Gaiiden

The Mid Hants Railway and Scenario Pack: The Watercress Line The Mid Hants Railway, also known as The Watercress Line, is a single track that runs for ten miles from Alresford Station with stops in Ropley, Medstead, Four Marks and then onto Alton Station where The Watercress Line eventually meets up to the mainline. The route follows accurate signaling and realistic gradients based on the actual real life route and include accurate signage, custom buildings, sounds and objects throughout the region. The route comes with multiple scenarios and is geared more towards the use of steam trains than other more modern engines, though you can make use of just about any train you want using the Quick Drive function in Train Simulator as it allows you to just drop it into the route. It comes with 10 different scenarios and offers passenger service, freight service to just moving stock from one location to another and will have you in the Black 5 or the Class 37 for the default TS 2013 designed scenarios. If you own the Class 3700 "City Of Truro", the GWR Manor Class, A4 Pacific, Class 37 Advanced and the Rebuilt Bullied Pacific add-ons then you will have access to a greater range of scenarios to pick from, a total of 10 more to be exact. The extra scenarios will have you transporting passengers, taking a short dining tour and even taking the Class 3700 on an extensive photo shoot for train enthusiasts. I strongly recommend picking up either the Manor Class or the Class 3700 to go along with this route. My Impressions Of The Route The route itself is beautiful and offers seasonal environments, along with night and day travel and as you progress along the 10 miles of track you will quickly take notice that you are in a rural setting with wide open valleys and lots of farmland. The route is best experienced from the cab of a steam engine as it allows you to take full advantage of some of these marvelous views at a moderate pace. Navigating the route is deceptively difficult though as you have to account for the gradients out of Alresford and then out of Alton on your way back to Alresford. I caught myself a couple times not paying attention and I let my train lose too much momentum and I found myself sitting on the track with nowhere to go except backwards. 10 miles may not seem like much but this route has kept me busy and every time I go back to I find something I missed the last time I used it. Navigating to each of the towns through the route was also a visually stunning experience as each station has its own distinct signage, custom buildings and objects. I was also impressed how the little towns seemed to go on even when they were out of sight from the rail line; typically the virtual towns only exist within eyeshot of the rail line. You can make out cars, buses and trucks in the far off distance and there are people and workers at all of the stops, thus bringing the route to life. In some spots the view is almost picturesque; for example, standing at the shore of small lake you find yourself looking out over the valley and you can make out a bustling town out in the far distance with cars moving in the background and tree lines dotting the horizon. I decided that I would try dropping in the F40PH California Zephyr in the Quick drive option for this route and it actually worked, though I didn't take the train any faster than 25 MPH it made for an interesting run and allowed a modern look at the Mid Hants Route through the cab of the Zephyr. Overall I found the Mid Hants route to be a wonderfully designed route with a lot of extra features geared specifically for the use of steam engines, this is nice because there isn't a lot out there that is just geared for that type of rail service when it comes to specific payware routes as most are designed with diesel in mind. Mid Hants Scenario Pack & Just Trains Mk 1 Coaches This package adds 12 more hours of train driving fun to the Mid Hants route with 10 more scenarios that open the route up to some of the other payware locomotive packages available via Just Trains. The Scenarios will have you transporting passengers using engines like the A4 Pacific, Class 3700, GWR Manor Class, LMS Patriot, Rebuilt Bulleid Light Pacific, and the 6220 with their associated content and will have you driving anywhere from 45 minutes to an 1 hour and 40 minutes long in any given scenario. The extra scenarios were great because it brought the 3700, GWR Manor, and Light Pacific into the Mid Hants route for me and I was able to do most of driving with those particular trains while using this route. Unfortunately I have lost my A4 and I do not have the 6220 so I was unable to look at those scenarios. Tickets Please! Publisher: Just Trains Reviewed By: Gene Davis The Mid Hants route and its scenario pack can be purchased from the Just Trains website. The route is available via download or boxed version for $29.99 and the scenario pack is available via download for $10.99

I noticed while reading the forums that a few of the frequent posters were absent for days at a time. Finally, one of them made an innocent post that he was busy flying, or actually learning to fly the A2A Civilian Mustang. Eventually I got around to reading up on the Civilian Mustang and seeing what the hubbub was all about. This is quite a story and I am not sure how to begin. Maybe the beginning would be a good place to start. It is late 1940, Britain is at war but it is Pre-World War II for the USA. North American Aviation, now Boeing, was approached by a British delegation and asked to build a large number of P-40 fighters for the RAF. This was a pre-cursor of the ‘Lend-Lease’ Program later instituted by the U.S. President where he explained it as ‘Think of this as your neighbor’s house is on fire, and you are standing there with your water hose. You would lend it to him in his time of need wouldn’t you? And, with no thought of payment, just return it after the crisis.” In this particular case Britain was prepared to pay for the new aircraft. The USA with its vast natural resources and large manufacturing plants were being called upon to help our Allies repel the ##### by building ships and airplanes and making shipyard docks available for urgent repairs prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This history lesson must be endured because we have to win the war in Europe and Japan with the help of the military versions of the P-51 in order to even have a Civilian version. I will get to 1946 just a fast as I can, but, here goes the short version. As usual, a simple Google search of ‘history of the p51 Mustang’ yields 2,210,000 results in 0.21 seconds. Well, that is a little much, but I elected to skip the Wikipedia hit and move to the second one - surely the Boeing.com/history site should shed a little light on the subject. I’m hooked for the evening with this lead in: A veteran of two wars – WWII and Korea – North American Aviation’s P-51 Mustang was the first U.S. fighter airplane to push its nose over . . . This is not intended to degrade or take anything away from any of the other many outstanding WWII aircraft, like the P-38, P-40, and all the Hellcats and Corsairs and whatever else we could talk about. It is simply that I have chosen to limit this review to just the Mustangs. I plan to gloss over many key milestones and probably make a lot of our elder retired pilots and aviation historians furious by doing so, but I promise to add some links at the end for those purists to follow the true path and exact details of the birth of the Mustangs. The production numbers are staggering with more than 15,000 total P-51s built between early 1941 and late 1945. As always, there were some ones and twos of special models, but the bulk of the force was the B, C and D models. This one has a slight twist in that the B and C was basically the same model; just the B was built in California and the C in Texas. The D model is generally considered the definitive Mustang. More Mustangs, specifically the K models, were super-high performers near the end of the war in Europe. There were about 1,600 early versions built using American-made Allison engines that suffered from reduced horsepower with low-performing turbochargers. These early versions were well received but, relegated to low level strafing and reconnaissance. So the story goes . . . Rather than agreeing to build the vintage P-40, as requested, actually a 1933 design, that would have to go head-to-head with Germany’s best, NAA offered to build a completely modern, newly designed fighter for the RAF. The Brits were desperate and were willing to take most any fighter in quantity as long as it could be built quickly. The British agreed to a new design but stipulated that a prototype must be ready for review in 120 days. North American beat this near impossible deadline by 3 days by using wheels from the T-6 trainer and delivering a design with no engine specified. Early model Mustang I destined for the RAF. Notice the large dual 20mm Cannon fairings on the wings. Two months later, after several modifications the aircraft took to the air and reached 382 mph, exceeding the P-40’s top speed and even faster than the beloved Spitfire. The British Air Purchasing Commission was elated and ordered 320 on the spot and later doubled that order. This early version had an Allison engine developing 1,200 hp with a 3-bladed prop. The US did not order any P-51s for two more years. According to many, this was because North American would not pay kick-backs to those greedy few that profited from the war effort. It took a Presidential inquiry to resolve this issue. Rolls-Royce, the British engine manufacturer, took it upon themselves to outfit 4 of the early B models with their larger and clearly superior ‘Merlin’ V-12 cylinder 1,695 hp engine with a ‘proper’ turbocharger with the now iconic 4-bladed propeller for a demo and as they say, the rest is history. The combination of the state-of-the-art laminar flow wing design, large fuel capacity, and the larger Merlin engine the Mustang was instantly transformed from a low level ho-hum escort to a high altitude, super-fast, kick-&@($* fighter of the first degree. Everyone wanted this version and they couldn’t build them fast enough. Some accounts have North American fitting the larger Packard-built Merlin engine in a couple of test airframes in parallel with the Rolls-Royce examples in England. It seems each side of the pond was working totally independently and the US version had additional modifications to accommodate the increased horsepower, torque and speeds. The huge 4-bladed Hamilton-Standard propeller was chosen by both modification teams. One account has these first examples flying less than 3 weeks apart. Something like 3,700 Razorback Merlin Powered B and C model were built and 8,100 D models were cranked out between North American’s Inglewood, CA plant and the Dallas, TX facility. The charts show another 1,500 K models came out of Dallas. Another 500 or so H models were built. The alphas that were skipped were the one and two special models. The Merlin engines were built in America by contract arrangement with Packard. Once the performance numbers were proven with the enhanced Merlin engine demonstrations and the Truman Inquiry into kickbacks was complete, the US Government placed orders for 2,200 of the more powerful fighter before the first one of the new design ever flew in combat. Our British friends converted the Alpha designations to the Mustang I, II, III, and IV with the conversion being the III = C and the IV = D and K models. It seems another big improvement was the use of drop tanks to extend the effective range deep into Germany or other parts of Europe. The 12-cylinder Merlin, while cranking out 1,695 hp was a fuel guzzler, especially when engaged in aerial combat. The later C, D and K models had a FL410 ceiling and a range of up to 2,000 miles using the drop tanks which nearly doubled the available fuel. A typical cruise speed was 325 mph with a max speed of 437 mph with 4 - 6 50 caliber machine guns blazing or 2 thousand pound bombs and some of the later D and K models carrying ten 5 IN rockets. The Luftwaffe pilots certainly did not want to see one of these things in their rear-view mirror as some 5,000 enemy aircraft were downed by the P-51. The Mustang was fast enough to chase down a V-1 Buzz bomb and shoot it down while enroute to England. Although not nearly as fast as the German Me 262 ramjet the Luftwaffe usually did not choose to tangle with a P-51 in the hands of an experienced pilot. Chuck Yeager, flying a P-51, is credited as the first Allied pilot to shoot down a Me-262 when he surprised one during its approach to landing. During the European campaign, the RAF and USAAF flew the P-51 in 123,873 sorties and the P-51 accounted for half of the total USAAF kills in the entire European theater. The P-51 has garnered a few bylines like ‘the aircraft that changed the course of a war’ and ‘the most aerodynamically perfect pursuit plane in existence’ and it is arguably the most recognized and celebrated American fighter of the Second World War - a truly iconic warplane. "The day I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up" -Hermann Goering The P-51 remained in the active service inventory well into the age of the jet fighters. The last two escort missions were flown in 1968. It was not only a major factor in the Korean War but was used by Israel in two wars and several other countries well into the 1980s. Toward the end of 1945, the US Government was paying around $50,000 for each Mustang. Converted into 2013 dollars that would be about $750,000 to buy one P-51. At the end of WWII most of the inventory was scraped or sold at bargain basement prices to wealthy civilians for as little as $1,500. Many were also sold or given to our Allies who used them for several more decades. Less than 300 P-51’s exist today and only half of them are airworthy. This is also my estimate for the number of books about the P-51 that are available for purchase at Amazon.com or you can just read all the interesting history on the internet. The P-51 was affectionately nicknamed by the bomber crews as their “Little Friends”. The P-51 Mustang and the pilots who flew them saved countless lives in the skies and on the ground, and helped turn the tide of WWII. The P-51 is arguably the finest fighter aircraft in the history of aviation As the war in Europe was winding down, all the P-51 production was targeted for the Western Pacific theater. Although, the first Mustangs to appear in Asian skies were Allison-engined P-51As in November, 1943. Later model P-51s were outfitted for long range B-29 escort service and based in Iwo Jima. Both the US and Australia used the Mustang as an aerial fighter and to attack ground targets throughout the Pacific. Starting with the P-51B models fighting alongside P-40 Warhawks and P-47 Thunderbolts in Burma, China, the Philippines and all over the Western Pacific, Mustang Aces were being made as early as 1944. Almost all the early P-51 American Aces were in China with a combination of the first 3 or 4 kills in a P-40 or P-47 and the 5th, or Ace kill, in the Mustang. It was a big day to step up to a new Mustang with the increased speed and firepower from an old worn-out P-40 in 1943. The N and K models were fierce combatants as the Allies closed in on homeland Japan. When Japan finally said “uncle” in September, 1945 and the Empire of Japan ceased to exist with the stoke of a pen onboard the USS Missouri, the full inventory of used and surplus aircraft were slated for the chopping block. Some were made available to the public for purchase directly from the Air Force. About ten years later they would do it again when the Mustang was officially retired and replaced by the new jet propelled fighters. The dumping of Surplus Aircraft in 1945 and 1946 (adapted from the A2A Foreword by Mitchell Glicksman) Aviation sportsmen, buyers for museums, and all kinds of ex and would-be fighter pilots flocked to the sites where they could purchase the recently surplused P-51s and other types. At each of these sites there would be thousands of war weary military combat aircraft of all kinds, from B-17s to AT-6s, lined up in long rows in fields of hundreds of acres. Prospective purchasers were permitted to inspect the airplanes and to start the engine (if they knew how to). Small quantities of fuel, oil and gasoline were supplied along with battery carts for starting. No proof of flying experience or even of a pilot’s license was required for purchase. If satisfied, the purchaser would pony up the agreed price in cash and sign a waiver absolving and holding harmless the Army or Navy for the condition of the airplane and any mishap that might occur with regard to it after purchase. A few more gallons of fuel, usually by a hand operated pump from a portable fuel drum, was added to fly the airplane to the nearest airport, then towed to a nearby makeshift runway usually just a dusty open strip of desert, and the owner or his or her representative would fly it away. These P-51B, C and Ds were a true bargain at the going price of around $1,500.00 ($1,500.00 in 1945 had about the same buying power as $20,000 in 2013, the average annual inflation over this period being less than 4%) The average price of a P-51D in good condition is upwards of around $1,500,000.00, if one can be found for sale. Not surprisingly, one of the main uses for these P-51s was air racing. Immediately after WW II highly modified surplus P-51s competed in the 1946-1949 Thomson and Bendix Trophy races as well as in the Cleveland Air Races. Here begins the story of one particular P-51: The A2A Civilian Mustang. This is not just any old P-51; it is a very special one with a rich, well documented history with the name ‘Blaze of Noon” taken from an Ernest K. Gann novel about flying in the Roaring 20s which was made into a movie by that name. The great cinema and airshow pilot, the late Paul Mantz purchased P-51C-10-NT (44-10947) in late 1945. He intended to enter this airplane in the 1946 Bendix Trophy race, a transcontinental, point-to-point race sponsored by Vincent Bendix founder of the Bendix Corporation. Mantz had the airplane stripped of all military and other unnecessary equipment and had the wings modified so that each wing was, in essence, a giant fuel tank. This became known as a “wet wing”. Because the Bendix Trophy was a long-distance race typically from the Los Angeles area to Cleveland, OH, maximum fuel capacity was essential to minimize the number of fuel stops. Other tweaks and modifications were done to the Mustang’s airframe and engine in order to extract every ounce of performance. Mantz and his team created what soon proved to be a successful formula for racing. Blaze of Noon won first prize in the Bendix Trophy race of 1946 averaging 435.50 mph, in 1947 averaging 460.42 mph, and yet again in 1948, averaging 447.98 mph. One item I noticed was the bubble canopy was removed and replace with a low profile set of small windows. Not content to merely win this prestigious air race, the always competitive and valiant Mantz set the coast-to-coast speed record across the United States in 1947. When modified military piston-engine air racing was banned after the 1949 season after some spectacular crashes, Mantz sold Blaze of Noon to actress Maureen O’Hara’s soon-to-be husband, pilot Charles Blair, Jr., who renamed it the “Excalibur III”. Blair went on to set a number of world records in it, including the 3,460 mile New York to London record in 1951 which was flown in 7 hours 48 minutes at an average speed of 443.59 miles per hour. A few months later Blair flew Excalibur III from Bardufoss, Norway to Fairbanks, Alaska, over the North Pole, a total distance of 3,260 miles in 10 hours and 27 minutes. This was significant because it was thought at the time that flights over the North Pole were not safe due to the magnetic anomalies near the pole which greatly interfered with navigation. For this brave feat he won the 1951 Harmon Trophy. Excalibur III is currently on display in the National Air and Space Museum’s facility at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport where it can be seen along with such notable aircraft as the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet aircraft in the world; the Boeing Dash 80, the prototype of the venerable 707 airliner, and the historic Boeing B-29 Superfortress “Enola Gay” which dropped the first Atomic Bomb on Japan on 6 August 1945. Of the 15,496 Mustangs built, only about 150 exist in flyable condition today Over the years, millions of people have been, and will surely continue to be entertained, thrilled and impressed by P-51s flown at air shows, warbird gatherings and historical fly-bys all around the world. This is a fine and deserved legacy for the legendary P-51 Mustang, considered by many to be the greatest piston-engine fighter airplane of all time. Almost Unanimous. Most folks, especially older pilots and military pilots, agree that the Mustang is the best piston engine fighter ever built. The exception seems to be those associated with the P-38 Lightning. They think there bird is the best piston engine fighter ever built, but will usually concede the P-51 Mustang was the best fighter ‘for the price’, but their P-38 was the best at any price. Might be some truth to it - it had a lot going for it and the Luftwaffe sure respected it. Wings of Power 3 P-51 Civilian Mustang for FSX “The release of the “Civilian Mustang” marks an important milestone for A2A. Our roots have been in both general aviation and military aviation history, and A2A has used this passion and experience to bring many Warbirds to Microsoft Flight Simulator X. However, this release does our best job combining these two worlds.” The height of single-engine complexity from the war years would be the P-47 Thunderbolt, which had a plethora of systems to manage (manual cowl, cooling, and oil flaps, manual turbo, manual throttle management, etc.). The pilot was being taxed to just fly the aircraft, let alone engage an enemy or avoid being attacked. Over the course of the war, aircraft were made ever more aerodynamic, engine power was pushed to its limit, and systems were gradually made to work automatically. The P-51 Mustang represents the very pinnacle of this wartime development, and today the few remaining P-51’s fly in a modern world and perform not just adequately, but admirably. The P-51 Mustang today is an outstanding, all weather cross-country platform. It is considerably faster and can fly further than the fast majority of general aviation aircraft, and is just shy of the speed of a personal jet. While maintaining a real Mustang is hobby for the wealthy few, Mustang pilots today regard their aircraft as sturdy and reliable. During the development of the Accu-Sim Mustang over the years, we have taken four test flights in two different Mustangs flying today. The cockpit we designed in this Civilian Mustang was designed over many months with the assistance of Mustang pilots, owners, and our own in-house staff. Owning and operating a Mustang today is a dream to many, and this is what we believe flight simulation is all about. Welcome to the Cockpit of the Civilian Mustang So if you don’t have an extra million or two to purchase a real Mustang you can learn to fly this simulator edition and still enjoy the dream. The Accu-Sim Mustang is as close to owning and flying the real thing as anyone has accomplished. This aircraft has been fitted with a complete IFR panel that was not even possible in a 60 year old military aircraft at any cost until recently. With this new instrumentation and equipment you now have a high speed powerful propeller driven aircraft able to perform and compete in the general aviation field. With the addition of the Century III autopilot system and a Garmin GPS400 you now have a set of extra mechanical hands and a state-of-the-art navigation system to assist you while flying in most weather conditions. This aircraft represents what a pilot or observer may find in many Mustangs at airshows today. During the creation process several high hour pilots were asked what they would like to see in addition to what had already been created for this modern variation. It is believed that A2A has created a very unique environment that caters to most pilots that has never been experienced before in Flight Simulator. This could well be the most unique simulation available to FSX users as it is not only designed and built using input from Mustang owners and operators but is up-to-date with easily recognizable avionics and instrumentation. All traces of warbird guns, bombs, radar, etc have been removed in the design phase. How do you make a Military Mustang a Civilian Mustang? Removed 6 Browning M2 machine guns (Gun ports still visible) Radio wire from tail to canopy AN/APS-13 tail warning radar K-14a Gun sight, brackets, cables IFF/SIF Military ID equipment (Lots of weight removed) Updated Cockpit layout and Panel Radio and Nav equipment Various gauges/Nav tools Old style Military helmet to Modern HGU-71/P w/O2 Mask Cockpit colors now gray External Nav lights/strobes Many Switches and Indicator Lights. Added Garmin GNS 400 GPS Century III autopilot and lateral guidance system (Replaces K-14a) Underside rotation beacon New Civilian paint and Registration number. First you remove all the old outdated wiring and equipment that no longer functions or has any purpose in the aircraft. Then you replace some of the necessary and functional stuff with more up-to-date and modernized avionics and instruments. And finally, you add those items that are unique to all civilian aircraft and register it for an N-number. When all done, you still have the look, feel, and sounds of the Mustang, but you are looking at a more familiar panel and pleasing colors. What was not added, but would normally be found on most civilian aircraft would be a baggage compartment. This is solved by simply carrying your toothbrush in your shirt pocket. (Update: I found the baggage area, a brown RON kit, left of seat) There are a few additional differences in the Military model and the Civilian model that we will discover a little later on. One of the Civilian Mustangs used for measurements and design by the A2A Simulations team is Moonbeam McSwine, a currently flying Mustang with racing heritage and a regular at big airshows. Moonbeam’s owner, Vlado Lenoch, made her available for audio and video recordings as well as flight tests to record base values for development and design tests of the A2A edition. While researching the old history records, I see that an old friend, Lefty Gardner, of P-38 airshow fame, once owned this particular P-51. This one was built in the California plant in October 1944 and arrived in Britain just in time to celebrate V-E Day then returned to Newark NJ depot in July, 1945. She was bounced around a few AFBs and then handed down to a few ANG bases and finally put in storage at the end of 1956. Two years later she was sold as surplus for $1307.50. In 1975, N2151D was restored as Moonbeam McSwine and won Grand Champion Warbird in Fresno, CA that same year. Vlado purchased her in 1988 and after a brief racing career now flies with the USAF Heritage Flights and is a regular at air shows. The Century III Autopilot and Lateral Guidance System The Century III is a light weight autopilot offering maximum performance and utility. The system can compensate for unbalanced fuel loads and incorrect trimming as well as power changes making it an ideal autopilot for the P-51D Mustang. Please note that only pitch trim is adjusted with this autopilot system and not aileron or rudder trim however turns made with the system are coordinated. The simulation closely mimics the unique features of this autopilot system. This is truly a full-function autopilot but does require one to perform the proper and expected Engagement Sequence. Not exactly a press the button engagement other than the ALT HOLD. This one is a Press to engage feature. Radio and Navigational Equipment A cluster of four Bendix/King Radio and Nav receivers are located in the lower center of the panel. The view is partially blocked by the flight control stick. The 4 control and selection heads are similar enough to be intuitive with familiar power on and off knobs and frequency adjustment with a standby and active 5 digit readout and a push to transfer, or make active, button. Model numbers are KFS 598 VHF radio, KFS 564A Nav/VOR/ILS, KFS586A ADF, and a KFS 576A Transponder unit for Mode A and C interrogations. Century III Engagement Sequence: 1. Trim aircraft to desired attitude with standard trim systems. 2. Center roll knob and engage the roll switch (into up position). 3. Center heading bug/course selector on the horizontal situation indicator to your current heading. 4. Center the trim indicator in the trim window on the autopilot console with the pitch command wheel and engage pitch mode (pitch switch up). 5. Engage altitude hold switch (up) at desired altitude Basic 6 Cluster of Flight Instruments The basic six is has the expected layout with the Rate of Climb gauge calibrated for 6,000 FPM on either side. This is bordered in yellow and slight offset to the left of center. One of the most useful navigational instruments in the cockpit is the Gold Crown King KPI-553A HSI with the DME readouts. This single instrument still sells for $8,000 on the used market. This instrument alone deserves its own manual due to the many functions that it performs. The balance of the front or forward panel houses the clock, standby ROC (10K FPM) and Suction gauge to the left of the Basic 6 and a digital OAT gauge further left. On the right starting at the top is Manifold pressure gauge with the Tachometer at the 5 o’clock position and surrounded by smaller engine monitoring gauges with a direct reading Fuel Flow gauge at the far right. Immediately below the Basic 6 is the Auto Pilot control buttons with the Roll, Pitch and Trim selectors and the four engagement rocker switches on the left and the Bendix/King Audio selection panel on the right. These are push to engage button with the Audio colored yellow and the Nav white. Directly below the audio panel is a hydraulic pressure gauge, the GPS/NAV switch and rotary Nav selector switch. The cockpit lighting consists of two directional lights with most of the individual instruments having some nice soft internal lighting. There is a standard on/off light switch location near the pitot heat switch on the right side panel. This is a good time to talk about how well the VC texturing is render and presented. It is an absolute pleasure to be able to fly a modernized WWII iconic fighter with the most up to date VC with the IFR panel. Now, add the Accu-Sim needle vibrations, stick shaking, and all the general almost-real noises and features and it is almost overwhelming. Outstanding presentation, A2A. At the base of the control stick on either side are some very important rotary knobs. On the left is the defroster and on the right is the ‘Hot Air’ control. Should you overlook these controls, you may find yourself flying full IFR when the canopy is covered with condensation. A2A Simulations Wings of Power: 3 P-51 Military (for FSX, first released May 27, 2012) As I researched the differences in the A2A Civilian Mustang and the A2A P-51 Military simulation that was released about 6 months previously, I immediately knew that I needed to get both simulations to write this review. Now I have both and the Accu-Sim for Wings of Power 3 P-51 Mustang(s) add-on that is common to both simulations. There is actually a 4th program needed to have a total, updated installation. You go to the A2A Simulation’s Forum site and download and install (last) the latest version of the Accu-Sim core update. This one is for not only for both P-51 Mustangs, but also for the Accu-Sim Spitfire and P-40. The A2A models are accurately referred to as simulations and not add-ons as we commonly use to describe the latest aircraft we are adding to our FSX collection. All that abbreviated history from the last few pages will not be wasted, because we will simply follow a dual path in the development and presentation for this review. As we progress we will have an authentic, and I do mean authentic, as in realistic, accurate, faithful, researched, true representation of the real deal. Scott Gentile, A2A Founder and Chief Designer, not only researches the real world aircraft in parallel to the in-house simulation development, he records the visits on video and makes them available for us to view. “We recently went up in the beautiful, "Moonbeam McSwine." Owner and operator, Vlado Lenoch, has quite an impressive history. He not only has over 8,000 hours total time, he has a masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering from MIT, is ATR rated in the Boeing 727, is a flight instructor in single, multi, and gliders, has an LOA (License of Authorization) for the L-39, T-33, P51, and others, and interestingly, his uncle Cvitan Gallc, was a 36 victory Luftwaffe fighter ace.” Scott Gentile, A2A Simulations Check this Mustang Walkaround from September 10, 2010, 30 miles South of KORD, and then compare the subject to FSX edition of the same name and colors. (6:25 Moonbeam McSwine) (http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=22369) Not only are the developers active pilots, they used detailed input and design assistance from many world renowned P-51 owners and pilots from around the world. The A2A Forums have daily posts by P-51 pilots suggesting how to better fly the Mustangs in FSX. A follow-on HD video of the ‘Glamerous Gal’ can be found here. (9:24 ) Some Screenshots of the WOP3: P-51 Military (Memorial Day launch, 2012) These screenshots taken from the Screenshot Forum for P-51 Military at A2A Simulations.com Special thanks to the repainters. What is this Accu-sim stuff? But, even before you grab your checklist you need to fully understand this Accu-Sim. I know enough to explain it to you but, I fail to understand why it is a separate purchase. I would venture a guess that less than 1% of the WOP3 customers fly without Accu-Sim. Accu-Sim is an additional simulation that is specific to a A2A flight model or a family of models. This is what makes the shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll. Touted as ‘built by pilots for simulator pilots to extend FSX to another level’, or a higher plane (pun intended). It comes in two parts – the core, which is constantly being added to and updated and the specific model Accu-sim that you purchase along with your A2A Simulation. Accu-Sim is coded totally outside the FSX box and is connected by strategic hooks with the end result a simulation that run in FSX but acts like FSX on steroids and upgrades the flight model to appear and feel much more realistic. Your first indications will be bouncing needles, panel shakes, vibrations of all sorts, sounds you have never heard in FSX and just generally a much more real-world-like simulation. This has several advantages for both the developer and the sim pilot. The Developer is no longer restrained or limited by the unfinished version of FSX and Direct9 and therefore can model specific systems and details as needed. The sim pilot is rewarded with near real world sounds, images, actions and reactions and can now use FSX in a way that real pilots use their equipment. A big plus is all these feature-rich enhancements do not use any of the CPU allocated to FSX with a net result of smoother running simulations at higher FPS. There will now be consequences of needles in the red and over boosting an engine on takeoff or in the case of the Mustang, not understanding and following the checklists and maintenance schedule. No more of that jump in and fly or land, stop and jump out and go to dinner. Proper shuts downs are just as important and proper startups and other procedures. Dudley Henriques, A2A Chief Pilot Emeritus, recently responded to a post asking what one would be missing by flying the P-51 without Accu-Sim. His partial response is . . . “With Accu-Sim, you are no longer "playing" with FSX. You are operating and flying an airplane as a pilot would be flying that airplane. In other words, you are no longer a "gamer". Accu-Sim is SERIOUS business. When you start up, take off, and fly, then land an Accu-Simmed P51, when you park it and close down FSX, you have accomplished as close to actually having flown a P51 as I believe has ever been made possible in a desktop simulator experience. Not having Accu-Sim is like missing a date with Pamela Anderson because you had to mow the lawn.” Another frequent poster added . . . “now you have a real reason to do a run-up, you really should check the suction, prop, mag drop, etc., they could actually exceed tolerances. The chances of things like that exceeding tolerances is related to your style of flying. If you are hard on the airplane, things will break/wear out quicker. (TJ) So, in summary, a large dose of ‘Realism’ is added to FSX without using any extra computing resources. A simulation with Accu-Sim is unmistakable, even non-pilots instantly notice the ‘realistic environment’. I think flying without Accu-sim is akin to ordering a hamburger, then saying, ‘Oh, hold the meat, please.’ Somehow, it is no longer a hamburger. OK. Now we Learn to Takeoff? Not yet, but we can start it up - soon. Yep. When you move up to a modern A2A Simulation with Accu-sim, you will be required to treat your new aircraft as if you would a real world equivalent. This means hitting the books, watching videos, making notes, reading the forums and burning the midnight oil, as they say. Depending on which model you have chosen to fly today, you will find a section with several pages of instructions in the A2A manual. The smart pilot will read the manual at least once prior to attempting to start the Mustang. Should you choose the Military P-51 you have 50 of the most interesting pages you may have ever come across. Eight sections will get you feeling comfortable enough to want to read the 60 page Accu-Sim manual. The first half of the Accu-Sim manual is more like a crash physical and aerodynamics course with the last half of the manual covering specific systems and parts of your P-51 with a couple of pages of hints on how to fly it. The 8 sections of the Military P-51 manual is divided up into bite size sections for easy comprehension. The lead-in, introduction and short history gets you interested, then a very short 3-page installation guide follows. Variants and specs with cockpit diagrams keeps you interested enough to read the section on 2D Panels where the memory work starts. You've got to know how to use the Shift+# keys to get to some of the goodies. Next to last are explanations and descriptions of the 17 major systems of the Mustang and then the part you have been looking for – Flying the P-51 – with 4 pages covering the Prelim check, how to get in and do a proper startup. Taxi, run-up checks, actual takeoff and the use of power. This is where you learn full power does not mean full throttle. And finally, prep for landing and actually landing. It is not over with the landing. There is more to do. For those that chose the Civilian Mustang . . . I’ve got some good news and some bad news for you. The bad news is the Civilian Mustang manual is 27 pages longer than the Military manual. Go Figure. The good news is the Accu-sim manual is the same for both so you may already be half way home. The Civilian Mustang manual appears to have been written by the same author of the Military P-51 so you are in for more interesting reading. This time the Introduction actually covers the systems as such meaning the Autopilot, Radio and Nav equipment, gauges and controls, and features and overview. All in 15 pages or so. The first 5 pages consist of the full version of the Blaze of Noon story as told by Mitchell Glicksman. My greatly abbreviated version earlier was just enough to get you interested in reading a little more about it. The Saga of 5412V by Dudley Henriques, A2A Chief Pilot and MSFS Consultant Emeritus This is a real treat. It’s an easy to read tear jerker mini-novel about a great airplane and a great pilot written by the great pilot’s friend. You will enjoy this immensely. Following some nice detailed drawings showing what things are and where they are located in the cockpit and the general specs for speeds and dimensions we get to the section on 2D panels. Now, these are not like you may imagine typical 2D panels should appear. These are more along the lines of click and choose for specific configurations. Kind of like a Configuration Manager divided up into Pilot’s Notes (very handy), Controls (Too many things to summarize), Payload and Fuel Manager, Map (A big, useful map with a compass rose and airports and such) You click on a dozen little boxes for Nav data, rings, zooms, etc The radio control box is a nifty method of channel selection and viewing. Finally, something new to many will be the Maintenance Hangar where you can perform a complete overhaul or simply check the oil. This is a color coded, click to perform feature. This is an A & P mechanics dream so enjoy this one. Make sure you do a full compression test to get started – remember there are 12 of those suckers in the Merlin. Learn to keep good records early in your training. There are sections on the GPS400 and a Joystick Mapping Utility instruction sheet. The systems chapter is a little technical, duh, but is quite interesting. It is not just dry descriptions but is well written with interesting overviews with some how-to's and consequences of doing or not doing. You may want to print this section and grab your highlighter. Get ready for the fun part. Checklists and procedures. Probably more detailed than you have ever seen. Lots of great information packed into these last 10 pages. I recommend reading these last two sections every night for a month. Set your FSX Realism Settings before you try to fly. The A2A Simulations Wings of Power P-51 Mustang was built to a very high degree of realism and accuracy. Because of this, it was developed using the highest realism settings available in Microsoft Flight Simulator X. The following settings are recommended to provide the most accurate depiction of the flight model. Without these settings, certain features may not work correctly and the flight model will not perform accurately. The only exception would be “Crash tolerance.” Some differences that may not be so obvious. Military P-51 Airspeed is in MPH, Civilian Mustang Airspeed is in Knots. (1.00 kt = 1.15 MPH) Military P-51 has APU available, Civilian Mustang does not have APU capability. Startup checklist has you checking Bomb & Gun Switch positions in Civilian Mustang – Ignore. Civilian Mustang does not have Wing Pylons therefore no long range fuel drop tanks are available. Now its time to review the cockpit layout and read the labels. Seven colorful cockpit diagrams are included in the manual with labels for each switch, gauge, lever or whatever. It would be a good idea to review these diagrams to get an feel for what is packed into this cockpit. I think just a general overview is called for at this time. Detailed explanations will follow shortly. Because the P-51 Military edition was available 6 months prior to the introduction of the P-51 Civilian model, there is naturally more selection of videos and tutorials tailored that that model. However, one should be able to adapt one model to the other except for a few selected systems like machine guns, radar, IFF, etc. on the Military version and the GPS, HSI and autopilot from the Civilian model. Things to help you fly the Mustang One helpful item that is not normally found in a FSX simulation is a Popup Pilot’s Notes with active updatable flight information. The Shift + 2 keystroke bring the Pilot’s Notes up as a 2D panel. This has a little bit of everything displayed for a quick glance. OAT and Cabin temps, Ground speed, range and endurance numbers, Power settings for takeoff, climb and cruise and fuel flow. Shift + 3 Controls seems to be an extension of the Pilot Notes except it is more action oriented. This will be nice when flying using the external view. With my Mad Cats/Saitek hardware cockpit it will be a natural. With Controls (Shift + 3) You can: Attach your GPU (ground power unit) for easier startups Put on your oxygen mask Set wheel chocks Jack up the aircraft Remove the pilot Adjust various switches and levers including your radiator flap, lights, etc. Set the aircraft to a cold-start state Set aircraft to automatically start in a cold start state Set throttle gate to match your joystick detent Additionally, Accu-Sim users can: Enable or disable damage modeling Adjust the volume of the Accu-Sim sound system Use headphones The Payload and Fuel Manager is assigned Shift + 4. This is a ‘real-time payload and fuel manager allows you to visually click and load your aircraft. This is a mouse controlled action panel with + and – boxes for adjustment or you can just fill in the blanks. Using the Payload and Fuel Manager you can service. Fuel Oxygen Coolant fluid Engine oil Hydraulic fluid Aftercoolant fluid Remove fuselage tank Change fuel grade Change oil grade Pilot’s Map (SHIFT-5) This small popup panel provides input for your virtual cockpit radios but in a simplified and easy to use manner. This popup features all the amenities of the actual radios but in a singular unit which allows you to control your communication, navigation, ADF and transponder radios from a single source. You can do most everything with this popup that you can do using the radio head in the VC. You can switch standby to active frequency, change frequencies, adjust channels, press Indent. Radios (SHIFT-6) Maintenance Hangar (SHIFT-7) The Maintenance Hangar is where you can get a review of how your aircraft engine and major systems are functioning. You can both see and read your crew chief’s report stating: A summary of your airframe, engine, and propeller installed Hours on airframe and engine since last major overhaul General condition of the engine Notes You can also perform a COMPLETE OVERHAUL by clicking on the OVERHAUL button. This overhauls the engine and replaces any parts that show any wear with new or re-conditioned ones. Color Codes Green OK Yellow Watch Red Must fix or replace While the maintenance hangar is accessible for non-Accu-Sim installations, engine damage, wear, and advanced systems modeling is part of the Accu-Sim expansion pack. This feature alone adds so very much to the simulation. You have you Mustang sitting on jacks so you can run use the color coded screenshot and the mechanics work order to perform the repairs. A click on the item will enact an instant repair or you can simple click on the box for a ‘complete overhaul’ and do all repairs instantly. Same with the big Merlin engine, if a couple of cylinders have low compression, can repair just those two or all 12 at once. The Yellow items are good candidates for failure during your next flight and the red one must be repaired on the spot. One thing is for sure, learning to fly the Mustang is no easy task and it is quite easy to make a spectacular crash resulting in major damage. Fortunately, they can all be at no additional cost for repairs using your Maintenance Hangar. Some Civilian Mustang users have complained in the forums that the model of choice on the jacks is a Military model and it should be changed to one of the Civilian models. I like the answer that if you are not happy with the one of choice, then find a suitable screenshot of your choice and replace it. That way A2A and keep actively working on the next model and making meaningful upgrades to this one as no two users will be totally happy when there is a choice of three. Remember, this is in the Accu-Sim part of the simulation and is common to both the Military model and the Civilian model mustang. GPS (SHIFT-8) This GPS functions the same as the one in the virtual cockpit. The GPS in the virtual cockpit can be easily swapped with a 2D one should one desire to swap the unit with other avionics freely available to consumers such as the Reality XP GNS430. This would enable WAAS and LPV approaches in addition to enabling Navigaph updates. Joystick Mapping Utility The Input Configurator is a small utility that allows users to assign keyboard or joystick mappings to many custom functions that can’t be found in FSX controls assignments menu. It can be found in the A2A/P-51/Tools folder inside your FSX installation directory. Starting in 2003 as a one man operation, A2A have now developed into a flight simulation leader with some of the most skilled people in the industry. We continue to strive for the enhancement of realism, immersion and entertainment in everything we do. The A2A Accu-Sim P-51D is a minutely modeled sim, giving you incredibly realistic cockpit instrument control. Every button and knob in the Accu-Sim P-51 cockpit works, is clickable, mappable and adjustable. But Accu-Sim does much more than just bringing your cockpit to life. It is a complete systems simulator, meaning that as you fly, it tracks in real time the state of all the aircraft systems (control surfaces, hydraulics, engine, cooling system, gear, etc.) and monitors and reports on their state. Your P-51D becomes a living, breathing machine. As you rack up the flight hours in your aircraft, systems will wear down, fluid levels will fall, mechanical systems will fail in a simulation of a "persistent world" as applied to a single aircraft. Your machine will need maintenance to stay in top condition. Fail to maintain it, and critical systems will fail in flight. Unlike an MMO, you don’t need to rack up "credits" to perform maintenance, it is just something you need to attend to, as with any real life aircraft! The Accu-Sim P-51D functions as any other aircraft in FSX. So you can fly it in any of your FSX worlds or missions, which may include maps covering theatres in which the real P-51D was flown. Want to skim along the railway tracks through the countryside in Western Europe? If you have that regional scenery installed in FSX, you can! Or, if you want to fly out of the airport right near your home, and you have that scenery installed, you can buzz your own house in a Mustang. Look ma, no hands! But as for doing what the P-51D was designed to do (blow stuff up), you can’t A few Systems highlights prior to starting Supercharger The engine has a two-speed, two-stage supercharger which cuts into high blower automatically. For all normal operations, keep the switch in AUTOMATIC. Carburetor The engine has an injection-type carburetor and an automatic manifold pressure regulator. With this automatic regulator, you don’t have to jockey the throttle to maintain a constant manifold pressure in the high-speed range as you climb or let down. All you have to do is select the desired pressure by setting the throttle lever, and the pressure regulator does the rest. It compensates automatically for the difference in air density at different altitudes by gradually opening the carburetor butterfly valve as you climb and smoothly closing it as you descend. Throttle Quadrant Late model Mustangs are equipped with a single-position carburetor. The mixture control has the following settings: IDLE CUT-OFF, RUN, and EMERGENCY FULL RICH. These carburetors are fully automatic and the normal operating position is RUN. The EMERGENCY FULL RICH position is for use in case the carburetor fails to function properly in RUN. The quadrants have two friction-lock adjusting knobs. One adjusts the friction of the propeller and mixture control levers, the other the throttle control lever. Propeller The P-51D propeller is a Hamilton Standard, four-blade, hydraulic, constant-speed prop with a diameter of 11 feet 2 inches and a blade angle range of 42°. As is the case with all single engine aircraft, the prop cannot be feathered. You control propeller rpm manually by a single lever on the throttle quadrant. Remaining Systems The remaining systems are covered in the manual to this level of detail. These systems are Landing Gear, Brakes, Hydraulics, Electrical, Fuel, Oil, Cooling, Oxygen, Emergency, Recognition Lights and Canopy. Cockpit The cockpits of fighter-type airplanes are generally pretty cramped, and that of the Mustang is no exception. Concentration of numerous instruments and controls into a small space is unavoidable. In the case of the P-51D, the controls are simplified, and their grouping has been planned to give you the greatest possible efficiency. As fighter airplanes go, the cockpit is comparatively comfortable. The cockpit can be both heated and ventilated. Cold air is fed into the cockpit through a small scoop located between the fuselage and the big air scoop. Warm air is fed into the cockpit from inside the scoop just back of the radiator. Warm air from this source also serves to defrost the windshield. The controls for regulating cold and warm air and the defroster are on the floor of the cockpit, around the seat, as shown in the accompanying illustration. The pilot’s seat is designed to accommodate either a seat-type or a back-pack parachute. The back cushion is kapok-filled and can be used as a life preserver. The seat is adjustable vertically; you’ll find the lock on your right. No fore-and-aft adjustment is possible. Your comfort on long flights will be increased by a small, folding arm rest on the left side of the cockpit. A standard safety belt and shoulder harness are provided. There is a lever on the left side of the seat for relaxing the tension on the shoulder harness. This permits you to lean forward whenever necessary-for example, to look out of the canopy in taxiing. Finally, Flying the P-51 Accu-Sim Accu-Sim is about believing you are there. It knows that, in the real world, certain truths exist. However, we also expect the unexpected, because in life, things do not always fall right into place. When you hit the starter for a great big radial engine, it doesn't always just say, "Yes, sir," and start right up. Sometimes it does, and when that happens you may think, “That was a nice startup.” Other times, the engine does something else – it turns over, it sputters, it coughs, and when just enough things happen to line up, brrrrroooom, the engine fires up. It is not a whole lot different than starting your cold lawn mower engine, but a large aircraft engine just has a lot more going on. Accu-Sim understands that while one aircraft may be the same model as the next, each aircraft is unique. It also understands that if we do things exactly the same way as we did before, things will not always respond in kind. Most of the time, yes, things will go as we expect. But there is a tolerance we watch for in all things. For example, if your engine tends to run at a specific temperature, say 220 degrees, and that engine is running at 225 degrees, you may consider that normal, or acceptable. Maybe 230 degrees is the point when you think, “That is a little too high,” or maybe 230 degrees is again considered OK by someone else. This is because you, the pilot, are considering not just the temperature of that engine, but all the other factors that go into what makes that engine heat up. Perhaps it's a bit warmer outside the aircraft or you want a little more speed that day so you've closed your cowl flaps an extra inch, trading speed for a little hotter temperature. Maybe the temperature gauge is off a bit, or perhaps you, the pilot, become a bit concerned. Maybe these indicators mean something more is at play. Perhaps you let the engine run a bit too hot on takeoff or maybe something else, completely out of your control, is at work. No matter what it is, the world is not run by absolute numbers; it's run by real things we can see and touch. It's observing the behavior of such things and making decisions based upon what we know to be true. With Accu-Sim, one thing is for certain – no two flights are the same. Welcome to the world of Accu-Sim. Discovering Accu-Sim is akin to finding the world’s best hamburger, or maybe that perfect chocolate milkshake, or an easy method that works to stopping smoking, or maybe that first successful trip to a chiropractor that fixed your nagging lower back pain. Whatever, you can relate to, that is what we are talking about here. Once you are exposed to Accu-Sim, that level of expectation will be your minimum level of satisfaction, but, you also will want to share your experiences. You know how sometimes you wish someone would just quit talking about how great something performs, well, that is the way Accu-Sim affects you. It is so different, so really high level, so out-of-the-park type stuff, you want everyone to experience it also. There is no denying that my level of expectation has increased dramatically after flying the P-51 Mustangs with Accu-Sim. Preflight and startups now take on a totally new meaning. The same for how one cares for his or her airplane while in flight and how one chooses to leave it when shutting down. Remember, if you notice a weak or squeaking brake when taxiing to the hangar, it will be in the same condition the next time you come out to fly the plane. I suppose it is like when you move from being a ‘renter’ to an ‘owner’. You just seem to be a bit more caring about the equipment. The Maintenance Hangar is a true godsend for managing the cost of keeping an old warbird in pristine condition and ready for the next airshow. It is like having the perfect group of mechanics with a virtual credit card. Any and all things can be fixed with the click of the mouse but, records are kept for your review. Extraordinary Sounds I’ve had to resort to using a good headset rather than my new Bose speakers. My wife just doesn’t appreciate the sweet sounds of the Merlin during startup and run-up checks while she is watching the Food Channel or HGTV. The Headphones selection choice (found in Shift+3 Controls) works great to balance the cockpit sound levels with the outside view sound levels. FSX has always had a problem with sound levels when switching back and forth. There is just something special about the deep throated rumble of these big ole oversized piston engines. Words fail me, but those that have experienced it instantly know what I would like to say. The FL410 Encounter ATC: Cessna Citation N510F1, be advised, a faster moving Mustang is overtaking you at FL390. Report when in sight. Citation: Roger Center, Citation OF1 level @ FL410, Must be another one of our Model Five-Tens in a hurry? ATC: Negative Citation 01F, this is a Model Papa Five One Delta Citation: Say Again Model number. ATC: Roger Citation 01F, overtaking aircraft is model Papa-51D ‘Mustang’ Citation: Uh, er, Roger, er uh, duh, uh Hey, Look at that! . . It’s a real Mustang. Holy Cow. Sorry Center. Fast mover now in sight. ATC: Roger Citation 01F. (chuckle, chuckle) High Flying Cross Country Mustang Loaded up with your toothbrush, a change of underwear and full tanks you can fly an all-day cross country in the A2A Mustang. You can cruise at FL410 with the Superscharger switch set to Low and fly as fast as the most up to date Mustang at economy cruise. That would be the Flight1 Cessna Citation Model 510 Mustang. This is the first simulation that I have heard myself breathing through the Oxygen mask. Neat feature. Oxygen starvation (hypoxia) is modeled. Just takeoff and climb without oxygen and see what happens. It will be just like the real world with the exception that you will live to tell about it. Control is a little on the mushy side in the rare air so it is best to use your Century III autopilot to maintain your heading and altitude while you take in the scenic beauty of it all and monitor those engine gauges with special attention to the O2 gauge. This is a real wonder – a 1940 designed warbird flying alongside or even faster than the most modern corporate jet at 41,000 feet. Thanks North American Aviation, thanks A2A Simulations and thanks Microsoft Aces. Lots of different Mustangs for Flight Simulation. There are at least a half dozen P-51 models available for flight simulation, but, maybe only one that I would consider as a competitive product to the A2A Simulation with Accu-Sim. That would be the DCS World P-51. This one gets an extra point or two for having ordnance that makes noise and smoke and such but, loses a lot of points by having such a restricted area for flying. You need to be able to read Russian to pronounce the airports available to you and the flight area is about the size of a postage stamp compared to the World that is available in FSX. Actually the DCS flight box is about the shape and size of Colorado. Repaints and downloads for the A2A P-51 In addition to the 3 outstanding repaints that come with the Military P-51 and another 3 outstanding repaints that come with the Civilian Mustang, A2A makes available a HD paint kit for downloading from their forum site. There are a couple of dedicated threads available at A2A and several other private and well-known download sites that have dozen of quality repaints available for free download. It is just a matter of paying attention to a few differences in the aircraft cfg file to copy a Military repaint to the Civilian Model and vice-versa. You can mix and match some interior colors and textures for either or both models. Just be careful to keep the Title and Variation unique to avoid the dreaded ‘duplicate title’ error message when you load FSX. I am sure, without exaggerating, there are more than a hundred high quality repaints available as you read this review. Some are well organized by type, ie ANG, by state, with a download link associated with the table. There are fighter groups, geographical location grouping, etc. A2A even sponsors a ‘Request a repaint’ thread where you can post images or descriptions for that one special repaint just for you, your dad, your cousin, uncle or whomever. Some of the repainters have several choices of the same basic repaint such as a ‘Clean version’ and a ‘Weathered version’. Nice. Most of the screenshots in the repainter thread are somewhere between Outstanding and Unbelievable. A few are off the wall but they will grow up one day. Spectacular Crashes Just as the simulations are outstanding, the crash scenes are also outstanding. A2A has come a long ways from the bent prop in the J-3 Cub simulation, which was unique in its day, to the call 9-1-1, the first responders and the local fire department with the Jaws of Life type crashes of the Mustangs. And that is just on the takeoff roll. After all the gawking and the astonishment wears off, just move the wreckage over to the Maintenance Hangar and select ‘Complete Overhaul’ and you are good to go. Ain’t flight sims great! A Special Note to those with Legacy PC Systems Because so much of the coding for these simulations are done in modern code outside the FSX box and linked as needed to run with FSX the overall efficiency or CPU drain is changed dramatically. This is hard to quantify, but, this ultra-complex add-on should run more efficiently on a properly tuned PC system than most of the much lesser complex add-ons. I would venture to guess the A2A P-51D with Accu-Sim will run smoother and with higher FPS than most complex freeware and almost all payware add-ons. You can read another opinion on how this manifests itself in the Avsim review by Ted Gold of the A2A COTS B377 Stratocruiser. http://www.avsim.com/pages/0112/A2A/B377.html A bunch of quality screenshots for you to gaze at the amazing details. Formation Flying Things that could added For the Civilian Model – Cruise Tables, Time to Climb Tables, Fuel Consumption Tables, Weight & Balance chart, drop tank option. For the Military Model – Active weapons. Bottom Line/Conclusions/Recommendations Test System • Hellfire FS Intel i7 2700 OC to 4.5 GHz • FSX w/Acceleration, Win7-64, 8 GB RAM • nVidia GTX580 w/1.5 GB RAM • Crucial M4 256 GB SSD, Intel 330 180 GB SSD • Seagate 3TB data drive, WD Black 1TB data drive • WD My Passport 750 GB USB 3.0 External Drive Pilot Qualifications: Commercial Pilot License with Single-Engine Land and Sea, Multi-engine Land, Instrument Airplane and DC-3 type ratings and Instrument and Advanced Ground Instructor and expired CFI/CFII licenses Publisher: A2a Simulations Platform: FSX/P3D Reviewed By: Ray Marshall Without a doubt, this is the highest quality and most realistic add-on that I have ever seen. It extends much further than a flight model - actually a whole lot further. The Merlin engine is a fully modeled engine. This engine looks, sounds, acts and performs like a real V-12 military aircraft engine. It will require special care and attention at all times; it will overheat in a heartbeat and cause serious damage, or it will slowly deteriorate with visual and sound cues like excessive blue or black smoke, detonation, reduced output, and a host of other not-so-good things. Each of the systems is fully modeled to the extent they can all basically stand on their own as impendent models or systems. You will think you are a hydraulics engineer at times; you will learn to manage the landing gear in the normal mode, the emergency mode, and sometimes in some in-between mode. You will learn to care for the brakes, tires, prop, paint, etc. Detailed checklists will become a necessity and second nature when owning and caring for a Mustang. 2d popup screens take on a whole new meaning with this model. They are not for instrument or panel viewing but for checking, selecting, configuring, and activating. In essence, for the Mustang to fly and perform as designed, you will be required to love and care for each and every piece and part on a daily basis. The slightest out of balance item will be noticed as you learn the proper vibrations, sounds, even smells (well almost). A bouncing needle is likely a good sign, and the proper number of turns of that big 4-bladed prop before the mag switch is turned on will become second nature. You will even learn when it is expected to have excessive oil pressure and how long before the temp is correct to taxi. You will learn the different techniques for hot and cold starts and you will spend a lot of time in the Maintenance Hangar taking care of business. My wife noticed my dirty fingernails at dinner last night and commented – “You are going to have to remember to wash your hands with Lava soap after flying that Mustang with Accu-Sim.” Yep. She understands. It doesn’t really matter whether you choose the Military model or the Civilian model as long as you do indeed get the Accu-Sim expansion pack. The Accu-sim works with either or both and is discounted when purchased together. The more time I spend in the separate models the more dissimilarities I tend to notice. The Civilian Mustang is way more than the Military model without the military fixtures. It is more like its own standalone model that shares the same engine and flying surfaces and basic systems, but, not much else. If you are inclined to spend time flying straight and level, you should consider the Civilian model for the Century III autopilot and the Garmin GPS400 and some very useful navigational instruments. Did I mention how fast this planes flies? Oh yeah, the FL410 encounter. If you are more into zipping in and out of the clouds and scaring the cows then maybe the Military model would be a good fit. You cannot go wrong with either and it is nice to have both. The A2A Simulations forums are like a band of brothers. Lots of good information is traded and shared on a daily basis. Both models have been released long enough for all the kinks to be worked out and it is always more fun for me not to be a first responder. I like to show up a little late when a hundred repaints are already available and a dozen links are posted for manuals and documents. Add-ons like these Mustangs with Accu-sim are the very reason we have Avsim Gold Stars. This review gets three recommendations: One Gold Star for the A2A P-51 Mustang, One Gold Star for the A2A Civilian Mustang, and a third Gold Star for the Accu-Sim Expansion Pack for the Mustangs. All well deserved. As real as it gets. Wow. An Interview with Scott Gentile, Owner and Operator of A2A Simulations This interview with Scott Gentile was conducted while I was writing the Avsim review of the A2A Simulations’ P-51 Mustangs – Military and Civilian Models with Accu-Sim. Avsim: With the success of the P-51 Military with Accu-Sim why did you decide to build a Civilian Model? Scott Gentile: Many Mustangs today have modern avionics and play an active role in general aviation. It’s also truly amazing that a 1940’s design has this kind of speed and range. Its cross country capabilities compare favorably against the most modern turboprop aircraft from all the big names like Piper, Cessna, Cirrus, Lancair, etc. and the Mustang is generally faster than all of them (nearing jet performance). For long range flights you can fly at high altitude with the LOW blower (supercharger). Accu-Sim models supercharged engine efficiencies so you can experience realistic speeds and fuel burn at all altitudes. It’s also a capable IFR platform with its automatic systems (mixture, water cooling, oil cooling), especially when compared to the earlier generation warbirds with all manual setups Avsim: Are there any differences between the two P-51 models that are not readily apparent, like removal of the guns, gun sight, radar, and the adding the GPS, A/P and modern instruments? Scott Gentile: If you just look at a side by side comparison, you’ll see that virtually the entire cockpit is new. There are new radios, navigation, cooling gauges, and an authentic Century III autopilot. Avsim: What was your biggest challenge in building the Civilian model on the heels of the successful P-51 Military? Scott Gentile: The P-51 Civ was in development and testing for almost as long as aircraft we built from scratch. This is because, in many ways, it was like building an entirely different model. Beyond this, there were extra demands on making a modern panel in today’s GA environment. Avsim: Do you ever just sit down and fly one of your models in FSX for enjoyment? If so, which one? Scott Gentile: That is a great question and yes. We get so involved in each project, that flying a model made a few years back is inspiring and in some ways surprising. I flew our Accu-Sim B-17 recently, and just took my time getting re-acquainted with the plethora of systems. Working the systems and listening to the crew just made me shake my head and smile thinking about what we accomplished together. Each plane is literally a piece of each person on our team. There is no way any of this could be done unless we we’re all fully engaged and passionate about the work we do. Avsim: Would you discuss the amount of the work that is 'outside the FSX box' vs. standard FSX coding in your A2A models? Scott Gentile: Our first Accu-Sim aircraft, the Boeing Stratocruiser, had probably 90% of the cockpit being run from outside the aircraft. This was a huge step forward. The P-47 Thunderbolt took over more of FSX as we added an all new sound system with a fully audible cockpit and environmental effects (you could even open your canopy and hear the proper wind outside). The J-3 Cub went another step further with a new passenger AI project (Heidi), all-new water physics (even supplied an oar so you could paddle to and from the dock), new gauges physics (the magnetic compass took a solid week to build), and in many people’s opinion, spins so real you could train new pilots on proper entry and exit techniques. The B-17 introduced a maintenance hangar many levels deep, along with a new multi-crew AI project. The Spitfire started the current “Accu-Sim Core” series, where it and future planes would be managed together in the same system. The main feature with Accu-Sim core was taking completely over the engine audio and physics. There is no “ON / OFF” switch with an Accu-Sim engine – it literally runs in suspension and momentum, just like a real reciprocating engine does. The P-40 introduced genuine hydraulics and cracked open the aircraft with manual, raw systems. The P-51 brought in more automated systems including the first dual speed supercharger. The supercharger physics, in the Mustang, are a true simulation of what a supercharger does. It’s not just an on / off switch for show, it’s the mechanics of the supercharger assemblies kicking in and out. All you need to do is throw the supercharger in manual and play around with it, and you will see what I mean. So, by this time, virtually every functioning system inside the aircraft is in Accu-Sim (outside FSX). FSX is mostly a home to the 3d model, textures, and the world environment. After all these years, we went back to the original Boeing Stratocruiser and developed a “Captain of the Ship” upgrade that gives you a full blown systems engineer, crew, and flight attendant, all of which lives in our Accu-Sim engine. Perhaps the best part of working outside FSX is that we are able to manage the systems better and work more efficiently. We build the engine and flight test it outside FSX, and then bring it in. When changes need to be made during development, those changes are again made and tested outside FSX, then brought in. Avsim: With identical PC setups, how much more efficient is the P-51 w/Accu-sim vs. a similar, complex 'All FSX' model? Scott Gentile: Comparing FSX with Accu-Sim to just FSX is sort of like comparing an aquarium to a small fish tank in your home. But the advantage is Accu-Sim is being run in our modern C++ based engine, of which we have authored from scratch and have complete control over. We have done performance testing and can barely read 1fps loss when we completely bypass Accu-Sim, so the performance hit is negligible. Proper, professional modeling is the other factor. It’s not uncommon to see 50% more polygons and unnecessary texture overload in a competitor’s same model as ours, yet, ours looks as good or better. It’s easy to impress the community with renders of mega poly models in development. It’s an entirely different thing to have a model look great in FSX and deliver fluid, stutter-free performance. Ultimately, it’s about what the customers think so people should use the forums and ask customers how certain aircraft perform on their systems. Avsim: Any general comments for the review readers? Scott Gentile: First I would say that realism doesn’t mean hard, rather, realism is life – including experiences both complicated and simple. Unfortunately, over the past years the word “realistic” has become synonymous with “hard.” At A2A for the better part of a decade, we have been working to reverse this trend, which is frankly the result of repeated poor implementation. We at A2A see realism as simple. Lastly, we should be thankful to have such a thriving flight simulation community – these are special times. FSX has maintained such dominance with home PC flight simmers, and Lockheed Martin’s commercial FSX counterpart, P3D, has infiltrated the entire aviation and military industry. FSX is a wide opened system that it could be argued is just taking off. Also, like any product, just be so careful about what you buy. Expect nothing short of outstanding customer support from any company you spend your hard earned money on. At A2A, our business is bringing fun and realistic flying experiences to everyone, from kids to pilots to seniors. We own and operate our own aircraft, and flight simulation is just as important to us as someone who has never sat in an aircraft. It is our job to do the hard work and your job to sit back and enjoy the beauty of flight simulation. We are proud to be a part of this great aviation / flight simulation community. Credits/References: Photo - "Excalibur III" Photographed at NASM's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia, USA, November 2006, by Steve Doktor Photo - "Excalibur III" brad.schram's photostream, Arroyo Grande, California, USA Brown Mustang - P-51 "Mustang" fighter in flight near the Inglewood, California, plant of North American Aviation. October 1942. From 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. This is a P-51 (no suffix), RAF equivalent is Mustang IA. Only this version had the four 20mm Hispano guns. Mustang Mk. I's had two chin-mounted .50 caliber machine guns and one .50 caliber and two .303's in each wing for a total of eight. The Mk. I's were exported for use by the RAF and RCAF. From http://www.shorpy.com/p-51-mustang This is a Mustang I, the original version built for the Brits before the US put in their order. The primary clue is in the guns -- all US versions were armed with Browning 50 caliber machine guns, which have barrels short enough to almost fit in the wings. Only stubs will show for 50 calibers. On the other hand, the Mustang I was ordered with four Hispano 20 mm cannons instead of machine guns. The long gun fairings conclusively identify this as an Allison engined, 20mm cannon armed, Mustang I. Photo with drop tanks from http://www.howitflies.com/Legal-Notice further to Wikipedia copyright link. B & W Photos - The vast majority of the digital images in the Archival Research Catalog (ARC) are in the public domain. Therefore, no written permission is required to use them. Credit goes to the National Archives and Records Administration as the original source. A flight of P-51 Mustang aircraft, over Europe, 6 Jun-9 Aug 1944 Added by C. Peter Chen 361st FG, 375th FS, flying out of RAF Bottisham, Cambridgeshire. Lead plane in this formation (P-51D-5-NA #413410 “Lou IV”) was shot down by ground fire during ground attack Aug 12, 1944, pilot Lt.Col. Thomas J Christian was killed. Plane at right (P-51D-5-NA #413926) crashed Aug 9, 1944, pilot was killed. P-51 Mustang fighters of the US Army Air Force 375th Fighter Squadron flying in formation, Europe, 7 Jul-9 Aug 1944 An African-American US Army personnel loading ammunition for a .50 caliber machine gun in the wing of a P-51 Mustang fighter, Italy, Sep 1944 P-51 Mustang fighters seen through a window of a B-29 Superfortress bomber, 1945 Escort carrier USS Altamaha transporting a deck load of P-51A Mustang fighters has just left Alameda, passed under the San Francisco Bay Bridge (background) and steams toward the Golden Gate, 16 Jul 1943 via D. Sheley Special thanks to A2A Simulations for providing the Mustangs and Accu-Sim. More special thanks to Patrick Van Der Nat, aka Soya, for providing the extraordinary high resolution screen shots specifically for this review. Make sure you zoom these up to full screen for some super enjoyment. http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=19387 How an engine works link to A2A Flight Academy http://www.stclairphoto-imaging.com/360/aircraft/Hazy/Hazy_swf.html (Try full screen HD) The tail of the dash 8 blocks he view Excalibur III in this video. http://www.baron58.com/Downloads/gold%20crown%20avionics%20oa%20KDI572.pdf download Gold Crown Manual. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3nddCJbcdI P-38 movie http://www.ausairpower.net/P-38-Analysis.html

