AVSIM Commercial Aircraft, Panel and Sounds Package Review

When Phoenix Software Simulations entered the jam-packed market for flight simulation add-ons with their Boeing 777-200, they took the whole community by storm. No one in the simming community was expecting what we saw. Never before had we seen an aircraft with such beautiful textures as this. Not since the days of the Japanese design team KTB Panels and their earth shattering replicas of the 757/767, the 777, and the 747-400 had we seen a panel like the PSS 777 panel. Just as the flight simulation community was recovering from the PSS onslaught, they're back with another dose: this time, the PSS Boeing 747-400.

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The Aircraft

The Boeing 747-400 is the most famous aircraft in modern aviation history. I won't go into a big, long history lesson on the aircraft, but you can get one, if you so desire, from the seemingly millions of sites on the Internet that are devoted to the "Queen of the Skies." The first place to start would obviously be the Boeing website.

When the 777 came out, the initial offering was one livery: United. It eventually grew to seven, including the United colors. This time around, PSS has released eight different liveries at the same time, allowing you to purchase the one you want. You will also find a sound package, and panel to compliment the aircraft. I had the chance to look at all eight. The only big difference is the color scheme. The core AIR file is the same. At this point in time, only the Rolls Royce RB211 is modeled but plans are in the works to model the Pratt & Whitney and General Electric engines as well as the necessary modifications to the panel.

The aircraft look breath-taking. Just as I was engrossed in the detail when I saw the 777 for the first time, it was "deja-vu" all over again. The attention to detail is so complete that they even got the brake temperature sensor line found on each one of the aircraft's 18 wheels (but you have to look really really closely and carefully). All eight paint schemes are done with pin-point accuracy. The most challenging out of the eight to recreate, the Wunala scheme for Qantas, is simply splendid. They're all so gorgeous you may just be tempted to buy all eight of them. Textures on the landing gear struts (all the mains and the nose gear) are prevalent. On the nose gear, there are added textures on the torsion links (the two pieces that come together at one point). Gear retraction is slow and smooth, and exactly how the real 747 does it. Even the individual gear sequencing is programmed in. The wing gear doors first fold out, then down on extension, and up and in on retraction, just like – you guessed it – the real one. The accompanying screenshots will speak for the rest of the visual part of the review.

Before heading over to the flight dynamics, this is a good place to mention documentation. The manual comes in a 3-part PDF download. Parts 1 and 2 contain panel description and all the possible charts, tables, and performance data you could want and need for the RB211 engine. These charts come in really handy when cross-checking the settings the flight management computer has made based on your input. Or you can use them and actually determine all the necessary speeds based on the particular settings you use for your flight. Part 3 of the manual goes into a lot of detail on what each knob, switch, and dial does on the panel, along with all the various modes and displays you will see. So after going through the realistic engine start sequence, and set up (center tanks feeding engines, packs on, bleeds on, pitot, engine and leading edge anti-ice and lights on), the throttles are advanced forward and the aircraft starts to move. AAAHHH!!! My force feedback joystick goes nuts as the aircraft starts rolling. That's not right. A little too violent I think. If you leave it as is, you can either use the finger-tip approach, or unplug the joystick and fly it. Or you can copy the force feedback portion from the PSS 777 AIR file into the 747 AIR file and correct the violent joystick issue.

