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Have you ever tasted a cloud?
I mean, really tasted it? Well, perhaps you have, during a trip to the
mountains. But there are not many who have sat in a plane (well, sort
of), and actually got wet while flying low under some stratus and tasted
the drops on their tongues. The ones who have, generally got their experience
while either hanggliding or flying an ultralight.
And they are not likely to ever forget what it tastes
like. In fact, the experience is so unique, that just some small reminder
can bring back memories of what it was like. I got such a small reminder
recently. That's when I downloaded and tried out the Cosmos Ultralight
Trike, not much more than a motorized hangglider, by Juan Pablo Benlliure.
The first thing I ever flew myself was almost exactly
the same kind of trike. It was in France, during a beautiful summer
day, down the canyons of the Aveyron-river. And though I later took
lessons in a Cessna 150, I'll never forget that soaring experience,
the rattling of the little motorcycle like engine behind me, and the
feeling of exhilirating sky surfing that was coming over me.
Flying Juan Pablo's creation brought back almost the
exact same feeling. He made his product using Gmax, Discreets 3-D modeling
tool that comes with the FS2002 Pro version, and the standard Microsoft
Aircraft Editor. He also used Imagetool and Photoshop. These products
were enough to make a good rendition of the trike itself. But what I
found especially outstanding, is the modeling of flight.
Of course, I used my yoke and pedals - it's rather
difficult to connect the windsurf-like bar trike-fliers
use for steering to your PC. But the inertia, the soaring feeling, and the sensation
of control and freedom, which even a 150 can't deliver, were present in
this model.
Installation is a breeze: just unzip, using folder
names, in the aircraft-directory. On a sidenote: I really don't like
developers who use this system and consequently
clutter your aircraft folder with pics or files. It's a minor inconvenience,
but I had to clean up six image files from the aircraft directory after
installing the trike.
The ultralight is very easy to fly, once you get to
know its limitations. The main things to remember are: don't go up with a wind over
8 knots and try to keep your speed down to less than 50 knots. It's
easy to go faster while descending, but you'll overstress
the frame easily. Bring your power back to idle. It would have been
nice if this were included in the instructions, or for that matter to have any instructions at all. There are none.
As far as I know, this is the very first ultralight produced for FS2K2. Framerates are fantastic, since there is no panel
to speak of. It's wise to press Ctrl-Z to get some information about
direction, height and speed. Also, use the virtual cockpit. Not only
because it's the only way to get rid of some hideous loafers that the
pilot is wearing and you're looking down to, but also because in virtual
cockpit mode you get to see all the moving parts: the bar goes sideways
and up and down, just as it should. If you have the time and are into light aircraft: download this baby. Not only to taste the clouds, but also to feel the treetops against the soles of your shoes or to go soaring through wild river canyons or low over the surf of the ocean. You can download it from the AVSIM's Library by clicking here
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