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Aircraft Update : Cessna U206G Stationair DGS series v1.1 by Thranda Design


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Aircraft Update : Cessna U206G Stationair DGS series v1.1 by Thranda Design

 

A common theme from Thranda Design is to release an aircraft, then a few months later release another version with more features and mostly adding in the Amphibian/Floats variant. They did it with the Cessna 208 Caravan, all the other releases, and now the same here with the Cessna U206G Stationair. You can update to version v1.1 either by the Skunkcraft's updater, or do a full download from your account from the X-Plane.OrgStrore.

 

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Outwardly the U206G Stationair is the same aircraft as in the release, for a full run down of the features including the "Dynamic Generation Series" or DGS, then read X-PlaneReviews: Aircraft Review - Cessna U206G Stationair DGS series by Thranda Design

 

In this v1.1 update you now have an extra aircraft (acf) to choose from, the "U206G" and now the "Amphibian" option.

 

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Amphibian

The Amphibian uses the wheels to move the aircraft around on hard surfaces, the Float version does not have any, and both options are available here. Here is the Amphibian.

 

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We know that all Thranda Utility aircraft come with the Amphibian and Float options, so it is no surprise that the detail and quality of the floats are exceptional, as they are here. The retracting wheel system is also well done, and as is the high detail with all the spars, nuts & bolts, and wire tensioners which are perfect, you won't get better.

 

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Rear are the rudders, again the detail is excellent with working springs and attachments, obviously they lift and lower into the water.

 

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Float undercarriage (gear) is controlled via a panel on the lower instrument panel, and the rudder actions are controlled by a lever between the fronts seat, the pump detail shows no compromises in quality from Thranda.

 

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On the Amphibian variant, the MISC Menu options are different as well...

 

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There are four box selections. Top left allows you to install a brace in the windshield, and to switch the side windows from flat to bubble.

 

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Lower left box is the options; lower the rudders, to change the Amphibian version to Floats and to install a Ventral Fin on the underside of the tail.

 

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Top right Box on the right refers to Slew mode, which allows you to manually move the aircraft around in a disconnected X-Plane space. It functions by temporarily overriding the various aerodynamic and physical forces on the X-Plane settings, it is to allow the user to reposition the plane as desired and is especially a great feature to use while on the water for docking the aircraft to a jetty.

 

Lower right box is "DynaFeel" which is a system that dynamically adjusts the rate at which the controls deflect. It is  based on airspeed and how much the control is deflected. This means the controls will feel light and responsive at low speeds and with small deflections, but will get progressively heavier as the airspeed increases.

 

A final option on the "Wheeled" variant of the U206G now has a skis option. Again the ski detail is excellent, with all the support wires and ski skid assembly required.

 

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I'll list the v1.1 updates changelist because it is quite comprehensive and detailed.

 

Version 1.1 (November 11th 2022)

  • Add amphibian seaplane version with plain and amphibious floats
  • Update manual to add seaplane information
  • Add skis option to landplane
  • Remove trim "tick" sound, to hopefully help alleviate repetitive noise while autopilot is engaged
  • Add Instrument #53: Tail number placard
  • Update XP12 compatibility to handle multiple .acf (to handle the new amphibian)
  • Improve XP12 compatibility system error handling
  • Remove automatic reload in XP12 compatibility and Panel popup when using XP12, due to it causing XP12 to crash.  It will now prompt the user to manually reload the plane.  The automatic reload still works when using XP11.
  • Improve clarity of instructions in ReadMe.txt for XP12 ACF
  • Fix interior engine sound when panning the view around
  • Fix cargo door flaps lockout not working.  The flaps should now not move when the rear cargo doors are open
  • XP12 ACF: Add WAAS approach capability.
  • XP12 ACF: Slightly decrease fuel flows to better match the performance charts
  • Fix Inst #11 (KPH/MPH airspeed indicator) 2D pop-up needle calibration, fix color arcs
  • Fix floating screws and instruments in cabin
  • Fix baggage area cargo netting intersecting with rear seats
  • Fix beacon light for XP12
  • Fix tail section not showing metal effects in dynamic liveries
  • Add gear panel to all default panel presets (only visible when using the amphibian floats)
  • Add glass covers to Inst #14 and 15 (engine gauges)
  • Hook up additional circuit breakers
  • Remove duplicate circuit breakers
  • Fix up some livery inconsistencies
  • Corrections to Inst #25 (ELT)
  • ELT now resets to off when starting a new flight
  • Improve calibration of oil temperature 3D needle
  • Improve calibration of turn coordinator
  • Improved landing gear animation logic
  • Fix potential crash when using docking mode in XP12
  • Fix "Dirt" overlay for dynamic livery preview popup

 

One new feature is particularly interesting...  "XP12 ACF: Add WAAS approach capability".

