Kiwiflyer

Behind the Screen : March 2023
 
After the chaos of the first two months of the year 2023, X-Plane 12 with the release of version Beta v12.04r3, then as a release v12.04r3, everything suddenly went normal, or you had a working simulator. I was skeptical at first, we have been here before and many times. But no this time it was for real, I could fly without a load of CTD (Crash to Desktop) moments, and also at the upper reaches of the stratosphere I wasn't being bundled around violently up there like I was in a dingy. Aircraft now flew straight and true, the weather (after losing the Gribb Files for a few days) came good as well...  all too good to be true?
 
To find out I had to push the Simulator hard, and there is nothing harder than doing a lot of flights. Short VFR (Visual Flight Rules) was not going to cut it, as you needed height and distance...  time to go for a big challenging machine and Rotate's monster MD-11.
 
So began a criss-cross of the Mediterranean. Flying hard between Barcelona to Tel Aviv, then back to Rome, then back to Cypress...  then back to Barcelona, tons of fuel were used as I built up the flight mileage. The results were outstanding, no CTD's, great weather formations, and even realistic bad weather at some destinations.
 
Then when I had flown over Greece for the third time, and was passing landfall over Southern Italy, I realised something...  I was enjoying it, the flying, the whole X-Plane 12 experience. To a point it was a shock, in not waiting for something to come and usually ruin the moment, the day, to go back to ZERO, again...  it really did actually did work.
 
Obviously I have been through X-Plane version releases before and countless Betas. But I had a niggling that this 12th version of X-Plane maybe a bit too complicated, to much of too many diverse elements, plus the fact of also a total core reconfiguration of the simulator could actually be made to behave altogether and correctly...  before you start calling me out, I admit, that there are still a few elements that need work, replays are one with it's crazy zooming clouds, lighting is still a bit off (but still far better than the release murk)...  but thankfully a large percentage of it works.
 
So for the month of March (this edition) then Reviewing went back to something called "Normal". Remember that...  Normal.
 
Moving on from the MD-11, it was a review of the ToLiSS A320 NEO, again "Normal", I was able to do the review without something crashing down around me, problem was I was enjoying the flying so much, I just wanted more. Again I could criss-cross Greece, even landed there once to refuel at Athens, fun, the most fun I have had in ages. The ToLiSS made it easier.
 
I've mentioned this feature before, and yes I am going to go on about it again. The ToLiSS "save" feature. It allowed me to do things in the review that were impossible before, the time saved was enormous. This aspect was highlighted by the next aircraft I had to review (in a beta), sorry I can't mention it, but suddenly I was back to reality. I didn't have that ToLiSS feature as a backup. It is not that the beta crashed a lot, as the aircraft flew very well in the v12.04r3 X-Plane version. But it was the consistent resetting of everything to get the aircraft to fly, twice, sometimes three times a day. Setting the aircraft up ready, does mean you will not "actually" flying in it, the active aircraft has to be correct for the review in the testing and the visual aspect, if you use the Replay, you are coming back to another reset, then another, and another.
 
With the ToLiss you just clicked on the correct setup "save" that you had you set ready earlier, and you are instantly ready to continue, with other aircraft, you are completely back at square one, only then you can start your reviewing twenty or thirty minutes later, do that as I mentioned three times a day, and there is an hour and a half gone on just doing the same thing over and over.
 
I don't mind the resetting aspect, but it is seriously time consuming... so please developers, try harder with "save" features, because I doubt Laminar can do a "Global" save feature with the current specialized aircraft plugin architecture, certainly not with the PlaneMaker default settings that the X-Plane "save" and "situation" aspects can only do, honestly over the years it has very rarely worked either. I did wonder however if a third party plugin could do what ToLiSS does, if it could be done then enlighten me, it is to be a quality tool, but please no cheap FlyWITHLua scripts.
 
Sometimes the biggest features that come into the Simulator are the ones that do the basics better, or are needed to make the Simulator a better place to be. A lot of default features haven't been touched for a decade, hence the poor "save" features, the replay is pretty basic as well..
 
Because I had to use the default pushback tool because the "BetterPushBack" app didn't work with the MD-11, you realise how bad the default pushback really is, slow, unrealistic. Thank God Rotate fixed the problem quickly, but it highlights the problem.
 
I always pointed out that Laminar should use these better tools from third-parties than spend time or wait for years to do their own. The Librain app was a great example on why it works. Created by a master coder Saso Kiselkov, Librain added rain effects to aircraft windows. Originally developers had to add in the effects directly into their aircraft, so a lot used them, but a lot were also too lazy to do so. To a point in X-Plane 12 the developer still has to add in the effects, but in now being a generic built in system, it is easier to do and is more effective as part of the X-Plane application.
 
But it is the time aspect that counts here for Laminar, why not have BetterPushBack as part of the Simulator, or other great tools like Dr Gluck's "TerrainRadar", yes you can download the plugins and have these tools available...  but where they do a better job than the poor dated original tools it is a very quick update or be a replacement to make the X-Plane Simulator more modern and relevant.
 
The Chudoba Design Announcement for "Project People" for X-Plane is a great example again on how to expand X-Plane more quickly with better features than for Laminar to try to keep all the development in house, in house with limited resources is just TOO slow.
 
Bringing the application in house also has other benefits. If the original coder leaves the X-Plane universe that the plugin tool is left hanging. A good example of this is "Marginal's" Autogate system. A decade ago it was excellent with consistent updated attention, and X-Plane built it's eco-system around the plugin's architecture. But coder Marginal dropped out of X-Plane around 2016, and no further supplemental updates never then came along. So you are left currently with a broken system, that works sometimes at your arrival destination or at most times in it doesn't. The SAM (Scenery Animation Manager) system has mostly replaced the original Autogate plugin, but that is also a cumbersome and bloated application for just moving jetways and opening aircraft doors. The SAM "seasons" feature is now basically dead in X-Plane 12, but the SAM seasons didn't actually work that well before (burdened down with textures), an updated X-Plane 12 SAM needs to go back to basics.
 
Q2 period of 2023 should be interesting. Now that v12.04r3 is a more solid platform for developers, the products will start flowing again. Upgrades to X-Plane 12 will come as well, although debatable, a lot of users are very vocal about paying for version upgrades, it is the X-Plane mantra that "Free" is good, but they are missing the whole point. What of say US$15 to upgrade to X-Plane 12 an old favorite with the modern features of X-Plane 12, it is amazing how many really get upset about this aspect. The developer has done the changes that X-Plane 12 requires, then will service and update that product for the next four years, in other words you will be able to enjoy your favorite aircraft for another four years, you are not repurchasing the complete aircraft, but just paying a upgrade fee. Yes I understand that to upgrade a lot of aircraft in your collection, in that the costs can add up. But my old mantra is important.
 
Value is in use, not in features. If you fly the aircraft three or times a month, then it has value to you, that aspect is certainly worth the upgrade fee of $15. But you are not going to get it for free, unless you have just bought the aircraft recently, say in the last twelve months.
 
There is the definition here that "Payware" is for quality, "Freeware" is a lower quality, but the lines can sometimes be blurred, poor average Payware can be over ridden by a quality freeware developer. But in reality the freeware developer is doing themselves a disservice, giving away their substantial skills and hard work for nothing...  but being the hero, users will just want more, more of you and for free, they will take and just take...  "thanks very much".
 
X-Plane is really a two-tier flight Simulator, the default cheap level, with no quality, but a lot of it. And the payware network of quality flying. Yes I understand that a lot of users don't have the money to create a quality network, but networks can be small, say ten quality sceneries that you use regularly, the "Value" aspect, if you use the scenery frequently it will have value, where as using a LOT of nothing means just that in you are flying a mediocre experience, but then again users don't like cabins on aircraft either, even if to watch your amazing landing skills!
 
But as we approach Easter, and it is a fine time with no commitments to indulge in a bit of flying. It will be a better experience this year around with a nice and stable X-Plane 12 to fly in, and then look around on how far we have all come in the last twelve months... 
 
See you all next month.
 
Stephen Dutton
5th April 2023
Copyright©2023 X-Plane Reviews
 

Scenery Review: PAJN - Juneau International, Alaska by Northern Sky Studio
 
By Joshua Moore
 
Introduction
Aviation has played a vital role in Alaska for nearly a century, providing essential transportation services such as cargo, charter flights, medevac, airlines, and backcountry flights to remote towns. Juneau, Alaska's capital, first welcomed an aeroplane in 1920—a DH-4 biplane from the renowned Army's Black Wolf squadron. This marked the beginning of aviation in the region, with Juneau's airport evolving over time to accommodate growing demand and larger aircraft.

By the late 1920s, Juneau established a basic grass landing strip, and in 1932, Alaska Southern Airways was founded, offering a direct connection to Seattle using a Lockheed Vega on floats. The airport experienced multiple airline mergers and expansions over the years, including a significant expansion project during World War II, which allowed the airport to support larger aircraft.

In 1949, the first passenger terminal was opened, and the airport returned to civilian control in 1953. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, airlines like Pan Am, Alaska Airlines, and Western Airlines were operating jet airliners at Juneau's airport. The 1980s saw the addition of a full taxiway, Taxiway Alpha, to the runway.

Today, Juneau International Airport is serviced by two major airlines, Alaska and Delta, and is home to Alaska Seaplanes. The airport accommodates around 600,000 passengers annually and transports millions of pounds of food and cargo to Seattle and Anchorage.
Northern Sky is proud to introduce a highly detailed Juneau scenery for X-Plane simmers. The return of Juneau's spectacular approach and the surrounding scenery is an exciting development for fans of the region (myself included).
 


 
First Impressions
The installation process for Juneau is straightforward, consisting of one primary download folder for the airport and an optional link for a prebuilt ortho tile that is highly recommended to enhance the overall experience. To install, simply extract the contents into your custom scenery folder, which has a size of 3.81GB—typical for an airport of this size. The installation manual is more of a pamphlet, containing the same information found on the download page in your account.
 
Note: be aware that I am utilizing simHeaven's freely available X-World America add-on in combination with the airport scenery, so please take this into account while observing screenshots of the city and wider areas.
 
Upon my first time loading the simulator with the Juneau scenery, I was pleasantly surprised to see a passenger gazing out at the aeroplane from the terminal. This airport offers a unique feature not commonly found in X-Plane sceneries: a terminal interior.
 

 
The terminal interior is exceptionally well-executed, featuring high-quality texturing throughout and a keen attention to detail. The inclusion of local artwork on passenger elevators adds an authentic touch, enhancing the overall atmosphere. The art-adorned walls and wooden flooring contribute to a cohesive and visually appealing design, demonstrating the care taken in creating an immersive environment.
 


 
The superb modelling, combined with the texturing, creates a rich atmosphere in the terminal. One striking element is the impressive hanging bird models on the ceiling, which capture the essence of the local area. Scattered around the terminal, well-designed 3D character models can be found. Although their clothing seems more suited to a warmer climate, these characters add a sense of life and activity to the space.
 


 
The control tower, like the main terminal building, is well-modelled and displays various consoles used by air traffic controllers. Situated high up, the tower's 360-degree glass windows not only provide stunning views of the surrounding area but also offer a realistic vantage point for those interested in the daily operations of the airport. Overall, the terminal's carefully crafted design elements come together to create a memorable and engaging experience for simmers.
 



Initially, I was concerned about the performance impact, but I was pleased to discover that there was hardly any FPS drop during the daytime. However, the FPS decreased slightly at night due to the extensive light rendering inside the building. In terms of graphics, the scenery resembled Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS) airport sceneries, which was somewhat unusual but a welcome enhancement for smaller airports.

Exploring The Airport
The airport's overall appearance and integration with its surroundings are impressive, and the seamless blending with the ortho is remarkable. Having experienced this airport in FS2004, it is fantastic to see it again with such high-quality detail. The texturing appears well-blended from a distance, and nothing seems out of place. While the water has some graphical issues due to X-Plane's new water handling method, this is an ortho issue with X-Plane rather than a fault of the scenery.
 


 
The terminal details are exceptional, with an intricately detailed interior featuring a wide variety of textures and polygons combined to create a highly realistic environment on both the roadside and jet side. The modelling is well-executed, and all elements fit together seamlessly. The exterior model is equally impressive, with fine details and a stunning backdrop of the Tongass mountains. The general aviation (GA) hangars maintain the same high-quality standard, with the Alaska Seaplanes hangar open and displaying a few static aircraft. Although I'm not typically a fan of static aeroplanes, they add a nice touch of life to the airport in this case. One minor point worth mentioning is the taxiway signs, which are the default X-Plane signs. To enhance the resolution of the signage, I highly recommend using MisterX's airport environment replacement taxi sign textures.
 


 
Textures
The texturing at this airport is among the best available for X-Plane, featuring high-resolution 2K textures for nearly the entire airport and meticulous attention to detail on various surfaces of the 3D objects. The terminal interior is particularly noteworthy, offering an abundance of textures covering all surfaces. However, the numerous interior lights at night led to a minor drop in FPS on my system.

The ramp, taxiway, and runway textures are a balanced combination of default Laminar textures and custom textures by Northern Sky, with taxiway signage defaulting to Laminar. The dirt and weathering effects are well placed, albeit slightly predictable, but contribute to a better overall blending of the airport. The ground poly has a good resolution and integrates well with the provided ortho, serving as an excellent starting point for those new to ortho scenery.
 



Although some screenshots may appear to have blurry textures, this is primarily due to Laminar's ongoing VRAM optimization issues. When I switched to a smaller aeroplane, the textures became significantly sharper. I hardly noticed any major details requiring higher resolution and was overall impressed with the texturing and appearance. It's important to note that any clipping in the water is a result of X-Plane 12's improper handling of orthos, which is still on Laminar's to-do list and will be addressed in the future.
 



Lighting
The lighting at this airport is generally excellent, but it does have some impact on performance, particularly in terms of FPS. The ramp is well-lit, the custom approach lights function correctly, and the overall night-time ambience is impressive. However, as mentioned earlier, the terminal interior's lighting causes some FPS drops at night. I experienced a loss of 3-8 FPS depending on my viewpoint, and while this may not seem substantial, it can affect the overall feel of the simulator, given that X-Plane typically runs at 30-40 FPS.
 



It's worth noting that the lighting system by Laminar may be responsible for this performance impact, as it is known to be slightly FPS-intensive and has caused issues in the past. As such, any improvements to the lighting system would likely need to come from them.
 



 
Conclusion
After a long absence of quality Juneau scenery, I am thrilled that Northern Sky Studios has taken the initiative to bring it to X-Plane. As one of the top developers of Alaskan airports, Northern Sky Studios has done a fantastic job creating an authentic Alaskan feel, capturing the airport's atmosphere beautifully with great attention to detail. The airport is rendered in a way that is both detailed and FPS-friendly, making it a welcome addition to my simulator.
 


 
Priced at $18.00, this scenery offers excellent value for an airport of its size. I eagerly await Northern Sky Studios' next release, and perhaps they will venture south to a certain Washington state city with three parallel runways. Fingers crossed!
 
________________________
 

 
PAJN - Juneau International, Alaska by Northern Sky Studio is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
PAJN - Juneau International, Alaska
Priced at US$18.00
 
Features: 
The most detailed replica of airport buildings and vehicles High resolution ground textures / Custom runway textures High resolution building textures Compatible with all X-Plane 12 features Custom working jetways Custom mesh for the airport area (Ortho4XP) All materials created for full PBR Shading and occlusion (texture baking) effects on all airport buildings High-resolution building textures Custom orthophoto for the airport and surrounding areas World Traffic 3 compatible Not compatible with a default mesh (custom ortho link included)  
Requirements
X-Plane 12 or X-plane 11
Windows, Mac or Linux
4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Download Size: 3.4 GB
Current version : 1.0 (January 9th 2023)
 
Review System Specifications
Windows 11 
Ryzen 5800x
RTX 3070Ti 
32GB RAM
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Scenery Review by Joshua Moore
6th April 2023
Copyright©2023: 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.
 
 

Aircraft Review: MLADG Messerschmitt Bf 109
 
Peter Allnutt
 
Introduction
The Me-109, designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser, first flew in 1935 while they were working at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke. It quickly gained recognition as one of the most advanced fighters of the time as it featured an all-metal monocoque, closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. The Me-109 remained in production throughout World War II and nearly 47,000 variants were produced. In fact, it became the second-most-produced fighter aircraft in history, second only to the Soviet Il2-Shturmovik. The Me-109, which was not the official German designation, was the name given to the aircraft by Allied aircrew. The MLADG's package includes five variants of the Messerschmitt: F4, G2, G6, G10, and K4.

Purchase & Installation
The Me-109, which includes five variants (for both X-Plane 11 and 12), is available for purchase at the X-Plane.org store for $19.95 (at the time of writing). Once purchased, you will receive a download link for the 315MB ZIP file. After downloading, simply extract the files and move them to your X-Plane "Aircraft" folder (no activation required).
 
As mentioned, the download includes five variants for each X-Plane version, a Readme file, and a detailed PDF manual. When installed in X-Plane 11, you'll find five new aircraft in your hangar. In X-Plane 12, you'll have access to ten aircraft, which includes both XP11 and XP12 versions. To view only the XP12 versions, you can untick the "Show aircraft for older versions of X-Plane" checkbox on the aircraft selection screen. For the purpose of this review, we'll be focusing on the XP12 version.
 

 
According to the Readme file, the planes have been optimized for the "Experimental Flight Model" in XP11. The PDF documentation provides a detailed aircraft specification sheet and screenshots of the various controls' locations.
 

 
For non-German speakers like myself, the pictures in the manual are crucial because they depict everything in the cockpit in its original language. However, I greatly appreciate the authenticity of this approach, as after a few flights, everything became familiar. The manual also includes checklists, although they don't always match up perfectly with the in-cockpit checklists that can be accessed through a briefcase to the left of the pilot. Some improvements to the documentation would be helpful in this regard.
 
Exterior Model
The exterior modelling of each variant is extremely impressive, with meticulous attention to detail. Even small features, such as rivets, are sharply defined. The aircraft's surface decoration is authentically worn, giving it a natural, lived-in look. Reflections on the plane are convincingly rendered, resulting in a striking and commanding presence in the simulator.
 


 
The control surfaces are equally well crafted, including animated leading-edge slats in addition to the flaps. The flap position indicator is cleverly located on the flaps themselves, requiring a quick glance over the left shoulder to read. Since the flaps are analogue, it takes several seconds to adjust them from no flaps to 20 degrees or vice versa, making accurate readings important. One neat detail worth noting is the flames which shoot out of the exhausts at near or full throttle, adding a realistic touch to the flying experience.
 


 
There are six liveries included with the model, as well as a paint kit, should you wish to create your own. These six liveries are replicated across each of the five aircraft variants.
 


 
Cockpit & Functionality
The Me-109 cockpits are meticulously modelled, and virtually all switches and controls can be operated using click spots. Each of the five variants has its own unique cockpit design. These cockpits are typically old-school, with no glass displays or digital gauges, only traditional analogue gauges. The gauges are easy to read and respond smoothly and quickly.
 


 
Hovering over the click spots will show their function, provided the option is enabled in XP, but it's not always apparent how a control operates. If you prefer to use a mouse to operate switches and controls, the cockpit layouts may not be particularly helpful. This is not a criticism of the package, as it accurately reflects the real aircraft, but it can lead to awkward operation. For example, the Auto-Prop Pitch switch is located out of sight to the left of the pilot, just below the throttle control. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't find a matching control in X-Plane 12 that I could map to a keypress or my Saitek/Logitech GA Panel. To overcome this, you may need to set up custom camera views and configure keys for some operations.
 


 
The cockpit is well-lit in low-light conditions, making it suitable for night-time flying. Additionally, there is a handy briefcase located to the left of the pilot's seat that provides checklists for different phases of the aircraft's operation.
 



 
Handling
As someone who is not a real-world pilot, I can't comment on the authenticity of the flight model. Even if I were a pilot, I doubt I would have had the opportunity to fly a real Me-109. However, I was surprised by how the model performed in the air, as it was more sluggish than I expected and seemed impossible to stall. After doing some research, I found that the French and British reached the same conclusion when they were able to test two undamaged examples acquired during the war.

On the ground, the Me-109 can be quite a handful. Its narrow tricycle undercarriage means that taxiing speeds must be kept low. The cockpit view, typical of a taildragger, is extremely limited, but the plane is responsive enough that taxiing using the old S technique works well.
 


 
During takeoff, the plane becomes very lively as the speed increased, and I found it rather challenging to keep the plane heading in the right direction. Once airborne, the torque can cause the aircraft to pull to the left. Unfortunately, there is no rudder or aileron trim to counteract this, which is true of the real-world plane.
 

 
Landing is just as challenging as the aircraft becomes quite sluggish at slow speeds, and once on the ground, it's easy to overcorrect and ground loop the plane. Personally, I found grass takeoffs and landings easier than tarmac ones.

 
Sounds
The sampling of the Me-109 engine has a pleasingly energetic sound, which adds to the overall experience. I didn't detect any audio looping, and opening the cockpit canopy made the engine noise clearer and louder. Most switches produce a distinct sound when operated, although there were a few that were silent. A few of the switches also sounded similar to others, but this is not uncommon in aircraft packages of this price. Overall, the sound design is good and comparable to other comparable products on the market.

Performance
Throughout my testing of MLADG's Me-109, I encountered no performance problems at all. Framerates were consistently high and there were no noticeable delays or fluctuations. It's worth noting that my X-Plane configuration consists of an Intel i9 10900K processor, 32GB of RAM, an Nvidia MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X graphics card, and Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - so it's quite a capable system.
 


Conclusion
Summing up, the Me109 can be a challenging aircraft, particularly during take-off and landing. However, it surprised me by being more sluggish in the air than I anticipated, and generally easy to handle.

All things considered; I think the MLADG Me-109 is an excellent addition to the selection of historical military planes available for X-Plane. I appreciate that the package includes versions for both X-Plane 11 and 12, multiple variants, and all at a very reasonable price point.
 
________________________
 

 
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 by MLADG is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
Messerschmitt Bf 109
Priced at US$19.95
 
Features:
The model reproduces the Bf 109 G2 version: V12 DB605 engine with 1455 hp service ceiling 11600 m 685 km/h at 7400 m VFR equipped Package includes:
Detailed Model of the Messerschmitt Me-109 G-2 New Me-109 G-10 variant included Fully implemented virtual cockpit with almost every switch functional Detailed outside model Custom night lighting Tropical version of the plane included Three liveries (including a paint kit) 4k textures for the outside model  
Requirements:
X-Plane 11 - X-Plane 12 when available (in progress)
Windows, Mac, or Linux
4GB VRAM Minimum - 8GB+ VRAM Recommended
Current version: 1.5 (October 6th, 2022)
 
Review System Specifications
Intel i9 10900K – 32GB RAM - NVidia MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X – Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
__________________________________
 
Aircraft Review by Peter Allnutt
30th March 2023
Copyright©2023: 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.
 
 

 
 

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 A320-323, that project release was back in 2009, with 2d screens and for the first time X-Plane users had access to quality Airbus flying systems, as plugin systems were now available in X-Plane (10) and QPAC took total advantage of the technology.
 
Crude certainly by today's study aircraft, but the core design was correct, and it was very advanced for it's time, if you want a glance at that past, here is the X-PlaneReviews announcement for aircraft; Aircraft Development and Announcement : QPAC A320-232 v2. In May 2014 there was a significant update to v2.02, and it is again well worth browsing the details. Aircraft Update : Airbus A320-232 v2.0.2 Basic by QPAC. The QPAC project was then cancelled in October 2017, but it also left a significant legacy in Simulation for Airbus aircraft, and in X-Plane at that time in being the forefront of Electronic systems and cockpits.
 
Torsten Liesk however went on to create ToLiSS, with the new foundation the developer's fame then rose through Airbus aircraft releases like the A319-112, the A321-231 and lastly the Airbus A340-600. But oddly there was no original redesign of the A320, and the highest selling airliner in the world.
 
The surprise was a announcement of an ToLiSS Airbus A320 back earlier in this year (2023), but the aircraft released is the variant of the A320-271N... or the NEO (New Engine Option), with two engines types provided in the Pratt&Whitney PW1127G (fan - 206 cm),and the CFM-LEAP 1A26 (fan - 198 cm). both engines are GTF "Geared Turbofan", for better performance and fuel economy. There will be no CEO (Current Engine Option), for that you will have go to either to the JARDesign A320, or the FlightFactor A320 Ultimate.
 
Honestly if you are already familiar with both the A319 and the longer A321, then a lot here in the A320neo that is going to be the same, even with the same engines, which can be both added to the A321 via the A321 NEO Upgrade. So cross-cockpit functionality is very easy, certainly from the A321neo version.
 
In 2006 Airbus started the A320 Enhanced (A320E) programme as a series of improvements targeting a 4–5% efficiency gain with large winglets (2%), aerodynamic refinements (1%), weight savings and a new aircraft cabin.
 
Renamed NEO (neo being Greek for "new", as well as an initialism for "new engine option") and re-engined with CFM LEAP scaled-down GEnx engine or the Pratt & Whitney GTF engines and fitted with sharklets as standard. The NEO is 15% to 20% more fuel efficient than prior models, It was launched on 1 December 2010, made its first flight on 25 September 2014 and was introduced into service by Lufthansa on 25 January 2016.
 

 
Outwardly the ToLiSS A320neo is nicely modeled. Earlier or first addition ToLiSS modeling was good, but far from the best in class, but since swapping modelers a few years back then the quality and detail has slowly climbed with each release, the A340-600 was excellent, and slowly the rest of the fleet have all been refined to be the quality products they all are. The NEO is obviously visually more oddly balanced, with those monstrously oversized scaled-down version of GEnx/GTF engines....
 

 
Someone will always pick over the detail of a A320, mostly the unique nose style, but what we have here is good, solid and well done modeling and detail, everything you want in detail is present and correct, this is of course an Airbus Official licensed product so it has to pass a certain grade of quality.
 

 
Wing and forward edge detail is very good. Every developer has their own style, not the extreme of say Rotate, but still quality work you can admire. Flap complexity is also first rate, but you get a clean aircraft..   no heavy dirt or wear and tear here, which is okay on this aircraft.
 

 
Undercarriage in detail is excellent, perfectly formed for all the assembly and links. Tyres are however not as round as they should be, you see the movement when taxiing or when the gear is retracting, as there are too many slabsides to the round. Tyre detail could be better as well.  Interior strut assemblies are however excellent, with great detail of Oleo cylinder, axle beam and hydraulic systems.
 

 
Ditto the complex nosegear, detail and assembles are excellent. All the detail you can admire and look at while doing the walkaround check.
 

 
Doors cover 1R, 2R, 1L (service) and 2L (service), Front and rear main cargo and small rear bulk cargo doors all open.
 
All doors are animated in the three modes, AUTO, OPEN and CLOSED, with still the AUTO as default. Not my favorite ToLiSS feature as they open when you want closed, or closed when you want open, so you have to go around the menu to reset every door to manual, then they flip back to AUTO again? your always at war with your doors?
 

 
There are three new external features! First are animated baggage loaders for the front and rear main holds...
 

 
...  Second are the new animated Catering Trucks, on doors 1R and 2R, DOORS have to be set to OPEN for them to work.
 

 
...   third new feature are the amazing DE-ICING trucks. These animated De-icers spray first the main wings and control surfaces, then move to the tail to do the rear control surfaces and even the rudder, beautifully animated, they are an excellent fun detail to use in cold clime's. I would expect all three of these features to be added to the A319/A321 and the A346 aircraft.
 

 
Oddly there are no forward stairs, of which you really miss, but ToLiSS has noted they are coming soon. There are no visible external GPU and the supplied Air pressure units (High and Low) available on the menu either, there are however chocks.
 
Cabin
In reality it is the standard ToLiSS cabin fitout you use on the A319/A321, no really big surprise there. It is nicely done, if a bit bland in colours, the painters can probably help out here with some Airline flavour. There are a few Airline cabins to be seen later in the review.
 

 
It is very tasteful, but basic. Both forward and rear galleys are well fitted out, and the cabin lighting is controlled by the IACP (Interactive Audio Control Panel), but it is thankfully only standard lighting and not the new rainbow liTeMood® LED cabin lighting with all its bright colours. Window detail is very basic, with no inner surrounds or double perspex windows? as are the passenger upper panels with no lighting of the "Seatbelt", "No Smoking" signs. But overall it is a good cabin.
 

 
Cockpit - Cold
The cockpit is the traditional Airbus blue. Basically it is the standard A320 cockpit, the seats are the same from the A319/A321 with no changes, and both have the animated armrests.
 

 
The panel texture feel is excellent, there is a nice worn/wear effect throughout all the instrument assemblies, all new here, and redone for the A320neo. You notice this effect a lot while flying and it creates a very good ambience in the cockpit, it does however feel more early airbus, than the newer cleaner surfaces you would find on a latest NEO variant.
 
 
 
Cabin - Powered (Hot)
Turn on the battery power supply and you get a "Test" evaluation for 40 secs, then you can set the IRS Alignment. Small details, but very authentic. Mostly you would keep the aircraft in turnaround mode, or here APU+ADIRU ON.
 

 
System depth here is enormous, basically mostly all the A320's systems are simulated, so yes it is a study aircraft, maybe even a bit deeper than that, more importantly the systems are totally authentic. In other words everything is by the book or the Airbus manuals, you feel it, and thankfully ToLiSS provided a lot of information and a flight based tutorial. System depth is highlighted here by being on ground power but the battery supply is switched off, perfectly simulated, "Study" obviously.
 

 
To a point we take a lot of the system detail now for granted, not understanding the complexity and the work to bring us these perfectly tuned machines, dig into the systems and then you realise how really good they are today, we literally have everything at our (mouse) fingertips.
 
Instrument layout is the standard Airbus T Five across One down, or PFD, NAV/MAP each side and the two stacked ECAM (Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor) displays in the centre.
 
Centre Panel has the Backup Instruments, Timer, Brake pressure and Gear lever/indicators. But the lower screens are the CPDLC displays which stands for “Controller Pilot DataLink Connection”.
 

