intriguing airline. One of these goals is for Ethiopian Airlines to be a four star airline with five star service delivery.

The company also plans on expanding its fleet and its destinations in the near future in order to be a global airline. Many of you would find this segment very interesting and it was a fitting start to this program.

Our first flight from Addis to Lubumbashi starts off with a preflight by the Captain which is followed by a thorough walk around of the 737-800. During the flights that follow, viewers are given the opportunity to not only see the procedures involved in flying the 737-800, but you will also learn a great deal about the aircraft itself.

For example, during the cruise portion of the flight from Lubumbashi to Lilongwe, the Captain gives a very interesting presentation on how the Autopilot is used for various phases of flight. Other interesting segments include the cabin service presentation that highlights not only the food but also the beautiful sky interior of the B737.


The next segment of this DVD features a roundtrip flight from Addis to Mombasa and Kilimanjaro. The destinations featured in this segment are all very intriguing and new to Just Planes. However, what made these flights even more interesting is the fact that it features the checkout flight for a new captain!

While for obvious reasons this flight did not feature many presentations, it was very insightful into the operations of the 737 and it also provided a fine testimony to the high standard of training received by all Ethiopian Airline pilots. Other highlights worth mentioning are the beautiful views from the cockpit during cruise and landing.

Another highlight that many of you will enjoy is the final landing at Addis where the runway lights go out forcing our flight to do a go around.


The final segment of this DVD features the Dash 8 Q400 to Gondar, Lalibela and Axum from Addis. These flights were a fitting end to a fantastic program. It features an external walk around of the Q400, approach briefings and stunning scenic views from the cockpit. For those of you who are particularly interested in this aircraft, you will surely be pleased with this presentation.

After looking at this DVD it is difficult not to be impressed with Ethiopian Airlines and Ethiopia itself from a scenic point of view. This being the first DVD presentation from Ethiopian Airlines, I can definitely say that Just Planes and Ethiopian Airlines are off to a fine start!

I am eagerly looking forward to the 777 and 787 DVDs that are soon to follow! A must have DVD for 737 fans.

Additional Information

Summary / Closing Remarks

Publisher: Just Planes Format: DVD Reviewed By: Marlon Carter

I am always impressed with the new formats of Just Planes DVDs and this one is no exception. This DVD also comes in Blu-Ray format and at a price of $30.00 it is well worth it.

Ethiopian Airlines seems to be a rising star among airlines and I am certain we will see and hear many good things about this airline in the future. The presentation was superb and very entertaining.

What I Like About the DVD

• Great scenery
• Creative editing and camera views
• Features very unique destinations and aircrafts
• HD and widescreen format
• Fantastic Airline and Flight Crew

What I Dislike About the DVD

• Nothing….

REX Game Studios (once known as Real Environment Simulations) thundered into the marketplace in 2008 with their first product, the critically acclaimed Real Environment Xtreme…or REX. That software earned the prestigious Avsim Gold Star Award among others and was the talk of the various flight simulator forums. If you are new to flight simulation or perhaps have been in Afghanistan the past few years you may not be aware of this company or what this software does in FSX (or P3D and FS9).

At its heart, REX is a weather creation generator and also allows you to change environmental textures within the simulator. This may not sound like much (and perhaps I am making it sound simple) but programs like REX can drastically change the way that you immerse yourself and enjoy FSX.

Outside of your aircraft, almost everything you see and hear can be changed by this program. That’s a tall order and we’ll put the program through its paces to see if it can deliver everything that’s promised.

Now THAT’S turquoise waters

Antarctic waters and sky

Coming in for a landing

Flying over Brazil

Very impressed with the water details

I want to point out though, that I have never owned another weather program and that the community that does is very passionate and knowledgeable. In preparing for this review I have read through the Avsim forum topics and tried to educate myself in the things that are important to you as the user, but I will be coming at this program as a weather neophyte.

I know what looks good and performs well. I’ll do my best at reporting what is “accurate”. Obviously, this review will not be a comparison of weather/texture options currently available on the market. If there are any comparisons to be made, it will be to the default FSX program.

Besides, there’s a topic in the Avsim forums with a couple of hundred replies doing those comparisons…and you guys will do a much better job than me!

Installation and Documentation

I was actually given access to the program prior to general release so how I installed the application is different from the regular end user. I understand too, that depending on which program you had previously, affects what you download from the REX site. Given all of that, it was still extremely easy to install and only took a few minutes.

I was expecting to have to make several choices as you sometimes have to do in an install but, no; the installer took care of everything. There is a note in the Read Me not to install to the FSX folder but it appears to default to the root of your C drive. I just accepted that default and let it go.

Manual cover page

Visibility configuration in the manual

Wind configuration instructions in the manual

Let’s talk about the manual. First, the manual is very slick and comes in at a hefty 70 pages. This isn’t 70 pages of fluff, either. This software can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make it and the manual covers every facet of the program. I think it’s laid out very well but even so. I had to review it a few times before I learned my way around.

When I review a new piece of software I’ll always read the manual first and I rarely go back. In this case, after my first review, I dived into the application and often came back to the manual.

You could and should spend a lot of time with the manual and experimenting with the myriad options available.

General Configuration Manager

It takes about a minute on my system for the general configuration manager to open. The vast majority of that time is devoted to the weather download process where all of the information is taken from TAF and PIREPS reports, winds and temperature aloft, and Vatsim metar data. I only know this because you can see the messages at the bottom of the screen.

This is the “heart” of everything that is your REX Essential + program…where you have options upon options to choose from to configure your weather and textures.

The “Main” menu that shows upon opening the program

You can make changes to all of these textures

A look at some of the available texture themes

You can make choices like this for many different types of textures. This is for Sky

When you first open up the program you come to a simple Quick Start screen where you can choose to start flying, select your textures and themes, or follow/create a flight plan. This is “Main” at the top toolbar. You also have a bunch of choices at the top of the menu: Textures, Flight Center, Weather, Fly Now!, Options, Configuration Manager, Help, and About Rex.

We won’t go into all of these options; suffice to say that most of the menus work the same. I don’t want this to read like the manual but I want to give you an idea how the application works.

Selecting the TEXTURES button brings us to the texture configurer (my own word) and allows us to choose an almost innumerable variety of texture options. You can choose textures for the sky, clouds, inland, ocean, and tropical waters. You can also change how your waves look, runway and taxiways, airport environment, sun/lighting, and preview sounds. If all of that is too much for you, you can pick one of the premade themes or allow the program to randomize these options. It’s almost too much information for my old brain to process and I know as a user I am probably going to use the themes more times than not.

There are some buttons at the bottom that allow you to download new material for REX; product from the vendor or even those themes that have been created by users. When you create a special theme that you want to use again or share with others you can do that via the save and share buttons. That’s pretty cool.

Selecting and installing a theme is a snap but it does take a few minutes to load the new textures into FSX. At the end of the loading, REX will ask you if you’re ready to fly and will launch FSX.

Selecting Flight Center and you are asked to choose the type of weather you want

Weather Engine(s)

Perhaps the biggest change to this upgrade is the addition of the new Weather Engine Plus. This new method of weather generation utilizes weather themes that can inject real-time, archived, or custom weather into the simulator. Also included is the much-talked about winds and temperatures aloft.

This feature seems to be the cat’s meow when it comes to the “weather generating community” so its inclusion will certainly be welcome. I have to be honest, though, I really don’t do the kind of flying where I think this is a serious issue for me.

Weather Plus offers the ability to use synoptic and micro weather stations which should smooth out weather on trans-oceanic flights given that there are few weather-reporting stations in the middle of the ocean. I didn’t do any of these flights so these really didn’t affect me but it will be interesting to see if this helps long-haul flyers.

Yes, it’s raining in Indianapolis when I took this picture

Same time as the previous picture. You can see the sun trying to peak out

Landing at KIND with this rain. Included is the REX weather map

Waiting for takeoff at KSFO

Climb out from San Francisco

Both engines were very smooth and I did not experience any loading or popping as I flew around. My first flight was low and slow in a trusty C-172 from Austin to Houston. The flight was silky smooth and the weather representative of what I see outside my house window. I could see REX injecting weather but there was no noticeable effect to my flight.

My second flight was longer and took place in the default Boeing 737-800. I flew the 737 from beautiful Las Vegas into sunny Los Angeles and enjoyed much the same type of flight. I mean, it was faster and higher than my general aviation jaunt, but again…silky smooth with no hiccups and beautiful skies flowing by me. I did each of these flights with both weather engines and was singularly impressed with weather depiction and textures.

Being able to go back in time and fly in archived weather was also a blast. As you can see from my screenshots (and mentioned below) I took the liberty of flying around in Hurricane Sandy in and around NYC.

Important to me is that the weather be representative of the real time weather. I’m not as picky in my old age about things being exact. Is it raining in Indianapolis? Well, I expect it to be raining in my simulator. You’re telling me you can do historical weather? Okay, was there a hurricane in New York in October? Is the weather representative of a hurricane in my sim? Yes! Brilliant!

Textures

In simple terms, there are two types of textures that you’ll interact with and notice the most: water and sky. As most of you know, these can be broken down into even smaller groups. Also included in the software are upgrades to airport markings, wave animations, sounds…again, a myriad of options. We’ll concentrate on the first two major groups so as not to make this review 100 pages.

I’d read quite a bit about REX textures and how they’re really in a class by themselves in terms of quality and realism. Many who use other weather engines still use REX textures. Much to my delight, the cloud and sky textures are absolutely fantastic and when compared to the default textures…stunning in their presentation. I’ve had the privilege to fly in the real world and these textures harkened back to those instances. I’ve taken several screenshots in the table below to highlight the combinations of cloud and sky you can choose and you can see for yourself how much more immersive FSX can be with these textures.

Be warned though, that you can spend LOTS of time tinkering with the various themes and combinations included in the application to say nothing of the download center. Still, part of the excitement for me in this review was just letting REX decide which textures to use and being surprised by the combination.

Dusk, dawn…I can’t remember

Some cloud textures seem to disappear below the aircraft

Over Alaska with a few clouds

Clouds in the Dominican Republic

A lot of body to these textures

Cloud cover over NYC on 10/29/12. These gaps seem out of place for a hurricane

Remarkable, thick cloud textures with JFK Metar data

Landing under hurricane conditions. Why not?

Now this looks very real!

Blue skies and fluffy clouds. These textures really look good

More great shots of the wild blue…well, you know

Waters off the coast of Venezuela

Very realistic looking when combined with the sunlight

Coming out of some spotty weather

Outside of Hawaii

I can only imagine what it’s like to fly low and slow over the water but if it’s anything like these textures then I am missing out.

Performance

When reviewing software of this magnitude I am always prepared for the “worst” when it comes to performance. To my delight, nothing glaring came to light in my review. In the beginning of the review I used mostly 1024X1024 cloud textures which is probably most appropriate for my machine, but when I switched to the HD textures…wow! What a difference and I still saw no appreciable hit to performance. My FPS remained high and the flights were silky smooth.

I never had any issues with the program “timing out” or being slow. The application opened and shut down tidily. Once I was into my simming experience I hardly noticed that REX was running. That is exactly as it should be.

Other Thoughts

I spent a great deal of time with this program and I am only scratching the surface. I think that this program offers something for everyone. If you’re hard core into weather (and I know many of you are) then you can experiment and play around until your heart is content. However you like it, I believe that REX can give it to you.

If you’re someone like me who just enjoys “realistic-to me” weather and have a smaller interest in all of the bells and whistles, then REX works fantastic right out of the box. The textures are just fantastic and I believe that the screenshots speak for themselves. On their own, I believe they are worth the price of the program. The sky and water seem so real!

I know there is a lot of debate about the different weather engines out there but there is wide consensus that REX textures are second to none.

Foggy landing at KLAX

A wet runway texture

The sunny skies over Las Vegas

I have also been impressed with the level of support and commitment from the vendor. The REX forums are active and resources have made themselves available on the Avsim forums, too. The company seems committed to not only putting out a quality product but building upon its successes instead of resting on their laurels.

There are so many facets of the program that I haven’t even touched upon. New realistic thunder that sounds like the banging of komodo drums.

Closing Remarks

Test System • i5-2500K 3.3GHz OC to 4.0 • 8 GB DDR 1600 RAM • Windows 7 64-bit HP • Dual GTX 460 video cards • FSX SP1 + SP2 (Gold) Test Time: 39 hours Publisher: REX Game Studios Platform: FSX Format: Download (4.35GB) Reviewed By: Daniel Martinez

I have been flight simming for a great many years now and my interest has come and gone during that time. This past year saw me in one of those lull periods where my enthusiasm has been low. REX+ has reenergized my love for the sim. There is freshness and realism that the program brings that has allowed me to not only enjoy FSX but many of my previous add-ons, too. REX Game Studios has brought it and again earned the coveted Avsim Gold Star Award.

What I Like About REX Essential +

• Breathtakingly realistic textures
• Outstanding performance
• Seamless weather injecting

What I Don't Like About REX Essential +

• Long loading times to start the game (opening REX, REX opens FSX, etc)

QuickPlan for iPad is a visual touch enabled flight planner that makes it easy to generate flight plans in native FSX, FS2004 or X-Plane formats. QuickPlan for Windows is a visual point and click flight planner that makes it easy to generate flight plans in native FSX, FS2004 or X-Plane formats.

So obviously the only difference between the two is touch vs. click. Wrong, really wrong. I want to convey to you how quick and easy it is to make a flight plan using QuickPlan using either method or maybe both but also to show you the differences between the two as well as several other really neat features.

This is one of those simple but well-designed programs that almost everyone will say ‘Why didn’t we have something like this years ago’, or ‘What took so long for someone to bring this to market?’

‘Visual’ is the operative word throughout this review, and of course quick and easy. As a matter of fact, building a flight plan could not possibly be any easier than what I’m about to show you.

What’s a Widget, you ask.

Noun: 1 A small gadget or mechanical device. 2 An application, or component of an interface that enables a user to perform a function or access a service. I like the number 2 definition better, and add FS in front for Flight Simulator and you have FSWidgets.

This is the brain child one of those long time developer teams located down under, meaning Australia. Before we had FSWidgets, we had a roomful of Utilities from none other than TweakFS. These are some of the most innovative and useful utilities for FSX that you can imagine - those little things that just make life so much easier when messing around with FSX but not actually flying. (See About FSWidgets at the end of the review)

Ahead of our Time

One of the advantages of doing business on the internet and working in Australia is that they are always a day ahead of us flight simmers living in the US. It is easy for FSWidgets to come up with all these nifty programs because they are always working in the future. Simple. If you want to know what will be happening tomorrow, email one of your flight sim friends in Australia, it is tomorrow there already.

Tell me more . .

When you finally think that all the really neat stuff is behind us, along comes a few of these knock your socks off kinds of programs. Simple, straight forward, only does a couple of things, but does them the way you would like to do them.

Many of us flight simmers have no idea where our next flight will originate, where we will land or what we will see along the way. What we need is a nice big map or let’s say maps staring us in the face and asking the question: See anything interesting? Where would you like to explore this beautiful world today?

After panning around a bit and finding a likely place to start a flight, one click in the upper left will get you started building a flight plan. This is very visual, so you will be looking at your route and waypoints as you are building the flight plan.

One of the first neat features is a freeform mode and an advanced mode. You can use either or a combination of both. Remember, only a touch or tap on the map adds a departure airport or place (more about this later), another tap for or two for waypoints and a touch or tap for the destination airport or place. For the windows folks, just think of click instead of touch or tap.

During plan creation you also have the opportunity to add or remove any of the intermediate waypoints right up to the minute you save the plan in your preferred format.
The second neat feature is that you do not need any nav aids, airports, or any identified location to build a flight plan in the Freeform mode - nary a one. This is intended mostly for all us low and slow, seat of the pants guys and gals and all those backcountry flyers with those big ole oversized tires or floats, but can be used by anyone at any time.

Simply tap anywhere on the map and QuickPlan will allow you to add that place as a generic waypoint. VFR pilots often use towns, lakes, bends in a river and other unique geographic features and with QuickPlan you can add any spot on the base map. Plans created this way label the waypoints automatically with generic names (e.g. DEP, WP1, WP2, ARR). This is the freeform mode.

Let me explain the difference between an airport and a ‘place’. Let’s say you want to start you flight from your back yard or a river or lake, the freeform mode would simply assign the precise coordinates and name it DEP for departure. Same goes for your arrival. It does not have to be an airport or some designated landing area, it just needs to be a ‘place’, and QuickPlan will record the coordinates and name it your ARR for arrival.


Flight plans are saved to the app Documents folder and can be exported using the iTunes File Sharing feature. For a more convenient file export solution you can use the built-in Dropbox support to easily transfer flight plans to your Mac or PC.

Dropbox is free at this time with an initial free 2GB of personal storage. Dropbox is expanding and offering free additional storage space for simple things like sharing photos to add another 1GB of storage.

Should you own the FSWidgets Cloud Based World Nav Data you can create more advanced flight plans by tapping on any of the icons displayed on the map to add them as waypoints - airports, VOR's, NDB's and intersections. Plans created this way label the waypoints automatically with airport and navigational aid identifiers taken from the Nav Data (e.g. KSFO, OSI, LV, FABLA). No typing required in either iPad or Windows. This is the Advanced Mode, and yes, you can mix up the plan with some unmarked checkpoints. You can have a little Advanced and a little Freeform in the same flight plan.

Will it work this easy on my PC?

FSWidgets would like for all customers to download a full working demo of their products. These demos either have an active time limit or a geographical limit for the maps and such. The idea is that you will know how the program will perform for you on your system, what it really looks like, what it feels like, and not rely on guess work.

The QuickPlan demo includes the greater San Francisco Bay Area with all the bells and whistles.


The bells and whistles in this case is the use of the World Nav Data for the bay area. This is exactly the same data as the full version, just restricted to the demo area. You can build and save flight plans and get the feel for the simplicity and speed on your PC with no time limit.

The full add on product for the World Nav Data (cloud based) is $9.95. This is one of those items that can be used with almost all the FSWidget map applications. Full world coverage, 33,000 airports/seaports, 6,900 heliports, 3,600 VOR, 7,200 NDB, and 112,000 intersections. You use these to overlay whichever map you choose to use.

You click or touch to reveal detailed data, like name, ID, frequencies, runways, etc. anywhere, anyplace, anytime. This is a seamless addition and is loaded on-the-fly as you need it. You control how much or how little you want to see with a touch or click.

The base map is powered by CloudMade Leaflet API (using OpenStreetMap data), a Google look-a-like world map.

Whoa. What is this Cloud Based stuff

‘Cloud Based’ is a new buzz phrase we haven't heard much about in the flight simulator world, but I was surprised how popular it is, especially with the smart phones and IOS community.


I was introduced to ‘the cloud’ just last week when I did the Avsim review of SimPlates X Ultra. This is 80,000 approach chart pages available for flight simmers. Their server based data exceeds 100 GB. How would you like to download and maintain that file?

The principle is simple. All the charts and nav data is housed on a central server. The FSWidgets data is located in a new high speed server complex in Irvine, CA just down the road from John Wayne airport in Orange County.

In simple terms it means you purchase access to a data server. The primary benefit is the user does not have to download, install, geo-reference or configure any of the chart files like in the old days.

With Cloud Based data, the user has access to all that data without the overheads. The map is smart and only loads what is needed to cover the viewable display. All the data you see on the map is being delivered "over the air" to your device or PC, nothing much is on the hard drive (aside from perhaps a few small cached files).


Not only is it simpler for the user but, for example, in the case of the "US Sectionals" data it avoids the need to download and install 3.68GB of chart images. If you have the full set you could be up over 20GB.

With these web-based mapping systems you purchase the Cloud Based products, enter your email and keycode and the system recognizes them and adds the products to the app menu. Should you buy more charts the system automatically recognizes your Cloud credentials and adds the newly purchased data. Smart, smart.

So what does it look like?

The iPad edition and the Windows edition are very similar with only the touch controls looking a little different. Because the free downloadable demo has the San Francisco Bay area included in both editions, we will look at that area first. Both screens load with the Google clone map.

Google clone map

QuickPlan for iPad start screen

The small green airport boxes are from the OpenStreetMap data and are visible in the zoomed view throughout the world. This base map covers the earth and is easily zoomed or panned.


I have mine set to use the mouse scroll wheel for zooming and sometimes I get a little zealous.

It is probably smarter to use the zoom keys until you get a feel for the redraw time.

Without the optional World Navdata pack this is mostly used for getting familiar with the detailed world map. With the addition of nav data it becomes a very useful flight planning product.


Using the dropdown box for Navaids, we can now click on Airports, seaports, heliports; the VOR and NDB beacons; and if you need them, lots of intersections and fixes. This is where QuickPlan starts to shine.

Intersections everywhere

Weather is included.

For you simmers that like real time weather, this is for you. World-wide Metar and TAF Data icons are added with a touch or click. When you touch or click the WX Station icon the current Metar and TAF along with date and time is visible.


One touch or click on the US Nexrad (Next-Gen Radar) Data icon and the map is populated with the current weather in color no less.

The weather presentation is a little boxy when zoomed in, but effective. This is the real weather for that location at that time.


Building a flight plan for FSX
.


Both editions have the free Cuba/Puerto Rico WAC Cloud Based Chart included. A real time saver is the ‘Search for Airport’ worldwide by ICAO identifier with a go-to feature.

Flight plan waypoint icons can also be clicked on to display the waypoint ident, lat/long, heading and distance information.


If you own any FSWidgets Cloud Based Aero charts, enter your details in the Registration panel (see Preferences icon, then Registration button) and your products will be automatically loaded into the list.

The chart data is displayed as an overlay on top of the base map and you can toggle the data on/off as desired, or if you fly outside of the coverage area you can simply continue flying with the base map. Being Cloud Based means there are no big files to download, the data is stored on servers and delivered as requested by the map and your selected Navaid Data options.

To add an airport to the flight plan simply touch or click on that option at the bottom of the popup (only visible when the QuickPlan mode is active while creating a new flight plan).


The airport info window can contain a lot of information, especially at large airports with many runways and the data is split into sections (Runways, ILS/Localizer and Frequencies). Click on the green down arrow or anywhere along the line (e.g. Runways) to expand or fold that section.

The Zoom Out and Zoom In buttons are fairly self-explanatory, but you can also zoom using your mouse scroll wheel, and zoom into an area by pressing Shift and dragging on the map (see Preferences section below).


The Resulting Flight Plan file

The auto generated flight plan file can be FSX, FS9 or X-Plane. You simply choose when you point or touch the Save icon at the upper left of the window or screen. Prior to saving you can revise the plan by simply clicking or touching a waypoint and then selecting to delete it or not. A click or touch will pop up the information box if you just want to know more details.

Almost everyone is aware that Reality XP GNS units will not import or read default file plan files. This does not preclude you from grabbing a screenshot or printing out the relevant waypoints and adding them to your favorite flight plans folder for manual input to your Reality XP units at some later date or on the fly.

Using Freeform to Navigate through Mountain Passes

Here’s an example of a building a flight plan using the combination of Freeform and Advanced to climb and follow a mountain or valley when taking off from a high elevation airport North of Lake Tahoe. Just a simple touch or click to zig and zag to avoid plowing into the rocks on those early morning flights.


The World and the Moving Maps

The Base Map with the 12 variations is a welcomed feature. This is the entire round world on a flat screen that is fully zoom-able and easily pan-able. Both QuickPlan packages include the free Cuba/Puerto Rico WAC chart pack. There is nothing quite like sitting down and exploring a new country or the back country or just sightseeing at random. A click or touch or two will add the navaids for anyplace you happen to be, provided you did purchase the almost necessary Navdata, and a few clicks or touches later you will have a saved flight plan ready for your next flight.

Of course you can stay in the Bay Area for some time and explore that beautiful area and use the demo without a time limit.


Screenshots using QuickPlan with some optional U.S. map packs.

U.S. Terminal Chart 1:250,000 scale 3.43 NM/inch (30 total)

U.S. Sectional Chart 1:500,000 scale 6.86 NM/inch (54 total)

U.S. WAC Chart 1:1,000,000 scale 13.7 NM/inch (21 total)

U.S. Low Enroute IFR Chart scale varies (5 -7 NM/inch typical) - also covers Caribbean islands (8 – 19 NM/inch typical)

How about some scenery for the area?

If you are up to it, you can download some of the best scenery available for this area and it is totally free. If you like it as much as I do, you can make a PayPal donation to the Blue Sky team in any amount you like. The entire demo area is available as enhanced photo-real scenery with upgraded airports and some 3D scenery at http://www.blueskyscenery.com/CA.html

These are generally very large zipped files but the resulting FSX scenery is worth the effort and it’s totally free. Three blocks should cover the demo area quite well and get you started. Most of California is available but be aware that this will take a big chunk of your hard drive storage space. You could just wait for the MegaSceneryEarth v2.0 scenery expected sometime this year.


What about us Mac OS users and Android Tablet users?

Both groups are well represented at the FSWidgets site. I even suspect the original programing was done on the Mac.

I don’t have a Mac or Android so I can’t tell you any more than what I read at the website, but it appears to be identical to the Windows version. I did pick up this tidbit in the requirements section: a Mac desktop or laptop running Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or later is required along with all the requirements listed in the windows box below.


A cursory review of the information posted for the QuickPlan for Android and the GMapHD for Android reveals an almost exact list of features as the iPad. One thing that may be of interest is a statement that the optional GMapHD for Android pack requires a minimum Android OS of 2.2 (Froyo). This may leave out some of the earlier tablets. Download the free demo to make sure it runs on your tablet.


Conclusions

Publisher: FSWidgets Platform: FSX Reviewed By: Ray Marshall

This is the best flight plan building software that I have seen. It is totally visual. You see, you touch or click and you can build a flightplan for FSX, FS9 or X-Plane with ease. There may be other flight planning software out there with more bells and whistles but nothing even close to the ease of use, simplicity, and speed of implementing a solution.
Quickplan includes a map of the world that is fully zoom-able, and easily pan-able with 12 color and style variations. Both QuickPlan for iPad and Quickplan for Windows include the free Cuba/Puerto Rico WAC chart pack.

With the optional World NavData add-on this package can be all you ever need for basic flight planning.

You can do ‘what ifs’, updates, or changes right up to the minute that you press the ‘Save File’ icon. The flight plans can be read directly into the default Flight Planner so you ready to fly when you start up your flight simulator.

Recommendation

Once you have seen enough of the San Francisco Bay Area in the free demo, you can purchase the unlock code and have the world as your playground. Purchase QuikPlan for iPad or QuickPlan for Windows with the NavData World companion pack that works with all the FSWidgets map programs and you can then use the advanced features of QuickPlan.

Choosing to start with the Windows edition and the optional U.S. Sectional Charts pack would be an outstanding addition to any desktop simulator. See them all here (http://fswidgets.com...ex.php?cPath=22)

The best value seems to be the QuickPlan for iPad with the optional iGMapHD package that includes the NavData World pack and all the optional map packages that I mentioned in the review. This gives you the whole enchilada. The full list off all that is included would run off the page. Check it out here. (http://fswidgets.com...?products_id=63)

Then What?

While using the demo or a recently purchased QuickPlan you will see the ease of using moving maps and how they support your flight simulator desktop. The next step is to expand either your IOS iPad or Windows environment with more detailed flight maps. The United States has the most detailed and most affordable real world flight maps that can be used with our flight simulators. Other counties around the world have flight maps but they are just not nearly as detailed and up-to-date.

Choosing to fly in U.S. airspace you will have available the entire sectional chart series, the terminal chart series, the WAC series, low enroute IFR, and high enroute IFR series for the lower 48 states. Alaska has its own Sectional and WAC coverage. Either QuickPlan package includes the free Cuba/Puerto Rico WAC map pack. These are all Cloud Based so practically any PC will display them with ease. They are seamless, colorful and readily available with free GMap viewers.

Displaying your QuickPlan flight plans on a 2^nd widescreen monitor with the free Gmap browser edition or on your iPad with the optional moving maps that show your flight position and progress is a major step forward.

Other parts of the world have the ONC or Aero Charts. There are specific packages for Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South America.
The IOS iPad has a dedicated award winning new Cloud Based map package for the flight simulators. iGMapHD actually includes all of these optional map packages along with the worldwide Nav Data in a new updated version 3.0 for one low price. This is the most feature packed add-on you can find. Should you add an iPad to your flight simulator environment you can truly have the world at your fingertips. This has to be the most outstanding value available. Check it out here. (http://fswidgets.com...&products_id=52)

FSWidgets also has an EFB (electronic Flight Bag) for iPad, for X-Plane and for FSX. This virtually does away with the need for paper charts and other physical copies of documents such as aircraft operating manuals, performance data, approach charts and checklists. It is designed to minimize a pilot's workload and head-down time, delivering a virtually paperless cockpit environment. This is the subject of a future Avsim review. All the optional map packages can be used with the EFBs.

QuickPlan for iPad images

The features for QuickPlan taken from the website link.


About FSWidgets (taken from online blog)

FSWidgets is a software development team based in Australia, specializing in add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator and Laminar Research X-Plane. Both of its founding members have extensive experience in creating award-winning add-ons for Flight Simulator and have been active in the flight simulation community for well over a decade.

FSWidgets is a two-man team - John Hnidec and Fermin Fernandez. They operate from separate offices, 1,000 miles apart – Fermin in Melbourne and John in Brisbane.

The website title states "Innovative Gadgets for Flight Simulator and X-Plane" so their focus is on creating new, perhaps never-before seen technologies as applied to desktop flight simulation - or at least a new take on an existing idea. Their 15 or so years of experience in the industry have created a very large body of work and they share two AVSIM Bravo Zulu awards between them (2002 and 2011).

John has brought many firsts to the FS genre like Moving Map for FS98, FSFlightMax and FSGarmin for FS2000/FS2002, including the first known SimConnect-enabled application called SlewAssist (just three weeks after FSX was released). Most recently he produced two Android map apps and the terrain awareness app for iPhone called SimTAWS.

Fermin (creator of the TweakFS utilities and ATC Adventures) joined forces with John in 2004 and added the first Electronic Flight Bag (plus GMap) for FS2004, FSX and X-Plane. Lately he also added moving map apps for the iPad, iPhone and Mac OS X to their product line, as well as Cloud Based aero data for GMap and their other supported mapping applications.

The goal of FSWidgets is to continue to produce great products, give first-class support and via their work provide some extra enjoyment for flight simulation enthusiasts.

Credits:
http://fswidgets.com...roducts_new.php and Fermin Fernandez for providing the evaluation software and answering all my questions.

Bush wheel artwork – Alaskan Bushwheels – www.akbushwheel.com for artwork for big wheeled Cessna image.

Wipaire, Inc. for photo of Cessna Skylane on floats showing off Wipline 3000 Floats General media use of sales info from website www.wipaire.com Lots of great links for those interested in floatplanes found at this site.

San Francisco Bay Trail Project map at Wikimedia Commons. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Panoramic view from Coit Tower in San Francisco, showing Bay Bridge, the piers and Downtown This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike. Armin Hornung Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

http://www.blueskyscenery.com/CA.html Freeware high resolution scenery available for download for FSX and FS9. California ChiliView Series shown.

A while ago when I was still serving articles as a candidate attorney and had to attend the compulsory courses to obtain my certificate required as part of the bible of paperwork one has to submit to the High Court in order to get admitted and enrolled as an attorney, I had to stay at a youth centre in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

This centre was not at all far away from Oribi airport (FAPM), about a kilometer or so, and my window up on the first floor gave me an excellent view of aircraft on approach to the runway at just above eye level.

Now, South African Airlink and Express operates into this airport on a daily basis, and every morning at 07H00 I would be at the window, expecting one of those flights, a Bae 146 to make its approach past my window.

It is a quiet, fascinating and beautiful little aircraft! I also remember being quite intrigued with how quiet it operated with its four turbofan engines! Sometimes our class for the day would end early, and we would get a chance to go home for lunch, which gave me an opportunity see the afternoon approach of this aircraft, and of course there was another just before dark in the evening. Quite a treat!
 

Used with permission of the photographer through airliners.net

Naturally, getting my hands on one was a necessity and with 2012 being described as “the year of the Bae 146" in flight simulation, I was quite eagerly anticipating this! So without further ado, let us see what we have here...

A bit of history...

Production started with the -100 series in 1983 and ended with the various Avro designs in 2002.The Avro RJ’s production started in 1992. A further improved version of the Avro, the RJX, was announced in 1997, which was essentially a version with new engines, however, only two prototypes and one production aircraft were built before production ceased in 2001.

A total of 387 aircraft were produced, making it the most successful British civil jet aircraft program.

The Bae 146 was produced in the -100, -200 and -300 variants. The Avro RJ versions are dubbed RJ70, RJ85 and RJ100 versions. There are also freight carrying versions designated the “QT” or “Quiet Trader” versions. An easily convertible version between passengers and freight is also available dubbed the “QC”, or “Quick Change” version.

Finally, an operator also had the option to fit a gravel kit to the aircraft, making it suitable to be operated into rough and unprepared strips.

The designer, from the very beginning, a genius (in my opinion that is!) by the name of Bob Grigg, the chief designer of the project wanted to design an aircraft that was easily maintainable and cut operating costs to the minimum for the operator.

(Wikipedia)

The fact that they are still popular aircraft and that they still operate to a very large extent, gives you some idea of the success that the manufacturers achieved with the design of the aircraft. It is like a mini little Boeing 747!

Installation and documentation

The base pack is 455 MB large and should you wish to opt for the expansion pack, you would have a further download of 300 MB on your hands, so as can be seen, quite a bit of airplane to begin with!

Let us start with the base pack: as with all Just Flight products, before you can install the product, it needs to be verified by logging into your account and having your serial number for the product verified. This is of course done directly from the validation page whilst running setup.

Once the aircraft is validated, the installation begins, which takes a little bit longer than I anticipated, but there are no vices to report in the installation procedure. Once the installation is completed, you will find a Just Flight folder inside your main FSX folder. Please note that I do not know what the file structure is like for P3D users!

Inside this folder, you will find a manual in typical Just Flight style, describing the panel layout and also familiarizing you with the various different buttons, switches and knobs to be tinkered with on the various different panels. It is very user friendly, having the usual numbered screenshots with corresponding labels to boot. This gets you around the cockpit in no time!

What it also has is a very comprehensive tutorial flight which is essential for this aircraft! It takes you through a flight from Brussels to Manchester and gives you a thorough walkthrough of how to properly operate all the systems on the aircraft and get it safely from point A to point B, and I have to say, it is one of the better tutorials that I have come across!

The way that the tutorial is written is in a manner that does not leave you wondering “what does this mean?” or “did I get everything I was supposed to?” Once you get going with it, it puts you completely at ease with the aircraft in a “read and do” checklist type of way.

There is also a manual explaining how to incorporate third party weather radars into the simulation. The weather radars that can be used are the Captain Sim weather radar and also the Reality XP weather radars, all of which can be purchased from the respective developers’ websites of course!

Then you also get two folders containing different FDE’s, one for an easier flight model, the other for a realistically behaving flight model. We will look into that just a little bit later on.

What I did find missing however, was a comprehensive performance sheet for the Bae 146. That is a little bit disappointing to be honest. As all jet jocks know, you cannot simply accept that my take off speed will always be 140 knots for all different weights of the aircraft, or that my engine settings are all the same. Various performance factors determine these settings and that would have just rounded the documentation off beautifully!

However, having said that you can simply do what the tutorial says and it will work for all flights! I was extremely impressed with the paperwork and I would give them 9,5/10 for it.

Preliminary

First off, there is no utility for loading passengers and cargo, this is done the old fashioned way, Fuel and Payload Manger within FSX itself. Fuel is also loaded this way. What you do get though is a utility called the Configuration Tool.

Essentially what this does is to allow you to select one of the liveries that you have installed, and customize the way it will look and function on the exterior of the aircraft, i.e. I can select whether I would like to have a configuration where all the passenger windows are visible and the ladders don’t work, or I could select an option where the first left and right windows are hidden and the front ladder works. There are a few extra options to this.

Depending on whether you have installed the livery pack with the extra liveries and the FMC, you will also be asked whether you would like to make the FMC or the GPS your navigation default.

A note here - selecting the FMC, will not make it follow the LNAV path as in a Boeing or an Airbus. It simply allows you to follow the route as programmed by the default flight planner in FSX itself.

Is this an issue? No, since the original BAe 146 was not fitted with an FMC either, so there is no realism lost there at all! In fact, I enjoy simply flying VOR to VOR but more on that later.

There is not an option to load the aircraft with a cold and dark cockpit - it loads that way by default!

Exterior

Now, right off the bat the exterior is a masterpiece! When looking around the aircraft you can see that everything is done in exquisite detail. As can be seen from the screen shots, featuring first the Lufthansa BAe 146-300, and then later on the BA BAe 146-200, there is more than enough detail to keep you looking and fiddling around with on the exterior.

The landing gear is just beautiful - just look into those bays and the struts! Compelling stuff. On top of the wings you clearly see the streaks of hydraulic fluid that you should see on an aircraft wing. As can also be seen, passengers are actually visible through the windows in the cabin.

Near the back of the aircraft, the APU exhaust leaves its mark on the aircraft skin too. All around you can see the beautiful detail in the rivet work. In the rear cargo door area a little wear and tear from operating the cargo door is also just visible. Even the wing’s leading edges reflect beautifully to light changes and you get the feel of actually looking at a shiny piece of aluminum alloy!

The engine pylons and the engine cowlings are exquisite! By far one of the more impressive external viewing pleasures on the aircraft - amazing detail, and again just the right bit of wear and tear present there. Looking into the engines, one can see the detail inside it too.

You have two virtual pilots smiling at you and the windshield plays its part with some beautiful reflections.

All in all, a lovely exterior all through the range and I cannot fault it. I don’t know if any real world BAe pilots can pick up on any mistakes here and there, but in general, I found nothing to fault.

