| Project Freeware Group
Boeing 757 Review
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| Project Freeware
Most of us regulars at AVSIM.COM, know that one of the premiere attractions at AVSIM, is the Project Freeware (PF) Partner site which for over 4 years now, has delivered some of the best freeware aircraft available on the internet. Most of us eagerly anticipated the release of the ‘next’ PF aircraft, knowing that it would be a fabulous addition to our Flight Sim stables. Recently, PF has undergone some major changes, with the departure of some key people; some of us wondered if PF could continue to produce the top quality airplanes we have all come to expect from them. However, PF let it be known that it was business as usual, as they quickly filled the ranks with top designers from the internet. With the recent addition of Emmanuel Parrot, we knew that it wouldn't be long before Mr. '757' would influence the ranks within PF and release an update to the '757' series utilizing the latest tools available to designers. Needless to say, when PF announced the release of their updated 757 series, we were all eagerly anticipating what surely was going to be a winner, and we weren't disappointed.
History of the 757
The Boeing 757-200, member of the popular 757/767 family of medium-sized airplanes,
is a twin-engined, medium-to-long-range jetliner incorporating advanced
technology for fuel efficiency, low noise levels, increased passenger
comfort and top operating performance. The can fly both long- and short-range
routes and is designed to carry 201 passengers in a typical mixed-class
configuration, the 757-200 can accommodate up to 231 passengers in charter service, putting its capacity between that of the Boeing 737-400/-800 and 767.
The 757-200 takeoff weights range from 220,000 pounds (99,790 kg) up to a maximum of
255,000 pounds (115,660 kg) for greater payload or range. A freighter configuration
of the 757-200 is also available.
The 757-200 and dual-aisle 767 were developed concurrently, so both share the same
technological advancements in propulsion, aerodynamics, avionics and materials.
This commonality reduces training and spares requirements when both are
operated in the same fleet. Because of these features, many airline operators
will operate both 757 and 767 airplanes.
Airplane visuals
As soon as I fired up FS98, I quickly jumped to the 'spot' view (as a designer, I
spend almost all my time in the spot view), the jaw drop factor on this
PF project was every bit as I had expected it to be. A quick once around
showed very little bleed through (what I did notice, in all fairness to
PF, was due to a deficiency of Flight Sim 98's ability to display wrap around
portions where the fillet meets the fuselage; thankfully Flight Sim
2000 takes care of that issue). Some features that until recently with
the advent of AF99 were unheard of, such as a rounded fuselage, 3D engines,
and actual moving spinner on the cone, were all evident and were all very
well done.
The plane I selected was the American Airlines livery, as I am partial to metallic
textures. As always, the painting's authenticity to the actual airplane
is spot on, exactly what we have come to expect from the group. This particular
aircraft was painted by Chris Grall, but all the other PF painters are
equally as effective at painting up our favorite liverys.
I had a chance to speak to Emmanuel Parot about the design aspects of the plane, and here
is some of what he said:
"I made the new .afx with AF99, and added more details to fuselage (12 sided fuselage,
new textured gears, antennas, detailed airbrakes). Due to limitation of
parts (only 1200) and size (64KB) in AF99. Paul Sprinthorpe added more details to the .MDL by SCASM editing. All bleedtrough as well was removed by Paul (SCASM editing). Hansi Schwarz
(another recent addition to PF) helped Paul and myself in finding out how
to add parts in the AA V1.1 Finally, The 3D cockpit, and transparent windows
were made by Paul."
Speaking of the 3D cockpit, I happen to really like that view, and there has been much
debate recently about the merits of it in the AVSIM forums, with some people
saying they don’t like the view, whether it be unrealistic, or not allowing
them to see the wings, or engines. In my opinion, this is just the beginning
of the new wave of 3D cockpits. In the future, we will have a full 3D cockpit
environment, which I for one think is great! Technically, Paul S. has
pulled of a masterpiece, as this type of effect in good ole FS98 is very
difficult to do, let alone do well, as is the case here.
Flight Model
Ok, all the looks in the world won’t amount to a whole heck of a lot of beans if the
plane doesn't feel right, so of course I had to take this bird out for
a good ole fashion test ride.
As always, I fire up SquawkBox (for those of you that don't use this freeware add-on, you don’t know what you are missing; live ATC makes ALL the difference
in the world).
I start up at CYYZ (Toronto Pearson, of course!), wait at Terminal 1, Air Canada
gates; I have already filed my flight plan, which will be a 1:50 min flight
to KORD, using the PMM4 Arrival and FL310; we have 35% fuel, which is more
than enough for this short trip.
Once securely strapped in, I dial in the YYZ_Tower and ask for push back and start up
clearance, which I get almost immediately, Using Eric Ernsts superb 757/767,
start up is a blast, so I go through my checklist, and fire them up, and
get the tug to push me back.
