Carenado CT206H Stationair

Review by Mike Cameron. Information for this section was gathered from the aviationconsumer.com & Cessna.com/single-engine websites and the Carenado Quick Reference document. Please forgive me if anything is incorrect because I sometimes found conflicting information depending on the source that I was looking at. 

Cessna’s biggest fixed – gear piston single engine aircraft is really three models, though they are all essentially the same airframe. The 206 family of aircraft was first introduced in 1963 as the 205, with two doors up front and a small rear door on the left side. The engine on this aircraft was a Continental IO-470 and was essentially a fixed gear version of the recently upgraded Cessna 210. The 205 remained in production for two years and 577 aircraft were delivered. 

In 1964, Cessna responded to demand for more of a utility aircraft and introduced the U206 (U for utility) Super Skywagon, with a 285 horsepower Continental IO-520A engine, redesigned wing and included one door for the pilot and big double doors on the rear right side. This aircraft was designed to be a flying pickup truck so even the seats were optional. The 205 became the P206 Super Skylane in 1965 with the “P” referring to “passenger” or sometimes “personal”. The P206 had the same door configuration as the 205 but with the same engine as the U206. The U206 was the more popular of the two. 

In 1967, the U model’s takeoff weight was increased and received a new engine, a 300 horsepower Continental IO-520F while the P206 kept the same engine. Turbocharging became an option in 1966 for both variants utilizing the Continental 285 horsepower TSIO-520C engine. In 1969, Cessna introduced the 207 with a more powerful engine and other upgrades. The P206 was discontinued in 1970 and the remaining U206 and TU206 aircraft were offered as either a utility or passenger model and were renamed Stationair. The 207 was discontinued in 1984 and the 206 in 1986. 

Between 1966 and 1986 the 206 saw many different variations starting with the 206A and culminating temporarily with 206G in 1986. A total of 7000 U206 by serial number entered the market during the production run along with 647 P206’s, the previously mentioned 577 Cessna 205’s and 788 207’s.  

In the mid 1990’s, Cessna decided to start making single piston engine aircraft again. After starting production of the 172 and 182 series of aircraft, the 206 was reintroduced in 1998 as the 206H Stationair. These first aircraft were powered by a 300 horsepower Lycoming IO-540-AC1A engine and was later upgraded to a 310 TIO-540-AJ1A engine and the aircraft was now available as either a non-turbo or turbocharged aircraft. 

The first reintroduced aircraft featured a panel with steam gauges and today the 206H is sold with a modern Garmin G100 glass cockpit system.  The aircraft with the base package is based on the turbocharged aircraft with the steam gauges. The G1000 paneled aircraft is now available as an extension pack for this aircraft. I am going to include the G1000 Extension Pack as part of this review.

Specifications:

Length: 28 feet, 3inches

Height: 9 feet, 4 inches

Wingspan: 36 feet

Seating Capacity: 6

Baggage Capacity: 180 pounds

Maximum Takeoff/Landing Weight: 3600 pounds

Useful Load: 1281 pounds

Maximum Payload: 1264 pounds

Usable Fuel Capacity: 87 gallons

Powerplant: Lycoming 310 horsepower TIO-540-AJ1A turbocharged engine

Range: 703 nautical miles

Takeoff Distance: 1740 feet

Ground Roll: 910 feet

Landing Distance: 1395 feet

Ground Roll: 735 feet

Maximum Operating Altitude: 25000 feet

Maximum Climb Rate: 1050 fpm

VNE –Never Exceed Speed: 182 KIAS

VNO -Maximum Cruise Speed: 149 KIAS or 164 KTAS

VA – Maneuvering Speed:

3600 pounds: 125 KIAS

2950 pounds: 120 KIAS

2300 pounds: 106 KIAS

VFE – Maximum Flap Extension Speed:

(10 degrees): 140 KIAS

(10-20 degrees): 120 KIAS

(20 degrees-full): 100 KIAS

Stall Speed: 54 KIAS

VX – Best Angle of Climb: 69 KIAS

VY – Best Rate of Climb: 89 KIAS

Installation and Documentation

Installation of Carenado aircraft is very easy and should take less than a minute to complete. My installation copy was provided by Carenado and your installation procedure may be different from this one. After purchase you will be sent an email with your account download link, account email and the product serial number. I recommend copying the serial number then pasting it during the install process to avoid typing errors. 

