Review by Doug Horton. This article continues the review of Lockheed Martin’s Prepar3D Flight Simulator software product. This is a continuation of Part 1.

Highlights of Differences between Prepar3D and FSX

There are many underlying improvements in Prepar3D (through version 1.4), which set it apart from FSX.

• Blurred scenery (land textures that are of low quality because textures are not completely loaded yet) are reduced because Prepar3D uses multiple cores for rendering ground texture instead of just one core. This can be seen in processor usage if you open the Windows Task Manager, Performance tab. In the sample image, high activity can be seen on physical cores 1, 3, 5, and 7 during scenery loading of a new flight.

Windows Task Manager shows high activity on cores 1, 3, 5, and 7 while scenery is reloading.

• Higher quality graphics – Users will experience higher quality graphics, including more realistic rain and snow with the modernized shader model 3.0. Higher quality graphics can also be obtained by the increase of texture limits which can be set as high as 2048 x 2048, or even 4096 x 4096, instead of the FSX limit of 1024 x 1024. Developers can also utilize higher resolution terrain with the increased texture limits.
   
• Selections and positions of multiple monitor settings can be saved in flight files, including panel and scenery window locations across multiple monitors. Prepar3D remembers the settings when restarting Prepar3D and/or restarting a flight. See below for an example.
   
• Internet multi-player capability –users can collaborate with others worldwide to train for the missions or tasks within the Prepar3D environment.
   
• Multi-channel capability – users can use the power of this new feature to operate Prepar3D with multiple computers, for creating expanded views, all the way up to 360 degrees.
   
• Sensor camera options – users can experience night vision and infrared sensor camera options to enhance military missions or training for night flying.

Sensor camera view – courtesy of Lockheed Martin

• Realistic scenery – millions of square kilometers of the earth have been checked and upgraded to accurately represent the urban environment. High resolution 12 cm content has been added for specific locations.
   
• Underwater environments – Users can enable coastal bathymetry from the U.S. Geological Survey, to make their simulation experience underwater with submarines.
   
• User interface screens have been updated and are larger, consistent with users operating larger monitors than when FSX was released. On my 24” 1920 x 1200 (16:10) monitor, the Prepar3D Display Settings UI screen measures 13.6 x 10.2 inches, compared to 8.5 x 6.4 inches in FSX – with the visual area is 2.5 times greater. Shown below are comparitive sizes of the interfaces.

Comparative sizes of Display Settings interfaces in Prepar3D and FSX

Prepar3D includes an enhanced developer toolset for creating new training solutions. To aid in rapid development, Prepar3D is compatible with Windows 7 and Visual Studio 2010; it offers a Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) user interface, an external simulator capability that provides enhanced control of the simulation code, new code samples updated in the Software Development Kit (SDK) documentation and support for the latest 3Dstudiomax tools.

Operation with Multiple Monitors

One of the most useful enhancements in Prepar3D is that the program remembers panel and scenery window locations when flight files are saved! This happens regardless of computer reboots, restarting Prepar3D, and/or restarting a flight that was saved when multiple monitors were being used. In a simple test, monitor settings were even saved after disconnecting a second monitor and later reconnecting the second monitor.

This feature cures a significant issue in FSX, whereby with restarting of the program or saved flights, the user must often reposition and resize panel and scenery windows, including undocked windows, as applicable. For a simple test, I set up a 17” normal aspect (4:3) monitor to the left side of my 30” widescreen (16:10) monitor, keeping the 30” monitor primary and extending its image to the smaller monitor.

This required using the Windows Display setup function and NVIDIA Control Panel multiple monitor setup functions. You’ll know this action has been completed correctly if you can move your mouse cursor back and forth between monitors.

Next, I copied the default FSX Cessna 172 Skyhawk folder from (my FSX folder)\SimObjects\Airplanes to (my Prepar3D folder)\SimObjects\ Airplanes. I selected this aircraft because it has an IFR panel option with a 2D control panel that nearly fills the screen. Incidentally, the IFR view is not accessed by sequentially pressing the A key in cockpit view. Rather, it’s selected in the 2D cockpit view by making one press of the W key.

FSX Cessna 172, copied into Prepar3D, with fall colors

After the Cessna 172’s IFR panel was displayed, I right-clicked on the panel and selected Undock window. At this point, the window title bar changed to read “IFR Panel” and the window could then be moved by dragging it with the cursor in the title bar area. I then resized the undocked IFR panel window to fit the 17” monitor as shown in the accompanying image, which shows a 17” 4:3 monitor on the left and a 30 16:10 monitor on the right.

Prepar3D remembers panel and scenery window sizes and locations for multiple displays.

Finally, I named and saved the flight, and I then tried rebooting, restarting Prepar3D, and restarting the flight multiple times. In all cases, the undocked, resized IFR panel was displayed on the 17” monitor and the 30” monitor displayed scenery only. No further undocking, no dragging, and no resizing with Prepar3D! Try this with FSX, and you’ll usually need to redo the undocking, dragging, and resizing for each Windows reboot, FSX restart, or flight restart. Finally, a solution has been developed that will fix this longstanding problem and make operation of multiple displays much simpler!

Note that the example provided above is a simple case, with only two monitors connected to one graphics card. Newer cards allow more monitors, often without the need for two cards connected in NVIDIA SLI or AMD Crossfire configurations.

Water System

Though water display settings for FSX are for seven gradations of shader models1.x and 2.x, Prepar3D water settings are five gradations of shader model 3.x. The water is quite similar to that of FSX, though the water display selections are quite different. First, recall in FSX that there are seven display choices for water: Low, Mid, and High 1.x; and Low, Mid, High, and Max 2.x, with these being the only settings for water effects.

In Prepar3D, there are three types of water settings, which are based on shader model 3.x: Reflection, and if the Bathymetry selection box is checked, Clarity and Refraction. Otherwise, the settings for Clarity and Refraction are grayed out.

Water and Bathymetry settings, from Menu, Options, Settings, Display, Scenery UI
(with version 1.2 or later)

 From the Prepar3D Learning Center, with Prepar3D version 1.4 installed, here are explanations of the water settings:

• “Reflection Detail: This slider determines what scene elements can be seen reflected in the water surface. Higher settings will increase realism but will also lower the framerate.
• “Refraction Detail: This slider determines what scene elements can be seen though the translucent water surface. Higher settings will increase realism but will also lower the framerate.
• “Clarity: This determines how clear the translucent water surface is and also determines the visibility levels when the camera is under water. This slider will not affect performance.”

For reflection and refraction, the five water settings are:

• None
• Sky
• Sky, Clouds, Sim Objects
• Sky, Clouds, Sim Objects, Terrain
• Everything (previous setting plus Buildings)

Clarity is set by a slider that goes from zero to 100 percent. The matrix of images below, from the Learning Center, shows the water effects for different settings.

Matrix of images for various settings of water effects, from Prepar3D 1.4 Learning Center

Other Observations

There is no current capability to download real weather in Prepar3D, except with an add-on program such as Real Environment Extreme (REX). Consequently, the display setting in FSX for downloading winds aloft along with real weather data, is not present in Prepar3D. However, add-on developers are expanding their products to Prepar3D, and the addition of this and other features are becoming available.

A comparison of scenery views in FSX and Prepar3D, taken from northwest of central Seattle, Washington, shows that they look nearly the same. The two screenshots were staged with configuration and display settings as close as possible, given slight differences, such as available water settings. One difference is that with zoom set for 1.0 in both images, the actual zoom is slightly higher in Prepar3D, showing the downtown buildings closer.

Clouds are about the same in both images, though there is a slight difference in the water images, likely due to use of shader 2.0 in FSX, and shader 3.0 in Prepar3D. The only other difference is that the contrast of the scenery seems to be slightly better in Prepar3D, perhaps due to the reprocessed scenery.

Scenery view in FSX, northwest of central Seattle, Washington

Scenery view in Prepared, northwest of central Seattle, Washington

Performance

How does framerate performance of Prepar3D compare to FSX with similar settings? To answer this question, I once again used the FSXMark07 procedure, as described in my article in AVSIM Reviews.

To run this performance benchmark on your computer, follow all instructions in my benchmarking article, and then copy the Bombardier CRJ 700 from (your FSX folder)\SimObjects\Airplanes to (your Prepar3D folder)\SimObjects\Airplanes to make this aircraft flyable, overwriting as necessary.

Flyable Bombardier CRJ 700, copied from FSX to Prepar3D

When you follow the FSX Mark07 instructions to load the Global High configuration file into Prepar3D, two display settings should be changed to make an “apples to apples” comparison.

On the Prepar3D menu, Options, Settings, Display, General tab, set Global texture resolution to “High 512x512”.

On the Scenery tab, set Water effects to “Sky, Clouds, Sim Objects”, to be comparable to FSX, and make sure the “Bathymetry” checkbox is unchecked.

With the same hardware configuration, you can now run benchmarking flights for both FSX and Prepar3D, preferably after a fresh reboot and fresh restart of each program. I achieved frame results that were so close that they were statistically the same.

Multiplayer Feature

The multiplayer function has been completely reworked in Prepar3D, compared to Flight Simulator X and Microsoft ESP. According to Lockheed Martin, this feature is for use with collaborative (military: “distributive”) training. Prepar3D includes an ongoing redesign of the FSX and ESP user interfaces for multiplayer use in Prepar3D, and the multiplayer function uses direct IP connections for stability.

Changes include resizable text chat windows, for example, among other new features. I’ll be posting a turorial on Prepar3D’s multiplayer feature as part of this series or articles about Prepar3D.

Virtual cockpit view of my aircraft, with multiplayer host’s aircraft at 10 o’clock

Planned Graphics and Performance Upgrades

As I began writing the first draft of this review, I was running the initial release of Prepar3D. Later, I was able to run releases 1.1 and 1.2, and subsequently, Lockheed Martin released versions 1.3 and 1.4, which provide many additional improvements. LM plans to provide continuing updates to Prepar3D, including performance improvements, and in response to asking what further improvements are forthcoming, I received the following response:

“One of the biggest contributing factors to the performance in Prepar3D, ESP and FSX is the rendering system. Because the heritage FSX software was in development long before (modern) graphics hardware even existed, much of the architecture of the rendering system and its interface to the core simulation are intrinsically CPU-bound. As this leaves the heritage software unable to take advantage of modern-day video card technology, the parallel and programmable GPUs are left underutilized by the core software. This problem is being addressed head-on with a fundamental overhaul to the architecture and an upgrade of Prepar3D to DirectX 11. This upgrade will provide significantly improved performance and will leverage features such as hardware instancing, computer shaders, GPU particles, tessellation, and multi- threaded rendering.”

Tessellation provides more triangles and elevations in scenery objects. Examples include screen images of surfaces that appear to be contoured instead of flat, such as stone walls and tile roofs. DirectX 11 is included in Windows Vista and Windows 7, though users must also have graphics cards that are DirectX 11 capable.

Summary

Prepar3D is an impressive update of the legacy Microsoft Flight Simulator series and the FSX-based ESP commercial development platform. Prepar3D solves the problem of no further updating of FSX or ESP since their respective release dates, and it also solves an inherent legal problem in that FSX can only be used for non-commercial purposes. For example, several commercial users, such as flight schools, and government functions such as military flight training, are now utilizing Prepar3D as a valuable product for use with various aviation and other training devices.

Prepar3D introduces many new features, one of the most interesting of which is the ability to operate underwater, along with adjustable water features, including bathymetric data, reflection, and refraction.

Prepar3D’s performance is initially comparable to FSX, with planned improvement to take advantage of DirectX 11 features and modern hardware features such as offloading some CPU functions to graphics processors. Home cockpit users and others operating with multiple monitors may choose to operate Prepar3D, even if only for its capability to save screen and panel positions, as that’s been an huge issue with FSX for multiple monitor users.

 Finally, it’s also very impressive to see that Lockheed Martin has committed to continuous improvement of the Prepar3D product, having released four version updates since its initial release.

Lockheed Martin has reworked and updated many of the core components of the ESP product into Prepar3D, to provide an expandable product for aviation and other training. The updating of over 10 million landclass tiles is impressive, and the scenery seems to have better contrast and be more eye-appealing than the FSX default scenery. Also, to aid work by add-on developers, the Prepar3D team has released 64-bit development tool with a patch to the version 1.4 SDK.

Any add-on product that works with FSX should also work with Prepar3D. Though not officially supported, products from earlier Flight Simulator versions may be compatible also, such as my operation of the FS2004 Cessna Skylane 182S in Prepar3D. This is especially appealing because I fly a real Cessna 182S with four other owner/partners.

Several well known developers are modifying their add-on products for Prepar3D. At the time of writing, these developers included Carenado, Flight1, Fly Tampa, FSDreamteam, FSUIPC, Orbx FTX, and REX, for example. Many of these developers have modified their product installers to set up their products in FSX and Prepar3D simultaneously, with side-by-side licensing (SBSL), which will be most appreciated by those considering installation of Prepar3D.

The Prepar3D website includes a gallery of images from a few add-on developers.

The question many readers will ponder is whether Prepar3D is a product they might purchase and install as the virtual successor to FSX, at a current selling price of $199. U.S. Academic licenses are also now available for $49.95 U.S., and there is a program for developers to license two copies of the program for $9.95 U.S. per month – all of which were announced in conjunction with the release of version 1.3.

My guess is the many Flight Simulator users will embrace Prepar3D, migrate add-ons to it, and begin spending their flight simulation time with it. This trend will likely accelerate after the planned release of Prepar3D version 2.0.

Look for the latest news about Prepar3D.

Continuing…

The next article in this series will describe the revisions and updates in Prepar3D version 1.1.

Review by Doug Horton.

Real Pilots wear headsets, to improve communications and reduce engine and other ambient noise, so why shouldn’t flight simulator users wear headsets? Corsair’s Vengeance 1500 USB gaming headset makes this a pleasure, with a professional quality headset that offers style, comfort, and most importantly, great sound reproduction. The product is also provided with software that offers many listening options, including an equalizer and synthetic 5.1 and 7.1 sound fields.

According to Corsair marketing:

“If you have on-board sound, the Vengeance 1500 provides easy one-cable USB connection and Dolby Headphone technology that lets you enjoy multichannel games the way they were meant to be played. Dolby Headphone is compatible with any game with 3D audio, and helps reduce ‘headphone fatigue’ while delivering the accurate 360-degree audio imaging you need if you're playing to win.”

We’ll learn more about these features as we proceed, but first, look at the impressive design.

Profile view of Corsair Vengeance 1500

USB gaming headset’s impressive design

Headset Features

Large Drivers

Large 50mm drivers (speaker) are provided to greatly reduce the overloading and distortion that can occur with gaming headsets that typically use smaller 40mm drivers. This feature is also intended to achieve more accurate sound reproduction, particularly for the low-frequency effects that are more difficult to produce with small speakers, compared to a sub-woofer, for example. Corsair also suggests that use of large speaker drivers also provides a competitive advantage.

Comfort

The extra-wide, extra deep “circumaural” ear cups isolate sounds outside the headset, and they feel better than supra-aural (on-ear) headsets. The ear pads are constructed with memory foam, with microfiber covers, to provide “a comfortable and reliable fit that conforms to the shape of your head without binding or pinching,” according to Corsair.

Microphone

The Vengeance 1500 headset is furnished with a unidirectional, noise-cancelling microphone, which is tuned to capture the user’s voice loudly and clearly, while filtering out distracting background noises. Also, the microphone is radially hinged, so it can be moved upward or downward as desired.

Headset Controls

The Vengeance 1500 headset is provided with a customary in-line controller, which is a bit larger than my previous headset’s controller. Corsair suggests that it’s large so that it’s “easy to grab without taking your eyes off the action,” and I support that claim.

The control includes a silver-colored elongated oval Mute button in the central area of the controller, and it has large minus and plus buttons for Volume, which are highlighted with blue lighted circles around the buttons. However, if the Mute button is pressed, the lighted circles around the two volume buttons turn from blue to red. Overall, the headset controller is just right – slightly larger than others, which makes it easier to use during game play, and it’s nicely designed and lighted, making it easy to see and use.

Vengeance 1500 headset controller, with small Mute

button and lighted minus and plus Volume buttons

Installation

When you first plug the Vengeance 1500 headset into a USB socket, Windows will search for a generic driver. With my up to date Windows 7 installation on two computers, Windows found a driver and properly identified the headset, so that it appeared in the Flight Simulator X menu for Options, Settings, Sound drop-down list of devices. Within five minutes of plugging in the headset, I was able to configure and verify operation of the headset in FSX to either play all sounds on the headset, or to play voice, such as ATC dialog, on the headset, while playing all other sounds on my speakers.

FSX and Prepar3D Setup

The most realistic use of a USB gaming headset of any name or brand, for flight simulation, is to set up outside sounds on speakers, and voice on the USB headset. This is easy to do, but sometimes the settings on separate Windows and flight simulator sound interfaces make this require an extra step. Regardless of the order in which the steps are taken the end point should result in coordinated settings as follows:

• The 1500 headset should be plugged into a USB connector and the headset must be turned on.
• In Windows, with Windows 7 Home Premium illustrated in this example:
• Headset speakers should be enabled as the “Default Communications Device.”
• System speakers, whether powered by motherboard sound module or add-in sound card, should be enabled as “Default Device.”
• Note that my Windows 7 installation also sees a digital sound option from the motherboard’s Realtek sound module, which is shown as Ready, as it’s not in use.

Windows 7 sound settings to provide for voice from headset and other sounds

from speakers powered by motherboard sound module or sound card

• Start FSX (or Prepar3D)
• On the main menu, click Options, Settings, Sound interface, and on the two drop-down lists, set Sounds to Speakers (Realtek High Definition, in example), and set Voice to Speakers (Corsair Vengeance 1500).
• Note slider for Voice, in case you need to adjust it in comparison to Engines, Cockpit, and Environmental sounds

FSX sound settings interface, set to provide voice from headset

and other sounds from speakers powered by motherboard sound module

Prepar3DX sound settings interface, set to provide voice from headset

and other sounds from speakers powered by motherboard sound module

Documentation and Software

The package included a small rolled up Warranty Guide, and at first glance, I couldn’t find a manual. At second glance, I found rolled up with the Warranty Guide a 5” square sheet of yellow paper, which contains brief instructions in six languages. Here is the English text: “Go to www.corsair.com/vengeance1500 to download the software. “

(Note: the download link has changed, and at time of writing, this is the link for downloading the driver and software.)

PLEASE DISABLE YOUR ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

Anti-virus software might incorrectly indicate that this software installation contains a virus or malware.

To help ensure trouble-free installation, please temporarily disable your anti-virus software before installing the software included with this product. Remember to re-enable your anti-virus software after installation of the Corsair software is complete.”

Well, that’s a short manual, but it was extremely good advice to download the software, because after downloading and running the driver file, I unplugged and re-plugged the headset’s USB connection, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the Corsair USB Headset Control Panel user interface displayed.

Corsair USB Headset Control Panel, showing adjustable sliders for main and equalizer

sounds on the left side, and settings for the Dolby Headphone sound environment on the right side

The Headset Control Panel UI contains four sections:

• Upper left: three sliders for sound Volume, MIC Volume, MIC loopback, and Balance
• Lower left: equalizer profile selection, new profile addition option, and sliders for the 10-channel equalizer
• Upper right: selection buttons for Bypass, Dolby Headphone 5.1, and 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter
• Lower right: Environment Size icon, with virtual speaker adjustment box, and three buttons for selecting preset Studio, Cinema, and Hall sound environments

Corsair USB Headset Control Panel, with settings

for the 7.1 sound environment on the right side

I was hopeful that pressing the “i”, “?”, or “globe” links in the far upper right corner of the UI would open a help document or instruction manual, but no luck with that wish. Fortunately, answers to my question were available in the Reviewers Guide I was furnished. For example, what do the three sound mode buttons do, according to the Reviewers Guide?

• Bypass: provides stereo mode with no HRF processing (I looked up HRF - Harmonic Reject Filter – suppresses electric network frequency, phone beeps, or any other drones)
• Dolby Headphone: provides 5.1-channel surround sound processing, and provides a more spacious sound that reduces ear fatigue (the feeling that the sound is “inside your head”)
• 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter: uses the on-board USB sound processor to provide virtual 7.1 surround sound, and the ability to ‘shift’ virtual speaker positions to fine-tune the sound. Pressing this button opens another UI, which allows the user to increase or decrease the level of each individual channel, rotate the sound field, and reposition any of the virtual speakers.

The Virtual Speaker Shifter allows several individual adjustments.

After writing this review, I recommended to Corsair that they re-title the Reviewers Guide as Users Guide, edit as appropriate, and provide a link on the 1500 headset product page for downloading this guide.

Specifications

Here are the specifications for the Vengeance 1500 USB Gaming Headset:

Headphones

• Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz
• Impedance: 32 Ohms @ 1kHz
• Dynamic Range: 95dB (A-weighted)
• Drivers: 50mm
• Cable Length: 3m
• USB power consumption: 250mW
• Connector: USB Type A

Microphone

• Type: Unidirectional noise-cancelling condenser with adjustable, rotating boom
• Impedance: 2.2k Ohms
• Frequency Response: 100Hz to 10kHz
• Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz
• Impedance: 32 Ohms @ 1kHz
• Dynamic Range: 95dB (A-weighted)
• Drivers: 50mm
• Cable Length: 3m
• USB power consumption: 250mW

Summary

There’s lot to like about the Corsair Vengeance 1500 USB headset product: professional quality; impressive design and construction; great fit and feel; versatile software interface; and quick adaptation to FSX (or Prepar3D) through Options, Settings, Sound menu. The fit and comfort are particularly nice, and I wish the expensive noise-cancelling headset I wear for real flying were as comfortable and provided with the elaborate sound adjustment software.

The Vengeance 1500 headset is significantly better than my older on-ear USB headset from another manufacturer. The older headset was once a popular product, but it was of the “on-ear” design category, compared to the “over-ear” design of the 1500 headset. The older headset quickly went into “probably won’t ever use again” storage, where it will never squeeze my ears again!

Corsair has clearly developed a premium headset, with great concern for comfort and reproducing sounds that are true to the source material. The headset and it easily adjustable software also help with the need for sound reproduction accuracy, detailed positioning, and sound awareness that lets users “play their best,” according to Corsair.

The only shortcoming of this product is the lack of an included printed manual, or at least a downloadable manual. As I mentioned earlier, Corsair could rename the excellent Reviewers Guide to become the User’s Guide, and then setting it up for downloading from the headset’s product page of the Corsair website.

Note: Corsair has now released a wireless USB headset, named the Vengeance® 2000 Wireless 7.1 Gaming Headset, with rechargeable battery. It sells for about 50% more than the wired 1500 model tested for this review. The Vengeance 2000 headset will be the subject of separate review.

Reported by Doug Horton. One of the great assets of Prepar3D is that the staff supporting the program is very responsive to adding and updating features, including resolution of user suggestions and updating the Learning Center and SDK for users and developers. In April 2011, Prepar3D version 1.1 was released. According to developer Lockheed Martin:

“The iteration not only brings users increased functionality, but also includes addition of features that support Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Qualification, new platforms and several modernization upgrades and performance improvements. New features in version 1.1 include enhancements to the end user experience, as well as several additions to and enhancements to SimConnect for developers.”

New Features

• Multi-Touch support added
  • Multi-touch on single and multiple touch panels
• New functionality to save and load custom control configurations
• Additions to the standard vehicle model set:
  • Lockheed P-38 Lightning courtesy of Just Flight Inc., with seven models in 18 liveries

Outside view of P-38F Lightning in “Bat Out of Hell” livery

P-38J-15LO model Virginia Marie over Nevada desert

Virtual Cockpit view of P-38F Lightning

• Lockheed C-69 Constellation “Connie” courtesy of Just Flight Inc., with one model in four liveries

Lockheed C-69 Constellation, prior to delivery to Trans World Airlines (TWA)

GPS Gauge Enhancements to Allow FAA Qualification

• GPS welcome/verification page
• Support for SIDs (Standard Instrument Departures) and STARs (Standard Terminal Arrivals)
• XML format defined for SIDs and STARs
• Added synchronization of CDI scale with analogue instruments

Performance Improvements

• More efficient handling of Bathymetry
• Optimizations for running with Bathymetry disabled
• Upgraded rain and snow shaders to version 3.0
• Upgraded default aircraft shaders to version 3.0
• Default system performance configuration updated

User Interface Updates/Modernization Continue

• Redesigned, dynamic menu system
• New modernized screens
  • Kneeboard
  • Settings

Modernized and larger screen for Settings - General

• ATC
• Fuel payload
• Multiplayer chat
• Flight plan

Updated Flight Planner interface

SimConnect Enhancements for Developers

• New SimConnect APIs added to support enhanced development
  • Synchronous SimConnect
    • Allows for “blocking” callbacks, meaning that the SimConnect server side will wait until you release it to continue running the sim
    • Both new APIs and additional flag values for existing APIs
• Ground info query
  • Allows querying for a grid of ground alt info around a point or a SimObject
  • Can query for just ground, or ground and platforms (land-able surfaces)
• External Simulation support available through SimConnect
  • Allows writing an external simulation via SimConnect
  • Primary External Sims are the main sim for a SimObject, they compute everything
  • Secondary External Sims allow adding additional secondary sims to handle simulating/animating subsystems
  • SimObject containers can be created that use External Sims (via the aircraft.cfg/sim.cfg file)
  • Existing objects can be created and have their existing simulation overridden with a primary external sim at runtime
  • Secondary external sims can be attached to existing simobjects at runtime
  • Simple sample external sim included in the SDK?s SimConnect samples directory

SDK

• Updated sensor view integration, examples and documentation
• Multi-channel instructions rewritten for clarity, additional examples added
• GUID generator example
• Documentation to add SIDs and STARs
• How to control observer views through SimConnect

Known Issues Resolved

• Custom window placements across multiple monitors now saved
• Global texture resolution expanded and renamed for clarity
• Prepar3D default flight changed from paused in-air flight to un-paused, stationary runway flight

Default flight in Mooney Bravo G1000, lined up on runway 10, at Chambers Field, Norfolk Naval Air Station (KNGU)

• Additional SimConnect changes
  • Client Data areas now work correctly with the SimConnect Managed client library
    • See new RegisterClientDataDefineStruct function, similar to the existing RegisterDataDefineStruct function
  • Variable length strings now work correctly in both directions, including multiple strings in a row (native client only, managed client doesn’t currently support variable length data definitions)

• Minimized windows now appear when going in and out of full-screen mode without a flight reload
• Upon first execution, the user is prompted to run Prepar3D as an administrator if they currently are not
• ATC and mission prompt menus now receive and interpret numeric key presses to trigger events
• Add-on legacy aircraft without a thumbnail.jpg are now visible in the simulation
• Gross weight is now accurately re-calculated when editing the fuel payload if the “show fuel as weight? checkbox is unchecked
• Setting the top-down shortcut (F12) now correctly sets the top-down view, not your default view

Top-down view of default flight

• Pilot logbook picture viewer begins in the  “Prepar3D Files” folder, no longer defaults to “My Pictures”
• Fixed a bug where in rare cases flights and vehicles which have been moved to your custom favorites aren’t fully removed from your favorites when you close each window
• Consistent formatting and picture sizes applied to Learning Center
• Users are now able to print the EULA from within Prepar3D
• Users are now able to print mission briefing screens from within Prepar3D
• Fixed a bug where in rare cases the new Pilot Records screen would not be visible in Full Screen mode on Windows XP

Subsequent articles will describe updates beyond version 1.1.

Original Release Notes, revision 1.1, Copyright © 2011 Lockheed Martin Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Reformatted and supplemented with images for AVSIM Online – used with permission.

Reported by Doug Horton. The Prepar3D development staff is very responsive to adding and updating features, including suggestions from users, as well as updating the Learning Center and SDK for users and developers. In September 2011, Prepar3D® version 1.2 was launched. According to Lockheed Martin:

“The (version 1.2) software release offers users full Windows 7 support in addition to several enhancements and new features. In this iteration, the multi-player experience is redesigned and improved, the multi-channel capability is extended, and rendering performance has been improved. Developers also have access to new resources, making training scenarios even easier to customize or create from scratch.”

Prepar3D can be used by private pilots, commercial organizations, the military and academic users as a licensed software training program for virtually any scenario imaginable. Users can practice a mission or flight before it happens, to increase effectiveness during real-world operations. In a recent discussion, a senior executive of a chain of nine U.S. flight schools indicated that students learn faster and require fewer in-air training hours when they use computer flight simulator training in conjunction with flight school training.

One of my favorite features of Prepar3D is that locations of undocked control panel, subpanels, and scenery windows on multiple monitors are saved with flight files and reappear when flights are reloaded.

Prepar3D saves and loads assignments of undocked control panel and scenery views to multiple monitors in flight files.

The complete list of updates and improvements in Prepar3D version 1.2 includes:

Full Windows 7 Support

• User interface redesign:
• New interface and extended multiplayer experience
• Observer view camera management redesigned and expanded
• Save flight user interface redesigned

Redesigned user interface for Save Flight

• Alert system and progress dialogs redesigned for continuity
• End flight interface redesigned and clarification added

Additional Flyable Aircraft Added to Standard Vehicle Set

These aircraft were previously included as AI aircraft only, and they’re now flyable.

• Beechcraft Baron 58 – in four liveries, plus G1000 model
• Beechcraft King Air 350, in four liveries

Below is an excerpt of the Select Vehicle menu showing the flyable Beechcraft airplanes, followed by two images of the airplanes.

Added Beechcraft airplane models and livery options

King Air 350 – lined up and waiting

External view into Beech Baron, showing G1000 “glass cockpit” display

Multiplayer Experience Redesigned and Improved

• Redesigned, streamlined multiplayer user interface
  • All multiplayer screens have been redesigned including the mission resolution and racing results windows
• Multiplayer feature simplified and streamlined for users
• Connect to IP now works on a global scale
• Several improvements to the internal voice communication system
  • Removed local echo
  • No longer sends communication data packets when no one is talking
  • Able to select a sound device other than your default system sound device for multiplayer voice communication

• Submersible and other SimObject categories are now supported by multiplayer
• Multiplayer chat is redesigned and can to be maximized and resized
• Other miscellaneous multiplayer updates
  • When ending a multiplayer session, user is no longer placed back to their default flight
  • Add-on scenery is now an allowable option in multiplayer sessions
  • Tower controls now have access to the map feature
  • The ‘Join Aircraft’ button now swaps to ‘Leave Aircraft’ when joining a shared aircraft
  • If the map is chosen to be disabled, users can now not access it via the map button on certain aircraft panels

Other New Features in v1.2

• Users can specify from where flight plans are saved and loaded
• Enhancements to the Submersible SimObject Class
  • Animations and lighting support added to submersibles
  • Proper lighting at depth
  • Submersibles are properly rendered on the ground

• Observer view system enhancements
  • User interface redesigned for clarity and ease of use
  • Observer views can be easily configured with sensor and color views
• Users are prompted when they attempt to load an incomplete or incorrect mission file
• Users can sort the columns of data in the Select Airport user interface.

The Select Airport interface has enhanced sorting features.

• Tail number, call sign and flight number can be set on an aircraft’s “View details” screen.
• Underwater scenery is now visible from above water if appropriate detail settings are selected.
• Menu system font has been changed for increased visibility and readability.
• The Scenery Library dialog now defaults to a user’s Prepar3D installation directory, not the desktop.
  • The Use Directly and Cache Scenery radio buttons have been further explained with tooltip text

Performance Improvements

• Rendering pipeline performance improvements show a marked performance improvement in all cases.
• Enhancements to water detail effects and rendering settings:

a.    Water effects settings are now divided into two sliders, Reflection Detail and     Refraction Detail, which are clearly labeled

• The Low, Med, High names have been replaced with text describing what scenery elements are rendered at each setting
• The Water Clarity slider controls the transparency of the water surface
• Learning Center article is expanded, to further explain details of each setting

Scenery settings include reordered Water and Bathymetry parameters in version 1.2 and beyond.

Multichannel Capability Extended

• Expanded field of views able to support up to a 360 degree field of view
• Documentation and samples expanded in the Learning Center and further examples added to the Software Development Kit

Learning Center Documentation Enhanced

• Additional examples for new multichannel 360 degree field of view support

Multichannel example from Prepar3D Learning Center

• Additional articles added including navigation section and glossary

New user interface for the Flight Planner in Prepar3D

• Multiplayer learning center article expanded for new features

Software Development Kit Enhancements for Developers

• Modeling tools have been updated to support 3D Studio Max 2010, 2011 and 2012
• Configurable ground clamping capability:
  • Added ability for SimConnect to "tag" the SimObjects that it creates
  • Added new API, AISetGroundClamp, that allows turning on the ground clamping facility, which will push objects that are underground back up to ground level

• Additional ExternalSim capabilities:
  • Additional SimVar support to External Sim
  • Added fallback support for any SimVar not natively supported by the current Category Sim Class, so all SimObjects inherit this ability
  • New example and article documentation on leveraging the new ExternalSim APIs to run the user’s own aerodynamic model and simulation through SimConnect in Prepar3D

The Prepar3D team and developer community continue to enhance Prepar3D’s capabilities and features, and subsequent articles will describe updates beyond version 1.2. Additional information can be found at the Prepar3D website.

Original Release Notes, revision 1.2, Copyright © 2011 Lockheed Martin Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.

Reformatted and supplemented with images for AVSIM Online – used with permission.

Reported by Doug Horton. In March 2012, version 1.3 and academic licensing were launched. According to Lockheed Martin:

“Version 1.3 focuses on enhancements to the user interface, multi-player functionality and performance. Lockheed Martin released an academic version of Prepar3D to immerse students in hands-on learning and problem solving. In Prepar3D, students can see the effects of their decisions in real time, experiment with challenges at varied levels, and collaborate with other students from around the globe to solve real-life problems.”

Also new with version 1.3 was updated pricing, as of March 26, 2012:

• Prepar3D for professional use price was reduced from $499 to $199 U.S, and at the time, price adjustments were available to anyone who purchased Prepar3D since the beginning of 2012.
• An academic license for Prepar3D is offered to immerse students in learning. Prepar3D for academic efforts at and below the undergraduate level is offered at $49.95 US.
• The Lockheed Martin Prepar3D Developer Network Program remains the same. For a subscription fee of $9.95 US per month, developers receive two copies of Prepar3D to develop and integrate new applications into the Prepar3D ecosystem.

Prepar3D’s licensing alternatives and prices, beginning in March 2012

In reviewing the academic version, it appears to be the same as the professional version, except for the “Academic License” watermark on the right hand side of the menu bar, or if the menu bar is hidden, the upper right-hand corner of the screen. The typeface is quite light and barely noticeable when you’re flying.

High Detail Cities and Bases

Not mentioned in two-part review of Prepar3D are the highly detail cities, bases, and airfields that have been added, including:

• Eglin AFB KVPS and three adjacent facilities
• Fort Rucker – Home of Army Aviation – Cairns Army Airfield KOZR and Hanchey Army Heliport KHEY
• Langley AFB KLFI
• Orlando Executive Airport KORL
• Greater Norfolk, Virginia area

Prepar3D’s highly detailed scenery for downtown Norfolk, Virginia

Here is the complete list of enhancements and fixes in version 1.3, from Lockheed Martin.

New Simulator Enhancements

• ExternalSim based SimObjects can now participate in Air Traffic Control distributed simulation/multi-player sessions.
• The simulation can now play sound when it does not have focus in Windows:
  • Accessible via a checkbox in the ‘Options – Settings – Sound’ menu
  • Or as the ‘MUTE_ON_LOST_FOCUS’ entry in the Prepar3D.CFG file
  • The Prepar3D Learning Center sound article has been updated with details on this change.

• Used distributed simulation/multi-player mission roles will now be recycled.
  • If a player leaves the distributed simulation session, their role will be recycled back to available so that the player can re-join or a new player can take their role.
• Ground Vehicles can now support left and right wheel animations.
• Custom weather themes are now supported and will be loaded into the simulation:
  • The Prepar3D Learning Center weather themes article has been updated with details on this new feature.

Performance Improvements

• Default performance configurations have been updated to reflect new updates to the user interface and performance profiles.

User Interface Updates

• Two additional levels of detail (LOD) are now available for the Terrain LOD Radius slider in Display Settings:
  • Very Large (5.5) and Extremely Large (6.5) are now available options.
• The existing ‘WideViewAspect’ configuration setting in the Prepar3D.cfg file, for wide screen monitors, is now accessible via a checkbox in the ‘Options-Settings-Display user interface. Previously, it was necessary to make this setting by editing the Prepar3D.cfg file.
• Simple and advanced control settings sections have been redesigned and simplified in the ‘Options-Settings-Controls user interface.

Redesigned and simplified Settings – Controls interface

• The Air Traffic Control (ATC) window is now resizable – up to full screen size.
• Minimum sizes are enforced when resizing the multi-player chat, ATC and Learning Center windows.
• Modeless windows now return the focus back to the main application when closed.
• The “minutes until session starts” notice in multi-player exercises can be expanded up to 100 minutes.
• Tooltips have been added to the multi-player user interface to provide more details on available settings.

Content Updates

Reported by Doug Horton. After receiving great feedback from Prepar3D users, Lockheed Martin has implemented new application enhancements and made fixes to improve stability and usability of Prepar3D^®. Here is the complete list of updates from version 1.3 to version 1.4, courtesy of Lockheed Martin. We’re glad to see continuing development of Prepar3D, and we look forward to continuing progress.

New Simulator Enhancements

• AMD EyeFinity Gold Certified: the simulation will now start with WideViewAspect enabled on EyeFinity-supported resolutions.
• Windows and panels are now saved and loaded from multiplayer and multichannel flight files like they are in single player flights.
• Panel-only camera views now save and load from flight files in single and multiplayer/multichannel flights.