Interior

The exterior sets a high standard, so how about the interior then? Well, this is one of those rarities in today’s market that actually comes with a fully flyable 2D cockpit. As for the 2D panel itself, I cannot really fault it - as you would expect it is fully clickable and flyable, except for about four switches that weren’t modeled.

I love analogue instruments and the Just Flight rendition of the aircraft fortunately comes with a set of analogue instruments - ahhhhh, heaven! In the 2D panel view, the instruments are very crisp and clear, easy to read, and the general panel appearance looks and feels the part. It doesn’t really show signs of wear and tear, but that fact does not detract from enjoying flying the 2D panel though.

Whilst panning around the different views in the cockpit whilst in 2D panel mode, you will find that the textures load quickly and doesn’t leave those annoying white areas that wait to catch up like some products do - nice!

Whilst talking about 2D panels, let us talk about some of the pop-ups that you can call up whilst flying in either 2D or VC mode. One of my favourites must be the beautifully designed 2D overhead panel. The overhead inside the BAe is very low, so you need a good 2D pop-up to assist in getting to all the switches you need when flying in VC mode, which is where I spend my time.

As I just said, the panel is crisp, clear and complete. A real joy to use! You can also call up various different views of the main panel in either 2D or VC mode, to show you different things. My other favourite is the transponder/autopilot section of the pedestal that can be popped up and then also the rather small little 2D pop-up containing the parking brake.

I did spend a little time flying the 2D panel just to get a feel for it, and I have to say that if you still enjoy flying 2D pits, this will tickle your fancy just fine. Have a look at the main panel and the overhead:


Now to my favourite part - the VC. I was shocked - pleasantly that is! The VC’s quality is right up there with other top dollar add-ons. Here one can see a few nicks and cuts that is sustained by use over the years. Glorious!

The instruments really have a realistic and 3D look to them. Yes, there may have been some improvements here and there, but generally, I was very, very pleased with what I saw around the cockpit.

The N1 gauges have little knobs allowing you to set the desired N1 setting for take off and the engine instruments are clearly legible and easy to read and use. As I have indicated on numerous occasions before, clear analogue instruments are a deal breaker for me, and this passed the test with flying colours. Nothing is worse than having to rely on a set of analogue gauges you cannot read!

The annunciator displays are slightly less legible, but this is due to the size of the warning lights. Nothing a little zooming in cannot cure and no, this does not detract from the enjoyment of the simulation.

The BAe 146 autopilot is there and looks and certainly acts like the real deal, but more on operating it a little later on. I have found with other products from time to time that when adjusting knobs with the old roller wheel style numbers on them that they act more like digital readouts than analogue ones. I am pleased to say that they certainly act like real rolling wheels in this simulation. Very nice!

Add to this that the main NAV radio which is a digital display and is right in front of each pilot looks the deal with the “figure eight” theme going for it just nicely if the light catches it right too and when switched off in particular. Another piece of practically photo real equipment on board.

The rudder pedals certainly shows signs of use on both sides of the VC. The radio stack is beautifully modeled and uses the old “red line” principle, meaning that instead of today’s radios where the positions of the entries change around on digital displays, the inactive radio here simply gets a red line through to show clearly that it is not the active radio, and the other way around, meaning no red line means the radio is active.

The weather radar is not active as you would imagine, but the good news is that one can always buy one of the 3^rd party developer’s weather radio and smack it onto your panel and you are good to go!

Right next to the weather radar screen, there is an empty panel. Should you click on it, the default GPS unit from FSX pops up. Now remember that the FMC does NOT handle the flight for you like in a Boeing or an Airbus, so you can use the default GPS to watch your navigation. More on that later.

The throttles, flaps and spoilers all show a few signs of wear and they look the real deal. The fuel cut off procedure also works like the real aircraft does. The trim tabs behind the throttles are clearly legible and adds to that “classic” look of the aircraft, and as the rest of the VC, beautifully modeled too!

Although there is a 2D pop-up for the transponder/autopilot section, suffice it to say that the VC mode panel does the job fine, no pop-up required. The windows inside the cockpit also shows reflections and I love to do early morning flights and late afternoon flights when the sunlight changes the whole cockpit dynamic in terms of the lighting - just wonderful!

The overhead in the VC is another masterpiece of creativity! Everything is beautiful, legible and just down right delicious. There are some items you will need the 2D pop-up for, but that is because of the age old FS limitation of not being able to move around in your seat and to look up and around. It certainly is not for lack of visual quality that is for sure!

In the overhead you will find the rather odd switch being left out in the dark that wasn’t modeled, but they are really few and far between. You have a 99% functioning overhead.

So the final verdict is that the interior, whether you are flying in 2D or VC mode, is a masterpiece! Clearly a lot of effort has gone into recreating the real deal and it has paid off. Well done to Just Flight and CLS.


Sound

Usually in some of the lighter products, or in fact the majority of them, the sound package lags a little but not in this product. Many of you that may have read my reviews before, would have noticed my comments about what I expect from a sound set and why.

A bad sound package can unfortunately ruin the product. In this case, again, the developers surprised me pleasantly! I usually get the chance to gripe about wind noise not being loud enough, but not this time.

Here we have a lovely 3D sound set, the engines at the rear of my surround sound speakers and the volumes are seemingly just right. The wind noise adds a touch of class as it takes over from the front and drowns out the engines noise almost completely, just what you would expect. Glorious!

The APU noise is there in all its glory as well. I found the engine sound rather realistic too, based on what I heard on the DRUK Air video clip on YouTube. A real world BAe pilot may be able to comment on that a little more. All the warning bells and whistles are there to as you would expect.

What I do miss is the absence of some touchdown sounds though! It is very difficult to tell when the gear hits the runway, and this is a bit of gripe that I have with the sound package. Other than that, the flap handle makes no sound, and neither does operating the flap lever. It would be nice to have some sound there as well!

Apart from that, the sound package is amazing and really adds to the immersion of the flight model. It is a very high quality sound set that faithfully reproduces the BAe 146 in all its glory! Even with the few missing items. Great job!

Flight model

Now for the really interesting bit - how does she fly? Let us walk through the tutorial flight in the -200 model starting at Brussels and heading over to Manchester in the UK, a nice 300 odd nautical mile trip.

The tutorial flight provides you with a prepared flight which you can load from the FSX menu by following the instructions from the tutorial. It also provides you with a route that is programmed into the default NAV system in FSX. This can, again, be followed by the default GPS unit and also modified as you would the normal routes within FSX.

The aircraft starts cold and dark with the engines switched off. You will have noticed that you have a little arrow in the bottom left hand corner of either the 2D or the VC panel. By clicking on that you bring up a menu which has several options to select from. The one that we are interested in is the GP button which provides us with ground power to be connected to the aircraft.

So we click the GP button, we click on all the yellow squares to open the door and the stairs and to connect the ground power and then we click inside the AC and DC boxes shown inside the little schematic which will power the aircraft. Good, we now have some external power to the aircraft, and the doors have been opened for us to board the passengers. What next?

Well, now we switch on both battery switches in the overhead and we cancel the master warning light and also silence the audible warning that accompanies it. Staying in the overhead we switch on the standby inverter switch, and click the left inner fuel pump on so that the APU is fed some fuel to operate. We are now ready to power up our APU. We switch on the APU generator and also the switch on the APU master start switch. The APU runs up and stabilizes very quickly, and since the aircraft is rather small, we can hear it running nicely in the background.

At this stage the master warnings will be screaming at you and we silence those on your main panel again. We then go back to the overhead, and we arm the emergency lights for the cabin and the flight deck. They are quite far apart, one being in the lower left part of the overhead, the other in the upper right part of the overhead- not to worry though, the tutorial is packed with screenshots indicating where you can find what!

Next we have to switch on the avionics master switches which are all located in the upper left corner of the overhead - these power the yaw damper, autopilot and avionics systems. Next we switch on the anti-skid, the yellow and green hydraulics and the lift spoiler switches just below the main avionics.

We proceed down the list - we switch on the AC ad DC bus tie switches by setting them to the AUTO position, and we arm the standby generator. Next we switch on the APU air and Pack 2 switch so the boarding passengers can get some fresh cool air. Next we switch the DC pump to the BATT position. We then provide some power to the galley.

Next we turn on the passengers signs. Again, the one you will find in the lower part of the overhead whilst the other is located in the upper right part of the overhead. The last thing we do is check that we have the right amount of fuel for the flight, and presto, you are done! It took me three times longer writing this than doing it! The pre-flight is literally done in about 5 minutes so this a very nice “get in and fly” aircraft!

The before start checklist is as short as switching on the other remaining fuel pumps, switching the APU air and Pack 2 switches off, turning on the 4 engine anti-ice switches, turning on some lights, and properly configuring the aircraft. That’s it!

Just a quick word on the pressurization - it actually works! Just flight claimed it was modeled, and yes, it is indeed modeled.

Starting the engines is a little bit different from the bigger jets. There is a start master switch which we need to turn on and select an engine via a rotational knob in the overhead. The start sequence in 4-3-2-1. Once this is configured, we click on a engine starter switch to start the rotation of the selected engine. To start fuel feeding to the engine, you need to right click on the base of the selected engine’s throttle lever to click it into the on position. The same is true for shutting down as well. Just a right click at the base.

I found the engine start procedure surprisingly different from what I initially expected. I half expected the normal sort of engine “run away” startup that you get from the default FSX aircraft, but this is definitely much, much improved! It has a slight element of the FSX start in it, but about 80% of it at a rough guess is simulated very nicely.

Once all the engines have been started, you simply switch the start master switch off and rotate the start select switch to the off position. We then click on GEN1 and GEN4 switches to turn the generators on, set the Eng 2 and Eng 3 pump switches to on, set he brake fans to AUTO (upper left corner of the overhead), we set the APU air and Pack 2 switches to on again, and switch the DC pump off.

We also switch the 4 engine anti-ice switches off, and then we switch on our windshield heaters, and pitot heaters. This is located nearer the bottom right hand corner of the overhead. That covers it. Again, it took about 10 times longer to write it than to actually do it!

We are now ready to taxi out to the runway. We switch on the taxi and NAV light switches. We select 18 degrees of flap for the take off. We then switch our YD switch to "on" on the lower pedestal. If you need to program any radio frequencies for navigation, this is the time to do it. Use the NAV radio in front of you on the main panel. We then turn on our flight director by flipping the switch in front of us on the main panel.

Then we set the altitude which we will climb to in the window on the autopilot - man I love the rolling drum numbers! We also set our required first heading into the heading selector. We monitor the heading on the RMI display, since it is not indicated on a separate autopilot display, but this is the same on the actual aircraft.

Following the little map provided in the tutorial we taxi out to the assigned runway. Take off checks? AC pump to on, landing- and strobe lights to on and you’re done!

Taxiing the aircraft has a very nice feel to it. Yes, it is much lighter than a Boeing or an Airbus as you would expect, but it doesn’t have that utterly weightless feel to it at all. It really feels like you are taxiing an aircraft on the ground.

The speed bugs have been set for this take off and to be honest, I never change them! I always use the same settings for my V-speeds, and once you hit the speed bugs accelerating down the runway, the first officer makes the proper call outs for you. Very nice indeed!

So how does the rotation feel - again not overly sensitive or light. Right off the bat, this aircraft is a joy to hand fly! It is very stable and very nimble. Rotation is done to 13 degrees nose up and once you have positive rate, retract the gear. Your climb speed to aim for is 230 knots indicated.

The tutorial says we need to retract the flaps as we pass 2000 feet, so upon passing 2000 feet we retract the flaps. Once you retract the flaps there is a noticeable change in the flight characteristics. The aircraft will accelerate quite a bit better and your climb rate will improve - nice!

Upon passing 2500 feet AGL, we now have to turn on the autopilot. Now lets us look at this autopilot for a bit since it is completely different from the A and B teams’ equipment! Don’t think about arming any of the modes in the autopilot on the ground - it is done when you are airborne.

Once you have established a stable climb at 230 knots and on the required heading according to the tutorial flight, you switch on the autopilot master switch which is on the pedestal. Now head to the autopilot panel on the main panel. Now you press the ALT ARM button and the IAS button. The aircraft will now maintain the necessary pitch to keep 230 knots indicated and once reaching FL270, it will level off for you. Arming it on the ground will result in it not working right and you will have to disarm and re-arm the switches. You have been warned!

Once the autopilot is switched on and the aircraft is in stable climb, we can proceed to do the after take off checks, which is simply to turn on the four engine air switches, turn off the APU air switch and also turn on both pack switches. The AC pump is set to off and we shut down the APU. Done.

Also take note that there is no auto throttle system. You have to manage the throttles yourself. The aircraft’s performance with the autopilot during the climb up to the cruise is just lovely, very stable, no vices that I can find. From my own research, it also seems that the autopilot works like the real deal. Good!

The performance during the level off and the cruise was very smooth, no vices here either, it performs flawlessly on the autopilot in this phase of flight as well. To follow the route, just press the LNAV button and it will follow the GPS programmed route. The route following is very smooth, no vices.

As we near our top of descent point, in this particular flight 80 miles from Manchester, we need to prep for descent. We follow the instructions to set the altitude down to 3000 feet and then we are instructed to press the ALT ARM button. Good so far.

Now, for stable cruise about 92 percent N1 is recommended to maintain cruise speed of around 270 knots indicated. The next thing we do is to press the IAS button again. Why? The aircraft will now descend towards 3000 feet by maintaining the 270 knots indicated initially. This is where my first little gripe pops up. Although this works just like in the real aircraft, the aircraft rather violently pitches down initially, even though I have not closed the throttles at all to begin a gradual descent.

The goal is to establish a stable 1800 fpm/270 KIAS descent and then click the VS button to switch from maintaining the airspeed to maintaining a fixed vertical speed instead. Just like before, play with the throttles to attain and keep the desired airspeed.

We also have to adjust the pressurization system - Using the Cabin Alt setting knob, you lower the cabin altitude until it reads 0.

The tutorial instructs us to maintain 250 KIAS below FL200. So we reduce power slightly to maintain this airspeed, whilst still descending at 1800 fpm. A note about speed management - it is not difficult in this little aircraft at all, it won’t run away with you.

At FL100, we are instructed to decelerate further to 240 KIAS, again no problem there at all. Following this profile, we arrive at just about 20nm away from Manchester VOR as the tutorial indicates.

Now that we have leveled off at 3000 feet we start to prepare for the approach and landing phase. We again turn on the APU in the same way we did before departure. We now enter the landing runway course into both course selectors on the main panel. The ILS frequency is 108.90, so we enter that into both NAV 1 and 2.

Just to make sure that we have enough engine performance should a go around be required, we turn on the APU Air switch but turn pack 1 off. We also turn the four engine air switches off.

We keep 240 knots until around 15nm from the airport, at which time the aircraft will start to intercept the localizer. This is where we begin to decelerate and configure for landing. I initially frowned on this, but it quickly became clear that just as easily as the aircraft performed during the descent, attaining the correct speed for approach and landing, in this case 120 KIAS, was a breeze, not difficult at all.

We follow the correct deceleration and flap extension schedule and hit 120 KIAS for the approach at 33 degrees of flaps. All good so far!

Just make sure that you hit the V/L button on the autopilot when the localizer becomes active so that the autopilot captures the localizer. This goes pretty smoothly as well, nothing funny to report here.

When the glide slope indicator becomes alive, just hit the GSL button so that the aircraft intercepts the glide slope. When it does, be prepared to vary the throttles to maintain 120 knots. The approach is very easily done. Although, I do have to say that when there is a bit of wind the aircraft tends to drift to the side of the runway on occasion, so just be careful and watchful of that little issue!

The aircraft WILL NOT auto land. When you reach 500 feet AGL, disconnect and fly the aircraft in. It flies so beautifully that I very rarely use autopilot for extended periods during an approach, except when visibility is rather poor.

Apart from no touchdown sounds, the aircraft performs very well whilst being flown in landing configuration! A joy to fly!

Once down, I open the speed brake at the tail and start hitting the brakes. This aircraft has no reverse thrust by the way.

Upon exiting the runway, we do the taxi in checks by raising the flaps, closing the speed brakes and switching off some lights. We also set the pitot- and windshield heaters off.

We taxi to a gate, and we begin our shutdown checks: we close the fuel feed (see my earlier explanation), we cancel the master warnings. We then:

• switch off the GEN 1 and GEN 2 switches;
• Eng pump 2 and Eng pump 3 off;
• turn off all fuel pumps;
• turn off the passenger signs;
• turn off all emergency lights;
• turn off the hydraulics;
• set APU air and pack 2 to off;
• turn off the APU and its generator;
• cut power to the galley; and
• switch off the batteries.

All of this can be done in about two minutes!

We then click on the arrow again, bring up the GP display and connect the ground power and open the doors and lower the ladders. Flight complete!

I always say this - I have never flown an actual BAe 146, but the FDE just feels right, apart from the one or two things I noted above. It is clear that this FDE was cleverly designed. It is also worth noting that you have the option to choose between an easy feel FDE and a realistic one. I never tried the easy feel as the realistic feel proved to fly easily enough!

I enjoyed flying this aircraft. As I said, it is nimble, stable, and has a lovely feel to it. Full marks to CLS and Just Flight - a real beauty!

200 versus the 300

Just very briefly - is there any difference between the 200 and the 300? Yes, they are indeed different aircraft. The 300 is larger, can carry more and has slightly different performance figures, but within FSX it is very similar! The 200 has an empty weight of 54675lbs and a maximum gross weight of 97500 lbs with a max allowable fuel quantity of 17286 lbs. These figures are also used in FSX for the 300. Mmm...

Operationally inside FSX though, the performance difference is fairly negligible. So why would you fly one and not the other - that is entirely personal!

Livery Expansion Packs

If the liveries that come with the base pack do not satisfy you, you can also go ahead and purchase the 300MB expansion pack that gives you some extra liveries and a F-lite FMC. Now, I don’t really care for the FMC too much, because the original aircraft did not have them. I will discuss it a little further down though.

Originally you will get the following standard liveries with the base pack:-

For the 200:

• American Airlines;
• British Airways;
• Blank textures;
• Blue 1;
• Air Brazil;
• Brussels;
• Continental;
• Eurowings;
• Northwest (new colours);
• United Express.

For the 300:

• Astra Airlines;
• China Eastern;
• Eurowings;
• Flybe;
• British Airways;
• airNova;
• A demonstrator;
• US Air;
• Qantaslink; and
• Swiss.

All, as I said earlier, very high quality repaints. There are several other expansion packs for the 200 and 300, not just the one containing the FMC. These can all be bought at a negligible price, however I have never really like the idea of having to pay for liveries. They will find their way onto flightsim forums soon enough any way.

That being said, the add-ons are all high quality liveries, and they are easy to install and enjoyable to have a look at.

The FMC

Let us start by saying what this FMC is NOT. It is NOT the same thing you would find on a Airbus or a Boeing’s flight deck! You cannot expect it do everything for you like it would on the bigger aircraft.

What it IS, is an electronic checklist of sorts - you can follow the checklists down the FMC, and it has all of the checklists you need. Very handy!

It also has a Cockpit Nav feature allowing you to press buttons on the FMC to call up certain panels and to make them disappear. If you have an active route you can use the FMC to view your legs and modify the route instead of the default GPS view. It does NOT do LNAV like an Airbus or a Boeing.

It will also give you V-speeds for current weight and phase of flight, i.e. if I am departing it will give me V1 and Vr. For arrival it will display the various speeds for all the different flap settings and also your Vref and gear extension speeds.
So as can be seen, very basic, but it does contain very handy features that will make your life a little easier. I use the electronic checklist and V-speed functions quite extensively.

Just one other note - you have to switch it on or off on the FMC itself. Does it add to the product? Yes it does!

A few other notes and pointers

I have noticed that when I start my aircraft up, the engines will continue to run whilst the rest of the panel is in the cold and dark state. This can be fixed by bringing up the menu on the little arrow in the bottom left of the screen, and clicking the AUTO button twice. The aircraft will then be in a cold and dark state with engines off.

Another quirk - after following all of the steps in the checklist, I still have flags on my ADI and my ground speed indication does not work until after I have landed. If I press the AUTO button twice, it will sort out my flag problem, but not the ground speed issue. This is a bit annoying, but I could definitely live with it!

What I do have to say is that I posted about it in the forum and very few people seem to have the same issue, so by the looks of things, it is a system related issue, not likely to affect too many users. The Just Flight support crew has been amazing and they are working on the little niggle as I am writing this. I don’t really doubt they will isolate the issue and find a solution to the problem.

If you do experience issues like this, they request that you please contact the support staff and let them know. Obviously, the more information they have available, the quicker they can solve the problem.

In conclusion

The final verdict is that if you have ever wanted a good 146, this is it! I haven’t personally flown the Quality Wings version, but it is good to bear in mind the fact that the QW aircraft has a glass cockpit layout, whilst the Just Flight version has the old steam gauge system, so you might end up owning both. I am certainly looking to purchase the QW in the future, just for the sake of completeness!

There is not much to fault in this package - the FDE, the sound, the textures, the feel, it is all in there! Is it worth your hard earned cash? Absolutely! The $37.99 you will spend on it is worth every penny. I would have thought that since the FMC is a F-lite FMC that one should rather include that in the base pack than to sell it separately, but for a little extra money, it does add a good bit of functionality.

This aircraft, as I said, is a great “get in and fly” airliner, the learning curve is not steep at all and even with limited knowledge of hydraulics, pressurization systems etc, you will get used to it in a flash!

It has the perfect trade off between excellent visual quality and a good FDE. The sound package complements the package remarkably well and rounds if off beautifully. I am a Boeing man, loving the heavy stuff, but I fell I love with this little aircraft after spending just a few minutes in it and since our VA does have quite a few routes for it, I expect to be flipping between our main and Express lines quite a bit in the future from now on!

If you are on the fence about buying it, don’t be - get it, you won’t regret it!

What I liked about it:

• High quality textures in the VC and the exterior;
• Very good FDE;
• Excellent sound package;
• Very high fidelity systems modeling for a F-lite product!
• Captures the real feel of the aircraft quite nicely;
• An excellent tutorial flight
• Pay for the 200, get the 300 free!

What I didn’t like about it:

Not really much to add here folks:

• Paying for add-on liveries, although not the most serious gripe in the world!
• The exclusion of the F-lite FMC from the base pack

FS2Crew should be no stranger to simmers who are serious about attaining the utmost of realism in their FSX or FS9 experience. A few years ago FS2Crew released the 747 Voice Commander for the PMDG 747. This variation of the 747 product line was never reviewed and since the PMDG 747 is still quite popular, I thought it would be a good idea to review this product and to comment on whether or not it is worth the investment today.

So what exactly does the 747 voice commander have to offer? Well here are a few features that have been highlighted by the developer:

• Customized to work exclusively with the PMDG 747 aircraft. This is not a 'generic' simulation. It was 'custom coded' to match the precise nuances of the 747 aircraft and its procedures.
• Run checklists and issue commands using voice control!
• Full voice control integration: Interact with the flight, cabin and ground crew using your voice!
• For maximum realism, SOPs modeled on the same procedures used by a real-world airline.
• Real human recorded United States, United Kingdom and Eurozone voice sets included for the First --Officer, FA and ground crew. FS2Crew does not use computer generated synthetic voices!
• FA Cabin announcements with independent adjustable volume control.
• New features such as the ability to 'mute' the speech recognition system (hard mute and soft mute)
• And a whole lot more!!!

Free Bonus Features!
FS Video Marshaller: A 14 Euro value, this utility allows you to interact with the ground crew using video technology.

As you can see, the list of features in the 19.95 Euro product is quite impressive. During this review we will look at the functionality and practicality of this product which is stated to work not only with the passenger version of the PMDG747, but also with the expansion packs.

Installation & Setup

Logically, it would be best to start off with the installation and setup since it requires a few additional steps in order to get the speech recognition working correctly. After downloading the product, the installation itself is quite easy and you should have no problems whatsoever at this point. The tricky part comes with the setup.

Fortunately, the manual is well written and very detailed with a segment dedicated to setting up your speech recognition. It is important that you read this section of the manual very carefully since the setup will vary depending on the Windows operating system you are using. Currently I am using Windows 8 and it already comes with speech recognition.

After following the setup instructions, I was able to successfully setup and “train” my computer to recognize my voice and the way I speak in a matter of 10 minutes.

After you have successfully setup your speech recognition options on your operating system, you will have to configure your FS2Crew which is also covered in the manual. My next recommendation to users is to ensure that you understand how this produce works by reviewing the section of the manual that covers voice commands that trigger various actions.

This is very important and you should always speak clearly into your microphone at all times to ensure the right commands are executed. This does not at all mean that you have to speak the Queen’s English, but you should simply speak clearly as you would in a normal conversation. All in all the setup should not prove to be difficult to the average PC user.

The Experience

After flying the 747 for sometime without the aid of FS2Crew, I could safely conclude that the PMDG747 is quite a challenge to fly if you are going to do everything by the book. This challenge increases when you inject other factors such as flying online with live ATC or flying in extreme weather.

Keep in mind that this aircraft was designed for a crew of two pilots and you are quickly reminded of this when you have to fly, talk to ATC and fly instrument approaches in near zero visibility. Under normal circumstances in the real world, the pilot that is flying will not have to worry about many other tasks since the pilot not flying will take care of them. FS2crew affords you the opportunity to experience such an environment and it does so quite nicely.


The interface that is used to control various features of this program is very easy to use and you are able to adjust many setting to tailor to your fancy. One of the features of this product I like the most is that you don’t have to always start from the preflight procedures. If you started your flight with engines on, you can initiate the program from that point onward.

Another feature worth mentioning is the mute button. I learned how useful this feature can be while flying one day and having a conversation with someone next to me. If you are not careful you might say the wrong thing and the program just might pick it up. For this reason it is recommended that when you are not using the program, such as in the cruise phase of your flight, you should use the mute button and then take it off when you wish to issue a command.

Moving now to the actual experience and whether or not this program is worth the investment, I had the opportunity to test the voice commander on 3 flights using the passenger and freighter versions of the 747. My first flight was onboard a KLM flight from TNCM to TNCA. The second was a cargo flight from KSFO to KCVG and finally a 5 hour flight from KCVG to PANC onboard the 747-8F.

Almost immediately I noticed a difference in the decreased work load I would have otherwise had. Since the interface is not required to be open at all times to use the program, the realism of this experience is unbelievable. My first flight from TNCM to TNCA didn’t really show the full potential of the voice commander since the weather was wonderful and there was no ATC.


My second flight however put me through the paces with lots of traffic, full ATC coverage and poor weather. Normally I would be minding my P’s and Q’s trying to fly the aircraft and talking to ATC at the same time but this was not the case at all. Being able to command your FO to raise or lower the landing gear and flaps was invaluable when you are fighting a crosswind or flying in poor weather.

Another aspect of this program I enjoyed the most is that various procedures that take place on the pedestal or overhead panel are done “silently” or previewed in a small window which does not obstruct your view while flying. This is a significant aid when taxiing or in any other critical phase of flight and not having to switch between panels or if flying in the VC, not having to change your view to flip switches.

My final flight was really to test the expansion packs for the PMDG747 and to assess whether there would be a significant difference in the operations of the passenger and cargo models. You will be delighted to know that there is a difference in that certain procedures that relate to passenger airplanes are omitted when flying the freighter models.

So what’s the verdict? Honestly, I think that this product is invaluable. The benefit of being able to fly “hands free” enhances the simulation experience 100 fold. While the PMDG747 is showing its age when compared to newer products, the 747 voice commander certainly enhances the value of this aircraft and brings it to life in a new and exciting way.

At a price of 19.95 Euros, you can’t go wrong with this product and I would strongly recommended this title if you already have the PMDG747 or if you’re still on the fence about getting it. There is no better feeling that being able to fly the Queen of the Skies in the most realistic of environments.


Final Thoughts & Acknowledgments

Publisher: FS2CREW Platform: FSX Format: Download Reviewed By: Marlon Carter

I would like to thank FS2Crew and PMDG for assisting in this review by providing these top notch products. You would also have noticed some very stunning screenshots of the 747 and this is courtesy of Mcphatstudios who contributed their PMDG 747 MEGAPACK which I also highly recommend.

If realism is your aim, FS2Crew 747 voice commander is a must have and you will notice the difference almost immediately when using this product. Provided you read the manuals and acquaint yourself with the proper checklist and flying procedures, I am confident you will enjoy this as much as I did.

What I Like About 747 Voice Commander

• Easy to use Interface
• Creates the perfect airline flying experience
• Innovative use of Microsoft Speech Recognition
• Eases the workload of the Flying Pilot.
• Mute button which allows you to speak while flying online and not affect FS2Crew functions

What I Dislike About 747 Voice Commander

• Setting up the speech recognition takes some time but it is well worth the effort as it can also be very useful when using your PC for other tasks
• This isn’t a dislike since it's expected that you should always speak properly, but using this product requires that you speak clearly and this can be a challenge depending on your accent.

Have you ever wanted to create your own buildings for Flight Simulator, but found that it was far too complicated or you just lacked the time to do it? Well, with Flight 1's Instant Object Studio (IOS) you now have the ability to create your own custom objects, buildings and scenery for FSX!

Where to get it

Instant Object Studio is available from Flight 1 and can be purchased via their webpage either by download or boxed product and the cost for the product is just under 30 bucks! Installation is relatively simple and straightforward, download the product, purchase it via the wrapper and install it.

After installation you will have access to the manual and a module will be installed into FSX so that the program can be used. Those of you that have used Instant Scenery Designer will feel right at home with this software and the two work very well together!

Using Instant Object Studio

The first thing you need to do with this add-on is look over the manual and gain a general understanding of how the program works and orient yourself to the menus in the program and most importantly understand how movement is controlled in FSX while designing objects; ultimately this is done using both the control-shift keys along with the mouse buttons.

Initially, I decided to just jump in and have a go at the program without looking over the manual, but I found myself cussing and hollering because I didn't know how to manipulate the objects while designing them which created a lot problems in FSX, but after reading the manual it became much clearer and I was a lot calmer.

The program itself runs through FSX much like Instant Scenery Studio and requires that you run FSX in windowed mode when using, in fact IOS will not run at all in full screen mode unlike Instant Scenery Studio. Once run you can access the program and its many features from the programs main interface and from it you can create a box, roof, cylinder, round roof, dome, sphere, polygon, fence, rod, create guidelines, merge and subtract parts and set reference points.

From the main interface you can also adjust width, length and height as well as assign textures, create textures, raise the model, magnify the model, show night textures and of course display it in FSX. To be honest there is no one easy way of just figuring out how it works, though the manual is extremely helpful you will find yourself trying things as you go and learning as you go and this will make it much simpler in the long run.


Creating Objects

I have spent hours with this program and I am still learning, so the first thing I need to tell you is that I do not have a natural talent for doing this type of stuff and you will probably find my buildings somewhat laughable as far as designs go, but I am sure with practice I will become more acclimated to IOS and I will have much better results in the near future.

Designing a building is a relatively simple process if the building only has four walls and a roof, throw on some paint, windows and bang you are done! But, a detailed building can be a challenge, the first building I designed was a simple store with skylights and an overhang on the front. This did take some time but it was worth it in the end. I think the building came out looking pretty good, though I made a lot of mistakes.


The second building was a mock image of my boyhood home; in real life the home stood two stories with a deck around the front and it had an attached car port. The home itself was large in that it had two bedrooms upstairs with a large living room and two bedrooms downstairs with a rather large family room.

I was able to assign textures, set the scale and create the base objects for the building and the process took little over 2 hours. Understanding the menu and all of its functions are key, especially when it came to understanding points!

The first thing I did was create a basic appearance of the house and then added the roof, car port and the deck. Once the primary structure was complete, I added a red brick texture to the main house, wood texture to the deck and a light grey roof to both the main house and the carport and ultimately added the windows in as I remembered them. Setting the points are crucial during design phase because it makes the whole object look more believable when it is completed.


Creating textures can be achieved in one or two ways; you can use default textures, change their colors and appearance to your liking making your own or you can import your own textures from photographs in BMP format. Though I have not tried it, importing your own texture sounds and looks rather fascinating and with it you can actually take a picture of your house and super-impose it over the model that you create in IOS giving it a real world appearance instead of the default FSX textures.

Applying said textures should be a simple process and knowing what the menu options do is critical here because if you click on the wrong thing or apply the wrong feature you can find yourself undoing a lot of your own work, thank god there is an undo and an undo-undo button!

Once you are happy with your model you will need to save it and this is done by IOS through the save option. Once there you will be prompted to either save it to its current location in FSX (only if you have created the option in the location you want it to stay at), or save it as a BGL and or save it to the Instant Scenery Studio data file. To do the latter of the two you will need to have a folder in your add-on scenery folder to save it to.

I set mine up simply as MySceneryObjects and also direct the program to your Instant Scenery Studio install if that option is chosen. The program will then save the object to said directories and will transfer their associated textures as well.

The placement of the objects can be done with IOS, but because I use Instant Scenery Studio I opted to use that option instead and add it an existing scenery project I have for the Yakima, Washington area and this is easily achieved if you are familiar with Instant Scenery Studio.

Again, the manual makes all of this much easier to understand and I found that having the manual readily available in the background on my PC and/or having on my Nexus 7 for quick reference while I was designing made things much easier for me to understand.

The end result for me was that I could now fly over the home I grew up in and that it resembled what that house used to look like, though my scale was a bit off it still came out convincing when viewed from the air in FSX!


Summary

Publisher: Flight 1 Platform: FSX Reviewed By: Gene Davis

Instant Object Studio is a wonderful addition to the Flight Simulator X product line because it allows for so much customization within the Flight Simulator environment and if you like tinkering with scenery in Flight Simulator like I do, then this program will be right up your alley!

FSDT is well known for creating some of the most detailed scenery packages to date. This time around FSDT has created yet another innovative feature for FSX. GSX Ground Service is their latest offering which will surely enhance your simulation experience.

What are the features? Well, Ground Service for FSX simulates several operations on ground, like Marshalling, Catering, Boarding/Deboarding of passengers and Baggage, Stairs, Refueling vehicles, Pushback with realistic behavior, Follow Me cars, Docking System and more, all featuring many native FSX animations and believable human characters.

Many of these feature may sound similar to another add-on program offered by Aerosoft, but the difference with GSX is that it works for free with all FSDT airports and is customizable to work with ALL other airports within FSX, both default and 3^rd party. GSX also offers vehicles in many different types and sizes, depending on the airplane used and the geographical location, and every vehicle is available in many different liveries, chosen automatically by your location in the FSX World.

Here is a list of features provided in this product as seen on the developers website;

• Designed for FSX, 100% Pure FSX code
• Different vehicle models, selected depending on the airplane/airport in use
• Many sound effects, supports 3D Surround Sound with OpenAL
• Realistic Human animations using FSX bones/skin mesh
• Full use of FSX advanced materials
• Easy to use user interface, fully integrated in FSX using standard ATC-like menus
• Easy user-customization of vehicles, using the provided Paint Kit
• NEW Live Update feature, keep GSX always updated automatically, with new supported airplanes and airports!
• Direct Airplane Interface™ allows interaction with complex 3rd party airplanes featuring custom door controls, ground equipment like GPU, Wheel chocks, many popular airplane add-ons like the PMDG 737NGX, 747 and MD11, Aerosoft and Wilco Airbus, the CS767, QW757, FS Labs Concorde and many others that will be added through Live Updates, are recognized and supported natively!
• Support for full Airport Customization, already enabled with all FSDT sceneries and some 3rd party, allowing better integration with any airport, also to be distributed and installed automatically by the Live Update feature.

As can be clearly seen, the features of this program are quite extensive. I was able to find out more about GSX in a short interview with Umberto from FSDT. Here is a summary of this interview which consisted of two basic but important questions.

Is GSX a product that will be continually updated with new features as time goes on?

“Absolutely, it's our number 1 product, it has exceeded all our sales expectations, and there's vast potential for upgrades. In fact, if you have a look at the Live Update feature, you can see we designed easy upgradability right into the product, even before we knew about its success. You might have a look at update history, to see how much we did so far:
http://www.fsdreamte...date_notes.html”

What would you say sets GSX apart from its competitor AES?

“From an end-user point of view, the obvious advantage is that it’s a one-time purchase, so you know how much you are going to spend in advance.

Just what we give away for free with GSX, the 12 FSDT airports and 2 from Flightbeam (that can be used without any limitations just by downloading GSX), would cost in AES credits more than the entire GSX product so, one might say that, GSX can pay itself simply with what we included for free.

From a technical point of view, GSX is a more modern product. We run GSX almost entirely externally from FSX, since the whole program code is run under the Couatl.exe program, which is a Python interpreter we made specifically for FSX. This means we can grow the GSX code in complexity and features, and it won't use any of the FSX resources, both from a performance point of view (the separate .exe will be scheduled to use free CPU cycles by the OS, and there's a lot of spare CPU power on a modern multi-core machine) and we don't have to worry about taking away memory from FSX, because Couatl.exe has its own separate address space, that doesn't take away anything from the RAM available to FSX. The competitor runs in-process as a .DLL, which means it shares the same address space as FSX.

Also, because we don’t have to support FS9, we could use more modern features such as vertex-skinned animations made with bones, which allows more believable and smooth humans animations possible and, since they run on the graphic card hardware, with faster video cards, the animation quality and the number of animations available can grow in the future. For example to do what's the most requested features: visible passengers.

Since we support every possible airport that has a standard AFCAD, we can concentrate on improving the core program features, and they'll instantly appear for all 20.000+ FSX airports at once, making the program more and more useful for everyone.

Another important advantage we have, is that we give users the ability to customize a scenery themselves, improving of the default automatic behavior. They could share their customization and scenery developers might just distribute a GSX .INI file for scenery in their Scenery directory, together with the other BGLs, and GSX will use it. An additional feature we plan to add is to allow users to place GSX docking systems at every airport.”

As we can see, GSX is a very unique product. During this review we will see whether or not this program is worth its price and also whether it lives up to the claim of being a revolutionary program.

