Aircraft Update : Spectr-Aero SP-30 v2.0 by Mad Flight Studios
Some aircraft are just plain mad, and that moniker certainly relates to the Spector-Aero SP-30, which is a Russian take on the Zenith STOL CH 701 that is a home-built kit aircraft from Canada. More madness comes from the developer in Mad Flight Studios that takes an already very utility aircraft and fills it up with a feature list as long as your arm, and still throws in a few quirks as well to create a very surreal but very rewarding ultra-light aircraft.... well mad in fact.
I personally love the SP-30, as it is a gem to fly but as we found out the quirks can get in the way, but once you sort of figure and understand them, then the SP-30 comes alive. From the release version... Review Aircraft Review : Spectr-Aero SP-30 by Mad Flight Studiothere has been one other SP-30 update Spectr-Aero SP-30 v1.2to fix a lot of those earlier quirky annoyances.
Spectr-Aero SP-30 v2.0
So here is the next update to version v2.0. It is not a particularly big update but an important one with a few hidden changes that improve the aircraft.
The first big change is to the core of the aircraft and a change up to SASL-3 coding. This change is mostly for the coming Vulkan/Metal API changes, but it is a far better plugin with more features built in.
One annoyance (a big one actually) is that the landing gear would break very easily, leaving you with a very broken aircraft and even if you were very careful with it... leave selected on the menu selection of (Plane Condition) "Don't save" and it wouldn't fix itself either?
Now you have the ability to install unbreakable gear, so now you can do some harder landings if you wish to and now not break the aircraft, it demands a file change in the plugin folder. Associated is the gear breaking down also on certain sceneries and that annoyance has also been fixed.
Librain (by Saso Kiselkov) has also been added...
.... the effects here have been really well applied. Front screen and perspex roof are wet, but the side windows which are shielded from the rain via the large wings only have the odd droplets for absolute realism. There is now icing and better fog effects as well.
Those lovely instrument needles now flicker and move with great realism...
.... but watch that engine temperature, as it has been adjusted closer to the real engine readouts, in other words the Rotax 912 runs hotter.
The aircraft dynamics have also been completely overhauled, it was very good before, but you now feel the more tighter inputs that are required... nervy? a good question, but no, but you certainly have to feel and work harder on your inputs... Takeoff now requires more concentration, feed in the power less and control your line more... here it was far harder to stay on the centre line...
... on landing I required more input (note the rudder/front wheel angle), but these change only enhance the dynamic flying aspects and do not certainly ruin an already very good flying machine.
__________________
Summary
This Spectr-Aero SP-30 v2.0 update is a nice one. Mostly it is focused on the new SASL-3 plugin, but in changing the basic core of the aircraft then the developers have took the advantage to do a few tweaks to refine the SP-30, but to also get it ready for Vulkan/Metal v11.50. Better effects with Rain (Librain), Fog and Icing and better dynamics all help in the cause, and finally in that you can't or don't have to break the undercarriage anymore.
The biggest and most beneficial change in this release is actually in the price... the Spectr-Aero SP-30 now priced at only US $34.95 and that is a US $10.00 saving over the release price, a more realistic price? I think so, or are you now getting a great and better value bargain.... I think it is the latter.
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TheSpectr-Aero SP-30 v2.0 update by Mad Flight Studio is NOW available! from theX-Plane.Org Store here :
(Disclaimer. All images and text in this preview are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions)
comment_5042Aircraft Update : Spectr-Aero SP-30 v2.0 by Mad Flight Studios
Some aircraft are just plain mad, and that moniker certainly relates to the Spector-Aero SP-30, which is a Russian take on the Zenith STOL CH 701 that is a home-built kit aircraft from Canada. More madness comes from the developer in Mad Flight Studios that takes an already very utility aircraft and fills it up with a feature list as long as your arm, and still throws in a few quirks as well to create a very surreal but very rewarding ultra-light aircraft.... well mad in fact.
I personally love the SP-30, as it is a gem to fly but as we found out the quirks can get in the way, but once you sort of figure and understand them, then the SP-30 comes alive. From the release version... Review Aircraft Review : Spectr-Aero SP-30 by Mad Flight Studio there has been one other SP-30 update Spectr-Aero SP-30 v1.2 to fix a lot of those earlier quirky annoyances.
Spectr-Aero SP-30 v2.0
So here is the next update to version v2.0. It is not a particularly big update but an important one with a few hidden changes that improve the aircraft.
The first big change is to the core of the aircraft and a change up to SASL-3 coding. This change is mostly for the coming Vulkan/Metal API changes, but it is a far better plugin with more features built in.
One annoyance (a big one actually) is that the landing gear would break very easily, leaving you with a very broken aircraft and even if you were very careful with it... leave selected on the menu selection of (Plane Condition) "Don't save" and it wouldn't fix itself either?
Now you have the ability to install unbreakable gear, so now you can do some harder landings if you wish to and now not break the aircraft, it demands a file change in the plugin folder. Associated is the gear breaking down also on certain sceneries and that annoyance has also been fixed.
Librain (by Saso Kiselkov) has also been added...
.... the effects here have been really well applied. Front screen and perspex roof are wet, but the side windows which are shielded from the rain via the large wings only have the odd droplets for absolute realism. There is now icing and better fog effects as well.
Those lovely instrument needles now flicker and move with great realism...
.... but watch that engine temperature, as it has been adjusted closer to the real engine readouts, in other words the Rotax 912 runs hotter.
The aircraft dynamics have also been completely overhauled, it was very good before, but you now feel the more tighter inputs that are required... nervy? a good question, but no, but you certainly have to feel and work harder on your inputs... Takeoff now requires more concentration, feed in the power less and control your line more... here it was far harder to stay on the centre line...
... on landing I required more input (note the rudder/front wheel angle), but these change only enhance the dynamic flying aspects and do not certainly ruin an already very good flying machine.
__________________
Summary
This Spectr-Aero SP-30 v2.0 update is a nice one. Mostly it is focused on the new SASL-3 plugin, but in changing the basic core of the aircraft then the developers have took the advantage to do a few tweaks to refine the SP-30, but to also get it ready for Vulkan/Metal v11.50. Better effects with Rain (Librain), Fog and Icing and better dynamics all help in the cause, and finally in that you can't or don't have to break the undercarriage anymore.
The biggest and most beneficial change in this release is actually in the price... the Spectr-Aero SP-30 now priced at only US $34.95 and that is a US $10.00 saving over the release price, a more realistic price? I think so, or are you now getting a great and better value bargain.... I think it is the latter.
_______________________________
The Spectr-Aero SP-30 v2.0 update by Mad Flight Studio is NOW available! from the X-Plane.Org Store here :
Spectr-Aero SP-30 v2.0
Priced at US$34.95
Previously purchasers of the Mad Flight Studio Spectr-Aero SP-30 can update to v2.0 by going to their X-Plane.OrgStore Account.
Requirements
Changelog v2.0
Changelog v2.0.txt
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Update Review by Stephen Dutton
20th March 2020
Copyright©2020 : X-Plane Reviews
(Disclaimer. All images and text in this preview are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions)