Stephen Posted May 5 Report Share Posted May 5 NEWS - Aircraft Relesed : Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter - DGS Series XP12 by Thranda Design Thranda Design have released their excellent Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter for X-Plane 12. The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a single-engined STOL utility aircraft designed by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. First flown in 1959, the PC-6 was produced at Pilatus Flugzeugwerke in Stans, Switzerland. It has been built in both piston engine- and turboprop-powered versions, and was produced under licence for a time by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. After 604 deliveries in 63 years, Pilatus ended production in 2022. Originally released in X-Plane 11. The "Porter" has had an extensive overhaul and upgrade for X-Plane 12, including... Re-authored textures in 8k (four times higher resolution than before. One 8k texture = FOUR 4k textures!) Completely re-done normal maps, and largely re-authored albedo textures. Fully re-authored sounds in FMOD, capturing the subtleties of the PT6 engine and its very dynamic 4-bladed prop with a lot more nuance and detail than before. Completely overhauled flight dynamics, both for the land and the amphibian version, to most closely match XP12's new dynamics Systems matched to new XP12 standards. Overhauled existing dynamic livery, added dirt and scratches effects (configurable in real-time). Now has "Modern" and "Classic" paint scheme layout. Re-authored lighting to take better advantage of XP12. EFB: Electronic Flight Bag, or the Thranda Tablet. All the extra functionality of this plane has moved from the fly-out menu (v11 PC6) to the EFB. Use it in 3D: you can move it from the pilot's side to the copilot's side, or disable it completely in 3D. Mounted on a swivel, for convenient viewing angle. Use it as a 2D pop-up window, or pop the window out onto a secondary screen. Use it in VR in either mode. Control the brightness of the EFB in 3D or 2D Intuitively set up like an iPad with different apps, all documented in the included manual. The PC-6 is part of Thranda's "Dynamic Generation Series", re-authored for XP12. More about the DGS Series Features Aircraft Options App: Option to run the engine in realistic mode or simplified mode. Control over chocks, tie-downs, and engine covers Control over the electric tug Window reflections on or off Instrument reflections on or off Startup running or cold and dark Control retractable landing lights via scroll wheel (independent left/right, Infinitely variable tilt, to use lights for both taxi and landing purposes.) Ground Power Unit (GPU) option External fuel tanks (under the wings) Steering options: realistic or simplified. Control over exterior and interior lights via a schematic of the plane. Control over doors and engine access Weight and Balance app Full control over aircraft's weight and balance. Control weights on a per-seat basis, or dial in the desired total, and the desired CoG directly. Hide seats, and replace weight with cargo. Control fuel quantities in the wing tanks by simply scrolling over the wing tank with the mouse. External fuel tanks can be enabled and disabled, and their weight independently controlled. Add weight to the copilot's seat, and the copilot shows up. Switch between Lbs and Kg. Preview weight and balance on a graph Load preset configurations, and save them to disc for later use. Instrument options app Call up pop-up windows for GNS430/530/Autopilot Switch between InHG and MB display in the Kollsmann window of the altimeter. Dynamic Panel app Move any instrument to any location on the panel, or even between pilot and copilot's seat. Supports 3rd party RealityXP GTN750 instruments, also fully configurable Save your own presets, and even share them with the community! 2 operating modes: Layout page and Individual Instrument page. Move instruments around a virtual panel layout or use numerical entry for precision placement. Also allows for control over instrument placement in 3D space, via special click spots that are made visible in edit mode. 