Installation & Setup

The installation of this product is all automatic. After executing the download file for GSX, it will automatically detect your FSX and install the product without any interaction from the user. If you are new to FSDT products you will be prompted to install the Add-on Manager module which is required in order to buy and use this product.

The Add-on manager menu will appear as a submenu in FSX once FSX is started. Another item that will be installed is the Coualt Engine. According to the manual, Coualt is an executable external module that allows a great amount of interaction between the user and FSX. This engine will be a feature of all future products by FSDT.

After the installation is complete, the setup itself is not as difficult as you might imagine. The add-on manager and Coualt Engine made it very easy to setup and customize your GSX options. Personally, I found that the Coualt engine was quite a fascinating and innovative module that made customizing GSX in real time amazingly simple. In order to customize your GSX to be used with your aircraft of choice that is not currently supported, you will find that the manual that comes along with this program provides ample information on how to do so. In order to test just how thorough this process was explained, I tried to customize an aircraft myself and I found that it was VERY easy.

The manual itself is 40 pages long and I encourage you to read it thoroughly in order to have a full grasp on how this program works and can be customized. The customization is not only for aircraft but also extend to airport parking positions as well. This is a feature you might find useful when trying to use GSX at default airports which many not as accurately portray the layout of the real life airport.

Another feature that you would definitely want to acquaint yourself with is the customizable option for the boarding and deboarding process. By default this is set to a minimum time for 15 seconds and is based on the number of passengers loaded to your aircraft. If you want a more realistic experience, you can adjust this time to suit your requirements.

Refueling is also an option that can be customized to suit your time requirements as well. Now that we have discussed the installation and setup, what is the actual experience like?

The Experience

I decided to give GSX a test run on a flight from Vancouver to Los Angeles using the NGX. Recently FSDT released their Vancouver scenery so I thought it would be a good idea to test the compatibility of FSX with FSDT airports first. When on the ramp, most simmers may start their flight with engine already running. However, in order for GSX to initiate you must have your engines off and parking brakes set. When doing so, you are able to access GSX functions using the F12 key.

From this point you can choose to either load fuel, passengers or immediately go to the pushback request if you have already configured your aircraft to depart. Naturally, I opted to experience the full operation of GSX. When requesting refueling and catering services I was expecting the truck to pop up out of thin air in a close proximity to the aircraft and then drive into position. I was pleasantly surprised to see that these ground vehicles drive from quite a distance (depending on the size of the airport) to the aircraft.

As is the case in the real world, service vehicles may take a minute or two to arrive. Upon arrival, I was also surprised to HEAR the service vehicles. The sound of the service vehicles were absolutely stunning as they simulate not just engine sounds but even the sound of food trays rolling into the aircraft! Every bump and thump is captured and it created an amazingly real experience.


The boarding process intrigued me quite a bit as I was very interested in how this would be simulated. While you are not able to SEE passengers (though I can easily see this being implemented in the future) you have the ability to hear the passengers coming into the aircraft as the flight attendant greets them. The length of this process will vary based on your settings.

You can choose to make this process very lengthy as may be the case in the real world, or you can choose to leave the default settings intact so that the process will only take a minute or so. One of the features of this process I liked the most was the fact that you do not always need to be at an airport that has jetways.

For example, if you fly into a smaller regional airport that does not have jetways, the passengers will be picked up and be dropped off by bus. In addition to this passenger stair trucks will also be available.


Now that it was time for the pushback, I was very interested in how this would be simulated. After selecting this option the pushback truck (which varies in size based on your aircraft) drove up to the nose wheel of the 737 and was successfully connected by ground service personnel. Each movement of the ground service personnel was fluid and distinct making it very realistic. When pushback is imitated you have the option for which direction you wish your nose or tail to be pushed.

The one problem that has plagued many Pushback options for other add-ons are that it pushed you either too short or too far back. The default pushback option that comes with FSX is notorious for pushing back aircraft too far and off the centerline. With GSX, the pushback is spot on and STAYS on the taxi lines. While GSX stops the pushback appropriately, you also have the option to stop it at your request.

After the pushback is completed the service personnel will release the pins that connect you to the truck and after a brief verbal exchange, give you a wave and walk away. At this point I was absolutely blown away by the experience and was eagerly looking forward to the landing at KLAX to experience GSX once more.


After landing at KLAX and exiting the runway, I pulled up the GSX option screen which allows you to select various options such as to request a follow me car or to select your gate in order for ground vehicles and the marshal to be ready for your arrival. Pulling up to the gate was again quite surprised to see ground service vehicles and the marshal ready and waiting. The signals given by the marshal were all accurate and if you are not familiar with what various signals mean, you can consult the manual for a detailed description of each signal.

After all was said and done, it was time to de-board the aircraft and allow the baggage handlers to take all bags off of the aircraft. The process itself was not very long since I opted to use the default minimum of 15 sec. This can be configured to be a bit more realistic but due to limited time I kept it to the bare minimum.

So what’s verdict? Well to cut to the chase, I was floored by the experience from using GSX. I had the opportunity to test out other features on the customization side of things by making GSX compatible with another aircraft which was not currently supported. This process was quite easy and since it is done in real time you can edit your setting and fly right away!

While the test flight was done using FSDT airports, I can also confirm that they work with other 3^rd party airports and default airports as well. When it comes to default airports you may have to do a bit of editing to place your service vehicles correctly, but other than that, the process is all automatic and very precise.

The overall experience of using GSX can be summed up in the words “revolutionary” and “exciting.” This is a product that deserves to be added to the list of must have add-ons for FSX.


Final Thoughts

Publisher: FSDREAMTEAM Platform: FSX Format: Download (57MB) Reviewed By: Marlon Carter

In summary, I think that GSX is definitely a revolutionary program that allows you to do exactly what you always dreamed of doing, to have the true to life experience of operating a commercial aircraft not just in the air but also on the ground.

To date I have yet to start and complete a flight within FSX without the use of GSX. I consider it to be a must have program that will enhance your simulation experience 100 fold. From a performance view point there is no impact at all on your frame rates when using this program. The movement of aircraft and personnel is very fluid and the true to life animation is simply stunning. At a price of 29.90 Euro (excluding tax) is quite a bargain for what you get.

The only other program that competes with GSX is AES and while I have never used AES, I am quite content with GSX since there is hardly anything that AES offers that GSX doesn’t already have. Perhaps the most significant feature of GSX is that it works with ALL airports so no matter where you go you can enjoy using GSX to its fullest potential. GSX is also customizable in real time which means you can make it compatible with any aircraft without having to restart your flight simulator.

Another pull factor to GSX is that it is constantly being updated and there is quite an active support forum where many users post custom aircraft settings for new add-ons.

In the end, GSX takes FSX to a whole new level and due its revolutionary features I think that it definitely deserves an Avsim Gold Star Award for excellence and for adding a whole new dimension of enjoyment to FSX. This is a product that will definitely change the way we fly.

What I Like About GSX

• Easy to use Interface
• Realistic ground operations
• Innovative implementation of the Coualt engine
• Active support forum
• Periodically updated with new features
• Fluid and Realistic movement of people carrying out their duties on the ground.

What I Dislike About GSX

• There isn’t anything to be unhappy about with this program especially because it is constantly updated

Milan, according to Wikipedia, is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital of Lombardy. It also rests near the feet of the mighty Alps mountain range.

That said, the immediate area around Milan is, due to the size of the city, largely urban sprawl and suburbs with rural communities on the outskirts and two major rivers flowing by 15-20 miles to the southwest and the east. Major highways around the city provide the best navigable landmarks for VFR flights in the area.

AST Tech, the maker behind this product, has produced a range of photoreal sceneries for several city areas across Europe, including Luxembourg, Madrid and most recently Stockholm.

Installation and Documentation

Normal Installation

Installing the scenery places the required files in a folder of your choosing, however you must manually go into the Scenery Library and add the scenery layer yourself. This extra leg work is common though to many a flight simmer experienced with add-ons and the manual provides detailed instructions for anyone new to this process.

You can opt to have the manual open at the end of the install, which is something I always like to have control over, especially on re-installs. You also have the option to create a Start Menu folder.

Custom Installation

The product does not force you to install into the FSX folder, although it does suggest that by default. You can choose to install there and then move the scenery out to an external location but it’s just easier to install it wherever you want it to go so you have the option of using the uninstaller without having to move the files back to the original install location.

Uninstallation

You can uninstall the product from either the Control Panel or the Start Menu (if you opted to have a folder created there). You can also just simply delete the files off your hard drive if you really want to, although personally I recommend that anything that is installed with an installer be uninstalled with an uninstaller if it is provided.

The Start Menu folder will be removed if it is there but you must again manually enter the Scenery Library and remove the layer you added (FSX will remind you with a missing layer error box the next time you run it if you forget).

Manual and Documentation

The product manual is a single-page MHT file that opens in IE. I have no idea why it is in this relatively obscure format, since it contains no rich-text or image data and could just as easily been a simple text file. Maybe I just hate having to open IE ;) Other than the manual, which provides support information and a Scenery Library how-to, no other documentation is included with the product.

Flying Around Milan
 

Click for Google Map

There are not many options for flying VFR around Milan if you’re looking to go airport hopping. Of the three closest airports in the default FSX library, only two are within the roughly 30 square mile coverage area around the city. One is the international Linate Airport (LIML) and the second is the smaller general aviation Bresso Airport (LIMB).

But there is always the ability to just taking off in a light aircraft from either of these airports and scoot low around the Milan area to take in the sights, such as they are. Tubeliner pilots will also have nice views of the surrounding area on final into both LIML and LIMB, which strikes me as being the main purpose of this scenery.

Ground Textures/Mesh

One of the great things about major cities is that they are prime targets for aerial photography. These images are far better for flight simulation than what you can get from satellites not only because the camera is closer to the ground but the angle is exactly what you would see from an aircraft because that’s where the photos were taken from. So as you fly over the city of Milan, the perspective and the shadows from the ground objects almost trick your eyes into thinking they are 3D.

Looking around the coverage area, I was pleased to find the color balance of the textures to be largely consistent. The only problem I noticed was what I think is the transition from the high-res (0.59 metres per pixel/LOD 16) textures within the city to the lower-res textures (1.19 metres per pixel/LOD 15) used for the surrounding area.

I wish the blending could have been done better. It’s not something you would notice when flying in a big jet, however if you wanted to putt-putt around the countryside in a light aircraft it is.


Additionally, no effort was made to blend the scenery into the default textures, creating a square box of photoreal textures. I made sure summer textures were chosen for the screenshot above. These are the default ground textures; I do not have GEX Europe.

Water masking around the area is well done for lakes, rivers and streams. You might notice a few small ponds here and there missing a mask but I tend to not care about bodies of water unsuitable for float plane landings anyways – the photoreal water looks just as good in these cases.


There is no mesh included with the product but it’s not really needed either – the small river valley to the northeast is the only place of any significant elevation change in the coverage area and it looks just fine with the default mesh.

If you have moving traffic enabled, there is no additional road data for the area but the default road vector data matches up well with the textures and you’ll see movement on the major highways around the city.


Night textures are included, which is great and look very nice. For VFR flying night time is a completely different experience from day time so this adds another aspect to the scenery for light aircraft pilots to enjoy.


There is no seasonal support for these textures.

Buildings and Objects

There are no custom buildings or objects included with this scenery but FSX does have some default buildings around the city, mostly major landmarks that appear when you have your scenery sliders up high enough. Some are well placed, some are not.

If you want to disable them you have to dial back your scenery density slider, but that also has the effect of reducing the buildings and objects around the airports as well, leaving things quite desolate indeed during ground taxi unless you have some additional scenery installed.

It would have been better if the city buildings had simply been excluded (or the option to have them excluded was there) so airport buildings could be kept to make things a bit more lively on the ground in the immediate area.

Airports

Speaking of airports, none are redone to align with the ground textures, which is a bit of a shame considering there are only two. Being a major airport, the runways for LJML are fairly spot-on with just the taxiways being off. FSX always has trouble with the smaller GA airports. Why? I don’t know, and the runway is way off for LIMB in addition to the taxiways.


Performance

Being just textures, you’re not going to see any frame rate hits while flying around. You may experience longer load times when starting a flight in the area and you may experience blurry textures while flying around depending on your CFG settings and computer’s capabilities but that is pretty much it.

Summary / Closing Remarks

Test System • MSI P67A-GD65 • Intel i5 2500K @ 4.5GHz • Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600 • Radeon HD 5870 1GB • Catalyst 11.12 • WD VelociRaptor 10k RPM SATA 150GB • Windows 7 x64 • FSX Acceleration Screenshots enhanced with REX, ENB, Shade Test Time: 6 hours Publisher: AST Tech Platform: FSX Format: Download (2.5GB) Reviewed By: Drew Sikora

I really like the fact that this product and the others like it from AST Tech add a little more realism to these major areas, but I wish they were a little more focused, like the city packs that Limesoft develops.

As a VFR pilot, you’re stuck with a very limited area to play around in, with limited options on where to go. As an IFR pilot, you get a better view out the window on final, but that’s about it – once you’re on the ground you have nothing to see.

For $18-$24, I would consider this product overpriced if not for the fact that ground imagery is expensive for developers to purchase and water masking/night lighting is a significant effort. Still, I would trade a smaller area just around the city itself for some buildings, trees and seasons as well as a slightly increased price point.

What I Like About Photoreal Milan

• Crisp imagery both in and around the city
• Aerial photos make the ground “pop” up at you
• Water masking and night lighting

What I Don’t Like About Photoreal Milan

• Airports do not align with ground textures
• Small for VFR pilots to play in, limited use for IFR past final approach

Recent Avsim Front Page announcement: Add-ons come and go, but SimPlates is the one tool that the serious simulator pilot will return to over and over again to make the sim experience as real, challenging, and fun. The PC version SimPlates ULTRA featuring over 70,000 real-world IFR and VFR plates and charts (including SIDs, STARs, approach plates, airport diagrams, and much more, including a worldwide airport and NAVAID database) is now released.

No other plates package comes even remotely close to offering this many plates. Please visit SimPlates ULTRA for PC Homepage for a free demo and if you’re a user of SimPlates X, the previous version, a discounted version is available. Strictly for serious flight simulation use and are not for real-world flight.

Who is Dauntless Aviation?

Dauntless Aviation is a real world aviation information supply company. They are known for their ground and flight school prep material for pilots to effectively navigate the written and practical tests up to and including Airline Transport Pilot ratings. They are just at home working in Europe, Canada, or America and many other countries around the globe.
 

The Company name is derived from the legendary SBD Dauntless dive bomber aircraft from early WWII battles in the Pacific theater. Many historians credit the SBD Dauntless torpedo squadrons and heroic pilots, who changed history when the U.S. soundly won the Battle of Midway in June, 1942.

I fondly remember the Dauntless as one of two plastic models that I built and cherished as a small boy. The other being the T-33 Shooting Star.

SimPlates have been around the flight sim community almost as long as we have had sim airports. I checked a few old archives and found announcements for SimPlates in February 2000.

What are Plates? Why Plates?

Instrument Approach Plates were the official name of the Instrument Approach Procedures Charts but ‘plates’ has been replaced with the term IAP Charts. The word ‘Approach’ is used in the operative term. I don’t remember anyone ever mentioning landing at an airport, only approaches to the airport in instrument flying conditions. They are designed as a ‘pilot briefing’ to take the pilot flying in instrument weather from an en-route fix to a position for landing at a properly equipped airport.

There are so many acronyms and abbreviations used here that it would be a distraction to list each one. If you aren’t familiar with the terms try this link.

Initially the published approaches were mostly ADF type approaches using NDBs; then VOR approaches were added for more accurate lateral control; then LOC for much tighter limits; then the vertical aspect was added with the ILS. Along comes GPS, later renamed RNAV and finally RNP. RNPs and the rare LDA- DME offsets are some of the newer designations. DME is often used as a requirement for identifying fixes or intersections. TACAN is strictly for the military high speed high altitude approaches.

There are special approaches such as the famous Parkway Visual to 13L at KJFK in New York and the Waialai golf course around the punchbowl visual to Rwy 22L.

Most every pilot has heard of the steep London City airport approach or the ‘frighten the tourist’ approach into St Maarten – Princess Juliana or the heart stopping, scare you to death, steep valley approach to Lukla airport in Nepal and finally the crazy last minute steep turn at a low altitude approach into Kai Tak prior to its closure that made famous the term – Hong Kong turn.

I’m sure just about every country has a famous approach or two. These are just a few that I am personally familiar with.

All these different instrument approaches make use of the national or international navigation system with VHF Ommiranges, Instrument Landing Systems with Localizers, Marker Beacons (Outer markers, Middle markers, Inner Markers) backcourses, etc. Everything is about proper guidance using instruments when the ground and objects are not visible outside the aircraft. Otherwise they would all be visual approaches. There are always special frequencies and identifiers with unique audio sounds and flashing lights associated with these markers and other electronic guidance aids for the pilot.

The once sacred ILS approaches are now being replicated from earth orbit with GPS signals enhanced with WAAS. This is the GNSS LPV approach using certified GPS receivers. Today there are literally thousands of these new LNAV/VNAV published approaches.
 

The whole idea is to have the aircraft at the right place, at the right time, at the right altitude, at the right speed, with the proper configuration set for landing (flaps, gear, lights, power, etc.) with a backup plan (go around) in case the visibility is less than expected or some other part of the approach is not in sync.

A key element in the approach is the procedures portion. This goes back to the basics of flying the airplane by maintaining a specific heading at a given altitude at a certain speed and making turns using a stop watch for accuracy and distance to intercept a point and do it all over again except maybe while descending at a constant rate while deploying flaps, and landing gear. This is where the term ‘fly by the numbers originates’.

There are circling approaches, straight-in approaches, precision and non-precision approaches and there are also multiple approaches using the same Navaids to the same runway. These are given unique names with the letters Z, Y, X, etc.

Most conventional approach procedures are built around a primary final approach navaid, others such as RNAV (GPS) are not. If additional navigational equipment is required to fly the approach, such as radar or VOR DME, ADF or NDB this will be shown on the plan and stated on the chart as Required and in the Notes if incidental. The pilot must ensure he has the necessary functioning equipment on board.
 

Let’s look at the approach plate with a broad view of the general layout. There is an enormous amount of navigational and flight information available on any given Instrument Approach Procedures chart.

Beginning in early 2000, the US Department of Transportation began issuing the current format and refers to it as the Pilot Briefing Information format

Very few run-of-the-mill sim pilots have even seen an actual ‘approach plate.’ They comes in small booklet form from the FAA in the USA and are bound by geographic regions, usually 2 or 3 states or maybe just Florida or 5 states for the Pacific Northwest or only parts of large states with lots of airports like California and Texas. The lower 48 US states are divided into 24 areas or an average of 2 states per region. The actual real world size is 5 ½ inches wide and 8 ¼ inches high, almost exactly the size of an iPad screen.

Just the Legend for reading an approach plate is 4 pages packed with information and examples. The basic layout seems to hold up fairly well although they appear to have a mirror image sometimes with the airport diagram and vertical profile swapping places.

There is a Plan view (looking down) in the center of the plate with a minimum safe altitude for a 25 nm distance shown usually by quadrants. The approach is drawn with nav aids, names and ids, magnetic headings, turns, obstructions with heights, etc. usually drawn in a 10 nm circle.

The profile box (side view) show expected altitudes, minimum altitudes, directional heading outbound and inbound to the runway and distances in nm from usually an intermediate or final approach fix. Close by will be a chart with minimum altitudes and distances for different types of approaches and speeds of the aircraft.
 

A box in one of the lower corners will be the Airport Plan View showing the runways, taxiways, etc. and the elevation above sea level and runway lighting detail. You can always find the runway identifier 10/28 and the length and width of the available runways for landing, 6002 x 150 in feet in the US.

The name of the approach is always on the top and bottom of the chart. This is where you will find the name of the airport and usually the town or city and the type of approach and runway. Several boxes along the top known as the Communications strip or Pilot Briefing Area has the frequencies used for the approach, the id, the approach/departure control service and frequencies. Several other supporting frequencies will be in this area such as ATIS, ASOS, Unicom, CTAF, Clearance Delivery, etc.

Along either side of the chart is the effective date. Most flight sim charts should be expected to be out a date, but not more than a couple of years for foreign countries. U.S. IAP charts can be found online and updated on the same cycle as the real world versions.

Instrument approaches can be made into tower controlled airports as well as non-towered airports. Special care should be taken when practicing instrument approaches at non-tower controlled airports and pilots are expected to self-announce their arrival starting at 10 nm from the field. Mixing in with the VFR traffic that may be operating in the vicinity requires monitoring the radio at all times and a vigilant observer.

To make things a little easier on the ATC controllers so they don’t have to spend so much time repeatedly explaining what they expect of the flight crews and tie up the radios with repeated chatter, SIDS and STARS were introduced.

SIDS for standard departures and STARS for standard arrivals. One gets you away from the airport and runway after takeoff the other gets you in position to start an approach or procedure from an en-route fix. SIDS are now known simply as SDs or Standard Departures.

DP (SID) Departure Procedure

STAR – Standard Terminal Arrival

Terminal Procedures Publication (TPP) coverage of the USA (Just for background Info)

Terminal Procedures Publication (TPP) coverage of the U. S., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Pacific Territories are published by the U.S. Government every 28 days for real world flight operators. Copies of many of these charts are found in the SimPlates X Ultra database.
 

Included in the Terminal Procedures Publications are:

• Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) Charts (new name of Plates)
• Departure Procedure (DP) Charts
• Standard Terminal Arrival (STAR) Charts
• Charted Visual Flight Procedures (CVFP)
• Airport Diagrams (AD)

IAP Charts are designed to provide an IFR descent from the en-route environment to a point where a safe landing can be made.

DP Charts are Air Traffic Control (ATC)-coded departure procedures which have been established at certain airports to simplify clearance delivery procedures.

STAR Charts are ATC coded IFR arrival routes established for certain airports to simplify clearance delivery procedures.

CVFPs are an operational technique designed to move air traffic safely and expeditiously. In addition to conventional visual approach procedures, it has been necessary to specify routes/altitudes to enhance noise abatement at some locations.

CVFPs have been developed to provide a pictorial display of these visual arrival routes.
 

Airport Diagrams are specifically designed to assist in the movement of ground traffic at locations with complex runway/taxiway configurations and provide information for updating geodetic position navigational systems aboard aircraft. Airport Diagrams can also be found in back of the Airport/Facilities Directories.

How about all of us VFR pilots?

Although the premise for having specific procedures to execute an instrument approach using Instrument Flight Rules, IFR, is the whole reason for having approach plates. That of course, does not mean all the VFR pilots can’t make good use of the extensive amount of information for each of the airports and surrounds nav aids and obstructions.

Anything one would want to know about at airport, Navaids, etc. can be found in the SimPlates X Ultra data. Many airports have a detailed full page airport diagram and some of the larger ones have additional ones to show taxi routes and such.
 

One of the really great advantages of having 70,000 pages of charts and data available at your fingertips while flying is that the database covers the entire world. Eighty countries have mostly up-to-date flight information, well certainly up-to-date enough for flight simulation.

Many times a VFR pilot may only be interested in the airport layout, a specific runway number and the airport elevation. He may not even have a radio turned on while flying in FSX. SimPlates X Ultra is ideal for these sim pilots.

You can display the data in a dedicated window, a second monitor or should you have an iPad or similar device you can use it and retain your primary monitor for the flight simulation views. All images are stored in the pdf format and use the free Adobe Acrobat reader to display the images. The load time depends on your setup and how many other tasks are running. On my test system the load time is very acceptable. A little bar chart pops up with the load progress. You can view a single chart in the viewer and can preload all the charts for a given airport in a local

A working demo version available for download

Actually the demo and full version downloads are the same, it is just the demo is limited to the state of Hawaii and Iceland. When I last checked the demo it seemed to work as expected in the browse mode but didn’t perform up to par in the search mode. I’m sure by the time you read this the programmers will have sorted that out.
 

The 28.8 MB download file can be found at http://www.simplates.com/ along with help files, FAQ, guides and an informative section on how Dauntless Aviation got its name and a lot of photos of WWII pilots, etc. A click on the Help/About button will reveal your program version number and your database version. If both are up to date LATEST, in green, will be visible. Nice touch.
 

Once you purchase the full product and receive your key-codes you will have a full working version in a matter of minutes. You should click on the ‘check for updates’ button to make sure you have the latest data.

One of the installation and setup requirements is to have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat reader installed to display the data. I did not have the latest version and I experienced some undesirable display glitches. I had to actually resize the window for it to display the data. I got tired of that and upgraded to the latest pdf reader version and it now displays properly.

If you are an old time Adobe Acrobat user then you know it must be the most updated free program of all time. It would be interesting for someone to keep track of how many individual updates are sent out each year - must be several hundred. I remember my Mother told me a million times not to exaggerate.

You have the option of adding a start icon on your desktop so a click or two will start the program. The fixed size home screen is quite colorful as it uses the country flag as the icon for each country. Rather than having to scroll through 80 countries you can use one click to go directly to the alpha code. 25 of the 26 letters in the alphabet have from one to twenty-six countries listed with flight data. Only X has no country.

The first choice is to decide whether you would like to view Plates, NAVAID info, or Airport Info (Aerodrome Info). The follow-on screens for the Navaids and Airport Info are very similar with the only difference in the search screen being the words Navaids or Airports in the upper left.
 

Once you remember the correct flag or your country, you can save the alpha step and go directly to the country provided the flag is displayed.
 

Selecting a SimPlate to view is a little different as you can see in this search screen. You can select your country of interest by clicking on the corresponding flag or use the step down method of clicking the alpha key for those lesser accessed countries.

Your next choice has to do with how much or how little data or the specific kinds of data that you are interested in viewing.

One you have the country selected, the next step would normally be to select an airport using the ICAO code. Then you can use the check boxes on the left for Approach type, SIDs, and STARs and the check boxes on the right for Weather minimums and Airport (Aerodrome) Diagrams. Big cyan buttons can be used for Select All and Select None (reset).
 

One little tidbit is to remember if you want to view an Airport or Aerodrome diagram, you will not find it using the Airport Info button. You have to use the View Plates button to view the layout and diagram. Remember, not all airports will have an Airport Diagram available.

These Airport diagram charts are also feature packed with good useful information for the sim pilot. A study of some of your favorite airports will reveal not only the open and closed runways with exact magnetic alignments, thresholds, the location of the FBO and Cargo handlers, the name of most buildings and hangars, taxiway identifiers, location of the control tower and rotating beacon, field name, ICAO code, city, Lat/Long, all frequencies, and cautions. The field elevation at the center and at the touchdown area for each runway is useful to VFR pilots along with the runway surfaces, length and width.

Not for real world flight planning or navigation

This should be obvious to everyone but, the red and white banner is attached to just about every screen stating the data must not be used for real world purposes. Also, don’t put the baby in the oven or cut the lines on your parachute or walk into the propeller when the engine is running.
 

Navaid Info is more than you will ever need to know about NDB, VOR, VORTAC, TACAN, VOT, etc. An example of how this works comes a little later in the review.
 

Airport Info is a structured information display for the airports, civilian and military including, location, operations, communication, Navaids, services, very specific runway information for each runway, operation statistics with number of annual movements and lots of additional remarks.
 

Searching feature

Fortunately, SimPlates X Ultra has a semi-smart search engine. You can find your airport using the ICAO, IATA, FAA, and sometimes using the Name or Location. This is a real time saver and almost necessary with 70,000 unique files to access. It is not perfect but still a very handy feature for quickly finding your data.

I would think any text displayed on the home screens would be searchable but that is not the case. An example is KJKA – GUF – JKA Jack Edwards airport located in southern Alabama at Gulf Shores, USA.

	Success
Search on Jack	Yes
Search on Edwards		No
Search on Gulf	Yes
Search on Shores		No

I think the lesson learned is to keep trying and be a little creative with any known information.

You can improve your success rate if you narrow your search down to at least a country before you start you search. Of course if you know any part of the airport codes you should be able to go directly to your destination.

Just about any two characters of the KJKA – GUL designation will find the airport. This is one of the few airports that SimPlates X Ultra has approaches and airport information but not an airport diagram.

Not all is lost. You can always call up one of the approach plates and review the airport diagram in the lower corner. A Google search did not return this airport diagram from any source.

Airport or Aerodrome Information

I have not seen any estimates on how many Airports are in the SimPlates X Ultra database, but it is safe to assume it has just about all of them. I would venture a guess it has more than FSX has for worldwide airports and the amount of data and the ultra amount of detail is fascinating. I enjoy just bring up an airport at random and reading the airport information and reviewing the full set of charts and other data.

I did an unofficial count for the US airports and found 3,028 including territories with published approaches. KLAX is the leader with 86 charts and KLBX has the most for a single runway in a small town (46 charts)and with no airport diagram included.

Most of the airports in the US have a scrolling page of data that includes:

• Full Name, identifiers, location and country flag in the header.
• Latitude and longitude, elevation, variation and distance from city
• Operational info for facility use, sectional chart, FSS, lights, beacon, landing fees, etc.
• Communication frequencies
• Nearby radio navigational aids location, distance from airport, name and ID and frequencies.
• Services for fuel types, airframe and engine services, oxygen availability, etc.
• Runway information – anything and everything you might wish to know about each runway.
• Annual Operational statistics by type operation
• Additional remarks with some of the dumbest abbreviations known to man.
• Each section of data has a source icon near the right margin. FAA in most cases for US airports.

The world-wide airports tend to have much less detailed information but still enough to be useful. Most have a box with varying amounts of information. The major airports in all countries tend to have a fully populated data box.

The SimPlates website has a FAQ section for the SimPlates X and X Ultra. Every airport in the database that has a published approach is listed by Country on a long, scrolling list. The basic X edition has approximately 30,000 total plates while the Ultra edition has an additional 50,000 plates or approximately 80,000 total plates including multiple sheets of some international plates. Wow.

It seems like Australia and New Zealand’s data is less up-to-date than most other countries around the globe. Mexico is also singled out as having less than ideal coverage. Even though these countries’ charts may not be as stellar or some of the others, they should still be fully usable for flight simulation entertainment use. But on the other side of the coin, China, Iran and several other countries are reportedly well represented with a nice complement of plates.

Navaid Info

The selection and display of Navaid Info follows the similar procedures as seeking Airport Info above.
 

The iPad IOS edition

This is one of those cases where you need to choose either the Windows desktop version or the more portable Apple IOS iPad/iPhone version. They are sold as totally separate editions and if you want both, you will have to purchase both versions.

Remember, 80,000 or so pdf files will generate an absolutely outrageously large file storage problem for any PC - reportedly more than 100 Gb. Therefore, Dauntless retains all the source data on their servers and as users request to view a plate it is downloaded to a local cache. You have the option of saving the file on your local drive or printing them should you choose. Most users will only view the plate images.

I looked at hundreds of plates for this review and each and every one was crystal clear, perfectly aligned, as in ‘not skewed’ and therefore easily readable and usable. That is not to imply that all the remaining plates are of the same quality, but, I would be surprised to find very many bad apples in the batch.

I find the country selection process on the iPad not as easy and user-friendly as the Windows PC edition. When the country list comes up it is Alphabetical and cannot be reversed as in windows. Fortunately, there is a button for ‘Recent’ to partially save the day. Maybe a future update will place the 3 or 4 most frequently used countries at the top of the list instead of totally alphabetical. This is one of those disadvantages of having a home country starting with ‘U’.

This is confusing to me because when I select USA, I get all the states arranged almost alphabetically but mixed in with other countries.


Like Albania, Hawaii, New York, Afghanistan, Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Angola. I just scrolled to the end to pick USA and selected New Jersey, then back to the ‘recent’ button. I have the same list as Albania, Hawaii, New York, except now New Jersey is in the first slot. I don’t think this would be very useful for me. Got to be a better way.

It appears to me the iPad edition treats US states as countries. Once I click on USA that choice is replaced by the individual states so I can’t make it one of my recent choices and move it to the top of the recent list.

Of course, a big advantage of having the SimPlates X Ultra on the iPad is the portability and it does free up that valuable monitor real estate should you only have one monitor. Because I have twin 24 inch widescreen monitors, I think the PC version will find a happy home as a popup window on the 2^nd monitor when I am actively flying FSX.

Another advantage of using the iPad is that it is so easy to reach over and scroll the sim plate up or down when zoomed in. Just a simple slide of the finger. Very nice indeed.
Oops. I just called up China and picked a VOR approach at random. It was fairly washed out and not near as sharp as most of the US charts.

I haven’t found a pleasing method, or any method actually, of seeing the big picture with the iOS edition. The iOS GUI makes the windows PC interface almost elegant in comparison. This may be due to the iPhone and iPad sharing the same app and the smaller screen seems to determine the layout for both.

Also, I have to figure out how to turn off the spell checker/autocorrect feature. Every time I try to search for a Chinese airport, the ICAO code gets changed to xBox or some other non-wanted word just as I start the search.
 

I need to find a tutorial for the iPad edition (almost zilch at the help site). When I touch the ‘Edit’ or ‘Filter’ button, I am booted out of the program and back to the iPad desktop apps screen. I rebooted, checked that the iPad is up to date with the OS and also the iOS app is up to date from Dauntless. The support request response states I am the first to report this so it must be my setup at fault, a couple hundred happy users and the large beta team are not experiencing these problems.

The load time is noticeably longer on the iPad than on the PC edition. But, even so, the download time is still very acceptable.

The end result of displaying the pdf approach chart on the iPad is that it works great, it is just the loops I have to jump through to get there is less than desirable.

Other edition/version available for Flight Simulation

See developer’s website for other editions/versions at http://www.simplates.com/

Conclusion

Publisher: Dauntless Aviation Platform: iOS, PC, Android Format: Download (29MB) Reviewed By: Ray Marshall

As the press release states, any serious flight simulator pilot will return over and over again to the that tool that makes the sim experience real, challenging and fun. I certainly find that to be true for my personal flight simulation experiences.

I didn’t even realize the total count of worldwide approach plates were anywhere near the numbers being advertised here.

One thing is for sure, the Dauntless Aviation server delivery method is surely the most intelligent solutions for such a huge number of charts. Being able to search, find, select and display approach charts on your primary monitor, secondary monitor, an iPad, Android or iPhone will certainly appeal to most flight simmers especially when you don’t have to mess with the file management problems of trying to keep 70,000 pdf files organized.

My personal choice is the PC version with my dual monitor setup, but I can certainly see the advantages of using an iOS screen to support the primary monitor without draining any of the resources. Only those with exceptional eyesight will opt for the iPhone version, but in a pinch it will be much better than not having the needed chart handy. Sometimes it only takes a quick glance to confirm a frequency, an ID, heading, fix or altitude during a simulated approach.

Those strictly VFR pilots may only be interested in the airport ICAO code or runway alignment or maybe the elevation so the iOS editions would certainly deliver that type of information and be handy.

The extensive collection of worldwide charts and diagrams should also appeal to the worldwide base of flight simulator operators. Most foreign countries do not tend to make this type of data as readily available as the US does. I think those are the flight simmers that may benefit the most with this collection.
 

I will admit up front that I was skeptical about this offering from Just Flight. First of all, this 757 model is labeled as Freemium and it is a pretty good rule that you get what you pay for…especially when a free aircraft is being offered by a company that generates its income by selling aircraft models for flight simulation. Additionally, the 757 Freemium is part of Just Flight’s F-light series of aircraft which are designed to be a bit easier to manage and fly than the more detailed commercial products.

All that being said, I was not really expecting much from this aircraft but the price was right and the Avsim overlords wanted a review of it and gave me the assignment so that set me on my way.

This aircraft is available only from the Just Flight website and the company touts these features which will be explored in depth:

• Highly Interactive 3d Virtual Cockpit
• Custom Flight Management Computer
• Accurate Animations
• Custom Flight Dynamics
• Realistic Aircraft Lighting Effects
• Stunning Exterior Textures
• Full complement of lighting effects
• Comprehensive Manual including Flight Tutorial and FMC Guide

The product is obtained by download only and the download package takes up 148MB on the hard drive. Once the download is complete the installation can be initiated, but an internet connection will be needed, as the first step is a requirement to log into the user’s existing Just Flight account or create one.

Once this account is recognized, the download continues and installs to the FSX Sim Objects folder, creating a Just Flight folder within. This folder contains two sub-folders containing a collection of 1552 flight plans and a 70 page manual.

Comprehensive Manual including Flight Tutorial and FMC Guide

Perhaps it is heretical to admit, but the first thing I did after having the aircraft installed was navigate to the Just Flight folder and read the manual to see how it corresponded to the company’s claim of it being comprehensive. I was impressed.

The manual shows full color images of all the included instrument panels and identifies all of the gauges and switches (even mentioning that the shown flap and landing gear override switches are non-functional in this simulation). I am certainly not a neophyte to the 757/767 flight deck, but the explanations were a good refresher and would be very helpful to someone not already familiar with the airplane.

Highly Interactive 3d Virtual Cockpit

All of the basic flight controls can be operated from the VC and the dials for the autopilot functions provide a very satisfying click for each increment entered.
 

Flight Deck instrumentation is nicely presented

Instrument lighting is outstanding

Custom Flight Management Computer

A lengthy section of the manual is devoted to the Flight Management Computer (FMC). Kudos to the crew at Just Flight for this one. While not strictly a fully functional piece of avionics it offers many more features than I expected.

A working FMC (or more accurately the Flight Management System (of which the FMC is a part) is generally the mark of a high end simulation and is one of the first functions to be cast aside when publishers are looking to lower the piece or simplify a simulated aircraft. The available functions are:

Status Pages

Three status pages to show aircraft position via lat/long, weight, fuel weight, altitude, speed, time (UTC and local), aircraft lighting status and configuration of flaps and landing gear as well as an interactive checklist…not too shabby for a free download.

An interesting feature of the aircraft lighting page is that it provides a one click ability to set the lighting for four preset configurations: taxi, takeoff and landing, cruise and climb/descent. Admittedly, lighting may not be a huge factor in simulated flight, but most of us strive for realistic imagery and this offers a quick way to achieve the right presentation.