 

The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is an air navigation aid developed by the Federal Aviation Administration to augment the Global Positioning System (GPS), with the goal of improving its accuracy, integrity, and availability. Essentially, WAAS is intended to enable aircraft to rely on GPS for all phases of flight, including precision approaches to any airport within its coverage area. It may be further enhanced with the Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) also known by the preferred ICAO term Ground-Based Augmentation System (GBAS) in critical areas.

 

A primary goal of the WAAS system was to allow aircraft to make a Category I approach without any equipment being installed at the airport. This would allow new GPS-based instrument landing approaches to be developed for any airport, even ones without any ground equipment. A Category I approach requires an accuracy of 16 metres (52 ft) laterally and 4.0 metres (13.1 ft) vertically.

 

Obviously X-Plane 12 now has WAAS availability, an area to watch out for...   but I know little of it at this moment.

 

In The Air

Takeoff is Tricky....  As you have a lot of weight suspended below you, almost another aircraft weight again. Also you need foot brakes to keep the Amphibian tracking straight, but it doesn't gain speed very fast either, flap 10º is highly recommended for lift.

 

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In the air you can see the size of the floats relative to the aircraft, speed with the extra weight is compromised here also.

 

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Now we can look at the Float option...

 

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The floats are slightly lighter and cleaner through the air, look great as well. Detail is of course excellent, highly realistic.

 

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The Floats are colour matched to the fuselage, and in the "Dynamic Liveries" you can colour them to to suit your own design.

 

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There are altogether 11 liveries or two blank and nine designs, same as the "Wheeled" version.

 

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Internally the cockpit is excellent, I'm flying the gauge layout this time (There is also the excellent Aspen EFD 1000 available), highly, highly realistic. Note the window brace, of which I really like.

 

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The Floats weight weighs you down, but also creates a supremely stable feel to the small C206G. Any manoeuvres are weighted, so no you can't throw the Cessna around in the sky, but I like this non-swinging feel as the aircraft is heavier (obviously), and the lower centre of gravity gives you a better placement, outright speed is also cancelled, but you are more inclined to enjoy the movements to your advantage, than the other way around.

 

Thranda_U206G - AF_Flying 16.jpg

 

I'm heading to the Shannon Estuary, Ireland just off Shannon Airport EINN, to test out the amphibian variant.

 

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I'm a huge fan of the new X-Plane 12 water, you get a real realism from the air, better still with the custom mud flats in the transparency.

 

Coming from the west, you get a nice throttle (power) action to control your descent. I try to get to Full 20º flap as soon as I can. Speed can be low in the approach of around or slightly below 50 knts, but your perfectly safe here. I love the moment you see the ripples on the water through the window, still flashing past. Your only 200ft up now and you give the aircraft a slight pitch. So stable...

 

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...   You feel like you are coming in as a big Swan with huge feet outstretched ready to land, the support is there ready and waiting.

 

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Slightly more up pitch, but you can't over do the angle...   or it will cause you issues later. The idea is in trying not to dig in the front of the floats on landing, but to touch at the centre angled point, CLEAN, is the word in your head. Your touching now around a low 40 knts as you feel the water.

 

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Getting the landing right is not the actual landing itself?   It is the bit after when you are riding the top of the water, so as the nose does not dig in and pull you over, controlling the drag and keeping the nose clean (high or straight), while slowing down takes a bit of skill, but delivers the exhilarating bit to get it all right. If you do get it all right then the aircraft will settle without any jerks or nose drops.

 

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Saying that...  this Thranda U208G is a very nice, even easy aircraft to fly in the amphibian (float) variant, and certainly the X-Plane 12 effects help out here with their more wider and custom physics than X-Plane 11, you not only see it, but feel it as well. That water is exquisite!

 

Rudder steering I found like with the wheels (braking) on takeoff, only works with my foot pedals? but I'm sure they can be fixed to the yaw movement. But they are very effective in the water.

 

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For takeoff...  Flap to 10º, trim to zero, and here I upped the rudders a bit to early. I found the trick later was to start the takeoff run (half-power)...

