Gaiiden

Review by Doug Horton. Real pilots wear headsets, to improve communications and reduce engine and other noises. So, why shouldn’t flight simulator users wear headsets? That’s what I suggested in a previous review of Corsair’s Vengeance 1500 USB Headset, which was published in Computer Magazine two years ago. This review covers one of the newest wireless headset products. Corsair has built upon the Vengeance 1500 USB (wired) and Vengeance 2000 wireless gaming headsets by producing the Vengeance 2100 Wireless 7.1 Gaming Headset. Though most of the specifications are identical to those of the discontinued model 2000 headset, the model 2100 headset: supports Dolby 7.1, which was not initially supported by the model 2000 is black and gunmetal in color, compared to black and silver for the model 2000 has a more robust headband, to reduce incidents of headbands breaking in some scenarios Retail package for Corsair Vengeance 2100 wireless Dolby 7.1 gaming headset The Vengeance 2100 is a professional-grade headset, which with a very impressive industrial design, is a beautiful product that offers style, comfort, and most importantly, great sound reproduction. The product is also provided with software that offers many listening options, including an equalizer and other options that are described below. According to Corsair, the Vengeance 2100 wireless gaming headset provides users with “realistic multi-channel gaming audio and play-for-hours comfort.” Corsair says that “sound quality makes it the wireless headset for gamers who care about audio, and who enjoy high-performance gaming audio without about wires.” Battery life is rated at “up to 10 hours” with a range of “up to 40 feet.” Corsair Vengeance 2100 wireless gaming headset and accessories Features There are three distinctive features of the Vengeance 2100 headset: Large Drivers. Large 50mm drivers (headphone speakers) greatly reduce the overloading and distortion that can occur with gaming headsets that typically use smaller 40mm drivers. This feature is also intended to achieve more accurate sound reproduction, particularly for the low-frequency effects that are more difficult to produce with small speakers. Comfort. The extra-wide, extra deep circum-aural (around-ear) ear cups isolate sounds outside the headset, and they feel much better than supra-aural (on-ear) headsets, particularly for longer gaming sessions. The ear pads include memory foam, with microfiber facing, to provide a comfortable and reliable fit that conforms to the shape of the user’s head “without binding or pinching,” according to Corsair. Microphone. The Vengeance 2100 headset is furnished with a unidirectional, noise-cancelling microphone, which is tuned to capture the user’s voice loudly and clearly, while filtering out distracting background sounds. The microphone is radially hinged, so it can be moved upward or downward as desired, and moving it upward mutes the microphone. The microphone arm is also flexible, to provide for custom adjustment. Headset Controls Unlike USB headsets with in-line controllers as part of the cord assembly, the three controls for the 2100 wireless headset are on the headset itself. The on-off switch is on the left side, and it requires pressing and holding for a few seconds, after which a slow flashing (to save battery life) blue light under the switch indicates that the headset is on. The volume knob is a black colored roller below the on-off switch and light. The third control is the switch in the microphone arm that mutes the microphone when the arm is raised. Charging and Installation Unpacking. The nicely designed retail box contains the following items: Vengeance 2100 Dolby 7.1 Wireless Gaming Headset Dongle (wireless USB adapter) Dongle stand with 1.5m USB extension cable 1.5m USB to mini USB charging cable Quick Start Guide in six languages Safety Leaflet Warranty Card All of the paper items are sized 5 x 5 inches. The guide is adequate, but the small type face is very difficult to read, and it would be nice if Corsair also provided a downloadable guide with larger, darker printing. Installation and Charging. After unpacking the components, the first step is to plug in the USB dongle to the computer directly, or it can be plugged in to the USB extension cable and stand. This action should initiate installation of the initial device driver, after which it’s recommended that the computer be restarted. Vengeance 2100 USB dongle, shown plugged into extension stand After driver and software installation, it’s necessary to charge the headset’s lithium ion battery, which is rated to provide up to 10 hours of headset operation. Charging is accomplished by plugging the full size USB end of the charging cable into the computer and the mini-USB end of the charging cable into headset mini-USB socket, which is near the on-off switch and roller volume control. This socket has multi-colored lights to indicate the charging status, as follows: No light: the headset is off, or the battery is fully drained Red – fast blinking: low battery – less than 10% charge remaining Amber – slow pulse: charging Green – solid: charge complete Note that the images above show the predecessor Vengeance 2000 headset, which has slightly different parts colors. Updating drivers, software, and equalizer profile. While the headset battery is being charged, which may take several hours, Corsair recommends visiting the product’s webpage to download the latest driver, utility software, and updated equalizer profile. Click the Downloads tab to find the latest driver installation software. To operate the headset after charging and software installation, there are only two steps required: plug the furnished dongle into a USB port directly, place the dongle into its stand and attach the stand’s USB cable to the computer. Next, press and hold the headset on-off switch for two seconds. Note that the instructions suggest rolling the volume control to its minimum setting before turning it on. This is slightly confusing because the roller moves continuously, without stops, markings, or detents. I suggest turning down the computer or game volume before plugging in the headset for the first time, and then using the computer and roller volume adjustments to provide the desired sound level. Windows 7 and FSX Sound Setup After starting FSX, the headset name appears in FSX on the two drop-down lists of devices, on the Options, Settings, Sound interface. Within a minute or two of starting the headset and FSX, I was able to configure and verify operation of the headset in FSX to play voice, such as ATC dialog, on the headset, while playing engine and all other sounds on speakers. This is easy to do, but sometimes the settings on separate Windows and FSX sound interfaces require an extra step. Regardless of the order in which the steps are taken, the end point should result in coordinated settings as follows: In the Windows 7 Sound UI, Playback tab, headset speakers should be enabled as the Default Communications Device. System speakers, whether powered by the motherboard sound module or by an add-in sound card, should be enabled as the Default Device. Note that my Windows 7 installation also sees other sound options from my graphic card’s HDMI connections, as each of these connections includes a sound output. Windows 7 sound playback tab settings to provide for voice from headset and other sounds from speakers powered by motherboard sound module or sound card In Windows 7 Home Premium Sound UI, Recording tab, select the Corsair 2100 headset Microphone as the Default Device. In FSX, in the main menu, Options, Settings, Sound interface, drop-down lists, set Sounds to Speakers (Realtek High Definition, in example), and set Voice to Speakers (Corsair Vengeance 2100). The procedure for Prepar3D is identical, except that the user interface is larger and slightly different. FSX sound settings interface, set to provide for voice from Vengeance 2100 headset and other sounds from speakers powered by motherboard sound module or sound card Documentation and Software The package includes a user guide manual, which advises downloading and installing the latest version of the applicable driver and software, with this link at time of writing. After the driver and software is installed, and with the headset (wirelessly) connected, you can open the software and adjust settings as desired. Corsair Vengeance 2100 software control panel The software control is opened by clicking an icon on the taskbar. Settings include 2.0, 5.1, and 7.1 surround environment selections; speaker and microphone volume sliders; and Equalizer profile settings. By way of explanation that was new to me, in the Equalizer profile selection’s drop-down box, “FPS” is “first person shooter” and “MMO” is “massively multiplayer online.” Specifications Here are the principal specifications for the Vengeance 2100 Gaming Headset Headphones Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz Impedance: 32 Ohms @ 1kHz Sensitivity: 105dB (+/-3dB) Drivers: 50mm USB power consumption: 500mA Connector: USB Type A Wireless range: up to 40 feet (12m) Battery life: Up to 10 hours Microphone Type: Unidirectional noise-cancelling condenser with adjustable, rotating boom Impedance: 2.2k Ohms Frequency Response: 100Hz to 10kHz Sensitivity: -37dB (+/-3dB) Summary Corsair has developed a premium wireless headset, with design and features similar to their earlier model 1500 USB wired and 2000 wireless models. Like its predecessors, the model 2100 is very comfortable and designed to reproduce sounds that are true to the original sounds. The headset and its accompanying, easily adjustable software help users customize sound reproduction. At time of writing, the Vengeance model 2100 wireless headset had a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $129.95, though it often sells for less on popular retail websites.