After downloading and unzipping the product folder, double click the “CE2100X” and follow the self-explanatory install process. The file name for the G1000 Extension is “CE2100EPX” and must be installed after the Base Pack because that aircraft is required. Ten PDF documents are included and are located in the “Carenado” folder in the FSX root directory. These documents are the Autopilot KFC225, Carenado GNS530 User Guide, the Emergency & Normal Procedures, Performance Tables & Quick Reference documents for the CT206H, GPS Annunciation Control Unit, Operational Tips & RealityXP Integration, Recommended Settings and the Carenado Copyright.

The Extension Pack includes an additional four documents, the CT206H G1000 Emergency Procedures, Normal Procedures, Performance Tables and a Carenado G1000 Users Guide. One document that is missing that would be helpful for new or inexperienced flight simulator pilots is a panel layout document with a brief description & FSX operation for the non-basic instruments that were not already covered in the above documents. 

I printed out the Autopilot, Normal Procedures, Quick Reference, Recommended Settings and GPS Annunciation Control Unit documents so that I could refer to them when installing and operating the aircraft. For the G1000 Extension I printed the Normal Procedures because the G1000 Panel has different procedures & switches then the steam gauge panel. Even though I think the G1000 Guide is exactly the same as the one included with the TBM 850, I printed it again so that I could reference it with all of the other documents for this aircraft. 

I did not adjust the FSX & aircraft realism settings because I already have them adjusted to my preference. The first time that you load one the CT206H aircraft in FSX you will be prompted to “Run” or “Don’t Run” by the Microsoft Security Alert System, select “Run” to install the gauge then select “Yes” in the next dialog window. Repeat this process as necessary. Also, the first time that you load each of the aircraft a descriptive window will be displayed explaining knob & switch operation.  

Service Release 1 has just been released to address some post release issues, log in to your Carenado account to download. If you purchased and downloaded after June 9^th 2013, the update is included in the installer. If you purchased the aircraft from another vendor contact them about the update.

First Impressions

Normally this is where I would review the interior features and will still comment about them here but decided to rename this section because I want to try to comment on what my first impression of this aircraft is after loading it into FSX. 

This Cessna 206 has a nose high attitude so unless you adjust your eye point position you will not be able to over the top of the panel when seated in the pilot seat. Also, from the default view you can barely see the top middle left seat but the right front seat is not obstructed and the right middle seat is only partially obstructed when viewed from the pilot seat. I have heard this may be a characteristic of the real 206 and if it is, I can live with it. 

If you are interested in adjusting the default view so that the seat is raised slightly visit the Unofficial Carenado Forum for instructions. I normally do not like to make changes to the aircraft until after I complete the review but will probably apply this one so that I can see over the panel. 

The quality of the seats is the usual Carenado impressive.  I love the tan and brown color of the leather seats and they look very realistic. I just wish Carenado would have included some variety; all of the aircraft have the same seat colors. It also would be nice if there was an option to remove the seats and display cargo in the rear since the 206 is still considered a utility aircraft. 

Interior details are excellent with clear & easy to read labeling, everything is three dimensional, the Operational Handbook is visible in the pilot side pocket and there are some “wear” textures on the rudder pedals and the shoulder harness. Interior lighting is also very good and I like that there are controls for both the cabin and the cockpit.  One alternate interior view is included and is the view from the middle right seat.

