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Aircraft Review : Beechcraft 1900D HD Series by Carenado


Stephen

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Aircraft Review : Beechcraft 1900D HD Series by Carenado
 
Route : PAJN (Juneau, Alaska) to PASI (Sitka Rocky Gutierrez)
 
In the commuter 19 seater aircraft market only one aircraft stands alone...  The Beechcraft 1900D. The aircraft does compete with the Swearingen Metro and the British Aerospace Jetstream. The Metro production ended in 1998 and the Jetstream also ceased production in 1993, but the 1900D soldiered on until Raytheon ended production of the Beechcraft 1900D later in the next decade in October 2002. And because it was the latest and most popular in this light commuter market, many if most of the 695 aircraft produced are still working in service with 443 examples in operations with 50 airlines or small service operators.
 

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A good example of the type of services that perfectly suit the B1900D is ERA Airlines of Alaska (now known as RAVN Alaska). That does very short distance services (usually the average distances are up to 300 miles (480 km)) and to sometimes very short runways. Here we are going from Juneau, Alaska out to Sitka on a coastal Island in that which is a very small distance, but requires very high performance because of the high mountain ranges between the two ports.
 
In many ways the B1900D is a sort of hybrid aircraft, It looks slightly ungainly with such a tall cabin (to let passengers stand up the cabin) and it is the largest of the series of Beechcraft's famous King Airs. Yes the 1900D is a King Air!    This is an aircraft has been stretched not only in length but also as noted in height as well. In fact the aircraft is performance wise and weight wise 10,434 lb (4,732 kg) empty - (17,120 lb (7,764 kg) Max/Takeoff) compared to the still large B200 King Air at 7,755 lb (3,520 kg) Empty - (12,500 lb (5,670 kg) Max/Takeoff) very different aircraft again, but oddly from behind the controls it looks and feels (except for the weight) the same aircraft. The only significant visual difference is that the engines and propellers are not right there in view to the left or right of the cockpit, but are here they are set well back and so you are required to look hard over your shoulder and view through the engine the rear most cockpit window.
 
The 1900 is Beechcraft's third regional airliner. After the very famous Beechcraft Model 18 which was a 6- to 11-passenger utility aircraft produced from 1937 to 1970, and which was used by the military, airlines, charter operations, corporations for executive transport and freight carriers. The 15-passenger Beechcraft Model 99 Airliner then replaced the Model 18 and was produced between 1966 and 1975, and also from 1982 to 1986, but was not successful as the former earlier design.
 
The Beechcraft 1900's design lineage is different than the Model 18 and Model 99 aircraft, but the story still began back in 1949 with the Beechcraft Model 50 "Twin Bonanza", which was a 5 passenger, reciprocating engine utility aircraft designed for the U.S. Army. A larger passenger cabin was added to the Twin Bonanza's airframe and that variant was called the Model 65 "Queen Air." This aircraft was then in turn, further modified by adding turboprop engines and cabin pressurization and named the Model 90 "King Air." Then another stretched version of the King Air was later developed and designated the Model B200 "Super King Air". Beechcraft developed the Beechcraft 1900 directly from the Beechcraft Super King Air, because the B200 was pressurized aircraft and could fly as high as 25,000ft.
 
Performance : Cruise speed: 280 knots (518 km/h, 322 mph) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m) : Range: 707 km with 19 passenger payload (439 mi) : Ferry range: 2,306 km (1,432 mi) : Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,620 m) : Rate of climb: 2,615 ft/min (797 m/min)
 

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Once the passengers are seated and their baggage is stored in that huge cavern of a baggage hold, you can shut all the doors and start the engines. Once the right temperatures of the engines are correct and the flightplan on the GNS 350 GPS is verified, you are ready for clearance and departure. One thing you notice is that if you move the tiller the front steering wheel does not turn? Only when the aircraft has movement can you turn in the direction you want to go. My guess (and it is a guess) is that the aircraft is too heavy on the wheel to turn it standing still, but requires the movement to allow the tyre not to grip so firmly. Once moving however and the tiller is quite light and you can turn in quite a tight circle. Taxiing you can keep the throttle at idle and still have the right pace, but that pace is ideal in that it not fast or too slow, but you do need to give the aircraft a little shove of power to turn any tight turns to the runway.
 