Test System Intel PII-450MHz Windows 98SE 128 Megs RAM Diamond Viper V550 Toshiba 48X CD ROM Diamond MX300 Sound MS Sidewinder Forcefeed Panasonic 19" Monitor Flying Time: 25 hours over 5 days It's a good thing that British Airways decided to drop the idea of the 50 commissioned paint schemes from various artists around the world. Personally, I like this color scheme, and I'm glad PSS adopted this one instead of one of the other 50. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Tom Allensworth speaking. I'm the captain for this flight, along side First Officer Robert Kirkland. (Looks enormous, doesn't it?) Korean Air is a large B747 operator, with 44 of the type in their fleet, of which 27 are -400 series. Notice the attention to detail around the landing gear area and around the flap area. More attention to detail. Look closely at the 3:30 position and you'll see the cable for the brake temperature sensor. TAKE COVER!! And no, the wing gear wheels aren't sitting on each other. They tilt when hanging, just like the real one. The Korean Air model is the only one that depicts the General Electric engines on the aircraft, but uses a Rolls Royce model. Touchdown. Just like the PSS 777, you can find cowls that slide open when reverse thrust is applied. Here, we have flaps 30, spoilers extended, reverse thrust open, and me literally standing on the brakes to slow her down in time. This shot shows off the night textures, along with the Wunala livery from Qantas. Wave to the friendly drivers up front! Northwest Airlines, the world's fourth largest airline, operates a large number of 747s, including 12 dedicated freighters. This angle shows off the beautiful paint scheme, along with the fine lines of the aircraft. Jet trails courtesy of FS Clouds. Whoever complains of night lighting in FS2000 better get some glasses. The night lighting in the panel is the best around. There's so much light here, the pilots may have a hard time sleeping. As you can see from the glareshield, the FMC is doing the flying, since LNAV and VNAV is engaged. Looks complicated, but it's almost child's play. Most of the functions are automated. The main ones to concern yourself with are the engine start switches, the electrical panel on the left side, and the air conditioning panel on the right side. Once again, beautiful night time lighting effects. The second EICAS screen, and yes, the eight control buttons all function and bring up different screens, showing the status of the various systems. You can tell I like night flying. This is the "runway" view. Talk about a different perspective. Be careful when using this view for your landing, and listen carefully to your callouts so you get the flare right, as it's very easy to misjudge your height. Notice to the right of the shot, on the glareshield, we have a full autoland in progress. As we sit waiting for takeoff, one quick scan of the instruments tells everything. In the top left corner of the PFD, you'll notice the V1 speed at 159 knots, based on what the FMC calculated. Also, our MDA is set to 1500, as an indication to engage the autopilot when the aircraft passes through that altitude. The radios are being auto-tuned by the FMC. Our EICAS screen is telling us the APU is running, seat belt sign was manually switched to ON, and that packs 2 and 3 are turned off. Scan complete, cleared for takeoff! Pull out the shades folks. I have never seen this much flexibility in any aircraft add-on package for FS2000 to date. Adjust your passenger and cargo loads to your heart's desire. Those changes will be reflected when you actually fly the aircraft in terms of takeoff speeds and climb characteristics.

As I continue taxiing to the runway, I realize the airplane is getting away on me. Back come the throttles—but wait a minute, I'm not slowing down! Even standing on the brakes took quite a distance to stop it. Finally—an airplane that taxis like a real aircraft, let alone the real type, and stops like an aircraft the size and weight of a 747 should stop. When taxiing, the throttles can be set to idle and the aircraft will continue moving at pretty much the same speed at which the throttles were retarded. The initial advancement of throttles to get moving will vary, but about 60% N1 will get you going.

Rotation speeds will vary significantly depending on aircraft weight. For example, an empty aircraft (no passengers, baggage or cargo) will rotate at about 140 knots, whereas one that has a full load of passengers, cargo, and baggage, along with full fuel will rotate at about 170 knots. Each aircraft comes with a utility that allows you to easily modify the loadout of the aircraft. The file is located in the root directory of each aircraft subfolder. It's a piece of cake to use. Slide the bars until the number you want is shown, click Save Config, and the changes are made to the AIR file. But before you exit, make a note of the zero fuel weight. You'll need that a little later.

Climb speeds can usually be put to the standard 310 knots if you're doing the flying through the autopilot (yes, there's another way to fly the airplane, and no, it's not manually). Fully loaded, 310 knots will get you to about FL330. After that, it's time to lighten up before heading on up. Coming in for the approach and landing, once again, there's no definitive approach speed as your arrival weight will dictate that. And once again, you can head for the charts or have the FMC do the calculations for you.

When you do come in for the landing, you usually have the option of flying the approach or do an approach mode landing. The flight model goes one step further and will do a full autoland, flare and rollout included. It's quite something to watch, but at the same time a little scary watching the autopilot computers flare, touchdown, apply brakes, and spoilers as needed—all the while displaying flight mode status on the PFD's annunciation panel. But then it also gives you the opportunity to watch her come in for a landing, from either Tower view or Spot Plane view.

The Sounds

Why devote a section to the sounds? Because they rock. Rolls Royce engines have a distinctive sound to them, and even if there's no Rolls Royce decal on it, you can tell it's a Rolls Royce from the sound and the wide open rear end of the engine. Engines from Pratt and Whitney and General Electric have a visible exhaust cone to collect the gases, whereas Rolls Royce encases the exhaust cone and puts a larger opening on the back.