Review by Ray Marshall. I have just finished reading the Avsim reviews of the Track IR4 published in 2006 and the TrackClip Pro accessory in 2007. After a quick overview it may appear that not much has changed in 7 years other than IR5 is now sleeker, neater, faster, better, less expensive, and the TrackClip Pro is available as a bundle. Actually there have been tremendous improvements since the IR4 review - on the order of 10x in some cases. Here is what Natural Point says about the specific improvements: 10x increase in effective resolution, resulting in much smoother and more responsive tracking and substantially less noise: Higher resolution image sensor, for 3x baseline increase in precision (triple the number of pixels) New method of processing images from that sensor (in technical terms, referred to as grayscale precision), yielding more precise data per pixel (1/10° of rotation and Video comparison. The above two combine for the 10-fold increase over TrackIR 4 12% increase in FOV, for more range of motion (especially noticeable when leaning left or right) Magnetic base and USB cable anchor for reduced damage from wear and tear ~2x increase in tracking range I noticed the software interface is very much improved with instant feedback for your actions and settings. More proven profiles are freely available and a ton of YouTube videos are now available. I asked Natural Point for confirmation of my observations and they stated: Yes, the instant feedback in the software is a biggie. We also reworked the way the curves work in our motion scaling graph, allowing much more specific control of how scaling ramps throughout a range of motion. Additionally, we introduced major improvements to the ambient light is filtered, enabling much higher tolerance of background interference (though the system isn't immune to it completely, of course). The optional TrackClip Pro (TCP) just looks fragile to me. I don’t think it would be a good idea to let a small child or puppy get anywhere close to this thing. The design looks like it came straight out of one of the later Star Trek sets, maybe a result of some secret trade agreement with the Klingons or Romulans. It couldn’t have been a Vulcan design because it would have interfered with their pointy ears (their left ear anyway). No matter where it came from, it works great and those who have experienced the TrackClip Pro never want to go back to the static clip-on-the-hat method. As a matter of fact, Natural Point says about 70% of all TIR5 purchases include the TrackClip Pro. Actually, not one of my fellow Flight sim buddies use the hat clip. Every single one that I talked to uses the TrackClip Pro. I suppose the only reason NaturalPoint continues to sell the TIR4 model is to offer a lower cost method of getting started with a Track IR as they state the IR5 is more popular than the older IR4 model by a factor of 20 to 1. Company History Let’s back up a bit and talk about how this neat invention got started. Jim Richardson, President and Lead Engineer and Birch Zimmer, a programming specialist, started NaturalPoint. Originally called Eye Control Technologies in 1996 the goal was to pursue alternative input devices for people with disabilities. The transition from eye tracking to head tracking paved the way for the invention of TrackIR. The original TrackIR was not envisioned as a flight sim gaming device but as a means of interfacing with computers for disabled users. One of the original TrackIR users just happened to be a flight sim fanatic and acting on his suggestion the rest is history as they say. Although the TrackIR is mostly specialized for flight simulation NaturalPoint is now selling thousands of these units each year. This includes a lot of gamers like Rainbow 6 and Operation Flashpoint, etc. Jim and Birch just happened to live in Corvallis, OR when they started the company in 1996. They are still there and both are still actively involved with the day to day operation of NaturalPoint along with another 40 or so employees, some also from Corvallis. Of course, they have branched out with new divisions and spin off products. SmartNav, OptiTrack and their most recent GEARS Golf for golf swing analysis. The big jump in technology was the development of the full 6 DOF for gaming in TrackIR. We will talk more about the 6 degrees of freedom a little later in the review. Continued TrackIR Development NaturalPoint states that ‘Everything is driven by our users’. Almost all the newer features are direct results of user feedback and specific requests from users. Most game developers work with NaturalPoint to integrate direct TrackIR support into the basic game design. As of the latest count over 150 games have direct TIR support. This means that if you have a TrackIR loaded and you start a supported game, the game will recognize the TIR at load up. Of course, the hardware pieces like the miniature camera that sits on top of your monitor and the TrackClip Pro are just part of the TIR system. The setup software is a large part of the working system. Using profiles to modify and save a copious amount of settings to drive the TIR within the game is paramount. Although your TrackIR5 will come with a default profile and a few other specific profiles, my recommendation for FSX users is to start with an existing, proven flight sim profile and make slight modification to it for personal preferences. You can download one named SethFlight from the NP website that is probably 95% usable for any FSX user. One of our Avsim Moderators, Jeff is an old time TrackIR user and he sent me his modified SethFlight profile to try. He simply tweaked that last 5% to his way of looking around the cockpit. Once you have your profile set, you can save it and never look back. Maybe a new add-on aircraft might suggest you revisit a few of your settings. For instance if you were a general aviation only pilot and flew only small Cessnas but then purchased the PMDG 737NG or 777 or the Milviz 737-200 then you might need to do a little adjusting of your profile for the larger cockpit and panel layouts. Then you could have a personal profile for Cessnas and another one for the Airliners. So How Does it Work? Quite well actually. Technically, I don’t have a clue and no part of the hardware is serviceable or adjustable other than the placement and alignment of the hardware placed on your head in relation to the camera mounted on top of your monitor. The quick start method simply involves figuring out how to open the molded plastic display case, inspecting the pieces, downloading the latest software from the NP website, installing it on your system and plugging it in the USB connector. You will need either a baseball hat or visor if you use the passive clip or some type of headset to attach the TrackClip Pro. The TCP will fit onto almost any headset that you may have. It is designed for the left side only and is intended to be used in a darkened room. Any direct light will interfere with the correct operation of your Track IR. I had to move my desktop simulator across my room so the bright sunlight coming through the windows would be behind my monitors rather than in front. This unwanted light interference shows up as a red dot or blob on the camera setup screen. Continuing with the abbreviated startup, you need to choose either the hat clip or TrackClip Pro in the software setup and then select a specific profile, or just use the default profile. Minimize the window and startup FSX. This order is not a suggestion, it is a requirement. Start TIR then FSX. Those users with flight sticks, joysticks or yokes will want to assign three default function keys to their hardware. This is the Pause key, Precision Key, and Center or Recenter Key. The recentering will be frequently used as you fine tune or hone in on your personal settings. The pause key should be handy when you decide to look around the room or make some severe head movements while flying with the TIR. The WOW factor With the leaps and bounds type development of our FSX add-ons of the last few years, it takes something very special to make the short list of ‘can’t do without’, ‘Top of the List’ or something similar. I am talking about some of our very recent and revolutionary new add-ons like the PMDG offerings, the RealAir Legacy and v2 Duke, the A2A C172 Trainer w/Accu-sim or actually any A2A products with Accu-sim, the Flight1 Cessna Mustang and B200 King Air or the Milviz F-15 Strike Eagle or Beech Baron or the recent Majestic Q400 or the Aerosoft Twin Otter v2 or Airbus X Extended. Just about any of these add-ons or similar ones that I did not specifically mention are marvels in their complexity and operation as flight simulations. Each one has something unique or special that sets it apart from the standard ho-hum add-ons. Each one has their own version of the ‘Wow factor’, some even have the ‘Oh, Wow factor’. Then come the add-ons for the add-ons. These are usually hardware related and includes all the yokes, pedals, joysticks, throttle quadrants, trim wheels, switch panels, etc. Many of these items add another tier to the ‘nearer reality’ rung of the ladder. Of course, the basic FSX specific pc, overclocked and glycol cooled, hot new video card loaded with a ton of onboard fast memory and its own cooling fans, a few terrabytes of hard drive storage and a SSD or two for fast booting and loading our add-on airports and scenery. Many of us have finally checked the box for DX10 with Steve’s Fixer patching most of the holes the Aces left when they were disbanded. A few of us are fortunate