As our taxi came around the roundabout and began driving down perimeter road at Princess Juliana Airport, I experienced a strange feeling of having been there before. But I have never laid eyes on this place, in realty anyway! As we continued at a slow pace towards the taxi drop off at the Sunset Beach Bar, a WinAir DHC-6-300 Twin Otter came directly overhead. At that point it hit me; less than a week ago I had flown that very same aircraft (PJ-WIM), on that very same flight path, landing at the same airport. The biggest difference was that my flight was nothing more than a series of 0’s and 1’s going through my computer’s processor as it struggled to keep FSX running.

This review began as an idea while I was getting set for my family’s annual Caribbean cruise vacation: Wouldn’t it be cool to compare two of the best FSX add-ons to the real thing? I am talking about Fly Tampa’s St. Maarten and AeroSoft’s Twin Otter X. Of course, these products couldn’t even come close to the plane spotter’s Mecca…right? WRONG!!!

Throughout the process of creating this one-of-a-kind article for Avsim, I was simply amazed at the level of detail both with the airplane and the scenery. Time and time again, I had to pause the simulator and find my jaw on the floor after witnessing another unbelievable feature of these two spectacular products. From the Surfboard at the Sunset Beach Bar, to one of the slickest Virtual Cockpits I have ever seen, you need to brace yourself for some of the most exciting products you will ever come across for FSX.

Day One: Getting There

As I stepped out of the rear door of the US Airways 757 and down onto the ramp, I caught a glimpse of a WinAir Twin Otter coming in low over Maho Beach. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face because I knew that within a few days that would be me in the Twin Otter.

As part of the new code share agreement with US Airways, I was fortunate enough to win a coveted spot on a pilot exchange program. I was to take a month off of my normal job of flying 757's for US Airways, and fly WinAir’s Twin Otter fleet in paradise.

After checking in at my home for the next 29 days (A room in the Islander Club Hotel and Resort), I took a short walk up to the WinAir terminal, near the site of the old terminal at Princess Juliana International. I was impressed by the level of organization, and friendliness of the WinAir staff.

I checked the pilot assignments for the next week and found my name listed on two of the most challenging routes that WinAir flies, TNCM-TFFJ(Princess Juliana to St. Barths), and TNCM-SABA. Fortunately, I was listed to fly with WinAir’s most experienced pilots, who would help me get used to these difficult and dangerous airports.

I then walked down to the world famous Sunset Beach Bar and spent the remainder of the daylight hours watching aircraft take off and land on runway 09. I went to bed a bit early, I knew that I had a long day coming tomorrow.

Day Two: First Flight: TNCM-SABA and SABA-TNCM, 9 Passengers

I was awakened at 8:34 AM the next morning by the high pitched whine of a Falcon 900 taking off. I had breakfast and headed to the beach to spend my remaining time prior to sign in for my 4:55 PM flight to SABA (WM-441). I arrived at the WinAir terminal at 3:45, so that I would be able to review arrival and departure information for SABA.

Officially, SABA (Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport) is closed, but WinAir is allowed to operate there due to a special waiver from the Netherlands Civil Aviation Authority. SABA is only legally accessible to helicopters and the aircraft that WinAir operates. (BN-2 Islander, DHC-6-300 Twin Otter) The specifications for the airport are stunning, with a runway only 1300 feet long and sheer cliffs at both ends! Even in a STOL aircraft like the Twotter, it is not an easy landing. After reviewing all the procedures for this 15 minute flight, I headed out to the flight line where PJ-WIM was waiting for me.

I exited the air conditioned comfort of the terminal out into the oppressive humidity of a Caribbean afternoon. The temperature was pushing 90°F, but I did not seem to mind. I was about to take flight in an aeronautical legend, the DHC-6-300 Twin Otter (By Aerosoft).

As I walked around the Twotter, I was impressed by how much detail the aircraft had that I had missed in my previous Twin Otter experiences. (Various freeware aircraft) This Twin Otter was set up for Caribbean short haul passenger operations with a full 19 seat cabin (Modeled with virtual cabin views), a very sharp and clean paint job (ok it’s actually 14 different liveries and they are all spectacular), a protective tail skid for those hard landings at SABA and TFFJ, beefy landing gear (wheels, skis, wheel-skis, and floats), and a semi-modernized cockpit with an updated radio stack. I was also impressed by the primitive and dangerous looking flap and aileron hinges.

