capceo

Another option we've only briefly considered. But rest assured it will receive more serious consideration before release. Joe

I've found that many pilots have a love hate relationship with Garretts. I personally love them, and find them to be superior to the PT-6 in just about every way possible. They're smaller, lighter, and give you more power for less fuel. Not to mention the 5400-7000hr TBO depending on how you're running the engines. The TPE-331-511M found on the MU-2B-60 and MU-2B-40 are approved to be run to a 7000hr TBO if the airplane is being operated Part 135. With that said, I think you guys are REALLY going to like the sound set we have in store for you with the MU-2. Blows the 441 sounds out of the water. And of course, every single sound was recorded directly off of a real world Marquise, specifically for our project.

Hey Mike, Not impossible, but we haven't considered it yet. If we decide to update the 441, we'll let you all know ahead of time. Rest assured, our JET will have it

Basically, the MX system will allow you to keep up with regular service intervals. The standard intervals on the Mits are (in hours) 100, 200, 600, 1200, and 5400. Items like you said, brake pads, engine oil, etc, are done at regular service intervals. So when you reach a service interval, you'll get a popup that tells you what needs to be done, and how much it will cost. You'll need to accomplish the tasks to eliminate the popup window. You'll also have another window you can bring up that will show you how close you are to given intervals, allowing you to plan a trip to your MX facility. Additionally, the window will include a list of which airports have real world Mitsubishi approved MU-2 service centers. You can't just have it done anywhere! And i know i promised a VC shot I'd say we're making progress!

Thanks for the kind words nippa!

Hey Bill, Of course! Texture work is 95% complete. Modeling is 100% complete, including cabin, cockpit, and external. We're now hard at work coding everything to bring you the systems you expect after flying the 441. This one features even more. I'd say coding is probably about 80% done. Here's (basically) what's left. We need to finish up the coding, flight dynamics, maintenance system, and sounds. Id say we're looking at a finished product in the next 60 days if all goes to plan. (Maybe sooner!) And of course, plenty of new screenshots to follow!

I knew that we weren't visible when not logged in, but I didn't realize we were the only ones...

I wasn't really planning on entertaining this with a reply, but I felt somewhat compelled. Probably wasting my time, but here goes. People don't understand the effort that goes into developing an aircraft like the Cessna 441. Seems to me that people in the FS community are more than willing to spend 40-70 USD on an aircraft that looks amazing, but lacks any systems accuracy in any way. We strive to provide you with GA and corporate aircraft that feature fully accurate systems, and still look good. While they are not on par VISUALLY with some of the "legacy" developers, countless satisfied customers have applauded the systems accuracy that goes into our products. If you want and aircraft that is accurate in terms of systems and visuals, we welcome your business. If you want something that's just nice to look at, we aren't the developer for you. And for what it's worth, we release multiple product videos before releasing an aircraft. If you feel that the asking price isn't fair, feel free to...not purchase it. It would be a valuable experience for you to attempt the development of such a project on your own. Once you've finally got it done and it's ready for release, look back at how many hours you spent on it, and how many sleepless nights you spent with a headache trying to get it just right. Then, YOU decide what you think your time and effort are worth in terms of a product price. With that said, I want to once again thank all of our satisfied and loyal customers that continue to support us as we grow.

Thanks CoolP, The mic issue has been resolved I think you will all be VERY impressed with what we have in store for you with the MU-2. Be prepared to be blown away. I too noticed the odd forum issue. I'll look into it.

Let us know if you have any input!

Just uploaded four more shots. I think most of you will be very pleased with the level of detail in this project. Like the 441? You ain't seen nothin' yet http://fswtraining.webs.com/mu-2-previews

Uploading a few more in the next day or so, make sure you go have a look! I'll try to remember to remind you when I do.

Thanks Craig!

Here's three more screenshots to keep you all occupied. Looking at another 30-45 days if all goes to plan. 60 days is comfortable for all the unforeseen things that tend to come up in the development process. Keep in mind that these screenshots are not HD, and were taken off the development machine, so the quality is somewhat subpar. As we get closer to release, you'll get higher quality screenshots from my sim, as well as the usual videos! Also, bear in mind that there is still a TON of work to be done, so this is not a completed external, and the textures are not complete. Have a look HERE PS - Dont mind the website. Its largely under construction at this point. Just wanted to give you all a place to see the pics in bigger size.

Hmm. That's rather odd. We'll see if we can reproduce the issue and get back to you!

I'm always willing to listen to any concerns a customer may have. I agree with you to some extent. The 441 did, however, come with an abbreviated manual and checklists. Like I said, one of the main reasons I decided to place the remaining videos in limbo was due to the fact that I never received very much feedback on them. In fact, you're the only person that has contacted us, in any way, about the status of the remaining videos. It's just difficult to justify it when it seems like nobody took a particular interest in them. I hope the consensus changes for the MU-2. Please, never hesitate to voice your concerns to us. The MU-2 is already shaping up much better than the 441. I'll relay your feedback on the paint kit to Mark.