enough to have some semblance of a cockpit with a dedicated pilot’s chair and something to hang two or three monitors on and a couple of dozen USB cables snaked around to the powered USB ports. Maybe a dual throttle setup for the twins and airliners and a big ole trim wheel to keep it level with the autopilot isn’t working. When we start to think that we now have it all and it just can’t possibly get any better than this, I am here to tell you that if you don’t have a TrackIR5 you may be missing one very big item in the big picture. I am the first to agree that it is not the most perfect add-on and is not the end-all addition, but I will tell you it is most definitely a game changer for me. Track IR changes everything. One, the TrackIR 5 is simple to install and simple to use. Two, it changes everything – yep, everything. Once you have your hardware tweaked properly, your FSX tweaked and running smoothly, your add-on hardware yoke, flight stick, pedals, etc. calibrated and functioning properly and the sound system adjusted for the engine roar and switch clicks - now what? I will tell you what. You need to be able to look around your cockpit, either on screen in the VC or outside your aircraft as I often do when flight simming. Nothing even comes close to the Wow factor of using a head tracking device while flight simming like a calibrated TrackIR 5. This seems to finally fill the gap that separates simulation from simulated reality. Is it really that good? Yes, it is really that good, maybe even better than that. I am a real world pilot and I have been amazed at how rapidly our developers have been closing that gap by making the add-ons so realistic looking, feeling and sounding. But what has been missing for me was the freedom to look around the airplane like I do when flying a real airplane. It never quite felt right for me to have to use 2d popup panels when flying my FSX simulations. But it was necessary if I needed to flip a switch for a boost pump or to turn on the Avionics master because some were so well designed like their real world equivalent that we resorted to removing the yokes to be able to see those switches or levers. The same for those radio knobs or autopilot panels located way In the back of the pedestal or on an overhead panel. What the TrackIR does for you is that it enables you as a simulator pilot to look around the aircraft, inside and out, like you would as a real world pilot. Oh sure, there are plenty of limitations, especially on the outside of the aircraft, but when properly coupled with an additional camera package like EZCA’s Ezdok you will be amazed at the astounding increase in visual freedom that you now have. Even without the additional views of Ezdok, you can find those hidden switches, valves and levers. You can zoom in and actually read the size of that circuit breaker or see exactly what the fuel flow is, not that it is just in the green band. You can look out the pilot’s window as you makes that turn to base or final and actually see what you are doing or to check for traffic. Looking around for traffic has always been a big difference for me in real world flying and simulator flying. In a real airplane I am always looking out and about, keeping an eye for someone that may have their head in the cockpit or somewhat occupied with something other than flying their airplane properly. I notice that the few flight simulator pilots that I have personally observed in real life and on videos rarely if ever look outside the cockpit. It just doesn’t happen. But any and all real world pilot seem to always be trying or attempting to look around when flying as a simulator pilot. It is just one of those things that real pilot do, but few simulator pilots see the need. Well, my TrackIR5 will let me look around like I want to look around and it makes a world of difference. It is nice, really nice to be able to see into the nooks and crannies of the panel with the TrackIR but it is absolutely wonderful to be able to rotate your head slightly and see down that wing or slight up or slightly down as you are flying along in FSX. Just to be able to lean forward a tad and look to the left prior to a turn is so satisfying. I think the term I’m looking for is ‘more natural’. TrackIR makes flying more natural for the simulator pilot. Yeah, that’s it, more natural. Let take a closer look at the hardware The clear plastic clam shell has everything needed to get going except the software. A couple of small booklets are included for installation instructions. It is important that you take the time to at least glance through them. You will need an available USB port for connection to your PC and to power the units. The camera and the LED receiver unit share one USB port on your PC. Initial Setup Once you have downloaded and installed the latest version of the TrackIR 5 software . (ver. 5.2.2 - Final) Be sure to select “Run as Administrator’ when you run the installer. Now launch the TrackIR software. You need to select either the TrackClip for the hat or the TrackClip Pro attached to your headset. The camera that you mounted ontop of your monitor now has to be aligned with the TrackClip. You will be looking for a cluster of three green dots near the middle of the screen. Selecting the Camera View will give you an enlarged view. The camera is connected to the adjustable base with a magnet. Although the magnet will hold the camera in place it is still possible to knock it off if you should get a little clumsy. Be sure to press the USB cable down into the groove as a safety measure just in case the monitor should get knocked off its mount. Remember The TrackIR is intended for use alongside your mouse, keyboard and joystick and does not replace them, though it does replace the traditional function of a joystick’s POV hat switch. The optimum distance between the user and the TrackIR is 24-36 inches. Using the TrackIR within this range will achieve the best balance between range of motion and tracking precision. Introduction to the 6 DOF There are six axes of movement in three-dimensional space, three for rotation (yaw, pitch, and roll) and three for translation (x, y, and z). These axes are collectively termed “Six Degrees of Freedom” (6 DOF). TrackIR’s three point tracking allows all 6 DOF to be tracked, resulting in a precise correlation of actual and in-game movement. There is a great little animated demo available. 1. Yaw (turn head left/right) 2. Pitch (look up/down) 3. Roll (tilt head left/right) 4. X (move head horizontally left/right) 5. Y (move head vertically up/down) 6. Z (move head in/out) Camera Status LED Indicators The TrackIR camera has status LEDs which give you visual cues about the status of the TrackIR software. Use the following key to interpret what the state and color of the status LEDs mean: Left Green : A clip IS being tracked. Right Green : A TrackIR Enhanced Title IS running and has registered with the TrackIR software to receive tracking data. Both Green : A clip IS being tracked, and a TrackIR Enhanced Title IS running and has registered with the TrackIR software to receive tracking data. Both Orange : TrackIR is paused Both Off : A clip is NOT being tracked, and a TrackIR Enhanced Title is NOT running or registered. Camera alignment – 3 greens Selecting a Profile Once you get it all set up and calibrated, you'll want a flight sim specific profile. Assuming you're using a joystick or some type of HOTAS setup, you will want to set up a button for re-centering the view. I’m using the Saitek X-52 and this comes in very handy. As you look around or move closer/farther away the view center can move. This isn't a flaw, but rather just the result of the very complex algorithms that make the TrackIR do what it does. I can honestly say that once you have it set up properly, you won't ever want to fly without it. I just installed and selected the Seth Flight profile, set the camera green lights in the middle, reassigned the Center key to my joystick and started flying. Creating or Modifying a Profile I would venture a guess that your only limitation here is the amount of time you are willing to devote to the ultimate fine tuning and allocating the time for testing and evaluation. I do not think the software will be a limiting factor. There are multiple web postings and YouTube videos explaining some of the more detailed profile details, especially for combat flying and helicopters. Motion Control – Adjusting Smoothness There are numerous adjustment that you can make with the NaturalPoint software, but the Motion Control is near the top of the list for tweaking the smoothness and speed of movement in the simulation. The level or amount of adjustment is practically unlimited and starts with a simple check mark in the box for the area of adjustment – Yaw, Pitch, Roll, X, Y or Z. Curves are available for visual feedback and drop down box selections are available for selecting templates. Assistance is available at the Natural Point web site and as always a request for assistance in the Avsim.com forums will usually get you almost instant help. Adding Ezdok and other camera related software I did not devote any time to these add-ons, however, many flight simmers use these additional camera related programs to expand and enhance the custom views. Evidently, this approaches the ‘marriage made in heaven’ type of experience. Some tips from one of our Moderators (Jeff H) Here are a couple of tips: If you want to ‘lower your seat’, just sit up taller in the chair when you hit the re-center view key. That way, when you slouch down