JustFlight PA-28R Arrow released

[Tim-HH 570]

1 hour ago, Dirk98 said:

Tim, I'd like to ask you a question if you own Flight1 GNS 430/530: can you assign the controls to a hardware (joystick, rotaries, buttons)?

Thanks,

Dirk.

Hi Dirk,

as far as I know the Flight1 GNS 430/530 does not include keyboard/joystick support for buttons and knobs.

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

15 minutes ago, Tim-HH said:

as far as I know the Flight1 GNS 430/530 does not include keyboard/joystick support for buttons and knobs.

Reality-XP site says 'Coming Soon' for P3D and FSX.  Their site says crossfill is free for XPlane so I'd think it'd be the same for P3D/FSX?  Not sure what 'coming soon' means.

[Dirk98 354]

1 hour ago, Tim-HH said:

Hi Dirk,

as far as I know the Flight1 GNS 430/530 does not include keyboard/joystick support for buttons and knobs.

Too bad, then nogo for me. Particularly with GNS 430/530 units, to hard to operate them with the mouse. I hope their developers will read this.

Thanks,

Dirk.

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

14 minutes ago, Dirk98 said:

Too bad, then nogo for me. Particularly with GNS 430/530 units, to hard to operate them with the mouse. I hope their developers will read this.

Thanks,

Dirk.

You should post it over to Flight 1.  They're unlikely to see it here.

[RobdeVries 28]

5 hours ago, barrel_owl said:

The sound is there. I made a preflight check last night and now with battery off and doors open and I confirm I can clearly hear the flap sound both in external and interior views.

Yep only if you use the F5, F7 etc buttons. The soud is defo not there if you use the actual flap lever in the VC (with battery off).

[Martyn JF 388]

4 minutes ago, Holland_Holland said:

Yep only if you use the F5, F7 etc buttons. The soud is defo not there if you use the actual flap lever in the VC (with battery off).

Well spotted Holland. I've just fixed that issue.

Martyn - Just Flight

[RobdeVries 28]

Thanks Martyn. One other observation. With full prop (full fine pitch) there's not much variation in sound when decreasing/increasing the throttle.

 

One wonders? Should I appy for beta tester with JustFlight?

[tttocs 301]

I did pick this up last night and managed a quick first flight.  I don't like to react too strongly after a single flight, but I certainly agree that setting trim as instructed did result in a "launch" on take-off that took me a minute to get under control.  Another thing I struggled with a bit was getting my eyepoint subjectively correct, as once trimmed for level cruise the views from the VC felt like I was a bit nose high.  Still not sure about that one.  Leaning by ear is difficult, as engine power doesn't seem to change until I get close to mixture cut-off, while engine output is VERY sensitive to prop changes.  You need to change RPM slowly and carefully or manifold pressure and RPM will oscillate wildly.  And finally - sound.  As do several other developers, JustFlight seems to have taken the approach of setting interior sound levels as though the user were wearing noise-cancelling headsets.  This is all well and good, but a bit un-involving and also a bit jarring when compared to things like switch clicks which are normal, no-headset loud.  Cockpits of planes like this are raucously noisy places, and I always miss that when sounds are scaled back. I realize opinions vary on this, but there's mine for what it's worth.

Otherwise... I took off from my home airport and did a flight I've done many times IRL, taking friends and family on a tour of the front range/foothills here in Colorado (MSE Denver Hi-Res and RMNP Hi-Res).  Other than the obvious difference in the cowling between the Turbo I'm used to and this normally aspirated plane, the views were VERY familiar and felt good.  While I said earlier that I'd wish for a somewhat cleaner cockpit, the use of a RW plane to develop VC's does lend itself to a superiour VC.  This one IS the cockpit of an Arrow, so... VERY well done, JF!  Performance generally seemed as expected - I used a warm summer morning and had to do a gentle climb to claw my way to 10,500' as would be the case IRL on a high-hot day in a modestly powered normally aspirated single.

Oh, and the AP.  Yeah, that brought back memories of the simple (simplistic? :-) ) Piper autopilot I flew with.  The AP does have a "cheat" which allows you to enable an altitude hold feature which isn't in the RW version, which is nice.  You can fly it as a purest or hit the hold if you prefer to capture altitude.  Again, well done.

So, some nits, but overall I'm pleased with the purchase (and did I mention the VC really is excellent)!  The addition of the 530 will make it that much better as that's a more realistic choice for a plane such as this, but.. Any chance the RXP version will work in addition to F1's?  Hope so!

Note - this is not IRL or in the sim, a mountain plane nor is it a speed-demon so set expectations accordingly.  Don't expect to be able to depart Telluride, CO on a warm summer afternoon. :-)

 

Scott

[Martyn JF 388]

Quote

Thanks Martyn. One other observation. With full prop (full fine pitch) there's not much variation in sound when decreasing/increasing the throttle.

One wonders? Should I appy for beta tester with JustFlight?

We'll need to speak to TSS regarding the sounds.

You'd be welcome to join our testing team. 

[tttocs 301]

15 hours ago, Gregg_Seipp said:

BTW, a little bird told me this is the T-tail to model...

Isn't that beautiful?

Yes, yes it is. :-)

This is not the paint from back when I owned her, but I do like it.

"The little bird."

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

1 hour ago, Holland_Holland said:

One wonders? Should I appy for beta tester with JustFlight?

I think you should!  Take him up on it.  This isn't Car***** we're dealing with here.  They're working with us and I think we could end up with a lovely airplane if we have some patience. 

[JYW 2,977]

I really enjoy it overall, but my brief feedback on "developmental areas" :-

Engine sounds

1. The prop sound seems far too loud (at high RPMs only), relative to the engine sound.
2. There is no audible reduction in RPMs when the prop lever is pulled back, until it reaches 2000 RPM. In the real Arrow, a prop reduction of even just 2500 to 2400 is very audible.

FDE - Pitch

1. The "leap into the air on take off" definitely doesn't feel right.  I tried dialling in a distinctive nose down take off trim (against checklist advice) and also loaded the airplane heavy, and still got this effect.
2. Pitch again on approach and landing feels very 'off'. 

FDE - Fuel flow

1. Fuel flow seems very high.  Around 20gph at 20MP, 2300RPM at 4500' (1013mb) with mixture at around 70%.

[Chock 17,769]

Yup, I agree that it does seem to be a bit 'glued to the runway until you haul it off'. Although apart from that I think it flies pretty well.

[Delta558 50]

Hi guys, I created the fde for the Arrow - so far we have had one beta tester mention this problem with the release version but obviously there are more of you seeing it. Below is a vid of what I see; trim a touch back from neutral, no flap, payload of 170 (the pilot), full fuel. You may just see that at about 50kts I pulled the yoke fully aft to make it as 'pitchy' as I could, it still seems smooth to me. I also flew much of the circuit with my hands off the controls, no trim inputs except for gear retraction / extension and flap extension. It's real-world weather, P3D V3 and Orbx UK / UK2000 scenery, nothing else.

 

There's obviously something amiss, but I want to get it fixed so if you'd care to look at the vid (it's only about 5 mins) and give me an idea how far off that your experience is (plus anything else you feel is relevant) I'd be grateful!

 

Cheers,

Paul.

[JYW 2,977]

6 minutes ago, Delta558 said:

 

Hi Paul,

That did look a lot smoother.  I've made around 15 take offs in the Arrow (at various loads, speeds and flap settings) and haven't managed any as smooth as that.

I'm not sure I've made any with just the one (170lb) pilot though, so perhaps the "jumping off the runway" is taking place when weights are above just the PIC.