Alabeo Pitt's S-2S for FSX

Ladies and Gentlemen Welcome aboard this Brand New Review for Alabeo.

As you may or may not know this is Alabeo's first release for FSX in a line up of 2 that they have planned for the very near future by the looks of things. Anyway enough about the future lets get onto what you all came here for!


Introduction


Taking any accomplished pilot and say the words Pitt's aircraft - they are likely to give you a rough description of the airplane you are about to fly. Aerobatic bi-plane is pretty much a rounded description of the aircraft. Although behind the old looking exterior we are looking at a history of successful aerobatic airplanes. Pitt's Aircraft originally bough out the S-1 a single seater bi-plane that was rated and could fly very nice aerobatics. Few years and many variants later the S-2 was released into the portfolio of aircraft that they made - the update was a tandem cockpit layout making it easy for 2 pilots to take part in the ups and downs of aerobatic flying. This is when the S-2S was born!
     The S-2S is based on the S-2 however this one being built by Aerotek - had a single cockpit layout and a small fuselage by 14 inches making room for a better, much more powerful 260hp Lycoming AE10-540 engine to be installed.
     This went into production and was selected for the Royal Jordan Air Force Display Team.

Installation and Documents 


In the blue corner, weighing in at a light 53,302KB is the installer? Surely not?
    Yup and after a mere 3minutes download time I have got the first Alabeo aircraft in my hard-drive.
The installer runs very similar if not identical to the Carenado one which is no surprise because they are in business together after all. Which makes it nice a simple and quick to use from the word go!
    After 5 menus later and a matter of seconds she is there in my virtual hanger waiting for a rough ride ahead.

On the document's side of things I am rather disappointed that I have to go all the way to my FSX root folder, find the Alabeo Pitt's open that folder then open the documents. It is a shame that they couldn't of made a file that was accessible from my 'All Program's' folder. Nevertheless I got there in the end. The documents from the outset look quick comprehensive - the one that caught my eye straight away was the Aerobatic Maneuvers. After opening this .pdf file I find 9 pages of documentation which is quite poor considering that this is after all a aerobatic aircraft. Anyway, looking through the 2 pages of introduction I get to the first aerobatic maneuver 'The Loop' which after reading I noticed that there where no specific entry speed's for the maneuver - however a quite detailed overview of what the loops entails. Which was nice.
The next one 'A Roll' this time a more detailed specification about what to do etc... Like Pitch nose up to around '20-30 degree's nose up'.
 Documentation wise it all went downhill from that point - It seemed that every maneuver that should have throttle position and entry speeds etc. Didn't mention the fact that they did. Maybe an update is necessarily to get these up to scratch because unless you are actually a Pitt's S-2S pilot you don't have a clue!

Livery's and Variant's 


Okay, looking around my aircraft file I find 2 textures and a blank texture for home repaints if you fancy a challenge of your own. We also have the opportunity to download 3 extra textures from the Alabeo website which is a 11.5MB file which literally takes a minute to download and install which is not a problem - a potential for integration into the base package download, but nothing to worry about. Below are all the livery's that you can get for this aircraft:

Ford Livery

Red Private

Bretling Livery

Gabriel Livery

Unfortunately there should be a blue with yellow stripes livery however when loading this the Ford Livery appears again.

Virtual Cockpit


Jumping into this airplane at any airport you are faced with a very very basic cockpit layout. For this sake I have divided the cockpit into 2 sections one to be right of the pipe and one to the left. So left of the piper - it seems like we have all our main flying instruments . The altimeter, airspeed indicator, g-counter and compass. Wheres the Attitude indicator?!? - Look out your shoulder to the left and you will find a spiral on the wing this is the pilots referenced before entering any type of maneuver (I'll explain this later). On the right side of pipe, we have all the engine controls the engine display, RPM-tachometer and the oil gauge. All seems well and good with the engine shut down. Although just clicking through the cockpit I found that hovering over the cockpit instruments and lever's doesn't appear to show what they are called, so for people like myself that have never flew a Pitt's in there life it is very difficult to tell what things are just by eye especially when zooming in and the text gets blurred!
    Moving down the main display we find that the radio stack it bolted to the floor with a transponder. I'm not sure weather in real life the cockpit has an integrated radio stack in the instruments because it seems a pain in the simulator to look down, flying such a twitchy airplane to change radio.
    Starting the engine is a breeze with a key a few cranks she starts up and ticks over at idle, all the corresponding flight instruments seem to make realistic adjustments! Although you will find that I think Alabeo have tried to integrate some sort of shaking when the engine is started however this seems to be a bit over the top making it seem more like a unrealistic propeller over speed rather than engine vibrations.