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The size of this Beechcraft in that it is in one respect small for an airliner but big as a large GA machine and that does have a significant effect on the performance were the weight is concerned, If the aircraft is half full at say around 13,000 Ibs the 1900D will on power up will simply burst out of the starting gate like a jackrabbit on heat. You will need a little forward pressure to keep the nose down as well, but the performance is staggering from those mighty two PT6A-67D engines, of each are rated at 1,279 shaft horsepower. But go to Max weight at around 17,000 lbs with a full load of 21 people aboard and all their luggage and a big fuel load and the effects are highly noticeable.

The aircraft does not turn into a ponderous beast (although it should). But you certainly feel the effects from the two seats at the front. The 1900D will take in far more runway to get the speed it requires and when it lifts you don't accelerate or climb nothing like you did when when it was significantly lighter. So you have to adjust your flying skills to the moment. I do as in most aircraft like this, I only give the throttles usually only a slight push until I have the air and the control of the tail feeling from the rudders and only then do I give the aircraft its full power. Power up from the start of the runway will mean you will fight the aircraft a little until finding the control, and this is very noticeable in the 1900D, certainly when it is heavier and it will track more straighter. But that rudder control is needed from the start.
 
Once in the air and the aircraft climbs like a freight train pulling 20 carriages behind it, It feels so powerful and the torque is simply overwhelming. At a light weight and you can easily climb at the recommend 2500fpm (feet per minute), It just goes up and up and you can be at a high 20,000ft (25,000ft ceiling) easily within a short distance from your departure point and still with the speed needle static in the whole ride up to the heavens. Full weight and 1500fpm to even 1800fpm is still easily achievable as the aircraft just leaves those peaks below and down there in the distance. But you still have to ride the engines on the soft side, I found that heavy it is best to aim at 180kts and not to push your luck too far past that performance. Even when leaving terra firma you need to find that nice spot just under full throttle that gives you the required push, but will not also over strain the engines. Get that right and the aircraft is simply perfect. In many ways the 1900D does feel like the B200 in that way, but with better performance and feeling more powerful.
 

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The aircraft feels better heavy than light. It has a sturdy feel and is more balanced. Once the trim is fine tuned the aircraft feels very nice through the yoke and the turns are very sedately, and you feel the movement of the turn only when looking at the regions around you. In a way you would think when that for an aircraft which is really a compromise it shouldn't really fly like this but it does...   More lighter the 1900D is, then the more jiggly it feels...  but you feel the speed far more effectively as well and the aircraft is closer to the B200 to fly at this end of the scale.
 

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A new feature on the B1900D is the "Scroll" wheel, of which you can adjust various items in the cockpit if you have a scroll wheel on your mouse, a gesture mouse will work as well, If you don't want to use the feature you can turn it off. personally I didn't like it, just grabbing the item with the mouse and moving it is in my mind still quicker, but many would love it and I am sure it is a worthwhile feature (I didn't like the colours it created in the cockpit as well?). On the trim you can either move the trim wheel or move the trim switch on the yoke, the effect is the same and the choice is yours. The speed dial has great set bugs for maximum speed and Vrev takeoff speeds or flap and minimum speed settings on landing, and they were very handy for with the different weights you are carrying.
 

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The yellow "Master Warning" light on the glareshield can annoy you...  pressing it does not solve anything as it is only a warning and not a significant problem (That's the red one next to it!) When you start up you will find both pitot tubes "heat" are not on, so you can fix that by flicking the switches, The "engine-auto to on" switches are the same. The battery can take time to recharge itself if you use an amount to start up the aircraft from cold, so that warning glares at you for ages (the B200 is the same). The one that does confuse you is the "Autofeather"? The autofeather sync switch is on but the warning will flash? only when you are airborne will the "Autofeather" sync and the warning lights will turn finally green. My point is you will look around to find switches to turn off to kill the warnings, but they go off automatically once they reach their right condition. In the mean time you have this warning light flashing in your eyesight worrying you have not set something correctly.
 

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The aircraft comes with the latest GPS GNS 530 system (X-Plane 10.30 is required) and it is again glorious in an aircraft like this. It pop's out for setting and using. The autopilot (AP) is the same as the excellent one in the C90 and the B200 and it pops out for the ease of use. Although the AP arrangement is the same with the autopilot panel situated on the pedestal. You also have a push button version right in front of you on the main panel. This is a great change and even means you don't have to use the pop up all the time...  but you can not change the heading or the vertical pitch rate from here.

