Airliners Reviews

Aircraft Update Review : Boeing 767 Professional v1.6.17 by FlightFactor A lot of aircraft types have their particular followers in the X-Plane Simulator, you could be flying an Airbus, E-Jet or Mcdonnell Douglas. In Boeings there is the Boeing 737, or Jumbo 747, and then there is the Boeing 777, in both the earlier version v1 from 2012, then v2 from Sept 2024 (beta). Another set of FlightFactor aircraft are the Boeing 767 and 757 Twins, the B757-200 Pro was released in June 2013, the Boeing 767-300 was later released Dec 2015. 2015 is ten years ago, so is the FlightFactor Boeing 767 feeling it's age? certainly compared with the up to date mega v2 of the Boeing 777 Ul…

Aircraft Review : British Aerospace 146 Professional XP12 by JustFlight/Thranda It was the accidental success story that even the aircraft manufacturers of British Aerospace were surprised by? It was certainly not expected to be a big seller, but it was, if just under 400 airframes produced was considered a major success story, but this was a very adaptable and flexible aircraft with great performance for the operastors. 70 or so are still operational and a great aircraft it is. The British Aerospace (BAe) 146 was created to fill in a marketing gap. Faster and bigger than a regional turboprop, but smaller than a standard airliner like the 100 seater segment Fokker 10…

Aircraft Review : Flight Procedures Simulation Embraer E-175 There are five aircraft variants in the Embraer E-Jet Series, you could call them the "Small" in the E-170 and E-175 (Base Models), and the "Large" for the E-190 and E-195 (Stretched Models), the odd one out in the series is the Lineage 1000 Business Jet, which is based on the E-190 variant. For choice there has always been competition between the X-Crafts E-Jet Series and the SSG E-Jets, but the Supercritical Simulations Group is now known as Flight Procedures Simulation, and to date have released the larger E-190 and the E-195 in a more value package than the X-Crafts E-Jets. So the twin smaller variants o…

New Aircraft Variant! - Embraer E-Jet Series v2 by X-Crafts with now added Lineage 1000E One of the first significant projects that was released early for X-Plane 12 was X-Crafts amazing Embraer E-Jet Series. It came with four variants of the E-Jet Family, the; E-170, E-175, E-190 and the E-195. So there was a huge choice of variations of the aircraft, and you could purchase a particular variant, or as a Family of all the four aircraft together, and this aspect was a good deal for the choice you received. But there was a note attached to that early release, the Family was not actually complete? in that there was the Business E-Jet variant called the "Lineage 1000" st…

Aircraft Addon Extra - Boeing 777v2 Engine Expansion Pack In September 2012, VMAX in cooperation with FlightFactor released almost out of the blue a Boeing 777 Worldliner Professional, a ground breaking design with not only a 3d cockpit, but it was also plugin based outside the X-Plane PlaneMaker environment. This FlightFactor release was an X-Plane Simulator revolution at the time, breaking boundaries that moved Simulation as a whole couple of steps forward. But that was 14 years ago. FlightFactor Aero knew in time they would have to replace the aging former design, and the result was the mega featured Boeing 777v2 Ultimate, released under a "Beta" banner in Septembe…

Aircraft Review : Airbus A330-941neo by ToLiss The story of the Airbus A330 Series is an odd airline history of being not what the Airlines actually wanted, but always came back to the aircraft to be used as a mainstay of their fleets. Created in tandem with the Airbus A340, it shares the same fuselage and flight deck layout, with the A340 being four engines, wereas the A330 has only two . The standard A340-500 had a range of 9,000nm, the A330-300 a range of 6,350nm. But the A340 went into service on the cusp of ETOPs (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) that favoured the Twin-Engine aircraft like the Boeing 777, later A350 and Boeing 787. So t…

Aircraft Review : McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Passenger by Rotate With the release of Rotate's McDonnell Douglas MD-11 in March 2022, it was in the aircraft's more common Freighter role than the introduction variant of the Passenger aircraft that was released. In fact no MD-11P (Passenger) aircraft are now flying, As in being after the retirement from passenger service with the last flight being by KLM in November 2014, then most of the remaining MD-11 passenger fleet were converted into the freighter specification, many of which are still in service today. The last of 200 MD-11 aircraft was built in October 2000 after Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1…

Aircraft Release Review - Boeing 777-200ER v2 Ultimate by FlightFactor Aero Most airliner flights in Simulation go under the two hour rule, or a route that can be done from breakfast to lunch, lunch to dinner or after dinner and on into the night. So mostly they will also be short-haul Simulations. The market will then cater for this demand, providing B737s, A320s and the various E-Jets. But there is a club devoted to another segment of Simulation, called Long-Haul. Or services that cover not only trans-ocean, but also transcontinental routes, these flights are mostly around the 10 to 12 hour flying time mark, it is an exclusive club, because of the logistics of setti…

