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SIM720 Inverness & Edinburgh

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SIM720's Inverness & Edinburgh

A review by Mike Cameron

Introduction

 

The information below was gathered from the product page and from www.scotland.com.  The Scottish Highlands have many small villages located there, but have only one community that is large enough to be called a city--and that is Inverness.  Inverness is located in Northeast Scotland, at the mouth of the River Ness from which the city derives its name.  The area where the city is now located was once inhabited by the Picts many centuries ago and today you can make your way to Craig Phadrig where you will find an ancient fort once used by these native peoples.  Some of the many historical sites that are located in Inverness are Inverness Castle, which is currently being used as a courthouse.  The Andrew’s Cathedral is located on the River Ness and the oldest church of the area, Old High Church, is situated on St Michael’s Mount next to the river.

 

Inverness Airport (EGPE) is located in Dalcross, which is 8.1 miles (13KM or 7NM) northeast of the City of Inverness and serves as the gateway to the Scottish Highlands.  The airport is operated by HIA (Highlands & Islands Airports) and hosts a range of scheduled flights throughout the United Kingdom and a few European destinations.  The airport has over a half million passengers that use this airport with more than 15,000 scheduled flights to/from Inverness each year.  This airport was originally used as a RAF base in World War II and then opened for civil use in 1947. 

 

Since then, numerous air carriers have used the airport and Inverness Airport has had many upgrades through the years.  The Sim720 presentation of this airport is an accurate reproduction of Inverness Airport with custom & hand placed objects with high-resolution textures, accurate placement of taxiways and the runway and custom night lighting effects.  This scenery is designed to blend seamlessly with FSX default scenery, Orbx FTX Scotland regional scenery and Horizon scenery products.  I will be using it with the Orbx Scotland Scenery.  This product is also DX10 compatible.

 

Installation and Documentation

 

This is a multipart review and flight tour, so I am only going to explain the install process with the first part of my tour, Stornoway Airport.  If this is your first Sim720 airport and did not read the previous part, check out this review.  An excellent manual is included with all Sim720 products.

 

Inverness Airport Walking Tour

 

Before starting my tour of the airport, I want to first capture a picture of the Sim720 Control Panel.  A very nice feature of the Sim720 Control Panel is that as you install new scenery products they are added to the control panel and all you have to do is select that airport to enable/disable features for that airport.  There is even a picture from the selected airport, which is also a nice feature.  I have the Orbx Scotland regional scenery installed, so I will leave that compatibility option selected.  I am not going to provide seasonal texture comparisons for this airport and the next review, Oban, because they would probably look similar to the Stornoway textures, which I already compared.  As I like to do whenever I install new airport scenery, I like to explore the airport grounds on foot using the Orbx Bob first person simulator. 

 

 

I will be using the airport diagram from the User Guide as a map and am going to start at Runway 23, walk north and west crossing Runway 05 and work my way south and east back to Runway 23.  I will be loading my current date for the season, which is April 13, 2014 at about 1:00 PM with the default FSX Fair Weather theme.  The second screen grab is looking forward towards the runway and you can see the nice texture change of the runway.  While standing here I thought it would be a good time to display the ramp & runway lighting for this airport.  I currently have DX10 mode enabled and have the DX10 Scenery Fixer program installed, so the light halo effect may look different on your system.  Overall I am pleased with this lighting but may tweak the light halo effect using the DX10 Scenery Fixer program. 

 

 

 

Screen grabs four and five is the runway approach at night and during the day.  The fifth picture also provides a nice view of the landscapes near the airport area.  The first objects that I see are some detailed buildings & trees and a static vehicle that are located just outside the airport boundary.  Continuing west at the unused part of the airport, the next group of objects that I come to is the Inverness Airport Fire Training Area.  The textures and details of these objects are outstanding and unlike the unlike the Stornoway Fire Training Area, I did not have any flickering textures or missing objects which is nice.  The only details that are missing that would have added to the atmosphere of this area are a static firefighting vehicle and maybe some airport workers being trained.  Another nice detail here is that you can partially read the labeling on the crates.

 

 

 

After crossing Runway 05, I am now approaching the modern area of this airport.  The first thing that I notice is that Inverness is a much larger airport than Stornoway.  Before moving on, I thought I would capture a picture of the detailed airport vegetation.  I like the vegetation of the default Control Panel setting, not too tall and not too short.  At the helicopter parking area I get my first look at the very detailed ground vehicles, a worker and some small buildings or trailers.  I love the realistic weathered textures on the buildings.  As I commented about during the Stornoway Review, animations & sound effects are currently not included but Sim720 is working on adding animations for future products and upgrades to current ones.  Since I am commenting about animation now is a good time to review system performance.  I had no issues on my review computer and most people should not have any trouble using this scenery on most computers.  If you do have an issue, try disabling a scenery feature in the Control Panel.

 

 

The only thing missing from the helicopter parking area is a static helicopter.  Next up on my tour of the airport is the parking lot and I really like how Sim720 presents the static vehicles parked here.  First, they are realistic looking and there is some variety with different makes and models, just what you would expect in the real world airport parking, very nice.  Other nice details I notice near here are the small scenery objects such as the large rocks that are placed realistically, garbage dumpsters and other detailed smaller objects.  The airport signage is excellent and there is even real world freight company names included, such as FedEx at the cargo area.  Lighting is also excellent and I like how the light shines off of the ground and the nearby trucks for a very realistic look.  The general aviation terminal and the fire station are also located at this area of the airport and the static objects (fuel trucks, fuel tanks, aircraft & vehicles) look wonderful.  It is nice to see an open hangar with aircraft inside being worked on by mechanics.  Even though this is not animated, it still adds to the atmosphere.  Also if you have it enabled, you can see some of the airport clutter and some other detailed small objects in this area of the airport. 

 

 

 

Continuing south I approach the passenger terminal area of Inverness Airport.  This area provides another example of the size difference between Stornoway and Inverness.  Even though passengers still board the aircraft using air stairs from the ramp, Inverness is capable of handling larger passenger jets instead of just the smaller regional propeller aircraft.  The static aircraft here are also of the real world airlines that service Inverness which is what you would expect from premium airport scenery.  The only thing missing that would have added to the experience would be custom AI Traffic to see these aircraft arrive and depart.  Just like all of the other textures of the airport, the static aircraft and buildings here look wonderful.  This airport will greatly benefit when Sim720 introduces animations because seeing a ramp worker loading a waiting airliner will really add to the experience. 

 

 

I read on the support forum that the night lighting is not bright enough so I thought I would capture a couple of night shots of the terminal to see this for myself.  Unfortunately, this is true; the lights do not appear to be working so the ramp is very hard to see.  The good news is that Sim720 is looking into this issue, which is another reason to like Sim720, great customer service.  This update has not been released by the time I had completed the review.  As I arrive at my starting location the walking tour of the excellent Sim720 Inverness Airport is complete.  Other than the night lighting issue, I did not encounter any major issues with this airport.  I am now going to load the Trike Ultralite and fly over the small scenery area surrounding the airport. 

 

 

Inverness Aerial Tour

 

I am going to depart from Runway 05, then fly east and travel in a circle around the scenery area until I reach the furthest south area, then return to Runway 05.  I will have a moving map open on my iPad that displays Google Earth data so that I can see where I am at as well as having the scenery coverage page from the manual open.  The airport and the area surrounding the airport looks just as impressive from the air as it did from the ground.  The buildings and vegetation near the airport have just as nice textures as these things on the airport grounds.  I also like the variety of the textures for all of the plots of land and look very similar to the Google Earth image and are located in the real world location.  The small communities and housing developments look good with houses that are placed next to driveways and streets. 

 

 

Roads are also very accurate and are also placed in real world locations, which are great for VFR flying.  I love trees and this scenery has plenty and they are very impressive looking.  The City of Inverness is not included with the Sim720 Inverness scenery but I decided to fly over it to see how it is presented with the Orbx Scotland regional scenery.  Unlike my disappointment with the City of Stornoway, I am very impressed with the Inverness scenery; it looks just like what I am seeing on the moving map.  I tried to locate Inverness Castle but it is not included with the Orbx scenery.  Now it is time to return to the airport, and after a brief rest, continue with my Scottish flight tour to the third Sim 720 Scottish airport, Oban.  As with the first part I am going to wait and write a comprehensive conclusion after the final part of this multi-part flight tour and review.  That being said, I was very impressed with the Sim 720 Inverness (EGPE) scenery product. 

 

Scotland Flight Tour Leg 2 – Part 1 Inverness to Edinburgh

 

According to www.skyvector.com, a direct flight to Oban (EGEO) is only 79 nautical miles but where is the fun in that.  First, I downloaded some free scenery objects for the cities of Edinburgh, Stirling and Oban from Orbx developer Martin Reiffer.  Here is the link to this free scenery.  There are many points of interest to see from Inverness to Edinburgh plus the Edinburgh sites; I decided to write two sections to finish this review instead of one very long section.  This section will be the cross country flight in my Cessna 172R and for the final section I will use the Trike Ultralite to explore the City of Edinburgh. 

 

So let’s get started and travel south over the City of Inverness then to the first point of interest, Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness.  This castle was once one of Scotland’s largest castles, and remains include a tower that provides wonderful views of Loch Ness and Great Glen.  Many conflicts have occurred through the years as a medieval fortress from the 13th to the 17th centuries.  Loch Ness needs no introduction as the famous alleged home of the Loch Ness Monster.  On a more scientific note, Loch Ness is the second deepest loch in Scotland after Loch Morar but is the largest loch by volume containing more fresh water then all of the lakes in England & Wales combined.  Next, I am going to travel southeast over Cairngorms National Park and the Balmoral Castle.  This castle on the Balmoral Estate is located in Aberdeenshire; Scotland is the holiday residence of The Queen of England and members of her family. 

 

 

After taking a snapshot of Balmoral Castle I am going to fly in a southerly direction towards the City of Edinburgh.  After passing over the Tay Road Bridge and before flying over the next landmark the St Andrews Cathedral Ruins and wanted to see the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews which was established in 1754 and is one of the oldest golf clubs in the world.  St Andrews is part of a rotation of courses that host the British Open of Golf in the summer each year.  The St Andrews Ruins contains what once was Scotland’s largest and most magnificent medieval church, The St Andrews Cathedral.  The real world location also contains the St Rules Tower, the predecessor to the cathedral and the Precinct Walls which are the most complete in Scotland. 

 

Both the St Andrews Golf Course and the St Andrews Ruins look great in the Orbx Scotland Scenery.  There are several other golf courses in this area and they are placed accurately along with all of the other cities, towns, parks and other scenery features according to my Google moving map, which is another benefit to owning this regional scenery.  After flying over these ruins it is now time to land at Edinburgh International Airport for a short rest before starting my city tour of Edinburgh in the Trike. 

 

Scotland Flight Tour Leg 2 – Part 2 Edinburgh City Tour

 

The City of Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland.  Edinburgh grew around its Old Town until the late 18th century and this area of the city still has the distinct character from the days of old featuring the Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Royal Mile to the Grass Market below which was once the site for public hangings.  During this time the Nor Loch served as a natural defense until it was drained and converted to form the Princess Street Gardens in later years.  After 1583, the city was the hub for educational and professional development.  It was at this time that the University of Edinburgh was formed and this university still stands today.

 

 

As the years followed, many new ventures happened, making Edinburgh a financial capital by the end of the 20th century.  In 1707, the Act of Union occurred, which joined Scotland and England together politically and moved power from Scotland’s Old Parliament to London’s Westminster.  Today, Edinburgh combines both modern buildings such as the Scottish Parliament, which sits alongside wonderful historical buildings including the Palace of Holyroodhouse.  The City of Edinburgh is very compact, is easily walkable and is comprised of different villages with their own distinctive character.  The landmarks that I am going to fly over include Tynecastle Stadium, St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle, Royal Scottish Academy, National Gallery, Scottish Government buildings, Holyrood Abby & Holyroodhouse Palace, the Royal Mile and Barclay Church.  Although I was able to create waypoints in Plan G of the above landmarks, I could not zoom in close enough on the moving map in order to see the location names so I will not be providing labels for the various landmarks but I tried to capture them in the order of my flight plan.  To learn more about the City of Edinburgh and these landmarks visit, www.visitscotland.com

 

Summary / Closing Remarks

 

I hope everyone has enjoyed my review of the Sim720 Inverness Airport and leg two of the Scotland tour.  I have decided to finish this review now because this leg was becoming very long.  In Part three, I will finish the Scottish tour, flying over the landmarks along the way including the City of Stirling and write my review of the Sim720 Oban Airport scenery.  I will write a comprehensive conclusion at the end of the third part of this multi-part review and tour.  I want to thank Sim720 for providing the review copy of Inverness.  If you are interested in this scenery visit the product page located here.  This product is also available from the AVSIM Marketplace located here.


DC-8 Jetliner Series 10 to 40 by Just Flight

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DC-8 Jetliner Series 10 to 40 by Just Flight

A review by Gene Davis

Introduction

 

One of the great things about Flight Simulation is that you get a chance to climb aboard just about any aircraft both old and new and virtually see it and experience it from the privacy of your own home computer. For some flying is a way of life, a hobby and or a career but for some us we choose, for whatever reason, to experience the world of flight through Flight Simulator.

 

With aircraft like the DC-3, DC-6, Boeing 377, the Boeing B-17 and even the Boeing 707 they are a thing of aircrafts past and I really like that I can boot up FSX and fire up my A2A B-17 and take her for a flight and halfway experience that vintage age of flight that doesn't really exist anymore.

 

Just Flight has produced some really good aircraft over the years and we have recently seen the addition of the DC-6 with the DC-3 before that and not to mention the British era of prop driven aircraft as well. So, it was only a matter of time before the Douglas DC-8 popped up on the radar and as it made its first appearance on the Just Flight site it quickly made its way to my virtual hanger.

 

History of the DC-8

 

The jet age of aviation really came into its own back in the 60's when commercial airlines and the military made the transition to jet powered aircraft and a new staple was ultimately born. If you look back on the development of aircraft like the DC-8 its development actually started back in the early 50's and was just a few short years after WW2 where propeller aircraft had dominated the skies.

 

The DC-8 came to life as an answer to Boeing's 707, but lost on a major contract to the military for tanker aircraft with the 707 ultimately winning the bid. Douglas continued production of the DC-8 and the first DC-8 rolled out of the Douglas factory in April of 1958 and first one flew in May of that same year. Production of the DC-8 matched that of Boeing's 707 initially and was initially bought up by Delta Airlines in September of 1959 and was flown by many different airlines worldwide over the years. According to Wiki there are still a number of these aircraft still flying as of May 2014 and most serve as cargo aircraft for 11 different carriers including NASA and Airlift International that is still flying 5 of these DC-8's. Overall, there were over 500 of the DC-8's built and Douglas ended production in 1972 with 7 different models, called series, being built over that time and each were specific in design.

 

The Douglas DC-8 Series 10-40 series of aircraft were powered by 4 Pratt and Whitney JT3C /JT4-A9 turbo jet engines and could fly at a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet at a speed of 588MPH. The plane could hold 124-176 passengers, depending on variant and configuration and had a max range of over 6200 miles.

 

Of course design and specifications varied through the 10-40 series of the DC-8, being that the -10 was designed primarily for domestic and the others 20, 30 and 40 varied considerably given newer upgrades and aircraft design with significant performance improvements throughout.  The DC-80 -30 saw a major improvement in fuel load along with a strengthened fuselage and landing gear system giving it an intercontinental role and a total of 57 DC-8 -30's were produced during its production period. The 40 saw the biggest change as its Pratt and Whitney engines were replaced by 4 Rolls-Royce Conway 509 turbo fans along with a wing extension that helped improve fuel capacity and reduce drag. This was considered a major improvement over its predecessor but ultimately sold poorly because American carriers didn't like the fact that the engines were foreign made.

 

The DC-8 still flies today and has become a staple in commercial aviation, but I found in one video that I watched a pilot had to say this about it, flying the DC-8 is like flying a dump truck!

 

Check out this great video of the Douglas promo for the DC-8.

 

The Just Flight DC-8

 

The Just Flight DC- 8 Series 10- 40 comes packed with 4 different DC-8 models that were produced between 1959- 1960 with the Series 10 being the first and the series 40 being the last in this package. Also included are 19 real world liveries of airlines that used the DC-8 for passenger service during that time and each is intricately detailed and has a well used look to it thus making the aircraft look more of its age rather than having it rolled off the assembly line yesterday.

 

From the outside in you can also make out the interior cabin and some of its features, this along with the reflective textures on both the windows and the fuselage make the entire model rather breath taking when looking at it from afar.

 

VARIANTS AND LIVERIES (Courtesy of Justflight.Com)

 

  • DC-8-10
    • The Series 10 was the first variant of the DC-8. It was developed for domestic service and was powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT3C-6 turbojets, each producing 13,500lbs of thrust.
  • Douglas (N8008D)
  • DC-8-12
    • The Series 12 was the first variant of the DC-8 to enter airline service. It was developed for domestic service and was powered by four Pratt & Whitney water-injected JT3C-6 engines, each producing 13,500lb of thrust.
  • Delta Air lines (N804E)
  • United Airlines (N8013U)
  • DC-8-21
    • The Series 20 introduced the more powerful Pratt & Whitney JT4A-3 turbojets which each produced 15,800lbs of thrust. This additional thrust allowed for a gross weight increase of over 10,000lb.
  • United Airlines (N8021U)
  • Eastern Air Lines (N8612)
  • Air Spain (EC-CAD)
  • National Airlines (N6572C)
  • Overseas National (N821F)
  • DC-8-32
    • The Series 30 was an upgraded airframe for use on intercontinental routes. This was achieved through the combination of the JT4A turbojets, a 30% increase in fuel capacity and a strengthened landing gear.
  • Scandinavian Airlines (SE-DBA)
  • Pan Am (N805PA)
  • Swissair (HB-IDA)
  • BIAS International (PH-DCA)
  • African Safari (5Y-ASA)
  • DC-8-42
    • The Series 40 was essentially a Series 30 fitted with 17,500lb Rolls-Royce Conway turbofan engines. These engines provided greater efficiency, and a reduction in engine noise emissions and smoke. Despite these benefits the Series 40 failed to sell in great numbers due to the reluctance of US airlines to purchase an airliner fitted with engines manufactured overseas and a desire to wait for the more advanced Pratt & Whitney JT3D turbofan which was due to be introduced.
  • Alitalia (I-DIWG)
  • CP Air (CF-CPJ)
  • Air Canada (CF-TJF)
  • Canadian Pacific (N9604Z)
    • The world’s first supersonic four-engine passenger plane
  • Cubana (CU-T1210)
  • Air Jamaica (6Y-JME)

Each model is intricately designed and features all of the moving parts and eye candy you would expect from an add-on of this type. I was really impressed with the difference in design when comparing the different models and how each of the aircraft changed over time. One of the more unique features of the earlier DC-8's was how its thrust reversers functioned and even appeared on the aircraft and this function is modeled nicely on the Just Flight DC- 8.

 

 

MODEL (Courtesy of Just Flight)

 

  • Specular map to give realistic light effects on the aircraft surfaces.
  • Bump mapping to give a more realistic 3D effect to aircraft liveries.
  • Realistic wing flex on all variants.
  • Custom coding ensures that the systems are faithfully reproduced in this simulation, including unique features such as spoiler ‘lock-out’ when gear is retracted.
  • Animated main-gear bogies, which will rotate to reduce stress on the tires and wheels in tight turns.
  • Special slats in the leading edges of the wings open ahead of the main flaps and the full slotted-flap system is faithfully reproduced in these models.
  • Numerous authentic animations are included such as retractable landing lights, opening pressure valve gate in the tail, rams and operating levers for spoilers, trim-adjustable flying horizontal/elevator tail assembly.
  • The landing gear is authentically modeled and animated with all the correct struts and springs and even detailed brake lines and wheel cylinders.
  • The real DC-8 has a unique way of employing engine thrust reverse whilst in flight to assist with air braking. The conventional wing spoilers are not used (only as spoiler on's and only then with the gear extended).

The list is extensive and I thought it better to list the actual product information from Just Flight than try to rehash it all in my own words. I can tell you though that every time I go back to the DC-8 there is something new that I discover that I had missed before. Take the lighting for instance, the landing lights and the wing lighting is pretty cool when viewing from the exterior, especially when looking from the perspective of being out in front of the plane, just impressive!

 

 

The Cockpit of the DC-8

 

For an add-on like this you really need a convincing cockpit and Just Flight does deliver as the cockpit features your main three stations and a small radio / navigators area directly behind the pilot and each station is functional to where switches flip, knobs turn and levers work. Thus, allowing you to move throughout the 3 man cockpit and access each of the individual stations with some element of ease and not having to spend a great deal of time looking for things.

 

With a 3 man crew you of course have the pilot and copilot, but there is also a functional engineers panel and a small navigators / radio operator station directly behind the pilot and though I am not sure if this was a manned station or it was merely used by either the co pilot and or the engineer during flight it is functional as well. The radio and NAV equipment pretty much stays the same for all of the different models of the DC-8 and is realistic to navigation of that time and era of jet aviation.

 

 

Ultimately, I was impressed with how much detail actually went into the design of the virtual cockpit and its workable systems as there is a lot to see, do and learn throughout the cockpit. Take the thrust reversers for instance, in order to deploy them you must activate the inboard and outboard injectors to make them function correctly and simply holding down the 3 key on the numeric keypad will not work. The switches to the injectors are located on the bottom right of the overhead panel, when switched the reverses will deploy properly. This also goes for the landing lights as well as the ones on the wings deploy and retract and you must use the three-position switch to make them work properly and the "L" key does little for lighting.

 

The cockpit is made up of analog instruments with lots of levers, knobs and switches throughout and is also dependent on the series model you are flying. Though the designs are about the same there are some differences, take the series 10 it does not have the injectors for the reversers so you do not see those switches in the cockpit. You will find that many of the systems like hydraulics; fuel and electrical systems are also accessible giving you full authority over the entire plane and ultimately being able to manipulate how it flies and functions in the air.

 

 

Cockpit Features (courtesy of Just Flight)

 

  • Highly functional virtual cockpit with virtually all of the hundreds of switches, knobs and levers animated and functional. Many gauges are modeled in 3D for smooth operation.
  • Engineer and Navigator panels are included. The engineer's panel features functioning engine, hydraulic, electrical and fuel systems.
  • Full cockpit lighting with atmospheric instrument backlighting.
  • Special ‘baked’ textures have been used to present a well-used look and feel to the cockpit area and controls.
  • Avionics include full autopilot functionality from the operating period with NAV and ILS approaches, VOR and ADF receivers and displays, transponders and a full communications suite.
  • Many features have been added to help with ‘usability’ such as switches to hide the control yokes and co-pilot's seat for a better view of the instruments and preset angled views for the overhead panel, throttle quadrant and radios.
  • Numerous warning enunciators will illuminate on fault detection and a fully functional engine fire warning and protection/extinguishing system are built into the cockpit. If you get an engine fire warning, pull the fire handle and the fire will be extinguished.
  • Electrics have been authentically modeled to enable correct engine starts with ignition lock-out and over-ride functions for each engine starter.
  • Special programming code has been used to re-create the complex fuel storage and delivery systems for each engine - the authenticity is such that one can follow the procedures laid down in official flight manuals for setting up the fuel panels and levers for different situations and, of course, the correct start-up of engine 3, the first engine to be started.

I was also impressed that many of the switches and knobs do make some kind of noise when accessed giving you a true to life feel when accessing some the aircraft systems. Given the price of the aircraft and the overall complexity of the cockpit I think it is very good and does capture, within reason, what it must have been like to fly these old planes and the really exemplifies the work load that must have been involved in flying an aircraft like the DC-8.

 

The Sound

 

The sound for the DC-8 is excellent and features some rather good start up and shut down sounds. The sounds have been created from actual recordings of the Douglas DC-8 and are also different based on engine type and the model of the DC-8 you choose to fly.

 

The -10, 20 and 30 all use Pratt and Whitney engines to where the -40 uses the Roll Royce engines and the sound is considerably different when comparing the two side by side and is totally noticeable within the simulation.

 

I was also impressed with the audible sounds in the cockpit as it has a very dated sound to it, warning bells are different and even the stall warning is a little different then what we are used to. Then you take into consideration that all of the switches and levers make some kind sound really adds on to the quality of this package.

 

System Performance And The DC-8

 

Since its release the DC-8 has had performance issues and you can find reference to said issues on the Just Flight Forums. With my system I don't necessarily get the frame rates that I want with the DC-8, but I am able to fly the plane and enjoy it; do I think it could be better? Yes.

 

My system is a custom build AMD 8350 8 Core Processor with 12GB's of Ram using a GTX 650 Nvidia video Card with Windows 7 64 bit and with other add-ons like the PMDG 737 I get frame rates that range anywhere from 30-40 depending on where I fly and this is consistent with just about everything I use in Flight Simulator.

 

With the DC-8 I get right around 22 FPS initially and then they drop between 13-18 during a flight. There is no interior cabin and the only thing I can think that might be affecting the FPS might be the way the exhaust is modeled and displayed outside the aircraft. There was a rather significant upgrade a few months back that made some significant improvements to the model as a whole but it still doesn't give the frame rates I would expect with an add-on like this.

 

Now, I also own the Just Flight DC-6, The Comet, L1011 Tri-Star and the Viscount and all of them perform exceptionally well including the Comet with frame rates into the 40's and 50's. Granted the complexity level here might be greater than that of these other aircraft but I just don't think so and I quite honestly I think this plane should scream in FSX!

 

The DC-8 does come with the option of installing lesser quality liveries than that of the default installer but I have found that it doesn't really make that much of a difference and to top it off when you run this batch file it only makes the changes to certain models and the others become corrupt and are no longer viewable in FSX. I was able to find a fix for this on the Just Flight Forums from another user and it does require that you edit the panel configuration files manually to get all of the lower res textures to show up properly in FSX with the low-resolution textures. This can be easily done, but could be confusing for someone who has never done it before.

 

Flying The DC-8 Series 10-40

 

Flying the DC-8 was an interesting endeavor and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with this vintage plane. Learning the systems, and cockpit layout was necessary especially when it came to systems like the spoilers and thrust reversers because they work totally different then most commercial jet liners of today.

 

 

One of the statements I have heard a pilot say about the DC-8 is that it's like flying a dump truck, I thought this was kind of funny because who has really ever flown a dump truck but in all hindsight I would tend to agree as I found the DC-8 slow and cumbersome like a dump truck and though it reacts like a jet should it just takes longer to maneuver and get it pointed in the direction it needs to go.

 

 

The DC-8 has a totally different feeling to say that of the Captain Sim 707, to which I get around in much easier. This is not a bad thing because it's a totally different plane and it was kind of fun to see the subtle differences between the two aircraft and how they operate. Even on the ground these differences are noticeable, take landing for instance; the DC-8 takes tends to sink into the runway to where the 707 kisses the runway, if that makes any sense?

 

 

For me the DC-8 seemed more labor intensive to get it off the ground and onto the ground, a big part was not understanding the autopilot but it just seemed like you really had to work for it to get it where you wanted it. Flying it was no problem, in fact it flew level at 32,500 with no autopilot for almost an hour before I realized I had inadvertently turned it off but it remained level and it was only when I hit turbulence that I realized it had disengaged.

 

One of the biggest problems I had was learning the autopilot and for the most part did many of my flights manually with the DC-8 and used just the altitude and heading hold to get me where to go. I actually had no problems getting the plane into the air or on the ground and I was able to follow some of my favorite approaches with the DC-8 by flying it manually without the autopilot. Speed control seems to be the biggest factor especially when landing the DC-8 as you really need to watch that airspeed because the aircraft has the tendency to speed up on the approach but if you drop your throttles it will lose speed even faster and you will find yourself stalling, you have to find that happy medium.

 

 

There is a 40 page manual that covers cockpit layout and aircraft operation that comes with this add-on and I strongly recommend giving it a look at some point before or after you go for a flight because it will explain a great deal about the DC-8 and its operations. I would have liked to see an actual flight manual for this one I think.

 

 

 Closing

 

The DC-8 is a marvelous plane and anyone that enjoys the vintage era of flight that it reflects will definitely like it. Sure there are some things I would like to see changed and or fixed with the biggest being the performance but for now I am enjoying the plane and Just Flight really does deserve some kudos for being the first to release this plane for FSX because it is definitely a welcomed addition to my hanger!

 

 

Given its $29.99 and an upcoming add-on pack for the DC-8 -50 to -70 models makes this a fantastic package with a lot of functionality in the cockpit and tons of eye candy on the exterior giving the arm chair pilot a full on DC-8 flying experience!

Carenado - B1900D

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Carenado's B1900D

A review by Marlon Carter

 

Introduction

 

During the mid to late 90s and even for a portion of the early 2000s, the Beechcraft 1900D has always been a popular choice for regional airlines.  The aircraft was designed to carry 19 passengers in all weather conditions from airports with relatively short runways.  The design of the 1900 is derived from the King Air and the two are so similar that they basically share the same cockpit.  As is the case with the King Air, the 1900D can also be flown as a single pilot operation for private and cargo flights.   All of these features combined with the fuel efficiency while operating on shorter routes made the 1900D one of the most popular regional aircraft in the world.  While production of the aircraft ceased in 2002, they are still extensively used today by many airlines and charter operations.

 

While the 1900D is quite popular in the real world, the flight sim community has been lacking a “new” 1900D for a number of years.  In the past, the only options for enjoying the 1900D were either freeware versions or the more popular PMDG version.  As the years went by since the release of these add-ons, many things have changed within the FS world.  The detail of aircraft models, quality of textures & systems modeling have all improved significantly. 

 

Among some of the few developers who have been innovative in the area of aircraft modeling is none other than Carenado.  In the past, Carenado mainly focused on general aviation aircraft such as the Cessna 172, Beechcraft Bonanza, Piper Seneca and other similar aircraft.  This time around Carenado is stretching their wings to larger, more complex aircraft.  After releasing the King Air 90 and 200 series, the 1900D was the next perfect step due to the similarities between the models.  With each release, Carenado has managed to implement new features to their models that make them unique among others.  For example, their previous releases featured window scratches; volumetric side view propellers and dynamic propeller shine effects just to name a few.  So what features can we expect to see with the release of the 1900D?  Here is a listing as seen on their website.