The pop up AP can still also be made smaller or larger which really helps when flying and if you need it on the screen at that period in time. The autopilot is part of a system that is called the EFIS or Electronic Flight Instrument System by Rockwell Collins, which includes the Electronic Attitude Director Indicator (EADI) & Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator (EHSI) and the altitude selector. All three work together as one system that in effect gives you a very comprehensive automated flight control system, That is although complex it is very easy to use and here in the 1900D it is very effective.
 

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In doing short service sectors like from PAJN to PASI the aircraft this aircraft is unparalleled. You have the huge amount of power to climb quickly and then the speed to get to your destination quickly. With also the GNS350 and Autopilot tools at your disposal flying the aircraft is excellent even if you want to switch off all the aids and fly the aircraft manually. Views out are excellent with brilliant reflections (you can turn them off if you want to) making the aircraft very realistic from either of the two front seats.

Again that odd feeling that you are flying one aircraft in the B200 is shown in the oddness that the panel is the same, but certainly it is not. Because the B200 (right) panel looks far more empty than the 1900D panel, no doubt the workhorse environment of the 1900D shows how much more equipment is required. The most significant thing that I didn't like is the artificial horizon on the B1900D is very dull, and that shows how much here ( I tried the adjustment knob under the ADF and this is still at full brightness?).

 

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The aircraft can fly out of and land on short runways. But at maximum weight you would have to check if the runway is not too long or short and would a compromise be required? Stika's runway (11/29) at 6483ft does not give me that problem, but it is worth noting.
 

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There is a speed warning at 140knts? noisy and trilling it notes not the speed but that the undercarriage is up? If you want to rub off the speed and set the flaps down a few degrees you can't do that unless you lower the gear...  your choice is to lower 17º of flap at 150knts, but you will lose speed in the drag right down to 135knts and will have to put up with the noise and until youcan  power it up again over the 140knts noise limit with the flaps now set. The 17º limit is still set a lot higher at 188knts, but be warned that the stall speed on the 17º is only 92kts so you have to be prudent with your workflow and not lose too much speed with the drag.


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With great balance you can use 35º of flap (under 150knts) to get the best approach speed of around 120knts. And try to use the flare in not bouncing the aircraft too hard on a landing which is very easy to do, so your throttle to yoke control here has to be quite skilled to get it just right.
 
Once down on the runway then pull throttles right back in the gate to activate the reverse thrust which is highly effective and will push you forward into the seatbelts with their powerful thrust. Your landing distance is really reduced significantly once they take effect, which is highly needed in airports like PAJN - Juneau because there is high terrain on both sides of the runway and in many cases you touch down a long way down the runway, mostly when coming in from the North on RWY8, Then a taxi to the terminal and is quite easy to a shut down of the engines. 
 
Carenado HD Series B1900D
 

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The B1900D is the largest aircraft to be released by Carenado for X-Plane to date. But all the qualities that signify the aircraft from Carenado are not at compromised here in any area. The B1900D is superb in quality and features. The work is simply outstanding in every area. At this level of design and delivery you don't really look at the aircraft as simply a reproduction of an airliner, but in most respects more of a clone of the real thing on a computer screen. Walk around the machine and you would be seriously hard pressed to find any fault. Nothing has been compromised or poorly executed... It is quite simply perfect. Textures are 4K which means high-Definition (HD), and they have a depth of quality you only dreamed of a few years ago. The textures have been highly processed to give the highest quality to the best frame-rate in performance.
 

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Detailing is highly commended from items smaller than you can imagine on an aircraft of this size to the intricacy of the undercarriage assemblies, I love the part front plate that covers the top of the retracted nosewheel and when on the ground has the hole for the taxi light to shine through. It looks brilliant in the day but amazing at night. The huge Hartzell composite four bladed propellers are beautifully reproduced and have volumetric side view prop effects that are highlighted by the HQ digital stereo sounds are recorded directly from the real aircraft. Yes the 1900D sounds great, highly realistic and will send you almost deaf if you play these 3d sounds at high volumes like I do on my bose sound system.