As I was finishing up my preflight, I was pleasantly surprised to see the stall fences and the intricate nacelles that covered up those powerful PT-6 engines. When it was time to go, I closed the huge rear passenger entry doors. I walked around the beefy wing strut and up to the left front door and I was reminded of the Twin Otter’s size by the lengthy climb up to the cockpit. Settling into the well worn captain seat and observed the array of analogue gauges in front of me, it hit me; I was definitely not in my 757 any more!

After a brief pushback and a run through the before start checklist, I began the process of firing up those PT-6 turboprops. Unlike all aircraft I have flown in the past, the right engine is started first in the Twin Otter. As my co-pilot ran through the after-start, taxi, and run up checklists, I got our taxi clearance from Juliana Ground (118.7) and began to taxi along taxiway Charlie and headed towards runway 09, and Maho Beach.

As I looked around the cockpit to ensure that everything was working properly, I saw a crowd forming near the Sunset Beach Bar, anticipating the departure of the heavies that had landed earlier in the day. Great, I thought, I would have a huge audience for my first flight in the Twin Otter! Well, at least I have a chance of getting on Airliners.net…

As soon as a St. Barths Commuter BN-2 Islander landed and cleared the runway, the call came over the radio: “WinAir 441, Cleared for takeoff. Make immediate right turn following takeoff, South departure approved.” Well, here goes nothing: I advanced the throttles to 60% and when all the gauges are confirmed in the green, I go to 80%.

We have a long runway, and a very short flight with a low cruising altitude, so there is no need to use full power - at least for now! At our light weight, we rotated at 64 knots and established a steady 1,600 FPM climb at max climb power. I know that the Twin Otter is a STOL aircraft, but I did not expect to see continuous climb rates so high right off the runway, and definitely not at the speeds closer to a Cessna than an airliner.

As soon as the flaps come up and the after takeoff checklist is complete, we have already reached our cruising altitude of 3,500 feet. With the engines set at around 75% power, we cruised at 165 KIAS. I had about seven minutes to kill until we had to begin our arrival into SABA. (Oh, the tough life of a Caribbean Short-haul pilot) I took the time to try some basic hand-flying maneuvers in the plane including one steep 360° turn. I was impressed by the control harmony provided by this seemingly ancient aircraft. The handling was impeccable and the old school gauges worked much better than I had expected, but the real tests were still to come.

After I finished my maneuvers, we began to slow down and set up for the approach to runway 12. I was briefed about the length (or apparent lack thereof) of the runway at Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (1,300 Feet) but I will tell you that it looked much shorter than I expected! My co-pilot reminded me that I had to fight off the urge to land short, and I knew why; the ends of the runway are situated on the edge of cliffs!

I followed the recommended STOL procedures in the operating handbook (Checklist, handbook, and manual, all provided as part of the package) and touched down right on the numbers with full flaps at about 63 knots. Getting the wheels down is only half of the battle at SABA, you still need to get the plane stopped before the end of the runway - easier said than done! As soon as the main gear touched down, I applied full reverse and brakes. We were able to get the Twotter down and stopped in just over 1,000 feet.

After making a seemingly impossible turnaround on SABA’s narrow runway, I taxied up to the ramp and shut down the port engine to unload passengers and baggage. The turnarounds at SABA are so short the starboard engine is left on in a flat pitch at idle thrust, while the port is shut down for safety reasons. Since no fuel is available at Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, we re-started the port engine and began to taxi back to the end of runway 12 as soon as the doors were closed.

During the short ride to the runway threshold, I took a few seconds to go over the procedure for a STOL departure. The handbook called for 20° of flaps and holding the brakes as long as possible prior to release, and a VR of 58 knots. Even following those procedures, the handbook still predicted that we would use about 1,200 feet of runway on a standard day. Due to higher than standard air temperatures, we gave back less than 50 feet of SABA’s runway.