Performance Improvements

• Fixed several issues that caused stutters or performance issues in certain cases.
• Bathymetry is now disabled by default in all performance profiles.

User Interface Updates

• All user interface windows and dialogs now remember their last known position and what screen they were last on – see Learning Center User Interface Configuration section for details.
• The Apply button has been removed from the user interface, and the Accept and Cancel button locations have been swapped.
• Time of Day and Season are now accurately updated based on user input updates.
• Advanced weather now accurately updates the simulation based on user input.
• The flight map now saves all visual settings last set by the user.
• The Observer Management user interface has been refined and streamlined.

Standard Vehicle Library Content Updates

• The Mooney Acclaim M20TS is provided courtesy of Lionheart Creations Ltd., in multiple liveries.

• 
  The IRIS T-6/A Texan II is provided courtesy of IRIS Flight Simulation Software, in multiple liveries.

Scenery Content Updates

• Fort Rucker, Alabama scenery is expanded, with three new airports with custom scenery objects on top of over 5km of aerial imagery, including custom autogen tree placement.
• New airports (heliports) are added at Fort Rucker: KHEY (Hanchey Army Heliport), KFHK (Knox Army Heliport), and HEY (Hanchey Auxiliary Heliport).
• Cairns Army Airfield (KOZR) is updated: all new layouts of buildings, taxiways, runways and airport objects that match 2010 aerial imagery – color corrected and blended to match the surrounding terrain.
• Fixed dozens of other legacy scenery and database issues are updated in the existing scenery database, as reported by forum users.

SimConnect and Software Development Kit (SDK) Enhancements for Developers

• Updated the Camera Configuration SDK, adding a LinkGroup parameter to allow linked camera views to move concurrently and correctly with a single input
• Engine sounds are now supported with ExternalSim implementations.
• Reverted the “fs9gps.cab” file back to its previous version, and renamed the new GPS with SIDS/STARS support to “p3dgps.cab”.
• Added functionality to support changing of a camera’s colorization/sensor mode and updated the CockpitCamera SDK sample to show this capability.

Known Issues Resolved

• Snow and other mainly white textures will now properly render at their correct colors.
• ShowATCText in the Prepar3D.CFG file now properly toggles the ATC text.
• Fixed an issue where certain 3rd party aircraft had their mouse-picking disabled if water reflections were enabled.
• Fixed an issue where SimObject context menu IDs were not being recycled, which could cause menu.dll crashes in certain long-distance or heavy traffic flights.
• Fixed an issue where in some cases if bathymetry was unchecked, the reflection slider could be disabled.
• Fixed an issue where in some cases the menu system instrument panel labels would have incorrect names .
• Fixed an issue where render-to-texture views created via the SDK could cause menu crashes in certain cases.
• Fixed an issue where in certain flights users could receive a g3d.dll crash with 3rd party add-on scenery.
• Reintroduced flight file documentation in the Learning Center.
• Several Learning Center articles were clarified.

Prepar3D Pricing

At time of writing, pricing of Prepar3D was as indicated in the following grid.

Prepar3D^® is a registered trademark of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Prepar3D^® logo, update contents, and aircraft images are provided courtesy of Lockheed-Martin Corporation.

Article by Doug Horton. This is a tutorial on Prepar3D’s unique Multi-Player feature. Remember that Prepar3D is compatible with nearly all FSX add-ons, including aircraft and scenery, for example. If not yet clear to the majority of Flight Simulator users, it’s clear to this writer that Prepar3D is becoming the “virtual successor” to Flight Simulator X for many users, because of the improvements it makes to the simulation program and because an increasing number of add-on developers have adapter their products to it. Several developers now provide installers that allow choosing installation to both FSX and Prepar3D, separately or sequentially. One developer has coined the term “side-by-side licensing” for this dual installation capability

Multi-Player Tutorial

The Multi-Player function has been completely reworked in Prepar3D, compared to Flight Simulator X and Microsoft ESP. According to Lockheed Martin, this feature is for use with collaborative (military: “distributive”) training. Prepar3D includes an ongoing redesign of the FSX and ESP user interfaces, and the Multi-Player function uses direct IP connections for stability. Changes include resizable text chat windows, for example, among other new features.

The principal uses of Prepar3D Multi-Player are for pilot training, such as with the shared aircraft feature with an instructor, and Air Traffic Control training, such as with the Tower Controller feature. The Multi-Player feature also supports Multi-Player racing, as described in the Prepar3D Learning Center. By the way, there are four alternative means of opening the Prepar3D Learning Center and viewing contents:

• To open the Learning Center outside of Prepar3D, even if Prepar3D is running, double-click “Learning Center.exe” in the \Prepar3D root folder
• In Prepar3D, on the main menu, click Help, Learning Center
• In Prepar3D, beginning with version 1.3, press “CTRL+SHIFT+?”
• Individual Learning Center content pages and images can be found in Prepar3D\P3DWeb\Learning Center\ subfolders, as *.htm and *.jpg files.

The accompanying image shows the main user interface of the Learning Center, including the contents heading for the Multi-Player section.

Prepar3D Learning Center home page

There are several Multi-Player modes, including shared flights, missions, ATC tower controller, and racing; though fundamentally, all modes begin for each player with either joining a session or hosting a session. The remainder of this tutorial will take us in sequence though the simple steps, which unlike Multi-Player features in some other programs, do not require registration with the service providing the Multi-Player feature.

Joining a Multi-Player Session

While preparing this tutorial, I had the opportunity to join a session and try the Multi-Player shared cockpit function. I found it simple and easy to connect, as well as chat by USB headset and microphone. For this exercise, I logged onto an existing session, hosted by “Max” at Lockheed Martin. Here is the procedure for joining a hosted session:

• Start Prepar3D at any airport, in any aircraft, and on the main menu, click Flights, Multi-Player. This will pop up the login UI.

Prepar3D Multi-Player login screen, with a sample username filled in

• The User Name defaults to “Player1,” though you can enter any name you choose; however, before clicking Sign In, click Network Settings, to pop up the next UI. On this UI, I clicked the checkbox to “Enable Voice Communication.” after which, I clicked OK.

Network settings screen, Voice Communication enabled and default Other settings

Note the Port Range of 6112-6122 on the Network Settings interface, which may be required for hosting a session, if it is necessary to set Port Range Forwarding on your router.

Clicking OK on the network settings UI returns you to the login screen, on which you enter your desired User Name and then click “Sign In,” This may take a few moments while the system broadcasts that you are now signed in and also searches for available sessions. Signing in pops up the Distributed Simulation Session Selection UI. The Choose a Session field will be blank, because you’ve not yet connected to the Multi-Player engine.

Session Selection screen, with connection options (a, b, and c) highlighted in red

• If any sessions are open, you’ll see them listed, though in this example, none is open. At the bottom of this screen, there are three choices highlighted in red: (a) Connect Directly (IP), ( Join Session, or © Host Session. For my trial run, I was prompted to select Connect Directly (IP), after which the Join Host’s IP screen appeared.

Join Host’s IP Address screen

• The host provided me with his IP Address by e-mail, and after entering it into the Join Host’s IP Address screen, I pressed OK and the Choose Your Flight Options screen appeared, with the Basic Options tab showing.

Basic Options tab of Choose Your Flight Options screen

• On the Basic Options tab, I clicked the Change button adjacent to Aircraft Title, to change to the Piper Cub, which was identical to what the host was flying. We’d planned to fly “in trail,” and I wanted to fly with the same power and performance characteristics as his aircraft. Next, I clicked the Additional Options tab.

Additional Options tab of Choose Your Flight Options screen

• On the Additional Options tab, “Share my aircraft” was checked from a previous session setup, though it didn’t have any effect because the host had not clicked “Share my aircraft” when he set up the session. Again, our intention was to fly “in trail.” I also checked “Start at the airport nearest the host’s aircraft,” at Eglin Air Force Base, which includes new scenery added with Prepar3D version 1.3. I then pressed OK, after which the Distributed Simulation (Multi-Player) Session Lobby (DSSL, for short) screen appeared. Hang on, we’re getting close!

Distributed Simulation Session Lobby after joining

• The DSSL screen shows my own Player parameters, the hosted session parameters, and it displays a list of other Players, which in this case is only the host with nickname “Orswell.” It also provides buttons to initiate several other options, including sharing aircraft and opening a Chat feature. If all parameters are in order, press the Ready button, and Prepar3D will reload aircraft and scenery, and it will change to cockpit view, with the host’s aircraft visible to the left and forward in this case.

Virtual cockpit view of my aircraft, with host’s aircraft to the left and forward

We needed to work through seven screens to join a hosted session, but after doing this a few times, it goes quickly and only takes a few minutes. In the next section, we’ll see how to host a Multi-Player session.

Hosting a Session

Hosting a Multi-Player session is quite similar to joining a session, and several screens will look the same or similar. We begin by following steps 1, 2, and 3 above. After you see the Distributed Simulation Session Selection screen, select choice © for Host Session, which will open the Create New Session screen.

Create New Session screen for hosting a Multi-Player session, showing Basic Options tab

• On the Create New Session screen, fill in the blanks and select options as desired. Note that there are both Basic and Additional Option tabs on which to select desired options.

Additional Options tab for Create New Session screen

• After setting both Basic and Additional Options, click OK, which will open the Choose Your Flight Options screen.

Choose Flight Options for hosted session

• On the Choose Flight Options screen, you can specify session conditions, including aircraft, ATC name, current location, current weather (from weather themes), and current time and season. Also, you can choose additional options, which include loading and saving a flight, flight planner, failures, and fuel and payload. After these choices are set, click OK, which will open the Distributed Simulation Session Lobby (DSSL) screen, which shows your hosted session.

Distributed Simulation Session Lobby screen, showing hosted session before joining

• After the Distributed Simulation Session Lobby screen appears, there are several choices: wait for another player to join, kick a player out of the session, show intentions, chat, fly now, or leave. Hopefully, you’re ready to click Fly Now and enjoy your hosted Multi-Player session.

When you wish to exit a hosted Multi-Player session, on the Main menu, click Flights, and then click Exit Multi-Player Session, after which you’ll be returned to the flight in progress.

Summary

There are multiple screens to process for joining or hosting a Multi-Player session in Prepar3D, and each is important for making the desired setting. After you’ve been through the process a few times, the steps can be completed in just a few minutes. After that, you can enjoy a reliable, quick-acting, networked session with other pilots or an instructor.

Lockheed Martin has added a modern game networking engine that provides secure connections with colleagues. With direct IP internet connections, sessions are stable and private. While in Multi-Player sessions, collaboration is as simple as instant messaging using a text chat window or voice chat over headsets.

Lockheed Martin has produced video tutorials, to help users get started with Multi-Player training in Prepar3D. Tutorials include:

• Multi-Player – Joining a Distributed Training Exercise
• Multi-Player – Hosting a Distributed Training Exercise

Select and run these videos.

Important Notes for Hosting a Session

• If you wish host a session and invite other users to join directly, using your IP address, you’ll need to find your “external” IP address. This is not the IP address your computer is using if you’re connected to the Internet through a router. The not too surprising answer, other than going into your router setup software, is to Google, “What’s my IP?” This will take you to a list of websites that will find you and display your IP address.
• I experienced a problem with “Max” connecting to my hosted session and we uncovered something that is not covered in the Learning Center description of how to host a session, at least at the time of writing this article. We discovered that I needed to open my router’s settings interface and set parameters for “Port Range Forwarding.” This has to do with the Multi-Player server being able to communicate with a host’s computer that is connected though a router. We don’t need to know what “port range” means; we only need to know what its numerical range is. In a note earlier in this tutorial, I pointed out that the port range is shown at the top of the Network Settings screen, as “6122-6122.” You don’t choose it; it’s part of Prepar3D’s Multi-Player network setup.

With my Cisco E3000 router as an example, I can open its settings pages by software selection from the Windows 7 menu. Others may need to open their router settings directly by browsing to their router’s IP address, typically something similar to the address 192.168.1.1 for my Cisco router.

With my Cisco router interface open, I went to the Application & Gaming tab, Port Range Forwarding. For other routers, the field should be similarly named. On this tab for my router, I entered an application name, which can be anything and has no bearing on settings. Next, I entered the port range of 6112 to 6122, as previously displayed on the Network Settings interface in the steps above. I left the Protocol setting as Both, and then I focused on the “To IP Address” field in which I’ve entered 114. Where did I find this number?

Port Range Forwarding interface for Cisco E3000 router

I opened a command interface by typing CMD in Windows Search box, and then I clicked CMD.EXE, to display the interface. At the end of the last command line showing, such as “C:\Users\(username)>”, I typed “ipconfig” and pressed Enter. That popped up a box with several data fields, and I looked for “IPv4 Address,” noting the address “192.168.1.114”.

The number I needed was “114”, so I entered it in the box in place of zero, clicked the checkbox for Enabled, and clicked Save Settings. This was the breakthrough we needed for Max to connect to my hosted session.

Partial Command line results for “ipconfig” report

Prepar3D® is a registered trademark of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Prepar3D® contents and images are provided courtesy of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Reviewed by Robert Whitwell. I have been flying my sim using one of the original “Hotseat” flightsim chassis for many years. I was recently approached by Obutto to review their flight sim cockpit. Looking at the two designs, I was interested in this newer design for flight sim.

After checking the Obutto website I noticed that this chasis comes with a multitude of add-ons in order to be configured in many variations. Obutto generously sent me a complete set of attachments to finally end up with the “oZone” model.

The parts sent were:

• oZone gaming cockpit
• Triple Monitor Mount
• Acrylic Tabletop
• A10 Thrustmaster Flight Stick Mount
• Regular Flight Stick Mount

This will not be a comparison review of my previous flight sim cockpit/chassis but a look at the Obutto chassis based on its own merits. I will look at this system from 3 set-ups. These I will call the basic system, the fighter system and the deluxe system.

What came off the truck

I received 5 packages from the courier; the large main “basic” system and 4 smaller boxes for the ancillary pieces. Inside these boxes, all of the pieces were well packed with bubble wrap and tape. They were so well wrapped that it took me half an hour just to get everything ready to use.

Each box also contained all of the nuts, bolts, washers, and knobs to put it all together. It also came with the tools (allen key and wrench) to assemble the product. The instructions are written out, plus there is a picture of the product to assist with the assembly.

For those who are not totally mechanically inclined and end up with “spare” pieces, instructional videos for assembly are available on the Obutto website.

Assembly

From start to finish it took me 3 hours to assemble the complete multi-monitor deluxe system. However, I stopped at the completion of each “system” in order to take pictures, sit in the “cockpit” and get a feel for each configuration.

The basic system is perfect for someone starting out in flight sim. It has everything you need to get flying. I found all the hardware platforms to be ergonomically friendly and adjustable to have all of your controls comfortably within reach.

The bucket seat is identical to a car seat. It adjusts fore and aft with a release bar between your legs and a tilting lever on the left side so you can have that perfect 30 degree angle as in an F-16 or the more preferred 20 degree angle of subsequent fighters. You could even fully recline the seat to its maximum angle and have a snooze during those long overseas flights.

Moving on and removing some hardware platforms and installing the fighter stick platforms, I soon had my Thrustmaster A10 Warthog HOTAS controllers in place and was ready to take on the enemy. There are options to configure this as a side stick controlled cockpit or a center stick configuration.

After putting away my Thrustmaster HOTAS, I completed the task of installing the triple monitor extensions, adding the keyboard/mouse platform and the acrylic tabletop to complete the deluxe system.

The instructions for installing the acrylic tabletop listed 2 options; drill holes and attach it to the center mount platform or use Velcro (not included). This tabletop is so “beautiful” I wouldn’t want to screw things up and crack it trying to drill holes into it. I attached mine with strips of Velcro. It’s not going anywhere now.

The keyboard/mouse platform is covered with a thin neoprene coating (like a wetsuit) and is perfect to prevent slippage of the keyboard yet allows the mouse to operate smoothly without the addition of a mouse pad.

This is my preferred setup. If you are a serious simmer, then you’re going to want all of the bells and whistles. Damn, they didn’t send me the cup holder.

Summary

This product is distributed worldwide by Main Performance PC. The cost for the oZone Gaming Cockpit (what I call the basic system) is $350. To build the “deluxe system” you can add the triple monitor extension $100; keyboard/mouse platform $90; acrylic tabletop $100; flight stick mounts $45; and that cup holder $12.

The frame is made of 2mm thick walled mild steel tubing and has a black powdered coating. For just over $600 you get a great looking, durable, multipurpose simming cockpit. I highly recommend this flight sim chassis if you’re looking to upgrade from an older system or looking for that finishing realistic touch to your simming experience.

I also use this system to play racing sims. Swap out the flight controls for a steering wheel and automotive pedals and I’m ready to race along the tarmac.

Review by Doug Horton. Flightdeck Solutions, Ltd (FDS) designs, manufactures, and markets high quality aviation products for commercial customers, aircraft manufacturers, government agencies, and computer flight simulation enthusiasts. As part of my assignment for preparing this review, I had the opportunity to visit the FDS plant in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada in early October, meet with its founders, learn about all their products, and focus on their JetMax product for flight simulator users.

Flightdeck Solutions and JetMax facility in Newmarket, Ontario

For commercial and government customers, FDS offers a variety of products that include Fixed Based Trainers, as well as Single and Dual Seat Training Devices. With proprietary hardware and software, FDS products include support for the latest in glass cockpit equipped commercial airliners, in all major airliner types as well as custom configurations for development, educational, and recently, entertainment/experience venues. FDS also produces accessories and interface systems for these products, and it has been supporting flight simulator home cockpit builders for many years.

Author in captain’s seat of fully enclosed B737NG model
during final inspection and testing at FDS factory

As an outgrowth of their work with home cockpit builders, FDS recognized in the past few years that a market was developing for an enthusiast product that would be similar to their commercial products, be easily assembled by users, but have a slightly smaller footprint, and be available at significantly lower prices than FDS’s mainline flight deck products.

Another requirement was for the new product to be nearly fully operational “out of the box,” after assembly, with applicable hardware and software. At most, the user would need to add controls and visual displays, with some of these components optionally available from FDS. Of course, the user would also need a capable computer. On this subject, the ordering process includes determining users’ computer needs, and referring customers to appropriate computer providers, as needed.

“Are you still flying your desk?"

This question is asked in FDS marketing materials, and the answer is “no” for users of the JetMax product that’s been available since late 2012. Instead of “flying your desk,” the JetMax product offers flight simulator enthusiasts a highly immersive experience in a single pilot trainer version of a Boeing 737NG.

With computer needs satisfied, after assembly of the JetMax components, a new user is furnished with links to applicable software, which include drivers, other interface software, and one or more 737NG airplanes. Currently, JetMax components can be interfaced with the user’s choice of Sim-Avionics, Aerosystems737, Project Magenta, iFly 737 (Cockpit Builders Edition), and PMDG 737NGX.

Looking at the JetMax product and the large number of parts I saw being produced in the factory, I imagined that some users would be completely capable of assembling their new JetMax and enjoy the experience, while others might be overwhelmed by the process. Fortunately for the latter customers, factory assembly service is available for a reasonable fee.

The base model of JetMax is the K model, which includes the following components:

• Powder coated metal structure
• Glare shield structure
• Throttle quadrant stand
• Wiring harness
• LCD holders
• Hardware and knobs
• Interface card
• Landing gear control lever
• Lighting package
• Dimmer controls
• Flap Gauge

Photo of JetMax model K

The JetMax model SK is the model K plus the following components:

• JetMax-MCP
• JetMax-EFIS
• PRO-MX CDU

Photo of JetMax model SK

The JetMax model SKTQ is the model SK plus:

• Steering tiller
• Throttle quadrant

Photo of JetMax model SKTQ

Many users also order the overhead panel. In my experience trying out the JetMax product on display at FDS, this equipment is very impressive, as it includes all operable functions of the real aircraft panel. It’s plug and play with the applicable software added, and in terms of components, there are about 15 selector switches, over 60 toggle switches, and about 105 function annunciators (lights), all of which are realistically back lighted.

JetMax Overhead Panel

The photos above show components that can be purchased by the user or ordered from FDS. See the additional information section below for more details on required LCD sizes.

• LCDs (PFD/ND/EICAS)
• Lower EICAS LCD

According to FDS, some buyers purchase the JetMax in steps, beginning with the K model, and adding the MCP, EFIS, CDU, and overhead panel, and Lower EFIS display, as budget permits. In reality, most purchases are either for the model SKTQ, or that model plus the overhead panel, plus various options in all cases.

Experiencing JetMax

During my visit to FDS, I had the opportunity to try out the JetMax model SKTQ with optional overhead panel, as well as lower EICAS. The installed software and aircraft were from the iFly 737 (Cockpit Builders Edition) package. FDS president Peter Cos coached my session, and we began the session with Peter and FDS Technical Support director Steve Cos setting up the computer and JetMax interface software for my session. As I’m not checked out on the iFly 737 and the JetMax overhead panel, Peter started the engines for me and set me up to taxi to runway 06R at Montreal CYUL airport.

Left view of JetMax, including upper panel and 46” LCD display

After Peter talked me through the takeoff, and after initial climb, I began a turn to the reciprocal heading 240. This put me on a downwind heading, and in a few minutes on extended downwind, I turned for the base leg and then final approach to runway 06R. I then experienced one of the perils of single pilot flying, which Peter has since called a “mishap.” I lost control while reaching to the far right of the panel for the landing gear lever, and I was unable to recover. One of the great features of flight simulation is the ability to reset and try again.

Right view of JetMax, including upper panel and 46” LCD display

Next, Peter set me up for an approach to CYUL 06R, using FS Instant Approach PRO from www.fsinventions.com. I made two approaches and landed both successfully. See the image below for how FS Instant Approach PRO was set up for my approaches.

FDS used FS Instant Approach to set up my two practice approaches.

At one point, I tried to turn the trim wheel on the JetMax throttle quadrant, and it doesn’t turn. Nor are levers motorized. Asking Peter about this, he indicated that the trim switch on the yoke is the principal means of adjusting trim. He also reminded me that the JetMax product has a few limitations in order to significantly reduce costs. In this case, the JetMax throttle quadrant is designed and made entirely by FDS, using industrial plastics and other moderately priced but durable components and materials, whereas mainline FDS cockpits include used, real 737 throttle quadrants, which by the time they’re fully restored, cost 20 times more than the JetMax version.

Overall, I was very impressed with the JetMax product and how completely realistic it is to operate. It has the look, feel, fit, and finish of the high quality product it is, and I highly recommend it for simmers who want significantly greater realism than “flying their desk” and can afford a high quality product.

Additional Information

JetMax Size

The actual size of the JetMax 737NG flight deck product is relatively small, though all JetMax components are full scale in relation to the real components. The total width of the product is 43.75" (111cm). Height is 43.125" (110cm), not including the overhead panel; and the depth (including the throttle quadrant) is 33" (84cm). Purchasers are advised to plan for additional depth for whatever seat is used.

Monitors for Control Panel Displays

One of the most important elements on the www.JetMax.ca webpage is the feature chart that FDS posts for every device. Potential purchasers are advised to review this information carefully as to what is included (check-marked) and what is equipment is optional and/or needs to be furnished by the purchaser

The PFD/ND Monitor is typically a widescreen 18.5" or 19" (diagonal) LCD. FDS supplies the LCD holders, as per the feature chart, and the holders are universal. Purchasers should verify the standard VESA mounting bolt locations on the LCD, as VESA mounts are an industry standard and line up with the JetMax LCD holder.

The Upper EICAS/STBY monitor is a 15" LCD (4:3 aspect ratio). These are not as common as they used to be, but FDS has located a few new models. These are currently stock items from FDS.

The Lower EICAS is not that commonly used on the 737 but some purchasers like the "eye candy" element. Typically, the lower EICAS is used during the engine start procedure, though the relevant N2 value can also be displayed on the upper EICAS panel. FDS offers the lower EICAS LCD and included bracket as an option.

Other Accessories for JetMax

FDS recognizes that JetMax customers likely have their own controls, such as a CH Products or Saitek yoke and rudder pedals. To accommodate these purchasers, FDS has designed accessory products such as optional brackets for mounting yokes, while the most popular brands of rudder pedals can be used without the need for mounting brackets. Here are some of the accessories FDS offers for the JetMax:

• CommNav Radio – for accessing all communications and navigation frequencies, including Comm1, Comm2, Nav1, Nav2, and ADF, by selector push buttons on the faceplate.
• All-metal support structure for JetMax overhead panel
• Mounting bracket for CH Products yoke
• Mounting bracket for either Saitek original or Cessna yoke
• Mounting bracket for CP Flight regular or Pro MCP/EFIS
• Mounting bracket for GoFlight MCP/EFI

Computer Processing and Graphics Capability

According to FDS, the biggest challenge in the larger setups can be the computer/software side. At time or writing, a recommended new computer would be one with an i7-3770K processor on a Z77 based motherboard or an i7-4770K processor on a Z87 motherboard. Adding a second, networked computer dedicated to the avionics side of the setup would certainly improve performance, according to FDS.

Multiple graphics cards, or recent-generation graphics cards with four to six connectors, are required to run the various displays. As an example, graphics connections might be needed for the following displays: one or more LCD displays for scenery, and panel displays for PFD/ND, Center EICAS, CDU, and lower EICAS.

Kit Form or Factory-Assembled Complete

To help with the total cost including shipping, FDS provides the JetMax products in kit form. All the required elements are included as described in the package ordered. A detailed assembly manual is included to provide step by step instructions on assembling and connecting all components. Freight costs are significantly reduced by compact packing, according to FDS.

On the other hand, some purchasers prefer to have their new systems completely assembled and set up at the factory, so this service is available for a reasonable fee. On the other hand, this option leads to higher shipping cost because of the larger packaging.

JetMax Prices

Current pricing for the JetMax models and accessories can be found at http://www.jetmax.ca/products/. Note that all pricing is in Canadian currency. FDS recommends contacting their resellers for local currency pricing in the following areas, such as the European Union and the Middle East. At time of writing, FDS is negotiating the establishment of resellers in Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Australia. Readers are invited to contact Peter Cos at pcos@jetmax.ca for detailed product information, options, and pricing, including referral to the nearest reseller.

Flightdeck Solutions History

According to its founders, Peter and Steve Cos, Flightdeck Solutions was created in 1999 to meet the global requirement for cost effective flight simulation hardware products. Their background for this was that they’d built an A320 cockpit in their basement. Since then the company has grown to be a one-stop hardware provider for a wide variety of customers.

Peter Cos, author, and Steve Cos among panel frames, with full sized B777 model in background

FDS offers a variety of configurations that include Fixed Based Trainers, as well as Single and Dual Seat Training Devices. With proprietary hardware and software, FDS products include support for the latest glass cockpit equipped commercial airliners, in all major airliner types, as well as custom configurations for development and educational purposes. As mentioned above, FDS also produces accessories and interface systems.

Factory work area with FDS throttle quadrants in foreground

According to its founders, FDS customers such as Air Canada, Boeing, EADS, Honeywell, FAA, U.S. Navy, and others, rely on FDS to deliver complete and accurate flight simulation solutions, whether for training, fully operational cockpit models, and other unique uses, recently including entertainment “experience” venues. They are masters of their market, based on aviation industry expertise gained by company founder Peter Cos, while working and training at Atlantis Systems International in Brampton, Canada. This experience included ISO operational practices and working directly with Airlines, FAA, Military, and others, to provide a full understanding of this industry and its high level requirements.

Panoramic video of FDS B737 cockpit

Early FDS achievements include:

• Air Marshall training units for the FAA (William J. Hughes Technical Center) – designed and supplied 12 units
• Air Canada – worked with airline staff to develop ground training devices
• New concepts in design and construction methods for low cost training devices
• High resolution display products for pilot familiarization
• High level graphics for the AgustaWestland 101 helicopter (formerly EH101) for computer based training development program
• LCD-based touch screen training concepts – worked with development groups on early designs

Recent FDS achievements include:

• Boeing P8A "Poseidon" – cockpit and unique functionality design for marketing Initiative
• B767-400 –  high level replica flightdeck for the Boeing "Heavy Lift" marketing group
• B737NG flightdeck – high level replica for Boeing KC-46
• B787 "Dreamliner" – multiple dual seat trainers for Boeing Flight Deck Development Group
• B787 Marketing Initiatives for worldwide aerospace events – developed with Boeing's "Digital Design Group"
• B737 – dual seat training device for avionic upgrade demonstrations for Boeing, Wichita
• A320 – multiple Fixed Based Trainers for flight schools/development centers
• B737 Fixed Base Procedures Trainer to Boeing Research and Technology Division in Australia
• B707 Based Platform (Upgrade Program) for Boeing Seattle – custom device for laboratory use
• CAE, Canada (simulation and control technologies) – added to roster of aerospace customers in 2012
• Multiple devices for iPILOT for commercial use in their facilities
• EADS/Rostock, Germany – B747cabin crew trainer – supplied high fidelity replica parts for Intercontinental Flightdeck Development Group
• Honeywell – developed PnP devices for flight deck research initiatives
• Discovery Channel "MAYDAY" Series – supplied various replica cockpit components
• "UNITED 93" by Universal films – supplied various replica cockpit components
• Royal Court of Bahrain – provided high fidelity b747-400 fixed based trainer
• Fully enclosed, fully operational B737NG and B777 flight deck models for entertainment/adventure venues in Belgium and Canada, respectively
• Over 60 full scale flight deck devices shipped in past few years

All photo and screen capture images provided courtesy of Flightdeck Solutions, Ltd

Review by Doug Horton. What’s a wheel stand? It’s a device that holds Saitek rudder pedals and yoke system, including throttle quadrant, and optional accessories. It’s been tested for this review with added Saitek Cessna trim wheel and two accessory panels. According to the U.S. distributor:

“As flight simulators continue to bring more flying realism to your experience, a limiting factor to immersing yourself in the game becomes the interface. Playing today's flying games with standard controls, attached to a desk or table, makes it impossible to immerse yourself fully into the game. To help get the full immersive benefit of the Saitek system, our wheel stand systems put each control element in the ideal position for experiencing a realistic flying experience…., and it makes your controls portable and convenient for storage.”

This is a story of necessity begets invention, a product is developed and launched, entrepreneurship increases the market, and the expanding market spurs adaptation for additional uses. The story begins with the recognition that parallel to the computer flight simulation hobby is computer (auto) racing – both hobbies with worldwide participation and markets for add-on products.

At the end of this review we’ll share the history of this product, and meanwhile, I’ll relate my experience assembling and using the product.

Out of the Box…

I received the sample product in a 20-pound carton with dimensions of 22.5 x 17.4 x 3.7 inches. The product was packaged well, and the contents were intact and undamaged. Three instruction sheets were included, two of which were printed on thick glossy paper. There was also a smaller box in the package, which contained smaller parts and connectors.

Wheel Stand Pro in package, with furnished instructions above

My first impression, after opening the carton and folding back the protective packaging materials, was that the wheel stand is very well made, including the selection of tubing, chroming and powder coating, and the included supply of various parts, connectors, and tools.

Collection of parts for Wheel Stand Pro

Assembly

After removing the partially assembled stand from the carton, and sorting out the small parts, I consulted the instructions to learn that the first step was unfolding the upright tube and yoke mounting plate from the base, as shown in the drawing below. Note that there are lever operated compression clamps at the base and mid-point of the vertical shaft.

Wheel Stand Pro: unfolded and ready for mounting controls

The next step was to mount the Saitek Cessna rudder pedals on the two chrome tubes of the base, near the end opposite the vertical tube, which is the right hand side of the base in the above image. I hoped the sample Cessna pedals would mount the same as the original model of Saitek pedals, which were shown in the instructions, and they did.

The method of mounting the pedals is to insert four long bolts through four particular holes in the base of pedals, and then though holes in the two furnished silver-colored bars, as shown below in the photo of the underside of the pedals and stand base, after mounting. Note that there are four black rubber collars that are positioned between the yoke base and the tubes.

Photo showing how the base of the pedals is mounted to the base of the wheel stand

I noticed that the furnished means of mounting the pedals might have a slight disadvantage for some users. This is related to the fact that the pedals are furnished with two plastic parts, presumably for resting heels while feet are not pushing on the pedals.

These parts each have two black plastic studs that insert into the two holes on each side of the front of the base of the pedals, but one of the holes on each side is used for mounting the pedals to the stand base, so the two “heel pad” parts can’t be used, unless one of the long plastic studs is removed.

Without the heel pads, there’s no convenient place to rest your heels, other than the top of the round chrome tubes or on the floor, but these surfaces aren’t lined up with the pedals, so it’s slightly awkward. This is more of an issue for the Saitek Cessna pedals than it is for the original Saitek pedals because of the protruding lower part of the Cessna pedals, because feet can be rested on the original Saitek pedals.

I’m looking at purchasing slightly longer mounting bolts that extend through the base of the pedals and sliding a piece of thin (~3/16” to 1/4”) plywood onto base tubes, between the vertical tube and the pedals, to create a simulated flight deck floor.

Top view of Saitek Cessna pedals

Attaching the yoke system with its included throttle quadrant to the stand was relatively simple after examining the yoke mounting plate and other included parts. It was clear that I needed to attach the two “side bars” for holding other accessories, before attaching the yoke. This took some “try and fit” actions to identify which of the pre-drilled holes would be used for the accessories, as the details of this step were not clear in the instructions.

The accompanying photo shows a downward view of the yoke plate and side bars, with pedals below, before attaching the yoke and accessories.

Downward view showing yoke mounting plate and accessory mounting bars with holes pre-drilled for Saitek Pro Flight accessories.

Final Assembly

Courtesy of MadCatz, U.S. distributor of Saitek products, I was able to configure the Wheel Stand Pro to match what’s shown on the product website at www.wheelstandpro.us. In addition to the Cessna rudder pedals and yoke system with included throttle quadrant, I also attached a Saitek Cessna trim wheel on the right hand sidebar, inward from the throttle quadrant, and I attached Saitek Multi and Switch panels to the left hand sidebar.

The trim wheel, and the Multi and Switch panels, along with the yoke, throttle quadrant and pedals, significantly increase the realism of flying small general aviation airplanes, such as Beechcraft, Cessna, Maule, Mooney, Piper, and others.

The photo images below show the front and back of the assembled Wheel Stand Pro with Saitek controls and accessories attached. After matching the group of controls and accessories shown on the WheelStandPro website, I also added a Saitek Radio Panel above the other two panels, the radio panel is not shown in the photo, and I’ll be covering all four types of Saitek accessory panels in a future review.

Front view of Wheel Stand Pro with Saitek controls and two accessory panels

Back view of Wheel Stand Pro with Saitek controls and two accessory panels

Summary

The tested Wheel Stand Pro for Saitek products is durably built and is a moderately priced, handy means of positioning flight simulation controls and accessories. It’s very well designed and manufactured, and it’s customizable in terms of the angle and height of the vertical tube and mounting plates.

Though far from a full fledged home cockpit, the Wheel Stand Pro provides a cockpit feel, particularly with the Saitek controls and two accessory panels I tested. The cost is a small fraction of what might be spent on a full-size home cockpit.

It’s quite portable, and even with controls and accessories attached, it can be folded for storage with the aid of two quick-release clamps that otherwise hold the height and angle of the vertical tube and attached components.

Overall, it’s a very nice product!

About the Inventor and U.S. Distributor

The Wheel Stand Pro gaming stand was designed in 2007 by an avid gamer, Dominik, a computer racing enthusiast in a small Polish town not far from Krakow. Dominik’s father owned and operated a metal fabrication facility, and its primary business was renovating parts for hydraulic pumps, servo motors, and other equipment.

As an avid computer racing fan, Dominik was looking for a practical solution to a vexing problem: he wanted a stable computer racing platform to mount his gaming wheel, gear shifter, and pedals, but he didn’t have the space for a cockpit solution. Voila! The prototype Wheel Stand Pro gaming stand was born. Compact, versatile, strong, and stable, the stand provided Dominik, the gamer, the solution he’d been seeking.

Soon after, with an entrepreneurial spirit, combined with the resources of the metal fabrication facility, Dominik’s idea became a thriving business. The stand was then patented in Europe and the United States.

From the beginning, Wheel Stand Pro, as a company, had plans to expand into the computer flight simulation market, but ever increasing demands of a growing business delayed this plan. Instead, flight sim users were buying the stands and modifying them for their equipment, the most popular of which were Saitek yokes, pedals, and accessory panels. According to Dominik, the “drumbeat for a manufactured product was loud and continuous,” but manufacturing wheel stands for racing, and shipping orders, continued to delay expansion plans.

In 2009, avid racing gamers Dale and Lucy, residing in Dallas, Texas, heard about the Wheel Stand Pro product line and they ordered one from Dominik in Poland. Having previous experience with online sales, the Dale and Lucy approached the Wheel Stand Pro company about becoming the U. S. distributor, and after mutual agreement, the business relationship began with an order for 35 wheel stands for the U.S.

In 2013, the idea of expanding into the flight simulation market came true with the development of the stand for Saitek products and then the Thrustmaster HOTAS WARTHOG™ joystick and throttle stand. There are now several models for computer racing and flight sim enthusiasts, and business on both sides of the Atlantic has expanded. Wheel Stand Pro commands a gaming presence worldwide, orders are now shipped by container, and work is underway to provide compatibility of wheel stands with joysticks, plus other controls, and accessories.

From Dale and Lucy, for those flight simmers who might also be computer racing fans: “Yes, we are the distributors, but foremost, we are fellow gamers, racing enthusiasts, driving simulation fanatics! We love our racing games, and sometimes we're in the mood for the carefree Burn Out series, or we need the gritty realism of the Need for Speed, Dirt, or the authenticity of Forza or GT5.”

Wheel Stand Pro products are Copyright 2013. All Rights Reserved.

Saitek, Thrustmaster, Mad Catz, Burn Out, Need for Speed, Dirt, Forza, and GT5 are copyrighted and/or trademarked by their respective manufacturers.