Exterior Features

Before moving on to the exterior features, I want to comment on an exterior feature when looking forward from the pilot seat. There are noticeable dings and marks on the rear of the propeller, I like that this is included because it shows that this aircraft has actually been used and is not brand new from the factory. It looks like the propeller is going to need to be replaced in the near future. 

Five liveries are included in the package plus an all-white for aircraft painters. Two additional liveries are included with the G1000 Extension. All of the aircraft are presented in high definition 2048x2048 textures and look fantastic. I like how the sun reflects off of the aircraft exterior. 

Now is a good time to comment on performance. I do not like to post frame rates because everyone’s system is different and a smooth panning operation is more important to me than frame rates. You would think that the T206H with steam gauges would have better performance than the last Carenado aircraft the TBM 850 with its Garmin G1000 glass panel. Unfortunately on my system which is below the recommended CPU setting of 3 GHz, performance was the same or maybe slightly better than the TBM 850 and the recently released G1000 Extension. 

I was still able to pan smoothly around the cockpit unless flying into weather with heavy cloud coverage or operating at an airport that also has a performance impact. I love all of the exterior details that Carenado provides with their aircraft, from small ones like the labels on the prop to detailed gear assemblies, 3D airframe details, and a realistic pilot.

My favorite features are having some engine detail behind the cowling, the detailed filter on the front of the aircraft below the propeller and the option to remove the wheel fairings for landing at unpaved airstrips. All of these things add to the realistic look of the T206H.

The G1000 Extension adds two more aircraft; unfortunately they released this aircraft with a couple of texture issues. The worst issue was severe shimmering from the exterior rivets and on one aircraft the paint does not line up on both sides of the tail for an uneven look. Hopefully a patch is soon released because this degrades the quality of the overall look of the aircraft. 

The static elements that can be displayed by activating them with the Toggle Control window and having the parking brake on are the pitot cover, sights prop and chocks. Another nice feature is when the rear doors are open, you can see the detailed seats. Less realistic and a feature I wish Carenado would start including with their aircraft is to only have the pilot visible when the engine is running instead of at all times, even when the aircraft is parked, engine off and the static elements in place.

Panel

If you like your instrument panels with fancy details such as wood toned trim and other luxury details, then you will be disappointed. After all this is a Cessna single engine high winged aircraft so the panel on the T206H is very basic but very functional. 

From the default view, all of the instruments are large enough to be clear and easy to read. Most labeling is large enough to also be legible except for the very small lettering which is as you would expect. If you zoom in close on the small lettering, though not as clear as the larger lettering is still very legible.

There are four alternate VC views (Right Seat, Power Knobs, Switches and Middle Panel) and two 2D windows (GPS530 & Autopilot) available to use. If you hide the yoke, everything is easy to operate from the default view so I did not use most of the alternate views and windows. The exception is the right seat view, I would zoom in on the GPS to make it easier to operate but it is still close enough in the default view to operate without issue. For the most part the switches on my Saitek Multi-switch panel worked with the T206H but the battery switch would sometimes reset itself which could be a problem and the fuel pump, pitot heat and prop de-ice switches did not work at all. 

This is not a problem because with the yoke hidden all of the switches are within reach when in the default view. Also, the switches are still obstructed by the yoke when using the alternate switch view. I had to adjust my eye point down for an unobstructed view and wish Carenado would have used this view then the one they provide.  

The default GPS530 is a modified version of the default FSX GPS500 and uses the outdated FSX database and procedures. The default GPS and radios do a good job at VOR navigation and ILS approaches.  Navigation tracking and ILS glide slope will be displayed on the VOR 1 indicator and worked as it should.  I might be wrong but before the service pack was installed I thought the VOR 1 indicator would also display the autopilot flight director GPS flight plan track.

I love that the VOR indicators are right next to the radio stack. There is also a NAV2 radio that controls the VOR 2 indicator. If you like more realistic GPS flight planning & procedures, own the RealityXP GNS 530 GPS, Carenado provides an easy way to replace the default GPS with this GNS530.  Simply run the “RXP530” file located in the Carenado CT206H Stationair folder and that is it.  I had two issues after doing this, one minor and one major. 