This is quite a treat and very refreshing to see something totally new in the desktop flight simulations market. Using the 2013 Sun ‘n Fly-In and Expo in Lakeland Florida as the choice location for first public viewing, and using multiple locations in the large tents, AOPA and Redbird unveiled their latest creation. Actually the JAY has more big names behind it. Other partners include Flying Magazine, King Schools, EAA, and Sennheiser. Although the official name is the AOPA JAY, Redbird Flight Simulations in Austin, Texas builds and ships the units after one places an order at the AOPA Jay Store. Content is added by all partners, but especially by AOPA and Flying Magazine. This content takes the form of realistic flight scenarios for the end user to experience. You can add your own scenarios using the Prepar3D development kit but they will probably not be anything near the professional level work done specifically for the JAY. This brainchild was originally planned for a pre-Christmas launch last year but some last minute updates and rethinking had the designers back to the drawing board dreaming and scheming and coming up with a better Jay. This is all better for us users as the desktop simulator now comes with improved graphics, more built-in hardware controls, more initial content, and Lockheed Martin’s Prepar3D Professional simulation software. Yep. That is what I said – no FSX here, no Academic version. This is the future. Using a unique screen mask for flight selections, one would not recognize the startup screen as any known simulator. One simple, easy to navigation selection screen with a large green ‘GO’ box or red “Stop’ box makes for a simple startup. Let’s push the prominently lighted On/Off red button on the lower right of the panel and get started. Do notice this is a flight simulator and not a computer running a flight sim. We are greeted with a warm view of sitting in the pilot’s seat of a Cessna 172 with a G1000 package with a real world looking and feeling yoke, throttle quadrant and a rotary Mag switch and flap actuator. It may not be readily apparent to everyone, but this is not a computer with a flight simulator package installed. It is a purpose built desktop flight simulator built and supported by the leading full-motion flight simulator supplier – Redbird Flight Simulations. This is demonstrated by the absence of any sort of disk drive, no Microsoft Office programs, or such. It does have an ample supply of USB v2.0 slots in the back along with all the other inputs. That also explains why this is the first and only affordable desktop flight simulator that uses Lockheed Martin’s Prepar3D ESP software. As part of the purchase, you will receive the latest version of the Professional edition. To get to this point you will have to open the big, well packed, JAY shipping box. Assuming you have a small table and chair, you are ready to start your adventure. Unpacking and Setup Setup could not be any simpler. The overview is that you take the lower unit, the big metal box with the yoke, and place it on your table, place the 27 inch flat screen monitor on top and secure with 4 thumb screws, hookup the VGA video and sound cables between the two, plug in the USB keyboard and the two power cables in the back of the unit. The startup checklist is to verify the voltage slider is set for 115V, ensure the power switch is in the on position and Press the On /Off button on the lower right of the panel. That’s it, folks. You are now ready to select your free flight or scenario of choice. If you are an experienced flight simmer, you might want to plug in a mouse or you can opt to use the touch pad on the keyboard and arrow keys for navigating the initial screen. I suppose you noticed there are no rudder pedals included. Although this does distract from the realism of flying, it is quickly forgotten provided you selected auto rudder or remember how to use keyboard strokes for rudder corrections. I’m from the old school so I had a new set of Saitek Cessna Pro Flight rudder pedals in place and waiting. I hear Redbird is about to release their own brand of superior rudder pedals. These will be more for the ‘gotta be real’ enthusiast or the school/museum environment. The default opening screen is for Free Flight where you can choose to start on the ground or in the air. Pick your airplane, airport and runway, choose day or night, set winds, visibility, weather conditions and click the green button to load and start your flight. You can skip most of these selections for a super quick start if you choose. The Jay default to ‘on the ground’, daytime, no wind, and 10+ miles visibility. So, pick your airplane, search or select an airport and ‘Begin Flight’. The second tab is where the Jay really comes into its own. These Scenarios is what it is all about. Let’s take a quick look by clicking the Scenarios Tab. Notice that all the choices vary from 5 minutes to up to 30 minutes. There are Categories ranging from Introductions to Instrument Proficiency, to Emergencies and Real World Events. These make for the most realistic flying possible. You have night, day, poor or deteriorating weather, decision making with results, and just good old flying around punching holes in the clouds or weekend sightseeing. This is also ideal for pattern work to fine tune to your speed control, altitudes and general smoothness. More advanced users will be working on holding patterns and approaches. One of my favorites is the Lake Parker Arrival to Sun n’ Fun where you can experience a similar flight arrival to the annual Oshkosh AirVenture. This list will grow with time and the content will be expanded in depth and width. I also thoroughly enjoyed the ‘Night Visual Approach at Pompano Beach. I am an old pilot that learned to fly along the Florida East Coast so Pompano Beach was a regular stop for me. PilotWorkShops plans on a series of in-depth training scenarios for flight proficiency and for instrument rating preparation. Each scenario is very detailed with an overview, available and included charts and plates if needed, background magazine articles and other links. They are also airplane and equipment specific but you can modify some of these for a slight twist or change. These are very detailed and well thought out scenarios with realistic voices, data, etc. with multiple outcomes. That nagging backseater will make you want to get on the ground as soon as possible. Been there, done that. These are delivered by way of your internet connection, which can be Ethernet or wireless. The wireless option has a small USB dongle installed and waiting for your one-time password startup. You can even receive updates while you are actively flying and the update is blazingly fast. Of course, there is a 5 minute Intro on how to Save your Jay Flights for later use or just to shorten the setup time to get into the air. Some planned summertime additions will include the Carenado Cessna 182T with the G1000 panel and the ever realistic A2A Simulations J-3 cub. A brief announcement has most of us sitting on pins and needles waiting for Scott Gentile’s A2A Cessna 172. Although these will be a payware add-ons, you will be able to fly the scenario using the specific add on without having the actual full featured airplane. This will add a rung or two of realism to your desktop flying. This may be the first time you can actually fly a Carenado or A2A Simulations add on a realistic test flight without purchasing the product. This would, of course be limited to the specific scenario using that aircraft but, then you would most likely be convinced to purchase the full add on for general use. Speaking of realism. As sound is a large part of the immersion, I highly recommend you forego using the tiny built-in monitor speakers and opt for the outstanding Sennheiser gaming headset. Partner Sennheiser has a special edition noise blocking, PC 350 over the ear headset with built-in microphone that mutes when pushed up and away from your mouth. The sound is fantastic and you don’t have to involve your entire household and neighbors while flying the Jay. The built-in flight yoke is a Redbird edition and similar to the yokes found on their much larger commercial products. It is much beefier and more ‘real world’ like than my Saitek Cessna Pro Flight or CH Products yokes. It comes with a single rocker switch for the left thumb to control the elevator trim. This is where you begin to notice the difference between a purpose-built flight simulator and a gaming edition. The power quadrant is the black knobbed throttle and red knobbed Mixture control. The Jay is built to resemble the typical trainer – the venerable Cessna 172 – and does not have a Propeller or Conditioning level. When I asked about the absence of the prop level I was told it was a pricing issue and I suppose you have to draw the line someplace to keep the Jay really affordable. The quality and fluid movement of the throttle and mixture control levers are as real as it get. Absolutely outstanding feel, they could have been taken from the Cessna parts bin. Maybe there is a SuperJay in our future with Propeller and Landing Gear controls built into the panel. For now, these are easily controlled by keyboard presses or using the track pad or mouse to select from the VC panel. Speaking of Track pad, the ¾ sized USB keyboard is feature rich and designed especially for the Jay with color coded keys. An add on that increases the immersion and realism factor immensely will be the TrackIR with Ezdok. This requires some setup time to get everything calibrated for you to be able to look around all the nooks and crannies, down at the fuel tank controls or those hard to see avionics and light switches or even to do a walkaround inspection. The slight tilt of the head will result in amazing simulator motion and you will probably never want to use any simulator without the TrackIR installation. The Ezdok addition adds all the custom views and cockpit navigation, vibration shakes and turbulence imitation to the TrackIR. You can view yourself in flight while sitting in the cockpit seat (not literally) or you can open the little door and check the oil level if that is built into your simulated aircraft. Get this one from Flight1.com. Should you elect to expand your views and cockpit realism using the Exdok Camera from Flight1.com without having the TrackIR you will still receive quite a boost in close-up views and expanded views and the camera effects including the hard landing and camera shakes. This could possibly be one of those one – two type add-ons. Another neat add on is the Redbird supplied Cygnus Home Direct. This is nifty red cable and some installed software to fool your iPad into thinking it is where the Jay simulator says it is and not in your backyard. The simple plug-in lets you have your existing iPad show your moving maps. This will let you use your ForeFlight, WingX, FlyQ or even the basic Google Maps to show your position. It even works with the free Yelp app so you can fly to an airport and then Yelp that $100 hamburger or milkshake. This will change how you search for Starbucks. Support is provided by Redbird and the techs seem to be very knowledgeable. I called a couple of time with some routine questions and was given very direct and totally correct answers and explanations. I was having one of my ‘weak moments’ and couldn’t find an easy method of doing screen captures while using the JAY start up screens. It has been a while since I used the Win Key Alt-Tab to step through the open programs. So their knowledge extends well past the basic program and they don’t read from a troubleshooting guide, aka U-Verse support. As for prices, the current price list of what I reviewed for this review: JAY - $2,490 Wi-Fi dongle - $40 Sennheiser PC 350SE headset - $180 Cygnus Home Direct cable - $190 TrackIR - $159 The Ezdok Camera add on can be purchased online at Flight1.com for $34.95 Suggested Upgrades or Additions The first suggestion is to download and install the free FTX/Orbx demo area and free airport upgrade. This is a generous area that most everyone will enjoy. You will not be required to purchase anything to keep it working, although you may decide to purchase more of the upgraded scenery. A wireless mouse would be a useful and handy addition for those that choose not to remember or use the keyboard key presses. The Sennheiser headset is a slam dunk although any headset is better than none. I really do not recommend using the built-in speakers in the 27 in monitor. They just do not do justice to the engine sounds. Any speaker system with a good subwoofer would be a great improvement provided the others in the household appreciate those sweet engine sounds for hours and hours. The included 27 inch monitor is certainly a good start, but you will eventually want to explore the nooks and crannies of the cockpit and easily change those radio frequencies or headings. Ezdok and TrackIR make a dynamite combo with the JAY. A few nifty programs that are mainstays for FSX will not run on P3D without some special help or without a programming upgrade. But, eventually most will find their way into the Prepar3D edition. Remote Cockpit comes to mind for those with iPads or iPhones. The Cygnus cable or any program that will provide moving maps for your iPad will add to the situational awareness. In case you missed it earlier, I think rudder pedals are an absolute necessity. There are several choices and any of them are much better than none. You will find some of the scenarios will require pedals. I wouldn’t recommend flying those acrobatic Yaks without rudder pedals. Intended Market Redbird was very clear from the beginning that the AOPA JAY was not targeted for the typical Avsim Flight Simmer (if there really is such a person). The more likely user is the real world pilot that would like some additional flight time without incurring the associated real world cost of avgas, maintenance, insurance and such. Or the flight student that would like to practice some pattern work and hone his or her cross country skills. Maybe the instrument rated pilot that would like to work on his or her holding patterns, instrument scans and approaches. Or heck, maybe someone like me that just loves to fly. I can see where the AOPA JAY would make a perfect gift for grandchildren that may have an interest in flying or to create that interest in flying. I can also see where it would make a great gift for the Grandfather from the kids. How about the Civil Air Patrols cadets, or any organized introductory flight school or for that matter, any flight school could benefit from having a JAY or two. As for the Avsim flight simmer, this may be the answer you have been looking for. A flight simulator that you can recommend but not have to support. Either for yourself, your friends, or whomever. None of those nagging questions about config.sys or upgrading the video card every time a new review comes out. You can recommend the AOPA JAY and your friends can start flying, right out of the box. The Future No one knows for sure, but, I suspect the AOPA JAY will become a mainline product in the homes and the flight schools. The simplicity of the purchase and startup is just the beginning. The continually added scenarios and additional aircraft add-ons will boost the interest and keep you coming back for more. Nothing can be simpler than turning on your simulator and automatically receiving new content. This will give the AOPA JAY owners new and interesting flights based on many real world flight situations. I suspect some photoreal scenery, like the new MegaSceneryEarth v2.0 will make its way to the AOPA JAY soon. You can then answer those questions – Can we fly over my house, my girlfriend’s house, your house, etc. Yes, you can because you will be looking at the real world from the JAY, just as it was a couple of years ago. I just learned that some new acrobatic team scenarios are on tap for this summer using the Yak-52. These will use the licensed version from Virtavia and be a no cost add on for the JAY owners. The newest addition is the Redbird Rudder Pedals, priced at $495, these allow for realistic rudder pressure rather than just pedal movement according to Redbird. Recommendation Publisher: AOPA Reviewed By: Ray Marshall Do I recommend the AOPA JAY? You bet I do. Get the big box, a table, some rudder pedals and go flying.

Introduction A few years ago, I had the opportunity to review the Airnav Systems RadarBox, which is really a home based radar device that allows you to track flights in your immediate area. For a fee, you are also able to connect to a network that displays information from other RadarBox users. Since then, Airnav systems has released RadarBox 3D which is much the same as RadarBox Pro with the exception of having 3D flight tracking, a Google Earth interface and has over 600 models/liveries included. If you would like to read the review of RadarBox, (http://www.avsim.com/pages/0910/AirNav/RadarBox.html) Building on this concept, Airnav Systems has recently released RadarBox24. What is RB24 all about? To answer these questions and more about this tool, I had the opportunity to have a short interview Andre Brandao who is part of the development team at Airnav Systems. AVSIM - What is RadarBox24 all about? Andre –Basically RB24 was developed by Airline Pilots and other aviation professionals. It is our objective to bring aviation related features including FIR overlays and other technical flight information to a world where there are already too many flight tracking websites. This way we really hope this brings some difference and innovation to the current online flight tracking solutions. We believe this has been a success as over 10 thousand accounts have been created in just 3 months. RadarBox brings some unique features: - Real-time flight information including flight number, origin, destination, altitude, speed, heading; - Aircraft photos and history (latest flights done by a specific tracked airframe); - Over 30 layers including cloud coverage, airspace boundaries, airways, runways, airports and navigation facilities; - Real-time alerts: every time an aircraft squawks an emergency code it is automatically detected by our system and shared with users on the site and on our Facebook page; - Area Events: automatic alerts for any aircraft landing or taking off from any airport worldwide. AirNav Systems (the company behind RadarBox24) has been in the flight tracking world since 1997. 5 years ago we released the first fully integrated (all solutions, software, network and hardware in a single package) ADS-B flight tracking solution. It was named AirNav RadarBox. 5 years later we have RadarBox available on the web and soon on tablets and mobile phones as RadarBox24. Our company is a leader in flight tracking software and hardware with over 30 thousands customers, from airlines to airports and aviation enthusiasts. There are currently over 10 thousand ADS-B units streaming data to RadarBox24, from all over the world. We offer free RadarBox units for areas not yet covered but also accept non-RadarBox ADS-B unit owners the possibility of sharing data with our servers. Have a look at: http://www.radarbox24.com/#addcoverage AVSIM - What prompted AirNav Systems to develop Radarbox24? Andre –We want to have a centralized flight tracking solution available in all platforms: iOS, Android, Web and PC. In addition we also develop the decoding hardware. This enables us have a serious quality control over our product as we are the owners of all the stages of the flight tracking systems: hardware decoder, network processing and client software. AVSIM - What are the benefits of using Radarbox24 vs. other services available online? Andre –Unlike other already available online and mobile flight tracking solutions, RadarBox24 has been developed by aviation professionals: this means that we wanted to add a professional side of things to the system. In addition RadarBox24 belongs to AirNav Systems ecosystem of applications where all were developed by the same team thus guaranteeing data accuracy. AVSIM - What future develops are in store for Radarbox24? Andre – In 2 months we will release RadarBox24 iOS apps (iPhone and Ipad), after that Android. We also have many new ideas for the web version of RadarBox24. In addition we've just entered the professional market using our brand new "RadarBox24 Professional Fleet Manager" Here is a presentation on the features related to Radarbox24 Professional Fleet Manager While the interview was not very lengthy, I think that most of what RB24 does is summarized quite nicely. If you would still prefer to find out more information about this service, have a look at the chart below. As shown in the chart above, this is quite an innovation service and by the end of this review/commentary, we will see whether or not this service will be of benefit to you the readers. Summary of Service From the moment that I first saw RB24 I wondered; how does this really work? It may seem complicated from your initial viewing of the website, but really it is quite simple once you understand the way in which RB24 works. One of the first questions you may have about RB24 is whether there are any fees or monthly subscriptions. Thankfully, RB24 is available to the public free of cost. In fact, you can enjoy more of its features by creating your own free account. A point of interest is that RB24 does not cover only the USA. AirNav Systems receives flight data from both RadarBox ADS-B receiver stations and directly from the FAA Radar System and is allowed to display this data on flight tracking devices. Data coming from the FAA (green aircraft label) has a 5 minute delay and ADS-B Data is real-time (yellow aircraft label). If at any time you wish to see the level of worldwide coverage, you can simply click this link http://www.airnavsystems.com/radarbox/network.php . This link not only shows the areas that are covered, but it also shows the location of Real-Time sharing stations around the world. It may be quite surprising to see just how many stations there are and how diverse the locations can be. Bear in mind however, that this does not show ALL RadarBox users. It simply shows RB users who are online at present. Given the fact that RB24 also displays data from the FAA, it means that there will never be a boring moment due to a lack of RB users being online, and there is no traffic to be displayed. Even with a 5 minute delay, the information is still very much useful. One of the features of RB24 that I liked the most is the period updates that display when aircraft from around the world are in an emergency situation. For example, if a flight is showing a squawk code of 7700, this means that an aircraft is experiencing a Medical or Technical emergency. Features such as this are useful to enthusiasts who are eager to stay up to date with the operations of airlines around the world. What is even more useful is that you can receive these updates via your Facebook page by connecting to the radarbox24 Facebook page. A few weeks ago, when there was a tragic incident involving a 747 cargo aircraft, the alert on RB24 was quickly posted. This shows that RB24 is very dynamic and very active and up to date with what’s going on around the world. An interesting feature of RB24 is that data can be accessed through your Iphone or Android device. This is an extremely handy option since most of us are always on the go and are not always able to sit for more than 5 minute to simply log onto a website to track flights. For hard-core enthusiasts and perhaps more so for professionals, a lot of time can be saved by using these options as a means of tracking flights. Finding your way around RB24 is very convenient in that you get to filter the data that is displayed on your screen. The first filter allows you to select flights based on altitude, speed or ADS-B aircrafts only. The Map can also be adjusted to filter aircraft labels, animation of aircraft icons, flights on the ground and much more. As far as the map layers are concerned you will have the ability to display Clouds, weather radar, ATC boundaries, NAVAIDs, Waypoints and Routes for various regions of the world. By clicking the 3 white stripe icon to the top right of the screen, you are able to access more options to RB24. Some of these options include links to the forums, liveatc.net and further information on RB24 and apps that can be used with mobile devices. The apps section is not complete at the moment but as soon as these apps are available, information on this option will be made available in this section. To sum up this review, I am sure you may be wondering whether or not this is all relevant to FS enthusiast. The short answer to this question is yes depending on the level you are at. RB24 was developed by aviation professionals to allow users to have easy access to flight information and to track flights worldwide. If you are the type of FS enthusiast who relishs the thought of completing a realistic flight based on a real world operation, RB24 may be helpful in finding information on flights you would like to fly. This means that you will even be able to find information not only on commercial flights, but on just about ANY flight you can think of once tracked by RB users or the FAA. The accuracy of the information you will be obtaining is of the best available but if you would like to go even further than gathering basic information, I would recommend that you check out AirNav FS Live Traffic which allows you to have real world flights displayed in your flight simulator. This product isn’t a record of flight information that is constantly repeated, rather it is a live display of all traffic whether the flights are on time, delayed or cancelled. The subscription for this service may be a bit pricy but if you are bent on having the ultimate real world experience, it may be worth your while. Publisher: AirNav Systems Reviewed By: Marlon Carter All in all, RB24 is a great service and it is well worth your time checking out. Whether you are patiently awaiting their mobile apps or you join their Facebook page, RB24 will surely keep you up to date with what’s happening with aviation traffic world over. Why not check it out yourself? www.radarbox24.com

Just Trains has just recently released a slew of train add-ons for Train Simulator 2013 and most all center around the era of steam, along the way I will be introduce you to the Class 3700 "City Of Truro" and the GWR Manor Class Steam Engines and their associated content along with the Rebuilt Bulleid Light Pacific engine. Each is a separate add-on and is available via Just Trains by digital download or disc. The Class 3700 "City Of Truro" The Class 3700 is a magnificent steam engine from Europe's past and was designed in 1903 by George Jackson Churchward and ultimately built by Swindon Locomotive Works. Fitted with a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement it was used mainly for passenger and mail transport. The Class 3700 is probably best known for its speed record in May of 1904, though heavily questioned of its validity the 3700 was supposedly clocked at a speed of 102.3 MPH while descending the 1 in 86 Whiteball bank with the Ocean Mails Parcel Service, this scenario is available to try in this add-on! This add-on includes 8 real world models of the Class 3700 and offers tons of eye candy with a lot of moving parts! The models presented in this add-on are the 3440 'City Truro' both a modern version (2004-2006), 3700 'Durban', 3704 Lyttelton', 3710 'City Of Bath', 3716 'City Of London', 2 3717's "City Of Truro' (2010-2012 and 1912-1931) and the 3719 'City Of Exeter'. All of the different engines come with their own tender that is relevant to the age of the engine and each locomotive also comes with the Just Trains Mk 1 Coaches that are all in their own distinct liveries that pertain to the each of the Class 3700 locomotives. There are 12 different scenarios to choose from and all can be accessed via the scenario menu in Train Simulator. The scenarios are designed specifically for the Somerset and Dorset route, Bristol to Exeter, Bristol and Avonmouth, London to Brighton and even Isle of Wight routes so it is important to know that if you do not already own one or two of these routes as you will not be able to use certain scenarios. Most of the scenarios are passenger related, but you will find that there is quite a bit to do during each of them. Meeting schedules, coupling and uncoupling cars and picking up passengers is what you will find yourself doing and the scenarios typically range anywhere from 10 minutes to 3 hours. I found that I especially liked the scenarios for the Isle of Wight add-on as it gave me a whole new perspective when using that route and I found that I enjoyed it much more from the cab of the 'City of Truro', then some of the faster more modern trains the route was set up for. The engines and their attached tender are an impressive sight as each are magnificently detailed and offer some fantastic exterior views of this wonderful train, that along with a complex cab and a realistic look, feel and control of the engine makes it train simulating at its best! This coupled with an excellent sound set derived from the real train makes it an excellent addition to the TS 2013 family and a must have in my book. I like that they decided to include modern instrumentation on some of the engines that are still being used and kept the older, out of service trains, less complex as it adds a real authentic feel overall. For instance, the modern 3440 sports a digital speed readout and an AWS alarm system to where the original 3717 from 1904 does not and that just goes to shows the level of detail and work put into each individual model of the Class 3700. The Class 3700 can be purchased from the Just Trains website and runs about $21.99 via download or boxed product. I was surprised that there was not a manual with the boxed version I received, but a PDF version is available after install of the add-on. GWR Manor Class and Add-on Pack (7800 Class) The Manor Class engine was train that was designed and built by GWR between 1938 and 1939 and was used well into the 50's. It used the GWR standard 4-6-0 wheel arrangement and it was known for dependability and cool running and was seen through much of the GWR system up until the 1950's. Each engine's individual name came from a specific manor home, of which there were many, that littered the British country side where the Great Western Railway had run. The GWR Manor Class add-on comes with the GWR Manor in three different liveries along with a selection of different models, it comes with the BR Lined Green, BR Lined Black and the GWR Lined Green 7827 engine. Engine Models include the 7812, 7821, 7823, 7827, 7828 and each has their associated manor plates and signage on the engine, coal car and their associated content. Also included in this package are 3 different coaches that represent the British Railways, Great Western Railway and the 'Blood And Custard' coach for the British Railway, each car comes with its own interior view and is particular to the model of engine it used during its time. The Manor Class comes ready with 10 different scenarios for the following routes, the Somerset Joint Railway, Bristol and Avonmouth, Great Western Mainline, London to Brighton, and the Isle of Wight routes. Do keep in mind that these scenarios are created for both existing stock routes and payware routes that you may not own, so you will find that some routes may not exist in your current installation of TS 2013. The Scenarios will have you hauling passengers, moving freight and even moving cars and other train related content around the different routes. The cab of the GWR Manor Class is extensive and you will find that most everything works, dials and knobs turn and levers pull. You will also find that if you are not familiar with steam engines you might find yourself sitting on the track and not going anywhere because the GWR Manor requires that you drive the train like its meant to be driven, though not all of the trains complex systems are modeled it is still a challenge to try to stay ahead of it. The manual makes it clear that even though some of the levers and knobs appear to turn, they really serve no purpose and that they are there merely for animation because of the limitations of TS 2013. The exterior of the GWR Manor Class is a sight to be reckoned with, for anyone into the steam era of trains this package brings this engine to life with tons of eye candy and realistic sounds that are derived from the actual train. Lighting, dynamic shine and lot of moving parts makes for an impressive sight as this train lumbers down the track. If you still need more you can also purchase the GWR Manor Class Add-on Pack, this package offers 6 more engines to choose from and represent the engine as it appeared in the GWR unlined livery and it even features an earlier style lipped chimney instead of the ones seen later on. The engines also feature early and late style emblems along with the tenders as well and nine more custom scenarios. Another nice feature that is included allows the user to customize the Manor Class thus making it his or her own train. The scenarios included in the add-on package feature Somerset and Dorset, Bristol to Exeter, Bristol to Avonmouth, London to Brighton and the Isle of Wight routes, take into consideration that some routes are payware and are not stock to TS 2013. Again you will be tasked with passengers and freight depending on which route and scenario you choose. The GWR Manor Class sells for $21.99 and its add-on pack sells for $7.99 through the Just Trains website and the product is available either via download or boxed product. For me, if I was to go out looking for this engine I would want both the main add-on and its add-on pack to get the most out of the Manor Class. Rebuilt Bulleid Light Pacific The Bulleid Light Pacific was the result of a need for a post war engine that would replace the Merchant Navy Class that existed at the time. The train in its initial design was known for introducing the chain-driven valve gear which was ultimately a problem and resulted in many of the existing engines to be totally rebuilt, thus the name 'Rebuilt Pacific', and with the chain gear removed it ultimately became the Rebuilt Bulleid Light Pacific. This occurred in 1957 and was seen as a major improvement , but as time progressed it became clear that steam was a dying legacy and the future of diesel had arrived and many of the Pacific's were scrapped after having just being rebuilt by the company. Most interestingly is the fact that Rebuilt Pacific introduced electric lighting that was powered by a steam driven generator in the cab of the engine along with gauges in the cab that were lit using ultraviolet light that allowed for better night vision from within the cab. Though interesting, this is not the case for the Just Trains Pacific, though it does have cab lighting it does not feature individual gauge lighting. The Rebuilt Light Pacific comes with one engine and includes 10 different nameplates that are relevant to the engines past. If you want to make use of the different nameplates then you will need to specify which name plate you want to use when setting up the individual scenarios. This process is explained in the manual and if you do not make the necessary adjustments prior to using the engine in a scenario the plate will show up blank in the game. You also get the Maunsell Coaches that are specific to the Rebuilt Pacific and that includes the brake coach, composite coach, third brake coach and the third coach cars and each are designed to match the color of the locomotive and its respective service. In all the train and its content look very good together and does make for an excellent addition to Train Simulator 2013. The Rebuilt Pacific comes with 4 scenarios that will have you traveling the Bath Green to Templecombe and the Newcastle to York routes and it will have you running passenger and freight service from 1957-1980 depending on what route and scenario you have selected. I was a little surprised that there were only 4 scenarios, but the great thing about Train Simulator 2013 is the Quick Drive option and this engine will allow you to drop it into any route, European or otherwise so you can just enjoy it and use it and not worry about having to meet schedules or meet the goals of a specific scenario. This can also be achieved with the other 2 add-ons in this article. Controlling the Pacific is done just like any other steam engine in TS 2013, though it is not as complex as say the 3700 or the GWR Manor it is still an interesting locomotive to control and move around your virtual railroad. I would have really liked to have seen more emphasis on how this train operated. The manual explains how to change the head and shed plates, but does little on explaining how this engine works or what its primary use was during its time of operation and is only 14 pages in length. The Rebuilt Bulleid Pacific sells for $21.99 and offers yet another excellent addition to the TS 2013 family and can be purchased from the Just Trains Web Site. Summing It Up Publisher: Just Trains Reviewed By: Gene Davis The Class 3700, GWR Manor Class and the Rebuilt Pacific are fantastic additions to the Train Simulator fleet and offer hours of steam train enjoyment. They are all equally good visually and audibly, but I think the 3700 and the Manor Class are more complex when it comes to operation versus the Pacific, though I do feel the Rebuilt Pacific fits in well and offers a more casual driving environment and it is still far above par when it comes to the stock steam engines that come with Train Simulator 2013. In all, these three add-ons from Just Trains offer some of the best steam engines I have seen to date for Train Simulator 2013. They are not so expensive that you can't consider getting them all and they offer hours of fun. All three of these add-ons are a journey into a time of rail that no longer exists and never will again, but with the talented folks at Just Trains we can experience these marvelous wonders once again and continue to enjoy them into the future with Train Simulator 2013!