Wheel Stand Pro has no affiliation with these brands.

Review by Werner Gillespie. For almost all of the really big fans of the airliner fraternity in the flight simulation world, the name Precision Manuals Development Group or its acronym PMDG as the company is more commonly known instills a sense of quality that is unparalleled in the industry, specifically as far as systems fidelity is concerned.

PMDG has long had the reputation of building (I prefer this term to coding or programing, the reason for which will become apparent in this review) simulations that delve deeper and deeper into what is possible in the flight simulator realm, and then surpassing that and raising the bar higher and higher with each release.

I firmly believe that the company has been it’s own worst enemy due to this, as can be seen by the impatient fans demanding the release months and months before its release date, as can clearly be seen by the banter that goes on inside the forums in the weeks and months leading up to the release of one of their products.  Worse still for them, when customers loaded up the NGX there was a sense of “wow, they cannot possibly improve upon this in the future can they?”  

As many hardcore followers of PMDG will know, the forums have a tendency to crash when release is eventually announced and on release day it can be difficult to stake your claim for the illusive license key that will allow you access to the next finest piece of airliner software built (yeah, that term again) by the amazing folks at PMDG.

Yes, I was indeed part of the release madness on the 3^rd of September 2013 at around 23H00 local time when the 777 was eventually released. I was very upset with myself since I was caught in the rush that followed, but at 05H00 local the morning of the 04^th of September 2013, I began the download and took the afternoon off from work to install and start to fly this amazing new toy I had just purchased.

So with all of this said, many have asked the question “can PMDG improve upon the NGX?”   Let us see if they can...

Installation and documentation

Right, so how much airplane is in the downloadable installer?   It is one of the bigger installers out there folks, 783 MB large.  However, the download is quick and painless.  You have to make the purchase first as is a common PMDG practice and then you will receive the download link via e-mail and your product activation key is handed to you via e-mail as well.

Once you have the downloaded installer, you simply double click and the installer will ask you the normal questions, tell me where your FSX directory is etcetera. Installation takes about two to three minutes; remember, this quite a bit of airplane that is being installed, but again the installation process is flawless.

Once the installation is complete, you will start FSX and once you select the aircraft from the menu, you will be required to enter the activation key received via e-mail.   That’s right folks; it is no longer part of the installation process as in days gone by.

For those of you that have the NGX this will not be anything new, for those of you still flying the 747 for FSX and FS9, or the MD-11 for that matter, you will find this installation procedure differing a little from what you are used to. Nothing to worry about though as activation proceeds quickly and painlessly.

As far as documentation is concerned, you may be shocked by what you are getting as part of the package if you are new to PMDG simulations - if you are not new to PMDG simulations, it is pretty standard, since you get the following:

1.            Flight Crew Operating Manual (FCOM in short) volume 1, which comprises 1210 pages of reading in PDF format. This takes you through the limitations, the standard operating procedures or SOP’s for the aircraft, supplementary procedures, dispatch performance and in flight performance data. This is the bible for the simulator and will teach you how to operate the aircraft properly.

2.            FCOM volume 2, comprised of 1266 pages in PDF format, which will take you through the subjects of emergency equipment, doors and windows, air systems, anti-ice and rain systems, automatic flight, communications systems, electrical systems, engines and APU (auxiliary power unit), fire protection, flight control systems, flight instruments and displays, flight management and navigation systems, fuel systems, hydraulic systems, landing gear systems, and the warning system.  

3.            Flight Crew Training Manual (FCTM in short), which is comprised of 356 pages of reading in PDF format, and will take you through the different flight envelopes and how to properly fly the aircraft in different conditions. This is all the stuff about actually flying the aircraft then!

4.            The Introduction document, also PDF and comprised of 163 pages. This is a MUST READ before you start to fly the aircraft! Many of your niggling little issues will be addressed in this document. So before you start howling for help at the PMDG help desk, have a look at this document first. It includes a lot of FAQ’s (frequently asked questions) about PMDG products in general and some about the 777 in general. It also contains lots of information about what the beta team wants us, the end users to know. Very useful indeed, please take the time to read it!

5.            The QRH (Quick Reference Handbook), 844 pages in PDF format which takes you through all the abnormal procedures in the aircraft. This is useful, but as we shall see later the 777 has this incorporated in the electronic checklist system which is absolutely breathtaking, but more on that later!

6.            Finally there is a 126 page tutorial in PDF format released with the package and it is a good starting point to learn to fly the aircraft.

A note about the manuals - yes, these are the real world Boeing 777 manuals folks, slightly modified (obviously) for simulation purposes, but they are the real deal, and access to this data is hard to get your hands on if you are not a pilot for an airline operating the aircraft or without any contacts inside an airline. The data is worth gold and the manuals themselves have been beautifully put together by the PMDG team. So if you want to know why the manuals are so technical and seems to be written in legalese, there is your answer folks!

The introduction document is worth gold as well; did I mention that you really should spend the time to read it?

The tutorial is beautifully put together with one goal in mind - get me flying the darn thing right now, give me the low down so that I can get on with it. It does this perfectly! It focuses on the flying, and some excellent new features which PMDG have included in the airplane, which we will look at a little later on.  

It does not focus on a cold and dark start, although such a tutorial is planned a little further in the future, so keep an eye out for it.

The overall experience with the documents and installation is excellent as we have come to expect from PMDG over the years. There really is nothing negative to write about it, period.

Preliminary

Folks there have been a number of complaints in the forums about disgruntled customers having bought the aircraft and thinking that it would install in P3D only to find out that this package does not work with P3D at all. You have been warned! This truly is FSX only.

Next issue - this is a study sim!   If you have experience with PMDG’s other Boeing products, you should adjust easily and find the cockpit scans coming naturally very quickly, but if you are not used to advanced airliners simulated in minute detail, you will be required to sit and study this and work through the tutorial, period.  

The aircraft has a far, far greater level of automation than the NGX for example, as well as the 747-400. It is comparable only to the MD-11 in systems automation, and maybe a little bit of an Airbus in there along the line.  

Setting the aircraft up for flight is easier and faster than the NGX or the 747-400, but ONLY if you are already familiar with the systems operations of the next generation Boeing aircraft, like the 747-400 and onwards. If not, hit the manuals and start studying!

Next item - although this has been said to infinity and beyond, I feel that it is necessary to say it again: this is not the NGX on steroids! This is a vastly different beast, and the flying skills that you are going to need for the different flight envelopes, are vastly different from what you are used to in the NGX. Taxiing certainly is interesting, and no it does not have a taxi camera, because this is not the -300ER version of the aircraft.

One of the best features of the package lies outside the actual simulation - the PMDG operations center. This is revolutionary from PMDG, and I will discuss this in its own section below.

Also bear in mind that this is the first Boeing to be kitted out with FBW (fly by wire) controls.   This gives you a uniquely different experience certainly from the NGX but also the 747-400.   This causes part of the drama in respect of going from the older style flight controls to the new FBW control systems.  

Yes, they feel and function differently and getting used to this during the takeoff and landing phases of flight when operating the aircraft manually, is probably going to be the biggest challenge for you. This does not mean that you will battle for months to learn how to fly it, but the experience is different and it will take some getting used to.

Right, so having said all of that, let us have a look at the operations center...

The PMDG Operations Center

Okay, so what exactly is this operations center and what does it do? In short, this is the heart of your PMDG fleet for the future. Once you start it up, it will automatically check for updates to the center itself. You are then taken to the main page of the operations center. If there are any updates you will see a red flag in the top right hand corner indicating that you have new notifications. If you then click on the grey gear symbol next to it, it will take you to a screen which will inform you of what updates are available.

You will then be given the option to install the update or to ignore it. My advice? Always install it, it is quick and painless! Once you select to install the updates it will install updates for the center itself, and it might do so for the aircraft which are included in this operations center setup, which at this stage is only the 777, the J-41 and the NGX.

Now let us look at some of the other features of this nifty little addition to the PMDG product line. Firstly, if you look at the menu on the left side of the main program page, you can see there are options to get more information about PMDG, more information about the PMDG operations center itself, a help section, a notifications option where you can see which notifications you may have, general settings for the center and some tools.

I will not deal with most of these items as they are fairly self explanatory. I am only going to take a look at the settings and the tools provided for in the menu. Remember, these are not product specific; they are general to the center itself.

In going to the “Settings” option, it will take me to a page labeled “Program Settings and Associations” which has the following options:

1.            Associate .PTP’s with the PMDG operations center.

2.            Open PDF’s in external viewer - which just means outside of the operations center in Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar type of program.

3.            Automatically check for updates - when you start the operations center that is.

4.            Overwrite aircraft-specific options on livery install - this is unchecked by default and makes perfect sense. If I install ten different liveries and set the basic simulation settings inside the FMC inside the 777 (more on that later on), it will keep those basic simulation settings. For example, when I can see the thrust lever position in the simulator in relation to the hardware setting, it will utilize that setting across all the different liveries that I install, but if I override it via this setting, it reverts to the default, so unless there is a really good reason, just leave it unchecked.

Bread and butter stuff. Next item is the tools section. When I select the “Tools” option, I am taken to a screen with three different headings, to wit:

1.            Version information - this is the current operations center versions and the version of the products installed on your computer which is covered by the operations center, which is currently version 1.6 at the time of writing. In this section I have the option to ask it to check for updates or to show me the change log through the different versions.

2.            Create support package - this is just wonderful for simmers who may not be experts with hardware and software configurations on their PC’s. This creates a report in essence for the folks at PMDG containing information about your hardware and PMDG aircraft information. The information is stored in a .cab file which can be sent to the technical minds at PMDG for analysis so that they can be better able to find solutions to a simmer’s problems.

3.            Execute PTP - this assists you in issuing special instructions to the operations center or to replace missing or corrupt files in your products. Very nice!

If I head over to the top left hand corner of the main operations center page, right below the PMDG logo, I can select a product, which will take me to product specific items. If I select the PMDG 777, it takes me to the product page immediately, so that means I can see the actual product page on the operations center without having to go to the PMDG website - wonderful!   Should I not own the product, I will have the option to purchase it through the operations center.

From the menu I now get the following options which is specific to the particular aircraft, to wit:

1.            Aircraft specific options - from this area I can select the various different liveries that I have installed and then select settings specific to that livery, both for the passenger and cargo versions of the aircraft. This includes whether you prefer a rising runway or flight director bars, whether you have a ground speed indicator active or not, etcetera. There is actually more in here than simply setting it through the FMC. Very nice!

2.            Livery manager - this is where you can add or subtract liveries from the aircraft variant.

3.            Livery downloader - you can now select liveries through the operations center and let it install the liveries for you! That’s right, no more downloading and installing them  separately, everything is handled though the operations center. From what I gathered in the forums, this is one of the enhancements that customers loved the most!

4.            Version - this will tell you whether your product is up to date. Now, what PMDG wants to do is to release small fixes and eventually service packs through the operations center, so here you can easily see if your product is up to date and if not and a service pack of patch is available, you can install it through the operations center. Amazing!

5.            Documentation - yes, that is right, I no longer have to go and hunt inside the PMDG folder for the manuals, I can access them easily through the operations center.  Remember the option to have them open through an external program?  This is what that was for.

What I have discussed is in relation to the 777 only as far as the aircraft specific settings are concerned, but it gives you the general idea of what the enormous extra functionality of the operations center entails. I can only say again that this becomes the heart of your PMDG fleet management. Yes, but how do I load passenger and cargo onto the aircraft, there is nothing like that in there? Since the NGX, this has been done through the FMC as opposed to the loader utility that the older products like the MD-11 and 747-400 utilized.

My experience with the operations center was an easy, user friendly and remarkably useful experience. There are some users who have complained that they could not get the operations center to function, however, PMDG have attended to the issues where they have popped up and I believe that most customers will now be able to use the center and if not, the excellent team at PMDG will assist them in getting the operations center up and running.

I am posting a few screen shots for you so you can see what the operations center looks like:

Exterior

Right, so now we have had a look at the preliminary items, let us have a look at the exterior of the aircraft. Now firstly, if you look at a real Boeing 777, one of the first things that strikes you (apart from the size that is), is the incredibly polished, smooth look that the aircraft has. During development, and with the plans that Boeing had for that part of the market the 777 was designed for, Boeing had decided to put an enormous amount of effort into reducing every possible bit of drag that it could, and it shows if you look at the aircraft skin.

The aircraft has a beautifully smooth, slick appearance, like it wants to glide through the air with minimum effort.

PMDG have also gone to great lengths to emulate just about (if not) ALL the moving parts that you can expect on the real world 777 in minute details.  Have a look at the wing view with the spoilers and flaps extended after landing - amazing isn’t it?

Let us look at the landing gear bays, just look at all that delicious detail in there - again, amazing.

Now for something different - what happens when you overheat those brakes to the cooking point? In that instance, the brakes will turn red hot, the tyres will burst and you are stuck!   That’s right folks, even that has been painstakingly modeled by the PMDG team! 

Oh and another thing, don’t think you are going to taxi that aircraft away from there sir, dream on. Just like the real deal, when you are in that position, you are well and truly stuck! You have to reset the failures as per the FMC.

Now, the funny thing is that you don’t really need all this minute attention to detail do you? I mean, let’s face it - you spend most of your time in the cockpit don’t you? This just goes to show the unbelievable level of commitment that PMDG has to getting all the details right, no compromises!

Here are some screen shots for you to illustrate the fact that PMDG have done a superb job in obtaining this same look and almost “feel” to it that you would find on the skin of the real world 777.

The exterior is simply amazing, nothing to fault with it whatsoever. Full marks to the PMDG development team!

Liveries

Right, now that we have seen just how gorgeous the exterior is, how about those liveries then?   What do we get and what is it going to cost us? First, PMDG have always had a policy of not selling liveries or livery packs - they are a free contribution to enhance the value of the base pack that you have bought.

Which liveries do I get? For the 777-200LR aircraft, which is the passenger version, the following can be downloaded and installed through the operations center:

1.            Aeroflot (fictional)

2.            Aero Mexico (fictional)

3.            Air Austral

4.            Air Canada

5.            Air France (fictional)

6.            Air India

7.            Air New Zealand (fictional)

8.            Alitalia (fictional)

9.            All Nippon Airways (fictional)

10.          American Airlines (old colours) [fictional]

11.          Asiana Airlines (fictional)

12.          Austrian Airlines (fictional)

13.          Boeing Wordliner

14.          British Airways (fictional)

15.          Cathay Pacific Airways (fictional)

16.          Ceiba Intercontinental

17.          Continental Airlines (fictional)

18.          Delta Airlines

19.          Egypt Air (fictional)

20.          El Al (fictional)

21.          Emirates

22.          Ethiopian Airlines

23.          Ethiad Airlines (fictional)

24.          Iraqi Airways

25.          Japan Airlines (fictional)

26.          KLM (fictional)

27.          Korean Air (fictional)

28.          Lufthansa (fictional)

29.          Air Malaysia (fictional)

30.          PIA

31.          PMDG house unpainted

32.          Qatar Airways

33.          Saudi Arabian Airlines (fictional)

34.          Singapore Airlines (fictional)

35.          TAM (fictional)

36.          Turkish Airlines (fictional)

37.          Turkmenistan Airlines

38.          United Airlines (fictional)

39.          Virgin Atlantic (fictional)

40.          Virgin Australia (fictional)

And for the -200LR/F:

1.            Aeroflot (fictional)

2.            Aero Logic

3.            Air France Cargo

4.            Boeing Wordliner

5.            China Cargo Airlines

6.            China Southern Cargo

7.            Emirates Sky Cargo

8.            Ethiopian Cargo

9.            Ethiad Cargo

10.          FedEx Express (yes, the Panda Express is also in there!)

11.          Korean Air Cargo

12.          LAN Cargo

13.          Lufthansa Cargo

14.          PMDG house unpainted

15.          Qatar Cargo

16.          Southern Air Cargo

17.          Thai Air Cargo

18.          TNT Airways

19.          UPS (fictional)

Wow, that is a lot of liveries! So what’s with all the fictional stuff in there you ask? Well, the

-200LR is a very niche product by Boeing, and in actual fact, very few airlines worldwide are using specifically the -200LR compared to the -200/-200ER/-300/-300ER aircraft.

PMDG have always made fictional liveries available in the mix, specifically the MD-11 comes to mind at this point, and then of course, airlines like British Airways do operate 777's but not the LR, so if I wanted to fly a BA livery and I do not have the actual 777 variant that BA uses, well who cares, PMDG have made it possible for me with a fictional livery

The liveries are of exceptional quality. The textures are 4096x4096 and the quality, of not only the paint job itself, but the resolutions of the textures are of exceptionally high quality. Nothing negative to say here folks, you will love it, guaranteed!

Interior

Okay, so now let us move to our office at 39 000 feet, the interior and more specifically, the virtual cockpit. Now folks, before anyone asks, NO, this does not have a 2D flyable panel!   PMDG already stated after the NGX that valuable resources are being attributed to the design of the 2D panels and that they serve to increase the final price of the package when it is released.   You have to fly it from the VC.  

Without beating about the bush, this VC is a masterpiece of artwork! It does a few things: firstly, it gives you an exact replica of the 777 flight deck, fully functional, with every switch able to be clicked, pulled, pushed, or turned at your heart’s desire. If you look directly ahead, it looks like that leather right in front of your nose is something that you can touch, and the buttons, especially the larger ones, look just as good. This is photo realistic imaging here folks!

Another thing that you will notice is how much cleaner this aircraft is. It certainly does not have the dirt and grime that the 737 NGX cockpit has, that’s for sure. This must be because Robert jumped into the cockpit before the photographers could get there with a bottle of cleaning agent and a cloth to make sure the NGX textures, the dirt and grime never, never, never happens again.   

Another aspect is that you get a feel for the sheer size of the 777's cockpit. It is huge compared to the 737 and it is beautifully relayed in the masterpiece that PMDG has reproduced. This is also I believe what is known today as the Boeing signature interior. Even if you look to the left side of the VC, you get some idea of how much room there is there. All the switches and dials and knobs feel quite far away from you, like you really want to lean over to reach them.

The overhead panel is at a nice, comfortable angle and distance from your head with everything easily legible and reachable. If you look at the displays, you will see that PMDG has created an even sharper display quality than the NGX. That’s right, they did improve. PMDG used a different texturing technique this time around which means that you don’t pay an arm and a leg in terms of performance either.

The pedestal and throttles are just as beautifully modeled. Whilst we are on the pedestal, another quick note - see the VHF microphone section? You actually have to push the button to switch on the VHF Left channel, or your radios won’t work. Yes, that is how deep the simulation runs!

There are a few 2D popup panels, like all three of the FMC’s which can be called up separately which is actually quite useful due to the features of the 777 and what can be done using the different FMC’s in conjunction. If you click on a display it will undock and popup as a larger window in the screen somewhere. You can also call up a 2D popup of the EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System) and the MCP (Mode Control Panel). I don’t use any of these however; it is simply too much fun to perform these functions on their panels and places inside the VC.

One thing that I do do is press the A key on the keyboard to cycle views to the overhead so that I can have a full-on view of the overhead when doing the pre-flight setup. Not absolutely necessary, but I just like it, similar to the 747-400.

While we are in the overhead, there is another interesting feature of the product for you. This is just another indication of the absolutely insane level of detail that PMDG have put into this simulation. If you look at some of the switches in the overhead you can see a simulated feature that you will come across in the real 777. Try it with the pack switches for example.

Zoom in and then click on the switch, but watch it very closely... What do you see? That’s right, the switch light has a little drum rolling mechanism inside which opens and closes as the switch is turned on or off.  Pretty insane stuff right there, but again it forms part of the I-know-it-is-there routine.

On the most frequently used knobs and buttons you can see a slight bit of wear and greasing where fingers continually get into contact with panels and writing, which adds a lovely subtle touch to the overall impression that the aircraft is not a showpiece but an airliner flying the line daily. The balance is striking and forms part of that “I know the whole package is just great, it just feels great, and although I cannot put my finger on it, I just know it is there” feeling you get when flying the aircraft.

Throw into the mix the blue photo real carpets, the photo real seat covers and all the surrounding little items and the simulation, in terms of what the VC looks like, is complete. I don’t doubt it; I know that I’m sitting in the cockpit of one of the world’s most loved and respected airliners.

Folks this is the finest VC that I have had the pleasure of flying. So did PMDG improve on the NGX then? The answer must be a resounding YES! Full marks to PMDG, I cannot fault the VC in any way.

As a bonus, here is a look at the some of the night lighting available...

VC sounds

Now, I usually include this as part of the “Sounds” section of my reviews, but I deliberately separate it here for reasons that will soon become apparent. Remember how some customers (of simulations in general) have always complained about “canned” sounds for switches and the like? Well, not anymore folks. PMDG have revolutionized this aspect too!  

What they have done is recorded for each and every switch and button, the sounds for when it is pushed, pulled, or twisted in all the different positions and with varying degrees of veracity and modeled that into the simulation. Unbelievable? Believe it! Go ahead, try it!

I sat in the simulation for about 15 minutes just probing this claim and I had to concede that it was not just a publicity claim, it really works that way.

So now your VC will always sound a little bit different from what it was on a previous flight, or even change a little in the same flight depending on how you handle the switches, knobs and buttons. Excellent!

Systems programming

Before we get started on flying the aircraft, I want to show you folks some of the systems around this amazing aircraft. To do that, firstly we need to look very, very briefly at the design philosophies of the 777.  

Remember what I said about the level of automation compared to the other Boeings (please exclude the 787 from this group)?  The 777 has an enormous amount of automation driving it, more so than any other Boeing that you have come across.

With that in mind, let us look at what lies beneath this intricate bird’s exterior panels, knobs, switches, buttons and displays. Firstly, the 777 has a very different approach to how it uses electrical power. It will try to shed as much power, and therefore use it as wisely as possible in the startup phases of the flight, but it will also power down differently, trying to prevent you from cutting power to the aircraft completely due to the huge redundancy built into the aircraft for reliability and therefore safety.

Powering up the aircraft from a cold and dark state is not something I usually do since this is,  realistically speaking, not the way that you would find it when you walk onto the aircraft. I prefer a panel state that has a warm cockpit with the ground crew around it and the engineers having been inside the cockpit and set it up in the basic state so that I can continue the pre-flight checks and scans and to get on with it.

However, apart from learning all there is to learn about the scans and flows from following a cold and dark startup, it also shows you some amazing features of the powering up sequence of the aircraft.

For instance, the displays (including the FMC’s) take time to warm up, and if you watch the startup of the displays on both stations, you will find that they flash on and off in a specific sequence and then depending on what power source you are using, certain displays will be prioritized, others de-prioritized to save electrical power and use it more wisely. It will also tell you what the vital statistics are in each bus, i.e. what is the voltage and amperage, and what is the power source, i.e. the APU, the generators.

Then there is the speaker self test which is performed automatically. It sounds terrible and will get to you for the first time or two, believe me. The FMC’s will start to appear very slowly until they are warmed up properly before they show their natural colours. Very realistic, and very well modeled.

So how about those digital displays for the frequencies on the pedestal then? You can alter the colours and their different shades and intensities as well. Talk about customizable!

The Status display has all the information you would find on the 747-400 or the NGX, so I will show you a screen shot of it, but will not discuss it in any great detail.

The hydraulic systems are modeled perfectly, and when you look at the hydraulics selection on the lower display, you can see how it is mapped pretty much in accordance with the overhead layout. Looking at the top of that display however, you will notice one difference to older aircraft, the layout tells you exactly which systems powers which items.

Next we look at the fuel system. Again pretty standard stuff, although the layout is prettier than the older aircraft.

The air system display is again very similar to what you would see on the 747-400, not much explanation required here.

The door display will not only show you when the doors are opened or closed, but will also tell you when the doors are armed/in auto as can be seen from the screen shots by the green A indicated at the relevant doors. 

The gear display is the same as in the 747-400 for example, however the layout of the wheels are obviously different.

Another fine difference between this aircraft and the 747-400 for example, is the way that the flight controls are indicated, they are no longer on the Status display, but have their own display selection. From this selection you can see an overhead view of the layout of the systems and also detailed digital readouts of the rudder and stabilizer trims which is a nice change from the 747-400.

You can also see at the bottom of the display in which mode the flight controls are operating. In my screen shot you can see the green boxed indication of “NORMAL” mode. Should that change into an alternate mode, the indication will change likewise.

Now we move to one of the grandest features of this aircraft, the electronic checklist. Let us start by investigating what this checklist is. This checklist system incorporates the normal checklists, the non-normal checklist system (which in essence is the Quick Reference Handbook or QRH on its own), and then there are the options available to reset the various checklists.

This is probably one of the finest achievements that form part of this package. Let us look at how the system operates. It is intuitive and easy to use to say the least. I simply move the mouse cursor over the checklist and it automatically changes into a magenta cursor inside the checklist itself and once I move it past the border of the checklist, it becomes a normal mouse pointer again leaving me to do whatever needs doing inside the VC.

What is also brilliant, and this is the same for the real world aircraft too, is that once you tick off an item inside the checklist, you can keep the mouse completely still and the cursor will automatically jump to the next item. All you then have to do is click and go down the checklist.   Grand isn’t it?

Here are some systems screen shots for you, including the electronic checklist:

The checklist, just like the real world aircraft, has what is known as open and closed loop items.   This simply means that when you select a checklist some of the items are automatically ticked and green, which means that the aircraft has detected automatically that the item is correctly configured. This is what is then referred to a closed loop item. All the others which the aircraft doesn’t detect is open loop. All good then!

An example of a closed loop item in the pre-flight checklist for example, would be the fuel control switches. If they are in the cut-off position, this would automatically indicate green and be ticked off in the list. See the screen shot below.

The most impressive part of the checklist system however is the non-normal or emergency procedures. As I said above, this is the QRH in essence. What does this mean? It simply means that all the recommended steps and options are presented inside the checklist when the emergency occurs and you follow them as you would the QRH itself. Very nice!

So once the emergency presents itself, the aircraft will automatically bring up the right non-normal checklist section and you can get to work on it immediately, no rummaging through a book that you need to reach for somewhere in the cockpit. I will take you through an emergency a little later on so you can get a good view of how this works.

Speaking of emergencies, one of the core features of the 777 in the real world is the Thrust Asymmetry Compensation or TAC in short. What does this do you ask? Well, if at any time you lose an engine or thrust from an engine, the TAC system will handle it for you, trimming the rudder for you to make sure that your workload is reduced.

Yes, it is specifically useful on takeoff where it is worth gold. We will look at how it deals with an engine failure on takeoff shortly after V1 (decision take off speed) as part of the review.

The aircraft has other safety features as well.  It won’t stall or over speed when flown on the autopilot, regardless of whether the auto throttles are engaged or simply armed. I accidentally found this one out when climbing out of Denver on a short flight back to Chicago.

This was only my third flight on the aircraft and the EICAS (Engine Indicating and Crew Alert System) warning told me that the auto throttles had not be engaged. I looked over at the MCP and though “what on earth is this aircraft talking about, both auto throttle switches are armed man!” What I did not engage though was the “A/T” switch after the short ground turn at Denver.  

The aircraft followed the VNAV profile beautifully, but then at some point I realized that the aircraft was not following the standard type of climb pattern that I had become accustomed to during the previous two flights. Then I notice that the aircraft was at full throttle and the despite the auto throttles not actually being engaged, the system would not let the aircraft over speed. It simply adjusted the pitch to keep it a few knots below the over speed.

Another incident to demonstrate the protection envelopes of the aircraft is stall prevention; the working of which I had known but had not intended to use by choice! I was on an ETOPS flight across the Northern Pacific from VHHH (Hong Kong Intl) to KMEM (Memphis, Tennessee) and I had switched off my weather program mid flight, which caused the temperatures to rise drastically at high altitude. This obviously caused a serious drop in performance and the aircraft couldn’t maintain the altitude, which I would have known if I was in the room at that stage.

The aircraft simply adjusted by drifting down and despite unfavorable winds and some turbulence, the 777 adjusted for this remarkably well. Although the warnings sounded and I came running from the other part of the house, it did not stall and it adjusted properly. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how well this was working!

So how about some of the other protections built into the aircraft then? How about if I take the autopilot out and hand fly it? Okay, let’s do that then.

Let us have a look at what the aircraft does when I try to bank it excessively. Now we have to start considering the differences between a fly by wire aircraft and conventional aircraft.It now begins to show differences. I start to turn the aircraft to the right by thirty degrees. In a conventional aircraft, you would need to apply back pressure to keep the wings level right?   Well not here, the FBW system compensates for you. Nice isn’t it? When I did this maneuver for the first time, I pulled back on the control column and the nose shot upwards.  

When passing 30 degrees, I now find that I do need back pressure on the control column to prevent the aircraft from descending. When reaching around 35 degrees of bank the aircraft starts to resist the roll further to the right. It is quite noticeable as the roll is very smooth and sensitive to this point.  

Want to see something really cool? Fight the forces a bit, bank it to maybe around 50 degrees or so and the just let the control column go. What happens? The aircraft will return itself to roughly a wings level attitude. This is fantastic, especially for if you find yourself in an extreme situation and you get spatially disorientated, just let go of the stick and the aircraft will start righting itself for you.

So how about speed protection when the flight director and auto thrust system is turned off and the throttles are pushed way up? Good question! The 777 is what is referred to as speed stable, so you will have to trim forward on the stick to keep the nose level.  

When you approach the red over speed tape on the left side of the PFD, you reach a point where you can no longer trim. With excessive pressure I can keep the nose level, but it will over speed, unlike when the autopilot is in command. You will be required to close the thrust levers and extend the speed brake, normal over speed recovery procedure.

But what about a stall when the autopilot is disengaged then? Let us test it out: we close the throttles, and we keep the nose level.  

Again, speed stable, so we trim the aircraft little by little as the speed drops off to keep the nose level. As the speed drops we will eventually reach the yellow line on the speed tape. At this point, the trimming authority stops, I cannot trim the aircraft’s nose up any longer.  

Okay, no problem I will just apply back pressure on the stick, and once we reach the red line, if your auto throttle is armed the throttles will go into what is known as “wake up mode”, where they will advance automatically and then the stick shaker will start bashing at you to tell you to stop this idiotic behavior! Once it is activated, the throttles will advance further to attempt to fly out of the stall. If your throttles are not armed, they won’t go into the wake up mode and you would ultimately stall and would have to recover per the normal procedure.

Folks please bear in mind that this is very basic, it doesn’t go into full details of the FBW system and I am sure that I may have misinterpreted something somewhere, I am not a real world 777 pilot and I would love to see some comments from guys with real world experience on how this 777 compares! It really is worth it just to have a look at the manuals to discover all these elements and to acquaint yourself with the system.

All in all then, this is the complete package, nothing excluded, and although this review can never be long enough to go through each and every system in minute detail, you should be able to get an overview of the completeness of the systems and the fact that this is a serious simulation and not a toy or a light product.

We will delve into the operation of systems a little deeper during an actual flight cycle.  

Doing an actual flight

Okay, so a lot has been said above, but now let us get to the business part, let’s stop talking about the building blocks of the aircraft and start flying it!

For the purposes of this review, I will start from a warm setup, in other words, the engineers have already been inside the aircraft and have done their part of the magic and brought part of this incredible machine to life. So when I step onto the flight deck, the displays are already partly initialized, and the FMC’s are warmed up.  

The equipment cooling is running and intermittently switching on and off as required (remember, very little equipment on the flight deck is actually running requiring extensive cooling) and the speaker self test initiates a minute or so after entering the flight deck.

The ground equipment is also connected (operated through the FMC just like the NGX) and the doors are already setup (also operated through the FMC like the NGX and also the MD-11). So how to go about the scans then?  I have adopted a very straightforward scan which differs a little from the prescribed scan, but which works perfectly well and covers everything. I will be using this scan, however you can easily follow the procedure outlined in the manual, it’s all there, it all works exactly like it should.

Now for a little more on the 777 design and operating philosophy. It works on the principle that should all warning lights be off, the systems are properly setup. Keeping that in mind, let us start the flow.

The first thing I would do is to go to the overhead and switch on the ADIRU (the IRS in essence) and then head down to the navigation display. After a few seconds, I will see a real time count down in minutes and seconds of what is left before the ADIRU is fully aligned, and if you have this option set to realistic, it should take around 10 minutes or so.  

Once I see this count down, I would then turn to the FMC and enter the name and coordinates of the airport at which I am stationed. I would then head over to the RTE (route page) of the FMC and enter my departure and arrival airports, the flight number and then select page down and start to enter the route.  

Entering the route has a shortcut in it if you choose to use it. Instead of simply entering all the jetways and waypoints following it, you could simply just keep entering the jetways and it will automatically keep entering the ending waypoint of the previous jetway in the waypoint section.   Pretty nifty isn’t it? The NGX follows the same operating principle.

Once that is done, I would save the route for a recall at a later stage should I wish to fly it again.   This is done via the route request function of the FMC.  

Once I have entered my departure and arrival airports, and then select route request, it will narrow it down to only the routes that I have saved between these two airports. I can then select the SID (standard instrument departure procedures) and the runway I intend to take off from or have been cleared to use by ATC.

Next up is the performance page setup, in which I enter my zero fuel weight and my intended reserve fuel, followed by the take off page in which I select if I want to de-rate the take off and by how much, and also the flap setting that I intend using. Then I head off to the initial reference page again which is where I am informed of the trim setting which I need to setup and also my take off speeds.  

Wait, something is wrong here, I am not seeing any take off speeds. But I did setup my departure runway, what the heck... Oh hang on, I cannot do this before the ADIRU is aligned! Keep this in mind folks, it caught me out the first time.

After this I go to my VNAV page, setup my transition level and also the heights at which I need to accelerate and transition to climb thrust, and I usually use 3 000 feet AGL (above ground level).  That’s it!

It takes about two minutes (unless you have to set up a long route which is not already saved for you to recall from the FMC database), and it is very much like the NGX or even the 747-400 for that matter. There are quite a few differences in the rest of the FMC setup which we will take a look at during the cruise.

The manuals now instruct us to do a walk around the aircraft, but since this the first officer’s job and I am in the captain’s seat, we will skip forward to the rest of the scan. I will now cover the overhead panel from left to right, top to bottom in each section of the overhead.

So we start off by ensuring the TAC is switched to auto, that the primary flight computers switch is guarded, the battery is on, the APU is running, that the APU generator is on, that the bus tie switches are in auto and that the external power switches are off (these are covered in supplementary procedures and I will not be having a look at these for the purposes of this review).

The generator and backup generators must be switched on, with the off lights illuminated, and the drive disconnect switches must be illuminated “DRIVE”. The left windscreen wiper must be off. Going back to the top on the next panel, make sure the ground proximity runway override is off and guarded, emergency lights guarded, service interphone is off, passenger oxygen is off and guarded, the window heat is on and the RAT switch is off and guarded.

Make sure the left and right engine hydraulics is switched on with the fault lights illuminated and that the center hydraulics are switched off with the fault lights illuminated, then check that the both electric and both air demand pumps are off with the fault lights illuminated. Set the passenger signs as required and make sure the interior and exterior lights are set.

Back to the top: make sure that the cargo fire system and the APU fire system is normal and works properly by performing the test, that the EEC switches are normal and guarded, that the engine start switches are normal and that the auto start switch is on. Then check that the fuel jettison system is off, and that the fuel pumps are all off. Check all anti-ice switches are set to auto and that the lights below them are properly set according to the phase of flight.

Back to the top again, make sure that: the equipment cooling is in auto, the gasper fan is on, both recirculating fans are on, the flight deck and the cabin temperature switches are in the 12 ‘o clock position and that the left and right pack switches are set to auto.

Next check: the trim airs are on, the bleed air switches are in auto, that the engine bleed switches are “on” with the off lights illuminated and that the APU bleed is in auto. Lastly check that the pressurization is set to auto and the right wiper is off. That’s it, told you it was quick and easy!

I then head over to the left panel next to me, checking the oxygen, then the heaters and panel lights setting them as required, checking the NAV, DISPL CNTRL and AIR DATA /ATT switches to be off and guarded. I check the clock is set, then setup the EFIS as required.

One word here - these switches are not normal rotating switches like the NGX (which are apparently incorrectly modeled by the way) you would click it and it would turn a short distance and stop, like the volume controls on some Hi Fi’s today. It does not keep rolling and rolling and rolling!  

I then set the MCP up, check the displays are correct, do a quick status check, making sure only the TCAS message is displayed, check for normal secondary engine indications, check the fluid levels required, check the throttles are closed, the fuel controls are cut off and the stabilizer cutout switches are guarded. Then a quick scan of the pedestal to see that my radios are set, and that the transponder frequencies are set, and the trims are set. All done!

Once you are familiar with the setup, this takes about 5 minutes to complete. This is a vastly more automated aircraft in comparison with any other Boeing that you may have come across and it cuts on your preparation time spent.

So next we do the pre-flight checklist by hitting the CHKL button to call up the electronic checklist. The checklist functions as explained above, and we quickly run and complete the checklist. Then we prepare ourselves to push and start.

This is accomplished by heading to the FS Actions segment inside the FMC, going to the Doors selection, closing and arming all the relevant doors, and whilst this is going on we can switch to the Doors section on the lower EICAS display to see when the doors are closed and armed. We then switch on the Beacon lights, switch on the fuel tank switches,  switch on the fuel control switches and do a quick recall to make sure everything is in order.

Now complete the “before start” checklist. Once it is done, we simply head over to the overhead panel and switch on the number two engine start switch and then check on the lower EICAS to see that the oil pressure is rising and the temperatures rise normally on the EGT of the engine on the upper EICAS. Repeat for engine number one.

Just to digress slightly here - the aircraft will take care of any abnormal things which can happen during the start, but just keep an eye on it yourself as the rule of automation is to watch it very carefully. Okay, back to the flight.

