A thanks to Realair/Rob/Sean for the Duke

[Geofa 108]

1st-this plane has all the great handling and "feeling" of a Beech-e.g. a joy to fly. I don't know how you guys do it-but a non moving desktop feels so real...2nd-what a wonderful instrument platform. The instruments are buttery smooth-I used a vc view of full panel tonight (no outside window view) and flew instrument approaches-instruments were smooth like they should be and finally I have something close to what I fly that handles both in fm and instrument response like it should. This makes the Duke extremely useful for me. There are few fs titles that fly with this kind of instrument response so necessary for hand flown approaches.So a heart felt thanks to you guys for making something that will save me lots of $$$ now that I can train with something extremely close to reality for a fraction of the cost!I do have a question about fs limitations? The manifold produces realistic sounds but moving the props seems to do little (sound wise). This is one thing xplane does great-I can sync the props by sound. Is this a built in limitation of fs? On all other areas though this tops anything I can get in xplane.Again thanks for your stellar work-I wish it was a B55 but it is close enough to be extremely helpful to me. From hearing from Duke pilots what a maintenance hog this plane is-also a lot cheaper.. :(

[brucek 38]

.........2nd-what a wonderful instrument platform. The instruments are buttery smooth-I used a vc view of full panel tonight (no outside window view) and flew instrument approaches-instruments were smooth like they should be and finally I have something close to what I fly that handles both in fm and instrument response like it should. This makes the Duke extremely useful for me. There are few fs titles that fly with this kind of instrument response so necessary for hand flown approaches.......

Hi Geof,How does this a/c compare with flying by the numbers in the Baron? I haven't flown any Beech a/c let alone one of these, but often re-read John Eckalbar's "IFR, A Structured Approach" (a classic for anyone that is into instrument flight, IMOH), where:Cruise: 23/2300Enroute letdown: 17/2300Level to FAF: 17/2300, flaps APP, 120KIAS3 degree descent: 17/2300, 120KIAS, flaps APP, gear down.Thanks, Bruce.

[Geofa 108]

Hi Geof,How does this a/c compare with flying by the numbers in the Baron? I haven't flown any Beech a/c let alone one of these, but often re-read John Eckalbar's "IFR, A Structured Approach" (a classic for anyone that is into instrument flight, IMOH), where:Cruise: 23/2300Enroute letdown: 17/2300Level to FAF: 17/2300, flaps APP, 120KIAS3 degree descent: 17/2300, 120KIAS, flaps APP, gear down.Thanks, Bruce.

Interesting-cause that is the way I fly too-except when I want to get somewhere fast I do 24/2400. I also don't use flaps-but some do. Those numbers seem to work pretty much on anything from a cessna/piper ( only rpm of course) up...I flew my approaches on the Duke the same way-though used 2500 rpm since that seemed to be right.I am always lazy on reading the docs-but 17" (and I'd use 15" in the winter) of manifold seem to nail it at 120 kias. I'll look at the docs eventually and maybe modify-but the smoothness of instruments and intuitive Beech handling makes this an fs joy-and very real.

[brucek 38]

Interesting-cause that is the way I fly too-except when I want to get somewhere fast I do 24/2400. I also don't use flaps-but some do. Those numbers seem to work pretty much on anything from a cessna/piper ( only rpm of course) up...I flew my approaches on the Duke the same way-though used 2500 rpm since that seemed to be right.I am always lazy on reading the docs-but 17" (and I'd use 15" in the winter) of manifold seem to nail it at 120 kias. I'll look at the docs eventually and maybe modify-but the smoothness of instruments and intuitive Beech handling makes this an fs joy-and very real.

Thanks Geof, you've just convinced me- off to find my wallet and CC :)Thanks, Bruce.

[Geofa 108]

Thanks Geof, you've just convinced me- off to find my wallet and CC :)Thanks, Bruce.

I don't think you will regret it one bit.How lucky we are to experience such reality for the price to taxi the real plane to the other side of the airport...

[robert young 2,897]

1st-this plane has all the great handling and "feeling" of a Beech-e.g. a joy to fly. I don't know how you guys do it-but a non moving desktop feels so real...2nd-what a wonderful instrument platform. The instruments are buttery smooth-I used a vc view of full panel tonight (no outside window view) and flew instrument approaches-instruments were smooth like they should be and finally I have something close to what I fly that handles both in fm and instrument response like it should. This makes the Duke extremely useful for me. There are few fs titles that fly with this kind of instrument response so necessary for hand flown approaches.So a heart felt thanks to you guys for making something that will save me lots of $$$ now that I can train with something extremely close to reality for a fraction of the cost!I do have a question about fs limitations? The manifold produces realistic sounds but moving the props seems to do little (sound wise). This is one thing xplane does great-I can sync the props by sound. Is this a built in limitation of fs? On all other areas though this tops anything I can get in xplane.Again thanks for your stellar work-I wish it was a B55 but it is close enough to be extremely helpful to me. From hearing from Duke pilots what a maintenance hog this plane is-also a lot cheaper.. :(

