I'm looking at adding a tri engine older aircraft to the P3D v4 fleet & budget wise can't stretch to more than one at the moment.

JF have the DC-10 HD 10 - 40 collection & the L-1011 TrisStar Pro available.

Anyone have both in v4 & have an opinion as to whether one is markedly better than the other as regards:

 - Flight performance realism

 - Cockpit visuals

 - Ability to perform instrument landing

 - Sound

Thanks

T45

I haven't tried them yet in P3D v4, but both worked well in P3D v3.4.

The L-1011 is more complex with respect to systems than the DC-10. I often start from cold and dark, and the L-1011 amplified checklist is one of the longest I have ever used. To be frank, I have been struggling with the INS in it, so I did most of my flights VOR to VOR. I cannot recall how ILS approaches worked, but I think they were OK.

The DC-10 is less complex, but sufficiently many switches can be operated to make the plane enjoyable. I would maybe compare its system depth/features to that of Carenado airplanes. Far away from PMDG and the likes, but much better than default aircraft. It is a fun plane for casual flights.

Peter

I have the DC-10 in 4.1 and, as someone who sat in the jumpseat of a FedEx DC-10 many times, I love the engine sounds.  However, some of the other sounds (switches, GPWS) do not work in version 4 and the developer seems unable to understand my issue with that.

Instead have a look at the Captain Sim L1011 which is all around a better package than the JF variant. The DC10 is middling.  And the CS bird should come up for sale in the next month or so at a deep discount

The JF L-1011 Tristar is problematic, there's a good add-on aeroplane in there somewhere, but there are issues too, some of which make it a less than ideal experience when flying it. The updated Pro version made it pretty good, but there is still an issue with the lighting on the thing, whereby when you turn on the landing lights, the virtual cockpit lights up like you've just dropped a thermonuclear weapon, it's so bright it whites out a lot of the placarding to the extent that I only ever switch on the taxi lights when landing it.

Sometimes the autopilot can be a bit shaky, last time I flew it, near the end of the flight as I was setting up for landing, the throttle would only take it to about 130-140 knots in landing config and so I had a real hard time not stalling it on finals because of that. The trim response is very slow on it too, and whilst it is something you can get used to, it can catch you out and does need sorting. The FMC is bust on it too, doesn't work at all, the older INS equipped version is okay though. None of these things mean you cannot fly it, but when they occur, it makes trying to fly it an unpleasant experience, and so I'd think carefully about buying it. I and others have posted on the JF forums about that and I daresay it'll get patched at some point, but really, until it is, it's difficult to recommend it.

46 minutes ago, flibinite said:

Instead have a look at the Captain Sim L1011 which is all around a better package than the JF variant. The DC10 is middling.  And the CS bird should come up for sale in the next month or so at a deep discount

The CS L1011 is not yet P3D v4 capable AFAIK. And CS is moving at a glacial pace upgrading their fleet, so this could be a year, if ever.

I don't know about JF, but remember that CSL1011 is quite lite, even name is "professional" 

Thank you gentlemen for your inputs.

The mention of CS set off a bell & I dug out a replaced SSD & found the P3D v3 version in there.

Reinstalled it on PC & after failing to hot start or Ctrl E, I found a short 'How to start it" tutorial on Youtube.

I was able to get it started & headed out of Hong Kong with black smoke coming out of each engine half way down the runway. (Which I understand is normal)

Interesting aircraft  to fly. Tons of character.

Now I need to figure out the AP, but I imagine there is a Youtube tutorial  on that somewhere.

T45

While I am in this topic, could someone suggest hand flown landing approach data -

Be at x,000' 10 miles out  at ? kias. Flaps?

 Touch down around ? kias & flap setting?

Thanks

T45

16 hours ago, Treetops45 said:

While I am in this topic, could someone suggest hand flown landing approach data -

Be at x,000' 10 miles out  at ? kias. Flaps?

 Touch down around ? kias & flap setting?

Thanks

T45

For most medium/large jets 3,000ft at 10 miles with 160-180kts will set you up for a 3 degree path to the runway. At that height and distance you'd expect to have the first few stages of flaps out until intercepting the glide slope. At my airline we take full configuration at 1,500ft but this number is usually lower around 1,000ft depending on the airline.

Regarding L1011, absolutely compulsory mod to fly that beast is V-One, which will calculate all needed values.

https://library.avsim.net/search.php?SearchTerm=v-one_cs-l1011_v1.3_update.zip&CatID=root&Go=Search

Also other small modifications are advised as drag mod or friction patch. 

Regarding descend calculations, my recommendation is to use Adacalc from 

http://www.aero.sors.fr/index.html

It is another 'must have' addon ( great web page btw ) 

Enjoy flying L1011 

 

Just wondering if anyone has any more thoughts about the JF L-1011 Pro.  I love those old 3-engined birds.  I've been spoiled by PMDG and A2A, so I'm a bit wary of JF birds.

Edited June 2, 20188 yr by DarkStranger59