The minor issue is that there were very small areas for using the knobs on this GPS. This would be especially frustrating in flight. The major issue that I am having is that FSX would randomly crash when entering a flight plan into the RealityXP unit installed. I have a support ticket submitted to Carenado and posted the problem on the support forum. Carenado responded but could not reproduce this issue. I found a workaround for the FSX crash issue, I installed the RXP GNS530 using the RXP tool to add this GPS as a popup window, I then added LinkGPS=On to the rxpgns.ini file to have the flight plan display on the default GPS. Also, after installing the RXP unit, the VOR 1 indicator started displaying the GPS flight plan tracking information. 

A couple of experienced users on the Carenado forum suggested trying to install the GPS into the panel again now that FSX is stable to see this fixes the problem. I did this and FSX did not crash during flight plan entry for the first flight which is good but crashed during flight planning with my next flight which is not good. I even tried rebuilding the FSX.cfg and manually added the GPS to the panel but FSX would still crash during flight planning, usually when trying to find the correct spots to turning the knobs. 

If you do not like instrument panel reflections, this can be turned off with the Toggle_Control window.  You can also turn off the VC windows using this control panel.  I turned off the instrument reflections but left the VC windows activated.

G1000 Panel

Before commenting on the G1000 displays I want to comment on the layout of the G1000 panel.  Because of the large LCD screens that cover most of the panel, some of the switches are located in different areas. 

The electronic displays require individual bus switches to control the avionics instead of a single master avionics switch. These two switches are supposed to work independently but on the Carenado aircraft they operate together. This may be an FSX issue but it would have been nice if the worked independently for realism. 

Similar to the Base Pack, the yoke can be hidden and there are several alternate views for easy viewing of the various controls. I like the G1000 panels that are included with the newer aircraft, the textures & performance are better than the original FSX default aircraft and Carenado has added some functionality over the default G1000 displays. I also like the size of the LCD screens because I can easily understand what I am looking at from the default VC View. 

The G1000 system consists of two screens a Primary Flight Display (PFD) on the left and the Multifunction Display (MFD) on the right. Not all of the real world functions are modeled with this aircraft but there are enough for plenty of entertainment in FSX. The PFD display screen presents a graphical flight instrumentation display (attitude, heading, airspeed, altitude and vertical speed) and replaces the traditional flight instrument cluster.

Across the top of the display are navigation & communication frequencies and the flight plan information. The selected altitude, altitude & vertical speed tape and current barometer setting are displayed on the right side of the PFD display. The center consists of an arrow for the aircrafts current attitude and if a flight plan is loaded, another arrow representing the flight director indicator.

Below the arrows are the heading display and the CDI below that with indicators for GPS, NAV1 & NAV2.  Across the bottom are the softkeys that may have several different displays. 

Also if activated there are small windows that display the dialed heading, course (these have very small lettering and is difficult to read), glide slope, wind information, map and nearest waypoint insets and informational displays. Other than the wind display, I tried to keep these other windows to a minimum for an uncluttered display. The left side of the display contains the airspeed tape & trend, vertical speed and true airspeed displays. Along the left and right sides of the display are various buttons and dials for controlling the various displays as well as the auto pilot controls. 

Carenado only provides a brief description of the PFD controls and displays so if you are new to this type of panel you will need to do some web research.

The Multifunction Display (MFD) primary function is to display a large moving map. The MFD is my favorite part of the Garmin G1000 system. I love that I can actually read the waypoint codes on the map.  The display is large enough for me to see the map information from the default VC view but I like to zoom in on the MFD from the right seat view to make controlling the MFD easier. There are also 2D windows of both the PFD and MFD if you prefer to use them but I like using the VC views if possible. 