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The aircraft comes with three tabbed menus on the left lower side of your screen, bottom to top, the first (A-Autopilot) is the pop-up EFIS panel that I usually close by clicking the menu again and rather than closing it by the close/cross on the panel itself...  It is far quicker action that way.
 
The second menu tab is the (O-Options) that gives you your main options menu. The first two options cover the window and instrument reflections. The third is the static elements that includes "remove before flight" tags, engine inlet covers, wheel chocks and removes the pilots from the cockpit. The next three options allows you to open and close doors in the Cockpit door, main external passenger door and that large baggage door. The last option is to switch on/off the mouse scroll feature. The menus to a point are quite simple but are highly effective and efficient.
 

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The top and final menu is the (C-Camera) or views menu. This is the standard Carenado views menu that also has a built in zoom slider. The standard X-Plane menu system is better for me around the cockpit, because I can set my views up to the same key in points with every aircraft I fly. The X-Plane key default is however not quite as good when you get out of the cockpit and here the menu view options are far better to going very quickly to the rear cabin and for the multitude of external views. You can also adjust the sound here as well.
 
B1900D Cockpit
 

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The B1900D cockpit is certainly the most comprehensive cockpit from Carenado they have produced yet for X-Plane. As note above in that I thought the B200 cockpit was quite detailed and highly loaded with flight instrumentation, but this aircraft is levels above again. The detailing is simply overwhelming, and everything works and switches just like the real Beechcraft. When the aircraft is cold you find yourself admiring the full set up and how realistic it all really is, the instrument reflections alone are simply staggering. Can you realistically expect any aircraft to be better than this...  that is a big ask and I don't think any other aircraft in X-Plane can deliver this sort of quality.
 

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The panel really has the same set up as most King Airs, but it feels like everything is beefed up for the aircraft to be used as a more larger workhorse than the the private/executive aircraft of the smaller King Airs. The standard six instruments are well presented, but the Rockwell Collins EFIS or Electronic Flight Instrument System and the EADI & EHSI here take the places of the artificial horizon and the heading indicator. The airspeed indicator, and the RMI (automatic direction finder) is on the left and the altimeter and Vertical speed indicator (VSI) is on the left. Above is the Collins autopilot button panel and below is the propeller sync switch.
 
The standard twin sets of King Air of gauges set down the right of the main panel and they cover the engine ITT (*Cx100) - (Interstage Turbine Temperature), Torque (FTLB x 100), Prop - RPM, Turbine % RPM, Fuel Flow and Oil temps.


Central panel there is that great GNS350 dominating the central panel and a AVIDYNE Entegra EX500. This unit is very good but also limited in application. The COMM panel is above and has a nice touch in "Avionics by Carenado" signed on it and two engine fire handles set out top of the panel. Below is the ADF and IDENT tuners and the final part of the EFIS system in the altitude selector which shows a zigzag alert below 10,000ft and none above and a warning alert light.
 
On the co-pilots side the instruments are almost a mirror of the pilots, but has an oxygen outlet pressure gauge instead of a Collins slew selector. The main warning lights are set in a panel on top of the glareshield.
 

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Both of those beautiful yokes will disappear at a touch of their bases, the pilot's center hub has a chronometer function and the co-pilot's has a round clock. The left lower panel is focused on the electrical/power systems and Ice protection (anti-Ice) switches.To start (engine-auto to on) then flick up the "Ignition and Engine Start" switch for each engine to start the start sequence which will take a fair while before they churn noisily into life. The "engine-auto" start switches are already switched on and the warning lights will note to turn them off once the engines are running. Note the warning light "pitot heat" switches are here as well. Right lower pilot's side of the panel is also the undercarriage knob and indicators. On the co-pilot's lower panel are the environmental, temp and oxygen switches and gauges, with also a "bones of mercury" vacuum gauge.
 
Centre pedestal is a work of art in design with (twin) Throttle with built in "Go around", Prop (feather) and Condition/fuel cut off. Flap lever in "up - 17º  - 35º" settings, lower/side of the  pedestal is the ailerion/rudder trim knobs and wheels. You have a set of instruments set at the top of the pedestal that are standard KIng Air in the Flap position, Cabin Climb (pressure) and Cabin altitude. Above the gauges are a banks of warning lights and alerts. Lower pedestal is the radio and main EFIS controls, and a very welcome set of cupholders for coffee!
 