in your normal position, the eye point will move down with you. Hope that makes sense. Likewise, if you feel like your viewpoint is down more than you like, look down a little more when you re-center. When you raise your head, the view comes with you. I find having a small dead zone at the center helps a lot. That way, the view won't change with every minor head movement. This is all a bit hard to explain in text as I'm sure you'll agree. I hope I'm making sense for you. I have the camera set up about dead center on the top of my monitor and my monitor is positioned at about eye level. I find, with my profile, that if I look at the camera when I re-center the view, I'm looking out of the windscreen as I should be and it takes only a very slight head movement to look down at the panel and a bit more pronounced movement to look up. Just experiment with your head position when you hit the re-center button. You'll use that a lot, which is why I mentioned setting up a button on your joystick or throttle. There are times that I want to spend some time looking out the side window or sort of on a 45 degree angle, in the pattern, for example. I'll look where I want and then hit re-center. Then I'm looking where I want and it takes just a shift of my head to go back to the panel. The possibilities are endless once you become familiar with how re-centering the view works in conjunction with your head position. You can try my profile and see how it works out for you. It's set up so you don't have to turn your head a lot to see around the aircraft. Works pretty well for me. I'm a pilot too, so I know just what you mean. You'll get used to it after a few hours of use Another tip from one of our forum users (Q_flyer) Don't judge TrackIR from one 10 minute try, it takes some adjusting and can make some people feel a little nauseous at first, (such is the immersion). You really need to give it a week; then you will never look back. If you use OPUS or EZDOK for custom views they fully support TrackIR, so unlike with native FSX, with those programs you can fully move your 'default' view point around, without having to use the centering key method. Additional tip from a very experienced TIR user TrackIR, IMHO, is the second most important device next to a good joystick that you can own when playing flight sims. Spending the time to get this device working properly is an investment which pays huge dividends. Conclusions Sometimes it is difficult to comprehend just how much improvement can be experienced with one more add-on. I am first in line to admit that I considered adding the Track IR to my flight sim setup many times but for one reason or another got sidetracked and failed to make the purchase. I’m sure many of us have had similar experiences, but when we finally ‘get around’ to seeing what all the hum is about, we can’t believe that we actually waited so long. It is quite common to read incidental comments on our forums where many of the Avsim members state ‘I wouldn’t fly without my Track IR’. Now it is easy to say, sure that is just another overjoyed flight simmer, and that is very possibly a true statement. However, should you decide to see for yourself, I suspect you will be joining that crowd. There are many terms bantered about for these special add-ons. Terms like ‘game changer’, ‘most important piece of hardware ever’, or ‘best add on ever’ and similar. I agree with all of them. Today, the Track IR5 is at the top of the heap for FSX/P3D flight sim hardware add-ons. This review was limited to FSX only and it not intended to cover any part of the other 154 or so TrackIR enhanced games. A constantly updated chart is available at Naturalpoint.com that visually shows the supported D.O.F. by game title. More than half the Enhanced games are Flight related. Aerofly, DCS, LockOn, Rise of Flight, Wings of Prey and X-Plane are just a few of the more popular ones. Summary Buy it and try it. The Track IR does take some time for your senses to adjust to these new views and most everyone agrees that it could take up to two weeks to feel really comfortable when flying in the simulator. I will tell you, I felt ‘comfortable’ the very first time I looked out the pilot’s window at my wingtip. I just got progressively more comfortable with more flights and a few more recentering adjustments. I have to admit that I still challenge the edge of the taxiway at times when I get busy looking around the nooks and crannies of the cockpit. It is indeed a wonderful new world when you add this one to your setup. Recommendations Immediately add the NaturalPoint Track IR5 to your wish list just in case you get lucky or have a birthday coming up. Otherwise purchase one this evening or as soon as you can. If the price puts you off, maybe you can forego the next flying add-on or maybe even the next two and save your pennies for the magic time to purchase. Go for the Pro Bundle for maximum enjoyment. Credits NaturalPoint, especially Seth Steiling for providing the evaluation copy, providing his excellent flight profile and answering my questions. Our friends at Avsim.com that contributed to the review and my personal setup – especially Jeff H and Dave Romford (Q_flyer).

Review by Ray Marshall . RealFlying Video Company, based in Germany, has just released their latest, greatest, and most up-to-date video. This one features the Piper Cheyenne II operating as a charter service in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. This is a long running video covering 2 hours and 20 minutes total with 3 round trip flights in varying weather conditions plus a local introductory flight from a small airport. Using a crew of 3 video specialists, just about anything you would want to see on a video is covered in great detail. The Cheyenne II Ultrapack video is presented in High Definition at 1080p using several different cameras. This is the first RealFlying video to use split screens. If you’d like to go along with the flight progress there are ample close-ups of the various instruments and avionics along with the full ATC transmissions to allow you to follow the flight plan on the GPS. Checklists are used on most flights and the language is a mix of local European and English. The weather has something for everyone – blue skies, gray skies, rain, low visibility approaches, night flying and some absolutely stunning mountain and sunset views from the cockpit and cabin. The video starts with some impressive camera work with extreme close-up views and zooms for the initial ground inspection and startup. The stereo sounds are fantastic as are some of the macro views in the cabin and cockpit. Multiple pilots are used so you can watch the local flight with a single pilot not using any checklists that I could see with all the cockpit action captured by a GoPro HD3 camera mounted in the corner over the co-pilot’s seat. This is a high performance takeoff from an extremely short runway. With no obstructions at the end of the runway turboprop landings here using reversing props are a little easier. High quality outside views with good sound captures all the actions from an observer’s point of view. It is a massive effort to assemble what appears to be a simple aviation video. I really never gave much thought to what I considered were simple aviation videos, but there is nothing simple about producing one of these. It is a massive effort to assemble one of these ultrapacks with four total flights. This one was filmed in March, April, August and December of 2013. Fortunately, the three major flights were all round trip or return flights. Sometimes the flights are one-way and it is up to the filming crew to find their way back home. The compilation of the separate flights, the sorting and editing of various bits and pieces with different lighting and different background sounds is just the initial step. Adding titles, captions and background music comes next. Then light and sound balancing and final editing that requires a capable computer for processing and finally uploading the finished product to the retailers around the world. The size of HD video files are huge with this one coming in at 4.1 GB of download. The installed AVI file is 3.82 GB for the 140 minutes. For those who may not be familiar with the Piper Cheyenne II aircraft, a spec sheet is included at the beginning of the video. I captured some screenshots to illustrate the resolution of the video image and to give a quick overview. Notice the clarity of these images, you can easily see and read the smallest detail. The camera movements are very precise and very smooth so the viewer has time to absorb the content. It is quite easy to pause, backup, and replay scenes. Demo video available You can watch a demo on Youtube and see some of these images. Just remember, the quality should be much higher when played in HD from your downloaded file. demo video of Cheyenne II 6 flights (4:51) Flight from Donaueschingen Germany EDTD to Grenchen Switzerland LSZG (65 nm) Return flight from Grenchen Switzerland LSZG to Donaueschingen Germany EDTD Flight from Donaueschingen Germany EDTD to Colmar France LFGA (46 nm) Return flight from Colmar France LFGA to Donaueschingen Germany EDTD Flight from St. Gallen Switzerland LSZR to Lelystad Netherlands EHLE (341 nm) Return flight from Lelystad Netherlands EHLE to St. Gallen Switzerland LSZR Plus a local takeoff and landing at EDMQ, Donauworth Genderkikngen airport which has a very short runway of only 1738 feet (530 m). The release of the Ultrapack Piper Cheyenne II brings the Realflying Video Company’s products