Jump to content

Aircraft Review : Embraer ERJ-140 by Dan Klaue


Adrian

Recommended Posts

post-4-0-80242500-1381942180_thumb.jpg
 
History and Background
The ERJ-140 is a 44-seat regional jet developed by Embraer (Brazil ) in the late 1990's. It is the third to have been released in its family, preceded by the very similar ERJ-135 and ERJ-145 with only minor differences  in size.  The ERJ-140 seats 44  passengers in normal configuration. 
The ERJ-140 was made and marketed for airlines with restrictions on the number of 50+ seat jets pilots could fly. American airlines ( American eagle airlines at the time ) was the first customer to make use of this jet but many others soon followed.
 
ERJ-140 model from Dan Klaue
 
Where to get it:   X-Plane.org Store : Embraer ERJ 140 Regional Jet
Download size: 100mb
Price: $24.95
X-Plane requirement: X-plane 9 or 10. 32 or 64 bit
 
Included in the package:

  • Aircraft model for X-Plane 10 and X-Plane 9
  • X-Plane ERJ-140 manual
  • Pushback Manual
  • 4 liveries: Blank, Embraer ERJ-140, American Airlines and Air France
  •  

First Impression
Dan Klaue is a designer who also works for Carenado and helps them on their x-plane models. It is no surprise that the ERJ-140 modeling is top-level. The first time you launch it you will see an aircraft with flawless 3d modeling. Although the ERJ was first released over 2 years ago, it is definitely up to par with the newer X-Plane models.
Note that the current version is 2.2. Version 2.2 introduced support for 64bit.
 

 

 

The exterior of the ERJ-140 looks great. The wings and landing gear are very detailed. The engine fan blades are well animated.

 

 

post-4-0-75868800-1381938038_thumb.jpg post-4-0-14933200-1381938039_thumb.jpg

 

The cockpit is a true work of art. The instruments are very easy to read and locate.

 

post-4-0-85331600-1381938094_thumb.jpg

 

Pushback truck
 
The ERJ-140 comes with a plugin-activated Pushback truck. To enable this you will first need to configure your joystick with the appropriate buttons. The manual explains exactly how to do this.
 
The pushback truck is designed specifically for the ERJ-140. It is the correct model and size for this type of aircraft.
It's an enjoyable option as it is very easy to operate once you have your joystick configured.
 

 

Great design of the truck, Now you can easily get off of the gate

 

 

 

post-4-0-66207300-1381938946_thumb.jpgpost-4-0-32665100-1381938946_thumb.jpg

 

Cockpit and Panel
 
The panels are my favorite part about the ERJ. They are, in my opinion, the best looking panels of any aircraft out there. They are very clear, easy to read, and easy to use.

 

The panels are as crisp as anything you'll find in X-Plane:

 

 

 

post-4-0-17192300-1381941660_thumb.jpg post-4-0-79489300-1381941771_thumb.jpg

 

The panel features dynamic reflection. It may be a little difficult to see from these screenshots but in game you can clearly see the reflections of the pilots and the yoke as you move around.
 
 

Buttons on the overhead panel are easy to find and use

post-4-0-79754900-1381941704_thumb.jpg

 
The cockpit comes with animated pilot and co-pilot. They can be seen from inside and outside of the cockpit.

 

Animated co-pilot. Her head moves with the aircraft.

post-4-0-08034600-1381941833_thumb.jpg post-4-0-57572700-1381943147_thumb.jpg

 

Pilot. Note the dynamic reflections on the shades.

post-4-0-71782200-1381941911_thumb.jpg post-4-0-92317200-1381943116_thumb.jpg

 

 

Flying the ERJ-140
 
Getting started with the ERJ-140 is easy and straightforward. The aircraft does not include complex systems like planes such as the 777 by Roman and the A320 by JAR.
You just get in the cockpit and fly it.
The FMS is the default X-Plane FMS.
 
Performances:
Cruising speed: Mach .078
Range: 1700nm
Thrust: 2 x 7500lbs
Landing Speed: 135 Kias

 

 

 

The aircraft has a very responsive feel. You will take off at 150knots. Then, you can gently climb to 35000feet. The engines are powerful enough to climb up to 5000fpm if you so please.

 

post-4-0-37630500-1381944705_thumb.jpg post-4-0-73088400-1381944705_thumb.jpg post-4-0-05584100-1381944706_thumb.jpg

 

Landing the ERJ-140 is fairly simple as you can easily slow down the plane to the landing speed (which is not the case on all airliners).

 

post-4-0-46971700-1381944706_thumb.jpg

 

You may notice additional effects such as wingflex, contrails  and rain effects:


post-4-0-02344000-1381945987_thumb.jpgpost-4-0-61033300-1381945982_thumb.jpg

 
Conclusion
 
The ERJ-140 is a pleasure to fly.
The quality of its design is extremely impressive. It has sharp textures and crisp panels. The panels are ridiculously easy to read.
The ERJ-140 is only $25, which is a steal. It is definitely one the best buys for X-Plane.
 
Many people do not want to immerse themselves in manuals for hours before they fly. If you are that kind of person, the ERJ-140  is the aircraft for you. You can jump in and fly. You can schedule a 30mn to 1hour commute flight without any effort. During that flight you can enjoy all features of the ERJ-140
 
On top of that, Dan Klaue is currently including his Verticopter in the package.  The Verticopter is a custom design of an hybrid aircraft. A plane that can fly in horizontal or vertical mode.
 
Computer specs:

Windows 7 64bit

i7-3770 3.4GHz
8GB RAM
AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB

X-Plane 10.22 64bit

 

 

17th October 2013

 

Logo Header X-PlaneReviews 200px.jpg

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Aluwings

Thanks for the review. It is helpful that you differentiate between models that are simplified for pleasure-flying vs. those which carry the technical simulation to a more detailed level, so I don't waste time and money purchasing an aircraft that doesn't meet my needs.

Thanks again,

Grant

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...
3 hours ago, Guest coastiestevie said:

Where on earth is the autothrottle button?

 

It is the "Speed" button, once the FD1 (FlightDirector) is activated you use the speed button to set the selected speed and the system holds that speed, it is up to you (the pilot) to make sure the speed is correct to the thrust output as this system will not make the adjustments for you...  SD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 9 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

Just bought this airplane and it barely runs. FMS doesn't boot up, many switches don't work properly. Maybe it was a good aircraft before but right now I can't even get it to work properly. (I'm type rated on this aircraft)

 

Not worth the money in it's current state.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dan's (Klaue) ERJ 140 has not had any updates for years, and yes it is now hopelessly out of date. Dan did start a v2 of the ERJ 140, but that has again languished, but I say never say never with Dan Klaue. X-Crafts are completing an ERJ 145 that will be released very soon, with a ERJ 140 to follow in the series.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I purchased the previous version for XP10 a few years ago.  Wouldn't work on XP11 so I purchased XP11 version yesterday, which after installing, discovered it did not have a functioning GPS.  This non-working GPS issue should be listed plainly on the aircraft description.  If I would have know that, I wouldn't have purchased.

If I'm overlooking how to power up the GPS, please let me know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...