 
The CPDLC system does actually work in the ToLiSS aircraft, but used mainly for On-Line Flying. You require a "Hoppie ID" to use it and to access the ACARS function (Aircraft Communications, Addressing and Reporting System). Also there is the function to print out CPDLC messages and weather reports
 

 
OHP (OverHead Panel) is standard A320 Airbus in layout, as is the central Console. Glareshield Autopilot system - Auto-Flight-System Control-Panel (AFS CP), is again the standard Airbus twin-engine fitout, nothing special, but the system depth is hidden by the basics, and I do like the single dot (push) and twin dot (pull) and mouse scroll manipulator system. 
 


 
The iconic A320 stubby throttles are really well done, as is the now famous Side-Stick "Mon âme", the soul of the A320 aircraft.
 
Early ToLiSS aircraft didn't have a lot of smaller features, which I called "Toys", or things to play with, and you really missed them...
 
...   slowly they are being added in to the ToLiSS fleet, one (or the two here) are the pullout drawers for documents...
 

 
...  second and a new feature for ToLiSS are opening side windows, the small catch (arrowed) allows you to close them again.
 

 
The window blinds, front and side however still don't work, a needed feature, but the open window it is a great step forward.
 
ToLiSS ISCS - Interactive Simulation Control System
The Menu system is a bit more in depth than for just selecting SETTINGS, it is the heart of the ToLiSS way of flying and using the aircraft.
 

 
You can access the ISCS via the banner "Plugins", menu, the other setting option is "Resume from last flight", we will look at that soon. I set the ISCS menu on a key command (key S), this makes it far more accessible and quickly, plus the same command works on any ToLiSS aircraft.
 

 
First surprise is that the ISCS here on the A320neo is different, not the light green shades of before, but now the variations of blue colours. Tabs and layout are however the same as the earlier version, but the colour is far, far better (yes I like the ISCS a lot more), and the menu is also scalable in size, also available in a pop-out Window format.
 

 
There are seven ISCS tabs available covering: Situations A/C Config, Loading Perfo, Ground Services, Faults Scenerios, Addons, Sound/Actions, Joystick and the General Settings Actions.
 
Situations A/C Config
The Config page is used to set up the aircraft with three sections, "Load/Save Situations", "Aircraft Configuration" and "Performance Adjustments"
 
Load/Save Situations is an absolute gem of a tool, basically it is "Save" tool, but it saves EVERYTHING including the important FMS settings and your route, and better still it gives you a backup "Auto-Saving" feature in case X-PLANE does a nasty CTD (Crash to Desktop) or a freeze on you, all the saves are held in the X-Plane Plugin's Folder and not in the A320neo Aircraft folder...  
 
Simply years better than any other save tool in X-Plane it is simply golden to set up or to have your aircraft ready at a certain state of "ready to Flight", helpful if you just want to come back and just fly, then you can save the aircraft situation ready that way...  it is just simply brilliant. The saved situations can be "Filtered" to find certain saved situations if the list is long. AUTO-SAVING time can be set from 1 Min to 30 Min, but every 5 Min is the best compromise. ONE of the biggest features on the aircraft, other developers take note...  WE WANT THIS FEATURE.
 

 
Aircraft Configuration section covers engine selection (AUTO, PW1127G-JM  and CFM-LEAP 1A26), the Auto setting is used with the codes on the liveries (PWG) or (LEA) to automatically set the correct engine type to the livery. Other options include - Use Imperial Units, SATCOM Antenna, ERudder Config, Multi-Functional RWY LT (Switch from standard to wingbox arrangement), Auto NAV on GA (Activates NAV function on Go-Around).
 
Performance Adjustments  cover "Aircraft Age", Engine Age" from NEW to OLD. Note: all the set page settings have to be saved before use.
 
Has BUSS Switches; here you can display switches that allow reverting PFDs to the display of the AoA-based backup speed scale and the GPS based backup altitude individually, they are present next to each PFD.
 

 
ERudder Config - Airbus has replaced the 7 Flight Control Computers (2 ELAC, 3 SEC, 2 FAC) by 4 new generation computers (2ELAC, 2 SEC). This option allows switching between the two configurations.
 
Loading Perfo
This tab covers the "Aircraft Loading" and "CG-CW", Payload, Passenger, Cargo and Fuel which can be set, then added to the MCDU INIT B page values. Fuel loading can be "Quick" or "Slow" (real Time). CG-GW Diagram gives you your Centre of Gravity and Gross Weight limits on a graph. TO PERFORMANCE settings can also be set here.
 

 
Ground Services
This tab covers the external factors on the aircraft. Ground Supplies provides options for "External Power" (GPU) and "High and Low pressure air" to start the engines and provide ventilation/air-conditioning while on the ground. But as noted there are no external physical units, Chocks however are shown.
 

 
But there is a built in PUSHBACK feature...  The pushback is quite basic in look and to use in auto or manual modes. However I always use the excellent BetterPushBack Truck as an alternative. The ToliSS A32oneo has been configured correctly for the BetterPushBack use, so it works extremely well here. Note in watching the pushback operation on the ECAM!
 
New on the right is DEICING...  You can do a "Quick" De-Ice, or use the animated De-Ice Trucks as seen earlier.
 
AIRCRAFT DOORS  have three selections with Auto (default) Close and Open. The auto will open the doors when the park brake is set and the engines are off. But they do have a tendency to be a bit uncontrollable in opening/closing at the wrong times or not opening when you need them to be open. So the manual "Close" is my preference to control them. There is no save selection either and so every time you open the aircraft you have to then (constantly and annoyingly) reset all the doors back to your AUTO preference state, as the default auto setting will always switch and will always have the front left and the two cargo doors open every time you load up the aircraft? Not a fan?
 
New bottom are the two animated "Baggage Loaders" and the two "Catering Trucks", (note the DOOR 1R/2R has to be set to OPEN, for the Catering Trucks to work?).
 
Faults Scenerios
The A320neo has a great failure system, or fault Scenarios. These failures can be set up on the ISCS Panel. This feature is listed under the "FAULT SCENERIOS" tab.
 

 
You can have a total random setting that covers a wide range of 90 faults over twelve systems in "less" or "more" than "100 Flights", or you can set your own failure with the options including: NOW, AT TIME (set time in Seconds from now), AT IAS (Speed), AT ALT (set altitude) or RANDOM, New is the point of failure in Take-Off, Climb, Cruise, Desent, Landing and Flight...    and you can set as many failures as you like.
 

 
Sound/Addon/Accounts
There has been three areas now combined into the one Sound/Addon/Accounts Tab
 

 
Sound Settings; Turbine Sound Studios (TSS) provides the sounds for ToLiSS aircraft, but you can default back to the X-Plane default sound volumes if you wish in controlling a MASTER, INTERNAL and EXTERNAL volume, 3D Sound Fading will silence the PTU and Flap sounds in the cockpit.
 
No ADDONS here, usually for Engine variants, but the standard engine default is you get the GTF versions with the aircraft,
 
ACCOUNT IDS; New are accounts for your SimBrief ID and HOPPIE CPDLC Logon,
 
If you want to use the ACARS function for flight plan download, you can put your SimBrief pilot ID into the field “SimBrief ID”. Important note: This is a pure number, not your SimBrief Email address. You can find this number on the Simbrief Website, under “Dispatch / Account settings” and then in the Simbrief data tab under “Pilot ID”.
 
Ignore AIRAC/AC Type mismatch: If this option is OFF, the flight plan download will fail if the active AIRAC cycle in the FMGS does not match the AIRAC cycle used by Simbrief for planning.
Set Payload + Fuel to Simbrief: If you select this option, the cargo, payload and fuel on board in the ISCS will be set immediately to the Simbrief values. Always use SimBrief winds: If this option is selected, any wind request in the FMGS will take the wind data from the Simbrief plan  
HOPPIE option
The option “Auto Execute handovers” allows to switch to the next ATC station automatically upon receiving the “handover” command from your current ATC station without having to notify the new ATC station.
 
Joystick Actions; Joystick Configuration selections options cover the "Primary Joystick", control of NWS (NoseWheel Steering) on/off, Enable Second Joystick (For custom setups like home built panels or training as it supports the use of two sidesticks (pilot and co-pilot side), A dual input and priority logic are also available as on the real aircraft), Tiller Assignment (with Tiller centre setting). (Rudder) Pedal Brakes Assignment with brake strength, Smart Park Brake, Allow Brake on One Pedal, keys F1/F2 Toggle reversers (I use joystick trigger!), "Smart THR Idle Lock" and "Rev on Same Axis"
 

 
Detent calibration; The fields on the right side of this screen are designed to allow quick alignement between hardware detents and software detents. Simply place the hardware thrust levers into the detent that you want to calibrate and read the results.
 
Actions; Include "ADIRU Quick Align", or "Jump to next Waypoint" (Jumps the aircraft a maximunm of 200nm or the next waypoint) "You don't do you!"
 
Clever is the new AUTO-PAUSE
This feature allows the user to leave the computer during a flight and make sure that the simulation pauses automatically if something happens that requires user interaction. The feature allows automatic pausing of the simulation, if:
A master warning is triggered (e.g. due to AP disconnect) A master warning or a master caution are triggered. (Any system fault) A master warning or caution is triggered, or the aircraft has passed the T/D, i.e. has entered the DESCENT phase.  
General Settings; The General Settings tab has five sections in: "Product Info", "Visual Settings", "Startup Behaviour", "User Interface" and "Miscellaneous".
 
Product Info (Information) covers the current build number and version (very Airbus), and License ID
 
Visual Settings include Display (Instrument) reflections, Window Reflections and Screen background Glow. Windshield (Librain) effects and Particle Effects. "Refresh PDF every X Cycles" This is an option for the weak graphic card users, in that instead of the heavy use every cycle to refresh the system displays, you can set the cycles to be redrawn either every 2nd or 4th cycle.
 
Startup Behaviour sets the aircraft to a certain startup situation (known as Cold or Hot), options include: OVHD XP Start. Cold Start Type in COLD+DARK, EXT POWER (connected) and really all on with APU+ADIRU ON. Default Baro in either HPA or InHG (note you can also have the choice to SYNC or adjust manually the separate PFD Baros). Finally you can set your own default "Transition Altitude".
 

 
User Interface is options on how you interact with the aircraft. Options include: Use Mouse wheel, Sync Baro Settings, Pop-out windows for Pop-ups and you can save your set Pop-Up configuration (Cockpit builders) on Quit.
 
Miscellaneous
ILS auto align is a feature that if the custom scenery that rotates the runway; for these cases the ILS and the runway are not aligned anymore. The ToLiSs A320 plugin thereby contains a feature that detects if there is such custom scenery installed and then realigns the ILS in the internal database with the new runway heading.
 
XPDR Compatiblility Mode, is the use of different transponder modes. Cache Routes only on Startup, prevents the plugin from checking for changes to your fms flight plan files during the flight.
 
Enable AviTab Tablet, The AviTab tablet is installed on the lower left of the Pilot and usable if you have the AviTab plugin set in your plugin folder and acts like the EFB (Electronic Flight Bag).
 
Again remember you have to save any Settings and Default values for them to be effective and in some instances a restart is required to activate a setting.
 
Avitab- EFB (Electronic Flight Bag)
There are two Avitabs situated on the sills on both sides of the cockpit...  if you have a Navigraph account, you can access the Navigraph Charts, tools and other features on the A320neo.
 
 
 
Besides the AviTab EFB there are now four new other tab options...   WGT-BALANCE, TO PERF, LDG (Landing), PERF and CHECKLIST
 

 
There is a lot of performance data here to be used, and all are at your finger tips, includes; Weight summary, Take-off weight and the landing weight with CG, landing performance calculator and a very good tick (Green) Checklist.
 

 
Interactive Audio Control Panel (IACP)
There is another menu access system situated on the Radio Panel, called the "Interactive Audio Control Panel" (IACP). This feature gives you finger access to an item in a more pop-up accessible form...  two options are MECH or five ground communication tabs; SERVICES, PUSHBACK, FUEL/DEFUEL, CARGO HANDLING and DEICING. 
 


 
Second IACP option is ATT selection covers Cabin interaction; DOORS, PASSENGERS and CABIN LIGHTING...
 

 
....   Cabin Lighting adjustment is great because it gives you control over the brightness of the cabin lighting, I really don't like bright cabins, and worst with no way to tone them down.
 
ACARS - Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System
ToLiSS aircraft comes with the ACARS function, used as noted earlier with the CPDLC. But it has another function here in the ability to download the FlightPlan from Navigraph's Simbrief. The tool was introduced on the ToLiSS Airbus A340-600 v1.1, since then also updated to the rest of the ToLiSS fleet (A319/A321) and so it is a big feature in the A320neo as well. A full tutorial in how to use it was covered in Airbus A340-600 v1.1 by ToLiSS...  but we will do a brief overview here to see how it works.
 
SimBrief
Remember that you have to complete your SimBrief Pilot ID in the ISCS (SOUND/ADDON/ACCOUNTS). Then the "Data" link has to be opened by pressing the COMMS VHF 3 button the Radio panel. Also important is to set the "Set Payload + Fuel to Simbrief", option ON, if not you will have to set up the aircraft fuel and weight options separately.
 

Then complete and generate your SimBrief flight profile, note you use the Aircraft Type A20N, for NEO, not the A320-200. Our route today is easyjet EC453 from LEBL (Barcelona) to LCLK (Larnaca, Cyprus).
 
Select INIT REQUEST (Make sure the asterisk is showing that the data link is live), then the Simbrief Flight Briefing should load into the MCDU, It does two loads, so don't close it to quickly, as it takes real time to load, when data is uploading it will say "PERF DATA UPLINK".
 

 
Next is to set your Departure RWY/SID/VIA and Arrival RWY/STAR/VIA . When done you can then set the TO-PERFORMANCE data via the TO-DATA REQUEST, sometimes it is best to do it manually as it is far quicker and more accurate, the data is found on the ISCS (TO PERFORMANCE) option.
 

 
Brilliant isn't it, makes aircraft set up and ready for flight a very easy job, but mostly it saves tons of time, your flying time. 
 
The New option on the EFB can give you your now set WGT - BALANCE situation, and also available is your TO-PERF data, you press the ""COMPUTE" button to set out the TakeOff data, including your V markers set out on a runway map....  all so fantastic isn't it.
 

 
And your all ready to go.
 

________________
Flying the ToLiSS A320neo
Pushback from Stand 222 Barcelona, notable is that I'm using the BetterPushBack plugin, the ToLiSS aircraft does have a built in PUSHBACK feature, but the BPB is better and has even been refined by ToLiSS for use in the A320neo, note the N/W STEERING alert on the lower ECAM display while the pushback is in operation.
 

 
Pushback completed, I got an "Alert Warning", my Trim was not set correctly? or in Airbus speak "F/CTL PITCH TRIM/MCDU/CG DISAGREE",
 

 
This alert shows the depth of the system detail in ToLiSS aircraft, yes as noted it is a "Study", aircraft, so it is best to study up on the details, and in how to fix alerts such as this one. And this alert only came up after the engines were powering the systems. I can't even begin to cover all the systems here, but only to note on how extensive and authentic they are.
 
We are now in X-Plane 12r3 (or Release 3). Thankfully the more mature version. One aspect of that is the developers can now fine tune areas that were a bit of mess before. Lighting is a big one. Here the external lighting, Turnoff/Taxi/Landing lighting is now nicely tuned...
 

 
...  but there is a choice in external lighting, first the usual underwing landing lights and forward gear turnoff lights, or second with both sets combined on the centre wing box, or "Multi-Functional RWY LT".
 

 
Taxiing is being aware of the nose gear having a slower response in movement, something you had to adjust to as far back as the QPAC A320, so you have to anticipate turns to get it right, it soon becomes natural, but you still have to adapt to it.
 

 
Ready to go on LEBL Runway 06L (note in X-Plane it will sometimes say 07L, with the magnetic variation, depending on your AIRAC).
 
TakeOff weight is 71,114 Kg, with a fuel load of 13,700 Kg to get me to Cyprus, but my main concern is the east gusty crosswind of 13 kts, straight off the Balearic Sea.
 
Power up to TO/THRUST and your rolling... The CFM-LEAP 1A26 give out 120.64 kN (27,120 lbf) Takeoff thrust, plenty of power and you feel it.
 

 
v2 (Rotate) is 152 +10, but on clearing the runway I feel that gusty wind, so I'm already crabbing a little with a lot of right foot rudder and a bit less right engine power to keep the aircraft on course...  My point here is the feel, it is so brilliant, you feeeeel this aircraft so well, flying it as per recommendations, or realistically, it is a brilliant simulation of a A320neo.
 
 
 
All Airbus "Flight Control Laws" are in action here, there are four named flight control laws, however alternate law consists of two modes, alternate law 1 and alternate law 2. Each of these modes have different sub modes: ground mode, flight mode and flare, plus a back-up mechanical control.
The flight mode of normal law provides five types of the aircraft's flight envelope protection: pitch attitude, load factor limitations, high speed, high-AOA and bank angle. Flight mode is operational from take-off, until shortly before the aircraft lands, around 100 feet above ground level. It can be lost prematurely as a result of pilot commands or system failures. Loss of normal law as a result of a system failure results in alternate law 1 or 2
 
in normal law vertical side stick movement corresponds to a load factor proportional to stick deflection independent of aircraft speed. When the stick is neutral and the load factor is 1g, the aircraft remains in level flight without the pilot changing the elevator trim.
 
Engine Thrust Management is covered by the engine control law, so you have to follow the SPEED commands, or shift the throttles to the required A/THR detent, or first the CL (Climb detent)...  Set FLEX mode can also be used. It's all an awareness of Airbus system flying.
 

 
Sounds like mentioned are good, and cover a wide spectrum...  so your not missing anything here on the basics, and the GTF whine is nicely done in flight. However I am very used to the BSS (BlueSkyStar) PRO Packages that is available for the FF Airbus A320 Ulitmate. I mean 500+ sounds, that is hard to emulate, and the package is extremely good, if BSS do release a A320neo pack, then it would be certainly be a good investment.
 

 
In the air, and in X-Plane 12...  it's a great combination! 
 

 
In the pilot's seat, it's a pure A320 environment, everything works and this is the office, only complaint are the non-usable blinds, both the forward and side screens don't work. Yet X-Plane 12 is glaring up here at FL380. 
 

 
Lighting
Over the last few months of the X-Plane 12 beta, internal lighting was hard to define, bloated text and dark cockpits were not the best places to live. In the ToLiss A320neo the Instrument panel is glorious, highly adjustable as per Airbus lighting knobs, no bloated text either... all nice and sharply clear.
 

 
But you are missing the downlights in the daytime, this makes the instrument panel a bit dark in the daylight. The X-Plane 12 Lookup/Lookdown adjustment works well here, but the panel down-lighting would have broken up the gloom a little.
 

 
DOME lighting has three settings; OFF, DIM and BRT (Bright), all very good...
 

 
But missing are a few lighting areas...  there are no overhead tray lights, or side lights, the reading light doesn't work either? OHP ANN LT test is excellent, very realistic. Dark Cockpit mode for night TakeOff and Landings is also excellent...  an important one for me, I hate any overhead lighting reflecting on me when I need to see out of the aircraft...  impressed.
 

 
The cabin lighting is very good, as you have a large adjustment on the IACP of the lighting from OFF (dark) to Full Bright.
 

 
OFF is BLACK, nothing, and there are no separate galley lighting points either, which would be nicely needed. So you set it around 10% which is a nice low-light cabin ambience.
 

 
External lighting is excellent. Navigation and Strobes are perfect, wing(Ice) lights are also well done. Tail light works, but only when the flaps are not set to zero as per Airbus rules.
 

 
As you can adjust the cabin lighting, you don't get that Ocean Liner effect, so the aircraft looks highly realistic at night.
 

 
Off the coast of Greece....
 
Performance; Seating is One class 195, Two class 165, with a cargo capacity of 37 m3 (1,300 cu ft) - Cruise: Mach 0.78 (450 kn; 833 km/h), Max.: Mach 0.82 (473 kn; 876 km/h) - Ceiling 39,100–39,800 ft (11,900–12,100 m) - Range 6,500 km / 3,500 nmi
 

 
There is a New feature from ToLiSS called the EQUI - TIME POINT, found under DATA lower RK6. ETP (Equal Time Point), which is basically the point at which it'll take a shorter time to continue to the next suitable diversion airfield than to turn back to the last one. Mostly used on ETOPS routes and over oceans for diversion actions.
 
Liveries
You basically only get two liveries with the package; ToLiSS House livery, and the official Airbus A320 NEO House livery...
 

 
But the painters will be taking up their paints very quickly...  Christoph_T, Emma Bentley and Matt Hayward are the main official contributors (Thanks to Matt for the easyjet Livery), Another is a very nice "MakeChange", Austrian Airlines by clemacamelc, and the cabin details show what you can do to hide the bland default cabin (Yes I take a bow for the applause).
 

 
Let us put it this way, you won't be short of liveries, they can be found at the X-Plane.Org; ToLiss/Aircraft Skins/Liveries, a paintkit is also available here; Paintkit;ToLiSS A320 Neo v1.0
 

 
Approaching Cyprus from the west, and you set your landing PERF on the MCDU, then you can access the information on EFB (LDG PERF) for a visual and data reference...  yes I like it very much. 
 

 
Over Cyprus and the weather report is not good, with low cloud to 2,000ft, and yes rain.
 

 
X-Plane 12 has the Librain effects built in, and they work well here, front and side windows, but you get nothing on the cabin windows, another "but" will come later.
 

 
ILS S into Runway 22 is a tricky loop, first you overfly Larnaca International (112.80 LCA), then head west to the tight turn into the ILS (ILC-110.30)...
 

 
...  then you set up the aircraft ready for landing, gear, lights, arm spoilers. The turn is extremely tight at the top...
 

 
...  X-Plane 12 is literally DAZZLING, brilliant!
 

 
Coming out of the turn your numbers have to be exactly right, Flap 3, 170 knts and the height perfect around 2,000ft...
 

 
...  when you come out of the turn and straighten up the vertical ILS diamond is right there on the ILS beams activate line, so you approach height has to be perfect, as does your speed. I get it perfectly right and hit the slope automatically. You can fly an Airbus A320 manually, the normal law allows this, so this approach can be done hands on, which would mostly be the case in real world flying. Up comes the rain again, but the wipers don't clear the streaks, and in the bright sunlight it makes it very hard to see the runway?
 

 
With the strong headwind I could do a nice 140 kts approach at FULL flap, now you can let the aircraft do the automatic "Autoland" sequence...  airbus style.
 

 
I'm extremely impressed with X-Plane 12 at the moment, it gives you a great all weather simulation, certainly in the atmosphere and effects, not perfect, but now very good. Airbrakes and  AUTO/BRK (MED) worked very well on touch-down and with a nicely noisy, landing configuration which was very good in detail.
 

 
Coming into RWY 22 I couldn't see "anything"? then on the ground the wipers suddenly started to clear the water? A Laminar Research issue or a Developer issue?, but you need those wipers working on the final approach!
 

 
The adrenalin kick from Simulation flying is when it all goes perfectly correct, your skills interacting with the aircraft....
 

 
...  more importantly the aircraft doing "exactly" what you are asking it to do, then you get into the flow, then you get the high rush....  Here it all works perfectly, a great simulation, but a brilliant aircraft Interpreting your commands and wishes, you get that and more with this ToLiSS A320 NEO.
________________
 
Summary
ToLiSS was the part of the 2009 original collaboration with QPAC to create the first X-Plane A320 simulation with realistic Airbus Flight Control Laws, and automated cockpits. Since then the developer has gone on to creating the best Airbus aircraft for the X-Plane Simulator, with the A319-112, the A321-231 and lastly the Airbus A340-600. Here is a return to his roots, but with a slight twist with the Airbus A320 NEO, as the release is only with the NEO (New Engine Option) with the two engines types provided in the Pratt&Whitney PW1127G and the CFM-LEAP 1A26. One engine is scaled-down version GEnx engine (LEAP), the PW a GTF "Geared Turbofan", for better performance and fuel economy. No CEO (Current Engine Option) will be offered.
 
Modeling and design is very good, but early ToLiSS didn't have the extensive extreme quality you can now expect in this category, but with a change of a modeller a few years back, now in every area the detail and quality is highly improved, and certainly now matching the high quality Airbus Official systems and for the excellent flying feedback of the aircraft. This ToLiSS is absolutely the best of it's category and class.
 
That said I'm not crazy about the lumpy tyres, and in areas the lighting could be better, with missing tray spotlights, rear reading lights and no separate galley lighting, no window blinds is highly noticeable at altitude, cabin lighting however is highly adjustable.
 
System wise the ToLiSS A320neo is the best in X-Plane (all ToLiSS aircraft are), with all Airbus Flight Laws and Protections highly intergrated, with the authentic engine control laws. If you want to fly the automated Airbus you can, but if you want to dig deeper into the "Study" aspect of Airbus Philosophy. Then that aspect is also very highly available here, so both Pro's and Newcomers to the Airbus way of aviation can be easily satisfied here.
 
Innovation in Simulation is also available with the ToLiSS A320neo. The ToLiSS ISCS - Interactive Simulation Control System is far more than a menu, it provides tools and options that are truly remarkable. The LOAD/SAVE Situation tool is a godsend for any Simmer... saving perfect situations to return ready for flight or even an unexpected simulator crash, I was back up and flying perfectly in minutes after a bad scenery crash, this shows the tool's peerless power. SimBrief intergration can load in the "Full" data brief into the aircraft's systems, another huge time saver. Fault Scenerios are also excellent as are aircraft configurations. AUTO-PAUSE, this feature allows the user to leave the computer during a flight to do a pause in three alert scenerios. Sounds are by Turbine Sound Studios, good but not BSS quality.
 
The ACARS function is fully intergrated with the CPDLC system , but really only available to on-line fliers with the HOPPIE network, but very good it is.
 
New to ToLiSS on the A320neo are ground equipment Baggage Loaders and Catering Trucks, and the sensational animated De-Icing Trucks, but still no stairs (coming) or GPU/AIR. Opening Side Windows and the Electronic FLight Bag EFB tools for WGT-BAL, TO PERF, LDG PERF, and extensive built in CHECKLIST. The "Interactive Audio Control Panel" (IACP) has also been extended to include both Ground and Cabin tabs with excellent cabin lighting adjustment.
 
The list can go on, and on...  but notable is the X-Plane 12 version in using the X-Plane features, an X-Plane 11 version is included in the package, but that would takeaway a lot of the dynamics and the immense fun this aircraft has to offer by using the X-Plane 12 environment.
 
The level required in this category of simulation is very high, but the ToLiSS A320NEO delivers superlative performance in every area, certainly in systems and innovation...  ToLiSS stands for brilliant Simulation, even sets the standards for the X-Plane simulator, and here available for X-Plane 12...    "Hugely Recommended".
_____________________
 

 
Yes! the Airbus A320 NEO by ToLiSS is NOW currently available from the X-Plane.Org Store here :
 
Airbus A320 NEO
Price is US$89.99
 
The feature list is HUGE!
Highlights: Brand new cockpit textures optimized for X-Plane 12 Choice of 2 engine types: PW1127G-JM and CFM LEAP1A26 Custom EFB with Avitab integration, weight and balance computer, take off and landing performance as well as interactive check list ACARS functionality: SimBrief flight plan import directly into the FMGS, TO Performance computations and wind upload. Hoppie CPDLC and PDC functionality including weather download from the Hoppie network Implementation of over 130 circuit breakers to cut power to certain systems. More than 210 failure modes that can be injected, including “resettable” failures. Can still run in X-plane 11 with most of these features, except for the XP12 specific rain effects Reversable back up speed scale (BUSS) 1. Highly complex FMGS: SID/STAR and airways support in a fully custom FMGS backbone supporting all A424 leg types (Arc, course or heading to intercept, Radius to Fix, Holdings, etc.) Active, alternate, 2 temporary as well as secondary flight plans 2 completely independent MCDUs and autopilots Pilot item database for custom fixes, navaids, flight plans and runways Full VNAV guidance with TOC, TOD, Deceleration point, speed limits, fuel prediction, and consideration of speed and altitude constraints etc. Support for go-arounds and diversions Step altitudes Offset function Direct To function including abeam points, radial in and radial out Hold function including computed and database holds as well as pilot defined holds Satellite availability model, including prediction for specific places and times Nav Aid autotuning Flight plan saving via the Pilot routes page Equitime point computation Nearest airports page Airways function including automatic computation of intersection point between two airways Fix info functionality to create reference circles or bearings ACARS function to simulate flight plan, TO Data and Wind upload from ground station using SimBrief data. SLS/GLS and FLS type approaches RNP-AR capability 2. Accurate systems: ToLiss Fly-by-wire and autopilot module, with support for Alternate and Direct Law Unique feature: Control Surface hinge moment modelling allows the surfaces to float to the appropriate position after loss of all actuators on a surface or to not reach full deflection if running on a single actuator. fault injection interface allowing to inject custom selected failures, or randomly selected failure based on fault probabilities with over 210 failure modes available. Custom TCAS with resolution advisory function. Terrain on ND and Weather radar available (WX radar works with default X-plane weather engine) Brake temperature model based on the detailed physics of heat transfer between the individual brake components Hydraulics model with proper hydraulic flow computation as function of surface motion, flap/slat motion, gear extension etc. You will see this by the pressure dropping when flying on RAT Custom engine model for accurate thrust and fuel flow modelling including oil pressure and temperature model as well as many engine failure modes. Thrust and fuel flow modelled for each engine type. Special engine logics, such as dual cooling on the PW1127G engine, are also modelled. Detailed model of each ADIRU including alignment, small pressure sensor differences between the units, switching of sources for PFDs and Aps Quantitative bleed system modelling affecting engine fuel flow Electrical system simulation with correct bus reconfiguration and load distribution, simulated electrical transients as well as emergency generation from the blue hydraulic system. Fire detection simulation for engines and APU Custom radio navigation computations including ability to perform backup RADNAV tuning through the RMPs Custom air conditioning model supporting high altitude operations at airports like Cusco in Peru or La Paz in Bolivia without spurious warnings Flight warning system with ECAM actions supporting numerous system failure scenarios, e.g. engine failures, generator failures, hydraulic failures. Custom indicating system including DMC and SDAC simulation. Choice between Multifunctional runway lights or the classic landing light configuration. 3. Eye- and ear-candy: Detailled 3D cockpit Opening side windows Animated tray tables Moving cockpit seats Animated ground services for refuelling, pushback and deicing as well as cargo baggage loaders 3d exterior model with PWG and LEAP engine Custom sounds from Turbine Sound Studios (TSS) included for all engines Integration of X-plane 12 native rain effects. 4. Useability features: Situation loading and saving. It is possible to save the flight at any point in time and resume it another day. This can also be used, e.g., to save the position just before approach and practice just the approach many times. This feature reinstates the complete aircraft state (except communications with ATC, such as AOC and CPDLC messages or ground service states.) Autosaving allows recovering where you left off, should the X-Plane session end unexpectedly. Jumping waypoint-to-waypoint through the cruise phase: Shorten your flight to focus on the more interesting parts as you like. Integrated takeoff performance calculator supporting the use of flex temperature. 4 different start-up configurations from Cold and Dark to engines running and ready to go In-screen popup displays or use of x-plane windows for popups Interactive audio control panel to change ground services, fuel, loading, passengers etc. without breaking immersion Electronic flight bag on both sides with Avitab integration, weight and balance computation, take-off and landing performance calculator as well as a user customizable interactive checklist. Print function for AOC messages, CPDLC messages and selected FMGS functions  
Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows , Mac (requires use of Rosetta on M1/M2 Macs with X-Plane 12)or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 745 MB Version 1.0 (March 20th 2023)   Installation Download of the Airbus A320 NEO is 705.50mb and it is installed in your Airliner Folder as a 1.19Gb folder. On start up you will have an activation screen presented to enter your Serial Number (Key), and then press the "Activate" bar to authorise the aircraft. I recommend to restart the aircraft from your desktop to realign all your plugins and load the aircraft cleanly.     There is extensive full instructions on how to set up the aircraft to your X-Plane settings (commands) and addons (Joysticks/Throttles) and other 3rd Party items in the ToLiSS A320 NEO V1.0_SimulationManual.   Documents There are Three Manuals Included with the package. All are extensive and well laid out with great details   Simulation manual : Describes installation, and setup of the model as well as usage of the “Interactive Simulation Control System”. Tutorial flight, which provides a step-by-step description of a complete flight from cold & dark to aircraft shut-down after landing. This is the best manual to learn flying the aircraft. Aircraft manual, which is primarily intended as a reference after the tutorial has been completed. It provides a reference for standard operating procedures, as well as a more in- depth look into the different systems of the aircraft.  
Extra Airbus system information is highly recommended and SMARTCOCKPIT is a great place to start.
_____________________
  Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton
20th March 2023
Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews
 
Review System Specifications: 
Windows  - 12th Gen IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU - 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB XLR8 - Samsung 970 EVO+ 2TB SSD
Software:   - Windows 11 Pro - X-Plane Version 12.04r3
Plugins: JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99
Scenery or Aircraft
- LEBL - Barcelona XP by Aerosoft (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$27.99
- Barcelona City by Logo Projects - (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$26.95
- LCLK - Larnaca International, Cyprus by JustSim (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$19.90
 
(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
 

Aircraft Review: MLADG Me 262 
 
By Nick Garlick
 
Introduction
Previously on “Garlick Reviews”, we looked at the wonderful Grumman Tigercat by Virtavia, and in today’s piece, my adventure with vintage aircraft designs continues, as I have been given the keys to both a “Swallow” and a “Storm Bird”. For those of us who are fluent in German, that’s a Schwalbe and Sturmvogel, however, to me and you, it’s the Messerschmitt Me 262 (fighter and fighter bomber) from MLADG.  

