A Twin Baker's Dozen aircraft picks! The world of Flight Simulators Special Feature by Steve "Bear" Cartwright With the announcement by Microsoft that FS2002 will soon be upon us, I got to thinking about the really great aircraft that have appeared over the last couple of years, aircraft designed for FS2000. Thanks to the fact that Microsoft has always been evolutionary and not revolutionary in each version of Flight Simulator, it's highly likely that most, if not all of the best aircraft for FS2000 will also work quite well in FS2002. All and all though, this got me to thinking; "...there have been some really great aircraft from the 3rd party individuals and/or groups and I wonder what have been the best so far?" I started this project (quietly) nearly three months ago and frankly it has been very difficult, because there have been so many truly great aircraft, which as made the number of choices almost overwhelming! Initially I was going to just list my usual "Top 5 Picks," but it only took about 30 seconds to realize that that wouldn't work, there were just too many high quality aircraft that have become available. So I just started flying the aircraft on my hard drive and continuing to make my list..., that didn't work either, because after a couple of days or so, I would have had to call this "Bear's Top 164 Picks" or something like that... hehehehe! Well, here's what I came up with, "Bear's Two Baker's Dozen" aircraft picks. I've broken my 26 aircraft choices into groups, the 1st group presented here and the 2nd group of 13 I will post in a few days. This 1st group represents my aircraft picks by category: Heavy Jetliner, Medium-Heavy Jetliner, etc., and in this 1st group of 13, I made no distinction between freeware or payware, if in my opinion a particular aircraft is the best in that category then it is listed here. Now, for the 2nd group of 13, I did make a distinction and they will all be Freeware and they will not be listed by category, but will be listed based on their own individual merits. Over the last 60 to 90 days I have probably logged well over 100+ FS hours in testing aircraft that I have on my hard drive to come up with these two baker's dozen, so I hope that you can appreciate what's involved at doing this. (In the last 5 days alone I have logged at least 30 hours in just getting the screenshots for these 26 different aircraft; now I'm not complaining, just pointing out the not-so-obvious!) This is of course not the definitive list by any stretch of the imagination, just my personal picks, but with consideration as to how difficult it was coming up with this list is true testimony to the large number of high quality aircraft that have become available for FS2000, payware and freeware alike! There have simply been every kind of high quality aircraft for everyone! Now, as a little icing on the cake, once I have presented both lists (within the next few days hopefully), I'm going to present the first ever "Golden Bear" awards, one for my choice as the best payware aircraft and one for the best freeware aircraft!   Heavy Jetliner:   PSS-747 (payware)   PSS (Phoenix Simulation Software) introduced their outstanding example of the Boeing 747-400 in early 2001—and like their earlier release, the Boeing 777, this aircraft's centerpiece is its outstanding cockpit & panel! Excellent and accurate aircraft design, on the spot airfile, authentic 747 sounds, and a near perfect panel, you simply can't ask for much more! Available at the AVSIM Store.   Medium - Heavy Jetliner:   PSS-777 (payware)   It's my belief that this is the aircraft that really started the trend toward ultra-realistic (external) aircraft texturing and accurate gear/flaps animation, with a full systems operating panel, and well thought-out airfile. And to the best of my knowledge, this aircraft introduced the first working FMC (Flight Management Computer) on an FS aircraft. This is the most beautiful 3rd party Boeing 777 for FS2000 I've seen yet! Available at the AVSIM Store.   