During initial climb and cruise, we were treated to the beginning of a beautiful Caribbean sunset. The shimmering rays reflecting down on the deep blue ocean is a sight that I will never forget. Amazingly, after only six minutes of admiring the setting sun, we must begin our approach to TNCM. Since we are coming back during the late afternoon, we will be sharing the airspace with a few departing heavies that had landed earlier in the day.

After a single circuit of the holding pattern waiting for wake turbulence to clear, we began to fly the visual approach to runway 09. I was much more relaxed for this landing than the one that I had experienced just a half-hour ago. With any luck, I would be able to fly low and slow over Maho Beach and give the plane-spotters a memory that would last forever!

As I turned final, I was advised that I had no traffic to deal with, but I would need to clear the runway so that an Air France A340 could depart for Paris. “No traffic” was music to my ears as I performed the lowest approach of my career, clearing the perimeter fence by no more than 10 feet!

I am sure that some of the fence huggers waiting for the A340 departure went running for cover as I gave them a buzzing that they will never forget! I touched down just past the numbers and was able to make the turn off on taxiway bravo.

I taxied back to the WinAir terminal and shut down the engines, both this time, as this was –WIM’s last flight of the day. After finishing the post flight checklist, I filed the necessary paperwork, grabbed my camera and a pop from the pilot’s lounge, and sprinted to Maho Beach to watch the remaining two heavy departures. I went to bed that night wearing a smile that would be permanently affixed to my face for the rest of my time with WinAir.

Day Twelve: Fourteenth Flight: TNCM-TFFJ and TFFJ-TNCM, 14 Passengers

The daily Falcon 900 cargo flight was late for the second straight day and I was not awakened until he arrived at 9:37 AM. Eight minutes later my alarm clock went off, just as an American Eagle ATR 72 came in low over the perimeter fence. It was hard not to laugh at the site of the tourists running for cover as he came over the beach. I was anxious to get to “work” today because, after nearly two weeks of flights to SABA and back, I was headed to St. Barths for what would hopefully be my first shot at the dive-bomb approach.

I once again arrived very early for my 11:30 departure so that I could review procedures for the destination airport. Over the past week, I had become a proficient STOL pilot in the Twin Otter thanks to my sometimes twice daily flights to SABA. I had acquired almost a sixth sense that helped me sense any anomalies during the critical approach and takeoff phases at SABA’s tiny runway. The memory of the prior approaches would be thrown out for this flight, as the runway is nearly 1,000 feet longer (2,133 feet) and the approach to runway 10 involves a steep decent over a hill that is at the end of the runway.

The hill is so large that taking off and going around on short final are prohibited for runway 28. If winds favor runway 28, landing is a breeze with an unobstructed approach (unless I have to go around) that, surprise, takes the aircraft in low over a beach to land. The amazing thing is that the runway is directly touching the beach and there is no fence, so anyone is free to walk onto the runway (though THAT is not advisable).

As departure time approached, I went out to the flight line with my trusty camera in hand to await the arrival of my aircraft. During the wait, I was able to view the departure of the ATR that I witnessed landing earlier. As the time neared 11:10, I saw a set of landing lights on the horizon that soon materialized to a company DHC-6-300. As he landed and taxied in, I discovered that I would be once again flying PJ-WIM. (For the tenth time) As soon as the engines were shut down and the passengers offloaded, I was briefed by the incoming pilot about a faulty button that would not allow me to properly program the GPS. Since the weather was beautiful (light winds, and unlimited visibility) it would not be an issue, but it would have to be repaired when we returned.

We loaded up the passengers and their bags and fired up the engines. I called for taxi clearance and, surprisingly, we were to depart on runway 27 over the beach rather than the usual runway 09. I, and my copilot, decided to give the spotters another show on the way to Barths. We were holding short of runway 27, and obtained takeoff clearance from Juliana Tower. I dropped the flaps to 10° and advanced the throttles slowly up to max takeoff power. The Twin Otter tracked straight down the centerline with minimal right rudder input and rotated easily at 64 knots due to our 10,000 pound takeoff weight (Configured using the included TwotterLoad Program).

Instead of immediately climbing to our 3,500’ cruising altitude, we elected to stay at an altitude of 35 feet and accelerate to 135 knots. We passed over Maho Beach and began a 15° performance climb to 3,500 feet. Once we reached cruising altitude, we turned to the southeast and headed towards Barths.