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On the right side of the pilot is the fuel panel gauges and backup fuel pump switches, the panel is quite simple in operation and is again pure King Air in function. At night it looks excellent.
 
The darker side of life
 

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All lighting is controlled by the switches and knobs on the overhead panel. The lighting systems are very effective, flexible and certainly very impressive with HDR switched on. The panel is simply gorgeous in that faintly blue colouring and the above spot lights will twist and focus to your hearts content. You can get away with HDR off here, certainly you lose the spot light and feature functions, but the basic lighting is still very good because it is so flexible via all those knobs.
 

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In the rear passenger cabin it is again a wonderful place to be, both in the daylight and at night. And again the detailing is so overwhelmingly good.
 

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Outside lighting is just as good as the internal systems.
 

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The tail lighting at night is excellent, and so is the ice lighting on the wings. There are two landing lights each side of each engine and two "RECOG" (Recognition lights) right out on each wing tip, they are more effective however as extra landing/taxi lights as they illuminate the edge of the runway/taxiways. strobe lighting and Nav/beacon lighting is also excellent and there is a taxi-light on the front wheel support.  Lighting spread is very good on the ground and finding your way around taxiways to the runway is a breeze.
 

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Night operations are highly realistic, the aircraft is very easy to use around the airport and looks very good when parked or waiting for passengers...  A small tip is to leave your landing lights and recog lights on to help the passengers board if you are on a dark ramp, but watch your battery levels!
 
Effects
Carenado are always polishing and enhancing their aircraft and effects...  here is just one example in the rain/ice effects.
 

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Raindrops splatter on the windows, and if you turn on the wipers the water is swept away. Note that they are as real on the outside as from the comfort of the cockpit.
 

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Put the power up and as you speed up the droplets then get smaller, or bigger if you are landing? clever stuff. The pilot's have regained their motion again after a few pilots in the last few Carenado releases were more static, they look up and down and also glance around at the engines, which is very realistic. Their salary and food requirements however are still quite high, Pilots are still pilots and they are still expensive to employ to fly your aircraft as those costs come out your own pockets. 
 
Liveries
The aircraft comes with a set of liveries that have very fancy names... AzureWisp, BlackGold, BlueShark, OrangeWisp and SwissAir the white/blank is default.
 

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There are six extra airline operator liveries that you can download from the Carenado site once you have purchased the aircraft, and these include - ERA, Air Canada, Air NewZealand new and old, Next Jet and United Express.
 

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All liveries are exceptional in detail and design, the 4K textures help here as well.
 
Summary
Carenado notes the minimum requirements to use the B1900D and they are a "MultiCore Processor with 2.6 Ghz or faster - 4gb RAM - 3D video card with at least 1gb". The aircraft does demand a powerful computer as it is highly complex and dense in what it requires to be processed. But this is not in the way you think it is. Most frame-rate issues usually stem from processing the graphic overload of textures and the requirements on the X-Plane simulator itself. But that is not the issue here. In most cases I used the 1900D well under my graphic limits of 512mb at usually around 365mb when flying the aircraft. The HD textures here are highly processed to be as frame-rate efficient as possible, in fact they are the very best out there in quality and efficiency.

And the actual aircraft as been processed to take advantage of X-Plane 10.30 features that can reduce frame-rate with objects that can be disabled when they are not in view, it is noted as "Dynamic loading/unloading of 3D parts and plugin logic for FPS optimization". It is very clever stuff and without both of these enhancements then aircraft of this nature would not be as efficient as they are. But the B1900D does still require a machine that has a lot of computer grunt. more so if you run a large monitor size in pixels. There is also a lot of similarities with the other King Air's in Carenado's HD series. If you struggled with power with them then the 1900D will be a little bit better but not by much. I found a common issue was the panel lighting across all of the King Airs that hurt my frame-rate and I don't have the power to over-ride that (strangely it issue does not effect other Carenado aircraft?). but that is not saying the aircraft is bad in this area, if fact the opposite is true, the aircraft is the best yet in this heavy loading simulation with the demands of X-Plane features as well, so it does require the power to run it, If you have the minimum requirements then you will have no issues.
Certainly if you only have 512mb and a slower machine you will have to make compromises in your X-Plane settings or screen size...  But that does not mean you can't use or fly the 1900D, as it is still a very, very worthy aircraft to have in your hangar.
 
