AKULLA APPROVED! FS2000 & CFS2 uploads at a glance by: For a while now "Bear" has been working like a dog to the get the "Top 5 Picks" out to you avid readers each week. I have been asked to step in and work with Bear and do the alternate weeks. He has set a standard that I hope I can live up to. The week 18th - 24th March saw 80 new files in the library. The variety caters for all needs whether is be aircraft, scenery or add-on components. Read on to see my selection for the week, and the winner of the "Akulla Approved" weekly award. 16-Mar-2001 Allouette 3 by Eric Turpin & Wolfgang Kulhanek alouet3.zip uploaded 16-Mar-2001 3,040Kb FS2000 With the recent addition of some superb helicopters to FS2000, Eric Turpin has delivered along with the help of Wolfgang Kulhanek a great representation of the Allouette 3. No expense has been spared to make this a great addition to your FS2000 aircraft directory. If your a helicopter buff, then this is something you must have, and comes as a complete package with sound and panel.The real Allouette 3 is used by both the military and civilian companies. It is seen extensively in the European theatre in a Mountain rescue role, and as a reconnaissance/medical platform by the military. The flying characteristics are nimble to say the least. As with real helicopters, it's inherently unstable. Having flown the CH53 that was uploaded a few months ago, it took me a while to come to grips with the smaller helicopter flight dynamics. Ok I managed a few uncontrollable spins and some unconventional aerobatics, but managed to tame it in the end! The visual appearance of the Allouette is unmistakable, making good use of photo-real techniques for the textures. The panel has been re-created using photo-real pictures. Other internal views show the same photo real detail. Look to your left and you can see the stretcher for any casualties that have been taken aboard! The sound is also of top quality. It has all the spool up/down and running sounds that you would expect with a quality design, and has a very distinctive "ring" to the engine at high rpm. With a little practice and patience, I found that I could get it in a good stable hover and fly it around, which was an absolute joy... Akulla 21-Mar-2001 ASA Bombardier RJ200-ER "Texas Bluebonnet" by Premier Aircraft Design crj5asa4.zip uploaded 20-Mar-2001 365 Kb FS2000 They never seem to stop do they! Premier Aircraft Design have released yet another fine example of their expertise. This time the Bombardier RJ200-ER (Reg ID N868AS). We have seen so many times in the past the standard of aircraft that Barry Blaisdell and co. delivers, and this is no exception. Using AF99 and Aircraft Animator by Abacus, Barry has revised his previous release of this aircraft, this time with the addition of night lighting and new engines with spinning fan blades. It has all the expected animation that we like to see on aircraft. (gear, gear doors, flaps, spoilers etc.) The aircraft does not come with sounds or a panel, but uses the default 737-400 panel and sound set. Not being a die hard "Jet Jock" this could have easily passed me by if it hadn't been for the striking paint job, daubed in the "Texas Bluebonnet" ASA Delta Connection livery. It is colorful to say the least! Bob May is the man behind the livery that adorns this aircraft. Just by looking at the pictures here you can see the articulate detail that Bob has accomplished to depict the paint job. Bob is also responsible for the night lighting effects. For my flying experience in the jet, I downloaded a CRJ panel (of which there are many) and used one of the many sound sets for this size of aircraft. The aircraft is capable of some good performance, and will be a great addition to your fleet. With a range of 1950nm at 31-37,000ft at a cruise speed of 460kts it is ideal for both those long and short hops... Akulla 22-Mar-2001 Manchester Airport 2001 by Paul Baines man2001.zip uploaded 21-Mar-2001 843Kb Fs2000 Being from England in the UK myself, natural curiosity made the Manchester 2001 scenery catch my eye. This is Paul's first published scenery attempt, and from what I have seen, this is going to lead to bigger and better things. Making great use of both Airport 2.60 and FSDS the author has managed to capture and create one of the busier airports in the UK. Getting the scenery into FS2000 is made easy with the documentation that is included in the zip, and includes the necessary flatten command. From the screenshots you can clearly see the effort that has gone to depict a true representation of the airport itself, and the surrounding real-estate. Detail to the structure of this scenery is evident with the inclusion of many items for our enjoyment. The main terminal building has all the docking gates extending out to greet you after your flight, and the taxiways are marked out and the holding points to the runways marked with boards and flashing lights. Animated radars are present as are static aircraft on the perimeter. Full night lighting is also included in the scenery. All the taxiways and buildings are illuminated, and