The short answer is, "kind of." I never got a lot of feedback on the tutorial videos, and many of them never accumulated a significant number of views. I've been very busy lately working side by side with Mark making sure that our MU-2 is top notch. The MU-2 will absolutely be complimented with a full lineup of training videos. Whether or not the last two (or three?) 441 videos will be completed is solely dependent on how much time I can afford to spend away from the development of the MU-2. If more videos become available, I will absolutely let the forum readers know as soon as that happens. Hope that answers your question.

The thought has crossed my mind. I like the Merlin personally. We wouldn't do a Metro, as the Razbam model is beautifully crafted, and there are many happy customers out there (including me) despite its less-than-spectacular engine modeling. With that said, a Merlin would be very difficult. There aren't too many out there in the real world, and resources are virtually nonexistent. Never say never though.

Some more eye candy for all of you... Still quite a bit of work to be done, but we are on schedule for an early March release!

You asked for GTN integration for the 402C, and now you have it! RXP WX500 too. Should be releasing the update in the next day or so. We will keep you all posted!

Thank you, Les. I never understood how you could treat customers that way and then ask them to fork over their hard earned money for your product. We have no problem approximating release dates, as long as people understand that they are not definitive answers.

Glad everyone has been updated!

You only need to worry about setting the cabin altitude higher than SL when you're landing at a high field elevation. This is primarily a passenger comfort thing. The airplane is equipped with a "squat switch" which is also known as a weight-on-wheel switch. It serves a number of purposes, most notably preventing the landing gear from inadvertently being retracted on the ground. Another purpose it serves is to open the cabin outflow valve anytime the airplane is on the ground. This ensures that the airplane can never be pressurized on the ground, a situation that would make opening the cabin door quite interesting depending on how much pressure was in the cabin. At 6psi, opening the cabin door (which would then have about 2500lbs of air pressure pushing against it) would result in it being blown off the hinges. Anyway, if you forget to set the pressurization selector to the landing field elevation and land at an airport that sits at, say 4000 - 12000 MSL, the outflow valve would open upon touchdown, and the cabin would dump very quickly. Depressurization would occur in just a few seconds, and it would be extremely uncomfortable for the passengers. Your ears will pop like they never have before If you've ever driven up a bit of a hill in your car and felt your ears starting to pop, you get the idea. Now imagine going from the ground to the top of a 7,000 foot mountain in about 5 seconds. That's exactly what's happening to everyone in the airplane if you "bump" the cabin by forgetting to set the selector. I live in the northeastern US, and we seldom fly to airports with anymore than a 1,000MSL field elevation. So in our 414, we leave the cabin altirude selector turned all the way down all the time. This allows the cabin to start pressurizing as soon as we take off, and results in a sea level cabin all the way to around 11,000 feet. We just have to remember when we head out west to set the selector before we land...and early enough to give the cabin a chance to climb before we land. Our cabin rate selector stays at 300fpm religiously unless we really need a faster rate for some reason. At that rate, when the airplane reaches 11,000 feet and the cabin starts to climb, it climbs slowly enough that most people don't even notice their ears popping. Planning ahead usually results in a deviation from that not being necessary. Also, you say your long trips are done around FL260. Keep in mind that the 441 still isn't a jet. You should base your cruising altitude on a combination of winds and efficiency. The higher you go, the stronger the winds are. If flying in the 20's means you're going to have a 60 knot headwind component, you're probably better off staying low. If that wind component is going to be a tailwind you can take her up high and enjoy an additional 60 knots of groundspeed. On a good day at altitude with a real good tailwind, ground speeds of well over 400kts are easily attainable. Or, even better for us owner operators, you can pull the power back and enjoy typical cruise speeds but with profoundly less fuel consumption. That translates into greater range. One of the 441 trips my father flew a few years ago was from NY to KS, and he flew the airplane all 1,000 miles at 10,000 feet! Staying down low and out of the nasty headwinds is usually more efficient than going painfully slow at altitude. I myself have made over 100 purchases at simmarket. Great to deal with. I'm sure Mark will get this resolved soon, and we will be able to get you updated. If you still cannot get access in another day or so, PM me and I will set you up with a link to download the 1.5 installer. And thank you for your kind words. The MU-2 is progressing nicely, and is on time for a February/March release. You can expect all the bells and whistles of the 441, including the fully integrated Garrett simulation. And, of course, total systems replication as well. We are currently working on textures and the VC. Should have another update on the project for everyone in the next two weeks or so.

I have only spoken to Mark briefly since this issue initially arose. He has been feeling a little under the weather lately, and is taking a few days off. However, he related to me that he is in communication with the stores, including simmarket, and will be resolving the issue as soon as possible. As long as the pressurization system has a bleed air source (the knob is anywhere other than GND or OFF) the cabin will pressurize. If you just leave the knob turned all the way down to SL, the cabin will begin to pressurize immediately, and when the differential reaches its maximum, the cabin altitude will begin to rise. Most operators, including myself, leave this knob turned all the way down all the time, unless we are going into a really high altitude field. Because the cabin stays lower longer, the passengers (and we) are much more comfortable.

Hey Everyone, Sorry you're having trouble. We sent 1.5 to the stores quite a while ago. We'll fire off a message to them and see what's up.