 

B1900D Special Features

 

  • Original B1900D Flight Management System (FMS).
  • Carenado GNS530 with Reality XP integration option.
  • EFIS (EADI and EHSI) installed.
  • Avidyne Multifunction Display.
  • Full FSX and P3D v2.0 compatible.
  • Cockpit vibration effects.
  • Landing and Taxi halo effect lights.
  • Dynamic environment gauges reflections.

 

Other Features

 

  • Original B1900D Flight Management System (FMS).
  • Carenado GNS530 with Reality XP integration option.
  • EFIS (EADI and EHSI) installed.
  • Avidyne Multifunction Display.
  • Full FSX and P3D v2.0 compatible.
  • HD quality textures (2048 x 2048).
  • Separated lighting for cockpit flood, pilot, instrument and panel text.
  • Vibrating effect on stall and takeoff run.
  • Cold and Dark start option
  • Windows lighting scratches effect
  • Volumetric side view prop effect
  • Dynamic propeller shines effect.
  • 3D stereo sounds.
  • Original HQ digital stereo sounds.
  • Customizable panel for controlling windows transparency, instrument reflections and static elements such as wheel chocks and sights props.
  • Real behavior compared to the real airplane.  Real weight and balance.  Tested by real pilots.
  • Realistic night lights effects on panel and cockpit.

 

Included in the package:

 

  • 5 HD liveries.
  • 1 HD Blank livery.
  • Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS) PDF.
  • B1900D Emergency Checklist PDF.
  • B1900D Normal Checklist PDF.
  • B1900D Flight Management System (FMS) PDF.
  • B1900D Performance Tables
  • Carenado GNS530 PDF.
  • Avidyne Multifunction display PDF
  • Electronic Vertical Speed Indicator and TCAS PDF
  • Recommended Settings PDF

 

Get 6 EXTRA FREE Liveries after you buy it.

 

 

From the listing of features, it is quite clear that Carenado has once again implemented new feature to their aircraft.  Some of the new features include a Custom FMS, Cockpit vibration, Landing and Taxi halo effects and Dynamic environment gauge reflections.  As we continue with our review we will have a closer look at these features and impact they have on PC performance and the overall flying experience.  But before we continue, let’s have a chat with Fernando from Carenado about their latest product.

 

Q:  Hi Fernando, can you tell us why Carenado decided to create the B1900D?

 

A:  We think it was a natural evolution after the King air series.   B1900D was the best option for entering to the regional airline aircraft space, because we already had the knowledge of many systems of it.

 

Q:  Will there be any other releases such as the B1900C and the B1900C Cargo versions?

 

A:  It is not in our short-term plans.

 

Q:  What were some of the challenges you faced creating this aircraft?

 

A:  This was our first regional airline aircraft.  Two aspects challenged the most: optimization and some new systems.  Optimization because we developed a bigger aircraft than any previous one which meant many extra polygons and textures.  Some systems were much more complicated and interrelated than any other previous aircraft.

 

Q:  I noticed that an FMS was added to the aircraft.  Is there any particular reason why this feature was added even though it is quite rare to find an FMS in a 1900D?

 

A:  An aircraft such this one deserved an FMS in order to perform similar flights as the real aircraft done in reality.

 

Q:  You mentioned that the 1900D was tested by real pilots, were they real 1900D pilots or just pilots in general?

 

A:  Developed by pilots and tested by several pilots, one of them a real B1900D pilot.

 

Q:  What features of the 1900D do you think stands out the most?

 

A:  I would say the FMS because it is something new in our fleet.

 

Q:  Will there be any further updates to the 1900D itself?

 

A:  We don’t have plans for now.

 

Q:  Can we expect to see more aircraft of this type from Carenado? Perhaps an Embraer 120 or Saab 340?

 

A:  Absolutely, we are entering the regional airline aircraft and jet aircraft where there is so much space to advance.

 

Thanks to Fernando for answering these questions, now that we know more about the 1900D project, let’s have a closer look.

 

Documentation

 

One of the shortcomings with products released by Carenado has been a lack of sufficient documentation as it related to performance and systems of the aircraft.  This time around the documentation has improved significantly but it still lacks a basic flight tutorial that would aid new comers to the 1900D and its systems.  In addition to initiating new comers to the systems of the aircraft, flying a turbo prop is significantly different to flying a 737 and it requires more hands on flying when it comes to adjusting the RPM, Pressurization and other systems of the aircraft that have an impact on performance.  This is where a flight tutorial would have been a major aid to flying the aircraft correctly. 

 

Apart from this small shortcoming, the documentation that was provided is sufficiently detailed and it covers an extensive checklist for both normal and emergency situations.  In addition to this is also includes a general overview of the FMS and other Avionics that are included. 

 

My personal recommendation would be for users to supplement this information with some of the manuals that may be floating around online.  There are websites that feature detailed information on various aircraft and obtaining some of these documents might help you to understand how other systems of the aircraft function.

 

First Impression

 

My first impression of the Carenado B1900D was that the exterior model perfectly captured the look and dimensions of its real world counterpart.  The design of the 1900D is very unique when compared to other turboprops.  While there have been “good” 1900D models for FS in the past; this model takes the overall quality of this aircraft to the next level. 

 

Carenado is well known for creating high quality aircraft from a visual point of view and this aircraft is no exception.  What impressed me the most about the model was the realistic exterior surface of the aircraft.  When looking at the model from all angles, you can clearly see many of the panels and rivets that make up the 1900D fuselage.  This attention to detail can also be seen on the wings and engines of the aircraft, which can be admired from the wing camera view.  Other aspects of the exterior model such as flaps, wheels and even the moving pilots seen in the cockpit have all been recreated to the highest level of detail.  One of the features I also enjoyed was the Dynamic propeller shine effect, which is very convincing!

 

The liveries that come along with this package are also very high quality and they range from both airline and private liveries that can be used as you see fit.  Some liveries can be downloaded via the Carenado website as an extra freebie and it is needless to say that these additional liveries are a must have!

 

Moving into the interior of the aircraft, once again Carenado has maintained its high standard by creating a stunning virtual cockpit and cabin with regard to their design and HQ textures.  The virtual cockpit and passenger cabin perfectly recreates sensation of being in an aircraft.  This is a remarkable achievement as not all developers are able to accomplish this despite having high fidelity systems.  At night, the virtual cockpit/cabin environment comes to life with a variety of lighting options as seen in the real aircraft.  While the lighting isn’t fully customizable, the ability to select different lighting options at a time makes flying this aircraft at night an enjoyable experience.  Some of the features of the VC that I enjoyed the most were the vibration effect on takeoff and stalls and the window scratch effects.  The addition of these features made the experience of flying this type of aircraft quite interesting.  Here are a few photos.

 

 

How In-Depth are the Systems?

 

Carenado has never been well known for having in-depth systems simulation.  While the B1900D is a fairly complex aircraft, Carenado’s approach was somewhat simplified.  Many of the systems that are primarily used in everyday operations are modelled, but some of them are still not fully functional due to FSX limitations.  If you are familiar with Carenado’s B200, then the B1900D will be familiar territory.  Many systems such as the Pressurization, Auto feather, Air Conditioning, Icing, Autopilot and a few other systems have modelled to a reasonable degree of accuracy.  Three of the most significant features of the B1900D that are worth mentioning are the addition of an FMS, Electronic VSI/TCAS, the Avidyne Multifunction Display and a customizable Lighting system.

 

An FMS in a B1900D?? Yes, that’s exactly what I thought at first and after doing some research I realized that this was a very rare addition to this aircraft.  The FMS closely resembles the Universal brand FMS that is used commonly on private and commercial aircraft.  The FMS isn’t fully functional but it works in conjunction with the Carenado’s Garmin 530 that is also installed in the aircraft.  The FMS mostly functions as a means of entering waypoints individually instead of relying on the default FSX flight-planner.  Apart from this feature, the FMS also displays the 5 Fuel Pages, PERF page, the FPL Summary page and it also offers the ability to select Approaches from the default FSX navigational data. 

 

The downside of the FMS is that some of the pages displayed cannot be edited and it doesn’t allow you to save your flight plans.  Also, if you are using the RealityXP G530 integration option, the FMS does not work at all as it is tied to the Carenado G530.  For some of you, these shortcomings may not be a big issue, but it was worth mentioning so that everyone will know beforehand that while the unit works as described, this is not your fully functional FMS.

 

The next noteworthy feature is the Avidyne Multifunction Display, which isn’t new to Carenado products, but it was a very useful addition to the 1900D.  This unit offers a host of features such as Traffic, Weather radar and Terrain awareness.  In addition to these features, you will also find pages that display both Trip and Airport Information.  The unit isn’t a full-fledged simulation, but what it offers can be very useful for everyday flying.

 

Finally, let’s talk about the lighting system.  The lighting systems that typically came with previous Carenado aircraft featured cockpit and cabin lights that were tied together by a single switch in most cases.  Again, this may not bother most users but to others who have knowledge of the various lighting options at your disposal, some may prefer to have a much more realistic experience by using the relevant lights for a given phase of your flight.  For example, at night it is a common policy to have cabin lights turned down or off when taking off or landing.  In FSX most developers have left you no choice but to keep the lights on full blast for every phase of flight. 

 

Thankfully though, Carenado has changed this approach to one that allows a much more realistic approach to controlling the lights in the cockpit and the cabin.  The new lighting feature of this aircraft allows you to separately control the lighting for cockpit floodlights, pilot light, instrument lights and panel text lighting.  In the screenshots below you will see an example of how realistic each setting looks.

 

 

Now that we’ve touched on some of the systems, let’s take the 1900D on a flight to see how well the aircraft handles on the ground and in the air!

 

Flight Experience

 

Carenado has stressed that the flight characteristics of this aircraft are realistic and are based on real world performance data.  With this in mind I decided to put this aircraft through its paces to see how it handled under different weights and flying conditions.  My first series of flights takes place in the regions of Canada and Midwestern U.S where the 1900D is still used extensively.  The Cold weather and High Altitude operations in these regions offered the perfect opportunity to test the performance of this aircraft in all respects. 

 

The end results showed that the 1900D holds up well in the cold weather and handling on takeoff and landing changes quite dramatically depending on your weight and balance.  While flying into and out of high altitude airports, knowing the exact performance capabilities of the aircraft is critical to a safe flight.  As expected, at high altitude airports the 1900D requires a bit more runway that usual to get off the ground and when it does, the reduced performance is noticeable. 

 

While hand flying is one of my favorite aspects of flying, I found that the 1900D was quite a challenge on takeoff as the trim settings have to be very precise in order to avoid a sharp nose up attitude.  After the aircraft has been trimmed, the handling becomes easier and it allows you to hold best angle of climb speeds with ease.  During the landing, the 1900D handles quite well and it doesn’t seem to show any signs of unpredictable behavior even with a full load of passengers.  All in all I think the 1900D is a very balanced aircraft as far as the handling is concerned.

 

Some aspects of the aircraft that I thought could use some work was the ground handling.  A common problem with FSX is the ground friction simulation that results in the use of excessive thrust to get an aircraft moving.  I found that this was a major problem I encountered with the 1900D but applying a FSUIPC fix I found online quickly solved it.  Another area that could have been improved was the sound of the aircraft itself.  While the sound was very convincing, the operation of the engines in the Beta range wasn’t very accurate. 

 

The sound of the engines transiting into and out of the beta range needed some improvement and it took away from the realism of flying this aircraft.  The final area that I though could have used some improvement was method of loading passengers.  I found it very tedious to load passengers and cargo on each flight via the FSX payload manger.  It would have been easier if Carenado created an aircraft loader utility program that allowed users to easily adjust their passenger, cargo and fuel loads. 

 

The performance impact on one’s PC is very minimal and it has improved significantly since the latest service pack.  If performance is a major concern to you, there are options that allow you to add or remove certain visual features the aircraft that have an impact on performance.  For example, while in the VC you can choose to have reflective instruments or not and this definitely affects your FPS.  Apart from the minor inconveniences of this product, the 1900D is a rock solid fun aircraft to fly.

 

 

Conclusion & Recommendations

 

In conclusion, all that can be said about the 1900D is that this aircraft is very balanced.  While the aircraft isn’t perfect, it gets the job done with a measure of ease and simplicity.  Over the years Carenado has added many unique features to their products and the 1900D was fortunate enough benefit from most of them. 

 

One of the primary additions to this aircraft was the FMS and while the FMS isn’t fully functional, it opens the way for following realistic flight plans provided that the waypoints are entered accurately.  This means that gone are the days of using the default GPS flight plans that exclude SIDs and STARs.  If you happen to have the relevant charts at your disposal, you can simply enter each waypoint manually into the FMS and allow the aircraft to fly any departure or arrival procedure.  Of course, altitude restrictions will be your own responsibility and this adds to the challenge of flying an aircraft of this type. 

 

The addition liveries and other features of this product make its price tag of $39.95 a fair price when compared to similar products.  Some may disagree on the fairness of the pricing and especially so when compared to the PMDG JS4100 which is a far more complex product that can be purchase for just about $4.00 more.  However, it is important to note that while these two aircraft may be in a similar class in the real world, there simulated counterparts are very different in what they offer.  To put it simply, the JS4100 offers you an immersive experience into the procedures of daily flying.  The 1900D offers you a basic but above average experience that is built around a focus on aircraft visual effects.  It is with this in mind that I think the pricing of the 1900D is fair and practical.

 

As far as recommendations go, it was noticed by a few community members that there was a “major” flaw with the cockpit layout of the 1900D that many of you may not have noticed.  The 1900D should have had a standby attitude indicator in the cockpit in order to be legally capable of flying IFR.  This requirement seems to be specific to models that use electronic displays and If you look again at the cockpit, you will notice that the standby AI is missing.  Also, while the benefit of adding the Garmin 530 and Reality XP integration is quite obvious, the layout of the cockpit doesn’t reflect the layout that is most commonly seen in an airline environment.  In place of the G530, most 1900D aircraft include a Bendix King KLN90A/B unit. 

 

At this point it would be difficult if not impractical to make these changes, but I hope that in the future Carenado may revisit these observations to add even more realism to this product.  All things considered, the pros of this product far outweigh the cons and this is without a doubt THE BEST B1900D model on the market.  Whether you are a hardcore enthusiast or just an average flight simmer, this product was designed just for you.  Well done, Carenado!

CRH380D High Speed Train and Chengdu-Suining

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CRH380D High Speed Train and Chengdu-Suining Route Bundle Pack

A review by Peter Hayes

 

Introduction:

 

Just Trains have produced yet another interesting passenger (high speed) route and loco which can be purchased either as a bundle pack (CRH380D High Speed Train and Chengdu-Suining Route Bundle Pack) or separate route and loco (Chengdu to Suining High Speed Route (includes CRH1A EMU [Electro-Motive Unit]) & CRH380D High Speed Train).

 

This is a so-called “end to end” route but it is extremely well done and interesting and will be welcomed by all adrenalin seeking Sinophiles.

 

The High speed Chengdu to Suining route is a modern passenger route located in Southwest China. The route is 146km (90 miles) in length, and in the bundle pack the CRH380D is capable of running at 350 km/h, being able to complete the journey in just about 33 minutes.

 

Starting from Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province, the line runs through ShibanTan, Huaikou, Longsheng, Jijin, Zitong, Cangshan, Daying and finishing in Suining, being part of the 2078 km (1290 miles) long Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu High-Speed Railway line.

 

 

The route comes with the CRH1A EMU (Electro Motive Unit) which has a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) but with a service speed of 220 km/h (137 mph). The CRH1E includes the Chinese Train Control System - CTCS-3 Cab signalling system which is similar to the European Train Control System (ETCS). The CTS-3 signalling comprises: Balise (transponder/beacon) + GSM-R + ATP, using CTCS-2 as the backup system, and the CTCS-3 is equivalent to the European ETCS Level-2 + CTCS-2.

 

The route itself comes with 6 standard scenarios and 1 quick drive scenario, and is compatible with TS2014’s Quick Drive Mode.

 

The bundle adds in the CRH380D High Speed Train with a top speed of 380km/h (236 mph) and in service they usually have a configuration of a) CRH380D (8-car set) & b ) CRH380DL (16-car set).  This HST belongs to the family of Bombardier Zefiro passenger units designed by Bombardier Transportation with the 380D having the highest service speeds.

 

Coupled with the CRH380D are four “standard” scenarios, and two free roam scenarios for the Chengdu-Suining High Speed Route. The CRH 380D is compatible with TS2014’s Quick Drive Mode.

 

Trivia

 

  • Chengdu City population around 20 million, and surrounds population approaching 30 million
  • Fourth most populace city in China
  • Capital Sichuan Province
  • China’s fourth most liveable city
  • Last city to fall into communist hands in 1949
  • To date has the world's largest building - the New Century Global Centre at 328 feet (100 m) high, 1,640 feet (500 m) long, and 1,312 feet (400 m) wide
  • Home of the Shu Opera
  • Great centre for Mahjong
  • Established a breeding centre for giant Pandas
  • Home to Asia Moon Bear Sanctuary in Chengdu, China
  • 70% of Chinese Medicinal Plants found in Sichuan Province
  • Gateway to the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas
  • Jinsha  is an archaeological site is located in the Qingyang District of Chengdu
  • iPads are made in Chengdu plus many laptop components

 

Download and Install

 

The package full and upgrade is available as a download (353MB – route and 35MB Loco with an extracted size of approx. 1270MB (incl. Assets) and 153 MB respectively). There is also a boxed version available on the JT website.

 

Installation is typical of Just Trains, just open the supplied “.exe” file enter in your login details to verify the purchase and the installer finds the correct path to install the software in TS 2014.  Minor point: I do wish that JT could modify this procedure so that your details are saved and could be used on a subsequent verification and/or JT allow password managers (e.g. RoboForm) to complete the details for you. It gets quite tedious when you several downloads to verify.

 

The installation procedure does not use the “.ap” file structure now used in TS2014 and this makes it easier to edit scenarios etc. without having to extract files from the compressed “.ap” structure.

 

Manuals

 

There are 2 manuals one for the route and one for the high speed locomotive.

 

         Route Manual

The route manual “Chengdu to Suining HS route, including the CRHIA EMU” was a little disappointing in that there was no really good comprehensive guide to driving the CRHIA EMU and how to utilise all of the features. There was no mention of the scenarios included with this package. However it covers comprehensively “Installation, support and uninstallation”, which simmers will find useful.  Further it gives an excellent breakdown on CTCS-3 signalling system, which needs to be read and understood to utilise this route to its maximum potential.

 

 

         CRH380D Manual

 

The HST manual, “CRH380D HST Driver’s Guide” is quite comprehensive, describing installation, support, etc.’, and continuing with coverage of how to drive this formidable beast.  The CTCS-3 signalling system is described briefly, but not in the same depth as in the route manual.  However, there were good descriptions as to what the flashing symbols and speed reductions/increments actually meant.

 

 

Both manuals can be found using the \Start Menu\All programs\Just Trains\Name of Route/HST and in the RailWorks\Manuals\EN (English) folder.

 

To reiterate, if in doubt “Read the Flipping Manual” first!

 

Background: (from Wikipedia):

 

The Suining to Chengdu is part of the Dazhou–Chengdu Railway comprising a high speed double-track, electrified rail corridor in Sichuan Province of southwest China. It is also part of the vastly longer Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu High-Speed Railway. The route is one of the 4 East-West high-speed rail corridors detailed in China's national high-speed rail plan and will serve the needs of over 320 million potential rail travellers...

 

The Suining to Chengdu services the provincial town of Suining (pop 3.3m) to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China It has a population of 20+million in the city and surrounding urban and rural environs.

 

This part of China is one of the most important economic, transportation, and communication centres in China, and it requires a good transportation network to function optimally and bring new prosperity to this former rural region.

 

The line starting from Chengdu passes through the following stations, ShibanTan, Huaikou, Longsheng, Jijin, Zitong, Cangshan, Daying ending in Suining, giving the simmer 146km of high speed unleashed adrenalin simming.

 

As stated above the route is equipped with a sophisticated signalling system, enabling both 350 km/h and 250 km/h capable trains to run on it.

 

System Requirements from JT:

Train Simulator 2014 that was upgraded from Train Simulator 2012 on 20th September 2012. If you purchased Train Simulator after that date you will require the following assets for the route to display correctly:

 

  • European Loco & Asset Pack (available to purchase via Steam)
  • US Loco & Asset Pack (available to purchase via Steam).
  • 3.0GHz PC or any Dual Core
  • Windows 8 / 7 / XP / Vista
  • 512MB RAM (1GB for Windows 8 / 7 / Vista)
  • 256MB graphics card
  • Direct X 9.0c compatible sound card
  • 575MB hard drive space

 

To me, these system requirements are a little optimistic, (but to be fair they are the specs minimum recommended by RSC/DTG) and I would aim a little higher if you want top maintain realistic smooth trouble-free performance.  The RAM requirements are on the low side as Windows 7 64-bit itself needs 2+GB of RAM to run without TS2014 and this route and HST and I saw up to 1 to 2GB of RAM being used by the Route and the HST. I would recommend to anyone running a 64-bit OS to have at least 4GB (and better 8GB) of matched RAM to ensure smooth performance.

 

The 256MB graphics card is also a little optimistic, unless you are running a small monitor. RSC/DTG wrt TS2014 recommends a graphics card with 1-2GB VRAM (for best results) and a memory bandwidth of at least 60GB/sec.  Running a 24” 1920 x 1200 monitor I saw a VRAM usage of around 1.5 GB (1500MB).  IMHO you would need at least a GTX560/Radeon HD 5770 with 1 to 2 GB of VRAM depending on monitor size.

 

The download sizes also differ for the route as I saw: 708MB for TSLiu Folder, 272 MB for the CNLiu Folder and 293MB for the content\route folder, i.e. a total of 1273MB or 1.27GB.

 

Both the route and the HST ran without issue on my Windows 7 64-bit and Windows 8.1 Update 1 64-bit systems, with TSX on and/or off.  I saw little effect on frame rates and all the scenarios, standard, free roam and quick drive, performed as they should without issue.

 

Important note from Just Trains about TS2014:

 

Important! Please note that the Chengdu – Suining route is compatible with Train Simulator 2014 that was upgraded from Train Simulator 2012 on 20th September 2012. If you purchased Train Simulator after that date you will require the following assets for the route to display correctly:

 

  • European Loco & Asset Pack (available to purchase via Steam)
  • US Loco & Asset Pack (available to purchase via Steam)

 

Chengdu to Suining High Speed Route

My Visual observations

 

I need to state straight away that this is a high speed passenger route with no freight applications and so far I have not found any other scenarios except those supplied with the route.  The route is 143km long and comes complete with a 250km/h EMU, i.e. the CRH1A.

 

The route is fairly straight with few severe curves and in the most part level (maximum gradient 2% - made possible by long stretches of elevated track) and there are also quite a few tunnels and bridges.  Just Trains tell us that the bridges and tunnels comprise >60% of the route.  However even on the elevated sections (bridges), it is still a quite a scenic route depicting rivers and streams, farms, trees and you pass through valleys and hills as well as towns and cities. 

 

 

The stations are well modelled, with platform lengths of 450m, i.e. capable of accommodating a 16 car consist.  I could not see any car stopping markers for say an 8 car consist, but then my Chinese reading skills are non-existent. I did not hear any station announcements so perhaps there are none (confirmed by JT).  The stations that you can stop at are: Chengdu, ShibanTan, Huaikou, Longsheng, Jijin, Zitong, Cangshan, Daying, and Suining.

 

 

The track is well done and looks like it does in the real world, for the main portion of the 146km mainline (and 6km branch line) it has 2 x China Railway Class I Electrified tracks.  The points (switches) are well modelled as is the ballast and the track itself. (I did not concern myself with any minor imperfections if indeed there were any.)

 

 

This route claims that it has more than 150 Chinese-featured objects for the route, and certainly the environment and buildings reflects those features. The cityscapes are large and vast, maybe a little repetitive, but without detriment to their realism. The skyscrapers are well lit at night and certainly give you the impression that you passing through a city.  Similarly the countryside has rich features, including variety, great colours, shadows and lighting. The station at Chengdu even features its own shopping mall with a variety of shops and stores – that’s what I call attention to detail. However, because you are travelling at very high speeds, coupled with a sophisticated signalling system, you have very little opportunity to admire the environment as you need to keep focussed on driving the locos especially when you can’t use the various auto modes.

 

One amusing note (well it appealed to my warped sense of humour) is that there can’t be any Chinese person/people objects as all of the passengers tramping up and down the platforms are definitely Caucasian in origin, and JT tell me that they are all tourists!

 

 

The roads are well done, with flowing traffic, and whilst it would have been nice to see more vehicles, but at 350km/h they are gone in a flash.

 

 

The best visual experience for me was when a scenario was based at dusk and you could see some fantastic lighting effects as you flashed through the vast interior of this massive country.

 

 

I guess, in the end, this is a route about travelling fast and controlling locomotives that travel at high speed and need to be stopped safely for passengers to disembark.

 

CRH1A EMU

 

As I say above the DLC includes the CRH1A EMU which has a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) and a service speed of 220 km/h (137 mph), and the CRH1E includes the CTCS-3 Cab signalling system (more later).  From Wikipedia: CRH1A and CRH1B are based on Bombardier's Regina family. The train was designed by Sifang and Bombardier jointly in Västerås, Sweden and originally named C2008.

 

This comes as 8 car unit that can be driven in either direction with a white livery blue stripe and the CRH logo.  Both the cab and the passenger compartments (cars) are well modelled and you can distinguish between the first and second class interiors by the trim, and both are well appointed, and each car (at either end), displays the speed that the train is travelling.  There are very good views from each car, but I found them to be slightly noisy say compared to the driver’s cab.

 

 

From the outside it looks great, with a streamlined body and sparkling trim, in other words, it really looks the part.

 

 

The cab has some nice detail, with two main centre flat screen displays that display the elements of the CTCS-3 Cab signalling system (on the left) and the other the train speed with the cruise control buttons in front of this display.  The right displays details, such as, train car number, destination, status alert, car numbers and pantograph indicator, and blue and yellow bands with only Chinese characters. The Left Flat-Screen Display has a non-operative keypad and phone and a button to raise/lower the pantograph, the emergency and start-up buttons are on the console in front of this display.  These screens were not described in detail in the manual, other than the signalling system screen.

 

 

There is a tutorial (standard scenario) included called: “(CRH1A) 1. Introduction to CRH1A EMU - This scenario teaches you how to drive the CRH1A EMU.” This is hardly necessary as the loco is quite easy to drive, but it does help with the signalling and the cruise control features.  I found that the F4 HUD “got in the way” of the cab displays and so used the F5 HUD to drive the unit.

 

The forward car of the unit features a very powerful head light which is quite bright in TS 2014 and the rear unit has a flashing red light as it does in real life.

 

 

Acceleration is smooth using the “A”/”D” keys or the X-Box 360 PC controller with the unit having dynamic braking built into the throttle control.  Braking was smooth and even braking from high speeds brought the train under control without upsetting the passengers.

 

The Cab comes equipped with a cruise control feature as well as an advanced cruise control feature.  Using the “standard” cruise control just keeps the EMU at the speed that you have set it at, and as far as I could see did not reduce speed in accordance with the signalling system. The advanced system could be set at any speed and it would keep the train at the signal (i.e. recommended and mandatory speeds and signal condition) accelerating and decelerating according to the signalling system, and even stopping at a station when “0” speed was indicated.  I liked this system much better than the one in the CRH380D.

 

One control that was not described (as far as I could see) in the manual, was the cab lighting switch, and I had to ask JT where to find it, and yes its there on the left console. Neither was there any explanation on how the headlights worked as they also seemed to be coupled with the instrument lighting as well?

 

I could not get the head out view to work and this may be a feature of this EMU in that it might be rather dangerous to open any window at high speed, as your going as nearly fast as a small regional jet.

 

All in all the driving experience was good especially in free roam.

 

Included are a 6 standard, (but timed), scenarios and 1 Free Roam scenario with the route and CRH1A being Quick Drive Compatible.  The scenarios are varied showing off the route at differing weather, seasons and time i.e. day and night. The complexity is not too high, but they contain enough variables to make them interesting. If you enjoy driving very fast indeed through superb country under any condition – then this is the route for you!

 

I have to say from the outset, that I do not like timed or career scenarios as on many occasions you have to drive and brake very fast in order to complete them and get the much-prized “green tick”. So, I found that the times stopping at and between stations were too tight, and on one occasion I was kept waiting at one station and was too late to arrive at the next station and got the red cross and failed the scenario.  IMHO the timings need to be a little more liberal and not so restrictive and punitive.

Stopping at stations was also a little hit or miss, in the fact I wasn’t sure where the train should stop in relation to the platform, but on many occasions (not all) you are helped by the advanced cruise control and the signalling system as the latter showed “0” at some point on the platform and you could either brake manually or allow the cruise control to do it for you and come to a halt to allow the passengers to disembark.

 

The Free Roam and Quick Drive scenarios were excellent with no time restraints.

 

Sounds

 

On the whole the sounds are good and JT state that they are “custom sounds” but do not indicate if they from the real world or not i.e. authentic, but informed me that they were Chines in origin.

 

One observation, I don’t know if some of the sounds were faulty, but on opening the passenger doors the sound ceased after a couple of seconds and silence ensued until the doors closed again. JT reassured me that this was what it would sound like in real life.

 

There was an audible indication for when you could move on after loading new passengers but I could not find a method of acknowledging that signal and not sure if that reflects real life.

 

The CTCS-3 Signalling System

 

I have included this as a separate section to try to explain it better as it needs to be mastered in order to drive any HST on this route.  This in cab signalling allows the driver to monitor signals and speed limits more easily than looking out of the cab at high speeds.  The FLAT-SCREEN display in the cab gives all of the relevant data including, Signal Aspect, Signal Speed, Current track speed, next track speed, distance to next track speed (in 10 km increments), and the safety system switch – default is ON.  The manual details the signalling system in good detail and I recommend that you read this section and then run the first scenario “Introduction to CRH1A EMU”.