Cockpit Navigation Page

Allows the pilot to call up a selection of eleven 2D sub-panels for closer scrutiny.

Autopilot Page

Line selections to enables/disable various autopilot functions

Autopilot Presets Page

Allows input of autopilot/auto throttle settings and hold modes

Checklist Pages

Three pages of interactive checklist items. Each checklist item must be accomplished before moving on to the next item on the list

Route Page

This 757 FMC is not capable of inputting a full route from SID to STAR but it can handle the 1552 included flight plans as well as any route you create in the FSX flight planner. It will also store 2 flight plans; one as active and another as standby.

Progress Pages

List of waypoints on the active flight plan route with 4 sub-pages to show distances, speed and altitude estimates, fuel estimates, and estimated arrival times at each waypoint.

Radio Nav Page

Entering a radio navaid waypoint from the progress page will bring up that navaid‘s frequency. Also present for quick review, are the active and standby frequencies selected for NAV1 and NAV2 as well as ADF with the option of switching standby to active
Very handy is a rudimentary VNAV function allowing the setting of speed and altitude by waypoint.

Departure/Arrival page

Departure page shows V1/Vr/V2 speeds, Flap/Gear/Slat settings and retraction speeds
Arrival page shows Vref, flap/gear/slat settings and extension speeds

Accurate Animations

Quite a few impressive demonstrations to confirm this claim. For example, the spoilers have an excellent range of motion. Initial movement of the control yoke left or right will resulting in corresponding deflection of the ailerons. Continued movement of the yoke will cause the flight spoilers on the pivoting wing to be added to the aileron movement. Further, the ground spoilers produce a greater spoiler deployment than the flight spoilers.

Slight left yoke deflection raises the aileron...

...further deflection invokes activation of spoilers to assist in banking

...with this extreme example at full left yoke

Custom Flight Dynamics

This 757 has a certain heavy feel to it that seems entirely realistic and the delay in response to control movements or thrust changes feels natural.

Realistic Aircraft Lighting Effects/Full complement of lighting effects

While the literature for the 757 Freemium lists these as separate features, I find it difficult to differentiate between what would constitute one and not the other and propose they simply be called ‘Full Complement of Realistic Lighting Effects’. Is this promise fulfilled? Somewhat.

• The red beacon light on the fuselage bottom flashes but the top one does not
• There is a switch for the logo light but it remains lit regardless of switch position (I have yet to see any flight sim aircraft where this switch actually does operate the light so we may be dealing with an FSX coding limitation here)
• Interestingly (to me at least), the nose gear and runway turnoff lights when lit are visible from a distance in the exterior view but extinguish when you zoom in close.

A full load of lighting

Nose light and landing lights

Runway turnoff lights

Stunning Exterior Textures

The detail of the exterior is quite extensive. I was particularly impressed by the presence of what appears to be a diagram and graph inside each of the outboard main landing gear doors. While the placards are not quite readable, it is clear that they would be of some significance to ground personnel, and their inclusion shows a fervent attention to detail.

Detailing under the spoiler to include actuator rod and grease marks

Note the placard on the wheel well door

Nicely Detailed

All antennas, probes and externals are depicted

One should never complain about the quality or fidelity of a freeware product. To think that people devote considerable time and creative talents to create an aircraft, effect or scenery and then offer it to the flight simming world as a free download is a testament to their generosity and the, dare I say it, family nature of this hobby. To offer criticism or complaint of these outpourings borders on plain rudeness.

For a commercial developer and one with a stellar reputation to boot, to offer a freeware product is unexpected and one could easily excuse if the model offered was a watered down version of their usual releases. But such does not appear to be the case with this 757 Freemium. It is a well executed model with a host of features-especially given the price.

Since a free offering from a commercial developer is a bit unusual, I asked Scott Phillips of Just Flight why the company chose to do so. Scott provided a candid reply stating that the feeling at the company was that they wanted to offer something of value to the flight sim community in gratitude for their support and patronage and inject a new approach into the acquisition of add-on products.

It was hoped that they could do so without taking a loss on the project and thus was born the Freemium idea of offering a base model for free with optional expansion packs of additional models (the 757-300) multiple liveries (30 in all) and engine choices (P&W, Rolls Royce) for a small fee.

The popularity of the 757 made it a logical choice to launch this endeavor and it has proven to be successful with over 20,000 downloads of the jet from the Just Flight website. Also noteworthy is that a quick scan of the Just Flight forum found many postings simply thanking Just Flight for producing the model and relatively few posts from users experiencing problems.
 

757-300

BA 757-200 with Rolls Royce engines

Starting engine #2

Publisher: Just Flight Platform: FSX Format: Download (22MB) Reviewed By: Roger Curtiss

Bottom line here is that this 757 exceeds expectations for the performance and features of a free download and Just Flight is to be commended for making it available. As I expressed earlier, one should not complain about a free aircraft but even without that premise one would be hard pressed to find much to carp about with this 757 Freemium.

There is simply no excuse not to add it to your hangar…so what are you waiting for?

I have had an Apple iPhone for several years now and love the form factor and capabilities. It is the small screen size that is rough on an old pilot’s weak eyes. I’m not really complaining as my son provides my wife and me with up-to-date phones and pays for the service. Good kid.

This good kid is also one of those techie-type, leading edge computer geeks according to his Mother. His dad refers to him as his only son that is a Director in a world-class international company that happens to also build computers and such.

Is this going someplace?

Sure is. I am leading up to the iPad that I received for Christmas. When you get to my age, there is really nothing out there that you need for a present, just a whole lot of stuff that you would like to have or maybe want. I added a renewal to my PC Pilot magazine subscription to my Amazon ‘Wish List’ this year (yep, same son gave it to me last year) and one of my grandkids thought it would be a good idea to add the digital copy for the 2013 season. Knowing I can barely read a phone number on the iPhone, a full sized iPad with a $25 iTune card seemed appropriate.

Can we get on with it, please?

OK, so I am an avid flight simmer with lots of FSX toys covering my desk. I have a full blown Saitek external cockpit with a few extras, 2 desktop computers, a laptop, etc. Well, you get the picture. The premise was I could get away from the desk/cockpit for a few hours from time to time and catch up on FS articles and stories and check my email and read the forums on the iPad.
 

It works, except I came across this app called Cockpit HD from RemoteFlight. The basic six flight instruments look absolutely stunning on the iPad screen. Now this is not the latest retina screen version, but an original iPad and it still looks great to me.

Take a look at this screenshot. I soon found there is so much more available for us flight simmers who have an iPad or iPhone.

www.remoteflight.net has a well laid out web presence to complement the images and descriptions of their products available for purchase at the Apple app store. You can review full descriptions and features of each of the apps, watch videos, download pdfs, and see full sized and oversized images. They recommend checking in on their Facebook pagefor the latest scoop.

Beautiful and efficient flight simulator gauges for Apple devices is the byline in the header at the website. Let’s see how true this statement may be.

As a verbal proponent of the external cockpit for our flight simulator hobby, these beautiful and efficient flight simulator gauges for Apple devices should fall into place and find a happy home on my FSX desk. Anything that adds additional real estate to my cockpit or simulator views will get my attention every time. One of the great advantages of the iPad and iPhone is that in addition to already terrific form factor for mobility and multi-use they are true ‘touch screens’

Until you personally witness the super sharp images, the smoothness of the gauges in operation with FSX, or FS9 or x-Plane, and the ease of selecting precise headings, scrolling frequencies or any of those simulated pilot type actions you may remain a skeptic. It took me only minutes to be sold on these HD gauges.

How about an overview of what is available today?

Great, a quick overview then I will follow up with a recap of how easy it is to download and install the apps to run with FSX. Everything at the app store is either for your iPad or iPhone or maybe both in some cases. Here is an introductory description straight from their website.

Cockpit HD is full-featured, touch enabled cockpit panel replacement for almost any of your Flight Simulator aircraft. Optimized for new iPad retina display from the very beginning but will look just as good on normal iPad screen. Enjoy your scenery on full screen and let your iPad do the job displaying the gauges. Customize your cockpit according to your preference, either for pure VFR or hard-code IFR training.
 

Radio HD is the ultimate radio panel for iPad. Period. All your favourite radio gauges in one place, beautifully drawn, animated and programmed with pilot's comfort in mind. Since all gauges don't fit on one screen you can now switch between different gauge layouts, and instantly get the instrument you need. Use multi-touch for more precision or faster scrolling (knob turning) through frequencies. RemoteFlight RADIO HD aren't just our iPhone apps packed together into one. Enjoy it, whether flying online in an airliner or in your IFR training with smaller aircraft.
 

Map HD is an ideal companion for long haul flights, as well as a tool for those, who like to explore the world while flying. Dragable and zoomable vector map moves with the aircraft and key flight variables are displayed on side-panel, which you can hide. You can choose from different types of maps, aircraft icons and units of measurement. Now you can sit back and relax, or chat with a stewardess, while still fully aware of the situation in cockpit thanks to iPad with RemoteFlight MAP HD.
 

Those are the three iPad applications. Now for the five iPhone apps.

Autopilot – all the expected features like HDG, VS, NAV, APR but also controls heading and Nav/GPS slaving.
HSI – full featured, touch enabled horizontal situation indicator. Smooth, visually stunning and feature packed.
MAP – Dragable and zoomable vector maps. Lots of selections for Apple IOS maps, aircraft icons, and selectable units of measure. Many extra features, more than just maps.


COMM – Your basic Com1 and Com2 radio compatible with practically any FS panel. Touch enabled and absolutely free.
NAV – All of the basic features of the Comm unit plus VOR/DME or ADF.

Looks great, are they affordable?

Affordable they are indeed. To make it easy for the review, I captured a couple of screenshots from the app store. Did you catch that the Comm radio for iPhone is totally free. Go get it now.

The iPad apps are $11.99 for Cockpit HD, $9.99 for Radio HD, and $6.99 for Map HD. Additional advanced cockpit gauges are $9.99 for a package of all gauges or you can buy them individually.

The iPhone apps are $3.99 for the AutoPilot and HSI, $1.99 for the MAP and NAV, and COMM and LITE (RF) are FREE.

To put this in perspective, you can buy the whole enchilada, everything RemoteFlight has to offer for about 50 bucks. The Apple app store is one of the few places that charges sales tax for online purchases so plan on adding a few more dollars if you have a USA address.

For reference, one of my Saitek Flight Instrument Panel units, FIPs, retails for 3 times that. Just one.

Of course, this all assumes that you already have an iPad of some sort and/or an iPhone with v4.3 OS or later. If not, eBay and the Amazon resellers are willing to make you a deal. These are only available for Apples iPads and late model iPhones.


Anything else that I need?

You will also need a little utility to run the RF Server to establish and maintain the connection between your flight simulator and your display devices. It comes as a windows installer or you can download a stand-alone version. You will also need at least the free version of Pete Dowson’s FSUIPC for FSX or FS9. X-Plane needs XPUIPC.
 

For FSX and FS9 (9.1) you need WIN XP or later. I like Win 7 - 64 personally with FSX/Acceleration, but you can get away with SP2 and the 32 bit windows. You also need Microsoft.NET Framework 4. Prepar3D users get a maybe – try RemoteFlight LITE and see if it works. All these things are free except for the OS and FS.

How to connect

Rather than go through the steps, I will tell you it is super simple, easy, and worked on the first try for me. I suggest you read the step-by-step support article at the website. This not only explains how easy it is, but does it with pictures for those not too technically minded like me. It uses the ClickOnce installer. I had absolutely no hitches, no delays, just a buttery smooth installation and connection.

This includes my iPad, my iPhone, and my wife’s iPhone. I even have a couple of older iPhones that I may be able to put to good use. They have version 3.x OS and I will have to dust them off, charge them up and run the OS update. One of the requirements is to have a Wi-Fi router installed in your network.

Remember, once you put in the IP address and port, it will be remembered and ready to run the next time you start up the FS.

How I am using RemoteFlight with FSX?

Take a look at this screenshot of my personal setup. You can read about the MadCatz/Saitek cockpit instruments and additions here in an Avsim review and the fighter jet version review here.


In this hardware review I stressed the importance of being able to use external hardware for cockpit instruments and basically fly outside the cockpit with the greatly expanded view but yet have full controls of the panel and details.

Here is an excerpt from that review that explains what you can expect when flying from outside the FS onscreen cockpit.

While nothing can replace actual flight with its associated sounds, vibration, turbulence, smells and visceral feel, the Saitek Hardware Cockpit gets very high marks. It creates a new atmosphere for the sim pilot with real switches, gauges, instruments, knobs, levers, pedals and yoke. This adds a totally new dimension to FSX flying, as you can spend more time using the external views while still having the flight controls and instruments available to you. As you can see in these photos and screenshoThis adds a totally new ts, you can fly the airplane with the same ease using the external view as from the virtual cockpit. The big difference is the vastness of the field of vision in the external views.

The reason I am showing you these images is to demonstrate the enormous improvement in the field of view. Although, the MadCatz/Saitek external cockpit remains highly recommended, a much lower cost alternative with similar results can be had for as little as $50.00 provided you have an iPad and an iPhone or two. Of course, I still firmly believe that no airplane, even in a simulator, was ever intended to be flown with a mouse and auto rudder.

I continue to recommend the Saitek Cessna ProFlight Yoke and Pro Pedals for general simulator flying and the Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control system for jet jockeys and those that do battle or just like to have a joystick and throttle in their grip.


OK, let’s fly with RemoteFlight iPad apps

With several full days of flying my Carenado Beech Baron in FSX using my existing hardware with the RemoteFlight iPad and iPhone apps added I can easily recommend you give them a test flight. I am thoroughly happy with what I have seen.

I’m actually not sure which one of the three big screen apps I would choose if I was forced to make a choice. As biased as I am, I thought the Cockpit HD would be a slam dunk and the Radio HD would get pushed to the back and maybe the Map HD would show me something that I was missing with Plan-G.

Wow. Was I in for a quick wake-up call! The Radio HD app is one of the most useful items I have seen or touched in a very long time. The Map HD may be even more useful than that. The Apple maps are superb in resolution and detail. Of course, each app is so much more than a radio or map package.

RADIO HD

The Radio HD app is user configurable at the touch of a button and not only has the easy to read Com1 and Com2 and Nav1 and Nav2 as would be expected but also includes the digital transponder and the easiest to use autopilot that I have seen to date. Oh, did I mention that everything is ‘touch enabled’? This means one touch to select ALT, one touch for VS, one touch for HDG with a large scroll wheel that feels like magic as you watch your selections flash by. The ever illusive Nav/GPS switch is there in full view seeking the one touch for selection. Same with the transponder codes and radio frequencies.
 

You can scroll the knobs for larger movements or changes or tap once of a single increment of change. This makes it so easy to set precise heading or unique frequencies with these apps.

And all this for $10. Oh my.

It starts with a nice glowing soft green Power button in the upper left corner and an illuminated 1, 2, 3, 4 button near the top right to indicate which of the four screens is active. Screen 1 has the transponder at the bottom; screen 2 replaces it with DME readouts with ID and distance. Screen 3 adds the ADF1 active and standby frequency box. Screen 4, replaces the DME readouts with ADF2.

The SET button in the upper right brings up a full screen for checking or setting the Server IP and Port with a Test button.

The balance of the page is a graphic tutorial on hints and tricks to make the best use of the touch controls and knob selections.

Although I have nothing scientific for comparison, I see no noticeable lag or delay in switching between gauges. The ease of the touch control cannot be overemphasized. It is smooth as butter and very positive. No limited click areas here and crystal clear images. Movement between screens is as easy as pressing (touching) the selector button. If only Garmin could replicate something like this with their online G1000.

Everything I see on my desktop is in sync. I have dual Saitek Radio Panels and the Saitek Multi-Panel with the AutoPilot and looking at these and the onscreen display of the FSX cockpit, everything moves together and almost instantly.

This is such a tremendous improvement over using a mouse to click an onscreen radio panel while the simulation is bouncing around and you are trying to remember which developer uses the slide method or the left click-right click or the hunt for the hidden click spot that may or maybe not be there. No more having to use a popup window to select a transponder code or change a radio frequency. The knobs appear as 3D knobs and the actions and reactions seem more realistic than anything I have seen to date.

If you only have an iPad then probably the screen 1 will be the default screen as it will have your Comms, Navs, Autopilot, and Transponder. If you have an iPhone and iPad then Screen 3 would probably be your choice with the Autopilot running on the iPhone. This dual setup gives you almost everything at a glance including the ADF and DME readouts.

A drawback is the Radio HD app is only available in the Portrait mode. Map HD is only available in the Landscape mode and Cockpit HD will work in Portrait or Landscape. An option for landscape mode is already on the list for a possible update according to the developer.

If you only had one app this wouldn’t be a problem, but, switching between the 3 is an irritation when you have to rotate the iPad for the Radio HD.


MAP HD

Looking at the MAP HD iPad app, my first impression was how crystal clear the maps are, the amount of detail and how colorful they are. I did detect some jumpy map movement from time to time, but not a major distraction. This may be a result of the update frequency I selected and I also may have been zoomed in a little too much. I also had a blank area show up once but didn’t stop to investigate if it was one of my settings. I later panned back to that area and the map was displaying correctly. I’m guessing there is only one season for the maps, usually springtime.

The current maps are provided by Apple IOS and I understand they may be somewhat inconsistent in detailed for the world coverage. In the areas I fly they seem to be on par with the Google Maps that I have been using for years. As they say, your mileage will vary, depending on where you are.

One touch of the 3D looking SET button at the right bottom of the screen brings up a full page of Settings.

• The first row is the Server IP and Port number boxes and a TEST button.
• The Update Frequency can be selected as 1 second, 2 secs, 3, secs, 5 secs, 10 secs or 30 seconds. I selected 1 second updates.
• The Map style comes in as 3 choices – Apple, Apple Aerial, and Apple Hybrid. I chose Apple Hybrid for my review.
• The little aircraft icon choices are Simple arrow, Cessna, Beechcraft, CRJ, Boeing 737, Airbus 319, Boeing 747 and Bell 206. You can also choose the icon size as Big, Med, small and Tiny. I picked Tiny.
• Units are selectable as Knots/feet or KPH/meters.
• The Route color line can be Orange, Cyan, Magenta, Amber or Lime.
• This must be just to see if we are paying attention. The last choice is labeled Smooth Movement Yes or NO. I picked Yes.
• You press the SAVE button or the Back button to return to the active Map screen

Once you point to your saved flight plans folder in the setup you can then choose an existing FSX flight plan at any time by touching the Flightplan button. Selecting an existing flight plan will bring up an Activate Flight plan button and when touched will bring up a new banner across the top with the next waypoint, track, distance and time to the waypoint.

Even without a flight plan you get an active readouts of HDG/TRK, ALT, and Airspeed and Groundspeed in a removable panel along the right hand border.

A lock/pan button is located onscreen in the lower left. The normal mode has an aircraft icon and a locked lock. One touch and the lock is unlocked and you are free to pan around the map world. The lower right has the soft glow green On Power button.

A wind speed and direction arrow is located in the upper left. Not just an arrow but the direction as in 343 degrees @ 8 kt.

A really slick feature is the DCT button. One touch and a list of the remaining waypoints are listed. Select any one for Direct to that Waypoint. Heck, just this feature along is probably worth the price of admission. A whopping $6.99, this must be the best buy of the year for flight simmers.

The info panel on the right side is removable with a touch of the right arrow and leaves only a left arrow in the lower right corner. This frees up more map area for the screen. Should you desire to check on your track, altitude and speeds, one touch makes it reappear, another touch hides it again.

I am just overwhelmed by how useful and how easy it is to fly with this MAP HD app. Maybe there is a second iPad in my future so I can keep it active all the time.

Cockpit HD

According to the Developer, this is the most popular of the iPad apps. The Map and Radio are tied as the second most popular.

This one comes with the ‘SIX’ basic flight instruments that can be arranged in any order one desires along with a SET and a PWR button. There is a nice small DME readout of the NM, KTS and Minutes at the center bottom of the display when in Landscape mode. As mentioned earlier, this one will work properly in Portrait or Landscape. Obviously, the original intent was to use it in Landscape mode due to the placement of the centered DME readouts.

The SET button brings up the Settings page with the expected Server IP and Port windows and TEST button. The Update Frequency is selectable as 0.3 seconds, 0.5 sec, 1 sec or 2 seconds. I chose the fastest.


Each of the flight gauges sits in a rectangle with ‘Tap to Edit’ displayed. When tapped, the entire rectangle turn bluish for highlighting and the choices are Change or Done with arrows available to movement to another position in the box of 6 instruments. The positions are numbers 1 – 6 from top Left to bottom Right for the installed location reference.

A tap on the Change button will bring up the full inventory of available gauges for selection.

These 6 basic gauges or instruments are just exactly that. Only a few simmers will be happy and not want to upgrade for the additional choices offered by the advanced package. I suppose that only the Airspeed Indicator and the really old style Turn Indicator did not appeal to me. I think the Attitude Indicator, Altimeter, Directional Gyro and Vertical Speed Indicator are quite nice and I would be happy if I had not seen the Electronic Altimeter or the Attitude Indicator with the Slip ball integrated.
 

The basic airspeed indicator has the red and blue radial lines for Single Engine Minimum Control Speed (VMCA) and the Best Single Engine Rate of Climb speed. The top end VNE speed is also selectable with the moveable long barber pole needle. These three needles are individually selectable and can be set by the user for visual reference. Settings are remembered for the next time your run the app.
 

I was especially pleased to see the two additional choices of Airspeed Indicators – a very typical Cessna 172 and my favorite GA twin, the Beech Baron 58. Both of these A/S indicators have temperature adjustment features at altitudes for direct readout of True Air Speed on the dial.

The RemoteFlight BE-58 airspeed indicator uses a linear dial whereas the real BE-58 and the Carenado edition that I in fly in FSX have the non-linear dial that aids in displaying the red and blue radials more prominently for emergencies with single engine operations and a horizontal needle placement at normal cruise speed. As usual, I like the addition of the TAS ring, but I prefer the non-linear dial. I can see a need for a similar advanced airspeed gauge for those aircraft with another 50 knots of top end speed, like the Lancair Legacy from RealAir.
 

The Electronic Altimeter has the selected barometric pressure setting and the full digital readout of pressure altitude showing at all times. Both altimeters are selectable for hectopascals for the flying in Europe or where In Hg is not used.
 

The 2 minute Turn Coordinator is labeled as DC Elec and is what one would most likely see in most any modern aircraft. Only the old military aircraft or really old general aviation planes have the needle and ball.

The Horizontal Situation Indicator, HSI, is a work of art. It probably deserves its own owner’s manual. If you want one, then you probably understand how it works and how to read it. It provides a ton of good navigational information.
 

The RPM gauge appears as a single engine piston gauge but dual needles labeled 1 and 2 if twin engines are detected (1 is the Left or forward engine if center-lined). An hour meter records the hours the engine is running to the 1/hundredth hour. This only works with piston propelled aircraft.

The final advanced gauge is the VOR/ILS gauge with horizontal and vertical needles. Not in service barber poles indicators are present for Nav and Glideslope. A Nav button at the bottom is used to select Nav1 or Nav2 as the source.
 

With the exception of the VOR/ILS and the HSI gauges, all should work with practically any or all add-ons with the exception of those products that are designed outside the FSX design parameters. These would typically be more advanced add-ons from PMDG, Aerosoft, A2A Simulations, and several airliners types. I’m sure the forums will be full of chit-chat about the ones that will not work.

All the gauges seem to work just fine in my RealAir Simulation Legacy.

All of these gauges or instruments are very pleasing to the eye, movement is fluid and steady. Adjustments are made by finger movements typical of any Apple device.

A four page pdf file is downloadable. In this instruction sheet the Developer states that he is receptive to suggested new gauges. I have already started my wish list of more gauges. First, a dual Manifold Pressure gauge, then at least three new Engine monitoring gauges – one for piston, one for turbine, one for pure jets with each implemented as single or twin engine.
 

A wish list PFD for consideration

Maybe a simple PFD type instrument with moving tapes for Airspeed with V1, V2, VR indicators and flap indicators, Altitude tape with selected altitudes highlighted and a VSI tape with a digital readout of positive or negative FPM. Of course, it would have a attitude indicator in the middle with a slip/skid feature. Along the bottom would be the Heading Indicator with the Heading Bug highlighted.

Also an all in one type twin piston gauge that has all the normal stuff about RPM and MP, but then have fuel on board readings for each tank, fuel consumption by each engine, oil pressure and fuel pressure, oil and pressure temperatures, some electrical indications for Amps and Volts, Outside Air Temperature, Flap positions and movement, cowl flaps positions, landing gear positions and movements, pitch, rudder, and aileron trim settings and finally a warning for gear extension at too high speed and spoiler or speed brake position. Did I miss anything? Sure did, EGT readings.

The web is full of real world engine and flight monitoring gauges for basic ideas should RemoteFlight decide to expand the offerings. Of course, there are only so many hours in a day or maybe in a night.

Some combination gauges would also be nice, like Manifold Pressure and Fuel Flow, and MP and RPM combo.

I like to have an indication on the airspeed indicator for Max Gear Extension speed. A simple white triangle at 152 knots for the Baron is what I use. It would also be nice to have a maximum spoiler or speed brake deployment speed tic mark or indicator.

A dynamite design concept would be to have an airspeed indicator or two or three that the user could pick the proper range or top end and then fine tune the white, green and yellow bands and add the red and blue radials or dots for twins. Now that would be ideal. Maybe even be able to add a tic mark for the spoilers, etc.

There are a lot of choices in the basic and advanced package for the Cockpit HD. I would recommend without hesitation that anyone who is anything more than a casual flyer invest in the additional gauges as soon as practical. I might go so far as to recommend they all be included in the purchase price of $21.99 or whatever is fair and then offer a LITE version that is only the basic six. This would save a majority of the serious simmers the extra steps of exercising the in-app purchase.

There is probably no single physical position that is just right for the iPad. The good news is it can be moved about with ease until each pilot finds that sweet spot that is the proper distance for his or her vision and at the correct angle or height. There just doesn’t seem to be a downside to this approach for gauge display.

The new retina display has twice the resolution of the iPad1 and iPad2. I’m sure the newest mid-sized iPad Mini will find a home on a lot of Flight Simmers desktops. Maybe a couple of those would be in the cards.

One nice thing about all the Apple devices is they all belong to the same family with only changes in physical size and resolution.


RemoteFlight apps for the iPhone

It would be a nice improvement to any flight simulator setup to add an app or two with the iPhone display. Especially the Autopilot and NAV or COMM. The MAP is a little cramped with the tiny screen of the iPhone but is still an option for those with really good eyesight. The HSI could be the leader of this pack as it seems to fit on the iPhone screen and is packed with good useful navigational information and controls.

For those simmers with an iPhone but not an iPad it should be a slam dunk to pick up the COMM and HSI or Autopilot to get started with the RemoteFlight apps.

Of course, the better setup is to use the iPhone as an additional stand-alone screen or two as secondary gauges with an iPad or two as the primary screens.

I have been using the autopilot on the iPhone with great success and using the iPad for either the Map HD or Cockpit HD display. Because I have most of the gauges as Saitek FIPs, I tend to use the MAP as my initial go-to app.

As long as my wife doesn’t complain, I will continue to use her iPhone to display the HSI alongside the Autopilot. As I was flying along I saw a flash message on her phone – someone had commented on a Facebook entry. A second or two later the flight information was back. Neat.

The resolution and therefore the readability and usability of these gauges on the iPhone is mind boggling to me. I keep glancing over at the Autopilot and thinking what a wonderful addition this in to my desktop simulator. And so inexpensive.

A little background on the developer

One might think there is a team of designers in a cluster of cubicles knocking this stuff out in some high-rise office building. Not this one. This is one of those single person operations burning the midnight oil while holding down a full time day job. He is a fellow flight simmer with real world flight time and flies a PMDG NGX with VATSIM when time allows.

It all started with the simple apps for the iPhone to improve the mouse interface with the outstanding touch display. When the larger screen iPad was introduced, it was the near perfect display, especially with the higher resolution for the detail required by some of the gauges.

The Future

Like most developers, they quickly change the subject when asked about specific plans or timelines. Most of us flight simmers tend to only hear the part of the conversation that we want to hear and then boost our expectations to fit what we thought we heard and just flat out misquote the estimates.

But I’m guessing we will see some additions to the selections as the one-man, part-time team’s workload allows. I would like to see the MAP HD expanded to include detailed Airport and Navaids. As mentioned earlier, a landscape mode for the Radio HD is already on the wish list along with specific new gauges or more variations of existing gauges. I’m sure the tube drivers and egg beaters would like to see something special for their desktops.

Recommendations

I am delighted with what I see on my existing iPhone and iPad. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible to pack so much data into such a small space as an iPhone screen. The iPad seems to be ideal for gauge display and RemoteFlight knows how to do it while simplifying the purchase and installation process. It is a bonus that the one-man operation is an old time flight simmer with a full time job to pay the bills while he quietly keeps adding to and improving the offerings.

One huge advantage of using an iPad is when you walk away from the flight simulation you can take it with you and check your email, read the forums, or take it to bed with you and read the latest magazines. You can even fly your simulator while in another room watching football as long as you stay Wi-Fi connected. True multi-tasking.

I think these are very affordable, extremely innovative flight instruments and gauges with unbelievable image resolution. I expected the touch control to be an improvement over mouse clicks and knob turning but I had no idea how smooth and easy it is to select new headings or change frequencies. What a terrific improvement this brings to the desktop flight simulator.

Each of the RemoteFlight HD apps are unique enough to command their own dedicated display and I could see where those with deep pockets could easily have some combination of two or three iPads configured as their desktop simulator panel. And a fine simulator it would be.

Conclusion

Publisher: RemoteFlight.net Platform: iOS (for FSX) Format: Download Reviewed By: Ray Marshall

I agree with the byline at the website – these are indeed beautiful and efficient flight simulator gauges for Apple devices and they could add fun and affordable.

Highly recommended.

Photos of the test system:


Here are some basic instrument clusters that I grabbed from my collection in FSX. All are somewhat different, somewhat the same. See how they compare to the RemoteFlight Cockpit HD screenshot.


Credits, Copyrights, Trademarks, service marks, etc.
Designed and developed by Vladislav Oupický. © Inputwish s.r.o. 2012 www.remoteflight.net
Microsoft® Flight Simulator is trademark of Microsoft Corporation
Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc
Thanks to Vlada Oupický for providing the RemoteFlight apps for review.

So you would like to fly a Boeing 737?

 

Yep, I just bought the PMDG model for FSX and I’m thinking about going to the YouTube Channel and learning how to fly it.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, I seriously doubt you will learn how to fly a 737NGX from watching YouTube videos.

 

 

Not that it is a total waste of time for it is not. There are some excellent tutorials to be found on YouTube. The difficulty lies in finding the good ones.  It is more like wading through the mountains of trash to find that gem or two. When you do find that special one, it is most likely less than 10 minutes long and either very general or extremely specific.  Unfortunately, the author will most likely sound like a 12 year old using English as a 3rd language. 

 

You might find several to show you how to fly from London to Perth in less than 10 minutes, or you may find the 2nd of 5 ten minute segments on how to program the FMC from startup to ready for taxi.

 

I will be the first to acknowledge this is no easy task.  No matter what someone’s cousin’s brother-in-law that dropped out of flight school has to say about it.  Of course, you can always follow along with the printed tutorial that saved a few pdf pages, (why do they do that?) by not including the screenshots or forgetting to add page numbers and then when you get to page 198 you find out it is part one of part two and there is no set date for release for the 2nd leg. To add insult to injury, it starts with the engines running and sitting on the runway ready for takeoff.

 

Or you could enroll in the Angle of Attack professional level training that is specifically written and presented for the PMDG 737NGX for FSX.  That is what I did.  Way back when it was just a vision spinning around in Chris Palmer’s head.  Well, maybe a little more than a vision as Chris had the PMDG 747 and PMDG MD-11 training on the shelves already.  But not too long after hearing about Nick Collett and his now famous 15 minute walk-around or 1 hour cockpit thoughts video.

 

 

Let’s see, that was early September, 2011.  The PMDG 737NGX hit the streets, or more accurately the download servers, a month and a half earlier.  I spent most of August attempting to write an introductory flight tutorial from Copenhagen to Oslo.

 

I was going to do this because I felt there was nothing out there to help the first time users get it up and flying. If I remember correctly, the included tutorial totally avoided the startup sequence and the one leg flight was full autopilot with auto land and no follow on tutorial for the rest of the year.  Bummer. 

 

fter about 3 weeks of concentrated effort, I was almost to my first checkpoint, thinking this sure is a lot of work. I wish there was some organized training available for us flight simmers.

 

That email from http://www.flyaoamedia.com/pmdg-737-ngx-training announcing the PMDG 737 flight training was a welcome sight.  I just knew they had a winner from day one.  What I didn’t know was that it would be so unbelievably detailed and such near real world level training and that it would take sooooo long.

 

 

There is probably no correct timeline or totally proper level of training for this type of FSX add-on that will make everyone happy.  If it is rushed to market, then something has to be left out of the curriculum and customers will be screaming for more.  If every conceivable bit, piece, system, and procedure is included and made available in HD video with companion flow charts, checklists and guides then it will take a year or more. 

 

A few of the early adopters gave up and are very verbal about their experience, while others managed to hang in there and support the team and are already well-versed Captains with logged flight time under their belt.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that the AOA Flight Training Program has already elevated the proficiency level of flight simmers that chose to fly the PMDG 737NGX to near the absolute limit.  I would venture to name Angle of Attack as the Flight Safety International of desktop flight simulation training.

 

 

Those new customers that are just now joining the ranks will be the beneficiaries of a well thought out and professionally presented training program.  Even though the early ones may have gotten a discount on the price, there are enough different packages and trial periods available that practically anyone and everyone should be able to find something of interest.

 

I like the seasonal sales like the one for Black Friday weekend.  Those that pressed the keys first got the great prices.

 

 

AOA likes to survey the customers so they can fine tune the finished product to be as close to what is expected as possible.  If you don’t tell the cook the soup is too salty how is he to know? I love it when someone asks my opinion and then uses the information for something useful.

 

It appears to me that the time consuming part of building the training program is behind us now and eight more flights are in-work or being planned for fairly quick delivery.  The inaugural flight was a short hop from Gatwick to Rotterdam.  The full list of flights is as follows:

• Gatwick to Rotterdam (EGKK – EHRD)
• Rotterdam to Innsbruck
• Innsbruck to Nice
• Nice to Madeira
• Buffalo to Dulles, Diversion to La Guardia
• La Guardia to Dulles
• Dulles to Ft. Lauderdale
• Ft. Lauderdale to Phoenix
• Phoenix to Las Vegas

We will continue to log valuable left seat PIC time and see some realistic flights unfold as we gain flight proficiency.

 

When I started flying in FSX in August 2009, an add-on at the level of the PMDG 737NGX was just a rumor and the quality of training available today was not even thought possible at that time. We really do not need to discuss how complex, how perfect, maybe even how impeccable this particular aircraft has been replicated by PMDG.  The bottom line is this is the one – the flight simmer’s dream airliner.  I really don’t think you could ask for more in an add-on. 

 

Yes, there are variations that are yet to be delivered and they too are expected to have even more improvements. The one I am most interested in is the military variant – the Navy P-8A Poseidon.  I know many others are eagerly awaiting the BBJ Business Jet variation.  Another large group is chomping at the bit for the big brother, the 777, to arrive later this year but that is a whole ‘nuther' story.

 

As far as which airlines, which country of registration, what particular colors or paint scheme is available, they are all available or nearly so.  This has to be the most painted or repainted airplane in the history of flight simulation.  A quick search of our Avsim library reveals 166 entries.  Many of these have multiple choices and several others are misfiled or mislabeled.  I even got into the fray by contributing a U.S. Coast Guard scheme, a Navy C-40 look alike and the fictitious JetBlue selections.

 

Many of these artists will paint to order or nearly so. A few are truly talented and spend an enormous amount of time dressing up the NGX so the exterior paint scheme for a particular airline is as realistic as the flight dynamics and systems.

 

Flyaoamedia has their own special repaint.  This is the company colors as such and is a variation of the sister ships at AOA.

 

 

Starting off with just Chris and Nick working around the clock, a full international team has been added over time.  I think the manpower at the peak of GroundWork Training was almost an even dozen. 

 

They now use color coded storyboards and use terms like Asset Criteria when designing a segment of training. This is basically the script, broken up into color coordinated parts, those parts representing whether it's an animation, FSX footage, or text; how many and how they relate to the subject matter. These are pretty impressive documents that really go to show just how much goes into what they do, and how much coordination is required.

 

Speaking of coordination, the team has guys in the United Kingdom, Romania, Chile, Michigan, Georgia, Colorado, Utah, Canada, Singapore and Alaska.  I would guess just the time zones would make for some complications.

 

Any given conversation will include words like flows, checklists, voiceovers, animations, illustrations, panning, zooming, highlighting, videos, rendering, pdf files, kneeboards, uploading, downloading.  Practically every unit has a Lesson Introduction, General Overview and Summary with the middle being all the technical details of the subject matter.

 

I would like to do a little recap showing how the 737NGX training evolved and illustrate a few of the details.  Just to demonstrate the level of detail of these HD video lessons that come in streaming Full HD and Downloadable 720P and Mobile formats. That means you get your training any way you want it. You can watch the training video online, or download the 720P and watch full screen on your desktop or send the Mobile version to your iPad or tablet for watching anyplace, anytime. The Flightwork Preview video is a compilation of the necessary steps for the first flight. The 5 ½ hours of video breaks down like this:

• Preflight Paperwork/Dispatch            1:10:00
• Arriving at the Aircraft                        0:10:00
• Originator Setup                                0:12:00
• Walk Around                                     0:27:00
• FMC Programming                             0:31:00
• Flight Deck Preparation                     0:54:00
• Before Start                                       0:09:00
  Engine Start & Pushback                   0:12:00
  Taxi                                                    0:13:00
• Takeoff & Climb                                 0:15:00
• Cruise                                               0:08:00
• Descent                                             0:15:00
• Approach & Landing                          0:06:00
• Taxi to Gate/Parking                          0:10:00
• Shutdown                                          0:05:00
• Debrief                                              0:10:00

Not long after the website got organized a ‘dashboard’ was setup for users to select which training they we logging on to view.  I have no idea about the number of customers but the interest is quite high as there are 9,794 members of the 737NGX AOA forum.