The sound package is worth its weight in gold. If you do decide to purchase an aircraft and the panel, do yourself a favor and buy the sound package as well. You'll be glad you did.

On initial loadup of the aircraft, the first thing you will hear is – well – nothing. When I fired up the APU, I kid you not, I thought I was at work with my head stuck up the APU compartment of a real 747. It sounds awesome. If you have ever heard a Rolls Royce engine fire up, you'll instantly feel at home here. If you haven't, download the sound package, install it, crank up your speakers—and you'll get the feeling of standing next to one at idle. These are the most authentic sounding Rolls Royce replicas short of buying the engine. Better spending five pounds than millions <G>.

The Panel

Now on to the good stuff. At first glance, it looks pretty basic. Three CRTs, a glareshield, and some standby instruments. Piece of cake. Ah, but don't be fooled by the looks because they can be deceiving and in this case, they are. Remember Eric's 757/767 panel for FS98? Well, that's what we have here, only with a lot more features, and respectable frame rates to go with it. After scanning the main panel, you will quickly realize that there are no dummy switches on the glareshield. Every switch, knob, and button on this panel does something.

The cluster on the left side of the glareshield all have to do with setting your decision altitude and MDA, along with the controls for the ND. Next, we have the controls for the auto-throttle. It's a system in itself and we'll discuss that in a bit. Next, the heading controls. Push the center of the button and you get the heading select mode, along with a HDG SEL annunciation on the PFD. Whatever heading you dial up is what the aircraft flies. Press the HOLD button and the aircraft levels out to the heading at which it was pressed. Integral to this knob is the bank angle knob. Provided you're flying with the heading select mode, you can limit the bank angle of the aircraft. If you're flying using LNAV, this won't work.

Next, the altitude system. Here again, you have a vertical speed mode and a hold mode. If you're flying without using VNAV, you'll be using the vertical speed mode. However, if you've engaged VNAV, and programmed the altitudes into the FMC, vertical speed will be of little use. The altitude window is pretty self-explanatory. Pushing the selector knob depends on which mode of the autopilot is engaged. If VNAV is engaged, pushing it will remove the next altitude restriction in the FMC and continue the climb to the dialed in altitude. Likewise during descent. If you press it in level flight, and no restrictions are programmed, the aircraft climbs to the dialed-in altitude. The Hold button can be used to stop the climb or descent and maintain an altitude at which it was pressed, and arm the speed mode if autothrottle is engaged. When climbing on Vertical Speed, the autopilot will automatically switch to Hold when it reaches altitude, unless VNAV is engaged, in which case, neither of these modes will be used.

Finally, on the glareshield, we have three autopilot buttons. During normal flights, any one of three can be engaged. All three lights will light up when the APP mode is engaged during the final approach, and the aircraft has stabilized on the approach. When all three do light up, the aircraft is set for a full autoland, right down to the flare, rollout, and application of brakes and spoilers, provided they are engaged prior to landing. You still have to set the throttles to idle on touchdown or at 50 feet; and on touchdown, you still have to control the aircraft, but everything else is taken care of.

The PFD, ND and EICAS screens look pretty standard at first glance. However the PFD provides a wealth of information. Most of the information is displayed if you have the FMC programmed for your specific setup. If you do, on the ground the airspeed ticker tape will show you your V1, rotation, and V2 speeds. Once airborne, your flap retraction schedule will be shown in green, your command airspeed in purple, and a yellow bar that indicates the current minimum maneuvering speed. The PFD will also display the various modes of the autopilot and auto-throttle systems. There are too many to list here, so make sure to check the manual for information.

On the bottom left corner of the main panel are buttons that can bring up the clock, the center pedestal, the overhead panel, the FMC keyboard, a really cool "runway" view, and another sliding bar utility that you can use to set the refresh rates of the PFD, ND, EICAS, and FMC screens, meaning the CPU load is less.

The runway view is totally awesome, and gives a completely different perspective to taking off, flying, and landing. This view will have you moving up and down during the landing since we're all so used to flying with a full panel in front of us. But if an autolanding is set up, this is the view to use. The center pedestal has the second EICAS screen, which can be used to show a whole pile of dynamic systems information from engines to APU to landing gear, electrical, hydraulics, and pneumatics. Again, another awesome feature, something we hadn't seen since the PSS 777 and before that, the KTB panels.