Developed during the Second World War, the Messerschmitt Me 262 served with the Luftwaffe, both as a fighter and a fighter bomber. It had a climb rate of almost 4,000 ft/min, a reported service ceiling of over 37,000 feet and a top speed in excess of 500mph, extremely impressive for an aircraft at that time. It was also fitted with four x 30mm Mk108 cannons, mounted in the nose, with underwing hardpoints for 24 x 2.2in R4M folding fin rockets, so quite a formidable aircraft to find yourself pitted against. As a fighter bomber, the Me 262 could also carry 2 x 550lb bombs mounted under the nose, with the later A2 variant being able to carry 2 x 1,100lb bombs, but at the expense of losing two of its 30mm cannons.  
 

 
Installation & Documentation    
Once purchased, you are provided with a zip file weighing in at 430MB. When unpacked, this contains the main aircraft file and documentation, along with two further zip files for the Me-163 Komet and a period glider (not the focus of this review). To install the models, it’s just a simple task of placing them into your X-Plane “Aircraft” folder. The package ships with a full-colour 18-page manual which includes technical data sheets, cockpit layout plans and pictorial diagrams with accompanying annotations. However, it seems the manual is the same one which came packaged with the original release, and as such does not mention the modifications made for X-Plane 12. It would have been nice to have seen these changes referenced, but as it stands, we are left with slightly out-of-date documentation. 
 


Exterior
The developer has managed to capture the unique shape of the Me 262 with its pointed nose, flat underbelly, swept wings and tall triangular-shaped dorsal fin extremely well. Indeed, when observed from some quarters, it resembles the profile of a shark more than a swallow, but they do say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The external model features exquisitely drawn panel lines, along with appropriate flush riveting, plus stressed skin panel effects, which can be seen in the right lighting conditions. The model features fully operable slats and flaps, plus an animated undercarriage, with reasonably detailed wheel bays. 
 


 
Liveries
The model on offer features only three liveries, default Splinter Green, Green, and Gray, but each one is done incredibly well and in fitting with both the aircraft and period. The liveries are the same for both fighter and bomber variants, along with a paint kit which enables you to create your own liveries if desired. Though not included in the product, my favourite livery is an RAF paint created by the Org member “amerrir”
 


 
Cockpit Interior  
Looking back at Stephen’s original Me 262 writeup from 2014, it’s quite clear to see that the cockpit environment was really quite dark. Also obvious was the absence of any form of cockpit wear and tear on the panels or instruments for that matter, which to be honest, left the cockpit feeling rather bland and dare I say it…a depressing place to find yourself in. However, fast forward to today, and you’ll be glad to know that the cockpit environment has received a significant makeover. It now features upgraded panels (now employs a much lighter grey/black colour palette for the cockpit tub), plus some nice subtle weathering effects. All these improvements lead to a far more satisfying and engaging cockpit environment, something the original model couldn’t quite achieve. 
 


 
Away from the textures, you’ll find that all the gauges, switches, and dials, are printed in authentic German, so you’ll have to familiarise yourself with the cockpit layout before attempting any sort of flight. Luckily, this is where the excellent manual comes in handy. If you take the time to read through it carefully, you’ll find that everything comes together, which in turn helps create a more enjoyable simming
environment. 
 


 
Handling
Having sat in the cockpit for a while familiarizing myself with the layout of the instruments, I thought it was about time I lit the pipes! With the parking brake on, battery master on, and fuel pump on, I pulled the Riedel switch, pressed the ignition and a short time later, I was trundling along the taxiway. At the edge of the runway, I set the elevator, rudder trim, and flaps to their desired settings (20 degrees in this case) and held the toe brakes. With this done, I slowly increased the throttle until the two Junkers Jumo 004 engines were running at 7000RPM, and then released the brakes. 
 

 
For a moment, nothing happened, but then, just like the real aircraft, I started to move forward, slowly at first, then gradually faster. Unlike the fast jets of today, the Me 262 was from a time when jet engine propulsion was in its infancy, so it takes a while for her to get going (a bit like myself). Once airborne, it was landing gear up, flaps up, and then reducing RPM as required. From here I set my trim and pitot heat, whilst constantly checking my instruments. 
 


 
At level flight, I found the Me 262 to be incredibly stable, one might even say docile. With enough direct input, she will manoeuvre on a whim, but be prepared for some engine lag…those two old Jumo engines really do take some time to get going. 
 

 
Landing is a relatively simple affair, but once again, you do have to consider that engine lag. Coming in slightly faster than necessary, rather than slower, is probably the safer option. However, even here a degree of caution is advised, as the Me 262 has quite a slippery profile, so it’s best to plan a few moves ahead. Once down, it was a case of retracting the flaps, and then proceeding to my designated parking area. Overall, the Me 262 is a true delight in the air, and as such, a real pleasure to fly. 
 


 
Sounds 
For me personally, there’s something special, maybe even oddly unique about the sounds emanating from an early jet engine. It’s difficult to explain, but they seem to sound sharper, more high-pitched, than the roaring rumbling monsters we have today. So, imagine my delight when first hearing the provided sounds for the engine. The included FMOD soundset is a delight and does a fantastic job of conveying those two vintage Jumo engines. From engine start to shut down, the entire range is there and it’s simply a pleasure to listen to. Various other sounds are also present, such as ones for levers and switches, plus the opening and closing of the canopy, as well as guns and bombs.  
 
Conclusion
Over the years I have had the pleasure of owning several models from MLADG, and I’ve yet to be disappointed by any of them. In my opinion, they deliver products that are well-produced, and beautifully detailed, all at a very reasonable price point. That trend continues with the Me 262 being reviewed here. Yes, it’s based on an earlier model but the cockpit environment (which had numerous issues in the original) has received a much-needed makeover, and due to that, it no longer looks bland, dark or…uninviting! The result is an aircraft which is more enjoyable to sit in, and as such, is one you are far more likely to enjoy. 
 

 
The Me 262 is not a complex model (not if going by some of today’s high-end products), but it does have enough about it so that it appeals to a broad range of simmers.  The only downside to the package I can really think of is the lack of liveries included with the product (one or two more would have been nice), plus the slightly dated manual. That said, I do like the developer's approach of including models for the previous version of X-Plane, as I believe that many users still prefer using X-Plane 11 at this time.    

Summing up; the Me 262 package from MLADG is a model I thoroughly enjoyed using. When you factor in the inclusion of two other models (the Me 163 Komet and the period glider), I think it’s safe to say that this is a package which has considerable long-term value. 

All you have to ask yourself now is, are you ready to strap yourself into one of the earliest jet aircraft in aviation history…
 
_______________________________
 

 
MLADG Me 262 is available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
MLADG Me 262
Priced at US$19.95
 
Features
Based on real documentation SASL-based features and failures Fully functional 3D cockpit Paint kit included for repaints Fully animated model Realistic instrumentation based on real counterparts In-flight refuel possible JATO can be used for short fields Metrical instrumentation VFR plane with limited radio navigation equipment Gunsight available  
Requirements
X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, MAC or Linux 
Support: Support forum for the Me 262
Current version: 2301 (Feb 7th, 2023)
 
Review by Nick Garlick
17th March 2023
Copyright©2022: X-Plane Reviews
 
Review System Specifications: 
Windows 10, Intel 4790K liquid-cooled, overclock to 5GHz, 32GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM, Nvidia GTX 1070ti, Titanium HD Audio Card.
 
(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
 


 

Scenery Review: Dolomites XP12
 
By Stuart McGregor

Some say that too much of a good thing is bad for you, however, when you are talking about the work of Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini, I am not sure that old saying is totally true as I have found myself back in the mountains again, this time in Italy and Austria with the recent release of their Dolomites scenery. This scenery pack covers an even larger area than the previous Alps scenery I reviewed a couple of months back, with somewhere around 11,000 square kilometres being quoted. These guys clearly like to go big!

Talking about big, the Dolomites package itself weighs in at a whopping 9GB when unzipped (3.5 GB zipped), so a good internet connection is advised unless you are prepared for a long wait. Inside the package, you will find fifty-one (yes, I did say, fifty-one) separate scenery folders that you simply drop into your main Custom Scenery folder. I had no issues with the load order, however, just make sure everything sits above GLOBAL AIRPORTS in your scenery.ini file after you first run the scenery, just to be sure. If you already have other scenery from this area installed, a quick check is advised to ensure you have no conflicts. Although functional and simple to install, adding all those folders may not be to everyone’s taste, so I believe it is important to understand what you are purchasing from the outset if you are not familiar with the developers’ work.
 
The Dolomites package currently retails for $59.95, which is the same price as other scenery packs the developers have recently released for X-Plane 12, and again, they are offering the same 40% discount if you have previously owned X-Plane 11 versions, such as Brenta Dolomites, Western Dolomites, Belluno Southern Dolomites, Cortina Cadore Dolomites, and Drei Zinnen Dolomites. Once again there is a lot on offer within the package, including seven airports, fifteen airfields and forty-seven heliports across large swathes of Northeast Italy and parts of Austria, but it is still quite a large investment in my opinion for a scenery package.
 


 
As it states in the advertised information, the package covers Trentino Alto Adige, and as such includes the cities of Bolzano, Trento and their airports, plus heliports and airfields such as Loker, Sterzing, Termon, Vervò, and Corvara. The whole province and city of Belluno, along with its airport, are also covered, as well as heliports near mountain refuges and airfields, such as S.Giustina and S.Felice, Casera-Razzo (Friuli), Val Fiemme (Cavalese), and Agnedo (Val Sugana). The developers also mention that several of these airfields are particularly suitable for ultra-light aircraft. I will be honest and say that I’ll have to take their word for much of this, as I am not familiar with the area, although I did visit several locations along the way to get a true sense of what is on offer. One thing that really helped was the availability of a map located within the provided five-page manual. Strangely though, the manual doesn’t actually come with the download and was something I had to search for via the X-Plane forums. I did find this a little unusual, as an extra folder for documentation within one of the existing folders would have been handy, particularly as I am not sure that all users are frequent visitors to the forum and could therefore miss this. That being said, the manual was quite helpful, as in addition to the map and basic description of the scenery, there is information provided on the minimum advised computer specs as well as some of the known issues, e.g., scenery blur, no waves on lakes, and low fps in some cases with low-end computers etc. If you are considering purchasing this scenery, perhaps a more detailed read of the manual would be a worthwhile exercise (just so you are aware of some of the limitations). 
 

So, with scenery installed, settings set and map in hand, I began to explore this unique part of the world. Again, if you are perhaps not a regular mountain flyer like me, you simply can’t help but be impressed by the splendour and natural beauty of the landscape. From the majestic mountains to the beautiful and tranquil lush valleys laced with crystal clear waterways and lakes, the Dolomites really are a VFR pilot’s dream. As I am also a regular VR flyer, I again spent quite some time in VR through my various tests, and even though X-Plane 12 still has some way to go with respect to the overall VR experience, I really enjoyed it. Although not perfect, this didn’t detract too much from my experience, and again the fully immersive 3D feeling when in VR, really gave the mountains that additional level of realism. The extra added details and photographic textures are very nicely done at the various stopping points and across the general landscape. It is worth noting that there are some unique features in the Dolomites with respect to the chiselled shape of some of the mountains, and the needle-like appearance really does make the landscape stand out in my opinion. This is particularly true if you strap yourself into a helicopter or microlight, as this provides the best chance to really get up close and take in what is laid out in front of you. 
 

 
Another feature that also stands out (thanks to X-Plane 12) are the winter textures, and I believe there are no sceneries that benefit as much from this new dimension as the mountain sceneries by Frank and Fabio. Seeing the mountains in their full winter glory is just so special, it’s almost like having two completely different worlds; one is the tranquil lush green mountain pastures, and the other, is the harsh and menacing winter wonderland that snow and ice brings. X-Plane 12 has a bit to go before it is the finished article in my opinion, however, this really is a nice feature that makes me want to come back for more.
 


 
I began my tour at LIPB Bolzano Airport, and travelled clockwise all the way around the map, stopping at several locations en route. These included XLIAS, XSTR, LIVD, LOKL, then down to XLICS, LIVR, LIDI, LIDB, LIDA, LIDT, TNVER, and then finally back to LIPB.
 
Bolzano was a great spot to start from, as the airport is well-modelled with lots of details and nicely appointed photographic textures on the main terminal building. There is plenty of clutter about to make the airfield feel alive, and I loved the inclusion of people, that really made my day. Sure, they were all static, however, just having people represented is a great addition to the scenery, and it felt like I was off to a great start. 
 


 
My next stop was XLIAS, Alpe di Siusi to the northeast. This was the first of the small grass airstrips that I was to visit, and as such, there wasn’t a huge amount to see in terms of details, other than a few houses scattered about, a chairlift nearby which is a nice feature and a couple of light aircraft. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful spot as the backdrop of the mountains is simply breathtaking. 
 


 
From there I headed northwest to XSTR, Sterzing-Viiteno, another grass strip. This area is clearly a favourite with glider pilots based on the number of trailers located at the airstrip. Here the terrain is more rolling hills and peaks, rather than the hard sharp mountains I had seen previously. 
 


 
LIVD, Dobbiaco to the east, was next on the list and was another GA/glider grass airstrip. The scenery is very much set up for GA pilots, helicopter jockeys and glider pilots alike, as you can’t help but be taken aback by just how majestic and beautiful this part of the world is. The local buildings are nicely done and really add a special sense of attention to detail. There are an insane number of buildings scattered across the scenery, and having made a few of my own (much, much smaller) sceneries in the past, I can fully appreciate the work that has gone into this.  
 


 
The next stop on the tour was LOKL, Lienz-Nikolsdorf, close to the edge of the area covered, and going by the flags, we had now crossed the border into Austria. LOKL has an asphalt runway and a bit more detail than some of the areas we’ve visited so far and looks like another superb location for glider pilots. Sadly, I couldn’t find any people, which was a little eerie, but considering the additional detail, it wasn’t such an issue. 
 



Leaving LOKL behind, I headed onwards to another grass strip, this time XLICS, Casera-Razzo (great name and approach…) before heading across the mountains to the sloping grass trip at Passo Rolle, LIVR. Again, just looking around at the scenery is simply stunning, and this strip I believe would give most pilots a significant challenge due to its slope. I have a funny feeling that this strip must be used as a ski jump in the winter months… 
 


 
At this point, I decided to head north again up to LIDI, Lidi Cortina Ampezzo, before heading back south to LIDB. There are some nice details at LIDI, the people are back, and the nearby sports track is a nice addition. This airfield is one of the larger ones in the package and sits in a very narrow valley pinned in by massive peaks all around, so if you are looking to test your skills, this is one to try out. 
 


 
Just a few more stops now, and I found myself next at LIDB Belluno, another of the larger airfields, although it still has a single grass runway. Just next to the airfield, you will find the town, and this area is much less mountainous and more open. I liked the fact that not everything in the pack is set high up in the mountain peaks, and the variation of scenery makes a welcome change. I don’t believe mountain flying gets monotonous, however to a layman like myself, once you have been up a few mountains, they do all sort of merge into one, however, in this package, the variety of locations, details and scenery, makes you want to find that next interesting setting.
 


 
The last few hops included LIDA, Asiago, LIDT, Trento-Mattarello (also known as Aeroporto G.Caproni) and TNVER. LIDT is a much larger airport than Asiago, with multiple buildings, asphalt runway, lots of clutter and people going about their business. This airport would be more suited to larger twin props and private jets, although the approaches are a challenge when you see how the mountains cut into the direct flight path.
 


 
Trento-Mattarello was a great spot to set off from on my final destination, that being, TNVER, Campo di Volo Vervò Airport. This was another beautiful spot in which to take in the view, and again another very challenging runway to get in and out off.
 
Good luck with this one….
 


 
So, as I headed back to LIPB Bolzano Airport, I had plenty of time to reflect on my journey, and I can safely say I thoroughly enjoyed my time back in the mountains. The whole package is simply stunning, and the developers have done an amazing job of creating so many details across this vast landscape. From the basic and simply defined grass strips to the more detailed airports, each one is unique and carefully crafted, and every one of them is different to its neighbour. Unless you are only flying heavies, there is something for everyone in this scenery pack, and my advice to you all, is to strap yourself into your favourite light aircraft or helicopter, or even a glider, find yourself some inspiring music to listen to, and off you go. Touring around in the summer you can almost feel the fresh mountain air, and if you want more of a challenge, set the date to the winter months and enjoy the ferocious winter winds and snow. As with all the mountain sceneries from Frank and Fabio, there are so many different elements to enjoy and numerous scenarios you can play out, and I believe that only the most cynical amongst us would be disappointed by their work.
 

 
As far as system performance goes, I should just briefly mention I had no issues to report. My trusty 2080ti and 9th gen CPU coped well, and my fps were generally 30 to 50+, and even in VR with my Rift S, everything was always pretty much smooth. There was a little blurriness on a couple of occasions, however, this really didn’t detract from what is a very nice and well-constructed scenery pack. There is no doubt in my mind that the developers have again worked hard on this scenery release, bringing the best in mountain sceneries to our virtual world of X-Plane 12. 

If you have never tried this type of experience (and my previous Alps review wasn’t sufficient candy to tempt you) then this scenery is well worth considering, not least because of the sheer beauty and area offered. I personally believe that VFR GA, glider, microlight, or helicopter pilots will get the most out of this scenery pack, although I am sure those who like larger twin-engine regional aircraft or private jets, will also find something in it for them, particularly if they enjoy the challenge of navigating to the larger airfields. 

Maybe it is time to try something new…
 
__________________________________
 

 
Dolomites XP12 by Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
Dolomites XP12
Price at time of writing US$59.95
 
Customers who own any of the previous Dolomites XP11 packages can get 40% off this new package. Please check your original Dolomites invoice for the coupon code.
 
Features: 
Included in the degree + 46+ 010, +46+011, +46+012, area Italy, Austria Mountain scenery with 3D models sixty-four groups Dolomites Seven airports, fifteen airfields, and forty-seven heliports Reproduced towns and villages with typologies of buildings and customized houses Photographic polygons/ textures as covered of terrain typical zone of great mountains. Polygons/textures 4K - area covered more 11000 kmq. Complete scenery of about 9GB, fifty-one folders, more than forty valleys, and more than sixty thousand placed objects.  
Requirements:
X-Plane 12 (not for x-plane 11) Windows, Mac, or Linux 4GB VRAM Minimum - 8GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 3.5 GB  
Review System Specifications:
Windows 10 64 Bit CPU Intel i9-9900k 64GB RAM Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti Oculus Rift S  
Scenery Review by Stuart McGregor
10th March 2023
Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews

(Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copying of the content is allowed
without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) 
 


 
 

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 computerised cockpits we fly today. The flight profiles were extremely complicated, as was the aircraft's management systems, it made a "Study" aircraft more like a university degree, and it took me a few weeks to work it all out, worse was that many users became fixated on the last quality MD-11 that was released for Flight Simulator a decade before, very good in it's time, but not relevant to the Rotate MD-11. basically though, for anyone one not prolific in heavy aircraft systems and new to flying heavies, the Rotate MD-11 was always going to be a mountain to climb.
 
For a comprehensive look at the aircraft, here is the X-PlaneReviews review of the release; Aircraft Review : McDonnell Douglas MD-11 by Rotate
 
Yes there were a lot of bugs in the MD-11 original release. From updates v1.0 to v1.04 the lists were endless...  but by the time the Skunkcrafts Updater was added in September 2022 (beta access was also introduced). The focus on updates then went to X-Plane 12, just released in the same September...  Basically then the last two up dates with v1.05 (October) and v1.06 (December) and both were focused on X-Plane 12.
 
This brings us to v1.07 (beta) currently, and this version can only be accessed via the beta channel in the Skunkcrafts updater. Note that both the "updater.cfg files, the main cfg one and the "_beta" one as well, are both required to update to v1.07.
 
v1.07 is in reality the X-Plane 12 release of the Rotate MD-11 aircraft. It is now fully compatible with X-Plane 12. And a lot of the detail in v1.07 is related to that aspect.
 

 
In updates, oddly it is sometimes the smallest annoyances that you want fixed...  this annoyance was a blinder, in betterpushback.
 
Set the aircraft up for flight, that is twenty minutes of your life, then do the betterpushback...  and suddenly the aircraft went into a violent circular spin, burning out the front tyres in doing so. To get out of the drama you had to reset the aircraft, but you lost your perfect setup. As expected I hated it.
Now it has been fixed in v1.07 and your set up is kept intact, including your tyres. But currently it all now works, but the front wheels now don't turn but the aircraft does (Now fixed for the update!, if the aircraft still does this, then you have the wrong update). When loading the MD-11 won't beg up on it's tail anymore either, but stay level and flat, this weird X-Plane 12 bug seems to affect a lot of heavy aircraft.
 

 
On the pushback I was very impressed with the rain effects. With X-Plane 12 you get a conversion of the old Librain plugin, most developers don't adjust the effects, but the swishing and pushing of the rain on the window by the wipers here was very effective, a small detail but an important one from Rotate.
 

 
If you love heavies, then this MD-11 is a large aircraft that defines the category. Chunky, massive to taxi. Notable is the excellent wing detail, forward leading edge spoilers and the complex flap system...  It took four years to create, so revel in the work.
 

 
My initial flight in the "Diva" was back in X-Plane 11. This release is certifies the aircraft in X-Plane 12, honestly the biggest plus+feature here is the MD-11 in the new X-Plane 12 version, it is glorious to look at. Notable you do get a few anti-aliasing marks along the leading edges and the cockpit instrument surrounds and the textures here are extreme quality 4K. So until X-Plane 12 is adjusted to the cope with excessive texture sizes, then they will show more anti-aliasing jaggies here than many other aircraft, retuned, it is going to be very, very good.
 

 
One thing you will notice straight away is the XP12 MD-11 is far less dirty...  Rotate has reduced the dirty engine smoke effect, which I wish they hadn't as the dirt represents the period past, I never saw the MD-11 as clean aircraft, so it feels far too clean now.
 


 
Wingflex has also been adjusted to be more realistic, an interesting point when you can step back from the initial development, then you can fine tune these more specific areas.
 

 
Landing gear bogies have also had the same refined attention. The outer mains have had their tilt reduced, to only a slight tilt, not as dramatic, but more realistic to the real MD-11...  just check out the videos. Center landing gear geometry has also been fine-tuned.
 

 
Over the year, there has been a lot of bug fixes and adjustments to the FMS, noted as the Operative Flight Management Computer.
 
It is a very good FMS system, very deep and detailed, it has also had a lot of attention over the past year and here again with v1.07.
 
SID/STAR procedures LNAV display and guidance have had attention, as has again (and again) the focus is on LNAV trajectory calculations. Users had a fixation of the aircraft's projected curves at a waypoint turn, obsessive even. Personally I never saw this aspect on the MAP display or with the actual maneuver in flight...  but still they go mad on about it?
 

 
More items include VNAV flight path calculations and guidance, and now you have an Implemented flight path interception after early descent command. There are also Improved deceleration distance calculations and better deceleration distance calculations. And there was also a bug now fixed on the AIRWAYS page.
 
X-Plane 12 differences include; CG Calculation and a new GO AROUND page on the FMS. This feature can only be accessed when the TO/APPR is in APPROACH mode (or close to the arrival airport). The K6R key gives you access to the GO-AROUND approach page...
 

 
...  this page will give you the GO-AROUND mode settings and parameters, a nice new detail. Included now also are slope/wind FMC fields in Situations presets.
 
Finally ILS selection is now by frequency in NAV/RAD page. This one is interesting as the selection of ILS selections can be quite large, and you need the ILS Designator code to find it, sometimes it is easier to set the ILS code closer to the arrival airport as it moves closer to the top of the list
 

 
There is better throttle and reverser hardware configuration, which is now more user friendly. A lot of addons didn't reflect the aircraft, and a lot of work has gone in to making sure the interaction is now more easier, and there is now support for better throttle beta/reverse axis configuration.
In the same sphere, the brake commands and toe-brakes will now work together. But you still can't unlock the parking brake from a default command, a small annoyance, but you will get used to it...  also there is the ghosting on the throttles in AUTO-THROTTLE mode, which I find annoying, and there is no selection to turn it off? However keeping your addon throttles at the full MAX position will keep them to a minimum.
 

 
Now that X-Plane 12 (slightly) more mature, the developers can try to get the lighting more realistic. When a pro developer gets it right, then you see the ambition of X-Plane 12's lighting effects. Here it is excellent. Thankfully adjustment is very easy via the twin OHD panel knobs and the single instrument panel knobs, there is also the side (Briefcase) pilots seating lights and the usual STORM (THNDSTRM) and DOME lighting. 
 

 
Low reflection TakeOff and Landing adjustments are excellent, for a good external view. But the rear cabin/rest area is still completely dark? A needed function as you do a lot of overnight flying in this intercontinental MD-11. I'd like a working toilet as well if possible?
 
Externally it is very good as well, as the lighting is nicely defined... no landing or taxi lighting in the wings on a MD-11, as they are positioned on the fuselage. Navigation, Strobe (HI-INT), Wing & Runway Turnoff and LOGO are all (really) well done.
 

 
The first update to configure the MD-11 when X-Plane 12 was released, also created probably the worst blackhole aircraft in X-Plane, it was a total blackout in here. Now it is a very nice space to be in. Controversial is the effect of the change of lighting, from the darker front screen view to the "look down", brighter cockpit view. Myself I love it, it works and it feels very natural. You spend a lot of flying hours in here, and you don't want it to grate on your nerves, for me as a well confessed "Hauler", the Rotate MD-11 is probably currently the best Long Haul Freighter you can fly in X-Plane.
 

 
Note the sharp light silhouettes, the lines are clean and no (if very fine) jaggies. So the cockpit environment is now excellent, yes i'm impressed.
 
There has not been a lot of changes around the instruments. However there are few to mention. The  Flight Mode Annunciator (FMA) has had the FMA modes adjusted during descent and approach. The navaids auto-tuning system had a few issues that have been fixed. Heading Bug indicator in LOC mode and ARC commands have also both been fixed. The TCAS symbol is now within the the confines of the ND as is finally the ND aircraft icon during TRK mode is now correctly visible.
 

 
As i mentioned earlier, the real star of this release is X-Plane 12. You take the two elements of a far more featured Simulator, then add in a sensationally developed aircraft and you get the serious wow factor. In a way this combination shows you the future of X-Plane in both a complex aircraft and a very good simulator environment. Flying from one end of the Mediterranean Sea and back to the other, it was a sensational simulation, I have never in a long time been so enthusiastic in my flying. All I wanted to do was to do it again....  maybe again after that, as this combo really delivers.
 

 
Look out of your windows at the glorious scenario... the towering cloud formations!
 

