JustFlight 800XP BizJet

Let’s begin with a brief history of the aircraft. It all started in 1962 in England with the Bristol Siddeley Viper turbojet which eventually flew as the DH.125 Jet Dragon then the HS.125 after de Havilland became a division of Hawker Siddeley. Over the years, other manufacturing names would appear, like BAe, BAC, Raytheon, and eventually Beechcraft.
 

With firm roots in the military, a good safety record and a keen interest in mid-sized jets, the timing was right in 1983 to match the new Garrett TFE turbofans with a slightly modified fuselage and new wings. The 800 series was born with larger wings, more fuel capacity and better short field performance. Add an updated and modern interior with better utilization of cabin space and you have the basics of what would become the 800XP.

The exterior also got a facelift with a smoother nose and windscreen. This gave it less of a Space Shuttle look and more of the Lear and Challenger image.

The Hawker 800 was the first corporate jet to feature EFIS (electronic flight instrument systems).

In 1995 the XP was added to the model number with a focus on ‘Extended Performance’. This brought newer, more efficient engines and therefore better climb and cruise performance. A fresh new interior was added in 1999. The production run from 1995 – 2005 was a testament to the popularity with passengers and flight crews. Model numbers like the 750, 850, and 900 series were all just 800 series with very minor changes but, gave the marketing department something to use to attract sales.

I also failed to find the hot spot to remove the yokes and at the time I couldn’t see the pilot side airspeed indicator in the 5 o’clock area. I clicked all the spots that I would have placed it and failed to stumble across the magic spot. Again, a quick search of the pdf for ‘yoke’ and the first instance showed the area to click. Another nice little feature
The MFD/EICAS display shares the panel space with the GPS. This is handled with a switch that uses a right click to swap out or step through the displays.

All the animations are believable, the switches move with associated sound effects, the engine fans spin and make realistic engine sounds. I notice some of the sound files have TSS associated with them but, didn’t see any other references to Turbine Sound Studios. All the flight surfaces are animated, of course, and it ‘feels’ good to me. This makes for a nice roll rate.

This is a medium-sized corporate jet with sufficient endurance to make some long flights with payloads of your choice. The step up in the real world would be a Hawker 4000 for really long range flights. I am going to dig around and see if I can find some charts and performance graphs as the included Pilot’s Guide is a little ‘Lite’ in this area although there are lots of detailed checklists that can be printed or accessed from the cockpit.

This 800 XP makes a perfect addition to my simulator collection of corporate jets. It has nothing near the complexity or feature list of the Extreme Citation X v2.0 but the extensive animations and features with the more up-to-date panel textures of the Just Flight 800 XP edition gives the now dated look of the Citation CJ1+ a run for the money. The Flight1 Mustang remains in a class by itself with the full glass Garmin G1000 cockpit.

The Hawker line of biz jets may be the only ones that are certified to land and takeoff on almost any improved or maybe unimproved runway. It is not uncommon to see these guys on gravel, dirt or even grass runways. I read someplace they are all built like tanks.

Night Images

The extensive lighting is very well done. Almost everything has backlighting. The large rocker switches have especially realistic looks with great shadowing.

The sounds are in stereo and those big Garrett TFE731 engines can make for some great sounds. It comes with a layed PSD paint kit on day one so you can have a liverery that just rolled out of the paint shop or one that just landed at after a hard night of bad weather or has been through a bunch of slush and snow or anything in-between.

I’m off to make some of my own performance charts with mimimal fuel and payload and see if I can get in and out of some of those smaller Orbx airports. S45 is my current favorite and I managed a landing there but now I have to see how much wind I need on the nose and how little fuel for a maximum performance short field takeoff. I only need to fly 20 miles to fill the tanks for the next flight. I expect to see and hear low fuel warnings on takeoff.
 

