Introduction All children play with dolls or Action Men. Over time they get damaged, arms drop off, they get chewed by the family pet. However children don't bother, because they're not "real". But then along came "Cyber Pets". Remember them? Small electronic creatures that needed to be fed, watered, played with, allowed to sleep. They used to wake our offspring at unsocial hours of the night, just like real children, an abrupt introduction to the responsibility and worries of real parenthood - however the phase passed and they were abandoned for the original dolls and Action Men. It's just the same with our virtual flying. We'll happily get into a multi-million dollar aircraft, over-throttle the engine, fly at uneconomic speeds, extend flaps too early, land it like a ton of bricks and over-heat the brakes. Then we park it, and walk away with not a thought of the maintenance and running costs that we've incurred. Factory Flight Simulations' Van's RV-7 aims to make us aware of the cost of plane ownership. It's the "Cyber Pet" of the virtual aviation world, however I don't believe that it will be a passing fashion. What FFS have done is to create both a light plane, and a full simulation of all the running costs associated with it. This is a plane that the pilot needs to look after, otherwise it will get very expensive. He needs to make sure that the oil is topped up, otherwise the engine may stop in mid-flight. It gradually gets dirty, and needs to be cleaned. Extend the flaps at too high a speed, and the flap motor will burn out; that entails a costly repair back on the ground, unless the warranty's still valid. There's a screen that tracks and projects all his expenses, like some dour accountant. I found this product to be a great combination. The RV-7 itself is a real joy to fly, both aerobatically or touring longer distances. And while the ownership aspect is not time-consuming, it is absorbing and makes you stop and think about how well or badly you are looking after your aircraft. It is educational for virtual pilots, will be an eye-opener for anyone thinking about buying a real plane, and will help real pilots to become better ones.
Installation & Documentation Installation is currently by download or CD-ROM. The download procedure requires the customer to create an account at the Flight Factory Simulations website, and he then proceeds to the "Products" page, where he chooses what product he wishes to buy. Clicking on the "Buy Now" button takes him to the merchant, 2Checkout.com, which accepts all major credit cards. After the purchase, the user receives two e-mails immediately, one with the order number, from 2Checkout, the other from FFS, with the registration information and a thank you note, and also the download instructions, which read basically “go back to the site, log in again, and click on My Purchases on your user’s menu”. The site has dynamic content, which means after a purchase, by going to the My Purchases page, the customer will now see a Download Now button. If they have not purchased the RV-7, they can still download the Pilot's Operating Handbook.
The installation procedure is straightforward, with instructions in English, French and German. Included with the download are 9 DXT liveries, to minimise the download size. Customers can separately, at no extra cost, download 32-bit liveries; they can also download up to 9 sets of "dirty" liveries, in both DXT and 32-bit format. The purpose of the "dirty" liveries will be revealed later. Documentation consists of an Adobe "Quick Start Guide", included in the initial download, and a more comprehensive "Pilot Operating Handbook" that can be downloaded separately. Both are of excellent quality, being clear, well-written and comprehensive. The POH contains a number of sections on the basics of flight and aircraft technology, as well as the specifics of how to handle this particular aircraft. FFS also provide what appears to be one of the best customer support services in the industry. Through their web site, customers can use their Livehelp service to chat interactively with support staff. There is also a Technical Support Forum, a support e-mail channel, and a 7-days-a-week, 8-5 phone line dedicated to customer support. The Aircraft
Van's Aircraft was founded in 1973 by Richard VanGrunsven, an engineer and former Air Force officer. Starting with the RV-3, the company has produced a series of kit planes - the RV-6 being the most popular, with 1,700 kits being sold. The RV-7 appeared in 2001, and there are currently 42 kits being built worldwide. It was designed to be roomier and have a better range and payload than the RV-6. It is a 2-seater aluminium-build STOL taildragger with a fixed-speed propeller. It is slightly lighter than a Cessna 152, but can take an engine of almost twice its power, at 200 bhp. Hence, it is designed as a speedy and aerobatic performer, but not at the expense of range, being capable of 800 miles non-stop. The exterior detail is very crisp and attractive, with the fuselage panelling being clearly depicted, as well as the control surfaces. Points of finer detail such as pitot tubes, exhaust pipes and tail wheel are likewise well modelled. The details of the panel are clearly visible through the Perspex of the canopy, as is the pilot. He is a youngish man with shaven head; unfortunately there is no alternative option for the female virtual pilots.