to 7 total. The previous six downloadable videos each have something for almost everyone. Two for Cessna Citation XLS lovers, two propeller driven twins - the Beechcraft King Air C90GT turboprop and the piston powered Cessna 340A II and the final two featuring the Garmin G1000 flight panel. These last two represent the extreme ends with one being the Cessna 172 Skyhawk and the other the ever popular Cessna Citation Mustang. I was going to mention my personal favorite of the existing six but it turns out that I like them all - each for a different reason. I have flight time in all of them except for the XLS, although I have time in the Citation CJ1+ which has a similar cockpit but is smaller and slower than the XLS. Each of these six videos is interesting in its own way. The two Citation XLS videos should boost resurgence in popularity in the flight simulation circles now that Eaglesoftdg is actively working on bringing the Citation XLS+ with the Pro Line 21 panel to the FSX market this year. Eaglesoftdg is also modernizing and updating their Citation CJ1+ to 2014 FSX standards. The two videos that feature the Garmin G1000 should interest not only the large Cessna 172 crowd but also the Citation Mustang lovers. I did Avsim.com reviews for each of them just last year. Of course, the A2A Simulations C172 Trainer was not equipped with the G1000 Avionics panel but the Cessna Mustang was the top-of-the-line Flight1 G1000 edition. Both are highly recommended. Should you prefer nice propeller-driven twins then the Cessna 340A II should be on your short list and if you like them with turboprops then step up to the King Air C90GT. Both of these videos are excellent. All of the Realflying videos are offered at four Flight Sim sites. Simmarket, PCaviator, Fspilotshop and Flightsimstore. REALFLYING - Ultrapack Piper Cheyenne II, February 1014, 3.82 GB Newest, largest and most up-to-date video, 140 minutes, 3 complete flights plus a local introductory takeoff and landing. 14.90/12.52 Euros or $14.95 4:51 min demo video available REALFLYING - Ultrapack Cessna Citation XLS, Nov 2012, 2 GB, Largest and smoother video to date, 86 minutes, 2 complete flights - Augsburg to Berlin – Augsburg to Innsbruck 12.90/10.84 Euros or $12.95 3:09 min demo video available REALFLYING - COCKPIT CESSNA CITATION MUSTANG April 2012, 60 minutes, 1.43 GB, largest and costliest company video. Geneva to Liege. Garmin G1000 11.90/10.00 Euros or $12.95 REALFLYING - COCKPIT CESSNA 340A II, Feb 2012, 25 minutes, 843 MB, last commercial flying Cessna 340A in Germany. flight from bayreuth (edqd) to osnabrück (eddg) 11.90/10.00 Euros or $12.45 2:05 min demo video available REALFLYING - COCKPIT GARMIN 1000 CESSNA 172SP SKYHAWK, Dec 2011, 42 minutes, 993 MB, 4 flights in Italy and Switzerland. Augsburg to Locarno – Locarno to Albenga – Albenga to Verona – Verona to Augsburg Donauwörth to Heidenheim – Heidenheim to Leutkirch – Leutkirch to Augsburg 8.90/7.48 Euros or $9.95 REALFLYING - COCKPIT BEECHCRAFT KING AIR C90GT, Nov 2011, 46 minutes, 1.17 GB, 3 flights Donauwörth (EDMQ) to Eisenach (EDGE) - Eisenach (EDGE) to Donauwörth (EDMQ) Donauwörth (EDMQ) to Augsburg (EDMA) 11.90/10.00 Euros or $12.95 REALFLYING - Cessna Citation XLS Augsburg-London, August 2011, 25 minutes, 642 MB, Augsburg (EDMA) Germany to London-Heathorw (EGLL) 8.90/7.48 Euros or $12.95 Direct talk from the Producer I exchanged several emails with the producer in Donauwörth, Germany. His statements and responses are as follows: Yes that's true in 2013 I spent 80 hours in planes. Most of the time as a copilot in the small planes but also getting booked and recording for Realflying. I'm in all of them but I'm recording and not flying myself. Sometimes I'm in the right seat and other times recording from the cabin. The editing time of photos for a video production varies greatly and so it has taken over one year to finish the Cheyenne II project. The next project will be the Nextant 400XT which should be ready in November 2014. This was filmed at Stansted airport located about 40 miles North of London. This one will be followed by the Socata TBM850. Yes, the stuff is already recorded but it takes so long to edit everything and with new cameras and ATC recording the time for finishing one project is that long. I can promise you that the new Cheyenne II video is much improved over the Ultrapack Citation XLS, which is our most popular video to date. The effort of making one of these video productions takes a tremendous amount of time. Every scene has to be edited for brightness, sharpness, color, contrast and video stabilization. With a video length exceeding 2 hours and over 500 different scenes amounts to one huge undertaking for a project. Every production is being saved over 10 times to make sure there are no issues in. To save a 2 hour video takes about 8 hours. The company wants to be at a very high level of presenting the video to the customers so we make sure all scenes, ATC, crew communication, etc. are correct. The actual recording of the flights is the fastest thing. Don't forget that the pictures for the video, the titles and the music have to be edited and have to be displayed in the video. It's an extra huge period of editing and has to be mentioned. Also the new cameras and ATC are taking time which is that long. Due to the recording of separated scenes with the big video camera the ATC and GoPro cameras separately have to be putted under the normal video on the exact time what is often a big problem. In the newest video production it was very difficult and it was very often at the wrong spot which took very long to be corrected. We also have to get to the different airports and sometimes fly back because there is no return flight. The complete time effort of finishing one single project is a big amount which is not calculable and that's the reason why it takes so long to complete a new video. I found a neat website for calculating straight line distances that also show the map with the preferred driving path. Just substitute the last two cities with any two cities of your choice. I really don’t understand why the Cessna 172 equipped with the Garmin 1000 avionics suite is not more popular. The video covers popular flights in Italy, Switzerland and Germany with some sensational views from the cockpit. Italy – Germany – Switzerland Watch many flights in a brand new Cessna 172SP Skyhawk equipped with finest Garmin 1000 avionics suite. Every flight was fully recorded in best quality. Of course you can hear the ATC and the traffic callouts from the Garmin. Included are 4 flights in Italy and Switzerland with dramatic looking mountain areas as well as 3 flights in Germany featuring some interesting approaches. Enjoy the classic Cessna 172 with this avionics package. AVCHD 1080 Quality ATC communication 7 full recorded flights Gorgeous Locarno approach and take off Beautiful mountain sceneries Garmin G1000 close ups Short runways Cockpit close ups Traffic callouts Difficult weather situations with heavy turbulences Wonderful Italian landscape Plenty of different views Flights: Augsburg to Locarno – Locarno to Albenga – Albenga to Verona – Verona to Augsburg Donauwörth to Heidenheim – Heidenheim to Leutkirch – Leutkirch to Augsburg Summary Realflying has 7 real world flight videos available with the aircraft and/or flights that should appeal to most flight simulator enthusiasts. The painstaking editing to ensure the ATC transmissions are matched exactly with the video clips and the nice slow and deliberate instrument panel scans should please most everyone. The airport traffic sounds and scenes are a big plus in many of the videos. The Geneva airport is bustling with high dollar corporate bizjets mixing with the airliners. The close-up views are excellent. While all of them are of superior quality, each one seems to outdo the previous release. This newest, the Cheyenne II, features the very last operating Cheyenne II in Germany in outstanding HD images and stereo sounds that puts the viewer in the cockpit with the flight crew. You get to witness all phases of the flights from the extensive ground inspections, to the pre-start cockpit checks, startup, taxi, takeout, climbs, cruise, descent, approaches, landings, taxi and shutdown. You can follow the flight plans with the ATC transmissions and the close up views of the GPS and flight instruments. Practically every pilot action is captured as switches are thrown, frequencies are changed, throttles are adjusted, etc. This is a very long video at 140 minutes but is packed with interesting scenes and sounds. Conclusion If you like turboprops and would like to envision flying or riding along on several charter flights in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands in all sorts of weather, then this Ultrapack Cheyenne II video is for you. All those new King Air B200 sim pilots should enjoy this one as will all those Aerosoft/Digital Aviation Cheyenne sim pilots from yesteryear. Actually, you don’t have to be a multi-engine pilot to enjoy the experience. This one should appeal to all pilots, real or simulated. Credits All photos taken by Mark Ulm. Permission to use in review granted. All screenshots taken by Author using screen capture while playing video. 3 flight distance maps from web based calculator Video downloads provided by RealFlying and PC Aviator.com Recommended VLC Media Player, free download from VideoLAN, used to play AVI video