In quality and as an investment then you really can't go past the Beechcraft 1900D. At this price it is simply a bargain in what quality and features that you receive. As a simulation it is a level and size again above other Carenado aircraft and they were already impossibly good. The aircraft is powerful and is full of very clever features to put a smile on your face anytime you fly it, It has the GNS530 GPS as standard and that great Rockwell Collins EFIS system in that if you have flown any of the other Carenado King Air's you will feel totally at home here as well. The design and outstanding workmanship is the very best on offer in X-Plane at the moment, so are the HQ digital stereo sounds and visual lighting and it all comes with an aircraft performance that will take your breath away (well for a regional airliner anyway).
 
Again X-Plane as a simulator is highly enhanced with an aircraft like this, It shows how really great the simulation is now achieving in quality and features and also feel.  The B1900D is just simply brilliant and is the best investment you can make for the future and in having the very best aircraft to fly.

 

_____________________________________________________________

 

X-Plane Store logo sm.jpg
 
The Carenado B1900D HD Series is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store.
 
Price is currently US$34.95 : Get the - B1900D King Air HD Series - Here.
 
Included in the package is:
    5 HD liveries - 1 HD Blank Livery
    B1900D Emergency Checklist PDF - B1900D Normal Procedures PDF
    B1900D Performance Tables PDF - B1900D Reference PDF
    B1900D EFIS X-Plane PDF - B1900D EVVI X-Plane PDF
    Recommended Settings PDF
 
Documents and Install, Download is 302.10mb, that is unzipped into your General Aviation Folder (or if you have one a Regional Aircraft folder) of 676.70mb. Extra liveries are 223.30mb and the full installation is 970mb. The aircraft will only fly in X-Plane version 10.30.
 
post-2-0-35410200-1412843866.jpg
 
I also recommend to download this Raytheon Beechcraft 1900D-Limitations pdf. It has excellent B1900D aircraft performance limitations and operating limits.
 
Raytheon_Beechcraft_1_00D-Limitations.pdf
 
Developer Site: Carenado
 
Review By Stephen Dutton

9th October 2014
 
Technical Requirements:
X-Plane 10.30+. Windows XP/Vista/Windows7/8, Mac, Linux
MultiCore Processor with 2.6 Ghz or faster - 4 GB RAM -3D video card with at least 1 GB
Version 1.1 (last updated 8th October 2014) Includes the Service Pack 1

Review System Specifications:
Computer System:     
- 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i5 iMac 27”
- 6 Gb 1067 Mhz DDR3
- ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb
Software:     
- Mac OS Mavericks 10.9.4
- X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.30 (final)
Addons
- Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle

- Bose - Soundlink Mini
Scenery
- Final Frontier version 10.2 by Tom Curtis (X-Plane Store $24.95 For a full overview of the updated "Final Frontier" by Tom Curtis then go here:

Developer Update : Final Frontier version 10.2 by Tom Curtis

 

Logo Header X-PlaneReviews 200px.jpg

 

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  • 5 months later...
Guest Irving Strongin

Stephen,

I have the same computer specs as you, but can't get good enough frame rates to fly this plane. I have the FF 757 and FJS 732 and get over 20 frames per second. Tried using a smaller screen size etc.  What is dynamic loading/unloading of 3D objects, and can this be adjusted ? Would appreciate any advice as to how to optimize my frame rates.

Thanks

 

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Stephen,

I have the same computer specs as you, but can't get good enough frame rates to fly this plane. I have the FF 757 and FJS 732 and get over 20 frames per second. Tried using a smaller screen size etc.  What is dynamic loading/unloading of 3D objects, and can this be adjusted ? Would appreciate any advice as to how to optimize my frame rates.

Thanks

 

I would need to see your computer specs, but also the way you have set up your computer rendering options? The 1900D has certain aspects that don't translate like the FF aircraft.

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Guest Irving Strongin

I would need to see your computer specs, but also the way you have set up your computer rendering options? The 1900D has certain aspects that don't translate like the FF aircraft.

Hi Stephen,

Thanks so much for your rapid response,,,,I appreciate it.

 

My computer specs are: Mac 27 inch, processor  2.76 Hz Intel core i5, memory 8 GB 1333 Mz DDR3, and Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB.