Introduction The information for this section was gathered from the manual and the piperowner.org website. The Pacer and Tri-Pacer are the most popular of the “short wing” Piper aircraft that appeared after World War II. With thousands of military surplus and pre-war “long wing” Cubs (J-3 Cub and its variants) available, Piper Aircraft found itself facing bankruptcy in 1948. Piper Aircraft Company decided in order to get a low-cost aircraft into production quickly; it cobbled together a new design making maximum use of existing parts. The result was the PA-15/17 Vagabond, a no frills two seat aircraft powered by a 65 horsepower engine and differed from the earlier Cubs by having a short (29.5 foot) wing. In 1949 the PA-16 Clipper was produced which was basically a four-seat version of the Vagabond, powered by a 125 horsepower engine and retained most of the Vagabond features including a Cub style control stick, no flaps and fabric covered aluminum & steel tube structure. The Clipper was replaced in 1950 by the PA-20 Pacer, which replaced the stick with dual control yokes; it now had manual flaps, removable rear seat and had one door on each side of the aircraft, one on the right front and one on the left rear. Early versions of the Pacer were powered by 115 horsepower Lycoming O-235 engine while later models were installed with 125 or 135 horsepower O-290 engines. Many of these aircraft have been upgraded to 150 or 160 horsepower O-320 engines and a 180 horsepower engine is also available as an after-market conversion. This package also includes some 180 horsepower models. This higher engine power along with a very light weight structure results in a useful load of about 900 pounds and a service ceiling of over 15,000 feet. The Piper Pacer had a huge following and Piper was hoping to make an aircraft even safer and economical to operate and created the Tri-Pacer, also known as the Flying Milk Stool. The Tri-Pacer was easier to takeoff and taxi in but many enthusiasts still preferred the tail dragger, with some owners actually retro-fitting the tail dragger landing gear to the Tri-Pacer, reverting it back to the tail dragger configuration. Production of the Piper Pacer series of aircraft continued to 1964 with over 10,000 aircraft being built (over 1100 PA-20 Pacer & over 9400 PA-22 Tri-Pacer). The Piper Pacer is still widely used today and is usually spotted at private airports and all over Alaska. They are used as bush flying aircraft and have been modified with modern panels with installed GPS units, new heavy duty landing gear with large tundra tires and other modern equipment installed to make them even more efficient to operate. With an airframe made of steel tubing, fabric & wood, the Piper Paper series of aircraft is an economical & durable aircraft to own and operate. Specification’s: Capacity: 1 pilot & 3 passengers Length: 20 feet, 6 inches Wingspan: 29 feet, 3 inches Height: 8 feet, 4 inches Empty Weight: 1110 pounds Gross Weight: 2000 pounds Fuel Capacity: 36 US gallons Powerplant: Lycoming O-320-B four cylinder 160 horsepower engine. (Super Pacer 180 horsepower) Propeller: 2-bladed metal, fixed pitch Max speed: 123 Knots (141 MPH), Super Pacer 140 Knots Cruise speed: 116 Knots (134 MPH), 75% power, 7000 foot altitude Stall speed: 43 Knots (49 MPH), flaps down Range: 434 nautical miles Service ceiling: 16,500 feet Rate of climb: 800 feet per minute Take-off run: 1120 feet Best rate of climb speed: 73 Knots (84 MPH) Landing roll with flaps down: 1480 feet Installation and Documentation The review copy was provided by Lionheart Creations and uses the PayLoadz purchasing and installation system. This website uses PayPal as the form of payment. After purchase you will be emailed a link to the setup file. Download and run this file to begin the installation process. Select FSX or Prepar3D, agree to the license agreement, verify the correct simulator location and click “Start” to install the package. Select “Yes” to agree to overwrite the copy protected files, I am not sure that I like this aspect of the install process, maybe all add-ons overwrite these files and Lionheart is kind enough to let the user know this is happening. I would rather have these files backed up so if you need to uninstall these files will return to the original file. After all of the files are installed, select “Exit” to finish and the detailed manual should open in your PDF viewer. I like that a traditional manual has been included and love the old style look of it. I have a minor issue with the manual in that it has some errors that should have been spotted when it was proof read. The pages detailing the virtual cockpit and the interior features have the label “Exterior Features” at the top of these pages. The manual is also available from the Lionheart Creations website which is a nice customer service feature. The package includes some Alaska scenery and the manual explains how to activate it in FSX. The first time that you load the aircraft in FSX, you will be asked by the Microsoft Security System to run the Lionheart Creations Sound Gauge file, select “Run” then “Yes” to designate this module as trusted. Interior Features The interior features of these aircraft are excellent. The first thing that grabbed my attention when I first loaded a Pacer was that the interior color textures match the exterior colors. Not all developers add this feature and when it is included, it really adds to the quality of the product. Several other interior alternate views are included and when you select these views you can see the other quality details that have been included with this package. Everything about the interior looks realistic, including the three dimensional screws, clear labeling, chrome handles, detailed arm rests and the classic looking upholstery which features piping in the various colors that were popular in the era that these aircraft were produced. Even the Airworthiness Certificate has some detail instead of being a blurry looking object or not included at all. One of the issues that I have with some historic flight simulator aircraft is the lack of dirty or “wear & tear” textures. Thankfully, Lionheart Creations has included some aircraft with dirty textures which appear as stains on the upholstery and other signs of use. To have stains on the window, simply click on the bottle of Plex All on the floor or click on the windshield itself. The three levels of window textures are Normal (some bug splats and is the default setting), Dirty (the most stains) and Clean. The selection I used depended on the aircraft that I was flying, Dirty with the aircraft with the oldest looking panels & the bush aircraft, Clean with aircraft with the most modern panel and Normal with all the various included models. The windshield on these aircraft is tinted and when you use the Normal & Dirty windshields the tinting seems darker. If you do not like the tinted look a clear texture file is provided on the products web page on the Lionheart Creations website. I did not install this file. Another nice feature is the ability to change the aircraft from passenger to cargo. This is accomplished by clicking on brown wallet on the front right seat. A minor issue that I have with the cargo loaded aircraft is that the weight and balance is the same as the passenger aircraft. Also, some of the boxes do not have level of quality textures as other interior features. Exterior Features The exterior textures are just as outstanding as the interior textures. This package includes tail wheel models in both standard & bush configuration, tri-cycle landing gear and also the float plane model. Each of these models has several exterior paints each so a total of 33 aircraft are available to fly right after installation. An optional paint kit is also available for download. A realistic feature that I like about the Piper Pacer package is that the pilot is only visible in the cockpit when the engine is running. The exterior textures are produced in high resolution 2048 x 2048 texture and I only had a very minor decrease in performance over the default FSX Cessna 172 that I use for my starting flight. An excellent external feature is the ability to select the type of wheel fairing that is installed on the aircraft. The tail draggers have the choice between early, modern or no wheel fairings and with the tri-cycle landing gear aircraft the choices are either modern or none. These are selected with a switch on the instrument panel. A minor issue that I have with this is that the switch is also located on the float plane instrument panel which does not have wheels! Similar to the dirty window options, I would select the wheel fairing type based on the age of the instrument panel that I was flying. I would use old or none with the older panels and modern with the most modern panel. With the float plane you can raise and lower the water rudder with the lift ring and cable located in the cockpit. I am very happy that this is included because it adds to the realistic look and I sometimes forget what the keyboard shortcut is for this function. Some of the exterior paint jobs include chipped & faded paint and wet mud underneath the wing from landing at wet dirt landing areas. Also, metal fatigue around the fuel covers and on top of the wing is visible on all models. One thing is for sure, I cannot complain that Lionheart did not include some dirty and aged textures with this product. The bush models include the realistic lift enhancer tabs that make these aircraft capable of taking off at shorter airfields. Several alternate exterior views are included that allow you simulate walking around the aircraft to examine all of the quality features of the Piper Pacer. All of the external features are three dimensional and everything looks very realistic. I was sitting in one of the float aircraft and looked out the left window and notice the left fuel sump, it looked exactly like what a fuel sump is supposed to look like and I am glad that they are included with the exterior model. Other exterior features include detailed tail wheel & linkages, tail wheel lift handles, raised ribbing on the wings, fuselage & rudder surfaces, clear three dimensional labeling and more. I am very impressed with the amount of external details that are included with an aircraft that retails for only $24.95. I have looked at other aircraft that are more expensive and they did not include this level of detail and variety. Panel Just like the interior and exterior textures, the instrument panel also is great looking. Three different panels are included with this package. My favorite panel was the early era version with only the radios mounted on the panel. The radios are positioned where the glove box would be on these early aircraft and by clicking the glove box area that is visible, the radios are hidden inside the box and are replaced with glove box door to make this panel look truly like and early era Pacer. Two things that would have improved the experience & realism of this panel is would have been nice to have old style analog radios (instead of digital) and also when hiding the radios have the option to have an operable portable radio to simulate flying in modern day with the older aircraft. Even though the radios are hidden they are still turned on and you can hear traffic over the speakers. The other instruments on this panel look just like the early era instruments should look like and also these panels do not have a master battery switch and avionics switch. The second panel is one that you would see on a Piper Tri-Pacer era aircraft. This panel is also missing the battery & avionics switches but now has more instruments, a Garmin GNS-430 GPS and an ADF Radio & gauge. Before moving on the final panel I want to discuss the biggest issue that I have with these early era panels. According to the manual the engine can be started without a battery switch but on my system this did not work. Also, the avionics would not turn on without a proper switch. I sent in a support request about this issue, Lionheart does not have support forums, and have not received a response. I wanted to fly these aircraft, so for a workaround I created a keyboard shortcut for both the invisible master battery and avionics switch and then I could start the engine and operate the radios. Also, my Saitek Switch Panel would sometimes work or not work and radios would sometimes turn off for no apparent reason, I had to cycle the avionics switch shortcut a couple of times before they would stay on, weird! I do not know if this is an FSX issue or product bug but it is enough of a concern that I wanted to explain it here in the review. The last panel option is the high technology carbon fiber bush aircraft panel. This is my least favorite panel because it seems out of place on an older aircraft and because it has all of the modern switches was the only panel that I could start the engine without using keyboard shortcuts. This panel also has the most modern instruments and also has the GPS on the panel. If you would like to exchange one panel for another, the product web page provides instructions for doing so. To display “wear and tear” textures on the face on the instruments, the textures change when you select the various window texture options as explained earlier. When you select the “Dirty” option, these textures have the most scratches and I had a very hard time reading the instruments. After doing some flights I decided to just use the “Normal” textures because I get some wear textures on both the windshield & instruments and I still can read the instruments. If you miss the days of having a 2D panel then you will be very happy because a 2D panel is included for each panel type. I am strictly a virtual cockpit aviator now so I did not use the 2D panel other than for review screen grabs. The GPS is very basic and only accepts the default FSX flight plans and I do not have an issue with this because I treated this aircraft as a nice VFR aircraft and used the GPS for only moving map purposes. At a later date I may replace the GPS in the high technology panel with my Reality XP GNS-430 because that would be the aircraft I would probably use for longer flights. Flight Model This is a fun aircraft to fly but does take some practice in order to operate it without incident. I already commented on the starting procedure but now would like to explain another issue that I have after the engine is running. When my throttle was at the idle setting the RPM would drop to zero and the engine would stop. This seemed to occur with any RPM below 600-700 RPM. The aircraft would have to be slightly above 1000 RPM to start the taxi but would start to taxi fast so I had to slow it down. I had to carefully reduce the throttle to 900 to 1000 RPM for a nice taxi speed. If this is how the real aircraft operates then I can certainly live with it. If you have not operated a tail wheeled aircraft it can be hard to see over the engine cowling. The realistic procedure is to perform “S” turns on the ramp or you can adjust your eye point view or use the wonderful alternate view of looking over the cowling. The Tri-Pacer does not have this visibility problem but for some reason I had the sensation that I was floating on the ramp instead of having the wheels firmly planted on the ground. This was minimized when I was able to taxi at a slower speed. Take off can be a challenge especially with the tail dragger models, I recommend using the alternate view with your eye point over the engine cowling in order to see the runway ahead of you. The torque effect from the engine & propeller and the rotational wind over the airframe will cause the aircraft to veer to the right then suddenly pull to the left sharply if you apply the throttle two quickly. The worst possible outcome here is over correcting and causing a ground loop. This has been modeled exactly. To minimize this issue is to slowly advance the throttle with slight left rudder as you accelerate then apply right rudder to compensate for the left pull as you accelerate. If you are new to this type of flight model I recommend saving the flight before take-off so if something happens you do not have to start over from your parking position. The Tri-Pacer does not have this issue so if you just want to start flying, I recommend starting with the Tri Pacer then start practicing in the tail dragger models. Also, one notch of flaps is recommended for short field take-offs. This is a wonderful aircraft for short to medium cross country flights. All of the performance information below was from the user manual. At a 75% throttle setting the Pacer can cruise at 120 to 140 knots. The aircraft in this package does not include an auto pilot but that is not an issue because it is a very nice aircraft to control in flight. It trims nicely and I had no issues hand flying each of the Pacer models included in this package. The Piper Pacer has a fixed pitch propeller so there is not a propeller control; you control the RPM with the throttle. The recommended cruise setting is 2500 RPM which equates to a 75% throttle setting or 85% for a fast cruise setting. Landing all of these aircraft despite what the manual says is a challenge. This is especially true with the tail dragger models. If you have crash detection turned on, I recommend saving the flight somewhere on approach in order to avoid starting your flight again at the starting location. I learned this the hard way on several cross country flights. Start your approach early, the Pacer is a heavy aircraft and the short wings cause the aircraft to drop fast and hold its speed when throttle is reduced. When your airspeed is below 120 knots, you can apply your first notch of flaps. Even with all of the flaps extended the Pacer does not slow down as fast as other flight simulator aircraft. Elevator & trim adjustments are necessary for proper approach speed. It is possible to do a three point landing but I was never able to accomplish this. The most challenging part of the landing is slowing down once you are on the runway. I had a very hard time with the tail dragger model keeping the aircraft straight after touching down. It is very easy to over control the rudder during this time and the result is a spin out or worse. I finally decided to practice full stop landings after saving an approach and managed to not spin out but still had a hard time staying on the runway; I would usually end up on the grass or ramp beside the runway. Very small rudder control movements are required for successful landings. As the old saying goes, practice, practice and more practice. The Tri-Pacer also requires the small rudder control movements but for me the Tri-Pacer was much easier to land then the tail wheeled models. Sounds, Animations & Custom Scenery The sound effects of the Pacers are pretty good. Although I have an issue with the engine sound effects. With premium aircraft I have come to expect realistic engine sounds, either recorded from the real aircraft or taken from another aircraft with a similar engine as the Pacer. Lionheart used the sound package from the FSX default Maule aircraft. The interior sounds are excellent with an audible sound effect for all of the operable switches, flaps and other interior sounds. I just wish they would have taken the time to get the engine sounds right. When browsing the Orbx forums I noticed that other people have an issue with this and somebody provided a wonderful suggestion, if you own the Flight Replica’s Super Cub, that aircraft has the same engine as the 150 horsepower Pacer. I own the Super Cub so I replaced the Maul sound folder location with my Super Cub sound folder location on the Pacer sound.cfg file and now I have acceptable engine sounds. There are other replacement aircraft sound products on the market and other users have reported that they have had success with these products. There are plenty of nice animations with this aircraft. My favorites are the old style trim crank and the sliding windows. One thing that I love about the Pacer is that I can open both doors from inside the aircraft using the door handle. I always had trouble opening doors with keyboard shortcuts that some developers make you use. To add even more value to this package, some custom Alaskan Scenery is included. The scenery is located around Hope, Alaska which is south of Anchorage. I have just installed the Orbx Southern Alaska regional scenery product so I did not activate this scenery. If you do not own the Orbx scenery, the scenery with this product includes upgraded airports, small lake landing areas, remote cabins in forests and on lakes, camp sites on glaciers and even a crashed UFO site high up on a glacier. Summary / Closing Remarks Test System • Intel Core2 Duo 2.53GHz • 6GB DD2 RAM • 500 GB Serial ATA HD(5400RPM) • Nvidia GeForce 260M 1GB GDDR3 • FSX with Acceleration Test Time: 40 hours Publisher: Lionheart Creations Platform: FSX/P3D Format: Download (266MB) Reviewed By: Mike Cameron Despite some issues that I have with this product, I am glad that I have it installed on my system. The Pacer is an incredibly fun aircraft to fly and if you have the realism settings turned up it can also be a challenging aircraft to operate. With three different panels and both the tail wheeled (including bush configuration), Tri-Pacer & float models there is a lot of variety for the reasonable purchase price. I love that the Tri-Pacer model is provided because this is the first time that I have noticed that this model was available for FSX. A proper manual is included which always improves the quality of a product, at least for me. The included custom Alaskan scenery also adds to the value of the package. I did have a couple of issues with this package and these may cause some people to think twice before purchasing the Pacer package. The first and what I consider a major issue is that I could not start the early era and the Tri- Pacer era engine from a cold and dark state. These panels do not have a master battery and avionics switch installed for realism, so I was also not able to turn the avionics. According to the manual, the engine should start even without the battery switch but this did not work for me. I sent a support message to Lionheart and did not hear back from them and I also asked about this on another forum and did not get any responses so maybe it is an issue on my system. I created a keyboard shortcut for the master battery and avionics and was able to start the engine and turn on the avionics. The minor issue that I have with the Pacer is that I wish Lionheart would have included more realistic engine sound effects. I was able to resolve this issue by aliasing another aircraft sounds that I have installed on my system. Despite these two issues and the other minor issues that I commented on, the various Piper Pacer aircraft included in this package have become some of my favorite aircraft to fly in FSX. What I Like About the Piper Pacer Three different panels Early era tail dragger, Tri- Pacer era, modern bush and float aircraft models Excellent looking interior & exterior textures including “aged” and “wear and tear” Proper manual with plenty of information Fantastic price Some good animations Includes custom Alaskan scenery What I Dislike About the Piper Pacer I could not start the engine or turn on the avionics from a cold & dark configuration with the early era and Tri-Pacer era panel aircraft without creating keyboard shortcuts Aircraft uses the default FSX Maule sounds The manual has some typographical errors Not really an issue with the aircraft but Lionheart Creations does not have a support forum for questions and concerns

When PMDG released their latest and most lauded product for FSX, the 737 NGX, it came with a feature that had me dancing about the room for a while before I could sit down and get going with actually flying it. PMDG had implemented a failure model based on actual real world data for almost all the parts of the 737 which meant that once a certain time period had passed, based on time scaled averages in the industry, almost every part reaches the limits of its life span. Now this does not mean that you will have failures on every flight. You just need to keep an eye on the aircraft and make sure that you do the services that are required in the FMC section, your 250 hour services. This was great, but the problem still remained that should there be a failure, even with the standard FS2Crew for the NGX, you would have to handle these emergencies on your own with minimal if any input from the first officer on the flight deck, which is not entirely realistic. This is about to change... With the release of the Emergency NGX release of FS2Crew for the PMDG 737 NGX, you now have the ability to involve your first officer in handling these emergencies with you and use the element of cockpit resource management (CRM) to deal with emergencies according to the real world QRH that was delivered with the NGX. Now the simulation is complete! Installation and documentation The download is quite large, at around 345 MB. As always though, downloading from the FS2Crew site was a breeze, no vices and with excellent line speeds. Installing it is just as easy, the same installation procedure as with the other FS2Crew products. You get the slight pause at the end as the Direct X files are updated, and then it finished, placing all the relevant shortcuts to the documents on your desktop. No vices. The documentation you can find is located in your FSX\FS2Crew 2010\Versions\PMDG737NGX folder. You will find the following documents:- 1. FS2Crew Emergency NGX; 2. FS2Crew NGX Button Control Manual; 3. FS2Crew NGX Button Control Tutorial; 4. FS2Crew NGX Readme First; 5. FS2Crew NGX Voice Control Manual; 6. FS2Crew NGX Voice Control Tutorial; and 7. RAAS Coupon NGX. Now as you can clearly see, there is, just like with the standard FS2Crew version, a voice and button control version. The documents are all in PDF format. The FS2Crew Emergency NGX document is a 20 page read informing you of everything you need to know on how to operate the Emergency NGX part of the package and is a must read. Just like the standard FS2Crew package, the checklists and the know-how in operating this software is essential! You can print it or save the planet (like I do) by using the manuals on your tablet or iPad. The FS2Crew NGX Button Control Manual is a 45 page read and is the standard manual on the standard part of the FS2Crew NGX Button Control version. If you want to use the button control version, and you have not familiarized yourself with the standard operating procedures and normal procedures of the FS2Crew NGX Button Control version, this is essential. The FS2Crew NGX Button Control Tutorial is just what it says: a tutorial on how to operate the FS2Crew NGX Button Control part of the software, a 21 page walkthrough for the software. The FS2Crew NGX Readme First part of the documents is just what it says - you really should read this first, it is just one page long but you could stop many potential problems by just spending the two minutes required for an in depth read of this little document. The FS2Crew NGX Voice Control Manual is the standard 72 page manual of the standard operating part of the FS2Crew NGX Voice Control version of the software, a must read if you are not familiar with the software. Please note that the emergency part is not covered in these manuals, you have to refer to the FS2Crew Emergency NGX manual! The FS2Crew NGX Voice Control Tutorial is again just a tutorial on how to operate the standard operating and normal procedures of the FS2Crew NGX Voice Control version of the software, and is a 21 page read. In fact, I will recommend that, whether you are using voice or button software, these tutorials are a must. Please note that I will not be focusing on the standard operating procedures for the purposes of this review, as another review about the standard FS2Crew NGX has already been published, and I will keep to the Emergency NGX only. The RAAS Coupon NGX is a 1 page read about a promotion for the RAAS package, of which I wrote an AVSIM review for quite some time ago. All in all, as is always the case, the documentation is graphically gorgeous, the software and the different features are fully and easily explained and makes getting used to the software a seamless and easy task, even if you are new to it. All the issues you may encounter are fully explained, yet in easy terms so you can troubleshoot any problems before pulling your hair out! Preliminary As I said a little earlier, you get the voice control and the button control. The standard package is upgraded together with the Emergency NGX package to version 2.3E. This means you get version 2.3 of the standard FS2Crew and the Emergency NGX package in one - awesome Bryan, thanks! Do note however that you first need the base package of the standard FS2Crew for the NGX to be installed on your machine, purchasing the Emergency NGX package WILL NOT install the base package to - you have to have a separate base package installed, it will only upgrade the base package to version 2.3. You also get some extra nationalities in the voice packs, to whit:- 1. American Female 2. French Male 3. Australian Male (This is the FO Voice used exclusively for "Emergency NGX!") 4. Korean Female 5. Spanish Male 6. Italian Male 7. German Male The following list of non-normal procedures are modeled according to the QRH of the 737 NGX for use with FS2Crew Emergency NGX:- Aborted Engine Starts APU Fault APU Fire Bleed Trip Off Cabin Altitude Warning or Rapid Depressurization Cargo Fire Drive EEC Alternate Mode Emergency Descent Engine Failure or Shutdown Engine Fire or Severe Damage Engine In Flight Start Evacuation Hydraulic Pump Overheat Loss of Hyd System A Loss of Hyd System B Off Schedule Descent One Engine Inoperative Landing Partial or All Gear Up Landing Probe Heat Reverser Standby Power Off Tailstrike TR Unit Transfer Bus Off Window Overheat. Wow, that is quite a list! You will find the proper checklists in the FS2Crew Emergency NGX manual. Just a word of common sense here - I will obviously not look at all of these failures for the purposes of the review, we will simply explore a few random failures. You will obviously need to speech train your windows system if you have not already done so and please note that Windows 7/Vista is preferred since XP apparently does not do so well with speech recognition, or at least, not as well as Vista/7. Also note that you can only use the Aussie first officer for emergencies, the other nationalities’ voice packs will not work for this. Having said that, you can hardly detect the Aussie accent and it is quite refreshingly different from the voice pack I used to run. Also note that you have to turn on the emergency mode, it is not on by default. After you load the package up for the first time, check the main FS2Crew panel to the left side of it. You will find a button labeled “FAIL”. Click on it to switch it on. The Aussie crew is loaded by default, so having switched it on, you are ready to go. The crew WILL NOT deal with the emergencies if you have not switched the “FAIL” button to “ON”! Having done that, we are ready to practice some hair raising procedures not normally encountered in flight... I say captain, there is something wrong here! Okay, so let us see what we can rehearse to put the package through its paces... Let us try the following on the ground:- 1. Aborted engine start; 2. APU Fire; and 3. Engine failure after V1. For our in flight entertainment we shall try:- 1. Cargo fire / Emergency descent; and 2. An engine inoperative landing. Phew, let’s get started... Before we get into this though, a word of caution, which is contained in the manual too. DO NOT attempt to simulate more than one failure at a time, since there are limitations to the software in terms of what the software development kit (SDK) was capable of modeling. Besides, you will have more than enough to deal with in one emergency, trust me... If you are using service based failures, you are advised to install a different livery for practicing your emergencies. As you will know from the PMDG manual, each tail number (read different livery) has its own separate airframe hours logged. Will practicing single emergencies interfere with this? I don’t know, I decided not to experiment with it and lose my airframe hours having to start all over again! I installed a separate livery for the tests and I will be using different airframes for different tests, and I will also split my tests across the entire -600 to -900 series to see what it behaves like for a good test! Good, so let us setup our first emergency, an APU fire at the gate. How to deal with this emergency is found in section 8.1 of the QRH (quick reference handbook) for the NGX. I will use the -600 for this test. Now, according to the 737 NGX QRH, when presented with an APU fire, I need to:- 1. First confirm with a visual from the fire handle of the APU; 2. I then pull the APU fire handle, rotate and hold it for one second to fire the extinguishing agent; 3. Switch the APU off. After this I am presented with more options:- 1. If the APU fire is extinguished, we end the checklist at the line; 2. If the APU fire is not extinguished, we proceed to the following step which is to land at the nearest airport. Before we can start to deal with any emergency, we need to understand the checklist system employed by Emergency NGX. You have to understand that you are the Captain and the PF (pilot flying) and that the computer is the PM (Pilot Monitoring). So now let us look at the FS2Crew checklist and how it is laid out for any emergency. Text indicated in RED are your responsibility. That means, CA (Captain) also refers to you. PF (Pilot Flying) also refers to you as I said. An “A” in RED in the checklist denotes some action that you as any of the above persons, have to take. An “S” in RED indicates speech that you have to say in order for the item to be dealt with. An arrow in red “->” indicates further action to be taken by you. Don’t worry, this all sounds a lot more complicated than it is, but you can clearly see that to become proficient in both the software and abnormal procedures, it takes practice, practice and more practice! So how do I take note of the First Officer / Pilot Monitoring (read computer) actions? His responsibilities are indicated in BLUE text. “FO” refers to the First Officer. “PM” refers to the Pilot Monitoring. “A” and “S” in BLUE denotes actions and speech to be done by the First Officer during the checklist. What if I need more time to do something whilst the checklist is being operated too fast for me to keep up? Just speak “pause the checklist” and when you are ready to carry on, speak “resume the checklist”. Again, this is far less complicated than it looks on paper. Now, I am on the ground, so step 4 won’t be followed in any event. Let us now put this into practice... I go to my failures inside my FMC in the -600 and select the APU FIRE as indicated by the Emergency NGX manual. Please note the right emergency has to be activated for the checklist to deal with it. If you have the incorrect checklist for the procedure, you will not be able to deal with it. Follow the instructions in the Emergency NGX manual! Good, so I arm the failure to activate within 5 seconds. When the failure activates, the alarm goes off. The FO tells me that there is a fire onboard, which I confirm by speaking “check” followed by “identify”. The FO then tells me that it looks like there is an APU fire. I visually check and confirm that all the bells and whistles indicate that it is in fact an APU fire. I speak “confirmed” followed by “APU fire memory items”. The FO then speaks “APU fire switch” to which I reply “confirm”. The FO then speaks “pull, rotate, and hold” followed by him doing just that. Once he has done so for one second as per the checklist, he switches the APU Fire Switch to the off position, and informs me that “Memory items are complete”. Now for a really neat bit - the first officer will then read from the QRH checklist as to what options are available for the different situations that may occur after following the checklist for dealing with the emergency. So, according to our QRH checklist for this emergency, as I had indicated, your options are:- 1. If the APU fire is extinguished, we end the checklist at the line; 2. If the APU fire is not extinguished, we proceed to the following step which is to land at the nearest airport. Well, the FO checks the warnings and confirms that the fire has indeed been extinguished. Good, no further action. During this emergency, the software performed flawlessly and 100% as advertised - we are off to a promising start! Now for the aborted engine start; this according to the FS2Crew manual is section 7.1 in the QRH manual. Let us have a look at section 7.1 then. When looking at this we can see that there are different conditions under which the engine start may be aborted. Also note that there is a difference between when Auto Ignition is used, and when not. We will use Auto Ignition for the purposes of this exercise. We will look at when it is aborted on the ground. The checklist instructs us as follows:- 1. Affected engine start lever - CUTOFF 2. Then we choose one of the following:- 2.1 The engine start switch is in GND mode - if this is the case we motor the engine for 60 seconds, and then turn the start switch into the AUTO position. 