There is if you have the A2A B-17G, since you can take them from that :-)Al

Ah, of course! You never see the solution that's (w)right under your nose...FYI that Martyn of JustFlight just posted on Sim Outhouse that they'll make the Sonic Solutions soundset a free upgrade for registered owners of the DC-3 package. He says it'll be up by the weekend. Thought you and others here might want to know.

FYI that Martyn of JustFlight just posted on Sim Outhouse that they'll make the Sonic Solutions soundset a free upgrade for registered owners of the DC-3 package. He says it'll be up by the weekend. Thought you and others here might want to know.

That makes it a pretty good deal, I think. Think I'll have to find the money for this one somewhere :(

Well, to be brutally honest, although the sounds are nice enough by default and I could live with them if I had to, it has to be said they could certainly be improved (especially in the rear sound cone area, where it sounds a bit like a diesel locomotive rather than a DC-3), so this is welcome news.Given that the Sonic sound set is about 7 quid, and I got the pre-order DC-3 with the expansion for about 18 quid, that makes it about eleven quid for me now. So I certainly got a bargain :-)Al

Hi Alan,To answer your question. The middle front two windows appear to be slightly wedge shaped, and also on the MAAMsim version but from the outside of the JF model they look all the same size? I'm sure that this is not the case?. The cockpit does really look cartoonish, compared with the MAAMsim for FS9 but you say it is true to the DC-3's you have flown in, so are you saying that MAAMsim got theirs wrong?Personally, I will wait for Bill Rambow's FSX version knowing that my money is going the right way, to help preserve the 'Gooney-bird'.

The cockpit does really look cartoonish, compared with the MAAMsim for FS9 but you say it is true to the DC-3's you have flown in, so are you saying that MAAMsim got theirs wrong?

Yup, MAAM got theirs wrong at least as far as the second forward window shape on the exterior model goes, in fact out of the JF DC-3 and even the default FSX DC-3, the MAAM on is the worst in regard to that particular second window shape, although to be fair, I think the side window isn't as accurate as it could be on the JF model and that one is better on the MAAM effort, so it's a bit 'swings and roundabouts' and ironically, of the three, the default FSX DC-3 does a better job overall when considering all the cockpit windows as a whole. If you don't believe me, take a look at this handy comparison I made:But that's by the by since the MAAM DC-3 is the most realistic one as far as systems go. What I'm saying is that photorealistic textures do not have universally superior merits in comparison to graphic representations of cockpits, since they have some drawbacks just as graphic versions do, and it depends on what the individual prefers. MAAM presumably got their interior textures to look like their DC-3 does, since they can clamber all over their DC-3 cockpit to their heart's content and see exactly what it looks like, but since I've never flown in that one, I couldn't say what their cockpit looks like for sure, only the ones I've actually been in and other aircraft of that era with similar panels and instrumentation. That said, I'm not always a fan of non-textiured cockpits, for example, I don't think it looks that great in the Extreme Prototypes 20 Series Lear even though overall I like that thing, but the JF DC-3 cockpit (to me at least) captures the feeling of being in one, hard to pinpoint exactly why that is, I think it might be the colours. Probably won't please those who insist on textures, but that's their choice of course.I'll certainly buy the MAAM update for the DC-3 even though I have the current one working in FSX with the patch, because if the one I already have is anything to go by, it will be worth the upgrade, and as with the UIVER DC-2, I was happy to spend the money knowing it would be channeled into preservation efforts, although of course the same was true for the BBMF DC-3 where Just Flight's efforts were concerned, since they threw some of their development profits that way as far as I'm aware.Al

The lighting FS is capable of emulating is not on par with more modern graphics engines

That's true. But even in high-end 3d engines like Unreal Engine 3 or Cry Engine 2 artists are using ambient occlusion baked to the color texture to improve overall quality of the shape of 3d geometry, and they have advanced lighting solutions in their games. Why Aeroplane Heaven doesn't use this feature to create their textures - I have no idea. Geometry in their planes is really good. Textures look like taken straight from FS8, the only difference is higher resolution.

even in high-end 3d engines like Unreal Engine 3 or Cry Engine 2 artists are using ambient occlusion baked to the color texture to improve overall quality of the shape of 3d geometry, and they have advanced lighting solutions in their games. Why Aeroplane Heaven doesn't use this feature to create their textures - I have no idea. Geometry in their planes is really good. Textures look like taken straight from FS8, the only difference is higher resolution.

Well, Empeck - they'd have at least one more customer (here) if they used that technology. They have many desirable aircraft that I would dearly love to have.