 

Thranda_U206G - AF_Flying EINN 15.jpg

 

...  then when you feel the rudder control coming in, then quickly up the dragging rudders, its tricky to do but it gives you far more in straight-line control. Up the power and as the aerodynamics come in and the Cessna will surf and then also accelerate quite quickly, then around 85 knts your airborne.

 

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Once clear of the water with a nice small climb rate, then clean up the aircraft (flaps) and trim.

 

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So the waterborne additions are excellent with great flight and water capabilities, and oddly enough makes the U206G easier to fly.

 

Summary

This is the expected update from Thranda Design, as for all their releases, and usually within two months of the original aircraft release, they then release the Amphibian/Floats variant.

 

Not only do you get the Amphibian/Floats feature, but the Ski option has been added as well to the "wheeled" land-plane version. Quality is of course the usual very highly detailed and quality fitout you expect from Thranda. They are renowned for it, but consistently deliver.

 

Thranda Design are one of the best developers in X-Plane, their history and quality is legendary. So that quality build and detailing is always going to be significant from the start, and so it here... exceptional. In every area and detail, modeling, fine details, glass and the interior materials. The "Dynamic Generation Series" or DGS, a Thranda speciality feature that takes full advantage of X-Plane's flexibility for in-sim, real-time modifications is also part of this package. There is also a full changelog list of bugs and minor issues done in v1.1, including the added feature of Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and it's approach capability.

 

If you want a highly capable Cessna, then it would be seriously hard to go past this U206G Stationair, its also X-Plane 12 (X-Plane 11 is also available) capable as well, so it is a match made in heaven and it all comes with a value price for the incredible detail and features.

 

It's the very best!...   not much to add into that statement, and now available not only in the air, but on the water as well, obviously highly recommended.

_______________________________

 

X-Plane Store logo sm.jpg

 

Yes! the Cessna U206G Stationair DGS series v1.1 by Thranda Design is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here: 

 

Cessna U206G Stationair DGS series

Price is US$39.95

 