 

Basically if a signal speed is displayed then keep you speed to the signal speed, and if there is NO signal speed displayed then run at the track speed and/or use the advanced cruise control.

 

The system is well modelled and it will show you the speeds to reduce to e.g. when approaching a station, about 10 km out, the speed is reduced from the track/signal speed progressively down e.g. 200. 160, 90 km/h (green/yellow indicator) to 45 km/h (red indicator) about 0.5 Km from the end of the platform.  In most cases this reduces to 0km/h (red indicator) once you are running up the platform, indicating that you should brake and stop.

 

Because you really need to see this FLAT-SCREEN whilst driving – I tended to use the F5 HUD only or no HUD at all when driving this train.

 

Note: If your speed is 5km/h more than the track speed, or you pass a red signal travelling >45km/h (no braking) then the emergency brakes will be applied.

 

 

CRH380D High Speed Electric Train (HST)

 

This can be purchased separately or included with the route as a bundle pack, i.e. you need the route to run this loco.

 

I have described the pedigree of this HST above, being part of the Bombardier “Zefiro” development.  It is capable of an operating speed of 350 km/h (220 mph).

 

  • CH380D HST System Requirements:
  • Train Simulator 2014
  • 3.0GHz PC or any Dual Core
  • Windows 8 / 7 / XP / Vista
  • 512MB RAM (1GB for Windows Vista / 7 / 8)
  • 256MB graphics card
  • Direct X 9.0c compatible sound card
  • 161MB hard drive space
  • Note: see my comments about specifications above.
  • Note: The Quick Drive scenario acts as a sort of tutorial in that it accesses most of the features on this train.  Well worth driving first.

 

 

In the Cab

 

The cab is state-of-the-art and is well detailed showing the 3 FLAT-SCREEN consoles, left, centre and right, including  gauges and displays (as in the real deal) these are apparently illuminated via the headlight switch.  The cab is also illuminated at night.  This also comes as 8 and 16 car unit that can be driven in either direction with a white livery blue stripe along the beautifully streamlined body. The train looks phenomenal with sleek lines that just ooze speed (see above).

 

 

Left Console:

 

The flat screen displays the train service number (also displays externally), current track speed limit, next track speed limit, distance to next limit (max 10km), and a linear ribbon which operates when <5km to next limit.  It also displays the safety switches (on by default) and this activates the emergency brakes under certain line conditions.  There is also the very useful next signal aspect, displaying green, yellow, 2 yellows and red, plus an advisory speed limit using the same colour as the signal aspect colours.  Using your mouse in this display you can also change the train service number, which requires a little manual dexterity to get it right.

 

 

 

An audible alarm will sound if you exceed the designated track speed. Here you can also disable this alarm for external views (via a button in front of the FLAT-SCREEN), – if you do and you are “outside” sight seeing you cannot tell if there is a hazard ahead. There is also an “emergency stop button” for emergency braking.

 

Middle Console

 

The centre flat-screen displays the train speed in km/h, the track speed, traction effort, plus braking pressure details. in front on the console are a series of buttons and switches, including, pantograph up/down, headlight switch, cab interior light, horn, master key on/off the cruise control switch, and the cruise control rotary speed setting.

 

 

Right Console

 

The flat panel displays the train car number, station names, status alert indicator, and the car (compartment) numbers.  The blue bar below this displays the cruise control speed that you set in the rotary button in front of the centre display. Below this is a black bar that displays other information including if the pantograph is up or down.  There is also an indicator showing if the train doors are open – useful to know when departing a station!

 

 

The buttons, switches, and handles, adjacent to this flat-panel display, control the wipers, sander, reverser, and throttle.

 

In my opinion the cab is very well detailed, displaying all the pertinent flat-screen displays, switches, levers, buttons, etc., and IMO it is easier to drive this HST without the F3/F4 HUDs, i.e., with the mouse/controller/keyboard, with perhaps just using the F5 HUD for occasional reference.

 

Both the cab and the passenger compartments (cars) are well modelled but you can only see the interior of 1 car, the view does not change as it does in the CRH1A. The train speed and other information is displayed at the end of each car, but in this case only in Chinese (well it is a train running in China, not forgetting those European tourists).

 

There does not appear to be a “head out of the cab view” on this loco, but that is in keeping with safety and the cab design (see CRH1A above).

 

The controls can be manipulated using the mouse, keyboard, Xbox 360® PC controller and/or a mixture of all 3.  I did not test the controls using a Raildriver® controller, but the latter should work as the CH380D uses standard keyboard controls). 

 

Once you have mastered the signalling system, and how to set the cruise control speed (I found this quite difficult to judge and adjust with my mouse) this HST is very easy to control.  With the cruise control it is recommended that you set it at either 5 or 10 km below the indicated speed limit to avoid over speeding and it can only be set in 10km/h increments. Therefore, in my opinion, the cruise control is not as versatile as that it the CRH1A in that you have to manually adjust the cruise control speed according to track conditions whereas in the CRH1A this was automatic.  In consequence I rarely used this cruise control function and preferred to drive the HST manually.

 

 

Braking, to come to a halt at a station, is realistic and is set according to well defined guidelines from the excellent signalling system. It goes something like this:  Running at a top speed of 350km/h - 10 km from a station (you will see the speed limit of 45 km/h at 10 km distance) , at 7.5 km out, green advisory will recommend 300 km/h, at 5.5 km out a yellow advisory will recommend 230 km/h (display double flashing yellows), at 3.5 km out a yellow advisory plus audible alert will recommend 160 km/h, at 2 km out a yellow advisory plus audible alert will recommend 90 km/h, at around 0.5km from the platform a red advisory plus audible alert will mandate 45 km/hr.  On entering the platform in some scenarios and this reduces to 0km/h (red indicator) once you are running up the platform, indicating that you should brake progressively and stop.  Because most of the standard scenarios are timed you need to make sure that don’t brake too early (get the red cross for being late) or braking too late (risking derailment etc.), and believe me that takes practice. This is a great part of driving in this route, giving you the same opportunity as a real engineer to drive these vey fast HSTs.

 

I found the driving experience to be as good as any other HST in my TS2014 sidings, easy to accelerate, brake, and giving the impression of speed.  This is the fastest loco in the TS2014 range, and easy to drive.

 

Sounds

 

I thought that the sounds were appropriate for this type of train, and did not hear much repetition.  JT state that sounds with this loco are, “, authentic custom sounds” but do not elaborate further.  The sounds inside the cars are whisper quiet, with just track noise being heard.

 

Scenarios

 

With the route and the CRH1A you get 6 x Standard scenarios (timed) including: 1. Introduction to CRH1A EMU, 2. Fast service to Jijin, 3. Bad weather run 4. Short passenger run, 5. Night Express, 6. Commuter

 

With the bundle pack or adding the CH380D you get:

4 x Standard scenarios (timed), including 1) Dawn Service, 2) Evening Rescue, 3) Morning Service and 4) Night Express, plus 2 Free Roam Scenarios and 1 Quick Drive scenario (also serves as a “tutorial” for the

The scenarios are very good giving a wide variety of passenger duties, both non-stop and high speed suburban, utilising the whole track with a wide experience of weather, time of day and seasons.  They should give many happy hours driving these nicely modelled HSTs.  The fast ones were exhilarating.

 

How does it run on my PC?

 

My PC specs are listed below, and I did not see any real impact on frame rates, suffer any stuttering or minor pauses using this locomotive. I use TSX ON and OFF and in both cases performance was fine and image clarity very good.

 

Computer Specs

 

OS

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1

Windows 8.1 update 1

CPU

Intel Core i5 3470 @ 3.20/3.60GHz

i5, 4670K @ 4.4Ghz

RAM

16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 802 x 2MHz (9-9-9-24)

16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 802 x 2MHz (9-9-9-24)

Motherboard

Z68X-UD3H-B3 (Socket 1155)

Z87-G45 (socket 1150)

Monitor

DELL 24” Resolution (1920x1200@59Hz)

Samsung Syncmaster 2233 R

Graphics

2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti (MSI - Maxwell)

GTX760TI OC

Storage

223GB KINGSTON SV300S37A240G (SSD)

256GB OCZ Vertex SSD

Audio

Realtek High Definition Audio

Realtek High Definition Audio

 

 

TSX Graphics settings

 

TSX Mode

ON/OFF

Screen Resolution

Windows Recommended

Full Screen

Full Screen

 

Advanced

Anti-Aliasing

FXAA+2 x 2xSSAA

Scenery Quality

Highest Detail

Scenery Density

10

View Distance

Highest Detail

Shadow Quality

High Detail

Water Quality

High Detail

Procedural Flora

ON

Adaptive Bloom

OFF

Depth of Field

OFF

Lens Flare

OFF

 

 

Summary

 

I quite liked this HST bundle from Just Trains, being a high speed route it gives you the chance to run at 350Km/h and also keep the train under control at these speeds. I liked the scenarios as they were interesting and utilised the route in its entirety.

 

I did not notice any visual issues with this route, but found it better in terms of AA and Moire effects on the points to run it with TSX off.  This is a limitation of the TS2014 game engine rather than any fault associated with this software.

 

However I did feel that the manuals could have been improved and the timed scenarios were difficult in some cases to get that highly prized green tick.  Having said that this was a fun route and very enjoyable.

 

Again I have to repeat that because JT do not distribute their products via STEAM there will be no RSC/DTG community workshop scenarios. That aside I’m sure that there will be scenarios say from websites like UKTS , trainsim.com and others.

 

I give the route and the CH380D 7.5 out of 10 on my chuffometer – well worth it and with some minor improvements and the availability of more scenarios it would score even higher chuff chuffs..

 

Acknowledgements:

Flightbeam Studios - KIAD - Washington Dulles H...

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Flightbeam Studios - KIAD - Washington Dulles HD v.1.2.2

A review by Maxim Pyankov

According to Wikipedia, Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD) "is the busiest international airport in the Northeast outside of New York metropolitan area," serving about 60,000 passengers on a daily basis.  It is this airport, in all its beauty, that has been provided to me by the generous staff over at Flightbeam Studios for a review.

 

Purchase, Download, and Manual

 

You can purchase this product, for $34, directly from Flightbeam Studios’ website.  Once the purchase is complete, you will receive an email with the product serial number, which you would use to register and activate the product.  The download process is straightforward and consists of getting one installation file, which is about 533MB.  This airport is designed to work with FSX and P3D (2.2).

The product manual, which you get with your purchase, is available for download directly off of Flightbeam's website (and you also get a copy of it upon installation of the product).  The install process itself is very simple, and the installation wizard takes you right through it.  One note of caution (and I had to reinstall because I did not follow the instructions in the manual) - be sure to completely turn off your virus software, including its auto-protect features.  I could not properly register the product until I completely shut it off--I am running Norton 360.

Once you properly install the software, you would use the Add-on Manager (accessible through the Add-On menu) to fully register and activate the product.  I recommend that you switch your FSX to windowed mode for this task, by hitting the ALT+ENTER combination.

 

 

You don't get a new program group in your Windows Programs with this installation - the manual (and airport settings) can be accessed through the aforementioned Add-On Manager.  The manual is seven pages long and provides short and precise sections on airport history, a page on airport layout, a couple of pages on airport installation/configuration, a page explaining the airport's jetways, as well as explaining that with this product you get FSDreamteam's GSX, for this airport only, which is a very good add-on, and is a real value add feature in this package.  I own a stand-alone, full version of FSDreamteam's GSX, so I can only imagine that what I saw is precisely what you would get, in this airport.

 

As a final step in my installation process, I referenced the manual and made sure that my FSX/Scenery Settings were set at least at the recommended level to get the fully intended experience.

 

First Impressions and Airport Features

 

For my first look into this scenery, I loaded PMDG's 777 parked at Gate A16, designed to accommodate heavies.  Before I even had a chance to get out of the aircraft and examine the vastness of the airport, I was staring into a terminal window, which I could see through so well so that I could almost read out the Arrivals and Departures schedule on the timetable TV screens!  Incredible.  Without any delay I proceeded to engage EZdok's World cam to explore the airport.  To be sure, terminal buildings, and the inside contents thereof (chairs, TV screens) are 3D models and look terrific.

 

 

Meticulous attention to detail is ever-present throughout this whole airport scenery.  There are so many features and details modeled here that you can easily spend a couple of hours, in your flight simulation application, doing nothing but examining the airport from one building to the next, from one taxiway to the next.

 

 

Washington Dulles is one of the few airports using what is known as a "mobile lounge,” or a "plane mate."  These are somewhat other-worldly creature-vehicles, roaming throughout the airport and shuttling the passengers between the aircraft and the terminal buildings.  As I understand it, there are plans to replace these with a train system, but as it stands we get to marvel at and enjoy these "plane mates" throughout this airport.  There are a lot of them that are simply parked, and many more that can be seen traveling around the terminal buildings.

 

 

To accommodate loading and unloading these "mobile lounges," there are special terminal exits, which are modeled here as well.

 

Often we focus only on what is inside the airport; we accept the outside as a simple 2D photo of a parking lot, or roads, or whatever else it may be for any one particular airport.  I have to applaud the developers for putting the extra effort into making the front of the airport look lively and appealing.  Not only did the model the parking lot, parking lot lights, trees, and other objects, but they have also given us 3D models of parked vehicles, which adds to the atmosphere of the airport.

 

 

There are many objects, peppered throughout the airport, that infuse the atmosphere with an air of busy hustle.  As I examined the airport with the world cam for a few hours, zooming from one side of the grounds to the other, I have not come across one object that was poorly modeled, or had incomplete textures, or was otherwise deficient.  These objects come in various shapes and forms - for example, there are dozens and dozens of sitting luggage carts, all throughout the airport.  Obviously, most gates have these, and the sight is very representative of the real world airport environment.  In addition, there are parked trucks, cars, and trailers all throughout.  Like everything else, attention to detail is amazing.  The models presented are sharp and the textures used are in high resolution.

 

 

The aircraft parking spaces are also superb.  Ground markings present many various kinds of wear and tear: for example, in many high-usage areas the ground paints are worn out and look faded and washed out.

 

 

The jetways are superb as well. They are modeled to such an extent, that as you pan around an entrance into one, you cannot resist the urge to enter one and explore it from inside out.

 

 

Another round of applause goes to the developers for putting the extra effort into the objects around the airport - miscellaneous buildings outside the immediate airport perimiter, as well as the lush and alive forest in the immediate vicinity of the airport.  There is no doubt that the buildings and forest in and around the edges of the perimiter will be enjoyed every single time you land or take off from this airport.

 

 

Night Light and Seasons

 

Seasons

 

Wonderful job was done on making sure the airport is well dressed for all seasons of the year.  The screenshots below display the same airport navigation sign presented in three different seasons - the summer, the fall, and the winter.

 

 

The effort put in into making sure the winter seasons are presented fairly is very much appreciated.  Not only do you get the white snowy cover throughout the airport, but you also get what appears to be a texture designed specifically for the winter season.  In the example below, you will notice tire marks on what seems to be a very thin layer of snow/ice.  It looks great and adds tremendously to the sim and the environment.

 

 

Likewise, the fall textures bring its own style to the table.  The ground textures (cement and concrete) look wet and damp.  The grass - drowned by the rain and washed out.  It looks great.

 

 

Night Lights

 

Night lights rendering continues to add to the theme of overall attention to detail, quality textures, and remarkable effort put into this scenery.  The airport is very well lit around the usual heavy-traffic areas, like the gates.  The light produced by the huge light fixtures around the airport is bright and feels warm.  The inside of the terminal, which I raved about at the top of this review, comes to a life of its own in the nighttime.  The insides are well lit, the coffee kiosks and newspaper stands come to life, and all of a sudden I can see the tired night-time business travelers waiting to board the plane to go home.

 

 

The signage and navigation lights are all well lit and produce the light that you would naturally expect to see from those fixtures.  The runway lights are bright and throb with life.

 

 

Test Flight

 

For the test flights, I did one inbound and a few outbound flights.  My KIAD inbound flight was a late morning flight, taken in good summer weather.  In the given weather, the airport was well visible from the air and there was no mistaking it with others in the vicinity.

 

 

Upon aligning with the runway heading, the glide slope navigational lights were easy to see and follow.  The forest, which I talked about above, most definitely added tremendously to the realism leading up to touch down.  It was an amazing rushed feeling, to approach the lush green forest from above, and to see the tops of the trees zoom by beneath my landing gear.

 

 

Taxiing to the parking spot, using a GSX Follow Me vehicle was easy and hassle-free.  We parked at gate B72, which was a gate, brought to life by GSX services, provided with this scenery.

 

 

On my PC, which is capped at 30 FPS via FSX Settings screen, I received very solid 26+ FPS during approach and touchdown.  There was no slowdown of any sort throughout the final approach and touchdown.  I did experience a slight hit to the frames-per-second number during my taxiing to the gate - my frames, as measured by Fraps, hovered between 19 and 26.  It did not distract or take away, from the experience, in any way.

 

For one of my outbound flights I chose PMDG's 777, dressed in United's livery, for a short flight into Chicago.  In this scenario, during the static (but very busy) 15-20 minutes on the ground, I experienced very solid, in the 26-30 range frames-per-second.  In this time, I was talking to ground/tower (using Radar Contact), running Fraps in the background, running REX Essential Plus Overdrive, and AivlaSoft’s EFB product on top of everything else.  I was doing a lot of panning and zooming, enjoying the scenery and the bustling activity around the aircraft, and did not experience any issues.

 

 

Similar to my inbound experience, the hit to the performance was evident during my taxi to the runway.  Again, my frames hovered in the 19-26 range, which really was not an issue at all.  During take-off and climb-out on this slightly cloudy, but otherwise clear day, I again experienced very solid performance.  Racing down the runway in PMDG's 777 felt fast and conveyed the aircraft's speed.  The scenery played along nicely, and the experience was very immersive.

During the initial climb, I again did a lot of outside view shots, as well as views from inside the cabin, and I never experienced a single flicker on the airport footprint.  I should mention that I am running my FSX in the non DX10-mode.

 

 

Closing Remarks

 

This is a very solid, top of the line product.  The attention to detail is amazing, the textures are superb, and the quality of the package speaks for itself through consistently high performance (high and consistent FPS, no flickering).  For the price of $32 you also get, on top of the airport itself, a fully integrated FSDreamteam Ground Services X (for this airport only).  I experienced any sort of issues only one time, and that coming at the end of a heavy 4-5 hour EZdok World Cam session at the airport, during which I was doing a lot of Season/Weather/Time of Day changes, a lot of screenshots using Fraps, and running multiple other Office programs in the background.  So, from my personal experience, I am not going to count it against the product.  In the one landing, and four departures I executed during the review, I had no issues at all.

 

Regardless, at the time of the review I received an email from Flightbeam Studios, which informed me that they were working on a patch that would add "a significant boost in performance and [reduce] some artifacts".  That's good news, although I had no issues in my experience with the scenery.

 

What I Liked

 

  • Everything!
  • Buildings and Gates
  • "Plane Mates"
  • Environment
  • Forest Around the Perimeter
  • Performance
  • Season-ready Compatibility (Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring)

 

What I Didn't Like

 

  • I really do not have anything I would change about this product.  This is now one of the best add-ons I have on my hard-drive.

 

System Specs I Reviewed On

 

  • Intel® Core™ i7-4770K @ 3.5 GHz, Overclocked to 4.4 GHz
  • Installed RAM: 8 GB
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780
  • Running on Windows 7 Home Premium, Service Pack 1

REVIEW - CARENADO PA46 Malibu Mirage FSX/P3D

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CARENADO PA46 Malibu Mirage FSX/P3D

A review by William Reynolds

 

Introduction

 

Designed in the 1970s, the Malibu Mirage is the third pressurized single engine piston aircraft ever built. First prototype flew in late 1979, but production did not start until 1988 (Mirage).

Piper had decided to enter a fast growing market and offer a pressurized single engine aircraft that could cruise at medium altitude and had excellent performance.

 

The Malibu Mirage came equipped with a Textron Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A 350hp engine, which gave it a good amount of power and comfort. Designed to carry 6 occupants, it features a full capability IFR cockpit with good operating costs. The aircraft was unfortunate enough to suffer 7 fatal accidents, and was the focus of intense scrutiny.

During re-certification, the aircraft demonstrated very good tolerance to flutter and g-loads so after several recommendations regarding the use of the autopilot, the aircraft was once again cleared to take to the skies, and has not looked back since.

 

Installation and Documentation

 

Single ZIP download of 176Mb. This file expands to show 3 sub-files: An Executable (the installation application itself), an "Installation" text document which details very simple steps to take for successful installation of the model, and finally a README file with information specific for P3D users.

Regarding P3D installation, the installer asks if you would like an FSX or P3D installation, and simply lets you specify the location of the SIM of your choice.

 

 

 

The installer will place the required manuals in a "Carenado" folder inside the Flight Simulator of your choice. And this package comes well equipped in this regard:

 

 

As you may notice, the developer gives you the tools to integrate the payware RealityXP GNS530 and/or GNS430. Note, they do NOT come in this package, Carenado simply gives you an "integrator" to use them in the Mirage if you already own them:

 

 

Once you have decided on the options above (and read the manuals!), we are ready to look at the aircraft.

 

What comes in the pack? You get the following repaints:

 

 

 

Panel

 

Fully expected a Carenado job, and it is what I got. The textures are very good indeed, it feels almost claustrophobic when you first load it, the windscreen is shallow and protrudes to the front, and the effect is definitely there.

 

Worth nothing this aircraft comes with a Virtual Cockpit only. There are pop up views available for the GNX530 and GNS430 units but aside from that, the VC is your home.

 

 

Carenado also gives you a tool to set Panel state for the aircraft....with one important caveat...if you choose the ready to Taxi panel state, double check your cockpit, it does not set all switches, you are still expected to perform your checks and ensure the aircraft is indeed ready to go. The interface is simple enough:

 

 

Let's take a closer look at the "office":

 

 

Instrumentation is a faithful replica of the real aircraft, and most gauges are fully functional to one degree or another. In the above view towards the middle of the panel, you can see the twin array of dials for MAP, RPM, Temps, etc whilst in the row next to them we see the warning light panel, Radio controls, Autopilot, and the GNS units. Further to the right is the Weather Radar.

 

The screenshot below shows instruments that are of note to this aircraft: On the Left we see the AVSS (Altitude and Vertical Speed Selector) which allows to set Barometric Pressure, Desired altitude, Decision Height and desired Vertical Speed. Immediately below the AVSS is the Transicoil EMIS (Electronic Module instrument System), this has 5 modes: Instrument Mode on Ground, Instrument Mode on Air, Percent Power Mode, Fuel Posting Mode and Fuel Load Mode. This tool allows you to set fuel load, power settings, check endurance, fuel flown RPM etc. I found this very useful as a visual indicator, although I could not load fuel into the aircraft.

 

In the middle section we see the Warning Panel, followed by the Radio control panel (partly functional) and below we see the Autopilot function control panel.

 

On the right shows miscellaneous controls like pitot heat, prop heat, de ice, blowers, wipers, etc. Immediately below is the transponder.

 

 

The two Garmin Units plus the Wx Radar.

 

 

Overhead panel is very well represented.

 

 

Below Screenshot on the Left shows the Circuit Breakers located on the Bottom Left of the PF Panel, none of them work. Screenshot on the Right shows the Pressurization dial (it works well, but you need to do some research into its operation), Dimming switches (only the Panel switch works, provides interior light), Fuel Selector (works well), CHT Cycle knob (rotate knob to select any Cylinder and check its temperature, although it works as in the selector cycles the Cylinders, the temp remains the same for all CH), and finally Gear Indicator Lights and Lever.

 

 

 

A good look at the pilot's seat in the day:

 

 

And night:

 

 

Interior:

 

Pop up views for controls are activated by pressing Shift+(N) where "N" is a number between 1 and 6. Where Shift+1 brings a pop-up of the GNS530, +2 brings the GNS430, Shift+3 brings this handy little screen:

 

 

As you can see above, aside from being able to toggle VC Windows, Reflections and Ground ancillaries (pitot covers, chocks, etc), you have control over passenger and cargo doors. Very detailed graphics, equally smooth textures. The other popup view screens provide pane state and overview of options.

 

Cabin is well done, but nothing over the top, the real aircraft itself is a very simple high performer:

 

 

 

Exterior:

 

Two thumbs up here, good work. Textures are well done, love the shine and reflection, even in my modest rig

 

 

 

 

Sounds:

 

Personally, don't like them. I believe they missed the mark. You have a nice big juicy piston at the front and the sounds attached to it make it feel miles away. Again, it is personal opinion, I just wish there was a little more "grunt from that beautiful engine at the front.  Other sounds included are the overhead buttons, the flap lever, the gear lever.                      

 

The Flying:

 

So after it is all said and done....how does it fly?  At its core it does the job well. Developer stated this  is a fairly simple aircraft, with a good engine, good performance, pressurized and a few interesting instruments.

 

On my very first flight, I managed to depart the runway to the right....rudder trim, my good friends, is a very handy thing to use. So this simulation has modeled the prop effect on the rudder....very good so far!

 

Instruments do the necessary job, but don't expect dynamic work here. You can turn the engine off and back on again and the temps will not show you a hot start. Fuel management needs more work, both on my side and the developer's. The EMIS tool is great for showing fuel burn, etc but it does not show current fuel, appears to show full tanks all the time. Also noticed that even though I selected Left fuel Tank, it draws fuel from both tanks.

 

So anyway, on with the show! Starting the aircraft is a breeze, be sure to pay close attention to the documents given to you, the Procedures documents are quite good. Taxiing must be done with small inputs of rudder, don't over correct or you will be sorry. Take off is fairly easy, don't exceed 42 in. of Manifold Pressure and you should be airborne around the 85 - 90 knot mark. I elected to climb initially at around 100kts, keep 2500rpm and adjust the mixture.

 

Carenado recommends cruise around 2400-2500 RPM with about 30" Hg and 18Gph at 20,000ft. I had a fun time on climb testing different setups, and several test Stall climbs were performed. I am pleased with how the aircraft responded, as different speeds and altitudes brought about different times of deceleration and handling.

 

The approach and landing were a bit of a guess. I followed  the Normal Procedure's document and was a little too generic. 80-85kts flap down...hardly much help if you are looking for precise speeds depending on profile, wx, etc but I took a punt on 80kts and touchdown around the 70-65kt mark. Aircraft settles nicely and is very responsive.

 

Summary / Closing Remarks

 

This was fun. My initial impression, after my very first flight was .."whoa, I definitely need to read some more about this!". But having said that, it is not an in-depth simulator and neither does it claim to be. But it has some instruments and features that you need to know how to use, as simple as that.

 

My verdict? This is a simple aircraft, fun to fly, doesn't have any nasty surprises. It would be nice if the developer addressed some of the issues still present but they won't stop you from enjoying this pressurized piston single.

 

What I Like About the Review Title

 

  • Textures are the usual quality Carenado standard, nicely done
  • 6 Repaints as default
  • Good effort simulating AVSS and EMIS.
  • Good quantity of documents, but their depth could be better.
  • It handles well. This aircraft could do for you what it does in the real world, a good performing pressurized single piston with good range and capabilities.
  • Easy integration with RealityXP 530 and 430 units
  • Easy to control pop-up menus.
  • Good frame rates.

 

What I Don't Like About the Review Title

 

  • Sounds - Personal preference but I believe they add to the immersion of a sim.
  • Could not find a working ADF needle or DME. For DME I had to use the GPS, not sure if this is the case in the real aircraft?
  • Fuel indicator and Fuel management issues as described above.

 

Computer Specs

 

  • Intel i5 3470 CPU at 3.2Ghz
  • Nvidia GTX660Ti OC GPU
  • 3.5 Barracuda 7200RPM HDD
  • Flight Test Time:
  • 8.4 hours

REVIEW - JT Marsdonshire Route (Entire Network)

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JT Marsdonshire Route (Entire Network)

A review by Peter Hayes

 

Introduction

 

Just Trains have introduced for TS2014 a new fictional rail route aptly named, “The Marsdonshire (a fictional county) network”, with ≈160 miles (260 km) of mostly double track, 23 stations, 4 distinct interconnected rail routes and 14 different rail lines. A veritable miniature sim rail city.

 

With so much on offer to call it just a route is a misnomer and JT quite rightly label it as, “an entire network – not just a route.”

 

This extensive railway network comes complete with 26 Standard and 31 Free Roam scenarios giving the simmer the chance to explore the beautifully varied scenery and the innumerable places of interest in the county.

 

JT Note: For certain scenarios to run correctly, the following Just Trains locomotives are required: Class 153 DMU Advanced, Class 67 Advanced and Voyager Advanced

 

 

Pre-Trivia

 

With a name like Marsdonshire – I did wonder if this was one of J R R Tolkien’s shires that he did not write about, and in my travels I dully expected to see Bilbo and other Hobbits gambolling in the fields.

 

The Railway goes ever on and on

Down from the Station where it began.

Now far ahead the Railway has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with steam heat,

Until it joins some larger railway

Where many points and signals meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring - With apologies to J R R Tolkien

 

Trivia

Features

  • Power Station (Nuclear??) Generating electricity supply
  • Quarry – Excavate slate
  • Forestry Commission - Lotsa Trees
  • Slate Mine – Roof Roster
  • Coal Mine – the pits
  • Railway Museum for various locos and rolling stock
  • Heritage Centre for steam loco’s,
  • Garrison Barak’s barracks - East Anglian style
  • Car Plant – auto sedan - rival to railway
  • Airport – Landing Strip for kites
  • Motor Racing Circuit - Grand Prix Indy Cars
  • Caravan Park – Trailer Park - Yorkshire style
  • Marina – old Morris dance or Harbor Haven
  • Ski Fields – a sort of Scottish Off-Piste

 

Download and Install

 

The package is available as a download (≈381MB –with an extracted size of ≈631 MB. There is also a boxed version available on the JT website.

 

Installation is typical of Just Trains, just open the supplied “.exe” file enter in your login details to verify the purchase and the installer finds the correct path to install the software in TS 2014.

 

The installation procedure does not use the “.ap” file structure now used in TS2014 and this makes it easier to edit scenarios etc. without having to extract files from the compressed “.ap” structure.