Review update by Ray Marshall. The award winning Volair Sim now comes standard with a hefty center stick attachment predrilled for the Saitek X52 Pro, the X-65 and the Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog. When I reviewed the Volair Sim in July of 2013, the center stick attachment was in the final design phase but was not in production. Starting a couple of months ago all new buyers receive the new center stick attach free to maintain the Volair sim philosophy of all accessories standard. The legacy customers can buy this as a retrofit kit for $59. Bart says they only have a very limited number left and once the inventory is exhausted there are no plans to make more for retro kits. This is a very substantial addition to the Sim. I was surprised to see that it weighs in at almost 20 pounds of heavy metal. Installation is straightforward and takes less than an hour. You do have to remove the seat to add the middle or third major brace when adding to an existing chassis. As with the original design features, the center stick mount is fully adjustable both fore and aft and vertically. You can watch a new assembly video to see how it integrates into the Volair Sim chassis. This new addition adds so much more capability to the already outstanding flight sim cockpit chassis. Flying the A2A P-51 Mustangs, P-40 Warhawk, F4U Corsair, Spitfire and all the other WWII models and the J-3 Cub are considerably more realistic with the center mounted stick. The Realair Simulations Lancair Legacy or Scout package also takes on a special feel using the center mounted stick. Now your barrel rolls will feel more technically correct. There are probably several of your favorites or soon to be favorite add-ons that use the center mounted flight stick in the real world version that you can replicate with your personal Volair Sim cockpit. Those of us who have the wonderful Flight Replicas Super Cub package will delight in having a properly placed stick while flying the back country. And yes, the Diamond DA-20 lovers will finally have a real stick when flying with the Volair Sim. Even the really big heavy weights like the C-17 and B-1 bomber will benefit from the proper center stick arrangement. I don’t fly helicopters very much but the center stick might also be a boost to those add-ons. One that is really nice is firing up the Milviz F-15E Strike Eagle and using the center mounted flight stick. Now that is really flying high or for the nostalgic try the Milviz F-86 Sabre. Should one of your favorites be from pre-WWII you can fly the Messerschmitt Bf 108 in your Volair Sim with the center stick to match the real deal. You can read the original Avsim review of the Volair Sim chassis. I asked Bart Waclawik, President of Volair Sim based near Indianapolis, IL who was buying his outstanding chassis for building personal cockpits. I was pleased to hear that it is very popular with educational institutions. Several middle and high schools have purchased multiple units for aviation related classes. Another group that I would have guessed is the real world pilots that can no longer fly due to medical or financial reasons are now using the Volair Sim to stay somewhat current. While asking questions, I was curious to know which of the international countries are popular. Remember, this is one heavy box with everything included for the full chassis. As expected, Canada due to the common border is number one, but then come Switzerland, UK and Spain. Interesting. Bart says he has shipped his Sim chassis to several countries that he did not even know existed. Shipping costs seem to be the only thing people complain about - it is one very large and very heavy box but oh what fun it is. You can learn more at the Volair Sim site. Either fortunately or unfortunately, the Volair Sim is so popular that all existing stock has been temporarily depleted but more is on the way. Mid-April is the target for resuming shipments but you can still get a 10% discount with your pre-order if you hurry. Some planes were just meant to be flown with a stick and not a yoke, even in the simulator.

Review by Mike Cameron. The information below was gathered from the Eaglesoft Product Page and the Airliners.net website. The Diamond DA-42 Twin Star is a four place carbon fiber constructed light twin engine aircraft powered by jet fuel burning twin diesel engines. The Diamond DA-42-tdi Twin Star was the world’s first and only piston aircraft combining an advanced airframe, avionics and twin engines. The airframe is composed of an advanced aerodynamic & crash worthy carbon fiber composite structure. With the revolutionary turbo-charged jet fuel TAE Centurion compression ignition piston engine, the Twin Star is the undisputed piston engine technology leader in the general aviation aircraft market. With remarkably low fuel consumption, the DA-42-tdi was the first diesel powered GA aircraft in history to cross the Atlantic non-stop. Austria’s Diamond Aircraft unveiled the DA-42 at the May 2002 Berlin Airshow. The first flight of the Twin Star was on December 9th 2002, leading to European JAA Certification in late 2003 and US FAA Certification & first deliveries in mid-2004. The DA-42 design objectives included high speed cruise at very low throttle settings and good low speed handling. It is loosely modeled on the Diamond DA-40 Diamond Star single four place aircraft. The engines drive slow turning three blade constant speed propellers, which combined with the DA-42 fast climb rate results in a low ground noise signature. The engines also feature electronic fuel management, automatic propeller controls and auto feather. The DA-42 is suitable for flight training as well as private and business use. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University was the launch customer with an order of ten aircraft and Lufthansa Airlines ordered 40 for its pilot training school. Specifications: Maximum Speed: 194 KIAS Cruise Speed at 75% Power: 162 KTAS Initial Rate of Climb: 1700 FPM Maximum Operating Altitude: 18000 Feet Range at 60% Power with Standard Fuel: 1061 NM With Optional Fuel Tanks: 1485 NM Empty Weight: 2270 Pounds Maximum Takeoff Weight: 3673 Pounds Maximum Payload: 1366 Pounds Wingspan: 44 Feet Length: 27.8 Feet Height: 8.5 Feet Installation and Documentation The Eaglesoft DA-42 Twin Star uses the Flight1 “Wrapper” for product activation and installation. For instructions and installing the aircraft the first time visit the Eaglesoft FAQ page . I am going to be using the “Reinstallation” method because this is a review copy that was supplied directly from Eaglesoft. This procedure will be the same if you need to install the Twin Star again at a later time. Start the “Wrapper” program and select the “Click Here to Reinstall” button at the bottom right of this first window. On the next page select “Reinstall Using Your Key File” and press the “Select Key” button to browse to your product key that you saved the first time that you activated your aircraft and select “Validate”. I like to save my product key in the same folder as the aircraft Flight1 Wrapper for easy backups. Enter your four digit password that also was provided during the first activation (I write this down on my product receipt), and select the “OK” button. The program will generate a License File that you can back up to the default location or one of your choosing (I use the default but will later copy this license file to my download folder). The Twin Star setup file is now unlocked and you will be asked if you would like to run this program at this time, I always select “Yes”. If you select “No” the unlocked setup file will be stored in the same folder as your License Key. Accept the License Agreement, verify the correct FSX location or browse for the correct location, allow the Mindstar Aviation KAP140 autopilot to be installed and select “Finish” to complete the install process. This may seem complicated but is really very easy without having to type in any long & sometimes complicated serial numbers or keys. The first time that you start FSX after installation you will be asked to approve the HyperGauge.dll file, select “Run” and “Yes” to approve this file. The first time that you load one to the Eaglesoft DA-42 Twin Star aircraft in FSX you will need to repeat the above process for the ESDA-42_Gauges.GAU file and two that follow. Three PDF files are included with the aircraft, Cockpit Reference, G1000 Manual and the Eaglesoft FAQ’s document. Two additional HTML files are included an Aircraft Reference and the Twin Star Checklist. All of these documents are located in the Eaglesoft folder in your main FSX directory. I just wish there was a more comprehensive operations manual on how to fly the Eaglesoft Diamond DA-42 Twin Star. Interior Features The interior of the Twin Star is very nice. It does not have luxury textures, like wood toned trim but still the interior textures are very nice. Sitting in the pilot seat and looking at the right seat I notice a small dip in this seat to indicate someone has actually sat there. The back seats also have this feature. I like to see signs of “use” with my premium aircraft and this is the first time that I have seen this type of “wear” texture in an aircraft and I like it. Another sign of wear are the floor mats with faded but still readable labeling. Interior objects are all three dimensional and look very realistic. I needed to adjust my eye-point forward in order to look at the back of the aircraft; otherwise there was a texture issue with the pilot seat being to close. The only other minor interior texture issue that I have with this aircraft is with the Diamond Aircraft logo on the seats. I like