    Want to open the canopy to wave to the spectators? Doing so is easy just clicking the canopy will open her up but you will notice with the propeller on you don't get any wind noise from blowing wind over the fuselage. The last 2 aircraft that I have flew the Aerosoft Diamond DA-20 and the Piper J3 both have this integrated however nothing to report on this aircraft.

Exterior Model


So far this model hasn't been the best in the world I'm not going to lie. However this exterior model is where this model really starts to shine. If you excuse the pun. It is simply amazing if you are looking for a good exterior model you have found one here - the Carneado and Alabeo skills have obviously been spent on the exterior of this model trying to make it better than the rest.
   The textures are of good quality across the board with not one of them being at all pixleated at close zoom, this as well as the realistic shine that this aircraft seems to have on it really makes this one of the best exterior models that I have seen in a long time - If i was to compare it to anything it would have to the be the Carenado T210 with the shine integrated.
     All the animations of the elevator, ailerons and rudder are all bug free and smooth.With the propeller animation that actually works in conjunction with the speed of the engine. Comparing this to the real aircraft design it is very similar almost like for like. Maybe too much time was spent on the outside of the plane instead of the rest of the aircraft?

Flight Characteristics


Here we go, the most single most important part of this air frame how does it compare to the real Pitt's that I've seen on YouTube. In fact very well within the limits of FSX. The roll and pitch rates seem rather responsive and the engine and speeds are all very well modeled.
     In order to allow you readers to get a good understanding of the aircraft I did all the maneuver's listed in the Maneuver's pdf.

Starting with the first on the list. The loop, the aim of the loop is to enter at say 2000ft and then exit the loop at around 2000ft. Easy you say? Not at all. Getting the amount of back pressure correct and the amount of rudder needed to stay straight in the loop is paramount to the success and precision of the loop. Below is a video of the Alabeo Pitt's Loop. Which are to be followed by a aerobatics course for all you viewers to enjoy!


Overall I would rate this plane 8/10.

The idea of making aerobatic airplanes for FSX is a great idea and will be hugely popular throughout the community! However there are still a few bugs that need ironing out of this model once they have managed to do this we are in for a treat!
Stay tuned for the aerobatics course that I'll be uploading onto YouTube very soon!

A2A Piper J3 Cub (with Accusim Expansion Installed) for FSX

Welcome to the world of super light aviation, that is the Piper J3 Cub. Before I start this review again I would like to say a big thank you to A2A who kindly provided me with the software for this review and allowing me to keep reviewing for you guys.

Introduction

When you ask someone, What is the first thing that pop's into your head when I say Piper Aircraft? - The answer is going to be 'The Yellow One - Cub is it? or something along those lines). This is most likely because the Piper J3 Cub is the most iconic small light aircraft that has even been built to date.

With over 20,038 built in the production of this aircraft the Piper J3 cub has earnt itself a place in aviation history. Since it's introduction in 1938 the Piper has been a Air Force Trainer for 5 different nations, a favorite in the aircraft owners guild and some even doing 'loopy larry' stunts landing on top of school buses! All these uses just go to show how versatile and easy this aircraft is to fly as well as being both compelling and challenging at the same time for all walks of pilot life.

When A2A released this software on to the market, most people probably like me thought what a bizarre release this is going to be what can you do with a Piper Cub that is going to match standards of modern day technology and design for Flight Simulation? Oh, how A2A have proved me wrong.

Installation and Documentation.

I received my links to the download of 4 different files direct from A2A HQ. These consisted of the main Piper Cub J3 Plane (weighing in at a 173,403KB size), the Accusim Expansion pack ( 101,513 KB) and 2 update files. 

I found that I could download all these files in less than 12 minutes with my bog standard internet connection and download speeds. 

(When running the installer in Vista or Windows 7 remember to 'run as administrator' to save problems in the future).

After un-zipping the 4 files from there root file I begin to download the first file - that of the J3 Cub.  I found the installer that A2A provide simple and easy to use with clear instructions and step by step installation screens. 

With the installer running 3 different photos of the J3 displayed in the background (I know this isn't major but it's just a nice added extra in my opinion). Another neat thing that I found is that after installing the update instead of just closing the installer down, a screen popped up telling me what had been 'fixed' within the model  (Another nice feature).

 As for documentation well, after reading the very hefty 128 page manual I don't think anybody is not going to have learned something about J3 and it's antics!

Livery's and Variant's

If you are looking for variation in a add-on you have got it right here with the A2A J3. They have managed to include not only the normal version of the plane. But 3 other variants including the Float, Ski and Tundra Tyre version all which I will go into more detail in further on in the review.