The overhead panel may look a little intimidating at first, but most of it is automated. On initial loadup, you'll fire up the APU, turn the APU generators on, and use the engine start switches in conjunction with the center pedestal and the EICAS. With the PSS 777, we had the problem of having to start the fuel flow before hitting the start switch, and you couldn't see the engine indications. The 747 uses pull-out switches with an internal light, indicating the start valve is open and bleed air from the APU is going to the engine. What's cool here is you can open the center pedestal panel, switch to overhead and pull the start switch, then switch back to the main panel and start the fuel flow when N2 is at 20%, which is how it's really done.

The rest of the overhead is pretty well automated. Prior to takeoff, you should turn on your window heat and nacelle anti-ice, and turn off air conditioning packs 2 and 3 for maximum air to the engines. Also, make sure to switch the four engine generators on since power transfer from the APU generators isn't automatic. Oh, and your lights.

The Flight Management Computer

This is no ordinary FMC. Learning to use it is imperative to getting the full value and enjoyment out of this package. Sure you could just set the altitude, airspeed, load up a flight plan, and just "fly" it, but you'll be missing out on a whole ton of cool stuff. Do you want to have an "as real as it gets" feeling? I'm sure you do. The FMC, as in the real world, is central to every system that controls the aircraft: airspeed, altitude, heading, navigation, communications, and autoflight. All these systems link directly or indirectly to the FMC, which is why it's so important to learn how it's used properly. Read the manual, and definitely download John Helsby's tutorial from our Educational Resource Center, which you can get by clicking here. This tutorial guides you through a quick flight from Chicago to Toronto, but covers almost everything the FMC is capable of.

Before doing anything, load up the amount of fuel you need for your particular flight, and download the latest weather. The FMC uses these two parameters to calculate information such as rotation speeds and EPR settings. Next, you can either set up the FMC or enter the flight plan. It doesn't matter which route you take, since before take off you will have done both. I opted to manually enter my flight plan, along with speed and altitude restrictions as I went. With the flight plan entered, the FMC setup is next.

At the start of the review I mentioned to make a note of the Zero Fuel Weight of the aircraft from the LoadEdit utility. This is where that number comes in. That weight gets entered into the Zero Fuel Weight tab on the Perf Init page. By adding the ZFW and the fuel sensed, the FMC comes up with the gross weight, along with your V1, rotation, and V2 speeds, which you can see if you press Thrust Lim once, and then Takeoff once. Cross check these speeds with the charts just to make sure the FMC calculated them correctly, then click on each one to register them. Also notice that these speeds, once registered, will appear on the PFD. Before leaving this page, enter the runway condition (Dry or Wet) into the tab marked Rwy Cond. This page is also where you can make adjustments to the flap retraction schedule, as well as at what point the FMC will switch the autothrottle from takeoff power to climb power.

The Thrust Lim page is where you can set your takeoff and climb power settings. And this is why you should download the latest weather before fiddling with the FMC. The computer uses the outside air temperature to set the thrust settings for takeoff and climb automatically. You can select between full takeoff thrust, and two derated thrust settings, which are 5% and 15% less than full takeoff power. Derated takeoff power can be used when the outside air temperature is very cold, or runway length is plentiful. Most of the time, if you're flying out of a busy metropolitan airport, TO1 will be used to extend the life of the engines. Once takeoff settings are set, the corresponding power settings will also be armed and all these changes will show up on the PFD.

For now, the FMC is set. What mode of altitude system you will use will be dictated by how you fly. If you use a ProFlight or Radar Contact adventure, chances are you will use Vertical Speed and Altitude Select. A word about the autopilot systems of these utilities: their respective autopilots will not work with the PSS autopilot since the PSS autopilot was completely re-designed, and doesn't use the stock FS2000 autopilot. The respective forums have postings from users of these utilities mentioning that they can't use the utility's autopilot with this package, and this is why it won't work. However, if you fly without an adventure file, you can program in your own climb schedule and engage VNAV.