that it is included but is a little too blurry for my taste. If this is a “wear” texture I can certainly live with this. Interior labeling is great looking and is clear even when looking at them up close. There are no alternate interior views but for an aircraft of this size it really is not needed. Interior lighting is also excellent and is controlled from the instrument panel. The only issue that I have with the lighting is that the rear lighting is not modeled so your virtual passengers will be in the dark. Preflight Configuration Panel & Exterior Features Before commenting on the exterior features, I want to quickly discuss the Preflight Configuration Panel. I enlarged this panel for screen grab purposes. This panel allows you to control the interior and exterior aircraft features. These options include Remove Tie Downs & Pitot Covers, Load Luggage, Pilot & Copilot, Visible Crew Glasses and Toggle VC Rain or Glass. The FS9 aircraft will have the VC rain effect and FSX has the VC Glass textures. When you first load the Twin Star all of these preflight actions have already been checked which means all of these preflight actions have already been performed. My default start setting is cold and dark so I wish these would have been unchecked at first so that I could remove the static objects, load the luggage and crew as part of my preflight procedure. Luckily there is a Save button so I unchecked these items accept for Crew Glasses and pressed “Save” to remember my settings. I also unchecked the VC Glass box because I do not like how the VC Glass texture looks and I prefer clear glass. The first screen grab below is with VC Glass enabled and the second is VC Glass disabled. There are eight aircraft included, four formatted for widescreen monitors and four formatted for square monitors. I have a widescreen monitor so all of the screen grabs for this review will be the widescreen aircraft. The first thing that I notice about the Diamond DA-42 Twin Star is that it has a very aerodynamic looking exterior. Where the Cessna, Piper & Beechcraft Twins all are very large almost like a sport utility vehicle of an aircraft, the Twin Star reminds me of a sports car. The Eaglesoft Twin Star has excellent looking exterior textures and features. I love how the sun reflects off of the carbon fiber fuselage & propellers. The lack of visible rivets and the winglets add to the modern look of the aircraft. Exterior labeling is very clear and easy to read. The three dimensional exterior details are also very realistic looking. My only minor issue with the exterior is that Eaglesoft did not include any alternate exterior views, only spot and locked spot. I like to use the alternate views for my simulated walk preflight walk around. Panel The Eaglesoft Twin Star for FSX was released several years ago when they were still making FS2004 aircraft so like the FSX default and FS2004 aircraft the Eaglesoft DA-42 Twin Star includes a fully functional and great looking 2D panel. This aircraft only has the Garmin G1000 panel and on the early FSX G1000 aircraft I preferred to fly the aircraft from the 2D panel because of the lighting of the VC panel it was very hard to read the G1000 information. The VC lighting on the Eaglesoft panel is much better than the default simulator G1000 panels. A nice thing about this aircraft is that it uses a flight stick control instead of a control yoke which allows unobstructed panel views from the pilot seat. I think this makes for a much more realistic experience instead of having to hide the yoke in order to see the hidden panel items. The top of the panel contains the backup airspeed indicator, altimeter, directional gyro, compass, the ELT (not simulated) and the lighting controls. The left side contains the engine ECU and the alternator switches. The center contains the primary flight display (PFD), G1000 Audio Panel and the multi-function display (MFD). I am not going to provide a detailed explanation of the G1000 system because that would require a lengthy section of this review. I will only comment on Eaglesoft G1000 features that I like or do not like as I operate the Twin Star. If you would like to learn more about the real world G1000, I found this series of video tutorials on You Tube . I like how the PFD & MFD have boot up sequences and with the interior lighting turned on, the LCD screens are very bright and clear. The G1000 textures are much nicer than the default G1000 system. Less impressive is that the radio fields are blank when you boot up the PFD, you need to tune all of the radios for the frequencies to be displayed. The right side of the panel contains the non-simulated circuit breakers and the icing controls that are animated but not simulated. The bottom right of the panel contains more circuit breakers and moving left along the bottom are the flap controls, the KAP 140 autopilot, landing gear, electrical & avionics master switches, each engine master & starter switch, pitot heat and on the far left the ECU circuit breakers. Below the autopilot are the rudder trim, parking brake, cabin climate controls (non-simulated), throttles, fuel controls and the trim control. I love that everything in the cockpit is within an easy reach from the pilot seat. With the exception of the rudder trim label which is blurry, all of the other panel labels are clear and easy to read which is nice. Before moving on to flight planning I want to quickly comment on the traffic alerts on the MFD. First, traffic near the aircraft is displayed even while I was parked on the ground and I like that the alert displays some information about the aircraft rather than just a warning icon. I also like how easy it is to tune the radios, the outer & inner knobs are clearly defined and I did not have any hesitation with the frequency changes that I sometimes have with the GNS GPS radios, especially in performance heavy scenery areas. All of the various displays are easy to read but as with all instrument panels I would occasionally need to adjust my eye point for a closer view. Another nice feature on both the PFD and MFD is that there is a brightness control in the upper right corner of each display, which I like to turn down for better contrast when using the topographic map view. Besides the two NAV map pages the other displays that are selectable with the FMS knob are Waypoint (WPT) with several subpages and Nearest (NRST). Unlike the PFD “NRST” button which will only display the airports, there are multiple pages available on the MFD (airports, intersections, NDB’s, VOR’s and Airspace Alerts). These waypoints are nice for quick direct to flight plans. When flying using the virtual panel, the nearest window is one those display’s that I needed to adjust my eye-point to see because this window is very small. The Eaglesoft Twin Star G1000 system is a customized version of the default G1000 which means you cannot manually create a flight plan and relies on the default simulator flight planner with its outdated navigation database. The work around that I like to use with aircraft that use a modified FSX GPS is to create a flight plan with an external flight planning program that exports flight plans to FSX. I still cannot manually create a G1000 flight plan but depending on the program I may have updated waypoints. If you would like a more realistic G1000 system including manual flight plan creation there is another option the Mindstar G1000 system for FSX. Mindstar G1000 System Most flight simulator virtual aviators are probably not familiar with Mindstar Aviation. This company develops gauges & avionics solutions that bring most of the advanced systems of general aviation to the Microsoft flight simulator series of products. Their primary customer base is commercial and these customers expect the most realistic simulated experience possible. After the G1000 product was released to the commercial customers, Mindstar Aviation decided to release this same product to consumers via their website. As I am writing this section, Mindstar has just released the consumer version of their Garmin GNS430 & 530 GPS package. Even though the G1000 product was released several years ago, Mindstar continues to release free updates with new features. I have been looking for a more realistic Garmin G1000 system for FSX and then I read about this product when Mindstar announced that they were developing the GNS430/530 system. I have also read some positive comments about this product on several forums so I knew that I had to try it out for myself. The bad news is that there has not been a lot of support from flight simulation aircraft developers for adding this G1000 into your favorite simulated aircraft. The Mindstar installer adds two new default Cessna 172SP aircraft, one with the Mindstar G1000 with default autopilot and one that uses the Mindstar autopilot. A FS2004 Cessna 182S & 182T was also installed into FSX, but I could not operate either of these aircraft without FSX crashing on my system. Now for the good news, Eaglesoft provided support to Mindstar, so when you run the G1000 installer it will also add two additional Twin Star aircraft. One designed for square monitors with the Mindstar G1000 and the Mindstar KAP-140 autopilot and the other designed for widescreen monitors. The nice thing about this is that no panel editing is required; it is ready to go after installation. If you purchase the Twin Star after the Mindstar G1000, just run the G1000 installer again and the two new aircraft will be added to your aircraft list. I now have a premium twin engine aircraft