The top part of the display contains the navigation & communication frequencies and flight plan information similar to the PFD. The left side of the display contains critical system information that is very easy to read from the default view or my adjusted alternate view. On the left and right sides of the MFD are the controls for dialing the radios, setting the altitude, heading, course & barometer settings, adjusting the map range and for moving between the various pages using the FMS knobs on the lower right side of the MFD. 

Carenado has included the animated knobs feature with this aircraft and is useful but I still had to mouse hunt to find the small + and – in order to use the inner and outer knobs which takes away from the animation usefulness.  Also on the right side of the unit are the buttons for flight planning and the menu page. 

The menu page is supposed to allow you to set the default display settings for the map, traffic, aviation and airways. I would like to have the wind and the topographic map display every time so you would think this where you would setup these defaults. The Carenado G1000 MFD does not remember these settings, you have to set them every time that you load the aircraft which is a waste of time or a bug that I hope Carenado fixes with a patch. 

Across the bottom of the MFD are the softkeys for displaying the various map displays and alternate pages of the G1000 MFD. After selecting one of these primary keys a new selection of softkeys will be displayed for more display options within that group. There is always a “Back” softkey to go back to the previous set keys. 

The default softkeys are Engine, Map, DCLTR (declutter) and CHKLIST. I am not going to comment on all of these settings but am going to concentrate on the various map displays and the digital checklist feature. The Map page contains has several options, Traffic, TOPO, Terrain and Airways. If you have already setup these displays using the Menu button mentioned earlier the labels for these keys will already be highlighted on the MFD screen, if not select one of the softkeys then if available one of the available options. All of these display options may have an impact on performance so you have to determine what is important to you. 

I liked to have the topographical map and the traffic displayed, and on my system there was a slight drop in performance but not enough to not use these display options. I did not like displaying the airways because it cluttered up the map and I preferred the look of the VFR topographical map instead of using the terrain map option. The DCLTR key is useful if you think too much information is being displayed and could also improve system performance. An issue that I had with the Terrain display is that the only way that I could turn it off was by turning off the TOPO display instead of just selecting the Terrain key again. 

The Carenado G1000 MFD includes a digital checklist that you use the FMS knobs and the “ENT” key to use. This is a nice idea but I found it to be more awkward then useful. When you load the checklist, the checklist items that need to be performed are cyan in color. After performing the action in the aircraft, highlight that entry using the FMS knobs then press the “ENT” key. The line item changes color to green and a small green checkmark will also be displayed next to the line item. I personally like to use the printed checklist rather than fumbling around with the FMS knobs in the simulator.

G1000 Flight Planning

Carenado includes manual flight planning with the G1000 Extension but if you are expecting a current real world navigation database then you will be very disappointed. Carenado only uses the default FSX database which is now several years old and they do not provide an option for using the navigation database services that are available today. 

It is pretty easy to use for simple direct to flight plans or maybe a VOR or two in between the departure & destination airports but an issue that I have with the flight planning function is that you have to enter your starting airport first, this is a GPS unit and you would think it should know what airport you are starting from. One thing that I do like about the manual flight planning feature is that after the first character of the waypoint is displayed you can use your keyboard to finish the entry instead of using the FMS inner knobs. 

An even more frustrating issue with flight planning is using the instrument approaches. Again this is using the outdated FSX database so you may be looking at a newer approach plate but you will not be able to load it into the flight plan. Also, Carenado allows you to delete a waypoint in the flight plan but if you have an approach loaded and you try to delete the destination airport from the original flight plan or any waypoint on the approach, it deletes the entire approach which is not very useful.  If all of your aircraft use the FSX database and you normally only fly VFR flights then you can probably live with these issues and you now own a Cessna 206 aircraft with a G1000 panel. 

The Carenado MFD also does a pretty good job for flying an ILS approach using the navigation radios provided that you use an FSX ILS approach. Also, if you can find an external flight planning program that will export to FSX you will possibly gain some updated waypoints. 