Should you wish, you can also perform a push back via the FMC as per all PMDG products. This has always been a very nice feature of their products. Just set your distances, tail side and angles, and initiate it and you are good to go.  

Then switch off the APU, do another recall, set the flaps to take off position, set the autobrakes to RTO, check the flight controls, and run the before taxi checklist. Then switch on the taxi lights and you are good to go.

So we know that those engines are pretty darned big, how much of it do we need to get this aircraft taxiing out to the runway? Very little is the answer! Even under very heavy weights, the aircraft moves along easily being powered by those GE engines.  

To give you an example, the flight that we will use as an example flight here, flight DL 200, the Delta Airlines flight from KATL (Atlanta) to FAOR (Johannesburg), uses about full fuel tanks, and then I have a pretty heavy payload, 150 passengers and some 41 140 lbs of cargo, giving us close to the maximum operating weights for the aircraft. Getting the aircraft to move from a standstill required only around 27% N1! That was also enough to start accelerating nicely.   

Once you start going around 90 degree turns, you need to add a touch of power, but don’t overdo it, or else you might run off onto the grass.

For this take off I decided not to de-rate, but to use full take off power on runway 27R, the longest runway at the airport and using flaps 15 for takeoff. The aircraft handles surprisingly sensitively on the taxiways, much more so that you would think. Just remember that the nose wheel is quite far behind you, so just like a 747 you need to taxi your seat far beyond the center line before turning or those main gear will eventually end up on the grass.  

Oh, and I did mention already that the -200LR does not have a taxi camera? Just checking!

As I taxi to the runway, I run the one item on the before takeoff checklist, which is closed loop, that is the flap position, showing 15 degrees green automatically. As I approach the runway, I start to run through the runway entry procedures which are to turn off the taxi lights, turn runway turnoff lights off, turn the landing lights on, switch the transponder to C-mode, and I always run another quick status check. I will explain my obsession with the status page during cruise.

Somewhere in the taxi a chime sounds in the cockpit and when I look at the upper EICAS display, I see that a new notification has been added, the “CABIN READY” notification. Very nice!

Okay, so we are on the runway and it is time to see what this aircraft behaves like near the limits of its capabilities. I turn on the LNAV and VNAV buttons as I will be flying a SID that I can execute without ATC vectors, punch the stop watch and push the throttles open to 55% N1.  

Another quick digression - you will notice that unlike the NGX the throttle positions on the engine dials are not numbered, so how the heck do you know where 55% is? Easy - just push the throttles open until the throttle needles point at the T of the EGT label of the engines and presto, you have about 55% N1. Thanks Kyle, and also Ryan for that bit of information!

The aircraft reacts like it is not so heavily loaded, it start rolling quite quickly down the runway, so I use the click spot (the screw underneath the F/D switch), and shove my hardware throttle all the way up.  

Why do I do that? Well if you don’t shove them all the way up, you will find that at some point during the take off roll, the aircraft will reject the take off, you have been warned.

Once the engine spool up to full power, the reaction is just tremendous. You cannot believe how much power these engines generate! Even at these weights it accelerates to V1 just after half of the runway! Simply staggering, I just realized at this point that I could even have de-rated my take off by some margin and I still would have been safe.

Keeping the aircraft steady down the runway in a bit of wind is both easy and tricky. The FBW controls have a very nasty tendency (until you get used to them that is) to lull you into a false sense of the enormity of the aircraft under your control. The controls are so easy and so smooth and sensitive that you get the feeling of flying a much lighter aircraft, which can destroy the sense of mass and inertia that you are actually dealing with.

Beware of this - this is a huge aircraft, very heavy! So the same mass and inertia related issues that you would encounter when steering down the runway in a 747-400 applies here. Don’t fall behind with the rudder inputs, you might regret it!

Once you have to rotate, make sure you don’t pull with all the strength in your arms like you would with the 747-400, you would over rotate in a heartbeat. Rotation is so smooth and so easy in this aircraft, it really feels like flying a computer, but it also feels real, you can feel the weight but to a lesser degree than you would a 747-400 on takeoff.

Next item - careful for over rotation please! This is one long aircraft and getting a tail strike is easier than you think. Be careful until you are about 50 feet or so from the ground. Again, you have been warned!

Next issue - do not trim the aircraft as you would a 747-400 or other jets for that matter! This is where Boeing meets Airbus to a large extent. With the systems being FBW, you can simply hold the pitch for a second or two and the aircraft will hold that pitch once pressure is released, no worries. Should you start trimming, you set yourself up for a difficult session with the initial climb out, just leave the trim alone.

Four hundred feet for the engagement of the autopilot rushes up to you, and once you select the autopilot on, you start to do nothing but monitor the systems. At 3 000 AGL as setup in the pre-flight, the engine thrust note reduces to climb thrust and the aircraft pitches down and starts to accelerate for the clean up.

The clean up happens quicker than you might expect, again the power of those huge engines.   Once the aircraft is clean, we proceed with the “after takeoff” checklist which contains two closed loop items, the landing gear and the flaps; all good, next checklist under normal conditions would be the descent checklist. We switch the lower EICAS display off.

Our recommended cruise flight level is FL 310 for the flight east to Johannesburg. So, next question, how long does it take to climb to cruise with those monsters under the wing? Almost invariably, whether it is light with a high cruise level or heavy with a lower cruise level, 20 minutes is a good benchmark. That’s right, it takes only 20 minutes. Good grief!

Transitioning from climb to cruise is smooth, the autopilot operates beautifully. In fact this can be said for any phase of the flight. Now, this is obviously going to be an ETOPS flight right? Right. So let us attempt to do it as realistically as possible.  

To be honest, I am not the expert on ETOPS, however I do know the basics regarding the time constraints placed upon you in case of an engine out or a pressurization problem. But where can I get some decent information to use for setting up my FMC fixes with those 420 mile circles that are so ubiquitous on ETOPS flight NAV displays?

Here we digress again. For those of you who are not familiar with the site, head over to www.simbrief.com. You have to register on their site, which is free, and then you can get a proper dispatch document which can be saved in PDF format on your desktop for use. This will tell you how much fuel you require at the departure gate, and also give you all the ETOPS information required for your flight.

Another grand feature is that you can download the flight plan from that document for the PMDG FMC for example, so no more typing and wasting time with it. Awesome! It also gives you a downloadable file for weather entries into the FMC so you don’t have to do it - wow!

The only catch with this site is that if you want to use the latest navigational information, you have to buy it from Navigraph and enter your purchase ID there. This however is no big deal.   How accurate is the fuel information? Extremely, just try it, you won’t fly again without it!

Now that we are in cruise, let us discuss some of the features that PMDG have built into the simulation. Now, the -200LR is the world’s longest flying twin engine aircraft. The capability of this machine is staggering!

The route we are flying from KATL to FAOR is:

MUNSN6 IRQ CH AR4 OLDEY L375 DABAK UL375 EGIBO UL375 PUGSA UL375 DIGOR 0300S 02500W 0700S 02000W 1200S 01500W 1600S 01000W 1900S 00500W 2100S 00000E 2200S 00500E 2300S 01000E NIBEK ETUSO UN181 PEDIL UQ19 AVAGO               

which is 8,449 statute miles. Our flight time is estimated at a staggering 17 hours based on our cost index. According to our chart per the dispatch document, we enter our ETOPS part of the flight at TXKF, so we head over to our FIX page on the FMC and enter TXKF as our first leg, and draw a 420nm circle around it. We complete the process with TBPB, GVAC, FHAW, and finally FYWH, which is where the ETOPS part of the flight ends.

So it is clear that we are not going to sit and monitor the flight for the full 17 hours. I actually started the flight at 17H00 local time and finished it the follow day at around 11H00, some 17 hours and 43 minutes later. So, PMDG have decided to add a few things which are not in the real aircraft to help us simmers with real world time constraints manage these ultra long haul flights.

The first thing which can be set via the FMC in the simulation section is the auto step climb feature. This I always use! Once the aircraft is leveled out at FL310 for the cruise, I leave it, I don’t touch the altitude again.  

What happens is when the aircraft needs to, it climbs in 2 000 feet increments without any intervention from the pilot, which is great because this allowed me to sleep through Friday evening and complete the flight the following morning. And yes, it works properly without any issues whatsoever.

If you don’t want to fly in real time for that amount of time due to time constraints for example, you can use the auto cruise feature. This can be setup by going to the FMC, FS Actions, and then Auto Cruise, and selecting whether you want to have auto step climbs, whether to pause at the top of decent, and what sort of time compression you require at cruise level.  

So how does this work then? What it is, is a safe time compression feature which will speed up and decelerate as the flight progresses compensating for winds and turns and climbs and turbulence etcetera, making sure the aircraft does not do something silly during time acceleration like when you use the FSX default acceleration feature. And it works too!

So how do I activate it then? Simple, just right click the chronometer button on the clock. To disable it just left click on the same button. Easy isn’t it? Once activated the time on the clock will change from amber to green, and once deactivated, from green back to amber.

And whilst we are at little additions adding to the quality of the product, NGX users will be aware of the fact that the hardware throttle position could be seen on the engine indications so that you could sync it with the actual position in the simulation to avoid power surges when taking over from the auto thrust system. This feature is retained in the 777! Goes without saying I know, but there you go!

Now some features that are not in the NGX FMC or the 747 FMC for that matter. The 777 FMC has a button labeled ALTN which is alternate airports close to you. If you select this it will show the closest airports capable of taking a 777. Should I select one from the list, the FMC will ask me if I wish to divert there now, and if I say yes, it will immediately navigate me there directly.  

It also has an FMC COMM button which shows you a position report option as well. Where you are now and where you will be for the next two waypoints. Again, just a very short overview of some of the functions that you will not come across with the FMC in an NGX.

Perhaps this is another good opportunity to refer you to the manuals for an in-depth study of all the systems? Folks, I really cannot take you through all the systems since for one I am not an actual 777 pilot and on the other hand I am still studying the simulation myself. There are probably many, many more things in that FMC which I have not touched on.

Another nifty feature, which I have turned off, is the crew alertness simulation. Should you not perform an action in the cockpit for a period of time, you will first get an amber notification on the EICAS, which is followed by a red caution and an alarm sounding in the cockpit until you perform some kind of action, which could be turning, pushing or pulling any button. I have this turned off, but it is in fact a feature in the real aircraft.

Now, although we are in cruise flight, now is also the perfect time to have a look at one of the niftiest features of the all, the ground operations programmed into the FMC! This is a full simulation of ground operations.  

What does this mean? Well, it means that I select whether I would have a long or short ground turnaround time, how much fuel needs to go onto the aircraft for the next leg. The computer then calculates what your turn time would be, how much fuel needs to be uplifted and you can select whether you want to push back and start automatically at the end or not. It will also deal with the doors for you. How about that? Awesome stuff isn’t it?

What is also great about this is that you can actually see how the fuel levels rise in real time as the aircraft is being refueled on the ground. How cool is that?

Another feature of the aircraft is the way that it deals with polar flights. Once you reach a certain latitude, the aircraft will automatically change over from magnetic to true navigation and the will begin to display grid positions on the navigation display. A full explanation of how polar flights should be done is in the manual, take the time to read it, it is well worth it! Not because you need to do anything, the aircraft will do all that is needed for you automatically, but just to get a sense of what is going on behind the scenes, trust me, it is well worth the read.

Another aspect that many would want to know about is how this aircraft reacts to turbulence and high altitude winds. I use the FS Global Real Weather program which is amazing at getting the upper air temperatures, winds and turbulence right. I found that what was predicted by the simbrief package and what was experienced in terms of the FSGRW weather and the effects it had on the aircraft in terms of fuel usage was pretty much spot on.  

In terms of how the aircraft reacted, it would be as you would expect. No extreme and unrealistic gyrations of gigantic proportions or uncontrolled dives and climbs as can sometimes be the case, the aircraft didn’t do anything strange or out of the ordinary.

So we are now close to our decent into FAOR some 17 hours into the flight. We now set ourselves up for the descent and approach. We check our weight, set our Vref speed, select our flaps for landing, just like I would in any other Boeing FMC, and then do a quick recall and status check.  

I select autobrakes to level 1 (I found that unless I am landing on a very short runway, I don’t need more than this at all), and run through the briefing with myself. Then I run the checklist for the descent and reset the altitude window.

So what is it with this guy and that darned status page? Does he have an obsession? Yes I do!  

The 777 is a remarkably clever aircraft. Firstly, as is obvious if you study the systems, the aircraft has a tremendous amount of redundancy built into it which makes it so safe. But there is also another aspect of this aircraft - it will not make you alert to every single thing that goes wrong, especially if it is something that you cannot do anything about as a pilot.  

The aircraft may just simply have another system take over the compromised system’s duties without any fuss. Any problems would be listed in the status page in order of effective priority, but you won’t know about it unless you actually check the status page. Therefore, it is said, the wise pilot always checks the status page on a regular basis.  

Oh yes, and while we are talking about compromised systems, the same model for failures that have been built into the NGX for service based failures, are also built into the 777, but with one difference though. It is clear that modern day airliners are tremendously reliable machinery.   Therefore, you may not necessarily get a serious failure in your professional career as a pilot.  

PMDG recognized this and introduced a way to speed up the occurrence of these problems for those interested in constantly breaking their aircraft. I am not one of those people, so I have not done this!

Right, so we now start our descent. The aircraft handles descents and vertical profiles in general wonderfully well, better than almost anything that I have flown so far. There is just one thing to note. The 777 uses a high lift, super critical wing, which makes it able to handle heavy loads at high temperatures and high altitude airports, as well as cruise faster and climb faster. What it does do is make the aircraft a little slippery when descending, so you may have to use quite a bit of speed brake as you head downwards.

At our transition level we switch over to the local QNH, do the approach checklist and prepare for the landing. The 777 is easily flown manually from the glare shield (MCP) and it operates smoothly and reliably in that fashion.  

So, we have set ourselves up for the approach and we intercept the ILS, this is a smooth, painless process, we select our landing flaps, get our gear down and arm our speed brakes, do the landing checklist, which is all closed loop, we just confirm that all items are green, and then we continue down the glide slope.

Some companies instruct the pilots to let the aircraft handle the throttles all the way down onto the runway, so let us see how this works. I switch off the autopilot as my approach is straightforward manual ILS approach. I take over at about 1 000 AGL and continue down the slope. I just make sure that my hardware throttle is all the way down, because once you are on the runway and try to engage reverse whilst your throttles are on approach power settings, your hardware throttle will take over and you will find that far from reducing speed, you are speeding up and taking off again!

Now, again the FBW controls are so smooth, so precise, but can mislead you into how much input you require to land the aircraft. This is a big heavy aircraft and must be flown like one! I have to honestly say that I battled for the first few landings to get this right. It becomes second nature though very quickly. Again, don’t touch the trims folks, the aircraft will handle these issues for you, just fly the yoke and let the FBW systems take care of the rest for you.

As we head down the slope, I see that the auto thrust systems are doing a sterling job of keeping approach speed for me, Vref and 5 knots indicated. I keep going until the “30" call out is made then I raise the nose ever so slightly, just slowing the descent rate up.  

Do not over rotate, you will float for ages and come crashing down onto the runway. The auto thrust system performs perfectly on its own! Keep it smooth, steady and precise! Don’t allow the AOA (angle of attack) to get too high, if you do, you will float for ages. Remember, high lift and super critical airfoil!

Right when the throttles are at idle, the main gear kisses the runway and I fly the nose wheel onto the runway as gently as I can. You would be surprised at which low speeds one can keep that nose wheel in the air. I apply reverse thrust and come to a good clean 20 knots ground speed for the taxi.

Folks getting the landing right in this aircraft, takes a bit of practice, predominantly to get the FBW systems under control, learning to get to grips with how light it feels as opposed to how heavy it is and to get the flare right, that is the most important part of the landing! Once you get it right though you would be able to enjoy smooth, perfect landings every time.

Taxiing off the runway I stop the clock at 17 hours and 43 minutes, having taken off with 307 000lbs of fuel and having landed with 28 700 lbs. It has a real sense of achievement for me, although the automation did most of the work as is the case these days. I switch off the landing lights, on with the taxi lights, switch off the transponder, switch on the APU, pull up the flaps and make sure that the speed brakes are down. That’s it. To taxi it at this lighter weight requires even less thrust and a slight opening of the thrust levers is enough to get the job done!

At the ramp, I switch my dome lights on, check that the APU and its generator is online, then flip off the fuel control switches, switch off the beacon light, switch off the fuel pumps and the hydraulics, get the ground services connected and then open the doors, and I run the shut down checklist, most of those items, apart from the parking brake is closed loop and will be green automatically if done correctly.  

The secure checklist is straightforward: switch off the ADIRU, disarm the emergency exit lights, and switch off the packs, and you are done.

Folks this is the finest FDE with integrated systems that I have ever flown before. There is absolutely nothing that I can criticize about it. Has PMDG improved upon the NGX in this area?   Wait hang on, this is now apples and oranges isn’t it? FBW versus conventional control systems etcetera?  

Yes you are right, but how about the overall immersion?  Did they improve upon that? Yes! They did say you will find it is better, you may not be able to put your finger on it, but you will know that it is better. They were right. Excellent job PMDG, period!

Mayday, mayday, mayday!

Right, so now that we have covered the normal stuff, let us look at an abnormal situation. Let us see how all those critical safety measures work when the aircraft needs to use them. And of course, what better way to put the aircraft through its paces than with an engine failure shortly after V1. This will employ the TAC system and will incorporate the QRH on the electronic checklist system. Let’s have a look...

Okay, we are on the runway at PANC as Fed Ex Express 93 on our way from PANC (Ted Stevens International or Lake Hood Strip) to VHHH (Hong Kong). We are carrying 210 000 lbs of fuel and our ZFW is 428 300 lbs. Yes, I prefer pounds (lbs) to kgs (kilograms). Our TOW is 638 300 lbs. We are using flaps 15 for takeoff and a takeoff derate of TO 1 and full CLB power. I now head over to the FMC and the FAILURES section and set up a very serious engine failure after V1. All set? Let’s go!  

Again the tremendous power of those General Electric motors ensure that we hurtle down the runway comfortably. A second or so after reaching V1 and “BOOM”, there is a mechanical bang in my right hand engine. Now, I have to admit it was very difficult to trust the computer to apply the right amount of rudder to ensure that I keep going straight down the runway. The TAC system kicks in and corrects the force that drives me towards the right side of the runway and before I know it I am airborne! Well, apart from the slightly reduced deck angle and slight bit off oddness on takeoff, it was a fairly normal take off!

Okay, I am airborne and under control, I engage the autopilot to assist me in flying the aircraft whilst I now deal with the emergency. I look at the lower EICAS display and see that the correct section of the QRH has automatically appeared for me to look at and it gives me a few options. I now flick my eyes back to the upper EICAS and see that my right engine N1 shows 0.00 percent. Not good at all, that means that the fan blades are not spinning, so the chances of getting that seized up engine started again is zero, zilch, nada, nothing!  

Back down to the lower display and the QRH. Looking at our options I can see that it certainly is giving extremely abnormal engine indications, so I head down to that section of the options by selecting it on the checklist. I follow the checklist by switching off the affected engine’s A/T Arm switch, closing the thrust lever and switching off the fuel control for my right hand engine and utilize my engine fire switch as per the checklist.

Good, the engine is shut down and I don’t have any further indications that a fire may erupt at any moment. Further following the checklist I switch on the APU, select my transponder to TA ONLY and head for the nearest airport, in this case, PAN C which is where I took off. 

Now, up until now with my head stuck in the checklist the aircraft has been flying itself beautifully with the TAC system taking care of the thrust asymmetry hogging my bird. I simply select headings and set myself up for very much a standard traffic pattern. The aircraft is performing beautifully!  

Now I dig my head down in the checklist again and I have to make a few more decisions. What flap setting will I use for landing? I can choose between flaps 20, 25 and 30 depending on the performance of the aircraft. Hmmm...

Now, we are attempting an overweight landing here, deciding not to dump any fuel. Yes, I do this just for the heck of it folks! The runway is long and dry, and I would prefer to use a little less drag on the airframe due to the weight of the aircraft, so I go for flaps 20. The checklist instructs me to use Vref and an extra 20 KIAS for the landing. I set this up.  

That pretty much covers it! Did that seem a little easy? It was actually, considering that I have never simulated such a failure on the 777 before!

Again folks, this an absolutely amazing flying machine. The way that the automation and the support features are incorporated into the airframe, this is where the 777 becomes different from anything else that you have ever flown before. This is where it starts to earn the money that the airlines and us end users of this tremendous product paid for it.

So how about the landing then? Here is the other neat part - this aircraft can still auto land in this configuration! Since my experience is fairly limited I let the aircraft land itself, firmly as with any auto land, but smooth and more than survivable!  

If you have been worried about using your service based failures because of fear of not being able to cope well with emergencies, those days are gone - I think the scenario I described above outlines this very clearly! Full marks to PMDG, it is clear to see where all those months of waiting in anguish for us simmers went and it was clearly well spent time!

Sounds

This now refers to all the other sounds that I have not dealt with above. As expected they are all there, but there is a big difference this time around - they are crisp and clear like never before! When you handle that flap lever it is the most satisfying, crisp and clear “clack” sound when it goes from one detent to the next. This is the case with every other knob that you pull, push, turn or whatever you do with it. It adds the next level of immersion of feeling that you are in the cockpit.

The rolling sounds are just tremendous, the best we have ever had from PMDG. The engine sounds are to die for (that may well happen if you spend too much time drooling over the sounds and keep the nose pointed down for too long!)

The entire sound package is a little bit like the Matrix - you cannot be told what it is, you have to experience it for yourself! I cannot fault any part of it, full marks to PMDG, as well as a great thank you for the above-and-beyond job that they have done with it. 

Performance

Now, this has been a point of discussion in the forums, some reporting better than ever frames in comparison with the NGX and other products, others saying that they have a slight decrease in performance.  

I have an Intel Q9550 Core2Quad machine running at 2.83GHz, 6 GB RAM, and a GeForce 480GTX with 1.5 GB RAM. Performance is on par with the NGX, but I do experience that even where there may be a slightly higher impact on fps in certain scenarios, it has to be said that the overall experience is way smoother when compared to the NGX.So what am I saying? If you get satisfactory performance from your NGX, this will run well on your system. 

As many of us have discovered it is not necessarily how many fps you are getting but how smooth they are. The 777 is smoother than the NGX on my system. As always though, the same caveat applies - make sure you have the minimum system requirements before you take the leap.   Oh and I did mention that the product WILL NOT RUN ON P3D, IRRESPECTIVE OF YOUR SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS? Just checking!

Conclusion

What remains to be said then? In conclusion, this is a complete package.  

In some packages you will find that the sound is better than the textures and the aircraft’s flight control responses are better than the operating of the different modes in the auto pilot. Not so in this package.

PMDG have long had the standpoint that it will be released when it is ready, and not one day before. This again shows clearly in this package. Yes, there have been some issues here and there for the odd simmer, but in general, the package was complete and again, in a class of its own.

I for one have not had any issues with the aircraft since using it for the first time. This is beyond any doubt the finest 777 simulation that is available for FSX and I would venture to guess that it is close to Level D simulation standards, apart from the missing hydraulic actuators and actual flight controls that you can manipulate without having to use a mouse. Only real pilots will be able to substantiate this though.

Every flight is a joy, a thrill! It is the most enjoyable simulation that I have used on ultra long haul flights. The 747-400 has always been my favourite aircraft, and will continue to be so. For me nothing beats the thrill of a maximum weight take off in the Queen, but until the new 747-400 and the -8i expansion from PMDG appears, this will take her place.  

Now for the price. It is unusually high for an add-on at USD 89-99, that’s true. Whether you think this is too much or not will depend on what you want from a simulation. If you are more into a 5 minute setup and taxi for a quick blast, this is not for you, although after spending some time in it, it may convince you that using it on short hauls or getting you addicted to systems depth and long haul flying can become possible.

If you love long hauls, but not systems depth, this again may not be for you. On the other hand, this may very well change your mind! If systems depth is your forte but you have a below par machine, this is definitely not for you, but again on the other hand, you may consider upgrading your PC slightly?

For the hard core, die hard, systems depth fanatic simmer, like myself, this is a must have simulation. I continue to read and learn about it and the deeper you dig, the more you will find! Like the NGX, you will spend years finding little things that you did not know were there.  

From my perspective, based on my background, the USD 89-99 that I spent on it was an investment, a purchase that I can easily justify in terms of the hours I have spent in it. My logbook reflects 197 hours now since completing this review. And of course, this is only the beginning of my love affair with the 777.

Bottom line, if you are a die hard 777 fan that love systems fidelity, get it, you won’t be disappointed! The 777 is not worth what you pay for it - it is worth much, much more, and PMDG is still letting us have it at a steal folks, trust me!

I’m off again, blasting off into the blue yonder. As I open the throttles and hear those GE’s spooling up to take off power I get goose bumps. When the rotation arrives and I gently rotate this gentle giant’s nose into the air, a smile slowly starts to spread across my face.  

There is a definite feeling of breaking away from terra firma, I really have just gotten wings and started to fly. I ease gently into the sky on my way to another destination beyond the capabilities of most other aircraft.  

I’m at home now, this just feels right! 

What I liked about it

Everything!

What I didn’t like about it

Nothing!

Review by Gene Davis. Just Trains has delivered yet another fantastic route for Train Simulator and this time it will have you traveling through Austria, Switzerland and Germany! This new route is known as the Three Country Corner Route and it does not disappoint! It will have you traveling across borders and trekking through snow covered mountain ranges as you get your virtual passengers to their destinations.

Purchase, Download and Installation

The route itself can be purchased from the Just Trains website and it is roughly 350MB’s in size and costs $37.99. Once purchased, you can download the file from their site and install it. The only thing you will need to do is input your user name and password for the Just Trains site during installation, so this portion of the installer does require an active internet connection.

Once installed into Train Simulator 2013 or the now 2014 version you will have access to the route manual, scenarios and activities in Train Simulator itself. From what I can tell, Three Country Corner Route works well with the newly released Train Simulator 2014 and I haven’t had any real issues, if anything my performance has gotten better and load times are much faster!

The Three Country Corner Route from Just Trains

This new route from Just Trains covers three different countries, Austria, Germany and Switzerland and includes over 80 miles of track between the cities of Rorschach Switzerland, to Lindau Germany and onward to  St. Anton in Austria with all of the stops in between.

The route itself uses mostly the BR101 Electric Train with a full complement of passenger cars, but it does also make use of the BVR 200 diesel and the electric BR143, though the BR143 is not available in the quick drive option for this route it can be added manually. In total there are 10 different scenarios to choose from and they include both freight and passenger service through all three countries.

In total there are 11 main and 5 freight stations along the way, Germany has a total of 1 main and 1 freight, Austria has 8 main and 3 freight and Switzerland has 2 main and 1 freight. From St Anton to  Bludenz you will experience the mountain pass portions of the route in Austria and as you descend towards Feldkirch the valleys will start to open up to towns and sprawling cities as you near the border crossings for Switzerland and Germany.

The route also makes use of the many new enhancements seen in Train Simulator 2013 and now 14, two of the biggest difference I have seen is the lighting and the way the people are handled in the simulator.  At some of the stations there are hordes of people waiting to cross tracks and many just standing around waiting for the next train. The night lighting is also impressive as it makes use of the TSX technology for Train Simulator.

Travelling the Route!

Initially I started this route from St Anton and found that much of the route from there to Bludenz is mostly tunnel and I would recommend traveling from Lindau Germany, over to Rorschach Switzerland and then onto Austria for your initial trek across this fantastic landscape to get the full experience because it’s awfully dark in those tunnels.

As you travel through the different towns each have their own signage, buildings and custom scenery objects and many are particular to their location. Even the border crossings are in multiple languages and are accurate to their actual signage.

The larger train stations and depot’s are also beautifully rendered and match their real world locations along the way, one of the more interesting observations while coming down from the mountains from St Anton, after the tunnels,  are that of all of the old abandoned train depots and small communities along the way.

The towns and cities have all been brought to life with people, cars, animals and even boats! The journey along the coast line along Lake Constance is a beautiful one!

You will also want to try out the different seasons with this route especially when it comes to traveling to or from places like St. Anton because the mountains all take on winter textures and the conditions change dramatically as you traverse the landscape.

Textures changes as the seasons change, this is nothing really new in Train Simulator but the difference in textures really does stand out with this route.

Each individual line also follows strict track rules and guidelines for operating a train especially when it comes to operating in three different countries. I found that as I explored each section of this route I could not just drop a train in and go with the quick drive options.

Take the BVR 200 for instance, because there are some places the sim just will not allow you to use it because it is not designed for use on that specific track and ultimately I confused the sim enough times that I eventually started crashing the game and needed to restart the whole thing.

One of the things that I have the hardest time with is paying attention to the speed limits in Train Simulator as I tend to get going a little too fast at times. This was apparent after leaving St. Anton and it is actually right after a series of tunnels. The speed goes from 100 to 60 right after a tunnel at Wald am Arlberg (which is a closed station) and if you miss the change in speed you will find yourself going right off of a bridge and into a ravine after the abandoned station because there is a tight turn in the track and it comes up real fast if you are travelling at 100. 

Also, make sure to watch out for other trains! I made the mistake of ignoring a couple of signals and found myself plowing into other engines several times, and at a 100 mph they come on awfully fast! I found that it didn’t matter whether I was doing a scenario or just doing the quick drive option, I encountered other engines on several occasions.

In Closing

This particular route is a must have for any arm chair engineer as it really shows off what Train Simulator is capable of and literally grabs you and pulls you into the simulation as you use it!

The routes that Just Trains offer simply get better with each one and you just find yourself just wanting more with each new addition to Train Simulator.

Introduction

Review by Marlon Carter. Some of you may be familiar with PilotsEYE while others may be hearing about them for the first time. In a nutshell, PilotsEYE is a new and refreshing DVD/Blu-Ray Documentary that captures the thrill and excitement of flying through the perspective of the Captain and First Officer. This is a very different approach to what we may be use to from other producers, but I can safely say that this is perhaps the best series of DVDs you will come across. The production is worthy of cable TV and you would be surprised to know that these films are shown onboard Lufthansa flights. (Lufthansa DVDs that is)

Lufthansa A380 – San Francisco

Highlights

This DVD captures the moment that many of you have been waiting for. Ever since the first flight of the A380 in commercial service, many have dreamed of what it would be like to fly onboard this new queen of the skies. This DVD captures not only the experience of flying onboard this aircraft, but it also captures the extremely rear opportunity to fly in the cockpit of this giant.

Throughout this DVD we will follow the final flights of Lufthansa’s no.1 Captain and Chief Pilot Jürgen Raps. The final flight for JR takes us all from Frankfurt to San Francisco onboard the A380. At the very beginning, JR gives us a briefing on the details of our 10 hour flight ahead. During the departure preparation, viewers will have the opportunity to see a detailed presentation on the checklist items and other checks to be completed prior to pushback. You will be happy to know that the camera footage is not limited to just the cockpit as there are many other cameras that capture the pushback, taxi and departure from the cabin, ramp, tower and runway!

The taxi to runway 25R was very short and while holding for departure, there was quite a treat when another A380 from San Francisco came in for landing on the same runway. The departure from Frankfurt was absolutely majestic as the A380 effortlessly made its way off the ground and before long was smoothly climbing to its initial cruise altitude of FL320. During the cruise portion of the flight there were many highlights worth mentioning.

For example, Captain Raps gives an explanation on volcanic ash and how their route had to be altered which gave them a time savings of 1 hour. While the crew was happy with the much faster routing, the joy was short lived as ATC had to re-clear our flight to another route due to a change in the volcanic ash clouds.

Other highlights included the many interesting conversations between the Capt and First Officer. Of particular interest was the Captain’s explanation of when he first knew he wanted to be a pilot at the age of 6. During this presentation there were many photos of Capt Raps that showed the progression of his career at Lufthansa which was very inspiring and emotional.

Coming closer to the time of arrival, the crew prepares for the landing by discussing the arrival procedure which takes us over many landmarks such as the Napa Valley, Point Reyes and the Golden Gate Bridge. The views from the cockpit over San Francisco were quite stunning and the various camera views on final and touchdown made this approach one of the best ever seen on a DVD of this nature.

While taxiing to the gate, the SFO airport paid tribute to JR with a water salute. While I thought this was the best tribute to any pilot, I was quite surprised when JR put on his leather jacket and helmet and made his way to the ramp where he was allowed to ride a Harley around the ramp area while waving to airport personnel and other aircraft! For me, this was the best moment of this DVD because it is highly unlikely that you will ever see anything like this again.

During Capt. Raps’ stay in San Francisco, he takes us along for a tour of this beautiful city with a sailing trip up to the Golden Gate Bridge and later a dinner party at the Cliff House. The dinner party was quite emotional but nicely showed the strong companionship among the flight crew and their appreciation of JR and his long career as a pilot. One of JR’s remarks that will resound in your mind after viewing this DVD, is to “Live your dreams and not to dream your life”, this statement perfectly captures the way JR lived his life and it is the reason why he has been able to enjoy a 41 year career.

The final segment of this DVD features the return flight to Frankfurt which is also Capt Raps finally flight in his airline career. After all the checks have been completed, the captain taxis out of the gate for the very last time for an almost 10 hour flight back home. The departure was quite a treat because both the passenger and viewers had the privilege of seeing and experiencing the rocking of the wings from side to side as a standard procedure for saying goodbye to an airport.

During the cruise back to Germany there were many light hearted moments between the Capt and Senior First Officer than many of you will enjoy and find quite entertaining. Another highlight was a brief overview of some of the systems onboard the A380 which I am sure everyone will find enlightening. As the flight draws to an end, there is also a flashback series of clips that capture some of the best moments in Captain Raps’ career along with comments from many of his colleague which were very touching.

The final landing for JR was also a significant highlight in this DVD. JR was intent on ending his career in style and he did just that when he ever so smoothly landed the A380 back at Frankfurt. The aircraft was escorted to the gate and saluted once more with water from the airport fire trucks. After parking at the gate and completing the parking checklist, Capt Raps bids a final farewell to the viewers as he exits the cockpit for the last time as an airline pilot brining this exciting journey to an end.

Words cannot express how insightful, inspirational and emotional this DVD really is. What I can tell you is that this is one DVD that you MUST see. Apart from the flight video itself, there is also some very interesting bonus material featuring the Airbus factory and simulator training on the A380. All in all I would highly recommend this DVD as it is easily one of the best offering from PilotsEye.

Additional Information

Austrian 777 – Tokyo

Highlights

The DVD starts off with a few clips of the operations at Vienna airport. Shortly after this presentation, our Captain, Capt Fritz Strahammer, gives the viewers a briefing of our flight to Tokyo. This presentation is also nicely complimented with a Google Earth presentation which was very helpful in visualizing the route we are about to fly.

After all the necessary preparations have been made, we depart Vienna beginning our 11 hour flight to Tokyo. During the departure and cruise there were many scenic views from the cockpit which all will enjoy. During the flight there are also updates given to the passengers & viewers by the flight crew, that entail details on our current location and other information related to the flight. The night time portion of the flight is typically quite, so the captain takes the opportunity to give an enlightening presentation of their “office.” This presentation is not very in-depth, but it is still very informative to the average enthusiast. A definite highlight of this flight was the stunning sunrise prior to arrival.

Prior to descent, our First Officer gives the viewers an enlightening presentation on how long it takes to become a captain, as well as other interesting facts about being a pilot at Austrian. This presentation was very intriguing and easily one of the most insightful to you aspiring pilots. After the approach briefing, our flight makes its way through the dense layer clouds below to join the arrival for RWY 34R. The landing on Runway 34R was quite thrilling given the fact that the runway is just about 2000m long. While this may seem to be a very difficult landing, the expressions of the faces of the pilots show that it was all a walk in the park.

After an uneventful landing, the crew taxis our aircraft to the gate bringing an end to what can only be described as a fantastic journey. After such a long flight, it is only natural that the crew would not only like to rest, but to explore this intriguing country. During their rest day, the crew embarks on an interesting journey through Tokyo taking the viewers along with them. The tour of Tokyo was not very lengthy, but none the less it is a definitely highlight of this DVD.

After all has been said and done, it is now time for our return flight to Vienna. After pushback and taxi, our 777 swiftly departs for our 11 hour flight back to Vienna. During the climb and cruise portion of the flight, there were many spectacular views from the cockpit of various sites such as Mt. Dvoynaya, Mt. Gora Arsen-yeva and Chabarowsk along with many shots of other aircraft flying past our 777.

With about 9 hours enroute remaining in our flight the captain gives the viewers an update as to the path they have taken thus far, along with the current altitude and other specifics of the flight. The relief pilot also delivers a short presentation about his vital role on long range flights. A highlight of this presentation was an actual demonstration of how the checklist is used in the event of an abnormal situation while enroute and the captain is still resting.

With just a short time remaining, the Captain returns to the flight deck for the approach briefing into Vienna. The scenic views seen on the arrival were quite captivating and pilots in this region are quite fortunate to have such a view each day they go to work. After a smooth landing, we arrived on time at our gate despite the heavy flow of inbound traffic. After a few brief remarks by the Captain, our journey to Tokyo and back has now come to an end. 

My overall impression of this DVD is that it can easily be one of the best 777 DVDs out there. Though the language spoken is not English in some portions, there is an option to have English subtitles which is hardly an inconvenience. I would highly recommend checking out this DVD.

Additional Information

Lufthansa A330 – Seattle

Highlights

Our roundtrip journey to Seattle from Frankfurt starts off with a few welcoming remarks from Captain Frank Lunemann. Capt Lunemann and his crew will be flying us onboard Lufthansa’s A330 for the 23 flight hours between Frankfurt and Seattle. Most of you may be aware that an A330 is a two pilot operated aircraft. In this instance however, we will have three pilots onboard our long haul flight to Seattle. While the Captain and Senior First Officer Sascha Unterbarnscheidt complete the performance calculations, our third pilot Miriam Pfannmuller, who is also a Senior First Officer is busy on the ramp completing a walk around inspection of the A330.