 

Manuals

 

There is a comprehensive manual for the route and comprises 54 packed pages. The manual gives us a detailed map and description of the network, notes on performance and settings, Installation/Uninstallation, Support, Route Description, Stations, Lines, Places of Interest, Liveries, Optional DLC, Scenarios, and Credits. It covers most aspects of the route in good detail and needs reading to optimise your simmimg experience.

 

The manual can be found in the RailWorks\Manuals\EN (English) folder,

Entitled “Just Trains Marsdonshire” as a pdf file.

 

To reiterate, if in doubt “Read the Flipping Manual” first!

 

 

Background: (from the Author)

 

The network is really based on the author’s own experiences in both railways, mines and life in general. For example he states, “The main line from Anstone to Skelthwaite is loosely based on the Appleby to Settle section of the Settle to Carlisle route,” plus some alterations. The Marsdon Rail Works and Cairnlochross Service Centre were inspired by the author’s own work experience, and the coal mine by family association, and so on.

 

Putting all this together, you end up with an add-on route/network which offers a wide variety of scenery, track design, and numerous scenarios with an option to create more new and varied scenarios.

 

System Requirements from JT:

System Requirements:

 

  • Train Simulator 2014
  • ‘European Loco & Asset Pack' and 'US Loco & Asset Pack’
  • 3.0GHz PC or any Dual Core (I recommend Haswell i7/i5 4xxx series)
  • Windows 8 / 7 / XP / Vista (I recommend Win 7/8.1 – 64-bit)
  • 512MB RAM (1 GB for Vista) (I recommend 8Gb matched RAM)
  • 256MB graphics card (I recommend  2GB card with large monitors)
  • Direct X 9.0c compatible sound card
  • 840MB hard drive space

 

Note: For certain scenarios to run correctly, the following Just Trains locomotives are required: Class 153 DMU Advanced, Class 67 Advanced and Voyager Advanced.

 

The route ran without issue on my Windows 7 64-bit and Windows 8.1 Update 1 64-bit systems, with TSX on and/or off. I saw little effect on frame rates and all the scenarios, standard, and free roam performed as they should without issue.

 

Marsdonshire Route (Entire Network) – My visual observations

 

Overall this is a huge route/network that will take many days and weeks to properly navigate. Hence, my observations can only skim the surface otherwise it could be next Christmas before I completed the review. Just about every type of scenery and activity is covered here with different areas of the route presenting different views and challenges. The more I explored the route an opinion began to form in my mind that the layout was some gigantic 00 gauge scale model, i.e. for me too many turns and twists.

 

So, I guess that first I need to look at the route in sections and these are listed by JT as:

 

There are four main interconnected routes on the Marsdonshire network:

 

Cairnlochross to Portkeane

 

This route runs from West to East i.e. Cairnlochross to Portkeane, being ≈44 miles (71km) long, it is an overhead electrified line and has 8 stations. This main electrified line features superelevation and represents a proto-typical version of a British main line travelling through open countryside plus urban and industrial areas. Basically this is a high-speed passenger route with the locos reaching up to 125 mph on certain sections. The scenery is varied from totally rural to undoubtedly industrial e.g. Llandothry Power Station, and the area around Marsdon. There is also a vibrant port/dock area at Portkeane, which includes a large Marina plus several inter-crossing rail flyovers, which make for complexity in rail operations. It’s strange, although this section has overhead lines (Catenary), I could not find a scenario with an electric train with a pantograph, they were either DMU’s, EMU’s, Diesel, Electric, or Steam.  I guess its time to make your own using something like the superb Class 90.

 

 

Cairnlochross Service Depot, this a large complex and would be ideal for shunting type scenarios, but as far as I could tell none are included in the route. Like wise the Cairnlochross Sidings are huge and again some shunting scenarios would be good. There are lots of industrial type buildings, there’s even a scrap heap complete with rusting junk. The Cairnlochross Vehicle Distribution Centre is an industrial development for loading/unloading motor vehicles and calls out for a freight type scenario, and fortunately one such scenario is included and it is excellent, very immersive.

 

Most of the stations in this complex are well done, but Cairnlochcross is a standout, very realistic and well detailed, and it approaches a real-life station. I visited quite a few stations after nightfall and the lighting is superb and very realistic.

 

 

Kirkboswell is the next station and it is a typical station almost in the middle of nowhere.

 

 

There is a branch line to Invermuir barracks, which are based on Catterick Army Barracks in N. Yorkshire. The barracks are well laid out, and contain the usual features even including a couple of hovering but static helicopters with loads, sidings with tanks loaded onto flatbed wagons, and so on. There are a couple of Standard scenarios that let you travel the line and also explore the barracks.

 

 

Invermuir Station is next again small and compact, with rural aspects

 

 

The Inverston Quarry and Cement Works is good with a good layout, and included is a freight scenario delivering cement to the Port Keane docks – good to see a freight scenario on this run.

 

 

Tregevan Airport and the associated railway station are great. You can stop at the station and then wander round the airfield and eventually a nicely modelled jet flies in, unfortunately, sans sound.  The church and graveyard are worth digging into, if you have the time.

 

 

The Llandothry Power station (coal fired) has an amazing amount of detail including cooling towers and ponds plus diverse buildings, boilers, plant and machinery. I’m not sure how many power stations in the UK still have cooling towers, I know that they demolished the ones in my home town at Ocker Hill (Ocker Bonk to the natives) some time ago. The yard is interesting and could make the basis of several freight scenarios.  It is a good depiction of a large power station.  Well worth a long visit it is truly electrifying. The standard scenario included from the mines at Anstone to the Power Station is a dusty affair.

 

 

The next station is Llandothry and after that we travel to the hub of this network – Marsdon. This is where all the main lines meet forming a sort of London terminus for the layout. The station, town and industrial areas are very well modelled and you could spend several weeks here just exploring all of the various points of interest.  For example, the Marsdon Rail Works are vast with tons of lines and again a shunting scenario would have been great, but it does have a very good freight scenario (standard).  This again looks incredible at night.

 

 

Further on, beside the track at Dent, there is a motor racing circuit, Brroom, Brroom which is well drawn with the odd race car whizzing round the track, and well worth a visit. I didn’t get a chance to drive the day I visited, so I will have to return for a second bite of the cherry.

 

 

As we get nearer to Portkeane we pass beside the Portkeane car company, which is well done, but in my opinion perhaps not as detailed as The Ford Motor Company on the RSC/DTG London to Faversham High Speed Route. But having said that this is yet another complex industrial development, it’s just a pity that there is no 4 x 4 to drive around the roads.

 

 

Finally we arrive at Port Keane Docks end of the line for this route.  This area again is huge complex, with tracks crossing over each, underground stations, docks, a marina and great marshalling yards complete with cranes and ships.

 

 

The Stations in this route include:

  • Marsdon Central
  • Cairnlochross
  • Kirkboswell
  • Invermuir
  • Tregevan Airport
  • Llandothry
  • Dent Valley Motor Racing Circuit
  • Portkeane

 

Marsdon to Anstone

This typifies a rural railway line (the line from Anstone to Skelthwaite is loosely based on a section of the Settle to Carlisle route). The route from Marsdon to Anstone is ≈45 miles (72.4km) long, passing through exquisite countryside, bleak moorland and hilly terrain. It takes about 1 hour to run the full length of the route. The towns that it passes through are mostly small and are typical of that type of rural/urban town. The stations look good being well detailed and populated with passengers.

 

 

This is not a high speed route with a top speed of 70 mph (113 km/h) and with most of the route around the 50 t0 60 mph (80 to 100 km/h). The speed limits are a little strange (as they are sometimes in TS2014 itself), for example at one stage you get a 60mph limit, about a mile further on this increase to 70 mph but then in less than a mile it decreases to 40 mph, that just does not make sense. It is primarily a passenger route but goods scenarios could be a feature as there are 2 mines on the rote and coal and slate need hauling and in this sort of terrain, rail would be ideal. One goods (standard) scenario is included (4 passenger) and again it is well done with lots to see and do. The free roam scenarios are also invaluable for investigating and navigating the route.

 

One feature I did not like is at Anstone a very acute balloon line is used to turn the locos around, they overhang almost into the adjacent line, and the effect makes the turn look like a model railway layout. As the DMU’s used on the route have a driving cab at either end then a reversing point would have been more realistic.

 

It has, (especially for steam locos), some very challenging hills and gradients. There are some very well designed tunnels with some of the best occlusions seen in TS 2014 which means that there is no light bleed in the tunnels , nor does it snow and rain within them. This route also includes some superb viaducts, reminiscent of the Settle to Carlisle route.

 

There are some interesting branch lines off from the route, including Anstone Mining Company, Marsdonshire Forestry Commission and at Grenton going to The Grenton Moor Slate Mine and the Duntelem Pike Ski Resort. There are also “branches” just South of Hebdon-in-Rydale and at Skelthwaite. Marsden is the major junction of this route and lines go every which-way from Marsdon Central.

 

 

Other Points of Interest on this line include Grenton Railway Heritage Centre, White Horse Junction, and Skelthwaite Railway Museum.

 

Stations Include:

  • Anstone
  • Kirkton Smithfield
  • Grenton
  • Dalery
  • Rydalehead
  • Hebdon-in-Rydale
  • Skelthwaite
  • Marsdon Central

 

 

Marsdon to Portkeane (coastal route)

 

As the name suggest this runs along the Southern Coast and is ≈

24 miles (38.6km) long with 6 stations, 4 above ground and 2 under ground. The underground section is well done and using the tunnel occlusions I mentioned above they are extremely well depicted. The coastal depicts typical coastal scenery see in Britain & Ireland – it is very well done. Some simmer commented on the forums that the coastline resembled that of South Wales, and on looking at it there is some resemblance.

 

 

The Stations:

  • Marsdon Central
  • Marsdon Promenade
  • Ballacraig
  • Killymeara West (underground)
  • Killymeara Central (Underground)
  • Portkeane

 

 

Grenton to Duntelum Pike

 

I called this a branch-line earlier but it is in fact a challenging ≈14 mile (22.5km) tortuous climb that winds its way from Grenton (Grenton Railway Heritage Centre) up a steep mountainside to the ski resort of Duntelum Pike. Even in the summer scenarios where its green and verdant in Grenton as soon as you really start to climb (half-way up) the route becomes constantly covered with snow. At first this is quite disconcerting but as time goes by you become used to the fact that by the time you reach the ski resort its snow, snow, all the way to the top! 

 

At the beginning of the route there is a branch line to Grenton Moor Slate Mine and cement works, again well-modelled and ideal for freight scenarios and there is a free roam scenario included.

 

One minor gripe for me is that for most of the way on this route the speed limit is 20 mph, and the scenarios use a steam engine and keeping that at a constant 20 mph becomes a challenge, brake too much and you are back to 0 mph, don’t brake enough and you are derailed! It also takes a long time (>40 minutes) to get to the ski-resort and once you have travelled the route it could become tedious to repeat the journey.

 

One caveat close the blower before any tunnel otherwise a fatal blowback occurs – end of scenario. Save often!

 

 

Overall

 

The routes are well done, there have been comments about tight curves and signalling issues in the various forums, but I did not find that the perceived issues “spoiled” enjoyment of the route/complex. JT have reliably informed me that a patch will be issued in the next 2/3 weeks that should address any of the issues raised in the forums. If this occurs after the review is published I will write an addendum showing the fixes that have been made.

 

There are a lot of curves/bends in this route and a lot of the time the going is a little slow, but having said that there are lots of activities to keep your interest. Personally, I would like to see the track straightened in many areas.

 

Stations

 

The stations are well modelled, with tons of interesting features.

 

Track

 

The track looks like it does in the real world, with the points (switches) are well modelled as is the ballast and the track itself. Super elevation on the high speed route is quite a feature, with the trains tilting realistically around the curves in the line. (I did not concern myself with any minor imperfections if indeed there were any.)

 

Roads

 

There is an intricate network of roads throughout the complex but traffic, is few and far between, so for me, it would have been nice to see more vehicles.

 

Signalling

 

This has drawn some negative comments on the forums, I do not have enough knowledge to judge about the finer aspects of signalling, correct or otherwise. My only comment is that in some areas there were a lot of close signals and then you could go for miles without seeing one at all.  I believe the SP will probably fix this.

 

How does it run on my PC?

 

My PC specs are listed below, and I did not see any real impact on frame rates, suffer any stuttering or minor pauses using this locomotive. I use TSX ON and OFF and in both cases performance was fine and image clarity very good.

 

Computer Specs

 

OS

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1

Windows 8.1 update 1

CPU

Intel Core i5 3470 @ 3.20/3.60GHz

i5, 4670K @ 4.4Ghz

RAM

16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 802 x 2MHz (9-9-9-24)

16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 802 x 2MHz (9-9-9-24)

Motherboard

Z68X-UD3H-B3 (Socket 1155)

Z87-G45 (socket 1150)

Monitor

DELL 24” Resolution (1920x1200@59Hz)

Samsung Syncmaster 2233 R

Graphics

2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti (MSI - Maxwell)

GTX760TI OC

Storage

223GB KINGSTON SV300S37A240G (SSD)

256GB OCZ Vertex SSD

Audio

Realtek High Definition Audio

Realtek High Definition Audio

 

 

TSX Graphics settings

 

TSX Mode

ON/OFF

Screen Resolution

Windows Recommended

Full Screen

Full Screen

 

Advanced

 

Anti-Aliasing

FXAA+2 x 2xSSAA

Scenery Quality

Highest Detail

Scenery Density

10

View Distance

Highest Detail

Shadow Quality

High Detail

Water Quality

High Detail

Procedural Flora

ON

Adaptive Bloom

OFF

Depth of Field

OFF

Lens Flare

OFF

 

Summary

 

A review like this can never do justice of a layout of this size, had I sampled everything extensively the review would not have been finished until next Christmas.  Hopefully it will whet your simming appetite to add it to your virtual collection and find the hidden delights that I failed to discover.

 

To summarise, in my opinion this is an excellent route/complex from JT, yes, it is a little raw in places but overall it is an excellent route with the potential to be a great route once any anomalies, perceived or otherwise, have been fixed. Hopefully this will happen with the impending service pack.

 

I did not notice any visual glitches with this route, but again, I found it better in terms of AA and Moire effects on the points to run it with TSX off. This is a limitation of the TS2014 game engine rather than any fault associated with this software.

 

The manual was very good and I like the standard scenarios and the excellent free roam scenarios, but making it compatible with Quick Drive, would have been the icing on the cake. All in all an immersive complex i.e.  Very enjoyable experience.

 

Again I have to repeat that because JT do not distribute their products via STEAM there will be no RSC/DTG community workshop scenarios. That aside I’m sure that there will be scenarios say from websites like UKTS , trainsim.com and others.

 

I give the route 8.75 out of 10 on my chuffometer – well worth it and this score will probably go higher, post the service pack.

 

Acknowledgements:

Image included with the courtesy of

Google Earth

REVIEW - LatinVFR San Juan Int'l Airport

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LatinVFR - San Juan Int'l Airport

A review by Rick Desjardins

Introduction

 

The Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, ICAO: TJSJ is located in Carolina which is about five kilometers southeast of the city of San Juan on the island of Puerto Rico. It is a joint civil-military international airport which can trace its roots back to 1955 when it first opened. Originally it was called Isla Verde International Airport because of its location in area known as Isla Verde. The airport was built at a time when many airlines were switching from propeller to jet aircraft and the nearby Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport could not handle them with its short 4,000ft runway. The airport is now the Island's main international gateway and its main connection to the United States. The airport also serves as the Caribbean hub for Cape Air, Air Sunshine, and Seaborne Airlines, as well as a focus city for JetBlue Airways. The airport is also home to the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. In 2012 8.5 million passengers passed through the airport’s facilities. The airport has two runways; 8/26 @ 10,400ft and 10/28 @ 8,016ft.

 

Installation

 

Installation was very straightforward. After running the installer executable it was a simple matter of adding the product serial number and selecting which flight simulator I was running. The product can be installed in FSX, P3D or P3Dv2. It is here that you will also be given the opportunity to make choices with regards to several scenery options. The installer will add the airport to the FSX scenery library.

 

Configuration

 

There are several configuration options presented at the time of installation; the choices, as you can see in the screenshot, are self-explanatory. If you decide that you want to change any of them you will need to rerun the installer.

 

 

Product Manual

 

The manual is a 12 page PDF document and is accessible after you install the product and provides some useful and interesting information. They begin with a list of scenery features and then move on to the airport with a brief description, an aerodrome chart and also a listing of airlines that frequent TJSJ plus their destinations and also which concourse they use. The last few pages of the manual are devoted to FSX scenery settings, tips on how to best appreciate the airport its surroundings and also a page of FAQs.

 

The manual did not contain any specific information for the P3Dv1 or v2 installations.

 

Scenery

 

I’d like to begin by including the list of scenery features as the developer lists them.

 

San Juan TJSJ Package Features

 

  • TJSJ (SJU) airport completely modeled with significant attention to detail
  • Texturing in HD mapping for all buildings and ground polygons
  • Shading and occlusion (texture baking) effects on all buildings
  • Custom reflection maps and customized global environment map (FSX)
  • Pond effect by which areas of the ground show as if there was a water pond only when it rains (FSX)
  • Surroundings extremely detailed, 2 square miles of customized buildings and objects (not autogen)
  • More than 70 square miles of photo scenery with hand placed autogen. Covering both east and West of San Juan
  • Surrounding land class and water class
  • Custom designed and placed landmarks, buildings, stadiums for the city of San Juan
  • High resolution ground textures / Custom runway textures
  • Static derelict aircraft, and static Military aircraft
  • Fully AI traffic compatible
  • Crosswind runways operations
  • Excellent night effects
  • Optimized for excellent performance
  • Inclusion of manual in PDF format
  • Modification of TJIG airport making it more realistic and correctly placed with stock objects
  • Birds (FSX)
  • Native vehicle animations lines on many surrounding bridges and highways (FSX)
  • FSX, Prepar3Dv1 and Prepar3Dv2 support
  • Much more!

 

Here is a comparison of the San Juan area as seen in FSX and also how the area appears after the installation of this product.

 

 

Ground Textures

 

Photo images were used as base textures throughout the scenery in all areas except for the aprons/runways and taxiways. For these they used high resolution graphic textures.

 

Beginning with the photo imagery textures. They are great for providing accuracy at the location and for including lots of accurate detail you just need to be aware that there are areas where details are visible and no objects have been added. Not my favourite thing but very common in many scenery addons.

 

The hard surface textures were pretty good and did show some signs of the abuse brought about by regular aircraft traffic. However, I felt that they looked too clean when compared to real world images.

 

 

The airport has taxiway bridges which allow the main access road to the terminal to pass under taxiways A and B. I liked this added feature.

 

 

Buildings

 

The largest structure at TJSJ is the main passenger terminal and its concourses. It is centrally located between runways 8/26 and 10/28 with aprons 1 thru 4. Moving away from the main terminal complex there are  many other smaller structures which are located next to aprons 5A – C, 6, 7, 8, 9 and the ANG (Puerto Rico Air National Guard) apron.

 

The airport structures lacked the quality that I was hoping to see. From afar they didn’t look too bad however when they were examined up close the imagery often lacked crisp textures and details and most walls or roof tops tended to be flat with little in the way to give them a 3 dimensional look.

 

The main terminal is one place where I saw a mix of both good qualities as well as some deficiencies. Beginning with the good. The main terminal did include some interesting details or features. The concourses had windows and doorways and I was happy to see that many were recessed so that the walls weren’t simple flat images. Also along the arrivals side the roof has a multi-peak design that they recreated,  the jet ways were detailed and some included open canvas covered walkways going down to the tarmac from the jet way. Terminal A also has a unique round sloped roof and that was also modelled. Of all of the airport structures this was their best work.

 

 

As I stated there were some problems however and here are some examples; an elevated road that doesn’t quite seem to fit at either end, this same road also includes some odd textures that would seem to have been borrowed from another object. Another example of parts not seeming to fit properly, many of the jet ways appear to attach to the terminal’s walls in places where they don’t belong. One last example, there are parts of the roof that don’t appear finished with visible gaps between textures.

 

 

Other structures at the airport include the control tower, various hangars, some cargo buildings plus other miscellaneous structures. These structures were recreated using similar techniques as the terminal so I came away with many of the same observations.  

 

 

Something positive that did stand out was that many of the hangars were depicted with their large bay doors open allowing us to see their interiors. This exposed some good detailed wall textures. A nice feature if you want to park your aircraft inside one of them.

 

 

Objects and Vehicles

 

The airport was populated with an adequate variety of objects and vehicles. Aprons and aircraft parking stands both at the main terminal and in other areas such as near the cargo hangars included lots of the different vehicles and objects. The areas looked like they were full of activity and ready to handle the arrival and departure of aircraft. I noticed that many of the service vehicles including baggage trailers were also painted in airline colours, which is always nice to see as it adds a bit of ground level realism.

 

The airport included the typical infrastructure type objects such as fencing, ground lights, markers and nav aids plus some others such as road signage near the terminal and street lighting. All of these different items play an important role in creating that feeling of realism.

 

 

The airport has a designated area for the Puerto Rico Air National Guard and to further enhance this area they include an option to add some static C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. As you can see I chose to enable this and the results can be seen in the screenshot that follows. I thought that this was a welcome addition as all too often these military aprons typically remain empty, void of any aircraft.

 

 

Something that I felt was lacking were civilian type vehicles such as cars, light trucks and buses. There were several in the parking lot near the terminal and a few on the roof top level of the parking garage but the road in front of the terminal entrance was completely empty. Without animated road traffic adding a few parked cars here and more to the parking garage would have helped in bringing a bit of life to the airport. The way they left it, the airport unfortunately looks deserted.

 

 

Animations

 

There were no additional animations included with this airport addon.

 

Surrounding Area

 

The scenery coverage area extends well beyond the airport to include the scenic coastline area to the north plus a large swath of the city of San Juan to the south and west of the airport. The area has been modelled with an accurate coastline, ground textures are comprised of photo images and the area has been populated with both custom and generic objects.

 

Both on arrival and departure this area that they modelled proved to be a boon to realism. You have the combination of the photo imagery with all of the objects--the results are impressive.

 

 

Night

 

Unfortunately for me the nighttime experience was underwhelming. The scenery was good but I didn’t see anything that stood out as exceptional. There was very little in the way of nighttime lighting effects. As an example aprons and hard surface areas were basically all the same shade of grey with no real variations in light intensity that you’d expect to have from the overhead lighting. Areas not covered by hard surfaces were simply black. Buildings were monochromatic, again with little or no evidence of variations in lighting. There were some buildings were the imagery showed realistic interior and exterior lighting but they were few and far between.

 

Moving away from the airport to the San Juan city area I have to say that this part of the scenery was actually better than the airport. Interior lighting could be seen on the buildings and the ground images showed some surface night light textures.

 

 

Summary

 

Despite some misgivings about the quality I still believe that this is a welcome addition to the growing number of Caribbean airports now available for FSX. I liked that they included the city of San Juan and port areas. This is a nice feature, which for me enhanced the overall appeal of the product.

 

Flying Time:

 

  • 15 hrs

 

What I Like:

 

  • That they modelled a large area of the landscape surrounding the airport.
  • Easy on frame rates.

 

What I Don’t Like

 

  • Airport structures modelling was simplified.
  • No animated service vehicle traffic.
  • Night time was poorly done.

 

Test System

 

  • Intel i7 960 OC @ 4.2 Ghz,
  • 6 Gb RAM, EVGA GTX560 Ti w/1.2 Gb video,
  • Win 7 Ultimate 64,
  • FSX w/acceleration,
  • Ultimate traffic 2,
  • REX Overdrive,
  • GEXn,
  • UTX,
  • AES,
  • GSX,
  • FSUIPC.

REVIEW - CleanMyMac 2 by MacPaw

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CleanMyMac 2 by MacPaw

A utility review by Chase Kreznor

AVSIM may be the world’s largest flight simulation community, but occasionally it’s fun to take a look at products that don’t apply specifically to our hobby, but can be very useful for our daily computing needs.  For all of you Mac addicts out there, CleanMyMac 2 is certainly one of those products.

 

CleanMyMac 2 is a must have utility for those of us who don’t want our computers to get cluttered up with data as time goes on.  Whether it’s your internet cache, your iPhoto collection, unneeded apps, or the like, this product will help its owner keep things in check with maximum control.

 

As a recently new Mac owner, I began a hunt for a product that will do all these things after noticing how much accumulates from the Internet browser and also my photo collection.  Little did I know that after running CleanMyMac 2, I had over 5.4 gb of junk data (specifically unneeded language files, app caches, duplicate photos, etc).  What’s interesting to note, that was what CleanMyMac 2 found AFTER running CCleaner.

 

Suffice to say, I was thrilled to be able to click one button and have an app scan my entire machine and find these files effortlessly.  The program also allowed me to take a peek at what it found in the event I wanted to take a step back and keep some of the marked files.  Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the product and wish to share my experience with the rest of you.

 

Download & Installation

 

CleanMyMac 2 was easy to download ranging about 50 mb in size directly from the MacPaw website.  I might also add the folks over at MacPaw are very friendly and make contacting support very easy.

 

To install on the Mac is effortless.  I dragged and dropped the file into my Applications folder and it was done.  This is just another one of those things I love about Mac (how user friendly it is).  It’s no surprise that as a user of an efficient user-friendly machine, I would look for the same in the apps I run on it.  CleanMyMac 2 is no exception to this and so far in the process has made me happy.

 

Automatic Cleanup

 

After clicking the Scan button on the beautiful User Interface, you see the program come to life and start scanning various areas of your system.  Some of those areas include Large & Old Files, User Cache Files, iPhoto Cleanup, and System Cleanup to name a few.

 

 

Once I click the Clean button it prompted me to close Chrome (how polite) to make sure the clean got my internet cache too.  The program began it’s clean and showed me its total progress and what it was currently cleaning.

 

 

I like how afterwards, I got this little popup asking me to share my success with my friends.  I didn’t actually share it as I am not a fan of posting these sorts of things on Facebook, but it was still kind of interesting.

 

“#CleanMyMac saved 5.20 GB of free space on my Mac. Back in 80's it would save me around a million bucks!”

 

 

Uninstaller, Extensions Manager, and Eraser

 

I appreciate the ease of use of the Uninstaller to make sure any related files are cleaned from my Mac when I no longer want an app.  I used it to uninstall my MotoCast software and it found all related files and archives which were promptly uninstalled. I like this feature as Mac apps can leave files behind even though the app itself is removed.

 

The extensions manager is interesting, however I didn’t touch any of the settings, as it seems a little more than I want to play with on my Mac.  I don’t want to erase any of the extensions I use.

 

 

The Eraser is another nice feature.  It advertises that it cleans quickly any file or set of files and folders without leaving a trace.  I tried it on some old review pictures that have already been published to the server, and it appears to work quite well.

 

Overall

 

I believe overall this app is a must have for anyone that owns a Mac.  It’s what CCleaner wants to be, but on steroids, with an amazing user interface and very easy to use.  At about 40 bucks for a license, I believe it’s money well spent for a powerhouse app.

REVIEW - Embraer Phenom 100 by Carenado

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Embraer Phenom 100 by Carenado

A review by Marlon Carter

 

Introduction

 

 

The Embraer Phenom 100 is a relatively new light jet that competes with the popular Cessna Mustang. For many charter operations, the Phenom 100 has been a valuable asset that brings a combination of speed and efficiency to persons who require a unique and personal travel experience.

 

Carenado is well known for their efforts in the GA aircraft genre and this time around they have stepped up their efforts with their first jet aircraft rendition. The quality of Carenado’s work in recent times has been remarkable to say the least. The release of their Phenom 100 marks a new chapter in Carenado’s history and the first opportunity to experience business aviation in all its glory. Let’s have a look at some of the features of this aircraft.

 

Phenom 100 Features

 

 

Special Features:

 

  • Carenado G1000 Prodigy glass cockpit system.
  • Original Phenom status screens
  • Weather radar embedded in the G1000
  • Multiple CAS messages
  • Special input keyboard incorporated
  • Original Phenom systems
  • Multiple aural warnings sounds
  • Full FSX and P3D v2.0 compatible.
  • Landing and Taxi halo effect lights.

 

Features:

 

  • Original G1000 Prodigy glass cockpit system.
  • Multiple aural warnings sounds
  • Original Phenom EADI
  • Panel dim light option
  • 3D knobs technology for operating 3D knobs
  • Full FSX and P3D v2.0 compatible.
  • HD quality textures (2048 x 2048).
  • Cold and Dark start option
  • Original HQ digital 3D stereo sounds.
  • Complete back cabin
  • Customizable panel for controlling windows transparency, instrument reflections and static elements such as wheel chocks and sights props.
  • Real behavior compared to the real airplane. Real weight and balance. Tested by real pilots.
  • Realistic night lights effects on panel and cockpit.

 

Included in the package:

 

  • 6 HD liveries.
  • 1 HD Blank livery.
  • E50P Carenado prodigy G1000 PDF.
  • E50P Emergency Procedures PDF.
  • E50P Normal Procedures PDF.
  • E50P Performance Tables
  • Recommended Settings PDF

 

Technical Requirements:

 

  • Windows XP with SP3 installed, Vista or 7 (32 or 64 bits).
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator FSX with SP1 and SP2 (or Acceleration Pack) installed or Lockheed Martin - Prepar3D Flight Simulator v1.4 or v2.0.
  • Pentium V/3GHz or similar
  • Minimum 2GB RAM (Recommended 4GB RAM)
  • 512MB graphics card.
  • 670MB available hard disk space.

 

The features of the Phenom 100 are impressive and I am sure that everyone will be happy to know that it is also compatible with P3D v2.0. In this release I couldn’t spot any significantly “new” features, but nonetheless the quality of the aircraft is a nice follow up to many of the features that were included in Carenado’s previous B1900 release.

 

Documentation

 

The documentation that comes with the Phenom 100 is similar to their previous releases. If you were counting on a 300 + page manual for this product, you will be a bit disappointed as the information provided isn’t very detailed. One of the documents provided gives us a general overview of the aircraft’s Prodigy G1000 avionics suite. In a nutshell, the Prodigy G1000 is basically your average Carenado G1000 with a few added pages to show aircraft systems and the addition of weather radar.  Other bits of information that are provided include Performance Tables, Emergency Procedures and Normal Operation procedures. The most useful of these documents were the Performance Tables and Normal Operating procedures which gives you an accurate overview of how to fly and operate the aircraft. The Emergency Procedures PDF is a nice addition but one that may rarely be used.

