Variant Release : Boeing 757-200SF - Freighter by Flightfactor/VMAX

[Stephen]

Variant Release : Boeing 757-200SF - Freighter by Flightfactor/VMAX

 

Flightfactor/VMAX has released another variant for their excellent Boeing 757-200 series aircraft. In March 2014 Flightfactor/VMAX released the Pratt & Whitney PW2037 variant besides the original Rolls Royce Engines - RB211-535E4 and in this release is the "Cargo" variant for both engine choices. To install this cargo extension version you must already have purchased the Boeing 757 Professional series.

 

 

Installation : On a 72.2mb download you get an expansion "Cargo Pack". Inside the pack you have items that you have to merge with your original Boeing 757-200 Professional series aircraft folders. This pack includes as shown two more aircraft (acf) files and one each for the different engine variants in the Rolls Royce (757RR-RF) and the Pratt & Whitney (757PW-RF), so now you should have in X-Plane four different B757 aircraft variants to choose from. You merge all the files as the ones seen in the main aircraft folder and the items located in the separate folders in the different folders of the same names. There are no files to take out but just a total merger of both. Many users actually create different aircraft files for each varient or two aircraft say the B757-200 passenger and two B757-200 Cargo aircraft so you don't get them all mixed up. That does create a lot of storage space of course, but if you have that spare space then that is certainly a better way to go. There are no notes with the download on how to install the files?

 

When installed you have both the B757 - RB-211 engine version...

 

 

And the B757 - PW2037 engine version...

 

 

Both engine options are excellent, but I prefer the Pratt & Whitney for no particular reason than I think it looks better and sounds just as good.

 

Towards the end of 2014 was very good for cargo haulers. SSG (Supercritical Simulations Group) released their very good And now we have a really good medium range freighter as well in this B757-200SF which has a main deck cargo capacity of 14 pallets which is which is one pallet less than the 757-200PF. Max weight is 255,000lb (115,680 kg) with a range of 3,150 nmi (5,834 km).

 

How does the on the ground actions stack up...  Very good thank you.

 

 

On the "General" page of the menu you can open the large forward cargo door. Both the other front doors can be opened as well (unlike on the B777). There are no cargo objects that can be loaded on to the deck? and no K-loader there either to make it more fun. But there is still excellent ground equipment in stairs, vehicles (including fuel and buses), chocks, GPU's and engine starters are all held over from the passenger versions.

 

With the basic package you get three liveries...  Boeing House, Air France and FedEx.

 

 

 You can also purchase for US$9.00 a "Cargo Pack" of another eight liveries that includes...  Air China Cargo, British Airways Cargo - Cargolux - Cathay Pacific Cargo - DHL - EVAair Cargo - Lufthansa Cargo - UPS

 

 

All liveries are very good, but some (Air China) if you combine all the variants together do show a few of the passenger windows in blank on the right side?

 

You still have all the excellent other menu options that comes with the standard B757 passenger versions including the very good push-back with throttle control. Taxi and takeoff is still a rewarding event and you have that overwhelming FMC (Flight Management Computer) to program and tune with SID/STARS to your perfect route.

 

 

In flying the Boeing 757SF you don't really know if you have either passengers or cheap wine in the back...  In the cockpit it looks the same in every version. The cockpit is of course one on the very best in X-Plane and the most accessible with almost every system on the aircraft at your disposal...  and their failures.

 

 

As I flew from EIDW (Dublin) to EGHI (Southampton) and the aircraft looked brilliant in the fading light. In fact it had been a whole day of flying in starting from EGHI with a sector to EGCC (Manchester) then to EIDW (Dublin) and this was the home run.

 

 

 

No doubt the FlightFactor Boeing 757 Series is very rewarding. It does however require a certain skill set as the manual alone is 793 pages long, and you would need time to become as the series is named a "Professional" flyer in knowing all the various aspects to make the aircraft to perform and to a high standard, but then again that is role of simulator flying.

 

 

Summary : No doubt these Cargo variants add on a lot more to the Boeing 757 Series, not only in the versatility of carrying cargo but with two types of engine choices as well in the Pratt & Whitney or Rolls Royce engines. The quality is also way up there and so is the high depth of systems and aircraft interaction. Did I miss something? Well I do like to load and unload the cargo or select the weight and type of cargo I want on the deck. SSG did that option very well with their Boeing 747-8F - Freighter, and I wished for the same options here. But FlightFactor don't give you those option on either here or on their Boeing 777F Series and you notice that with both aircraft.

 

But that is really just a niggle. Here you have an excellent add-on and well worth the few extra dollars to give you an even bigger broadstroke of flying. Cargo Haulers are a special breed of aviators, its a fun one as well with great and various destinations that require skill and good flying to deliver the the motto "The World On Time".

 

Full X-Plane Reviews review of the FlightFactor/VMAX Boeing 757 Series is here :

 

Full update for the PW Engine option is here :

 

 

The Boeing 757 Series is now available from the New X-Plane.Org Store here : Boeing 757 Professional and priced at $59.95

 

Designed by FlightFactor (Philipp and Ramzzess) and produced by VMAX

 

And the 757 Cargo "Expansion" Pack is priced at US$9.95 and is now Available here: 757 Cargo Expansion Pack

 

Note: You must have the "Boeing 757 Professional" package to purchase the 757 "Expansion" Pack.

 

Requirements:

64bit X-Plane 10 and OS are  required. Windows Vista/7/8 64bit or Mac OSX 10.7/10.8/10.9 or Linux Ubuntu 14.04LTS or compatible (older versions are not supported)

X-Plane 10 fully updated. 64 bit mode. (X-Plane 9 not supported. x-plane 10 32 bit not supported). 1GBVRAM (2GB VRAM Recommended).

Current version : 1.13 (last updated June 23rd, 2014)

#Store Updated

 

Developer Site: facebook

Dev Thread : X-Plane.org

 

Release notes by Stephen Dutton

 

19th January 2015

 

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