After all the checks have been completed, our A330 slowly makes its way to the departure runway. During this period, there were many short clips of the activity taking place in both the control tower and on the active runways which is very rare in these types of videos. After the departure, we steadily make our way up to our initial cruise altitude with many fantastic views of Germany along the way. When passing through FL270, our second SFO takes over the right seat for a portion of the flight.

For the remainder of the flight there were many highlights to talk about. While cruising at FL360, the view from the cockpit can only be described as breathtaking. The conversations between the Capt and SFO were also of interest since they discuss many aspects of flying which changes in the airline over the years, life in Seattle. Captain Lunemann also gives us an update on the flight regarding our route and the expected weather on arrival in Seattle. After the arrival he also updates us on our activities to follow which include a tour of the Boeing Factory and Museum of Flight.

Prior to our descent, our SFO Sascha Unterbarnscheidt returns to the cockpit where the approach briefing is then discussed. While most descents and approaches are rather uneventful, this one was not. The A330 has a fuel distribution system where the fuel in the wing tanks will transfer to the inner tanks on both the left and right side of the aircraft. While the left valve opened to facilitate this transfer, the right tank did not and a warning message alerted the crew to this error. If this problem was not corrected, it would have resulted in a fuel imbalance that could jeopardize the safety of the flight. The crew reacted swiftly to solve this issue by “forcing” the valve to open by changing the switch from “AUTO” to “ON”. 

After the issue with the fuel was sorted, it was now time to make final preparations for the landing in Seattle. The approach itself was uneventful but very scenic with views of KPAE and the surrounding areas in clear view. While the latter moments of the approach saw a few “bumps”, the landing on RWY16C was quite smooth bring a satisfactory end to this very long flight.

As mentioned before by Captain Lunemann, the stay over in Seattle takes us on a grand tour of the Boeing Factory and the Museum of Flight. These tours were a spectacular highlight of this DVD and it is perhaps the segment you will remember the most. During the tour of the Boeing Factory, Capt. Mark Feuerstein (B747 Test pilot) takes us on the grand tour of the 747-8 assembly line. During his presentation, you will learn quite a lot about the 747-8F and the hard work that goes into creating one. The details of the changes and differences between the 747-8 and older 747 models are also discussed and I am sure you will find these segments very intriguing. The Tour of the Museum of flight was also very enlightening and I think this would definitely appeal to many of you who have a soft spot for the golden age of aviation.

After a wonderful such a wonderful tour, it was such a shame that it all came to an end so quickly. The following day, we join the crew back at the gate as they prepare for their departure back to Frankfurt. The departure and cruise portions of the flight were much the same as the first with amazing scenic views and an even more so interesting view of forest fires over Canada! One of the highlights that I enjoyed with our return trip was the light hearted conversations among the flight crew. While being a pilot is a serious job, it doesn’t mean that the flight crew cannot enjoy each other’s company with humorous conversation. Throughout this DVD, the friendly manner of the flight crew shines through and it shows how much fun pilots can have while still being vigilant about their work.

After yet another uneventful landing, we arrive at our gate to bring an end to a fantastic journey with a very entertaining flight crew. In conclusion, I think that this DVD is definitely a keeper and one that you will definitely enjoy viewing. If you do not speak German and you won’t mind reading English or French subtitles, this DVD will provide almost 2 hours of fun and excitement.

Additional Information

Summary / Closing Remarks

While these DVD’s are in foreign languages, subtitles are provided in English, German and French. It may seem inconvenient having to read subtitles in order to understand what’s going on but it really isn’t as inconvenient as it may seem. I thought that the editing of these videos was second to none and what made it even more impressive, was the fact that there were camera views from the ground for takeoff and landings. Cameras were also present in the control tower which captured the Air Traffic Controllers as they communicated with the aircraft.

The prices of these DVDs/Blu-Rays are about £17.54 - £18.60 depending on the format you choose. For what you are getting, I would say it is a very fair price given the fact that each DVD/Blu-Ray comes with Bonus material! The overall presentation of these DVDs give you the impression that a major filming company spend months filming and editing to create what I think is the most unique and innovation aviation documentary to date.

If you have never seen an aviation documentary before, I would definitely recommend PilotsEye.

What I Like About The PilotsEye DVDs

• Breathtaking scenery
• Stunning and Creative editing
• Features very unique destinations and aircrafts
• HD format.
• Numerous Cameras give a thrilling and unique perspective to the viewers of what goes on in the cockpit

What I Don’t Like About The PilotsEye DVDs

• Nothing

Reviewed by Doug Horton. Like many fight simulation enthusiasts, I began the hobby using a small inexpensive joystick as my only controller. The joystick was connected to now obsolete computer though a game port connection, which is also obsolete. Later, I moved to a yoke system with built-in throttle, prop, and mixture levers.

When I began private pilot training, I added rudder pedals and finally disabled the “auto-rudder” setting I’d used for many years. These controls provided sufficient realism at the time, but later, I changed my yoke and pedals to newer designs that are quite similar to the controls in the real Cessna 182 aircraft I fly and own with four other partners.

Having visited several “advanced” flight simulator users over the 23 years I’ve been in the hobby, I’ve seen several home cockpits, and I’ve known that there were “professional quality” controls that are specially designed emulate controls in airliners.

This review features an example of this category, and it’s the GoFlight NG 737 Yoke System, which was introduced in mid-2013. GoFlight is well known in the community for making professional-quality controls and modules for flight simulation.

General Description

Oblique view of GoFlight GF-Pro yoke system

According to GoFlight, the GF-Pro Yoke System is built with precision manufacturing to ensure the most authentic flight among desk top yoke systems. The product includes a sturdy cast aluminum yoke handle, and the chassis is constructed with heavy-duty steel sheet metal. Both the yoke and its chassis are finished with a long lasting powder coat, and interior components are manufactured by GoFlight or sourced locally in Oregon. As usual, the yoke system is connected to the user’s computer by a furnished USB cable.

Front view of GoFlight GF-Pro yoke system

The yoke handle is modeled to match a real Boeing 737 NG yoke, including two identical bi-directional spring-centered switches in the left handle. GoFlight recommends that these two switches be programmed for pitch trim and view selection, or the user’s choice of other functions. The left handle also includes a small, thumb-operated hat switch, which is designed for its usual flight simulation function of eight-point view selection in 2D cockpit or panning in virtual cockpit mode.

Left handle, with two 2-way switches, right-facing switch, and trigger switch (not visible)

The button switch on the right side of the left handle is realistically suggested for the “disengage autopilot” function, which is shown as “Autopilot master (on/off)” in the FSX/Controls/Buttons/ assignments list.

On the back sides of both the left and right handles, there are identical trigger switches, which are wired in parallel. These are recommended to be programmed as microphone press-to-talk switches, though again, it’s the user’s choice.

Right handle with Thumb Joystick for controlling the user’s mouse cursor

The right handle also includes what would intuitively be the main hat switch. When I tried it before reading the Manual, I noticed that the mouse cursor was jumping around the screen. I was surprised to learn that it’s called a “Thumb Joystick” for controlling your mouse.

I suppose it could also be called “mouse hat switch,” as moving it moves the mouse cursor on the screen. Pushing it performs the usual function of clicking to select what’s being pointed to.

A checklist placard, nicely printed on durable, powder coated metal, is mounted in the center of the yoke, with sections for Before Takeoff, Cleared for Takeoff, After Takeoff, Descent - Approach, and Landing. Presumably, this matches the checklist placard on a real B737 NG yoke.

Checklist on yoke, printed on metal placard

The chassis is somewhat streamlined and very heavy duty. The total of weight of the product is about 20 pounds (~9 kilos). The chassis is provided with two mounting clamps that extend downward from the front corners of the chassis, to provide an opening of about 1¾ inch (~46 mm) and rearward projection of about one inch (~25 mm).

Installation

Step by step installation instructions are nicely explained in the Manual, and it’s quite simple. As there is no driver to load, the first step is to connect the furnished USB cable between the yoke chassis and the computer. Here are the simplified steps.

• With Windows 7, click the Windows Start button and then click Devices and Printers.
• Next, place the mouse cursor over the icon for the “GoFlight YOKE” and right click to expose the seven item selection list, from which you select “Game controller settings.”
• The last action will cause a standard UI to pop up, with a drop-down list of currently connected controllers, one of which will be the “GoFlight YOKE.”

• Click to highlight the “GoFlight YOKE” and then click Properties.

• Check that the Settings tab is active and click “Calibrate.”
• The standard Windows 7 calibration Wizard UI will pop up, which should be followed to calibrate the yoke.

• The calibration Wizard may call for moving the Z axis while you’re calibrating the yoke. Ignore this step, as the Z axis is assigned to another axis, such as rudder pedals.
• After calibration is completed, click the Test tab, after which the Test UI will appear

• Test pitch and roll axes, buttons, and switches, including hat switch, which is selected in the image above for a right side or “three o’clock” view, as depicted by the red arrow. It’s helpful for making assignments in flight simulator program controls interfaces, to map the numbers to the buttons and switches on the yoke. Note also that this Windows 7 interface provides lights for 13 buttons or switches, but only numbers 1 though 6 are used with this product.

Experience and Comments

• Using this yoke provides a very professional look and feel, compared to competitive products, and I would expect it to be especially popular with home cockpit builders. It’s big, it’s beefy, and it’s designed and constructed to be very durable. The arrangement of the usual buttons and switches is very realistic in comparison to a real airliner yoke, and the additional buttons are useful for flight simulation, including the innovative thumb joystick for controlling mouse actions.

• For readers considering purchases of this product, the price is significantly higher than typical “flying your desk” yokes, though it is larger, heavier, and more durable. For home cockpit builders and simulator enthusiasts looking for ultimate realism, it’s likely reasonable compared to the costs of other home cockpit accessories. There’s a lot to like about this product, and I offer a few miscellaneous information items to close this review.

• Users will find the clamping design more effective, and also more protective of a mounting surface such as a table edge, if they use the small rubber pads that are included in the small plastic bag provided with the product. The pads should be placed under the four bottom corners of the chassis and on the upper sides of the horizontal clamping arms. The Velcro strips in the kit should be used under the chassis end away from the clamps, to keep that end of the chassis from lifting if too much downward force is inadvertently exerted on the yoke.

• For alternative and perhaps more durable mounting, it would be nice to have the chassis bottom provided with pre-drilled mounting holes with PEM nuts pre-installed in the holes, such as found on one manufacturer’s lower priced yoke products. If mounting holes were added, a corresponding dimensional drilling template could be furnished, along with identification of the applicable bolt size to fit the PEM nuts.

• I found the left handle view hat switch to be uncomfortable to operate with my left thumb because of its small size. I also had trouble pointing the hat switch precisely to each of the eight view sectors, with the right quarter view the most difficult for me to select for some reason. A slightly larger hat surface would be better.

• The thumb joystick mouse controller is quite innovative, and I would think this would be very popular with home cockpit builders. In relation to my usual mouse’s cursor speed, the thumb joystick device moved the cursor much too fast on my system. Its speed can be adjusted by selecting the Windows Control Panel, and then Mouse, on the Pointer Options tab. Unfortunately this adjustment will also affect (slowdown on my system) the cursor speed of the user’s default mouse if it’s also connected. It’s probably best to connect only one or the other.

• Finally, real pilots nearly always complain about the need for spring centering of pitch and roll control with flight simulation yokes, because there are no centering springs in real aircraft yokes. We accept the need for centering the yoke for simulation, but we don’t necessarily like it. The centering spring forces of this product are significant in comparison to typical lower-priced yokes, though this certainly provides “heavy metal” feel. For users of smaller yokes, it will take some time getting used to. Looking under the cover, it appears that concerned users could change the springs to meet their personal preferences.

Overall conclusion: nice product, heavy-duty, realistic for airliners, well-equipped with buttons and switches, and a worthwhile addition to GoFlight’s product line.

Review by Doug Horton. While visiting the exhibition hangars at last summer’s EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, several flight simulation associates asked if I’d yet visited the FlyThisSim (FTS) exhibit. I’d not heard of this company and I presumed incorrectly that it was a new flight simulation computer program.

Instead, I learned from founding partners Carl Suttle and Eric Paton that FTS is the developer of an innovative FAA-approved Basic Aviation Training Device (BATD) called the TouchTrainer™. This trainer uses FTS’s related SimAVIO software to displays high resolution control panels, instruments, and gauges in X-Plane versions 10.

This article describes the FTS TouchTrainer briefly and then focuses on the related SimAVIO software, which includes a growing variety of control panel software and GPS simulators that are available as retail products.

The TouchTrainer system is unlike other FAA approved aircraft training devices, because the customary requirement for realistically modeled hardware controls has been relaxed by the FAA for this product. Pointing out that many modern avionics displays increasingly have touchscreen controls, FTS has obtained FAA approval for the TouchTrainer with two touchscreen LCD monitors that display touch (or mouse) operable, photorealistic buttons, knobs, and switches.

Accompanying images show sample FAA-approved Cirrus Perspective and Cessna FTS1000 TouchTrainer systems. Note the differences in controls and what’s displayed on the touchscreen monitors for each control panel.

FAA-Approved Cirrus Perspective TouchTrainer system on base platform and table,
with left sidestick and optional three-monitor VisX visual system

FAA-Approved Cessna TouchTrainer system with FTS1000 GPS system,
Saitek Cessna yoke and rudder pedals (barely visible), and VisX system

As shown in the two images above, the TouchTrainer is customized with the applicable controls, and it can be enhanced with an optional three monitor visual system. While this three monitor system is basically X-Plane 10’s visual display of scenery, FTS has tuned the computer and graphics to provide good performance at an extremely competitive price.

The 100 degree field of view provided by the VisX system comes complete with updated instrument panel layouts that make full use of the extra screen area available for instrumentation. FTS indicates that many users have been impressed with how the addition of the visual system has enhanced their simulation experiences, and most TouchTrainer purchasers currently opt to include the VisX display.

Part 2 of this series will cover details of the TouchTrainer.

SimAVIO Software

To model and display its control panels and instruments in the TouchTrainer, FTS has developed the SimAVIO (Simulated AVIOnics) software application. Significantly for flight simulation enthusiasts, this software and related aircraft control panel packages are available as retail products for flight simulation enthusiasts, separate from the TouchTrainer product.

SimAVIO is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 and 8. This is the runtime software needed to display in X-Plane, the FTS add-on panel packs, such as FTS analog panels, along with Avidyne Entegra, Cirrus Perspective, FTS 530/430, FTS 1000 GPS, and similar systems.

FTS suggests that, “Using SimAVIO is ideal for flight simulation enthusiasts and professionals who would like to add IFR GPS route and approach functionality, and high fidelity autopilot and aircraft systems models to X-Plane's capabilities.”

SimAVIO software runs the FTS control panels and interfaces with X-Plane

The SimAVIO software displays its own panels and gauges in a dedicated window that overlays the X-Plane 10 display. For X-Plane 10, FTS instruments and X-Plane communicate with each other through either 32-bit or 64-bit software plug-ins to respective 32-bit or 64-bit versions of X-Plane 10. With this linkage, movements of control devices such as throttle, rudder pedals, and sidestick or yoke, are reflected on the FTS instrument panel.

The high resolution photorealistic instruments can be life size or otherwise adjusted with the SimAVIO software for the user’s monitor size. SimAVIO can run on the same computer as X-Plane, or it can run on a separate computer and communicate via a home or office network.

By dedicating a single or multiple monitors for the cockpit, gauges and avionics can be life-size with sharp, ultra-high resolution. Though not required, the view looking outside the cockpit can be displayed by X-Plane on a second monitor or multiple monitors, such as with the FTS VisX system. SimAVIO panels can be configured to run with instrument bezels and knobs hidden so that compatible hardware can be used. SimAVIO is compatible with emuteq’s  G1000, 530 and Avidyne bezels out of the box.

FTS Cirrus control panel with Avidyne Entegra glass cockpit instruments

FTS Cirrus control panel with Garmin Perspective glass cockpit displays

SimAVIO Control Panels and Instruments

FTS SimAVIO retail products are similar to the FAA-approved systems but they include the aircraft-specific software, with no hardware. These products include Beechcraft, Cessna, Cirrus, Diamond, and Piper aircraft control panels, with a growing collection of analog and glass instruments, as applicable to each aircraft or aircraft family.

All aircraft packages require purchase of the SimAVIO software to display and/or edit the control panels. Retail products and prices are shown on the webpage.

In preparing this review, I tested the FTS Cessna 430W/530W Combo package. This package includes four aircraft flight models for X-Plane 10: Cessna 172, 182, 414A, and 421A – and there are eight control panel layouts that can be selected with SimAVIO for these four models:

• Cessna 172-P
• Cessna 172-R
• Cessna 172-S
• Cessna 182 Turbo
• Cessna 182T
• Cessna 340
• Cessna 421C
• Cessna 414A
• Cessna 424

There are no external visual modes of these aircraft, but all control panel packages for this package include faithfully simulated Garmin GNS 530W and 430W instruments, an S-TEC 55X autopilot, and applicable gauges, switches, knobs, and levers for the different models. All are fully functional and communicate with X-Plane.

For non FAA-approved systems, routine editing and reconfiguration of control panel layouts can be accomplished with the SimAVIO panel layout editing feature. As an example of using the SimAVIO layout editing feature, the first image below shows the stock FTS Cessna 182T panel layout with the Garmin GNS 530W and 430W instruments, as part of the FTS Cessna 430W/530W Combo package.

Stock FTS Cessna 182T panel with Garmin GNS 530W and 430W

The next image shows the result of my using the SimAVIO panel layout editing feature to customize the stock FTS Cessna 182T control panel to match the control panel in the real Cessna Skylane 182S of which I’m an owner/partner. My “182” has a Garmin GNS 530W instrument only, so I removed the GNS 430W, and because the “430” would have provided the Com2 and Nav2 radios, I added a dual radio instrument under the “530” instrument. I also moved a few other gauges around the panel, to more closely match their locations in the real airplane I fly.

FTS Cessna panel layout customized for author’s partnership Cessna model 182S

SimAVIO Operation

To operate SimAVIO with X-Plane, start both in either order. After both are running, you’ll see the initial SimAVIO screen, which runs an interface test to check for connectivity with X-Plane, and it rates the performance of the user’s computer with SimAVIO and X-Plane running.

SimAVIO opening screen, which performs an interface test
and rates the performance of the user’s system

Next, from the X-Plane aircraft menu, select an installed FTS aircraft, which will open the model file without a visible model or control panel. The final step is to open the selected control panel file with SimAVIO, using File, Open, and then selecting the applicable file. After this step, pressing Ctrl+m opens a masked view of the control panel, which will be overlaid on top of the X-Plane outside view.

Because the SimAVIO packages are targeted for instrument training, the masked view may obscure most of the outside view, though the masked view can be moved downward or made less tall, as desired, using the SimAVIO Layout Tool.

SimAVIO and Aircraft Package Updates

FTS periodically updates SimAVIO and aircraft/panel/instrument packages, and checking for updates is easily accomplished with the FTS Updater tool. After starting the tool, it compares the versions installed on the user’s computer with the latest versions on the FTS server, and it then provides buttons for Download and Save, or Download and Install.

Updates of SimAVIO include fixes and enhancements, and updates of aircraft packages may include additional instruments and gauges from which to choose. In my experience, updating did not alter the customized Cessna 182 control panel I’d previously modified and saved.

FlyThisSim Updater tool, shown checking for latest versions of
one Aircraft and Panels package, and SimAVIO software

Navigation Database Updates

The FTS website provides a link for purchasing updated U.S navigation data. The 12-month subscription package provides updated data on the normal 28 day cycle schedule to ensure instrument currency. The data is compatible with the SimAVIO FTS430W, FTS530W, and FTS1000 GPS instruments and glass panel GPS instruments. Purchasing this package also adds an additional 2000+ approaches to the data provided with SimAVIO aircraft and control panel packages.

FTS navdata updates include radio-based terminal procedures (ILS, LOC, VOR, VOR-DME, and NDB), GPS terminal procedures (RNAV, RNP, including WAAS), arrivals, departures, communication and navigation frequencies, obstacles, minimum safe altitudes (MSA), airports, VHF and NDB navigation Aids, fixes/waypoints, airways, special use airspace (SUAs), and Class B, C, and D Airspace.

Instrument Builder

As needed, commercial users can go one level deeper to create, modify and compile their own instruments using the retail Instrument Builder. FTS is looking to partner with individuals or companies that would like to help FTS build the next generation of instruments and avionics. With this goal, FTS has introduced a new product called Instrument Builder, which is a comprehensive set of tools used to design and create custom avionics, panels, and instruments for X-Plane. It can be purchased by anyone, though gauge and panel developers are the target users.

The image below shows the building of an airspeed indicator gauge in AC3D  just before importing the model into Instrument Builder. AC3D is well known to X-Plane developers for building aircraft and scenery objects and has several other X-Plane specific plug-ins.

AC3D, showing an airspeed indicator under construction.

SimAVIO software currently sells for $40 US, at time of writing, and retail aircraft packages sell for $45 US and higher, for individual families of aircraft. The Cessna 430W/530W package I tried out sells for $65, for example, and if updates of navigation data are desired, an annual subscription currently sells for $78 US.

Summary

FTS is making a great contribution to general aviation training with their FAA-approved, retail, and commercially licensable systems and software, particularly for their introduction of instruments and gauges that can be operated with touchscreen monitors. Their instrument panels are “works of art” in terms of form and function. Whether for flight schools, individual pilots, flight simulator hobbyists, home cockpit builders, or other users, these are breakthrough products that significantly advance computer flight simulation and enhance instrument flight training.

About the Developers

FlyThisSim L.L.C. co-owners and developers Carl Suttle and Eric Paton met when both were piloting Cirrus aircraft out of South County Airport (E16) south of San Jose, California about six years ago. In pursuit of training for their airplanes, they discussed the fact that at the time, there was not an FAA-approved trainer for Cirrus airplanes.

With both Carl and Eric having Silicon Valley design and software engineering backgrounds, they decided to build a Cirrus trainer, including complex programming of glass panels and GPS navigation instruments. They’ve subsequently pursued additional certifications for the TouchTrainer, with continuing additions of other airplanes, control panels, and instruments.

Carl Suttle. Originally from the UK, Carl has over 30 years of experience working on the design and production of civilian and military flight simulators, including the Royal Air Force’s F4 Phantom cold war fighter and Short’s Tucano TMk1 trainer. 20 years ago he was recruited to the USA as an expert in flight simulation. Since then he has (as he puts it) ‘touched’ various projects like the F16, AC130, and Blackhawk flight sims and many research sims for all branches of the U.S. military. FlyThisSim is Carl’s 4^th start up! He owns and pilots a Cirrus SR20 G2 aircraft and is instrument rated with over 1000 hours of flight time. Carl manages business development and software engineering for FTS.

Eric Paton is a California native, who grew up in Thousand Oaks, California. He received a B.Sc. degree from the California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo, CA, a M.Sc. degree from Purdue University in Indiana, and his M.B.A from San Jose State University. He was a semiconductor process development engineer at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) in Silicon Valley for 8 years, where he authored over 100 patents and 22 publications. Eric later founded a commercial equipment leasing company where he originated, maintained, and held paper on a $3 million portfolio. He is part owner of a Cirrus SR20 airplane, and he’s instrument rated with 600 hours of flight time. Since the formation of FTS, Eric manages the operations of the company at its manufacturing facility in San Luis Obispo, California.

Review by Werner Gillespie. As I have mentioned in some of my preceding reviews, I live near the FALY (Ladysmith Aerodrome), which has a very generous runway in comparison to some other South African fields, and it is also very close to the 5th South African Infantry Battalion (5SAI), so this being the case, we always receive visitors from both the civil and military flight fraternity.

These include the various King Air Marques, the Pilatus PC 12, the military CASA transports, which have replaced our ageing C-130 aircraft with the South African Air Force, and also the military Grand Caravans who visit the area for training operations.

This is one of the aircraft that I would really like to catch a ride on at some point in my future! It is probably not one of the most elegant aircraft that you would ever come across, but is steeped in the success of Cessna as a manufacturer and is one of the most economic transports in its class!

Background

The EX model is essentially still a C208B Caravan, however, it will be powered by the new Pratt & Whitney PT6-140 which has been specifically designed for the EX. Certification for new type was obtained early in 2013. The type is devoted to short hops, and although it can fly at around 25 000 feet, it is not what it was really designed for. Its spot in the market is for trips of just a few hundred miles, with quick dispatch and excellent reliability.

The aircraft has numerous improvements, like those to the G1000 and the improvements upon the package itself, as well as some improvements to the interior and the ice protection systems. The other difference that you will notice is a slightly different propeller, which is a slightly modified version of the Hartzell propeller that the original C208B uses. Other than that, the engine cowlings, wings, landing gear and the likes are practically identical.

Payloads and speeds are practically identical for all phases of flight, despite the extra 60 pounds of weight that is added by the newer engine.

Installation and documentation

After purchasing the aircraft from Carenado, they will provide you via e-mail with the download link and your serial information for the installation. The download is not very big at all, only 184 MB large.  Not at all big by today's standards! Download speeds are good and it takes you around 20 odd minutes to download the installer with a reasonable internet connection.

Once you have finished downloading, you simply extract the installer to a temporary folder and double click on it. You are required to enter your account e-mail address and the serial they provided you with in the purchase e-mail, and presto, it does it all automatically, no vices whatsoever. It takes about a minute or so.

Once you are done, you can head over to the FSX\Carenado\Carenado C208B_Grand_Caravan_EX folder, inside which you will find the manuals for the aircraft and the different systems aboard it, to whit:

• The emergency procedures manual - a 23 page PDF read, which certainly gives you insight into the emergency procedures, however, the aircraft itself has no failures module and you will have to activate failures via FSX itself. 
• The normal procedures manual - a 29 page PDF read which takes you through the normal procedures for taking a Grand Caravan through the steps in a normal flight. This is die manual you will need to have handy for a flight as you need it to get your aircraft configured for a normal flight.
• Performance tables - a 51 page PDF read, containing all the information about fuel flow, runway lengths for takeoff and landing, flap speeds, manoeuvre speeds, cruise   information based on temperatures, fuel flows, performance with/without the cargo pod installed on the belly en so forth.
• The G1000 manual - a 24 page PDF read, giving you an overview of all the features of the G1000 system fitted on this aircraft. If you are not familiar with the G1000 system, read this, it will spare you a lot of frustration! The G1000 has been extensively modelled as we shall see later on.
• Copyrights - a 1 page PDF read.
• Recommended settings - a 2 page read with suggestions regarding the best settings visually and realism wise to get the most out of you flying experience.

As per usual, the manuals have been drafted to a high visual quality and reading them is easy and they are very user friendly, however there is one gripe that I have in respect of one manual, but I will get to that in the G1000 section. All in all, a very good job in the documents section.

Preliminary

Right, so let us have a look at a few things that stand out before we start our walk around of the exterior of the aircraft. Firstly, in the past, Carenado have not offered a cold and dark solution to a simmer. You had to select the default Cessna, switch everything off and then select the Caranado if you wanted the cold and dark cockpit state. Well, not anymore! 

If you press Shift+5, you will be presented with a module which allows you to select panel states ranging from cold and dark, to ready to taxi and ready for takeoff. This is one of the best new features which I enjoy very much!

Also added, is the ability to control the various cargo and passenger doors through a similar module. Very nice! The standard static elements, which are the flags for the static tubes and the covers for the engine, and in the case of the Grand Caravan, a prop for the tail section, are ever present.

One other addition to the older Caravans is the G1000 system which I will cover in its own section below.

Fuel and payload is still managed through the FSX default fuel and payload menus so there are no external loaders for fuel and passengers/cargo.

A very nice feature is the ability to leave on or take off the cargo pod, and what is even better, this actually affects the dynamics and the payload settings of the aircraft! This gives you that little bit of extra variety and flexibility of a real word Grand Caravan EX. This is done through the same module controlling the static elements and doors, so I don't have to do it outside of FSX either. Nice!

Another issue - the cargo expansion pack for the older C208B product will not work with this package, this is a completely new product which is incompatible with the cargo expansion.

Exterior

Okay, now for a look at the exterior of the aircraft itself. In a word, beautiful - this is something that we have come to expect from Carenado. Their exterior models are really well done! If you are a rivet counter, you can clearly see all of them on the fuselage of the aircraft.

The aircraft really has a polished, beautiful and shiny exterior. The moving parts have been modelled very well to. If you look into the areas where these parts are located, for example the wing flaps; you will see that there is some good detail in there. That said, it obviously does not have the same level of detail as the flap system of a modern jetliner for example, but it has been modelled true to the actual Grand Caravan EX.

Other places of interest are the cargo bays when you open the doors in the cargo pods, some very good detail down there. One of my other favourites is the exhaust outlet of the engine, the way that the different light angles reflect off the surface of it, as well as the propeller hub at the front of the aircraft. The propeller itself is also very nicely modeled which is actually more appreciative from the inside of the VC (virtual cockpit) where some of the details that are not visible from the front and side views, become more obvious.

The cabin and pilot doors are all operational through the little module that you can call up to the screen whilst inside the aircraft. The window reflections are beautifully modeled as well. You obviously have some nice see-through windows and the trimmings that you get in the various different liveries provided by Carenado is in the same HD (high definition) finish as the other little details that I have mentioned above.

Here are a few screenshots for you to look at:

So overall, very impressive exterior model of the aircraft, the correct dimensions, excellent quality as we have come to expect from Carenado over the years. Full marks on the exterior of this bird!

Interior

Now for the business end, the interior. I always get the feeling that somehow the cockpits that Carenado design for their ‘planes keep improving bit by bit, and this is no exception. There is no 2D panel to fly from; this again as is becoming the norm, only has a VC to fly from.

The VC is of exceptional quality, again, as we have come to accept from Carenado’s offerings. If you look to the overhead panel, there you can see the fuel tank selector switches, the oxygen and fans. All HD quality, easily legible, no pop-ups required at all!

Moving to the left side panel, at the top you have the panel containing the little gizmos you need to fiddle with the electronics and the backup power features of the aircraft, as well as turn on the avionics master switches. Below that we have the circuit breaker panel for the captain’s side. Again very legible.

If you have a smaller desktop monitor, you may need to zoom slightly for a better view here and there, but this is nothing major at all!

On a hunch and out of pure interest, I proceeded to use a 42 inch LCD TV set for a while and believe me, I did not need to zoom into this panel any further! So the size of your monitor also plays a role. I use a 21 inch LCD monitor per default and things can be a touch small on that from time to time!

In front of you, you have the two 10 inch displays which features the G1000 displays, the one being the PFD (primary flight display) and the other being the MFD (multi function display) containing your navigational and other information. I will deal with the G1000 as a separate part of this review.

The displays themselves are also of exceptional quality, both the physical appearance of the displays as well as the display quality that you get from them once they are operational. More on that a little later.

You also have some basic backup instruments, which are your airspeed, torque and altimeter gauges near the middle of the aircraft, a little lower down and can be a touch difficult to view properly, but this is an FSX limitation and has nothing to do with the actual quality of the gauge.

Below that you have your cabin comfort controls and heating, again, you will need to zoom a little to see exactly what you are flipping on and off until you know where it is. The pedestal is a simple construction, but this is so for the real aircraft as well. The pedestal textures therefore are of a high quality but obviously mimic the simple and straightforward design of the real deal. The seats also look good, as if you can smell the leather and dream up the feel of your hands running over them.

The aircraft looks pristine inside, no sign of usage, you can almost smell the fresh-out-of -the-factory smell of the interior! There is one very neat bit of detail which, if your PC  is giving you performance issues, you can turn off, and that is the reflections in the windows and the instruments, photo realistic, and beautifully done.

There is however one neater thing about this aircraft’s window reflections than that of the previous offerings that I have reviewed and that is the tell tale scratching on the windows when the sun glints off of it just right - I really enjoyed this to no end! Very nice bit of detail in there!

The interior of the cabin has also been modelled to the same high quality as the VC and is a feast for the eyes.

Have a look:

The last aspect of the interior I want to focus on quickly is the night lighting aspect. This has been done really well, the same HD quality as the rest of the interior and I have included a screenie or two for you to look at:

All in all, the interior is of exceptional quality as we have to expect from Carenado and I cannot fault it, exceptionally well done!

The G1000 system

I decided to discuss this system under a different heading, and please note that I do not profess myself to be a G1000 expert! The reason I do this is to make mention of a few items a little more in depth that I do not wish to mention at a glance.

First issue - the G1000 database as modeled in this aircraft DOES NOT have a database which you can update like the real deal. The reason is simple - it uses the default FSX native database.  This means you can get information from the database about the different runways and the different ILS approaches for example, but you cannot update that information on a monthly basis.

Second issue - you CANNOT fly SID’s (standard instrument departures) from this system! Again, FSX native and this is not part of the FSX native technology in the navigation systems. This also holds true for STARS (standard terminal arrival procedures). However, there is of course an easy way to get around this - just program the departure as waypoints into your system and adhere to the heading- and altitude restrictions as per the procedure. I do this and it works equally well!

The system is about 95% modelled. Certain pages are missing from the different displays, for example the SID page in your MFD is not modelled. There is a page or two else missing, but in general, the system works like the real deal, apart from the few missing items I have mentioned above. The system does not have VNAV! You will have to use mental VNAV to get around vertical profile problems!

I include a few screenies for you to have a look at the quality and information of the displays themselves for you:

As you can see, the displays are crisp and clear, and they certainly look and act the part of the real Garmin G1000. Now, although I am not a real G1000 user, I did a little research to see how closely it will compare with the real G1000 by Garmin. Here is part of that research for you to look at.

This is a really good and basic review of the system build and the operation thereof. If you compare this to the system found on this aircraft, you will conclude as I have that it has indeed been modelled to a high degree of realism.

In operating the system, and especially the MFD, you will find that in order to access the different features on the different map positions, you will need to make use of three different buttons. The operating button actually consists of three buttons, all varying in size and incorporated into one unit. You have the largest button at the base near the G1000 panel itself, a smaller middle button which is followed by the smallest inner button. You will have to use them properly to get the desired results.

To give you a brief example. If I go the MAP mode on the MFD and I want to program approaches or get airport information, I need to use the biggest knob at the bottom to scroll through these options. That also means that you should use the 3D VC and not the 2D popup panel of this unit, since you cannot access the largest button from the 2D view which actually got me thinking for a while that there is not a knob at the base of the unit.

This is also where my one and only gripe in terms of the manual about the G1000 system rears its ugly head. The problem is that I had to discover this piece of information completely via trial and error and as I said, although I have many thousands of hours of flight time in glass cockpit airliners, this is not the same at all! I would implore Carenado to have a look at describing the functioning of the system a little better.

What they have done in the manual is to give you all the soft key presses and menus available but did not really go into much depth about how to use some of the slightly more intricate processes in the system itself.

Apart from this, the system itself is intuitive and even if you are not a G1000 user in real life or more of an airliner pilot like me, you will get used to the system very quickly. The system is grand and I fell in love with it very quickly!

I do believe that they have done a really, really good job of modelling the G1000 system.

Flight model

Now first off folks, let us get one thing straight - this is NOT the most systems intensive aircraft that you have ever come across. What does that mean? That means that about 80% of the actual systems have been modelled and the other 20% is FSX native stuff. This excludes the G1000 as covered in a bit of detail above.

 It means that there are some things which could not be modelled due to the fact that it is built on FSX native technology as opposed to something completely on its own like the PMDG stuff for example. No, you cannot fry the engine if you abuse it, it does not have a failures model. You cannot cook the engine by incorrectly starting it either - that should give you some idea!

The other items become apparent when running one or two of the tests in the checklist when preparing the aircraft for flight and some of the run-up checks you do. I will point them out as we go along. Having said that though, doing an actual pre-flight scan and start-up is very much like the real deal, and this is speaking from observing from videos on the net folks, I am not a real world Grand Caravan pilot so I cannot speak with absolute authority on each and every bell and whistle like a real world pilot would be able to.

Now we will start the model from cold and dark as per the included little module allowing us to do so. Every switch is now off and we can start setting everything up as if it is the first flight of the morning. So let us start running down the checklist...

For the purposes of the review, we will not deal with any of the walk around items as described in the checklist for obvious reasons!

We make sure that the parking brake is set, and the switches are all off, which they should be if you used the cold and dark option. Next we put the ignition switch to normal, and we check that the circuit breakers are all in, which they should be since these are not modelled.

We move to the overhead panel and switch both fuel tank selection switches to on and check that the ventilation and fans and the air conditioning is off for the start. Check that the bleed air heat switch (green in colour) is off.

Next check that the cabin heat mixing air control is in the flt-push position. Check the emergency power lever (red handle on the throttle quadrant closest to you) is in the normal position that the power lever is at idle, the propeller lever is fully forward and the fuel control lever is at the cut off position. Next is an item that I have not come across any other turbo props, make sure that the fuel shutoff knob (bottom of the pedestal) is on, which is the pushed in position.

Next we switch the battery on and select the wing flap switch to up, although it really should be there already! We switch the passenger’s signs on (left front panel, right next to the PFD) and then we have to do the fire test, this I cannot seem to get to work properly, and is one of the elements which are not modelled. If you want to keep score of what is modelled and what isn't, this is the start of the list.

We are now ready to start the engines, so at this point I will assume that your doors are all closed and the static elements all packed away. For the engine start, we make sure the battery switch is on, the beacon light is on (lights panel on the left front panel, next to the passenger signs) and we switch on the avionics 1 switch, bottom of left side panel.