Requirements

X-Plane 12 (still beta at this stage) or X-Plane 11

Windows, Mac or Linux
4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Download Size: 2 GB
Current version 1.1 (November 11th 2022)
Special features:
  • FULLY configurable 3D instrument panel.
  • Over 50 instruments to choose from! (Including Aspen EFD 1000, and support for RealityXP 650 and GTN750)
  • Move any instrument to any location on the panel, or even between pilot and copilot's panel!
  • Comes with 6 panel presets, but can easily be expanded by moving instruments around, using a simple and intuitive interface.
  • Enable or disable lighting posts per instrument.  Lighting is fully 3D, and dynamically move along with the instruments, as you configure the panel.
  • Ability to assign a lighting index to individual instruments, to allow different lighting knobs to be assigned on a per-instrument basis.
  • Save your own presets, and even share them with the community!
  • Almost every instrument can be popped up or popped out as a 2D floating window! They can be placed on other monitors as well.
  • Instruments can be moved in 3D directly, on a 2D pop-up preview window, or by numerical entry for precise placement.
  • GNS430 and 530 can be swapped out, but a restart of the plane is required, as 430s and 530s are mutually exclusive in terms of compatibility in X-Plane
  • Dynamic livery editor (like in the Kodiak, the Beaver, the Wilga, the Caravan, and the Pilatus PC-6)
  • Full PBR control! Create stunning metallic liveries, or matte, sand-blasted look in mere seconds!
  • Additional control over dirt/scratches, adjustable in real-time to dial in the exact desired amount of wear and tear.  
  • Create "virtual" liveries, based on two basic common design layouts (Modern and Classic), and assign any colour to any available paint segment.
  • Quickly create preview of livery in real-time, using intuitive controls.  Previews include visualization of metallic materials and dirt overlays. 
  • Apply selected livery in real-time, right in the sim, without the need to even touch a 3rd party image editor!
  • Option to change the tail number in real-time, or disable it altogether. (Enter a "space" instead of a callsign number to create a blank tail number.)
  • Easily and quickly create dozens of paint schemes in-sim!
  • Also includes 9 traditionally painted liveries, all visible in a convenient pre-selection preview window.
  • Uses SkunkCrafts Updater.  Option to participate in Beta program, via checkbox in SkunkCrafts Updater. 
  • Excellent hi-res PBR realistic materials, featuring true-to-life plate deformation and to-the-rivet precision.
  • Fully modelled Continental IO-520-F engine.
Feature-rich elegant fly-out menu with the following features:
  • Electric tug, with in-panel controls to move forward/backward at the desired speed, and steer proportionally
  • Control over chocks, individual tie-downs, covers, internal lights, external lights, etc.
  • Option to enable/disable Cargo Pod, with realistically simulated weight, momentum, rotational inertia, and drag characteristics.
  • Option to start up running (all systems ready), or cold-and-dark, for realistic startup procedures, directly from this fly-out menu.
  • Control landing lights, strobes, beacon, and nav lights via fly-out menu
  • Detailed weight and balance manager with visual chart, individual passenger seat weight control, Lbs/KG unit toggle, CG control, external tank control, and the option to save and load configuration.
  • Control individual seat positions, or hide them altogether, to create a hybrid passenger/cargo version.
  • When seats are hidden, cargo fills the space when weight is added via the fly-out menu.
  • Multiple camera snap points, above and beyond what's available by default in X-Plane, so you can perform your walk around checks.
  • Adjust your camera's Field of View without having to go to an X-plane menu, allowing for real-time adjustments.
  • Audio mixer: individually control audio channels in real-time, so you can adjust volumes while hearing them play.
  • Slew control: move your plane around the world, temporarily bypassing flight physics.  Includes ground mode and air mode.
  • Dynamic panel control page, with a separate view for the entire panel layout preview, or a per-instrument view, allowing for fine-tuning of instrument position, as well as copy-paste function to quickly replace instruments.
  • Options for landing gear: Tundra tires, mud flaps, wheel pants (fairings)
  • Option to enable bubble windows for pilot and copilot side windows.
  • DynaFeel panel: Dial in precisely how you with for the controls to react as a function of speed.
Flight dynamics and systems:
  • Detailed and accurate flight dynamics and weight and balance with the help of multiple real-world active Stationair pilots.  This not only gives this aircraft the proper "feel", but also accurate takeoff, climb, cruise, and landing performance.
  • The U206 Stationair is a well-behaved airplane and a very stable IFR platform.  
  • Tie-downs and chocks actually keep the plane from moving, even in high winds.
  • DynaFeel: controls that simulate how strongly the control surfaces are affected by oncoming air, and how much strength would be needed to overcome these forces.  
Advanced FMOD-based sound system:
  • High fidelity, multi-track sounds with smooth, finely tuned transitions (actually having calculated the precise beat frequency for each section, to minimize "muddy" transition sounds), and amazing atmospheric effects.
  • Individual volume control over different aspects of the sound experience, adjustable in real-time (while listening to the sounds)
  • Different sounds for front of plane than for back of plane
  • Panning around the plane in exterior view yields awesome 3D audio effects, including "blade slapping" sound when view is perpendicular to prop
  • Individual buttons and switches in the cockpit each have their own unique sound.
  • Engine has typical cool-down ticking sound, based on engine temperature.
  • Sounds actually give you clues as to what's happening under the hood.  
  • Outside wind intensity is affected by slip and AoA. (The more the surface area of the fuselage is hit by oncoming wind, the louder the sounds

___________________________________

 

Installation and documents:  download for the Thranda_C206. is 1.97Gb and the aircraft is deposited in the "General Aviation" X-Plane folder.

 

Full Installation is 2.34Gb

 

Documents supplied are:

  • Changelog.txt
  • Thranda Graphics Settings XP11.pdf
  • Thranda Joystick Settings.pdf
  • Thranda U206G Manual.pdf
  • U206G Performance Charts.pdf
  • X-Plane G430 Manual.pdf
  • X-Plane G530 Manual.pdf

There are a huge amount of Documentation provided here, not only for the Thranda U206G including performance charts, reference guides, but also X-Plane/hardware settings and custom and default avionics.

 

All updates are via built-in Skunkcrafts Updater

 

Support forum for the U206 Stationair by Thranda

_____________________

 

Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton

17th November 2022

Copyright©2022: X-Plane Reviews

 

Review System Specifications: 

Computer System: Windows  - S1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU / 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 8Gb - Samsung Evo M2 2TB SSD - Sound : Yamaha Speakers YST-M200SP

Software:   - Windows 11 Pro - X-Plane 12.00B13 (This is a beta review).

Pluginsraffic Global - JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99

Scenery or Aircraft

-EKLY - Kerry, Ireland by Boundless

-EINN - Shannon, Ireland by Boundless

 

(Disclaimer. All images and text in this review 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) All Rights Reserved

 

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