 

file:///Users/Irving/Desktop/Screen%20Shot%202015-04-13%20at%201.00.38%20AM.png

 

I've made my purchases of aircraft based on your reviews since you were using a 512 MB VRAM video card . I see that you just purchased a new IMAC.

 

Best regards,

Irv

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Hi Stephen,

Thanks so much for your rapid response,,,,I appreciate it.

 

My computer specs are: Mac 27 inch, processor  2.76 Hz Intel core i5, memory 8 GB 1333 Mz DDR3, and Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB.

 

file:///Users/Irving/Desktop/Screen%20Shot%202015-04-13%20at%201.00.38%20AM.png

 

I've made my purchases of aircraft based on your reviews since you were using a 512 MB VRAM video card . I see that you just purchased a new IMAC.

 

Best regards,

Irv

 

Yes, that is the issue I'm afraid Irving? The 1900D just does not perform very well with the 512mb chip? I struggled with it. One trick is to keep the panel lighting off (overhead switches), It helps a lot. HDR is a no, no as well, as your desktop image didn't work? so I can't help with tuning in that area?

 

I actually didn't purchase a new iMac, I upgraded it...  for the full details I wrote about the conversion here...  

 

You would get the same performance hike, but if money is tight you would still get away with a 1gb graphic card?  It makes a huge difference. totally well worth the investment and you can then fly anything :)

 

SD

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Guest Irving Strongin

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for you response....that's what I was afraid of. Actually after many attempts , I am unable to get the 1900D to work well enough on my machine...how did you manage to get it to  perform as well as you did so that you could write your review? I'm including a portion of that review..".Certainly if you only have 512mb and a slower machine you will have to make compromises in your X-Plane settings or screen size...  But that does not mean you can't use or fly the 1900D, as it is still a very, very worthy aircraft to have in your hangars"

My IMac is only three years old and works well except for limiting my experience with x-plane .....it's difficult to justify the purchase of a new machine for a game. I did inquire at the Mac store about upgrading my graphic card and they told me that it could not be done without damaging the machine. I may look around to see if I can find a technician who can do what you did with your IMAC.

Thanks again for your help,

Irv

 

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Hi Stephen,

Thanks for you response....that's what I was afraid of. Actually after many attempts , I am unable to get the 1900D to work well enough on my machine...how did you manage to get it to  perform as well as you did so that you could write your review? I'm including a portion of that review..".Certainly if you only have 512mb and a slower machine you will have to make compromises in your X-Plane settings or screen size...  But that does not mean you can't use or fly the 1900D, as it is still a very, very worthy aircraft to have in your hangars"

My IMac is only three years old and works well except for limiting my experience with x-plane .....it's difficult to justify the purchase of a new machine for a game. I did inquire at the Mac store about upgrading my graphic card and they told me that it could not be done without damaging the machine. I may look around to see if I can find a technician who can do what you did with your IMAC.

Thanks again for your help,

Irv

 

The Apple Store won't know...  You will need a tech.  Mac are made to accept the highest speed chip? One fits all, so there is no problem with that. And as to damaging the Mac...  I'll laugh at that, mine should have broken by now, laughable. Only thing to be aware off is the heat, like noted in that post, adjust the fan speed higher...  strange thing is with a faster graphic chip is that the Mac actually runs cooler because the chip is not running so hard. Yes if you can install the chip (even a 1gb) you will see your X-Plane in another totally different world SD

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  • 4 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Hi all, juist yesterday got the 1900 en love it!

evenso found Some small issues and want to know if i'am the only one.

1) i can not dim the blue ish instrument lighting, indirect instrument lighting dims the Instruments it self and the flood light knop doesn't do the trick either.

2) cabin lights, the switch maken no difference, cabin lights stay all on, the Reading lights can be switchen off, one by one at Every Seat.

3) you can not move the mix handles sepperatly, so turning off one engine is not possible.

in general, made Many landings yesterday, Some of them very hard (the plane can take a beating), but it takes a lot of practice, not to tail strikte at touch down (i had many of them). Increased my landing speed to avoid that (still practicing)

so Some small defects, put them on the ddl and kept flying!

p.s. If someone knows solutions, please share . . . .

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Hi all, juist yesterday got the 1900 en love it!

evenso found Some small issues and want to know if i'am the only one.

1) i can not dim the blue ish instrument lighting, indirect instrument lighting dims the Instruments it self and the flood light knop doesn't do the trick either.