Hi Geofa,Thanks so much for your generous comments. We did put a very big effort into making the Duke's handling believable and as smooth as possible, particularly in pitch and roll. This can be further adjusted with the control sensitivity settings in FSX where a low setting makes the first half of movement very gentle then increases through to stick fully back.Sometimes all the chat about whether exotic hardware, which we are now addressing, can work well with the Duke, hides the nature of how we intended the Duke to be primarily: an aircraft with beautifully harmonised controls and a pleasure to fly manually. I hope you do get round to seeing the manual at some point because it lists a whole lot of other things that pilot's such as yourself might find stimulating: For example the Duke will do a shallow stall when held gently back, but if you continue stubbornly holding hard back for a few seconds it will enter a deeper stall and if there is some up trim the left wing will drop. Likewise the Duke can slowly spin just on held elevator if the conditions are right. It will also spin with faster rotation if you add rudder. It will slip well too (cleared for 30 seconds worth) and finally of course it will demonstrate pretty demanding single engine challenges if fully laden. Oh, and it will stall off a tight slow turn leading to a spiral or even spin if not corrected.Regarding props and engine note, there is a distinct drop in note if you pull back a fair bit from 2900 rpm although the drop is not quite as good as we would like. If you reduce just one engine prop (right click and drag) you will eventually hear a mismatch in the drone of the engines and another new feature is that the two engines are completely separated in stereo. You can then retune by aural signals or you can throw the sync switch which will match the rpms even if they are quite wide apart.I'd better stop now because I don't want to turn this into an ad! But do read the guide. It has a whole list of stuff you might have missed.Best Regards,Rob - RealAir

[Geofa 108]

Hi Geofa,Thanks so much for your generous comments. We did put a very big effort into making the Duke's handling believable and as smooth as possible, particularly in pitch and roll. This can be further adjusted with the control sensitivity settings in FSX where a low setting makes the first half of movement very gentle then increases through to stick fully back.Sometimes all the chat about whether exotic hardware, which we are now addressing, can work well with the Duke, hides the nature of how we intended the Duke to be primarily: an aircraft with beautifully harmonised controls and a pleasure to fly manually. I hope you do get round to seeing the manual at some point because it lists a whole lot of other things that pilot's such as yourself might find stimulating: For example the Duke will do a shallow stall when held gently back, but if you continue stubbornly holding hard back for a few seconds it will enter a deeper stall and if there is some up trim the left wing will drop. Likewise the Duke can slowly spin just on held elevator if the conditions are right. It will also spin with faster rotation if you add rudder. It will slip well too (cleared for 30 seconds worth) and finally of course it will demonstrate pretty demanding single engine challenges if fully laden. Oh, and it will stall off a tight slow turn leading to a spiral or even spin if not corrected.Regarding props and engine note, there is a distinct drop in note if you pull back a fair bit from 2900 rpm although the drop is not quite as good as we would like. If you reduce just one engine prop (right click and drag) you will eventually hear a mismatch in the drone of the engines and another new feature is that the two engines are completely separated in stereo. You can then retune by aural signals or you can throw the sync switch which will match the rpms even if they are quite wide apart.I'd better stop now because I don't want to turn this into an ad! But do read the guide. It has a whole list of stuff you might have missed.Best Regards,Rob - RealAir

I will read the manual!In any case-I always judge an add on by can/does it fly like a real bird without the manual-and yours passes with flying colors.Thanks again for a great add in-and I will delve into the reality by reading the manual and going into the subtle realms!

[Chalkman 0]

Finished the manual, and its surely worth the effort when you look at what is there. This thing has so many levels, just delving into the surface of it.

[Guest Kingfish_42]

Geofa beat me to the punch on his comments. The Duke flying characteristics follow my experience with Beech aircraft.........exactly. Rob mentioned the harmonized controls; but did not mention the fact that Beech aircraft demonstrate harmonized controls consistently. I am having a hard time expressing this only from a Beech perspective.........so.....my experience......... Piper Aircraft seemed to populate the rental market. Maybe this is why all Piper Aircraft controls felt "sloppy". (You don't often find a two year old Hertz rental car that seems "tight".Cessna Aircraft.......Cessna 150 and 172's again were rental market fodder. Controls felt "sloppy". The 182's, 206's, 210's all had heavy elevators compared to the ailerons.Bellanca,........ailerons sweet.......elevators heavy.Grumman Tiger...........twitchy.Beechcraft......2000 hours Bonanza's, 600 hours T-34A, 20 hours Barons, and 4 hours Duke............In all axis a real joy to fly. Slow down, control pressure in all axis would reduce the same. Speed up and control pressure in all axis would increase in proportion. And the T-34 was a special case. Push tubes rather than cables. Now that was a joy.I find it hard to believe that RealAir was able to capture this feeling; but they did. This airplane is a true joy to handlfy. Now if they could just get the A/P to recognize my Goflight MCP.................. :( (Just joshing you Rob. As a side note, I e-mailed Rob about 24 hours after release of the Duke to request that they do their magic to hook up my GoFlight MCP to the OBS, HDG, and ALT on the Duke and within an hour got an e-mail back. They are working on it. What service.)So my hat is off to RealAir. Although sitting in a chair in my den, they have allowed me to recapture the feeling of a well balanced aircraft. Outstanding.....Kingfish