Normal Version

Yellow Normal Tyre

Blue/Yellow Normal Tyre

Float Version

Yellow with Metal Floats

Yellow with Yellow Float's

Blue with Banner (Float)

Ski

Yellow

Swiss Colour Scheme

Tundra

RAF Trainer Tundra

Yellow Tundra

Virtual Cockpit

After being loaded up in the back seat of the tandem J3, you notice that there are only 4 Instruments and 1 compass in front of you! I don't think you are going to be able to get a IMC rating in this beauty. As you can see the cockpit is very simple it is typical of its era where avionics where just in there beginning's and things like horizontal indicators and turn indicator's where all done by the skill of the pilot/pilots that flew her. 

    Moving on from the simplicity of the cockpit you also notice that the aircraft seems to be vibrating allot ( if you have the engine on) this is the vibrations that are being caused by the engine running up ahead of you. This is the only the start of how A2A have proved me wrong about what a developer can do with a J3!

     Once she has started up - some things start to shake and vibrate and if you are ultra observant you see that the needles inside the instruments are bobbing up and down side to side with the vibrations of the engine ticking over on idle setting, at the moment this is looking to be the most simple but best planes I am ever going to fly! Talking about simply - did I mention that you can see the movements of wires and linkages as you move the control columns try it for yourself!

Hand Start View

On the other hand there is one thing that I think A2A maybe could of incorporated, is what about if you want to fly this plane from the front seat? There is no option for this to happen, but I think I might know why I'll explain later on in the review.

What A2A offers in this package

Before I go on about the flight characteristics of this plane I want to tell you more about what A2A have included in this add-on to make your Piper Cub flying a more realistic, enjoyable experience.

  (Note for this I am going to use key commands some of you may find other ways to open particular screens that I am about to show)

Shift + 3 = Controls Menu. 

     This menu is usually used in the pre-flight mode for the engine is started. This is because it allows the user to add such things as the tie-downs and chocks the exterior model ( I think me and you both know that adding chocks in mid-air is going to end in disaster). Although saying that there may be some options that you are likely to use in flight that being of the most of the different control levers available to the pilot in the cockpit. For example the Carb Heat knob is located just the right of the front seat in the cockpit if you wish to manually pull it - or on the other hand you can click the carb heat button and open it automatically saving time if you are planning on changing several positions of switches in the cockpit.

    The update meant that as-well as all of the above you can now as well move and tow your aircraft along the ground using the arrows in the right hand side of this box allowing the user to make every empty hanger in FSX to a hanger for their J3.

Shift + 4 = Payload and Fuel Manager

     This incorporated software menu allows the user to change the fuel levels, oils levels, baggage weight and even pilot weight to represent a real life flight with your weight on board!
    The best thing about this menu has got to be the ability to summon the virtual passenger. This virtual passenger is available by clicking the outline of the women outline to summon her into the cockpit. The virtual passenger brings a whole new level to flight simulation who actually comments on your flying skills, weather, aircraft in the sky and your landings however good or bad they may be. You can also change her mood between Silent, Fun, Nervous and Calm. For example in the nervous mode spinning or stalling the J3 will cause her to scream "Oh my gosh, we are going to crash", whereas the same situation in Fun mode she will scream "Wooooo! This is so fun". You can play around for hours in the sky trying to impress your virtual passenger or scare the living daylights out of her!

Shift + 5 = Map

     This brings up a very basic map for means of navigation, its a 360 degree rose compass with a directional line this menu can also be brought up from clicking the map in the seat pocket in front of you inside the virtual cockpit.

Shift + 6 = Radio

     As you can probably guess the radio is not going to be Airbus or Boeing standard. In fact it is just a transmitter and receiver 1 channel radio that allows you to listen and transmit on one channel only, what did you expect its 1938!

Shift + 7 = The maintenance hanger

     Finally, this menu allows you to see how many air frame hours that the air frame has accumulated over your flying career with that particular livery and variant ( n.b It saves the data for that particular aircraft not the total aircraft hours).
As well as showing you the air frame hours, it allows the user to see the condition of the engine ranging from Excellent to in need of overhaul this deteriorates over time  and flying badly will make the engine age faster! Aswell as this you can see how many hours the engine has done since it's last overhaul ( the overhaul button on the right of the menu allows the users to completely fix the plane to a flyable condition).