The Twin Otter has very predictable and favorable flying qualities that allow for precise control at both low and high speeds. Though this (Virtual) version has the capability to do basic aerobatics, a placard in the cockpit, and the passenger’s stomachs, strictly prohibit those maneuvers.

At a cruising speed of 165 KIAS, we reached the traffic pattern at Barths in less than 12 minutes. We slowed to 90 KIAS and, thanks to light and variable Caribbean winds, entered the pattern on the downwind leg at an altitude of 800 feet. We had to slow to 76 knots due to a St. Barth’s Commuter BN-2 just ahead of us in the pattern. We lengthened our downwind leg to allow the Islander to land.

As we turned base, and then final, the flaps went down and we slowed down yet again to 68 knots. At our current weight our landing reference speed was 64 knots. As we passed over the hill, we began to dive towards the runway at about a 12° angle. At the last possible second, I flared the nose of the Twotter and she softly touched down at 62 knots. After applying full reverse and brakes, we turned around at the end of the runway, which is bordered by a quaint white sand beach situated on a bay with the most beautiful blue water I have ever seen. The airport is surrounded by spectacular green hills dotted with expensive homes.

The total time in the air for this flight was 14 minutes. Flying on these short haul routes is a unique experience, in that the turnarounds between flights are often longer than the flights themselves! Passengers, baggage, and cargo were offloaded and the plane was ready to go 15 minutes after touching down. After a quick stop at the restroom and pop machine, I headed back out to PJ-WIM and began to prepare her for takeoff.

After a brief run thru the checklists, we cranked up the turbines. Even though the winds favored runway 28, we are forced to depart runway 10 due to the hill that obstructs the approach per the only available St. Barthelemy chart. Despite the tailwind, we seemingly launched off the runway as soon as we reached 62 knots indicated air speed.

As soon as we turned crosswind to exit the pattern and return to TNCM, I heard something on the radio that I have never heard before: A local helicopter pilot was speaking French on the radio! I consulted the information page of my chart, and did my best to translate what the pilot was saying into English to ensure that there was no conflict between our aircraft.

As it turned out, he was “Les Gros Ilets” (On short final) from the other end of the runway. I had been warned about the possibility of hearing a foreign language on the radio, but after hearing English for so long, both at home and in the islands, it caught me off guard. I continued to climb to 4,000’ to return to St. Maarten, and I encountered some light turbulence.

The Twin Otter is a very stable aircraft though, and it was very easy to control regardless of the bumpy air. As we neared the south end of St. Maarten, I tuned the ATIS on the new Bendix King radio stack and scribbled the information onto my kneeboard. The winds were favoring a runway 27 landing, something that I had not done before. We flew in towards TNCM at an altitude of 1,400 feet (only 300 feet higher than the highest hill/hazard beacon) with a heading of 292°. As soon as I was sure that the aircraft was clear of the terrain hazards, I nosed down and descended to 300’ and made a nice tight turn to line up for runway 27.

I touched down right on the numbers, though it was a little bit firm. I was able to make the first turnoff without using reverse. After taxing in and unloading the passengers, I assisted the mechanic in pulling PJ-WIM into the hangar to repair the GPS issue.

I devoted the rest of my day to spotting on Maho Beach, as the heavy arrivals from earlier were preparing to takeoff to return to their place of origin, carrying home a load of vacationers. After watching two 757s and an A340 takeoff, I was one of many stunned spotters that witnessed a group of USCG aircraft (C-130s and HH-60Js) landing at TNCM. I later learned that they were part of a large multinational drug, and Search and Rescue task force training exorcize. I would catch a glimpse of the future of the US Coast Guard’s surface vessels later in my time with WinAir.

Day Thirty: 36th, and Final Flight With WinAir: TFFJ-TNCM, 10 Passengers

At 12:47 PM on my thirtieth day with WinAir, I made my final takeoff in the Twin Otter. Not surprisingly, I was once again flying PJ-WIM out of a short obstructed landing strip in a postcard perfect surrounding of lush green Caribbean mountains. This final takeoff was out of St. Barths, with the radio call sign WinAir 626.