2.2 The engine start switch is in the OFF position - if this is the case proceed to step 3 in the checklist. 3. Step 3 tells us that when the engine N2 drops below 20%, we have to switch the particular engine’s start switch to GND mode, motor for 60 seconds and then switch it off. Please note that this is different from the first exercise - YOU have to announce the failure this time around. You will also be doing most of the items in this checklist yourself. For this exercise, we will setup a failure where the EGT is exceeded. Now remember, since you are trying to save the airline money, and possibly keep your job when this is all over, try to call the emergency and react BEFORE the EGT runs into the red. Good! So let us put theory to practice once again, this time in the -700. We are at the gate, and I have just ordered the FO to start engine no 2. Whoops, the EGT is running away here, we have to do something about this quick! I proceed to announce “Engine 2 EGT exceedence”. This is followed by me speaking “aborted engine start memory items”. I follow this by speaking “engine start lever cutoff” and then moving the affected engine start lever to the cutoff position. This is followed by the FO speaking that the memory items are completed. Once he has done so, you can call for the relevant checklist by speaking “aborted engine start checklist”. The FO will then complete the items as per our first exercise walking through the options available in the QRH. Again, this performed absolutely flawlessly! Next is an emergency procedure that has been modeled that is worth gold to me and every other pilot I would imagine, the capability of the First Officer to assist when an engine fails at the worst possible time, just after V1! It allows me to fly the aircraft while the First Officer is going through the rest of the emergency with me. Right, so we are roaring down the runway, the engines at take off thrust, and we just passed V1. Suddenly the right engine fails on my -800 as I had set it up to do, and the First Officer chimes in immediately informing me that this is indeed the case. Now since I have passed V1, I speak and tell the First Officer “continue” since we are going to get airborne. I now fly off the runway keeping the aircraft straight and making sure that the inclinometer is aligned and the ball is centered. I proceed to climb up to 400 feet AGL. I now speak to the First Officer asking him to “select heading select” which will ensure that he programs the auto pilot accordingly. Once this is done I speak again telling the First Officer to “confirm the failure”. He will respond by saying “engine failure number 2" since our right hand engine mysteriously failed. I will then speak to the First Officer after visually confirming his diagnoses of the problem by saying “confirmed”. At this stage the Master Warning Caution will be ringing in your ears and screaming at you. It is important to note that the First Officer will NOT extinguish this warning - you have to speak to him ordering him to “reset master caution”. What now? Now I see that since I have a vertical profile programmed into the FMC and the VNAV mode in my flight system is armed, I simply leave the aircraft to accelerate at my pre-programmed engine out height in the FMC, which for the purposes of this exercise, have set to be 1000 feet AGL. As the aircraft accelerates, I ask the First Officer to clean the aircraft up as within the usual FS2Crew way of doing it. If my VNAV was not engaged, I would ordered the First Officer to “set flaps up speed” at which point he would have done so and we would have manually climbed the aircraft and retracted the flaps as commanded as per the usual FS2Crew way of doing so. So the aircraft is flying on runway heading climbing out the first block altitude restriction speed and is cleaned up. Now what? Now I as the Captain disconnect the auto-throttle and speak “auto-throttle disengaged”. I now order the setting of maximum continuous thrust by speaking “set maximum continuous thrust” and if the autopilot is switched off, I can command the First Officer to “select command a” as I usually would. So far so good. What now? Now that the situation is more or less under control, I order the appropriate checklist by speaking “engine failure checklist”. The First Officer will now speak “auto-throttle disengage” if it is engaged, which in our case it is not, we disengaged it a little earlier remember? The First Officer will now speak “thrust lever number two close”, at which point I will speak “thrust lever number two” and place my little mouse hand over the right hand throttle lever. The First Officer will now speak saying “confirm number two” at which I would reply “close” and then retard the throttle lever to idle. Right so the emergency is under control, now we need to land at the airport again. I call for the after take off checklist as I normally would, clean up the aircraft, and gently start to set myself up for the return to the airport. Now that I am ready, I run the usual approach briefing and approach checklist and continue to configure the aircraft for the landing at the airport. Let us now assume we cannot restart the engine in flight (yes there is a procedure for that to, but I will not go into it for the purposes of this exercise), and it has failed. Now we run the one engine inoperative landing checklist, which will be carried out by yourself and the First Officer and since the runway is nice and long, we can select to perform this checklist with the flaps 15 option as opposed to the flaps 30 option. I will deal with an engine inoperative landing a little later on, so stay tuned! Performing this happens very quickly! You need to practice these like the real world pilots do to make sure that you can in fact cope with it when it occurs and if you use service based failures, you will find that it could happen on every single take off, be prepared! The software managed the emergency 100% as advertised, no vices. Very impressive! Now for the in-flight entertainment I had promised... For this one we will use the -900. We will start with a cargo fire followed by an emergency descent. Right, we are cruising at FL350, in the -900, and we make sure that we are not overweight for an emergency landing for this exercise. We have to keep section 8.14 of the QRH handy for this one. For this exercise we will say that there is a forward cargo fire that will present itself. Section 8.14 stipulates the following about a cargo fire:- 1. The cargo fire arm switch has to be confirmed, then pushed, then confirmed that it is armed. 2. The cargo fire discharge switch should be pushed and held for one second. 3. Now, for the -900 we also have to make sure that both recirculating fan switches are switched to off. Remember the -600 and -700 only has one each, and the -800, like the -900 has two. 4. Both pack switches are to be set to high. 5. The Cabin/Utility switch is to be switched off. 6. We then need to plan to land at the nearest airport. Together with this, we find the deferred items, an emergency landing which is as follows:- 1. Set the pressurization switch to the landing altitude. 2. Check the recall. 3. Set the Autobrake as desired. 4. Program the landing data into the FMC. 5. Do the approach checklist. At the appropriate point the approach checklist needs to be performed:- 1. Check that the altimeters are set. When we are about to land, we follow the landing checklist:- 1. Check the engine start switches are set to continuous. 2. Speed brakes must be armed. 3. Landing gear must be down. 4. Flaps must be set with a green light. So now for the practical part... The FWD cargo fire light illuminates. The First Officer calls “fire”. I respond by speaking “check”, followed by “identify”. The First Officer will reply that there is a fire in the forward cargo hold. I will then speak “confirmed” after visually confirming same. I will then call for the “cargo fire checklist” The First Officer will proceed with the checklist. He will speak “cargo fire arm switch forward” and will proceed with holding the switch. He then asks me for confirmation which I will give by speaking “confirm forward” at which point he “confirms” and pushes it and speaks “push, verify armed”. He then continues to complete the checklist. Done flawlessly! Good so now we have the fire situation under control (if it is in fact under control the First Officer will inform you that the fire is out). Now the checklist instructs us to land at the nearest airport. From my PFD I select one and set us up for the landing. Next we have to start an emergency descent according to the checklist, and this procedure is found in section 0.1 of the QRH. What I now do is simply call for “emergency descent memory items”. As the pilot flying, I only commence the descent to 10 000 feet, and I will reduce the thrust levers to idle whilst doing so, but DO NOT retard the thrust levers to idle before the First Officer has set the start switches to continuous. Remember though, if you are above 14 000 feet, the pressurization cannot be controlled, and this means that it is better to keep the autopilot engaged and use flight level change since you will be severely uncomfortable during the descent! Together with this, I place the speed brakes into the flight detent position to speed things up, and we set the speed to be followed by the flight level change mode to VMO, the maximum operating speed to get down as quickly as possible. After this has been done, I will call for the “emergency descent checklist” at which point the First Officer will complete same. Up to this point, there are no flaws to be detected in the operation; everything is working smoothly and 100% as advertised - marvelous! Right, from this point onwards the checklists that follow are pretty normal and I will not go into them in any detail. As you can see from the QRH sections above, it is a normal approach and landing checklist that you will follow. Lastly, let us see how it performs with an engine inoperative landing... For this part we will assume we have had an engine failure instead of a cargo fire at altitude. The checklist for such an eventuality, instructs us as follows in section 7.14 of the QRH:- 1. Since the auto throttle is engaged, we will have to disengage it. 2. We confirm that the engine (for this exercise engine number 1) is the affected engine and we close the thrust lever for that engine. 3. If conditions permit we will run the engine for at least 3 minutes before shutting down. 4. After 3 minutes, we move the fuel cutoff switch to the cutoff position after having verified it is the switch for the affected engine. 5. Now we switch off the pack switch for the affected engine, in this case the left pack switch for engine number 1. 6. We now have to choose whether we can start the APU or not. For this exercise we will have it available since no failure affects the APU, so we start it and switch the APU generator switch on for the number one engine. 7. We will then need to balance the fuel. 8. We do not need the wing anti-ice for this one. 9. We will then plan to land at the nearest airport. Now please read into this the emergency descent procedures as outline above, it is exactly the same, so I will not repeat it. In accordance with number 9 above, we then proceed to see what is said about an engine inoperative landing in section 7.26 of the QRH:- 1. We will plan for a flaps 15 landing since the airport I use has a nice long runway. 2. In the FMC we will set flaps 15 reference speed or use VREF ICE. I will use flaps 15 reference speeds. 3. Since we have not encountered icing conditions and have not needed to use wing- or engine anti-ice, and since we will not encounter icing conditions during the approach and landing, we will not use VREF + 10 for the approach - we will use VREF 15 + 5 KIAS. Now for some of the deferred items:- 1. We need to run the descent and approach checklists as cited above for the emergency descent procedure after our cargo fire, EXCEPT that we have to add that we have to set our Ground Proximity Flap Inhibit switch to inhibit. The landing checklist remains the same, EXCEPT for the fact that we have to check flaps 15 set, not flaps 30 or 40 as for a normal landing. Good! Now let us put this into practice... Firstly, the engine failure drill will mostly be the same as described in my exercise of the V1 engine failure. So we go through the same drill, this time the number one engine. The only real difference here is that we will not be going through the acceleration and climb drills associated with my earlier description. This again, operates flawlessly, no surprises there really. The minor differences between the take off and in flight failure of the engines are clearly illustrated in the FS2Crew Emergency NGX manual. Study them! We will pretend that the engine is seriously damaged and that we cannot restart it in the air. We then follow the emergency descent and approach items as outlined above. Again, the First Officer is there assisting you as per usual. Now for the part that we have left for last - the engine out landing! I will call for the “one engine inoperative landing checklist” at which point the First Officer will ask me as to whether I want to land with flaps 15 or flaps 30. As we have decided above, we will use flaps 15. I tell him “flaps 15". After this the First Officer diligently completes the checklist and I then proceed to brief him according to the briefing that is provided in the FS2Crew panel for it. That’s it! Another flawlessly handled emergency situation. All this sounds terribly difficult and I have to admit that at first it can overwhelm you a little, but once you have practiced it a little bit it gets a lot easier very quickly. Folks, trust me, this will give you a whole new level of respect for the guys who do these things for real. It will also give you a priceless insight as to how crews actually have to train! As indicated, everything worked exactly as advertised, across all the platforms from the -600 to the -900. I never once had to sit and scratch my head because theory and practice seemed to lose each other in the mix somewhere. Simply amazing, very high fidelity, full marks to the developer! Performance I run an Intel Core2Quad 2.83GHz quad core CPU with 6 GB RAM and a GeForce 480GTX with 768MB VRAM and the performance is amazing. If you can run the NGX decently you will have no issues running either FS2Crew on its own or with the Emergency NGX package. As per usual, always follow the developer’s guidelines for minimum specifications though. Conclusion Publisher: FS22Crew Reviewed By: Werner Gillespie So what remains to be said? The NGX has transformed realism in what is possible in airliner simulations for FSX. What this package does is fill that vital gap between ultimate realism and a slightly less immersive and realistic experience! As far as I am concerned, the base and emergency packages have made my NGX complete. I now find that I do need to actually do training exercises and keep current the way the real guys have to do it as far as dealing with emergencies are concerned. You have to raise your game! You now need to make sure that you always properly study those charts for engine outs on take off since you may eventually get one if you fly often enough and when you do, you have a full crew to operate the emergency and bring the aircraft down safely. I’m in seventh heaven right now! The package adds to an already amazing base package in terms of the usual functionality and integrates absolutely seamlessly into the fray. Just wonderful! The price? Just Euro 24.95! Guys, this a steal at the price! It has no vices and in the time it took me to review this, the latest version, 2.3E has been released. Product support is quick and friendly. This is well worth the money; I cannot imagine my NGX without it anymore. Don’t event think twice about it – it’s a no brainer, just get it! What I like about it: 1. Full set of high quality documents. 2. Extra features added to the base package. 3. Absolute realism in multi crew operations for emergencies. 4. Seamless integration into the main package. 5. Does not affect performance of NGX at all. 6. Operates without any vices or glitches. 7. The price. 8. Extremely polished package! 9. Friendly and continuous support and free upgrades, just like all other FS2Crew releases! What I did not like about it: Nothing!

FSDreamteam is well known for creating some of the best scenery add-ons available. Today we will take a look at their latest releases Vancouver International and Los Angeles International. The newest of these releases is the Vancouver scenery. This scenery is packed with many innovative features which include; NEW Innovative lighting system, using Dynamic Shadows Technology™ Fully customized ground and runways in high resolution. NEW Volumetric pre-rendered Lights, Shadows and Ambient Occlusions without any FPS impact. NEW Ground Shaders technology with 100% "Pure FSX" code NEW Bump mapping and Specular mapping on ground, DirectX10 Compatible! Animated custom ground vehicles. (FSX only) Elevated taxiways bridges, fully compatible with AI airplanes. Fully 3d taxiways lighting, custom runway lights and PAPIs. Special runway lights, including custom PAPIs with FAROS Intensive use of LOD techniques in order to offer the best possible performances. High resolution building textures. Jetways animated with inverse-kinematics in FSX. NEW YouControl™ feature: custom airport actions with easy on-screen menu to trigger animations, events, etc. As you can see, the list of features in this package is quite impressive and some are quite new to FSX. The second scenery we will look at is an older release from FSDT, Los Angeles International. I thought it would be a good idea to review both of these products since they are very impressive and you will be surprised to see that even though the LAX scenery in itself is impressive, the Vancouver scenery still manages to surpass its quality. Here is a list of the feature for KLAX: Fully customized ground and runways in high resolution. NEW Volumetric pre-rendered Lights, Shadows and Ambient Occlusions without any FPS impact. NEW Ground Shaders technology with 100% "Pure FSX" code (FSX only) NEW Bump mapping and Specular mapping on ground, DirectX10 Compatible! (FSX only) Animated custom ground vehicles. (FSX only) Animated lighted pylons for the LAX Kinetic Light Installation (FSX only) Elevated taxiways bridges, fully compatible with AI airplanes. (FSX only) Fully 3d taxiways lighting, custom runway lights and PAPIs. (FSX only) Special runway lights, including FAROS, RWSL, THL and REL. (FSX only) Intensive use of LOD techniques in order to offer the best possible performances (FSX only). High resolution building textures. (FSX only) 123 Jetways animated with inverse-kinematics in FSX (FSX only) NEW YouControl™ feature: custom airport actions with easy on-screen menu to trigger animations, events, etc (FSX only). At first glance the features may seem to be the same but with a bit of careful reading, you will see that there are a few differences between the two sceneries. To get an idea of what some of the new innovations really entail, I had an opportunity to ask Umberto from FSDT a little about the technology that was utilized in creating these scenery packages. FSDreamTeam: The main difference in technology is the use of the Dynamic Shadows, which doesn't affect FPS, because it's a way to dynamically switch objects depending on the sun’s position, but there's only one version of the object in memory at any time. The CYVR manual has a more detailed explanation how this works. What generally makes all our products fairly FPS friendly, considering their complexity/size, is a combination of several factors: We don't use any legacy FS8 or FS9 code Most of the 3rd party scenery out there uses a lot of FS8 code to do custom ground polygons OR they offer a choice to install default-looking ground textures so, you have to choose between having a nicer and slower scenery (which is also not compatible with DX10) because the FS8 code is much slower than native FSX code, or having a faster scenery, with default-looking ground. This is because it's not possible to have native FSX code for the ground using only the official FSX SDK methods, not without big issues with blurred texture due to the usage of native photoreal terrain or heavy flickering due to the different handling that ground polygons require to fix issues like, for example, the round earth projection used in FSX. FS8 code for ground layers is handled as a special case by FSX, but with a cost in performance, and on top of that, advanced FSX materials couldn't be used anyway. We entirely bypassed this issue, by having our Add-on Manager/Couatl programs handling all ground textures as programmable objects, so we can adapt and fix visual problems like flickering/z-fighting in real time, so we can use fully native FSX code for the scenery background. This has also the added advantage of allowing shaders to be used, which means the ground can use realistic effects like bump mapping that simulates rough surfaces like tarmac, and specular reflections that simulates the effect of the sun shining on asphalt (compared to no reflections at all on grass, for example), this is difficult to note from screenshots, but it's obvious within the sim. Another advantage of being able to use shaders on the ground is that we can SAVE a lot of polygons to handle detail textures. A detail texture is an additional texture that adds close-up detail so it won't look too blurred at a short distance, and we normally have different detail textures for tarmac, asphalt, grass, gravel, etc. The normal method using FS8 code is to layer two set of polygons, and to follow the complex taxiway structure, two set of many polygons would be needed. Instead, by using shaders, we don't need polygons to specify where each detail texture goes, but a bitmap that will point to the texture used depending on its pixel values, so we can be very precise indicating which detail texture goes where, but we don't need as many polygons as we should if we wanted to do the same with FS8 code. We put the GPU to do more work GPU power keeps increasing every month, and it's fairly easy for a user to replace a video card. Instead, CPU power and (especially) raw speed, increases very slowly, it goes in the direction of more efficient multi-threading (which FSX doesn't use much) and it's hard and expensive to replace a CPU, since it usually requires replacing the mainboard and the RAM too. So, it makes sense trying to rely more on the GPU. By delegating more and more to shaders, our sceneries are usually able to use the GPU more, and this is confirmed by any test that shows the GPU occupation on recent FSDT scenery is higher than the typical airport scenery for FSX. This means two things: the scenery will keep working better, the better GPUs will be used, and the main CPU is free to do other things like simulation code, AI code, gauge and systems code, etc. We externalized a lot of program logic to a different thread, putting multi-core CPU to some use Earlier FSDT sceneries had the Add-on Manager doing most of the work, nowadays we moved almost every program logic we need to run into the Couatl program, which is an interpreter for the Python language, customized for FSX use. Everything "interactive" in our products runs entirely outside FSX, into the Couatl interpreter. GSX, for example, is written entirely in Python, and its logic runs entirely outside FSX. Since the Couatl program is a separate .EXE which is not running in the FSX process (compared to a .DLL module), this result in two big advantages: first that any memory needed by Couatl for any reason is not "stolen" from the FSX memory pool, but is taken from a separate address space reserved for Couatl only. And, since it's an external .EXE running in its own thread, it will be automatically scheduled to use a spare core on a multi-core system, so it won't affect FSX performance and even complex calculations won't cause pauses or stutters in FSX. To give an example, in order to do Dynamic Shadows, the program needs to calculate the current Sun position for any given day of the year at a specific location, so Couatl includes a complete astronomical calculator package inside, which gives scientifically accurate results, without affecting performances in any way. Another example is the path finding algorithms that GSX uses in order to have its catering, fuel or follow me vehicles coming from away (instead of just popping out in front of the user) or the kinematics calculations needed to simulate the Pushback physics in a believable way and following the AFCAD paths precisely at the same time. All of this is made by Python scripts, running externally to FSX, in a separate thread, not stealing precious RAM from FSX, and in a separate process and thread, so FSX will never slow down because there's a complex calculation stalling it. It's very likely we'll use the same technique, in case we'll ever do an airplane product again, offloading any system simulation to Couatl and Python scripts, and having very "dumb" gauge code, which will save considerable amount of memory too. We take a lot of time optimizing scenery We use every possible technique to optimize scenery: First one is LOD (Level of Detail). LOD is annoying to do and it's additional work that a developer must do, but it's worth it and, everyone using AI models will know how much better AI with LODs are for performances, so we use it a lot in our sceneries. Every single object as at least 3 LOD levels. We use LOD levels with animated jetways too, putting the costly bones only in the better LODs, so you won't see all jetways of the airport animated at once, but only the one closest to the viewpoint. This helps reducing the FPS impact of animated jetways a lot. Another technique we use a lot in recent sceneries is Textures Atlases. It's a very well known technique in gaming development, which means trying to use as few as possible large textures, instead of using many smaller ones. The overall resolution won't change: using 4 4096x4096 textures is exactly the same as using 64 1024x1024 textures, both from a memory consumption point of view and from a visual quality point of view. But using less big textures instead of many smaller one, has a large impact on performances, because it minimizes the costly "state changes", that happens when the graphic card has to switch to a different texture/material in the middle of a drawing. You'd want to keep those changes as few as possible. Ideally, the best possible performances could be obtained by having the whole scenery contained in a single texture and draw all polygons with the same material. Along the years, we kept improving and changing our methods, to keep pace with the available hardware, so our sceneries breaks down to the following "periods" Zurich and O'Hare - The earliest sceneries were using quite a bit of FS8/9 code, and it wouldn't made much sense to rely on the GPU anyway when they were released. JFK - This got rid of most of the FS8 code, but we used a native FSX photoreal background, and it was difficult to get consistent quality for all users, because this type of ground suffers from blurriness entirely out of our control, depending how the rest of the system is loaded. Because of this, not everyone could see it with the sharpness the original textures were made. But thanks to this, it offered very good performances, considering *where* is located, which is a frame rate pit even with no add-ons loaded. Before we released it, many thought doing JFK in FSX wouldn't be possible. KLAS, KFLL, PHNL and Hawaii - These are a bit of hybrids between the old and new generation: they still use FS8 code, but in an unusual way, combining a native FSX background layer, with an FS8 layer to give a custom look. KDFW - This was the first scenery that used 100% FSX code and use Shaders for ground instead of polygons, to get the advantages I've explained above. It also introduced some things like entirely custom runway lights, and intelligent runway/taxi/papi lights that interacts with the AI (handled by Python code, of course), to simulate THL/FAROS/RWLS KLAX - This one expanded on the KDFW concept, using more complex shaders (with more detail textures variety) for ground AND extending the usage of shaders even for the actual buildings, not just the ground polygons. It also introduced an novel method to do night lights, with hundreds of pre-rendered lights baked in the night textures, simulating multiple light sources in a realistic way, with no impact on FPS. CYVR - The base methods are similar to KLAX, but it added the Dynamic Shadows technology, so the scenery will look always different each time of the day or season (and even in overcast, it has a specific look for that one too), with shadows calculated accurately for that location. Installation & Setup The installation process for the Vancouver scenery is quite easy and it is all automated. During the installation it's possible to select texture resolution independently for the Photoreal background and the Dynamic Shadows, with 1024x1024, 2048x2048 and 4096x4096 choices. The installer will give an estimate in size for each option. This way, you can keep the overall texture resolution as high as possible (to keep using HD textures in other products), and control how much space allocate to Vancouver textures. The documentation provided is well written and easy to follow which makes customizing and using these sceneries to your requirements a simple task. Contained in the manuals are airport charts including SID and STAR charts, recommended settings and a detailed description of various features. Overall I don’t see anyone having trouble in this area provided you follow instructions and you read the manuals. The Experience We will start off by looking at the accuracy of the layout of each airport. Starting with CYVR, I had the opportunity to examine a few photos of the real airport and to compare it with the layout of the simulated version. As you can see in the photos below, the FSDT CYVR scenery is spot on. The terminal buildings at the real Vancouver International are not as radically designed as other airports but they do offer sufficient detail to make it interesting nonetheless. This being the case, FSDT has managed to model with extreme accuracy, every square foot of this massive airport. Apart from the airport terminal buildings being modeled accurately, this airport is unique in that FSDT has added a feature that takes the realism of these buildings to a new level. The introduction of Dynamic Shadow Technology makes this entire scenery come alive. As one might expect, the time of day would determine the shadows that are cast by any object. With buildings it gets a bit technical based on the design. The dynamic shadow technology that was introduced with this scenery does exactly what it was meant to do, it accurately calculates the position of the sun to render a realistic shadow from objects. This is quite an innovative feature and you will be happy to know that it will not in any way affect your frame rates. Here are a few photos from various times of the day. These photos showcase how different the shadows and lighting are at