 
This is not X-Plane 11 bland anymore, this is X-Plane 12 spectacular. Admittedly X-Plane 12 is not yet perfect, but the dream is happening, and the future is now here...  Fly the Rotate McDonnell Douglas MD-11 in X-Plane 12 and live the dream...  I did.
______________
 
Summary
Released just under a year ago in March 2022. The Rotate McDonnell Douglas MD-11 was a complex and buggy aircraft. With a year of numerous updates from v1.0 to v1.06, here is the official update in v1.07 to X-Plane 12.
 
Overall this v1.07 update is just another long bug and fix update. There is nothing here in real new features or details, although the GO-AROUND mode page is new. Everything else here is X-Plane 12 refined, from the details to the internal and external lighting, various FMC refinements as is also the PFD and ND/MAP display bugs and fixes, the full effect of both the refinements and the use of X-Plane 12 cannot be underestimated here, it is spectacular outcome, one very much worth experiencing. And thankfully the betterpushback atrocity has also been fixed, it won't destroy your aircraft anymore!
 
A few points are more wishes...  Key input to open the menu. Wanting to load, then unload the same cargo at the other end would be nice (Cargo disappears when the doors close?), upgraded rear cabin area with toilet and lighting... some users ask for the passenger MD-11 version, personally I'm not fussed. VR (Virtual Reality) still needs a few areas addressing.
 
Reading through this update review, you are going to think if purchasing the aircraft if it is just too far in it's complexity. I'm not going to waver from the fact that this is noted as a "Study" aircraft, yes you need a skills and heavy aircraft skills to fly it. But once you understand the systems and preferences, it is a brilliant aircraft to fly, so it is well worth investing your time to learn and master the MD-11. The refinement now coming into the aircraft actually makes it easier to fly, because the aircraft does what you want it to do, and does it well, I think the MD-11 has hit a mature level with all the work put in, I rarely had any issues...  understand the MD-11 and enjoy the immense rewards the aircraft delivers...  the best aircraft in X-Plane 12 at the moment? That aspect is always debatable, But Rotates MD-11 is certainly currently my best simulation aircraft, addictive and rewarding.
_____________________
 

 
Yes! the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 v1.07 by Rotate is currently available from the X-Plane.Org Store here :

Rotate MD-11
Price is US$83.95
 
The feature list is HUGE, so if you want to read it, then open the text file.
Feature List.txt
 
Requirements X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 Windows 8 or  Mac OSX 10.12 or newer (using Rosetta for ARM Processors) , Linux Ubuntu 64b 18.04 or newer 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM recommended Current version: 1.07 (March 5th 2023)   Currently the v1.07 update is only available for download using the Skunkworks Updater, the "beta" selection also needed to be selected.  
Designed by Rotate
Support Forum at X-Plane.org or http://support.rotatesim.com/
 
Full v1.07 changelog is here;
MD 11 v1.07 Changelog.txt
_____________________
  Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton
10th March 2023
Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews
 
Review System Specifications: 
Windows  - 12th Gen IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU - 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB XLR8 - Samsung 970 EVO+ 2TB SSD
Software:   - Windows 11 Pro - X-Plane Version 12.04r3 (This is a beta review).
Plugins: JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99
Scenery or Aircraft
- LIRF - Airport Rome XP  by Aerosoft (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$25.99
- LLBG - Airport Ben Gurion XP by Aerosoft (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$24.99 - Full review availble here: Scenery Review : LLBG - Airport Ben Gurion XP by Aerosoft
 
(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
 

 

Aircraft Review: AOASimulations-T6A Texan II X-Plane 12
 
By Stuart McGregor
 
Introduction
The release of the AOA T-6A Texan ll was done in the change over twilight zone of a legacy version with its ground-breaking advancements that was achieved with X-Plane 11, which essentially is at the end of its commercial run, and the eagerly awaited X-Plane 12, which still had some way to go until it is in its final release state in December 2023. For us armchair pilots this can be a little frustrating in our 365, 24/7 on-the-go world, where patience isn’t a commodity you see a lot of these days, so I can only imagine the dilemma this gives commercial developers. Do you wait until all the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed in X-Plane 12, or do you continue creating and releasing in X-Plane 11, knowing the platform has been superseded by its younger brother? 

AOA Simulations decided not to wait to bring us their ‘Texan’, the T-6A Texan II. The aircraft was released for X-Plane 11, with a commitment of a free upgrade to X-Plane 12 for existing users when the simulator upgraded to the new version. That X-Plane 12 release has now happened, and to top off the T-6A package you get both versions for X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11.

In real life, the Texan is described as a single-engine turboprop aircraft and has been around since the late 1990s. It has been used as a training aircraft by several military organisations around the globe and more than 850 have been built to date. From what I have read, it is still very much the mainstay of the United States Air force and Navy when it comes to pilot training.
 

 
It has a low wing cantilever design with the majestic Pratt & Whitney PT6A-68 1100 hp engine, tandem seating arrangement with ejector seats to allow the flight instructor and trainee to live every moment together, all topped off with a hefty four-blade constant speed, variable pitch prop. The Texan also has a retractable tricycle landing gear assembly, with many of the features being based on the original development aircraft, the Pilatus PC-9. However, don’t be fooled, because the Texan is indeed a very different aircraft in many ways. To explain this in greater detail, the AOA Simulations folks have included a very nice reference document in the manuals section of their package that describes the Texan’s development journey. This is well worth a read to see just how much it has changed from the original Hawker Beechcraft development PC-9. I personally always like additional features like this because in my opinion they bring a greater level of depth to the user experience and allow a more immersive environment when you know a bit about the aircraft, its history and how it came into being.
 

 
Documentation
I will be honest and say that military jets and combat aircraft are not an area I typically venture into very often, so when I had the opportunity to try out what looked a bit like a fighter jet with a prop on its nose, I was intrigued to find out more. My GA side was screaming, “Oh yes please!”
 
The package in review comes in a 360MB download with the aircraft itself and a couple of liveries, as well as a few added extras in terms of documents. In the Manuals folder, you will find an alternative abbreviated checklist (X-Checklist plugin is required) to the one provided by default, a paper kneeboard checklist you can print, emergency procedures, a training flight tutorial with charts (KNGP to KRND), pictorial overviews of flight instruments, and if you are a MAC user, there is an explanation of a workaround if you experience issues when you first load the model.
 

There is also a highly detailed 38-page User Guide to take you through every inch of the aircraft and that is a must-read if you really want to get the most out of the Texan. The developer has also included some contact details and links of where to request help if you get stuck. Sadly, I can’t offer any comment on how successful the MAC workaround is, as I use a PC, however it looks like the developer has put some serious thought into the issue which is good to see.
 

 
The Aircraft
The developers quote that their Texan has been in development since early 2020 and clearly a huge amount of work has gone into the aircraft. You get a real sense of the details and the hours of work by just reading the manual alone, so I believe it is fair to say that the Texan really does come fully loaded. 
 
 

 
I loved the fact that both the front and rear cockpits are fully functional, thus providing a unique flying experience from each seat, and it was nice to be able to have the choice. The internal details in both cockpits are well presented and bristle with features. The texturing is of high resolution and high quality, and I found reading the various dials and panels to be of no issue, even in VR, when using my Rift S. The developers even quote that the Texan has been optimised to maximise performance in VR, and I would have to admit, that when using my system, I had no issues and enjoyed a very smooth experience.
 

 
When you first step into either cockpit, it is a bit daunting if you’re not used to military-style aircraft, however, the automated tutorial-level Checklist provided is very useful when navigating around the various systems. In my tests, I probably only scratched the surface of the instrument capabilities of the Texan, and you literally could spend hours and hours just working through your flows and testing out every feature, switch, lever, knob, button, panel, and fuse. As far as I could tell, everything shown works or is at least animated. If you are used to flying fast jets, I am sure the layout will come very naturally to you, however, I must admit it did take me a little time to work my way around.
 
By the way…the ejection seat does work, so be careful with that handle!!!
 

 
The unobstructed view that the glass canopy offers, is truly excellent, particularly in VR, and you really get a sense of just how compact and well-fitted everything is around you. The feeling of being in the cockpit was something I really enjoyed, and as I mentioned previously, just moving a few feet back to sit in the rear seat, adds a totally different dimension to the experience. The Texan comes with specially created FMOD sounds and the cockpit interaction sounds were nicely done, from the very subtle fuse click actions to the more distinct canopy locking mechanism.
 

 
From the X-Plane main menu bar, you can access the dust lock removal option, as when in cold and dark, there are several covers protecting sensitive parts of the aircraft. Even these covers are well modeled, as they sway gently in the wind, a very nice touch and great attention to detail. From the outside when the canopy is open in cold and dark, there are no pilots visible, however, they both appear when closing the cockpit and removing the dust covers. The characteristic turbine whine as the engine starts up is very nice, and you really do have the sense of that mighty Pratt and Whitney engine roaring into life right beside or in front of you. As you move around the exterior of the aircraft, the engine tone changes as you would expect, and this is particularly noticeable when you throttle forward and set the Texan into action. The sense of power from the 1100hp engine and prop thrashing through the air as you accelerate down the runway is something you must experience to really appreciate it.
 

 
The exterior details of the Texan are superb in my opinion and incorporate very high-quality textures, such as the hydraulic lines in the landing gear, through to the multitude of rivets across the shiny aircraft skin. During prefight, it is worth just taking a few minutes to walk around the aircraft and take in the quality of the modelling, and this is particularly impressive if you can do this in VR. You can literally walk up to the various parts and take a good look, reach out and almost touch the surfaces. There is a significant difference between the X-Plane 11 release version and the X-Plane 12 here. You will see far more detail added, and the surfaces are more highlighted than before, the result is a  substantial and better overall realism to the aircraft.
The developers really have done a wonderful job both inside and out, and in my opinion, the Texan is one of the best in terms of overall appearance, although I do still think it is a little bit of an oddball with the fighter-style canopy, dual seating arrangement, and that big old prop at the front. It does take a little bit of getting used to at first. 
 

 
Now, if you’re anything like me, when you get a new toy, the first thing you want to do is to try it out, so the thought of working through a full set of start-up procedures may not be top of your list. The good news is that very early on, the developers thought of us “impatient types”, and kindly provided a very nice simple 11-step process on page 5 of the User Guide to get up and flying, and this is very helpful. Now don’t get me wrong, at times there is a real sense of satisfaction about going through every step of your flow and eventually seeing the ground disappear below, however, at times I just want to start up and off I go. I like the fact that in the Texan you can do both and I did, although I must admit that just firing up and heading down the runway was my preference. This is perhaps a suitable time to mention that I am using a VKBSIM joystick and pedal set as my control inputs, and I found these to work very well both on the ground and in the air. As there are no toe-brakes with these pedals, I did use a small script to give me brakes and this worked well, although there is a stick forward option that you can use within the aircraft if you prefer. I had no complaints about the handling of the Texan, although care with the throttle is highly advised both when taxiing and when taking off. There is a mighty amount of power at your fingertips, so my advice is to use it wisely. As they say, ‘with great power comes great responsibility…’ and never a truer word was said in the Texan’s case. Remember this thing can do more than 300 knots when flat out!!
 

 
The glass canopy really does give an amazing view, particularly in VR, however, if you are using flat screens the developers have included a couple of highly novel add-on features to enhance your views in the cockpit. The manual goes into quite some detail to explain what you can expect; however, the best way is just to try them out. These are actioned via buttons on the glare shield and using dedicated buttons on your controller, and the ‘Roll to See’ feature allows you to pan around while taxiing, as well as some interesting effects when doing aerobatics. The Target Track feature allows you to lock on to AI aircraft if you are flying in formation (a key skill by all accounts) and if you are familiar with other aircraft from AOA Simulations, you are likely to be at home with this feature already. As I do most of my flying in VR, these features are disabled so I didn’t spend a huge amount of time testing them out, however from what I did see, this is quite unique and adds another and different layer of immersion to the Texan. 
 

 
One final system feature I would like to highlight is the Flight Assistance system which allows various assistance features to be turned on and off. The button is a bit fiddly to find (highlighted in the manual on page 11) however there are eleven different features such as AOA indexer and brake cues, airspeed indication of gear and flap speed bands, wind direction and speed, through to braking using the control stick and many more. The basic idea is to make life as easy as possible for any newbie pilot or as realistic as possible by switching this off for those who would like more of a challenge. When you are new to an aircraft, this sort of thing really does help, as there is nothing worse than getting frustrated and giving up before you have even started.
 
The lighting is basic, mostly indirect lights on the the panels and the two side wall lights on the separate consoles. You can move the instrument panel spot lights to where you want them to shine on. Externally the landing and taxi lights don't work unless you lower the gear, as they are positioned on the inner gear struts.
 

 
As I mentioned earlier, the Texan is fully loaded with so many great details and features, and although this type of aircraft is not necessarily my “go-to” happy place in the sky, the more I flew it the more I came to appreciate just how good an offering this is from AOA Simulations, both in terms of the basic aircraft but also just how enjoyable the overall flying experience can be. If you also like lots of technical details, procedures and everything that goes with that side of things, then again, I believe the Texan has something to offer you. 
 

 
Final Thoughts
The T-6A Texan II from AOA Simulations, under normal circumstances, is an aircraft I wouldn’t typically be flying, however, I am glad I had the opportunity, as it’s always good to try something new.

When you factor in the excellent internal and external textures, the 3D modelling, the control and integration of features, the sounds, and of course the flying experience, I think it’s fair to say that the AOA team really has put out an excellent product. Available now for both X-Plane 11, and to be experienced in X-Plane 12, all the new features in the sim in combination with the Texan’s feature set, it is something quite special. A real synergistic masterpiece…

So, should you splash out $40 on the Texan? Well as always that is down to you, your budget and what you are looking for. However, I truly believe that the Texan is well worth thinking about, especially if you have considered the fast jet challenge but have not been sure where to start. 

If it’s good enough for real-world pilots, then it certainly works for me!
__________________________________
 

 
The T-6A Texan II by AOA Simulations is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
T-6A Texan II
Price at time of writing US$40.00
 
Features:
This model was developed using the official USAF 1T-6A-1 Flight Manual and SNFO (Student Naval Flight Officer) P-880 Aircraft Systems explanatory guide. Two default liveries, USAF and U.S. Navy TAW-5. 17 additional liveries will be available on the X-Plane.org freeware download manager. This is the T-6A model with federated (many small units combined into one system) glass display panels. The project has been in development since February 23, 2020 and is our most detailed model to date. The Model
High quality 3D model with high-resolution, 4K PBR textures. Fully functional virtual front and rear 3D cockpits with more than 380 control manipulators. Everything works, fly from either cockpit. Both pilot and instructor models visible in cockpit views. Optimized to save FPS in VR. Ground equipment
The Flight model Fully aerobatic, high performance dynamic flight model tested and approved by several former T-6A pilots. Single “Power Lever” control of engine and propeller enables "jet like" simplicity. Unique T-6 Trim Aid Device (TAD) is accurately modeled. This compensates for most engine torque effect with automatic rudder trim.  Sounds
Professional FMOD sound package by SimAccoustics Documentation
Detailed 38 page User Guide and detailed avionics illustrated guide sheets available HERE ON OUR SUPPORT PAGE prior to purchase. Several checklists options to choose from including detailed checklist powered by Xchecklist freeware plug-in. Tutorial checklist and example Training Flight to get you up to speed with the aircraft.  More details
All panel displays are accurately modeled and powered by SASL plugin / lua code Complete electrical systems model. Every circuit breaker on both the battery and generator bus panels is functional. Individual systems can be isolated, failed and restored via its cockpit circuit breaker. Optional "AOA Extras" for student pilots or those who want to know a little more about what's going on with while the fly.  Save load feature allows you to save some options once and they are the same on your next flight in the model. Default Laminar G1000 available to use with a custom database in the panel mounted GPS unit. Future developments
 This model is for X-Plane 11 only. It is not compatible with X-Plane 12. When X-Plane 12 is stable then a new version will be released as a free upgrade for existing users.  
Requirements:
X-Plane 12 or 11
4 GB VRAM Video Card Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 360 MB Current version: xp12 (March 1st 2023)    
Review System Specifications:
Windows 10 64 Bit
CPU Intel i9-9900k
64GB RAM
Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti
Oculus Rift S
 
Aircraft Review by Stuart McGregor
3rd March 2023
Copyright©2023 : 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) 
 

 

Behind the Screen : February 2023
 
Behind the Screen in January 2023, laid out the start of X-PlaneReviews year in X-Plane 12. It was of course a strange mixture of optimism and being faced with the challenges that X-Plane 12 brings to Simulation. Oddly it was partly software, but mostly hardware (Saitek Throttle and Graphic Card) related. The full story is here; Behind the Screen : January 2023
 
The basis as noted a month ago, is that Behind the Screen is a look behind the website, basically what we are faced with in hardware, addons and software, can also affect you, so the idea is that by us sharing what happens in our world, can hopefully help you in your  Simulation. I run X-Plane on average 6-8 hours a day, 6 days a week, which adds up to a huge amount of simulator time, I cover a huge selection of aircraft, scenery and plugins (But I will note I don't use a lot of experimental plugins, because with reviews, you need a basic standard level (base line) to configure the aircraft correctly).
 
After the trauma of January, I was looking forward to a more routine stable month in February, and it got off to a good start. In Simulation as noted you have to have a base line. That is the point were the simulator is running smoothly and the settings are compatible with your hardware. From this line you can see if the aircraft is performing or it's performance is correct. To do that you use aircraft that are very well known to you, and are very stable in their flight and performance envelope. Data in one flight should mirror the next flight and so on, if anything is knocked out of kilter, then you go back to these standard base settings to get or to set your bearings again. Certainly as the Simulator matures you have to reset your baseline, but that is okay if things are running normally. So what happens if you lose your baseline?
 
After all the rigmarole of January. The safest thing to do was to find the new baseline. I did this by using one aircraft in the Rotate MD-11, and I flew the aircraft solidly for six flights, comparing notes and data, then moving to another (ToLiSS A319) and compared the sets of data. I found that yes indeed X-Plane 12 was better, except for in one area...  weather.
 
The Weather factor was so bad, you could never find any base line with the huge turbulence/gusting changes, and the aircraft were performing very abnormally... basically it was impossible to review any aircraft in this situation. A side note was that the turbulence actually created in the "Real" weather, also affected (bled into) the "Manual" set weather... so setting the manual settings made no difference (which is crazy), as what you set, should be the same settings that you should get in the simulator...  oh and it rained all the time, even with bright blue skies?
 
Laminar Research certainly knew of the problems with the new X-Plane 12 weather engine, and have been working on the situation since the start of the New Year.
 
12.04b1 release was a biggie. (note this is still a "beta" release, not a version release). As the problematic turbulence (since the start of the release of the X-Plane 12 betas) was finally fixed and so was the "XPD-13715 – Manual wind layer altitudes were ignored" factor, we finally had a stable Simulator... not.
 
Then something really strange happened to X-Plane 12, the .dds files started to fail? .dds is the format used in textures (.PNG is also used , but PNG is not as efficient as .dds), the result of this aspect was that most of your scenery and ortho textures turned grey? and absolutely nothing related to the weather issues. This one really shut me down, for a week...  as Laminar fixed it. The problem was probably related to installing Zink, and if you want to know what Zink is, then Sidney explains it all here; Addressing Plugin Flickering. Both new items were introduced in v12.04b3. The Zink problem was it created a fail backup to the loss of the OpenGL API, the AMD users out there got a lot of flickering and CTD, if Vulkan failed...  which it does quite often.
 
You are probably shouting, "Why didn't you have a backup?". I do in a core basic X-Plane 12 version, but in my excitement on the weather being fixed, I updated at the same time both my main X-Plane version and my backup version v12.04b1, there was no point in downloading a fresh X-Plane 12 either, as that was tainted in 12.04b1 blood as well, so I was trapped, or had trapped myself.
 
So v12.04B3 is good...  not, again. But this issue is not related to the others, in fact it is an external issue with the "GRIB_get_field failed", in other words the NOAA or "NOAA Operational Model Archive and Distribution System", has pulled the GRIB Files that X-Plane 12 uses for the Simulator for downloading Live Weather. (Actually the file location/address was changed). GRIB by the way stands for "WMO standard for encoding gridded fields".
 
You thankfully you could get around this one, by setting the weather to "Manual", so at least I was flying again. And yes the Gribb fix is now also done from Laminar Research, and your live weather is all working again, actually far better than before.
 
You could note this as all the trials and tribulations of sorting out a new X-Plane version, but it is happening AFTER X-Plane 12 went Final, two months after...  the baseline should have been more solid at that point of release, and that is the point of the story here, the so called "Stable" release was not stable, yes we are using "betas", but there was no point at all in going back to the "Final" which should have been a stable release either as there was no baseline to work from? So something is amiss here.
 
So you have to feel for the developers in wanting to update or upgrade to X-Plane 12, how do you find a baseline of on such shifting sands, well you can't. Hence the slowing of X-Plane 12 releases.
 
In between of all of this X-Plane 12 is actually getting better with each update, although tainted by the .dds scandal, v12.04b1 was a very good release, everything felt better, from the lighting to the clouds, not perfect yet, but better...  so big progress IS being made, and we may be finally getting there.
 
 
 
I had to move to a fresher drive, or more so from a platter drive to a NVMe M.2 SSD for most of my storage files, meaning aircraft and scenery and the various odds and bobs. I'm not a big fan of platter drives, as I have had various nasty encounters of them failing on me and taking a large portion of my life with them, you can only have so many backups of the same thing. Yes SSD's can fail as well, but nothing bothers you more than a thin consistently spinning disk with a needle poised above it, you just know it it is someday going to rip it to shreds.
 
Then moving from the old drive to the newer one was a big task, over 2Tb of files, most going back now a decade or so. There is a lot of history in there, a lot of flying elements as well. So it makes you take stock of the current situation.
 
These changes do usually happen between X-Plane version changes, a sort of "out with the old, in with the new" house keeping, but like going through old photographs when moving house, these movements in life can make you stop and think of your journey to this moment.
 
Like again photographs, there are a lot of memories there. Aircraft that created memorable events, even the hard ones you had to master. Can you really associate the current highly detailed X-Plane 12 cockpit to a 2d instrument panel of a decade ago...  well not really, and that is why you don't use them anymore (but you still do a short flight now and then to see of where, and how far we have come).
 
The next batch of aircraft are more interesting, we are talking X-Plane 10 era machines. Now we had 3d virtual cockpits, and that changed the game (so to speak). It was the era when Carenado also came into X-Plane, well renowned in Flight Sim, Carenado aircraft in X-Plane 10 were and are still a revelation for X-Plane. Sure if you jump into a lot of them now they have a dated appeal, but a lot still have a glowing quality that makes you miss the quality of the detail and textures of the era, or mostly of the feel the aircraft created. Don't get me wrong here before we go too far, X-Plane 12 aircraft are a very high on the quality and features scale, even past the modeling stage and more like a miniature version of the real aircraft...  but, but, these aircraft were gems...  the PA34 Seneca V, PA31 Navajo, Cardinal ll, C404 Titan, A36 (V Tail) Bonanza, CT210 Centurion ll, PA46 Malibu Mirage, Archer ll, S550 Citation II and I could go on and on. A few are more precious...  the B1900D, the SAAB S340 and the Fokker F50.
 
For X-Plane 11 most if not all Carenado aircraft were upgraded to the new simulator from X-Plane 10, or created for X-Plane 11... in all there were 42 Carenado aircraft of various designs, one thankfully has survived, my F33A Bonanza as you can get a REP package to allow it to fly in X-Plane 12, but it's not a full upgrade revision, but it survived and will live to fly another day, like it does in the header here and in an X-Plane 12 environment.
 
Obviously we are in the early days of X-Plane 12 aircraft conversions, so we really don't know of what aircraft will survive or will be left on the drive platter. And that conversion process will maybe take a year and a half, but there will still be hundreds of aircraft left behind in the churn factor. Yes a lot do belong in the past, and are to be left back there. But a lot don't...  they also don't deserve to disappear from our Simulator.
 
Many designs will be re-imagined, like with Thranda and their C206 Caravan, C208 Skywagon and lastly the C337, but they won't be able to replace all of them.
 
So the general aviation market, so heavily dominated by Carenado is going to be quite decimated with no replacements, worse is the loss of the B1900D, S340 and that for me the heavily flown F50. 
 
If these machines are not going to be upgraded, and Carenado have no interest in X-Plane going forward, then why not release them to freeware, then users can then patch them up for use in X-Plane 12. This goes for other now gone developers or abandoned payware aircraft. A lot of developers have switched to MSFS, as has Carenado, so again this is creating a very different scenario from the transition of X-Plane 10 to X-Plane 11 for X-Plane 12.
 
There was this churn between X-Plane 10 and 11. But my feeling that it is going to be very different this time. We didn't worry of the transition from X-Plane 9 to 10, because of the revolution of the changes in X-Plane 10, X-Plane 11 grew huge and capitalised on X-Plane 10....  X-Plane 12 however feels very different, and I think we will have to adjust to accommodate the changes. Like I said it is early days yet, but the feeling already is more of the new this time around, than the same of the past.
 
See you all next month
 
Stephen Dutton
1st March 2023
Copyright©2023 X-Plane Reviews
 

Aircraft Review: Grumman F7F Tigercat by Virtavia
 
By Nick Garlick
 
Introduction
Today I am pleased to share my thoughts on a classic warbird from the late 1940s, the Grumman F7 Tigercat from Virtavia, perhaps one of the least well-known of the "Grumman felines”.
 
Designed and conceived in the latter stages of World War 2, the Grumman Aircraft Company delivered the F7F Tigercat in response to a request from the United States Navy for a fast well-armed convoy fighter. Grumman’s Tigercat would eventually go on to serve with both the United States Navy (USN) and the United States Marine Corps (USMC) until 1954.  

The Tigercat had a range of approximately 1200 miles, with a service ceiling of 40,400 feet. Fitted with two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W Double Wasp engines, they delivered a rate of climb of around 4,530 ft/min, with a top speed of approximately 460mph. This made the Tigercat one of the fastest piston-engine fighters of the day, flying faster than many of its siblings, including the F4 Wildcat and F6 Hellcat. The Tigercat was not only fast, but it was also heavily armed, as located in the wings were four x 20mm cannons, along with 4 x 50 calibre machine guns in the nose. The aircraft also featured numerous hard points for carrying ordnance, such as fuel tanks, rockets, and bombs. Altogether, that gave the Tigercat some real bite.
 


 
Featuring a wingspan of just over 51 ft, a length of over 45ft, and a height of 16ft, these were (unquestionably) large for a fighter at the time. Unfortunately, this fact would lead the USN to determine that the Tigercat was unsuitable for use on carriers. After leaving active service, a few of the remaining Tigercats would go on to serve as "water bombers" to fight wildfires. Eventually, though, even these were finally deemed too old and were retired in the late 1980s. As of today, very few remaining airframes are to be seen and even fewer are left in flying condition. Happily, none of that matters in the X-Plane world, thanks to Virtavia.

Installation & Documentation 
Virtavia’s package includes versions for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11, which is a major plus point, as many X-Plane users still prefer the stability of the older platform. After purchasing the Virtavia Tigercat, simply extract and place the relevant files into your respective X-Plane Aircraft folder. Once installed, the size expands to 141 MB. The package includes a comprehensive 25-page full-colour PDF manual split into several sections. These include a comprehensive history of the aircraft, detailed instructions on how to operate the Tigercat, plus procedural lists.
 

 
Tigercat Exterior
The exterior model faithfully captures the lines synonymous with the Tigercat's profile; from the shark-like nose to the sweeping tapered rear fuselage, it’s all presented in wonderful detail. PBR textures are used throughout the model and when observed in conjunction with the new lighting effects in X-Plane 12, or even in X-Plane 11 for that matter, the whole model just shines.
 


 
The oil cooling grills, cowl flaps, cockpit canopy, and access ladder, can all be opened and closed by clicking on the relevant controls in the cockpit, or by the necessary keyboard commands. Virtavia’s model features a faithful rendition of the real aircraft’s rather ungainly tricycle undercarriage layout, unique at the time for a fighter. This area is further enhanced with smooth and accurate animations of the gear, along with the closing and opening of the bay doors. Unlike some aircraft I have used on different platforms, the undercarriage and wheel bays are not excessively modelled, but there is enough detail included to satisfy most people. 
 


 
Variants & Liveries
In terms of the included variants, they are: Clean - no external stores, Ferry - carries three drop tanks, Fighter - carries one belly drop tank, and Rocket - carries one belly drop tank and eight underwing unguided rockets. For each, you have the following liveries: Anacostia 477, 80405 VMF-312, La Tigresa, Black Cat, and lastly the fictional White 5.  
 


 
Tigercat Interior
As with their earlier Hadley Page Hampden model, it’s clear to see that Virtavia have taken a lot of care when modelling the interior. When sitting inside the Tigercat’s cockpit, you will find yourself seated in a rich and diverse environment with both texturing and modelling being of the highest order.
 


 
Although the cockpit is rather lacking in terms of weathering, I still found that it offered a highly authentic experience. The numerous gauges are clear and easy to read, and the abundant switches and levers which surround you, are easily accessed. All in all, I found Virtavia’s representation of the Tigercat’s cockpit, to be one of the best I had experienced in a simulator. 
 


 
Tigercat Handling
Takeoff
The Tigercat is wonderfully overpowered, but if you don’t respect that aspect of the aircraft, you can find yourself in trouble rather quickly. As per the Grumman Pilot’s Handbook, set all the trims to zero, select your desired flap setting and make sure you’ve turned on the rudder booster. If you forget the rudder booster, you’ll soon be reminded once airborne, as the Tigercat will have you dancing on the rudder pedals to counteract the Dutch roll effect.
 


 
Line up for takeoff and advance the throttles to forty inches of manifold pressure, then let the power stabilize. You can stand on the brakes as you advance the throttles, or you can perform a rolling takeoff. If you’re at lighter gross weight, you can leave the throttles there, but for heavier weights, you should of course use more power if your runway length demands it. All things being equal, the Tigercat should become airborne at around ninety knots, and will accelerate fairly quickly. Raise the gear and close the canopy (limit speed is 140 knots), if you’ve performed the takeoff with the hood open as per the pilot’s manual. With this done, accelerate above 120 knots, as this is the minimum safe control speed for single-engine emergencies, and then…climb away!
 