Medium Jetliner:   PIC 767 (payware)   Just when everyone said you may be able to equal the PSS 777 & 747 releases, but it's highly unlikely anyone could design an FS aircraft (larger jetliner) that would exceed them. That was until along came Wilco Publishing and they were able to do just that with their "Pilot In Command" Boeing 767! Eric Ernst—one of the all-time premier panel designers for FS and real-world 1st officer on a Boeing 767—is the man predominately responsible for this absolutely outstanding aircraft/panel. It's almost hard to believe that someone has taken a large portion of what one would expect from a multi-million dollar full motion simulator and has incorporated the possibility of system failures, full systems operation, and near real-world photorealistic texturing into one of the most complete and accurate FS aircraft panels; yet you're able to install this on your PC for about $30 or less! Available at the AVSIM Store.   Small Jetliner:   Dreamfleet 737 (payware)   Many months in the works, Dreamfleet2000 (an FS design team headed up by Lou Betti) finally released their much anticipated Boeing 737 & panel a little less than 2 weeks ago, but it appears that they have raised the bar once again for FS aircraft designers. This aircraft includes a complete aircraft loading chart/program as well as an FMC that is actually a separate program, allowing you to use it off line (while you're not running FS2000) for purposes of a tutorial. Though no official review has been published as of yet, it's my assumption they will be way more than favorable toward nearly all aspects of this aircraft. Available at Flight1.com.   Older Jetliner:   AETI's Classic 747-200 (payware)   In a project started several months before the release of FS2000, Ralph Tofflemire had begun work on the design of a full system functional panel for the Boeing 747-100/200. This was, in the very beginning, going to be a payware project the FS software publisher AETI would be offering the FS enthusiast, so Ralph brought all of his professional panel design skills to bear on this one! With the aircraft designed by Steve & Greg Mosher and including an extraordinarily accurate airfile from Hans Van Wyhe, Ralph Tofflemire made available the first true fully functional, large jetliner, FS aircraft panel that brought the term "Cockpit Management" into the FS enthusiast's vocabulary! With a full startup procedure, operational engineer's panel, multiple flight position panels, assistance from your in-flight copilot in flight operations, and even a working INS navigational unit! Even though I personally have over 1,350 individual aircraft on my hard drive for FS2000, I find myself going back to Ralph, Steve, Greg, and Hans's Classic 747-200 quite often! Available at the AVSIM Store.   Propliner:   Roy Chaffin, Bill Rambow, and Jan Visser's DC-3 Series  (freeware - donationware)   It's not very often that the term "jaw-dropping beautiful" can be used when describing an aircraft intended for FS2000, but this aircraft most certainly comes close! Then when you discover that this FS aircraft's panel, airfile, and sounds are on the same high-level playing field as are the exterior textures, well, you've hit on FS aircraft design that would best be described as "ART"! Various aircraft versions are available in the AVSIM library.   Non-Boeing Jetliner:   Paul Golding/PFG, MD-80 panel - DC-9 aircraft (freeware)   During the early part of 2001, Paul Golding released his latest panel design and it was for the MD-80; so, lacking any access to a quality MD-80 flight model, Paul inserted his newest panel into a PFG (Project Freeware Group) DC-9. Actually this is quite acceptable, as the only real difference between the MD-80 panel and the older DC-9 was basically the auto-pilot, so Paul included a DC-9 aircraft with his panel download. Everyone that downloaded Paul's panel were delighted as they were treated to the first FS panel with a working windshield wiper! From his unique panel night-lighting to the startup procedure from the overhead panel, this is a very delightful panel and this combined with the excellent DC-9s from PFG is the perfect match. Available in the AVSIM library.   Non-US built Jetliner:   RFG (Russian Flightsim Group) Tu-134A (freeware)   Victor Stolpyansky has had many excellent FS aircraft designs, but his latest release of the Aeroflot Tu-134A-3 is simply one of the very best small jetliners available. It was the highly skilled Dmitry Kolesnik that has developed the airfile for this aircraft and though the download does not include the panel or sounds, the both of these are available at the homepage for the Russian MS Flight Simulator as a freeware download. I highly recommend you do this as Alexander Pogensky (of Kiev, Ukraine) has available a truly authentic appearing panel and he has included a very useable Virtual Panel as well. Victor Stolpyansky put together the outstanding sound package; but overall, it's Dmitry Kolesnik's airfile that will really put a smile on your face. Available in the AVSIM library. See also the Russian Flightsim Group homepage.   