 

 

The Get Started box was the gateway to the Training Updates, the GroundWork Study Guide, downloadable special AOA repaint used throughout the training, EZCA camera setup and such.

 

The GroundWork where you find most of the depth of the details starts off with a video walkthrough of the Members Area.  Kind of like an open house for the share holders, without the d’oeuvres and finger food.

 

I looked back through my email and see the Emergency Equipment section was released on October 14, 2011.  Two weeks later we had Fire Protection, quickly followed by Ice and Rain Protection.  Seems like Lighting was also very early on. I remember a break for a few months, and then a big video about Hydraulics was released.

 

This is about the time we started getting encouraging announcements about the upcoming FlightWork. In early April, Chris announced the 4 flights in Europe and the 5 flights in the U.S. Although his comments were filled with cautions about the amount of work left to be done he stated:

 

“Throughout FlightWork, we’ll be teaching you most everything there is to know about flight operations. At first we’ll be slow and methodical to make sure we get every step covered. Eventually we’ll start speeding up the process to reach a flight crew’s real pace.

 

 

One of the major challenges is managing an aircraft meant for two, with just one; you. This is something we’ll take into account at every single step of the training, making sure that you can stay ahead of the aircraft at all times, and not be chasing making mistakes by being behind.

 

With use of flows, checklists, real world procedures and so on, you can take the knowledge you gained from GroundWork and have an in depth grasp on the aircraft that no other flight simmer can attain. Really, we believe that. The knowledge shared here can’t simply be learned through manuals.

 

We also realize that although the above flights will offer us a wide variety of procedures to work with, they won’t be enough. Once you’re done with FlightWork, you’ll be able to move on to LineWork. There you will be at full speed, flying live on VATSIM or IVAO, handling traffic, real world weather, a tight airline schedule, and so on.

 

“As things stand now, I (your FlightWork instructor) am in the beginning stages of getting this training started. However, I have such a great start that I wanted to let you guys know that it won’t be long now.

 

We’re so encouraged by the progress of GroundWork that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and know that FlightWork is coming soon. If we start getting FlightWork sections done before GroundWork is completed, we’ll be releasing those before GroundWork is done”

 

As our friend Bill Womack put it:  Yes! This is the section I've been waiting for more than the others. Not that there's anything wrong with learning the ins and outs of the systems, of course, but this is where the rubber... uh... leaves the road.

 

In early April, 2011, Primary Flight Controls and Secondary Flight Controls were available.  Before the end of the month, we had Landing Gear & Brakes and Engines & APU.  Early June brought us the Electrical session.  A month later we had an early look at a spiffy new Groundwork Study Guide.  A couple of weeks later, on July 19, 2012 the following was posted at the Members Only site.            

 

It is Complete!

 

20 lessons, 9 hours, 27 minutes, 54 seconds

 

“Now, this isn't someone on screen talking like those YouTube videos you've seen. These are fully legit, professional videos. These hours, minutes and seconds are jam packed.

Over the past year we have worked tirelessly on this training. What our team has created is a video training course you cannot find anywhere else, and information that would take months to gather.

 

 

With our GroundWork package, we teach you all about the systems of the 737. Having an intimate and detailed knowledge about the aircraft systems allows you to be ahead, instead of behind, for increased safety and more efficient flight management.

Not only that, this is knowledge that not many people in the flight simulation community have. This is knowledge only the hardcore simmer or future 737 pilot desires to learn.”

 

The next day the final version of James Crowther’s GroundWork Study Guide was available for download. This is a very professionally prepared and useful document. This is a 21 section Study Guide for the entire GroundWork lessons.  This provides a graphic and text overview for each of the major lessons with a couple of key questions for each section.

 

 

Quality and Level of Detail

 

The first word that comes to my mind is ‘unbelievable’.  The quality of the entire presentation is absolutely top notch by any measure. You have a large class of eager beavers waiting with baited breath for the any given next installment. 

 

Should it arrive with a typo or an item out of sequence or some really minor flaw, the response is instant with constructive criticism and suggested improvements.  A misspelled word here and there should be expected with the international crew assembling pieces around the world and working to a tight schedule.

 

The graphics are drawn exceptionally well and can be printed as presentation quality or zoomed up on a large monitor without losing resolution.  Full color drawings of all panels are available to the members and can be printed up to wall poster size.

 

 

The audio and video are also of very high quality.  The completed videos are available to view online in almost unlimited sizes.  They can be also downloaded for offline viewing at your leisure in 720P or slightly smaller files for Mobile units like tablets, iPads or smart phones.  I have no difficultly watching the 720P version full screen on a 24 inch widescreen monitor.

 

The additional files and extras are a class act themselves.  You can download a script to follow the narrative if you not comfortable listening to the audio in English.  There are several additional files and documents that support a given lesson and those are usually packaged for easy viewing.

 

 

A full package is always assembled as needed.  The Flight #1 has a folder for full Navigraph charts for both airports including the SIDs and STARs and approach charts, the Coroute file for the FMC, all the weather files, flight sequence files, the PMDG panel state files, a 10-page file briefing file, the Topcat calculations file, and the How To Install it all file.

 

I see the GroundWork is now available at the PMDG website with a full description and a sample video.

 

 

LineWork – Let it Flow

 

Based on the Flightwork announcement above I was expecting LineWork to be at the end of the training. That was not to be the case as it is now evident that LineWork and FlightWork were flipped and the next 6 months was a steady stream of Flows.

 

 

It appears the dashboard boxes still remain out of order with LineWork following FlightWork.

 

 

The conclusion of GroundWork seems to have ushered in the first wave of LineWork Flows.  Most of these ‘Flowcharts’ are single page views of several panels with the sequence of actions shown by numeric boxes.  Only the longer or slightly more complex flows need two pages to avoid the spaghetti bowl look as the work flow lines snake through the panels.

 

The first wave of LineFlows were the Originator (first flight of the day), FlightDeck Prep, Before and After Start, Approaching Runway for Takeoff, 10K Climb and Descent and the 18K Climb and Descent, Cruise, Bleeds, ThroughFlight, After Landing and Engine Shutdown.

 

 

Pre-FlightWork

 

It seems a filler or bridge heading was introduced to stretch the completed GroundWork and LineWork Flows to the FlightWork that was in-work.  The FlightWork on Approach was evidently a circling approach as it took from September, 2012 to January, 2013 to get to the PushBack segment for the first scheduled flight.

 

We were introduced to Micro-Lessons for the very comprehensive Pre-Flight to get the aircraft, the simulator, and ourselves ready to fly for the first time.  We learned the vast range of options programmed into the CDU.  This is when I learned that it was ‘strongly recommended’ the students have the paid version of FSUIPC, TrackIR and EXCA.  This was followed by yet another list of ‘Recommended Add-ons’, a Kneeboard for all the charts, flows, checklists and other necessary flight documents and finally a surprise unannounced Obstacle Course flight through a canyon in the Alaska wildernesses. 

 

Fortunately, I have many of the recommended airport scenery packages along with REX, Orbx Scenery, Navigraph and Topcat.

 

The Obstacle Course flight was for us to get the feel of hand flying an airliner while scraping the treetops and trying to avoid plowing into the mountainside.  This was advertised as necessary to break the notion that the 737NGX isn’t controllable by hand and to give us a good sweat.  That it did and in spades.

 

"Hand-flying will be a major focus of FlightWork. Skills of this nature are not easy to come by, and take a great amount of practice. What better way to practice than to have a bit of fun?”

 

If I had been a little smarter I would have taken an extra change of underwear with me on this flight.  But, it certainly does demonstrate how much fun it is to hand fly a big airliner out in the wild away from ATC, holding patterns, and approaches.

 

Provided you made it back to Ketchikan (PAKT) in one piece and had a buddy repair all the dings and scratches you are now officially ready for FlightWork Flight #1 PREFLIGHT.  This is where we are introduced to a new unreleased product from the makers of Topcat.  Professional Flight Planner X (PFPX).  Here we learn to wade through the necessary mountain of paperwork that your Dispatch Office and First Officer would normally prepare for your review and approval.  But, seeing as this is a one-man flight crew, it is necessary that we learn all the details by doing it ourselves.

 

Time to get the cockpit ready

 

We have now moved the PRE from FlightWork to PRE-Pushback.  We are in the cockpit putting all this knowledge to good use. Or as the Member Area announcement states:

 

“Finally it is time to jump in the simulator and commence this journey. You're setup at Stand 53 in Gatwick, the aircraft is completely powered down with no ground services, and it's up to you to do each and every step.

 

 Now, this is a HUGE video. It’ll take you quite some time to get through it all, and you’ll undoubtedly have to repeat everything several times if you’re new to the aircraft. But the lessons are here for you to repeat. Just make sure you practice those flows and checklists. That’s big stuff!

 

 

This lesson title was a little disappointing to me. 737 FlightWork #1 Post PushBack

 

“The aircraft is all setup, and now it’s time to push and start, and take this journey all the way to Rotterdam. Finally, it’s time to go flying.”

 

This one was the real deal.  Close the doors, light the fires and go fly to Rotterdam. 

 

 

Wouldn’t it been better to name this Lesson ‘Flight number 1 – Gatwick to Rotterdam  (EGKK – EHRD) or something a little more grandiose than Post Pushback.  Oh well.

 

Publisher: Angle of Attack Format: Online Video Reviewed By: Ray Marshall

Conclusion

 

Well, there you have it. It has been slow, even agonizingly slow at times, waiting to learn enough to request your takeoff clearance and a few short minutes later your call as Flight Captain for Gear Down in your very own Boeing 737NGX. 

 

 

It has also been very rewarding, even exhilarating to be able to comprehend the myriad of systems and procedures, flows and checklists, planning and pre-planning necessary to command an aircraft of this size and complexity.

 

I highly recommend anyone even casually interested in knowing more about flying this airliner or even a similar one in FSX to explore what AngleofAttack has to offer.  I am quite certain there is no better training available to a FSX simulator pilot anyplace at any price.

 

I can hardly wait to check my email each morning for the next announcement as I wait for Flight #2, then Flight #3.  I have a ton, well at least 5 ½ hours, of HD professional video and a bucket full of pdf files loaded on my hard drive and many on my iPad so I have no excuse now for not being able to safely fly higher and faster. 

 

Obviously, every bit and byte of this data was conceived, drafted, written, converted to audio and video, edited, checked, rechecked and published just for me to learn how to fly the PMDG 737NGX.  But, it is perfectly OK with me if you would like to use it for your personal training also.  Good Luck and Godspeed.

 

A sampling of comments from the Members Area.

 

 

Flows vs. Checklists

 

A flow is a basic methodology for running through system checks and setup of the aircraft in varying phases of flight.  The purpose of the flows is to have a way to run through all the checks of the aircraft without having to run through an actual, multi-hundred point checklist. A flow does not have to be exactly the same thing every time. Chances are, you’ll be jumping around from one thing to another, getting a radio call here or interacting with the cabin crew there. 

 

Flows are incredibly useful for knowing how to quickly setup the aircraft during different phases of flight operations. The crew can speed through things, much like the scenario I started off with in this post, yet still safely and comprehensively setup the aircraft.

 

A checklist is a short list of essential items that must be checked for flight safety. Only items critical to flight safety are on these lists. Unlike flows which may be hundreds of steps long in some cases, the checklists are short and to the point. They do not cover everything - only those items that are completely essential. In other words, requirements.

 

Flows can be rushed, checklists cannot. Steps can be omitted in flows, steps cannot be omitted in checklists.

 

Find your balance, and keep a good head on your shoulders. Learn your flows, and your checklists. Follow the checklists with exactness. Flows can be rushed, checklists cannot. Steps can be omitted in flows, steps cannot be omitted in checklists.

 

The next time someone tells you to ‘just go with the flow’, you will know exactly what he or she is talking about.

 

 

Credits

Chris and www.Flyaoamedia.com for providing the flight training.

The Flyaoamedia flight training team members for their tireless efforts to bring this to market.

Marlon Carter takes a look at a video production from Viking Aviation Photo covering some African air hauls via Dash 8 100 and Dash 7 from Air Kenya, as well as cockpit videos from B777 and B737-800's flying for Air Austral.

 

Air Kenya

 

 

Highlights

 

Air Kenya is an airline based in Nairobi Kenya and it operates both scheduled and charter services. Today we join an in-depth look at the operations of this small airline as we fly onboard both the Dash 8 100 and the Dash 7. Here is a breakdown of the flights we will be taking on this nearly 3 hour long video.

DASH 7
Wilson - Keekorok
Keekorok - Mara Serena
Mara Serena - Kichwa Tembo
Kichwa Tembo - Safari Club
Safari Club – Wilson

 

DASH 8
Wilson - Lamu Airport
Lamu Airport - Malindi
Malindi - Wilson

The DVD begins with a company presentation from the general manager who is also a pilot. During this company overview you will learn a lot about the history of the company and its current operation. Following this presentation we join our flight crew which consisted of the GM flying in the right seat and another Captain in the left seat.

Prior to departure, the Captain takes us on a very thorough external walk around of the aircraft which I thought was very insightful. Joining the GM in the cockpit, he takes us through a very extensive presentation of the Dash 7 cockpit which was a definite highlight of this DVD.

 

 

The flights onboard the Dash 7 into the Maasai Mara was very intriguing and it offered a unique look into the operation of aircraft in and out of dirt runways. Typically we are used to seeing and experiencing landings and take offs from major or regional airports but this DVD takes it to another level.

Landing on a paved runway with variables such as weather can be a challenge but landing on a dirt runway that is far from being smooth yet alone level, is even more so a challenge to the average pilot. Both pilots did an excellent job at ensuring that the viewers had the best seat in the house (besides theirs of course) in order to see the unique terrain and wildlife that this region has to offer.

 

 

Moving on to the Dash 8, the flights were equally as captivating. Some of the highlights included scenic views from the cockpit on takeoff and landing and the perfect view of the pilots as they carry out their duties.

All in all, this is a DVD I can definitely recommend as it is both exciting and informative.
 

Additional Information

 

Air Austral 737-800

 

Highlights

Viking Aviation Photo has filmed Air Austral DVDs before which featured the B777. This time we hop onboard the B737-800 for flights between the airline’s main base of Reunion Island to various destinations. Here is a breakdown of the flights that are featured in this DVD

UU255 RUN Reunion Island - TNR Antananarivo, Madagascar
UU256 TNR Antananarivo, Madagascar - RUN Reunion Island
UU611 RUN Reunion Island - DZA Dzaoudzi, Mayotte
UU611 DZA Dzaoudzi, Mayotte - HAH Moroni, Comores
UU612 HAH Moroni, Comores - DZA Dzaoudzi, Mayotte
UU612 DZA Dzaoudzi, Mayotte - RUN Reunion Island

After our introductory video footage we join the flight crew as they prepare for their round trip flight to Madagascar. This trip will no doubt be a highlight for Boeing fans since during this flight the Captain provides an extensive overview of the cockpit setup and various operations of during flight.

The presentation that stood out the most in my mind was the FMC presentation which was basically a step by step walk through of how the FMC is set up for each flight. During the flights, the pilots provide a lot of useful information on the 737 and its complex systems. After landing at Madagascar, the First Officer does a very detailed walk around that takes you to nearly every square inch of the 737 exterior.

 

 

The return flight featured a cabin service presentation which was strictly a visual presentation. During this segment you have the opportunity to observe the duties of a flight attendant which I must say is no simple task. After landing back at Reunion Island, there is a short presentation that features action from the ramp which is then followed by a company presentation by their marketing and sales manager. This presentation covers everything you need to know about the operations of Air Austral and is very insightful.

 

The flights that take us to Dzaoudiz, Moroni and back to Reunion featured stunning views from the cockpit of these lovely islands. Another highlight was the cabin service presentation which gave a clear view of the top notch service provided by this airline to first class passengers.

Pilot updates and explanations are standard on each flight and this leaves the viewers up to speed with each phase of flight and the procedures that are involved. Our final landing back at Reunion was uneventful but I must say that if you have never seen the approach into Reunion airport, you are missing out! This is a very beautiful island and it looks even better in HD!

In the end, this is one of the best 737 DVDs/Blu-Rays out on the market and I think you should definitely give it a try.

Additional Information

Summary / Closing Remarks

 

Publisher: Viking Aviation Photo Format: DVD / Blu-Ray Reviewed By: Marlon Carter

These DVDs were a pleasure to watch and I think anyone who loves aviation will enjoy them. At a cost of 24.99 Euros each they are a bargain. These are perfect for days when you want to see or do something aviation related from the comfort of your sofa.

 

What I loved about these DVDs is the outstanding quality and unique camera angles that give you the full perspective of the 737 cockpit. Another point worth mentioning is that the speed at which this DVD was filmed is not the same as your standard DVD. These DVDs are very fluid and they give a much more true to life perspective (Almost as if you were really there).

Viking Aviation Photo has once again delivered two fantastic DVDs/Blu-Rays that all will enjoy.

 

What I Liked About the Videos

• Scenic Views
• Creative editing and camera views
• Features very unique destinations and aircrafts
• Friendly pilots

What I Disliked About the Videos

• Nothing….

The cover of Flying magazine seems to always have a catchy photograph. I’m sure the editors spend lots of valuable time selecting just the right photo with the perfect lighting and soothing colors to entice you and me to pick their magazine off the shelf and not the one with the sailboat or the sexy GT hot rod.

 

Should you be one of those browsers in the magazine section of a book store last April, you would have been greeted with a slick photo of the latest Cirrus SR22 climbing out in South Florida. The large headline reads

 

CIRRUS SR22

Most Sophisticated Single . . . Ever

 

The Cirrus SR22 is a thoroughly modern plane, and has been the bestselling model in the single-engine segment for the last five years, surpassing the long time number one place holder Cessna 172. It's not the fastest, the most expensive, or even the sexiest plane out there, but it is partly responsible for resurgence in private flying. A lot of that has to do with good timing, a forwarding thinking management and sales team, and a good basic design for a family airplane.

 

It also helps that it looks like it was patterned after the Mercedes Gull Wing speedster and gives the appearance of doing 200 knots while sitting on the ramp without the engine running.

 

But it is indeed faster, more expensive, and sexier than the Cessna 172 Skyhawk for sure. Other than having fixed landing gear and rubber tires it does not have much else in common with the Skyhawk.

 

It turns out that even with the full airframe emergency parachute system the pilots and owners still make age old dumb mistakes, like running out of fuel on a 3 mile final approach or pulling the red handle and deploying the chute over a heavily wooded area when they could have glided to a nice open and flat landing area if they would have only looked over their shoulder.

 

This particular Flying magazine article was authored by none other than the Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Robert Goyer. This eight page spread has nine photographs, the first one takes up almost two full pages and is beautiful view of a silver and white turbo model climbing out with the Saint Petersburg bridge in the background. The second oversized photo is sitting on the ramp with several high rise condos for a backdrop. Five of the remaining seven photographs illustrate how to use the new 60/40 split back seat. I find this puzzling as my wife’s 2006 Acura MDX has a 60/40 split rear seat and the grandkids don’t seem the think it is anything special at all.

 

Sandwiched between the five photos of the new 60/40 split rear seat is a gorgeous full shot of the interior showing the Garmin Perspective G1000 panel that also shows the two side stick controls and the well designed and implemented lower center console area that houses the keypad controller, autopilot, comm unit, Oxygen and Flap controls.

 

Different folks pick up on different trends but what I gather from reading this article is Mr. Goyer is completely enamored with the new 60/40 split seat and everything else is so so. It also appears he may have been given a demonstrator to fly as much as he wishes in order to write the favorable article. Nice.

 

After reading several more articles in the Flying archives I find that Mr. Goyer has lots of flying time in the two Cirrus models. It appears that he may have designated himself as the one and only to fly and write about the latest release or latest paint job coming out of Duluth. A little more digging and I find that Mr. Goyer owns a fractional share interest in a Cirrus SR22 and is IFR current.

 

Toward the end of the magazine article there are a few paragraphs that describe the SR22T from a pilots view point. He sums it up with “The airplane is beautiful to look at but it is also a pleasure to fly, and not just for the excellent true airspeeds, fine climbing ability, great visibility, and comfortable seats.”

 

Model Specifics

 

At first glance, this 2012 model appears to be identical to the Carenado SR22 GTSx Turbo model introduced for FSX and P3D just last week. A casual observer might not see any changes to the panel or cockpit in this 2012 model compared to the 4 year old 2008 model that Carenado used for our flight simulator model. Carenado’s is on the right.

 

 

On the surface, the Garmin panels look like practically all the other recent G1000 general aviation 12 inch twin panels with the PFD on the left and the MFD on the right. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is not what the panels look like, it is what data they are capable of displaying for the pilot and passengers. A closer look reveals the Synthetic vision in the PDF that is a new addition to the panel. What can’t be seen is the 2012 turbo model has the Cirrus factory installed twin turbos while our 2008 model has the earlier aftermarket bolt on Tornado Alley turbo.

But, for the sake of appearance, the Carenado model is strikingly similar, meaning just as gorgeous and a nearly a carbon copy. What is nice is that the Carenado model does indeed have the G700 integral autopilot with the keypad controller box, with the blue ‘Level me Now’ button and the other standard items including the built-in oxygen supply controls. What is not so nice, but not totally unexpected is that our Carenado model is not a Garmin Perspective at all but does replicate the 2008 model quite well.

 

Up front, one needs to fully understand that it is totally unrealistic to expect to find many of the real world features of a $750,000 airplane coded and designed into a $34.95 add on for a $50.00 desktop flight simulator. Heck, just the difference between the base price of the SR22T and the ‘price as tested’ in the referenced magazine article is more than $200,000. Ouch.

 

Cirrus History

 

Cirrus Aviation is one of the modern success stories and it would be even better with the bright future of the Cirrus Vision Jet just around the corner if I hadn’t read that it was wholly owned by the Chinese Government. I suppose that is a better than being in bankruptcy and not being able to continue SR22 production and build the new private single engine jet for those SR22 owners with the deep pockets to have something to step up to the next level.

 

When Cessna and friends convinced Bill Clinton to sign the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 so we could have small general aviation airplanes built in America again, I don’t think they were actually thinking about a couple of brothers in Duluth, MN.

 

Times have been relatively good for the VK-30 kit aircraft company that was started in 1984 by Alan and Dale Klapmeier. Cirrus’ first product was the very successful SR20 totally built in Duluth, MN then expanded to Grand Forks, ND when the market supported a big brother version – the SR22.

 

They look nearly identical with the engine size and the performance numbers being the big difference. Plans to enter the light-sport aircraft, LSA market sector was shelved due to bad economic times when employee layoffs and shortened work weeks failed to overcome the slump in sales.

 

With the infusion of new money from the Chinese buyout in 2011, Cirrus is financially in a much better position and is moving forward with the SF-50 Vision jet. If the single-engine jet is not your cup of tea, you can buy the latest decked out SR22 Turbo painted in the Vision color scheme. The additional cost for the special blue and silver paint, full warranty and a few unique touches in the cockpit is probably an additional $100,000 or so. Cirrus is really big on special paint jobs and personalized touches.

 

 

Cirrus Models, all both of them

 

Cirrus SR (Single Reciprocating) aircraft are designed around composite technologies with glass panel digital flight displays and modern avionics as standard equipment. The aircraft are all electric - no vacuum systems are used. Redundancy is provided by dual batteries and alternators. The SR22 is also available with TKS anti-icing equipment which enables flight into known icing conditions. This is very uncommon in this single engine sector of the market.

 

The aircraft incorporate other unusual design elements. All (both) Cirrus aircraft use a mechanical side yoke instead of the traditional yoke or stick for flight controls. The aircraft also use a single power lever that adjusts both throttle and propeller RPM via a mechanical cam-actuated throttle and propeller control system. Construction is dominated by the use of composite materials including the main wing spar, although traditional aluminum is used for flight control surfaces.

 

The SR22 has an option for a factory installed engine turbo system in lieu of the previously available bolt-on Tornado Alley turbo-normalized engine. Either model allows the engine to maintain maximum power at higher altitudes while increasing the maximum operating altitude to 25,000 feet. A built-in oxygen delivery system for masks is provided with the turbo option.

 

Each year additional tweaks or innovative options are implemented usually adding more basic airplane weight but overcome with a slight increase in higher cruise speeds. Less than a month ago, the Generation 5 model was announced with the show stopper being a 200 pounds increase in Gross Takeoff Weight. This is very significant for this model because they have packed so much stuff into the cockpit they were running out of available payload weight for the passengers.

 

Chute Happens, be ready

 

 

All Cirrus SR aircraft are equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), a ballistic parachute deployed from the back of the aircraft. In catastrophic emergencies, the system allows the entire aircraft to descend safely by parachute and has been credited with saving more than 30 lives.

 

The parachute system was accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration as an equivalent level of safety in lieu of complete spin testing. Cirrus is the only aircraft company in history that has avoided complete FAA spin testing on their airframes.

 

The Cirrus pilot's operating handbook states that the parachute system "is designed to bring the aircraft and its occupants to the ground in the event of a life-threatening emergency. The system is intended to save the lives of the occupants but will most likely destroy the aircraft and may, in adverse circumstances, cause serious injury or death to the occupants".

 

Carenado Parachute simulation and FSX

 

Because this is one of the attractions or at least one of the major differences in Cirrus aircraft and all those Cessnas, Pipers and Beeches, I was looking forward to the ‘Catastrophic total loss simulation’.

 

This is also one of the major differences in the real world Cirrus version and the Carenado SR22 GTSx Turbo HD Series for FSX.

 

Carenado designed and implemented the cabin portion of the CAPS parachute system right up to the point of confirming the emergency, reading the warning, and pushing the red handle to fire the rocket and deploy the chute. I was so looking forward to this simulation. But alas, it was not to be.

 

Instead of hearing the sounds of the rocket powered ejection system sucking all the money out of your wallet along with the stowed airframe parachute, and you envisioning the destruction of your prized Cirrus, you hear nothing, nothing at all. What you are greeted with is a popup warning message that states - System reset. I tested it and it is true to the word. Zap, reset. (followed by major personal disappointment)

 

The bottom line is Carenado chose to replace the coded parachute sequence in the simulation with the quite common Windows keystroke sequence of CTRL, ALT, DEL.

 

I fired off my “I’m so very disappointed” email to Carenado the very day I received the add-on for review. For the missing parachute simulation I asked one question with 4 parts.

 

Q. Was simulating the safety parachute deployment discussed by the design team?
a. Reasons for not implementing in FSX?
b. Any hope at all of revisiting this decision at some later date?
c. Would you consider adding it in a future SPx?
d. Would you consider adding it as an optional purchase, like the Super Cargomaster Expansion Pack for the C208?

 

The answer was Yes, the parachute system simulation was discussed and No, it was not simulated in the Carenado SR22 GTSx Turbo for FSX model ‘Because we feel it is not important for the flying experience we want to bring to people and FSX is very limited for this kind of effects resulting in a bad representation.”

The b, c, and d answers were all “I don’t think so”. That pretty much closes the door on simulating the CAPS deployment in FSX for the Carenado SR22 GTSx Turbo add-on.

 

Specific Model History – a Chronology of sorts (for the real world Cirrus)

 

 

1999	SR20 is certified by FAA. Came with SRec 20/30 autopilot, Arnav MFD and a Century HIS.
2001	SR22 is certified by FAA. Same avionics as above but with STec 55X AP, Altitude preselects w/remote display.
2002	Avidyne MFD offered. TKS anti icing system available but not approved for flight into known icing. Skywatch active traffic info system and EMAX engine monitoring system introduced. 2003 - The Avidyne primary flight display is added, making the SR22 the first all glass 4 place general aviation aircraft. Cirrus adds new 6 point engine mounts greatly reducing vibration. Many owners of earlier Cirrus aircraft upgrade their engine mounts.
2004	The Generation 2 (G2) Cirrus is introduced with major airframe improvements, lowering the empty weight. Slam door lock is added and other interior improvements. The firewall is beveled at the bottom for improved crashworthiness. Air Conditioning is available as a service center installed STC. Teledyne Continental introduces a smoother running engine. CMAX chart displays on the MFD are added along with TWAS terrain awareness and XM satellite weather.
2005	The XM satellite radio entertainment system is offered. Seatbelt airbags are added and a flight director added to the primary flight display.
2006	Factory installed air conditioning is offered vs. the aftermarket ac. The Sterling paint scheme was an option and ended the white only schemes. 406Mhz transponders were installed and the Tornado Alley turbo normalized option was offered. All turbo aircraft were delivered with a 3-bladed composite propeller. The composite prop option is available on normally aspirated aircraft.
2007	The generation three (G3) aircraft was unveiled and brought with it several major airframe improvements and cosmetic interior improvements. An all-new wing with more dihedral and a stronger and lighter, carbon fiber spar was used. Fuel capacity was increased to 92 gallons on the SR22. With the G3 design, now the SR20's and SR22's shared the exact same airframe. The increased dihedral allowed removal of the rudder / aileron interconnect. The design for the wheel pants was improved. Landing gear are now a little closer together. Wingtip recognition lights were added and Cirrus now offered the X-edition two tone paint schemes in several color choices. WAAS capable GPS units was included in all units. Factory installed oxygen systems were offered.
2008	Garmin Perspective avionics system with a digital autopilot and yaw damper, dual 12 inch display screens with synthetic vision, keypad data entry and dual AHARS units. Night vision EVS cameras offered as an option.
2009	First aircraft certified to fly into known icing conditions are delivered. The option to add a second air data computer was also offered. An X-Edition option that adds significant interior upgrades and more elaborate graphic schemes on the exterior.
2010	The X-Edition option is taken to the extreme with the Xi (the i for individualized). Xi aircraft are custom, one off versions with the interior and paint scheme designed by the owner – a true expression of vanity. A new turbo charged engine, the IO-550-K by Teledyne Continental is available and the SR22T is born. This engine is more powerful, smoother and quieter. The nose wheel assembly gets an oleo strut hidden in the cowling. The cowl is redesigned on SR22T's with improved air induction and filtering. Garmin Electronic Stability & Protection (ESP), a stability augmentation system that assists in maintaining the aircraft in stable condition, thereby helping to prevent the onset of stall/spins should the pilot become distracted, disoriented or incapacitated during flight was added.
2011	The almost Ultimate Limited Edition Vanity Commemorative edition is announced. Only 10 available. Like the one pictured here.
2012	Generation Four is skipped, but a 60/40 flex back seat is introduced. Over the shoulder seat belts for a 5th passenger are introduced (like in my 2006 Acura MDX). Useful load is increased by 10 pounds. Global Connect is offered integrating onscreen world weather graphics and Iridium satellite phone service in cabin headsets, and text messaging on the MFD. A Carbon appearance package is offered if the classic luxury Platinum pack doesn’t do it for you.
2013	(Jan/Feb only) Generation Five (G5) is announced. A host of quality-of-life improvements and one show stopper – a 200 pound increase in Gross Weight. Generation changed by beefing up the one-piece carbon fiber spar and adding more layers for strength. New bigger chute, more powerful rocket with failsafe electronic ignition. The chute had to be bigger to handle the increased weight of the new airplane.

 

Flight into Known Icing, FIKI, and Air conditioning are now standard on all non-Turbo SR22s. Both SR22 and SR22T models have a full fuel payload of 788 and 708 pounds respectively allowing loading 4x 170 pounds occupants, some bags and one carbon fiber toothbrush.

 

 

The 60/40 flex back seat is now standard on all models meaning they are all 5-seaters (provided you only count seatbelts).

 

The new SR22 option, the 2013 Vision Inspired SR22T, which may inspire SR22 buyers to put a deposit on a Cirrus Vision jet. This model features some unnamed options, and a three-year “spinner to tail” warranty for $829,000. This is a premium of $104,000 over the already “over the top” list price of $724,900 for a decked out SR22T GTS. Hmm, I only missed the additional paint and vanity items estimate by a mere $4,000. Not $100,000 Ray, $104,000 additional.

 

The Carenado SR22 GTSx Turbo HS Series for FSX and P3D

 

I have concluded we have a 2008 Generation 3 aircraft with all the GTS bells and whistles and the bolt on Tornado Alley Turbo normalized system. Part of the Turbo modification was the addition of the built-in oxygen system so that explains the O2 gauge and system.

 

 

he specific model used by the design team was built by Cirrus with Certification Issued on 10/01/2008 with an N number destined for Texas. It was later deregistered and ferried to Chile and now carries a private CC- registration.

 

This real world aircraft probably has the Garmin Perspective avionics system with the digital autopilot and yaw damper, dual 12 inch display screens with synthetic vision, keypad data entry and dual AHARS units.

 

The Carenado SR22 GTSx Turbo for FSX and P3D model does not have the Perspective avionics system with the synthetic vision but it does indeed have the G-700 autopilot with the keypad controller unit for data entry. It also has as Cirrus would say, a host of improvements over the G1000 previously introduced by Carenado with some specifically requested improvements. It now has the Direct To function when flying a standard flight plan and the necessary changes to the engine monitoring and speed ranges that are different between the Cessna 182T and the Cirrus SR22T.

 

Here is a direct quote from Carenado when asked if any improvements have been made to the G1000 system.

 

“Yes, the EIS (engine indication system) which not only was changed for the SR22 but also added a completely new engine information page. We also added minor things like having selected the VOR1/VOR2/GPS if you have the NAV button pressed in the autopilot (no need of the NAV/GPS button). Add a Direct To option in the middle of a Flight Plan, we added visible and audible warning signals…..among others.”

 

OK Fine. What do we get with the download?

 

One 84 MB executable installation file and two small text files with installation instructions and cautions. My installation was non eventful and took about two minutes total time. You will need to have your email address used for the purchase and download and the serial number that you received from Carenado Support. I have found it is a good idea to copy this information to a notepad text file and save in case you need to reinstall the add on at a later date. You can use it today to copy and paste the installation information thereby avoiding any typing errors.

 

The recently released SP1 is a 34 MB exe file that corrects some of the minor glitches and updates the interior sound file.

 

I only have FSX so the balance of the review is only referring to my FSX setup. The auto installer does a good job of finding the FSX folder and places a new subfolder, provided this is not your first Carenado add on, under the FSX/Carenado folder entitled SR22_GTSX_Turbo. This airplane specific folder will have the standard Carenado documentation PDF files.

 

 

The first pdf file is the 25 page Perspective G1000 (sic) reference document. Although it is filled with nice graphics and easy to read text for general orientation and button or knob locations it does not have any ‘how to’ paragraphs. Not one.

 

Some of the pages are a good candidate for color printing. This should apply to all users. This one is different enough to require some reading and studying. It is different from the previous Carenado G1000 and it is different from the real world Garmin Perspective units in real Cirrus airplanes so that makes it unique and will require some attention to learn the details.

 

Should you already be familiar with any G1000 display units, you should be able to find your way around this one quite easily. There are a few missing pages when compared to some other developers units and also when compared to the real world units. These are mostly to do with building flight plans, modifying flight plans, using airways, SDs, STARS, etc.

 

Two significant improvements over previous Carenado models are the Controller Unit which most pilots refer to as the keypad and the other part of the Control Unit that we normally refer to as the Autopilot but the documentation refers to it as the ‘GFC-700 Controls’. This is not double talk, let me show you.

 

 

The balance of the pdf file, it has no name such as Manual or Instructions just a file name, is filled with nice color screenshots and drill down hierarchy pages. There is not a single ‘How To’ to be found in the twenty-five pages.

 

You will need to be well versed and comfortable with using the Large Outer Knobs and the Small Inner Knobs to navigate the Garmin Maze. These knobs have specific functions and do specific things except when they don’t. This is what I call the ‘designed by Committee logic’ used by most Garmin units. A few pilots and sim pilots have actually grasped the logic, if it could be called that, and are able to move quickly around the selections with a lot less frustration that I exhibit.

 

The Chapter and Pages context of teaching or learning the system holds together fairly well, until you get to the ‘press the center mouse scroll wheel’ and it loses a little of the luster. The other part it the ‘it always does this function except in those cases when it doesn’t’.

 

In any event, intelligent practice will improve your navigational and input skills for sure. I still take notes when I stumble across an elusive ‘Ah ha” feature. Just getting it to do the same thing twice seems to be the goal for me.

 

I personally think the Controller Keypad should be a requirement or necessity in any airplane, real or simulated.

 

The last page shows the Click Spots for turning off the power on the individual display screens. I guess this is for those folks flying with underpowered CPUs. When the weather gets rotten and the FPS start to drop, just turn off all your avionics and instrumentation units to bring the FPS back up.

 

It must get awfully dark and quiet in the cockpit, I mean just before you hit the mountain side. Makes you wish the Parachute system was installed?

 

 

The next two pdfs are the standard Carenado issue for all add-ons. Both the Copyrights and Recommended settings are important so make sure you read these two.

 

The remaining four are SR22T specific so in the absence of a POH or Airplane Flight Manual for reference that is all you have.

 

I searched and found a high quality pdf download for a 486 page Flight Manual for a SR22T that was approved by the FAA on January 6, 2010. This one uses the K model engine but I’m guessing it is close enough to use for flight simming.

 

I also found a 120 page Cirrus Perspective Cockpit Reference Guide for the SR20 and SR22 for Rev 0764.02 or later. This is a spiffy full color guide with lots of gauge illustrations. This may not be very useful with the Carenado edition as it is for the whole nine yards with all the real world features.

 

There are more than 5,000 Cirrus airplanes out there in the non-simulator world so eventually we will find a good link to just what we are seeking.