 
Cruise
One of the nicest aspects of sim flying is that the fuel is always free, and you don’t have to worry about engine overhaul costs! If performance is your vice, then set your throttles at around forty-five inches of manifold pressure and bring the propeller levers back to 2400 rpm, and you’ll find that you’ll shoot along at a rather comfortable pace. If on the other hand you’d prefer to take in the sights; bring the prop levers back to 2200 rpm, the throttles to your desired setting, then sit back and enjoy the rumble of those two Pratt & Whitney R-2800s.
 


 
Landing
The Tigercat is an exceptionally clean airframe – have a look from head-on and you’ll see what I mean, not a lot of frontal area - and as such, will maintain its airspeed. Descent and approach planning is a bit on the “necessary” if you aren’t into performing an overhead-break manoeuvre in which to land.
 
From altitude, throttle back as desired to maintain your speed; alternately keep the throttles up and come down like a bat out of hell! If you do that though, your airspeed will build up quickly and you’ll have to shallow your descent rate to prevent exceeding your Vne speed. 
Until you’ve applied a bit of flap and extended the landing gear, don’t count on slowing down while trying to enter the landing pattern. Get the flaps and gear extended first, then make your approach.
 
I highly recommend maintaining an approach speed of 120 knots on final until you’re below 1000 feet above the airfield elevation, as this will protect yourself in the event of an engine failure (not a problem in the flight sim universe, unless of course, you enjoy the challenge of practising emergencies). Bleed the speed back to around one hundred knots, or lower if you’ve set full flaps, and then…touchdown!
 

 
Sounds    
The FMOD sound samples included in the package are outstanding as they capture the dynamic sound of the two Wasp radial engines perfectly. From a cold and dark start, the engines come to life with a slow whistling wine before they suddenly spit, pop, and then rattle into life. When opening and closing the cockpit canopy (again nicely sampled), the sounds of the engine are subtly muffled, but still audible through the canopy. Other sounds include the numerous switches, plus various other squeaks, and groans of the aircraft. It’s truly amazing what you can do with FMOD soundsets, and Virtavia seem to have the technique down to a tee!  

Conclusion
The Tigercat derives from a time when fighters were much simpler to operate and fly than their modern 5th and 6th generation counterparts. As such, this is not a particularly complex aircraft in which to fly, which suits casual flight simmers such as myself. That said, don't forget a tiger is a wild animal, and Virtavia’s Tigercat is not without its own vices, as you will find out if you happen to purchase it. As I said previously, you need to make sure you are always ahead of the aircraft, because if you’re not, then be prepared for a bite. 

Visually, the model faithfully captures the lines of the original aircraft, with some very nicely stressed skin effects. When these are observed from certain angles under the right lighting conditions, the model really does shine. However, finer details such as slightly raised panels and flush riveting, are for the moment, missing. With that said, the lack of such detailing (and I could be accused of being fussy), does not detract from an overall visually impressive exterior.   
 


 
As for what I would like to see improved on in future updates, I would have to say some cockpit weathering would be number one on my list, whilst externally, slightly more attention to the finer details on the external skin, again employing a degree of subtle weathering on the fuselage, which was a nice feature on the Hampden. 

In my opinion and without question, Virtavia have fundamentally nailed this product in terms of quality and its intended audience. The icing on the cake would have been a rendition of the two-seat and radar-equipped versions, but perhaps those variants are yet to come (hoping). 

They say a cat has nine lives, so here are nine reasons why I think you should consider adding Virtavia’s Tigercat’s to your hangar:
 
The excellent price The inclusion of versions for both XP12 and XP11 in one single package VR compatible (according to the developer press release) The inclusion of a comprehensive PDF manual A rich and diverse cockpit environment, which is in a class of its own The inclusion of an impressive FMOD sound pack  The different load-out options. Rain and ice effects on the canopy (XP12 only)  The level of functionality  
Finally, whilst summing up, I came across a post by X-Plane org member "Eldo", who posted a couple of nice screenshots in the "What did you fly today" section on the Org portal. 

Whilst turning and burning over Duluth / Superior Harbour in the Virtavia Tigercat, “Eldo” wrote:

 “The “clean” F7F3- Variant with no bombs, rockets, or drop tanks, flies like the aircraft equivalent of a mid-60s muscle car. Just hold on for the ride!”
 
_______________________________
 

 
Grumman F7F Tigercat by Virtavia is available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
Grumman F7F Tigercat
Priced at US$29.95
 
Features
Support for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11 Folding wings Guns/cannons can be fired Rockets' variant has 8 shootable unguided rockets PBR materials/textures used throughout VR config file included, cockpit manipulators optimized for easy VR use FMOD sounds package with multi-stage engines, pilot's slide canopy muting, switch clicks and other unique cockpit sounds Very detailed cockpit with numerous animations and mousable controls Retractable crew steps Togglable pilot figure Canopy glass rain and ice effects (XP12) Animated cowl flaps Animated tail hook Animated oil cooler exit doors on wings Authentic flight model with checklist 4 unique flight models (.acf files) 25-page illustrated User Operating Manual Source texture files available for livery artists  
Requirements
X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, Mac, or Linux
4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
 
Review by Nick Garlick
28th Feb 2023
Copyright©2022: X-Plane Reviews
 
Review System Specifications: 
Windows 10, Intel 4790K liquid-cooled, overclock to 5GHz, 32GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM, Nvidia GTX 1070ti, Titanium HD Audio Card.
 
(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
 

 
 

Scenery Review: Grand Arctic Scenery XP12 by HSimulators

By Nick Garlick

Introduction     

I am extremely pleased to be invited back once again so that I can share my views and opinions on yet another new add-on for the X-Plane 12 platform, this time Grand Arctic XP12 By HSimulators.  
 
The Arctic: a cold barren, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth and an area more often than not, forgotten in the world of flight simulation. The Artic covers an area which includes the Arctic Ocean, neighbouring seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), northern Finland (Lapland), Iceland, northern Norway (Finnmark and Svalbard), Russia (Murmansk, Siberia, Nenets Okrug, Novaya Zemlya), northernmost Sweden and the United States (Alaska), so as you can see, a considerable land area! In saying that however, as large as it is…it’s still not included with X-Plane.  
 


 
Yes, I know we now have snow in X-Plane, but I must remind you this is only available if you fly below and above the parallel lines of latitude seventy-four north and latitude sixty south, where X-Plane’s default scenery is available. Fly above or below these lines of latitude in a default install of X Plane and you will encounter vast areas of open water, reminiscent of something from an apocalyptic climate crisis of rising tides, something we X-Planers are all too familiar with! 
 
To resolve this virtual climate crisis, enter Grand Arctic XP12, a product that builds on the original Grand Arctic for X Plane 11, a product I thoroughly enjoyed when released a few years ago. I will not bore you by flying over old ground, especially when the core of Grand Arctic XP12 covers essentially the same terrain, airports and helipads as found in the original product. However, as new readers may be interested in this product, we will see how this enhanced version improves on the already tried and tested formula by taking advantage of all that XP12 now has to offer.  
 


 
HSimulators started work on this updated version several months ago with the initial release being in December 2022. Grand Arctic XP12 is for use in X-Plane 12 only and runs on either Windows, Mac, or Linux. It requires a graphics card with a minimum of 4GB VRAM, but from experience, I would recommend 8GB or higher for the best results. 

Even though XP12 has seen improvements in many areas over XP11, there remain huge chunks of land and ice missing from Austin’s plausible world. As such, Grand Arctic XP12 aims to fill part of the area above the 73/74th north lines of latitude to fill some of that void. Being such a large area, the package covers areas of North Greenland and the northernmost reaches of Canada. The approximate area covered by the scenery package can be seen in my illustrations below with a global representation of the before and after installation of the package. 
 


 
Download & Install 
When you initiate the download, the compressed zip file weighs in at just under 6GB. Having downloaded the product without any issues, I then when about extracting and installing the scenery file. Installation is quite straightforward, unzip the contents by pointing to the drive where your X-Plane 12 is installed. Then, once you have extracted the scenery, you will need to check both your Custom Scenery and Global Scenery folders. If the installation has gone to plan, you should see the following in each of the respective folders. Once installed, Grand Arctic will occupy around 6.70GB of your hard drive space.

First Impressions       
HSimulators Grand Arctic features an impressive call-down list. As mentioned earlier, the area of coverage is from the northern extremities of Western Canada to the east of Greenland, from just above the 73rd and 74th lines of latitude. It is stated the scenery encompasses almost one million square miles, and all of this sits on top of a terrain mesh sampled at between 15 and 20m in resolution, which appears to be an improvement over the original product. It’s also interesting to note that the scenery has been designed to work with the weather stations in X Plane 12, which can lead to some rather impressive weather environments.  
 

 
Now let’s look at the airports featured in the geographical area covered by the scenery. I observed no less than sixteen airports/airstrips and eight helipads and many of these were rendered with adequate detail featuring 3D Objects. The complete feature list can be seen on the map below. 
 

 
It is beyond the scope of this review to mention every specific location included in this package, so here is a selection of some of the areas which I feel are worth pointing out and which should give you an indication of the kind of quality you will experience when exploring the scenery. To begin with, we have Thule Air Base (BGTL).
 

 
Situated on the northwest coast of Greenland, Thule Air Base is the northernmost air base of the United States Armed forces which is located 750 miles (1,210 km) north of the Arctic Circle and 947 miles (1,524km) from the North Pole.  
 


 
HSimulations have captured the footprint of the air base reasonably well, as well as the surrounding scenery which features various listening and satellite surveillance stations. Also included is the harbour, which I think adds an additional degree of interest and ambience. 
 


 
Next up is Qaanaaq BGQQ, an unpaved airstrip formerly known as Thule or New Thule. Qaanaaq is the main town in the northern part of the Avannaata district in north-western Greenland.  
 


 
The developers have again produced a nice rendition of the airport, along with its surroundings. I particularly like this location, as the approach “on most occasions” will see you pass over the town of Qaanaaq, with the open sea on one side, and the hills on the other, which when the weather is clear, can be very scenic!   
 


 
Leaving Qaanaaq behind, we next head for Danmarkshvan (Denmark's Harbour), which is a small remote weather station located in Dove Bay, which resides on the south shore of the Germania Land peninsula in the National Park of Northeast Greenland. Danmarkshvan is an unpaved airstrip located by the coast, and due to its location, will present quite a challenge when the weather becomes unfavourable.
 


 
Our next stop is CFS Alert (CYLT) and Mould Bay (CYMD). Canadian Forces Stations Alert (CYLT) is a semi-paved airstrip, with the main function of the airbase being a signals intelligence intercept facility. In other words, they eavesdrop on the world’s communications. Often shortened to just CSF Alert, the base resides in the Qikqtaaluk region of Nunavut and is situated on the northeastern tip of Ellesmere Island.
 


 
Mould Bay Airport is located on Prince Patrick Island in the Canadian Northwest Territories. It was originally built in 1948 as a joint effort between Canada and the United States in which to service the former Environment Canada weather station, which in turn was automated in 1997. This automation eliminated the need for a fully active airport; however, as of 2012, members of the Canadian Armed Forces still occasionally visited the island. The developers have captured the spirit of this remote location with just enough detail to ensure that every flight (both in and out), is an enjoyable one.
 


 
As well as the landing areas mentioned above, the developers have also included many settlements. Whilst these are all relatively simple in terms of their modelling, they are more than adequate at conveying just how vast and remote this part of the world really is. The screenshots below are an example of this and show the settlement of Innaarsuit.
 


 
Performance
Given the geographical area covered by this scenery, the file contains little in the way of auto-gen (often the cause of framerate issues), and as such, any impact on framerates is negligible. In fact, the most taxing element is probably the new mesh data, but even here, and despite the added detail on offer, I was still able to achieve remarkably high framerates at X Plane’s highest graphic settings. 
 
Areas for Improvement 
Whilst there have been some significant improvements over the previous X-Plane 11 version of the scenery, such as the richer, slightly more detailed ground textures and the inclusion of a bespoke terrain mesh, I still feel there is room for improvement, mainly regarding some of the detailing found at the airports. Whilst many of them were more than adequate, I feel some of the airports could do with being lifted a level. However, that said, at the same time I accept as the developer states, this is a new product and Grand Arctic XP12 should be considered “a start”.
 

 
At the time of writing, I believe that the development kit from Laminar Research (which is used to produce “new mesh”) has yet to be made available to third-party and public developers, though I stand to be corrected on this point. However, given the lack of an official development kit, the developer had to draw on their own development solutions to create a bespoke mesh. Hopefully, when this development kit becomes available, further improvements can be made.

HSimulators have stated that as soon as the required development kit from Laminar has been made available, work will commence on developing better edge adjustments between the aquatic and land masses and improved renditions of peaks and troughs. These improvements will then be implemented into the scenery file which will be updated accordingly.
 

 
Conclusion
Overall, I am very pleased with this product, as Grand Arctic XP12 covers part of an extensive area that to this day, continues to be omitted from X Plane. Featuring enhanced ground textures, along with new mesh relief, HSimulators' Grand Arctic XP12 offers an increased level of immersion over its predecessor (a highly recommended product in its own right). At the time of writing, Grand Arctic XP12 can be purchased for $29.00, which I feel represents excellent value, especially when you factor in the exceptionally large area which is covered. 
 
With HSimulators ongoing commitment to the package, the potential scope of the scenery in general, and the ongoing improvements to X-Plane 12, I for one look forward to seeing what the future brings for Grand Arctic XP12.
 
_______________________________
 

 
Grand Arctic Scenery XP12 is available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
Grand Arctic Scenery XP12
Priced at US$29.00
 
Main Features 
Scenery from west of Canada to the east of Greenland above 73 degrees Nearly one million square miles of mesh terrain between 15 and 20 m resolution Built to work with weather stations in X-Plane 12 17 airports in 3D (all airports in the geographic area) 7 helipads in 3D Places in 3D (small cities and villages) Mesh terrain from 10 to 15 resolution meters
North Canada and Greenland Airports and heliports in 3D
Thule Air Base Fort Conger Nuussuaq HLPN CFS Alert Innaarsuit HLPN Resolut Bay Station Nord Isachsen Siorapaluk HLPN Qaanaaq King Christian Sagvisivik HLPN Grise Fiord Kullorsuaq HLPN Tanquary Fiord Eureka Malloc Dome Tasiusaq HLPN Arctic Bay Moriusaq HLPN Mould Bay Danmarkshavn NEEM Camp Skiway Thule BMEWS HLPN Requirements
X-Plane 12
Windows mac or Linux
4 GB VRAM Video Card. 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Download Size: 6.2 GB
Current version: XP12rev1 (December 30th, 2022)
 
Review by Nick Garlick
17th Feb 2023
Copyright©2022: X-Plane Reviews
 
Review System Specifications: 
Windows 10, Intel 4790K liquid-cooled, overclock to 5GHz, 32GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM, Nvidia GTX 1070ti, Titanium HD Audio Card.
 
(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
 

 

Aircraft Update Review : Gulfstream 550 v1.10 by AKD Studio
 
Since it's release back 28th October 2022 there has been 10 (including this one) updates to the AKD Studio Gulfstream 550, obviously four months and with 10 updates in that time period, it shows the huge amount of the development that has changed on the aircraft in those few months, a lot obviously, and the changelogs are long. I'm not going to note all the fixes here in this update review, but only the ones that are significant.
 
I really liked the aircraft on it's release, but the G550 did however feel a little bit under developed, it is a new developer to the X-Plane platform as well in AKD Studio's so there is a lot to learn and refine, but the above changelogs shows the improvements are going in there and very quickly...  Release review; Aircraft Review : Gulfstream 550 by AKD Studio
 

 
After four months both the Gulfstream 550 and X-Plane 12 feel far better than they did back in October...  as together they have both matured nicely.
 
Externally there have been small changes, however not still on the front windscreen surround, as they are still missing the screws? but the side windows now show the glass reflections, and not a hollow hole, so the fuselage as a whole feels far better (the cabin windows here on the G550 are really big).
 

 
Cabin window blinds/shades were added in v1.04, very nice.
 
Biggest change in v1.10, is the addition of a cargo hold area, this is on a revised menu "Ground Handling" page noting now an opening rear door, set below the Main Door operation.
 

 

 
Access can also be through the rear bathroom (new door) to the very well done cargo bay, I like the wire protected lights, a nice touch...  you can also open and close the cargo hatch manually from the inside.
 

 
More new features in v1.10 include both an AC and DC GPU's (Ground Power Units), and they are both well done, both available on the Ground Handling page.
 

 
The "Fuel" or loading page has been upgraded as well. You can set your fuel load by the + or -, but also by scrolling on the REQ TOTAL to add in or off load fuel...   When pressing SET you get now a well modeled tanker outside.
 
             
 
You can also set the cargo weight (both Kgs and Lbs are available), and finally your Passenger load of up to 16 Passengers, weights are adjusted to the loading parameters. Pressing BOARDING, will activate a Tesla Car (It takes ages to turn up) and proceeds to deliver passengers and luggage to the aircraft...  when done it goes away, to unload passengers you press the selection "Take Passengers to Terminal".
 

 
If you had read the release review, we have seen this Tesla before, but at the totally wrong scale. It is now the right scale, but in reality it is all still a bit odd isn't it...  I mean how would you get 16 passengers into a 5 seater Tesla? A Mercedes Bus would have been a better idea, the Tesla doesn't feel finished either?  The Fuel truck has an annoying foible as well, it appears simply out of nowhere, then suddenly disappears again when the aircraft is refueled, so there is no animation to the jet or in leaving? Static Elements can now also be selected to appear on startup. Other external notes include... wheels now actually touch the ground!
 
In v1.04 the internal lighting had an overhaul. There are sixteen individual sets of lights around the huge cabin, these can be all switched on or off manually at each light, or on the selections of the CABIN LIGHTS Menu page...
 

 
Thankfully you can "Turn on all Lights", and do the same to turn them all off again...
 

 
And very nice it all is in the cabin...  there is a secondary lighting page that covers three areas, rear Bathroom and each side downwash lights...  This gives you a more softer cabin feel, and lights up separately the bathroom.
 

 
It does also help lighting up the galley area which was extremely dark before, and sort of the entrance, which I complained about in the release review. Oddly the Red on to the Green off selections are the opposite of the cabin lighting commands?
 
Lighting is better, but it still doesn't quite all work? as separate galley and baggage area lighting is what is really required here, and you still some entrance lighting missing... the stairs have the inbuilt lighting elements shown, but it doesn't work... as light bleed into the cockpit with no door is a problem?
 

 
External lighting was upgraded in v1.05. It is very good, if the main landing lights a bit over bright? There are Navigation, Strobe, Beacon (belly), Ice/Wing and wheelwell lights..  the tail light is too dull to be effective.
 

 
Cockpit lighting is good, and it comes with a lot of adjustments, with glareshield dropdown lighting, yoke, overhead and side panel lighting.
 

 
The only thing I didn't like, was that I couldn't dial out the footwell lighting...  this made bright reflections upwards on to the instrument displays, so an all dark cockpit was not possible.
 
While we are still in the cabin, the window frames are still quite average and they come with nasty gaping holes and badly fitted cabin (glass) windows. Yes while flying you do have to look through these badly made windows and I'm not in liking the view!...  however the "Time to Destination" has been added to the Cabin Display.
 

 
Don't get me wrong here, the lighting is now very good, but still needs more refinement to be effective, or totally realistic.
 
Instruments
The HUD (Head Up Display) now works...  just touch it to drop it down. You have to adjust it, as the form and lettering is too thick and that is done via the knob above, it works, but it's not the best available, it also still feels like a WIP.
 

 
"Banana" indicator is now working on the PFD. On the MAP/MFD you now have the Terrain Radar working as well. It is the DrGluck (Plugin v1.30+) tool and the plugin is required. The Terrain shows the Independent terrain display on both the left and right displays, and it also gives you a working Vertical Situation Display.
 

 
I always had issues with the METAR report on the menu. Add in your ICAO code and the system would freeze, or CTD. Now it works, but not by pressing the PRINT METAR? but by doing a keystroke RETURN, still very odd?  But at least you now don't freeze the Sim. Support for 8.33 kHz radios is now also available.
 

 
Flying v1.10 Gulfstream 550
For updating the Skunkcraft's Updater now works with the aircraft, thankfully with so many updates it is a very useful tool.  In v1.07 in December, a Manual was also delivered (by Ivan Luciani), seriously you had to wait two months for a Manual, and you wonder why reviewing is hard without developer notes.
 
Look closely and you will find now there are pilots flying the aircraft, they are the default Laminar Pilots, but still a great addition.
 

 
In v1.05, there was a lot of performance changes (a change over to SASL v3.15 was also completed) by AKD. I found the release aircraft not to bad to fly actually...  but in the takeoff roll and climbout, it was even far better in this later version.
 

 
Changes include engine performance, flight model and better airfoils. And the new wingflex is also very noticeable, mainly because it wasn't done before?
 

 
It is worth noting that the engine performance and flight models, are tuned to each different X-Plane version, X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11. Obviously the X-Plane 12 dynamics are better, as felt here. Added or refined is the rain effects (V1.03) on both forward windscreen and side cabin windows
 

 
The AKD G550, is a quite complicated aircraft to fly, there is a lot of detail to cover in here with the Symmetry Flight Deck, and the specific glareshield "Display Controller" system. But it is well worth the effort to do so. I will admit I'm not crazy about the manuals? There is a lot of them in sixteen categories, but they are done in a drawing layout? Interesting in one way as the detail is very good...  but odd in another.
 

 
Specifications are; Range 6,750 nmi (7,770 mi, 12,500 km) range, with a High Speed Cruise: M0.85 at 41,000 ft (12,497 m) or the standard Long Range Cruise: M0.80 at 41,000 ft (12,497 m), and you can cover the ground with a Service ceiling: 51,000 ft (16,000 m)
 

 
Flying 41,000ft at m.80 is the dream of living with the Gods, but you can easily do that with this Gulfstream, it is a great simulation with high numbers. Fixes on the the instrument panels are high;  NavSource on Display Controller, squawk page in FMS3 radio panel, better RNP indicator on DU1/DU4 and fixed AoA indicator DU1/DU4, Stall warning system logic, Altitude mismatch on ALT tape and Autopilot FLCH mode.
 
Note a confusing thing is using the Autopilot. Noteable is that the G550 does not have an Autopilot, hence the trickery here... 
 

 
To activate the Autopilot, which is set below the Speed selector...  you press one of the screws on the left of the panel, hard to find if you don't know where it is, otherwise you get a yellow caution alert.
 
At Mach 80, faster if you want to, you travel and arrive at your destination quickly, here I'm back at EVRA Riga, Latvia.
 

 
You just like looking at the Gulfstream, because it is a very nice aircraft to look at...
 

 
I still can't work out how to ARM the Airbrakes for landing, press the button, positioned rear the centre console, but it doesn't ARM?
 

 
Nice 6º nose up flare, shows nice control in the flare, and you lower the power to sweetly touch the runway...  nice and easy.
 

 
Sounds haven't had much attention in the updates, but the reverse thrust is loud and powerful...
 

 
Flaps are MASSIVE, and lower to the full 39º...  The full landing configuration is shown on the PFD, and I really still can't get over how much I like this visual FLT arrangement, brake pressure is shown as well.
 

 
The Gulfstream 550, puts the world at your feet, it is an intercontinental flying machine, and in v1.10 it better than ever, not totally perfect, but a great simulation.
 
Summary
In world of the elite, then the word of Gulfstream is the biggest token you can play in this upper exclusive club. The Gulfstream G600/G700/G800 Series was built upon the last series of G500/G550 Series and that series evolved out of the Gulfstream V as the GV-SP.
 
First an almost disclaimer on the review and the aircraft. The Gulfstream G550 is a first time project by AKD Studios and obviously they have to pick an extremely complex aircraft to start with, add the release right in the middle of a new X-Plane 12 Beta run, and you can expect a lot of bugs and weird things with the aircraft. It's not like that at all in context, in fact it flies very well. But it is very hard to do development on shifting sands.
 
This update review covers the extensive update list from the release aircraft (v1.0), to the current version v1.10.
 
The update list here is extremely long, but the main features are a new Cargo/Baggage area, with animated door, internal detail is very good. New Fuel Tanker, Two GPU AC/DC units and a smaller (scale) Tesla car, with a lot of touchups and details externally.
 
Cabin lighting has been totally redone, but still needs some fine tuning and stair lighting, but far better than the original set up. HUD HeadUp Display now works, as does the inclusion of DrGluck's Plugin v1.30+ that has Independent terrain display on the left and right displays, and a working Vertical Situation Display. Pilots have been added as has WingFlex, and a lot, a real lot of changes to the engine performance, flight model and custom performance for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11.
 
I still have a few quibbles, poor window surrounds, lighting still not right, default FMS, pop in/pop out Tanker and other quirks, but you have to understand to a point this aircraft (and by the extensive list of updates) is really still a work in progress, it has in reality come a very long way since it's release late October 2022, obviously released too early, but the developer has made some highly significant progress on the aircraft.
 
Personally I absolutely love the Gulfstream G550. X-Plane has wanted a really excellent transoceanic Private Jet for decades and here it is, it is also available in X-Plane 11 and more importantly in X-Plane 12 in the same value package of just over US$30. For your money you get a lot of aircraft with it's Gulfstream related systems.
________________________________  
 
The Gulfstream 550 v1.10 by AKD Studio is NOW available here at the X-Plane.OrgStore
 
GLF550 - Ultimate Business Jet by AKD Studio
Price is US$31.95
 
This aircraft is now both X-Plane12 and X-Plane 11 supported
 
Requirements
X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.1 GB
Current version : 1.10 (February 7th 2023)   Download for the Gulfstream 550 by AKD Studio is 1.03GB
 
And the final install in X-Plane Aircraft folder with the above loaded liveries is; 2.53gb. Authorisation is required.
The AviTab plugin is also required to use this aircraft, and it is deposited in your X-Plane Plugins folder.
 
Simbrief proflie is;
https://www.simbrief.com/system/dispatch.php?sharefleet=256234_1658264083720
 
Documents
AKD GLF550 Introduction.pdf FMS_Manual.pdf GLF550 Normal Checklist.pdf GLF550_air_conditioning_system.pdf GLF550_auxiliary_power_unit_(apu)_system.pdf GLF550_electrical_system.pdf GLF550_fire_protection_system.pdf GLF550_flight_control_system.pdf GLF550_fuel_system.pdf GLF550_hydraulic_system.pdf GLF550_ice_and_rain_protection_system.pdf GLF550_landing_gear_and_brakes_system.pdf GLF550_oxygen_system.pdf GLF550_pneumatic_system.pdf GLF550_powerplant_system.pdf GLF550_pressurization_system.pdf  
Changelog
Changelog v1.10.txt
Designed by AKD Studios
Support forum for the Gulfstream G550 _____________________
  Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton
18th February 2023
Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews
 
Review System Specifications: 
Windows  - 12th Gen IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU - 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB XLR8 - Samsung 970 EVO+ 2TB SSD
Software:   - Windows 11 Pro - X-Plane 12.01r3 (This is a beta review).
Plugins: JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99
Scenery or Aircraft
- ELLX - Luxembourg Findel Airport v2.1  by JustSim (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$19.95
- EVRA - Riga International Airport v2 by JustSim (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$18.50
 
(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
 

 

Behind the Screen : January 2023
 
This monthly review of "Behind the Screen" was created to communicate what was going on in the X-Plane world. To give you the user information on the state of the simulator, that we use in a day to day capacity. What we process, in not only X-Plane products, but in the way we use the Simulator, can be explained here in giving information for other users to absorb. Since my early days of using X-Plane I have had the uncanny knack of seeing or having events happen to me before it happens to anyone else. That is good, but head bashing as well, as I have had to work through the problems in fixing it, hopefully in passing on that vital information, so you the user don't have to go through the same torment. Behind the Screen is also here to mirror the health of the X-Plane Simulator as well, a sort of grounding on the current reality.
 
In the forums, many can be a bit self-absorbed, but most of the X-Plane community thankfully believe in the old world style of helping others to get around the difficult problems of running an extremely complicated Simulator program. Pray they are there, and thank them for their generosity
 
So the old adage "You can never tell what is going on beneath the surface. Even the most regally calm swan is paddling furiously below the water", can and be also certainly adhered to X-Plane Simulation. Hence again Behind the Screen.
 
I was determined to have a good break over the Christmas/New Year period, resting (meaning no computer work), just the annual equipment cleaning (keyboards and dust) and filing away all of the last years completed content... clean ready computers all done, and also ready for the exciting new 2023 year ahead, I was fresh as well after the rest, all ready to go...   it lasted three days.
 
The one thing X-Plane is very good at, I have found over the years, is it that it has the uncanny knack of finding your weak spots, then throwing them directly or blowing them up into your face.
 
More confusion is created when I have easily used X-Plane 12 (beta) from it's introduction back in September 2022. Yes I had to adjust the graphic settings, but otherwise I was able to use the newer version Simulator overall perfectly fine.
 
Then things started going seriously wrong when I started an early in the year 2023 review. After the initial confusion, it came down to three areas. Crashing or the freezing of the simulator caused by the continuous Vulcan device loss errors, weird things happening to aircraft when flying, like the liveries would change every few minutes, the undercarriage had a mind of it's own, dropping then coming back up, ATC alerts popping up consistently, flaps changing position, and finally airbrakes deciding to also activate also on their own. Finally the screen was going dark and the saturation was going off the scale. Absolute madness... just ONE of these areas alone are hard to decipher, but three or four at the same time was simply overwhelming...
 
Biggest argument here is why? perfect before Christmas, then a total horror show after it, I hadn't done anything, or changed anything between the two events...  the only one I had done was to update X-Plane to v12.01r1...   nah really?
 
I will bring up that v12.01r1 update, did it start a chain of events that sent me bonkers? it is a big question... Laminar put out all the version changes in their X-Plane 12.00 Release Notes...  but what of the areas of changes you don't see, mostly in the core X-Plane.app. I am not going to blame Laminar Research or X-Plane, as it may even be just circumstances that things happen, but one thing is for sure. One area had certainly changed to create a cascade of other issues. My work and time went down the toilet as well.
 
