Introduction:

If our goal in pursuing the Flight Simulator hobby is to experience the sensation of being there in the cockpit, and flying an aircraft by a combination
of inside and outside visual cues, anything that comes along that makes the experience a little bit more “real”, is worth serious consideration.  The
add-ons I am reviewing today, do more than that… they replace a set of “graphically challenged” glass cockpit gauges in FS2004 by as close an
approximation of the real world gauges as is currently possible.

Reality-XP first came to the glass gauge business as a partner in the release of the fabulous Flight1 Meridian.  Those of us who have flown this
aircraft in FS2004, acknowledge that the avionics in that aircraft are nothing short of stunning, both in function and in graphics detail.  Subsequently,
Reality-XP decided to release two sets of glass gauges for the corporate twin and business jet market, modelled on real world Collins Flight Display
units. The title screenshot, by the way, is a composite of a Jet Line 4 EADI and a Jet Line 2 EHSI, taken in two different locations.  

So, why would you spend your add-on dollars for a set of gauges, when you could conceivably buy a complete aircraft for a similar sum?  Well, let
me start by telling you how I got into this.  Ever since the early days of Microsoft Flight Simulator, I have admired those panel designers that
could create a realistic set of flight instruments.  An early example was an add-on to Sublogic ATP that provided a set of high-resolution gauges for
the Boeing 737.  They were so much more “real” to my eyes that the whole flight sim experience was instantly transformed, even though the outside
scenery was still primitive, certainly by today’s standards. The following generations of simulators: ProPilot, FU3 and Fly! each contributed new,
high-resolution gauges that set new standards for realism in their own way.  Now, if you are modelling analogue “steam” gauges, there will always
be a challenge to convincingly depict moving 3d needles in a digital 2d format. But for electronic “glass” gauges as used in modern corporate jets,
it should be possible to depict the exact picture that the pilot sees on a 4x4 or 5x7 inch screen onto our much larger computer screen, adjusted
in size to fit into the overall picture!

Unfortunately, Microsoft has not stepped up to this challenge and instead still ships their default aircraft with gauges that look like they were
designed for a target screen resolution of 800x600 pixels, while most of us are now flying with high resolution monitors that display 1280 or even
1600 pixels across.  As I was exploring the default aircraft for FS2004, I realised that I would actually fly the King Air more if I could only find a
replacement panel that was more realistic. Around that time, I became aware of Reality-XP and, after trying their freeware 737 EADI, bought
their Jet Line 2 gauges.  Not only did they transform the King Air, but with the help of various enthusiasts who post their panel modifications on
the Reality-XP “user community” site, I was able to install these gauges in my F1 421, Project Fokker F70, and PMDG B1900 - and have never
looked back!  Recently, I had the opportunity to try the Jet Line 4 gauges in the Lear Jet, and I was one more time impressed with the difference
that they make to my flying enjoyment!  So, I decided to take the time and share this experience with you in this review. 

Installation & Documentation:

You can find the Jet Line gauges at the Reality-XP site:  www.reality-xp.com.  The initial install is straightforward and installs the gauge files
and documentation. At the same time, it updates your default King Air or Lear jet, depending on the package. The Jet Line 2 is a “two flight
display” package (EADI, EHSI) whereas Jet Line 4 adds a third display for engine, gear, and flaps indicators.  The Jet Line products offer an
extensive list of configuration options to suit a specific aircraft type, as well as any user preferences. The options range from colours, modes,
and options for panel integration and interaction. For Jet Line 4, this also includes definition of V speeds and flaps settings along with EICAS-
engine related parameters.

Jet Line 2 in King Air

Jet Line 4 in Lear jet

The update installs the gauges not only in the 2d cockpit, but also in the virtual cockpits and gives you a new, much improved overall
appearance, as can be seen from the attached screenshots.

King Air virtual cockpit

Lear jet virtual cockpit

If you click on the gauges, you are presented with an enlarged version that is close to the actual size of the real life gauge… and allows you to
fully use all the information that is displayed, which can include winds aloft, CDI, RMI, traffic and moving map navigational information such as
airports, VORs, and Intersections.