 

While the documentation is “OK” I can’t help but be a bit disappointed that a Flight Tutorial wasn’t included. Having a flight tutorial would be a tremendous aid to new pilots getting used to the Carenado G1000 which isn’t as great at the Flight1 G1000, but I must say that it is the next best option we have. Finally, the PDF document that discusses the Prodigy G1000 contains photos of the Cessna 182 G1000 which is a bit confusing, given the fact that the Prodigy G1000 is a bit different. Perhaps it was just a shortcut to save time in editing the images of the document, but it came across as having the C182T G1000 document with a few pages added to it. 

 

Nonetheless, I would recommend using other sources of information in addition to what has been provided to get the full picture on how to fly this aircraft.

 

First Impression

 

From a visual perspective, no one can argue that Carenado is at the top of their game when it comes to recreating the look of an aircraft. The detail of the exterior model is striking to say the least and the interior is perhaps the most convincing yet! One of the first things that stands out about the model is its dynamic shine. As you move around the exterior of the aircraft, the fuselage gives a convincing appearance as the sun shines down onto it.

The Phenom 100 has a very unique shape and Carenado did a fantastic job in accurately modeling this aircraft. From the placement of rivets, detail of the landing gear bay and the addition of static wicks on the wings, nearly every square inch of the Phenom 100 was recreated to the highest fidelity. As an added feature, there is an option to have static elements added to the aircraft. These static additions include wheel chocks, engine covers, pitot heat covers and more!

 

 

As you make your way into the aircraft, it becomes quickly apparent that the quality of the exterior has also made its way to the interior as well! The Cabin of the aircraft gives a vey luxurious feel due to the convincing shine and appearance of the leather seats and wood finishing. Unlike most interiors, detail of each seat is enhanced by the addition of 3D seatbelts and the slightly rough finish commonly seen on leather materials. One of the features of the interior that I especially enjoyed was the ability to lower your window shades. What made this feature outstanding is that the lowering of a window shade is also shown on the exterior model! While the ability to open and close tray tables is not modeled, few can argue that the cabin of the Phenom 100 isn’t impressive.

 

 

Moving into the cockpit, we can see that Carenado spared no effort to ensure that the feel and look of the cockpit perfectly copies its real world counterpart. The Phenom 100 cockpit isn’t very large nor is it packed with switches and dials. It features a Garmin 1000 Prodigy avionics suite that encompasses most of the interactive duties between pilot and airplane. The overall look of the avionics is convincing, but I honestly thought that the clarity of the writing on the controls of the G1000 screens could have been improved. Other interesting features of the cockpit include moveable sun shields and yoke, accurate cockpit sounds, adjustable window transparency and instrument reflections that can be turned on or off.

 

As mentioned before, the cockpit of this aircraft isn’t very large and the textures that were used in creating the virtual cockpit perfectly gave the impression of being in a small space.

 

The Lighting features of this aircraft rate a special mention. In the past, Carenado followed the basic lighting options which allowed you to turn on or off a number of interior lights with a single switch. This time around, Carenado has introduced an improved lighting customizable interior lighting experience which sees many of the cockpit and cabin lights having their own individual lighting controls!

 

I can go on and on about how great a job was done, but I will let these screenshots speak for themselves.

 

 

PRODIGY 100 Flight Deck & Autopilot

 

You might be wondering why the avionics of the Phenom 100 are called Prodigy 100 and not G1000. This is due to the fact that these two avionics suites are slightly different. Embraer worked closely with Garmin in order to create the Prodigy 100 and it is based on the G1000. Some of the major differences are the inclusion of a maintenance computer and slightly larger screens. In Carenado’s offering, the avionics that are offered replicates the G1000 systems found on their SR22, C182T and their C206. The only difference is the addition of systems pages that apply specifically to the Phenom 100 and the inclusion of weather radar. One of the features that I like about the Carenado Prodigy 100 is the option for having an electronic checklist which isn’t offered on other G1000 simulations. Another feature I enjoyed was the ease of operation. Unlike other G1000s, the Prodigy 100 was very easy to use since Carenado’s implementation of 3D knob selection makes it easy to know which knobs are being adjusted.

 

As for my dislikes, I didn’t like the fact that the Prodigy100/G1000 still relied on the default FSX GPS data. This means that while you may be able to fly an ILS app procedure, complex SID and STAR procedures are still a no go. All things considered however, while the Prodigy 100 isn’t an in-depth simulation of its real world counterpart, it’s the perfect balance between the default FSX offering and other high end G1000 simulations.

 

Here are a few screenshots showing the various pages of the Prodigy 100.

 

 

As far as the Autopilot is concerned, I found it was somewhat average. Some features such as VNAV and FLC either don’t work at all or they don’t work correctly. Although the Phenom does NOT have an Auto Throttle system, Carenado chose to add it in order to create the effect of the FLC mode. Personally I find this to be one of the low points of this product but I can understand the reasoning behind this addition in keeping with their simple approach.

 

The functionality of the autopilot was very smooth and predicable. While not being able to fully experience one of the signature features of the aircraft (FADEC) was a bit disappointing, the autopilot works well and it allows you to fly with ease.

 

Flight Experience

 

Carenado has stressed that the flight characteristics of this aircraft are realistic and are based on real world performance data. Since I am not a real world Phenom pilot, I cannot vouch for the accuracy of that statement, but overall, I can say that the aircraft feels quite balanced. The only areas that I found questionable were the takeoff acceleration and the handling of the aircraft while hand flying. When advancing the throttles to T/O, I found that the aircraft took a considerable long time to attain V1 speed. At first I thought the aircraft may have been overweight, but after adjusting the weight and balance, the performance on the ground was pretty much the same.

 

As a big fan of hand flying, I was quite eager to see how well the Phenom would handle without the aid of autopilot and to my surprise, the handling was actually quite good. While the aircraft may have a tendency to be “twitchy”, its overall feel is very balanced and somewhat realistic of a light jet.

 

In order to fully test the handling and performance of the aircraft, I took the Phenom on a series of flights that varied in weather, terrain and aircraft weights. All in all the Phenom performed well though it requires a steady hand if you are hand flying in bad weather. Adjusting the weight and balance of the aircraft produces a noticeable change in the handling and if you do this incorrectly, you will definitely pay the price!

 

The final area I thought was noteworthy focuses on the braking action of the Phenom 100. As you may already know, the Phenom along with many other light jets does not have reverse thrust as an option for slowing down after landing. While some have ground spoilers as an aid, earlier models of the Phenom 100 were not fitted with ground spoilers and Carenado’s Phenom 100 recreates the experience of flying these earlier models. This means that on landing, one should be prepared to use the brakes as a primary means of stopping the aircraft. At times, depending on your weight, speed and length of the runway, you may find yourself using excessive braking to stop the aircraft so plan your approach and landings very carefully.

 

 

On a final note, I am sure that many of your may be wondering how the Phenom 100's performance relates to FPS. The topic of frame rates is extremely important when it comes to having an enjoyable flight experience. When the Phenom was first released by Carenado, some users reported that their frame rates had dropped when using the aircraft. I found this to be the case mostly while flying in regions that contain many buildings or complex airport sceneries. On a good note however, after the latest service pack from Carenado, the performance has somewhat been improved after a few improvements to the G1000 displays. If you experience any performance issues even after the SP, then I may suggest that you turn off the options cockpit instrument reflection.

 

Conclusion / Recommendations

 

To be honest, my thoughts on the Phenom 100 are 50/50. On one hand, I absolutely love the aircraft. It looks amazing, the model is extremely accurate, the textures are top notch and the handling is very balanced. However, on the other hand I am a bit disappointed with the systems that have been offered (and this is just my personal opinion).

 

The depth of systems simulation on Carenado aircraft has always been a touchy topic. While most simmers love Carenado products, it is often a bittersweet experience using Carenado’s rendition of a “complex” aircraft. Carenado has never claimed that the Phenom 100 was a full simulation aircraft, but for anyone who has used the G1000 provided by Flight1 in their Mustang or B200 aircraft, the differences between Carenado’s G1000 and Flight1’s is quite significant. While Carenado can boast of having a fully working checklist feature and the ability to now create your own custom flight plans, it would have been a major plus if a more advanced G1000 were included.

 

So is the Phenom for you? Well that depends on your needs. If you are an avid simmer looking for a realistic product to help with procedural training then the Phenom may not be your best option. If you are an average flight Sim user who is more so interesting in visuals than in-depth systems, or just having a fun time in your simulator, then the Phenom is perfect for your needs! 

 

Price wise, considering the amount of work that has gone into this package, the Phenom 100 is well worth its price tag of $39.95. In the end, I think Carenado did a good job with the Phenom and I would highly recommend it to simmers looking for a casual or slightly above average flight Sim experience. To simmers that are looking for more, the Phenom 100 may not be your best bet, but on days where you would prefer to have fun rather than follow in-depth procedures, this aircraft may well be worth your consideration! Well Done Carenado!

 

Acknowledgement

 

Special thanks to Stanislaw Drzewiecki from Drzewiecki Design for contributing a copy of their beautiful New York Airports! This package, along with their New York City scenery is a great way to experience flying the Phenom into and out of the New York area!

 

Also, thanks to Fernando from Carenado for all of your assistance in this review.

 

REVIEW - AirUtopia L-1011

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AirUtopia – L-1011

A review by Marlon Carter

Introduction

 

 

AirUtopia is by no means a newcomer to the world of Aviation documentaries. Over the years they have released many interesting DVDs and this time we will be having an exclusive look at the “rebirth” of an L1011 freighter aircraft.

 

L-1011’s are not a common sight today and it is very rare to have cockpit footage of this aircraft. In this DVD we follow a team of loyal L-1011 enthusiast who bring back to life an L-1011 that was parked for a long time at Bangkok airport. Let’s have a look at some of the highlights.

 

Highlights

 

This program begins with a narrated commentary on the history of the L1011 alongside various video clips of the Thai Sky Cargo L1011 being featured. During this program you will have the opportunity to see the flight crew and ground crew make final preparations for a delivery flight which doesn’t go quite as planned!

 

The L1011 being featured in this program is MSN1012 that was among the first 15 L1011s ever built. Over the 36 years since its first flight, msn 1012 has amassed well over 60,000 flight hours and has passed through numerous airline operators. The first airline to make use of this aircraft was Eastern Airlines and it was registered as N311EA. Today, after being converted to a freighter aircraft, our beloved L1011 is now being prepared for its final destination to an operator in Bangladesh.

 

After spending 2 years in storage at Bangkok airport, it takes months of hard work by the mechanics and flight crew to bring this aircraft back to an airworthy status. Leading this team is a well-respected L1011 aficionado who takes us on an exclusive tour of the aircraft.

 

During this tour, we learn about this history of the aircraft in greater detail along with explanations as to why the L1011 was never a very successful cargo airliner. The information in this presentation was very insightful since many may argue that the L1011 should have continued flying as a freighter. The bottom line however, is that the L1011 was simply outdone by the larger carrying capacity of other cargo airliners.

 

As we move into the final preparations for our flight, the ground crews check the fuel systems to ensure that the fuel loaded onto the aircraft matches the indicated fuel in the cockpit. After sitting on the ground for 2 years, there are no taking chances with this delivery flight. Next we move on to the landing gears where they are checked and tested. The tests that were done to the landing gears mainly focused on the gear doors and allowing them to extend and retract.

 

One of the checks that I enjoyed the most was the engine check that involved a literal walkthrough of the “S” duct which houses engine number 2. I was blown away by the immense since of the “S” duct that can comfortably allow an individual to walk through to the engines blades. The benefits of this design truly showed that Lockheed engineers were among the best in the business. Having the “S” duct allowed for easy access for maintenance and required less support structure for the engine on the tail section of the aircraft.

 

To complete our final preparations, we take a final detailed exterior workaround of the aircraft before going to the cockpit for the cockpit instrument checks. During these checks we take a short tour of the cockpit with a few comments on its unique size and view from the cockpit which is unmatched by any other aircraft. After the checks have been completed, we start up the engines of our aircraft for taxi and takeoff that is where the real action starts. After our departure it seems like our aircraft started to show its true colors. First of all, the crew soon realized that the autopilot A was not working and autopilot B would engage but trip off for some reason. This meant that the Captain had to hand fly the aircraft past 27,000ft where some more autopilot troubleshooting was done. Finally, after resetting the pitch and roll circuit breaker, the crew finally gets the autopilot B to engage.

 

While this was a visible sign of relieve to the crew, their troubles had only just started. While flying over Myanmar, the engine no.1 oil indicator showed a drop in pressure. Soon thereafter the engine stopped working and the crew had to fully shutdown the engine. The L-1011 could have flown with 2 engines to its destination, but due to inconsistent readings on the engine no.3 oil pressure gauge, the crew finally decides to return to Bangkok rather than to risk having to land in Myanmar. The landing back at Bangkok was uneventful but due to the hot brakes after slowing down, the captain had to use the number 2 thrust reverser to slow the aircraft while making their way back to the ramp.

 

After an unsuccessful delivery attempt, the crew decides to fix the aircraft later that day and they successfully depart the following day to Bangladesh. Sadly, the producer wasn’t able to film the delivery flight, but nonetheless, what was captured on film thus far was already an extremely unique experience.

 

At a price point of $14.99, I think this is a must have item and one that L-1011 fans will cherish for a very long time.

REVIEW - Martinair MD-11 by ITVV

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Martinair MD-11 Flight Deck by ITVV

A review by Marlon Carter

Many of you may recall the aviation DVDs produced by ITVV many years ago. These documentaries have been hailed as some of the best-documented aviation moments of our time. ITVV has recently revitalized their products by allowing Flight One Software’s Simstop website to be the exclusive distributor of the ITVV brand of DVDs worldwide. These DVDs come with a newly designed packaging and lower pricing so that all can enjoy these flight deck programs once more.

 

Today, we will be looking at the Martinair MD-11Flight Deck Experience to see whether or not this program is worth adding to your collection. Before we examine some of the highlights, here are a few interesting details about this program.

 

Join Martinair on a round trip from Amsterdam to Palma de Mallorca!

 

ITVV are proud to present Part One and Part Two of this program featuring the Boeing MD-11, presented by Captain Ruud Bakker and First Officer Robert Lenz.

Welcome on board for a round trip from Amsterdam to Palma de Mallorca. This remarkable three hour DVD gives a fascinating view of flying the world’s only modern wide-cabin tri-jet airliner. Join the crew for their pre-flight briefing at Amsterdam, then take your seat on the flight deck to find out about the aircraft systems including an ‘autoland’ back at Schiphol.

 

AMS to PMI to AMS

 

Amsterdam – Palma de Mallorca – Amsterdam

 

You will join Ruud and Robert in the Flight Operations briefing room at the Martinair building at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.

 

There you’ll be first given a full briefing about the flight, the route, weather and fuel. We then go out to the aircraft (PH-MCS) for the start of our journey from Amsterdam (EHAM) to Palma de Mallorca (LEPA). Departure is from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport using runway 19L on a Lekko SID, call sign Martinair 341.

 

Ruud explains in great detail the whole departure as he is actually flying it. Once settled in the cruise at 37,000 feet, Ruud introduces you to the FCP (Flight Control Panel), FMA (Flight Mode Annunciator), FMC (Flight Management Computer), FMS (Flight Management System), Climb Thrust and Pitch, Pilot Selection Mode verses FMS Mode, Nav Mode, PFD (Primary Flight Display), PLI (Pitch Limit Indicator), and FPA (Flight Path Angle). We then follow Ruud and Robert in the descent and make an approach to Palma de Mallorca using runway 24L. Hear the Air Traffic Control for the flights and follow the checklists as you discover this state of the art aircraft from a very privileged perspective – the cockpit!

 

  • Multiple camera views inside cockpit
  • Hear ATC communications
  • Cockpit views on takeoff and landing
  • Captain explains instruments, systems and procedures
  • Preflight briefing, checklists and aircraft walkaround
  • Running time: 183 minutes (Prts One and Two total)
  • DVD features 170 chapter points
  • DVD VIDEO  (Parts One and Two) – All Regions – PAL ONLY

 

Please note that this DVD will work on PAL systems only and is not NTSC compatible. Please ensure your system can play this format, before purchase. Thank you.

 

About the Aircrew

 

Captain Ruud Bakker, Martinair's Senior Chief Pilot, was born on August 24, 1954 in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Ruud started his flight training in September 1973 at the Government Aviation School (RLS, Rijksluchtvaart school) in Eelde, The Netherlands, where he flew the C-150, Saab-Safir and C-500. He finished school in May 1976 with a CPL, theoretical ATPL and a C-500 rating. From May 1976 Ruud flew sightseeing trips in a C-172. In September that year he left for Kenya and briefly flew part time for Sight by Wings, an organization that transports eye-doctors to places in Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan and the Comores Islands.

 

In March 1977 Ruud returned to The Netherlands to take up an invitation by Martinair's Director of Flight Operations to start a job as crew-scheduler, with the option of getting a job as a pilot as soon as a vacancy became available. During September 1977 Ruud started as a co-pilot on the DC-9-30 and in February 1979 a co-pilot on the DC-10-30 and progressed in May 1986 to his first captaincy on the A310-200.

 

From 1987 he became a TRI (instructor), and in 1988 a chief-instructor, from 1990 till the end of 1993 he also became chief pilot. In 1994 Ruud helped prepare Martinair for the introduction of the MD-11, along with his MD-11 training with Swissair which lead him on to a position as chief instructor on the MD-11 Fleet.

 

In January 1997 he was made chief-pilot MD-11 Fleet and in September 1999 he became Martinair's Senior Chief Pilot. Ruud is married and has two children.

About the Airline *

 

In 1958, former airforce pilot Martin Schröder started his own company called 'Martin's Air Charter'. Nowadays, Martinair has a modern fleet and a worldwide workforce of around 3000. At Martinair, the spotlight is on flexibility. Over the decades, short and long distance passenger transport, cargo, ad-hoc flights and aircraft leasing to third parties formed the historical cornerstones of Martinair's operations.

 

Few people know that Martinair transports cargo all over the world. Depending on the season and market trends, an average of six aircraft flies the busiest routes each week. Currently, the fleet consists of 15 wide-body aircraft with double aisles: 2 Boeing 747-200C, 1 Boeing 747-200F, 6 MD-11 and 6 Boeing 767-300ER. With their ease of adaptability from passenger plane to cargo carrier, the aircraft characterize Martinair’s flexibility.

 

*Please note that the airline information may be outdated.

 

Highlights

 

Martinair has had quite an interesting history. The first portion of this program focuses on the background of this company that has played significant role in Dutch aviation. In addition to the history of the airline, the corporate movie highlights the fleet and other subsidiaries of the company that included a Catering Service, Maintenance, Business Travel and even a Flight School! The corporate movie provides a valuable insight into the history of Martinair that many may not be aware of. Today, Martinair is significantly different to what it once was since it centers mainly on cargo operations. In the past however, the operations of Martinair centered on both passenger and cargo transport to many intriguing destinations.

 

The next segment of these programs feature one of these destinations on a flight from Amsterdam to Palma de Mallorca onboard the MD-11. The first leg of our round trip features a detailed discussion on many of the procedures and checks that are involved with cockpit preparation, startup and takeoff. During the cruise, the Captain talks extensively about some of the flight instruments that shows his in-depth knowledge of various displays and systems. After an uneventful landing at Palma, the crew begins their preparation for the return flight to Amsterdam, which features many interesting highlights. Prior to departure, the Captain discusses some interesting details about the flap selector wheel and the various settings used for best performance. The MD-11 is very unique in that it is one of the only aircraft that allows pilots to dial a flap setting to suit their performance needs. During the cruise phase of the flight more is discusses on this top that you will find equally enlightening. In addition to the discussions related to the flaps, the captain also presents information on the Engine Instruments, Level 0 -3 alerts, Systems such as Hydraulic, Air, fuel and much more! An interesting detail about the MD-11 is that the aircraft has a fuel tank located in the tail section, which is used for gaining better economy by transferring fuel to the main tanks.

 

The final cockpit presentation centers on the overhead panel that was quite extensive and informative. By far, this is the only DVD I have come across that has discussed so many details about the MD-11. Prior to landing back at Amsterdam, we take a short break from the cockpit to join our First Officer as he demonstrates CAT 3B approaches in the MD-11 simulator with the both aircraft and ground equipment failures. These scenarios are very intense as the visibility on these approaches was near zero. After this presentation was completed, we join the flight crew once more for the landing at Amsterdam, which was viewed from both the cockpit and from the ground.

 

One of the things I appreciated the most about this program was the calm, clear and well organized presentations done by Captain Ruud Bakker. In addition to this, the numerous camera views in the cockpit and on the ground at both airports made this program enjoyable from all vantage points. ITVV has done an amazing job at delivering a professional product that can be enjoyed by fans of the MD-11 for years to come. The quality may not be HD, but it overall presentations certainly make up for any visual deficiencies. At a price point of $16.95 US, this is a program well worth having!

 

 

REVIEW - L-1011 by Captainsim

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L-1011 by CaptainSim

A review by Marlon Carter

Introduction

 

The L1011 is an unmistakable aircraft and although the L1011 was designed in the 1960/70s, the features and design of the aircraft was nothing short of being revolutionary. Even today, the L1011 is still regarded as one of the most advanced airliners of its class. Many pilots who have flown the L1011 can easily say that it was one of the most enjoyable aircraft they have ever flown.

 

One of the features that made the L1011 unique was the Direct Lift Control. This ingenious system was a first in aviation and it wasn’t until much later that other airliners implements similar systems. Another interesting fact about the L1011 was that while the wings were primarily responsible for creating lift, the fuselage itself also created lift! The effect of the fuselage creating lift was clearly discernible from the fact that the aircraft had a 3-5 degree pitch up while in level flight.

 

For many years, the FS community has lacked an in-depth simulation of the L1011 and Captain Sim has stepped up to the challenge of recreating this unique aircraft for all to enjoy. Captain Sim products have always been top notch from a visual perspective, but how will they do this time on the systems? Well we will soon find out. I had the opportunity to ask Captain Sim a few questions about the L1011-100 and I think you will enjoy their insightful responses.

 

1. Customers seem to know very little about the development team at Captain Sim. Can you tell us a little about yourselves?

 

We are an international team based in Ukraine, Russia and Canada. Many of our employees are former pilots.

 

2. Can you tell us why Captain Sim chose to develop the L1011?

 

We like older classic aircraft and this one is legendary indeed.

 

3. Can you tell us whether or not we will see any expansion packs for versions such as the 500 series and the Freighter series?

 

We will see :)

 

4. What were some of the challenges you faced in the development of this aircraft?

 

There were many. The aircraft is rather complex and developing all of the systems in an aircraft like this is challenging. Here are some of the challenges we faced.

 

Autopilot is custom developed from scratch because there are numerous modes which logic does not use default FSX code.  

Flight controls are also custom developed. Each control surface is controlled separately - even each spoiler and aileron (there are 4 ailerons in L1011). If one of ailerons is disabled in VC, it won’t move in exterior model and this will influence the aircraft behavior. And of course, servos of each control surface are taken into account, each of them is connected with different hydraulic system and each of them can have different pressure. Also RAT, ATM, electrically driven pumps and engine wind milling is also taken into account.

Pneumatics and pressurization. For the average user, the functioning of these systems is almost unnoticeable, but making these systems realistic was the second challenging task after the autopilot.  All these systems are extremely close to reality (e.g. pressure is calculated basing on numerous inputs - pneumatic sources state, devices state, numerous valves and many other factors).

 

5. Can you tell us how you were able to ensure the accuracy of the systems that were simulated?

 

Hundreds of real life aircraft manuals, DVD videos and some real life L1011 pilots helped us.

 

6. Since only a handful of L1011s are flying currently, can you tell us how you were able to create a balances simulation of the handling and performance of the aircraft?

 

We spent hundreds of hours with the manuals. And as we have already said some of our developers are former pilots so they know how this kind of aircraft should perform.

 

7. Is the L1011 targeted at hardcore simmers or average enthusiast?

 

Let’s put it this way - it is targeted to average, experienced enthusiasts who knows how to read and follow manuals and get the best of a well-simulated aircraft. The "1011 Captain" is not the kind of “Ctrl+E” type aircraft. Anyone who wants to fly it properly will have to study the aircraft.

 

8. What features of the L1011 do you think is most unique and will attract the attention of customers?

 

Tough choice. It is really hard to narrow the long list of all features.

Advanced autopilot with L1011 specific modes, e.g. Approach/Land и ALPHA, this makes flying the aircraft very realistic and challenging.

DLC (Direct Lift Control) - an L1011 peculiar feature.

Advanced Flight Controls logic.

FPS.

 

9. Some customers have complained in the past about product support. Can you tell us about the type of support Captain Sim offers for their products including the L1011?

 

We have a Technical Support System which is aimed only for our customers and is working very well.

 

10. Finally, is there anything else you would like to share with potential customers about Captain Sim or the L1011?

 

You all are welcome to visit our site for more information about our products; the website will tell you more than we can do in this brief interview.

 

What we would like to do is thank our customers for their support!

 

Thank you Tanya for taking the time to answer these questions. It seems like the L1011 is quite a unique aircraft in the CS lineup and it is certainly not a product that is limited by FSX coding.

 

As far are features are concerned, here is a list of what the L1011 has to offer which was taken from the Captain Sim website.  

                                      

 

  • Captain Sim quality and realism
  • 4X** high resolution textures of 11 popular liveries
  • Animation control panel
  • Transparent 3D windows
  • Passengers
  • Stewardess model (various airline uniforms)
  • Wing flex
  • Wing vortices
  • Self-shade
  • Pre-saved views
  • Repaint Kit (coming soon)
  • DirectX 9/10 compatible
  • FPS friendly

Hundreds of realistic animations:

 

- Aft cargo door

- Engine reversers (L-R)

- Aft cargo door

- Wing slats (4 sections)

- Passenger doors (4)

- Forward cargo door

- Engine intake covers (2)

- Engine cowling

- Engine cowlings (L-R)

- Wheel chocks (6)

- Plugs (4)

- Compressor blades

- Pilots (visible-invisible)

- Service access doors

- Escape slides (8)

- Engine reverser

- Right outflow valve - Left outflow valves (2)

- Outboard ailerons (2)

- Inboard ailerons (2)

- Nose wheel steering

- Nose landing gear

- Landing gear doors (10)

- Landing gears (2)

- Spoilers (8 sections)

- Wing flaps (4 sections)

- Service doors (8)

- Elevators (2)

- Rudder

- Emergency exit

- Radome

- Radar antenna

- Stewardess

- Stabilizer

 

Liveries:

 

- British Airways G-BBAH

- Trans World Airlines N81026/31026

- Delta Air Lines N721DA

- Cathay Pacific Airways VR-HOD

- Eastern Air Lines N335EA

- Air Canada 80-s C-FTNL/512       - Air Canada 90-s C-FTNL/512

- All Nippon Airways JA8522

- LTU D-AERE

- Air Transat C-FTNL

- Saudia Airlines HZ-AHF

** - 4X means the textures are in four times higher resolution than Captain Sim regular high resolution textures.

 

Interior:

 

  • Highly detailed and functional Flight deck
  • Weather Radar (CS exclusive)
  • Extensive systems programming
  • Authentic sound set
  • Custom lighting control
  • Self-shade
  • Pre-saved views
  • DirectX 9/10 compatible
  • FPS friendly
  • Several hundreds of custom animations:

- Wipers (2)

- Control wheels and columns (2)

- Emergency exit

- Seat arm rests (5)

- Pedals (4)

- Pilot's seats up-down adjustment (2)

- Nose wheel tillers (2)

- Pedals position adjustment handles (2)

- Switches (180)

- Guarded Switches (39)

- Buttons (298)

- Selectors (46)

- Knobs (80)

- Levers (9)

  • Misc Features:

Authentic sound set

ACE - Aircraft Configuration Editor

Realistic flight model

Manuals

Repaint kit

FPS friendly

Pre-saved flights

 

Systems

 

  • Weather Radar (CS exclusive)
  • C-IVA INS
  • Air Conditioning, Pressurization Systems
  • Autoflight
  • APU
  • Communication
  • Electrical System
  • Emergency Equipment
  • Fire Protection
  • Flight Controls
  • Flight Instruments/Clock
  • Fuel System
  • Hydraulics
  • Ice/Rain Protection
  • Landing Gear System
  • Navigation
  • Oxygen System
  • Pneumatics System
  • Protective Systems
  • Powerplant
  • Water/Waste System
  • Warning System

 

From this list of features it is clear to see that the CS L1011 is not a “lite” simulation. If you would like to learn more about these systems, you can simply have a look at the manuals that you are free to access HERE

 

As far as the manuals are concerned, one would expect to be absorbed in 500+ pages of aircraft information given the complexity of the L1011. In reality, CaptainSim has taken a simplistic approach to the manuals as they have previously done on nearly all of their products. In general, the manuals cover only the basic description of each system and how they function. Operational procedures are not always mentioned and for this I would encourage you to find an alternative source of information that can be easily found online.

 

Two features of this aircraft that will require most of your attention is the Direct Lift Control and the custom INS unit that was created by CaptainSim. During our review of the systems we will discuss these features in greater detail, but having an understanding of these systems in addition to the intimidating FE panel is essential to flying this aircraft correctly. While I thought that the manuals could have been more detailed and performance data should have been added, it is the perfect introduction to the L1011 for newcomers. Should you desire more information, there are a host of real world manuals floating around online that can be referenced for you avid simmers who enjoy going knee deep into aircraft systems.

 

Exterior & Interior Model

 

There is no questioning the fact that Captain Sim are masters at creating to true to life rendition of nearly any aircraft model. The level of detail that goes into CS products goes far beyond what we may readily see on the surface. Take for example the engines of the L1011. While the other products boast of a high fidelity exterior model, not many can also lay claim to having an accurately modeled “engine” itself! With the ability to look under the cowling, you will see that attention to detail was the order of the day when it came to modeling these famous RR engines.