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. Supports G1000 configurations. Several preset panel configurations, showcasing different layouts and instrument equipment. Choose between different panel backgrounds. Static Livery app Preview available liveries and tailnumbers by scrolling over the plane. Apply dirt and scratches dynamically Also supports 8 traditionally painted liveries, in all their full 8k glory! Compatible with custom liveries. (Folder names should be named the same as the registration number, and the plugin picks that up as the livery's name.) DynaFeel app Dial in exactly how difficult you think the controls should be. This simulates different pilot's physique and strength. (Stronger pilots can put more pressure on controls, and hold full deflection at higher speeds). Log Book App Calls up Laminar's log book in a separate pop-up window. Log your flights and track your virtual adventures. Checklist App Very complete checklist, allowing for the ticking off of boxes of completed items. Navigate the many pages by using the scroll hotspot at the bottom of the checklist Pop up or pop out checklist app as a separate window Ground Handling App Call Laminar's default ground equipment, if you prefer that over the Thranda electric tug Opens up a separate pop-up window. Dynamic Livery app Create "virtual" liveries, based on one common design layout, and assign any color to any available paint segment. Now supports control over roughness and metalness Add dirt and scratches to your dynamic livery, and save these settings along with your livery preset. Quickly create preview of livery in real-time, using intuitive controls Apply selected livery in real-time (Granted, with these huge textures, it may be a bit of a wait... but no external graphics software required!) Option to include/hide manufacturer logo and "PC-6" sign Option to change the tail number in real-time, or disable it altogether Easily and quickly create dozens of paint schemes in-sim! Flight Computer App Easily visible data like OAT, Groundspeed, Endurance (HH, MM), Range, NMPG, altitude data, airspeed data, Fuel Flow, used fuel, headwind and crosswind component data. Pop up or pop out Flight Computer app as a separate window. Equipment App Tires: Choose between Tundra and regular-sized tires Skis: Enable or disable skis for snow ops Mud flaps: Enable or disable Windows: Choose between regular windows and massive windows in the sliding rear doors Wing tanks: control the loaded fuel weight in the "Weight and Balance" app. Option to enable/disable wing tanks, with realistically simulated weight, momentum, rotational inertia, and drag characteristics AviTab App (optional) If AviTab (freeware plugin) is installed, it can be viewed inside the tablet, or as a pop-up window. SkunkCrafts Updater Thranda recommends using the standalone SkunkCrafts Updater app, to stay up-to-date on the latest versions of the plane. Option to participate in Beta program, via check box in SkunkCrafts Updater Excellent ULTRA hi-res PBR realistic materials, featuring true-to-life plate deformation and to-the-rivet precision. Flight dynamics and systems: The PC6 has quite a few very unique flight characteristics, including the ability to enter Beta mode in flight, and these are faithfully reproduced. (This allows for very steep descents.) The real PC6 is considered to be a real STOL workhorse, whose flight characteristics and excellent STOL capabilities are calibrated to maximum precision in the sim Details, such as the condition lever latch mechanism and a functional throttle gate add to the realism Sliding passenger doors respond to G-forces, so when returning from a parachute drop, while on a steep descent, the doors will roll shut. Over-torquing the engine will cause shaft damage, when in "realistic" mode. This can result in prop loss, cabin smoke, terrifying turbine shaft friction sounds, etc Smoke in engine can be brought under control by killing the "Firewall Air" via cabin lever Tie-downs and chocks actually keep the plane from moving, even in high winds Advanced FMOD-based sound system: High fidelity, multi-track sounds with smooth transitions Individual volume control over different aspects of the sound experience 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 Prop pitch produces characteristic aerodynamic aural effects, especially during Beta and Reverse mode. Individual buttons and switches in the cockpit each have their own unique sound. Realistic electrical sounds, based on bus load and other factors (Sounds actually give you clues as to what's happening under the hood) Combustion roar sound typical for turboprop engines -recorded from real PT6 engine 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) Support forum for the Pilatus PC-6 XP12 Images are courtesy of Thranda Design he Thranda Design DHC-2 Beaver is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore for X-Plane 12 only. _________________ Yes! the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter - DGS Series XP12 by Thranda Design is NOW! available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter - DGS Series XP12 Price is US$44.95 Currently US$44.95 or $10.00(22%) Off Requirements X-Plane 12 (not for XP11) Windows, Mac or Linux 8 GB VRAM Recommended Download Size: 4.1 GB Current version 1.0 (May 4th 2024) ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 5th May 2024 Copyright©2024: X-Plane Reviews 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 Right Reserved. 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