 

I guess it is safe to assume all G3 SR22T airframes are the same and they didn’t upgrade or change the engine in anyway until the 2010 model year so any SR22 Turbo model in the 2008 or 2009 range should be spot on. All Turbos prior to the K engine model would have to have been an STC approved aftermarket add on with 99% of them done by Tornado Alley.

 

You can download a full color brochure 12-page for the Cirrus Perspective by Garmin but it is mostly just depressing to read about all the things it will do that we will not ever see in FSX. One neat thing is this screenshot of the panel. It makes a great wallpaper.

 

 

How about that Cirrus Vision Jet?

 

That would be the on again, off again, on again SF50 V-tailed single-engine personal jet. With the new Chinese ownership comes the promise of the necessary funding to see the completion of the SF50. (Single Fanjet – 50 Series, this leaves Cirrus some wiggle room for a few additional models – like anything between 23 and 49)

 

As an old Cessna pilot with nary a logged hour in a Cirrus, I do not get nearly as excited as the Editor of Flying Magazine over the addition of a 60/40 split seat and an additional seatbelt, but, I stand up and pay attention to the possibility of a new personal jet actually making it to the general aviation market.

 

 

Many have tried and all have failed to sustain even limited production. The only two remaining in the race are the Eclipse 550 and this Cirrus SF50 as the Diamond D-Jet bit the dust just yesterday and the Epic Victory Jet guy is in China looking for financial backing. The latest word from Duluth is they have 525 firm orders in the book.

 

I have some official flight time in the original Bede 5, the prop version, but one of my Cessna partners actually owned a real live flying BD-5J. After the 3^rd flameout that he barely walked away from, ‘damned French engine’ he was quoted as saying, the wreckage was sold to an unnamed buyer. It reappeared as a total rebuild sporting the colors of the Coors Silver Bullet. Yep, one in the same. It is really tough to get to ride in a one-seater, and it was a very small seat.

 

 

I would give my Left Magneto or both of yours to have a SF50 Vision Jet to zoom around FL280 @ 300 Kts. We actually have an FSX version of the SF50 Vision that is fun to fly. This one was introduced for FSX back in late 2009 by Flight Sim Developers, FSD Intl., and although it comes with the most basic of G1000 panels, it does fly and looks amazingly close to the latest photos. I did a quick repaint to bring the FSD edition up to date with the Cirrus website photos.

 

 

The FSD Cirrus SF50 Vision comes with several repaints but the Red one looks like most of the older photos from the last wave of publicity by Cirrus. FSD also includes a comprehensive G1000 manual, checklists and a 6 page pilot’s guide. Some very well respected FSX designers had a hand in this one. First names on the design team list are Colin Pearson from Milviz, our very own Chuck Jodry of X-15 and Lear Jets fame, and Tim Dickens from FSD. Find it here.

 

This FSD Cirrus SF50 Vision fits the fun to fly category, but don’t expect much more than that. The backup instruments consist of an additional miniature PFD and the autopilot is a partially hidden default AP with a window so small even a real pilot would not be able to read the digits. The engine controls are two buttons - Start and Stop. Flaps have up and down buttons with the indicator in the engine status on the MFD. I can’t read any of the other button labels when flying because they are so tiny, not small, tiny.

 

It all works though, line it up, set trim and takeoff flaps, full throttle and fly when ready. Let the gear and flaps up and go zipping around the countryside – way high and way fast. It really is enjoyable and highly recommended. I replaced my MFD with a similar sized Reality XP 530 GNS and use the original MFD as a popup to check engine status and settings. All done with a couple of simple changes in the panel.cfg file. This made a huge improvement in the fun factor for me.

 

The flight dynamics and animations can not be compared to the real one, because it hasn’t been built yet, but the FSD version looks, feels, and flies fine for me. Get on the FSD newsletter email list and get some preferred pricing on any given holiday or weekend.

 

A close look alike, perfect except for the T-tail, is the Lionheart Epic Victory. I also painted it up to fool the crowds at the Cirrus airshows. Sneaky me.

 

 

One last future enhancement for the Cirrus SR22 . . . Active Winglets? Yep, check this out.

 

Tamarack Aerospace Introduces Active Winglets™ on Cirrus SR22

 

 

The press release reads: “Dubbed ATLAS for Active Technology Load Alleviation System, the patented technology has been applied to the leader in world GA sales, the Cirrus SR-22.

 

The benefits of the system to owners are significant. ATLAS owners will enjoy increased range, improved time-to-climb, better “High-Hot” performance, enhanced short-field performance and improved “ride” in turbulence. The improved aesthetics are also quite dramatic.

 

Tamarack’s Active Winglets™ for the Cirrus SR22 G1 and G2 will be sold as an STC kit and can be installed in about 80 hours. The kit will be available in the first quarter of 2013 and deposits are being taken.”

 

OK, enough of the real Cirrus stuff and future Jets, let’s talk Carenado and FSX

 

The Carenado SR22 GTSx Turbo HD Series is modeled and presented in five stunning repaints and one white one with some of the difficult tail markings prepainted for you. (This is the upside down and backwards stuff)

 

 

I don’t have enough adjectives to properly describe just how gorgeous this model really is. I can’t capture screenshots any better than Carenado already has available of downloading at their site. You can get them all with a couple of clicks and set up your own slide show or just compare two or three at a time.

 

I spent many hours just looking at all the great photos available with a simple search. Cirrus knows how to promote their product and the Owners keep it up. I have a bunch of great wallpapers that I change out every couple of days. Interestingly the screenshots of the Carenado models look just like the real photos, sometime better. I started a few repaints but gave up as it was way over my head as a rookie airplane painter. I hope some of the exclusive vanity paint jobs end up approved by Carenado for official downloads.

 

 

I did come back and complete a bronze and white repaint with the Circle T on the tail and uploaded it to the Avsim Library.

 

So, let’s sum up the description of the exterior model. I went through a few of the forum posts and picked out some of the comments posted by a few of the early adopters. Almost all agree it is ‘knock your socks off gorgeous’. Stunning is used rather often. I think generally everyone is pleased with the looks. I know I certainly am.

 

 

This is both interior and exterior. These images look like it could be used by the Cirrus Marketing Department for promotions. One drawback of having these excellent HD textures is that they come with a price. A price in the sense that an older CPU might choke when it sees the 2048 x 2048 dds files. My take is this is the price of progress and I am all for it.

 

A single texture folder weighs in at 35 MB with most texture files having an additional spec file for brilliance.

 

How are the Frames or FPS?

 

I have an up-to-date fast PC so I don’t see much impact at all. I would expect a functioning G1000 system installed with an HD textured model to start draining resources as soon as some traffic and weather is introduced. A marginal system is probably not going to handle this one very well.

 

A few models ago Carenado was including some LITE texture versions but they have stopped doing that. This might be the perfect model to rethink that decision. In the absence of official LITE textures, I suppose an individual could make their own with not much effort. A visit to the proper forum with a plea for help would be a good start for those that think they could use a non-HD edition.

 

I have searched the few posts to date and it seems to be mixed reviews on FPS hits. They range from not noticeable, like mine, to terrible performance on a couple of evidently low end setups. Only one or two said they were going to have to wait for a more FPS friendly version or until they could upgrade their FSX hardware.

 

 

If the Carenado C182T runs on your setup I would expect the SR22 GTSx Turbo to run about the same. Just start with the notion that any G1000 will take more resources to run in FSX than the older round gauges. Add the HD textures that also will require more resources and all you have left are the sliders in FSX. This is all VC, no 2D panels as such, although you can popup and enlarge or move or to a 2^nd monitor either or both panels. The FSX Autogen and Water are big resource users along with Traffic and Weather.

 

My personal opinion is the recommendation by Carenado Support Knowledgebase to turn off your MFD to help improve the FPS is rather lame. To turn off both the PFD and MFD is dumber than dumb. But, that is just my opinion.

 

The PhotoReal scenery packages are getting a lot of press recently and it should be obvious to most that if you can turn the Autogen all the way down to zero, to far left, you should get an instant boost in performance on rigs that are already strained for performance. The MegaScenery Earth v2.0 website has a detailed preferred setup using their photoreal scenery and they flat state the performance is better using than default scenery yet you have a full state of 50 cm sourced scenery in most cases. This might be worth a test on those legacy systems.

 

How is the Systems Depth?

 

The simple answer is not real deep. But, it is relative. How deep are systems in a fixed gear, family airplane? I’m not even sure what the systems are. It has working brakes but not a steerable nose wheel, just like the real one. It has fuel tanks, valves and indicators. Is Oxygen a system? Flight control surfaces?

 

I do know the animations are fantastic. Try the gull wing doors for a start. All the things you would normally expect to move or operate in a FSX general aviation add on seems to work just fine and looks good doing it.

 

We don’t have to argue and complain about the 3D knobs and Reality XP integration and such with the G1000 panels. We can instead discuss not being able to build a basic flight plan using the G1000 system. I think that is a travesty but as long as you know the capabilities and limitations prior to purchase then it is your call on whether to purchase or pass.

 

I don’t understand the logic of not being able to input at least a basic flight plan while sitting on the ramp but I also understand that not everyone uses a flight plan either. We are talking about FSX here, not real world.

 

What features are included in the G1000? What features are not included?

 

This is a tough one for me. No where can I find a description of the features of the Carenado G1000 implementation. Or even a basic tutorial and even more basic, How To do something, anything. It is just not there. There are some nice screenshots in one of the pdf files but nothing about what is included or how it works or what it does. Just simply, here it is.

 

This leaves us with using prior knowledge and other competing G1000 or similar systems for comparison. Rather than repeat what I wrote about the Carenado G1000 system in the C182T review last month, I will give you a link to read the relevant portion if you are interested in the details. We already know the Direct To function has been added, so has the auto link to eliminate the Nav/GPS switch. A full new engine monitoring page has been added. http://www.fsfiles.org/forum/threads/carenado-ct182t-cessna-turbo-skylane-w-g1000-g.2246/

 

The big addition is the G-700 autopilot with the alpha/numeric Keypad Controller and the Garmin Perspective Autopilot functions. There are also some Comm/Nav functions that are different from the basic G1000 OEM versions. It would be nice to actually be told or shown which of the frequencies are the active and which are the standby.

 

 

How about sharpness, VC textures, and such?

 

They are sharp, really sharp. The PFD and MFD are very clear as VC gauges and can be popped up and expanded to the ‘Super Sharp or Ultrasharp’ level. The good news is there are some undocumented hot spots or click spots for windowing these panels. This is true for the Keypad Controller unit also. I think this is my most favorite item in this new add on. I really do need an alpha/numeric keypad to operate these panels. Anything less and I will probably pass on that particular add on.

 

 

How about the Airfile (flight dynamics)? How does it handle?

 

I am an old, high time, real pilot with lots of Cessna, Mooney, and Twin Aero Commander logged time but not a single hour of Cirrus time. I am most comfortable with the speeds, attitudes for takeoffs and landings and such. After a while they all seem to blend together, and that might be more of a failing memory than anything else. I can tell you that I would bet the real Cirrus flies and handles just right or we would be reading a lot more negative articles in the press and magazine reviews. Those 5,000+ Cirrus owners must know something about making the right choice for purchase.

 

Now how does the Carenado airfile compare to a real Cirrus SR22 GTSx Turbo? The website states they based this model on a real aircraft based nearby. They further state they had real Cirrus SR pilots fly and test and make input or critique the flight model.

 

Here lies the difficulty in answering the question. Very few, no extremely few, FSX simulator pilots have any real time in real aircraft of the same make, model and condition of the simulated version. And the same is true for the real world pilots that also fly FSX from time to time. Most of the real pilots that I talk to are still using Win XP on a laptop and are flying FS2002 or FS9.

 

Our best bet, is to find a few, even one or two Cirrus SR22T pilots that are level headed and can use FSX well enough to give us a considered opinion of the Carenado flight model.

 

Pilot Report from a fellow sim pilot flying a real world SR22T

 

I contacted Ryan Bauer, a real world Cirrus SR22T pilot and also a FSX enthusiast who was already planning on flying both this coming weekend. I asked if he would make a few comments for the review. Ryan works as a commercial helicopter pilot and flight instructor so he knows what to look for in comparing our Carenado SR22T and the one he was flying yesterday.

 

 

I spent 1.6 hours in a real SR22T this afternoon, and an hour or so with Carenado's version this evening. Here's what I see:

I'll preface this by saying the real SR22T is one slick machine, easily in the top 5 favorite airframes I've flown. As such I have developed a particular fondness and possibly slight bias to it. It is a faster piston single, because of that you get a firmer feel on the controls when hand flying than you would in say a Warrior/C172. It is nicely balanced in both pitch and roll through all ranges of speed, something that Carenado got close to but not 100% (I'd give them about an 80%).

What they hit pretty much right on is the ballooning that the airplane wants to do when flaps are deployed. At 119 KIAS you have to be ready with some pitch trim and maybe a bit of a power reduction when you drop 50% flaps, and once again at 109 KIAS when/if you choose to drop the rest of the flaps. Cirrus calls for an approach speed of 80 KIAS with full flaps, 85 KIAS with half flaps, and 90 KIAS no flaps and I noticed Carenado's version handles those speeds pretty well.

The real airplane's pitch sensitivity only really shows in the round-out/flare, if you're slightly fast on the numbers going into the round-out she'll tell you right away by trying to climb skyward again which usually results in a bit of porpoising down the runway.

One last note on landing the airplane; when you reduce the power below about 20% or so, that big 'ole prop flattens pitch and turns into a huge speed brake (similar to how a turboprop flattens prop pitch through the beta range), which doesn't appear evident in Carenado's model.

As for the Carenado G1000, I think Jim Rhodes put it best in his post over at Flight1.com forum: there's only so much you can put into an entertainment product while keeping the price point. The only two things I'll mention are the IAS and LVL feature on the GFC700. As I mentioned in our forum, the IAS is a pitch hold mode in the real airplane, not an auto throttle as it is in Carenado's model. Following the recommendation of another user I edited the aircraft.cfg file to read auto throttle = 0, which deactivates the feature all together.

As far as the blue LVL button, it just seems to activate the FD pitch/roll cue instead of activating the autopilot to right the airplane. These aren't make or break items for me because I don't use FSX as a procedures trainer for the actual airplane, it's merely for my enjoyment.

The last thing I'll touch on is performance. I routinely cruise the actual airplane between 8,000 and 12,000 feet as that is usually the most practical for my given flight. The only time we look at the flight levels on this airplane is when the flight is going to be close to the max range of the fuel load or if the winds aloft are especially beneficial to the flight. Otherwise, the time/fuel burn for the climb usually don't justify the higher flight levels.

My typical flight is from Chicago to St. Louis, and I usually go down at 10,000 and return at 11,000. At those altitudes and 30 inches manifold pressure, I usually see 85% power, 180-190 KTAS, and 17.5-18.6 GPH. On this afternoon's instrument currency flight we were at 3,500 feet with an OAT around 0 C , we saw 30 inches MP yield 85% power, 155-160 KIAS, and we burned about 18 GPH. Replicating those conditions in FSX I set 30 inches MP and got 75% power, 14.2 GPH, and 160 KIAS. Mixture for both the real flight and the FSX flight was kept full rich to altitude, then leaned to the target presented on the G1000.

- Ryan Bauer, Commercial Pilot, CFI

 

My personal considered opinion is it is certainly as good as anything else we can easily compare it with. If one is to get hung up on the ‘feel’ of the elevator, then add a little trim and move on with your flying. This is not rocket science here, this is a $34.95 add on for FSX.

 

Have we talked about the Looks?

 

I thought we agreed it was drop dead gorgeous. Well, yes maybe so. But, how about the basic shape, design, colors, and all that kind of stuff? The Carenado models look as good as the Cirrus models appear in their many photos online.

 

OK, how about performance?

 

I’m ready to talk about aircraft speeds and such. You know, like cruise tables, altitude and speed tradeoffs, density altitude, oxygen masks - that kind of performance.

 

For starters, any airplane that can actually carry four people of any size and weight in comfort with fixed gear that will cruise anywhere close to 200 Knots is a high performance airplane in my way of thinking. In my early flying days, the target was 200 MPH, not 200 Knots. When Roy LoPresti smoothed out the spinner and cowl, cleaned up the gear doors and raked the windshield and a few other small tweaks and the Mooney 201 became a reality was a big day. That 201 was for the TAS, not a marketing ploy. But it was MPH not Knots. Of course that was red-lined at full power at sea level, something you would only do with a rental, not you own Mooney.

 

OK, depending on exactly which year model Cirrus SR22T you pick you will see performance charts that vary fairly widely. Let’s take a look at the one in our hangar today.

 

Wow, are we getting down to absolute basics or what? Performance tables are two whole pages now. Reference speeds – one page, and that is using the Reader’s Digest Large Print. These are pdfs guys, give us more, please.

 

 

It is good thing we have the Turbo model, or the Cruise Tables would only be one Page. Come ‘on Carenado.

 

Does this one have STP? Yep, no change here.

 

The Same Two Pilots, STP, that Carenado uses with every model released since these two signed on with them. I keep asking for just some simple updates, like sunglasses, different color shirts, hats, anything to give them a slight change in appearance. No Joy, it keeps falling on deaf ears.

 

I am using a couple of family members as my SR22T pilots and it works well for me.

 

 

Let talk about Cruise Performance

 

We have a Turbo, we have built in oxygen, we have a virtual credit card for AvGas and we have no monthly or quarterly payments for the airplane and we can assume we have full replacement insurance and a gazillion dollar blanket liability policy. No reason not to cruise at 85% power at altitude. After all we are in that sector and are ‘candidates’ to step up to a Vision Jet.

 

Engine overhaul is not even in our vocabulary. We would just get another one with the latest paint job if for some reason the engine wasn’t up to par. I suspect this is going to be near full power at any of the upper altitudes.

 

 

Let’s pick a random altitude. Say FL250. Seeing as how we don’t have charts for 10 degree temperature changes, let assume the temperature is either standard, or +30 degrees, never the other way. But, just for grins, let’s use FSX default weather and see what shows up on the PFD for performance numbers.

 

OK, we take her to FL250 and give it full power and see where we can find our % of Power. A hint might to look for big, bold % Power in the upper left of the PFD. We should also check of our fuel flow and our TAS calculation. Remember, we are high rollers and could care less the price of AvGas. $7.83 a gallon, you are kidding, aren’t you. Ouch.

 

This smart engine control system has the computer chips controlling our RPM. Is that a mixture control lever I see with the red knob? Now we know what they did with all those surplus 386 chips. We need to pay attention to the suggested leaning process.

 

The technique for the long climb to FL250 with the Turbo conversion is to go full forward with both throttle and mixture and leave them there until you level off. This is very different than climbing with the normally aspirated engine. Once level at your selected altitude, reduce the throttle while watching the fuel flow gauge and adjust for 17.4 – 18.3 for FL250.

 

 

I wouldn’t expect anything better than this in a fixed gear 4-place general aviation airplane. It will be the Outside Air Temperature, OAT and Fuel Flow that you will be monitoring to tweak your cruise settings at high altitudes.

 

All the close to the ground speeds appear to also be what one should expect. Close scrutiny of the included Normal Operations pdf should tell us to use ½ flaps for normal takeoffs, ease the nose up at 70 – 73 knots, use full power for climbs @ 120 Knots. Keep an eye on the fuel flow, using the mixture to keep it in the green arc.

 

The short field technique is the same, except to initiate a smooth positive rotation at 70 knots and be at 78 knots when clearing the imaginary 50 foot obstacle. Don’t forget to retract the flaps, otherwise it is hard to get to cruise speeds.

 

I think the 20 knots airspeed in the full power climb table on page 7 may be a typo. I would try 120 knots until the correction is made.

 

Approaches for normal landings are full flaps at 80 – 85 knots. This must be important as it is printed at the top and repeated at the bottom of page 9. Short field technique is the same as the normal landing except use 77 knots airspeed.

 

For a balked landing or go around, immediately reduce flaps to 50% and maintain 75 – 80 knots. These speeds will give you a perfect attitude in reference to the horizon with good visibility except for the 45 degree angle view that is blocked by the large pillar. Just lean forward and backwards slightly to watch for traffic prior to your turns.

 

The checklists are fairly brief, but there is nothing complicated about flying the SR22T. You will of course notice the absence of the blue Propeller lever. Remember, you have 310 horses pulling for you but don’t try to load up all 4 ½ seats and full fuel. You would need an actual approved airplane flight manual to know for sure, but typically, the useful load with full fuel is around 380 – 420 pounds. That works out to be really skinny passengers. Let’s see, I weigh in at 210 pounds, and we have 40 pounds of baggage so that leaves a total of 130 –150 pounds for all 3 or 3 ½ passengers. This is sometimes referred to as cabin payload.

 

I bet that new additional 200 pound increase in approved gross weight will be welcomed by those choosing the SR22T. Even so, a quick check of the marketing data at Cirrus.com reveals you still have to choose between full fuel and full seats. You can’t have both at the same time.

 

Where do I find the true Specs of this airplane?

 

I guess you have to look in several places and dig quite deep. I am yet to find the fuel capacity listed anywhere on the Cirrusaircraft.com site. All the marketing is using economy cruise with really skinny passengers or short hops. Looking at the most likely specs for our 2008 SR22 GTSx Turbo I would be surprised if we could load it up with full fuel, 20 pounds of baggage (one small overnight case), myself at 210 pounds and one standard weight passenger and be within legal weight limits.

 

Let’s see some calculations.              Gross Weight – 3,400 lbs (w/Turbo and A/C)
                                                          Useful load – 960 lbs
                                                          92 gals fuel – 552 lbs
                                                          Pilot             - 210 lbs + Front seat passenger 170 lbs
                                                          Baggage  -   20 lbs
                             Pilot’s flight case with maps/charts  10 lbs

 

SORRY:  You are now over your legal gross weight by 2 pounds with all rear passenger seats empty.

 

 

How to fly our Carenado SR22 GTSx Turbo

 

The most likely method of having a 2008 SR22 GTSx turbo model is that the turbo was installed according to the STC in Ada, OK by Tornado Alley. They have performed this mod more than a thousand times on SR22 aircraft. The weight penalty is 87 pounds including an Oxygen System and a new composite 3-bladed Hartzell propeller.

 

 

There are only advantages for doing these mods as long as you can live with the reduced useful load. If I had a real SR22 and a virtual credit card I would order mine today. The new prop is supposed to be much smoother and works well with the new turbo system. You have to have the O2 if you fly high.

 

I have a link for an excellent 4 page report on a 2007 SR22 model going through the Turbo upgrade with lot of photos. www.taturbo.com/CirrusPilot1_09.pdf

 

 

From a Flying Magazine archived article.

 

When Cirrus introduced the Turbo it made the unusual decision to go with the same naturally aspirated engine, the IO-550-N, that it had been using in the SR22 since the inception but to have it modified by aftermarket turbo specialist Tornado Alley under an STC. The airplane, the SR22 G3 Turbo, was a big hit, and the Tornado Alley mod seemed a great fit for the '22, providing excellent lean-of-peak fuel flows and remarkable ease of use for pilots. The system is dirt simple to operate. In most instances, you simply push the mixture and power levers full forward on takeoff and leave them there until you level off at your final altitude.

 

The Tornado Alley engine burns about 35 gallons per hour in the climb, though it climbs very strongly, so the total amount of time spent in climb is relatively low. Once you're at altitude, you simply do what Cirrus owners refer to as "the big pull," reducing the fuel flow to around 17.5 gph, which is the setting at which you cruise, and cruise plenty fast too, at better than 200 knots in the mid-teens and quite a bit faster in the 20s (where I very seldom fly). Engine management in the Tornado Alley engine is that simple.

 

The engine compression for the 2008 model is 8.5:1 with the Tornado Alley mods. The late model -K engine has slightly lower compression of 7.5:1.

 

Emergency Procedures

 

Because we do not have the CAPS or WAPS (Whole Aircraft Parachute System) simulated does not mean that we have to totally avoid simulated emergencies. How about for the Carenado SR22 GTSx Turbo HD Series we assume the rocket propelled parachute ejection system failed and we have to return to earth using the old but highly effective conventional glide to a landing method.

 

 

The glide ratio is a very respectable 9.6:1 at 88 knots. This is for all aircraft weights which is a little different from the Cessnas. You have some engine out flap speeds to remember for your emergency landing. I recommend you trim the aircraft for hands-off at 88 knots very early on. You will be busy selecting your emergency landing spot in a few minutes so try to keep your best glide speed at all times. Altitude is your friend here. You should be able to glide 30 miles from FL250.

 

There are multiple emergencies for you to entertain yourself and practice. Electrical, Fuel, Propeller, Turbocharger, all kinds of engine temperature and pressure type situations. Smoke and fire drills are always fun.

 

 

I once had the spinner fly off while alone in a Cessna 150. The pointy end bent the two braces as it went through the prop with a sickening thud. The vibration was unreal and I shut down the engine immediately and glided to a smooth landing on an Interstate highway. The mechanic removed the remains of the spinner and braces and filed the prop well enough to take off and fly home.

 

A little detective work revealed the fuel truck left some tell-tale paint marks on the prop when his flapping door smacked into the spinner. It would have been nice if he had just told me that he had an accident rather than me finding out at 3,000 feet in the air. When the FBI threatened a nice long prison term for the fuel boy, the FBO quickly agreed to provide a new prop, spinner and apology.

 

What do we know about our SR22 GTSx Turbo HD Series add on for FSX?

 

We know the model is based on a real world Cirrus based in Chile. We know it was originally ordered for a Texas delivery and had an N number registration. We know it had the Tornado Alley mods for the Turbo and most likely the Oxygen system and possibly the composite propeller. We know it is a G3 design with a serial number in the 32xx range so it should have the N model engine and 92 gallons of fuel capacity and not the 81 gallons capacity of the 2007 model.

 

What we do not know about our SR22 GTSx . . .

 

We do not know if it has air conditioning. We do not have any Weight and Balance information. Using some assumptions based on what we can see is installed on or in the airplane and what we know or can guess from the previous section we can come up with a fictitious Weight and Balance. Same for the following:

 

Takeoff and Landing Distance charts.
Details of Cruise Climb and Cruise Leaning.
How to operate the Carenado Perspective G1000.

Late update for supplemental documentation – a grand find

 

While performing one last Google search for weight and balance information I stumbled across a real gem. This is a 50 page pdf file entitled ‘Pilot’s Checklist – SR22 GTS Turbo – w/ Cirrus Perspective Avionics. This is an excellent quality copy of the Quick Reference Checklist for SR22 Serials 2979 and Subsequent with Perspective Avionics and Turbonormalizing System. You couldn’t describe our FSX add-on any more precisely.

 

 

What about the sound file?

 

It seems the engine sound file has a repeating click or looping sound. This is irritating but easily fixed and I would expect a new sound pack to be included in the first SP or maybe even a patch. One of our talented fellow flight simmers spend last weekend reworking the faulty original sound file to correct the stutter and looping error and posted a link for downloading. I tried it and works fine and I will use his new sounds until I can test the official replacement. Good job

 

Let’s wrap this up and go flying

 

My opinion is this is fine addition to our general aviation hangar that houses the newer breeds of popular aircraft. Sure, the documentation is skimpy at best, but there is literally all you could ever use out there for downloading with some specialized searches. And yes, the Garmin Perspective simulation falls way short of the real one, but, most of that stuff can’t be coded in the present day FSX anyway.

 

I do think the G1000 should be updated to a level that a basic FSX flight plan could be added during preflight and simple updates could be made while in flight. Until this is accomplished, it will remain limited and considered by most to be an introductory or LITE version.

 

For those who aren’t concerned about adding flight plans, updating them as you fly, and maybe changing the route or destination during your simulated flight then this is your dream panel.

 

The big improvement for me is the addition of the G-700 Autopilot with the Controller Keypad unit and integrated Controls. This will be well received by any user that appreciates the speed and accuracy of using a keypad in lieu of twisting, turning, and pushing two knobs to achieve that result.

 

I think the exterior model, cockpit, panel, animations, displays, and such are outstanding. They are all in High Definition and will therefore require the necessary oomph from your computer’s CPU to move them. Another recommendation is for Carenado to revisit the decision not to include a few LITE textures with the resource hungry all glass models.

 

I think the paint schemes are outstanding and up to date with what one would see at their local airport. Some additions are already in the Avsim library and others are on the way, including some specialized interior updates.

 

The sound package is advertised as 3D sound. I’m not sure I know what 3D sound is for sure. It didn’t jump out at me as being that different from previous Carenado sounds but, those with better or more selective hearing should listen for something new.

 

My biggest disappointment is not having a simulated airframe parachute system simulation included but, I have already beat that dead horse enough. My last parting shot is that Cirrus has never produced a single airplane that did not have the CAPS installed. Not one. They just go together like ham and eggs, burgers and fries, fish and chips.

 

I did not check each and every switch or knob or verify that the left was on the left and the right on the right and things of that nature. I did spend some time enjoying some VFR flying, some low, some high, some at night. I thoroughly enjoyed all the time in the aircraft. I was looking for what is right and not what may not be right, so I may have totally ignored something you were wanting to know more about. Sorry.

 

I read a couple of posts where the users were talking about how many FPS they gained by turning off the MFD. I think that is a silly way to fly in FSX. If your PC won’t turn the propeller, I suggest you explore gliders or maybe FS9.

 

Is this the perfect add-on? No, it’s not - but it is really good. Does it have a few non-perfect items? Yes, and most these will likely be corrected over time, either in a SP2, a patch, or by one of our fellow flight sim pilots.

 

Last Minute Update

 

 

Carenado has issued a small SP1 update, but it is limited to some really minor issues. I installed it but could not see any immediate improvements. I reinstalled the engine sound files mentioned above.

 

I think some of the real world pilots and some others might want to upgrade their Carenado G3 model to the latest version coming out of Duluth. This would be the G5 with the increase in MTOW from 3400 pounds to 3600 pounds and a spiffy new paint job.

 

Maybe some of our creative repainters will upload these texture files and someone will suggest the few changes to the aircraft.cfg file to give up an instant upgrade and no additional cost. This would change the MTOW to 3,600 pounds and you could use the first notch of flaps at 150 kts. All the other changes would not be noticed in FSX.

 

I just read where a couple of users had turned off the topo=1 by replacing that line with topo=0. Some have also disabled the auto throttle to better reflect the real world use of the blue level-me-now button. You never know what little tweak will make your day when flying on the edge. I suggest you check in from time to time with the support forum to read the latest suggestion.

 

Do I Recommend the Carenado SR22 GTSx Turbo HD Series for FSX?

 

 

Absolutely, I do. Go get it and enjoy our latest simulation.

 

You can find it here http://www.carenado.com/CarSite/Portal/index.php

 

Bonus Screenshots

 

 

Links

 

Test System • Intel i7 2700 OC to 4.5 GHz • 8GB RAM • nVidia GTX580 1.5 GB • Crucial M4 256 GB SSD • Intel 330 180 GB SSD • Seagate 3TB HDD • WD Black 1TB HDD • WD My Passport 750 GB Ext. USB3 • Windows 7 x64 • FSX Acceleration Publisher: Carenado Platform: FSX Format: Download Reviewed By: Ray Marshall

www.taturbo.com/CirrusPilot1_09.pdf Excellent story with photos of the Turbo conversion similar to ours.

 

Read more at http://www.flyingmag.com/aircrafts/pistons/cirrus-sr22t-tried-true-turbo#8DqZYP8zS3ZX58Kj.99

 

Full Article in Flying Magazine Apr2012 - http://gregwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/FlyingMagazineCirrusCover.pdf

 

http://www.flyplatinum.com/aircraft-sales/cirrus-history.php for web posted brief history.

 

www.aeroresourcesinc.com/store_/images/classifieds/226-1.pdf Mooney 201 speeds

 

http://www.flyingmag.com/aircrafts/pistons/cirrus-sr22t-tried-true-turbo Flying Mag archive for G3 Turbo data

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CDsQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.safety.airshareselite.com%2Fimages%2FSR22_G3_Turbo_Perspective_13728-006.pdf&ei=3M0KUaaIBIiy9gTV34HwCw&usg=AFQjCNEWl42SNZ7MzWo1ziatyhQ7J2GzRQ for the excellent 50 page Pilot’s Checklist for SR22 GTS Turbo.

 

Credits

 

Thanks to Ryan Bauer for his contribution.

Thanks to Trevor Bair for is black spinner, red and white repaint. Screenshot taken from Avsim forums.

Thanks to Carenado for the SR22 GTSx Turbo HD for FSX add on and for answering my questions.

Coors Silver Bullet photo by George Trussell. Copyright, All rights reserved. Approved for use in this review.

Thanks to Cirrus Aircraft marketing and sales department for use of downloads from their site and answering other questions by phone. Thanks to Jonathan Sweatman, Regional Sales Manager in particular.

Thanks to Flying Magazine for allowing the reprint of the 5 pages of the April 2012 issue and use of the cover image and article image.

Thanks to FSD International for the SF50 Cirrus Vision Jet for FSX. Thanks Tom.

Thanks to Garmin for use of screenshots and descriptions of the Garmin Cirrus Perspective Avionics.

Thanks to Tamarack Aerospace Group for use of photo of SR22 with their Active Winglets.

Thanks to Madcatz/Saitek for providing the external cockpit hardware.

 

Reviewer’s post script - A sundown orientation flight in a new SR22T at my hometown airport.

 

Photos: : L – R, Jonathan Sweatman, Cirrus Pilot, pre-flighting for a night flight back to GA

N925CS at Millionaire FBO in Gulfport MS after our flight

Author smiling.

 

Under the category of “It doesn’t get any better than this”, I was fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time, writing the right review for the right product. Well, almost.

 

While verifying some of the facts and figures used in comparing the Carenado flight simulator model to the real world Cirrus SR222T I became acquainted with Jonathan Sweatman, Cirrus Regional Sales Director in Atlanta, Georgia. As luck would have it, I was placed on the list for an upcoming demo flight at my local airport. Do you know how hard it is to watch a movie while waiting for a phone call to be at the airport in 30 minutes for a ride in a new Cirrus SR22T? Quite hard, actually.

 

The day started in Georgia for Jonathan, with four stops in North Mississippi and a race with daylight to get cleared to land at KGPT Gulfport, and then back to Peachtree before midnight. It was so late in the day the Cirrus lit up the sky on final. I was eagerly waiting at the Millionaire FBO, near the fresh fruit and cookies for about 10 anxious minutes.

 

When Jonathan taxied up with an empty left seat, I knew the good times were about to roll. And indeed they did. After the briefest of introductions, Hello, I’m Jonathan, Hello, I’m Ray, the emergency checklist started with “the fire extinguisher is located in the console here, you open your door with two fingers like this and as a last resort here is how to deploy the parachute.” Ready to taxi, OK, Ray, you have the plane. Thanks, I have the plane. In a matter a seconds I hear, 5CS you are cleared for intersection takeoff on runway 14, stay within 5 miles under 2,000 feet, VFR. OK, I can do that.

 

This was the first time I ever touched a Cirrus aircraft. I select Takeoff flaps, make a big sweeping turn onto the large runway aligning that big 3-bladed prop with the centerline I feel the acceleration as I am pressed to my seat and then almost instantly I am easing the nose up as the airspeed tape rolled past 70 knots. I hear Jonathan on the noise-cancelling headphones saying “this is a good climb speed for the turbo” as I settle down at 125 knots. Before, I knew it, I am climbing at 1,300 FPM and about to bust our 2,000 feet clearance, “flaps up” I hear from Jonathan as I start a left turn, boy, what a nice roll rate, feels like a Sports car.

 

After a couple of clearing turns, we are comfortably zipping up and down the beach between Bay St. Louis and Biloxi making steep turns, talking about how quiet the cabin is, turning on and off the air conditioner and genuinely having fun. I glance at the airspeed tape - almost 170. I could tell this airplane was designed to go; go fast and to go in style.

 

The Cirrus Perspective SVT, synthetic vision is such a natural evolution and enhances pilot awareness of the terrain immensely. To glance over at the MFD and see the constant video camera readout is something to behold. I felt like I had stepped into the future.

 

I was able to witness the Perspective ESP in operation. This is the background system that will return the aircraft to level flight should the pilot become incapacitated or do something like overbanking or enter some unusual attitude while hand flying with the autopilot turned off. It is not a gentle nudge as I expected, it is more like a serious slap on the wrist or bump of the stick that says “hey, quit that, we are returning to level flight” as I attempted to roll past a 60 degree bank. I can see where this would make the spouses sleep better when we are out flying in bad weather. This level of safety and flight stability augmentation is rarely found in non-military or non-Airbus type airplanes. Kudos to Cirrus and Garmin.

 

Whew. Backing up a bit, N925CS has the duty of factory demos and is loaded with all the GTS accessories and the Turbo charged 315 hp engine. With a dark red top with somewhere between a white pearl and silver bottom, it is most impressive with smooth lines and colors. Entry is almost a non-event with the large-opening out-of-the-way, DeLorean back-to-the-future type doors. A conveniently placed small step and a grab handle assist you in getting onto the wing.

 

My first impression of the interior is that it is snug and comfortable, kind of like a Porsche. The padded double shoulder straps give the impression of seriously safe business. I was amazed at how close to your face the panel and console seems to be – just the way it should be. Those big Garmin Perspective panels are much bigger and brighter than we see in the flight simulator and they also have better resolution. Sharp, sharp.

 

The console mounted audio panel, autopilot and keypad are even more convenient. I grew up in small Cessnas, so I totally missed the close console and smart design. Heck the C150 tachometer was on the opposite side of the panel for years. The SR22 interior reminds me of the Lexus type design – when you reach for it, it’s there. None of that accidentally changing the temperature when you are trying to change the radio or CD volume.

 

To say that I was totally impressed is the understatement of the year. How does it compare to the Carenado flight simulator model? Well, it doesn’t compare well at all. One is real and the other is a desktop simulation.