2) cabin lights, the switch maken no difference, cabin lights stay all on, the Reading lights can be switchen off, one by one at Every Seat.

3) you can not move the mix handles sepperatly, so turning off one engine is not possible.

in general, made Many landings yesterday, Some of them very hard (the plane can take a beating), but it takes a lot of practice, not to tail strikte at touch down (i had many of them). Increased my landing speed to avoid that (still practicing)

so Some small defects, put them on the ddl and kept flying!

p.s. If someone knows solutions, please share . . . .

Yes you can dim the facia lighting, It is the "Avionics Panel lighting" knob on the overhead panel.

I agree the main cabin lights do not switch off...

Yes you can, the hand manipulator will move either of the throttle, Prop or condition levers and the cross will move both levers. If you move the cross manipulator left or right you can also adjust either lever with one action.

SD

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Yes you can dim the facia lighting, It is the "Avionics Panel lighting" knob on the overhead panel.

I agree the main cabin lights do not switch off...

Yes you can, the hand manipulator will move either of the throttle, Prop or condition levers and the cross will move both levers. If you move the cross manipulator left or right you can also adjust either lever with one action.

SD

yes found the correct knob fot the bleu light.

also found the cause for the mixture problem, it was one of my own lua, i corrected it and mixture now works as designed.

evenso, thanks for the reply.

keep on flying,

e

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  • 6 months later...

We purchased and installed this model tonight.  We're running Win7 32bit and our system meets or exceeds the stated requirements from the X-Plane.org store.  The model fails to function in multiple ways and is a total bust for us.  None of the cockpit switches or in-game interfaces work.  None of the aircraft control surfaces work.  Overall its a complete disappointment after having such high hopes for it based upon the reviews we read here.  We do not recommend this model to anyone.  Avoid it like the plague.

- Tim

ClevelandAirCrew

 

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12 minutes ago, ClevelandAirCrew said:

I just received word from staff at the XPlane store that they're going to update the requirements for this model.  Apparently it uses a plugin (SASL) which requires 64bit OS.  This explains our issue.  So if you've got 64bit OS, you should be fine.  If you've got 32bit OS, you're out of luck (like us)

- Tim

As noted in my summary above:

"Carenado notes the minimum requirements to use the B1900D and they are a "MultiCore Processor with 2.6 Ghz or faster - 4gb RAM - 3D video card with at least 1gb". The aircraft does demand a powerful computer as it is highly complex and dense in what it requires to be processed."

In other words you need a pretty powerful computer to run the B1900D, I struggled with my old mac and I was using 64bit, I doubt that 32bit would cut it, to be clear I doubt any of the latest Carenado's or Alabeo's would work now with those specs. SD

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  • 2 years later...

Hello dear Xplaners.

I purchased this beautiful plane yesterday. everything seems to be working perfectly but the VIEWS/VOLUME popup. for example When I click on PILOT VIEW it shows the throttle...when I click THROTTLE it shows te fuel gages...and the exterior cams (wings and tail cam) shows internal Items instead. 

Anyone know about this issue and how to fix it?

Regards.

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14 hours ago, cheickstar001 said:

" but the VIEWS/VOLUME popup. for example When I click on PILOT VIEW it shows the throttle...when I click THROTTLE it shows te fuel gages...and the exterior cams (wings and tail cam) shows internal Items instead."

 

I checked that out and the B1900D menu views work perfectly for me? I do notice the selections you are making are directly below the ones you need to select, are you in VR? or is your viewpoint is of the wrong angle...  As a note I never use the menu selections, in every new aircraft I always set up my own views via the keyboard (numbers) to be all the same in every aircraft for continuity and ease of use...   nice aircraft is this 😀

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15 minutes ago, cheickstar001 said:

Thank you for your reply stephen. I am not in VR and I'm using a single large screen ( via HDMI). I will try to delete the plane and download it again. if it does not work, then I will set up views the way you suggest me....and yes such a nice aircraft, definitely going to be my favorite

 

select the view you want, then hold Ctrl + Windows keys together and select the number key you want...  7 is external, 4 pilots view, 1 lower instrument pilots view...  5 OHP,  2 throttles or lower console, 6 is usually entrance door, 3 autopilot and 0 is usually cabin view out on the rear of the wing... that is my keyboard standard layout 😊

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