The Diamond Da 20 by Aerosoft is simply stunning, and imho the best GA aircraft yet made for FS imho. The systems modelling, effects, reality of the cockpit, vibrations,damage modelling,seamless integration of Reality Xp, great fps, and other hidden features that continue to be discovered are simply amazing! Add Cushman field by Orbx and some Rex clouds with Rw and I found new highs in simming tonight!I love the bugs on the windscreen-how realistic and they accumulateAs do the bugs on the fuselage, and wheel fairings!Here is one I don't want to talk about-getting icing-look at it accumulate on the wingsand the canopy causing me to not be able to see out at all in a bad area!Fortunately I could slide the side window open and see how bad the accumulation was on the wings as the controls froze up and became unusable....An incredible cockpit that hits new realitiesJust a stunning airplane!

wow, that sounds better than what I thought! can you "clean" the windshield after a while?

wow, that sounds better than what I thought! can you "clean" the windshield after a while?

I haven't gotten that far but I assume it will sublimate...

Yup, gotta agree with you, this sets a new standard for FSX GA aircraft. I'm not even that into GA aircraft in FS, and even I had to buy this one, I almost felt it was my duty to buy it considering the amount of effort that has gone into it.Not sure how often the real thing would fly into serious icing conditions, but even so, it's a good simulation of the trouble that can cause. Hopefully we'll see a decent big twin from the same developer with similar attention to detail, now that really would be something.Al

Great shots Geoff!And yes, the Katana 4X indeed does set new standards. Hard to imagine also that this has been a largely single-man project (Marcel Felde).

Hopefully we'll see a decent big twin from the same developer with similar attention to detail, now that really would be something.Al

According to his website (Marcel), after the DA-20 Eclipse expansion for the Katana will come the Turbo Porter.

Yeah, be interesting to check those out. What I'd really like to see though, is something like a DA-42 Twin Star with these kind of features. I already have the Iris one, which is pretty cool, but with all the extra realism features the Aerosoft Katana offers, I think a Twin Star would be something I could really get into in a big way. And of course a longer-legged twin like that is far more likely to fly into adverse weather, so that icing feature would probably start to play an important role, one which might even save a few lives for people who fly for real.They could even go further and offer the option to install the diesel engines found on the real ones sometimes. Then we could really go insane with out virtual spanners and screwdrivers. As if we aren't geeky enough already being into flight sims lol!Al

According to his website (Marcel), after the DA-20 Eclipse expantion for the Katana will come the Turbo Porter.

I did some brief reading on the Eclipse. I didn't notice any big differences except the engine, Cont 125 hp I/O240, rear window. I wouldn't mind seeing a faster diamond like the da40 or even the 50.