Now we have a look at the PFD display and the beautifully modelled G1000 panel pops to life! At first you may find a few red crosses as the system comes online, sometimes you won't It depends on how long it takes you to go through the setup after switching the battery switch to on.

Once the screen is properly powered, we now look to see if we have 24.0 Volts on the bus as a minimum and we do. So far so good! We then verify that the emergency pwr lever message is not displayed on the CAS (crew alert system, the block on the upper right hand side of the PFD), and it is not.

Next is the check to see that the propeller area is clear, which it is and switch on our fuel boost pump which I can hear is running, and the message appears on the CAS. We should also get a fuel pressure low warning and a fuel flow of zero, all of which is there.

We now throw the ignition switch to on and watch the CAS as the engine starts to come to life. We now have to wait for around 12% on the Ng and then we put the fuel condition lever to low idle. The engine springs to life and we monitor the ITT (inlet turbine temperature) to make sure that it does not exceed the maximums, which is not more than 1090 degrees for more than 2 seconds. Rest assured, it never reaches that temperature!

Good, so far everything is worked as per the checklist apart from the one item mentioned.

Once reaching 52% N1, we would switch off the starter, and confirm that the CAS message to this affect has disappeared. We then check that the EIS (engine indicating system) displays normal range for the engine which it does. We now switch on our generator and then the Battery amps should show that it charges, but I cannot confirm that this is the case. Nothing major, just a quick note on it.

I now have to switch the fuel boost pump to the normal position and watch the CAS message disappear but it doesn't, I get an amber warning telling me that it is in the normal position.

I now switch the avionics 2 switch on, and the second screen the MFD pops to life. I can now enter my flight plan as per the discussed way in the G1000 system above. After completing this, I can switch the cooling and bleed systems on as required. It does have nice audio to it when switching it on!

That's it! We can now taxi and the only thing we need to check whilst taxiing is the brakes, and they always work fine. Good! Now, a little word of advice here - I always taxi the aircraft at low idle and even then I have to use a little reverse from time to time to keep ground speed in check! This is not exactly a new technique I know, especially if you are used to the King Airs!

 In fact, the C90 King Air pilots have noted that they do use this technique in real life to - whether or not this is permitted in the Grand Caravan, I cannot say. I hope that a real Grand Caravan pilot will chime in to give us the low down on that one!

Whilst I taxi I also set my flaps one notch down and check the flight control movement. Now, the Grand Caravan is a high wing aircraft and you will notice that if you look to the left side, your seat position is such that it completely destroys the view of what is going on outside on your wings! So I just check free and correct movement from the yoke and pedals as opposed to the King Airs where I check the actual movement on the wings of the ailerons and flaps.

Taxiing the aircraft has a very nice, heavy feel to it. I do have some experience in taxiing light aircraft so I know more or less what to expect. This meets that expectation of mass and inertia on the ground. It really feels very nice and realistic to taxi!

Once we reach the run-up area, we set the brakes and begin our run-up checks. We make sure that our flight controls have been checked, which I did during the taxi, that our flight instruments are all set, that altimeters are all set (which can be done by pushing the "B" key on the keyboard), and the correct altitude has been entered into the autopilot.

We quickly glance at our backup instruments near the pedestal, and we make sure that they correspond with the nice shine G1000 displays. We have to have our fuel boost switch in the normal position, which I have left it in after the start, that our fuel tank selectors are set, that the fuel quantity is what it should be on the G1000 display, and it is.

We make a final check that the fuel shutoff knob is fully in, that all the trim tabs are set, and then we begin our engine and electronics check. We run the power up to 400 ft-lbs torque with all the levers as they should be. From now on things start to deviate a bit.

I should get a reading of minimum 28.5 bus volts, but it hasn't moved from 28.0 volts. I have to set the inertial separator (long lever next to your right knee) in the bypass position by pulling it out and watch the torques drop. This works perfectly, and we put it in the normal position and we regain our normal torque. Perfect!

We check that the EIS indications are normal and they are. We then have to do the over speed governor test, which I perform but it does not yield the results required. Doing the standby power test, also do not go according to plan. Instead of having slight deviations as advertised in the checklist, I end up with 0 amps and output, not correct!

Now we head back to normal again. We confirm our trim settings, and set our heating and anti-ice systems as required per the required temperatures. We make a quick check that the avionics, navigation source, transponder, and lights are set as they should be and that the CAS messages are what they should be. Mine is not entirely, since the amber fuel boost warning is still there. Oh well... Then a final check of the levers on the throttle quadrant, and we are good to go!

Take off is fairly straightforward, just apply the maximum torque allowed under the conditions, and let it run down the runway. The aircraft uses fairly little runway and is airborne quickly. How about the torque and the effects of that and the p-factor on the airframe?

This is where I need to make a recommendation to the folks. The Carenado manual suggests that you set the control settings to the highest realism possible, however, I have found that this makes the aircraft as twitchy as a fighter jet and when scanning the forums, many folks have this problem, not just with this aircraft in particular, but also the other turbo props!

One gentleman came up with the solution by saying "return your controls to easy difficulty", which is what I did and viola, problem solved! I do leave the p-factor and torque settings quite high though and this has a very realistic effect indeed!   I require a fair bit of rudder to keep straight and when airborne the wing wants to drop in the direction the propeller is spinning in as you can imagine! The effects are very nicely modelled.

Now if you are used to flying the older C208B, be prepared, since the extra 200 shaft horse power that this new engine provides, causes some serious performance increase! You can easily climb at around 1800 fpm (feet per minute) at heavy loads. What I do is program the autopilot by arming the VS mode and the heading mode on the autopilot to runway heading and then once I hit the engagement altitude, I would just hit the AP button and the aircraft will stabilise itself in the climb nicely. Once I am ready to switch to the LNAV for the flight plan, I flip on the switch and it follows it beautifully!

When the aircraft hits a patch of wind or if there is a wind on takeoff the aircraft performs as it should, it is light so the effects are far more noticeable than say a 737 for example, but it is realistic, the aircraft remains stable but a challenging crosswind on takeoff and flying it shortly after is a bit of a challenge in the initial climb before flipping on the autopilot. No surprises there then!

In the climb we simply have to pull the flaps up, reduce our engine rpm slightly (around 1800 rpm as opposed to the takeoff setting of 1900) and then ask it to maintain a climb speed of around 110-120 KIAS (knots indicated airspeed), which it will do with a smile.

Now, at the beginning we said that the aircraft is not pressurised, but I can fly at around 25 000 feet. I actually climbed the aircraft to its ceiling of 27 000 feet and with a maximum takeoff weight it takes around 25 minutes, very impressive indeed! It can maintain a speed of around 180 knots ground speed as well which is not bad at all!  Should the air temperature drop to a nice and cool -33 odd degrees, it can pass this quite comfortably.

During the climb to cruise and the cruise itself, I am happy to report that there are no vices with the aircraft or the automated systems itself. A quick note, the autopilot does not have a VNAV function. It does however have a SPD (speed) function, which means that it will adjust the throttle settings for you to maintain a particular speed, however I rarely use this function - instead I simply set the power settings manually and adjust the vertical speed accordingly to maintain the desired IAS (indicated air speed).

Our cruise checks mainly consists of setting the right cruise power, which entails not exceeding the maximum ITT and torque settings, setting the ice protection systems per the checklist, making sure the inertial separator is set and that the passenger signs are set to your discretion. You also check the navigation source and the altimeters. A quick word on the altimeters, to switch between the QNH/In Hg settings, follow the PFD, then the altimeter and finally the units queue on the G1000 PFD. You also use the same system to quickly set the STD setting on the altimeter. Nifty system this G1000 then!

Once you need to start to descend, you will have to use the three to one rule in calculation to determine your vertical profile, i.e. if I am at 20 000 feet (FL200) and the arrival airport is at 2 000' AMSL (above mean sea level), I would say I have a 20 000-2 000= 18 000 feet descent to accomplish. I now multiply this by three and remove the zeros so I get 18x3=54 nautical miles away from the destination airport to arrive over it at 2 000 feet.

How do I calculate my initial rate of descent? I take my groundspeed  and multiply it by six, so if my groundspeed is 185 knots, I say 185x6=1 110 feet per minute in the descent. Keep a check now that you drop 1 000 feet for every three miles you travel and adjust your rate of descent accordingly and you should have the satisfying feeling of arriving over the destination at a planned height. Thank you Rod for taking me through the ATPL course on FS9 all those years ago!

Now for the descent. I leave the autopilot on and calculate my descent as per the above formula. I select the altitude and then my rate of descent whilst keeping my speed and power settings in check. Since this is a far slower aircraft than my Boeings, this is a nice, easy and relaxing task, even whilst flying with ATC!

Our descent checklist is almost identical to the cruise checklist so I just make sure I follow the correct procedures.

When I now want to follow the approach, I can either program it into the G1000 as discussed above, or I can simply program an ILS frequency into the navigation radios on the G1000, select VOR 1 as my navigation source, and setup a nice and easy traffic pattern, either one will work.

You will notice that when adding a notch of flap the aircraft balloons quite a bit so let the airspeed drop quite a bit before adding flaps to avoid this reaction! Landing checks mainly consists of flaps, lights and power and propeller lever settings, and we run through it without too much ado.

Just like the King Airs I reviewed, please note that the aircraft will react in the same way as the default FSX aircraft in an ILS intercept and approach. This is part of the FSX native limitations of their models, but this is by no means undesirable to say the least! The approaches are good and should you manage the aircraft properly, you won't run into trouble at all.

I switch the autopilot off fairly early in the approach to get a good feel for hand flying an approach and as you would expect, once you add the landing flaps and slow down to approach speed, which is around 85-90 KIAS you find it is a bit sluggish, but that is normal and realistic.

Unlike the King Air though, you will need to keep an eye on your descent rate as you have far less power for the weight than the King Air and so you could find yourself having to add excessive power to get back onto the glide path if you deviate too much in landing configuration!

The flare and landing is a breeze! It really is an enjoyable machine to land and the reverse thrust is effective to stop the aircraft without too much braking force being applied, although on a shorter runway, more aggressive use of the brakes is advisable!

Taxiing in and shutting down is straight forward, just follow the checklist.

So overall, apart from the few aspects I mentioned above, the flight model is really nice and complete, but to be honest, the few issues of things not correctly modelled did not detract from the enjoyment of the simulation for me. I am sure that an absolute purist may disagree, but given what I have mentioned about what is missing from the flight model, I still give it a 95% score, very nice aircraft to fly and a  thoroughly enjoyable experience!

Sound

The sound set is really, really good! One difference from the King Air's sounds are that since the propeller is mounted right in front of the aircraft, the propeller wash will spill over the cockpit and will therefore sound different to the King Air's turbines which are situated on the wings next to you.

I can happily report that this significant difference is well modelled and that the rest of the sound pack is very good as well, the ground rolling, the flaps, the environmental control systems, the toggle switches and guards, all sound very nice indeed! Oh and of course then there are the passenger signs on and off switches with the chimes. The doors opening and closing have their own sounds which seem realistic enough.

Overall, a very good sound package that will appease most if not all fans of the product.

Performance

Now I know that many fans are concerned about the glass cockpit and the effect thereof on the performance of the aircraft on your systems. I am happy to report that I noticed no discernable drop in frame rates on my computer with this package. The whole experience was smooth and at denser more complicated airports, I get no less than 25 fps (frames per second) on the ground and whilst at altitude, 40 fps and above is usually the order of the day.

My system is fairly archaic by modern standards, an Intel Core2Quad Q9550 with 6 GB RAM and a GeForce 480GTX with 1.5 GB VRAM.  If your computer meets the minimum specs for this aircraft, you really should not have any issues with it whatsoever.

In conclusion

So what more is there to say? Well, the aircraft is almost a complete package. There are a few little things which have not been modelled in the G1000, but they really are few and far between. Yes, some of the systems as described above are not properly modelled, but again, few and far between.

The sounds are great, the exterior is great, and the interior is great. If I had to be perfectly honest, there is not much if anything really major that will detract from the enjoyment of the package. If you want this aircraft you will not be disappointed with it!

 I really enjoyed the aircraft and I suspect that many Carenado followers will to, this is a truly high quality package and very immersive. The price? US$ 37-95. This is really not too bad, and I believe that it is in fact very good value for money.

What I liked about it:

• Exceptionally high exterior textures.
• Exceptionally high quality interior
• Well modelled G1000 system which does not cost an arm and a leg in terms of   performance
• High functionality of the G1000 system, apart from few missing items
• The extra modules to allow you to set the static element, operate the doors and to toggle the cargo pod on and off, and that when the cargo pod is taken off, payload and performance is affected
• The cold and dark option is finally modelled!
• Excellent sounds
• Very stable and believable FDE
• Good value for money!

What I did not like about it:

• The one little gripe about the manual and the G1000 system
• An updateable G1000 system database will be fantastic to have
• A fully modelled approach and departure procedure feature with VNAV, although it   does not make the experience any less enjoyable

Review by Ray Marshall. This release was one of those really good surprises.  I had no idea Rob and Sean were even considering an update of their Piston Duke.  Heck, I thought they were hard at work on the RealAir Cessna 172.  Rob is still hush hush on the C172 but added a v2 Duke teaser on their website a few days before it was introduced to the public.

It turns out these two masterminds have been working day and night for nine months updating the Piston Duke, an already outstanding twin turbo for FSX, up to their Lancair Legacy standards with even more `never-before-seen-in-FSX’ type features.

I was busy juggling 3 reviews and considering a fourth when one of my Duke friends innocently asked if I would be updating my Duke repaints for the new v2.  Duh, do you mean the Turbine Duke?  No Ray, the new v2 Piston Duke; check it out here.

OK.  So now I can’t concentrate on completing my review of the most advanced fixed-gear single I have seen to date because I keep asking myself how could they improve on something as good as the original Duke, knowing the Turbine Duke is a totally different simulation. Hmmm.

I know, I’ll try the back door.  I send an email to the Avsim reviewer that co-authored the Turbine Duke review last year and ask if he has a review copy?  Nope, no review copy, no beta testing. Hmmm.

I wait a day or two and finally fire off an email to Rob and innocently ask if the original Duke repaints are compatible with the new v2 Duke. The answer is `not yet’, but they should be soon when the paint kit is released.  Ah ha!  Rob goes on to tell me the new v2 Duke textures are 2048 pixels with a couple of fresh new schemes, but the 5 new interiors  are totally new with a long list of never done before RealAir type things.

One of the RealAir Duke fans sends me an email saying he is in possession of the new v2 Piston Duke and that he may have the only one as the download severs just went belly-up.

Now, I have almost lost interest in the advanced single review that I was about to finalize so I compose a second email to RealAir.  “Sorry to hear your servers are down, good luck with your new release”  Response:  “Thanks Ray. It's pretty stressful here and no sleep for 48 hours.”  The plot thickens…

Rob has to be the most polished man to head up a simulation development company.  He is always the polite gentleman who will take the time to write thoughtful responses to most any email at any time of the day or night.  He never seems to go on the defensive; he just calmly explains why they do what they do and why they do it that way.

He goes on with “We are honestly surprised how well V2 has been received (by the way a link is provided to you below), because some people are quite cynical about "makeovers".  This is no makeover but a Legacy-type special effects and other improvement package that took three times as long as we thought.”

A few minutes later I have the new v2 Piston Duke installed, and quickly walk through some of the configuration tabs and pages to install my two Reality XP 530 GPS and choose this or that, click on save and eagerly load up the spiffy new Red one. In my haste I give the old Ctrl-E engine start a try.  As luck would have it, my Bose speakers were already turned on and when that left engine kind of choked with the cold start I was about to abort and find the proper checklist.  A slight hesitation, some more grinding, coughing, pop, wham, as that sucker came to life with the most realistic engine start I have ever seen or heard in FSX.  Before I can catch my breath, the right engine prop starts the slow hard cranking and struggling with sounds exactly like the real thing as it also comes to life with more choking and coughing while straining to find the correct mix of avgas and air. I quickly turn my hat switch view over to the right corner of the cockpit just in time to see the realistic looking smoke coming over the nacelle as the spitting and sputtering Lycoming smooths out.  I am rewarded with dancing needles, shaking panels, previously unknown vibrations and sounds with cockpit images that were absolutely stunning.

A gentle rocking of the airplane is immediately noticeable. I quickly look around and see a few of those little things that mean so very much to a simulator pilot, like dust and fingerprints on the gauges, the sparkle of rays of sunshine on the windshield where the line boy didn’t quite get all the dirt. There are worn spots here and there just where they are supposed to be.  Cowl flaps full open - oops, need the parking brake on. I’m starting to move as I am all googly-eyed and not paying attention to the aircraft as I should be.

What is it that is so different here? Hmmm. Well, one thing I notice is none of the power quadrant levers are dancing around like they tend to do with hardware that has not been calibrated recently.  The sounds are different. What is it?  I know, it sounds like a Duke cockpit and not like I just started up a simulation in FSX.  Was that the brakes making that sound as I quickly applied the parking brake to stop that creep.  This is going to be fun!

The stereo separation in the original Duke was way above average, but these new stereo sounds are absolutely outstanding.  I can’t pinpoint the sources just yet, but there are lots of new sounds, really nice, new sounds. Love that gentle rocking. How’d they do that anyway?

Let’s go flying.

I’m lined on a short runway on the West coast of Oregon in the Orbx region, abbreviated takeoff checklist complete, trims set, fuel selected, boost pump on, cowl flaps open, one notch of flaps, Props and Mixture full forward, and as I release the brakes and slowly bring the dual throttles forward I instantly notice that I’m moving exactly straight ahead. Nice.  More power. Oh wow, the sounds are fantastic and the panel gauges are all alive.

RealAir Legacy type stuff, except even better.  The Duke takeoffs require one notch of flaps for all takeoffs.  Listen to those acceleration and wind sounds, I love it.  Gentle back pressure on the yoke is all I need.

I slowly ease the nose into the quartering headwind, with the airspeed needle sitting squarely on the blue line, I hit the gear up switch, more new thumps, bumps and a final clunk that shakes the entire airplane.

Did I actually feel the gear seating and the doors closing?  I think I did. Ok, up with the flaps, hmm, I’m 100 feet above those trees, has the performance increased with this new version?  It must be the zero time engines and those higher efficiency turbochargers, more nice glare on the windshield, good reflections, wonderful vibrations and sounds as I ease off the power, whoa 41 inches MP, to a more reasonable climb setting.  I’m loving it! This plane is alive.

There’s just something special about how all these new sounds, views and vibrations are all working in concert.  I am so glad they chose to work on the Duke rather than the Cessna 172.

I swing around, and level off, I’m still amazed at the sounds and images as I set power and props for downwind.  So realistic. I know I have never heard some of these wind noises before. Hard to believe this is FSX.  I’m thinking, wait ‘til Capt. Mike Ray flies this one – talk about immersive simulated reality.

Speaking of FSX, did you know that RealAir Simulations was doing this kind of stuff even before Microsoft released FSX.  Yep, they were breaking new ground way back in the FS2004 days. For those who may be new to RealAir and the Piston Duke, let me say that this was the very first add-on that I purchased for FSX. That was the old days when Orbx was still in Australia and that little island was free scenery. My Duke landed at every one of those runways and makeshift runways in Tasmania.

When I look back at the original v1 Piston Duke, which took a full two years to develop, it is difficult to believe that so many improvements could be made to such a fine simulation.  This list is very long, more than 50 unique items have been added and the results are outstanding.  A few were just the normal, almost expected upgrades that evolve over a 5 years period, but a majority are creative, new features that find a home somewhere in the simulation.  Many of the new features work in concert, and do not manifest themselves the same each and every time. Some depend on your speed, your configuration, the wind, temperature, time of day, etc. Amazing, simply amazing!

As you may know, the B60 Duke was had a very limited production run, only 350 were built with the last 16 coming off the line in 1982. Because Beech got it right the first time with the overall design, panel and cockpit layout, it was easy, just expensive, to bring everything up to date with this latest overhaul. A high time B60 Duke is not expensive to purchase, it is that total cabin makeover by those two ladies in Dallas, hmmm, I can’t recall their Company name just this minute, but their fine leather throughout and Kentucky burl walnut sure is a knockout.  Everyone seems to think those zero-hour TIO-541 turbocharged Lycomings is what runs the bill up, but the Panel upgrades was the big ticket. 

Every instrument was replaced with the latest resized 3d gauges with improved VC texturing and night lighting. Then, of course, the Beech engineers left that huge rectangle in the middle for the updated full suite of Bendix King high-end avionics and dual Garmin WAAS GPS units. I guess I need to mention the de-ice and pressurization system keeps us alive at those high cruise altitudes.  Yep, it all adds up to a rather large chunk of time and money, but, the first time you crank ‘er up and take to the air, you know it was money and time well spent.  The up-to-date HD paint job is just to let the neighbors know we have a brand new v2 Piston Duke.  Everyone knows having a Duke is cool, just ask the two bears at Beech Talk.

Hilarious cartoons for Duke lovers.  Single vs. twin engine debate.

Is this new Duke based on a specific real world model?

Nope. RealAir says that looked at almost every Duke model available and decided to go with a composite of what you would find if you went  looking for a B60 model for a total overhaul and upgrade to the latest, greatest and most up-to-date avionics.  Here is how Sean put it:

“The Duke panel is meant to reflect a fairly typical panel as you’d see it today. Not many Duke panels appear to have been left standard, with most having the radios at least replaced with more modern ones, and most current Duke panels appear to have been refurbished in some way at some point in the aircraft’s life, so despite looking at hundreds of panel photos and videos I don’t think I ever saw two that were exactly the same. The same goes for the cabin – almost all Dukes I’ve seen appear to have had the cabin refurbished at some point and again no two cabins look the same! So the cabin I modeled is meant to reflect a typical, well-kept and recently refurbished example.

The exterior doesn’t reflect a specific model year aside from being a B60, as opposed to the A60 and 60 models, which had slightly different engine cowlings. Winglets and ventral strakes were never fitted as standard by Beech, but are aftermarket items that seem to be fitted to the majority of Dukes these days.”

This means you can pick a model year between 1974 and 1982 and be correct.  More about the cockpit, panel and cabin upgrades a little later in the review.

"Even on a crowded, wing-tip to wingtip flight line, there is no mistaking a pressurized Beechcraft Duke. It sits tall and proud on the ramp, dominating everything around it. From the very beginning, the Duke was designed to be more than an exceptional airplane. It was designed to be a visible extension of your personality. To be testimony to your lifestyle. And to make a bold statement about your achievements no other airplane can."
 - Beech Sales Brochure, 1968

You can browse the RealAir website and read the extensive list of features built into the new v2, it must be 3 pages long.  Even more information is available in the 67 page Pilot’s Guide where Rob explains some of the reasoning for many of these new features.  We are always reminded to ‘read to manual’ but, in the case of the v2 Piston Duke, it is not just a recommendation but a requirement if you are to properly configure your Realism setting to take advantage of many of the features.  I’m willing to bet that your gut feel or first guess is way off base.  Rob has explained in our forums that the General slider must be at 100% and not 98% or 99%.  This is not the norm. But even more illuminating is the other recommended Realism settings favor the mid-range or are more to the left than to the right.  Seriously?  Yep, believe me.

The Crash Tolerance is set to Zero, full left, all the time.  I have always considered the FSX Crash Tolerance feature as a designer afterthought and totally worthless anyway.  I can usually tell when I have crashed and I seldom wish to have FSX immediately shut down and reboot without my input.

As a matter of fact, the whole Realism page is free of any checked boxes. Interesting. Rob explains why a little later.

The 67 page Flying Guide is available for free download prior to purchase at the RealAir website. See the box nearby for a direct link.  You can not only read all about each of the new features but most have background information for not only how but why they were added to the v2 Piston Duke.

You can spend half a day just reading all the information about the new v2 Piston Duke at the RealAir website.  This must set a new record for the amount of background information available to someone prior to purchase.

Configuration Control

The Config Panel deserves special mention as you have so much user control over so many selectable and modifiable items. Here are some images to give you an idea of how extensive the choices and how easy it is to make these selections.  You can read much more at the website or in the Pilot’s Guide.

A great feature is that you can change configurations while FSX in running.  Just make sure you are in the windowed mode, Pause and minimize the FSX window. Open the Config panel, make your changes, click the Save button and Exit.  Open your FSX window and press your ‘reload aircraft’ key and you are good to go with your updated configuration.  This is a great time saver when you are just getting to know your new Duke and experimenting with some of the new features.

You can access all the documents from the ‘Information’ tab in the config panel.  This page is where you will find the checklists, POH charts, aircraft specs, Flying Guide, KFC-225 Autopilot guide, and FAQs.  It also has a handy link to the RealAir website.

Proper yoke and rudder pedal deflections.

I was really glad to see RealAir polish off this new edition with real-world looking control surface movements.  Especially the yoke and rudder pedal movement when flying using the autopilot.  But not only when flying, the trim tabs move when the trim wheel in the cockpit is moved.  Nice touch, just like the real Duke, and very unlike most everything else in FSX.

I took off from Skagit Regional and was cleaning up while climbing through 2,000 feet and reached down and Armed the autopilot for 2,500 feet. The heading bug was set about 30 degrees to the right so I pressed the Hdg button on the AP and was actually thrilled to watch the smoothness of the trim wheel dialing in a little nose up in concert with the right deflection of the yoke with a touch of right rudder, then the yoke moved left as we approach the selected heading then back to neutral, then forward movement on the yoke as the AP levels me off at my selected altitude, trim wheel moving to lower the nose. The coordination and smoothness is almost unreal. Wow, this is good folks.

I was just thinking that a lot of our flight simmers that are not real pilots with multi-engine ratings could really benefit by just watching the v2 Duke do its thing on autopilot while we select new headings, altitudes, approaches, changes in power settings, etc.  The smoothness and coordination is truly something to behold.

• Inside the cockpit the yokes move smoothly in response to autopilot and trim commands.
• When you add up trim, not only does the elevator trim-tab move down, the elevators deflect upwards and the control yokes moves aft. This effect is speed sensitive just like in real life - for example at standstill you’ll see no control surface or yoke movement, only the trim tab will move. The ailerons and rudder respond in the same way.

I almost passed on this upgrade version because of the price and the fact that the 1.5 version is still one of the best GA twins available. I'm glad I went ahead with it because this type of aircraft is what I enjoy the most in FSX, and I would recommend it to anyone that wants the very best in this aircraft category.

Tanker

One engine out and feathering

This is also smooth as glass. Those without hardware can just use the right mouse button to select a single throttle or prop.  Just like when I was practicing for my real world multi-engine, I reached up and pulled the right throttle back, checked the right rudder is the dead rudder, made the decision that it was indeed the right engine, then pulled the right mixture to idle cutoff and the  prop lever back to the feather position.  I was rewarded with the normal moans and groans and a beautifully feathered 3-bladed prop. I increase power on the good engine. Back to the feathered engine, fuel to off, boost pump off, mags off, close the cowl flaps.  It is so easy to move around the cockpit with the new VC click spots.  They are everywhere!  Even the Ezdok and TrackIR folks will be happy now.  You can turn them on or off in the config panel.

I am still on autopilot, so as the airspeed continues to drop, I lower the landing gear, snap a screenshot and get back into the pilot’s seat just in time to see the airspeed approaching the blue line. AP to off, I have the airplane, thank you. I decide to check the red line accuracy.  Yep, I ease the nose up and as the needle moves to the slower side of the red radial line (Vmc), the nose start easing to the right.  I can’t hold it straight with full opposite rudder, just like it is supposed to work.

My thought is that you should quit reading this review right now and go download the v2 Piston Duke if you haven’t already done so.

The Standard Rate Turn has finally been fixed

Almost everyone that does any serious instrument training or flying in FSX will eventually get around to complaining about the errors when flying a standard rate turn. This applies to all developers and all simulations. Some have gotten close, other are still looking for the ballpark.  Well, it appears that RealAir has nailed this one along with so many other firsts.

A standard rate turn for light airplanes is defined as a 3° per second turn, which completes a 360° turn in 2 minutes. This is known as a 2-minute turn, or rate one (= 180°/minute).  For heavy airplanes a standard rate turn is a 4-minute turn.

Most of our major developers have been working on this problem for some time now, but not one has stepped up the plate and hit the home run. I think maybe Rob and Sean have just knocked it out of the park.

Cruise Speeds

The Duke B60 has always been known as a cross country airplane.  Remember, this is the big brother to the Baron and you have those turbocharged engines and a pressurized cabin for flying high.

This is no Cessna Trainer, the Duke’s best rate of climb speed is the same as full cruise in a C172.  Let’s take a look at the cruise numbers.

• Normal high cruise settings at Flight Level 250 (25,000 feet above sea level) are typically 75% power which is full throttle using 34 inches manifold pressure at 2750 rpm. At this setting on a standard day (ISA) the fuel flow will be 22 gallons per hour per engine (or 110 PPH indicated) for a true airspeed of approximately 240 knots.
   
• With a more typical lower altitude cruise for shorter journeys the settings will be, for example, 10,000 feet: 32 inches manifold pressure at 2750 rpm with a similar fuel flow of 22 gallons per engine per hour and a true airspeed of 206 knots.
   
• For more economical cruising a typical setting would be 55% power at 10,000 feet which equates to 27.6 manifold pressure at 2400 rpm with a fuel flow of 15-16 gallons per hour per engine and a true airspeed of 180 knots.

The landing gear and first stage of flaps can be deployed at 174 knots which helps when you need a quick descent.  Imagine that, you can drop the gear and the first notch of flaps at only 5 knots slower than economical cruise at 10,000 feet.

The VC panel

RealAir was one of the first developers to stop building 2D panels.  The modern, super sharp 3d panels with the multiple views with the pan and zoom enables you to see more and ‘move’ around the cockpit as needed.  Several custom VC views are built into the simulation and can be accessed using the ‘A’ key to cycle between them.  There are 7 in the cockpit and an additional 4 views in the cabin area.

Hidden click-spots in the VC continue to be tweaked and refined as new camera view programs are introduced like Ezdok and TrackIR.  For all to co-exist these click spot can be turned on or off.  With them on, a left mouse click on any instrument will jump your view to one of the custom VC views.  You can instantly return to the base VC view with a right mouse click on any instrument face. Here is a quick look at the groupings.

This system works extremely well and is almost intuitive once you are accustomed to the groupings.

It helps that the Duke was designed with a wonderful panel and cockpit layout with large easy to read gauges and instruments and logical groupings of switches.

RealView – Advanced Sound and Animation Effects.

This is the core of most of the new features.  These are the most advanced offered in FSX. Yes I know all about the competitors and Accu-feel. I have those also and have written recent reviews of their aircraft and systems.

One of the differences is the RealView effects are not a separate add-on for an additional price but an integral part of the aircraft. This works because these effects are designed to suit the specific characteristics of the Duke and they are designed to work together in a seamless, harmonized way.

Many of the other advanced RealView sound effects work in concert with the animated effects. For example, when the landing gear is raised or lowered you will hear the doors shut and the ‘thump’ of the wheels hitting the stops inside the gear well or feel a ‘bump’ as the struts extend to fully open position. You will also hear the gear doors open and shut.

This is all those sounds, vibrations, animations and effects that we keep talking about that makes the simulation come to life.  You can find a full list of these advanced effects at the website and in the Pilot’s Guide.

Memory and Frame Rates

A new option is for those with FSX tuned PCs can elect to keep the textures in memory for a smoother and faster transition between the cockpit and exterior view.  The redraw time is reduced of zero and the VC textures will be instantly loaded when you return to the cockpit from an external view. This is really nice if you tend to go outside and look around a lot like I do.  Those with hardware cockpits will also appreciate this feature.

I don’t usually even look at frame rates anymore but what I read in the forums is that the new v2 Duke is friendly with the frames.  A section of the Pilot’s Guide is dedicated to Frame Rates discussion and video card settings. This is what RealAir has to say about it:

• Many of the Duke’s flying characteristics rely on a reasonably high and smooth frame rate of approximately 30 fps in order for the flight model to display at its best. While 25 fps is adequate for procedural flying (for example navigating under autopilot) a frame rate much below this will start to affect the fluidity and fidelity of the aerodynamic responses, together with far less pleasing movement and manual pilot control input.

Using a modest but reasonably up to date computer, you should be able to easily achieve 30 frames per second in the Duke, provided you are not at large, graphically intensive airports, or are using heavy amounts of road or air traffic.
 

Higher specified computers should be able to deliver a higher frame rate than this.

Another tidbit of good advice. 

Please (everyone please!!!) read the flying guide. Turn off crash detect and collision detection. This setting enables our custom suspension to work and the gear will then work normally. I can't emphasize enough that the flying guide is key to understanding many of the features that you might miss. We advise keeping crash detect off because it doesn't do anything useful except end the flight. Having it off also enables the Duke to do reasonably realistic gear up landings and even water ditching without ending the flight.  The custom suspension is set so the Duke can bounce on hard landings in order to promote more realism, but this means that FSX can interpret the main struts as damaged in air even when they are not. If you see the gear stuck in up position, turning off crash detect and damage will fix this.

Click Spots and Missing Click Spots

Rob says “Almost every complex aircraft could suffer from click spot-itis. Some of these fits can be traced to simple things like forgetting to adjust or switch off all sorts of other software like camera add-ons which DIRECTLY interfere with well-designed and well-intended click spots. There are other unexplained reasons which every developer, I assure you, works very hard to get to the bottom of. In our case we saw just very occasional click spot errors, but INSTANTLY this can be cleared by simply doing this: Go to your control assignments in FSX and assign a key to this function:

Aircraft (RELOAD)   This INSTANTLY resets click spots with no fuss and almost no inconvenience.

Press this key once and the Duke will reload in anything between one second and three seconds, depending on how much memory is clogged up with scenery and hundreds of other add-ons - and by the way if you have a large list of other add-ons, weather, maps, widgets, traffic, huge scenery LOD, huge textures, enormous stress on graphics and processor etc, etc you can be hardly surprise that the actual aircraft....the thing that FSX is designed to operate, gets to be the last in the queue.   Basic things in FSX generally only start breaking down when the user pushes it to beyond its design limits”.

One question that keeps popping up in the forums is Do we need to keep V1 of the Piston Duke installed?  Rob answered with this . . . “We left V1 intact because we don't have the right to remove something that customers have chosen to install, because v2 is not a patch, or a bug fix (except maybe 2 out of at least 50 or more new features) but a new version of a similar add-on. Some customers like the old liveries so we don't want to prevent enjoyment of them. Thanks for your post.”

One of the prolific posters thinks the rudder settings are not correct.

Rob says: About the rudder, the Duke doesn't have high aspect ratio wings so doesn't have much of a requirement to rudder a turn, but there is some need. in V1 we slightly increased the lateral drift and flexibility of yaw in order to enable side slipping and spinning (the spinning is there in order to practice recovery and avoidance rather than deliberate spinning for which the Duke is not cleared). In V2 the rudder authority is slightly stronger and the yaw tightened up a little but not so the original side slipping we are known for, was compromised.

Does this v2 have better performance that the original Duke? 

RealAir response:  We made a note about the increased performance in the flying guide (which I politely suggest quite a lot of users haven't read yet - but we are all guilty of that!). We explain that winglets, better engine technology and better modern versions of the original engine type all combine to make the Duke B60's performance a significant improvement on the default 1600 fpm climb fully loaded. It's more like 1800 fpm plus now in addition to snappier overall performance. All of these subtle gains are built into the upgrade.

Can I use my A2A Accu-Feel with the v2 Piston Duke?

Not wishing to discourage you from running accu-feel at the same time but some effects might be clashing. The custom effects are really custom. If you look at the guide you will see how we've implemented them, for every roll, pitch, yaw and other situations apart from the ground stuff. The yaw was tightened in order to stop the previous slightly too much  lateral drift which needed a tad too much rudder and also needed too much rudder for rate one turns. The very slightly more challenging touchdown and final approach handling was also deliberate. P factor is always debatable because it doesn't always translate to everyone's agreement in a sim. I do think every loaded aircraft might need a quick realism menu adjustment because there are so many variables in opinion and approach between developers.

I think the guide contains a lot of aspects which you might like to test after reading about them. This upgrade is not a makeover but a lot of additions that become apparent as you fly more.

How much does it cost?  It is priced in Euros, not dollars.

Let’s talk about the price, the discount for V1 owners and why it is not just totally free.

Full price – new Piston Duke v2.0 customer:  €29.95 for instant download (~$41.00)

Discounted Price for Piston Duke v1 owners:  €16.95 for instant download (~$23.00)

RealAir says the full price is actually 25-30% cheaper in real terms than the original release five years ago but with twice the detail and three times the care and features! I really don't think that is unreasonable.

"Nice to see developers improving products but I think 16€ is a bit steep for an upgrade"

                                      Posted comment by a new Avsim member

RealAir posted response:  I'd like to answer that if I may. Our aircraft are built to last. V1 Duke has had five years use from our customers. V2 is built to last possibly for another five years. It is not just an update. You get our special effects, animations and sounds custom made for free (not an add-on package with a separate price) and you get at least fifty other genuinely new features. We also release carefully designed products which work virtually bug free out of the box. Even if you only used V2 once a week for five years, the cost of each session is around 0.06 of one euro! Best Wishes, Rob – RealAir

Our friend Bert posted this . . . “For folks fussing over the $25 investment - where in the world can you get your airplane completely overhauled for 25 bucks??  I'm totally delighted to add the Duke back to my favorites list - and to the top of my GA twin list!”

This comment by TJ sums up pricing policy quite well.

 “I don’t see what the mystery of this upgrade policy is, this is pretty standard practice in all businesses let alone most add-on developers. Auto dealerships don’t let you trade in your 5 year old Toyota Camry for a brand new Camry without paying something. MS won’t give you their next OS for free. If you had Win7 Home and wanted Win7 Pro features…you had to pay for the upgrade.

