Here we go for the last week of September (22 - 28) and this week we did have a number of new aircraft become available along with some really good scenery packages. Let's take a look and see what all of the FS designers have to offer us this week!
The Pilatus PC-7 uses an airframe that is derived from that of the PC-9 but utilizing the smaller engine (PT6 variant). Painted in the colors of the Central Flying School (South African Air Force), David Friswell designed this FS aircraft, (Jens-Ole Kjølberg did the paint work, and Luke Hampshire designed up the custom panel).
I found the flight characteristics to be quite good and the controls to be quick yet precise in their reactions. Landings are easy, yet still maintaining that feeling of a complex-high performance style aircraft. Even with my short experience at flying this FS aircraft, its value as a trainer became very evident in just a couple of minutes of flight. Here's another excellent design of an aircraft from the famous Swiss manufacturer and another FS aircraft for you to consider. ...Bear!
Apparently Grob builds both sailplanes and motorized aircraft, for if you read my mini-review (here) when it was first posted, you may have noticed that my screenshots were of a sailplane and not of the powered aircraft now posted! When I first test flew Dave's Grob 115E, my hard drive menu loaded up a Grob 103 twin III sailplane that I had inadvertantly listed as a 115E. Having never heard of a Grob 115E (let alone having seen one), it was only natural for me to think that it was a sailplane. When I went into the file folder, the folder I went into was the folder for the 103 and not the 115, so all my data was for the 103 sailplane designed by Max Roodveldt. To make things even more confusing, I totally misunderstood the email (and notes in the feedback section here) concerning the error, because I had no idea whatsoever that a Grob 115E was a powered aircraft! Anyway, after re-downloading the file, grob115e.zip, and doing another install, I now found out, much to my surprise, Dave Garwood's Grob is not a sailplane, but is a really terrific little 2-seat trainer not unlike a Bulldog! So, let's have a second go at this everyone!
The Grob 115E is used by University Air Squadrons (UK) under the name of Tutor T1 and this FS design appears to be very well thought out, including fully animated components (includes a opening canopy with the pilot reaching up and pulling back the canopy very much like the PSS Bulldog), 2D panel, and virtual cockpit.
An obvious Gmax design with reflective textures, photorealistic style 2D panel, and a crystal clear 3D virtual panel (dynamic). The shape of the Grob 115E appears very similar to the Bulldog so it makes for a natural comparison between the two (now I suppose someone is going to point out that the Grob 115E and the Bulldog are the same aircraft, which is highly possible, because I'm totally unfamiliar with either aircraft in the real-world). The bottom line is that for those of you that would like a pretty fair example of a freeware alternative to the PSS Bulldog, then you might want to give Dave Garwood's Grob 115E a spin around the pattern! Very well done Dave!
...Bear!
Using Gmax, Kazuhiro Miyazaki has designed some of the most unique and original airport scenery I've seen for FS2002. The 4 separate sceneries, uploaded by Kazuhiro, includes the airports of Tokyo International, Naha, Matsumoto, and Kume Island airports.
Each airport has its share of new and unique features, but it is the Naha Airport (on the home island of Okinawa) that I liked the best, with its abundance of static P-3 and F4s (Japan Maritime Self-Defense and Japan Air Self-Defense forces) and some very unusual night lighting. The night lighting has a very realistic mecury-vapor like appearance to it and though I liked it very well, it does require an additional scenery file install of the lighting effects over (above) the airport scenery install. I am also beginning to notice that sceneries designed, using Gmax, generally have minimum effect on frame rates and Kazuhiro's sceneries continue with this advantage.
This scenery package of four separate files is well designed, very detailed, and certainly worth the download and install, just to view what can be accomplished in FS2002! Very well done Kazuhiro!
...Bear!
Honorable Mention!
Gmax created version of the MiG-29 'Fulcrum' that is very accurately presented in its design, with fully animated parts-components and possessing reflective textures in two liveries, this is a really nice looking MiG. Uses default Learjet 45 panel and sounds.
I am personally am unfamiliar with this particular aircraft (real-life) and because the readme file is in Spanish, I am unable to offer any comments from this FS aircraft's authors. I will say that this aircraft (FS) does have a very good panel (2D) and really outstanding sounds included. This aircraft appears to have been designed with FSDS rather than Gmax.
© 2002 - AVSIM Online |