 

 

 

Moving further around the exterior, we can easily see that the cargo doors, wheel wells, nose & main gears and the APU access doors were also modeled to the highest level of detail. As you would also expect, CS has also included the ability to add static covers, engine covers to your aircraft while it is parked in your virtual hangar. Another interesting detail that shows attention to detail is the ability to deploy emergency slides in the event of situation to require passengers to quickly exit the aircraft. While some of these features may seem over the top, I can’t help but be amazed at the level of detail that went into creating this aircraft model.

 

 

As we move on to the interior of the aircraft, you will immediately notice that as was the norm on most CS model, the virtual cabin is missing and I can’t say I am disappointed since this will undoubtedly save on FPS. The virtual interior of the L1011 focuses on the main station of every user which is the virtual cockpit. From the moment I glanced at the virtual cockpit I was immediately blown away by the accuracy of its design and the textures that make it quite difficult to distinguish a virtual environment to the real thing! The cockpit textures give the appearance of an aircraft that has been used, but not abused over a period of years. The light scratches and worn out floor and panel paint truly is convincing and instills a nostalgic feeling for the glory days of flying.

 

 

The flight engineer’s panel is also quite a work of art in that it’s a fully 3D replica of the real thing. Each button, switch and dial has been recreated in stunning detail and it makes you wish you could sit here rather than in the captain’s seat (well almost…) In addition to the amazing visuals of the flight deck, there are also a few hidden features. For example, by using certain click-spots you can have charts and maps added to the left table area for the captain, sun visor on the overhead and you can also adjust the height and position of each seat in the cockpit!

 

Another amazing feature of this aircraft is the lighting effects. Unlike previous releases, the lighting options of the L1011 are a little more independent. The lighting effect also makes good use to the FSX light boom effect for the flood lights on each panel and it truly adds to the realism. While I applaud the effort to bring more lighting options, Captain Sim can still improve in this area by offering the ability to control the intensity of each interior lighting option. Also, the panel text back lighting could have also been kept separate to the flood light. Many other developers have done this with very little impact on frame rates and it is something that CS should give consideration to in an update.

 

Well there isn’t too much more to say about the exterior and interior so it’s best that you see it for yourself!

 

 

Systems

 

 

In the past, many of us had grown fond of the Simufly INS which was a rock solid simulation of the real CIVA INS. Learning how to use this unit was a challenge in the beginning, but it was extremely rewarding once you got the mastery of it. Sadly though, CS wasn’t able to properly include this feature in the L1011. While the Simufly INS can be added manually to the L1011, the virtual cockpit environment suffered due to an empty/nonfunctioning INS unit.

 

 

In the wake of that challenge, CS quickly created their own INS unit that mirrored a significant percentage of the real unit. Some aspects of the INS that were not modelled were the lighting options and the DME update. I must admit that I was a little disappointed in the fact that DME updating was no longer available, but at the same time I was very happy with the conveniences that were offered. For example, creating flight plans have become much easier and there are now “cheats” that allow you to have automatic loading of all waypoints. With the previously mentioned unit, after the final waypoint was passed, the next flight plan card in sequence will have to be loaded manually. While this made flying very interesting and challenging, it also was an inconvenience on very long flights having to constantly load DME and Flight plan cards.

 

The CS INS unit allows you to load your waypoints both manually and via the FSX flight planner. If you use products such as PFPX, things can get much more interesting if you create a flight plan complete with SIDs and STARs, save it in the FSX format and load it to your INS. There is also a page that displays the waypoint names and the distance between each waypoint and your present position. This feature was extremely useful when manually calculating your TOD and managing your arrival if there are any altitude restrictions.

 

As far as INS updating is concerned, the CS INS unit uses a different method. Rather than using the usual DME update with help from the ADC cards, the procedure to update you INS involves pushing the hold button while passing over a specific waypoint, entering those coordinates into the starting position (waypoint 0) and after this is done the PI number should decrease in order to increase the accuracy of navigating through your route. The procedure is simple and I doubt anyone will have any issues with this. Overall, the INS is rock solid and it makes flying long routes an exciting experience. While I do miss using the DME update features of the previously mentioned INS, the features of the CS INS are definitely a good compromise.

 

Direct Lift Control (DLC)

 

 

One of the most significant features of the L1011 is the Direct Lift Control System. At the time of its development, the DLC was nothing short of revolutionary. Its development in the place of aviation is almost as significant as the introduction of Fly By Wire. While the DLC is nothing like FBW, its roll on controlling the aircraft during the approach and landing phase was crucial to the success and economic benefits of flying the L1011.

 

How does it work? Well to fully understand this we will have to take a brief theory of flight lesson. Whenever the pitch of an aircraft it adjusted, the power also has to be adjusted based on your phase of flight. During landings, a change in pitch may result in a pilot constantly adjusting his power to maintain a comfortable descent and to keep the aircraft on the glideslope.

 

It was noted that the constant adjusting of engine thrust was not only uncomfortable for the passengers, but it was also uneconomical. The DLC offered a simple but effective solution where instead of adjusting the power while on approach, the wing spoilers were used to either increase or decrease the descent rate. When the autopilot the pilot himself required a steeper descent rate, pushing forward on the yoke would raise the spoilers thus decreasing the airflow over the wings and decreasing the lift that is generated. With less pitch changes during the approach, this meant that passenger comfort would be greater and with a constant thrust setting, the economic benefits to an airline would be realized.

 

The DLC operated only under specific circumstances and the spoilers operation was slightly different to its use after landings. When the flaps were selected into the landing range, spoilers 1-4 would deploy to a null zone of 7 degrees with a maximum deployment of 14 degrees. To observe its operation, the DLC is linked to the spoiler lever in the cockpit and the pilot can observe the DLC in action by the automatic movement of the spoiler lever back and forth (quite impressive to see this).

 

In order for the DLC to work correctly, there are a few other conditions that must be met. For example, the aircraft must not be in G/A mode, 2 engines must be below MCT, Hydraulics that controls the spoilers must be operational and the flap setting has to be greater than 28 degrees. While the DLC system may seem a bit complicated in its operation, it really is a simple solution that had tremendous benefits to passenger comfort and an economic operation. The DLC was regarded as such a successful that NASA used this feature on their space shuttles! It honestly boggles my mind as to why other airliners since then have not utilized this technology.

 

While I am sure you enjoyed learning about the DLC, (you can find out more information in the manuals or a great tutorial written by Aaron Graham which can be found on the AVSIM library) I am sure you must be wondering whether this system actually works correctly on the Captain Sim L1011. Well brace yourselves boys and girls because it actually works! It isn’t that CS doesn’t have the ability to program this correctly, but I believe that this is the first time in FSX that this system has been modelled. All of the conditions that are required in real life are also required within FSX for this system to work correctly. While in the VC, you can actually see the spoiler lever moving while landing. If you also look at the wing view, you will also see the spoilers moving up and down based on your change in pitch. This system is nothing short of amazing and it makes flying the L1011 both a challenge and a thrilling experience! Captain Sim did a fantastic job on this system and it sets the tone for what you can expect from this aircraft. Let’s have a look at a few more systems and how they function.

 

Other Systems

 

 

When to comes to other important systems such as the Hydraulics, Electrical, Pneumatic and Fuel systems, Captain Sim was able to simulate these system to a high level of accuracy. After sourcing some additional information on how these systems function, I was impressed that Captain Sim was able to do justice to these systems. In the past, their Pneumatic systems had always needed some additional work, but the performance of the Pneumatic system on the L1011 is a welcome improvement in comparison to the 727.

 

As far as the electrical system is concerned, there are options to use either external power or the APU to power up the aircraft. If electrical power is not correctly applied to the aircraft, various systems will not work and this in itself shows that the L1011 is not a simple aircraft. The operation of the electrical system comes complete with accurate sequencing of events. For example, when the APU start switch is turned on, various indicators such as the low oil pressure light and DOOR IN TRANSIT lights work as they should although I am not 100% sure that the timing of the APU startup may be accurate.

 

In addition to this, the Fuel and Hydraulic systems have all been modelled to a high degree of accuracy. One of the fun aspects of flying older aircraft such as the L1011 is the manual management of the Hydraulic and Fuel systems. In order to start the aircraft, the Hydraulic system of the L1011 has to be properly configured (more on this in the flight report). As far as the Fuel system is concerned, a proper understanding of the loading and management of fuel is a MUST if you are to successfully complete any flight. Also included is the ability to jettison fuel for an emergency landing which is visible from the exterior view.

 

As mentioned before, the systems of the L1011 are very good but not 100% perfect. Apart from the systems that were previously mentioned, there is much more to the L1011 worth mentioning. One of the systems that required extensive programming on the part of CS was the autopilot system. Let’s have a look at this system in greater detail.

 

Auto Pilot

 

 

 

For an aircraft that was designed in the late 60s, the autopilot of the L1011 is fairly complex. Rather than going into a lengthy discussion on each aspect of the Autopilot, here is an overview of various modes of this system and how they function.

 

 

Auto Throttle System

 

ATS

Engages autothrottle to hold selected speed.

Single or dual channel engagement is provided by ATS switches on FCES panel.  When in TO/GA flaps extend through 30 degrees, or IAS drops below 1.3Vs, ALPHA (angle of attack) flag covers IAS readout and autothrottles are programmed to maintain ALPHA speed.

 

Caution

ATS automatically disengages when TO/GA switch is pressed, TURB, or IAS is engaged, and upon landing.

 

Caution

When not in TO/GA and speed drops below 1.3Vs or the flaps are positioned beyond 30°, the ALPHA flag is referenced to 1.3Vs with automatic compensation for a forward acceleration (as would be caused by a tail gust), forward e.g. condition and excessive sink rate.

 

Caution

To prevent excessive throttle movement, do not engage ATS switch until IAS display and actual airspeed are approximately the same.

 

Heading Mode Switch (Alternate Action Switch)

 

Pressing switch holds heading selected and provides heading reference for F/D and/or autopilot in CMD.

Mode is inhibited in A/L mode after localizer capture. Cannot be engaged in TURB mode. Disengages when pressed second time. Maximum bank angle is 28° at 200 knots, decreasing to 15° at 450 knots.

 

Turbulence Switch (Alternate Action-Push Button Switch)

 

Engages turbulence mode any time the autopilot is in the CMD or CWS mode unless the A/L or TO/GA modes are engaged.

Switch illuminates and both pilots' AFCS TURB mode annunciators indicate turbulence mode is engaged.

Trips autopilot switch (bat handle) to CWS if in CMD and disengage all other modes.

Disengages autothrottles.

Biases Flight Director bars out of view.

Reduces pitch and roll gains by 50 per cent.

Automatic pitch trim remains operative.

Once the turbulence mode is established, no other mode may be engaged until the turbulence mode is manually disengaged.

The turbulence mode is disengaged by pressing the switch a second time or by disengaging autopilot. The switch extinguishes and the TURB mode annunciators disappear.

 

Autopilot Switch (3 Position Lever / Bat Handle)

 

Solenoid held out of the OFF position.  Each solenoid-held switch controls one autopilot and cannot be engaged unless all signals are valid. Only one switch may be engaged at a time unless when A/L mode is selected.

 

OFF

Disengages autopilot. However, the autopilot computers remain synchronized with the aircraft attitude.

 

CWS –

Engages one autopilot at a time in the Control Wheel Steering mode to provide:

Pitch hold up to 18°.

Heading hold if bank is 3° or less.

Bank hold between 3° and 35° max. Will return to 35° if engagement bank angle is greater than 35°. No navigation modes are available. Altitude hold may be engaged.

Autopitch trim is operative except when force is applied to control wheel. Control wheel electric trim is operative with force applied to control wheel (four pounds or more).

CMD

Same as CWS if no modes engaged. Any compatible NAV and Heading/Pitch modes may be engaged.  Autopilot trim operative.

 

G03. NAVIGATION

 

Navigation Mode Switches

 

A/L - (Approach/Land)

The APFDS is armed for approach and autoland when either or both autopilots are engaged in CMD and ILS frequency is selected. LOC ARM, G/S ARM, and A/L ARM appear in both AFCS mode annunciators. This provides CAT II or III autoland capability and hand flown F/D approach down to CAT I minimums.

APR

Arms APFDS for capture and tracking of localizer and glide slope of CAT I quality. LOC ARM and G/S ARM appears in both AFCS MODES annunciators. ILS frequency must be selected.

LOC

Arms APFDS for capture and tracking of localizer. Glide slope capture is not available. LOC ARM appears in both AFCS MODES annunciators. However, LOC is not usable for backcourse approaches.

NAV

Selects VOR lateral guidance to APFDS. To select VOR NAV mode, a VOR frequency must be tuned.  VOR ARM appears in both AFCS MODES annunciators, followed by VOR after beam capture. If VOR station is not valid, VOR ARM will annunciate but F/D bars will bias out of view.

 

As you can see, the Autopilot isn’t as simple as one would have expected. The modes that have been modeled are very specific and very detailed. Each mode has various parameters of operation and if any aspect of these parameters is not met, the functionality of these modes will be disabled. Such programming speaks for itself in that the L1011 definitely meets the criteria for being a complex simulation within the classic aircraft category. Is the autopilot perfect? No it isn’t (and let’s be honest, no autopilot is perfect) but to a reasonable degree, it is without a doubt one of the best you will find from Captain Sim’s classic line-up.  

 

Flight Report

 

I had the opportunity to fly the L1011 on numerous flights since it was released. Before embarking on any flight, it’s important that you be very familiar with the performance capabilities of this aircraft. The manuals that come with the CS L1011 do not contain much information on the performance of the aircraft, so it is important that you try to source this information otherwise. 

 

After finding some information online, I was able to plan a flight from KATL to KLAX using the Delta L1011 livery. With an average fuel burn rate of 3600 lbs per engine, it was fairly easy to figure out the required fuel for the flight. While calculating the fuel is important, knowing how to load the fuel correctly is equally as important to flying the aircraft correctly. Typically, Tanks 1 and 3 are loaded with more fuel than Tank 2 and 2A and this is important to the overall weight and balance of the aircraft.

 

After the flight planning is complete, we head over to the aircraft to setup our flight. The first task that needs to be done is to power up the aircraft by using either the APU or the External Power. After going through the APU start up procedure, it’s now time to program the INS. After aligning the INS, one can choose to manually enter the waypoints for your flight plan or you can use programs such as PFPX to save a flight plan in the default FSX format which can be loaded into the INS. This feature was a major plus since it made it so much easier to setup the INS. In addition to this one can also allow each page of the flight plan to load automatically which eliminates the need to load a new data card after all 9 waypoints have been flown over.

 

The startup sequence for L1011 isn’t as simple as one may think. While Captain Sim has made it convenient to start your aircraft by using the command “CTRL+E” with past models, the L1011 is far different. Starting up the L1011 requires bleed air from the APU and along with this, the ATM (Air Turbine Motor) on the hydraulic panel. The ATM is a hydraulic motor that powers the hydraulic system. It is powered by bleed air from the engines and APU. Since we will need all of the bleed air from the APU, the ATM has to be turned off in order to start the engines. After the engines are started and the APU has been properly turned off, the aircraft is now ready for taxi. Normally the tiller is used to taxi an aircraft of this size in real life and CS has made it possible for us to do just that! By using your mouse, you can turn the tiller to steer the aircraft wheel on the ground. I thought that this feature was a very nice addition and it enhances the realism of flying this aircraft.

 

For the takeoff, my only major observation was that the L1011 felt slightly sluggish on rotation. Whether this is realistic or not cannot be confirmed but for an aircraft this size, the handling seems plausible but it could use some improvement. During the climb, I found it quite a joy to hand fly the aircraft so much so that I felt that using the autopilot would be a waste of time. Nonetheless, we are not always in the mood nor may be have the time to enjoy hand flying as much as we would like to. This being the case, I tested the autopilot extensively at all phases of flight. For the Climb, the autopilot was very smooth in handling altitude changes and managing the speed of the aircraft. Typically the Auto throttle is used ONLY when the airspeed is relatively close to the target speed you wish to hold. This eliminates any erratic movement of the throttles in order to capture or maintain a specific speed.

 

With regard to fuel management, the amount of fuel onboard normal determines how the fuel is managed. Sometimes it may require you to have a tank to engine configuration for the entire flight. In other cases, it may require you to do so until a specific amount of fuel has been used. Either way, managing the fuel on the CS L1011 isn’t as challenging as the FSL Concorde X, but it certainly is a fun experience that keeps you on your toes.

 

As far has heading hold and INS navigation is concerned, I thought that the turn rate was very slow and this isn’t consistent with the agile nature of the real L1011. The INS mode works as described but my only issue is the position updating which requires you to record the coordinates of a specific point being flown over, and reentering it into the present position waypoint “0”. Unlike the INS display which shows coordinates of latitude and longitude, the INS flight plan page shows all of your waypoints by their respective names. This was a tremendous aid in planning for your descent and arrival. For example, if you are flying an arrival procedure that has various altitude restrictions, you can easily plan your descent by using the nautical mile readings from each waypoint.

 

For those of you who have grown accustomed to allowing your autopilot to do all the work managing your vertical navigation, the L1011 is an aircraft for “grown-ups” and it requires precise planning in order to manage your descent. As a rule of thumb, if you are 35,000ft and your first altitude restriction is 13,000ft, it means that you have to descent 22,000ft. Using the first two digits of your altitude to descent (22), you can multiply this number by a 3 degree glide path which gives you the distance at which you need to start your descent from your first altitude restriction. In this case, we have to start our descent at 66nm from the waypoint which has the 13,000ft altitude restriction. But what about your descent rate? Well in this case you have to do a little more math. Some use the ½ groundspeed x 10 method to get a descent rate but I have found that in FSX, the rate of descent may have to be slightly higher or lower that the numbers you will calculate depending on the weather and winds.

 

The methods I just outlined are a simple guideline on flying classic airliners. It shows that if you really want to roll up your sleeve and fly the way aviators of the past did on a daily basis, the L1011 is the perfect opportunity to experience this. After successfully flying the arrival, the landing is by far the most challenging aspect of flying this aircraft.

 

During the approach phase of the flight, you will realize that slowing down the aircraft is rather easy. The normal flap setting for landing the L-1011 is flap 33 and it is at this time that the DLC comes into effect provided that other parameters are met. The aircraft’s autothrottles are then programmed to maintain ALPHA speed which keeps the aircraft at the 1.3VS. Should you be using the autoland feature, the approach is very smooth and accurate. If you are hand flying, be prepared for a challenge because landing the L-1011 manually is slightly different to other aircraft. In other aircraft it is common to adjust power to control your attitude but with the L-1011, the DLC only requires the pilot to make slight pitch changes at a given power setting to control the rate of descent. Mastering this technique can be very tricky but it is very rewarding once you get familiar with it.

 

The landing itself was a questionable area since it sometimes required a significant down force to get the nose wheel of the aircraft onto the runway. There has been much debate as to whether this is truly a realistic characteristic of the L-1011, but I am sure that some tweaking is needed to make it easier to put nose gear down. All in all, the aircraft flies wonderfully and it is by far the best classic aircraft from Captain Sim. Minus the few minor issues noted, the CS L-1011 is very promising and it is without a doubt an addictive classic aircraft to fly.

 

As far as PC performance goes, the L-1011 doesn’t have any significant impact on frame rates and I hardly think that this will be an issue for anyone. Given the fact that so many old fashion gauges have been modeled and all seem to work, I think it shows promise that classic aircrafts can be produced in significant detail without any severe performance penalties. Quite honestly, I hope that Captain Sim continues along this line with expansions to the L1011 with the addition of the 200 and 500 series which were far more popular than the 100 series. The 500 series had a few upgrades such as autobrakes and different parameter of operation for the DLC and the auto spoiler systems. In time, I certainly hope that Captain Sim strongly considers this as an optional expansion. If at all possible, it wouldn’t hurt to also have a freighter model as well!

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion, it must be said that I was VERY impressed with the L1011 in its entirety. There is very little to complain about and in the grand scheme of things the pros of this product far outweigh the cons. CS has always had a gift for recreating some of the best classic aircraft out there and the L1011 is no exception. In fact, I can honestly say that the L1011 is perhaps one of the best add-ons ever done by Captain Sim. When the project was first announced, we all had the impression that the L1011 was primarily going to be part of the Fun Line of CS products. Whether it was always the plan or the developers caved into the countless requests for a Pro Line aircraft, CS was able to soon deliver a top notch product that “perfectly” captures the basic essence of the real aircraft.

 

When the L1011 was first releases, there were a few issues that came to the forefront. First off all there were a few minor textural issues and there were also a few issues with the way certain systems worked and how the aircraft itself handled. I say that these issues were minor due to the fact that while they were somewhat noticeable, it didn’t take away from the overall experience significantly. Since the first release most of the issues that were observed had been fixed and CS had also included a few additional features. The most significant of these features was the custom INS which made this product an absolute pleasure to fly on long routes.

 

Since the release of the L1011, there have been at least 2 updates that resulted in many of the reported issues being resolved or improved. Some issues still remain and I trust that in time the development team will release an update to adjust the handling of the aircraft on landing. Another area that I would like to see improved is the sound package that comes with the L1011. The sound of the L1011 is very distinct and CS didn’t fully capture the true sound of this aircraft. Finally, one of the features that I thought CS could have improved on was the VC lighting. This may seem like a trivial matter, but being able to fully control your cockpit lighting adds significantly to the realism of an aircraft. CS was able to offer a degree of custom lighting, but it would have been better if the text lighting in the cockpit were separate to the flood lights. Some of the lighting knobs are animated but they don’t actually perform their function.

 

As a recommendation, CS should also have included performance charts that will allow virtual pilots to properly plan flights with fuel planning and thrust limit calculations based on weight and weather conditions. But until this happens, I would encourage you readers to source this information online and help with your flight planning. In addition to performance charts, a properly conducted flight tutorial would have also added value to this product as it would show potential users how the L1011 is properly flown. In most, an avid L1011 fan will no doubt do this on their own, but it would have been nice if CS made use of their real world L1011 pilots who assisted in order to create a flight tutorial that was accurate.

 

As far as product support is concerned, I know that many have had mixed feelings about Captain Sim and their product support. While I can understand the reasoning behind some complaints, I can also understand the thinking of the developer. First of all, the L1011 is NOT a systems trainer and it has never claimed to be such. While it claims to have accurate systems, they function correctly to a degree that is necessary for a home based simulator. This doesn’t mean that the L1011 is a “lite” version type aircraft either! The L1011 is the perfect balance between in-depth systems and visual effects. In order to fly this aircraft correctly you WILL be required to read the manuals and supplementary information.  As with any product development, issues will arise and they all can’t be dealt with by snapping your finger. At times it takes a long time to fix certain issues and if a company such as CS is operating with a limited amount of developers, it is understandable that the development of other products cannot suffer for the sake of another in EVERY instance.  

 

It has always been my experience that CS is very dedicated to their customers and they do listen to their request. Thus far, every reported issue with the L1011 has been noted and updates have always followed. Even as I write this review, updates to two of their latest products are well underway in addition to the development of other products. Another means of support that I can also suggest is the CS forums. The CS forums are at most times quite active and you will also find many other satisfied customers who are willing to help with any issues you may have. All in all, the past will be the past and from all indications CS seems to be on par with other developers as far as product support is concerned.

 

I guess the final comments on the L1011 takes us to the pricing. The price of the L1011 was originally 39.99 Euros but it can now be purchased for 29.99 Euros. For all that this product contains, I think that this is a very fair price! Similar products sell for much more with this level of detail and systems simulation and I think CS has offered a great opportunity for everyone to be able to afford this great aircraft. If you are a Prepar3D user, the P3D version will also cost you 29.99 and while I haven’t fully tested the L1011 in P3D, I haven’t heard of any significant issues to date which means that it is perhaps function just as well in P3D as it is in FSX.

 

Is the L1011 for you? Well that depends, if you are a fan of classic aircraft and you enjoy taking a break from all the automation, then the L1011 is perfect for simmers of all types. As was mentioned before, this is not a “Ctrl+E” type aircraft and it involves using proper startup procedures to get this aircraft going. The L1011 offers you in-depth systems simulation within its classic context. This being the case it offers users of all levels to enjoy following procedures without the hassle of figuring out complex computer generated displays. Say what you will about CS, they are master at creating classic aircraft and the L1011 Captain is perhaps the best L1011 we have ever seen to date!  I think it is only fair to give this aircraft a score of 4/5 in the Classic aircraft category. Let’s hope with future updates or with the release of other variants that this product can achieve a 5/5 score! 

 

Well Done Captain Sim! But there is still room for improvement.

 

REVIEW - Training - Majestic Dash 8 Q400 by Air...

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Training on the Majestic Dash 8 Q400

A review by Ray Marshall

First, this is not yet another review of the Majestic Dash 8 Q400 aircraft add-on for FSX.  This is specifically a review of the London based upstart Airline2Sim video training for the Dash 8 Q400.  Ben Weston, Founder and Chief Honcho is a long time flight simmer with a background in radio and professional broadcasting.  He is also the holder of a Private Pilot license flying Tomahawks and Warriors. A recent merger of his radio station with another left Ben looking for a new job.  Tired of decades long mergers and acquisitions in the media industry, timing was such that a new FSX training company was born.

 

Majestic Software had just introduced their Dash 8 Q400 for FSX and Ben, along with most other early adopters, was having a time trying to tame this newest add-on.  Long story, short, Ben recruited a specialty team with extensive experience in animation, graphics and video production and of course, some real world Q400 pilots to star in the show.

 

There is nothing better than a real world airline pilot that carries a laptop loaded with FSX to entertain himself at the hotel during layovers. Well, except one that also enjoys chatting with all the ‘would be’ flight sim pilots in the forums.

 

My first introduction to Airline2Sim was a catchy post at AVSIM.com with the heading – Ask the Q400 pilot a question.

 

I did indeed ask a few questions, mostly about the various models of the Q400 NextGen.  Although an everyday occurrence in the European skies and many other places around the world, the Q400 is not nearly as popular in the US due to the Embarer competition, the Canadian CRJs and the short haul Boeing 737s.  United Express is the first U.S. Regional Carrier that comes to my mind that uses the Q400, then maybe Lynx/Frontier.  A quick look at the 20 or so liveries that accompany the Majestic Dash 8 should be a good indicator of which airlines fly the Q400.

 

The regional jet altered the picture for the U.S. Although more expensive than turboprops, regional jets allow airlines to operate passenger services on routes not suitable for turboprops. Turboprop aircraft have lower fuel consumption and can operate from shorter runways than regional jets, but have higher engine maintenance costs, shorter ranges and lower cruising speeds.

 

Although Airline2Sim now has airline pilots onboard for Airbus, Boeing and Twin Otter trainer, this review is limited to the Cadet training for the Majestic Dash 8 Q400.

 

Majestic Who?

 

Majestic Software is the group who took the freeware Q300 commercial and then spent the next 4 years writing code and such to create the MJC8 Q400 for FSX.  They are also famous for their work on the Aerosim B737.  Spread across Europe, we find Oleksiy Frolov, (Programming) in Portugal, Dimitri Samborski (Model Design) in France, Nikolai Samsonov (INS/Artwork) in Russia and Simeon (Kroswynd) testing.

 

In addition to staying on top of the tweaks, patches and updates for the Q400 Pilot edition, the follow-on PRO edition for truly serious flyers with failures, HUD, and many advanced features and capabilities and Trainer Edition aimed at cockpit builders and airline training are keeping these guys busy.

 

Here is how Majestic Software describes their product.

 

MJC8 Q400 is a Flight Simulator add-on, built after the Bombardier ™ Dash-8 Q400 turboprop aircraft. It has started as a software framework for the FNPT level flight simulator and later separated into an independent project, which provides essentially the full cockpit simulator features under the FSX framework.

 

In addition, to the advanced simulation of the aircraft systems, this product also contains an independent Flight Dynamics Engine (FDE), capable of running at a much higher rate than the default FSX FDE, and free of the inherent problems pertaining to the default aircraft flight dynamics. Our Flight Dynamics is capable of providing the realistic wind simulation, icing effects, enhanced propeller physics including the propeller de-icing and auto rotation, effects of the propeller airstream on the wing lift and the icing effects on the propeller, wings and the flight surfaces.

 

The product is packaged into 3 editions, differentiating in the price and the included features.

I read someplace that this is the single most complex add-on ever produced for FSX.  Hmmm. I also read that the MJC8 Q400 was the best-selling GA add on for FSX for 2013. The Pilot version comes only with the virtual cockpit, 2D instrument popups only.

 

Why is everyone so excited a about the Majestic Dash 8 Q400?

 

As stated earlier, this is not a review of the Q400. It is about the Airline2Sim Cadet training program. But, so you can appreciate just how good, maybe great, this add-on for FSX is I would like to quote a few statements from the published reviews.

Aerosoft Sim News – by Paul Racines, June 2, 2013

 

If you would like to know what it’s like to fly a state of the art turboprop regional airliner in FSX, then the Majestic Software rendition of the Dash 8-Q400 is an excellent choice.  It's not an easy aircraft to fly, because it’s not meant to be a simple rendition. 

 

If you take the time to learn and practice, then a new pinnacle in our hobby will have been reached. New pinnacle I say because there are so many new technologies and features implemented into the new Majestic Dash 8-Q400 that must be learned.  The moment I climbed into the cockpit I knew this was going to be a long learning process

 

AirDailyX First Look – by Mark Hrycenko, April 20, 2013

 

Here we are folks, our first look at the Majestic Software Dash 8-Q400...and it is good, really good, really really really good... My initial impression of this aircraft is probably the most positive that I have ever experienced

 

The first thing you will notice when loading up the aircraft is that the virtual cockpit looks fantastic, there is a feeling of actually being there! Cockpit textures a clear and crisp, and EFIS screens look great even up close.

 

Everything is just well done and delivered in a complete package! In fact, this may be the aircraft that gets me back into commercial FSX flying...it's just that good.  If I were to summarize my initial experience with this product - this may very well be the most impressive add-on aircraft in a very long time.