The problems are a result actually of Hardware issues? HARDWARE? Thanks to user "Tom", I worked out that my Saitek Hardware was underpowered, the USB was not pulling enough power from the computer, the result is an area called "Ghosting", were the (in this case the switches on my Saitek throttle) decided to activate the set switches by themselves, or ghosting themselves. Honestly I had never heard of "Ghosting" before even though it is quite common with Saitek addons. So you learn something, even after over a decade in Simulation.
 
One down three to go...  Still I had the "Vulcan device loss errors", and they were becoming evidently worse, to the point the Simulator was crashing now consistently. I pared the simulator back to a fresh clean X-Plane 12 application install. No plugins, Only default Scenery, Only default aircraft... the result was still loads of Vulcan device errors, but not as consistent. A investigation of the forums said it was my Graphic Card a GTX 1080 8Gb that was not powerful enough to cope with the API, odd as it coped very well for four months last year, I don't or didn't over stress my Graphic Card either, but it was showing signs it was burning out (BTW, X-Plane burnt out my last Graphic Card as well in my Mac), hence all the Vulkan loss errors.
 
I was now looking at a new (expensive) Graphic Card. Hard to get at this time in Australia (Summer Holidays) and in very short in stock availability. I could throw 2K or AUS$1700 at one, but I don't have 2K to buy one, remember I have already spent 3K last year upgrading my Board and Processors...  for a game, sorry simulation X-Plane is an expensive business.
 
I found a card, a RTX 3080 10GB even on sale (if for only $50), but still far more than the 1K that I wanted to pay... remember when you could buy graphic cards for $600 and they felt expensive, today you can double that, or even treble that. Good news it was local so I got it the next day...
 
Yes it is a powerful RTX 3080 card (for it's price). But powering it is like hooking up Hoover Dam to Las Vegas, two heavy cables are required, some cards now need three. Lucky last year I also upgraded to a 1000w Corsair Power Supply, so I already had enough power to power this internal nuclear reactor... It works.
 
You can do anything with computers, but if you are into Simulation, then Graphic Card power is always the way to go. You can get very intoxicated by it all, jumping from below 30 frames to over 60 frames in an instant, nothing abruptly happens either, no CTD (Crash to Desktop), no flickers, no waiting, and absolutely no Vulkan device errors!
 
It just all works...  and smoothly.
 
Huge headroom, and the space to absorb the things that can drive you mad, do I recommend selling items of furniture or your car to get a magic graphic card, sadly yes if you are serious about Simulation.
 
But now with my system is now finally completed  or 100% overhauled, it is seriously frightening on how much power you really do just need to run X-Plane 12 efficiently. Seriously those who think they can get away with the basic specifications set out by Laminar Research are not going to make it, I wasn't even close to the absolute basic requirements, as I got burnt out, other users have simply got no chance.
 
I know, because I tried to beat the odds, and failed. So if you are in it for the long haul with X-Plane 12, you have to have the gear to run it as well.
 
That brings up another question? Does a simple simulator program expect or demand too much investment to just to run correctly, remember X-Plane 9, I ran that on a Mac-Mini at the time, and it flew very well, now I need Colossus and the power of the Hoover Dam just to get a decent framerate?
 
In other words, X-Plane 12 found my weaknesses, exploited them, and brought me crashing down. Did the hidden changes in v12.01r1 push my systems boundaries beyond what they are capable of? That is big question... Yes X-Plane 12 or as currently noted as officially released, it is however in reality still deep into a beta, and things are still changing, even under the hood...  you are starting to wish it would be all be over and sooner than later. I have been through beta's like this before, but never have they burnt out my computer?
 
I still have an issue, my Monitor looks perfect with the set Nvidia settings, (even with the default settings), but the images coming out of X-Plane 12 (screenshots) are anything but, dark and with very heavy shadows (yes I do have Ambient Occlusion set to zero), at night you can't see anything? Graphic Card or X-Plane 12, take your pick, as they say in Houston "Work the problem".
_______________
 
I mentioned in my end of the year review 2022 and roundup, that this year 2023 would be one of the most interesting and important years in the history of X-Plane. Basically it is a sink or swim year (the above situation does not help). But I did expect a load of upgrades that came to pass with X-Plane 12 going official, they came or are still coming and they are all very good, but it is the add on scenery aspect that is the most worrying. 
 
In the first month I was very uplifted by the release of a lot of cross platform scenery (MSFS and X-Plane12), basically the same scenery released for both platforms, and both of the same high quality. Thankfully not the glut over at MSFS and the few trinkets for X-Plane. Supporting both platform simultaneously is good business for both sides, the Simulators and the developer houses. In fact delivering more scenery products for X-Plane 12 will of course drive more business in users wanting to fill out their landscapes with decent product.
 
Better was shown with Orbx and their Brisbane City pack release and YBBN Brisbane International Airport packages (I give a small preview of both in the Thranda 337F Review). My argument (for years) was always to produce City packages or City Icons, with the connected Airports. Then let the X-Plane autogen do the rest. The Orbx dual package shows how well this aspect works for X-Plane and why I push for as many City Packages (and for you to buy them) to fill out the X-Plane world as possible and make it far more realistic. A lot will note that X-Plane still needs a far better photo based underlay, to which I totally agree, but flat photos are not the answer either for total realism.
 
Even though Austin Meyer as an aversion to photo textures, I still think X-Plane will still get a hybrid system during the X-Plane 12 run to counter the MSFS style of Simulation...  good city scenery also proves it can work for X-Plane and it is also well worth the users investment, as the Orbx combo shows...  that aspect alone makes it a brilliant, even relived start to the 2023 Simulation year, just hope the same quality and products are continued to be released as the year progresses. It will be an area I will comment on frequently, because it is vital to expanding landscape of the X-Plane 12 Simulator and it's future.
 
See you all next month (barring another computer meltdown)
 
Stephen Dutton
3rd February 2023
Copyright©2023 X-Plane Reviews
 

 
 

Aircraft Review : Cessna 337F Skymaster by Thranda Design
 
Thoughout the history of aviation there have been many different concepts...  fuselage shapes, wing designs, power sources. But in the one area of multiple engines, there is the Twin Engine mounted wing configuration, or commonly known as "Twins".
 
Several twins however use a very different concept, one was the wartime Do 335, another and another was far more famous aircraft the Cessna 337 Skymaster.
 
The concept is called push-pull configuration in that has a combination of forward-mounted tractor (pull) propeller, and backward-mounted (pusher) propeller. In the Cessna 377's case it was two Continental IO-360-C air-cooled flat-six piston engines, 210 hp (160 kW) each, producing a combined 420hp, plus the unique "Twin-Boom" tail arrangement to accommodate the rear (pusher) engine/propeller. Basically the 337 was a standard Cessna forward fuselage, but with a totally different concept at the rear.
 

 
The first Skymaster, Model 336 Skymaster, had fixed landing gear and initially flew on February 28, 1961. It went into production in May 1963 with 195 being produced through mid-1964.
 
In February 1965, Cessna introduced the Model 337 Super Skymaster. The new model was larger, and had more powerful engines, retractable landing gear, and a dorsal air scoop for the rear engine. (The "Super" prefix was subsequently dropped from the name.) In 1966, the turbocharged T337 was introduced, and in 1973, the pressurised P337G entered production. Cessna built altogether 2993 Skymasters of all variants, including 513 military O-2 versions.
 
Thranda Design are on a roll. Last year in 2022 they released two Cessna's, Cessna 208 Grand Caravan, then later a Cessna U206G Stationair. Now another Cessna joins the fleet in a Cessna 337F, the push/puller icon.
 
This C337 is not the first 337 in X-Plane, that distinction goes to Carenado's Cessna C337H Skymaster v2 HD Series, back in 2013, an iconic and much loved aircraft (by me anyway)...  I loved the thing, and you can see on how good it was even a decade ago in the review above.
 
Thranda Design also had a lot of input into that aircraft, as they also managed back then the Carenado fleet for the X-Plane Simulator, so they already know the aircraft intimately.
 

 
No matter how many aircraft you review, you are still amazed at the quality and detail you get today in simulation. Once you flew models (or modeled aircraft), but today they are realistically miniature aircraft in almost every perfect detail. Every panel, appendage, rivet, screw and the overall shaping is perfect, or perfection, inlets show a mock Continental IO-360-C, but the engine is not accessible (Unlike the U206G).
 
Glass is perfect, a green tint (more visible internally) with wear speckles embedded, it looks and feels nicely authentic.
 

 
The twin VHF roof mounted aerials are distinctive on the C337, as is the large cooling inlet for the buried rear engine. Note the top oil filler cap, nice detail.
 

 
 
The support strut for the tail booms is interesting. It is plastic or early form of glass-fibre to save weight, behind the strut in the boom structure is a sump tank.
 
 
 
Flaps are divided on to each side of the boom, so in essence there are four sections. Detail again is excellent, note the boom fairings around the flaps detail...  there are three flap degrees.
 

 
There is the beautiful cambered detailing of the wing tips, that defines the chord. And you have the choice between "Icing Boots", or a blank leading edge.
 

 
The rear twin booms, with the large central horizontal stabiliser is huge, with built in elevator and trim tab. Each boom has each internal left and right rudder cables and the right hand boom carries the trim cable, the left boom the elevator cable...
 

 
...  tailstrikes are common, rare that any C337 has no tail damage, both the upper and lower assemblies here are excellent detail. You can't just swap around a Continental IO-360-C engine either...  the rear has a very different load bearing (push) to the front's (Pull) bearing (again made tougher to absorb the higher loads). Note the rear engine cooling flaps (open).
 

 
The landing gear is basic in a complicated way....  the wheel assemblies quite basic, hub and arms, but complicated in that they have to fold up into the fuselage, the nose gear rotates sideways on retraction, the rear spindly legs also have to contort to fit in the rear bays. A lot of owners take the rear gear doors off, as maintenance wise they are a pain (an option here?).
 
Early 337 models used a manual hydraulic floor pump to raise and lower the gear from 65 to 73, then it was converted to two ECSs in the model, each with a 5.5-volt BEC. The front BEC powers a receiver in the fuselage (behind the front engine ) that operates the retracts, doors, nose wheel steering, right aileron and right elevator. The second receiver is in the wing and is powered from the rear ESC. The wing receiver operates the left aileron, left elevator half, both rudders and both flaps.
 

 
As noted the gear in detail is very well done by Thranda, all assemblies and tyres are first rate, even good enough to spend time and admire the work. Because of the type of undercarriage on this aircraft, there won't be any of the usual Thranda addon features like; Tundra Tyres, Ice-Skis and Float/Amphibian versions. There are a few 337 float conversions out there, but they are very rare.
 
If you want to call it the "Arse End" or "Rear Belly" of the aircraft, the lower rear fuselage is really well detailed with great well designed vortex generators, to create a smoother rear (breakaway) airflow from the aircraft with the powered propeller above.
 

 
From on-wards with the 337G Super Skymaster version, there was a split airstair entry door, like on the Carenado 337H, great for leaving the upper window open in flight. Here though on the "F" model with Thranda, it is the earlier single entry door, the only other opening door is the smaller cubby door for baggage rear lower right side.
 

 
Interior
Only a single door entry to a six-seater aircraft, so it is tight in there with this seating configuration. Usually you would only use the seats, and so where do you put the baggage? usually on your lap, so the six-seater configuration doesn't work.
 
In a real 337 your on top of each other, so it's small, really small. Note the excellent seating, the lower base and legs are really well designed... nice to look at as well.
 

 
Unlike most Cessna's, the rear of the cabin doesn't taper away, so it is really inside a tall box. The rear engine which is set just behind the rear bulkhead is close to the rearmost passengers, it is known to be noisy as well.
 

 
Cabin is tailored in a mixture of creams and browns, again reflecting it's pre-70's age...  the headlining has a zip to the rear, again nicely done, with the front high set Fuel tank opposite selectors, for the front and rear engines.
 

 
Cockpit
Forward and the instrument panel is dominated by the huge pedestal, with six levers (THROTTLE, PROP and MIXTURE) for the two engines...
 

 
...  front side windows are huge and past the front line of the wing leading edge...  and reason why most C377's are used for observation, e.g. the Cessna O-2 Skymaster (nicknamed "Oscar Deuce"), fire and maritime observation patrols. Front side window (sometimes known as the paperwork window) opens as does the ash tray (it was the 70's). The Pilot's window is fixed, but the door window can be opened.
 

 
There are two choices of yokes, "Slim" or "Beefy", the beefy version is the same large centred yoke from the Thranda U206G, but it works in here.

 
Looking at the instrument panel, there is one glaring omission between the Carenado 337H and this version...  that lovely green buttoned Autopilot panel...  disappointed, as it was a huge feature on the earlier aircraft.
 

 
Otherwise they are very much alike. As this aircraft has the "Dynamic Panel" system from Thranda, there are no set instrument arrangements, as we shall see that aspect later.
 

 
Two areas on the instrument panel are standard...  the excellent twin engine gauges with Manifold Pressure and RPM. A Fuel Flow (FF) and EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature). The highlight on this side is the engine dials that show (top row) fuel gauges (two tanks, 46 GAL each), OIL pressure. (lower row) CYL head temp, and OIL temperatures. Other dials cover SUCTION, Air Temperature and Volts (amperes).
 
Left lower panel has the VOLTS/BATtery (alternators), IGNITION/STARTERS , Instrument lighting (Flood/Post), Cowl Flaps (Front/Rear) and main electrical switchgear; MASTER, AUX PUMPS, ANTI-ICE, AVIONICS, (External) Lighting.
 

 
The (hydraulic) gear selector is by the excellent large and handy (pitch) trim wheel. Park brake is a simple push/pull knob lower.
 
The six lever; THROTTLE, PROP and MIXTURE pedestal is large and excellent, with a yaw (Rudder) trim wheel set below. Lower is a ADF Receiver panel.
 

 
Left side panel is a fully active "Circuit Breaker" (Fuses) panel. In the opening glove box are the happy faces of the "Thranda Team".
 

 
Menu
Thranda's Menus are very feature rich and highly detailed. There is a popout TAB under the arrow lower left, that can be (mouse) scrolled to hide it, that is if you don't like these sort of items crowding your screen (I don't). The Menu system includes 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.
 

 
As noted the "Menu" Tab (arrow) is far left middle of your screen, this will activate the Pop-Out Menu... The Menu has seven menu tabs in; GENERAL, LIVERY, WEIGHT/BAL, CAMERA, AUDIO/SLEW, PANEL and MISC (Miscellaneous)
 
Menu - General
The menu "General" sections covers quite a lot of options, the layout is highly detailed and very comprehensive.
 

 
General menu selections cover; Electric Tug, Window and Instrument Panel Reflections on/off, Startup Running on/off, GPU on/off, Cargo Pod on/off, Chocks and Brakes.
 

 
Three selections placed right cover group items, but any one item can be also accessed via "Click Spots" and can be individually selected or hidden via the aircraft graphic. "ALL COVERS" will select engine inlet/outlet covers and pitot cover, "ALL TIE-DOWNS" for rear fuselage and wing tie-downs and "ALL DOORS" for both the cockpit door and rear cabin doors. All EXT - External Lights can be switched on and off as can the ALL INT - Internal lights.
 
The "Electric Tug" that can be used to move the aircraft around on the ground via your joystick (left,right-forward,backwards). Static Items include Ground Power Unit, Engine Inlet covers, Pitot covers and Tie-Downs
 
Cargo pod is nicely detailed and comes with a single opening door, you can also add in the amount of baggage according to weight.
 

 
The excellent "Checklist", can also be found on this tab. Which is the same as the Thranda U206G system...  in the red, or the checked green choices you used on the other Thranda aircraft, and not the single white text on the Caravan. On some pages it notes performance and flying tips.
 

 
You can have checklist pop-up or in a window mode and thankfully you can move it, and scale it even from the very small to the very large size. The two lower arrows give navigation around the checklist pages. The action detail and hints in the lists are simply excellent and the checklist is fully detailed from Pre-Flight to Shutdown. And to reset, it is done at the end by switching all the green completed checklist back to red.
 
Menu - Liveries
Second Menu option is "Liveries", there are two options here with the first being "PAINTED LIVERIES". There are altogether 8 liveries or two blank (or DynamicLiveryResources/ZZTemplate) and six designs, and all are of extremely high quality and creative flare with the package. Thranda house is default.
 

 
Dynamic Liveries
Not happy with any of those designs, then why not create your own livery! 
 

 
With their earlier releases of their Caravan and U206G. Then Thranda introduced a clever feature of a way to design your own livery. This is done by switching from PAINTED LIVERIES to DYNAMIC LIVERIES (Arrowed).
 
Two liveries are "Dynamic" in resources (White)...  another New feature is the (Quick) selection of Dirt (Ext) Externally, Scratches and Dirt (Int) Internally. Via three percentage selections you can adjust the amount of Dirt, Scratches and Dirt Int on the aircraft (0%-255%) and apply it instantly.So you can have either a pristine or a very grubby aircraft with just a twirl of the numbers. This can be applied to any of the liveries.
 

 
You have a menu to select on the right that can colour a certain part of the aircraft, like the Roof, Wing, Tail or Wing tips. Select which one you want and then adjust the RGB colours for that certain area, it looks hard but you can easily design a very nice livery in about twenty minutes...  the selections of Dirt (Ext), Scratches and Dirt (Int). Metal(ness) and surface Rough(ness) can also be added or adjusted as seen earlier...
 

 
When done you can "SAVE" or ADD the livery and then "APPLY" it to the aircraft. The conversion takes a few minutes, but the results are excellent and in your own design...  There are already 30 preselected selections in their various designs, all which are very good, and like noted you can add in your own version to the list. New to the Dynamic Livery application is ERA options in "Modern' or "Classic". Of course taste is optional...
 
Here I changed the aircraft registration to an Australian Rego (VH-337), because I didn't like the Australian default aircraft...  cool.
 

 
Menu - Weight/Bal
 

 
The C337F also has a great Weight and Balance menu. Lbs and Kgs which can be selected and changed via the toggle Lbs/Kgs (arrowed).
 

 
Fuel can be added, and the amounts are then shown and are also adjustable as well in the menu (above). Pilot, passengers and cargo can all be set for individual weights and all selected via a scrollwheel...  and then all of the CofG (Centre of Gravity) parameters are shown on a graph. Go too far or too heavy and the CofG goes red (arrowed). When done you can Save the Configuration and then later re-load it, or press Load to add in the set weights. Overall it would be nice to have set of loading formats of different configurations, it is slow work setting them individually.
 

 
Once you go over a certain weight, you will then get two pilot's in the front seats, but no rear passengers. Pilots (Female/Male) are switchable. Note if you turn the aircraft power off, the pilots will again disappear.
 
More cabin options allows you to hide each of the four rear seats, via the small x tickboxes, if the weights for each seat is still set in place (or adjusted) then the area is replace by baggage. This makes for a very versatile cabin.
 

 
The Cargo Pod can be added or removed on the MISC Tab. This then adds in the Cargo Pod weight options on the right.
 

 
But obviously there is a compromise? If you want a full passenger and baggage load, then you can't have full fuel tanks, as the excess weight takes you over the weight and the CofG limits. For six (light) passengers (with maybe a bag thrown in) then can you have your full tanks and the range and not go into the red. You can also really pile a lot into the rear cabin two sections, and all the baggage is of very high quality.
 
Menu - Camera
 

 
There is a camera feature under the menu "Camera" selection. The left side of the panel is the "Walkaround" views, just pick the dot viewpoint you want to see to rotate around the aircraft. To the right is the default views can be selected via a menu, or press the keypad to select the view with most of these internal viewpoints. The FoV or Field of View is adjustable via a slider.
 

 
Menu - Audio/Slew
 

 
Sound can be adjusted via the sound menu. There are seven slider selections with: Master, Aircraft External, Aircraft Internal, CoPilot, Radios, Environmental and User Interface. One other sound setting is on the Flap panel...  As noted, on the right and left of the panel you get the audio simulation of an active noise canceling headset, which is seen as wearing a headset. Sound quality is beyond excellent as it is a built in audio mixer, so you can individually control the audio channels in real-time and you can adjust the volumes while hearing them play.
 
Slew mode 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. This feature is however highly touchy and it is mostly used with the floats option (not really coming to the 337), but for use on the Caravan, Thranda Beaver and PC-6).
 
Menu - PANEL
The sixth "PANEL" Tab option allows you to adjust or change the instruments and dials.
 

 
Scroll the "Panel Preset" number (arrowed) to see the extra six preset layouts (seven choices in all). Sometimes to restart you have to click to "Apply the Settings" for the GPS units.
 

 
Panel features include; Bendix King KFC-225, and the noted Aspen EFD 1000, KR 87 ADF Radio, Garmin GMA 340, Garmin GTX325 Mode C Transponder, BendixKing IN-182A Weather Radar, S-Tec Fifty Five X Autopilot and the usual GNS 430/530 PS/Nav/Comm units. A EDM 780 Digital EGT (shown lower) is also available. And there is a special 3d bezels for the insertion  of RealityXp GTN 750/430 units if you own those two addons (arrowed above).
 

 
Here is featured the EDM 780 EGT display, a replacement for the twin EGT gauges, the instrument pops-out as well.
 
The Aspen EFD 1000 is a self-contained multifunction digital display that is divided into a Primary Flight Display (PFD) in the top half, and an Electric Horizontal Situation Indicator (EHSI) in the lower half. As EDF 1000 systems go it is not as highly featured with the GPSS, MAP,  360 and Menu functions all not simulated...  all the lower NAV1/NAV2/GPS selections are however available, as is the TPS (Tapes) see/hide option with the MIN (Minimums) selectable as well. and the PFD can be reversed with the EHSI. The EFD 1000 here can be used with the S-TEC Fifty Five X Autopilot.
 

 
Customising the panel to your own personal layout is just as easy. Just select the "3D EDIT PANEL MODE" (arrowed) that gives you access to all of the 53 individual instruments and avionic units...  There are some great options including Aspen EFD 1000, S-TEC 55x Autopilot, Angle of Attack gauge and so on...
 

 
For those that find instruments are not to their liking in say, "I wish I could move that altitude meter just a bit more to the left", then here you can simply adjust that instrument, or even swap the instruments around the panel to your liking. You can even adjust the brightness of the instrument. Optional is to select the type of GPS unit you want GNS 530/430 via the "INSTRUMENT" selection.
 

 
When done you can "ADD" (or Duplicate) a new "Preset", and then "SAVE" that new layout Preset (Preset /6).
 
So basically you can start off with a completely blank instrument panel and then create your own unique or personal instrument layout if you have the time and patience...  and you can have up to or save 14 different instrument layouts. It is however very important to restart X-Plane to lock in the new instrumentation layout before flying.
 
Currently the optional "Panel Background" choice (colour) is not available on the 337F, like it was on some other Thranda DGS systems.
 
Menu - MISC
The Misc (Miscellaneous) page has four panels that cover Yoke Type (Chunky or Slim) ,De-Ice (wing) Boots, Cargo Pod (Normal or Cargo), Pilots (Option 1 Female, Option Two Male) and DynaFeel.
 

 
"DynaFeel" on the right 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.
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Flying the Cessna 337F Skymaster
The 377F is an odd aircraft because of it's push/pull configuration. The front is standard, the rear installation is everything but. In the cockpit it is bit like wearing a very heavy backpack, you know it's there but you can't see it. And that heavily enclosed rear installation causes problems as well....  mostly the heating.
 
So the aircraft is expensive to run, maintenance costs are notably high and so are the insurance premiums. This puts of a lot off buyers, which is a shame as the unique configuration is a very good flying machine.
 
You have to start the front engine first, to push cooling air into the upper vent to keep the rear engine cool...
 

 
...  even when you have started the rear IO-360-C air-cooled flat-six piston engine, you have to move forward quickly. More air is required by movement via the twin open cowls on the rear, the nose engine has the same cowls under the aircraft, but it also has the forward nose inlet.
 
Sit there for a period of time and it could get very expensive... quickly. And yet you need the "Temps" to come up before moving, my trick is once the needles are showing rear temps, then go...  the taxi to the runway will do the rest. And this highlights the biggest point in flying the C337, your eyes are never (ever) far from those Temp gauges, you can't see or feel that rear engine, so the gauges are your eyes and ears to what is happening back there.
 

 
Sounds when running are obviously different. Although both IO-360-C engines are the same, however they sound very different because of their different locations and installations. So you get Individual sounds for the front and back engines, with different sonic characteristics.
 
Combine that with 3D 360º audio effects, including "blade slapping" sound when view is perpendicular to prop, and you can even hear the turbulent air feeding into the rear prop. Also the "beats' are all there with the precise beat frequency for each section, to minimise "muddy" transition sounds, in other words the running "ticker, ticker", sounds at idle, the same as any Continental piston engine, but sonically coming at you from both ways...  it's all very good.
 
It is up to you if you want to taxi on one engine, or both...  personally you don't need the rear engine to taxi, as the front IO-360-C has more than enough power...
 

 
...  with no stress yet on the rear engine it helps in keeping it a bit cool(er). I use a Yaw setting on my Joystick to steer, but rudder inputs, in mostly the right rudder will fine tune the taxi line, even slight turns like this with the rudder input are easily available...  on the ground the 337 is excellent, nice power inputs, that slack off when you reduce the power, so all it's lovely on the ground.
 

 
Cockpit in detail in X-Plane 12 is realistic as it gets, Simulation 2023...  the silhouette is the iconic C337.
 

 
Because of the unique engine arrangement and rear fuselage configuration, the rear engine creates instant aerodynamic flow over the huge horizontal stabiliser and elevator, so the pitch feel is there from the word go...  so you have to be aware in the way you use the pitch earlier than usual. On the real 337, the pitch trim is motorised automatically to compensate for the extra elevator pressure loadings, and will work (trim) from the moment you leave the runway. The rear propeller is highly exposed as well... thrown up rocks from the rear wheels can cause grief (in other words expensive repairs), and you have to leave the runway cleanly, or not a too pitched up, in not catching the ground sort of skill... obviously you can't see it at all.
 

 
But the unique push/pull engine configuration also works for you in not creating any (depending on the power outputs) yaw, as the inline counter-rotating propellers give no directional thrust pull, so there is no asymmetrical thrust or yaw to the power output of the propeller, basically you go straight down the runway with no corrections or slight rudder corrections...  and fast you do go!
 
I usually bring the front (puller) up to 90% power, tracking right I then bring up the rear (pusher) to match it...
 

 
...  remember the rear engine operates in the disturbed air from the forward engine, which may reduce its efficiency to 85% of the forward engine.  Basically the 337 is a small aircraft with two engines on it, so it GOES...   well "like shit!".
 

 
At 100knts you break with the ground, slight pull back with the yoke, and once clear then a 10% pitch to climbout...  you have ton's of power behind you, so the 337 will climb-out very easily...
 

 
Rate of climb is 1,200 ft/min (6.1 m/s), but you can do a 1,000 fpm comfortably... now for the big theatrical production!
 
First the gear doors open, then the nosewheel will twist sideways to fit into the front wheel-well...
 

 
...  from the rear the fine limbed gear has to then contortion to fit in what is basically four rear bays.
 

 
The animation work here is difficult and very complex, but Thranda have done an excellent job, in getting it perfectly correct. Then you have a nice clean aircraft. Note... the gear lever will go up, then return to the centre position once the hydraulics have finished the procedure.
 

 
Once cleaned up, the one thing you realise very quickly, is that the 337F is one amazing aircraft to fly. Maybe it is huge wing arrangement, and twin boom tail, but it is steady as a rock and smooooth, easily trimmed, and can then bank to your will...  ohhh it's "so good".
 

 
You can bank to the extreme, say 80º/90º (See Redbull video), and the 337 will take it all in it's stride, but note the loss of height, if you are doing these sort of very angled manoeuvres.
 

 
The numbers... Maximum speed: 199 mph (173 kn, 320 km/h) at sea level : Cruise speed: 144 mph (125 knots, 232 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m) (econ cruise) : Range: 965 mi (839 nmi, 1,553 km) : Service ceiling: 19,500 ft (5,945 m)
 

 
A lot of operators use internal tanks on the 337 for on-station flying (fishing, fire, maritime patrols etc) so the range is expandable.
 
Lighting
Internal lighting is quite basic, but effective. There are only four adjustment knobs; POST (those little lights on the instruments), FLOOD, EL PANEL and ENG RADIO.
 
Between them you get a full lit panel with red highlights...
 

 
...   a Black&White panel, or a Red panel
 

 
Last adjustment is for the lower left instrument panel. In the rear you have four spot lights that you can adjust the beams, the roof Fuel Switches are also lit up...  but missing is a forward flood cockpit light, and you seriously notice the absence?
 
Externally it is pretty basic as well, Landing/Taxi lights in the wings, navigation and strobe lights on the wingtips, a right tail beacon and white navigation lights on the twin tails. There is also a nice left side Ice-light on the wing.
 

 
Notable is cooling as already noted. Once airborne you can close the cooling vents forward and rear, this nicely cleans up the aircraft. But there a need to keep all eyes on all the temperature gauges. It becomes a bit of a game on how long (or how far) you can go with the vents closed, once the needles are touching the red zones, you are out of there...  switches are lower pilot panel right.
 

 
Cruising you can easily see the 337F's main outstanding elements, as a stable observational platform. You can understand why the US Army grabbed a load of 337s for this purpose. I wouldn't use the aircraft so much in carrying fare paying passengers, it's too cramped and even too noisy to put into commercial service, but for two (Pilots) and a load of gear, it is perfect.
 

 
A quick look at the Orbx Brisbane City pack... Brisbane is 70 kms north of here and my local state capital. It comes back to my original argument, create the inner city and the autogen will do the rest, it works fabulously well here, as does the complimenting Orbx YBBN Brisbane international...
 

 
YBBN Runway 01L is all brand new, just completed only a year or so back...  time to check it out.
 