Exterior Model


The first thing that you notice on the outside of the air frame is the amazing textures, they are crisp and precise compared to photos that I have seen of similar J3 Cubs. Cycling through all the different variants of this plane shows how much time and effort that has gone it to make this little simply J3 a real contender to be one of the best GA aircraft on the market in FSX. The only bad thing that I found is that I on the ski variant when touching down the ski's make a landing gear touchdown sound ( that of rubber touching earth) maybe a future update will eliminate this.
      All the animations on the outside of the aircraft are sound and seem to be working fine with no bugs in them just smooth transition's between full right to full left and likewise with front to back. Moving forward now on this plane we get to the engine and propeller. The propeller made out of wood, is well modeled and in flight the propeller spinning animation replicates the current RPM on the tacho. The engine itself you will notice actually shakes when it's running subsequently causing the whole air frame to shake and causing the virtual cockpit to shake also! The sounds that A2A have incorporated into this package is outstanding the - after searching across YouTube for some good J3 videos with decent quality sound I can see that the sounds are almost like for like with the real thing you really get a true experience of the J3 when flying her.

Flight Characteristics


So what does she fly like, (please note, the following speeds that I am going to state are rough estimates only and should not be used for real like practice). Sitting on the end of the runway at Coventry I put full power and add a little bit of back pressure onto the stick. Surprisingly, quickly she manages to get off the ground at about 30mph and she will climb out at around 40 mph give or take a little on the discrepancies of the instruments. You will find using the ailerons do not give you amazing turn rates and should only really be used in the proper way that is with rudder input as well. Using the rudder in flight will give a nicer turn radius and allow you to get them final approach turns in allot quicker. Another thing that I noticed is you can tell you only have 45hp upfront, the climb ratio isn't the best for its era but once your up in the sky she is a real pleasure to fly. Patience does pay off after all! Overall A2A have done an amazing job on the flight characteristics on this model for such an old plane they have managed to accumulate some good data and replicate this in the J3, as you will find out as you fly through the sky with no bugs that are going to annoy you. This J3 is a real pleasure to fly.
    Along with the above characteristics A2A have added physics like no other on this add-on, the J3 float version bob's up and down with the swell of the water, the ski variant glides across the uneven terrain causing slight rocking the list is endless of what A2A have done to this aircraft to make it so realistic!
    Ever had one of those overshoot panic moments where you just slam the brakes on? Doing so harshly in the J3 will cause a propeller strike with the floor - resulting in your propeller being broken and in need of repair (or for you to click the overhaul button).


Overall I am going to rate the A2A J3 Cub with Accusim a 9.8/10
 
 This is because the air frame and all the added extra's stated above are amazing they truly are. However there are some small minor things that may need to be fixed in future updates.

  If you are thinking of purchasing the J3, you have to buy the Accusim expansion pack, it real does make this J3 into one of the best GA aircraft ever to take to the virtual skies!

Buy your copy here!

Carenado A36 Beechcraft FSX

Welcome to another Flight Simulator Review.

This one is going to take you into the depths of the A36 by Carenado which is their newest one to date. This is very similar to the Beechcraft Bonanza which I will shortly be doing a review on.

Background Information.

At the end of World War II, two all-metal aircraft emerged, the Model 35 Bonanza and the Cessna 195, that represented very different approaches to the premium-end of the postwar civil aviation market. With its high wing, seven-cylinder radial engine, fixed tailwheel undercarriage and roll-down side windows, the Cessna 195 was little more than a continuation of prewar technology; the 35 Bonanza, however, was more like the fighters developed during the war, featuring an easier-to-manage horizontally-opposed six cylinder engine, a rakishly streamlined shape, retractable nosewheel undercarriage (although the nosewheel initially was not steerable, or castering) and low-wing configuration.
Designed by a team led by Ralph Harmon, the model 35 Bonanza was a relatively fast, low-wing monoplane at a time when most light aircraft were still made of wood and fabric. The Model 35 featured retractable landing gear, and its signature V-tail (equipped with a combination elevator-rudder called a ruddervator), which made it both efficient and the most distinctive private aircraft in the sky. The prototype 35 Bonanza made its first flight on 22 December 1945, with the first production aircraft debuting as 1947 models. The first 30–40 Bonanzas produced had fabric-covered flaps and ailerons, after which, those surfaces were covered with magnesium alloy sheet.
In 1982 the production of the V-tail Bonanza stopped but the conventional-tail Model 33 continued in production until 1995.  Still built today is the Model 36 Bonanza, a longer-bodied, straight-tail variant of the original design, introduced in 1968^.
     All Bonanzas share an unusual feature: The yoke and rudder pedals are interconnected by a system of bungee cords that assist in keeping the airplane in coordinated flight during turns. The bungee system allows the pilot to make coordinated turns using the yoke alone, or with minimal rudder input, during cruise flight. Increased right-rudder pressure is still required on takeoff to overcome torque and P-factor. In the landing phase, the bungee system must be overridden by the pilot when making crosswind landings, which require cross-controlled inputs to keep the nose of the airplane aligned with the runway center line without drifting left or right. This feature started with the V-tail and persists on the current production model. The twin-engine variant of the Bonanza is called the Baron, whereas the Twin Bonanza is a different design and not based on the original single-engine Bonanza fuselage.