 

AVSIM.com – by Marlon Carter, December 28, 2013

 

Speaking from the view point of a simmer and a private pilot, the Q400 is perhaps “one of” the most realistic simulations of an aircraft in flight. The fact that real airline pilots have also voiced their commendation for this aircraft, speaks volumes for how realistically the aircraft’s FDE has been simulated. 

 

The Q400 has introduced a number of new features into world of flightsim. The most significant of them all are the outstanding FDE and Sound simulation. The systems can also merit recognition for manner in which they were programmed using real life laws of physics.  Many have called this product “The Game Changer” and I tend to agree.

 

FlightSim.com – Stuart Outram, September 15, 2013

 

The adjectives being applied range from very nice, to beyond awesome!  if you are relatively new to flight simulation, and/or do not have good knowledge of the more realistically modelled aircraft available to us, then you will struggle with this.

 

It is not a just a 'pick up and fly' offering. It does need to be studied, and for those of you wanting an immersive experience, I am sure that you can go 'all the way' into the world of flight accuracy with the Q400.

 

I have put it AccuFeel to good work with the Dash 8. It fits with this type of aircraft very well, and with such a finely structured product, it has once again added value to the already good flight model presented by Majestic.

 

Couple this with OPUS for FSX and the camera view element, and I have been in another place. Adding FTX Global and my last couple of weeks have been refreshing and quite renewing all round.

 

Mutley’s Hangar – Rob Scott, July 2013

 

When you fly the Q400 you’ll probably be surprised at how powerful it is. Even the smallest changes in power setting can result in big changes in airspeed. On most approaches I was flying with the throttles practically at idle and still able to maintain airspeed – this is one bird that likes to go fast.

 

Wow! There is only a VC included but what a VC it is. Each panel is expertly done and the frame rates from within the VC were great – even in built up areas with high auto-gen.

 

The animations are superb – the props will even turn slightly in the wind whilst at the gate in a cold & dark state.  this is a fantastic add-on for FSX. It is a complex and in depth add-on without being confusing for someone new to this type of simulation.

 

 

simFlight.de – Stefan Benzinger & Frank Schmidt, May 27, 2013

 

I am now but a right royalists! After many hours on the dash and intensive training in the matter of the turboprop operation all doubts are gone, and enthusiasm is spreading: the dash 8 Q400 majestic software is already a great add-on, and it remains exciting to accompany the further developments. (Stefan) 

 

Pro - Very good looks inside and out, high level of system integration, lush facilities, weather radar, successful sound, further versions planned.  Con – Problems with 3rd Party add-ons (AES), missing hardware compatibility (VRinsight).

 

A Bombardier creation, built in Canada - It:

  • is a twin-engine turboprop regional airliner
  • entered service in 2000
  • has two Pratt & Whitney PW150A turboprop engines
  • has a capacity for 70-78 passengers
  • can travel up to 1,500 miles at 360 knots

 

My Conclusion is that this must be a pretty special add-on.

 

Even though I only used a few quotes from the reviews, all of them, from around the world, seemed to agree this is not your ordinary complex add-on, but rather something special.  There probably are many reasons, not the least of which is that it has taken a hand-picked team 4 years of work to produce.

 

Another reason is the FDE was coded totally outside of the FSX box and hooked in with SimConnect.  This alone should boost your Frame Rate on older PCs or allow you to fly with higher settings using more robust hardware.

 

The MJC8 Flight Dynamics is capable of providing realistic wind simulation, icing effects, enhanced propeller physics including propeller de-icing and auto rotation, effects of the propeller airstream on the wing lift and effects of icing or the propeller, wings and flight surfaces.  Wait until you witness the slow buildup of ice on the cockpit windows.

 

The common thread throughout the reviews was that you will need to spend some serious time hitting the books, learning the idiosyncrasies of a Turboprop aircraft, mastering a cockpit designed for two pilots but flying with one in FSX and the necessary skills for flying a commuter airliner on a series of short flights.

 

I also realize that most flight simmers will need some assistance

 

Airline2Sim Q400 Cadet Training to the rescue.  Using a real world Dash 8 Q400 First Officer to ‘fly the lessons’ or maybe ‘teach the lessons’ is unique for FSX training.  But, to capture everything in HD video using graphic overlays with animations and actually fly it in FSX is totally awesome. 

 

Now add up the total package of 493 minutes in 10 lessons that can be watched over and over, even downloaded and watched offline and you have an exceptional training environment. This is over 8 hours of HD full screen training video specific to the Q400 flying in FSX.

 

One of the superior features is the cockpit conversation between Ben Weston, the student and Training Captain Josh Harrison, the instructor pilot.  Of course, it helps that Ben has that broadcaster’s voice and is easily understood.  Playing the part of the student, Ben asks for clarification often.  This is especially helpful to me because the King’s English sounds almost like a foreign language to me and Capt. Josh comes across like ‘Sir Josh of Birmingham’ to my untrained ear.  Interestingly, Capt. Josh handles all the ATC transmissions and in that job I understand almost every word he says.  Duh.

 

Why do the training videos look so realistic?

 

There are many reasons but using several FSX add-ons are necessary to replicate the scenes in the training videos.  According to what I could find, the following add-ons are used in the videos:

 

  • EGNX, East Midlands Intl airport by UK2000
  • EGBB, Birmingham airport by UK2000
  • EGKK, Gatwick airport by UK2000
  • EGNS, Isle of Man airport by Earth Simulations (IOM)
  • EGJB, Guernsey airport by Earth Simulations (Channel Isles Guernsey)
  • ORBX FTX ENG for general scenery
  • REX, AS NEXT, and SHADE for sky, clouds and weather.

 

A statement from Airline2sim about Q400 training.

 

We've put a REAL, rated and current Dash 8 Q400 pilot from a major airline into the training pilot's seat inside Flight Simulator. Learn every switch and button inside the flight deck, watch how to fly the aircraft with full airline procedures, check-lists and flows, and learn from our mistakes as we put our rookie simulator pilot through his paces, under instruction from a pilot who flies the Q400 for a living.

 

Episode

Description

Length

Location

One

Pilot Fact File, Introduction

 7 min

Intro to pilot, airplane and what lies ahead.

Two

Flight Deck Tour

52 min

Complete tour of the cockpit and panel layouts

Three

Initial Base Training - ground

38 min

Engine start, pushback, taxi, radio/nav aid tuning, flows, checklist, takeoffs and landing in an empty Q400 at a quiet airfield. 

Four

Initial Base Training, flying

52 min

4 takeoff and landing with various flap settings,

Speed and power control, autoflight modes.

Five

Planning and Loading

25 min

Flight planning, fuel planning, load planning, SID, STAR, altitude selection

Six

Crew Room Brief

30 min

Lot of details here. First sector from IOM – BHX.

Plan, fuel, noise, weather, alternates, coffee.

Seven

Line Flight no. 1  IOM – BHX

34 min

Flight deck safety check, setup FMS, takeoff briefing, set flight modes, ready for pushback.

Eight

Line Flight no 1   IOM – BHX continued

65 min

Push back, start up, launch across Irish Sea. Noise abatement, crew comm, flight management, landing

Nine

Line Flight no 2 BHX – GCI

94 min

Offload PAX, refuel, embark, ready for next sector, fly down coast of France to Channel Isle Guernsey. Advanced FMS, high cruise, short runway, ILS inopt. Fun stuff.

Ten

Line Flight 3  GCI - LGW

92 min

Darkness falling, sunset flight to Gatwick, speed controls,

More FMS, surprise technical malfunction, long day.

 

 

 

 

Extra

Mutley’s Hangar Preview

 8 min

LOC/DME approach to Guernsey / ILS inop.

 

 

Part 1: Pilot fact file – Meet your training Captain.

 

Part 2: Flight deck tour – A complete tour of the Q400 flight deck, including the auto-flight system, overhead panel, engine controls and fire protection.

 

Part 3: Initial base training – Fly an empty aircraft with no passengers from a quiet airfield for a number of take-offs and landings so you can get used to dealing with the various flows and checklists involved. Learn how to start the engines, taxi safely, understand charts and how to tune navigation aids.

 

Part 4: Initial base training – Perform four take-offs and landings with a variety of different flap configurations and you’ll appreciate the full extent of the pilot's workload in this fast-moving environment.

 

 

Part 5: Planning and loading – Take care of flight planning in FSX and ensure you’ve got enough fuel to load your Q400 correctly. Detailed procedures demonstrate how to prepare a full flight briefing.

 

Part 6: Crew room briefing – Your training pilot talks you through a detailed briefing for your first flight sector, including weather, NOTAMS, fuel requirements and possible diversion airports in case of any problems.

 

Part 7: Line flight 1: IOM-BHX flight deck set-up – Setting up the flight deck for the first of four planned sectors around the British Isles: flight deck safety check, flight deck preparation, FMS set-up, nav aid tuning, full take-off briefing and autopilot set-up.

 

 

Part 8: Line flight 1: IOM-BHX – Push back, start up and take off. You’ll see how to fly the noise abatement procedure, how crews communicate with the cabin, and get some hints on how to give your passengers a smooth ride! Find out all you need to know about descent planning and set the Q400 up for an ILS arrival into Birmingham airport.

 

Part 9: Line flight 2 : BHX-GCI – A quick turnaround at Birmingham International as you set the aircraft up for the next sector, a 55-minute hop to Guernsey. Watch the crew set up the SID for the departure and run the loading and fuel figures for a new traffic load. Learn more advanced features of the FMS and navigation radios, how to fly the Q400 flat out and perform a challenging LOC DME approach into the short 1400m runway!

 

Part 10: Line flight 3: GCI-LGW – With two sectors complete, head back across the English Channel to London Gatwick and a complicated STAR arrival. Learn how to set up different level-offs in the FMS, work out a descent rate in your head, and deal with a nasty surprise on the ILS thanks to a technical malfunction!

 

 

 

See the Just Flight website for all the details!

 

Summary

 

If you do not already own the Majestic Dash 8 Q400 add-on for FSX, you will need to have one for the personalized flight training.  Once you purchase the Airline2Sim Q400 Cadet Training Program and setup your Vimeo account you are ready to start learning.

 

You have the option of simply watching these professional level training videos in full screen HD or downloading any or all episodes to your hard drive or USB key for later viewing.  I can watch my training videos on my 27 inch widescreen Dell monitor, my iPad Air, or my wall mounted Samsung 51 inch Plasma monitor.  Folks, it just doesn’t get any better than this.

 

Did I mention the sound?  The sounds are outstanding.  You would think you were actually doing circuits on Runway 27 at East Midlands with the cockpit views and the add-on scenery.  Power changes and propeller noise is very apparent in the Q400 cockpit.

 

You are also in for a treat with the startup at Ronaldsway Airport on the Isle of Man.  This scenery package may be the most realistic of all FSX add-ons bar none.  Place the Majestic Q400 on the ramp at EGNS and you do indeed have something quite special in FSX.  Follow that up with the scenic flight along the coast of France to the Channel Isles then on to London Gatwick for a balked landing attempt and you have a full day of flying.

 

You will not just be learning to fly the MJC8 Q400, you will be learning the fly the Q400 using actual airline procedures. You will be learning those airline procedures directly from an active real world Q400 First Officer. There are times you will totally forget you are watching a video or when you are actually at the controls flying in FSX.  This is so realistic you can easily convince yourself you are really flying over the English Channel or flying that sunset flight from the Islands to Gatwick.

 

One day soon you will know every switch, every button, every lever, every knob, every sound, even recognize those vibrations of the Q400.  You will get thoroughly familiar with the proper flows, checklists and procedures, charts, briefings and such.  Preparing load sheets, fuel policy, flying noise abatement routes, and weather reviews will become second nature.  Altitude selection, departure and arrival procedures, alternates, METAR reviews will all be routine tasks.

 

Welcome aboard, Captain.

 

Conclusion

 

Excellent airplane, excellent environment, excellent training videos, excellent price.  Highly recommended.

 

This is a no-brainer. I just can’t imagine a better deal for the flight simming community.  Even if you don’t own or even plan to buy the Majestic Q400, I recommend you purchase the Airline2sim Q400 Training Program. If you watch the videos I would bet you would not complete the first half before stopping and purchasing your own MJC8 Q400.

 

Even though I am not reviewing the MSJ8 Q400, I get so excited about the quality, complexity and level of modelling I keep wanting to make just one more statement.  Once you actually learn to properly fly the Q400 you will look forward to hand flying and following detailed procedures. All those casual statements that Captain Josh makes during the training sessions will continue to work on you as you gain flight experience. It also seems that Majestic evidently considers the Q400 a Work-In-Progress because they just keep adding more and more refinements and features.

 

Due to the extensive and comprehensive training syllabus coupled with the outstanding Majestic Q400 features and jaw dropping visuals delivered as professional level downloadable content at a ridiculously low price I recommended the Airline2Sim Q400 Training Program for the coveted AVSIM Gold Star Award.

 

 

Special Half Price sale on Airline2sim Dash 8 Q400 Cadet Video Training Program.

  • Download only (12.9 GB)
  • 50% OFF - ONLY £9.99 / €12.45 / $14.99 Offer ends 9am (UK time) on Monday 21 July 2014
  • Go to Just Flight the details!

 

Links

 

Watch Airline2Sim Q400 Trailer (2:07)

Watch MJC8 Q400 Trailer (2:54)

Watch Mutley Hangar Airline2Sim Q400 Demo

(If link is broken then Google search)

 

Read ES IOM AVSIM Review

Read ES Guernsey AVSIM Review

 

Purchase Majestic Dash 8 Q400 at

Purchase Airline2Sim Q400 Training Program

Purchase IOM and Guernsey scenery at Earth Simulations

Purchase other airport upgrades at UK2000

 

Credits

 

Thanks to Scott at Justflight for providing the Majestic MJC8 Q400 & the special half price sale for the Airline2sim Q400 Video Training.

Thanks to Ben at Airline2Sim for providing the Q400 Training Program.

Thanks to Oleksiy and the team at Majestic Software for creating and completing the MJC8 Q400 project for FSX.

Special thanks to all the Reviewers that published reviews of the Majestic Dash 8 Q400 add on for FSX.  Please read their entire review for full and proper perspective as I only used bits and pieces.

REVIEW - Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 Flight Deck...

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Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 Flight Deck by ITVV

A review by Marlon Carter

Introduction

Many of you may recall the aviation DVDs produced by ITVV many years ago. These documentaries have been hailed as some of the best-documented aviation moments of our time. ITVV has recently revitalized their products by allowing Flight One Software’s Simstop website to be the exclusive distributor of the ITVV brand of DVDs worldwide. These DVDs come with a newly designed packaging and lower pricing so that all can enjoy these flight deck programs once more.

 

Today, we will be looking at the Virgin Atlantic 747-200 Flight Deck Experience to see whether or not this program is worth adding to your collection. Before we examine some of the highlights, here are a few interesting details about this program.

 

Route :  LGW-MIA-LGW

London Gatwick – Miami – London Gatwick

  • Multiple camera views inside cockpit
  • Hear ATC communications
  • Cockpit views on takeoff and landing
  • Captain explains instruments, systems and procedures
  • Preflight briefing, checklists and aircraft walkaround
  • Running time: 112 minutes
  • DVD features 57 chapter points
  • DVD VIDEO – All Regions – PAL ONLY

Please note that this DVD will work on PAL systems only and is not NTSC compatible. Please ensure your system can play this format, before purchase. Thank you

 

About the Aircrew

Captain Guy Stephenson is the fleet manager for Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747-200 aircraft. Guy was an Undergraduate at the Loughborough College of Technology, where he obtained a Diploma (Hons) in Industrial Chemistry. In 1958 he became a pilot officer in the Royal Air Force and obtained his wings in January 1960. Several years later he became a Squadron Pilot of 213 Squadron in the Allied Tactical Airforce in Germany. Developing his flying career in 1966, he became a Pilot for the British Overseas Airways Corporation, piloting the Boeing 707 fleet. In 1975 Guy obtained his Command on the B707 and is also an Authorized Examiner for the CAA. He later became a Base Training Captain on the B747-400. In his spare time he is to be found sailing, playing tennis, squash and skiing.

 

About the Airline

Virgin Atlantic Airways was founded in 1984 and has become Britain's second largest long haul airline serving 20 destinations.

 

The airline's aim is to provide the highest quality and innovative service at excellent value for money for all classes of air travellers. Now based at London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports, it operates long haul services from Heathrow to New York (Newark and JFK), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Miami, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Athens, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Chicago and Delhi. Virgin also operates the following services from Gatwick to Boston, Orlando, Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, Newark and Athens. Virgin Atlantic also operates a service from Manchester airport to Orlando.

 

*Please note that some of the airline information may be outdated

 

Highlights

Our flight today takes us onboard the classic 747-200 flown by Virgin Atlantic on its Gatwick to Miami routes. We begin with a detailed review of our flight plan at the briefing room with our flight crew. In this review we cover topics such as routing and weather shortly before heading to the aircraft. The walk around of the aircraft wasn’t a detailed inspection since it was mostly musical footage of the Flight Engineer carrying out his inspection.

 

Back in the cockpit, we join the crew as they make their final preparations for our departure. With numerous cameras being utilized for this program, viewers will have the opportunity to see footage from the cockpit and from the ground of the takeoff. While in midflight, some of the highlights included a cockpit presentation by the Captain and an extensive presentation of the Flight Engineers panel which was remarkably insightful. As we came closer to Miami airspace, viewers will have the opportunity to see the entire approach from the cockpit of this classic aircraft.

 

After landing in Miami, we rejoin the crew for their flight back to London that was equally as entertaining. The highlights of this segment feature detailed presentations on the Engine Instruments, SELCAL, NATS and an intrigue presentation on how the INS navigation system works. If you at all interested in know how the INS works, this is your chance to learn! The landing back at Gatwick was uneventful and it also featured multiply camera views of the landing for your enjoyment. All in all I can say that this was a fantastic video that was both entertaining and very educational. Classics like the 747-200 are being a rare sight and for just $16.95US, I think it may be well worth your time to consider adding this video to your collection of aviation documentaries!

 

 


REVIEW - Shanghai Pudong Int'l Airport by I...

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Shanghai Pudong Int'l Airport by ImagineSim

A review by Werner Gillespie

Introduction

Shanghai Pudong International Airport (ZSPD) is the primary airport serving Shanghai and a very important hub for aviation from across Asia.   The airport itself covers 40 square kilometers (9 900 acres) and is adjacent to the coastline in Eastern Pudong.

 

The airport is the main hub for China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, and a major international hub for Air China. It is also the hub for privately owned Juneyao Airlines and Spring Airlines, and an Asian-Pacific cargo hub for UPS[4] and DHL. The DHL hub, opened in July 2012, is said to be the biggest express hub in Asia.

 

Pudong Airport has two main passenger terminals, flanked on both sides by three parallel runways. A third passenger terminal is planned for 2015, in addition to a satellite terminal and two additional runways, raising its annual capacity from 60 million passengers to 80 million, along with the ability to handle six million tonnes of freight.

 

Pudong Airport is a fast-growing hub for both passenger and cargo traffic. With 3,227,914 metric tonnes handled in 2010, the airport is the world's third busiest airport by cargo traffic. Pudong Airport also served a total of 40,578,621 passengers in 2010, making it the third busiest airport in mainland China and the 20th busiest in the world. As of December 2011, Pudong Airport hosted 87 airlines serving 194 destinations.

 

Shanghai Pudong is the busiest international hub of mainland China, ranking 22nd globally in terms of international traffic.[8] About half of its total passenger traffic is international.

 

Source: WikiPedia: Shanghai Pudong International Airport

 

With that background information, let’s jump in and have a look at Imagine Simulation’s FSX/FS9 offering...

 

Installation and Documentation

The file that you download is 97.4 MB large and contains the following once unzipped:

  1. An HTML readme file, which is one page long and deals with installing and uninstalling the scenery, how the AI traffic operates and has a little information on the installation keys; and
  2. The installer of the scenery itself.

Installing the package is a little unique in my experience being you receive an encrypted zip file that you need to enter a serial number (you will receive via e-mail) in order to extract the package.   Once the package is extracted, you have to enter another serial number to be able to install the scenery into FSX.   This is double protection against software piracy then and in today’s world this is certainly understandable.

 

Installation as I said was a breeze.   It took about a minute or two to run through the installation.   Once the installation is complete, FSX does the rest for you in the scenery library once you start FSX up for the first time after installation and presto, you can use the scenery!

 

The documentation is nothing more than a simple set of instructions on how to get the scenery installed.   To be honest though, you don’t really need much more since there are no complex processes to complete before or after installation.   No complaints here let us move on...

 

A Look at the Airport

We will now have a look around the airport to see what it looks like and to be honest, I will include screenshots more than write an in depth review, since we really want to see what the airport actually looks like don’t we?  Okay then...

 

Firstly, from doing some preliminary research and having a look at some of the videos and photo’s from different sources on the internet, it seems that the dimensions, taxiways, runways and the like are all present and correct.

 

A further look around the airport and you can see that the jetways are very nicely detailed

 

 

The tarmac has its own distinctive texturing, and so do the runways.   It is not the default texturing, but to be fair that is in the very least what you would expect from a payware scenery add-on.

 

 

Each terminal has an indicator, which will tell you when you are properly parked at the particular gate, which is in essence a lighting system as we have become accustomed to seeing at large airports.   It works very well!

 

 

There are no airline specific parking for a particular gate position.   Only HSBC is indicated on the boarding ramps.   Here I have to admit that there is one aspect which I was a little disappointed with and that is that the boarding ramps do not actually move.  

 

The areas where grass and tarmac meet in-between the taxiways and runways also blend in very nicely.   It looks quite realistic.

 

 

Here is a look at the taxiways signs around the airport - beautiful!

 

 

At night the airport comes alive with lights.  The lighting is beautifully done and adds to the immersion of the airport.   Look at a nighttime approach...

 

 

Yes, the approach is a little high but this is actually more of a fly over than an approach, since I wanted to show you the blurring effects of the lights, very nicely done!

 

As the next shot shows you, another thing that is done very nicely is the blending in of the airport with the surrounding scenery.   This was done beautifully and quite seemlessly.   One thing that can be a bit of turn off in airport scenery is if the airport sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest of the terrain.   At least for me that is!   I guess that reminds me a little too much of the FS 95 days!

 

 

Here is another beautiful feature of the airport - the transparent glass of the terminals!  This is the first time I have come across this feature in add-on airport scenery!

 

 

In conclusion as far as the airport visuals are concerned I can say that when landing here, I can feel that this is in fact the airport it purports to be.   It has a good used look to the runways and taxiways and the physical feel and look of the airport is all there.   All the little details come together to give you that "I'm there" feeling.   As far as that is concerned, the experience is immersive and authentic.   I liked it!

 

Performance

This is the area where my first real grip comes from.  Remember however I don't have the latest and greatest in hardware! I own a Q9550 Core2Quad machine with 6GB RAM and a GTX 480 Geforce with 1.5 GB RAM.   When I fly approaches to the airport in good weather and during the day, I really lag a little in performance.   I don't really get up to those 20 frames per second mark.   It is not terrible, sitting at around 16 - 18 fps, but not that good either.   Again, my hardware is a little dated so others may not have this issue.

 

I tested this with my PMDG 747-400X, the NGX and the 777X.   As is to be expected the 747 did slightly worse than the NGX, which faired slightly worse than the 777X, since PMDG obviously refined their products over the years.   When I try to fly the approach in the dark with the lighting system, it taxes my system more, dropping another 3-4 fps and getting slightly choppier.   Adding bad weather doesn't make it any better!

 

Now folks as I said, my hardware is ancient by today's entry level machines, but to put this into perspective for you, the hub of my VA which I fly from is situated at Chicago O' Hare International (KORD) and for this I use the FS Dreamteam scenery.   This scenery is a work of art as well, and no matter what PMDG aircraft I use and what the weather is, I don't battle to get over 20 fps. 

 

So having said that, there could be some room for improvement in terms of the performance of the scenery fps wise, but I can live with the amount of frames I am getting.   I should add that these figures are obtained from an environment free of AI aircraft.   That may be something to ponder over too!

 

In the end what it comes down to, is that old bug bear that we have to live with as simmers - trading visual quality for performance.

 

Conclusion

So in conclusion then, the scenery is very well done, a little heavy on the frame rates, but not too bad either.   It is not so bad that you cannot live with it.   The airport is visually immersive.    A lot of effort has gone into the lighting system that pushes up the immersion another notch.   I enjoy flying into the airport despite the slightly worse performance that I am getting.

 

If you fly here often for your VA or if you do so simply because you like it, the airport will definitely tickle your fancy!   Apart from the slightly increased performance hit I get, there is nothing that turns me off from the airport itself.   Even the static jetways cannot turn me off.   I also have a feeling that if you have a better machine than I do, you might not experience the slightly worse performance I get.

 

All in all, I would definitely say that it is worth the money you spend on it.   The price - EUR 24.99.   Yes it is might be on the expensive side but I feel that it is not one of those sceneries where you would look at it and feel that somehow it feels EUR 10 - 15 more expensive than it should have been.   The developers have got a winner here!

 

What I like about it:

  • Very high detail airport
  • Seamless integration with surrounding terrain
  • Excellent lighting system
  • Used look of all textures
  • Custom texture set
  • High level of immersion in and around the airport
  • They do still have an FS9 version available, which is becoming a rarity amongst developers these days!

What I didn't like

  • Heavy on frames
  • Static jetways

REVIEW - Airbus X Voice Control by FS2Crew

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Airbus X Voice Control by FS2Crew

A review by Aamir Thacker

Introduction

Before I start this review, there is one thing I need to get out of the way. Considering the fact that this review is pertaining to a product that relies on speech recognition software, I feel it important to establish the fact that my accent is quite garbled. It’s a British, Indian, American mix, if you can believe it. The other thing you may find hard pressed to believe, is that FS2Crew’s Airbus X Voice Edition managed to understand me. Color me pleasantly surprised.

 

Here’s a quick look at what FS2Crew: Aerosoft Airbus X Voice Control has to offer, from the product page itself.

Features:
  • Procedures modeled on real-world Airbus Standard Operator Procedures (SOPs)
  • Direct and seamless integration owing to Aerosoft's very powerful SDK.
  • Normal Checklists
  • Airbus specific Crew flows (Captain and FO, PF and PM)
  • FA interaction
  • Start Crew/Pushback interaction
  • Cabin announcements
  • Captain PAs
  • Bleeds off takeoffs 
  • Various approach profiles and Missed Approaches
  • Turn-arounds/Thru-Flights
  • De-Icing at the gate or pad
  • Circuits/Touch and Go's
  • External GPU handling (Engine Start and Pushback/ Gate Arrival)
  • Free version of FS Video Marshaller (a 14 EUR value). 
FS2Crew Website

 

Setup

Weighing in at 268MB, this download only product should be a fairly quick and effortless download for anyone with a decent broadband connection. With a connection speed of 4MB/s I was able to complete the download in approximately 13 minutes; FS2Crew’s download servers are zippy!

 

It’s very important to note that this product is not one where a simple execution of the installer will enable immediate use of the software. Owing to the “voice commander” aspect of this product, customers will be required to “train” their computers to recognize their accents, by using Windows’ default speech recognition software. Beyond that, a complete and proper install will also require certain options selected in Aerosoft’s Airbus X Configurator. This was no problem whatsoever, as FS2Crew have very helpfully included extremely comprehensive documentation covering the entire installation process. While the installation process may initially seem lengthy, I was able to get all of it completed and done in less than 15 minutes, including training the computer to recognize my voice. It is important to once again stress on reading the supplied documentation, as without it, the installation process may seem moderately confusing.

 

Using the Product

 

 

Prior to acquiring the product for review, I had spent multiple hours operating the A320 as a single pilot aircraft, performing the duties of both the Pilot-Flying, and the Pilot-not-Flying. Throw in VATSIM and the inherent need to handle the radios, and it all became a bit much. Simmers are often quite limited with regard to their multi-tasking capabilities as we only have one “hand” in the virtual cockpit, being our mouse cursor. This is where I think FS2Crew begins to shine, as you can now bark commands at your First Officer while performing various duties of your own. Calling out for a heading change, a speed change, and autopilot engagement, all while being able to keep tabs on the aircraft and radios is an invaluable asset in creating a sense of immersion beyond what I have been able to experience in-sim thus far. This is, of course, just the tip of the iceberg! The Airbus X Extended comes with virtual PnF performing checklist duties and aiding (if required to) in flicking the switches that exist in the realm of first officers. FS2Crew takes this a whole step further by allowing you to interact with your virtual co-pilot using your voice. You cannot beat the immersion of having to read back certain checklist items, or calling “Check!”, in response.

 

I cannot imagine flying the aircraft without this addon any longer, it has simply added too much to the overall experience!

 

The most pleasant surprise was, in fact, the auxiliary interactions between myself and the ground crew. Saying a quick “Thank You” while receiving the load-sheet for your flight, or contacting ground for push and start is instrumental in creating a believable, immersive environment which we simmers yearn for. I, personally, was very impressed with the option to perform departure and arrival briefings, as it added another layer of immersion (you may choose to have it read out for you, or you may choose to read it out yourself). Of course, being software, your virtual co-pilot does have certain limitations, chief of which is the rigidity of the flows and procedures required to advance FS2Crew into the next “stage” of flight. This strict format will, of course, require you to bury your head in the manual for some bedtime reading, as seamless operation of the software will require some familiarization, and mostly, time spent using the product. Once this familiarization is achieved, and you are able to respond to your co-pilot without having to refer to the manuals, operation of the aircraft is a huge pleasure, and truly creates the illusion of flying in a multi-pilot environment.

 

The UI of the software is suitably pleasant, however the various acronyms on the numerous buttons will, again, require reference to the manual. FS2Crew have quite nicely matched the UI of the software with the color of the Airbus cockpit, allowing it to not look too out of place in your peripheral vision. The panel itself has click-button options for various typical airline announcements one may come across while flying the “line”. These will then play in the background, adding another layer to the illusion of being an airline pilot. I can, however, imagine these getting slightly tiring the 5th or 6th time they are played over the course of a few flights.

 

 

Final Thoughts & Acknowledgements

If you happen to fly the Airbus X religiously, this is a must-have product for you. It adds so much to the simulation experience that its EUR30 value belies its true worth. I cannot imagine flying the aircraft without this addon any longer, it has simply added too much to the overall experience!