 
Two things are very apparent on the approach, first the 337F's lift is impressive, those wide wings and horizontal stabiliser (with added thrust on it, mind you) keeps you very steady, almost static in the air, which means manoeuvres can be easily controlled. So the old adage applies here, the Skymaster is a very "Sweet" aircraft to fly. Second is that once you reduce the speed on approach, even at 120 kts, off goes the gear alarm? it feels far to early, not even in the flap white zone, so you have to drop the gear early to just "shut it up".
 

 
I think the alarm is there and early (still a bit too early though), because it takes the gear a very (very) long time to unfurl and lock down, it feels ages from when you drop the lever to when the green light comes on...  notably I opened the cooling vents before landing, and instantly all the temp gauges drop.
 

 
Flaps are 4 phase 3 degree movements; UP - 1/2 - 2/3 - FULL, get the speed right and there is simply no ballooning, just slight drop of speed, even down to the FULL setting, the Skymaster will stay calm and collected with no fighting of the aircraft...  critical on approach.
 

 
Over the threshold and your in the 70 knts range, perfectly stable... 
 

 
...  60 knts in the flare. The flare has to be perfect, as you are very aware of that rear propeller hanging down. Slight 5º-6º degrees to keep the nosewheel slightly higher than the rears, then let it down.
 

 
When the rears touch you bring down the nose carefully, the slow landing speed and excellent lift really helps here to get it right.
 

 
Then back to taxiing with the rudder pedals.
 
It's a long taxi from YBBN runway 01L/19R to the GA area, and i'm watching those temp gauges like a hawk... but I get there. BNE needs to create a shorter taxi route to 01L/19R from the GA Area, which the area is actually close to?
 

 
I finally get there...  notable with the engines now shutdown is the active variable-pitch on the propellers (PROP levers) in being feathered, it is all very well done here by Thranda, authentic, realism... take your pick but still great.
 

 

 
Although a very different configuration from the usual, the 337F is actually a very nice aircraft for a pilot, you never oddly fight it, it is SO stable (that word again), a dream in all the aspects of manoeuvres in the air, trims nice, just "Bloody" feels nice as well.
 
All round this a great aircraft, different in most aspects, but that is also it's attraction for a really special simulation.
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Summary
The Cessna 337 is a very unique aircraft in the history of aviation. It is only one of the few created and built in the Push/Pull configuration, or a forward PULL engine and a rear PUSH engine, to accommodate the rear push engine it has a two boom and twin tail arrangement, with a standard Cessna fuselage and forward engine layout. Yes it's totally unique, but it works.
 
Last year in 2022, Thranda Designs released the Cessna 208 Grand Caravan and the U206G Stationair, those aircraft in the series are now joined by the Cessna 337F, after Thranda's earlier more rugged utility aircraft Series. This aircraft is powered by two Continental IO-360-C air-cooled flat-six piston engines, 210 hp (160 kW) each, producing a combined 420hp.
 
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.
 
Menus are also excellent with menu tabs in; GENERAL, LIVERY, WEIGHT/BAL, CAMERA, AUDIO/SLEW, PANEL and MISC (Miscellaneous), that covers all the options and including sound, weights and balances also including graphs, walk-around and camera options and general static elements including GPU, chocks, pitot covers, two pilots (Male/Female) and tie-downs.
 
Sounds are excellent with High fidelity, multi-track sounds with smooth, finely tuned transitions, amazing atmospheric effects, different sonic characteristics (with the engine arrangement) and 3D audio effects, including the "blade slapping" sounds and the aerodynamic interaction effects between front and rear prop. Internal sounds are however a bit too low compared to the external.
 
Thranda always comes with a high range of clever and unique features to give the user a lot of personal options. Known as the "Dynamic Generation Series" or DGS, this is a Thranda speciality feature that takes full advantage of X-Plane's flexibility for in-sim, real-time modifications. Here you can change the actual livery to your own designs, but build the instrument panel to your own liking as well, including options of the Aspen EFD 1000 glass instrument and a special 3d bezel for the insert of a RealityXp GTN 750 and GNS 430 units if you own those add ons.
 
Comments include, Tricky to start, Tricky to keep cool, and the unusual undercarriage bans a lot extra features in Tundra Tyres, Ice-Skis and Float/Amphibian variants. Lighting is good, but there is no overhead cockpit flood light, four rear spots are also small, in making it a dull night cabin, instrument pane is however good, but you feel you need more adjustments. Missing also is that valued green buttoned Autopilot panel that was on the Carenado.
 
Notable that the 337 is a unique aircraft to fly. The in-line engine arrangement gives you almost no asymmetrical thrust, but this also a powerful, but brilliantly handing aircraft that has not only a very stable platform feel in the air, but also on departure and approach procedures, you can see why the US Army bought loads of O-2 Skymasters for observation patrols.
 
So it's a Thranda and that is a sale done right there. At a below US$40.00 price it is also exceptional value for what you get, including free updates for the run of the X-Plane 12 version and all that exceptional quality.  
 
A total winner in every department...  and positively recommended.
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Yes! the Cessna 337F Skymaster DGS series by Thranda Design is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here: 
 
Cessna 337F Skymaster DGS series
Price is US$39.95
 
Requirements
X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1.4 GB Current version 1.0.3* (February 1st 2023) *Updates via the Skunkcrafts Updater
 
Special features:
    FULLY configurable 3D instrument panel.     Fully VR Compatible     Interchangeable yoke styles     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 4 panel presets, but can easily be expanded by moving instruments around, using a simple and intuitive interface.     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, the C206, 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.     Ability to swap pilot/co-pilot figures     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-320-F front engine.     Windshield ice and rain effects     Individual functional circuit breakers. 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.     Show or hide individual seats, 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.     Option to swap pilot and co-pilot     Option to select different yoke styles     DynaFeel panel: Dial in precisely how you wish for the controls to react as a function of speed.     Optional de-ice system 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 C337 is a well-behaved twin airplane, where the engines are in line, with props spinning in opposite directions, cancelling out torque on the airframe     A single engine failure doesn't radically affect flight behaviour, as the engines are in line, and don't produce a net yaw force on the plane, as other twins do.     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)     Individual sounds for front and back engine, with different sonic characteristics, as a result of their placement.     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     Far away sounds include aerodynamic interaction effects between front and rear prop.  At a distance, you hear overtones caused by turbulent air feeding into the rear 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     Doors and windows opening, let outside sounds in  
Installation and documents:  download for the Thranda_C337F. is 1.34Gb and the aircraft is deposited in the "General Aviation" X-Plane folder.
 
Full Installation is 1.71Gb
 
Documents supplied are:
C337F Manual.pdf C337F Performance Charts Changelog Thranda Graphics Settings XP11 Thranda Joystick Settings X-Plane G430 Manual X-Plane G530 Manual  
There is a huge amount of Documentation provided here, not only for the Thranda C337F, but 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 C337 Skymaster by Thranda
_____________________
 
Review System Specifications
Windows  - 12th Gen IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU - 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB XLR8 - Samsung 970 EVO+ 2TB SSD
Software:   - Windows 11 Pro - X-Plane 12.01r3 (This is a beta review).
Plugins: Traffic Global - JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99
__________________________________
 
Review by Stephen Dutton
2nd February 2023
Copyright©2023: 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.
 

 

Aircraft Review: Van's RV-8 /8A Duo by AOA Simulations
 
By Peter Allnutt
 
Founded in 1973 in the USA by Richard Van Grunsven, Van’s Aircraft has, for the last fifty years, produced a series of highly successful low-wing monoplane kit aircraft. One of those kits is the RV-8, a two-seat aerobatic model featuring a bubble canopy providing good all-around visibility. It first flew in 1995 and as of late 2022, over 1500 have been built. Like the RV-4, the RV-8 variant has two seats, one behind the other and is generally larger overall.
 
The two-seat RVs are designed to use Lycoming-style engines developing between 118 and 200 horsepower, although a higher performance derivative was also produced, the Harmon Rocket. This had clipped wings and utilised a Lycoming IO-540 engine with 300 horsepower. There are two variants of the RV-8 kits available from the manufacturer, one with a traditional taildragger configuration and the RV-8A, which uses a tricycle undercarriage instead.
 

 
Purchase & Installation
Three different packages of the RV-8 are available to purchase via the X-Plane.org store: taildragger, tricycle or a package including both. The individual aircraft are priced at $24, with the Duo Pack (being reviewed here) costing $32. 
 
With your purchase completed, you are provided with a link in which to download the required 150MB ZIP file. When done, it’s just a simple case of extracting the file and then copying it over to your X-Plane “Aircraft” folder (no activation keys required). Included in the download, is a rather nice X-Plane user guide and a brochure from Van’s Aircraft, introducing you to their range of models. There is also a document for Apple users detailing the required security setting.
 
The user guide is twenty pages in length and is well worth a read as it explains how to lean the engine and perform aerobatics, along with a suggested button guide for joysticks and other helpful tips. Note: At the time of writing the RV-8 package is for X-Plane 11 only, but the developer has stated that an X-Plane 12 version is in development (will be a free update to existing customers) and will be released when the new simulator is deemed ready.
 

 
Exterior Model
The RV-8 has a relatively simple shape, something I assume aids with its kit construction. It is well-modelled and judging by images I have seen of the real thing, is accurately proportioned. I didn’t spot any real visual differences in the engine cowlings, but the RV-8 is modelled with 180HP, whilst the RV8A gets the increased 200HP powerplant. As with most AOA models, there are some nice touches included, such as the “Remove Before Flight” ribbons if you start from cold and dark. 
 

 
AOA’s RV-8’s control surfaces are nicely animated, as is the cockpit canopy, which automatically closes when the aircraft reaches 10MPH and above (perfect for those who tend to forget such things). The wheel covers and rear suspension are also nicely modelled, as are the light clusters in the wingtips. There is also a little cubbyhole just in front of the cockpit which contains a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, plus room for a few small personal items.  
 

 
There are a few liveries included with the model, as well as a paint kit should you wish to create your own. As well as those already supplied, AOA Simulations have also made available several livery packs for download, the link for which, can be found in the user guide. 
Additional liveries from the developer can also be found at the Org. 
 



 
Cockpit & Functionality
Moving on to the interior of the RV-8 and I found that whilst good, the modelling wasn’t quite up to the same standard as the exterior, the footwell being one example, which looked slightly odd in my opinion. Also, the prop and mixture handles seemed a bit on the small side, but then again, perhaps I just have big hands! Texturing was, for the most part, very nicely done, although it did seem a bit too clean. Whilst I appreciate the fact that this is a kit aircraft, it would be nice to see a degree of weathering applied (not all aircraft will be new).  
 


 
Both variants in the package sport the same glass cockpit configuration, two G1000 displays, a Garmin 430 GPS, a Garmin 245A Audio Panel and a Garmin GFC500, so you’re not left wanting by any means. The engine start checklist is displayed on the Garmin 430’s display when the battery switch is set to on, and this updates as the steps are completed. When you’re ready to operate the starter, you get a nice audio call of “Clear Prop”, which I thought was a nice touch! AOA Simulations also provide a plug-in which enables you to toggle the “Extras” option on and off. When selected, you will find that it adds additional information to the two GF1000 displays. 
 



 
On either side of the pilot, there are two side pockets which can be activated. The one on the left brings up the default X-Plane map, whilst the one on the right brings up AviTab (if installed). AOA’s RV8/RV8-A also comes equipped with a rather neat smoke system (red and blue available) which is activated by switches on the right-side panel, along with oxygen controls. 
 

 
Handling
In terms of handling, I think it’s important to point out, that I am not a real-world pilot and as such, I can’t really comment on the authenticity of the flight model. However, in saying that, I was extremely impressed by how the model performed in the air, and I can only put that down to AOA’s exceptional modelling talents and the fact that this X-Plane model was developed with the help of the Van’s Aircraft Company. This is an aircraft that can be calm and docile one minute, and then totally exhilarating the next…wonderful!   
 
Taxiing in the tail dragger variant of the RV-8 is slightly more challenging than the tricycle version (RV-8A) due to the slightly upward view and the tailwheel. When throttling forward during takeoff, it’s immediately noticeable that there is plenty of power at hand, and when airborne, the little RV-8 will climb at 2000fpm, which is quite impressive for such a small aircraft. 
 


 
During the cruise phase (around 170 KTS), both variants were easy to trim out, but if you’re feeling lazy, then there is the autopilot to help you out should you wish.
 


 
As mentioned earlier, the RV-8 is reasonably aerobatic, and as such, I managed to perform quite a few aerobatic manoeuvres during my testing, all without too much difficulty. Okay, they weren’t particularly textbook, and I wouldn’t have won any awards, but it goes to show you what the aircraft is capable of. The controls are quite sensitive, so it’s fairly easy early on to overdo some of the inputs, but you know what they say… practice makes perfect! 
 

 
Landing either of the models was straightforward, with touchdown being at around 60-70 KTS. The RV-8 only has two stages of flaps, one for takeoff, and the other for landing. This means that during the approach phase, you’ll notice additional drag caused by the flaps, so you’ll have to adjust power and trim as required.     
 

 
AOA Simulations have also included an excellent “Brake With Stick” (BWS) feature via their plug-in. This is particularly useful for those simmers who don’t have rudder pedals with toe brakes (and there are many), as it means that upon touchdown, all that is required to activate the brakes is to push the stick forward…very imaginative and extremely useful. 

Sounds
The RV-8’s included sounds are well-sampled and of good quality, with the engine sounding particularly nice. There was no audible looping present, and at no time did the soundset become monotonous or intrusive. The numerous “click” points in the cockpit were present, but I was disappointed I couldn’t hear the difference between a switch-on and a switch-off action and the canopy closing didn’t give a reassuring clunk when fully shut. However, I did notice that the engine was nicely muffled when the canopy was closed, so that was another nice touch. 
 


 
Performance
During my testing of AOA’s RV-8, I experienced no performance issues whatsoever. Framerates remained high and there were no noticeable lags or spikes. For reference, my X-Plane setup is as follows: Intel i9 10900K – 32GB RAM - NVIDIA MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X – Windows 10 Home 64 Bit, so as you can see, quite a capable system. 

Conclusion
Summing up, I have to say that AOA’s RV-8 is a wonderfully enjoyable and fun little plane to fly. Not only is it a capable tourer thanks to its good cruise performance, but it’s equally happy when performing the odd aerobatic manoeuvre. The modelling, both inside and out, is done well, and apart from a few issues with the sounds, I can’t really think of any reason why you shouldn’t add this little flyer to your hangar.
 

 
Overall, the AOA RV-8, is a terrific addition to the GA family of aircraft available for X-Plane, and I hope the updated version for X-Plane 12 won’t be too long in the making. 
 
________________________
 

 
The Van's RV-8 /8A Duo by AOA Simulations is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
Van's RV-8 /8A Duo
Priced at US$32.00
 
Features
    Accurate flight model     Detailed cockpit and exterior with animations, manipulators and PBR textures     VR-Ready     Custom particles emitters     Customized Garmin G1000 PFD and MFD     FMOD Sounds     Ground equipment     Animated pilot     Dynamic pilot POV camera options (non VR mode)     Automatic AI plane tracking pilot POV camera capability (non VR mode)     Garmin GFC 500 Included in the package
    5 HD liveries + more than 30 liveries available at www.x-plane.org     Comprehensive User Guide     Photoshop Paintkit   
Requirements
X-Plane 11 - X-Plane 12 when available (in progress)
Windows, Mac, or Linux
4GB VRAM Minimum - 8GB+ VRAM Recommended
Current version: 1.5 (October 6th, 2022)
 
Review System Specifications
Intel i9 10900K – 32GB RAM - NVidia MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X – Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
__________________________________
 
Aircraft Review by Peter Allnutt
31st January 2023
Copyright©2023: 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.
 
 

 

Scenery Review: KSEZ - Sedona Airport by X-Codr
 
By Joshua Moore
 
Introduction
Sedona Airport is located two miles southwest of Sedona, Arizona, on top of a mesa that overlooks the city. Dubbed the tabletop runway for its appearance, it offers some unique challenges for pilots making a trip to the airport. Sedona Airport began life in 1955 as a 3,700-foot dirt runway and was paved in 1957. Today, Sedona is considered the United States’ most scenic airport and features a nearly 5,200-foot long/100-foot-wide runway. X-Codr’s rendition of Sedona for X-Plane 12 is an update to their existing scenery for X-Plane 11, so it will be interesting to see how it looks and performs in Laminar’s latest offering. 
 


 
First Impressions
The installation process of the scenery is mostly standard, consisting of three zip files, with the unzipped contents totaling 8.7 GB across four folders. The manual is six pages long and includes basic installation instructions for installing the scenery, as well as a few notable highlights of the package.
 

 
Upon loading into the airport, I was greeted with a copious amount of red rock and a rather nice-looking airport environment. The overall scope of the product is well-sized, with a good portion of the area surrounding the airport having been modeled with custom orthos, autogen, landmarks, and the famous red rocks. From my initial observations, I was very pleased with what I saw, as the attention to detail, especially the airport, was very well done. 
 

 
Exploring the Airport
Again, and this is something I like to do with all my reviews, I began by viewing the airport from above in which to get an idea of its layout. The overall scenery looks fantastic, with most details being visible, even those in the distance. The city of Sedona looks great from above, and the surroundings feel wonderfully natural and come across as well-textured, with the added bonus of merging perfectly with the supplied ortho. Mesh also feels enhanced and helps bring the airport alive, though there are a couple of areas which I felt could be improved on, such as the road leading up to the airport, which could do with some smoothing out.          
 


 
The airport environment is quite frankly one of the best I have seen in X-Plane 12 as it feels so alive, especially with the animations, vehicles, and people; the whole atmosphere is simply fantastic. The custom 3D vegetation sways with the wind, and as such, really helps add another level of immersion to the overall ambience. The exteriors of the main terminal and the Mesa Grill diner are well-modelled, with some nicely done texturing to go along with them, they even feature seating areas outside.
 

 
Two other airport buildings which featured interiors were the Helicopter Tours hut and the Helicopter Airplane Tours shop. Whilst not as detailed as the other two buildings mentioned, they were a nice addition to the package. 
 


 
Both the terminal and diner include highly detailed interiors, and these are done well for the most part. However, I did find them to be a little too shiny for my taste, with both the chairs and floors feeling overly polished and unnatural. Another area which I felt could be improved upon, was the ramp area which had a slightly dead appearance, as there were simply no aircraft anywhere to be found, and while I’m not a huge fan of static aircraft, having the option to add some here and there, would have been nice in this case. Both the taxiways and runway felt realistic in their appearance, and the grass, albeit a bit scraggly and pixelated, really helped sell the idea that I was looking at an authentic, small, GA airport. 
 


 
During my testing of Sedona, I would see animated vehicles drive up to the airport gate, and then for the gate to open, which I thought was another nice touch! There were also animated people playing games in the garden, and having drinks, plus wind chimes spinning in the breeze. It’s these wonderfully thought-out details such as these, which help bring the airport to life and is something I really appreciate.
 


 
The surrounding red rock formations found in the scenery deserve their own special paragraph, as they have been created entirely in 3D. The texturing of these formations is excellent, and the models themselves look detailed even from a distance. However, if you get too close, the illusion, unfortunately, starts to fall apart, but from an aircraft window, at a reasonable distance, they look incredible and are far superior to using base-only orthos. 
 


 
Textures
When it comes to Sedona’s textures, I think it’s safe to say that this particular scenery is one of the better X-Plane sceneries that X-Codr has created. Most of the textures, when viewed from a relatively short distance, looked sharp and only started to lose clarity when viewed up close. The taxiway signage was a bit low-res for my tastes, but that was also the case for Mammoth Yosemite, which I reviewed only recently. The interiors of the various airport buildings were slightly blurrier than other more visible parts of the scenery but were just fine if your intended purpose was to simply stroll around the airport, just remember to not get too close. 
 

 
Winter
Sedona, due to its climate, doesn't receive much in the way of snow, and when it does, it usually melts quickly. However, as I had seen some photographs of Sedona during winter, I was keen to see what it looked like with the new weather engine in X-Plane 12. I was glad I did because the results, as you can see, are simply stunning. 
 


 
The underlying ortho used for the surrounding scenery looks great as well, save for the various “off” colors you’ll see if you look too closely. If you use any ortho scenery for this part of the world (something I highly recommend you do), then you’ll find that the package, due to the quality of the supplied ortho, works very well, especially with something like VStates. 
 
Performance 
When it came to performance, I was again pleased with the results, as I experienced hardly any framerate issues. In fact, the only thing I noticed about running the scenery was my increased VRAM usage, which wasn’t surprising really, especially when you consider the sheer number of textures being used by Sedona. With X-Plane 12 not yet fully optimized and suffering from blurry textures, I would advise caution, and to check your GPU’s VRAM specs plus the package’s minimum memory requirements before purchasing the scenery.
 
Night Lighting
Sedona’s night lighting consists, for the most part, of X-Plane standard lighting effects. That’s not to say it looks bad, it’s just that nothing really stands out. There are a few areas where the lighting doesn’t quite work, such as parts of the terminal and restaurant, which look a bit odd at night, as if they don’t share the same lighting engine, but everywhere else exhibits the usual X-Plane lighting. 
 


Conclusion
As with Mammoth which I tested at the same time, Sedona is another high-quality GA airport that I really enjoyed exploring. For VFR flyers, it’s a dream come true with its stunning red rock formations, but it’s equally appealing for those who enjoy flying something larger, like business jets.
 

 
With challenging approaches, a wonderfully modelled airport environment, plus again, that incredible landscape, Sedona is one of those airports that I can wholeheartedly recommend.  
 
________________________
 

 
KSEZ - Sedona by X-Codr is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
KSEZ - Sedona by X-Codr
Priced at US$19.95
 
Features
Ultra-detailed rendition of KSEZ - Sedona
Buildings are detailed down to door handles and gutters Most "feature buildings" have full 3d interiors, including food on the restaurant table High quality normal maps utilize X-Plane 12's gorgeous photometric PBR rendering engine High quality realistic ground textures Hand crafted detail textures and detail normals add unparalleled detail with virtually indistinguishable tiling Hand painted, subtle grunge overlays for the whole airport make the airport feel life like and natural. Up to date layout as of 2021 including significant changes to the center-north ramp Living Airport
Cars will randomly wander the airport roads, and occasionally drive up to the gate, open it, and drive to a spot on the apron. 3D animated people 3D animated trees using X-Plane 12's new forest system 3D animated grass and shrubs Custom surroundings
Generic, regionally appropriate autogen for the surrounding valley Stunning hand crafted rock formations for most of the Sedona Valley Low poly landmarks (schools, old stadium, etc) Custom Ortho4XP Mesh Custom UHD Mesh V4 overlays (courtesy AlpilotX, used with his permission) Optimizer for excellent performance. VR ready, constant 60 fps with near max settings on high end systems.  
Requirements
X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, Mac or Linux
4Gb VRAM Minimum. 8Gb+ VRAM Recommended
Download size: 5 Gb
X-Codr Designs Library 1.6+ (available on the download page, redownload if you downloaded before 10/26/2022)
Living Scenery Technology 1.05+ (available free on x-plane.org, https://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/82876-living-scenery-technology/) 
Current version: 2.0 (October 26th 2022)
 
Review System Specifications
Windows 11 
Ryzen 5800x
RTX3070ti, 
32GB RAM
__________________________________
 
Scenery Review by Joshua Moore
29th January 2023
Copyright©2023: 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.
 
 

 

Scenery Review: KMMH - Mammoth Yosemite Airport by X-Codr
 
By Joshua Moore
 
Introduction
Mammoth Yosemite Airport is located approximately seven miles from the town of Mammoth Lakes California and is one of the premier GA airports serving the local area. Built as an auxiliary landing strip by the US Army Air Corps in WWII, it has seen multiple expansions and runway improvement projects over the years in which to increase its commercial viability. As of today, the runway is seven thousand feet long by one hundred feet wide with one parallel taxiway spanning the length of the runway. X-Codr’s rendition of Mammoth Yosemite is an update to an existing product available for X-Plane 11 and features native support for all the enhancements and features the latest version of X-Plane offers, including surface water, snow, icing, new texture support, lighting, and much more. The surrounding scenery includes 120 square miles of custom ortho imagery and an enhanced rendition of Mammoth and the ski resort.
 
NOTE: The airport does feature custom 3D grass and vegetation, however, due to an update to X-Plane 12, the rendering of such vegetation has turned all the grass invisible. My many bug reports and emails over the last month to Laminar regarding this issue have (so far) unfortunately fallen on deaf ears, which is disappointing. I’m unsure whether this issue is unique to my setup as I have yet to find any mention of it anywhere else or even being acknowledged by Laminar themselves. This issue affects not only KMMH being reviewed here but almost every other scenery that includes 3D vegetation. As such, please keep this in mind when viewing the screenshots, and if you can, shoot the team at Laminar an email regarding this issue so it can be properly dealt with. Enjoy!
 


 
First Impressions
The installation process for this package is a little bit more involved than some users might be used to. I mention this because once purchased, you are greeted by a download page containing three zip files. All three are required for the installation and include the airport, the mesh file, and the library X-Codr uses for all their sceneries. Once installed, you’ll find a total of four folders added to your X-Plane Custom Scenery folder totalling 5.36GB. The included PDF manual is four pages in length and whilst relatively short, includes all the basic installation instructions for installing the scenery. 
 


 
Exploring the Airport
Starting from a large overhead view and it was clear to see that the textures included were rather good, with the ortho not appearing too out of place and the airport blending in well with its surroundings. Moving slightly closer, the overall layout of the general ramp area and buildings are done quite well, and I have no complaints in that department. Many of the hangars and maintenance buildings leading up to the terminal are not only accurately placed (as far as I could tell from Google Maps) but are well-modelled and exhibit many finer details which could have easily been overlooked by less savvy developers. 
 


 
In terms of 3D modelling, the main terminal is, without a doubt, the highlight of the scenery and as such, is well done, especially the exterior details. Texturing is also of a high standard (more on that later) and when combined with the modelling, really helps add a degree of authenticity and realism. My only gripe with the terminal and this goes for the FBO as well, is the lack of interior modelling. Due to Yosemite being a relatively small airport, I think X-Plane 12 could easily handle an interior due to its low VRAM requirements and would help to make the airport feel more…alive! 
 



 
When winter weather sets in, the airport looks extremely atmospheric, especially with its snow-covered buildings. However, I did notice that with severe winter weather, both the runway and taxiways were particularly difficult to navigate, which I thought was strange, especially as the numerous YouTube videos I had watched previously, show these areas clear of any snow. I don’t know if this is a bug with X-Plane or with the scenery, but the end result is that the airport is pretty much off-limits when a snowstorm rolls through.
 


 
Mammoth Ski Resort
A nice bonus to the scenery was the inclusion of the nearby Mammoth Ski Resort. Whilst simple in terms of modelling compared to the main airport, it was nevertheless highly welcomed. The ski lifts unfortunately weren't animated, but even though they are described as generic by the developer, I still enjoyed seeing them. 
 


 
Textures
When it comes to the textures used in the package, they are certainly up to today’s modern standards, although I did notice some of the smaller items were a bit lacking, mainly the taxiway signs. As mentioned previously, the terminal looks great and the use of PBR texturing on the corrugated metal surface looks outstanding.
 


 
The ground textures are done extremely well, with the pavement having noticeable defects, such as bumps, wear and tear and other things you’d expect an airport surface to have. The smaller vehicles and details situated around the scenery also seemed up to the job and didn’t seem to lose too much quality in the texture department. 
 


 
The one area which I did think wasn’t quite up to the same standard was the large photographic ortho for the scenery. The reason being, it had been sampled at ZL16, which if you’re flying at 36,000ft in an airliner, would be totally acceptable. However, this is a scenery designed for VFR exploration, and as such, a higher Zoom Level (for example ZL18) would have been very much preferred.  
 


 
Night Lighting
Much like the real airport, night lighting isn’t the scenery’s biggest selling point, so although it doesn’t look particularly impressive, it’s pretty much how the airport is in real life. The main terminal is adequately lit and the other small maintenance buildings surrounding it, all exhibit the usual “X-Plane” glow. So, whilst nothing really made me go “wow!” regarding the lighting, I wasn’t particularly disappointed with what I saw either. 
 

 
Performance
During my testing, I noticed no slowdowns or spikes whilst exploring the scenery, everything was as smooth as butter. This could have been due to the relatively low VRAM requirements set by the scenery or the fact that the 3D grass was on holiday. Either way, I was happy with the way the package performed as there’s nothing worse than having a scenery which is a stutter fest!  
 


 
Conclusion
I really enjoyed my time at Yosemite, especially whilst flying in and out in the Phenom 300; the RNAV 27 approach is a wonderful way to arrive at the airport. For someone who enjoys VFR flying, both real and simulated, I found the scenery to be an excellent starting point in which to explore the greater wider area. This is probably one of the scenery’s biggest selling points, as there are so many places within easy reach of the airport, such as Yosemite National Park, the Sierra National Forest, and if you’re brave, Death Valley National Park!
 
So, if you’re looking for a small airport in which to explore some of America’s incredible and diverse scenery, Yosemite Mammoth Airport is certainly well worth considering. 
________________________
 

 
KMMH - Mammoth Yosemite Airport by X-Codr is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
KMMH - Mammoth Yosemite Airport by X-Codr
Priced at US$19.95
 
Features
Detailed rendition of KMMH
All buildings feature ultra-high resolution textures (most 4 pixels per inch). All buildings feature advanced PBR normal maps for realistic reflections and bump mapping. All buildings are highly detailed, down to even door handles. All buildings feature "lite" interiors to give windows more depth. Detailed ground textures with large scale realistic wear. All ground textures feature realistic normal maps. Realistic X-Plane 12 3d vegetation for the entire airport. Living scenery
Integration with X-Plane 12’s weather effects system Ground equipment automatically serves your aircraft upon request. Other Features
All models optimized for maximum performance. Generic custom rendition of Mammoth. Generic custom rendition of Mammoth Ski Resort. Realistic surroundings including custom forests. Custom 10-meter mesh with color-corrected ZL16 ortho. (Thanks to Oscar Pilote for creating the amazing tool Ortho4xp) Custom overlay scenery based on Alpilotx’s HD Mesh V4 scenery (used with his permission)  
Requirements
X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, Mac, or Linux
4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB VRAM Recommended
Download Size: 3.6Gb
Current version: 
XP12 - September 6th, 2022
XP11 - 1.01 (December 13th, 2020)
 
Review System Specifications
Windows 11 
Ryzen 5800x
RTX3070ti, 
32GB RAM
__________________________________
 
Scenery Review by Joshua Moore
27th January 2023
Copyright©2023: 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.
 