King Air enlarged gauges

Lear jet enlarged gauges

 The package also includes a new Radio Tuning Unit that allows you to tune two Comm and two NAV radios, select the RMI options, as well as
switch on a working TCAS and various aspects of flight plan, airports etc. From here, you can also select the NAV or GPS as the auto pilot
steering source.

RTU page1

RTU page 2

RTU page 3

Once you experience the Jet Line gauges in the default aircraft, I’m sure you will want to add them to add-on aircraft you may own that could 
benefit from an avionics upgrade!  If you go to the user community pages on the Reality-XP web site, you’ll find upgrade instructions for a host 
of aircraft, freeware as well as payware.  And for the tinkerers among us, there is always the challenge to try your hand at upgrading an aircraft 
for which no cookbook has yet been written… and post your results for the benefit of others in the hobby!  Here are three examples: the Flight1 
C421 (payware), the Project Fokker F70 V2, and the FSD T-38 (freeware).   

C421 with JL2

JL2 in PF70

JL2 in T-38

Just like the real world gauges, it is well worth reading the instructions before serious use… a lot of information can be crammed into relatively little
real estate and every indicator means something potentially important!  Once you get comfortable with the RTU and the options that can be
selected, it is time to take these gauges for some serious flying.  And here is where they will show you that they are more than “just a pretty face”.
The smoothness of motion truly has to be experienced… it improves the whole sense of being in control and having the airplane respond to the
controls. Especially when hand flying an approach, this makes a big difference!  Jean-Luc Dupiot, the President of Reality-XP, has tried to explain
the actual True Display XP technology to me. The gauge pictures get drawn and smoothed at a sub-pixel level, using a fast algorithm that results
in a refresh rate that exceeds what regular panel gauges are capable of.  In addition, quoting Jean-Luc: “TDXP then takes care to properly draw line
tips within pixels and to colour pixels along the line path onto the destination bitmap.  This drawing stage is filtered with a psycho-visual filtering
algorithm to mimic the look and feel of a real CRT / LCD screen on a drawn bitmap. Also, the ILS glideslope indicators in the Jet Line gauges (and the Meggitt in the Meridian), use a special “needle smoothing code” to make them accurately, and smoothly, slide along the scale in order to give to the virtual pilot enough visual cues (deviation and rate) for manually flying an IFR approach”.  Despite having a Master’s Degree in Engineering, I still simply marvel at the end result without fully understanding how it is done. If you want to try before you buy, Reality XP provides a free replacement EADI for the default FS9 Boeing 737, which can be found in the Avsim library with the file name of rxp737adi.zip. This rather small gauge will give you a good sense for the high quality graphics and smooth gauge motion of the Jet Line product family. Another way of experiencing the Jet Line gauges in action, is to download the 3 meg CAT III landing video which I've uploaded to the Avsim library. You can find it here: http://library.avsim.net/download.php?DLID=59455.

As for the appropriateness of replacing gauges in your existing aircraft… that is something real world pilots carefully consider as well. As technology
progresses, aircraft owners invest substantial amounts of money (we are talking $ 10’s of thousands) to add capabilities to their aircraft.  Just look
at the for sale postings on the Internet to appreciate the value that upgraded avionics can add to personal or corporate twin aircraft!  If you would
like to compare the Jet Line gauges to their real world counterparts, you can have a look at the Rockwell Collins site here: FDS-2000,  and here:
 EFD-4000. 

Summary: 

The Jet Line gauges by Reality XP are in a class by themselves.  If you are looking for the most accurate, visually most appealing, and dynamically smoothest glass cockpit avionics, this is it!  If you have a fair number of high performance aircraft in your hangar, you’ll find that these gauges
integrate nicely into most cockpits and in many cases help elevate a good basic panel design to a great flying experience.  Reality XP has set a
new standard in gauge design with the Jet Line series and fully deserves the four and a half star rating.

What I Like About the Reality-XP Jet Line Gauges

What I Don't Like About the Reality-XP Jet Line Gauges

Standard Disclaimer
The review above is a subjective assessment of the product by the author. There is no connection between the producer and the reviewer, and we feel this review is unbiased and truly reflects the performance of the product in the simming environment. This disclaimer is posted here in order provide you with background information on the reviewer and connections that may exist between him/her and the contributing party.