I found this takeoff chart that is for balanced field lenghts which is a good start. I only need the takeoff roll and a clear path after Vr – rotation. I am not concerned with the necessary calculations for the extra runway needed to account for the loss of an engine prior to V1 and having the necessary runway to safely stop the aircraft. This is a simulation so I just need to have the least weight for the aircraft and the proper flap and TOGA configuration and the correct technique for real short field performance.
 

This is a two-pilot airplane so it can be flown from the right seat. I wonder if it has copilot callouts and I just overlooked them.

Captain, we have TOGA.

The 800XP can be started from external power using a GPU (Ground Power Unit). This is attached to a port in the tail and supplies power for charging the six on-board batteries and starting power for the 2 Garrett turbofans.

An APR (Automatic Power Reserve) system is fitted to the 800XP. This allows the pilot to pre-set power levels for a TOGA (Take-Off Go Around) or other emergency situation where power is required in a hurry. The system is simulated in this aircraft. It is armed and triggered using two push-buttons and is set using adjustment knobs and bugs on the engine thrust gauges.

Once triggered, the throttles are automatically re-positioned to the presets to deliver the set power required. Normal operations are restored by resetting the buttons.
 

Normal takeoff is with one notch, 15 degrees, of flaps. Use the taxi and takeoff checklists and make sure you have the elevator trim set for take-off and the autopilot is turned off. Add power, rotate at Vr, gear up with a positive climb, engage YD. Flaps up and watch your speed – overspeeding is easily achieved in the Hawker.

You will find the 800XP has an excellent rate of climb. Fuel economy is achieved through low throttle settings. The 800XP will move along quite nicely on very low throttle settings, as any good turbofan should!

Typical cruise speed is around 390 knots (TAS), using approximately 2,000lbs of fuel per hour. The fuel gauges show fuel consumed, fuel remaining, and fuel flow to each engine. Monitor these carefully if you are planning a long-distance flight. Of course, it is FSX so you can always use the drop-down menu and adjust your fuel capacity and payload. I do it all the time.

The Dump control is extremely important in the 800XP. This control operates full flaps and airbrakes in one movement and is employed once the wheels are on the ground in the landing roll. It is critical for slowing and stopping the aircraft, in conjunction with the thrust reversers, especially on short runways. This is my first encounter with a Dump control,
this is how I was able to land on a 3,200 foot runway.
 

Slow to 150 knots indicated for your approach and use 15 degrees of flaps. Airbrakes can also be used to slow down if needed. Modern executive jets land relatively quickly so you need to set up for your landing early and carefully. I like to make a long final whenever possible. Keep an eye on the approach indicator lights on the glareshield panel. The ‘Fast’, ‘OK’ and ‘Slow’ lights illuminate on approach to give you an quick indication of your speed management when landing.

Immediately after landing (when all three wheels are on the ground) deploy the DUMP lever to drop full flaps and spoilers. Use [F2] on your keyboard or the assigned key to operate the thrust reversers and cancel as you approach 60 knots.

Summary

I like this JustFlight 800XP BizJet a lot. The aircraft has a rich history and the simulation has good mix of simplicity and complexity. It is loaded with entertaining animations, has most of the features that you might expect to find in the cockpit of a complex, fast, and modern corporate jet. The Hawker 800XP has evolved over the years and now has the endurance and payload to compete on the world stage. This one fits between the Cessna Mustang and the Citation X in speed, payload and endurance.

The VC cockpit and panel are full featured, the FMC/CDU is also full featured, the digital readouts on the glareshield are large and clear and it all seems to work together. Add some nice scenery, a flight plan of your choice and just about any payload you can dream up and you are set to go flying in FSX or P3D.

Get it here. http://www.justfligh...ct/800xp-bizjet Tell ‘em Ray sent you.

Wishes for future upates

Pop-ups or click-to-enlarge PDF and MFD/EICAS screens. Copilot callouts.

From the online 900XP brochure – HawkerBeechcraft.com

Reviewed by Ray Marshall