I am given clearance to Runway 06R, a short trip from terminal 1, and during this
time I find the plane to be very responsive and easy to handle, you
can feel the awesome power that this jet has under the hood!
We hold short of runway 06R, and await an L1011 to land, noting that quite a few passengers
on the L1011 are looking at us , as they land, and are admiring the fresh
new paint of our 757-200 in American livery.!
Finally, we are given clearance to take off. We are to climb and maintain 4,000, rwy
heading of 057deg; we position ourselves, and rev up the engines, our trim
is set at 10deg, flaps 5, and off we go. The power is set at 96N1,
80 knots passes by in a flash, at 135KIAS V1, then quickly at 143KIAS the
co-pilot yells ROTATE, and gracefully and beautifully the majestic jet
rises from the runway. I take note of the plane spotters at the parking
lot at Aviation World, and swear I saw Mike Adamo!
We quickly climb through 2500 AGL; our VS is set at 2,000, which is no problem for those engines;
our speed has already climbed passed 225kias. We make contact with YYZ_APP,
who tells us to continue our climb to 10,000. We keep the VS set to 2000fpm,
then I receive a nasty warning from YYZ_APP:
Glancing down I am shocked to see I was at 300Kias, without even noticing! In real
life the 757 has a very high power to weight ratio, among the tops on
civilian jet airplanes, so it was no surprise to feel the power that this
bird had to offer right from the start.
FS98 is basically a set of compromises—most jets tend to accelerate far faster than the
real life ones do, and this FS98 model is no exception. Again, this is
more a limitation with FS98 than it is with the PF plane.
As we pass 5000, we are given approval to go direct YWT, which is a 275deg heading,
about a 180deg turn right from our current heading. I turn the bird and
immediately the plane responds to my input commands. Christine Derkesen
has done a great job—the bird ‘feels heavy’ as it should when we make
the turn to our VOR, and no problem in getting wings level.
Autopilot is turned on (company rules.?) and I just watch as the plane flies itself.
My main concern is to keep the big jet from going above 250KIAS.
At 8000 we are given clearance to C/M-FL310; I set the VS at 2,000 fpm, N1 at 98%,
and watch the plane climb magnificently to FL310, and maintain 2,000 fpm
climb rate, and Mach .7 the whole way up. Talk about power!
I did notice that the plane tended to ‘hunt’ for its proper heading sometimes, when
changing heading to the next VOR, under A/P; this may be due to a combination of SquawkBox, EFIS98 and EE’s panel, conflicting in some way. I would be interested if others experienced these problems.
At cruise, Mach 0.827, N1 is set at 84.7, which seems about right. Again, this
is a trade off, to get a heavier feel, Christine would have had to
sacrifice cruising speed. In my opinion, she found the right mix.
As we come up to the PMM4 arrival, I am given vectors to Cross STORY at 8,000 and
250KIAS; we are told to expect rwy 32L, and are vectored to DPA and 5000’.
I select flaps 2, N1 at 60% and hit the speed brakes whilst we descend.
Next up direct to CGT, 220KIAS, flaps set to 5, no need to touch the brakes,
the flaps slow us down sufficiently.
Once we are at CGT, we are given vectors for final, 043 degrees and are asked to D/M
4,000, again I use the speed brakes, as the plane is like a greyhound straining
at the leash!
I select A/P for the approach, and watch as the plane picks up the ILS and turns on
course. Once again I do notice the plane ‘hunting’ a bit for the proper
heading; but once it is picked up, it is smooth sailing.
At 12nm, we pick up the GS, set flaps to 20, and I notice the plane accelerating. So
I reduce N1 to 47%, and I play with speed brakes to keep us below 180.
At the OM, gear down, full flaps, and N1 at 48%, which gives us an approach speed
of 155KIAS; again, with judicious use of the speed brakes, I manage to
keep the plane at a good speed.
At 1000AGL, I take manual control and land her, smooth as silk, no problem. We taxi to the gate, and shut down.
Conclusion.
Needless to say, this is another masterpiece by our friends at PF; we were all heartened
to see that the recent re-organization has not negatively impacted this
talented group. In fact, the recent additions of E. Parot, H. Schwarz,
Steve kempf and others have dearly paid off, as this plane represents
the true leading edge of aircraft design for FS98.
Project Freeware is hard at work on a 757 for FS2000, which promises to take us yet again
into a new level of plane design and technical excellence. For that very
reason, I chose to review the FS98 version only, and allow PF time to issue
a FS2000-only version, which promises to give us users more eye popping graphics
and state of the art features, such as more animated surfaces and special
lighting effects.
Of course, time will tell how far PF goes with their FS2000 version, but if
the past is any indication, we will all be in for quite a treat.
If you would like to get a copy of this airplane, or to to simply visit, you may go to the Project Freeware web site.
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