There is a choice of nine liveries, including Factory, Camouflage, Classic, Flying Tigers, and a gaudy purple-and-yellow number that looks like the sort of necktie I would buy if my wife didn't come shopping with me. As mentioned before, they come in DXT and 32-bit formats, and there are "Clean" and "Dirty" variants. Depending on the setting for the "Rate of Weathering" (Fast, Medium, Normal), the plane will at some point appear in the same livery as before, but covered in a variety of gasoline smears and weathering marks. If you're a fastidious sort of pilot, you can then have it washed back to its original state, once you are back on the ground. It'll cost you $10 if you do it yourself, $75 if the maintenance people do it.
The RV-7 comes with clear and authentic 2D and Virtual panels. The 2D panels can switch between left-seat and right-seat views, with a simple mouse-click at the top of the glare shield. Clicking on toggle buttons on the panel will display the throttle quadrant, radio, fuel lever, GPS, and the Flight Analysis gauge, whilst clicking on the flight instruments or engine instruments will enlarge them, not that they are difficult to read at normal zoom levels. The instruments include, as well as the usual ones for this type of plane, a G-Force meter for aerobatics, and a Hobbs Meter to record total engine usage. The avionics include a Garmin SL30 Nav/Com radio and GTX327 transponder, these being so realistically modelled that they work exactly according to the instruction manuals on the Garmin website! Last but not least, the Flight Analysis Gauge is a wonderful device for analysing those aerobatic manoeuvres; once initialised, it keeps track of key pilot inputs and aircraft behaviour, so that one can work out what went wrong (again!). The virtual panel is excellent, and fully functional. As I do most of my flying from here, I can confirm that it is conveniently laid out and works perfectly. The panel has one very "cool" feature. When the ignition key is in the "off" position, right-clicking it will remove it and put it in your "virtual pocket". It's your plane, isn't it, you wouldn't want it stolen?. Right-clicking again re-inserts it, it never gets lost!
The RV-7 sounds are excellent. They're just what you'd expect to hear if you were sitting three feet behind a top-end Lycoming engine with minimal noise insulation. Turn up your volume and hear the windows rattle. Flying the RV-7 Flying the RV-7 is an exhilarating experience. That's what you would expect if you take a plane that's slightly lighter than the Cessna 152, and strap on an engine that's twice as powerful. I have never flown an RV-7, so I can't vouch for its realism. However FFS seem to have gone to great lengths to achieve authenticity, with cruise ranges and speeds very close to the real numbers. In doing so they have had to reduce its ability to spin, but spinning is always an issue with MSFS aircraft, so that is no great loss. And whilst I can't compare the virtual RV-7 to the real thing, it certainly behaves in the way I would expect such a powerful beast to do. Start-up procedures are straightforward, and F10 brings up a checklist to help. Taxiing is as difficult as it always is with a taildragger, and the pilot needs to snake from side to side to avoid any AI aircraft. Once lined up on the runway, apply power smoothly and slowly, and kick in lots of rudder to counteract the yaw. In a few seconds one can bring the tail up a bit, and a few seconds later you are airborne. Bring the throttle and propeller settings back to the recommended levels, and continue the climb. The RV-7 will happily cruise at 180 knots, which is very fast for this type of aircraft, so you can cover a lot of ground in a short time. With this particular model there is no autopilot, so when touring it needs to be well trimmed for altitude and careful attention paid to heading and gyro drift. (FFS have plans to bring out the RV-7A variant, with tricycle gear and an autopilot). But the plane really comes into its own in aerobatics, where it has plenty of power for its weight, and in low-level (and often illegal) "hillhopping" in mountain regions. However the plane needs treating with respect, and a close eye on the G-meter. It's relatively easy to get into trouble with such a powerful plane, as I found out when I attempted an Outside Loop, overstressed the aircraft and tore the wings off.