Duke V1 is a very good add-on despite being 5 years old. Heck, the Scout 2007 package is still excellent and that is even older. Five years have passed to really enjoy it, and it can still be enjoyed. Even if Rob and Sean had chosen not to upgrade the Duke, it would still have been a fine add-on for years to come. If you don’t want to pay for the Duke V2 upgrades, that’s fine, you can still get lots of enjoyment out of V1.

Do you think PMDG should give you 747v2 for free? What about Carenado’s new Caravan? No one is forcing anyone to buy upgrades, the old versions don’t stop working if you don’t upgrade. There is no reason why the old version can’t be enjoyed for years after the new versions are released.

RealAir, Carenado, PMDG, etc, have spent lots of their time to upgrade these airplanes. If you want to enjoy the benefits of these upgrades, the developers should rightfully be paid for their work to bring you enjoyment.

Cheers, TJ”

OK, time to move on. I believe the count in the forums is 99.8% consider the new v2 feels like a new simulation and not an upgrade or makeover and practically everyone that has flown it has posted very positive comments.  Only one or two dissenters that I have seen.

3D Landing Lights

Are those real landing lights?  Sure looks real.

This is the v2 Piston Duke on short final. I ask you, are we now approaching simulated reality?  This feature is called ‘custom runway light splash’.  Great screenshot, Skully.

Download Server problems

Update: News is that exactly ten minutes after release our file kicker server went down, for all products, not just the Duke. We are urgently trying to contact file kicker support. We are sure that the download links themselves are fine and we know the installers work fine. This is a stroke of terrible luck and an extraordinary coincidence. We haven't had a server failure like this for several years, except for one brief incident.. We are shutting down sales until this is sorted, but we might be able to transfer downloads to another server. It goes without saying we are truly sorry and hope our customers can trust us to not let them down. I have all the customer details for those affected and we'll get you up and running as soon as possible. If the problem is not sorted within 24 hours we will fully refund those affected and start again when the issue is fixed. 

Many thanks for your patience and again, sincere apologies.    Rob and Sean - RealAir Simulations

Posted 30 September 2013 - 05:54 AM

Server update: It looks like the server is now behaving so we have reopened the website for orders. Please note that, as per flying guide please switch off crash detect and damage in FSX realism settings. Our custom suspension is set so the Duke can bounce on hard landings in order to promote more realism, but this means that FSX can interpret the main struts as damaged in air even when they are not. If you see the gear stuck in up position, turning off crash detect and damage will fix this, and also enable you to "practice" gear up landings and even water ditching.

Many thanks to all for your patience and so sorry about the server problems yesterday. Best Wishes,  Sean and Rob - RealAir Simulations

Sean sent me an email and stated that after the problems that they had on the Duke’s release night, they have now switched all of their downloadable files (installers, patches, guides etc) to a new, far more reliable download server. With this change they anticipate the problems that occurred on the Duke’s release night will be a thing of the past.

Documentation.  The Flying Guide is outstanding, but there is more.

The 80/20 rule applies here also.  RealAir states that over 80% of current support is solely due to not reading the Flying Guide.  Imagine that.

Be sure to visit the DOCS folder ../FSX/RealAir/dukeb60v2/AutoPlay/Docs to find the additional FAQs, manual for the Autopilot, Checklists, POH graphs and charts, and the Flying Guide.

I did a cut-n-paste job on the POH Checklists to remove a lot of the white space and make something a little more manageable for my desktop.  I have always been a believer in using Checklists (I was taught that way, and I taught my student pilots that way). Use at least something as simple as GUMP prior to landing.

The included checklist are probably correct as written but the presentation is in dire need of reformatting.  Maybe one of our fellow checklist makers will take an interest and post some nice, clean, downloadable, easy to read (as in to make a laminated spiral booklet) checklists for our model of the Duke B60. About 10 minutes of cut-n-paste will yield a much improved checklist as far as readability.

You can find an excellent set of Duke checklists at a training school site.  The only caution is their B60 has larger fuel tanks and some aftermarket upgrades like oil coolers and Vortex Generators so a few of the speeds and weights are a little different than ours.  I noticed their max takeoff weight is 6,965 which is almost 200 pounds heavier than ours but the max landing weights are the same.   A little digging and I found their engines are TIO-540 and ours are TIO-541.

You may find something of interest in the Avsim multi-engine round-up.

The turbocharged engines in the Duke tend to run quite hot, so to avoid over-heating the engines it is essential to set the cowl flaps open for takeoff and climb. The cowl flaps should be closed during cruise to reduce drag and avoid over-cooling the engine. To avoid cooling the engines too quickly (shock-cooling) it is essential to close the cowl flaps prior to, and during descent.
 

It is also essential to monitor the Cylinder Head Temperature (CHT) gauges at all stages of flight to make sure temps stay in the safe green arc. If temperatures stray outside the green, open or close the cowl flaps as required to return CHTs to a safe temperature.

Use of Cowl Flaps

The cowl flap switches are very convenient and have three position settings.

The screenshots Forum at Avsim has some excellent screenshots of the new v2 Piston Duke.  Add a little weather, some nice scenery, and they look like real world photos.  These two make me want to save this file and go flying.

The early advertising copy talked of the Duke as an aircraft of the future: "It's happened ... One of the most phenomenal aviation breakthroughs of all time ... The best performing, lowest priced, IFR-equipped, pressurized twin in the world! ... This is tomorrow's airplane-here today ... The most conclusively proven twin in the sky."

Screenshots of the 5 repaints

...with 5 unique matching interiors. These can, of course, easily be mixed or matched in any combination.  Click on image to zoom full screen.

The more you look at these images the more detail you will notice.  This is one high-class executive airplane.

These images show the color coordination with the 5 interiors and the initial v2 repaints.  Remember, you can easily mix and match any interior with any exterior.

New Livery Pack

Just when I thought I had completed the new V2 B60 Piston Duke review, I received an advanced copy of the new free Livery Pack.  This gives us all the original v1.0 repaints ready for the v2 add-on.  Each has a bold new identifier on the thumbnail so we can see that it is indeed a v2 livery.

In total, we have 10 available liveries with the old and new.  My memory is not what it used to be, but, I believe some of these have a somewhat fresher look than I remember.  Maybe more vibrant colors or just the master with the paintbrush added a little more color here and there. I really do not remember that blue one.  Now where did I put my coffee cup?  Duh.

This Livery Pack will enable those who wish to now delete their v1.0 or v1.5 folder.  There is no real need to continue to have both v1.0 and v2.0 but that is a personal choice available to those who used the upgrade option.

Bottom line is there should now be something for everyone in this package.  The world is well represented with the available choices and the paint kit will enable our freeware painters to express themselves with even more liveries for our new v2 Duke.  This additional livery pack is a free download at the Realairsimulations.com site and comes with a full installer.

A last minute addition of the Duke in Norway

DJJose, one of our active members and a Duke lover, sent me some screenshots that he snapped flying the v2 Duke in the freeware Norway scenery package. Thanks Jose.

Gear Up Landings.

As far as I know, this is the first and only FSX simulation that you can actually practice wheels up landings, both on terra firma and water. I know, I know, any airplane can land on the water, it just can’t takeoff.

The new v2 Piston Duke has been modeled with the intent of us practicing landing with the wheels retracted. It is a real fireworks show using the external view on a dark night.  Sparks are everywhere as the twin props rip up the concrete. A simple command for ‘Gear Up’ and you are instantly repaired and back in business and ready to taxi for takeoff. Not realistic, but a heck of lot of fun.

Nothing like practicing these things so you will be ready when it happens for real.  You know what they say. . . there are those pilots that have landed gear up and there are those pilots that will land gear up.

This only works provided you have the Realism page properly adjusted as intended by RealAir.

There is an 20 page and growing thread in our forums where many of the early purchasers, mostly owners of v1, have been posting their impressions and assisting others. Here are a collection of posts that got my attention.

“I think one of the strongest features of the new plane are its sounds.  I almost hate to stop taxiing and get airborne, as I love to listen to the loping sound of the big pistons when near idle (though in this regard, the old version also excelled), but with all of the other little noises and thumps and subtleties...  It's a sonic delight (just not quite, O, y'know...).

 Comparisons between the Piston and Turbine Duke are inevitable, but I've always viewed them as very different planes, the extremely obvious similarities aside.  I like 'em both - each for different reasons - but right now it's a bit hard to fly anything but the B60 with the new enhancements.  It's massively immersive and it's just plain (plane!) fun to fly.”                                                     

- Scott, CO

“Personally, I think about the only thing that would make this plane feel more realistic is to get a ButtKicker.  I love the way you can actually taxi it...doesn't slide like other FSX aircraft, love the sounds it makes when you make a tight turn, the prop animations when you feather the prop, the whine of the flaps going up and down, the bump you get when the gear goes up and down.  Oh yeah, and the True Airspeed knob on the airspeed indicator.  With all this your mind thinks less about simming and more about flying...you get the sense of taking the family on a weekend trip or flying small cargo here and there.  After shutdown I feel like whipping out my old paper logbook and just making my entries in the quiet.  I've already flown it from Virginia to Maine, to Illinois, Nebraska and down to Kansas.  A great plane to learn all the nuance of flying a piston twin...and that's what it's all about.”

Gregg_Seipp, NC 

“My first thought regarding this update was actually that 20€ are maybe a tad too much for just a few new liveries. How wrong I was! The update is just brilliant. The engine start alone is worth the money. The Duke V1 was already an excellent add-on on but this update takes the whole plane to a completely new dimension”
 
Greetings, Tim

Oh, right! I indeed forgot to exclude the VAT.  16€

“I tried an engine out landing this morning. I was able to feather the prop and hold a reasonable airspeed at 3,000 ft. and was able to turn into the dead engine (carefully!) and the off center thrust was easily controlled with rudder. The landing seemed realistic; the rudder had to be reduced as the power was reduced just before touchdown. My only nitpick was the manifold pressure on the dead engine showed 30 in, even after shutdown and feathering, but perhaps that is what the real aircraft does, as well.

 I almost passed on this upgrade version because of the price and the fact that the 1.5 version is still one of the best GA twins available. I'm glad I went ahead with it because this type of aircraft is what I enjoy the most in FSX, and I would recommend it to anyone that wants the very best in this aircraft category. “

Tanker, OH

There are several websites dedicated to the Duke B60 (real world).  Google is your friend here.  One of the better ones is the Duke Flyers Association where I captured this page of comparison to some peers.

I read that these turbocharged, fuel injected Lycoming engines are unique to the Duke B60 – they are not used on any other airplane.  Interesting.  I also read that the performance charts are a bit off and most real world owners tend to fly at somewhat lower power settings to save wear and tear on the engines and systems – as well as saving some money due to the spiraling fuel costs.

I found an informative 8-page article by Edward G.Tripp on the B60 Duke from the AOPA magazine in February 1983.  Written back when the Duke was King, it is full of details not normally known in simulator circles.  This is recommended reading for all Duke owners.

Just a little side note for those that like to relate to the real world.  I was reading a post for a guy looking to buy a Duke B60.  One recommendation was to make sure he buys 2 so he will have some spare parts.  It seems neither the airframe nor the engines are no longer supported.  Hmmm, it sure doesn’t look that old.  I saw one high-time, nicely outfitted ’74 Duke for $150,000.

Based on the short time I have been flying the new Duke and with the reputation of RealAir and the history of the V1 and v1.5 Piston Duke, we are in for some great, near real world flying experiences with our new v2 Piston Duke.  Every flight is an adventure for me.  I have almost 1,000 logged hours in twins, but none recently so I am going to treat this as a learning experience with no quarterly payments, no insurance payments, no annuals, no impact fees, no fuel surcharges, no landing fees, no hangar fees, no nothing’ but good times in FSX.

I realize this review is a little haphazard and maybe rushed to market, but, hey, I want to fly also.  I seriously don’t see any down side to purchasing this outstanding simulation.  I am more amazed every time I crank those great sounding engines.  I even look for those remote parking spots so I will have a long taxi before being cleared for takeoff.  This Duke is fast enough for most business travel and those turbo Lycomings will get you over most of the weather and with the upgraded avionics package that we have we can get to our destination and land almost anywhere using almost any approach – lots of LPVs here in the USA.

With these spiffy new paint jobs and the sparkling new interior and instruments, you are sure to be the talk of the town at your local FBO. Be sure to post lots of screenshots.  Even Tom A. found the time to post some nice shots.

I’m ready to fly. 

Oh, I almost forgot.  The RealAir Simulations Piston Duke B60 v2 simulation is highly recommended for purchase and recommended for the coveted Avsim Gold Star.

Clear prop on the Left!

Credits

Screenshot of feathered prop, ready for takeoff screenshot at S45. and crash landing by Author.

Night landing on runway 29 screenshot posted by Skully on Avsim forums. Gene Bordelon, used with permission.

Page of the v2 Duke using Norway scenery by Jose Otero. (ten images)

All other screenshots by Sean Moloney

I received permission to post the comments from the forum from the OPs.

Piston Duke, v2 supplied by RealAir Simulations, thanks Rob.

Info from Duke Flyers Association, About Us, by Jim Gorman

Checklist link to Colorado Flight Center.com from Google search

8 Page Duke Article by Edward G. Tripp, from AOPA magazine, February 1983.

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
• Saitek x52 Controller, Combat Flight Pedals, Bose Companion 20 Speakers

Review by Ray Marshall.  Folks, this is it.  This is the one we have all been eagerly awaiting.  There may be other Cessna Skyhawks one day soon, but, this one falls into the here and now category and it is even better than expected.

In work for more than a year by one of the most qualified teams in the business it is based on a specific real world Cessna that has been videotaped and sound recorded in HD for direct comparison. This extraordinary team includes 15 pilots all of which have Cessna 172 flying experience. A few weeks prior to the official release of the C172 Trainer, Scott Gentile, who is also a pilot, ran the test flight program and posted a couple of YouTube videos to show off some of the more innovative features.  Several additional feature specific videos are in work to be used as short tutorials to clarify certain aspects of the airplane operation.

This is not a simple FSX/P3D add on, this is a full blown simulation both in the air and on the ground.  You can spend as much or more time on the tarmac and in the maintenance hangar as you do flying the pattern or on cross country flights.  Using their Accu-Sim engines and accumulated system knowledge obtained designing and building complex warbirds, A2A has designed something special for the broad base of flight simmers.

Practically everyone recognizes a high wing Cessna, whether it is our R model Skyhawk, or its big bother Cessna 182 Skylane or maybe the smaller Cessna 150/152.  More pilots have trained in Cessnas than all other makes and models put together.  Even those that learned to fly in one of the low-wing trainers probably have some logged flight time in a C172.  With more than 60,000 Skyhawks out there someplace, with production starting in 1956 and continuing almost non-stop it is no wonder A2A chose this particular one for their general aviation Trainer debut.

This C172 Trainer will amaze you with innovative features like the preflight walk-around, a first for FSX.  Those not familiar with Accu-sim are in for a real boost toward reality and almost unbelievably realistic flight characteristics, sounds and eye-popping surprises.

Not every feature is new to FSX, but many are, and most are improved from previous models.  The Accu-sim core program is being constantly updated from many sources and the Trainer is constantly being updated, even in-between formal updates.  The A2A forum is open to everyone, even those that have not purchased any A2A simulations so you can read and see what is going on daily.  Further, all A2A Simulation models are backed by a pledge for your happiness or you can request a refund.  Even more astounding is that they have chosen not to use any intrusive copy protection schemes that impede your installation and enjoyment.

I recently wrote the AVSIM review of the A2A P-51 Mustangs, both Military and Civilian models, so I am already familiar with the A2A management team and Accu-Sim.  Why don’t you read what I thought about it in that review here and I won’t have to repeat it.  For those in a hurry to get the end of this one, suffice to say Accu-sim is on the leading edge of simulated reality and a large cut above most of the competitors.

You can also read about how Scott Gentile took Shockwave Productions from a one-man startup company to the leader of FSX Warbird Simulations in ten short years with an early name change to A2A Simulations.  Not just military aircraft as the A2A Piper Cub is still near the front of my hangar and the one on floats is moored nearby and the classic Boeing 377 Stratocruiser is something to behold.  You can read my thoughts about the Cub and Accu-sim in this review.  Again, for those not interested in jumping to another review, I received my real world Seaplane rating in the J-3 Cub at Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base near Orlando many years ago.

“Regarding the A2A 172. I think it’s a revelation! It’s been the only thing I’ve flown since I got it, and it has definitely retrained me back into some good habits. Like a lot of low-time pilots, the 172 is the only plane I have actual experience flying, and A2A’s version is absolutely spot-on to what I remember.”

                                                                                                                                Bill Womack

Anyone can write a review, but it helps to have some logged hours in small Cessnas in addition to being a FSX simulator nut. I know the feel and smell and sounds of what this C172 Trainer brings to the table. It is not just the thumps, thuds, bumps, clicks, and swishes that make it seem so real, it is the fact that you now have total ownership of the Skyhawk.  This simulation features a persistent airplane where systems, corrosion, and temperatures are simulated even when the computer is off, something most flight simmers have not previously witnessed but will thoroughly enjoy.  You will find your next flight, or better yet, even before your next flight, you will find the aircraft the way you left it from your last flight. If you noticed a squeaky brake when taxiing from that last cross country it will still be there for this next flight.

Fortunately the Maintenance Hangar takes virtual credit cards and even Monopoly money if you choose to pay in cash for the upkeep of your new baby.  I can see where those with a slant toward the mechanical side will be in hog heaven and spend most weekends in a dirty jumpsuit with grease under their fingernails.  Others can simply click on ‘Complete Overhaul’ and be ready to go in minutes.  You can also select or elect to have a ‘Used Trainer’ and be the instant owner of a high time aircraft if the random number comes out on the high side.

This is also where you can select a different propeller, add or remove wheel pants, and perform all sorts of checks and repairs, both minor and major.  Records are kept so you will have a journal for reference.  Wear and tear is the name of the game now so failures and routine maintenance actions will be an everyday part of your Skyhawk ownership.

With Accu-Sim running the engine and systems, you will see accelerated degradation should you misuse your airplane and have normal wear and tear based on flight time.  This can be both visual and aural so you will also develop a keen ear for those new sounds that may be changing over time.  Vibration is also a key factor in monitoring performance of the Lycoming engine.  The panel vibration is not just for visual entertainment; something is causing that shake or rattle.  That rough running engine with the fouled sparkplugs may be first noticed as an erratic RPM needle or maybe an abnormal magneto drop or possibly just a hard to start engine.  You will learn that maybe just revving up the engine to a higher RPM will clean those fouled plugs.

Over time you will develop not just the seeing and hearing but the feeling of what is right and what is not so right.  Your butt will also be checking for small changes in vibration levels and may be the first to notice a previously unnoticed thump or thud.  So, in addition to a well-tuned PC system for FSX or P3D you will want a good sound system with a subwoofer and a good headset.

There has never been a better time to step up to a good yoke, throttle quadrant and rudder pedals.  The large USB Cessna Trim Wheel will look and feel just like the one in the C172 Trainer panel.  All my flight hardware comes from Saitek with several having the Cessna logo.

“Pilots and aircraft enthusiasts are a discerning, sensitive bunch.  We’re tough to please.”

                                                                A2A Simulations

Rather than just repeating or copying charts, tables, and lists that can be found at the A2A simulations web site or found in the excellent Flight Manual or the individual avionics manuals I am going to provide links for more details and use the space for new and original screenshots and dialogue.

For those that are not yet aware of this new simulation, it is important to highlight a few of the new items or features not normally found in a FSX/P3D add on.

• It is designed for both professional pilot training and entertainment.
• Many of the parts and systems are true simulations reflecting accurate actions and reactions.  Examples are a true propeller simulation, electric starter with accurate cranking power including accurate battery drain. The engine is a functionally modeled Lycoming O-360 engine – air comes in, mixes with fuel and ignites, parts move, heat builds up and all work in harmony to produce that wonderful sound we pilots are so found of hearing. 
• Oil pressure is affected by oil viscosity which is affected by temperature. Now when you start the engine, you will need to pay close attention to the temperature gauges as the engine requires a proper warm-up.  Sparkplugs can clog and eventually foul if you allow the engine to idle too low for too long.
• Engine, airframe, cockpit panel and individual gauges or needles tremble from the internal combustion engine.  Airflow, air density and temperature not only affect the airplane performance but also how the internal systems operate.
• System failures like flaps can jam or break based on the forces you put on them during flight.  The upper limits of that white band on your airspeed indicator and those speed placards now have meaning when flying this simulation.
• Authentic fuel distribution now includes proper priming and mixture behavior.  The mixture can be tuned using the EGT, by ear, or by using tool tips for % mixed. Even primer-only starts are possible with Accu-Sim monitoring the fuel injection.
• The Bendix King radio and avionics stack is so authentic that links are provided for the real world manuals for proper operation.
• Dynamic ground physics for both hard pavement and grass surfaces.
• There are lots of other neat things included but I don’t want this to sound like an advertisement.

One of the newest features is user adjustable elevator force.  This has been a historical irritation for those with yoke and hand controllers and the interpretation of the deflection or movement.  There is a new slider in the Controls menu for the ‘Simulated Elevator Force’ used to adjust the sensitivity of elevator movement as related to yoke or controller deflection or movement.

All FSX torque and P-factor physics has been totally removed and replaced with new physics in Accu-Sim.  This should be a very welcome improvement and more realistic.

For those two or three people that may not be familiar with the Cessna Skyhawk, I will state that it is a high-wing, four-seat, propeller-driven, tricycle fixed-gear with good range, good economy, easy to fly airplane that is ideal for basic flight and instrument training. All seats provide very good visibility both on the ground and in the air, and are comfortable for a flight of a few hours. This airplane has never been confused with or even compared to the higher performance constant-speed prop, retractable gear planes.  This one will always be flown lower and slower but will be reliable and safe provided you observe the speed limitations, don’t exceed the passenger and baggage weight limits or the CG envelope and for goodness sakes don’t ever run out of gas.

The A2A C172 Trainer comes with three repaints: A typical American trainer, a typical European Trainer and a Civil Air Patrol.  Fortunately, it comes with an excellent free paint kit and new paints are arriving daily.  Many reflecting nostalgic paint schemes similar to the ones used for primary flight training many years ago as best remembered by the new owners.

It also comes with a full Bendix King avionics stack including the KMA 26 Audio Panel, two KX 155A NAV/COMMS, KR 87 ADF, KT 76C Transponder, KN 62A DME, and KAP 140 Two Axis Autopilot with altitude pre-selection.  Three configurations including no GPS, GPS 295, or the GNS 400 and built-in, one-click automatic support for Reality XP GNS 430 and 530 are available.

The panel of A2A C172 Trainer is a dead ringer for the FSX default Cessna 172SP.  This is because both simulations properly reflect the real world model.  I have always thought the visual model found in FSX was one of the better models.  Once you get a little closer to the A2A C172 Trainer you will immediately note there is no longer any comparison between the two.

If the pre-flight walk-around doesn’t convince you that you are in the presence of something new and truly fantastic, then the engine startup surely will.

A good start for any new owner would be to at least browse the excellent 102 page Pilot’s Manual. This begins with a nice pictorial history of the early Cessna 120/140 tail draggers that were knockoffs of the Luscombe 8a.  These grew into the Cessna 170 and 180 and were very popular in the early to mid ‘50s

. 

Competitor Piper Aircraft was having great success with their tricycle gear PA-22 Tri-Pacer, an unattractive stubby looking airplane introduced in 1951.  Clyde Cessna saw the writing on the wall and secretly organized a team to counter the Tri-Pacer.  This would be the C-170A with Land-O-Matic (tricycle) landing gear and ‘barn door Flowler flaps’ dubbed Para-Lift Flaps with a newly undated model number – the Cessna 172.

Early media promotions touted the C-172 as an alternate to the family car.  Later models added the now common swept tail and the full glass wrap-around view, more power, fuel injection, electric flaps, nicer interior, better panels and instruments, upgraded radios, floats, etc. The Skyhawk name was first used in 1961 on an upscale model, eventually all models were called Skyhawks.

For a slight diversion, jump over and read and feast on some great shots of a fully restored 1957 C172. Good abbreviated history also.

In 1980 the 172RG ‘Cutlass’ was introduced and looked like a small version of the ever popular Cessna 210 with the clean underbelly. With the gear sucked up and a constant speed prop pulling the Lycoming 180 hp engine it only managed a meager 20 knot increase in cruise speed.  Although not a superior performer for the value, the RG did meet the criteria for a complex aircraft for flight schools to meet the Commercial Pilot’s Certificate requirements.

Things were humming along in the mid-80s when the mostly unemployed, ambulance chasing lawyers finally broke the camel’s back with their ‘We can sue anyone for any reason and get you lots of money after we take our cut’ attitude.  A few landmark product liability suits basically put the entire U.S. general aviation business out of business for about 10 years.  In 1994 then President Clinton signed the General Aviation Revitalization Act which limited the manufacturer’s liability for light GA airplane accidents and Cessna immediately cranked up the production line.

A year later the Cessna 172R model arrived with a larger, fuel-injected Lycoming derated to 160 hp making it quieter and more fuel efficient than the previous P model. This one had a spiffy new interior with upgraded seats, a new ventilation system, 4 –seat intercom, upgraded radios and GPS, and lots of soundproofing.  Larger fuel tanks, dual vacuum pumps, tinted windows, easy to read backlit instruments and a systems annunciator panel rounded out the upgrades.

Which new feature really stands out in the A2A C172 Trainer?

I think it is the new Pre-Flight Inspection – a virtual walk-around from within the flight simulator.  As an old retired flight instructor, I can really appreciate this ambitious new feature.  You can now, more than ever, visually see the state and condition of the airplane. You can check for water in the fuel, inspect various hinges, check the oil, tires, and even wiggle the flaps by hand to see how secure they are.

 A2A’s comment is that this walk around system is so complete, that you could hand this product to a future pilot who has never even gotten close to a Cessna 172 and a week later, ask him or her to perform a pre-flight inspection on the real aircraft. The result would be a person with a solid understanding of what parts and systems need to be checked and why, and this would have all been learned without realizing it since it was, in this case, interactive and fun.

A tutorial for the walk-around has already been posted in the forums by one of the early purchasers to aid those non-pilot types that may not know what they are looking for or what may be good or bad when they look at a hinge or cotter pin.

During my first ‘virtual walk-around pre-fight inspection’ of the Trainer I was amazed at how simple, but yet, how comprehensive the inspection was being performed.  When I came to the ‘flap wiggle’ I almost wet my pants. This ranks up there with my first witnessed bug splat in the Flight1 Cessna 182 and my first accelerated stall in the RealAir Legacy and my first takeoff in the Volair simulator.  All of these are in the game-changer category for me.

A visit to the Maintenance Hangar (Shft+7) should be on your indoctrination list.  Here you can add or remove wheel fairings (Main and/or nose), change propellers (neat), add flap seals (something new for me), explore different batteries and tires, select the engine heater for those cold places (brrr), work on the engine and check the installed Airframe, Engine and Prop specs along with the latest Mechanics Report and Notes.

You can even change the oil and filter as the used oil starts changing color and getting thicker. A2A recommends changing the oil at 25 hours if you are an occasional flyer and changing the filter at 50 hours.

Each new owner will likely have a different feature as their favorite.  The enhanced sounds ranks up near the top also.

Quick Start Guide

Should you be in a great hurry to get going start on page 25 of the free downloadable Pilot’s Manual and scan the extensive List of Features.  The next 3 pages will give you just enough information to get you airborne and some hints on how to land. Do pay attention to the Realism Settings for FSX making sure all sliders are full right and the proper boxes do or do not have the checkmark.  Special attention is called to the unchecked auto-mixture and auto-rudder boxes.

The next 15 pages cover the Accu-Sim way of doing things and how it works with the combustion engine and how propellers work.  The R model specs start on page 45 with some of the most comprehensive specs for any FSX airplane. 

Keep in mind the C172 Trainer’s Max Takeoff Weight is 2,450 pounds, the Standard Empty Weight is 1,639 leaving 818 pounds to divide among the useable fuel, pilot and passengers and baggage.  Do the math.  Full fuel is 53 gallons x 6.5 lbs/gal leaving 474 pounds available for 4 people and baggage.  Kind of sounds like it should be a 2+ place aircraft to me. 

Coming the other way:  A standard weight pilot and one passenger weighing a measly 170 lbs each with a couple of children in the backseats weighing 90 lbs each and NO baggage leaves you overgrossed by 45 pounds.  Add a hot day, short field with tall trees at the end of the runway and you have a disaster waiting.  Fortunately, this is only a simulation, but, if you want to keep it as real as it gets, use those charts and graphs for your preflight calculations.

Most of the Normal Operations, starting on page 48, followed by some nice checklists and detailed procedures should be where you spend your time as you are learning or relearning how to care for your new plane and how to safely fly it.  Performance charts and emergency procedures follow then beginning on page 78 you get a really well written and fully illustrated description of the airplane and systems.  This chapter is worth reading 3 or 4 times.  The balance of the Pilot’s Guide is devoted to explaining the handling, service and maintenance.  This is where you master the 2d panels with all the options and selections.

Hats off to Mitchell Glicksman, Matt Newton, Mark Lee and Scott Gentile for preparing this great manual.

Installation

I only have FSX/Acceleration so I can’t speak for the Prepard3D part but, it is there for you.  The notes state that you will need a minimum of FSX SP2 w/win XP SP2, Vista, Win7 or Win8.  A2A states the simulation was built using the SP2 SDK so using SP1 is iffy and Acceleration is not required.  All the other requirements are pretty much standard stuff, see page 27 of the manual (free download prior to purchase) for the full Systems Requirements.

Depending on the timing of your purchase, you may need to visit the A2A forum and download the latest patch and then keep the installation in the proper sequence as stated in the instructions.  This depends on whether or not you already have the Accu-Sim Core program already installed and up to date. The C172 Trainer is the first A2A simulation to actually come bundled with Accu-Sim.  All the others require a separate purchase although you receive a small discount for the bundle.

The install file comes as a single EXE file and all the normal cautions apply as to having any protection type programs disabled during installation and having the proper Admin rights for the later versions of Windows.

Are we up and running?

Start FSX as a Free Flight and select A2A Simulations as Publisher. Most likely the first three choices will be the 3 repaints that were just installed.  I suggest you select an airport with a familiar layout with plenty of parking and taxiways for your indoctrination.  If like me, you will want to spend some time looking around the new Trainer, clicking on the various 2d panels and seeing some of the results.  Sounds are a large part of the simulation so make sure you can hear all those clicks, swishes, clunks and thuds.

I suggest you try the Pre-Flight Walk-around (Shft+8) before taking to the air.  Few flight simmers are familiar with the proper starting sequence of the fuel-injected Lycoming O-360, although they would never admit it but the Pilot’s Manual is there for reference, if needed.  This startup can range from the proper mouse clicks to the use of external throttle quadrant and Switch or Multi-Panels to even the old standby CTRL-E  (AutoStart is available in Shft+3).  Without prior knowledge, you may not get it going on the first try.  When you do get it fired up you will be rewarded with some wonderful sounds and a visual feast of smoke, bouncing needles and vibrating panels. Set your Parking Brake to On while you continue to explore.

The Controls 2D Panel, Shft+3, is loaded with the various Selections available to you.  I suggest just walking through the list using the Pilot’s Manual for reference. This is where you can configure or change some of the basics to personalize your Trainer. From this panel you can select/deselect things you would want to normally remove while on the ground and performing the preflight.  These are generally grouped as MISC items.

 The middle of the Controls Box has the ELECTRIC selections and the Right column is labeled as LIGHTS.  Several rectangular boxed near the bottom of the box is where you can experiment with the Cold and Dark, Auto-Start, Yoke/ No Yoke, etc.  This is also where you can click on the USED box and have an instant high time Trainer that will immediately show the proper sign of wear and tear. This seems to be a random assignment of accumulated hours so you will want to check with the Mechanic to see the condition of the systems and components.

You can also turn On or Off the Accu-Sim Damage in the lower right. You can click on the GPS configuration box to try the No GPS, a bracket mounted GPS295 handheld unit or the panel mounted GNS400.  Should you own some Reality XP units you can choose between the 430 and 530.

I have the Reality XP GNS530 and it fits like a glove in the panel with the one click.  Nothing else required.  Neat.

Shft+4 brings up the Payload and Fuel Manager box.  This totally replaces the FSX Fuel and Payload drop down selection with interactive visual selections for individual passengers, fuel, oil, and baggage.  The metric vs. imperial selection is a toggle in the lower right. This is a huge improvement over most add-ons with the choices of pilot and passengers.  I would like to see more choices and even some personalized choices but this alone is a nice step forward.

Shft+5 pops us a large zoom able navigation map with a selection box for customizing.  This was first introduced with the A2A J-3 Cub and has been a mainstay in all their simulations and is a very handy feature rich add-on. You are always portrayed in the center of the map.  One feature that I really like is when you click on APT (Airport) all visible airports will appear with their identifier, a second click and the airport name is added, a 3^rd click adds the runway elevation and longest runway length,  and the 4^th click adds some useful frequencies. The next click removes the airports from the map but resets the cycle as detailed.

You will want to explore the many subtle feature like Compass Rose, Distance rings, night, Airways, fixes, flight plans, etc.  It is so easy to identify that airport in the distance while flying in a new area.  The runway orientation is depicted to aid in the proper identification.  This is also a nice way to see what airports are within say 15 or 20 miles, with or without facilities, hard surface or grass, etc.

The little Quick Radio box is also a real time saver if you don’t have tunable external Radios (Shft+6).  To give it a try, right click on the active screen and right click and select Cockpit then Light Switches.  Turn on the Battery side of the Master Switch and the Avionics Master (assuming you are on the ground without the engine running).  Now right click again on the active screen and select the Radio Stack.  Key sequence Shft+6 will activate the popup window for the Quick Radio tuning.  Of course, you can unlock the small window and move it around the screen to a handy spot.

The selected Active and Standby radio frequencies are shown in the box and can be changed by right or left clicks directly on the frequency. An increment of .25 or .50 can be selected for COM1 or COM2.  The ADF and Transponder can be quickly changed also.  Click on the up/down Arrow box to switch the Standby Frequency and Active Frequency.

Of course, you can make all these frequency changes directly on the radios by making a mouse fist near the proper button and sliding the mouse. The programing makes good use of the center mouse wheel for many changes not just radio frequencies. Be sure to experiment with alternate methods. Links are provided to download the real world Bendix King Radio manuals.

The KAP-140 Autopilot, as modeled, is not WAAS capable, therefore LPV approaches are not available in the Trainer. Upgraded models of the KAP-140 come with WAAS support. This upgrade could be easily implemented, provided we get one of the team members' attention and ask real nice. My idea of using the C172 Trainer for instrument training requires an up-to-date WAAS capable GPS and AP. I think today’s pilot has become accustomed to the advantages of modern up-to-date navigation systems and we should not be deprived of all those new LPV approaches while flying the C172 Trainer. The Reality XP GNS series is already WAAS certified, we just need a couple of internal switches flipped by the programming team for the KAP-140 to acknowledge the glide slope while in the GPS mode.

One of my flight sim buddies tells me he has figured out a certain sequence of button pushing while executing a GPS approach that will indeed activate the vertical glide slope and therefore enable LPV minimums. I tried several times but was unable to duplicate his efforts.  I think the two of us may be using different versions (v1.03 vs. v1.022)

So how does it fly?

My personal assessment is that A2A has a real winner on their hands.  After a week or two of growing pains with some brake issues and some mysteriously vanishing VC click spots being solved for most users, they have settled down to making minor adjustments here and there and adding new bits and pieces to the simulation.  The version that I initially loaded already had most of the early issues resolved (v1.022).

I have always grasped for the correct words to describe or explain the ‘feel’ of flying a simulated airplane using a desktop computer and a few hundred dollar’s worth of yokes and pedals.  Many of those posting at our forums try to come off as experts and are quick to slam and blast the developers should the first edition not run absolutely perfect on their 6 year old PC using WinXP.  I am just the opposite and greatly appreciate all the hard work by the development teams and beta testers and I am always willing to wait on the sideline while the inevitable early bugs are resolved.  I personally think the A2A C172 is a marvelous simulation and will be even better as the team has the time to work on some improvements.

The A2A Management is already on record as stating they are and will continue to be ‘Customer Focused’ and will work to solve any and all problems with their Accu-Sim based simulations.  They recently changed from the standard periodic SP updates with the accumulated fixes to smaller and more frequent ‘hot fixes’ in order to get the revised programming in the hands of the user more quickly.  This change is evidently very well received as evidenced by the happy users posting on the A2A forums.

I think the words I would use to describe my experiences flying the A2A C172 Trainer would be the same words I use to describe flying a real world Cessna 172.  Remember, the Skyhawk is not a complicated, high-performance airplane.  As a matter of fact, it is just the opposite.  It was designed and built to be a simple, stable, safe, family airplane and it continues in that same tradition today.  The fact that the Skyhawk is by far the most popular airplane of all time supports these comments.

Any list you should happen to find will have the Cessna 172 near the top if not at the top in ratings for economy, safety, reliability, etc.  Insurance companies love the Skyhawk, Flying Schools love the Skyhawk, all those thousands and thousands of owners love the Skyhawk, and mostly for all the same reasons – it is predicable, simple, easy to fly, slow enough that you can usually get out of trouble, fast enough to get you there the same day you took off and will not break the bank. 

I looked up a few of the NTSB historical charts to see that Cessna as a company has the safest airplanes of all the major airplane builders. The Cessna 172 holds the last spot on the engine failure list, meaning it is the least likely to experience an engine failure in flight. As for in-flight airframe failures, only the little brother Cessna 150 is safer with the C172 in the number two position. All the other charts have the Skyhawk rated in the top 10% or bottom 10% depending on how the numbers are compiled.