You can download the enhanced sound pack now, from this page:http://www.justflight.com/faqs.asp?drdProduct=255

This free upgrade will add a brand new, high-quality sound pack to the DC-3 package.This update can be used by users of the DVD and Download versions of the DC-3, and also upgrades the DC-3 Expansion Pack.Note: if you installed the DC-3 and/or DC-3 Expansion Pack after the 6th December 2010 you do not need this update. *Please back-up any repaints that you may have added prior to installing this update.*

If anyone has already installed the Sonic Solutions DC-3 sound pack, they should still install this upgrade as the sounds have been modified specifically for our DC-3.We are currently working on an update to address the other issues that have been identified in this product.ThanksMartyn

We are currently working on an update to address the other issues that have been identified in this product.ThanksMartyn

now THAT's the kind of thing that gets my attention :(

Yup good on Just Flight, giving away an Airbus on the current PC Pilot cover disk and getting on the case with sorting release issues.Al

"Why do people use that adjective, 'cartoony', its vacuous, well other thanconnoting something cheesy and cheap i suppose. I haven't bought this yetbut from the cockpit pictures I've looked at I see nothing that reminds meof a cartoon :( "for someone who hasn't got it yet just assuming that someone is vacuous purely because they use a phrase (That is VERY accurate) ... well... get it then see.Outside this is a great model (Straight from the paint shop without a spec of dust). the sound is the worst that I have ever heard anywhere,the update is not too good either. The flight deck looks like a guess as to what it might be like, and the instruments are .... Cartoony. I have the MAAM-SIM model and inspite of being 10 years older (Designed for FS2002 and slow machines , therefore a bit angular close up). it still kicks this into touch' it is still my favorite FS DC3, BUT, desperately needs updating to take advantage of FSX. you cannot balance the prop and power settings and to be honest it is a total waste of oportunity, and money.. Just my opinion but the MAAM-SIM version is much more flyable... unless you just want a "Yank and Bank" and then there are much cheaper (Freeware) versions that do it all better....

Hi Tim,Thanks for the feedback.

it is a total waste of oportunity, and money..

Please contact our orders team (orders[at]justflight.com) who will be happy to organise a refund/exchange for you.Best Wishes,Martyn

Which is the best DC-3 for FSX? I'd like to buy one but I'm not convinced by any I saw so far.How is UIVER DC2? From the pictures it looks better than JF version of DC3 (I know, not the same airplane).

Wow that last picture look like it's from 1996

Which is the best DC-3 for FSX? I'd like to buy one but I'm not convinced by any I saw so far.

Tricky decision, the MAAM one is very authentic, since they based it on their very own aircraft, and it does work in FSX (slight pain in the &@($* to install), but in FSX form it is from one that was originally an FS9 development, so there are things that could be improved (they are apparently working on that with a new FSX one, but that is a complete rebuild and not a tart up of the original, so is taking a long time). Nevertheless, it is a comprehensive package with stacks of variants and one that any self-respecting DC-3 fan should have and would not disappoint in spite of its age, although be aware you need patches for the FSX-ported version to work right.The Just Flight DC-3 is comprehensive too, having a base package as well as some expansions, which include a nice flyable Waco Glider too. There is a demo of it available here, scroll right down the page to download that:http://www.justflight.com/product.asp?pid=532Being a more modern treatment, the JF one is a genuine FSX model, and that means it takes advantage of what can be done in FSX. It's the most accurate model of a DC-3 you can get externally, being closer to the actual dimensions of a DC-3 than either the MAAM one or the default FSX one. As far as systems go, I'd recommend trying the demo and see for yourself, it's pretty much on the money, but see for yourself. There is a built-in sound set for it that was payware too, so it sounds pretty good although I don't know if that bit is in the demo version.You can also go the inexpensive route and tart up the default FSX DC-3, which is not a bad stab at the real aeroplane. Take a trip over to Trev Morson's DC-3 site for lots of tweaks to the default DC-3 to make it much more realistic, again scroll down the page, and be prepared to cry at the pictures of the damaged DC-3 on there too: http://www.douglasdc3.com/The UIVER DC-2 is of course not a DC-3, but it is the aircraft the DC-3 was developed from. Having said that, a DC-2 flies very differently to a DC-3 and is operated very differently too, since it is much easier to overheat the engines on a DC-2, making it a lot tougher to fly well. The UIVER version is a cut above any of the DC-3s you can get for FS, and if it came down to only having one, I'd pick the UIVER one for sure, it's a beauty, a real labour of love and like the MAAM one, is made by the people who look after the real aeroplane it was based on.There are some other also-rans out there, including versions of the Basler BT-67 and the Lisunov Li-2, some free and some payware, and of varying quality, but none are on par with the above unless you tweak them.If you like old bangers such as the DC-3 and DC-2, some other vaguely similar aircraft worth considering are the Aerosft Consolidated PBY Catalina and the A2A Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, both of which are really stunning and well worth having if you like old props, being very realistic and well modeled in terms of engine management and systems.Al