So I've only had this excellent bush plane for ten minutes........But as usual, from RealAir..............it's GREAT!!!L.Adamsonhttp://www.realairsimulations.com/

GREAT!!How are the visuals, FDE, and sounds???What's the speed like on it (both versions)?Fill us in darnit!! :D:)

HI Shane,The visuals are excellent and ultra sharp be they for the external model (6 elegant liveries)or the virtual cockpit which is now fully functional (prop lever,mixture and even the door)thanks to the use of the Microsoft SDK by RealAir. You also get dynamic shine, raindrop, glass effects, dirts...Contrary to other planes you can fly the Scout exclusively from the VC because all the switchs are functional and reachable from the pilot's perspective, you just need to pan around. Well it's a dream to look at and to use. The panel is equipped with a RMI, HSI and autopilot in the landplane version so you can practice IFR. Ah and I forgot that the package comes with Realview, a system similar to Active camera that simulates the pilot's head latency and inertia.The sounds are ok but consider that I have very bad ears and Rob Young is a musician ;o)The landplane version cruises at 110-120 kts and is smooth yet quite different from the Decathlon. The 5 positions flaps are powerful and allow high angle approaches which is very convenient for small/short remoted fields in the wilderness. Even if it's not a Pilatus PC-6 fitted with a reverse mode the Scout remains an efficient bush plane. Eventually it will be possible to perform maneuvers like side slips, loops, spins.A small bush scenery located west of Bremerton (Washington State)is also offered.Overall it's an excellent package. I've been a RealAir fan since the advent of the Marchetti SF260 and once again the Scout prooves the high standard policy and the perpetual "search for excellence" of this team.Ah last but not least : by reading the Flying Guide I found that RealAir plans to do a SPITFIRE XIV !

"by reading the Flying Guide I found that RealAir plans to do a SPITFIRE XIV !"Me thinks that would surely be a wee bit of fun. :-hah

A most excellent mini review!!!......I can't write like that... :-( But speaking of sounds; I often wonder if many simmers crank up their speakers just to mimic the "awfully" loud cockpit noise you'd get in many small GA airplanes without headset's. I confess, I didn't crank up the "Scout's" sound level to see! :)L.Adamson

It's funny, I do the exact opposite, turning the engine sounds DOWN to match the noise levels with ANR phones.:-)Allcott

>It's funny, I do the exact opposite, turning the engine>sounds DOWN to match the noise levels with ANR phones.:-)>I must be turning the volumn down by design, too. Have had a set of Telex ANR's for a long time.However, I once went for a ride in a P-51D Mustang, & was told to remove my headphones for the "sound" experience. It's like continuous shot gun blast's throughout the takeoff roll, but well worth going deaf for! :)And that would even require a nice home system to re-create without blowing speakers or the amp...L.Adamson

I bought the Scout and you guys were right, it is excellent!I only found 1 issue and it is model related...There is a visible gap between the spinner and the cowling giving the spinner the apearence of floating.I sent an email to Real Air early yesterday about the issue but they have yet to respond.

>>There is a visible gap between the spinner and the cowling>giving the spinner the apearence of floating.>Technically, the "gap" should be there, and I noticed it's not present on the default 172. The engine needs to be free for movement within the cowl, on it's "Lords" (rubber) mounts, to withstand the effects of gravitational forces. The spinner can easily move a good 1/2" all the way around, comparing to the center of the cowl. In fact, an aircraft engine & spinner can easily settle 1/4 to 1/2" on it's mount after 50 hours or so.The gap looks about right, but then they'd have to animate the prop hub connection which is about half the diameter of the spinner. One thing I did notice however................is no airspeed indicator on the "mini" panel from 2D view. I wasn't using shiftZ for airspeed readouts during a very tight approach to Big Creek in Idaho. At the last second, I switched to the mini, lost my airspeed indication & landed rather hard knocking off the tailwheel. Of course the remedy is ShiftZ, VC, or 2D panel.. L.Adamson

Agreed LAdamson. The "gap" does look about right but like you said it needs the connection so it doesn't give the appearance of floating.:)

A different remedy is editing the panel.cfg file:In Window 06, Minipanel://gauge00=Scout!RPM Indicator, 19, 16, 92, 92gauge00=Scout!Airspeed Indicator, 19, 16, 92, 92and you are golden!

i Know I got it saturday its now my favorite pushing out the c177 from DF and the stinson from Bill Lyons hehe... Its got all i need it monovers well I can slip and if i push it to hard I can spin (found that out the hard way got into a spin and bought the farm litrally i craches into a cow yard in the sim)I think it was well worth the $34.04 AU for it :)

L.Adamson,Thank you for the compliment, it's certainly french classical writing...I use a headphone set (not to disturb the girlfriend) and I set the volume at around 1/3.

Thanks for the feedback so far. Apologies for the missing airspeed in the mini panel, but the view is so good in 2d and 3d we are surprised anyone needs the mini panel. However we will of course post a small patch to rectify the missing gauge.The spinner gap is, we feel, the right amount. By the way, check out the twisting prop with the engine off. It goes from full fine to full coarse when you pull/push the blue prop lever.Kind Regards,Rob Young - RealAir Simulations

It isn't the gap that is the problem Rob, it is the fact that there is no connection to the aircraft (ie, the spinner "floats" there).Also, did you guys get my email about the SF.260 nose gear still moving once retracted?Thanks!:)