Update Review : E-Jet Family v1.1.0 by X-Crafts When it was released in May 2023. X-Crafts E-Jet Family became the first really genuine X-Plane 12 aircraft, a release that showed the potential and even to show off the features of the next installment version of the X-Plane Simulator. It was so overwhelmingly good it easily won X-PlaneReviews aircraft of the year 2023. It would of course be very easy for X-Crafts to rest on their laurels, but in fact they did the opposite in releasing four updates, One in v1.0.1 very quickly, to fix the throttle issues, then three really large and significant updates in June (v1.0.2), October (v1.0.3), then December (v1.0.4). These updat…

Aircraft Review : Airbus A380-842 XP12 by Peters Aircraft The Airbus A380 is a very large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and the only full-length double-deck jet airliner in service. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was announced in 1990 to challenge the dominance of the Boeing 747 in the long-haul market. I am first going to acknowledge that the Airbus A380 is an absolutely monumental aircraft. I personally have a lot of adulation for the machine. I think it has had a lot of unwarranted negative statements about it, but getting close to one, and flying on a …

Aircraft Review - Boeing 777-200ER v2 Ultimate by FlightFactor Aero Most airliner flights in Simulation go under the two hour rule, or a route that can be done from breakfast to lunch, lunch to dinner or after dinner and on into the night. So mostly they will also be short-haul Simulations. The market will then cater for this demand, providing B737s, A320s and the various E-Jets. But there is a club devoted to another segment of Simulation, called Long-Haul. Or services that cover not only trans-ocean, but also transcontinental routes, these flights are mostly around the 10 to 12 hour flying time mark, it is an exclusive club, because of the logistics of setting up yo…

Aircraft Review : Embraer E-190 by Flight Procedures Simulation In July 2023, Flight Procedures Simulation released the Embraer E-195 for the X-Plane 12 Simulator. This aircraft although all new for X-Plane 12, also has a historical connection to the SSG Supercritical Simulations Group E-Jets version, but now called under another name in "Flight Procedures Simulation" (FPS), it is in many ways related to the same aircraft that was earlier released by SSG in X-Plane 11. SSG had released both the E195 and the E190 variants of the Embraer E-Jet, so as the E195 is already available, then the smaller E190 was expected to follow... here it is, and in ma…

Aircraft Modification : Rotate McDonnell Douglas MD80 Series IAE V2500 Engine The McDonnell Douglas MD80 Series MD-80 was the second generation of the DC-9 family, originally designated as the DC-9-80 (DC-9 Series 80) and later stylized as the DC-9 Super 80 (short Super 80). It was a stretched fuselage, enlarged wing, and was powered by higher bypass Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 engines. The MD80 Series made its first flight on October 18, 1979, and was certified on August 25, 1980. In response to the environmental concerns that began in the 1970s, Pratt & Whitney began developing a new version of the JT8D engine, designated the JT8D-200 series…

Aircraft Update Review: Boeing 757 Professional Global package v2.6.12 by FlightFactor/VMax By DrishalMAC2 Introduction The Boeing 757, a twin-engine marvel with a narrow body, represents an enduring legacy in commercial aviation. Launched in the early 1980s, this adaptable aircraft was the result of Boeing's dedication to addressing the industry's growing demands for a medium-haul mainstay. With its distinctive narrow fuselage and potent twin engines, the Boeing 757 rapidly gained a reputation for its efficiency and flexibility across a variety of routes. Engineered to span the divide between short and medium-haul flights, the Boeing 757 has become essential for a…

Aircraft Update Review: Airbus A340-600 V1.2.2 by Toliss By DrishalMAC2 Introduction The Airbus A340, a long-range, wide-body commercial aircraft, was developed by the European aerospace giant, Airbus. Launched in the early 1990s, it was engineered to meet airline demands for an aircraft capable of flying long distances while accommodating a significant number of passengers. The A340, notable for its unique four-engine design, swiftly became popular for its extended range, comfort, and versatility in covering various global routes. It has been a stalwart in long-haul travel, garnering a reputation for reliability and efficiency in intercontinenta…

Aircraft Update Review : McDonnell Douglas MD-11 v1.08 by Rotate Up at dawn, time to load the freight... we are at Leipzig/Halle Airport EDDP, for a routine flight to the UPS Facility at Philadelphia, US, KPHL. God it's a "Beast" of an aircraft is the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, but Airhaulers love the "Diva". Those ghost pilots that fly at night, unseen, unknown, but moving tons cargo around the world for your livelihoods or self-indulgence. You start the centre positioned No.2 Engine first to provide power and air-conditioning and other AUX systems, then pushback on time (note the BetterPushback issues have now already bee…