The A36 variant. (1970-2005) Model 36 with improved deluxe interior, a new fuel system, higher take-off weight, from 1984 fitted with a Continental IO-550-BB engine and redesigned instrument panel and controls, 2128 built.

What's in the package?

- Intaller file for the A36.

- Checklist incorportated in the kneeboard in FSX (F10)

- Emergency Procedures checklist.

I know it doesent seem alot but when the checklist's alone stand for over 30 pages of reading that all add's up.

The Checkout 


This is a new feature that I want to bring to my reviews as a whole the checkout feature. This is where I will try and take you through some of the best and worst features of this airplane as well as give you a great in-sight into what this airplane can give to the end customer before purchasing.
   To start with, the best thing i think is the new autopilot and electronic display's this makes flying this bird allot easier and clearer and adds some realism to the flight and allows better IFR procedures to be practiced. The worst feature on this aeroplane that I think is that it's far to similar to Beechcraft Bonanza that Carenado supply to us. This means that the only thing that is visible is the electronic displays meaning paying another $30  a bit steep. Despite this I must admit that I prefer flying this plane over the Bonanza counterpart.

Exterior Model


Coming onto the best part of this aircraft the exterior model - I find that this has been the most updated thing since the the bonanza release. You can clearly see that there has been alot of effort in the exterior model to make this more like eye candy to the user.  Zoomed in close the A36 still doesen't lose its pix-elation still 100% amazement from the Carenado team. This is a continuing thing throught the products that Carneado release as you may know from my other reviews I am always amazed at what Carenado are able to do with the exterior model.


For the characteristics of this model please see my Bonanza review as this characteristics are like for like with this update - this update is only a update in the cabin.


Futhermore, Congratulations to the Carenado team in the making of Alabeo! Lets hope Carenado and Alabeo can bring another side to our GA lifes.

Plus if there is anything else that you would like to see please email me at mattmarshal120@hotmail.co.uk!

Carenado Rockwell Commander AC11 FSX

Welcome back to another Flight Simulator Review's Review!

This time we are going to be reviewing one of the most iconic single engine aircraft to be flying in the skies today this is the AC11 - Carenado like always have made an amazing representation of the aircraft in FSX for us all to enjoy!

Exterior Model

I have decided to jump straight to the exterior model for this review - As each time I have been reviewing the download and installation which is pretty much the same every time that I download a product from Carenado for FSX.

So loading her up on the GA parking at Coventry Airport UK. The most Iconic thing that sticks out about this aircraft is that it is not a T-Tail plane neither is it a normal tailplane you will notice that it has got it half way up the rudder. I think that Carenado have done another amazing job in capturing the detail of the AC11. 

Commander on the GA Parking at Coventry

Moving further forward along the fuselage - Even in high zoom the detail is still retain which is a feat that I think Carenado are great at acheiving as some other producers you might think that the livery's are high quality but then when zooming in they become blurred and distorded.

     The animations on the outside model are amazing - the airelons are great there is not a thing wrong with the animations in this model I find that I can move the controls on my yoke with quick accurate response on the outside of this model. The flaps again are amazing the animations that Carenado have included are great like usual. Moving to the properllor - for me this is a first that I have found whilst using Carenado aircraft, there doesent seem just to be a series of pictures put together to make the prop spin affect you actually get quite a fluid display of the prop when it is moving which is a small but nice feature that seems to have been incorporated into this model.

Virtual Cockpit

As some of my last reviews have lacked the photo's that I should I have put up I am going to let this one sell it's self with the virtual cockpit looks.

As you can see from the above photos no rock has been left unturned with this model it is one of the best virtual cockpit models that you can get from Carenado's fleet to date. Looking at photos of real Commander cockpits this seems to match pretty much like for like with obviously a few minor changes that they have had to develop to make it easier for you and I to use. The above photos don't show what the passenger seats and captain seats are like - I know that it is not essential that the aircraft seats look like they have been used and that there are a few spec's of dust here and there but it add's to the whole realism of what this aircraft can provide.

Also these photos as you may of noticed are in dusk/night time scenery as this time the flight test is going to be done at night time to show off the true IFR abilites that Carenado allow you to use on their aircraft.