As I recommended with the GNS530 GPS above, if you are a serious flight simulator pilot who would like to practice real world instrument procedures, install the RealityXP GNS 530 GPS as a popup window using the RXP Configuration tool and place the LinkGPS=ON in the rxpgns.ini file in the aircraft folder.  This sends the accurate waypoint information to the Carenado PFD and MFD.

Sounds & Animations

As with most Carenado aircraft, the T206H has some impressive sound and animation effects. The engine sounds are impressive; I have not been around the real aircraft so I have no idea how realistic it is. I love that you can still hear the engine in flight (no noise cancelling headset) and that the tone changes when increasing/decreasing the throttle & feathering the propeller.  All of the operable switches have an audible sound effect and I like the subtle sound when operating the flaps.

Animations are equally impressive. My favorite animations are when you open and close the doors. The door handles and hinges move when the doors are opening & closing and look very realistic. The window visors are also animated but are of little use because there are only two positions, up and the exact opposite position which only covers the top portion of the windshield. It would be nice if there was a middle position which covers more of the windshield. 

Carenado also includes the impressive volumetric side view prop effect that allows you to see the animated propeller when viewed from the exterior side view.

Flight Model

I am not a real world pilot so I will be approaching this section from the perspective of a flight simulator enthusiast point of view. It is recommended that you load the CT206H after the default FSX Cessna 172 has been loaded to avoid any lingering settings from a previous aircraft. My default flight is the Cessna 172 parked at Orbx freeware Bowerman Field in Hoquiam, Washington. Carenado provides a wonderful tool that allows you to select the startup state for the Stationair for your convenience. These are cold and dark, ready to fly and no action. 

If I have the time I like to start flight simulator aircraft from a cold and dark state by following the checklist procedures. This is a Cessna single engine aircraft and the startup procedures are very easy, most pilots should be able to memorize the procedures in no time. For the most part everything worked as it was supposed to. 

The G1000 startup procedures are slightly different and I did have some issues with the startup procedures with these models. Some of the instrument readings did not correspond to what the Normal Procedures document said.

This is a very easy aircraft to taxi because of the tricycle landing gear; the only minor issue is the default VC view which was mentioned earlier your eye point needs to be raised in order to see over the cowling. The takeoff and climb procedures are also fairly straight forward but I did have some issues with obtaining the correct settings for takeoff and climb. According to the Normal Takeoff checklist you are supposed to reduce mixture in order to obtain a 34GPH fuel flow. On my system with full power, the fuel flow indicator only displayed about 25GPH so it would be impossible to achieve this figure. 

According to the Climb checklist with manifold pressure set at 30 inches and 2400 RPM, the aircraft should be at 95 to 105 KIAS but on a couple of flights I was only able to reach about 90 KIAS with only about 700 fpm climb rate. On some other flights the airspeeds were within the correct range so maybe something was influencing the airspeed. Also the fuel flow was also incorrect during climb, the checklist said it was supposed to be 20GPH but with the above power settings I was only able to achieve about 17GPH. 

I like to manually fly to my cruising altitude and the T206H is a wonderful aircraft to hand fly. If you like to have the autopilot do the work for you, the installed autopilot works very well and my Saitek Multi Panel also works with this aircraft which I like. I did not have any issues trimming for level flight (maybe a little too sensitive) but like most aircraft you probably will have to make minor trim & yoke corrections to adjust for changing conditions. 

The T206H Stationair has a fast enough cruise speed (my flights it was around 140KIAS) for those short to medium cross country flights and I am truly enjoying flying this aircraft. This aircraft slows down nicely when starting your descent for approach to your destination and I did not have any issues landing this aircraft. I had a lot of fun with short field operations; I just had to remember to take off the wheel fairings. 

This is the first Carenado aircraft in some time that has not had major complaints about the flight model on release. Most people seem to be happy with the flight model. The issue that is being reported is the attitude of the aircraft in flight and experienced users are already making aircraft modifications to fix this issue.  If you are interested in this modification, here is the link to the support forum. Just remember to back up the original files. 