Turboprop:   RFG Antonov AN-24RV (freeware)   In what has to be one of the very finest freeware aircraft ever offered to the FS enthusiast is this extraordinary example of the Antonov AN-24RV from the Russian Flightsim Group! FS2000 had barely been on the market 3 or 4 months, when suddenly this aircraft shows up as freeware! This FS aircraft is complete with a multiwindow panel with startup procedures, authentic sounds, a very well and easy to use "Cargo Load Manager" (by Sergey Golovin), and a beautifully written manual in PDF format. Valentin and Alexander Rapoport (with direct and continuous assistance from Sergey Cimbaliuk (an AN-24RV pilot with over 11,000 hours logged in this aircraft type), developed what arguably may be the best airfile for a turboprop aircraft ever released! I once flew this FS aircraft from Reno, NV to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski in Siberia, Russia (all real-time, no x4 for me) without use of an autopilot—it trims out that well! Aircraft is available at the Russian Flightsim Group homepage.   Business Jet/Turboprop:   Abacus' "Corporate Pilot" aircraft series (payware)   Abacus released their "Private Pilot" series in late summer 2000 and they followed up soon after with "Corporate Pilot" which included 3 business jets (Cessna Citation X, Dassault Falcon2000, and the Beechjet 400A) and 3 business turboprops (Cessna 441, Rockwell Aero Commander 1000, and the beautiful Beechcraft Starship). Beautiful aircraft with way above average externals (Terry Hill designed; Terry is now with Dreamfleet2000 and is responsible for the new DreamFleet 737s as well), custom panels for each and including Abacus' FMC unit. Adding that Steve Small (airfile guru from Australia) did the flight dynamics assured that Abacus' success would continue! Available at the AVSIM Store.   Light GA aircraft:   Carenado's Piper Cherokee Warrior I & II (payware)   Our Chilean (SimChile) friends from South America have always offered some of the best looking and best flying light aircraft to all interested as freeware, but in their first attempt at payware, well, they've got two very fine winners on their hands! At $15.00US each, these aircraft are a bit on the expensive side, but if you want what has to be the finest looking, best airfile, and maybe some of the best appearing light aircraft panels ever, then these aircraft are tops on my list! There's no documentation included, but no matter, considering my logged time in real Piper Cherokees, I took to them like a duck to water, I simply love these aircraft! Aircraft available at Carenado website.   Bush Plane:   Fred Banting - Yannick Lavigne DHC-2 Beaver (freeware)   Fred Banting developed this group (all 3 Dehavilland DHC-2 Beavers are in the same download: float, wheeled, and wheel/ski) of what may be the definitive "Bush" plane, the Dehavilland DHC-2 Beaver! Fred's Beavers are complete with custom sounds, custom panels, full photorealistic cockpit views, beautifully textured exteriors, and excellent and very realistic flight dynamics. These are some of the very best FS aircraft and/or freeware packages ever offered. Available in the AVSIM library.   Other:   FSD (Flight Sim Developers) Pilatus PC-6 Porter (freeware)   In what is a more unusual aircraft, the Pilatus Porter PC-6, the boys and girls at FSD (Flight Sim Developers) truly out did themselves with their FS version. Like its real-world counterpart, this FS PC-6 can also put its propeller into "Beta' or reversed pitch while in flight (something that MS said wasn't possible with FS2000, but airfile guru Steve Small figured it out). FSD offered this aircraft in 3 versions; standard parachute, extended-range, and wheel/ski. If an aviation version of the Ford 1-ton SuperDuty 4-wheel drive pickup equipped with a Ford Powerstroke Turbo-diesel and dual Warn winches is what you're looking for, then the FSD Pilatus Porter PC-6 is just the ticket! If hauling skiers to the top of a mountain or landing on a remote glacier in Alaska—or simply flying straight down the southwall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park (without ever exceeding 70kts), this is the only aircraft I know of that can fill all those possibilities! Available in the AVSIM library. Watch for Bearracing's 2nd installment soon! 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