Flight Characteristic's

Before I get onto the flight test this time I am going to say a few things about the characteristics of flight on this aircraft. Like with most small aviation aeroplanes they are controlled by thin wires stretching across the entire airframe to move the control surfaces - this is true on the Commander but it also means that the reactions from any kind of movement on the contol stick means an almost instantanous reaction from the aircraft. I started this test at around about 2000 ft above the Channel from a short flight to Calais. I found that the aircraft responded well in pitch and roll conditions and was easy enought to trim for straight and level flight. The good thing that I found - is that in slow flight conditions the aircraft was slower to respond like what happens on the real aircraft (slower speed = slower reaction from control surfaces).

    With flap down into the approach to Calais the aircraft handled well at slow speed and I was able to conduct a normal standard landing like usual.

Flight Test

This flight test like I said earlier on in the review - is going to be a night flight to show of the true IFR that Carneado aircraft can handle. This flight is going to take us from Coventry (EGBE) to Jersey (EGJJ) this will take is south then over the channel so VFR navigation is going to be hard.

The flight plan is here.

EGBE - DTY (Daventry VOR) - DCT - EGJJ.

The reason I chose this route is because it allows me to fly the first part of the flight manually to DTY which should take about 10 minutes from takeoff to show analyse the IFR instruments in the cockpit and then the DCT (Direct) flight plan I will engage the autopilot and allow that to take us for the rest of the 1 hour journey. The best thing that I found about this aircraft is that it has a GPS in the cockpit without the need to open up another panel which is a nice little feature.

Carenado Piper Arrow IV 'T' for FSX

Hello and Welcome to another reivew from Flight Simulator Reviews.

Today I am reviewing the Piper Arrow IV 'T' from Carenado for FSX. Another big thank you goes to all those at Carenado for there kind donation of their aircraft for review on this site - Also if you would like to request any aircraft please contact me via the posting at the bottom.

BackGround Information

As you may or may not know the Piper Arrow is part of the long line of the Piper Cherokee series and is based upon the orginal Cherokee design however with some major adjustments. The Piper Arrow has a longer fuselage, larger engine and includes the T tail design hence the T in its name the other information is just basically how the Piper Cherokee started out. However despite this being a totally different airframe Piper decided to name it under the PA28 Family and therefore a new PA28 was born.

What's in the package?

This aircraft comes with 3 different liveries as standard with more to be downloaded on online sharing sites such as Avsim or Flightsim.com. Because I was given the link via email the package that comes from the Carenado site is a zip file that contatins the installer.exe file and the installation procedures, in the installer a checklist,normal procedures and emergencies documents have been added to the package in small printable files.

Initial Impresions

After looking into the Arrow online - I was expecting alot from this model. The best thing about it was the retractable gear and the T tail not featured on any other Piper aircraft, so I was particualrry excited to see this in the Carenado package. After opening up the aircraft for my flight to Carsile, I am greated with an old looking cockpit which you expect to see in most of the Carenado packages that get relaeaed, a not new but well looked after thought springs to mind.

    However, looking outside is were the real beauty of this aircraft is, as I am running FSX at about 60 FPS with this aircraft it is very smooth just to pan around the aircraft. As you can see below I have loaded up the Blue and Gold livery as this is like the aircraft that I fly in real life. The exteral model is nothing but detail all the way from the nose and propeller to the T tail desgin on the back. Everything seems to be in place compared to picutes that I have found online. As a initial impression I am very impressed again with this Carenado package.

External Model

As this is most important part of this aircraft I thought I would start with this - this time around. This is only due to the fact that the VC is very similar to the Saratoga cockpit and the Archer cockpit as it is part of the PA28 family this isnt a suprise.

      Starting off at the front of this aircraft - looking nose on this is a very nice looking aircraft, the air intake's are both sides of the spinners like on the PA28 and the engine cowling is similar length to that of the Archer and Warrior aircraft.  It seems like every single rivet is it's right place along this aircraft. The amazing part is when you zoom right in nothing seems to get pixelated.

     Moving along the fuselage is where the bee's knees is the extended fuselage is what external makes a difference from the original PA28. The fuselage was original extended by 5 inches and then further on this model it is a real beauty to look out - It is not as long as the Saratoga however still quite long for an aircraft of its type. Moving now onto the T of the aircraft the T  - Tail.

     The T tail on this aircraft has only ever been seen on the Piper Tomahawk and that is it - They do make an Arrow without the T tail variant but personally I prefer the T tail just beacause it just looks different compared to other aircraft. The way Carenado have designed this aircraft is truly amazing every animation is smooth, and responds well to yoke input as you would expect from and aircraft with pulleys and wires connected the control surfaces.