As stated earlier, I am not a real world pilot and have not been in a real Stationair so I do not know how realistic or not realistic this is. Personally, I really have not noticed this attitude issue and am enjoying the aircraft as released other than the default view adjustment to be able to see over the cowling. I usually do not like to make flight model adjustments during the review because I am reviewing what Carenado provides but may use the modification after the review is completed.

Summary / Closing Remarks

I am very glad that I had the opportunity to review the Carenado CT206H Stationair and the G1000 Extension. I have always liked the Cessna high winged single engine aircraft because I was around them more in the real world than other aircraft. When my father was a pilot he preferred these aircraft, I did some private pilot training in Cessna 152s and 172s and when I was a cadet with the Civil Air Patrol our squadron mostly had Cessna aircraft.  So when a new single engine Cessna becomes available for FSX, I need to have a look. 

The Carenado CT206H Stationair certainly does not disappoint. It has the expected quality textures, features, sounds, animations and the flight model is very good on release. The only reported complaint about the flight model is the nose high attitude on the ground and in flight. If you are interested in an updated flight model, visit the Carenado support forum. 

This base package aircraft have steam gauges so system performance is pretty good but oddly it was about the same or slightly better than the Carenado TBM 850 and the G1000 Extension Pack on my system. Unfortunately, I did have some issues with this aircraft. The major issue is that FSX would crash after I installed the RealityXP GNS 530 into the panel with either the supplied Carenado installer or by manually editing the CT206H panel.cfg when entering a flight plan into the GPS. Other users and Carenado could not reproduce this problem so it must something on my system which is a bummer. The good news is that when I installed the RXP GNS 530 as a popup window using the RXP tool, I can enter a flight plan without FSX crashing. 

The other issue that I had with the flight model is that some instruments did not match what the checklist said they were supposed to indicate with proper power and propeller settings. I am not a real world pilot and if outside factors are influencing airspeed then I can certainly live with this. The one instrument that was consistently wrong was the fuel flow gauge; it was always lower than it was supposed to be. 

Even with these issues, the Carenado CT206H is a wonderful aircraft that I am proud to own. I am less impressed with the G1000 Extension Pack. There were some external texture issues and I had some issues with the startup procedures. Also if you prefer a glass paneled cockpit over a steam gauged panel the overall cost is expensive because the Base Pack is required for the G1000 installation. It is still a nice product but it seems that it was not fully tested before release. 

I want to thank Carenado for providing the review copy of the CT206H.  

What I Like About The CT206 Stationair

• Interior & Exterior Textures
• Window Control Panel for Controlling Doors, Instrument & Window Reflections, Static Elements and Wheel Fairings
• Good Sound Effects & Animations
• Good System Performance
• RealityXP Integration

What I Don’t Like About The CT206 Stationair

• FSX Would Crash During Flight Plan Entry with the Reality XP GNS Installed in the Panel (This is only on my system but still prevents full functionality of the aircraft)
• Very Small Areas on the Panel Installed RXP GNS 530 For Turning the Knobs
• Fuel Flow Indicator Always Displayed Lower GPH Than What Checklist Said it Should Be
• G1000 Extension Pack External Texture Issues
• Some Errors with G1000 Startup Procedures

Test System

Computer Specs: Asus G72GX Laptop, Intel Core2 Duo 2.53GHz, 6GB DD2 Memory, 500 GB Serial ATA HD(5400RPM), Nvidia GeForce 260M Video Card with 1GB GDDR3 Memory, 17.3” LED-Backlit LCD Screen, FSX with Acceleration, Opus FSX Weather, Ultimate Traffic 2, Real Environment Extreme Essentials + Overdrive, Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick, Saitek Pro Flight Switch Panel & Multi Panel, CH Throttle Quadrant

Flight Test Time: 25 hours