 

Carenado has most definitely captured the look and layout as they appear to be carbon copies. They both are most enjoyable to fly. The use of the flight stick mounted electric elevator trim button is required for proper handling of the real Cirrus and greatly improves the ‘reality factor’ of flying the simulated model. In the Cirrus I was constantly adding a little more or a touch less trim as we were frequently turning and changing the power settings. I have this same button on my simulator yoke mapped as the hat switch for changing my views. That was not a problem in the Cirrus version, great visibility, except for the ‘A’ pillar.

 

Can I make any direct comparisons of the flight characteristics of the Carenado and Cirrus airplanes? Not really. I do know that I can now fly the Carenado model in the simulator and instantly recall the sounds, feels, smells and pleasure of my first Cirrus flight. Is this the proper use of the word visceral? Very visceral, very nice.

 

Thanks Cirrus, thanks Jonathan, thanks Carenado.

 

Post Script - The Author is a real world pilot with a Commercial Pilot’s license, Airplane Single Engine Land and Sea, Multi-Engine Land, Instrument, and DC-3 type ratings and lives in Biloxi, MS, flies the Microsoft Flight Simulator and writes flight related articles and reviews for online forums.

 

 

Photos by Ray Marshall.

The Starfighter is a single engine, supersonic, very high performance aircraft.  Built primarily as an interceptor it was developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force, where it served from 1958 to 1969. Thereafter it continued with Air Guard Units until 1975 when it was phased out.  NASA further operated a mixed fleet of these fighters where they were used for numerous different types of tests and retired in 1994.

 

The C-series saw combat action during the war in Vietnam, and the A-series was briefly utilized by the Pakistanis during the Indo-Pakistani conflict. It also saw some action with the Republic of China Air Force.

 

The package was improved up to the F-104S series, which was considered the ultimate in the type, an all weather interceptor designed by the Aeritalia for the Italian Air Force and it was equipped with the AIM-7 sparrow missiles.

 

A further set of modifications gave birth to the G-series, which was given NATO’s approval for a new fighter-bomber aircraft. Several two-seater versions were also produced, the most prolific the TF-104G.

 

A total of 2 578 of these aircraft were eventually built, most by the NATO members.  It operated with the Air Forces of more than 12 countries. The Italian Air Force was the last Air Force to retire their Starfighters in May 2004, ending a 46-year service life for the type.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

 

Installation & Documentation

 

Right, so let us look at what we are actually getting with this package. There are five different installation files to this package. Two of the installers relate to the S/ASA versions of the aircraft, two relate to the G version of the aircraft and then there is also a weapons pack that is common to both installations. 

 

Okay now let me try to explain the following: one part of the installers relate to the single player (maybe not correct usage of the term “player”) version of the two different types, that being the S/ ASA and the G version, and the Ubuntu installers, the multi-player (man that word again!) versions for both the different types. Phew, not as hard as I thought!

 

Now, installing this aircraft may be slightly less user friendly for the less technically inclined PC user. The package is installed as follows:-

 

1. Download the following files from the developer:-

 

                        1.1 SSW_F104S_3.4.0

 

                        1.2 SSW_F104S_3.4.0_UBUNTU

 

                        1.3 SSW_FRF104G_1.2.0_UBUNTU

 

                        1.4 SSW_WEAPACK_3.8.0

 

                        1.5 SSW_FRF104G_1.2.0

 

The download is VERY large, all five files totaling 778.83 MB.  Quite a lot of aircraft then!

 

2. Next you install them. 

 

3. Once that is complete, you have to select each of the two different types, doesn’t matter which repaint you choose, just as long as you select first one, then the other type within FSX, and launch a flight. This is necessary since the initial installation is limited to a demo of 10 minutes. Once you have launched it, you can exit FSX for the next step.

 

4. If you now head over to your FSX main folder, you will find that two files had been created, namely:-

 

                        4.1 sswks_[YOUR PC NAME].AERITALIA-LOCKHEED-F104S.ssw; and

 

                        4.2 sswks_[YOUR PC NAME].SSW-LOCKHEED-FRF-104G.ssw

 

5. Take the two file above and e-mail them to the guys at Skunkworks Simulations to activate them for you and then send you the two edited files, now made registry fixes that you double click on to add it to your registry. Just make sure that this is done in ADMINISTRATOR mode, or else you will have trouble!

 

That is it! As I said, it is not the most user friendly, one-click-fixes-all-installer, but it gets the job done and I did not encounter any issues during the installation. Just follow the instructions and you won’t have any problems. They also advise that you should create an account with their forums as soon as you get up and running, but be warned - you have to follow those instructions to the letter too! If you don’t use the login information they provide you with, you will not be able to register your account, and you won’t be able to use their forums.

 

Right, so the installation is complete, let us look at the documentation you get with the aircraft.  If you head over to your SimObjects\Airplanes\SSWF104S-ASA folder, you will find in it a folder named “docs”. You will find a similar folder in the G-series’ docs folder.

 

Inside this folder, you will find a bewildering amount of manuals/documents, the list reading as follows:-

 

1. An emergency procedures supplement;

2. A normal procedures supplement;

3. A weapons system supplement;

4. A cockpit layout supplement;

5. A navigational and flight planning sheet;

6. A Tacan / VOR-DME pairing supplement;

7. A take off data sheet;

8. A VAAFSE pre-selected channel sheet;

9. A weapons delivery data sheet;

10. A weapons delivery data sheet in color as opposed to black and white;

11. A zipper for dummies supplement; and

12. A zipper hints supplement.

 

Phew! That is a lot of documentation! Let’s take a closer look at each one...

 

The Emergency Procedures supplement is really an emergency checklist. Now, this covers what looks to be every emergency from before engine start to shutdown. I love the way they made the checklist look graphically. It is done to resemble the pages of a little knee booklet that you will find in all combat aircraft. Very nice! And yes a fair amount of failures are modeled, while some are not. They mostly stem from doing things the aircraft was not designed to do, so keep that in the back of your mind!

 

As can be expected then, the Normal Procedures checklist takes you through the normal procedures of getting the aircraft started, getting airborne, getting down and then shutting it down. This is also done in the same graphically attractive booklet as the emergency procedures.

 

The Weapons Systems supplement/checklist is a comprehensive look into operating the weapons systems of the aircraft. It also explains tactics for the weapons delivery and fighter maneuvers. The graphic design of the pages are slightly different to the first two mentioned above and gives you that aged and military look to it - again, very nice!

 

The cockpit layout supplement gives you a comprehensive overview of all systems and their locations all over the cockpit. A hint here - study them! It is claimed by the developer that every single switch is animated and working, and they are not joking about that either!

 

Next in the list of important documents is the take off data sheet. This gives you your various take off distances and power requirements mixed with the different temperature guidelines to be followed by the pilot when operating the aircraft, as well as the relevant airspeeds required for each weight category. Very useful indeed!

 

The Weapons Delivery sheet will give you important information on the various types of munitions the aircraft is capable of carrying and discharging as well as the limitations of each. 

 

The Zipper for Dummies supplement is probably the most important document of the bunch to get you airborne and to get this bird under any sort of control. It is written in a straightforward and no nonsense way that quickly and easily gets the point across.

 

Lastly, the Zipper Hints supplement, which will give you tips on what to focus on and how to setup your installation to get the best out of the key configurations required to operate the aircraft properly.

 

If you look at the G-series’ docs folder, you will also find a Test Pilot supplement, giving you a lot of technical information on the Zipper. I found it a most enjoyable and educational read, highly recommended!

 

I was very impressed with the documentation. It is well structured and will get you airborne, whether you are a Starfighter champion or just getting into it for the first time (like me!). Good job, nicely done!

 

Preliminary

 

Folks, let us get something straight here right from the word go. Don’t expect to simply get into this bird and blast off. This is a STUDY sim; that is, if you intend to get the most out of it. Think of it as the Falcon 4.0 approach for FSX.

 

Reading and following the checklists are none negotiable! The documentation indicating that reading through the flight manual is highly recommended is underestimating it somewhat - I would say it is a pre-requisite! 

 

Picking a weapons load out is not done via the FSX Fuel and Payload menu. You get a separate utility that you all up once you are inside FSX.  Here is a screenshot of it:

 

 

This is obtained by pressing Shift+F2. As you can see, you have the option to start it Cold and Dark, to have it refueled and also give you all the little firecrackers that the aircraft can carry to load on the wings at your leisure. With this feature I can load and unload the aircraft easily with minimum fuss. Excellent!

 

I found that sometimes the engines would be running but the rest of the cockpit would be dead.  All I did was to simply press the “RESET COLD AND DARK” button on the gimmick to get a cold and dark cockpit with the engine shut off.

 

Another thing - this aircraft is difficult to get under control, and energy management is critical!  Get it wrong and you are dead, it’s as simple as that! Problem with the simulation? Not at all, this is apparently the way it behaved in real life too! But that should be obvious by just looking at the design of the aircraft. I found it akin to a classic delta like the Mirage III CZ for instance, where energy management is just as critical!

 

Exterior

 

Right away, there can be no mistake - you are looking at a Starfighter. The dimensions are correct and you do get quite a few different repaints to boot. Note that you are dealing with different types; to whit, the fighter-bomber version, the air superiority version and the air defense variants.

 

Inside FSX you will find that air superiority versions’ thumbnails are all bordered in blue and the fighter-bomber versions’ are all bordered green, so that way you know exactly what you are picking for the flight. Of course, you do get the solo and multi-player versions.

 

Inside the thumbnail you will also be able to tell whether you are selecting an aircraft that can is CLEAN or TPDR (Tips, Pylons, Dispenser,& Rockets) version which can crammed full of explosive stuff and extra tanks.

 

The air defense versions have thumbnails bordered in red, and similar distinctions is made between UBUNTU and SOLO versions, as well as clean version etc, etc, etc. You get the picture. The multi-player versions have fewer polygons for better performance during multi-player sessions. That is the main difference.

 

The multi-player (UBUNTU) versions all have lines through the thumbnails in FSX to tell you that you are now selecting a multi-player version. More on that later on.

 

Anyhow, to get back to the exterior, the repaints as can clearly be seen from my screenshots, are extremely high quality and makes your mouth water!

 

 

 

Each repaint was done with amazing quality at lap joints, fantastic photo real reflections of light off the aircraft skin and very high quality job of the camouflage and lettering, including the numbering etc. It really is a beautifully modeled aircraft from the outside.

 

Other exterior features are the ladder, the flags covering the static tubes and the wheel chocks, all carefully modeled. Now have a look inside the engine air intakes on both sides and you can see the turbine fan at the back, incredible detail! A close look at the rear and I can see the interior nozzles in their different stages, just like a Concorde’s engines. Riveting stuff!

 

I was really, really impressed with the exterior job on this aircraft. The developer really put a lot of time and effort into this aircraft and once you look at it closely, one can almost feel the deep love and passion that drives this sort of project by a developer. Amazing job, A+++! 

 

Interior

 

The exterior sets a very high standard, so how about the interior? Firstly, no direct 2D main panel to fly from. You have to fly this bird from the VC. The VC is beautifully modeled, again it reminds me of the level of detail that one can find in the Falcon 4.0 series of products. 

 

It is immediately clear once you start looking around it, that there are a LOT of switches begging to be pushed, pulled, and toggled. So the obvious question is, how many of these actually work?  The answer is quite simple - just like the claim from the developer, 99 % of them work and have a function attached to them. I was most impressed!

 

As you can imagine from an aircraft from the era of the late 50's and early 60's you will be dealing with a steam gauge layout, no surprises there.  From the normal VC perspective and without adjusting the zoom levels at all, all the instruments and their labels are legible and easy to find and operate, except the ones very far from the immediate field of view, but there are not that many to be honest.

 

I half expected a little bit in the way of cartoony instruments, but no, they are beautifully modeled and they look the real deal. Yes, maybe a little room for improvement texture wise here and there, but the package is excellent overall! My favourite instrument is the screen right behind the stick on the lower center of the screen, the radar. Have a look at the screenshots to see the photo real look of that monster! Glorious!

 

As you would expect in a fighter, you are basically strapping it on, so everything is within easy reach and the perspective that you are getting from this VC is exactly that, close proximity to everything and that real “feel” for sitting in a fighter jet.

 

The one thing that I did find missing though was the reflections off the bubble canopy on the inside of the jet. On the outside, the reflections are photo real and magnificent, but sadly missing that aspect on the inside, however, this is hardly going to be noticed, believe me! 

 

So the inside is a masterpiece of graphical design and will be enjoyed by even the most stalwart and die-hard fan of the Starfighter, amazing job, another A+++!  Have a look:

 

 

Sound

 

As can be expected, the switches and knobs make the usual click sounds, and the canopy can also be heard opening and closing. The engine sounds are right on the mark based on videos I have seen from YouTube as far as both idling and powering up and down is concerned. A little extra on the engine sounds, the compressor sounds at higher power levels are very dramatic and beautifully done, it really sounds great folks!  

 

You would also be pleasantly surprised to hear that when you activate your ground power unit, it starts up very realistically! The flap lever and canopy open and close sounds are there too, and although I can hear the flap lever functioning I cannot hear the flaps running up and down, which kind of makes sense I guess. 

 

Another thing that is very nicely modeled are some screeching sounds for the tires. One of the more interesting sound features would have to be the sounds of the pilot under high G-forces.  You know when you start to suffer, since the heaving breathing starts first followed by grunting and moaning from the pilot if you push it even further.

 

Wind noise?  Not really an issue, since with your helmet on inside the real bird, you are not  likely to hear any wind noise rushing over the canopy. 

 

All in all, the sound in the package is remarkably well done, and really does add to the immersion of the simulation. Trust me folks, you will be blown away by this sound package, pun intended! Another A+++ for the Skunkworks team!

 

Lock & load

 

Right, so how do we kit out our bird with what we need in the way of fuel and weapons? Easy - remember the configuration utility? Well, this pops up by itself when the aircraft starts up, and if it doesn’t, use Shift+F2.

 

Okay so let us look at this smart little gadget in more detail. Let us say your aircraft has no fuel and we need to refuel the aircraft. Notice that in the bottom third of the configuration panel you will find 5 fuel cells labeled “REFUEL”. Above the center tank (there can be tanks on the wings too, depends on your configuration for the flight), you will find written in blue lettering “TANK”. 

 

Wherever you see this indication, you click on the “REFUEL” cell below it and the aircraft will be filled with fuel for you. Neat! You can also watch the refueling by looking at the bottom right corner as the weight of the aircraft changes.

 

Weapons? Depending on the aircraft type you are flying, you will find the various different armament types you can load in any station under the wing of the aircraft. Just click on it and presto, the armament appears on the wings and the aircraft sags a little further down on its suspension as the weight increases. Easy isn’t it?

 

Flying the Zipper

 

Now, as I said in the beginning, this is a difficult bird to tame. It would really be worth your while looking into the flight manual for all the little quirks in the handling of the aircraft that you will encounter and it will give you a monumental amount of respect for the guys who flew these fighters for a living! Folks, it is not that easy! You need to practice a little to get it right, no question about it.

 

Okay so you are talking to your wingman as you are the instructor for today’s flight. You are telling your wingman how he is going to stay right next to you, a few feet apart and how you are going to nail those low flying radar evading and other aerobatic maneuvers you had briefed during the pre-flight briefing.  You arrive at your aircraft and the ground staff is scurrying around it, the ground engineers and mechanics doing their last checks and getting ready for you to get onboard the aircraft. You give your wingman a tap on the shoulder, and you start to climb the stairs and hop into your rocket.

 

Okay, okay, obviously we don’t have a wingman and a walk to the aircraft, and there are no ground mechanics, but hey, we want to set the scene here right? Right!

 

Okay, so you are inside the aircraft, and you start running your pre-start items. I give the ground crew the all clear and they connect the ground power unit to my aircraft. It takes a few second and then the aircraft has external power and the warning lights start to come on. Good, the aircraft has power - checked!

 

Next we call up our aircraft configuration panel with Shift+F2 and we check that our fuel and weapons load out is right for the flight, checked.

 

Next I start running the scans through all the instruments to make sure that there are no weird readings on those instruments before anything else is done. All looks good.

 

I then check that my altimeter is set to the local QNH and that the reading it is giving me makes sense - checked.

 

I now make sure that the APC cutout switch is guarded; the switch is on the lower left console and that my tank select switches are properly setup. This is important - you have to make sure that your wingtip tanks are feeding to the main tanks. If you don’t make sure of this, your main tank will run dry and you will sit with fuel in the wingtips but still get an engine flame out - you have been warned! Make sure they are correctly positioned!

 

Next make sure that your fuel shutoff valve is guarded (that means closed). We check that the radar in the lower middle part of the cockpit is switched off and that the flaps are up. Next we make sure that the throttles are OFF and that the speed brakes are in.

 

Another funny aspect of the Zipper is that the speed brakes are not operated by a separate lever, but rather a thumb button (like the hat switch on your joystick) so you will find it on the top of your throttle control.

 

Next we check that the G-meter is reset and the chute is stowed. We then switch GENERATOR 1 and GENERATOR 2 switches to ON, which means we make sure that the guards are down. These are located in the bottom right hand corner of the main panel. So far, so good!

 

Next we switch on our INS system, which control button is located on the right side panel, and the switch is obstructed by the canopy lock ad unlock lever. When we switch it to standby, the light illuminates steady amber.  Keep it there; we will get back to it in a few seconds.

 

Next we check that the pitot heaters on the same right side panel, little further down this time, is OFF. Good! Next we configure our NAV and cockpit lighting as we require it, and that concludes the pre-start checks. Once you get proficient in this it will take you all but 30 odd seconds to run through, and it makes perfect sense if you think about it.

 

Picture two jets on a runway waiting to scramble, the siren sounds, and you jump into the cockpit. No time for spending minutes and minutes to get the aircraft airborne, since by then you will have been bombed to kingdom come on the runway!

 

Next is the engine start. Now, bear in mind that what I am going to describe here happens in a matter of a few seconds, so you have to practice it, get efficient in monitoring everything properly and you ideally have to memorize the procedure as there simply is not enough time to sit with your nose in a checklist whilst all of this is happening around you in the engine instrumentation. Be vigilant!

 

Right, here we go. We flick the starter switches (situated at the top left panel on the main panel by using a LEFT CLICK. A right click would switch it off again, just for reference. Once the engine reaches 10% we advance the throttle from OFF to IDLE position. We now keep a hawk’s eye on the fuel and engine temperature gauges, making sure that they increase and that they do so within the limits. We then check that the engine instruments meet up with certain requirements as listed in the checklist before turning off the engine start switches.

 

At this point the ground power unit will also automatically disengage. It caught me off guard the first time since I thought the engine was shutting down again! I now salute the ground crew, the signal for them to take away the support equipment and ladders.

 

I lock my cockpit canopy and get ready to move on to the next checklist which is the after start checklist. This requires me to move the INS switch to ALIGN, which causes the light to switch from amber to steady green. We switch on our radar set our radios and anti-ice equipment, check our speed brake movement by extending and retracting it. Good so far. 

 

We do our flight control checks, set our trims, toggle through the stability control dampers, check our APC readings, check the various settings on the flaps and make sure the movement is correct. We then switch the INS to NAV mode when the green light flashes.

 

We are good for taxi.

 

I like the feel of the aircraft on the ground. You need very little thrust to get it going (bearing in mind these beasts, as with most other combat aircraft, have very high idling N1 percentages), and it feels nimble on the ground as you would expect. It won’t stop dead like most other default aircraft when you cut the thrust back to idle but there is still a bit of FSX’s incomplete ground model in there, so it will stop quicker than one expects. Don’t throw it around the corners either, as you really get that “my wheel might lift” feeling if you speed around the bends!

 

All that said, ground handling is pretty much spot on in my opinion, and no I have never flown a Zipper before, but one can form a bit of an idea of what it should be like, and this certainly satisfies that idea, if that makes sense!

 

During the taxi I have to check a few more things. I check that the brakes are working, the anti-skids are set to ON, the flight instruments and gyros all respond properly when rounding the bends and that the nose wheel steering is engaged. Done.

 

So my wingman and I get our clearance to line up alongside each other and I run my final checklist for the take off. I confirm that my external tanks are feeding (if applicable), I recheck flaps set to take off, confirm that the speed brake is retracted, the canopy is locked, the radios are all confirmed set, I recheck my stabilizer trim, set the pitot heaters on and set my auxiliary inlet doors to AUTO (check guard down), and that completes the before take off checks.

 

I now need to make sure the engine is what it should be. I advance my throttle to MIL, and once it reaches 93% I close it back to idle. I make sure that the fuel flow and oil pressure is where it should be. I look over at my wingman, and he confirms that he is ready with a thumbs up sign. 

 

At this point the tower clears us for the take off, unrestricted climb. Now, you cannot simply ram the throttle fully forward as you would do in a Concorde or a newer fighter jet. No, no, no! First we advance it to the MIL position. The engine has to meet certain parameters as indicated within the checklist. If it does we advance the engine to the minimum afterburner position, and if it meets the normal standards set by the checklist, we can open the throttle fully. This also needs to happen fairly quickly as the aircraft will be accelerating quite nicely by the time you have the throttle all the way up.

 

Now what about our take off speeds and weights I hear you ask? Well, I pulled out the take off data sheet for the aircraft before departure. Since I am not kitted out with external tanks or weapons, my DI (drag index) is zero. My weight is close to 21600 lbs, so my take off speed is 182 KIAS.

 

If I now reference my outside air temperature, which is 23 degrees centigrade and I decide to use 25 degrees on the chart, I see the following:-

 

1. I can use 101% for the take off power setting.  I have to make sure that my EGT falls between 653 and 678 degrees centigrade.

2. I will require about 800m for the take off run.

3. My RS (refusal speed), which is the highest speed at which I can abort the take off and have enough runway left to stop is 188 KIAS.

 

Now folks, from what I could tell during various take offs, this information is quite accurate!  This is an aircraft that can and really should be flown by the book.

 

This is not just data I sucked out of my thumb, this was actual temperature and load out information and the figures I calculated was based on these figures. There are a few minuscule differences from time to time, but nonetheless it works the way the data sheet says it should.

 

Okay, so everything is normal and the take off run progresses easily and without a hitch. The take off instructions are to further assume our take off attitude (9-10 degrees nose up) 10-15 KIAS before the 182 KIAS take off speed. So once I hit 170 knots I begin the rotation to that attitude.

 

The rotation is smooth and sensitive (remember, this is a fighter, not a 747), and I easily hold it there until the aircraft lifts itself clear from the runway. Once I confirm positive climb rate, I retract the gear. Initially in ground effect, the aircraft will battle slightly for velocity, but once you start to break free of the ground effect, expect fairly rapid acceleration.

 

Now for the shocking bit - the checklist instructs us to retract the wing flaps - at a MINIMUM of 260 KIAS! Wow, okay, so I let the aircraft accelerate to 275 KIAS and then retract the flaps.  The margin is safe and the aircraft starts accelerating even faster now.

 

When blasting through 300 KIAS I check that the auxiliary inlet doors are closed.  Phew, all of that happened way quicker than it looks like in my write. Always think 5 steps ahead of this aircraft and practice, practice, practice to get it right!

 

That concludes all the checks and we are climbing, unrestrictedly to our playing field, our block of airspace that the ATC has assigned to us for this exercise. My wingman is right next to me, climbing with me.

 

We now accelerate to about 430 KIAS before dropping the nose to 5 degrees. We then cut the afterburners and climb at around 0.85 Mach. This we hold until reaching our cruising altitude.  Up until now everything I described to you comes right from the manual and no, it is not just the recital of the manual, I tested it against the climb I just described to you.  

 

Good so now it is time to put the Zipper through its paces. The manual gives me all the relevant information I need to check when doing the following maneuvers:-

 

1. The wingover;

2. The loop.

 

That doesn’t sound like much but getting that right according to the specifications, takes some time and practice, and hones your flying skills for properly flying various different patterns and maneuvers.  I will not go into the details here, but suffice it to say that yes, it operates very closely to the information in the manual.

 

Good, so my wingman and I have done out training mission and we need to head back to base, and land the old bird. How do we accomplish this? Whilst we are descending, we check our pitot and anti-ice systems and we make sure that they are operating properly. We finally check our fuel quantity and fuel system operation.

 

Today we want to do a nice and efficient descent, so we set the throttle to idle, we keep a clean configuration, no speed brakes, and we maintain 275 KIAS in the descent. Wow, we are getting a very efficient descent and the rate of descent is a lot more than you would expect! Keep an eye on that.

 

The air force base I am using for this exercise, has an altitude of 100 feet (97 feet actually) AMSL. Now I need to start preparing the aircraft for the landing. 

 

Now folks, a word of caution here - watch your angle of attack with the eyes of a hawk! When you start to hit 3 - 3.5 degrees, you had better start getting some flaps out or you won’t be holding altitude for much longer. Flying this bird requires extremely careful energy management and as I said before, it is very much akin to flying a delta wing fighter. This will also become evident with the landing speed as we shall see shortly.

 

I now try to operate the landing part of the flight as closely as I can to the Zipper for dummies profile. Since my air force base is at 100 feet AMSL I descend to 2 600 feet, as suggested in the manual, a pattern of 2500 feet. I also keep my airspeed close to the 325 KIAS (goodness me!!!) as suggested by the manual.

 

I have to say monitoring speed is not so difficult with this aircraft. As long as you are flying pretty much straight and level, maintaining speed is not too difficult. Just keep your eye on that angle of attack all the way down to the runway! I also set the flaps to the take off position.

 

I overfly the runway and as soon as I feel good for the barb reversal, I follow the instructions to bank 60 degrees and pull no more than 2G’s. If you do more than that you will begin losing altitude and regaining it whilst keeping decent velocity will require excessive thrust! Keep it gentle. The aircraft is sensitive enough not to have to overfly it to get the desired results.

 

Once we feel comfortable, we turn back to the runway on an intercept course for the runway to act as our base leg. I start to slow to 250 KIAS. This is where things start to become a little tricky and the balancing act between maintaining altitude and reducing speed to a point where I can begin the approach begins. And trust me, when you start throwing gusting winds and the like into it, it becomes a tricky balancing act. It is not impossible, so don’t be scared off by that and think that you are never going to be able to land the aircraft, but it sure is a challenge!

 

I check that my gear is down, the anti-skids are operating. Once you are on final but below the glides slope, reduce speed to about 210 KIAS and extend the flaps to landing flaps. Once you start to go into the glide slope, maintain around 175 - 180 KIAS depending on your weight. This is the trickiest part of the operation! Managing your energy curve and staying on the glide slope at the same time, requires precision and lots and lots of practice! But trust me, you get the hang of it eventually and it is a very rewarding experience when those wheels touch down and you know it was a good landing!

 

As the runway gets closer I am sitting further forward in my chair - I’ve got this under control...  Steady....  There we go, we are at about 50 feet now, thrust idle, nice pull on the stick, and we touch down, deploy our chute and open the air brakes. It takes a bit to come to a stop from that speed, remarkably akin to the classic deltas! 

 

Now, there are several aspects of the profile that I didn’t cover, like the profile for supersonic flight climb etc, but I would need twice the space this review is to occupy if I were to get into every minute little detail, so I will stick to the basics of flying and maneuvering this aircraft.

 

As expected, taxing in and shutting it down is pretty straight forward. Just follow the checklist!

 

Overall on the flight model, I cannot fault anything. The INS probably aligns itself too quickly, but apart from that everything looks and works like the real deal. This is an amazing simulation of this aircraft, and whether you are starting out or a Starfighter know-it-all, this will satisfy your desire for a realistic model, no question about it!

 

She’s a handful but it is a real joy once you start getting it right.  Another A+++ for the Skunkworks team.

 

Weapons systems

 

Now for the other really fun part of this aircraft. Live ordinance that can be fired! Yes, you have air-to-air and air-to-ground ordinance. You also have a radar system that can be fired up and works like the real deal.

 

Now, I will not go into the systems in detail here. Why? Simply because it is quite complex and requires a bit of explanation on the functioning thereof; you must study the manuals to make sure you get it right, there is no other way! Remember when I said this is a study simulation? There you go! 

 

I will say that the weapons systems function properly and the special effects are quite dramatic; I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed. There are limitations here and there due to the FSX environment, but they are few and you need to follow the steps outlined in the manual properly to get it working.

 

As is clear from the above, this is a systems intensive simulation. Again, I want to use the Falcon 4.0 for FSX approach here. The weapons systems really come into play as I would imagine when flying in multi-player environments, which I did not play with. 

 

This is the most realistic FSX simulation as far as weapons system usage that I have come across. I was astounded at what the developers achieved with this package. But wait, there is more...

 

The radar

 

That beautifully modeled display sitting just behind the stick on the main panel, this is the radar and it fully functions in two different modes:-

 

1. GMP mode (ground mapping pencil); display, underlying the ground with different miles, range and MTI capabilities; and

2. Air-to-air mode, including search, lock-on, attack and break away representations using AIM9-B/L missiles, which means that a complete attack and intercept mission can be flown with this aircraft just like in the real thing.

 

This means that the little fire reticule on the glass in front of you is obviously linked to the radar!  That means that the target range information is also at hand for you.

 

It takes a while to get your head around this, but when you do, it is so addictive that you simply cannot let it go again! Another breathtakingly real addition to this aircraft, again adding to the already immersive package as outlined above.

 

The inner workings of all of this are explained in detail in the documents accompanying the aircraft. Simply astounding, fantastic job, another A+++!

 

Performance

 

My test system is a Core2Quad 2.83GHz with 6GB RAM and a GeForce 480GTX with 768 MB RAM. On my system, performance was as smooth as silk, no matter which airport or what the weather at that facility was. I never dropped below 35 fps and when you are up there in the clouds, it is far more than that.

 

If you have a half way decent FSX rig, you can run this, no worries! As always though, stick to the developer’s recommendation for system specifications.

 

Conclusion

 

Before I write my closing remarks on this aircraft, watch this video by the developer on YouTube:

 

 

This should give you a good view of anything that I missed during writing up this review!

 

Now for the closing remarks...

 

Publisher: Sim Skunk Works Platform: FSX Format: Download Reviewed By: Werner Gillespie

Let me start of by saying that this is certainly one of the most difficult reviews that I have written for AVSIM. Why? This aircraft does for fighter aircraft and the fighter pilot convention of simmers, what PMDG does for the airliner fraternity, that’s why!

 

What I tried to do here is give you a basic overview of flying this aircraft whilst having a look at some of the wonderful features of the aircraft. It was difficult to decide which aspects to briefly outline and which to go into more detail. What do I want you to learn or discover by yourself and what should the review encompass - it was almost as difficult as the balancing act described for the landing phase!

 

In conclusion, I can only say that this is positively one of the finest FSX add-ons I have ever come across. Would I recommend this? Absolutely. Now, for the next question?  What about the price?  Here is a surprise for you - it is donation ware!  That’s right folks, no typo here, it is donation ware.

 

This beauty will set you back only 20 Euros. Reasonable? Not really, the developer is the one losing out here! What you get for 20 Euros is worth so much more than that, and I think any Zipper pilot who has discovered this little gem will agree.

 

This package has been put together with a lot of love and passion for this bird and it is clear that careful attention to detail was paid by the developers.

 

I can also add that I had quite a few questions for the developers and I was in direct e-mail contact with Mario. Positively one of the best support systems I have had to use, believe me.  You can add to the community of pilots who are on their forum and you will find an answer somewhere!

 

The package is complete. I absolutely loved the experience in flying and reviewing this aircraft. If you are even remotely interested in this aircraft buy it, don’t even think twice, you will have a blast with it!

 

What I liked about it

• Extremely realistic FDE
• Wonderful sound package
• 99% systems fidelity
• Working weapons systems, including target radar
• Price!
• Inclusion of a functioning GPU
• Extensive documentation to get you going, including a “for dummies” supplement to get you into the basics of flying the aircraft
• Complete package that captures the heart and soul of this aircraft

What I didn’t like

• Nothing!

The following is taken directly from the manual accompanying the product:

 

“The Shenyang J-15 also known as Flying Shark in China is a carrier-based fighter aircraft indevelopment by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and the 601 Institute for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy's aircraft carriers.

 

This aircraft is based on the Russian-designed Sukhoi Su-33 and is fitted with domestically produced radars and weapons.

 

An unfinished Su-33 prototype, the T-10K-3, was acquired from Ukraine sometime in 2001 and is said to have been studied extensively, with development on the J-15 beginning immediately afterward. While the J-15 appears to be structurally based on the Su-33, the indigenous fighter features Chinese technologies as well as avionics from the J-11B program.

 

The first J-15 prototype is believed to have performed its maiden flight on August 31, 2009, powered by Russian-supplied AL-31 turbofan engines. Video and still images of the flight were released in July 2010, showing the same basic airframe design as the Su-33.In July 2011, it was reported WS-10H turbofan engine was chosen for J-15 fighter, which has takeoff thrust increased to 12,800 kg, comparing WS-10 turbofan's 12,500 kg. Other improvements were also made to make it better suited to carrier-based fighter's requirement.

 

On May 6, 2010, the aircraft conducted its first takeoff from a simulated ski-jump deck at Xingcheng navy air field, Liaoning. The reliance on ski-jump launches and the lack of Chinese carrier based refueling capabilities are believed to greatly reduce the effective range of the J-15.

 

The J-15 is reported to use different avionics and systems than the Su-33, and uses Chinese-developed technologies, and features various upgrades such as AESA radar, composite and radar absorbent material, MAWS, improved IRST, and new electronics.

 

A twin seat variant J-15S made its maiden flight on November 4, 2012. In China PLA Navy the J-15 could match the F/A-18 in bomb load, combat radius and mobility, more work was required in its electronics and combat systems.

 

On 25 November 2012, Chinese media announced that two J-15 had made successful arrested landings on the aircraft CV-16 carrier Liaoning. The first pilot to land on the Liaoning was named as Dai Mingmeng. PLA Daily newspaper indicated first five naval pilots including Dai conducted J-15 fighter landing and taking off. Test and training program officials confirmed the carrier-borne aircraft and special equipment for the landing flight had gone through strict tests, and fighter jets can be deployed on the carrier.

 

The J-15/Su-33's basic design is aerodynamically similar to the MiG-29, but it is substantially larger. It is a very large aircraft, and to minimize its weight its structure has a high percentage of titanium (about 30%, more than any of its contemporaries). The swept wing blends into the fuselage at the leading edge extensions and is essentially a cropped delta (the delta wing with tips cropped for missile rails or ECM pods). The J-15 is also an example of a tailed delta wing configuration, retaining conventional horizontal tail planes, though it is not a true delta. It has two vertical tailfins outboard of the engines, supplemented by two fold-down ventral fins for

additional lateral stability.

 

As carrier based aircraft, J-15 have strengthen landing gear and tail hook system for arrested landing, AAoA light also equipped on nose gear to indicate proper decent angle for carrier landing approach. And folding wings and tail cone for resize parking space.

 

For improved lift factor in take off and landing operating, J-15 has move-able canards controlled by FCS. This system can deflect a fixed angle to gain more lift during aircraft in low speed and auto adjust angle to help aircraft maintain lift in normal flight.

 

Limited by FCS development, J-15s canard have fewer operating modes than similar systems on Russian Su-33/35/37 families now, it may have more function with FCS development in future.”

 

(Opening shot and introduction information taken from the manual of the product)

 

Installation and documentation

 

The installer is downloaded from Just Flight after purchasing from their website after purchasing it. You add the aircraft to your Just Flight account and viola, you are done! The validation is done when you install and this is done the same way as all of the installer wrappers for Just Flight products.

 

Installation takes about a minute, no vices. Once you enter FSX it will give you the usual requests to add dll files to your FSX database, you accept it and you are done. The aircraft is located in FSX under Shenyang as the manufacturer.

 

You get quite a few variants here to choose from:

 

1. PLA Navy numbers 551, 552, 553, 555 (which is a very nice grey livery), and PLA 556.

 

2. Four more in grey livery with different weapons load outs, to whit a combat air patrol payload, anti-ship payload, suppression of enemy air defense payload and a strike payload.

 

3. Lastly, four more with the usual camouflage liveries with the same payloads as in 2 above.

 

When you head over to your FSX folder and look in the BearStudios folder you will find the Naval Flanker OFM, which is your manual and trust me, you need to look at it!   It is an 82 page read which really give you an in-depth look into the aircraft and its systems. It starts with the introduction, the general section and some performance specifications on the aircraft.

 

This is followed by the type of equipment that one can expect onboard and also gives you a walkthrough in terms of the weapons used on the aircraft. Next up is some very handy tips on setting up your key combinations and a few extra tweaks to get the aircraft to give you a comfortable feel and operate smoothly.

 

The next part will give you a look into some really nice features of the aircraft, which are amongst others, realistic functioning multi-function radar, a fully working weapons system and delivery system, and that the aircraft is fully compatible with carrier operations.

 

The rest of the manual is dedicated to showing you the cockpit and introducing you to the various different systems onboard. This introduction is not overly complicated, but I found that when something needs to be explained a little better, the developers have included a concise but informative explanation, and if you spend a little time with the manual and with the systems themselves, finding your way around will be a piece of cake, except with the weapons delivery systems, but more on that later.

 

The manual is written in the by now familiar style and taste of Just Flight and just as with their other products, I have found the manual informative, yet simple to use and they have excellent graphic representations inside the manual to fit the book to the screen.

 

I cannot fault them on the installation or the documentation accompanying it. There is one or two other aspects regarding the setup that we need to deal with.

 

When first arriving in the cockpit and having a look around, my first expression was “what the...”  It is all in Chinese! Oh man, my Chinese is not that good brother! If this is your concern too, don’t be worried - if you look into your BearStudios folder again under J15Cockpit_SelectorFSX, you will find some instructions on how to install an English version of the cockpit - phew, now I can breathe easily again. No good going up against the enemy and not being able to understand the cockpit layout!

 

The cockpit switch is accomplished by simply copying and pasting the files/folders inside the J15Cockpit_SelectorFSX to the corresponding folders inside your FSX folder and presto, you can now read your labels and gauges in English.

 

The manual is then finished off with the various different checklists you need to get the aircraft through its different stages of flight, and last but certainly not the least, information on carrier operations! We’ll talk about that a little later...