Virtual Cockpit

The virtual cockpit for its time of realease is really quite impressive - I am very happy to say that this is one of the best designed cockpits for FSX - It is very simple and easy to use in an VFR condition and yet complex and more challenging when you are flying IFR. However, I do think that there are some places of this aircraft that may have been slighty rushed to be finished and been taken from other aircraft in the Carenado line up for example some of the markings are blurry from zoomed out and zoomed in isnt much better. However if you are to look on Carenado's latest releases you will find more clarity within the cockpit. Anyways, the main analouge instruments are there and there is also the default FSX GPS on the Passengers side along with coupled MCP panel in the bottom left hand corned which works perfectly after testing.



Main View from the Runway 27 at Gloucster



    After spending about 20 hours in the air in this cockpit - I can safely say it just works for me there is nothing there that doesent work and all the external switches correspond to that of the lights on the outside of the plane. Overall for the cockpit although it is clear that some of it may be rushed I would rate the cockpit 4.3 out of 5 just for simplisity when using the aircraft.

Flight Characteristics

Today's flight is going to take us from Gloucstershire Airport to Carsille. This flight is going to be flown IFR in good weather conditions and give the user a tutorial on how to use the autopilot before taking off. The flight plan I have used is just a FSX defualt one.

PMDG 737-NGX for FSX SPECIAL REVIEW!

The PMDG 737 NGX

Finally after 3 years in the making the team at PMDG have finally released the 737 NGX for FSX!

It is hard to explain the amount of detail that has gone into each and every part of this aircraft as a whole this is why I am making it a special reivew to go into the ins and outs of this aircraft - however if you are interested in learning more about this aircraft post purchase check out the AoA video's to be released soon!

What's in the package?

So what exactly do you get for the $79.99?

You get the 737-800/800WL and the -900/900WL aswell as the most well written manuals,checklist and tutorial flights that come with the software to give you  a better understanding about how the aircraft systems work. Like many others I had a bit of background understanding on how this aircraft performed due to the fact that I owned a copy of the PMDG NG series for FS2004 before the release of this. However even I couldnt prepare myself for what was coming in this add-on.

To cut to the chase... This addon allowed you to control everything! And I'm not just saying that you can literally click every single switch,button, levers you name it.... Aswell as this PMDG have factored in the fact that not every aircraft is the same on the inside. For example some 737 have the Honeywell MCP and others the Colins, so what have PMDG done? Allowed you to choose between the 2 MCP's aswell as other flight controls for example the HGS (Heads-Up Guidance System) and the Eyebrow windows. I don't think that they have left any rock unturned for this add-on

The Livery Manager

So to start with this a new feature on the PMDG models that we are used to. The livery manager allows the user to easily 'manage' the free add-on liveries that you can download from the PMDG Website. This is really an easy process you simply download the livery that you want from the website then unp-zip it into the folder of your choice. After opening the manager and choosing the correct variant of aircraft all you do is browse for the downloaded file and let the installer run - after this has finished it appears on the aircraft in game and on a list showing the airline name in the livery manager. For removing the livery from your portfolio all you do is simply click the name of the aircraft and press remove and the installer runs once again and removes it from the aircraft. In my opinion it is alot harder for the initial installation of the livery to the aircraft because on the other PMDG models you downloaded a .exe file that installed the livery onto to model however when it comes to removing your livery it allows the users greater ease than accessing each Add/Remove programmes list every time so there are some initial pro's and cons to this aircraft.

What's to come for this aircraft?

As with the B747 from PMDG they are planning to release some more 'expansion packs' for the base pack that you have just bought. This includes the rest of the series the 600/700 and also some military variants including the wedge tail etc etc.  So what are we expecting to get from these. If the base pack is anything to go by alot in terms of actual aerodynamics, I am guesing the cockpit and VC are going to be very similar.

Inital thoughts

After installing this aircraft I opened up the PMDG livery at Seattle KBFI to see what she actually looked like on my system. I first found out that she has to go under for a 20 second system start sequence - this saves the user from opening up the default Cessna C172 to set the systems up before the departure also you can get the aircraft to remember the fuel and payload from the last flight you flew. For example if you fly a flight and you have 9000kg in the tanks when you shut down the simulator for that model - PMDG's magic software wont only remember the aircraft configuration for example for MCP you used but it will also load up with the 9000kg that you ended your last flight with. I think this add's alot of realism that has lacked in past addon's by this and many other developers. Looking outside of the aircraft the shape and animations are nothing less than beautiful. I am very suprised that I am able to get about 50FPS with the external model with such detail on the aircraft.

      For the picture below I decided that I was going to install the airstairs version from her. The funny thing is there is no need for keyboard key assingments this is all done in the PMDG Options page under the main FMCand see what she looked like when passengers are going to be loading and unloading  unit a very neat feature. Likewise the DOORS feature is also located within the CDU/FMC unit allowing the pilot to select which doors he/she would like open including the airstairs!