different times of the day Moving on to the ground textures, I was quite amazed with the level of detail shown on the ramp. Normally the gate positions of any airport ramp are always dirty and slightly worn due to the heavy traffic going in and out. This is nicely shown throughout this airport and it creates a realistic airport environment. Another feature for the ground textures that you will also find intriguing is the use of bump mapping that simulates rough surfaces like tarmac, and reflections that simulates the effect of the sun shining on asphalt but not on the grass. This is perhaps one of the features you will notice almost immediately when using this scenery and it gets even better when you include real weather that has rain or snow. One of the concerns I had with this scenery, as I do with all others, is to know how the change in seasons will affect the ground textures. I am happy to say that no matter what the season may be, the ground textures blend in quite nicely. This is clearly seen during the winter and spring season which was recently updated. Here are a some screenshots that showcases the various ground textures and effects: While we would have discussed the shadow technology before, I thought it would be equally important to discuss the lighting effects. Lighting for add-on airports has long been a sore spot in that they never truly capture the essence of an airport environment in low natural lighting conditions. The lighting that is featured in the CVYR scenery is all 3D and this can be best seen at dusk or at night time. You will also find that the lighting for the terminal builds is also quite impressive in that you can also see at times see inside of the terminal buildings themselves. Here are a few screenshots that showcases the lighting at night and various times of the time. Here are some mixed screenshots One of the final features we will talk about is the YouControl and Animated Jetways option. These days having animated jetways may not be a big deal to talk about but this feature is definitely a highlight of this scenery and since it was designed specifically for FSX it offers a much more realistic animation. YouControl on the other hand is a unique option worth mentioning in detail. YouControl is enabled by the Couatl Engine that comes with the scenery. It’s a generic “Custom action manager”, that can handle any number of custom animations or events that can happen at an airport. It’s not something that is specifically tied to Vancouver International Airport scenery, but Vancouver International Airport comes with a set of custom actions that are active in the airport. YouControl is used to trigger custom animations like opening hangar doors, activating special jetways which FSX wouldn’t otherwise be able to support, but can also be probably used to create more complex events, like calling ground support vehicles, declaring emergencies, activate training scenarios, etc. When using Vancouver International you now have the option of Opening/Closing of the Air Canada Center Hangar, Air Canada North Hangar and the London Aviation Center Hangar. This adds a new level of realism that is not common in airport sceneries today. KLAX –Los Angeles International KLAX is another popular airport among simmers and just about a year prior to the release of Vancouver International, FSDT release this excellent scenery which features many of the design innovations of Vancouver International. Since these two airports are similar in design with only a few differences in features, we won’t delve too much into the list of features all over again. What I can say however, is that KLAX is truly an amazing scenery add-on worth checking out. As is the case with CYVR, the airport itself does not eat away at your frames and for its beauty and complexity this is an astonishing accomplishment on the part of FSDT. Here is an assortment of screenshots which nicely showcases this airport which I would also recommend. Final Thoughts Publisher: FSDreamTeam Platform: FSX Format: Download Reviewed By: Marlon Carter My overall thoughts on these two sceneries are that they are both amazing. I try my best not to use the word “amazing” too loosely, but I am baffled as to how two airports with so much detail can have so little impact on your frame rates. Vancouver International has many innovative features and the technique used in creating this scenery was without a doubt a much welcomed new approach to scenery modeling. The Coualt program that is used to manage the use of this scenery and all other FSDT sceneries is truly remarkable and for this alone I would give this package a rating of 10/10. Los Angeles International is equally fascinating even though it is much older. Both sceneries are strongly recommended and I would also encourage you to try other FSDT airports as well. I had the opportunity to try many of the most popular FSDT products and I can tell you that the process FSDT has made over the years is very commendable. If you are familiar with their KJFK, PHNL, KORD or KDFW sceneries and you were impressed, I can tell you that CYVR and KLAX are light years ahead in terms of their quality and innovative features. If you are a bit skeptical you can always download the airport and examine it while in the demo mode which gives you full use of the airport for 5-6 minutes. Hands down, CYVR and KLAX are now two of my favorite sceneries for FSX and I am sure you will like them also. What I Liked About the Airports Accurate layout of airports High detail textures Innovative use of Shadow Technology The YouControl feature is amazing and it makes using this airport more realistic and enjoyable Little to no impact on frame rates Direct X10 compatible 3D lighting Ground textures are realistic What I Disliked About the Airports There isn’t anything to be unhappy about with this product except that it would be nice to have many more add-on sceneries with these features and more

The following is taken directly from the manual accompanying the product: “The Shenyang J-15 also known as Flying Shark in China is a carrier-based fighter aircraft indevelopment by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and the 601 Institute for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy's aircraft carriers. This aircraft is based on the Russian-designed Sukhoi Su-33 and is fitted with domestically produced radars and weapons. An unfinished Su-33 prototype, the T-10K-3, was acquired from Ukraine sometime in 2001 and is said to have been studied extensively, with development on the J-15 beginning immediately afterward. While the J-15 appears to be structurally based on the Su-33, the indigenous fighter features Chinese technologies as well as avionics from the J-11B program. The first J-15 prototype is believed to have performed its maiden flight on August 31, 2009, powered by Russian-supplied AL-31 turbofan engines. Video and still images of the flight were released in July 2010, showing the same basic airframe design as the Su-33.In July 2011, it was reported WS-10H turbofan engine was chosen for J-15 fighter, which has takeoff thrust increased to 12,800 kg, comparing WS-10 turbofan's 12,500 kg. Other improvements were also made to make it better suited to carrier-based fighter's requirement. On May 6, 2010, the aircraft conducted its first takeoff from a simulated ski-jump deck at Xingcheng navy air field, Liaoning. The reliance on ski-jump launches and the lack of Chinese carrier based refueling capabilities are believed to greatly reduce the effective range of the J-15. The J-15 is reported to use different avionics and systems than the Su-33, and uses Chinese-developed technologies, and features various upgrades such as AESA radar, composite and radar absorbent material, MAWS, improved IRST, and new electronics. A twin seat variant J-15S made its maiden flight on November 4, 2012. In China PLA Navy the J-15 could match the F/A-18 in bomb load, combat radius and mobility, more work was required in its electronics and combat systems. On 25 November 2012, Chinese media announced that two J-15 had made successful arrested landings on the aircraft CV-16 carrier Liaoning. The first pilot to land on the Liaoning was named as Dai Mingmeng. PLA Daily newspaper indicated first five naval pilots including Dai conducted J-15 fighter landing and taking off. Test and training program officials confirmed the carrier-borne aircraft and special equipment for the landing flight had gone through strict tests, and fighter jets can be deployed on the carrier. The J-15/Su-33's basic design is aerodynamically similar to the MiG-29, but it is substantially larger. It is a very large aircraft, and to minimize its weight its structure has a high percentage of titanium (about 30%, more than any of its contemporaries). The swept wing blends into the fuselage at the leading edge extensions and is essentially a cropped delta (the delta wing with tips cropped for missile rails or ECM pods). The J-15 is also an example of a tailed delta wing configuration, retaining conventional horizontal tail planes, though it is not a true delta. It has two vertical tailfins outboard of the engines, supplemented by two fold-down ventral fins for additional lateral stability. As carrier based aircraft, J-15 have strengthen landing gear and tail hook system for arrested landing, AAoA light also equipped on nose gear to indicate proper decent angle for carrier landing approach. And folding wings and tail cone for resize parking space. For improved lift factor in take off and landing operating, J-15 has move-able canards controlled by FCS. This system can deflect a fixed angle to gain more lift during aircraft in low speed and auto adjust angle to help aircraft maintain lift in normal flight. Limited by FCS development, J-15s canard have fewer operating modes than similar systems on Russian Su-33/35/37 families now, it may have more function with FCS development in future.” (Opening shot and introduction information taken from the manual of the product) Installation and documentation The installer is downloaded from Just Flight after purchasing from their website after purchasing it. You add the aircraft to your Just Flight account and viola, you are done! The validation is done when you install and this is done the same way as all of the installer wrappers for Just Flight products. Installation takes about a minute, no vices. Once you enter FSX it will give you the usual requests to add dll files to your FSX database, you accept it and you are done. The aircraft is located in FSX under Shenyang as the manufacturer. You get quite a few variants here to choose from: 1. PLA Navy numbers 551, 552, 553, 555 (which is a very nice grey livery), and PLA 556. 2. Four more in grey livery with different weapons load outs, to whit a combat air patrol payload, anti-ship payload, suppression of enemy air defense payload and a strike payload. 3. Lastly, four more with the usual camouflage liveries with the same payloads as in 2 above. When you head over to your FSX folder and look in the BearStudios folder you will find the Naval Flanker OFM, which is your manual and trust me, you need to look at it! It is an 82 page read which really give you an in-depth look into the aircraft and its systems. It starts with the introduction, the general section and some performance specifications on the aircraft. This is followed by the type of equipment that one can expect onboard and also gives you a walkthrough in terms of the weapons used on the aircraft. Next up is some very handy tips on setting up your key combinations and a few extra tweaks to get the aircraft to give you a comfortable feel and operate smoothly. The next part will give you a look into some really nice features of the aircraft, which are amongst others, realistic functioning multi-function radar, a fully working weapons system and delivery system, and that the aircraft is fully compatible with carrier operations. The rest of the manual is dedicated to showing you the cockpit and introducing you to the various different systems onboard. This introduction is not overly complicated, but I found that when something needs to be explained a little better, the developers have included a concise but informative explanation, and if you spend a little time with the manual and with the systems themselves, finding your way around will be a piece of cake, except with the weapons delivery systems, but more on that later. The manual is written in the by now familiar style and taste of Just Flight and just as with their other products, I have found the manual informative, yet simple to use and they have excellent graphic representations inside the manual to fit the book to the screen. I cannot fault them on the installation or the documentation accompanying it. There is one or two other aspects regarding the setup that we need to deal with. When first arriving in the cockpit and having a look around, my first expression was “what the...” It is all in Chinese! Oh man, my Chinese is not that good brother! If this is your concern too, don’t be worried - if you look into your BearStudios folder again under J15Cockpit_SelectorFSX, you will find some instructions on how to install an English version of the cockpit - phew, now I can breathe easily again. No good going up against the enemy and not being able to understand the cockpit layout! The cockpit switch is accomplished by simply copying and pasting the files/folders inside the J15Cockpit_SelectorFSX to the corresponding folders inside your FSX folder and presto, you can now read your labels and gauges in English. The manual is then finished off with the various different checklists you need to get the aircraft through its different stages of flight, and last but certainly not the least, information on carrier operations! We’ll talk about that a little later... As far as the documentation and installation is concerned, it is the straightforward Just Flight approach and I cannot fault it, excellent! Preliminary Only three things here - firstly, no payload editor, fuel is changed by the standard fuel and payload editor in FSX. Secondly, no cold and dark cockpit, so we revert to the Cessna trick again and thereafter making sure that certain key switches are turned off when switching to the Flanker. Lastly, working weapons systems! Yes, it is becoming more commonplace in FSX to have fighters carry weapons that can really be fired. You have full air-to-air, air-to-ground, and even air-to-sea weaponry that really works. This obviously means that the radar systems have to be properly simulated. They are. You will have to use the period key to fire the weapon of your choice. We will have a look at this later. Exterior The exterior of this aircraft is just juicy and delicious! The lines are sleek and beautiful; the reflections are photo realistic coming from that fuselage. You have a realistic looking payload and your payload itself is done to extremely high visual quality! You will note that little bit of hydraulic fluid streaking the control surfaces and the lettering and decals are done to the same high standards. What I really enjoyed about this exterior is that no line is ever as smooth as it looks. If you zoom in, you will find that bumpiness of the structure of the aircraft and the little bulges around the aircraft skin that may appear smooth from afar, but are quite far from being smooth! The wheels look very good too, and the only thing that may have had more detail maybe, is the engine innards. The discs look a bit cartoony but this is no major gripe! You will also find that although the aircraft has a similarity to the Russian Sukhoi and bears a further resemblance to the MiG 29, the Fulcrum, one very important part is missing - the thrust vectoring engines. So bear that I mind - this aircraft may look a bit like the Fulcrum but has no thrust vectoring so the fact that the engine buckets are not moving or rotating, is not a mistake, it is like this in the real word counterpart too! Full marks for the exterior of this aircraft, brilliantly done! Here are a few teasers for you: Interior No 2D flyable panel here guys, so if that is your forte, you will be disappointed. You have to fly from the VC. Now, I have to say that I may have been just a little disappointed by the quality of the VC here. After looking at the outside, you rush to the inside to see what it is like, and here you are greeted by slightly cartoonish textures, but having said that, it is nowhere near undesirable either! The HUD and MFD’s are really nicely done, but the keypad directly below the HUD is of a lower texture and a bit disappointing to be honest. You have a moving stick in front of you, and as expected it is of the HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) variety, pretty standard fighter jet stuff. The backup instruments on the bottom left and bottom right of the cockpit is excellent quality and stands out above the rest of the cockpit textures. The perspective inside the cockpit is typical of a snug but comfortable (?) fit for a fighter jet. The canopy has excellent visibility for obvious reasons and also very nice reflections to boot. Just about every switch and switch guard can be operated and has a function attached to it, but more on that a little later when we run through the systems. Also of note is the nice light effect that you get when you take the view through the HUD and you have that looking at glass through another piece of glass effect. So in conclusion, the VC is a bit of a mixed bag, high quality in some areas, and lesser quality in others. Having said that, it is not too bad either and once you start to get through the checks and start to fly, you start to pay a little less attention to this aspect and focus more on the flying. To the VC, I would probably give an 8 out of 10. Flight Dynamics So... She looks the deal, but can she fly the deal to? Let us find out. Let us start by looking at the general information as to what this aircraft can actually achieve: We should be able to get up to 62 500 feet AMSL, and we have a maximum speed of Mach 2.35 at altitude. So let us first see if we can achieve this before we continue. I line the aircraft up at the runway at FAYP (Ysterplaat Air Force Base at Cape Town in South Africa). The engines are running and we are ready to go with a strike payload and full fuel. We have two engines here. At full afterburner, we accelerate to take off speed, which is around 160-175 KIAS in about 10 - 15 seconds. Holding the nose up at around 10 degrees, I blast through the sound barrier before reaching 3000 feet AMSL. Cape town is pretty much at sea level, so you can make your own deductions! Ten seconds later I am at Mach 1.40 blasting through 10 000 feet AMSL. I raise the nose to 20 degrees and hold it there. Another ten seconds pass and I attained a Mach 1.46 climb blasting through 30 000 feet AMSL. Fifteen seconds later, the nose still at 20 degree, I manage to keep a Mach 1.35 climb and I blast through 40 000 feet AMSL. The nose is down to ten degrees and I manage a Mach 1.21 climb an about another ten seconds later I rocket through 50 000 feet AMSL. Now things slow down quite dramatically and it takes me 35 seconds with the nose to 7.5 degrees and I clear 60 000 feet AMSL, at Mach 1.02. I drop the nose to 3.0 degrees and about 15 seconds later I pass the service ceiling at Mach 1.00. So yes, it can definitely reach the service ceiling. Please bear in mind thought that what I just described is NOT the proper profile to fly to attain that altitude. You will have to fly a profile that manages you energy well enough so you can have more speed at that altitude. This is simply a quick test of the capabilities of the aircraft, altitude wise. I now drop to around 42 000 feet AMSL and cut the engines to 85% N1. And yes, the aircraft easily goes into surpercruise, which means it attains supersonic flight without the use of afterburners. Wonderful! Engine response is quick, almost instantaneous. But this is realistic enough, fighter jets don’t react to thrust changes in the same way as airliners do. You will however find that the “bite” from the afterburners takes a bit of time to “kick in” and when the thrust is decreased, for it to subside. Again, very realistic and nicely done! Another thing - don’t think that just because you cut the thrust, you will start to loose speed dramatically either! Speed bleeds off very slowly, so planning in advance for the landing circuit, is a challenge, and you would have to employ the speed brake (which is situated on top of the fuselage and stands up similar to a spoiler on a wing) to slow down. Another thing you would notice is the canards on the sides of the main fuselage just aft of the cockpit. This adds another dimension to the aircraft - STOL capabilities or Slow Take Off and Landing capabilities in full. The aircraft can fly extremely slowly for a fighter jet without flaps with a fairly high nose up angle and not stall. This is evident if you look at the stall speeds in the manual. This is also highly realistic, since if you look at the deltas like the Gripen fighter, the addition of these canards made it possible to land at normal speeds as opposed to the usual high speed landings associated with delta wing designs. Another interesting thing about this aircraft is the fact that the flaps will not deploy unless the gear is down. There are four varying settings for degrees of flaps on the aircraft. Take off is done with half flaps (position two). As I said, setting yourself up for the approach and landing takes a bit of planning and setting yourself up way in advance to get the speed under control. This takes a bit of practice, but you get the hang of it sooner than you think. Instrument Landing System (ILS) approaches are quite possible with this aircraft. They are hand flown or with the autopilot, but the systems allows for extremely accurate approaches. I easily land at around 125-135 KIAS. Once you are down, you deploy the drag chute and you probably had the speed brake out during the approach phase anyway, and slowing down is quicker than I expected. In complete contrast with the older fighters that I have recently reviewed then, energy management in terms of making sure we don’t get below the power curve during the approach and landing is not as critical and the aircraft is very docile and easy to land. A word on the controls quickly - they are extremely sensitive as you would expect, and the faster you fly the more sensitive they become. Doing aerobatic maneuvers then is easy and you really feel as though you are in a modern day fighter jet. You won’t have to battle losing energy during the climb in a loop too quickly since those two powerful rockets powering this aircraft will make sure you have plenty of power! Because of the speeds at which this aircraft flies, you will have to watch carefully when maneuvering that you don’t inadvertently put yourself into a high speed stall though. On the ground the aircraft is nimble, yet there is that “heavy” sense of taxiing more than a set of textures though. Although I have never had the harrowing experience of flying this bird in real life, I have to say I think they got it pretty close, especially comparing it to the figures of the manual. She is a joy to fly! Systems Now for the systems. As I said earlier you have quite a manual and it contains the proper checklists and flows to be followed for the aircraft. Now let us look at how systems intensive the aircraft is then... You will notice that as with many of the modern day fighters you find a fairly short start up checklist - again, no point in spending hours tinkering with starting the aircraft if the enemy is inbound to shoot at you! You will find that before start checklist is fairly brief with the checking of a few switch positions followed by a fairly shortish startup procedure. What is important here thought is that the startup can be achieved by using the book! I prefer using the ground power switch in the cockpit instead of tinkering with the APU, but this is personal preference. All the avionics can be switched on and off according to the checklist. Once you start to go through the checklist, you will also notice the very logical and methodical layout of the Flanker’s cockpit. The checks are mostly done left to right, with the occasional jump between the panels. This is kept to a minimum however. What I also liked is the attention to detail in the numbers of the engine instrument check during and after start. I sometimes find that when you look at the engine instruments of products they cannot really replicate the given numbers of the real world counterpart, but in this instance, it manages to do so quite well actually. You will have to remember, and yes I tested this, that these numbers will change up and down the allowable scale depending on altitude AMSL and temperatures and air pressures. Another nice feature of the aircraft is the MFD display checklists that can be selected via the MENU option in the right top MFD. This makes following checklists a breeze! Another quick word on the engine start - the engines really take a long time to spool up and light up! This is highly realistic and I loved this feature of the aircraft! Jet engines, including fighter jet engines, do not light up instantaneously, they need time and this aircraft has replicated the start procedure beautifully, full marks to the developer here! The taxi checklist consists mainly of checking a few things that have been set, checking flight control movement and then doing some engine checks to see that the engines responds well to the MIL power setting. Once complete we can get going with the take off. I have found that with any moderately decent length of runway, I don’t even use the afterburners for take off, because if you follow the manual and attempt a 350 KIAS climb, even if you climb vertically, you rush past that speed and onto 500-700 KIAS in a vertical climb and your reach 30 000 feet AMSL in less than a minute! If you are flying casually, I recommend disconnecting afterburners immediately after take off. The rest of the checklists for normal operations are simply to keep an eye on certain things like the correct angle of attack for cruise flight and maximum speeds etc. The landing checklist mostly consists of making sure that you have the most important protuberances extending from the aircraft. Another nice thing about this aircraft (for deep strike missions and the like) is that it comes equipped with an autopilot system capable of maintaining altitude (barometric or radio), heading or GPS coordinates, and it can even be switched to an ILS function! Very nice! There is of course a panel within the aircraft that can be used to setup the various different autopilot functions. Also, you have a display in the NAV part of the MFD screens that allows you to get a view of the surrounding airports and which ILS’ and their frequencies are available for use in the surrounding areas. Excellent! So as you can see, the aircraft can be flown from the book. I was rather impressed with this and shows that this in fact a rather deep simulation of the aircraft. Weapons Now for the most fun part. Let us shoot something! I don’t normally fly with AI traffic, but in this case I will make an exception... If we look at the manual for the aircraft, we will see that there is a panel number 35 is the weapons panel and then there is a master arm switch in the left lower panel next to the main panel. Following the manual we correctly configure this panel number 35 for usage. It took me a while to get this one figured out on how to arm the weapons systems and get them to work. You will have to follow the manual folks, no guessing games here! I thought that as a Falcon veteran, it should be easy, but the systems are quite different here than on the F-16! We switch on our FCR Bus, our fire control system and make sure that we are using a coupled radar in the air-to-air weapons system. By the way, on the upper part of the left console you will find the AA/AG switch to select between the air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons modes. As is to be expected, the targets appear as yellow dots with little vector indicators telling me in which directions they are flying. The weapons I carry can be found by following the TAC and then SMS pages on the right MFD (which is the preferred display for weapons systems, according to my view in any case). Here I can see that in the CAP formation, I have been kited out with 12 missiles and a few rounds of machine gun ammo. Warning here, these weapons are not unlimited and the machine guns empty very, very quickly! Once you have your target selected, you will see the usual range “cage” indicated, make sure you are within the inner part of this cage before you fire the missile, just like in Falcon 4.0, remember? If it is outside the inner cage, you will have a less successful chance of hitting the target due to range limitations with the missiles. The firing effects are quite well modeled and should you look outside the aircraft when you fire the gun for example, you will see the spent cartridges flying away to the right of the aircraft and the tracers running towards the target (notice the blotch directly under the fuselage, that is the spent cartridge!): Obviously you won’t see amazing pyro techniques when a missile strikes an aircraft or ship or when the guns hit the target either, since FSX was never really designed for this type of shoot'em'up action! You also have ECM (electronic counter measures) like the real thing. You also have air-to-ground mode that you can use to target ships and other targets, including a GMT (ground moving target radar mode), which is great for tracking anything moving on the ground. Just as with the air-to-air mode, the right procedures have to be followed in order to get these working and I will simply refer you to the manual. Now, this is where I do have a slight gripe with the manual folks - the stuff on weapons delivery can be a little hard to follow sometimes and you may have to revert to a bit of trial and error to get going with this. The manual is a little unclear in places and a tutorial would really have been a nice touch to this, but sadly we don’t have one. Be prepared to spend a bit of time scratching you head now and then. Not insurmountable but a bit of clarification in some areas would be nice! It should be remembered by the developers that not everyone buying this is necessarily a boffin in fighter jets or their weapons delivery systems. I have included a few screen shots so that you can have a look at the weapons systems displays on the MFD and a few extra things too: Overall, I was really impressed with the weapons systems aboard this aircraft. They are as real as FSX will allow and if you compare them to the manual and the specifications of the real world counterpart, you will find that the level of realism is really very, very good! As can be seen the only gripe I have with the systems are their sometimes awkwardly explained functions within the manual and not the systems themselves. A great job by the developer and I can see many, many hours of enjoyment for the multiplayer guys with this bird. Sounds The sound pack compliments the aircraft really well! The afterburners are distinguishable from the main engine sounds. When firing weapons they can be heard and they very much resemble the sort of sounds that you would get when firing weapons in Falcon 4.0 for example. The switches and dials inside the cockpit don’t make any sounds at all, which is a little strange but not really a big issue. You cannot hear the speed brake operating in the air or on the ground, and the flaps are silent too, BUT... When you are on the ground and the engines are off and you are in the process of running the cockpit pre-flight checks, the soft motorized sounds of the flaps can be heard as you are testing them. This is realistic and a very nice touch! There is some nice rolling sounds, not too loud though which is also a nice touch given the noise of the engines and the cockpit environment and when touching down you hear the nice thumping sound but no tires screeching either. The gear sounds when being extended/retracted are loud as you would expect and this is again realistic. When starting to go really, really fast, the wind noise picks up nicely and given the fact that you would have a helmet on which would mostly deaden the wind noise (and others for that matter too) the sound pack as far as I am concerned is very realistic and really adds to the immersion of the package. Performance I run a Q9550 at 2.83GHz, 6GB RAM and a GeForce 480GTX with 768 MB RAM on it. Even with my AI traffic maxed out to get something to shoot, and at KORD (which was my test airport for the weapons systems on this bird), frame rates were excellent! On the ground you get an easy 30 odd which obviously increased as I got airborne and are up and away! The different ranges on the radar display and the targeting and weapons displays had no impact on my fps at all. If you have a mid range machine you should have no trouble with performance folks! Conclusion Publisher: Just FLight Platform: FS9/FSX/P3D Format: Download Reviewed By: Werner Gillespie This package pulls out all the stops - beautiful exterior, functioning weapons and it sounds like the real thing! The only issue I mentioned earlier was that some upgrading can be done in the VC, but to be honest, it is not a major gripe either. I really had a lot of fun reviewing this one. This may be more for the multiplayer market in terms of formation flying and meeting up for a virtual mission within FSX, however, if you just want to get into a cockpit for a good “shoot at anything the flies, drives or floats”, this will be a good bit of fun for you too (I know it was for me!) The price? $29.99! Folks, as far as I am concerned, this is a steal at that price. It is really reasonably priced for what you are getting. What I liked about it The FDE The sounds The functioning weapons delivery system and the high fidelity within the system The price High performance even with lots of AI traffic, meaning that group flights and missions will most likely not suffer from performance degradation Extremely high quality exterior They still produce for FS9, and you can fly it in FSX and P3D! What I didn’t like about it Only the VC that can have a bit of a face lift!