 

As far as the documentation and installation is concerned, it is the straightforward Just Flight  approach and I cannot fault it, excellent!

 

Preliminary

 

Only three things here - firstly, no payload editor, fuel is changed by the standard fuel and payload editor in FSX. Secondly, no cold and dark cockpit, so we revert to the Cessna trick again and thereafter making sure that certain key switches are turned off when switching to the Flanker. Lastly, working weapons systems! Yes, it is becoming more commonplace in FSX to have fighters carry weapons that can really be fired. You have full air-to-air, air-to-ground, and even air-to-sea weaponry that really works.

 

This obviously means that the radar systems have to be properly simulated. They are. You will have to use the period key to fire the weapon of your choice. We will have a look at this later.

 

Exterior

 

The exterior of this aircraft is just juicy and delicious! The lines are sleek and beautiful; the reflections are photo realistic coming from that fuselage. You have a realistic looking payload and your payload itself is done to extremely high visual quality!

 

You will note that little bit of hydraulic fluid streaking the control surfaces and the lettering and decals are done to the same high standards.

 

What I really enjoyed about this exterior is that no line is ever as smooth as it looks. If you zoom in, you will find that bumpiness of the structure of the aircraft and the little bulges around the aircraft skin that may appear smooth from afar, but are quite far from being smooth!

 

The wheels look very good too, and the only thing that may have had more detail maybe, is the engine innards. The discs look a bit cartoony but this is no major gripe!

 

You will also find that although the aircraft has a similarity to the Russian Sukhoi and bears a further resemblance to the MiG 29, the Fulcrum, one very important part is missing - the thrust vectoring engines. So bear that I mind - this aircraft may look a bit like the Fulcrum but has no thrust vectoring so the fact that the engine buckets are not moving or rotating, is not a mistake, it is like this in the real word counterpart too!

 

Full marks for the exterior of this aircraft, brilliantly done! Here are a few teasers for you:

 

 

Interior

 

No 2D flyable panel here guys, so if that is your forte, you will be disappointed. You have to fly from the VC. Now, I have to say that I may have been just a little disappointed by the quality of the VC here. After looking at the outside, you rush to the inside to see what it is like, and here you are greeted by slightly cartoonish textures, but having said that, it is nowhere near undesirable either!

 

The HUD and MFD’s are really nicely done, but the keypad directly below the HUD is of a lower texture and a bit disappointing to be honest.

 

You have a moving stick in front of you, and as expected it is of the HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) variety, pretty standard fighter jet stuff. The backup instruments on the bottom left and bottom right of the cockpit is excellent quality and stands out above the rest of the cockpit textures.

 

The perspective inside the cockpit is typical of a snug but comfortable (?) fit for a fighter jet. The canopy has excellent visibility for obvious reasons and also very nice reflections to boot. Just about every switch and switch guard can be operated and has a function attached to it, but more on that a little later when we run through the systems.

 

Also of note is the nice light effect that you get when you take the view through the HUD and you have that looking at glass through another piece of glass effect.

 

So in conclusion, the VC is a bit of a mixed bag, high quality in some areas, and lesser quality in others. Having said that, it is not too bad either and once you start to get through the checks and start to fly, you start to pay a little less attention to this aspect and focus more on the flying.  To the VC, I would probably give an 8 out of 10.

 

 

Flight Dynamics

 

So... She looks the deal, but can she fly the deal to? Let us find out. Let us start by looking at the general information as to what this aircraft can actually achieve:

 

We should be able to get up to 62 500 feet AMSL, and we have a maximum speed of Mach 2.35 at altitude. So let us first see if we can achieve this before we continue. I line the aircraft up at the runway at FAYP (Ysterplaat Air Force Base at Cape Town in South Africa). The engines are running and we are ready to go with a strike payload and full fuel. We have two engines here.

 

At full afterburner, we accelerate to take off speed, which is around 160-175 KIAS in about 10 - 15 seconds. Holding the nose up at around 10 degrees, I blast through the sound barrier before reaching 3000 feet AMSL. Cape town is pretty much at sea level, so you can make your own deductions! Ten seconds later I am at Mach 1.40 blasting through 10 000 feet AMSL.

 

I raise the nose to 20 degrees and hold it there. Another ten seconds pass and I attained a Mach 1.46 climb blasting through 30 000 feet AMSL. Fifteen seconds later, the nose still at 20 degree, I manage to keep a Mach 1.35 climb and I blast through 40 000 feet AMSL.

 

The nose is down to ten degrees and I manage a Mach 1.21 climb an about another ten seconds later I rocket through 50 000 feet AMSL. Now things slow down quite dramatically and it takes me 35 seconds with the nose to 7.5 degrees and I clear 60 000 feet AMSL, at Mach 1.02. I drop the nose to 3.0 degrees and about 15 seconds later I pass the service ceiling at Mach 1.00. So yes, it can definitely reach the service ceiling.

 

 

Please bear in mind thought that what I just described is NOT the proper profile to fly to attain that altitude. You will have to fly a profile that manages you energy well enough so you can have more speed at that altitude. This is simply a quick test of the capabilities of the aircraft, altitude wise.

 

I now drop to around 42 000 feet AMSL and cut the engines to 85% N1. And yes, the aircraft easily goes into surpercruise, which means it attains supersonic flight without the use of afterburners. Wonderful! 

 

Engine response is quick, almost instantaneous. But this is realistic enough, fighter jets don’t react to thrust changes in the same way as airliners do.  You will however find that the “bite” from the afterburners takes a bit of time to “kick in” and when the thrust is decreased, for it to subside. Again, very realistic and nicely done!

 

Another thing - don’t think that just because you cut the thrust, you will start to loose speed dramatically either! Speed bleeds off very slowly, so planning in advance for the landing circuit, is a challenge, and you would have to employ the speed brake (which is situated on top of the fuselage and stands up similar to a spoiler on a wing) to slow down.

 

Another thing you would notice is the canards on the sides of the main fuselage just aft of the cockpit. This adds another dimension to the aircraft - STOL capabilities or Slow Take Off and Landing capabilities in full. The aircraft can fly extremely slowly for a fighter jet without flaps with a fairly high nose up angle and not stall. This is evident if you look at the stall speeds in the manual. This is also highly realistic, since if you look at the deltas like the Gripen fighter, the addition of these canards made it possible to land at normal speeds as opposed to the usual high speed landings associated with delta wing designs.

 

Another interesting thing about this aircraft is the fact that the flaps will not deploy unless the gear is down. There are four varying settings for degrees of flaps on the aircraft. Take off is done with half flaps (position two).

 

As I said, setting yourself up for the approach and landing takes a bit of planning and setting yourself up way in advance to get the speed under control. This takes a bit of practice, but you get the hang of it sooner than you think.

 

Instrument Landing System (ILS) approaches are quite possible with this aircraft. They are hand flown or with the autopilot, but the systems allows for extremely accurate approaches. I easily land at around 125-135 KIAS. Once you are down, you deploy the drag chute and you probably had the speed brake out during the approach phase anyway, and slowing down is quicker than I expected.

 

In complete contrast with the older fighters that I have recently reviewed then, energy management in terms of making sure we don’t get below the power curve during the approach and landing is not as critical and the aircraft is very docile and easy to land.

 

A word on the controls quickly - they are extremely sensitive as you would expect, and the faster you fly the more sensitive they become. Doing aerobatic maneuvers then is easy and you really feel as though you are in a modern day fighter jet.

 

You won’t have to battle losing energy during the climb in a loop too quickly since those two powerful rockets powering this aircraft will make sure you have plenty of power! Because of the speeds at which this aircraft flies, you will have to watch carefully when maneuvering that you don’t inadvertently put yourself into a high speed stall though.

 

On the ground the aircraft is nimble, yet there is that “heavy” sense of taxiing more than a set of textures though.

 

Although I have never had the harrowing experience of flying this bird in real life, I have to say I think they got it pretty close, especially comparing it to the figures of the manual. She is a joy to fly!

 

Systems

 

Now for the systems. As I said earlier you have quite a manual and it contains the proper checklists and flows to be followed for the aircraft. Now let us look at how systems intensive the aircraft is then...

 

You will notice that as with many of the modern day fighters you find a fairly short start up checklist - again, no point in spending hours tinkering with starting the aircraft if the enemy is inbound to shoot at you!

 

You will find that before start checklist is fairly brief with the checking of a few switch positions followed by a fairly shortish startup procedure. What is important here thought is that the startup can be achieved by using the book! I prefer using the ground power switch in the cockpit instead of tinkering with the APU, but this is personal preference.

 

All the avionics can be switched on and off according to the checklist. Once you start to go through the checklist, you will also notice the very logical and methodical layout of the Flanker’s cockpit. The checks are mostly done left to right, with the occasional jump between the panels. This is kept to a minimum however.

 

What I also liked is the attention to detail in the numbers of the engine instrument check during and after start. I sometimes find that when you look at the engine instruments of products they cannot really replicate the given numbers of the real world counterpart, but in this instance, it manages to do so quite well actually. You will have to remember, and yes I tested this, that these numbers will change up and down the allowable scale depending on altitude AMSL and temperatures and air pressures.

 

Another nice feature of the aircraft is the MFD display checklists that can be selected via the MENU option in the right top MFD. This makes following checklists a breeze!

 

 

Another quick word on the engine start - the engines really take a long time to spool up and light up! This is highly realistic and I loved this feature of the aircraft! Jet engines, including fighter jet engines, do not light up instantaneously, they need time and this aircraft has replicated the start procedure beautifully, full marks to the developer here!

 

The taxi checklist consists mainly of checking a few things that have been set, checking flight control movement and then doing some engine checks to see that the engines responds well to the MIL power setting. Once complete we can get going with the take off.

 

I have found that with any moderately decent length of runway, I don’t even use the afterburners for take off, because if you follow the manual and attempt a 350 KIAS climb, even if you climb vertically, you rush past that speed and onto 500-700 KIAS in a vertical climb and your reach 30 000 feet AMSL in less than a minute! If you are flying casually, I recommend disconnecting afterburners immediately after take off.

 

The rest of the checklists for normal operations are simply to keep an eye on certain things like the correct angle of attack for cruise flight and maximum speeds etc. The landing checklist mostly consists of making sure that you have the most important protuberances extending from the aircraft.

 

Another nice thing about this aircraft (for deep strike missions and the like) is that it comes equipped with an autopilot system capable of maintaining altitude (barometric or radio), heading or GPS coordinates, and it can even be switched to an ILS function! Very nice! There is of course a panel within the aircraft that can be used to setup the various different autopilot functions.

 

Also, you have a display in the NAV part of the MFD screens that allows you to get a view of the surrounding airports and which ILS’ and their frequencies are available for use in the surrounding areas. Excellent!

 

So as you can see, the aircraft can be flown from the book. I was rather impressed with this and shows that this in fact a rather deep simulation of the aircraft.

 

Weapons

 

Now for the most fun part. Let us shoot something! I don’t normally fly with AI traffic, but in this case I will make an exception...

 

If we look at the manual for the aircraft, we will see that there is a panel number 35 is the weapons panel and then there is a master arm switch in the left lower panel next to the main panel. Following the manual we correctly configure this panel number 35 for usage. It took me a while to get this one figured out on how to arm the weapons systems and get them to work. You will have to follow the manual folks, no guessing games here! I thought that as a Falcon veteran, it should be easy, but the systems are quite different here than on the F-16!

 

We switch on our FCR Bus, our fire control system and make sure that we are using a coupled radar in the air-to-air weapons system. By the way, on the upper part of the left console you will find the AA/AG switch to select between the air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons modes.

 

As is to be expected, the targets appear as yellow dots with little vector indicators telling me in which directions they are flying. The weapons I carry can be found by following the TAC and then SMS pages on the right MFD (which is the preferred display for weapons systems, according to my view in any case).

 

Here I can see that in the CAP formation, I have been kited out with 12 missiles and a few rounds of machine gun ammo. Warning here, these weapons are not unlimited and the machine guns empty very, very quickly!

 

Once you have your target selected, you will see the usual range “cage” indicated, make sure you are within the inner part of this cage before you fire the missile, just like in Falcon 4.0, remember?  If it is outside the inner cage, you will have a less successful chance of hitting the target due to range limitations with the missiles.

 

The firing effects are quite well modeled and should you look outside the aircraft when you fire the gun for example, you will see the spent cartridges flying away to the right of the aircraft and the tracers running towards the target (notice the blotch directly under the fuselage, that is the spent cartridge!):

 

 

Obviously you won’t see amazing pyro techniques when a missile strikes an aircraft or ship or when the guns hit the target either, since FSX was never really designed for this type of shoot'em'up action!  You also have ECM (electronic counter measures) like the real thing.

 

You also have air-to-ground mode that you can use to target ships and other targets, including a GMT (ground moving target radar mode), which is great for tracking anything moving on the ground. Just as with the air-to-air mode, the right procedures have to be followed in order to get these working and I will simply refer you to the manual.

 

Now, this is where I do have a slight gripe with the manual folks - the stuff on weapons delivery can be a little hard to follow sometimes and you may have to revert to a bit of trial and error to get going with this. The manual is a little unclear in places and a tutorial would really have been a nice touch to this, but sadly we don’t have one. Be prepared to spend a bit of time scratching you head now and then. Not insurmountable but a bit of clarification in some areas would be nice! It should be remembered by the developers that not everyone buying this is necessarily a boffin in fighter jets or their weapons delivery systems.

 

I have included a few screen shots so that you can have a look at the weapons systems displays on the MFD and a few extra things too:

 

 

Overall, I was really impressed with the weapons systems aboard this aircraft. They are as real as FSX will allow and if you compare them to the manual and the specifications of the real world counterpart, you will find that the level of realism is really very, very good! As can be seen the only gripe I have with the systems are their sometimes awkwardly explained functions within the manual and not the systems themselves.

 

A great job by the developer and I can see many, many hours of enjoyment for the multiplayer guys with this bird.

 

Sounds

 

The sound pack compliments the aircraft really well! The afterburners are distinguishable from the main engine sounds. When firing weapons they can be heard and they very much resemble the sort of sounds that you would get when firing weapons in Falcon 4.0 for example.

 

The switches and dials inside the cockpit don’t make any sounds at all, which is a little strange but not really a big issue. You cannot hear the speed brake operating in the air or on the ground, and the flaps are silent too, BUT...

 

When you are on the ground and the engines are off and you are in the process of running the cockpit pre-flight checks, the soft motorized sounds of the flaps can be heard as you are testing them. This is realistic and a very nice touch!

 

There is some nice rolling sounds, not too loud though which is also a nice touch given the noise of the engines and the cockpit environment and when touching down you hear the nice thumping sound but no tires screeching either.

 

The gear sounds when being extended/retracted are loud as you would expect and this is again realistic. When starting to go really, really fast, the wind noise picks up nicely and given the fact that you would have a helmet on which would mostly deaden the wind noise (and others for that matter too) the sound pack as far as I am concerned is very realistic and really adds to the immersion of the package.

 

Performance

 

I run a Q9550 at 2.83GHz, 6GB RAM and a GeForce 480GTX with 768 MB RAM on it. Even with my AI traffic maxed out to get something to shoot, and at KORD (which was my test airport for the weapons systems on this bird), frame rates were excellent!

 

On the ground you get an easy 30 odd which obviously increased as I got airborne and are up and away! The different ranges on the radar display and the targeting and weapons displays had no impact on my fps at all.

 

If you have a mid range machine you should have no trouble with performance folks!

 

Conclusion

 

Publisher: Just FLight Platform: FS9/FSX/P3D Format: Download Reviewed By: Werner Gillespie

This package pulls out all the stops - beautiful exterior, functioning weapons and it sounds like the real thing! The only issue I mentioned earlier was that some upgrading can be done in the VC, but to be honest, it is not a major gripe either. I really had a lot of fun reviewing this one.

 

This may be more for the multiplayer market in terms of formation flying and meeting up for a virtual mission within FSX, however, if you just want to get into a cockpit for a good “shoot at anything the flies, drives or floats”, this will be a good bit of fun for you too (I know it was for me!)

 

The price? $29.99! Folks, as far as I am concerned, this is a steal at that price. It is really reasonably priced for what you are getting.

 

What I liked about it

• The FDE
• The sounds
• The functioning weapons delivery system and the high fidelity within the system
• The price
• High performance even with lots of AI traffic, meaning that group flights and missions will most likely not suffer from performance degradation
• Extremely high quality exterior
• They still produce for FS9, and you can fly it in FSX and P3D!

What I didn’t like about it

• Only the VC that can have a bit of a face lift!

FSDreamteam is well known for creating some of the best scenery add-ons available. Today we will take a look at their latest releases Vancouver International and Los Angeles International. The newest of these releases is the Vancouver scenery.

 

This scenery is packed with many innovative features which include;

• NEW Innovative lighting system, using Dynamic Shadows Technology™
• Fully customized ground and runways in high resolution.
• NEW Volumetric pre-rendered Lights, Shadows and Ambient Occlusions without any FPS impact.
• NEW Ground Shaders technology with 100% "Pure FSX" code
• NEW Bump mapping and Specular mapping on ground, DirectX10 Compatible!
• Animated custom ground vehicles. (FSX only)
• Elevated taxiways bridges, fully compatible with AI airplanes.
• Fully 3d taxiways lighting, custom runway lights and PAPIs.
• Special runway lights, including custom PAPIs with FAROS
• Intensive use of LOD techniques in order to offer the best possible performances.
• High resolution building textures.
• Jetways animated with inverse-kinematics in FSX.
• NEW YouControl™ feature: custom airport actions with easy on-screen menu to trigger animations, events, etc.

As you can see, the list of features in this package is quite impressive and some are quite new to FSX.

 

The second scenery we will look at is an older release from FSDT, Los Angeles International. I thought it would be a good idea to review both of these products since they are very impressive and you will be surprised to see that even though the LAX scenery in itself is impressive, the Vancouver scenery still manages to surpass its quality. Here is a list of the feature for KLAX:

• Fully customized ground and runways in high resolution.
• NEW Volumetric pre-rendered Lights, Shadows and Ambient Occlusions without any FPS impact.
• NEW Ground Shaders technology with 100% "Pure FSX" code (FSX only)
• NEW Bump mapping and Specular mapping on ground, DirectX10 Compatible! (FSX only)
• Animated custom ground vehicles. (FSX only)
• Animated lighted pylons for the LAX Kinetic Light Installation (FSX only)
• Elevated taxiways bridges, fully compatible with AI airplanes. (FSX only)
• Fully 3d taxiways lighting, custom runway lights and PAPIs. (FSX only)
• Special runway lights, including FAROS, RWSL, THL and REL. (FSX only)
• Intensive use of LOD techniques in order to offer the best possible performances (FSX only).
• High resolution building textures. (FSX only)
• 123 Jetways animated with inverse-kinematics in FSX (FSX only)
• NEW YouControl™ feature: custom airport actions with easy on-screen menu to trigger animations, events, etc (FSX only).

At first glance the features may seem to be the same but with a bit of careful reading, you will see that there are a few differences between the two sceneries. To get an idea of what some of the new innovations really entail, I had an opportunity to ask Umberto from FSDT a little about the technology that was utilized in creating these scenery packages.

 

FSDreamTeam:

 

The main difference in technology is the use of the Dynamic Shadows, which doesn't affect FPS, because it's a way to dynamically switch objects depending on the sun’s position, but there's only one version of the object in memory at any time. The CYVR manual has a more detailed explanation how this works.

What generally makes all our products fairly FPS friendly, considering their complexity/size, is a combination of several factors:

We don't use any legacy FS8 or FS9 code

Most of the 3rd party scenery out there uses a lot of FS8 code to do custom ground polygons OR they offer a choice to install default-looking ground textures so, you have to choose between having a nicer and slower scenery (which is also not compatible with DX10) because the FS8 code is much slower than native FSX code, or having a faster scenery, with default-looking ground.

This is because it's not possible to have native FSX code for the ground using only the official FSX SDK methods, not without big issues with blurred texture due to the usage of native photoreal terrain or heavy flickering due to the different handling that ground polygons require to fix issues like, for example, the round earth projection used in FSX. FS8 code for ground layers is handled as a special case by FSX, but with a cost in performance, and on top of that, advanced FSX materials couldn't be used anyway.

We entirely bypassed this issue, by having our Add-on Manager/Couatl programs handling all ground textures as programmable objects, so we can adapt and fix visual problems like flickering/z-fighting in real time, so we can use fully native FSX code for the scenery background. This has also the added advantage of allowing shaders to be used, which means the ground can use realistic effects like bump mapping that simulates rough surfaces like tarmac, and specular reflections that simulates the effect of the sun shining on asphalt (compared to no reflections at all on grass, for example), this is difficult to note from screenshots, but it's obvious within the sim.

Another advantage of being able to use shaders on the ground is that we can SAVE a lot of polygons to handle detail textures. A detail texture is an additional texture that adds close-up detail so it won't look too blurred at a short distance, and we normally have different detail textures for tarmac, asphalt, grass, gravel, etc. The normal method using FS8 code is to layer two set of polygons, and to follow the complex taxiway structure, two set of many polygons would be needed. Instead, by using shaders, we don't need polygons to specify where each detail texture goes, but a bitmap that will point to the texture used depending on its pixel values, so we can be very precise indicating which detail texture goes where, but we don't need as many polygons as we should if we wanted to do the same with FS8 code.

We put the GPU to do more work

GPU power keeps increasing every month, and it's fairly easy for a user to replace a video card. Instead, CPU power and (especially) raw speed, increases very slowly, it goes in the direction of more efficient multi-threading (which FSX doesn't use much) and it's hard and expensive to replace a CPU, since it usually requires replacing the mainboard and the RAM too. So, it makes sense trying to rely more on the GPU. By delegating more and more to shaders, our sceneries are usually able to use the GPU more, and this is confirmed by any test that shows the GPU occupation on recent FSDT scenery is higher than the typical airport scenery for FSX. This means two things: the scenery will keep working better, the better GPUs will be used, and the main CPU is free to do other things like simulation code, AI code, gauge and systems code, etc.

We externalized a lot of program logic to a different thread, putting multi-core CPU to some use

Earlier FSDT sceneries had the Add-on Manager doing most of the work, nowadays we moved almost every program logic we need to run into the Couatl program, which is an interpreter for the Python language, customized for FSX use. Everything "interactive" in our products runs entirely outside FSX, into the Couatl interpreter. GSX, for example, is written entirely in Python, and its logic runs entirely outside FSX. Since the Couatl program is a separate .EXE which is not running in the FSX process (compared to a .DLL module), this result in two big advantages: first that any memory needed by Couatl for any reason is not "stolen" from the FSX memory pool, but is taken from a separate address space reserved for Couatl only. And, since it's an external .EXE running in its own thread, it will be automatically scheduled to use a spare core on a multi-core system, so it won't affect FSX performance and even complex calculations won't cause pauses or stutters in FSX. To give an example, in order to do Dynamic Shadows, the program needs to calculate the current Sun position for any given day of the year at a specific location, so Couatl includes a complete astronomical calculator package inside, which gives scientifically accurate results, without affecting performances in any way. Another example is the path finding algorithms that GSX uses in order to have its catering, fuel or follow me vehicles coming from away (instead of just popping out in front of the user) or the kinematics calculations needed to simulate the Pushback physics in a believable way and following the AFCAD paths precisely at the same time. All of this is made by Python scripts, running externally to FSX, in a separate thread, not stealing precious RAM from FSX, and in a separate process and thread, so FSX will never slow down because there's a complex calculation stalling it.

It's very likely we'll use the same technique, in case we'll ever do an airplane product again, offloading any system simulation to Couatl and Python scripts, and having very "dumb" gauge code, which will save considerable amount of memory too.

We take a lot of time optimizing scenery

We use every possible technique to optimize scenery:

First one is LOD (Level of Detail). LOD is annoying to do and it's additional work that a developer must do, but it's worth it and, everyone using AI models will know how much better AI with LODs are for performances, so we use it a lot in our sceneries. Every single object as at least 3 LOD levels. We use LOD levels with animated jetways too, putting the costly bones only in the better LODs, so you won't see all jetways of the airport animated at once, but only the one closest to the viewpoint. This helps reducing the FPS impact of animated jetways a lot.

Another technique we use a lot in recent sceneries is Textures Atlases. It's a very well known technique in gaming development, which means trying to use as few as possible large textures, instead of using many smaller ones. The overall resolution won't change: using 4 4096x4096 textures is exactly the same as using 64 1024x1024 textures, both from a memory consumption point of view and from a visual quality point of view. But using less big textures instead of many smaller one, has a large impact on performances, because it minimizes the costly "state changes", that happens when the graphic card has to switch to a different texture/material in the middle of a drawing. You'd want to keep those changes as few as possible. Ideally, the best possible performances could be obtained by having the whole scenery contained in a single texture and draw all polygons with the same material.

Along the years, we kept improving and changing our methods, to keep pace with the available hardware, so our sceneries breaks down to the following "periods"

Zurich and O'Hare - The earliest sceneries were using quite a bit of FS8/9 code, and it wouldn't made much sense to rely on the GPU anyway when they were released.

JFK - This got rid of most of the FS8 code, but we used a native FSX photoreal background, and it was difficult to get consistent quality for all users, because this type of ground suffers from blurriness entirely out of our control, depending how the rest of the system is loaded. Because of this, not everyone could see it with the sharpness the original textures were made. But thanks to this, it offered very good performances, considering *where* is located, which is a frame rate pit even with no add-ons loaded. Before we released it, many thought doing JFK in FSX wouldn't be possible.

KLAS, KFLL, PHNL and Hawaii - These are a bit of hybrids between the old and new generation: they still use FS8 code, but in an unusual way, combining a native FSX background layer, with an FS8 layer to give a custom look.

KDFW - This was the first scenery that used 100% FSX code and use Shaders for ground instead of polygons, to get the advantages I've explained above. It also introduced some things like entirely custom runway lights, and intelligent runway/taxi/papi lights that interacts with the AI (handled by Python code, of course), to simulate THL/FAROS/RWLS

KLAX - This one expanded on the KDFW concept, using more complex shaders (with more detail textures variety) for ground AND extending the usage of shaders even for the actual buildings, not just the ground polygons. It also introduced an novel method to do night lights, with hundreds of pre-rendered lights baked in the night textures, simulating multiple light sources in a realistic way, with no impact on FPS.

CYVR - The base methods are similar to KLAX, but it added the Dynamic Shadows technology, so the scenery will look always different each time of the day or season (and even in overcast, it has a specific look for that one too), with shadows calculated accurately for that location.

 

Installation & Setup

 

The installation process for the Vancouver scenery is quite easy and it is all automated. During the installation it's possible to select texture resolution independently for the Photoreal background and the Dynamic Shadows, with 1024x1024, 2048x2048 and 4096x4096 choices. The installer will give an estimate in size for each option. This way, you can keep the overall texture resolution as high as possible (to keep using HD textures in other products), and control how much space allocate to Vancouver textures.

 

The documentation provided is well written and easy to follow which makes customizing and using these sceneries to your requirements a simple task. Contained in the manuals are airport charts including SID and STAR charts, recommended settings and a detailed description of various features. Overall I don’t see anyone having trouble in this area provided you follow instructions and you read the manuals.

 

The Experience

 

We will start off by looking at the accuracy of the layout of each airport. Starting with CYVR, I had the opportunity to examine a few photos of the real airport and to compare it with the layout of the simulated version. As you can see in the photos below, the FSDT CYVR scenery is spot on.

 

 

The terminal buildings at the real Vancouver International are not as radically designed as other airports but they do offer sufficient detail to make it interesting nonetheless. This being the case, FSDT has managed to model with extreme accuracy, every square foot of this massive airport. Apart from the airport terminal buildings being modeled accurately, this airport is unique in that FSDT has added a feature that takes the realism of these buildings to a new level.

 

The introduction of Dynamic Shadow Technology makes this entire scenery come alive. As one might expect, the time of day would determine the shadows that are cast by any object. With buildings it gets a bit technical based on the design. The dynamic shadow technology that was introduced with this scenery does exactly what it was meant to do, it accurately calculates the position of the sun to render a realistic shadow from objects. This is quite an innovative feature and you will be happy to know that it will not in any way affect your frame rates.  Here are a few photos from various times of the day.

 

  

These photos showcase how different the shadows and lighting are at different times of the day

 

Moving on to the ground textures, I was quite amazed with the level of detail shown on the ramp. Normally the gate positions of any airport ramp are always dirty and slightly worn due to the heavy traffic going in and out. This is nicely shown throughout this airport and it creates a realistic airport environment.

 

Another feature for the ground textures that you will also find intriguing is the use of bump mapping that simulates rough surfaces like tarmac, and reflections that simulates the effect of the sun shining on asphalt but not on the grass. This is perhaps one of the features you will notice almost immediately when using this scenery and it gets even better when you include real weather that has rain or snow.

 

 

One of the concerns I had with this scenery, as I do with all others, is to know how the change in seasons will affect the ground textures. I am happy to say that no matter what the season may be, the ground textures blend in quite nicely. This is clearly seen during the winter and spring season which was recently updated.

 

Here are a some screenshots that showcases the various ground textures and effects:

 

 

While we would have discussed the shadow technology before, I thought it would be equally important to discuss the lighting effects. Lighting for add-on airports has long been a sore spot in that they never truly capture the essence of an airport environment in low natural lighting conditions.

 

The lighting that is featured in the CVYR scenery is all 3D and this can be best seen at dusk or at night time. You will also find that the lighting for the terminal builds is also quite impressive in that you can also see at times see inside of the terminal buildings themselves. Here are a few screenshots that showcases the lighting at night and various times of the time.

 

 

Here are some mixed screenshots

 

 

One of the final features we will talk about is the YouControl and Animated Jetways option. These days having animated jetways may not be a big deal to talk about but this feature is definitely a highlight of this scenery and since it was designed specifically for FSX it offers a much more realistic animation. YouControl on the other hand is a unique option worth mentioning in detail.

 

YouControl is enabled by the Couatl Engine that comes with the scenery. It’s a generic “Custom action manager”, that can handle any number of custom animations or events that can happen at an airport. It’s not something that is specifically tied to Vancouver International Airport scenery, but Vancouver International Airport comes with a set of custom actions that are active in the airport.

 

YouControl is used to trigger custom animations like opening hangar doors, activating special jetways which FSX wouldn’t otherwise be able to support, but can also be probably used to create more complex events, like calling ground support vehicles, declaring emergencies, activate training scenarios, etc. When using Vancouver International you now have the option of Opening/Closing of the Air Canada Center Hangar, Air Canada North Hangar and the London Aviation Center Hangar. This adds a new level of realism that is not common in airport sceneries today.

 

KLAX –Los Angeles International

 

KLAX is another popular airport among simmers and just about a year prior to the release of Vancouver International, FSDT release this excellent scenery which features many of the design innovations of Vancouver International.

 

Since these two airports are similar in design with only a few differences in features, we won’t delve too much into the list of features all over again. What I can say however, is that KLAX is truly an amazing scenery add-on worth checking out.

 

As is the case with CYVR, the airport itself does not eat away at your frames and for its beauty and complexity this is an astonishing accomplishment on the part of FSDT. Here is an assortment of screenshots which nicely showcases this airport which I would also recommend.

 

 

Final Thoughts

 

Publisher: FSDreamTeam Platform: FSX Format: Download Reviewed By: Marlon Carter

My overall thoughts on these two sceneries are that they are both amazing. I try my best not to use the word “amazing” too loosely, but I am baffled as to how two airports with so much detail can have so little impact on your frame rates.

 

Vancouver International has many innovative features and the technique used in creating this scenery was without a doubt a much welcomed new approach to scenery modeling. The Coualt program that is used to manage the use of this scenery and all other FSDT sceneries is truly remarkable and for this alone I would give this package a rating of 10/10.

 

Los Angeles International is equally fascinating even though it is much older. Both sceneries are strongly recommended and I would also encourage you to try other FSDT airports as well. I had the opportunity to try many of the most popular FSDT products and I can tell you that the process FSDT has made over the years is very commendable.

 

If you are familiar with their KJFK, PHNL, KORD or KDFW sceneries and you were impressed, I can tell you that CYVR and KLAX are light years ahead in terms of their quality and innovative features. If you are a bit skeptical you can always download the airport and examine it while in the demo mode which gives you full use of the airport for 5-6 minutes.

 

Hands down, CYVR and KLAX are now two of my favorite sceneries for FSX and I am sure you will like them also.

 

What I Liked About the Airports

• Accurate layout of airports
• High detail textures
• Innovative use of Shadow Technology
• The YouControl feature is amazing and it makes using this airport more realistic and enjoyable
• Little to no impact on frame rates
• Direct X10 compatible
• 3D lighting
• Ground textures are realistic

What I Disliked About the Airports

• There isn’t anything to be unhappy about with this product except that it would be nice to have many more add-on sceneries with these features and more

Dauntless Aviation has recently released Simplates X Ultra which is advertised as having 70,000+ IFR and VFR plates for the flight simulation enthusiast. The product was released for three different platforms; MS Windows PC, Android phones and tablet devices and iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch devices.

 

This review is for the version released for the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch devices. Here is the link to the developer’s website product page.

 

Having recently acquired an iPad I was interested to see how I could incorporate this device into my flight simulator activities. This application seemed to be an ideal candidate for that. 

 

Installation

 

The only way to get this version of the program is via the iTunes AppStore and on the developer’s product page they provide the link, (http://www.dauntless-soft.com/PRODUCTS/SimPlates/iPhone/), which takes you directly to it.  You will need to input your iTunes account info, locate the application and make the purchase. The app will then be downloaded to your mobile device. That’s all there is to it. There is now an icon on your home screen titled “SimplatesX”.

 

The first thing you should do after starting the application is to select “Content Update Check” and check for any updates.

 

Documentation

 

There is no documentation only a single help screen. Two important points that you need to keep in mind; you cannot print any of the charts you download and you must be connected to a Wi-Fi network to be able to access any charts that you have not already downloaded onto your device.

 

Configuration

 

There are no configuration options.

 

Program

 

Normally I would use my desktop PC, which also happens to be the one I use for FSX, to get any flight related charts. I would do a search on the internet and then upon finding the document(s) download them and more often than not print them. This allows me to have access to them while running FSX. Needless to say I have filled several rather large binders and used up my fair share of ink cartridges building up a collection of these various charts.

 

Now with this program I have the ability to do a quick search using the application and I have access to all of the information I need. The tablet is totally independent of my FSX PC so I no longer have a need to print them out in order to use them while flying.

 

 

The main page is where you’ll make your selection as to what you want to do in the application. Your five choices are; View Plates, Airport Info, NAVIAD Info, Help/About and Content Update Check.

 

 

Content Update Check

 

After installing the program the first thing you will want to do is an update. This will ensure you have the latest and most up to date information.

 

 

Now; on to what the program is all about, accessing a vast repository of information. The way you get to all of it is by using the search function which is integral to the usefulness of this application and how you go about searching the sub menus is very simple and quite versatile. Across the top is a text input box and just below it are two buttons; alphabetic and recent. These two buttons determine the order of the countries displayed on the left hand side of the screen.  Alphabetic is the default and displays the list of countries in alphabetic order and recent will display countries with those recently accessed at the top of the list.

 

Depending on how specific your search criterion is will determine how many hits you get. You can search with criteria such as the country name, city name, ICAO code or even use partial names. It is really quite versatile.

 

Whether a document has been downloaded to the device or you are doing an initial search the process is the same. You are always doing a search, there is no other way.

 

View Plates

 

This was the part of the program I found myself using the most often. When you purchase an airport add-on developers will sometimes provide a set of charts or maybe a link to a website where you can find them but more often than not you are on your own. This is where the Simplates X Ultra application really came in handy and earned its keep. Whether I was trying to find an approach plate, a parking diagram, an aerodrome chart or whatever else I needed for a particular airport they were all available to me by doing a simple search. When you find the airport you have the choice of downloading all of the documents or a specific document. 

 

 

Airport Info

 

This option will allow you to look up information pertaining to a particular airport. You will be presented with a page that provides all sorts of information such as location, capabilities, runways, associated navigational aids, etc. The information is not always the same for every airport. In the first screenshot you get an idea of what you get if you select by country. My example shows the country of Haiti. At this point you could simply select the airport you are looking for. Not a big deal with a small country but imagine a large country like Germany, the list might be overwhelming. That is why you might want to make your searches in any category more specific.

 

 

They mention on the Help page that not all plates are current. I ran into a situation with the airport diagrams for CYUL. The airport diagram was for Montreal-Dorval Airport yet the Aerodrome charts were for Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. If you run into this and you know there have been significant changes you can always do a search online and find the up to date information.

 

NAVAID Info

 

This screenshot shows the typical information provided for navigational aids worldwide. Some of the information provided is; name, channel, latitude, longitude, etc. Information may vary depending on the station.

 

Searching is done the same as for the other program options.

 

 

Help/About

 

The Help screen gives a basic description of what you can expect to get out of the program. A link to their website is also provided.  In the top left corner of the screen is a button that allows you to delete all cached plates. Something you may find useful if your device is running low on available memory. 

 

 

Summary

 

Publisher: Dauntless Aviation Platform: iOS Format: Download Reviewed By: Rick Desjardins Test System: iPad2 64Gb with IOS 5 Flight Time: 16 hrs

This program, which is independent of the type of simulator you are running, is a very useful resource providing a massive amount of information at your fingertips. The fact that some charts may not be up to date could be an issue but in most instances I believe it is a non-issue. I have now incorporated its use into every one of my flight sim sessions.

 

What I like

• Quick to install and easy to use.
• No longer a need to search the internet, everything is available from a single source and is easily searchable.
• I found myself using this application on each and every flight.
• Can be used with any flight simulator program.

What I don't like

• If you lose Wi-Fi connectivity you won’t have access to the online database of documents, only to those that were previously downloaded to your device.
• No way to print charts.
• Every time I want to see a chart I must do a search as there is no way to directly access downloaded charts.
• You can only view one chart at a time.