RealAir Lancair Legacy -- GA doesn't get any better

[Paul_Yorks 97]

Anyone have the Orbx Lancair IV-p and care to compare? I'm very tempted but already have the Orbx and am wondering if the 2 might be "samey" - on balance I suspect not but it would be good to hear from someone who can contrast them.

[Andydigital 93]

Paul there is no comparison, the RealAir Legacy is in a league of its own, by far the outright winner.

[Taipan 30]

Also to add to what Andy said, the ORBX Lancair is a pressurized high altitude bird.

 

The RealAir Legacy though is "low and fast". You can see the sights, you can cruise at 8000feet if you like, or even 12,000.

 

But you can also speed along at 3000 on a grand tour of your scenery.

[Marith 2]

I was going to wait for payday (a week from now) but all the great comments have got to me, lol, and I ended up buying it today. I don't regret not waiting as it is truly a fantastic aircraft. RealAir have done an awesome job.

 

I now have both the Orbx Lancair and the new RealAir Lancair Legacy and they are both great. They are different from each other so worth buying if you own the Orbx one, especially at the moment, as it is at a reduced price until the 17th.

[robert young 2,897]

I have had it too for a few weeks and you guys are right, it's absolutely stunning !

 

The only thing I regret a little, but that has nothing to do with RealAir but more with the nature of how this plane is I think, is a little lack of visibility out of the window when cruising along VFR.

 

Again, that's probably the nature of this plane in real life too, so kudos to RealAir for getting it spot on.

 

The Legacy has slightly restricted visibility in the climb but should be fine in cruise. We have an extra view which is set a little higher from the left seat (second "A" key press) and you can always raise the view further by assigning a key to the "raise forward view" function in your fsx/controls/assignments/views menu.

 

Rob - RealAir

[Gregg_Seipp 571]

 

The Legacy has slightly restricted visibility in the climb but should be fine in cruise. We have an extra view which is set a little higher from the left seat (second "A" key press) and you can always raise the view further by assigning a key to the "raise forward view" function in your fsx/controls/assignments/views menu.

 

Yeah, it's the rough equivalent of putting a pillow under your rump so you can see better. LOL. People in the real world do it all the time.

[robert young 2,897]

I suspect they don't do their own gps as they spent the time building and testing their excellent integration with realityxp.

 

The RXP 530 does everything, and leveraging off that and not reinventing the wheel is always a good thing is the FS world ;) .....

 

Yes that's right. No point in us trying to trump RXP. They are superb gauges. But let me put in a good word for the poor old often maligned default GPS. It's a bit fiddly but I think an under-rated instrument. It will do a perfectly good job and very few of us ever use its potential. The FSX learning centre gives a good guide to some quite sophisticated functions in the GPS500.

 

Rob - RealAir

[Andydigital 93]

Just think yourself lucky you dont have to put up with the crap GPS that Austin put in Xplane.

[c97019 0]

 

 

Yeah, it's the rough equivalent of putting a pillow under your rump so you can see better. LOL. People in the real world do it all the time.

 

...not me, no! I don't have to have TWO pillows to see over the 172 panel and see the cowl, nope!

[Gregg_Seipp 571]

But let me put in a good word for the poor old often maligned default GPS. It's a bit fiddly but I think an under-rated instrument. It will do a perfectly good job and very few of us ever use its potential. The FSX learning centre gives a good guide to some quite sophisticated functions in the GPS500.

 

That's good to hear. I've largely ignored that thing except for using it to get an estimate on where I was related to airports and sneaking up on approach courses. Maybe I should have a look. I've held off getting the RXP things. As nice as they're supposed to be I find it very annoying that they don't keep their data up to date. And I've never seen them on the forums...I tend to put much more stock in companies I see on the forums. Yeah, and RealAir is among the best at that.

[Taipan 30]

RXP don't have their own data, it's more like an interface to the Garmin trainer.

 

If you can write Navdata into the Garmin db format then you can update it, or maybe Navigraph could offer that - that would be cool. But they probably need Garmin permission etc.

 

Unofficially though you can merge the data from the newer trainers to get 2011 data, this works fine with most charts.

 

I disagree with their pricing of the unlimited version though so I only own the 530 which works in every GPS plane I own, it's all I need.

 

You can even use real world manuals and tutorials word for word on it, everything works. For example I learne how to use it with this tutorial:

http://www.avweb.com/news/reviews/182453-1.html

[raymar 969]

That's good to hear. I've largely ignored that thing except for using it to get an estimate on where I was related to airports and sneaking up on approach courses. Maybe I should have a look. I've held off getting the RXP things. As nice as they're supposed to be I find it very annoying that they don't keep their data up to date. And I've never seen them on the forums...I tend to put much more stock in companies I see on the forums. Yeah, and RealAir is among the best at that.

 

I'm quite sure you will not find any nav data for GNS that is more up to date than you can have with the Reality XPs. You must not be in the correct forums, Gregg.

They also have a lot more than nav data, like terrrain warnings, traffic, additional gauges.

 

In addition to the FSX/FS9 GPS info, you can search around the older nternet data and find two really informative articles about using the default GPS500 that was in the magazine several years ago. I think it part 1 is free and easy to find. Part 2 you may have to buy an old digital version of the magazine to get it. Look for a Doug Horton article.

 

Ray

[ryanbatc 13,022]

Anyone have the Orbx Lancair IV-p and care to compare? I'm very tempted but already have the Orbx and am wondering if the 2 might be "samey" - on balance I suspect not but it would be good to hear from someone who can contrast them.

 

I've got that one as well. They are pretty different. Orbx is more of a high altitude cruiser (and probably a little faster up there), and also more slippery while descending. It's pressurized too. I favor the RA version - it's got better visibility overall, especially on final approach. It's easier to get it into smaller strips, and depart, and a little more stable around the longitudinal axis (roll stability) than the orbx.

 

In addition to the flight dynamics, the little added features like needles shaking on takeoff, and exterior/interior sounds is far better than the orbx. The gauges are large and simple to read, and the although the orbx has a nice engine monitor, it's easier to view on the RA version. Finally the RA version has true 3D bezels to integrate with RXP products...

 

I felt the same things coming into this new product (and I still love the orbx), but the RA is better.

[tjeuten 6]

The Legacy has slightly restricted visibility in the climb but should be fine in cruise. We have an extra view which is set a little higher from the left seat (second "A" key press) and you can always raise the view further by assigning a key to the "raise forward view" function in your fsx/controls/assignments/views menu.

 

Rob - RealAir

 

Thanks Rob,

 

I'm using EZDOK for all my aircraft so I did indeed set up an extra "high" view with it

[Gregg_Seipp 571]

You can even use real world manuals and tutorials word for word on it, everything works. For example I learne how to use it with this tutorial:

http://www.avweb.com...s/182453-1.html

 

That's a nice tutorial. Ok...I've moved the 530 well up in my 'wanna have' list. I was just looking at the prices of real world GPS's and they're all over the map. Garmin seems to have stopped making the 530. Found a site that sells the 530 for $15,000. But checking Sporty's site they have a whole slew of GPSs for aircraft in the $1000-$2000 range. Maybe because you don't put them in the dash or something?