The Starfighter is a single engine, supersonic, very high performance aircraft. Built primarily as an interceptor it was developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force, where it served from 1958 to 1969. Thereafter it continued with Air Guard Units until 1975 when it was phased out. NASA further operated a mixed fleet of these fighters where they were used for numerous different types of tests and retired in 1994. The C-series saw combat action during the war in Vietnam, and the A-series was briefly utilized by the Pakistanis during the Indo-Pakistani conflict. It also saw some action with the Republic of China Air Force. The package was improved up to the F-104S series, which was considered the ultimate in the type, an all weather interceptor designed by the Aeritalia for the Italian Air Force and it was equipped with the AIM-7 sparrow missiles. A further set of modifications gave birth to the G-series, which was given NATO’s approval for a new fighter-bomber aircraft. Several two-seater versions were also produced, the most prolific the TF-104G. A total of 2 578 of these aircraft were eventually built, most by the NATO members. It operated with the Air Forces of more than 12 countries. The Italian Air Force was the last Air Force to retire their Starfighters in May 2004, ending a 46-year service life for the type. (Wikipedia) Installation & Documentation Right, so let us look at what we are actually getting with this package. There are five different installation files to this package. Two of the installers relate to the S/ASA versions of the aircraft, two relate to the G version of the aircraft and then there is also a weapons pack that is common to both installations. Okay now let me try to explain the following: one part of the installers relate to the single player (maybe not correct usage of the term “player”) version of the two different types, that being the S/ ASA and the G version, and the Ubuntu installers, the multi-player (man that word again!) versions for both the different types. Phew, not as hard as I thought! Now, installing this aircraft may be slightly less user friendly for the less technically inclined PC user. The package is installed as follows:- 1. Download the following files from the developer:- 1.1 SSW_F104S_3.4.0 1.2 SSW_F104S_3.4.0_UBUNTU 1.3 SSW_FRF104G_1.2.0_UBUNTU 1.4 SSW_WEAPACK_3.8.0 1.5 SSW_FRF104G_1.2.0 The download is VERY large, all five files totaling 778.83 MB. Quite a lot of aircraft then! 2. Next you install them. 3. Once that is complete, you have to select each of the two different types, doesn’t matter which repaint you choose, just as long as you select first one, then the other type within FSX, and launch a flight. This is necessary since the initial installation is limited to a demo of 10 minutes. Once you have launched it, you can exit FSX for the next step. 4. If you now head over to your FSX main folder, you will find that two files had been created, namely:- 4.1 sswks_[YOUR PC NAME].AERITALIA-LOCKHEED-F104S.ssw; and 4.2 sswks_[YOUR PC NAME].SSW-LOCKHEED-FRF-104G.ssw 5. Take the two file above and e-mail them to the guys at Skunkworks Simulations to activate them for you and then send you the two edited files, now made registry fixes that you double click on to add it to your registry. Just make sure that this is done in ADMINISTRATOR mode, or else you will have trouble! That is it! As I said, it is not the most user friendly, one-click-fixes-all-installer, but it gets the job done and I did not encounter any issues during the installation. Just follow the instructions and you won’t have any problems. They also advise that you should create an account with their forums as soon as you get up and running, but be warned - you have to follow those instructions to the letter too! If you don’t use the login information they provide you with, you will not be able to register your account, and you won’t be able to use their forums. Right, so the installation is complete, let us look at the documentation you get with the aircraft. If you head over to your SimObjects\Airplanes\SSWF104S-ASA folder, you will find in it a folder named “docs”. You will find a similar folder in the G-series’ docs folder. Inside this folder, you will find a bewildering amount of manuals/documents, the list reading as follows:- 1. An emergency procedures supplement; 2. A normal procedures supplement; 3. A weapons system supplement; 4. A cockpit layout supplement; 5. A navigational and flight planning sheet; 6. A Tacan / VOR-DME pairing supplement; 7. A take off data sheet; 8. A VAAFSE pre-selected channel sheet; 9. A weapons delivery data sheet; 10. A weapons delivery data sheet in color as opposed to black and white; 11. A zipper for dummies supplement; and 12. A zipper hints supplement. Phew! That is a lot of documentation! Let’s take a closer look at each one... The Emergency Procedures supplement is really an emergency checklist. Now, this covers what looks to be every emergency from before engine start to shutdown. I love the way they made the checklist look graphically. It is done to resemble the pages of a little knee booklet that you will find in all combat aircraft. Very nice! And yes a fair amount of failures are modeled, while some are not. They mostly stem from doing things the aircraft was not designed to do, so keep that in the back of your mind! As can be expected then, the Normal Procedures checklist takes you through the normal procedures of getting the aircraft started, getting airborne, getting down and then shutting it down. This is also done in the same graphically attractive booklet as the emergency procedures. The Weapons Systems supplement/checklist is a comprehensive look into operating the weapons systems of the aircraft. It also explains tactics for the weapons delivery and fighter maneuvers. The graphic design of the pages are slightly different to the first two mentioned above and gives you that aged and military look to it - again, very nice! The cockpit layout supplement gives you a comprehensive overview of all systems and their locations all over the cockpit. A hint here - study them! It is claimed by the developer that every single switch is animated and working, and they are not joking about that either! Next in the list of important documents is the take off data sheet. This gives you your various take off distances and power requirements mixed with the different temperature guidelines to be followed by the pilot when operating the aircraft, as well as the relevant airspeeds required for each weight category. Very useful indeed! The Weapons Delivery sheet will give you important information on the various types of munitions the aircraft is capable of carrying and discharging as well as the limitations of each. The Zipper for Dummies supplement is probably the most important document of the bunch to get you airborne and to get this bird under any sort of control. It is written in a straightforward and no nonsense way that quickly and easily gets the point across. Lastly, the Zipper Hints supplement, which will give you tips on what to focus on and how to setup your installation to get the best out of the key configurations required to operate the aircraft properly. If you look at the G-series’ docs folder, you will also find a Test Pilot supplement, giving you a lot of technical information on the Zipper. I found it a most enjoyable and educational read, highly recommended! I was very impressed with the documentation. It is well structured and will get you airborne, whether you are a Starfighter champion or just getting into it for the first time (like me!). Good job, nicely done! Preliminary Folks, let us get something straight here right from the word go. Don’t expect to simply get into this bird and blast off. This is a STUDY sim; that is, if you intend to get the most out of it. Think of it as the Falcon 4.0 approach for FSX. Reading and following the checklists are none negotiable! The documentation indicating that reading through the flight manual is highly recommended is underestimating it somewhat - I would say it is a pre-requisite! Picking a weapons load out is not done via the FSX Fuel and Payload menu. You get a separate utility that you all up once you are inside FSX. Here is a screenshot of it: This is obtained by pressing Shift+F2. As you can see, you have the option to start it Cold and Dark, to have it refueled and also give you all the little firecrackers that the aircraft can carry to load on the wings at your leisure. With this feature I can load and unload the aircraft easily with minimum fuss. Excellent! I found that sometimes the engines would be running but the rest of the cockpit would be dead. All I did was to simply press the “RESET COLD AND DARK” button on the gimmick to get a cold and dark cockpit with the engine shut off. Another thing - this aircraft is difficult to get under control, and energy management is critical! Get it wrong and you are dead, it’s as simple as that! Problem with the simulation? Not at all, this is apparently the way it behaved in real life too! But that should be obvious by just looking at the design of the aircraft. I found it akin to a classic delta like the Mirage III CZ for instance, where energy management is just as critical! Exterior Right away, there can be no mistake - you are looking at a Starfighter. The dimensions are correct and you do get quite a few different repaints to boot. Note that you are dealing with different types; to whit, the fighter-bomber version, the air superiority version and the air defense variants. Inside FSX you will find that air superiority versions’ thumbnails are all bordered in blue and the fighter-bomber versions’ are all bordered green, so that way you know exactly what you are picking for the flight. Of course, you do get the solo and multi-player versions. Inside the thumbnail you will also be able to tell whether you are selecting an aircraft that can is CLEAN or TPDR (Tips, Pylons, Dispenser,& Rockets) version which can crammed full of explosive stuff and extra tanks. The air defense versions have thumbnails bordered in red, and similar distinctions is made between UBUNTU and SOLO versions, as well as clean version etc, etc, etc. You get the picture. The multi-player versions have fewer polygons for better performance during multi-player sessions. That is the main difference. The multi-player (UBUNTU) versions all have lines through the thumbnails in FSX to tell you that you are now selecting a multi-player version. More on that later on. Anyhow, to get back to the exterior, the repaints as can clearly be seen from my screenshots, are extremely high quality and makes your mouth water! Each repaint was done with amazing quality at lap joints, fantastic photo real reflections of light off the aircraft skin and very high quality job of the camouflage and lettering, including the numbering etc. It really is a beautifully modeled aircraft from the outside. Other exterior features are the ladder, the flags covering the static tubes and the wheel chocks, all carefully modeled. Now have a look inside the engine air intakes on both sides and you can see the turbine fan at the back, incredible detail! A close look at the rear and I can see the interior nozzles in their different stages, just like a Concorde’s engines. Riveting stuff! I was really, really impressed with the exterior job on this aircraft. The developer really put a lot of time and effort into this aircraft and once you look at it closely, one can almost feel the deep love and passion that drives this sort of project by a developer. Amazing job, A+++! Interior The exterior sets a very high standard, so how about the interior? Firstly, no direct 2D main panel to fly from. You have to fly this bird from the VC. The VC is beautifully modeled, again it reminds me of the level of detail that one can find in the Falcon 4.0 series of products. It is immediately clear once you start looking around it, that there are a LOT of switches begging to be pushed, pulled, and toggled. So the obvious question is, how many of these actually work? The answer is quite simple - just like the claim from the developer, 99 % of them work and have a function attached to them. I was most impressed! As you can imagine from an aircraft from the era of the late 50's and early 60's you will be dealing with a steam gauge layout, no surprises there. From the normal VC perspective and without adjusting the zoom levels at all, all the instruments and their labels are legible and easy to find and operate, except the ones very far from the immediate field of view, but there are not that many to be honest. I half expected a little bit in the way of cartoony instruments, but no, they are beautifully modeled and they look the real deal. Yes, maybe a little room for improvement texture wise here and there, but the package is excellent overall! My favourite instrument is the screen right behind the stick on the lower center of the screen, the radar. Have a look at the screenshots to see the photo real look of that monster! Glorious! As you would expect in a fighter, you are basically strapping it on, so everything is within easy reach and the perspective that you are getting from this VC is exactly that, close proximity to everything and that real “feel” for sitting in a fighter jet. The one thing that I did find missing though was the reflections off the bubble canopy on the inside of the jet. On the outside, the reflections are photo real and magnificent, but sadly missing that aspect on the inside, however, this is hardly going to be noticed, believe me! So the inside is a masterpiece of graphical design and will be enjoyed by even the most stalwart and die-hard fan of the Starfighter, amazing job, another A+++! Have a look: Sound As can be expected, the switches and knobs make the usual click sounds, and the canopy can also be heard opening and closing. The engine sounds are right on the mark based on videos I have seen from YouTube as far as both idling and powering up and down is concerned. A little extra on the engine sounds, the compressor sounds at higher power levels are very dramatic and beautifully done, it really sounds great folks! You would also be pleasantly surprised to hear that when you activate your ground power unit, it starts up very realistically! The flap lever and canopy open and close sounds are there too, and although I can hear the flap lever functioning I cannot hear the flaps running up and down, which kind of makes sense I guess. Another thing that is very nicely modeled are some screeching sounds for the tires. One of the more interesting sound features would have to be the sounds of the pilot under high G-forces. You know when you start to suffer, since the heaving breathing starts first followed by grunting and moaning from the pilot if you push it even further. Wind noise? Not really an issue, since with your helmet on inside the real bird, you are not likely to hear any wind noise rushing over the canopy. All in all, the sound in the package is remarkably well done, and really does add to the immersion of the simulation. Trust me folks, you will be blown away by this sound package, pun intended! Another A+++ for the Skunkworks team! Lock & load Right, so how do we kit out our bird with what we need in the way of fuel and weapons? Easy - remember the configuration utility? Well, this pops up by itself when the aircraft starts up, and if it doesn’t, use Shift+F2. Okay so let us look at this smart little gadget in more detail. Let us say your aircraft has no fuel and we need to refuel the aircraft. Notice that in the bottom third of the configuration panel you will find 5 fuel cells labeled “REFUEL”. Above the center tank (there can be tanks on the wings too, depends on your configuration for the flight), you will find written in blue lettering “TANK”. Wherever you see this indication, you click on the “REFUEL” cell below it and the aircraft will be filled with fuel for you. Neat! You can also watch the refueling by looking at the bottom right corner as the weight of the aircraft changes. Weapons? Depending on the aircraft type you are flying, you will find the various different armament types you can load in any station under the wing of the aircraft. Just click on it and presto, the armament appears on the wings and the aircraft sags a little further down on its suspension as the weight increases. Easy isn’t it? Flying the Zipper Now, as I said in the beginning, this is a difficult bird to tame. It would really be worth your while looking into the flight manual for all the little quirks in the handling of the aircraft that you will encounter and it will give you a monumental amount of respect for the guys who flew these fighters for a living! Folks, it is not that easy! You need to practice a little to get it right, no question about it. Okay so you are talking to your wingman as you are the instructor for today’s flight. You are telling your wingman how he is going to stay right next to you, a few feet apart and how you are going to nail those low flying radar evading and other aerobatic maneuvers you had briefed during the pre-flight briefing. You arrive at your aircraft and the ground staff is scurrying around it, the ground engineers and mechanics doing their last checks and getting ready for you to get onboard the aircraft. You give your wingman a tap on the shoulder, and you start to climb the stairs and hop into your rocket. Okay, okay, obviously we don’t have a wingman and a walk to the aircraft, and there are no ground mechanics, but hey, we want to set the scene here right? Right! Okay, so you are inside the aircraft, and you start running your pre-start items. I give the ground crew the all clear and they connect the ground power unit to my aircraft. It takes a few second and then the aircraft has external power and the warning lights start to come on. Good, the aircraft has power - checked! Next we call up our aircraft configuration panel with Shift+F2 and we check that our fuel and weapons load out is right for the flight, checked. Next I start running the scans through all the instruments to make sure that there are no weird readings on those instruments before anything else is done. All looks good. I then check that my altimeter is set to the local QNH and that the reading it is giving me makes sense - checked. I now make sure that the APC cutout switch is guarded; the switch is on the lower left console and that my tank select switches are properly setup. This is important - you have to make sure that your wingtip tanks are feeding to the main tanks. If you don’t make sure of this, your main tank will run dry and you will sit with fuel in the wingtips but still get an engine flame out - you have been warned! Make sure they are correctly positioned! Next make sure that your fuel shutoff valve is guarded (that means closed). We check that the radar in the lower middle part of the cockpit is switched off and that the flaps are up. Next we make sure that the throttles are OFF and that the speed brakes are in. Another funny aspect of the Zipper is that the speed brakes are not operated by a separate lever, but rather a thumb button (like the hat switch on your joystick) so you will find it on the top of your throttle control. Next we check that the G-meter is reset and the chute is stowed. We then switch GENERATOR 1 and GENERATOR 2 switches to ON, which means we make sure that the guards are down. These are located in the bottom right hand corner of the main panel. So far, so good! Next we switch on our INS system, which control button is located on the right side panel, and the switch is obstructed by the canopy lock ad unlock lever. When we switch it to standby, the light illuminates steady amber. Keep it there; we will get back to it in a few seconds. Next we check that the pitot heaters on the same right side panel, little further down this time, is OFF. Good! Next we configure our NAV and cockpit lighting as we require it, and that concludes the pre-start checks. Once you get proficient in this it will take you all but 30 odd seconds to run through, and it makes perfect sense if you think about it. Picture two jets on a runway waiting to scramble, the siren sounds, and you jump into the cockpit. No time for spending minutes and minutes to get the aircraft airborne, since by then you will have been bombed to kingdom come on the runway! Next is the engine start. Now, bear in mind that what I am going to describe here happens in a matter of a few seconds, so you have to practice it, get efficient in monitoring everything properly and you ideally have to memorize the procedure as there simply is not enough time to sit with your nose in a checklist whilst all of this is happening around you in the engine instrumentation. Be vigilant! Right, here we go. We flick the starter switches (situated at the top left panel on the main panel by using a LEFT CLICK. A right click would switch it off again, just for reference. Once the engine reaches 10% we advance the throttle from OFF to IDLE position. We now keep a hawk’s eye on the fuel and engine temperature gauges, making sure that they increase and that they do so within the limits. We then check that the engine instruments meet up with certain requirements as listed in the checklist before turning off the engine start switches. At this point the ground power unit will also automatically disengage. It caught me off guard the first time since I thought the engine was shutting down again! I now salute the ground crew, the signal for them to take away the support equipment and ladders. I lock my cockpit canopy and get ready to move on to the next checklist which is the after start checklist. This requires me to move the INS switch to ALIGN, which causes the light to switch from amber to steady green. We switch on our radar set our radios and anti-ice equipment, check our speed brake movement by extending and retracting it. Good so far. We do our flight control checks, set our trims, toggle through the stability control dampers, check our APC readings, check the various settings on the flaps and make sure the movement is correct. We then switch the INS to NAV mode when the green light flashes. We are good for taxi. I like the feel of the aircraft on the ground. You need very little thrust to get it going (bearing in mind these beasts, as with most other combat aircraft, have very high idling N1 percentages), and it feels nimble on the ground as you would expect. It won’t stop dead like most other default aircraft when you cut the thrust back to idle but there is still a bit of FSX’s incomplete ground model in there, so it will stop quicker than one expects. Don’t throw it around the corners either, as you really get that “my wheel might lift” feeling if you speed around the bends! All that said, ground handling is pretty much spot on in my opinion, and no I have never flown a Zipper before, but one can form a bit of an idea of what it should be like, and this certainly satisfies that idea, if that makes sense! During the taxi I have to check a few more things. I check that the brakes are working, the anti-skids are set to ON, the flight instruments and gyros all respond properly when rounding the bends and that the nose wheel steering is engaged. Done. So my wingman and I get our clearance to line up alongside each other and I run my final checklist for the take off. I confirm that my external tanks are feeding (if applicable), I recheck flaps set to take off, confirm that the speed brake is retracted, the canopy is locked, the radios are all confirmed set, I recheck my stabilizer trim, set the pitot heaters on and set my auxiliary inlet doors to AUTO (check guard down), and that completes the before take off checks. I now need to make sure the engine is what it should be. I advance my throttle to MIL, and once it reaches 93% I close it back to idle. I make sure that the fuel flow and oil pressure is where it should be. I look over at my wingman, and he confirms that he is ready with a thumbs up sign. At this point the tower clears us for the take off, unrestricted climb. Now, you cannot simply ram the throttle fully forward as you would do in a Concorde or a newer fighter jet. No, no, no! First we advance it to the MIL position. The engine has to meet certain parameters as indicated within the checklist. If it does we advance the engine to the minimum afterburner position, and if it meets the normal standards set by the checklist, we can open the throttle fully. This also needs to happen fairly quickly as the aircraft will be accelerating quite nicely by the time you have the throttle all the way up. Now what about our take off speeds and weights I hear you ask? Well, I pulled out the take off data sheet for the aircraft before departure. Since I am not kitted out with external tanks or weapons, my DI (drag index) is zero. My weight is close to 21600 lbs, so my take off speed is 182 KIAS. If I now reference my outside air temperature, which is 23 degrees centigrade and I decide to use 25 degrees on the chart, I see the following:- 1. I can use 101% for the take off power setting. I have to make sure that my EGT falls between 653 and 678 degrees centigrade. 2. I will require about 800m for the take off run. 3. My RS (refusal speed), which is the highest speed at which I can abort the take off and have enough runway left to stop is 188 KIAS. Now folks, from what I could tell during various take offs, this information is quite accurate! This is an aircraft that can and really should be flown by the book. This is not just data I sucked out of my thumb, this was actual temperature and load out information and the figures I calculated was based on these figures. There are a few minuscule differences from time to time, but nonetheless it works the way the data sheet says it should. Okay, so everything is normal and the take off run progresses easily and without a hitch. The take off instructions are to further assume our take off attitude (9-10 degrees nose up) 10-15 KIAS before the 182 KIAS take off speed. So once I hit 170 knots I begin the rotation to that attitude. The rotation is smooth and sensitive (remember, this is a fighter, not a 747), and I easily hold it there until the aircraft lifts itself clear from the runway. Once I confirm positive climb rate, I retract the gear. Initially in ground effect, the aircraft will battle slightly for velocity, but once you start to break free of the ground effect, expect fairly rapid acceleration. Now for the shocking bit - the checklist instructs us to retract the wing flaps - at a MINIMUM of 260 KIAS! Wow, okay, so I let the aircraft accelerate to 275 KIAS and then retract the flaps. The margin is safe and the aircraft starts accelerating even faster now. When blasting through 300 KIAS I check that the auxiliary inlet doors are closed. Phew, all of that happened way quicker than it looks like in my write. Always think 5 steps ahead of this aircraft and practice, practice, practice to get it right! That concludes all the checks and we are climbing, unrestrictedly to our playing field, our block of airspace that the ATC has assigned to us for this exercise. My wingman is right next to me, climbing with me. We now accelerate to about 430 KIAS before dropping the nose to 5 degrees. We then cut the afterburners and climb at around 0.85 Mach. This we hold until reaching our cruising altitude. Up until now everything I described to you comes right from the manual and no, it is not just the recital of the manual, I tested it against the climb I just described to you. Good so now it is time to put the Zipper through its paces. The manual gives me all the relevant information I need to check when doing the following maneuvers:- 1. The wingover; 2. The loop. That doesn’t sound like much but getting that right according to the specifications, takes some time and practice, and hones your flying skills for properly flying various different patterns and maneuvers. I will not go into the details here, but suffice it to say that yes, it operates very closely to the information in the manual. Good, so my wingman and I have done out training mission and we need to head back to base, and land the old bird. How do we accomplish this? Whilst we are descending, we check our pitot and anti-ice systems and we make sure that they are operating properly. We finally check our fuel quantity and fuel system operation. Today we want to do a nice and efficient descent, so we set the throttle to idle, we keep a clean configuration, no speed brakes, and we maintain 275 KIAS in the descent. Wow, we are getting a very efficient descent and the rate of descent is a lot more than you would expect! Keep an eye on that. The air force base I am using for this exercise, has an altitude of 100 feet (97 feet actually) AMSL. Now I need to start preparing the aircraft for the landing. Now folks, a word of caution here - watch your angle of attack with the eyes of a hawk! When you start to hit 3 - 3.5 degrees, you had better start getting some flaps out or you won’t be holding altitude for much longer. Flying this bird requires extremely careful energy management and as I said before, it is very much akin to flying a delta wing fighter. This will also become evident with the landing speed as we shall see shortly. I now try to operate the landing part of the flight as closely as I can to the Zipper for dummies profile. Since my air force base is at 100 feet AMSL I descend to 2 600 feet, as suggested in the manual, a pattern of 2500 feet. I also keep my airspeed close to the 325 KIAS (goodness me!!!) as suggested by the manual. I have to say monitoring speed is not so difficult with this aircraft. As long as you are flying pretty much straight and level, maintaining speed is not too difficult. Just keep your eye on that angle of attack all the way down to the runway! I also set the flaps to the take off position. I overfly the runway and as soon as I feel good for the barb reversal, I follow the instructions to bank 60 degrees and pull no more than 2G’s. If you do more than that you will begin losing altitude and regaining it whilst keeping decent velocity will require excessive thrust! Keep it gentle. The aircraft is sensitive enough not to have to overfly it to get the desired results. Once we feel comfortable, we turn back to the runway on an intercept course for the runway to act as our base leg. I start to slow to 250 KIAS. This is where things start to become a little tricky and the balancing act between maintaining altitude and reducing speed to a point where I can begin the approach begins. And trust me, when you start throwing gusting winds and the like into it, it becomes a tricky balancing act. It is not impossible, so don’t be scared off by that and think that you are never going to be able to land the aircraft, but it sure is a challenge! I check that my gear is down, the anti-skids are operating. Once you are on final but below the glides slope, reduce speed to about 210 KIAS and extend the flaps to landing flaps. Once you start to go into the glide slope, maintain around 175 - 180 KIAS depending on your weight. This is the trickiest part of the operation! Managing your energy curve and staying on the glide slope at the same time, requires precision and lots and lots of practice! But trust me, you get the hang of it eventually and it is a very rewarding experience when those wheels touch down and you know it was a good landing! As the runway gets closer I am sitting further forward in my chair - I’ve got this under control... Steady.... There we go, we are at about 50 feet now, thrust idle, nice pull on the stick, and we touch down, deploy our chute and open the air brakes. It takes a bit to come to a stop from that speed, remarkably akin to the classic deltas! Now, there are several aspects of the profile that I didn’t cover, like the profile for supersonic flight climb etc, but I would need twice the space this review is to occupy if I were to get into every minute little detail, so I will stick to the basics of flying and maneuvering this aircraft. As expected, taxing in and shutting it down is pretty straight forward. Just follow the checklist! Overall on the flight model, I cannot fault anything. The INS probably aligns itself too quickly, but apart from that everything looks and works like the real deal. This is an amazing simulation of this aircraft, and whether you are starting out or a Starfighter know-it-all, this will satisfy your desire for a realistic model, no question about it! She’s a handful but it is a real joy once you start getting it right. Another A+++ for the Skunkworks team. Weapons systems Now for the other really fun part of this aircraft. Live ordinance that can be fired! Yes, you have air-to-air and air-to-ground ordinance. You also have a radar system that can be fired up and works like the real deal. Now, I will not go into the systems in detail here. Why? Simply because it is quite complex and requires a bit of explanation on the functioning thereof; you must study the manuals to make sure you get it right, there is no other way! Remember when I said this is a study simulation? There you go! I will say that the weapons systems function properly and the special effects are quite dramatic; I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed. There are limitations here and there due to the FSX environment, but they are few and you need to follow the steps outlined in the manual properly to get it working. As is clear from the above, this is a systems intensive simulation. Again, I want to use the Falcon 4.0 for FSX approach here. The weapons systems really come into play as I would imagine when flying in multi-player environments, which I did not play with. This is the most realistic FSX simulation as far as weapons system usage that I have come across. I was astounded at what the developers achieved with this package. But wait, there is more... The radar That beautifully modeled display sitting just behind the stick on the main panel, this is the radar and it fully functions in two different modes:- 1. GMP mode (ground mapping pencil); display, underlying the ground with different miles, range and MTI capabilities; and 2. Air-to-air mode, including search, lock-on, attack and break away representations using AIM9-B/L missiles, which means that a complete attack and intercept mission can be flown with this aircraft just like in the real thing. This means that the little fire reticule on the glass in front of you is obviously linked to the radar! That means that the target range information is also at hand for you. It takes a while to get your head around this, but when you do, it is so addictive that you simply cannot let it go again! Another breathtakingly real addition to this aircraft, again adding to the already immersive package as outlined above. The inner workings of all of this are explained in detail in the documents accompanying the aircraft. Simply astounding, fantastic job, another A+++! Performance My test system is a Core2Quad 2.83GHz with 6GB RAM and a GeForce 480GTX with 768 MB RAM. On my system, performance was as smooth as silk, no matter which airport or what the weather at that facility was. I never dropped below 35 fps and when you are up there in the clouds, it is far more than that. If you have a half way decent FSX rig, you can run this, no worries! As always though, stick to the developer’s recommendation for system specifications. Conclusion Before I write my closing remarks on this aircraft, watch this video by the developer on YouTube: This should give you a good view of anything that I missed during writing up this review! Now for the closing remarks... Publisher: Sim Skunk Works Platform: FSX Format: Download Reviewed By: Werner Gillespie Let me start of by saying that this is certainly one of the most difficult reviews that I have written for AVSIM. Why? This aircraft does for fighter aircraft and the fighter pilot convention of simmers, what PMDG does for the airliner fraternity, that’s why! What I tried to do here is give you a basic overview of flying this aircraft whilst having a look at some of the wonderful features of the aircraft. It was difficult to decide which aspects to briefly outline and which to go into more detail. What do I want you to learn or discover by yourself and what should the review encompass - it was almost as difficult as the balancing act described for the landing phase! In conclusion, I can only say that this is positively one of the finest FSX add-ons I have ever come across. Would I recommend this? Absolutely. Now, for the next question? What about the price? Here is a surprise for you - it is donation ware! That’s right folks, no typo here, it is donation ware. This beauty will set you back only 20 Euros. Reasonable? Not really, the developer is the one losing out here! What you get for 20 Euros is worth so much more than that, and I think any Zipper pilot who has discovered this little gem will agree. This package has been put together with a lot of love and passion for this bird and it is clear that careful attention to detail was paid by the developers. I can also add that I had quite a few questions for the developers and I was in direct e-mail contact with Mario. Positively one of the best support systems I have had to use, believe me. You can add to the community of pilots who are on their forum and you will find an answer somewhere! The package is complete. I absolutely loved the experience in flying and reviewing this aircraft. If you are even remotely interested in this aircraft buy it, don’t even think twice, you will have a blast with it! What I liked about it Extremely realistic FDE Wonderful sound package 99% systems fidelity Working weapons systems, including target radar Price! Inclusion of a functioning GPU Extensive documentation to get you going, including a “for dummies” supplement to get you into the basics of flying the aircraft Complete package that captures the heart and soul of this aircraft What I didn’t like Nothing!