As we cruised back to St. Maarten for the final time, I was busy taking in all the sights and sounds as we sped over a stunning blue Caribbean Sea. Looking out the starboard window, I saw the hilltops of St. Barths. St. Maarten crept into view in the windscreen and SABA was a speck in an endless blue sea out the port window. As my final WinAir landing drew nearer, I spotted an American Airlines 757 and an Air France A340 approaching runway 09.

I was happy to see two heavy aircraft on approach, as that meant that I would be able to spend a bit more time with the Twin Otter in a holding pattern. All too soon, I exited the holding pattern and began my base leg to land at Princess Juliana Airport. Looking out the starboard window, I saw a large object on the beach near the Surfboard at the Sunset Beach Bar.

As I descended towards runway 9, the object materialized into a large poster and a group of US Airways flight crew members and a few of my WinAir co-pilots. They all waved at me, and pointed at the sign which read “Welcome Back to Reality Mark” (Signed US Airways Flight Crews) and “Thanks For A Good Time” (Signed by all the WinAir Pilots and Sunset Beach Bar employees).

I saluted them by rocking the wings, and coming in VERY low over the fence. I received a sort of water cannon salute (Two WinAir baggage handlers spraying hoses over the taxiway as I pulled up to the terminal) on my way in and as I shut the engines down for the last time and helped the passengers deplane.

I was surprised at how empty the ramp area was as far as aircraft go, and I asked the ground crews what was going on. Before they could answer, I spotted an abnormally large number of landing lights approaching the airport. As they grew closer, I could clearly make out at least five planes in formation. I turned the radio back on in the Twin Otter but heard only silence. The planes turned out to be a US Airways 757 flanked on each side by a WinAir Twin Otter and Islander.

The 757 landed as normal and the four WinAir planes stayed in formation and performed a flyby commemorating my last flight. I was so surprised at all the kindness and respect that I received that I completely forgot to take pictures! Oh well, that gives me an excuse to return to St. Maarten for another month in paradise flying the Twin Otters out of impossibly small runways in the beautiful east Caribbean!

Afterword

During my time with the Aerosoft Twin Otter, I flew over 30 hours in the virtual eastern Caribbean. I had a ton of fun combining my writing and flying skills to come up with this totally new type of Avsim review. I would like to thank the Reviews Editor, Robert Whitwell, for letting me pursue this project. I would also like to thank all the developers who contributed these spectacular products to this review, particularly Mathijs Kok from Aerosoft for his support during the early stages of my flight testing of the Twin Otter.

The Twin Otter is one of the finest add-ons that I have ever seen, combining an outstanding exterior model with an amazing virtual cockpit all in a frame rate friendly package. The aircraft excels in every way imaginable, as it flies even better than it looks-and it looks amazing inside and out. I simply cannot say enough about the quality of this package, and of all the Aerosoft Products that I used to make this review possible.

I hope that you enjoyed this new review format, though it probably will not become the standard format any time soon. Robert and I are anxiously awaiting feedback on this review, so drop us a line in the forums and let us know what you think.

I highly recommend all the products that I used in this review (See below) to any virtual pilot.

NOTE: This review is entirely fictional and all information contained within came from a visit to TNCM, FSX, and my imagination. Though the review is presented in a first person format, all the actions were performed in FSX. I did my best to ensure the accuracy of all information contained in this review through extensive research, though information about operations at SABA and Barths is pretty tough to come by as they are both restricted access airports.

A conventional Avsim review of the Aerosoft Twin Otter is in the works by another author and it will provide more information on the aircraft and its qualities. Products used in this review and its screenshots are: CH Yoke and Pedals, FSX SP2 with Acceleration, Aerosoft Twin Otter X (Primary Review Subject), Fly Tampa St. Maarten (Secondary Review Subject), Aerosoft Seahawk/Jayhawk X (Screenshots), Overland A330 (Screenshots), ProjectOpenSky 757 (Screenshots, Transportation to and from St. Maarten), CaptainSim C-130X (Screenshots), Aerosoft Lukla X, Aerosoft Lord Howe Island X (Barths and SABA Stand In)