plentiful overhead lighting on the terminals cascading light at the gates. Paul will be a issuing updates and improvements as time permits for Manchester, but is currently going to concentrate on his next project, "Liverpool Airport - UK" Keep an eye out for it!... Akulla Footnote: Paul has released an update to the scenery that can be found here. 23-Mar-2001 OR05 - Flying M Ranch, Oregon by Richard Goldstein flying_m.zip uploaded 22-Mar-2001 3,528Kb FS2000 Taking another look at new scenery uploads, we can see that the detail that we are now seeing is getting better and better. There are times when something is just too good for words, and this is another fine example of exactly that. Should I go as far as saying outstanding...? Well read on and I am sure you will come to the same conclusion as I have. This addition to the libraries is by a Mr. Richard Goldstein who uses the photo-real approach to create this little number. OR05 - Flying M Ranch is a small airstrip situated to the south-west of Portland Oregon. It may only have one small landing strip, but for the type of plane that would be associated with this, it's ample to cater for its needs. Richard has used a number of programs to create his scenery, which are listed in the usual readme file. It also includes clear and easy instructions to get this scenery working correctly. The scenery itself is of top quality. Using the highly realistic photo-real technique, it submerses you into the area as if you were there for real. A number of additions that have been made are quite unique. The addition of telegraph poles with cables makes for some interesting landings and take-offs! There are numerous buildings that surround the area, all with the characteristics that behold this type of scenery.The detail that has gone into what we consider insignificant objects in everyday life is clearly evident in the fencing that surrounds the ranch. I flew the Piper J-3 Cub around this area, and although I noticed a slight decline in frame rate, it was not to the extent that it made flying difficult. I did a number of flights at different times of day and season to test the effects. The scenery will blend in perfectly with the spring textures in use, but although not a big deal, the remaining seasons don't have the same blending effect. Richard has also incorporated night-lighting into the buildings. If you set time to night, and look through the windows in the buildings, you can see silhouettes of the interior decor! Quite remarkable! If your looking for a new single area scenery for some interesting landings, then this is a must have. One last thing, be sure to check for vehicles prior to landing... There is a road that crosses the airstrip! My conclusion is that this is one of the best small area sceneries that has been released for FS2000. I am sure you will agree! I am also proud to announce that Richard is this week's winner of my stamp of approval... Akulla 25-Mar-2001 Alaskan Commuter #4 by Dave Erickson akcm4.zip uploaded -Mar-2001 3,490kb FS2000 The Alaskan Commuter series is no stranger to those of you who like the nothing better than bush flying. Dave Erickson has produced his 4th edition to his series and graciously shared it with us. This package contains a total of 10 areas covering the SE of Alaska and the rugged glaciated valleys of Western British Colombia. The file is easy to install, and contains very detailed readme file giving information on each of the areas included. There are some flatten switches that need to be added to make this scenery effective if used with mesh add-ons. Dave is also the author of "Juneau Seaplane base" that I would also recommend to complement this package. Being an avid user of FSNav4 I found that the airports showed up as "dock" or "runway x" Not a great hardship, but something that could be rectified in the future. Unlike a lot of Alaskan scenery that is released these days, Commuter 4 is based on actual locations. Most of the sceneries include both runways (well dirt strips) and docks for the amphibians. A nice touch that has been added are the rocks in the water that surround some of the areas. I found them particularly effective up in Deepwater outside the cabin. The night lighting is also made effective in the various areas. Bush flying being one of my favorite disciplines in FS2000, I found Dave's additional sceneries a real pleasure to fly. All the airfields in this package are all within short hops of each other, the furthest two points being only 158nm as the crow flies. Flying though the mountains and then making a challenging approach in the small strips is great fun! This being the 4th in a series of commuter sceneries, no doubt Dave will be working on a new project. I for one am looking forward to it ...Akulla Tell A Friend About these Reviews!   Standard Disclaimer These reviews above are a subjective assessment of the work of the authors. There is no connection between the product author and the reviewer, and we feel these reviews are 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. © 2001 - AVSIM Online All Rights Reserved