Marlon Carter takes a look at a video production from Viking Aviation Photo covering some African air hauls via Dash 8 100 and Dash 7 from Air Kenya, as well as cockpit videos from B777 and B737-800's flying for Air Austral. Air Kenya Highlights Air Kenya is an airline based in Nairobi Kenya and it operates both scheduled and charter services. Today we join an in-depth look at the operations of this small airline as we fly onboard both the Dash 8 100 and the Dash 7. Here is a breakdown of the flights we will be taking on this nearly 3 hour long video. DASH 7 Wilson - Keekorok Keekorok - Mara Serena Mara Serena - Kichwa Tembo Kichwa Tembo - Safari Club Safari Club – Wilson DASH 8 Wilson - Lamu Airport Lamu Airport - Malindi Malindi - Wilson The DVD begins with a company presentation from the general manager who is also a pilot. During this company overview you will learn a lot about the history of the company and its current operation. Following this presentation we join our flight crew which consisted of the GM flying in the right seat and another Captain in the left seat. Prior to departure, the Captain takes us on a very thorough external walk around of the aircraft which I thought was very insightful. Joining the GM in the cockpit, he takes us through a very extensive presentation of the Dash 7 cockpit which was a definite highlight of this DVD. The flights onboard the Dash 7 into the Maasai Mara was very intriguing and it offered a unique look into the operation of aircraft in and out of dirt runways. Typically we are used to seeing and experiencing landings and take offs from major or regional airports but this DVD takes it to another level. Landing on a paved runway with variables such as weather can be a challenge but landing on a dirt runway that is far from being smooth yet alone level, is even more so a challenge to the average pilot. Both pilots did an excellent job at ensuring that the viewers had the best seat in the house (besides theirs of course) in order to see the unique terrain and wildlife that this region has to offer. Moving on to the Dash 8, the flights were equally as captivating. Some of the highlights included scenic views from the cockpit on takeoff and landing and the perfect view of the pilots as they carry out their duties. All in all, this is a DVD I can definitely recommend as it is both exciting and informative. Additional Information Air Austral 737-800 Highlights Viking Aviation Photo has filmed Air Austral DVDs before which featured the B777. This time we hop onboard the B737-800 for flights between the airline’s main base of Reunion Island to various destinations. Here is a breakdown of the flights that are featured in this DVD UU255 RUN Reunion Island - TNR Antananarivo, Madagascar UU256 TNR Antananarivo, Madagascar - RUN Reunion Island UU611 RUN Reunion Island - DZA Dzaoudzi, Mayotte UU611 DZA Dzaoudzi, Mayotte - HAH Moroni, Comores UU612 HAH Moroni, Comores - DZA Dzaoudzi, Mayotte UU612 DZA Dzaoudzi, Mayotte - RUN Reunion Island After our introductory video footage we join the flight crew as they prepare for their round trip flight to Madagascar. This trip will no doubt be a highlight for Boeing fans since during this flight the Captain provides an extensive overview of the cockpit setup and various operations of during flight. The presentation that stood out the most in my mind was the FMC presentation which was basically a step by step walk through of how the FMC is set up for each flight. During the flights, the pilots provide a lot of useful information on the 737 and its complex systems. After landing at Madagascar, the First Officer does a very detailed walk around that takes you to nearly every square inch of the 737 exterior. The return flight featured a cabin service presentation which was strictly a visual presentation. During this segment you have the opportunity to observe the duties of a flight attendant which I must say is no simple task. After landing back at Reunion Island, there is a short presentation that features action from the ramp which is then followed by a company presentation by their marketing and sales manager. This presentation covers everything you need to know about the operations of Air Austral and is very insightful. The flights that take us to Dzaoudiz, Moroni and back to Reunion featured stunning views from the cockpit of these lovely islands. Another highlight was the cabin service presentation which gave a clear view of the top notch service provided by this airline to first class passengers. Pilot updates and explanations are standard on each flight and this leaves the viewers up to speed with each phase of flight and the procedures that are involved. Our final landing back at Reunion was uneventful but I must say that if you have never seen the approach into Reunion airport, you are missing out! This is a very beautiful island and it looks even better in HD! In the end, this is one of the best 737 DVDs/Blu-Rays out on the market and I think you should definitely give it a try. Additional Information Summary / Closing Remarks Publisher: Viking Aviation Photo Format: DVD / Blu-Ray Reviewed By: Marlon Carter These DVDs were a pleasure to watch and I think anyone who loves aviation will enjoy them. At a cost of 24.99 Euros each they are a bargain. These are perfect for days when you want to see or do something aviation related from the comfort of your sofa. What I loved about these DVDs is the outstanding quality and unique camera angles that give you the full perspective of the 737 cockpit. Another point worth mentioning is that the speed at which this DVD was filmed is not the same as your standard DVD. These DVDs are very fluid and they give a much more true to life perspective (Almost as if you were really there). Viking Aviation Photo has once again delivered two fantastic DVDs/Blu-Rays that all will enjoy. What I Liked About the Videos Scenic Views Creative editing and camera views Features very unique destinations and aircrafts Friendly pilots What I Disliked About the Videos Nothing….

I have had an Apple iPhone for several years now and love the form factor and capabilities. It is the small screen size that is rough on an old pilot’s weak eyes. I’m not really complaining as my son provides my wife and me with up-to-date phones and pays for the service. Good kid. This good kid is also one of those techie-type, leading edge computer geeks according to his Mother. His dad refers to him as his only son that is a Director in a world-class international company that happens to also build computers and such. Is this going someplace? Sure is. I am leading up to the iPad that I received for Christmas. When you get to my age, there is really nothing out there that you need for a present, just a whole lot of stuff that you would like to have or maybe want. I added a renewal to my PC Pilot magazine subscription to my Amazon ‘Wish List’ this year (yep, same son gave it to me last year) and one of my grandkids thought it would be a good idea to add the digital copy for the 2013 season. Knowing I can barely read a phone number on the iPhone, a full sized iPad with a $25 iTune card seemed appropriate. Can we get on with it, please? OK, so I am an avid flight simmer with lots of FSX toys covering my desk. I have a full blown Saitek external cockpit with a few extras, 2 desktop computers, a laptop, etc. Well, you get the picture. The premise was I could get away from the desk/cockpit for a few hours from time to time and catch up on FS articles and stories and check my email and read the forums on the iPad. It works, except I came across this app called Cockpit HD from RemoteFlight. The basic six flight instruments look absolutely stunning on the iPad screen. Now this is not the latest retina screen version, but an original iPad and it still looks great to me. Take a look at this screenshot. I soon found there is so much more available for us flight simmers who have an iPad or iPhone. www.remoteflight.net has a well laid out web presence to complement the images and descriptions of their products available for purchase at the Apple app store. You can review full descriptions and features of each of the apps, watch videos, download pdfs, and see full sized and oversized images. They recommend checking in on their Facebook pagefor the latest scoop. Beautiful and efficient flight simulator gauges for Apple devices is the byline in the header at the website. Let’s see how true this statement may be. As a verbal proponent of the external cockpit for our flight simulator hobby, these beautiful and efficient flight simulator gauges for Apple devices should fall into place and find a happy home on my FSX desk. Anything that adds additional real estate to my cockpit or simulator views will get my attention every time. One of the great advantages of the iPad and iPhone is that in addition to already terrific form factor for mobility and multi-use they are true ‘touch screens’ Until you personally witness the super sharp images, the smoothness of the gauges in operation with FSX, or FS9 or x-Plane, and the ease of selecting precise headings, scrolling frequencies or any of those simulated pilot type actions you may remain a skeptic. It took me only minutes to be sold on these HD gauges. How about an overview of what is available today? Great, a quick overview then I will follow up with a recap of how easy it is to download and install the apps to run with FSX. Everything at the app store is either for your iPad or iPhone or maybe both in some cases. Here is an introductory description straight from their website. Cockpit HD is full-featured, touch enabled cockpit panel replacement for almost any of your Flight Simulator aircraft. Optimized for new iPad retina display from the very beginning but will look just as good on normal iPad screen. Enjoy your scenery on full screen and let your iPad do the job displaying the gauges. Customize your cockpit according to your preference, either for pure VFR or hard-code IFR training. Radio HD is the ultimate radio panel for iPad. Period. All your favourite radio gauges in one place, beautifully drawn, animated and programmed with pilot's comfort in mind. Since all gauges don't fit on one screen you can now switch between different gauge layouts, and instantly get the instrument you need. Use multi-touch for more precision or faster scrolling (knob turning) through frequencies. RemoteFlight RADIO HD aren't just our iPhone apps packed together into one. Enjoy it, whether flying online in an airliner or in your IFR training with smaller aircraft. Map HD is an ideal companion for long haul flights, as well as a tool for those, who like to explore the world while flying. Dragable and zoomable vector map moves with the aircraft and key flight variables are displayed on side-panel, which you can hide. You can choose from different types of maps, aircraft icons and units of measurement. Now you can sit back and relax, or chat with a stewardess, while still fully aware of the situation in cockpit thanks to iPad with RemoteFlight MAP HD. Those are the three iPad applications. Now for the five iPhone apps. Autopilot – all the expected features like HDG, VS, NAV, APR but also controls heading and Nav/GPS slaving. HSI – full featured, touch enabled horizontal situation indicator. Smooth, visually stunning and feature packed. MAP – Dragable and zoomable vector maps. Lots of selections for Apple IOS maps, aircraft icons, and selectable units of measure. Many extra features, more than just maps. COMM – Your basic Com1 and Com2 radio compatible with practically any FS panel. Touch enabled and absolutely free. NAV – All of the basic features of the Comm unit plus VOR/DME or ADF. Looks great, are they affordable? Affordable they are indeed. To make it easy for the review, I captured a couple of screenshots from the app store. Did you catch that the Comm radio for iPhone is totally free. Go get it now. The iPad apps are $11.99 for Cockpit HD, $9.99 for Radio HD, and $6.99 for Map HD. Additional advanced cockpit gauges are $9.99 for a package of all gauges or you can buy them individually. The iPhone apps are $3.99 for the AutoPilot and HSI, $1.99 for the MAP and NAV, and COMM and LITE (RF) are FREE. To put this in perspective, you can buy the whole enchilada, everything RemoteFlight has to offer for about 50 bucks. The Apple app store is one of the few places that charges sales tax for online purchases so plan on adding a few more dollars if you have a USA address. For reference, one of my Saitek Flight Instrument Panel units, FIPs, retails for 3 times that. Just one. Of course, this all assumes that you already have an iPad of some sort and/or an iPhone with v4.3 OS or later. If not, eBay and the Amazon resellers are willing to make you a deal. These are only available for Apples iPads and late model iPhones. Anything else that I need? You will also need a little utility to run the RF Server to establish and maintain the connection between your flight simulator and your display devices. It comes as a windows installer or you can download a stand-alone version. You will also need at least the free version of Pete Dowson’s FSUIPC for FSX or FS9. X-Plane needs XPUIPC. For FSX and FS9 (9.1) you need WIN XP or later. I like Win 7 - 64 personally with FSX/Acceleration, but you can get away with SP2 and the 32 bit windows. You also need Microsoft.NET Framework 4. Prepar3D users get a maybe – try RemoteFlight LITE and see if it works. All these things are free except for the OS and FS. How to connect Rather than go through the steps, I will tell you it is super simple, easy, and worked on the first try for me. I suggest you read the step-by-step support article at the website. This not only explains how easy it is, but does it with pictures for those not too technically minded like me. It uses the ClickOnce installer. I had absolutely no hitches, no delays, just a buttery smooth installation and connection. This includes my iPad, my iPhone, and my wife’s iPhone. I even have a couple of older iPhones that I may be able to put to good use. They have version 3.x OS and I will have to dust them off, charge them up and run the OS update. One of the requirements is to have a Wi-Fi router installed in your network. Remember, once you put in the IP address and port, it will be remembered and ready to run the next time you start up the FS. How I am using RemoteFlight with FSX? Take a look at this screenshot of my personal setup. You can read about the MadCatz/Saitek cockpit instruments and additions here in an Avsim review and the fighter jet version review here. In this hardware review I stressed the importance of being able to use external hardware for cockpit instruments and basically fly outside the cockpit with the greatly expanded view but yet have full controls of the panel and details. Here is an excerpt from that review that explains what you can expect when flying from outside the FS onscreen cockpit. While nothing can replace actual flight with its associated sounds, vibration, turbulence, smells and visceral feel, the Saitek Hardware Cockpit gets very high marks. It creates a new atmosphere for the sim pilot with real switches, gauges, instruments, knobs, levers, pedals and yoke. This adds a totally new dimension to FSX flying, as you can spend more time using the external views while still having the flight controls and instruments available to you. As you can see in these photos and screenshoThis adds a totally new ts, you can fly the airplane with the same ease using the external view as from the virtual cockpit. The big difference is the vastness of the field of vision in the external views. The reason I am showing you these images is to demonstrate the enormous improvement in the field of view. Although, the MadCatz/Saitek external cockpit remains highly recommended, a much lower cost alternative with similar results can be had for as little as $50.00 provided you have an iPad and an iPhone or two. Of course, I still firmly believe that no airplane, even in a simulator, was ever intended to be flown with a mouse and auto rudder. I continue to recommend the Saitek Cessna ProFlight Yoke and Pro Pedals for general simulator flying and the Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control system for jet jockeys and those that do battle or just like to have a joystick and throttle in their grip. OK, let’s fly with RemoteFlight iPad apps With several full days of flying my Carenado Beech Baron in FSX using my existing hardware with the RemoteFlight iPad and iPhone apps added I can easily recommend you give them a test flight. I am thoroughly happy with what I have seen. I’m actually not sure which one of the three big screen apps I would choose if I was forced to make a choice. As biased as I am, I thought the Cockpit HD would be a slam dunk and the Radio HD would get pushed to the back and maybe the Map HD would show me something that I was missing with Plan-G. Wow. Was I in for a quick wake-up call! The Radio HD app is one of the most useful items I have seen or touched in a very long time. The Map HD may be even more useful than that. The Apple maps are superb in resolution and detail. Of course, each app is so much more than a radio or map package. RADIO HD The Radio HD app is user configurable at the touch of a button and not only has the easy to read Com1 and Com2 and Nav1 and Nav2 as would be expected but also includes the digital transponder and the easiest to use autopilot that I have seen to date. Oh, did I mention that everything is ‘touch enabled’? This means one touch to select ALT, one touch for VS, one touch for HDG with a large scroll wheel that feels like magic as you watch your selections flash by. The ever illusive Nav/GPS switch is there in full view seeking the one touch for selection. Same with the transponder codes and radio frequencies. You can scroll the knobs for larger movements or changes or tap once of a single increment of change. This makes it so easy to set precise heading or unique frequencies with these apps. And all this for $10. Oh my. It starts with a nice glowing soft green Power button in the upper left corner and an illuminated 1, 2, 3, 4 button near the top right to indicate which of the four screens is active. Screen 1 has the transponder at the bottom; screen 2 replaces it with DME readouts with ID and distance. Screen 3 adds the ADF1 active and standby frequency box. Screen 4, replaces the DME readouts with ADF2. The SET button in the upper right brings up a full screen for checking or setting the Server IP and Port with a Test button. The balance of the page is a graphic tutorial on hints and tricks to make the best use of the touch controls and knob selections. Although I have nothing scientific for comparison, I see no noticeable lag or delay in switching between gauges. The ease of the touch control cannot be overemphasized. It is smooth as butter and very positive. No limited click areas here and crystal clear images. Movement between screens is as easy as pressing (touching) the selector button. If only Garmin could replicate something like this with their online G1000. Everything I see on my desktop is in sync. I have dual Saitek Radio Panels and the Saitek Multi-Panel with the AutoPilot and looking at these and the onscreen display of the FSX cockpit, everything moves together and almost instantly. This is such a tremendous improvement over using a mouse to click an onscreen radio panel while the simulation is bouncing around and you are trying to remember which developer uses the slide method or the left click-right click or the hunt for the hidden click spot that may or maybe not be there. No more having to use a popup window to select a transponder code or change a radio frequency. The knobs appear as 3D knobs and the actions and reactions seem more realistic than anything I have seen to date. If you only have an iPad then probably the screen 1 will be the default screen as it will have your Comms, Navs, Autopilot, and Transponder. If you have an iPhone and iPad then Screen 3 would probably be your choice with the Autopilot running on the iPhone. This dual setup gives you almost everything at a glance including the ADF and DME readouts. A drawback is the Radio HD app is only available in the Portrait mode. Map HD is only available in the Landscape mode and Cockpit HD will work in Portrait or Landscape. An option for landscape mode is already on the list for a possible update according to the developer. If you only had one app this wouldn’t be a problem, but, switching between the 3 is an irritation when you have to rotate the iPad for the Radio HD. MAP HD Looking at the MAP HD iPad app, my first impression was how crystal clear the maps are, the amount of detail and how colorful they are. I did detect some jumpy map movement from time to time, but not a major distraction. This may be a result of the update frequency I selected and I also may have been zoomed in a little too much. I also had a blank area show up once but didn’t stop to investigate if it was one of my settings. I later panned back to that area and the map was displaying correctly. I’m guessing there is only one season for the maps, usually springtime. The current maps are provided by Apple IOS and I understand they may be somewhat inconsistent in detailed for the world coverage. In the areas I fly they seem to be on par with the Google Maps that I have been using for years. As they say, your mileage will vary, depending on where you are. One touch of the 3D looking SET button at the right bottom of the screen brings up a full page of Settings. The first row is the Server IP and Port number boxes and a TEST button. The Update Frequency can be selected as 1 second, 2 secs, 3, secs, 5 secs, 10 secs or 30 seconds. I selected 1 second updates. The Map style comes in as 3 choices – Apple, Apple Aerial, and Apple Hybrid. I chose Apple Hybrid for my review. The little aircraft icon choices are Simple arrow, Cessna, Beechcraft, CRJ, Boeing 737, Airbus 319, Boeing 747 and Bell 206. You can also choose the icon size as Big, Med, small and Tiny. I picked Tiny. Units are selectable as Knots/feet or KPH/meters. The Route color line can be Orange, Cyan, Magenta, Amber or Lime. This must be just to see if we are paying attention. The last choice is labeled Smooth Movement Yes or NO. I picked Yes. You press the SAVE button or the Back button to return to the active Map screen Once you point to your saved flight plans folder in the setup you can then choose an existing FSX flight plan at any time by touching the Flightplan button. Selecting an existing flight plan will bring up an Activate Flight plan button and when touched will bring up a new banner across the top with the next waypoint, track, distance and time to the waypoint. Even without a flight plan you get an active readouts of HDG/TRK, ALT, and Airspeed and Groundspeed in a removable panel along the right hand border. A lock/pan button is located onscreen in the lower left. The normal mode has an aircraft icon and a locked lock. One touch and the lock is unlocked and you are free to pan around the map world. The lower right has the soft glow green On Power button. A wind speed and direction arrow is located in the upper left. Not just an arrow but the direction as in 343 degrees @ 8 kt. A really slick feature is the DCT button. One touch and a list of the remaining waypoints are listed. Select any one for Direct to that Waypoint. Heck, just this feature along is probably worth the price of admission. A whopping $6.99, this must be the best buy of the year for flight simmers. The info panel on the right side is removable with a touch of the right arrow and leaves only a left arrow in the lower right corner. This frees up more map area for the screen. Should you desire to check on your track, altitude and speeds, one touch makes it reappear, another touch hides it again. I am just overwhelmed by how useful and how easy it is to fly with this MAP HD app. Maybe there is a second iPad in my future so I can keep it active all the time. Cockpit HD According to the Developer, this is the most popular of the iPad apps. The Map and Radio are tied as the second most popular. This one comes with the ‘SIX’ basic flight instruments that can be arranged in any order one desires along with a SET and a PWR button. There is a nice small DME readout of the NM, KTS and Minutes at the center bottom of the display when in Landscape mode. As mentioned earlier, this one will work properly in Portrait or Landscape. Obviously, the original intent was to use it in Landscape mode due to the placement of the centered DME readouts. The SET button brings up the Settings page with the expected Server IP and Port windows and TEST button. The Update Frequency is selectable as 0.3 seconds, 0.5 sec, 1 sec or 2 seconds. I chose the fastest. Each of the flight gauges sits in a rectangle with ‘Tap to Edit’ displayed. When tapped, the entire rectangle turn bluish for highlighting and the choices are Change or Done with arrows available to movement to another position in the box of 6 instruments. The positions are numbers 1 – 6 from top Left to bottom Right for the installed location reference. A tap on the Change button will bring up the full inventory of available gauges for selection. These 6 basic gauges or instruments are just exactly that. Only a few simmers will be happy and not want to upgrade for the additional choices offered by the advanced package. I suppose that only the Airspeed Indicator and the really old style Turn Indicator did not appeal to me. I think the Attitude Indicator, Altimeter, Directional Gyro and Vertical Speed Indicator are quite nice and I would be happy if I had not seen the Electronic Altimeter or the Attitude Indicator with the Slip ball integrated. The basic airspeed indicator has the red and blue radial lines for Single Engine Minimum Control Speed (VMCA) and the Best Single Engine Rate of Climb speed. The top end VNE speed is also selectable with the moveable long barber pole needle. These three needles are individually selectable and can be set by the user for visual reference. Settings are remembered for the next time your run the app. I was especially pleased to see the two additional choices of Airspeed Indicators – a very typical Cessna 172 and my favorite GA twin, the Beech Baron 58. Both of these A/S indicators have temperature adjustment features at altitudes for direct readout of True Air Speed on the dial. The RemoteFlight BE-58 airspeed indicator uses a linear dial whereas the real BE-58 and the Carenado edition that I in fly in FSX have the non-linear dial that aids in displaying the red and blue radials more prominently for emergencies with single engine operations and a horizontal needle placement at normal cruise speed. As usual, I like the addition of the TAS ring, but I prefer the non-linear dial. I can see a need for a similar advanced airspeed gauge for those aircraft with another 50 knots of top end speed, like the Lancair Legacy from RealAir. The Electronic Altimeter has the selected barometric pressure setting and the full digital readout of pressure altitude showing at all times. Both altimeters are selectable for hectopascals for the flying in Europe or where In Hg is not used. The 2 minute Turn Coordinator is labeled as DC Elec and is what one would most likely see in most any modern aircraft. Only the old military aircraft or really old general aviation planes have the needle and ball. The Horizontal Situation Indicator, HSI, is a work of art. It probably deserves its own owner’s manual. If you want one, then you probably understand how it works and how to read it. It provides a ton of good navigational information. The RPM gauge appears as a single engine piston gauge but dual needles labeled 1 and 2 if twin engines are detected (1 is the Left or forward engine if center-lined). An hour meter records the hours the engine is running to the 1/hundredth hour. This only works with piston propelled aircraft. The final advanced gauge is the VOR/ILS gauge with horizontal and vertical needles. Not in service barber poles indicators are present for Nav and Glideslope. A Nav button at the bottom is used to select Nav1 or Nav2 as the source. With the exception of the VOR/ILS and the HSI gauges, all should work with practically any or all add-ons with the exception of those products that are designed outside the FSX design parameters. These would typically be more advanced add-ons from PMDG, Aerosoft, A2A Simulations, and several airliners types. I’m sure the forums will be full of chit-chat about the ones that will not work. All the gauges seem to work just fine in my RealAir Simulation Legacy. All of these gauges or instruments are very pleasing to the eye, movement is fluid and steady. Adjustments are made by finger movements typical of any Apple device. A four page pdf file is downloadable. In this instruction sheet the Developer states that he is receptive to suggested new gauges. I have already started my wish list of more gauges. First, a dual Manifold Pressure gauge, then at least three new Engine monitoring gauges – one for piston, one for turbine, one for pure jets with each implemented as single or twin engine. A wish list PFD for consideration Maybe a simple PFD type instrument with moving tapes for Airspeed with V1, V2, VR indicators and flap indicators, Altitude tape with selected altitudes highlighted and a VSI tape with a digital readout of positive or negative FPM. Of course, it would have a attitude indicator in the middle with a slip/skid feature. Along the bottom would be the Heading Indicator with the Heading Bug highlighted. Also an all in one type twin piston gauge that has all the normal stuff about RPM and MP, but then have fuel on board readings for each tank, fuel consumption by each engine, oil pressure and fuel pressure, oil and pressure temperatures, some electrical indications for Amps and Volts, Outside Air Temperature, Flap positions and movement, cowl flaps positions, landing gear positions and movements, pitch, rudder, and aileron trim settings and finally a warning for gear extension at too high speed and spoiler or speed brake position. Did I miss anything? Sure did, EGT readings. The web is full of real world engine and flight monitoring gauges for basic ideas should RemoteFlight decide to expand the offerings. Of course, there are only so many hours in a day or maybe in a night. Some combination gauges would also be nice, like Manifold Pressure and Fuel Flow, and MP and RPM combo. I like to have an indication on the airspeed indicator for Max Gear Extension speed. A simple white triangle at 152 knots for the Baron is what I use. It would also be nice to have a maximum spoiler or speed brake deployment speed tic mark or indicator. A dynamite design concept would be to have an airspeed indicator or two or three that the user could pick the proper range or top end and then fine tune the white, green and yellow bands and add the red and blue radials or dots for twins. Now that would be ideal. Maybe even be able to add a tic mark for the spoilers, etc. There are a lot of choices in the basic and advanced package for the Cockpit HD. I would recommend without hesitation that anyone who is anything more than a casual flyer invest in the additional gauges as soon as practical. I might go so far as to recommend they all be included in the purchase price of $21.99 or whatever is fair and then offer a LITE version that is only the basic six. This would save a majority of the serious simmers the extra steps of exercising the in-app purchase. There is probably no single physical position that is just right for the iPad. The good news is it can be moved about with ease until each pilot finds that sweet spot that is the proper distance for his or her vision and at the correct angle or height. There just doesn’t seem to be a downside to this approach for gauge display. The new retina display has twice the resolution of the iPad1 and iPad2. I’m sure the newest mid-sized iPad Mini will find a home on a lot of Flight Simmers desktops. Maybe a couple of those would be in the cards. One nice thing about all the Apple devices is they all belong to the same family with only changes in physical size and resolution. RemoteFlight apps for the iPhone It would be a nice improvement to any flight simulator setup to add an app or two with the iPhone display. Especially the Autopilot and NAV or COMM. The MAP is a little cramped with the tiny screen of the iPhone but is still an option for those with really good eyesight. The HSI could be the leader of this pack as it seems to fit on the iPhone screen and is packed with good useful navigational information and controls. For those simmers with an iPhone but not an iPad it should be a slam dunk to pick up the COMM and HSI or Autopilot to get started with the RemoteFlight apps. Of course, the better setup is to use the iPhone as an additional stand-alone screen or two as secondary gauges with an iPad or two as the primary screens. I have been using the autopilot on the iPhone with great success and using the iPad for either the Map HD or Cockpit HD display. Because I have most of the gauges as Saitek FIPs, I tend to use the MAP as my initial go-to app. As long as my wife doesn’t complain, I will continue to use her iPhone to display the HSI alongside the Autopilot. As I was flying along I saw a flash message on her phone – someone had commented on a Facebook entry. A second or two later the flight information was back. Neat. The resolution and therefore the readability and usability of these gauges on the iPhone is mind boggling to me. I keep glancing over at the Autopilot and thinking what a wonderful addition this in to my desktop simulator. And so inexpensive. A little background on the developer One might think there is a team of designers in a cluster of cubicles knocking this stuff out in some high-rise office building. Not this one. This is one of those single person operations burning the midnight oil while holding down a full time day job. He is a fellow flight simmer with real world flight time and flies a PMDG NGX with VATSIM when time allows. It all started with the simple apps for the iPhone to improve the mouse interface with the outstanding touch display. When the larger screen iPad was introduced, it was the near perfect display, especially with the higher resolution for the detail required by some of the gauges. The Future Like most developers, they quickly change the subject when asked about specific plans or timelines. Most of us flight simmers tend to only hear the part of the conversation that we want to hear and then boost our expectations to fit what we thought we heard and just flat out misquote the estimates. But I’m guessing we will see some additions to the selections as the one-man, part-time team’s workload allows. I would like to see the MAP HD expanded to include detailed Airport and Navaids. As mentioned earlier, a landscape mode for the Radio HD is already on the wish list along with specific new gauges or more variations of existing gauges. I’m sure the tube drivers and egg beaters would like to see something special for their desktops. Recommendations I am delighted with what I see on my existing iPhone and iPad. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible to pack so much data into such a small space as an iPhone screen. The iPad seems to be ideal for gauge display and RemoteFlight knows how to do it while simplifying the purchase and installation process. It is a bonus that the one-man operation is an old time flight simmer with a full time job to pay the bills while he quietly keeps adding to and improving the offerings. One huge advantage of using an iPad is when you walk away from the flight simulation you can take it with you and check your email, read the forums, or take it to bed with you and read the latest magazines. You can even fly your simulator while in another room watching football as long as you stay Wi-Fi connected. True multi-tasking. I think these are very affordable, extremely innovative flight instruments and gauges with unbelievable image resolution. I expected the touch control to be an improvement over mouse clicks and knob turning but I had no idea how smooth and easy it is to select new headings or change frequencies. What a terrific improvement this brings to the desktop flight simulator. Each of the RemoteFlight HD apps are unique enough to command their own dedicated display and I could see where those with deep pockets could easily have some combination of two or three iPads configured as their desktop simulator panel. And a fine simulator it would be. Conclusion Publisher: RemoteFlight.net Platform: iOS (for FSX) Format: Download Reviewed By: Ray Marshall I agree with the byline at the website – these are indeed beautiful and efficient flight simulator gauges for Apple devices and they could add fun and affordable. Highly recommended. Photos of the test system: Here are some basic instrument clusters that I grabbed from my collection in FSX. All are somewhat different, somewhat the same. See how they compare to the RemoteFlight Cockpit HD screenshot. Credits, Copyrights, Trademarks, service marks, etc. Designed and developed by Vladislav Oupický. © Inputwish s.r.o. 2012 www.remoteflight.net Microsoft® Flight Simulator is trademark of Microsoft Corporation Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc Thanks to Vlada Oupický for providing the RemoteFlight apps for review.