More to come soon...

Captain Sim 777-200 Base Pack Review FSX

Welcome to another Flight Simulator Review Review's.

Today I am going to talk about some of the features that are going to appear on the 777-200 from Captain sim when it is released and have another in depth review on the exterior model currently available on their site for 9.99 Euros.

The Roots of the 777.

The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from 5,235 to 9,380 nautical miles (9,695 to 17,370 km), depending on model. Its distinguishing features include the largest-diameter turbofan engines of any aircraft, six wheels on each main landing gear, a circular fuselage cross-section, and blade-shaped tail cone. Developed in consultation with eight major airlines, the 777 was designed to replace older wide-body airliners and bridge the capacity difference between the 767 and 747. As Boeing's first fly-by-wire airliner, it has computer mediated controls; it is also the first entirely computer-designed commercial aircraft.

The 777 is produced in two fuselage lengths. The original 777-200 model first entered service in 1995, followed by the extended-range 777-200ER in 1997; the stretched 777-300, which is 33.3 ft (10.1 m) longer, began service in 1998. The longer-range 777-300ER and 777-200LR variants entered service in 2004 and 2006, respectively, while a freighter version, the 777F, debuted in 2009. Both longer-range versions and the freighter feature General Electric GE90 engines, as well as extended and raked wingtips. Other models are equipped with either the GE90, Pratt & Whitney PW4000, or Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines. The 777-200LR ranks as the world's longest-range airliner and holds the record for longest distance flown by an unrefueled commercial aircraft, with the demonstrated capability to fly more than halfway around the world.

United Airlines first placed the 777 into commercial airline service in 1995. As of March 2011, 60 customers have placed orders for 1,209 aircraft of all variants, with 923 delivered. The most common variant used worldwide is the 777-200ER, with 415 aircraft delivered, and Emirates operates the largest 777 fleet, with 86 aircraft. The airliner has had one hull-loss accident, attributed to a Trent 800 engine fuel component, with no passenger fatalities as of 2011.

Through the 2000s, the 777 has emerged as one of its manufacturer's best-selling models. Because of rising fuel costs, airlines have acquired the type as a comparatively fuel-efficient alternative to other wide-body jets and have increasingly used the aircraft on long-haul, transoceanic routes. Direct market competitors include the Airbus A330-300 and the A340, with the upcoming A350 XWB and Boeing 787 Dreamliner programs currently in development.

Cockpit

As stated earlier in this review the cockpit isnt as you would expect for any Captain Sim product. It is just simply the default cockpit and sounds for the 747. So for this part of the review it is very basic cockpit but it works at the end of the day and you can actually fly this model if you wanted to.

Exterior Model

So what do you get for your 9.99. You get an amazingly detailed model of the 777-200 and some nice features that you could find on the Captain Sim products for example the panel that allows you to open windows, APU door's and all that are all included. This is topped off with some of the nicest liveries that I have seen.

I'll start by showing you this one of JAL with the panel showing the different options you can choose.

As you can see its a very well detailed exterior model even when you are zoomed quite far in.

Someone call a MAYDAY - this model even comes with slides.

The above photo shows the model with all the external viewing features in the ON/GREEN position. To be honest I think when Captain Sim have conquered the cockpit and tweaked the flight dynamics they will have one of the best add-on's for FSX.

Here is a photo list of all the liveries that come with the package:

American Airline's

Air France

British Airways

United Airlines

KLM

JAL - Japan Airlines

Singapore Airlines - Star Alliance Livery

As you can see from the above phots the amount of detail that has been put into these liveires is high quality.

Test Flight

 You are probably thinking - what's the point in a test flight right?

Well although the flight dynamics are perfect and theres not systems or cockpit to test out on long endurance flight's. I decided to do a flight from Osaka, Japan to Changi, Singapore - in the Singapore Airlines Livery.

    Please not that this flight test will be mostly shots of the flight and not actual written text as there is nothing to review but animations.

Left PAX View

Right PAX View

V1.... Rotate!

Gear Up - Departure out of Osaka

Reverse Thrust and Spoliers up at WSSS :)

Overall, this aircraft is flyable and despite having the default 747 cockpit and 737 sounds it is quite a nice aircraft to fly and feels - which has no bugs or glitches on the main animations which is a reason why, I think this could be the best 777 product and one of the best overall add-on's when it's finished at an undisclosed date.

I rate this aircrafr 9/10 due to simplicity at this stage, and the face that you get a 9.99 discount on the product when it is being released.

Check Back for more soon!