 I guess the Insurance Carriers say it best with these statements: “Insuring the Cessna 172 is easy, as there are no real secrets to them.  They are reliable, easy to fly, and replacement parts are available everywhere” and “We feel very comfortable about insuring low time pilots in the 172 because the Skyhawk makes flying a family affair, and that generally makes for safer flying.”

A2A has already stated the C172 Trainer is their most popular simulation ever so it looks like we will be able to follow tradition and talk real world Cessna 172 and A2A Cessna 172 hangar talk as one in the same.  You can elect to use the Cessna published POH for the 172R and use the Bendix King avionics manuals to operate the real aircraft or the A2A simulation or use the provided Pilot’s Manual.  Kind of seems like one in the same to me.

OK.  Back to how does it fly?

She flies very nice.  Stable, predictable, smooth, easy to handle, comfortable.  Am I taking about the real one or the A2A C172 Trainer?  Yes.

The Shft+2 2d box contains some handy notes, speeds and limitations and some small abbreviated checklist for the various phases of flight.  This makes it easy to pop-up and review prior to climbs or descents while you are still learning the speeds.

I would like to briefly discuss one of the forum topics that caught my eye last evening.  One of our experts was complaining that the C172 Trainer did not have enough rudder authority and was not properly designed for crosswind landings.  Using his own personal flying technique, that who knows where he may have learned, he had great difficulty holding position against the crosswind, ran out of rudder control way too early, and floated above the runway for way too long before landing with a thud in the last 3^rd of the available runway.

A few other, would-be’s, wanna-be’s, and other aerodynamic experts chimed in and agreed and stated they were having the exact same problems or similar problems maintaining control in the crosswind landings.

Speaking only as an old retired flight instructor with several thousand logged hours in Cessna 150s, 172s, 182s, 177s, 210s and a few hundred more in the O-1a Birddog, I see it from a much simpler point of view.  I taught students to crab into the wind to hold position with the center line of the runway and depending on the severity of the crosswind to gradually transition to the low wing into the wind method when they were sure they had the runway made in case of engine failure, then to use enough rudder to align the aircraft with the runway prior to touchdown while maintaining the proper airspeed for the conditions.  Nothing any more complicated than that. 

The key thought is the airplane absolutely must be aligned with the runway at touchdown if you ever want to fly with me again or fly one of my airplanes.  Not one of my students ever ground looped one of those Cessnas, never damaged the landing gear, and never made a fool of themselves.  (Of course, we did not have forums back then.) BTW, I have never came close or even thought of running out of rudder either in any real world  Cessna 172 or the A2a C172 Trainer.

I have always considered the Cessna 172 Skyhawk as just a slightly larger Cessna 150 with a backseat or a slightly smaller Cessna 182 Skylane or a smaller Cessna 210 with fixed gear or a really docile version of the Birddog with more instruments, radios and a yoke.  I don’t remember having any problems with crosswind landing in any of them or any problem floating way too long or ever running out of rudder authority. Each of these Cessna models are quite different and the power loading, panel layout and flight characteristics are sufficiently different to require a pilot that flies the different models often to pay special attention to those differences.

When I was a flight student I commuted from Titusville, Florida to Daytona Beach when I was training in an Apache for my Multi-engine rating and later flying the DC-3 for a type rating.  I use one of my Cessna 150s for the commute.  Can you imagine how simple that Cessna Trainer was after climbing out of an old, run-down DC-3 for the flight back home? I think that is why it is not uncommon for an airline pilot to have a J-3 cub for a personal airplane.

I have a lot less hours flying the A2A C172 Trainer, but it looks like nothing will change – crosswind landings are a breeze, no problem floating, and I am yet to run out of rudder authority.  As a matter of fact, there is nothing that I dislike about the C172 Trainer.  Once I settle down at cruise altitude, I always seem to wish it was another 10 or 20 knots faster but then again, it’s a Trainer not a cross country airplane.  It just seems do a lot of things right and does not have any faults.  Give me a clean, smooth running Skyhawk to practice pattern work, fly instrument approaches and just build flight time and I’m happy.  Thanks Scott.

I hear a totally revamped RealAir Piston Duke is slated for reintroduction as v2 any day now.  That should keep me occupied when I have an urge for a cross country flight.

Mostly due to the power loading, the real C172 requires a special touch with the trim wheel when leveling off for cruise.  It seems slow to accelerate from climb speed to cruise speed and wants to keep climbing while you continue adjusting the trim until everything settles down.  Many pilots just climb 100 or 200 feet above their desired cruise altitude, lower the nose and let the speed build up as they level off. The old joke goes like this.  How long does it take a student to learn to properly trim a Cessna 172 for cruise? Answer: 40 hours.

Some thoughts about flying the Cessna 172

As I stated earlier, I tend to think of the Skyhawk as a roomy 2-place airplane with plenty of space for baggage. That way the performance seems closer to the POH graphs and charts and chances are I won’t be sneaking up on the Max Gross Weight and violations of the CG envelope with full fuel.  Most of my flight time was with the two front seats occupied, totally empty back seats, no baggage and starting the day with full fuel. Occasionally, I would have an observer in the back seat, usually one of my instrument rating students along for the ride.

I remember practicing the commercial pilot license maneuvers in a Skyhawk in Central Florida. Chandelles, Lazy eights, Eights on pylons, steep turns, and power on stalls were an absolute breeze.  I used my GI Bill benefits to pay for a Commercial, Multi, Instrument and DC-3 Type Rating.  I thought at the time that it couldn’t get any better than this. I chose a flight school in Orlando for my Commercial that was strictly Cessnas and although I lived 50 miles away, taking a new Skyhawk home for a week at a time was no problem back then.  I just wanted to log flight time. I jumped over to a Piper school in Daytona Beach for the Multi and Heavy Type rating.

Back to the Simulation

I updated my A2A C172 Trainer to the 1.03 version last night and took it up today for some nostalgic commercial certificate practice.  I started with slow flight by easing the power back until one wing or the other would drop then I would gradually bring the power back in.  After a few minutes of this, I tried some more aggressive power-on stalls, then some full-flap stalls, and before you know it I was back in the Florida swamps doing Lazy eights and Chandelles.  As much as I can remember, flying the A2A C172 Trainer is no different than flying the real ones based at Herndon Airport in Orlando all those years ago.  The sounds, except for the Lycoming vs. Continental engines, are practically the same, the feel, as such, is spot on. I just wish they could add a couple of simulated G’s.  Maybe that will be in a future update.

Back to the airport for a few landings. Touchdown was always one of my specialties. I could grease anything with wings on to a runway and get a kiss from the tires almost every time.  No surprises here either.  The A2A C172 Trainer is just as predictable as I remember the real world version.  Same speeds, same attitude, same sounds, and same kiss.

How about all those additional repaints I see in these screenshots?

All are available, and all are free.  Using the A2A provided paint kit, repainters all over the world are working day and night adding to the inventory of free C172 Trainer repaints.  Many of these are from first-time painters.  Imagine that.  Some of our mainstay repainters are already in the double-digits of gorgeous repaints uploaded to our AVSIM Library or at various drop boxes with images and links at the A2A forums. Most of those N numbers ending in RM were at my request and I think they are absolutely knock-your-socks-off gorgeous.

The good thing about having a 50 year old model is there are probably an unlimited number of paint schemes and somebody, somewhere can reproduce one for you, and maybe even a custom interior and personalized registration number – real or fictional – it matters not.  I personally prefer the light blues and burgundy colors.

The C172 Trainer could easily become the most popular repaint in all of general aviation repaints.  I could see several hundred available before the next A2A Simulation is completed.

Every time I check the A2ASimulations forum for the latest scoop on the C172 Trainer I see where a few more new repaints images have been posted. The most recent to catch my eye was a US Coast Guard scheme by trucker17. I was also pleased to see Al Heline, Al FR-153, has posted download links for 3 new leather interiors with the A2A logo prominently displayed of the seat backs. Thanks Al.

Many of the screenshots that Soya captured while vacationing at the Isle of Man features special repaints that were generously made for the author by ‘Skyhawk’, my Norwegian friend that also answers to Gunnar van der Meeren.  Gunnar doesn’t just paint an airplane, he researches the images for accuracy and usually adds an original matching interior to keep it historically correct.   Tusen Takk, Skyhawk.

Night Flying in the C172 Trainer

When the sun goes down and it is sufficiently dark enough to require manmade lights in order to see around the airplane and to actually fly you are in a totally different environment.  The new high intensity taxi and landing lights mounted on the leading edge of the left wing are truly bright and do indeed light up the countryside on climb out or approach to a landing.

The panel and instrument lights are more at the discretion of the individual pilots.  Some like a dark cockpit, other like to light up the cabin and most are somewhere in between.  Fortunately, everyone can be happy with the lighting package for the C172 Trainer.

Some of the really nifty features

There are so many, and I probably have only discovered a few but, the Maintenance Hangar just keeps me coming back for more.  Forgetting reality for an instant, I enjoy overriding the intent and clicking on the red bar so I can view the various changes while in the air.  Like when you change the prop, the sounds change and the RPM gauge and settings change, in additional to any visual differences.  The Flap Seals are fun to click on and off while viewing from underneath the aircraft.  That has always been a very large gap to disturb the smooth air flowing under the wing.

Enabling the Flap Seals and adding the wheel covers may assist you in squeezing out an extra knot or two of cruise speed, but, just keep in mind the C172 was never intended as a high speed cross country airplane.

I checked to see if the open window is also open from the outside view and yes it is.  Be sure to check out the headphones – visuals and sounds. There are just so many little things that we have not seen or even thought about in FSX to explore with this simulation.

“Maybe someone will start a ‘bucket list’ of things you should do with the A2A C172 Trainer before you move on.”

The 2D popup Controls Box, Shft+3, will also keep you entertained. I recommend you try each and every click, box, selection, slider, etc.

Someone posted a comment on the forum that making changes while in flight may be a contributing factor to the loss of VC click spots.  Could be, but I am yet to experience the click spot problem that a few users are having.

Incompatibility with some Saitek hardware

I know the external cockpit groups and those using the Saitek Flight Instrument Panels (FIPs) were disappointed to discover the A2A C172 Trainer with Accu-Sim is not compatible with their Mad Catz/Saitek hardware.  This results in about half the FIP gauges having erroneous readings.  There is not a clear explanation of why some work correctly and some don’t.  The culprits are the RPM, Manifold Pressure, Fuel Flow, EGT and Oil Temp gauges. The ones that seem to be compatible are the altimeter, airspeed, Vertical Speed and Directional Gyro.  Having two gauges that read completely different RPM is disconcerting at best, and the error is not linear.  You know the old adage of having two clocks – you never know for sure what time it is.

The A2A technical explanation is difficult for me to grasp as it basically blames FSX’s poor programming for the error but yet many of the FSX gauges agree exactly with the Accu-Sim gauges, others don’t. The common question seems to be what makes the RPM gauge so special that non-compatible coding has to be totally re-developed?

Speaking as one of those that has the full complement of Saitek hardware, I sure wish some bright mind would take this on as a project to resolve the differences. The short forum discussing the technical issues doesn’t present A2A’s case very well and all the Saitek FIP users are left in the dust. One post from the design team stated “.. the standard variables are constantly overwritten by FSX engine with its own, usually incorrect, calculations.” Hmmm.

I fully realize that none of our developers should be expected to coordinate their design with existing 3^rd party add-ons, but I would like to hear someone go on record as to why Aerosoft, Flight1, RealAir, Milviz, and others are not experiencing these problems and they are also programming outside the FSX box so to speak.

Maybe a disclaimer should be added that at present the A2A C172 Trainer is not compatible with the Saitek FIP external hardware gauges.  This could save of lot of frustration for some users and save some paperwork time for A2A.

Where are the Weight and Balance Calculations?

Weight and Balance is mentioned a few times in passing in the C172 Manual but there are no discussions or explanations, graphs or charts. Center of Gravity is not even discussed other than the defined limits in the Specfications. Cessna devotes a generous portion, actually a full chapter, of all POHs to Weight and Balance/Equipment List due to the importance that it has on aircraft performance and safety.

Designed and built to be flown “By The Book.”
                                                                A2A  C172 Manual

As I mentioned earlier, the C172 Skyhawk is easily overloaded with two adults, two small children, and almost no baggage and less than full fuel.  Most likely any weight condition exceeding Maximum Gross Weight will result in a center of gravity outside the allowable envelope that will severely affect elevator effectiveness and climb performance among several other things.

I think airplane Weight and Balance is sufficiently important enough to deserve its own A2A C172 Trainer pop-up and linked to the selected payload.  It would be great as fuel and oil, pilot, passenger, baggage and new equipment is added or removed the W&B would reflect these calculations with total weight compared to the Max Takeoff Weight and the calculated Center of Gravity could be plotted for visual review.

Some commercially available apps exist that are specific to aircraft models.  Here is a snapshot from a demo for a C172S by Gyronimo Systems.  These usually require a later model iPad due to the memory intensive calculations but for about $17.00 you can get a C172R app that will increase the reality factor even more and does a whole lot more than W&B calculations.

Here is a free online Weight and Balance calculation sheet.  It is for the C172S model but other than the higher gross weight it is close enough for practice and here is another free one for a C172R. Should you find a free online calculator that can be used for the C172R Trainer be sure to post a link at the forum.

Some final thoughts

I read with keen interest the list of updated features the development team rolled into this latest hot fix. I find it amazing how aggressive these guys are to make this C172 Trainer as much like the Skyhawks they are renting to cross check their work.  Jump over to the open A2A forums and take a look at the list of items in this thread.

I don’t see how anyone could do any better than choosing the A2A C172 Trainer for a simulation.  The rate these guys are advancing makes one wonder what they will pack into the next release.  Sure, it is not perfect and there will always be room for improvements, but then it only cost 50 bucks including the Accu-Sim. 

I would venture a guess that if we rated the A2A C172 Trainer against all other general aviation simulations, it would take first place when compared to the same type and category airplane.  That is not to say some of the other higher performance, retractable gear, singles and twins would not come away with first prize in their category.

I would like to see more user controls for some of the subjective features so each pilot or owner could fine tune his or her model to their personal taste.  This would be like the recently added adjustable elevator force slider or maybe just a more or less or increase or decrease or a radio button selection for the runway thump and bump sounds or other items that folks would want more or less volume, action or reaction -maybe something along the lines of the Accu-Feel slider selection menu.

I have to admit that I am surprised at the number of complaints that just keep showing up in the forums.  This may be perfectly normal because I usually am not privy to the nitty gritty details because most developers don’t have their forums open to the public.  It just seems like the final product was not as polished and fine-tuned as some of the other A2A products and similar products from competitors. What we tend to overlook is that the vast majority are not experiencing any installation difficulties and are happily enjoying their new C172 Trainer.

A feature that is disappointingly absent and quite noticeable to me is the total lack of yoke and rudder pedals physical movement when using the autopilot.  I expect some coordinated yoke and elevator movement when airborne and I move the trim tab either up or down or I when select a new heading I expect to see an instant turn to that heading with the accompanying yoke and pedal deflection.  The airplane as a whole reacts properly to the autopilot inputs but the yoke, ailerons, elevator and rudder are frozen.  This appears very odd for such an otherwise realistic simulation.

The development team is continuing to add features with functional Accu-Sim circuit breakers high on the list, along with fine tuning the p-factor, flight physics, ground handling, and tweaking some of the sounds and who knows what else they may be working on for us.

A2ASim’s new method of mini hot fixes and incremental updates is masterful in my opinion.  If you are waiting for the SP1 to purchase this one it will be a long wait because there will not one coming.  The Accu-Sim engine is constantly being updated and those specific updates for the C172 Trainer will be in the form of small timely ‘hotfixes’.

The technical knowledgebase for FSX improvements is both broad and deep and some of the better ones are freeware.  I would expect to see a freeware edition of the bug spats on the windscreen any day now and a personal registration number and color scheme is practically free for the asking, provided you ask nicely.

My personal wish list

1. Bug splats on the windscreen.

2. Upgraded Autopilot for full LPV approach practice. There are numerous upgrades readily available for the King KX-140 Autopilot that make it much easier to use and enables the WAAS approaches. Maybe just a more feature rich unit.

3. The ability to add additional pilot and passenger images to the available inventory. Just Flight had a utility to add your own mug shot to the pilot and passenger lists way back with their 'Flying Club edition' and the JibJab library is so simple a cave man could do it.  I would like to have some family images as the pilot and crew.  I would even be willing to occupy one of the back seats to watch my two grandkids fly and navigate.  Cammie already looks a lot like Heidi and Dalton would be a handsome devil with those Terminator sunglasses.

4. Additional switch position memory for both aircraft and flight.  I would like to find the Trainer just the way I left it from the previous flight. The memory falls into two categories - airplane and flight plan - and more of each could be incorporated in the Trainer.

A wish list is always personal and based on experience and desire.  Fortunately, the A2A team is customer focused and willing to listen to any and all customers.

Recommendation

For all those reason’s that I touched on throughout this review and all the innovative new features packed into this simulation, I wholeheartedly recommend the AVSIM Gold Star be awarded the A2A Simulations C172 Trainer.  Go get it and start training, again. I did.

Be sure to check those cotter pins.

The A2A C172 Trainer is available for purchase.

Scenery used in the screenshots is the newly released Isle of Man at Earth Systems.  A separate AVSIM review of this outstanding scenery package is in work.

Look for dolphins SW of Island Monir.

Credits

A2A Simulations for providing the C172 Trainer, Thanks Scott and Lewis.
Soya, aka Patrick Van Der Nat, for the great screenshots used throughout the review.
Other Screenshots by Author.
New Skyhawk image with specs at Cessna.com
1957 172 Cessna story and images.

Link 1 and Link 2 to online W & B calculations & Results from Google online searches.

Weight and Balance and performance apps.

Interview with Scott Gentile, A2A Simulations Founder and Visionary. Questions by Ray Marshall, AVSIM Contributing Reviewer.  November 2, 2013.

Q. Why did A2A decide to create a C172 with such a high degree of accuracy?

A. Our team wraps the business around our passion.  We created the Cessna 172R because it is pertinent to what we are doing now with pilot training and the accuracy comes from our desire to replicate these experiences.  For example, a proper walk around is central to flying any airplane today, so the new walk around feature came out of necessity to present the airplane properly.  Additionally, we probably now have the most in-depth and complete flight testing process available.   Our Accu-Sim flight test program was born out of necessity since there isn’t a single flight test or compilation of tests done by aircraft manufacturers or the military that provides the information required to build an Accu-Sim aircraft.   For the C172 Trainer, and much like our previous Accu-sim aircraft, our program consisted of fifteen test flights in various C172R’s, with multiple high definition cameras and sound recording devices.

Q. Were there any special challenges in your attempt to recreate the C172 experience within FSX?

A. Microsoft Flight Simulator X is a massive platform built on a staggering amount of man hours and money, to the likes that we may never again see in our lifetime.  Fortunately Microsoft did a great job opening up the back end using technology (known as SimConnect) which makes for an almost infinitely expandable development platform.  The mere fact we have elevated the simulation to the level seen in this Accu-Sim C172 Trainer is proof of the power of Microsoft Flight Simulator X as a host platform.  The power is, we take the best of decades of Microsoft development and the best of Accu-Sim to create something that we feel is fresh and immersive.

Q. What features of the Accu-Sim C172 do you think makes it unique and perhaps a "game changer"?

A. Accu-Sim is built from a pilot / aircraft owner’s perspective and implemented to be natural and intuitive for the user.  For example, the new walk around was designed by us going back and forth from the airport with various photos and videos and endured three design changes to become what it is now.  It is simply you, walking around making visual and physical checks.  It’s dynamic and, like the real airplane, doesn’t break often.  You can easily have twenty straight flights without anything going wrong, and on your 21st flight, for example, your elevator lower actuator may be missing a cotter pin that helps to hold it together.  If you miss this then go up and fly, there is a chance, just like in reality, that the bolt may fall out resulting in not being able to pull back on the elevator in flight (in this case, you would use throttle and elevator trim to control altitude).  All of the internal control linkage that you see in the walk around is built in the simulation, and you could fly this plane for 1000 hours and still not come close to seeing everything it has to give.  Remember, the airplane is a reliable machine and so is Accu-Sim.  Realism isn’t hard, it’s fun.   And when things happen, it’s a learning experience.  So don’t expect your Accu-Sim airplane to fall apart.  That would of course be harder, but wouldn’t be realistic.

Perhaps the other area of Accu-Sim that stands alone is the slow flight characteristics of the plane.  This is needed in flight school training simulators and another reason why this trainer has so much demand.

Q. Who is the C172 Trainer targeted at? (beginners or more advanced users)

A. Just like the actual airplane, both.  You can throw a kid inside a real C172 and they will have fun, so we expect to simulate that same fun.  My son made a comment the other day that I thought was fitting.  He said “Dad, you know what I like most about A2A aircraft?  The 2d panels.  They are so simple and easy to use.”  This is because our own Robert Rogalski spends hours on end with every change or addition to these panels, with the customer in mind.  It’s hard work to keep something simple to use.

Another example is, we still support the basic features like the default FSX auto start.  The way we look at it is, even being realistic; if the customer wants to have the engine started for them, then let them.  We have always tried our best to make sure that the advanced features can be turned on and off so for those moments when time is important you can quickly jump in and fly for those quick 10min flights.  Who are we to force a customer to jump through hoops to accommodate us?  While we spend a tremendous amount of time on our manuals, we spend just as much time making sure the product is so intuitive, you don’t need to reach for the manual to know how to use the program.  Refer to the manual to learn about the aircraft and deeper features in the program.   If both a kid and a seasoned pilot cannot have fun flying the product, then it is a failure IMO.

Q. Do you think the C172 Trainer can be of any practical value to real world pilots who have perhaps started their flight training on the real aircraft?

A. Absolutely.  We have fifteen pilots in our organization, all of which have Cessna 172 flying experience.  I am also a pilot and ran the test flight program for this project.  Our own test flights are the core of the source we build the physics from. The Accu-Sim C172 Trainer is also getting ready to be implemented into real world simulators for flight schools around the globe.

Q. Given the fact that there are many advanced airliners on the market for FSX, do you think the Accu-Sim C172 Trainer will capture the attention of the FS community?  If so, how?

A. So far, this aircraft has energized our community like we’ve never seen before.  We also visit and support AVSIM customers as well as other communities as part of our daily schedule.

Learning to walk before you can run is often lost in the FS world and it’s great to see so many airliner sim pilots try the C172 Trainer (refreshing the basics).  Essentially, it’s learning to fly all over again in the sim and quite like a true story by Mitchell Glicksman of the “747 pilot who forgot how to fly,” in which an accomplished 747 pilot was presented with a Piper Cub and discovered he could no longer fly it like he used to.

Q. Now that the C172 has been released, will this be the end of this products development?  Or will we see additional expansion packages?  Some have requested a G1000 version. Will A2A consider these options and perhaps create an in-depth G1000 expansion pack?

A. We didn’t test fly with the G1000 but there are two G1000’s out there on the simulation market already, so if we want to get a G1000 in our plane, we would likely approach one of those companies rather than create such a complex piece from scratch.  However, right now we are already fully committed to our own projects and contracts with new business partners.

Beyond this, however, the C172 Trainer is part of the core Accu-sim range of products and updates will be available via the core update system as each new update or product comes out.  In the meantime, mini 172 updates can be found on our popular community forums, and if anyone ever has any questions we welcome them to sign up and post. There are no newbie questions, just questions.

Q. A2A is well known for their vintage line of aircraft add-ons. With the addition of the C172 to your list of products, will we see more light piston aircraft in the future from manufacturers such as Piper?  Perhaps even a twin piston aircraft with the Accu-Sim touch?

A. We’re actively working on an F-104 Starfighter and a Piper Cherokee, and we certainly will not be stopping there. We also have some guest developers creating some great Aircraft Factory aircraft.  The future is looking really good with the new stuff coming.

Q. A2A has mentioned that at least two official sponsors in creating the C172 Trainer, do you wish to share with us how instrumental their roles were in making the product what it is today?

A. This again was echoed by our own experiences.  To give an example, we researched the best oil and additive to use in aircraft today for our own aircraft.  We concluded, right now, it’s Phillips multi-grade oil with Camguard additive so we partnered with Conoco Phillips and Camguard ASL for the C172 Trainer.  We’ve talked many hours on the phone about everything from oil viscosity to acidic buildup to what conditions can cause the oil bypass valve to open.  These are all questions aircraft owners discuss and debate every day, and we need as much clear information about these topics to keep our general aviation fleet in good condition.

Test System

Hellfire FS Intel i7 2700 OC to 4.5 GHz
FSX w/Acceleration, Win7-64, 8 GB RAM
nVidia GTX580 w/1.5 GB RAM
Crucial M4 256 GB SSD, Intel 330 180 GB SSD
Seagate 3TB data drive, WD Black 1TB data drive
WD My Passport 750 GB USB 3.0 External Drive

Dell 27 IN WS HD monitor

Full Mad Catz/Saitek hardware cockpit
8 Saitek Flight Instrument Panels,
BIP, Switch Panel, Multi Panel, TPM,
dual power quadrants & Cessna trim wheel. 
Saitek x52 Pro Flight Control System
Saitek Combat Rudder Pedals
Cessna Yoke System

Logitech wireless Keyboard and Mouse.

Bose Companion 20 speakers

Apple iPad / iPhone

Pilot Qualifications

Commercial Pilot License with Single-Engine Land and Sea, Multi-engine Land, Instrument Airplane and DC-3 type ratings and Instrument and Advanced Ground Instructor and expired CFI/CFII licenses.

by Ray Marshall. I don’t know why it continues to happen this way but it surely does.  All the totally outstanding FSX add-ons are released in bunches or batches.  Although fully independent of each other, our top tier developers can work for months and sometimes even years and when it is time to hit the ‘here it is’ or ‘Ready for Market’ button our credit card takes a major hit.  Not from the instant download of one or two, more like 3 or 4 must haves within a span of a few days or weeks.

Not necessarily in any order but this last batch consisted of the PMDG 777, the A2A Simulations C172 Trainer, the RealAir Duke v2, and the Flight1 B200 King Air.  To round out the list we were all stunned at just how quickly the smooth running Majestic Dash 8 Q400 hit the top of the charts.  And to complicate matters even further, Aerosoft’s Airbus X Extended and the updated v2.0 Twotter were finally completed.

I was busy researching and writing reviews for a couple of those so I missed much of the mad dashes to be in the first 100 or so to jump on the download wagon.  I had committed to write the AVSIM review of the Flight1 B200 King Air although I did not know that it would be completed so soon. I was thinking maybe a Christmas release.  I was as surprised as everyone else when it appeared on the ‘Now Available’ screens in late July. 

I was totally engrossed in the A2A C172 preflight and Maintenance Hangar for a month or so when out of nowhere the RealAir Piston Duke v2 shows up on my doorstep.  Because the two airplanes are so different in real life and both are modelled in FSX just about as close to reality as anyone has seen to date, I was able to add the new Duke to my workload.  I kept an eye on the Flight1 forums and when the SP1 was announced, I decided I should not wait any longer.

Using the world renowned Flight1 wrapper system, I had it downloaded, installed and running in a matter of minutes.  This has to be the slickest of all the simulation purchasing/download systems. 

I have half a hangar full of Flight1 products so all my folders, keys, and backups were in order.  I immediately forwarded the 124 page Pilot’s Guide to my iPad for some nighttime reading and went looking for the Preflight and Startup checklists.

My first impression of the King Air cockpit was how large and spacious it was compared to the Duke and Skyhawk that I had been flying almost constantly for the last two months.  I noticed lots of new switches and knobs with logical groupings by system or function with new camera views making them easy to see and operate. I also see myself spending some serious time just sitting in the pilot’s seat with the manual and the many included checklists.  I noticed the design team built us a nice well used model, but loaded it up with the latest Garmin G1000 avionics flight system with that wonderfully oversized MFD in the middle of the panel with standard PFDs on either side. This does not look like any King Air that I am familiar with.

Let’s back up a bit and talk about the King Air B200 because this is not your Grandmother’s KA B200.  This is more like someone won the lottery and wisely selected the best of the best airframe and engine modifications, new cabin appointments, full panel updates and more.  According to the Flight1 Pilot’s Manual, this started as a typical 1984 B200 model with some high time engines and an early ‘80s collection of instruments with the radios and avionics  and maybe a couple of newer GPS units that may or may not be coupled to the antiquated autopilot.  In other words, the perfect B200 King Air that you can find almost everywhere that is in dire need of a $1.5 - $2 million dollar upgrade.  You see, the King Air cabin has been ‘the one’ that all the new VLJ’s did not want to be compared to and the Garmin owned STC for the full panel replacement with their totally integrated G1000 King Air specific flight system was fully tested and being installed in high time King Airs all over the country.

Turboprops in general have always occupied a unique niche in corporate aviation.  They cover the middle ground in both price and performance between the piston twins and the pure jets.  The inherent reliability of turbine engines allow for more time between overhauls than the typical piston engines, usually an extra 1,000 hours or so.

King Airs have come to be regarded as perhaps the ultimate turboprop and are usually considered the standard by which most other turboprops are measured.  And within the King Air family, the tall tail B200 is generally considered as the best of the best as reflected by the sales volume and universal acceptance.

It seems the original King Air could hold its own against the competition, and there was a lot more competition back in the 70s.  When the B model was introduced in 1981 with that enormous 2 story T-tail with larger engines, a slightly larger cabin and better pressurization the King started to distance itself from the competition.  You seldom hear anything about the Cessna Conquest, Swearingen Merlin, Turbo Commander or the Piper Cheyenne anymore.  Walk up to any charter company at any given airport and you would find a couple of King Airs either loading, unloading or waiting for your charter.  It was the ‘go to’ heavy hauler of choice for most of its lifespan that started in 1973.  Beechcraft continued introducing newer, larger and more expensive King Air models even until the present day.  Beech management studied and considered updates for the B200 from time to time but never moved off dead center. Raytheon assumed ownership in 1996/1997 and continued business for 10 years until Hawker/Beechcraft acquired the brand.  

This lack of Company sponsored upgrades for the B200 opened the door for the STC modifiers and OEMs to pump new life into the aging fleet.  And they did it in spades.  Like most free market enterprises a couple of companies took the lead and held on because they could upgrade your King Air to any level you could afford. 

“King Air was the right product for its time, and it has stood the test of time well. After all, 7,000 buyers can’t be wrong, can they?”

A few of the weak spots were addressed, a few new innovative features were added based on owner requests, and the sum total was a series of practical improvements, along with an upscale cabin, winglets and a few more redesigned aeronautical trim pieces added resulting in an improved package.  They just called it the Super King Air 200 with the Raisbeck Epic Gold treatment.

Raisbeck is a Seattle based large-scale modifier that bundles several aftermarket kits for the King Air family. Raisbeck is known for aftermarket modifications that improve performance, enhance passenger comfort and increase the carrying capacity of these already exceptional airplanes. This includes an innovative ram air recovery system, enhanced performance leading edge wing cuffs, aft body strakes, and upgraded 4-blade composite props systems ready to be strapped to two factory-fresh hot turbine engines.  All together these mods enhance the King Air to even higher performance than the newest Hawkers coming off the on again/off again assembly line.

“The Raisbeck Epic package alone can reduce takeoff speeds by 5%, takeoff distance by nearly one-third, improved time to climb by up to 25% and boost cruise speed nearly 3% in addition to increasing resale value by up to one-half the retail price.

The Blackhawk engine upgrade provides even larger increases in performance.”

Just to give you an idea of what these modifications and upgrades can do for you, the standard B200 with the original Pratt and Whitney PT6A-42 turbine engines will cruise at 285 knots.  Our Flight1 Blackhawk Super King Air 200 cruises at 310 Knots.  That is getting awfully close to the Cessna Citation Mustang speeds. But there are also substantial improvements on the low-speed end.  The Raisbeck prop upgrade package with Ram Air increases lift thereby increasing thrust during takeoff resulting in shorter takeoff and landing distances. Other noticeable and needed improvements correct some noise and vibration issues.

Speaking of Mustangs, the sales force for the Model 510 Mustang targeted King Air owners as their most promising candidates when trying to sell their $3 million dollar entry level Citation.  They were fond of calling the King Air owner attention to the noise and vibration that was just part and parcel of turboprop airplanes.  They also stressed their ‘pure jet’ could cruise above the weather to the delight of the precious cargo in the cabin seats.  And true enough, they moved many turboprop owners to the smaller, reduced headroom, 4 – 5 seat, slightly faster, slightly higher flying Mustang.  Every time one of those new Jet owners would standup and bump his head he wondered how he was talked into this deal.  I’m sure they missed those larger seats and walk-in cargo area plus all that extra elbow room in his or her old King Air. The B200 King Air has a little more than twice the cabin volume of the Citation Mustang and more headroom.

He or she would usually say “if they would just add some sound absorption panels, some vibration arrestment devices and some quieter props and bigger engines that could be throttled back at cruise” the King Air would be a perfect alternative to this sawed off pipe.

And that folks is exactly what the aftermarket refitters did for the King Airs. With a fleet of 2,000 or so aging King Airs just begging for upgrades and overhauls business started booming.

The other big gun responsible for about half the improved performance set up shop in Waco, Texas as Blackhawk Modifications.  These guys will take a pair of run-out -42 engines on their last leg and replace them with factory new P&W Canada PT6A-52 850 shp engines.  Their Super XP52 kit, like we have designed into our Flight1 B200, fits a 1,360+ shp gas generator section adapted from the newest King Air 350i to boost the high altitude performance.  Many of these upgrades and mods result in net weight gains due to newer, improved parts and lighter materials.  This in turn adds to the performance increases.  The XP-52 kit alone adds an additional 34 knots cruise at high altitude.

An alternative is to splurge and buy a new King Air 200GT, 250 or even a big new 350i.  These by the way are not selling too well at $5 - $8 million dollars.

For a reasonable investment of around $3 million dollars you can buy and equip a 1984 B200 so it will actually cruise faster, fly just as high and just as far as that new B200GT. You can climb directly to FL350 in 26 minutes.  You will have to throttle those Blackhawks back a bit during high altitude cruise to stay under the 0.52 Mmo redline.  Best cruise is 313 Knots at FL260 at mid weights which is 6 knots faster than a new B200GT.  But there is much more than faster climb and cruise performance.  You can also choose to equip this new speed demon with the Garmin G1000 King Air specific large format, flat panel display avionics package.  This looks suspiciously close to the Cessna Citation Mustang’s avionics suite and it should.  The oversized 15 IN MFD mentioned earlier is straight out of the Mustang, along with an upgraded controller and full autopilot.  Our overhaul will include a totally new cabin, new winglets and a new tip to tail paint job.

Not just any winglet, we will be getting the BLR Winglet System that adds an aluminum wing tip, carbon fiber winglet and integrated position, recognition an strobe lights.  These BLRs increases the overall wingspan by 3 feet 5 inches, providing an increase in wing aspect ratio and a valuable reduction in induced drag.  This allows us to fly faster on less fuel and acts as a pressure barrier, preserving lift at the outboard extremity of the wing.  This increase in wing efficiency increases the handling qualities during slow flight, one-engine out conditions, and at higher flight levels.  Not only that but they look cool and modern.

“Aggressive weight-cutting and performance-improving changes. What’s not to like about gaining access to an additional 1,100 airports?”

Some of the smaller details include a better insulated cabin to keep the passengers warm during the higher flight levels. We will have a new ice vane system that works both on the ground and at altitudes along with the latest generation of the Hartzell low-vibration 4-bladed composite props.

The third major modification in building the ultimate King Air is the complete gutting of the original mish-mash of old analog and first generation digital avionics, taking the cockpit panel down to bare metal and replacing everything with the fully integrated Garmin G1000 King Air specific package.  This was FAA approved as an STC a few years ago.  This was an adapted design of the phenomenally successful Cessna Citation Mustang suite and upgraded with many newer generation components. Realizing a substantial reduction in wire harness and individual instrument casing weights, a reduction in empty weight of almost 150 pounds is achieved. This Garmin flight management system is truly impressive.

The real world edition is fully loaded with features, some that are not available in FSX but many are included and Flight1 continues to add features with their timely updates.  Yes, the Flight1 B200 is WAAS certified, uses Navigraph FMS data, reads SIDS and STARS and includes all the features in the Flight1 Mustang and C182 editions.  This edition now includes the banana arc and the simulator version of the SafeTaxi airport surface diagram feature.

Yes, the 2d popup integrated AFCS and GCU 477 controller keypad is included along with the ability to popup and enlarge the PFD and MFD. By undocking the popup window it can then be moved to a second monitor should you have one.

Engine instrumentation, with caution and warning cueing displayed on the MFD is, of course, specific to the B200 Blackhawk. The Crew Alerting and Warnings annunciations have their original dedicated grouping and displays in the warning panel top center.

Add full new animated cabin and cockpit appointments and a spiffy new paint job and we are ready to take on the world.  That is the FSX sim world.   So with the Raisbeck Engineering Epic bundle coupled with the Blackhawk XP-52 kit, and the King Air Garmin G1000 package you can now see why I stated this is not your Grandmother’s King Air.  This is truly the Ultimate Super King Air and it is a joy to fly in FSX.

The exterior lighting package is the same as any real world Super King Air that you may see at your local airport.  This one has all the expected white, green, reds, strobes, etc. and is more like the other heavies with Ice Lights and Tail illumination.  In addition to those animations that I mentioned earlier and the standard disappearing yoke and animated yoke, pedals, throttles, etc., the additional cockpit and cabin animations include movable sun visors, sliding doors, arm rests and passenger tables. Airframe icing is simulated on the windshield and leading edges, in addition to the pitot tube.

The Garmin G1000 system for the Flight1 King Air is based on the existing Flight1 G1000 with some important and notable improvements.  The most obvious is the MFD Engine Indication System that is custom for the King Air.  Here is a glance at the critical engine and fuel flow parameters.