Aircraft Update Review : Embraer E-Jets Family v1.03 by X-Crafts Earlier this year was one of the year's most significant new aircraft releases for the X-Plane 12 Simulator. The E-Jet Family series of aircraft was released on the 10th May 2023 by X-Crafts, and obviously X-PlaneReviews did the full release review on the aircraft: Aircraft Review : E-Jets Family by X-Crafts. Release reviews are always an early in-depth look of the aircraft. Detailing the Features, Systems, Instruments and focusing on the Modeling, look and feel of the release. In this case it was a long review, because there are five different variants of the E-Jet family, four in E…

Aircraft Update Review : ToliSS Airbus A319-112 v1.9 X-Plane 12 It is a remarkable journey. One that X-Plane users have been on now for five years. In February 2018 ToLiSS released their first aircraft for X-Plane 11, this release was the Airbus A319-112, or the "Baby Bus" as it is sometimes called, even though there is the smaller A318. Initially the ToLiss was created in the focus of about the system depth and the deep immersion of Airbus flight laws. The rest, noted at the time as "Eye Candy", or animated features were not even on the table, other aspects of the time was the average modeling, again not as important as the software side of the ma…

Aircraft Review : Embraer E-195 by Flight Procedures Simulation X-Plane over the years has had quite a few parallel developments. The same airport, or aircraft, or even plugins from different developers. One such double up was from Supercritical Simulations Group and X-Crafts with the Embraer E-Jet. In context they were both very, very similar. But the X-Crafts didn't have a custom FMS (hybrid Tekton), so the balance went over to the SSG version to be more authentic with a working more authentic Flight Management System system UFMC by Javier Cortes installed... this was X-Plane 10/11. Coming now to X-Plane 12, and both developers are again releasing Embraer aircraft …

Aircraft Review : E-Jets Family by X-Crafts Over the last decade of doing Flight Simulation reviewing for the X-Plane Simulator, you are are noticing the consistent changes. Also the birth of new developers, and losing a few as well. A lot of newcomers come in with a lot of enthusiasm, but you need more than gusto in creating projects for the Simulator. X-Plane was built for the enthusiast, the twidder, but to go professional or to create payware projects, then that is a gradation of another few levels again. Sadly the one-man all-rounder developer are now basically extinct, they just can't cover all the aspects required to create modern-day sophisticated aircraft, mode…

Aircraft Upgrade Review : McDonnell Douglas MD-88 Pro X-Plane 12 by Rotate With the handover from X-Plane 11 to X-Plane 12, as you adjusted to the new version simulator. You lose your aircraft. Well a few of the basic aircraft will translate to the new simulator with their core PlaneMaker tools, but for the in-depth aircraft you cherish, all of a sudden they are not available to fly anymore. A lot of developers quickly did a patch, this allowed you to fly the aircraft in X-Plane 12, but any aircraft was not actually refined until X-Plane 12 went final in December 2022. Some developers withheld the upgrade until X-Plane 12 was completely worthy and stable…

Aircraft Review: DeltaWing Simulations CRJ 1000 X-Plane 12 By Michael Hayward Introduction The CRJ 1000, a product of Bombardier Aerospace, represents a remarkable evolution in regional jet design. As the largest and most advanced member of the renowned CRJ family, this stretched model was developed in response to the increasing demand for higher capacity and more fuel-efficient aircraft in the regional aviation market. With a seating capacity of up to 104 passengers, the CRJ 1000 allows airlines to maximize their profitability on medium-haul routes while maintaining a high level of passenger comfort. The decision to stretch the fusel…

Aircraft Review : Airbus A320-271N NEO by ToLiSS Just over a decade ago, aircraft in X-Plane mostly consisted of Boeings or American based machines. The problem facing developers was that any Airbus aircraft were extremely complicated, what with their Flight Control Laws, and automated cockpits. You couldn't really create a realistic Simulation in PlaneMaker of these very of European based technology aircraft. Then came a collaboration between QPAC (QualityPark AviationCenter) and Torsten Liesk, a Canadian based developer who wanted to create an Airbus A320 for training purposes. The result was the first authentic X-Plane A320 aircraft in the QPAC …

Aircraft Update Review : McDonnell Douglas MD-11 v1.07 by Rotate Nearly one year ago in March 2022, Rotate released their second major aircraft release after their well renowned McDonnell Douglas MD-80. This was the most anticipated release of the year, four years in development, and even by X-Plane standards that is a long time. With such extreme expectations the release of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, the iconic Tri-Jet was always going to be controversial. My first flights on the beta aircraft confirmed the worst, it was an extremely complicated machine, as the design straddled the era between the earlier 1970's analog dial, to the current glass…

Aircraft Update : Flightfactor A320-214 Ultimate v1.5.6 gets a serious update! As developers progress, you can get ton's of updates, some even silly, in them mostly just being a tweak or only a change here and there. Problem is with so many coming out that are not really absolutely essential, you can easily miss the big important ones... dream for the days of quarterly or six monthly updates. That is not to say frequent updates are not good, any update is a nice to have, but packaging them together better saves you a lot of work on your behalf. It is noted that the XP11 model here has been updated more than 200 times... overkill. Which brings…