The RV-7 accelerates quickly, but has very little drag and so decelerates slowly. In other words, it's a very "slippery" plane. Descents to the airfield need to be planned very carefully and a long way out, because even at low descent rates, its airspeed is still high. And there's no way of slowing it down - the undercarriage is permanently extended, and if you extend the flaps at too high a speed you will burn out the flap motor, which means no more flaps until you pay for an expensive repair on the ground. It took me more attempts than I care to remember, to get to the threshold at the right height and the right speed with the right flaps. Then all you have to do is put it down in the perfect 3-point attitude needed for a taildragger. I had enormous fun flying this plane. Whether covering a large distance, flying aerobatics, or just "beating up" mountains and clouds, I never remotely got tired of the RV-7. However, as we all know in flying, there is no such thing as enjoyment without expense. Now is the time to get out the wallet.... Maintenance and Expenditure Lago have a product, FSMaintenance, that aims to keep track of aircraft wear-and-tear, and translate this into a maintenance cost. However that is a generic product aimed at all aircraft models, and is FS2002 only. FFS have taken a slightly similar approach, but have integrated it with this specific aircraft, and made it run within the simulator. This means that: - The aircraft textures get dirty over time, as already noted. - The oil gradually gets used up, and needs to be topped up, otherwise oil temperature, pressure and cylinder head temperature will go "into the red zone".
- Things break randomly, depending on the user's frequency setting, and need to be fixed when back on the ground. Once they're out of warranty, this costs money, which is added to the running costs. The flap motor burns out if you extend flaps at too high a speed. This failure system is independent of FS9's. - The pilot uses a maintenance module that allows tyres to be replaced (they wear a little with each landing), routine maintenance checks to be performed, items to be repaired, aerobatic smoke to be replaced, engine oil to be topped up and replaced. And every time that a mechanic does something or a part gets replaced, it costs money. There is a screen (accessed from the "Aircraft" menu) that allows these functions to be accessed. It is also where the expenditure is tracked. It's important to emphasise that these features are not some "optional extra". They are an important and deadly serious part of flying this plane. Forget to top up the oil, and sooner or later the engine will run dry. When that happens, engine instruments warn of the impending problem. Don't ignore them. Shut down the engine, even in mid-flight, or the engine will make a very expensive clanking sound and then stop. When that happens, it's time to test your "dead stick" landing technique. Back on the ground, there's an expensive repair bill to pay. As someone who is part-owner of a light plane, I can confirm that all the responsibilities and expenses of a real plane are there. Some of the figures may not be totally realistic (for example, $488 for a seized engine), but they are of the right order. For anyone contemplating becoming an owner or part-owner of a real plane, the RV-7 will be a good taste of the costs to come!
Performance On my set-up I have most sliders to the right, and 100% traffic. I saw no difference in frame rates between the RV-7 and the default Cessna 172. Summary I have enjoyed doing this review so much, that I was reluctant to bring it to a close. When you're flying a fast and powerful plane at 50 feet above the mountaintops, and your wife asks why you haven't cut the grass, "doing a review" is the perfect guilt-free excuse. FFS have delivered a perfectly integrated package. The plane itself will reward hours and hours of flying. The maintenance and repair aspect is well executed. It's not time-consuming, but you have to do it regularly, just like the real thing. And if you don't, it will break down, and you will stop flying. I hope that other aircraft developers will follow this lead. We need to move beyond merely flying planes, to becoming more and more involved in the looking after their structures, and worrying about the dollars and cents of their operation. This package pushes the envelope of light aircraft simulation, is perfectly executed, and its high score is well-deserved. *To buy this scenery package, go to Flight Factory Simulations
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