installed with the G1000 along with the Cessna 172SP. The first thing that I noticed is that all of the navigation & communication radio frequencies are now displayed as they should be. I am not going to go into detail about the feature differences other than to say that the Mindstar system includes some more real world functionality than the Eaglesoft G1000 system. The displays themselves look great and everything is clear and easy to read. One feature that the Eaglesoft G1000 includes that the Mindstar panel does not is the brightness controls on the PFD & MFD. Operating the Mindstar knobs is extremely easy. Anywhere outside of the outer knob controls the outer knob and anywhere on the inner knob controls the inner knob, both with your mouse wheel for operation. I love not having to search for click spots. One of the primary reasons that I wanted to install the Mindstar G1000 was to have realistic manual flight planning. Most of the G1000 equipped aircraft that I have installed on my system still use the FSX Flight Planner for this purpose. The navigation database installed with the G1000 system is old, 01-SEP-2007 to 15-SEP-2008 but Mindstar has partnered with the Real NAV Data service for optional navigation cycle updates. For details on the consumer subscription of the Real NAV Service visit their website . If you are familiar with creating a flight plan on the RealityXP GNS 430 or GNS 530, the procedure is the same. After pressing the “FPL” button, the flight plan window is now open with your departure airport already entered, left click on the center of the FMS knob to load the curser, rotate the inner knob to locate the first waypoint character then rotate the outer knob to move to the next position and repeat this process until your waypoint is entered then press the “ENT” button to accept the waypoint and repeat the above until the flight plan is complete. Mindstar has included another time saving feature, when the first character is displayed you can finish the waypoint entry by using your keyboard. Another nice feature is the ability to delete a waypoint and the approach procedures also work without issue. After the flight plan is activated, the familiar magenta line is now displayed on the MFD, waypoint information is now displayed at the top of the screens and the magenta pointer is now displayed on the HSI on the PFD. Flight Model For a twin engine aircraft the Diamond DA-42 Twin Star is a very easy aircraft to operate. The aircraft does not have a lot of systems to learn. One of the included documents is a checklist which I will be using for this section to see how accurate the simulated procedures are. This is such an easy aircraft to start that I was able to memorize the engine start procedures after the first startup. The Preflight Configuration Window allows you to remove all of the parked aircraft static items as part of the preflight procedure which adds to the realism. The first issue that I encountered was that my CH Throttle Quadrant controls were very sticky with this aircraft. I like smooth movement but this does not happen with this aircraft. I finally selected a twin engine joystick calibration profile in FSUIPC and by doing this solved this annoying issue. I did not have any issues with the rest of the preflight checklist and I like that even though the icing controls are not simulated, these along with gear warning test can be tested as part of the preflight. As mentioned earlier the engine start checklist is very easy to memorize. Throttle at idle, left engine switch on, left mouse click on the key to start the left engine and repeat this procedure for the right engine with a right mouse click to start this engine. I do not know if this is how the real aircraft operates but when you start each engine the fuel control automatically moves to the full forward position, then during warm up adjust the fuel controls to the cross feed setting. Another issue that I have is that if I have the throttles at idle or less than 700 RPM, the engines would stop. At least it is very easy to restart the engines. I just had to remember to keep the RPM’s up while taxiing or I would have to do a restart. I did not have any issues with the rest of the startup procedures. To taxi the Twin Star is also very easy, much easier than then most of my other twin engine aircraft, just steer with your nose wheel in the direction that you would like to go. The Diamond DA-42 Twin Star does not have magnetos so there really is not a run-up procedure but I would increase the throttle as part of the before take-off checklist to see if there was any engine roughness even though this is not simulated. Another oddity that I encountered with this aircraft is that even though the Twin Star does not have propeller controls, I needed to move my CH Throttle controls full forward in order to have the proper engine RPM’s for take-off. This is a very nice aircraft to hand fly. Move the throttles to full for about 10 seconds and rotate at Vr, but I had to let the speed increase past the rotation speed because on my system rotating at this speed would cause the stall horn to sound. By letting the airspeed increase before rotating helped with this issue. I like to hand fly to the cruising altitude and I needed to trim continuously in order to maintain climb but I was able to trim for cruise without issue, just used small control movements. The controls are very responsive when hand flying. The autopilot is pretty easy to operate, with the default G1000, load an FSX flight plan or create one with the Mindstar G1000, press the “ARM” button & dial your selected altitude then press the autopilot power button. The aircraft will now fly to your selected altitude and I love that the autopilot will level off smoothly at the proper altitude. I also like to select the “NAV” button on the autopilot to follow the flight plan and my Saitek Multi-panel works nicely with the KAP-140 autopilot. The Twin Star cruises at a nice 150 knots indicated; so this is a wonderful short to medium cross country flights. For descent I wanted to use the same autopilot procedure to descend to my desired altitude, but I could not get this to work. I had to disable the autopilot, enter the new altitude then power on the autopilot for descent. The Twin Star slows down very nicely but I had to remember to start my approach well ahead of time so that I was at my final approach speed on time. One final note, the large MFD moving map allows me to easily see terrain features when VFR flying without a loaded flight plan and for recognizing these features on final approach into smaller airstrips. Sounds & Animations The Eaglesoft DA-42 Twin Star has some very nice sounds & animation effects. The first sound that you will hear is the warning sound when the primary flight display boots up, also, you can hear both the PFD & MFD fans in the background which adds to the realism. The traffic warning sound message on the multi-function display is also very nice. I like that when you load the baggage during preflight, you can hear this door closing and the main canopy operational sound is also excellent. When the main canopy is opening I like that the handle is animated rather than just having the door open & close which greatly adds to the experience. All of the operable switches and dials are animated with appropriate sound effects. I do not know how the real Diamond Twin Star engines sound like but the simulated ones sound impressive. It is nice that the tone changes when the main canopy or the baggage door is opened and closed. The engine vibration effects during startup are excellent and the stall horn is also very impressive sounding. Summary / Closing Remarks Despite a couple of issues, I am very impressed with the Eaglesoft Diamond DA-42 Twin Star. This aircraft has detailed interior & exterior textures, very impressive sound & animation effects and a wonderful flight model. I really like that the Mindstar G1000 is easily installed into the virtual panel for a more realistic G1000 simulation and flight planning. The Mindstar product also allows you to subscribe to a current navigation database service for the most realistic flight planning possible. The only real complaint that I have with this aircraft is that the radio frequency fields are blank on the primary flight display when it is first powered on; you need to manually enter these frequencies for them to be displayed. This should not happen with a premium aircraft. Luckily I will be using my Mindstar G1000 equipped aircraft which display the navigation and communication frequencies correctly. The only other real issue that I had was that my throttle controls did not operate smoothly and if the RPM went to an idle setting, the engines would stop running. Lastly, the Eaglesoft G1000 is a modified version of the default flight simulator G1000 system without the manual flight planning capability and other realistic features. What I Liked About The DA-42 Twin Star Mindstar G1000 virtual panel option. Great looking interior & exterior textures. Impressive sounds & animations. PFD & MFD brightness control and easy radio tuning. Very good flight model Very good system performance for a glass paneled aircraft. What I Didn’t Like About The DA-42 Twin Star Lack of visible radio frequencies when the PFD is first powered on. Modified version of the default FSX G1000 system. Cannot manually create or edit a flight plan. Throttle controls are not very smooth on my system Lack of operational document other than a checklist, reference sheet and G1000 manual.