 

I’d like to go ahead and thank the folks at FS2Crew for providing me with a copy of this product for review.

 

 

Not so Positives

  • Steep learning curve. The rigid procedures and checklist items will take some getting used to before your interactions are silky-smooth
  • Only western (US, UK, EU) voice-packs included, however this can easily be fixed by visiting the FS2Crew forums in search of new voice-packs.

A2A Piper Cherokee 180 With Accu-Sim

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A2A Piper Cherokee 180 with Accu-Sim

A review by Mike Cameron

 

Introduction

The initial PA-28-150 and PA-28-160 Cherokees were introduced in 1961 as replacements for Piper’s PA-22 Tri-Pacer and Colt.  Unlike these earlier aircraft, the new model series had a low wing design and all metal construction.  The entire PA-28 Cherokee line from the two seat 150HP PA-28-140 (introduced in 1961) to the retractable gear, fast PA-28R-200 Arrow and finally to the powerful, heavy load-carrying 235HP PA-28-235 Dakota, is respected as being one of the most pilot friendly airplane series of aircraft ever built.  Each member of the Cherokee family fills its particular niche at least and often better than other aircraft of similar type.  The Cherokee 180 sitting right in the middle of the series line has proven to be the most popular of all of the Cherokees.

 

At the end of the 1950’s, Piper Aircraft realized that the time of the fabric-covered Tri-Pacer and Colt had come to its end.  Studies within Piper Aviation concluded in the mid 1950’s that with modern manufacturing techniques it was actually more cost effective to produce an all-metal airplane then to continue to manufacture the old school parts and labor intensive metal frame fabric-covered Tri-Pacer and Colt.  Then in 1956, Cessna introduced the all-metal 172 and Piper knew that their conclusion was correct.  At this time, Piper had the high end PA-24-180 and 250 Comanche to compete with the Beechcraft Bonanza but they needed a new entry/middle priced aircraft to compete with the now popular Cessna 172.  Piper was looking to produce a four-seat design which would be simple to operate and also less expensive to manufacture than the complex, retractable gear, constant speed propeller Comanche.  Piper also knew that to compete in the trainer market they needed to replace the two-seat Colt, which had already been overtaken greatly sales wise by the all-metal, two-seat Cessna 150.  If the above two needs could be combined into one design, all the better.  The manual does an outstanding job at explaining the design process as well as the early history of general aviation, so I am not going to add any more here.  If you would like to read the manual before purchase it is available here.

 

Specifications:

  • Weights (lbs.):  Normal.Utility
  • Maximum Takeoff/Landing Weight:  2400 / 1950
  • Maximum Baggage Compartment Weight:  200
  • Standard Empty Weight:  1270 (Accu-Sim 1350)
  • Maximum Useful Load:  1130
  • Airspeeds (IAS MPH):
    • Never Exceed Speed (Vne): 171
    • Maximum Structural Cruising Speed (Vno): 140
    • Design Maneuvering Speed (Va): 129
    • Maximum Flap Extended Speed (Vfe): 115
  • Rotation: 50-60
  • Best Angle of Climb (Vx): 76
  • Best Rate of Climb (Vy): 85
  • Stall Speed (Normal Vs): 64
  • Stall Speed (Landing Vso): 55
  • Normal Climb Out: 100
  • Short Field T/O Flaps 25: 74
  • Normal Landing Approach, Flaps Up: 85
  • Normal Landing Approach, Flaps 40: 76
  • Short Field Approach, Flaps 40: 76
  • Maximum Demonstrated Crosswind Ability: 17 Knots

 

Installation:

I am reviewing the FSX license of the A2A Cherokee 180 aircraft.  If you only have P3D installed or have both FSX & P3D, you need to purchase the appropriate license depending on which P3D license that you own.  If you own both FSX and the P3D Academic license, A2A provides a discounted combination license instead of having to purchase the FSX and P3D license separately.  A2A aircraft are very easy to install and use a passive activation system so that there are no long complicated serial keys or other information that needs to be entered for activation.

 

Start the installer; agree that you have read the License Agreement, “OK” at the “2 in 1 Installer” message that means that Accu-Sim is being installed at the same time as the aircraft.  Read the next message about the other A2A aircraft Accu-Sim Core update procedure, and then select the “Next” button.  The installer should automatically find your FSX location but if it does not, click “Browse” to locate, and press the next two “Next” buttons to start the installation process.  Before the install process finishes, the DirectX setup will start and perform those steps to verify or install the latest DirectX version.  After the DirectX installation is completed, click on the final “Finish” button to complete the Cherokee install process.

 

The install process takes much longer to explain than to actually install and the whole process should only take a couple minutes to complete.  A2A knows how to write an aircraft manual and the outstanding 104-page manual explains everything that you would want to know about the Piper Cherokee 180.  This is required reading in order to get the most out of your new flight simulator aircraft.  As mentioned in the introduction, A2A always provides the manuals on their website for customers to download and read before purchase, a wonderful service.

 

Optional but recommended is to download the real world avionics manuals from the A2A Support Forum located here.  If you own hardware for controlling aircraft switches and buttons, before starting FSX, load the A2A Cherokee Input Configurator program located in the A2A Cherokee 180 Windows Start Menu and assign shortcuts for controlling these items.  Then assign these same shortcuts with you hardware driver software.  Now it is time to start FSX and load one of the Cherokee’s for the first time.  The Microsoft Security Alert System will ask you to verify the Cherokee.dll file, select “Run” and “Yes” to designate this file as ‘Trusted’ and repeat for the next file. 

 

2D Windows

Before reviewing the interior, exterior and other aircraft features, I want to quickly describe the 2D windows which are one of the many things that make A2A aircraft so wonderful.  There are seven windows that are available from the View menu and one that can only be opened with the Shift+8 keyboard shortcut (Pre-Flight Inspection).  I am going to dedicate an entire section later in the review for this very important feature.  I will now comment about each of the other 2D windows in order.  The first window is Pilots Notes (Shift+2) and can also be opened by clicking on the Pilot Operating Handbook in the right side pocket.  I liked to use this option to open this window.  I am also going to enlarge each of these windows for easier to see screen grabs. 

 

The Pilots Notes window is divided into three parts.  The top section provides useful information such as outside air temperature, cabin climate and the current endurance.  Also because this is an Accu-Sim aircraft, if your engine is running hot, a warning message will be displayed here.  The middle section displays recommended power settings for take-off, climb and cruise.  I wish the descent and approach speeds had been included for quick reference.  The bottom section is what I am going to use the most because this is where the checklists are displayed.  The checklists are very easy to read on the screen, which is wonderful. 

 

The second window, Controls (Shift+3) was originally designed to allow a pilot to control the various cockpit actions from exterior views.  This window now provides access to most of the aircraft commands.  Most times I like to start my aircraft from a cold and dark state.  The first thing that I did was set the default Start up State to “Auto – C&D On”.  The nice thing about this window is that there is also a button to Auto-Start the Cherokee for those times that I want to quickly start flying.  The other options that I would select frequently are the ground static object features.  If you own the Reality XP GNS 430 and or the GNS530, this is one of the easier aircraft to install these units into the instrument panel, just click the button until the avionics package that you want to use is displayed and you are good to go.  The flight simulator is running while doing this, which is a great time saver. 

 

There are several other important options that can be controlled from this window that I am not going to comment about here.  The third window is self-explanatory, Payload & Fuel Manager (Shift+4).  The cool thing about an A2A Accu-Sim aircraft is that they have realistic weight & balance and aircraft physics.  I love how you can see the weight shift on the Cherokee when you adjust the fuel and payload levels.  The Pilot’s Map (Shift+5) or the map click spot is the same map used on other A2A aircraft.  I personally like this map over the default FSX map and as part of my preflight routine; I will set the zoom level, select APT 4 and the VOR 2 map setting so that I can have all of the airport & VOR information on the map.  I will zoom in enough to where it is less cluttered to my liking. 

 

Quick Radios (Shift+6) allows for quick and simplified radio tuning but I preferred to tune the radios on the panel.  It is nice that is included though if you are having trouble with panel radios.  The Maintenance Hangar (Shift+7) is another window that you should open at the beginning and end of every flight.  I love the sound effects with the Maintenance Hangar.  Besides the obvious, repairing the aircraft and its systems, the Maintenance Hangar also allows you to install different batteries, tires, oil & spark plug types as well as installing some exterior upgrades.  I will comment about these exterior upgrades during the exterior section of the review.  The clipboard is a wonderful feature for displaying airframe & engine hours as well as overall aircraft condition.  If any of the system names change from green to yellow than red, simply click on the name to repair or replace that component. 

 

If you totally disregard proper aircraft operation and cause catastrophic issues, there is a very handy, “Complete Overhaul” button to return the hours to zero for a brand new aircraft.  The final window, Pause Control (Shift+9) allows the pilot to automatically pause the simulation at various aspects of the flight when you are away from your keyboard.  Personally, this is one that I do not use, if I am going to be away from the simulator, I will just use the FSX pause command.  That covers the wonderful A2A windows and now it is time to start the first traditional aircraft review section, the interior.

 

 

 

Interior

The interior textures of the A2A Cherokee 180 are very impressive.  First, I love that A2A has included multiple interior color textures for the various aircraft and that the interior textures are complimentary to the exterior paint jobs.  For example, the red & white exterior paint has a red and white interior while the blue & white and the blue & grey exterior paints have grey and white interiors.  If you would like even more variety there are already some new interior, exterior paints and new instrument panel textures available on the A2A support forum located here and from the Avsim File Library.  As you would expect from premium aircraft, everything is three-dimensional including the very small items such as the nuts and bolts. 

 

A2A has included signs of wear such as the stains near the door handle caused from the oil on the person’s hand.  Looking at the right front seat I can see other detailed features such as the stitching on the seat upholstery, detailed cabin vents and the seat belt.  The control lock is installed and removed by clicking on the seat belt buckle, which is much easier for me to control than the A2A Cessna 172 control lock.  Also from this view I can see the impressive shading textures on the floor mat.  Interior labeling is excellent even when I would zoom in close on the signage.  On the left side pocket there are a couple of small but realistic features, two pens and the map, which you can open by clicking on it. 

 

I love the realistic wear textures on the flap control and there is even some detail on the aircraft fire extinguisher.  A rear seat view is not included so I adjusted my eye point to simulate this view and the textures here are just as impressive with a better view of the fire extinguisher and I can see the stains on the carpet.  There is even what looks like a well-used packet containing the airworthiness certificate in the back of the cabin.  The interior lighting is excellent and another included realistic feature that looks awesome is that the windows will fog up if conditions are right.  It is good idea to ventilate the cabin when first entering the cockpit.  There are various ways to ventilate the cockpit, if the engines are off the easiest way is to open the door.  After engine start, open the window & vents and adjust the climate controls on the instrument panel. 

 

 

 

Exterior

Before I capture screen grabs of the various angles to display the wonderful details of the A2A Cherokee 180, I first want to cover a couple of other exterior related features.  The Controls window allows you to control the external aircraft static objects (tie downs, wheel chocks and Pitot cover).  I love when developers include these ground static objects because it really adds to the simulation experience.  The Cherokee remembers its state when you exit the simulator so I try to remember to enable these features before exiting the simulator so that they are in place the next time that I fly.  The other exterior features that are controlled from this window is emptying the aircraft (removing pilot & passengers) and opening & closing the door. 

 

There are several exterior aircraft upgrades that can be installed with the Maintenance window and as I mentioned earlier, I love the sound effect when installing these upgrades or repairing the Cherokee 180.  The third screen grab is of the main wheels and nose wheel fairings installed.  The other two upgrades are Gap Seals and Wing Root Fairings, which if I understand correctly, improve the aerodynamics of the aircraft by covering up some of the gaps to improve the speed and efficiency of the aircraft.  To see what these upgrades look like I am going to first capture a screen grab without the upgrade and then one with the upgrade installed.  As you can see from the under wing view with the flaps down, it is very hard to see with my screen grab, the gap between the flap and the wing now has a seal covering this gap.  This view also allows me to see some of the incredible detail that the A2A Cherokee 180 offers.  The Wing Root Fairings are easier to see from the external view and I can see how both of these upgrades would improve the efficiency of this aircraft.

 

There are seven exterior paints included with this aircraft but there are already several more available to download.  The best way for me to display the exterior features is to capture some of the alternate views.  I am not going to capture every view because some of them are duplicates for each side of the aircraft and I already captured some of these views.  I am also going to keep the commentary to a minimum because the pictures will show more than I could possible write.  As you can see from the right gear view with the fairing installed, there are some very realistic marks from the aircraft operating in an area with some small rocks on the ground.  Removing the fairing allows me to see the detailed wheel assembly.  The tie down rope is even very detailed.  Exterior labeling, even the very small ones are excellent and again I love the realistic “wear” textures on this aircraft with some corrosion around the gas caps and other signs of being a well-used aircraft.  I love the reflections off of the propeller.  The exterior textures and features of the A2A Cherokee 180 are some of the best of any aircraft that I have ever installed for FSX.

 

 

 

Instrument Panel

The Cherokee 180 instrument panel is simply fantastic!  The default VC view is close enough that all of the instruments on the left side of the aircraft are very easy to read.  I will usually decrease the zoom level so that I can see more of the instrument panel.  Also if you notice with the first screen grab you will see a small note above the NAV/GPS switch “INOP” in the lower left corner.  When you have no GPS, portable GPS 295 or the Reality XP GPS units installed on the panel, this note is displayed because those panels do not use the NAV/GPS switch so that switch is not operable.  As I mentioned earlier, it is very easy to select the different panels with your selected avionics option, just click on the GPS button on the Controls window.  As you can see when I load the A2A GNS 400 GPS, the “INOP” note is now gone because this switch is operable with this GPS installed.  It is small details like this that makes this aircraft package so wonderful. 

 

While I am still on the topic of the GPS options, I love that A2A has also included a “NO GPS” option with just the radios installed on the panel for practicing old fashion navigation procedures.  Another nice option to have a basic GPS along with the full radio stack is the “GPS 295” option so I still have a small moving map.  The size and position of the GPS 295 is also very good without covering up any of the important instruments.  Looking down at the lower instrument panel, the yoke obstructs most of the electrical switches and there are several ways to access them.  The quickest way is too hide the yoke and this is the only cosmetic issue that I have with this aircraft.  I personally do not like the broken pipe look; I would prefer a cap similar to what A2A used with their Cessna 172.  A more realistic option while you are on the ground with the parking brake on would be to move the yoke to see those switches or adjust your eye point position.  There are also some alternate panel views so you could operate the switches from one of these views and all of these alternatives should satisfy most people. 

 

I own the Saitek Multi-Switch and followed the A2A instructions for setting up my hardware to operate most of these switches.  The ones that I could not setup, I would just use one of the options from above.  The first alternate view is Instruments Close/IFR and this view also provides a good example of the excellent labeling.  The other two alternate views are Avionics & Engine and Right Seat views.  I would also adjust the zoom level with these views so that I could see more of the panel.  The final instrument panel feature that was introduced with the Cherokee is operable fuses.  Fuse failures are not simulated yet but you can manually pull them out to simulate a failure.  The final screen grab is the result of pulling the COM/NAV 2 fuse.  This is just another thing that I like about the A2A Cherokee 180 with Accu-Sim. 

 

 

 

 

Pre-Fight Inspection

One of my favorite features of A2A general aviation Accu-Sim aircraft is the Pre-Flight Inspection.  This is loaded by pressing Shift+8.  All of the pages except for the first (Cabin) are divided into three sections with the top displaying a diagram of the aircraft and your current location of the inspection.  This is an extremely easy feature to use, just click on the small left & right arrows to move to the location or back.  I am not going to capture every window because there are duplicates for each side of the Cherokee.  As you move through the pre-flight the middle and lower panels change to display a written description of your task and icons for the actions that need to be performed.  A close up view of that area of the aircraft is also displayed, just like you were performing this task in the real world.  Here is where it gets really cool! 

 

By clicking on the icons in the lower panel, the simulated action is performed on the aircraft and in some cases this is displayed on the current external view.  If a task that needs to be performed involves someplace not visible from a simulator external view, a new window opens that displays this location.  I also own the A2A Cessna 172 and I think the graphics on these windows are improved.  Pay close attention to these visual inspection views because failures are built into this aircraft so if you fail to spot something amiss and correct this with the Maintenance Hangar, consequences will occur.  Another difference between the Cherokee and the Cessna 172 is the fuel level check.  I like Cherokee’s inspection because it simulates actually looking into the fuel tank to see the fuel level.  Because this is an A2A aircraft, this is not a static picture, if your tanks are not full; this is displayed during this inspection.  I love this level of realism and greatly add to the experience. 

 

The middle panel also provides reminders for proper maintenance procedures for that pre-flight item which is very important for keeping your aircraft in the proper working order.  Inspecting the nose allows me to see another nice exterior detail, the logo on the prop.  The stall warning detector check provides a nice sound effect.  I wish more developers would include pre-flight inspections with their aircraft because it really adds to the realism.  Now that the exterior inspection is complete it is now time to get into the air.  The last thing that I like to do as part of my pre-flight is to visit the Maintenance Hangar for one last look to verify everything is still in good working order.

 

 

 

Flight Model

I am not an expert in flight dynamics so I am going to approach this section from an avid simulator enthusiast point of view.  As mentioned previously, the Pilots Handbook in the right door pocket opens the Pilot’s Notes window which also displays the checklists for the Cherokee 180 and is very clear and easy to follow.  I love the sound effect when verifying the rudder control during the controls check.  The first thing that I notice about the Cherokee 180 is that it only has a master battery instead of a battery and alternator that the Cessna 172 has installed.  The battery draws in real time so do not leave it on if you are not going to proceed to the startup procedure in a timely manner.  When I first installed the Cherokee 180 I learned this the hard way and was forced to charge the battery before departure, which is a wonderfully realistic feature. 

 

Another difference between the Cherokee and the 172 is that the fuel selector on the Cherokee only has three positions, Left, Right and Off instead of the additional Both position on the Cessna 172.  During flight you need to periodically switch tanks on the Cherokee but this is very simple to do and works with the mouse without issue.  Following the checklists, the rest of the engine start procedure went without issue.  The sound effect and aircraft vibration when the engine starts is very impressive.  This is a very easy aircraft to taxi, just apply some power and steer with your rudder control.  The ground check performed as expected with a proper RPM drop when checking the magnetos and the carb heat.   I really like that the RPM drops when verifying the carb heat control and I wish other premium aircraft developers would model this check with their aircraft.  As you would expect from an A2A, takeoff and climb performance was right on the numbers with Rotation at 65 MPH and trim for climb at 85 to 90 MPH.   I highly recommend assigning a couple of joystick buttons for elevator trim control.  The Cherokee 180 trim control is on the ceiling, which is very hard to control with your mouse in FSX. 

 

I tried using my Saitek Multi-Panel for controlling the trim but I could not calibrate it to work fast enough so I just used the joystick buttons and had the “Repeat” setting selected in FSX.   Once trimmed for level flight the aircraft stays straight and level without having to perform constant trim adjustments, which makes the A2A Cherokee 180 a wonderful aircraft to hand, fly.  I personally think it is an easier aircraft to hand fly than the A2A Cessna 172.  At 3000 feet I was able to cruise at a comfortable 120 MPH at 2300 RPM power setting.  I am going to leave it to other reviewers to verify the accuracy of the flight model to the performance tables.  The autopilot is extremely easy to operate.  Just turn on the master autopilot switch and select the mode that you would like to use with the button on the yoke. 

 

I am not going to go into detail about the various modes and I recommend downloading and reading the autopilot manual to get the most out of this unit.  I normally used Heading Hold mode because this mode worked well with my Saitek hardware.  I did try flying to a VOR station and the autopilot performed flawlessly.  For Altitude Hold, first trim the aircraft for straight and level flight then press the Altitude Hold button on the yoke.  If you are not flying straight and level the autopilot will constantly remind you with an audible tone to trim up or down.  For this review I did not try flying an instrument approach but I have read that this is an excellent aircraft for practicing instrument approaches.  The Cherokee is a very stable aircraft in slow flight.  The aircraft continues to fly, even when approaching stall speed.  When the aircraft does stall, it recovers very easily.  I did not have any issues with the descent, approach and landing phase of flight. 

 

The Cherokee does require a lot of nose up trim for landing so this aircraft require some practice to get landings just right.  According to the support forum, this is realistic behavior so do not get frustrated just practice, practice and practice some more.  My landings were not exactly perfect and some were better than others but that is the fun of a realistic flight simulation.  The shutdown procedure is very easy but I wish this checklist had been included on the Pilot’s Notes.

 

 

 

Sounds & Animations

If you like your premium aircraft to have realistic sound and animation effects, then you are going to love the A2A Piper Cherokee 180.  If it is modeled for the simulation, including failures, that item will have an associated animation and/or sound effect.  I did not suffer a failure during this review but I did occasionally fowl the spark plugs and there would be an appropriate engine sound tonal change and also the engine would run rough which I guess could be called an animation. 

 

First, let’s start with the interior.  While I am doing the exterior preflight inspection, I like to have the door open.  With the Piper Cherokee, you do not just open the door with the handle.  You first have to unlock the latch at the top of the door before it will open and reverse to close.  Unlocking this latch produces a nice sound effect and the door opens a crack.  It is hard to see with the second screen grab but the door is partially open.  The animation and sound effects of the door operation is also very good.  While on the ground I also like to open the vents and the window and these are also very realistically animated.  All of instrument panel switches, dials and levers are animated and I like the sound effect of switch operation.  The sound effects of operating the flap lever and the flaps themselves are very impressive. 

 

Sound effects associated with flap operation are sometimes overlooked with premium aircraft.   I have already commented about the engine sounds in the previous section and I love that there is a tonal change when a window or door is open.  The engine sound effect is very nice in flight (quieter than the Cessna 172) and noise-cancelling headphones are modeled by clicking on the headphone jack and realistically looking wires appear which is excellent.  This is a reasonably quiet aircraft during taxi, only the engine sound and when on asphalt there were not any excessive vibrations.  I did not encounter any unusual sound effect anomalies on the ground or in flight, which is great. 

 

Another small but awesome sound effect is the paper ruffling sound when opening the map.  Before moving on I want to quickly comment about the sun visor operation, you have total control over them instead of pressing once for full down and again for the full up position.  This is a small item but is something I look for with premium aircraft.  The last sound effect that I want to comment about is the awesome sound of the wheels touching the ground when landing.  If you make less than an ideal landing the aircraft will let you know.  There are other sound and animation effects that I did not comment about but I just want to say the combination of all the sound & animation effects create a very realistic and wonderful flight simulation experience. 

 

 

 

Conclusion

This is an extremely easy aircraft to write a conclusion for.  Some premium aircraft developers create aircraft with realistically modeled flight dynamics & systems but the sometimes lack texture quality and features.  Others make fantastic looking & sounding aircraft but the flight model leaves something to be desired.  A2A has developed an aircraft that has everything, great looking textures both inside & out, impressive sound effects & animations and finally a realistic flight model with failures built in.  With just these things you would have an excellent aircraft but A2A does not stop there.  First you have realistic weight and balance where you can see the effect of loading the Cherokee with fuel and payload.  Next you have a comprehensive Maintenance Hangar for repairing and upgrading the aircraft.  I mentioned the realistic flight model but this is an extremely easy aircraft to hand fly and to monitor its systems. 

 

The autopilot is very easy to use if you take the time to read the manual.  Finally, I have saved the best for last, the Pre-Flight Inspection.  Even though this is just a simulated aircraft, this gives you the experience as if you are outside inspecting the aircraft exterior.  If you are in the market for the most realistic general aviation aircraft released this year then look no further and purchase the outstanding A2A Piper Cherokee 180.   If you are new to the flight simulation hobby, I still recommend this aircraft for you but do yourself a favor, download and read the manuals before purchase to get the most out of the aircraft.  I also recommend visiting the A2A Forums because everyone there is very friendly and A2A is quick to answer any questions that you may have.  Finally, if you just want to quickly get into the air, there is an auto start feature but remember failures are realistically modeled on this aircraft so if you do not visit maintenance or performed the pre-flight routine, well you have been warned.  Most of all have fun because simulated general aviation VFR flying is supposed to be a fun experience.  I want to thank A2A for provided the review copy of the Piper Cherokee 180 and is available for A2A directly or your favorite flight simulation dealer.

 

Test System

Hardware:

  • Asus G72GX Laptop
  • Intel Core2 Duo 2.53 GHz Processor
  • 6GB DDR2 Memory
  • 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
  • NVIDIA GeForce 260M Video Card with 1GB GDDR3 Memory
  • Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick
  • Saitek Pro Flight Switch Panel and Multi panel
  • CH Throttle Quadrant

Software:

  • FSX with Acceleration, Windows 7 64 Bit
  • REX with Overdrive environmental textures
  • FSX Fair Weather Theme
  • DX10 Scenery Fixer

 

Flight Test Time: 40 Hours:

Norwegian 787 by Just Planes

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Norwegian 787 by Just Planes

A review by Marlon Carter

Format:

Blu-Ray/Download

 

 

Introduction

 

For a third time Just Planes has once again been given the opportunity to film the operations of Norwegian and their new 787 flight to Bangkok. This program features the destinations of Oslo, Stockholm and Bangkok.

 

Other features of this program include:

Cockpit filming using 6 cameras for great views on takeoff & landing!

Pilot Presentations (5 Captains!)

Briefings & Checklists

External Walk-around

Departure & Arrival Airport Charts

Detailed Cockpit Presentation

Boeing 787 Systems

Special look at what’s new in the 787 Cockpit

Flight Planning & Fuel

ETOPS

Decompression Charts & Procedures

Great scenery en route and on approach & landing

Cabin service

 

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

 

Highlights

 

In a previous program Just Planes took us onboard Norwegian’s fleet of 737s for a thrilling adventure to the most northerly destinations. This time around we will be flying onboard the 787 on an exciting journey from Oslo to Bangkok and then back to Stockholm. We start off as usual with an introduction to our Captain and his crew as they complete their briefing prior to boarding the aircraft. When the briefing has been completed, the crew makes their way to the aircraft where one of the Captain’s flying in the right seat does the external walk-around. The walk-around presentation was very thorough and it afforded the perfect opportunity for the viewers to see this magnificent aircraft in great detail.

 

Prior to our departure from the gate, the Captain walks us through the cockpit preparations, which include FMS setup and a brief overview of the map display. One of the interesting things that took place prior to takeoff is the deicing of the aircraft, which was a first for this crew flying the 787. From this point on this program progressively gets better with stunning views from the 6 cockpit cameras in the cockpit. While in the cruise phase of our flight, there were many other presentations that included an overview of various systems and displays, Electronic Flight Bag, IPad, Overhead Panel and much more! In short, this segment features everything you wanted to know about the 787 and shouldn’t be missed! The landing in Bangkok was uneventful but visually appealing due to the use of multiple cameras and a replay of the approach.

 

On our return flight to Stockholm, the presentations continue with a closer look at the HUD used by both pilots. Also discussed in this segment are flight plan alternates and an explanation of the flight dispatch paperwork. If you are interested in the 787 in its entirety, the cabin presentation will definitely be a highlight although being very brief. In a similar manner to our landing in Bangkok, we safely land at Stockholm with amazing views from the cockpit cameras and a replay of the landing from different perspectives. This program is definitely going to appeal to fans of the 787 and anyone in general who is interested in one of aviation’s newest airliners. We certainly hope that Norwegian continues open its doors to Just Planes for a unique look at the operations of its growing fleet. – Highly Recommended.

 

 

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REVIEW - Azul Ladies in Pink

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Azul Ladies in Pink by Just Planes

A review by Marlon Carter

 

Introduction

 

 

Just Planes has once again revisited Azul for another exciting program that features a special initiative from Azul to bring greater awareness to breast cancer. A few years ago, Azul began painting some of its aircraft in a pink livery, which promoted FEMAMA, a Brazilian non-profit organization dedicated to fighting breast cancer.

 

In this program, we will be focusing on the female pilots of Azul as they take us on a series of flights across Brazil. Dressed in pink uniforms, the ladies of Azul will surely capture your attention as they commonly do while walking through airports. This program features flights onboard the Embraer 195 and the ATR-72-500 series. Some of the destinations featured are Campinas, Salvador, Florianopolis, Rio and Foz do Iguaçu. Let’s have a look at some of the highlights.

 

Highlights

 

 

This program starts off with a few introductory comments by the Marketing Director of Azul as he outlines the Breast Cancer Awareness program that Azul has been actively promoting. Azul has a goal of citing various cities with their specially painted E195s and ATR-72s in an effort to draw attention to this important cause during the month of October. Thus far they have visited some 50 cities in Brazil an along with Azul, Embraer and ATR have also partnered on this effort.

 

What makes this event such a special occasion is the fact that all specially painted airplanes are flown by an all-female flight crew dressed in pink uniforms. After the presentation was complete, we join the flight crew for our first flight as they make their way through the airport terminal for a brief photo shoot. The flights that follow take us to Campinas, Salvador, Florianopolis, Rio and Foz do Iguaçu onboard the E-195 and ATR-72-500.  During these flights there were many highlights, which included throughout cockpit briefings, cockpit presentations, startup procedures and interesting facts about some of the destinations.

 

One of the most outstanding features of this program was the camera view that allows the viewers to have the best perspective of each flight. It goes without saying that Brazil is a beautiful country with many interesting sights. Perhaps the most significant is the famous approach to Rio, which offers a stunning view of the city and approach procedures.

 

In the end, I have to say that this program was very unique and very insightful into the operations of Azul and the professional manner of their female flight crew. Azul has shown itself to be an airline that cares about important causes and they have spared no effort in bringing special awareness to breast cancer. If you are a fan of Azul and the operations of their aircraft, this program is definitely for you. Most importantly however, if you purchase this program for $30.00, a portion of each sale is donated to the Femama Organization. The Femama Organization is a non-profit, Non-Governmental Organization, organized to bring a reduction in the breast cancer death rates in Brazil. With this program, you can benefit from hours of aviation entertainment while helping to save lives. It is for this reason that I would highly recommend this program as an addition to your video collection.

 

 

 

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