[spilok 1,132]

After only a few days with the Duke from RealAir, I'm finding it to be one of the most enjoyable airplanes I have ever flown. I can't speak with the authority of Geofa as to it's real feeling, but it sure feels real to me. I have made it my default plane, and I'm really enjoying the polished metal (silver) variation. The sounds alone are worth every penny, and toggling through the various views are extremely satisfying. They add a great deal to the experience. I particularly enjoy the wing view from the right side of the plane (passenger view). Thanks RealAir and Rob for producing yet another phenomenal product. It is sure to be an award winner.Stan

[Guest abulaafia]

I am adding my praises to this thread. I bought it 24 hours ago and haven't left the PC since (jet lag, too). Fantastic plane, well executed, thoroughly enjoyable. The website mentions an update with focus on input devices. It would be great to include support for the mouse wheel in all dial controls. You already have the mouse move-up, move-down for most controls, the mouse wheel would be a much time and muscle-saving extension of that.

[robert young 2,897]

After only a few days with the Duke from RealAir, I'm finding it to be one of the most enjoyable airplanes I have ever flown. I can't speak with the authority of Geofa as to it's real feeling, but it sure feels real to me. I have made it my default plane, and I'm really enjoying the polished metal (silver) variation. The sounds alone are worth every penny, and toggling through the various views are extremely satisfying. They add a great deal to the experience. I particularly enjoy the wing view from the right side of the plane (passenger view). Thanks RealAir and Rob for producing yet another phenomenal product. It is sure to be an award winner.Stan

Thanks Stan and I know you will include Sean here as it is he that has made all those nice views and gauges work. Sean doesn't always get mentioned because I tend to be the public face of RealAir, but we've worked together now for nearly a decade and his work is something which always blows me away when I first see it.Cheers,Rob Young

[darem 84]

Never flew a real Duke. Never flew any real plane at all, that is. But even as a desktop pilot, I can feel that the Duke is something special. Imagine my amazement when I came in a little too slow for a landing on my first flight with the duke - I deliberately do this now every once and then just because what you experience is so outstanding :-).2009 so far has been a wonderful year for those into General Aviation. First the exceptional Kodiak, now the amazing duke. Such a joy to fly!

[formula100 0]

The Duke is a real joy to fly. I sent Rob a note regarding the issues I have with my Elite and Goflight gear and he replied in a hour. Great service and product. I now have all of their FSX planes and they do three things that really stand out for me. 1. The gauges are silky smooth. I don't think anyone has them beat on this. On the 37" screen that I use it is evident and appreciated.2. The plane feels rigged properly. By that I mean it turns with the coordination/uncoordination I would expect from the real thing. All control axis feel real.3. Side slips and stalls. Of all of the planes I have purchased no one, not even X-Plane with it's "realistic" flight modeling does it better. Cross controlling in a crosswind with their planes is as good as a desktop plane is going to get for the foreseeable future IMHO.All of the above three combined with great graphics, audio, and service make for a helluva product. If you can't tell I like RealAir.I haven't flown the "stick" planes much since buying a PFC yoke but I am saving for a Flightlink GIII+ stick. Maybe by Christmas.Thanks again,Charles

[FalconAF 213]

Just in case anybody is interested, the below is what the Duke VC can look like with a TripleHead2GO on three 19" monitors. It would normally be 3840 x 1024 wide, but I reduced it 50% to meet forum guidelines here. In the below pic, I also moved the Eyepoint back "10 clicks" with the keyboard key option, and moved it down about "5 clicks" (to raise the panel up higher to see more gauges). I normally don't do this, as I use the TrackIR and can look around without having to move the panel away from me (to get most of the gauges on the screen).Click on the pic for a slightly bigger view. The VC looks incredible in FSX on the TH2G. Approach is to KHND, Henderson, NV, rwy 35L.RickEDIT: Oh heck...here's a full size one at 3840 x 1024 resolution. I didn't realize the forum would automatically reduce the posted image. Click on this one to enlarge. You will probably have to scroll your screen to see it all.

Edited April 29, 2009 by FalconAF