For this review I flew on my own, so I engaged LNAV/VNAV, the flight director and autothrottle prior to takeoff. Once cleared for takeoff, you can either open the throttles all the way yourself, or you can advance the throttles to about 70% N1, make sure the engines are responding, and then press the TO/GA button beneath the landing gear lever. From that point on, the FMC has control of the autothrottle system, and will advance the throttles to the EPR setting displayed in the upper EICAS screen.

Once airborne, gear up, and then to OFF to relieve the hydraulic pressure to the up side of the gear, turn the autopilot on, and we're pretty much done until the top of descent point. The VNAV mode was taking care of the climb schedule according to the settings in the FMC, along with the autothrottle, and LNAV was taking care of navigation. Your job just changed from a pilot to a systems manager, making sure everything is running smoothly, and making minor course adjustments in the FMC if needed.

As you near your destination, it's time to bring the FMC back up and set the aircraft up for landing. Again, you can look at the charts, or set the FMC up and cross check. By pressing Init Ref, and Thrust Lim, you see the Approach Ref page. The current aircraft gross weight and recommended landing speed for flaps 25 and 30 are shown. You can either select one that the FMC has calculated for you, or enter one in based on your own calculations. Again, I opted for the FMC calculated settings (as I fix them, I don't fly them, though I wish I could). So with that entered, you can set up the FMC for the arrival runway, pick a STAR from the included database, and go for it. Dial in the approach altitude in the altitude selector, and the aircraft will descend based on any altitude restrictions you may have entered in the FMC, or straight down to the selected altitude using vertical speed mode.

That describes the setup and usage of the FMC during a typical flight, from takeoff to touchdown. But let's say you're flying along and ATC gives you a holding pattern at the next waypoint and you have no idea how to fly one. No problem. Flip open the FMC, click on the Hold button, and enter the parameters. You can set up a distance holding pattern or a time pattern. You can also enter a hold pattern using either the traditional ATC style method, or a more user-friendly final heading and which way to turn. Which ever way you go, executing holds are made so much easier with the FMC, and fearing them is a thing of the past. Finally, you can also define your climb and descent parameters using the VNAV page. Parameters such as the transition altitude, and speed restrictions can be modified. Page 2 will show you the optimal and maximum cruise altitudes based on your current gross weight.

One of the many pages on the FMC. This particular one deals with the initial setup. Enter your ZFW, and the FMC comes up with your total gross weight. Enter your reserves, cruise altitude, and on to the next page.

Once the gross weight has been calculated on from the previous page, the FMC will also calculate your V1, rotation, and V2 speeds. Once these parameters are set, you're cleared for takeoff.

Have no idea how to fly a hold? No problem. With the HOLD page, you can enter the parameters based on what ATC tells you, and let the FMC do the flying, while you sit back and enjoy Flying Holding Lessons 101.

Can I Fly The Real Thing?

No, probably not, but hand down this is the most realistic package that recreates the Queen of the Skies, short of spending US$300 and buying Aerowinx' 747 PS1. At least here, you get to see something outside and still be left with enough money for a computer upgrade to get the frame rates for FS2000 a bit better. On my PII 450 with an aging video card, there was no loss of frame rates, or at least I couldn't tell while flying. The PSS team has pushed the realism and innovation factor so far forward that it will definitely take quite a bit to take these guys down. An FMC, navigation display, and PFD that wrestles with the likes of Project Magenta and their displays, but at a fraction of the cost—both in terms of price of the suite, and additional hardware requirements. True, it's no 747 PS1, but then again, I certainly can't afford $500 Canadian for a sim that I may stop using because it's too damn hard to understand and learn. I'm perfectly happy with the level of realism I get from FS2000, and with add-ons like this, that level gets pushed further and further. If you decide not to purchase this package, you should really have yourself checked out because for the price, it's the best package available period. After that, head over to the PSS Website and place your order today.

Credits:

– Graham Waterfield – Visual Models, Textures, Flight dynamics
– Alex Bashkatov – Gauge programming & Panel Art
– Lena Bashkatov – Panel Art
– Robert Kirkland – Flight Testing, Research and Administration
– Mike Hambly – Sounds
– Garry Lewis – Texturing
– Prabal Ghosh – Airac Nav Data
– Uwe Rademacher and Johan C Dees – Manual Content

Beta Testers

– John Carbone
– Larry Teele
– Chris Mueller
– Gary Moore
– Georges Lorsche
– Michael Peterson
– Prabal Ghosh
– Steve Smith
– Philippe Praprotnik