Anyone have thoughts on this Airshow Pilot product from Just Flight?[/url]http://www.justflight.com/product.asp?pid=490Looks like it could be a lot of fun, but nowadays I'm doing a bit more research before making purchases.*EDIT* I just noticed there is a demo. Guess I'll check it out.

I know it's an old post but now Justflight has a sale and this Airshow pilot is on it and I'm interested but I'd like to hear from somebody who bought it.. how is it, do you use it, is it worth the money?

Yeah, I have it. It is great, pretty realistic and quite accessible too, with an online competition statistics mode that is good fun in addition to the purely offline game it offers. It is absolutely worth the purchase price, and especially so in a sale. Don't expect to be brilliant at it in a matter of minutes though, you really will have to practice your airshow routines a lot before trying to put a real one in that is scored if you hope to do well in its competitions, since it is about precision maneuvers and precision positioning in the display box in a particular piece of sky as is the case with real aeros.You get a very nice model of a Red Arrows BAe Hawk with it as well, and you can fly formations with that too, although it has no fancy VC, it is just the external model and a basic panel, but it does come with formation models as well that are very entertaining to fly.Aerobatics to airshow standards is a lot harder than it looks - and I actually have some real-life aerobatic training LOL - but having said that, there are a lot of aids which appear in the sim to help you get a hang of it and learn the Aresti system (such as tunnels of symbols in the sky for your to fly through and that kind of thing, which is kind of like the ones you can have in Condor if you've ever used that flight sim). It is rewarding to pull off a routine well. I would seriously recommend having Track IR to get the best out of it though, as aligning for maneuvers can be tricky if you have to pan the view with the hat switch.One nice aspect of it is that it isn't just about throwing nippy biplanes about, like a real airshow pilot, you can do displays with big airliners, transports, old warbirds and such, and it takes into account what kind of display that type of aeroplane would perform at an airshow, but of course the fast and nippy aeroplanes are where the real challenge lies. And there are a lot of challenges, it's a pretty in-depth add on and not just a small dashed-off affair, so you do get a lot of bang for your bucks.You can use the default Extra with it of course, or any other aeroplane you like, but I recommend using either the Addictive Simulations Pitts, the IRIS Christen Eagle or the Experimental Aircraft Works Sukhoi SU-26 with it if you want a real challenge. They are all great with it, especially the Christen Eagle's engine sounds on exterior view when watching your display on a replay, and the roll rate on the Sukhoi is a challenge in itself to master, so make sure you use a stopwatch!While it is cheap, go get it, you won't regret it if you really are into trying to fly precision aeros, as it will make you better at them. But keep in mind it is not the kind of FS add-on that you can have a five minute blast on and expect to do well with, in that respect I would say it is a lot like a decent car racing sim, in that you have to put in a lot of laps practicing if you want to win races.Al

Very informative, as always , thank you!I'm going to buy it.. last week there was an Airshow where I live and the main attraction were the Red Arrows! Man, those guys (and one woman) rock! The whole show blew me away, that was probably one of the craziest thing I saw in my life. Of course, now I want to try it :Nerd:I know, it's not easy.. and I also have TrackIR. The only aerobatic aeroplane I bought so far (some time ago) was Pitts Special - S-2B but didn't fly it much. I'll probably start with default Extra and than move to those you recommended.

If you are into watching your displays on a replay, I really do recommend the Christen Eagle from IRIS, which is as much fun as the Pitts, since the sounds are absolutely amazing and really give it that airshow feel. Check out this video and you'll see (or rather hear) what I mean:http://secure.simmarket.com/iris-pro-series-christen-eagle.phtmlAl

I think you've just sold it to me Alan :( Our flying club at Denham has a Decathlon for hire and I'm tempted to take their basic aero's course.This sounds like the ideal program to learn how to fly the manoeuvres without the associated expense and possible tummy upset.Thanks for the heads up and info.Presumably I can use my RealAir SF260 and Decathlon within the program.Adam

You can use any aeroplane you like with it, although trying an outside loop going into a lomcevak in a B-52 is probably not a good idea.Al