 

 

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 us to the Flightfactor A320 Ultimate. It is an aircraft that divides users. Personally I'm very much on the "very like" side of the argument, mainly because I like the Airbus Philosophy, and the Flightfactor A320U has the prominence of being the only CEO or "Current Engine Option" aircraft available to X-Plane 12 users, a NEO or "New Engine Option A320 is coming soon from ToLiSS, but not the older engine versions.
 
Over the years the progress on changes (despite) the constant upgrades, never really fixed the things users wanted from the aircraft, then an almost lost or ignored update comes along and it is full of the things we have asked for, for years...  just don't shout about it.
 
In the Flightfactor philosophy of making things complex, this is the "FF A320 XP12 Extended Upgrade beta". Or a US$20 addon (Upgrade?) to use the X-Plane 11 Airbus A320 Ultimate in X-Plane 12, note the "Beta" moniker, as this v1.5.6 update is only available in the "Beta" settings.
 
Since X-Plane 12's release there has also been some significant changes to the aircraft starting with v1.5.0 or Extended Upgrade, including...
 
* A package with two acfs one for xp11 and one for xp12, so you can run it both in XP11 and in XP12
* full support and updates at least for the duration of xp12 run
* new cockpit and reworked exterior
* abnormals (list will follow) to the standard of pilot training.
 
For v1.5.0 you got a new 3D-cockpit model, Alternate Law implementation, updated Normal Law elevator controls, added inoperative systems according to FCOM when failure occurs, added drag effects from opened gear doors, autopilot yaw damper for single engine failure and an added tab for instant failure activation.
 
So here is now the new beta v1.5.6
X-Plane 12 can do wonderous things to aircraft. But some are affected better than others in the transition. The FF A320U is one of the really better ones, certainly in it's Silver coated JQ (Jetstar) livery. A hard one to get right, as most painters do it in a flat light grey, not the shiny metal look.
 

 
But here the aircraft stands out, highly real, even stunning in the late light. However there is a slight problem with the default livery on the FF A320U. Since v1.5.0 (X-Plane 12) Flightfactor have used their own new house livery, very nice and spirally it all is...  but it is also set as the default livery, that problem comes to light in if any livery uses the default engines as a base, like the JQ Airbus does?
 

 
No, I don't think that matches very well, it is even quite ugly...  so you have to change the default livery (eng320t.png) to a more benign generic engine design in the "objects" folder to fix it.
 
Sharklets
First gripe that Flightfactor have finally fixed is a sore one with users...  the hint is in the images above? Winglets or Sharklets in Airbus terminology, so they don't get sued again by Aviation Partners (it is a long drawn out story).
 
The FF A320U has to date only the smaller arrow style winglets...
 

 
...   but now you have the towering sharklets. Detail and design here are both excellent, the sharklet curve and shape is beautiful to behold.
 

 
Sharklet selection is via the EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) in the "Settings" tab. Annoyingly the same default livery problem strikes again?
 

 
I had to paint the JQ sharklets myself to make them realistic (or match). So if you want a generic design, again you have to swap a paint file (Sharklets.png or .dds) to the "objects" folder. It is well worth the effort. In both instances (engines and sharklets) the American livery is a good source.
 
Cabin Upgrade
Second major gripe was the cabin. The original cabin felt it was never really finished, a sort of half-hearted affair, and FlightFactor have promised for years to fix it, also it was not really a reflection of an aircraft of this price category.
 
But now you have a new cabin fitout...  there are two classes in, Business (four across), and Economy (six across) in a blue cloth material.
 

 
It is not overly adventurous in design, but light years better than the original layout. Business gets seatback monitors, and Economy get those magazine pockets we are all very familiar with. It will be interesting to see some airline brand interiors in here.
 

 
Side cabin panels and window surrounds are also remodeled, again far better than the originals, but still not as good as the JARDesign cabin with double windows and those air-holes, ditto the roof panels, basic, but far better...   and that pretty well sums it up.
 

 
The cabin lighting is changed as well. Control of the lighting is via the EFB, on the FAP tab (note the FAP only works if the power is on). Oddly FlightFactor haven't installed the same panel on the forward left entrance bulkhead, where it is also installed on the real aircraft?
 

 
The lighting is based on the latest liTeMood® system, it looks the part, but not exactly the way it is done in the new cabins, but using here only spot colour...
 

 
You also have three brightness settings; BRT, DIM 1 & DIM 2...
 

 
Problem is? you can't actually use it...  switching the lighting on, just completely absolutely destroys your framerate, or a 50fr drop to a border line 18fr, 18fr, seriously?
 
Simbrief Intergration
Last year ToLiSS introduced a great time saving feature. This was to load directly into the Multi-function Control Display Unit (MCDU) a generated "Simbrief" route profile. Here now in the A320U FlightFactor MCDU, you can do the same... 
 
First you have to tell the EFB your Simbrief account. This is done on the SimBrief Account Settings/Simbrief Data page. Your looking for your Pilot ID...  Second row down. Then type in your Pilot ID number into the EFB/SETTINGS "INIT REQUEST" Section, then press "Apply".
 

 
Annoyingly it will throw up a "Warning!", "Without an installed user and password, external connections will not be available", it looks like it is related to the Simbrief account, but it isn't, but the "Server Settings" above for external user use.
 

 
Skip Procedures setting is really a non-setting, as is the AUTOCOMPLETE ROUTE settings. Unlike the ToLiSS input from Simbrief, here it only imports certain data, route, weights and fuel...  Procedures (Departure and Arrival Data), and a few more areas are not implemented, so you have to still set those still manually via the EFB (as noted below).
 

 
Create your route (Flight), and generate the (SimBrief) Flightplan. Then you import it by pressing the RK2 Button "INIT REQUEST"...
 

 
...   and there there the Simbrief data is now in the MCDU. As noted the "Procedures" are not filled in, neither correctly is the Flight Number?
 
You also still have to "SET" or activate, FUEL, PAX (Passengers) and CARGO on the EFB...   also the PERF DATA! Doing these settings will then fill in the fuel, weight and payloads onto the aircraft. All the Simbrief data here ARE imported for you, basically you are just Okaying or Setting the imported parameters.
 

 
When the EFB settings are completed, the INIT FUEL PREDICTION will now be filled in...
 

 
...   but you still have to fill in the TAKE OFF Performance page with the important Flaps/Trim settings from the PERF DATA tab on the EFB.
 
Fill in your Departure and Arrival Procedures...  and your done.
 

 
So the Simbrief import is not an import and forget tool, there is a lot more still to cover and work through (Procedures, Performance, Payloads etc) as well, but the numbers are done, and so overall it is a Semi-loading rather than a full import setting, that said it saves you a lot of time in setting up the aircraft for flight, and you should be able to cover the setting up in minutes rather than the usual twenty, and you do get the same data that has been generated by SimBrief.
Obviously you need a SimBrief account, and if possible it is worth investing in with the full Navigraph account to keep the aircraft's nav data up to date..
 
FlightFactor note that with the above new feature, there has been a "significant improvement of Flightplan calculation performance".
 
Other notes for v1.5.6 include; Icing effects and working Anti-ice system, basically all the X-Plane 12 effects are now on the aircraft. Dual input and sidestick priority logic are also implemented.
 
Fixed also in the v1.5.6 update is mostly again MCDU input issues, like incorrect prebuilt holdings patterns, Go-Around procedure issues, Overspeed protection, incorrect prebuilt hold entries, go-around procedure activation and duplicate markers on the flight path when close to the MAP. In other words a fine tuning of MCDU settings and routines.
 
YBCG (Gold Coast) to YMML (Melbourne)
In most cases, you have to put the instrument lighting UP, but in here, you have to tune the instrument lighting DOWN. An odd affair, because if you don't the wording or the text is all very blobby and hard to read? Overall the internal cockpit is quite dark and needs another X-Plane 12 revision. Here is the instrument lighting before adjustment...
 

 
....  and after.
 

 
Departure to Melbourne is via RWY 32 (SID APAGI5) STIMP, MICKS...
 

 
Although I have flown this route (what feels like a million times) in simulation and in the real cabin. This is still a first time flight with X-Plane 12...    on the climb, the JQ A320U looks very impressive...   X-Plane 12 Impressive!
 

 
The new sharklets look quite brilliant as well, from the cabin or externally.
 

The office, very Airbus and the FlightFactor A320U has a lot of depth in systems and...  toys.
 

 
Again like ToLiSS there is a very good "Save" system , or "States". It will save a perfect representation of the aircraft, and recover that representation exactly like the save. Not easy to do, as there is usually something not put back as it was before. But I have tested a few Saves and they do all work (or worked) perfectly, a restore also works fine as well if you have a crash or freeze.
 
Melbourne (YMML), and final approach RWY 16 (STAR ARBEY 6A/APP ILS Y 16)...
 

 
...  note you do get Duel Flight Directors (CAT 3) AP1&AP2, nice to have, even for an Airbus. Autoland makes life easy. Cabin views are excellent, with great internal wing detail... 
 

 

 
On landing and activating the thrust reversers throws up a lot of runway dirt, maybe they should clean the runways more often, but highly realistic externally or from the cockpit.
 

 
A gripe complained about on-line is the current Manipulator active zones are not where they should be, you have to hunt around to activate knobs or buttons, the Chrono (select) or Master Main and Warnings zone are miles away (arrowed above) from the buttons, switching some switches will activate others? A fix is coming.
 
Turnaround and I am already loading my Simbrief route back to OOL (Glod Coast), quick and easy!
 

_______________
Summary
Joshua Moore did an overview review of the FlightFactor A320-214 Ultimate when it was released as an "Extended Beta in September 2022, including it's upgrade (US$20) to X-Plane 12. This is a followup review because in this update there are a load of new features (That in reality should have been part of the earlier upgrade)...  but they are important ones.
 
They are important because they are features users have wanted (or complained about) for years, and very good they are.
 
First are Sharklets (Boeing Winglets), here tall and tapered. Second is a completely newly designed cabin and third is SImBrief MCDU intergration. X-Plane 12 Icing effects and a working Anti-ice system, and Dual input and sidestick priority logic is also now implemented.
 
Quality of the Sharkets are excellent, the cabin is very good as well, but not absolutely top notch required in this price range, but a major step up from the half-completed original. Cabin lighting uses the liTeMood® system, but currently has a very heavy framerate drain on using it, makes it still a dark cabin. SimBrief intergration is very good and easy to use, but does not cover every data aspect required for flight, as data inputs from the EFB and Departure and Arrival Procedures are still required, and the Take Off data also needs to be filled in.
 
Yes there a few quirks outstanding in the FlightFactor A320U, but it is also a very comprehensive simulation of the most popular Airbus in the world. If you like to use the Airbus philosophy (Law logic), then this aircraft is for you.
 
The FlightFactor A320-214 Ulitmate comes very highly recommended, and both X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12 versions are included in the package.
_______________
 

 
The A320 Ultimate XP12 Extended beta is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
A320 Ultimate XP12 Extended beta
Price at time of writing US$89.95
 
Requirements
X-Plane 11 or X-Plane 12 OS: Windows (64 bit) or Mac 10.14 (or higher)
Processor (x86-64 Intel or AMD): 4-cores Intel Core I5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2500X, Apple M1 and M2 not supported
Video Card: GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 580 with 4 GB
VRAM (8 GB recomended)
RAM: 8 GB (16 GB highly recommended) Disk Space: 2 GB
Last version: 1.5.6beta (18.05.2022) Download via X-Updater only.
 
Review System Specifications
Windows  - 12th Gen IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU - 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB XLR8 - Samsung 970 EVO+ 2TB SSD
__________________________________
 
Update Review by Stephen Dutton
25th January 2023
Copyright©2023: 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.
 

 

Scenery Review: Alps UHD XP12
 
By Stuart McGregor

If you love mountains and valleys, and specifically those in Europe, I am sure you are going to love this scenery!
 
Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini have brought their creative talents to X-Plane 12, with the recent release of their Alps UHD scenery. Covering a staggering 8,000 square kilometres, this scenery is massive in every sense. It currently retails for just under $US 60, which to be honest at first glance seems a little bit expensive for a scenery package in my experience, however, when you consider you are getting five airports, fifteen airfields and forty-six heliports across three countries, France, Italy and Switzerland, and if mountain flying is your thing, then this is well worth considering and perhaps not a bad deal after all.  
 

 
Megève Airport in the Alps
 
If you are a fan of this type of scenery, you will no doubt be familiar with the work of Frank and Fabio as they have already created several similar 3D Mountain Park sceneries for X-Plane 11, and this release for X-Plane 12, is a further extension of their prolific work in this area.  However, if you’re an X-Plane 11 user and have yet to experience Frank and Fabio’s mountain scenery packs, then I highly recommend you check out Stephen’s excellent reviews of their previous versions: 

Scenery Review: Matterhorn Park 3D by Frank Dainese & Fabio Bellini
 
Scenery Review: Eiger Park 3D by Frank Dainese & Fabio Bellini

Scenery Review: Mont Blanc Group by Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini

If you are already a customer and have purchased individual X-Plane 11 sceneries previously (specifically Aosta & Matterhorn, Mont Blanc & Eiger) they are currently offering a whopping 40% discount at the time of writing, which is a nice way to acknowledge the patronage and loyalty of existing customers. The human disposition typically wants more for less, and something for nothing, however, for me at least, I believe it is not unreasonable for this to be a paid ‘upgrade’, considering the developer’s statement that this is not a simple like for like overhaul of existing sceneries. What the actual price is and what is a fair price, I am sure we all have our own views based on what we are typically willing to pay, but either way, the offered discount is a nice touch. 
 


 
Courmayeur Alpine Resort in Northwest Italy, at the Foot of Mont Blanc

In their latest release, there are four main packages provided, and these cover the Eiger Park, Matterhorn Park, Aosta & Mont Blanc, and the main peaks of the Alps, and within these, there are quite literally thousands of hand-placed objects and dozens of fascinating places to visit. This is no mean feat, believe me!
 



 
Wengen in the Bernese Oberland Region of Central Switzerland
 
From the outset, you can’t help being impressed by the splendour and natural beauty of this part of the world, from the majestic and rugged snow-capped mountains stretching to the sky, to the beautiful and tranquil lush valleys peppered with crystal clear waterways and lakes. If you close your eyes for a moment, you can almost taste and smell the clean, cold and crisp fresh air. As I have a VR headset, I was also able to experience this scenery in the truly different manner that VR brings, and if you have never tried it, you really should. Being able to stand at the base of one of the famous peaks and crane your neck upwards or perch yourself on the very edge of a cliffside and look down on the valley below, is an experience I will never forget. This was largely because of the scale of what is laid out in front of you, but also because of the improvements to the way many of the structures and mesh have been remodelled to reflect the real thing. Now some naysayers will undoubtedly shout, but this is a flight simulator, who cares about the ground experience, and for some, that may very well be true, however, my own view is that X-Plane is more than just the flying experience and offers an authentic (all be it virtual) opportunity to see parts of the world I may never get the chance to visit in real life. 
 



 
Breuil-Cervinia Located in the Alps
 
Based on images and descriptions I have read on the internet, the stock X-Plane 12 scenery makes a reasonable job of representing this part of the world, however, the Alps UHD scenery enhances the vanilla state and takes this to an altogether different level. Many of the improvements are quite subtle, for example, tree placement and shape of lakes etc, and even the improved definition and appearance of the key peaks are quite subtle if you just glance quickly. However, it is this level of detail that really makes this scenery pack stand out. If you’re just a casual flyer or typically spend life at 35,000ft in a 747 and are not really bothered by this level of detail, then perhaps a scenery like this is not going to do much for you, however, if your passion is to get as close to the real thing as possible in a VFR sense, then in my opinion, this scenery is a big step in the right direction. For VFR pilots specifically, and those that like to fly helicopters, microlites and GA aircraft generally, you really can spend hours and hours exploring the breathtaking scenery whilst trying to take it all in. There are so many peaks and valleys to explore, not to mention the towns, villages and features that are strewn across the landscape.
 


 
The Town of Thun and Lake Thun in Switzerland
 
As I am sure most of us know, X-Plane 12 is still very much in its infancy, however, there are clearly new features that blend effortlessly well and complement sceneries of this type. For example, the winter textures that are now included in X-Plane 12, turn what is a beautiful green lush garden in the spring and summer months, into the harsh but beautiful reality of what winter weather brings, freezing temperatures, snow and ice! During my testing, I was quite amazed at just how real all of this felt (particularly in VR) when I set the temperature to sub-zero with deteriorating weather. Watching the new X-Plane 12 volumetric clouds come rolling in across one of the valleys and the snow and ice start to form on the ground was just stunning. Yes, there are clearly some issues and bugs still to be worked out in X-Plane 12 for sure, however, the initial signs are very promising when it comes to creating an immersive experience in sceneries of this type.
 


 
The Gnifetti Hut in the Aosta Valley, Italy
 
The scenery is large at just a little over 3GB, and when you download the scenery, you will find inside the main folder a whole raft of sub-folders. Although installation is just a case of drag and drop, there are more than thirty new folders that will appear in your Custom Scenery folder. Unfortunately, from what I understand, not all of this will be compatible with other third-party mesh upgrades, however, I am not able to speak for this as I don’t have any for this part of the world, but something worth considering if you already have these installed and can’t live without them. By comparison, what is spelt out very clearly by the developers, is that the package is only meant for X-Plane 12, and therefore is not compatible with earlier versions of the X-Plane sim.
 


 
The Kleine Scheidegg Mountain Pass
 
Once you have installed it and have checked your scenery.ini folder for any conflicts, (I always do this with new scenery just to be sure the load order is right), off you go… but hold your horses!! Where do you start? Fortunately, the scenery comes with a nice manual, plus a guide and map to show where everything is in relation to each other. As well as the included documentation, there is also an excellent support forum over at the Org, with the developers being highly supportive when answering questions: (Frank Dainese Mountain Scenery - X-Plane.Org Forum). 
 

 
Detailed Map of the Scenery
 
So, where do you start? With more than sixty-five possible starting points, there is a massive choice of locations, and I must admit, I didn’t investigate all of them, however, I did make my way around all the main airports and a considerable number of the airfields and heliports. So, what awaits you?

Well, assuming you visit outside the winter months, one of the first things you will notice is the massive difference in appearance that the photo-realistic textures bring to the ground. In X-Plane 12, the default ground textures, compared to some of its peers, is still an area where the sim lags behind, however, the addition of sceneries of this type, really makes a massive difference. The other thing that is very noticeable is the inclusion of additional and bespoke objects to those solely present in the default scenery, with many of these being based on photo textures and therefore in keeping with the feel and look of the region. 
 


 
Sallanches, Located Near the Mont Blanc Massif in France
 
Now, whilst it’s true that some of the textures are perhaps not as sharp as they could be, compared to the default objects, I was able to look past that, and just marvel at the sheer number of objects, time and effort that must have been put into creating this scenery package and everything in it. Traffic Global was adding traffic to at least a couple of the airports, as I did see several GA aircraft going about their business while I was exploring the scenery, but you can’t help but be drawn to those majestic mountains above and marvel at how fabulous they really look. Moving away from the larger airfields and up into the mountains is even more pronounced. 
 


 
Meribel Airport in the French Alps
 
As you progress higher, there are numerous alpine-styled houses and buildings dotted all over the sloping hillsides, and many of these were very nicely done. There is also a great deal of other smaller objects situated around the scenery and some of these include, signs, tables and chairs, flags, fences, traffic and marker cones, assorted vehicles, radio masts, lights, etc, and one of my favourite features, the chair lifts, which enable you to have a direct route to and from the various peaks. When you include the default animated trees from X-Plane 12, it all fits together nicely, and again, I can’t even imagine how many hours of work went into creating all of this. Sadly, I didn’t see any animation of the chairlifts which would be the ultimate cherry on a very fine cake, but nevertheless, just having these inserted into the scenery is very nice indeed. I should mention that although there are numerous objects, I wouldn’t say the airfields and heliports are crammed full, however, they are probably more than sufficient for most tastes. I guess the question to ask is, when is enough, enough? And in a scenery pack of this magnitude, what is presented is honestly quite impressive. Oh, I also forgot to mention that there are a few people dotted about the place, which is a feature I always look for when trying out new scenery. Without them, sceneries just don’t feel real to me, so seeing a few hardy souls present made me smile.

Several of the remote helipads found in the scenery are literally on the edge of a mountain, a real ‘Eagles Nest’, and when you visit these, the photographic textures, the improved mesh, and the animated trees, all help to create a feeling of being in the wilderness. As I also mentioned earlier, having the VR experience in this scenery was also special, as when you add in the winter textures from X-Plane 12, the sounds of the wind and rain, you really do get an enhanced sense of being in the mountains. 
 


 
Plateau-Rosa Situated Near the Matterhorn

Looking up from, or even down onto the majestic Skyway cable car at the Courmayeur helipad (LICYH) is a fitting example of one of the keynote features that are provided in this scenery pack. When combined with the new features X-Plane 12 has to offer, this scenery is a truly wonderful experience, and in my opinion, exploring it via helicopter is the best way to get the most out of every nook and cranny. Being able to drop in on one of the cliff edge helipads or follow one of the many ski lifts from top to bottom, really allows you to explore this massive scenery. You just won’t get that at 35,000 ft as you watch the latest movie and enjoy your chicken and rice (vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available on request…)!!
 


 
The Skyway Panoramic Cable Car in Action
 
As far as performance goes, with my trusty 1080TI and 9th gen CPU, I didn’t have too many issues, and my FPS were generally OK (30 to 50+), even in VR with my Rift S. However, this is in all fairness, not a particularly good test right now, as there are still several areas which I believe X-Plane 12 will improve on, particularly around VR performance and general texture appearance.
 


 
Courchevel Airport in the French Alps
 
Based on my observations whilst reviewing this scenery, there is no doubt in my mind that the developers have worked tirelessly on making this scenery pack as realistic as possible, and in my opinion, they have succeeded in recreating the experience in X-Plane. Yes, there is perhaps some opportunity for improvement; for example, I noticed that some of the windsocks and flags are a little out of sync, and if one wanted to be picky, some of the texturing could be improved on a few of the buildings and objects. Additional features like a rescue scenario here and there would be a nice extra touch too, however, that doesn’t take away from the fact that if you are interested in mountain-styled scenery, this pack should offer you a very enjoyable experience as it stands.

If you liked what the developers brought to X-Plane 11, I am sure you will love what is offered here!
__________________________________
 

 
Alps UHD XP12 by Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
Alps UHD XP12
Price at time of writing US$59.95
 
Customers who own of of this previous mountain package can get this new Scenery for 40% off. Please find your coupon code in the original invoice. Eligible packages: AOSTA+Matterhorn, Mont Blanc and Eiger for XP11  
Features: 
Includes the degrees +45 +007, +46+007, +45+006, areas of Italy, France, and Switzerland Mountain scenery including 3D models of the Mont Blanc massif, Matterhorn and Eiger Five main airports, fifteen airfields, and forty-six Heliports Faithfully reproduced towns and villages with appropriate types of buildings using customized textures and modelling.  Photographic polygons/textures covering the mountain ranges and surrounding areas Polygons/textures 4K - covering an area of 8000 km  
Requirements:
X-Plane 12 (not compatible with X-Plane 11)
Windows, Mac or Linux
4 GB VRAM - 8 GB+ VRAM Highly Recommended
Download Size: 3.3 GB
 
Review System Specifications:
Windows 10 64 Bit
CPU Intel i9-9900k
64GB RAM
Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti
Oculus Rift S
 
Scenery Review by Stuart McGregor
19th January 2023
Copyright©2022: 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) 
 

 

Scenery Review: KAST - Astoria Regional Airport, Oregon
 
Introduction
Welcome to beautiful Astoria, Oregon USA, recreated for your X-Plane adventures by developers, Skyline Simulations. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state of Oregon and was the first American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. Astoria is located on the south shore of the Columbia River, where it flows into the Pacific Ocean. The city is named for John Jacob Astor, an investor and entrepreneur from New York City, whose American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site and established a monopoly in the fur trade in the early nineteenth century.
 

 
Astoria Regional Airport, much like the city, is again located on the south shore of the Columbia River. This General Aviation airport sits directly at the border of two US states - to the north is Washington and south lies Oregon - divided by the mouth of the Columbia River. It’s not a particularly busy airport for commercial traffic - it’s not presently served by a scheduled commercial airline - but it’s certainly dynamic and active. KAST is home to a US Coast Guard service station - Coast Guard Air Station Astoria - that serves the Oregon and Washington coasts. Also of note, portions of the popular classic adventure movie The Goonies was filmed in the town of Astoria. 
 

 
Download & Installation
I purchased and downloaded my copy of Astoria through the X-Plane.Org Store (other outlets available). The 3.3GB file size (unzipped) is what I consider to be substantial, but others may see it as the norm these days. Upon expansion, you will have one folder that contains two subfolders and the PDF manual, with the total file size rising to 5.03GB. Installation instructions are nothing out of the ordinary; move(cut-paste) the folders into your Custom Scenery folder. Launch X-Plane and go to the Graphics settings tab, adjust the Number of World Objects to Maximum. Since the art assets of the scenery package are high-definition and utilize PBR materials, it’s also important to make sure you have Visual Effects slider set to at least High (HDR).

The Airport
The largest structures at the airport are the two large hangars which date back to World War II.  Both the 3D modelling and texture work is of a high standard, and when viewed up close, you really get a sense of their size. Situated nearby are numerous smaller buildings, such as the FBO terminal and T-hangars. 
 

 
Runway 26, the longest of the runways measured at 5773 x 100 feet, is served by an ILS (modelled by default in X-Plane) and RNAV(GPS) approach for when the wet West coast weather closes in. The other runways lack precision approaches but are served by PAPI & VASI visual approach aids as well as non-precision RNAV(GPS) and VOR approaches.
 

 
The Skyline team has used a large number of decals and textured polygons to give tons of detail to the airport environment, such as cracks in the asphalt and concrete surfaces, stains from oil and dirt, tire skids, water puddles, and grass in the infield and surrounding areas. Everything is very high fidelity, crisp and clearly textured. The downside to all this detail is that users with low to middle-end systems might possibly experience slowdowns at certain parts of the scenery. 
 


Even though the scenery demands higher spec’d computer hardware, the details of specific elements of the airport area impressed me, such as the gateway and hangar of the Coast Guard station, the general aviation hangars with high-resolution signage, plus other nicely detailed exterior features such as wooden staircases.
 


 
There appears to be a driving school that uses one of the decommissioned runways as a training area, and there is liberal usage of 3D grass objects that help to add a lot of character to this airport scenery.
 

 
Surrounding Area
Away from the airport, you can find landmarks specifically modelled by Skyline, such as the Astoria Column and the Astoria-Megler bridge which are nicely detailed. There is mention of a lighthouse, but I haven’t found it yet, which gives me one more reason to keep on exploring this scenery!
 



PBR & Night Lighting
During the evening and late-night hours, the scenery really comes alive with the vehicle traffic lights moving through the airport's various areas. Around the hangars, I noticed a few parked vehicles with their lights on which was a nice touch and helped create a sense of realism.
 

 
The airport environment is well lit with some especially nice areas, but I found the interior lighting from the general aviation hangars unfortunately shines through their roofs and creates a floodlight effect that doesn’t strike me as particularly realistic.
 

 
However, the custom-made landmarks, such as the Astoria-Megler bridge, shine beautifully across the river, and when the Astoria Column is lit, the lights are really well done, as they are omnidirectional and not simply focused spotlights on the column.
 

 
Performance
During my testing, I have to say that I have spent more time than I wished working on finding an optimal balance with my existing scenery collection and Skyline’s KAST package. If you haven’t already done it by now, you can safely use the HD/UHD scenery meshes created by Alpilotx. Also, if you have the HDD space, I recommend installing the orthophoto overlays created by Forkboy or generating your own using Ortho4XP.

There are many small GA airstrips nearby to KAST that can be enhanced by other available free third-party scenery packages. If you haven’t yet discovered simHeaven, they create freely available add-ons that can enhance the surrounding area nicely, but I’ve found there are some object conflicts and anomalies when combined with this scenery package. When compared with their other offerings, I’ve found Skyline’s KAST scenery detail isn’t quite as deep, i.e., the omission of building interiors and human figures, but then again, the size of this package is considerably smaller than the others.
 

 
A couple of words of caution for prospective customers; the installation requirements stated in the enclosed support documents mention you need to set the X-Plane object density to Maximum. I was able to do this, but due to my system being on the low end, really strained by computer systems. However, I found that I could use medium density, but it did detract from the overall look of the geographical area, i.e., fewer trees in the forests and a smaller amount of building objects in the populated areas. If you have the Orbx Washington SD/HD orthophoto scenery package installed, you will see object conflicts and anomalies. If you want to fly around this specific area with orthophoto overlays, I recommend those created by Forkboy.

Conclusion
One of the reasons why Astoria Regional Airport has such a pull, is due to its beautiful location in the Pacific Northwest. There are just so many amazing places to explore, such as the Gifford Pinchot National Forest to the east and the Olympic National Park to the north. And if you’re a Goonies fan, then there’s a bit of nostalgia thrown in for good measure! 
 

 
Even with the issues I encountered with my system, I have to say the developers have done an excellent job at recreating this airport for the enjoyment of X-Plane pilots. It really did bring a smile to my face as I explored the airport grounds and surrounding areas. Keeping in mind my concerns about this scenery offering (do your homework), I really do think you'll enjoy exploring KAST Astoria Regional Airport by Skyline Simulations.
_______________________________
 

 
Astoria Regional Airport by Skyline Simulations is available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
Astoria Regional Airport
Priced at US$20.00
 
Features
Designed with the latest airport updates UHD Realistic Custom Textures  Detailed HD Ground with PBR and decals Landmarks. Bridge, Column, Super Detailed 3D modeling PBR Materials on every building Thousands of 3D custom static objects Amazing and detailed night textures FSEco-subsystem Accurate City using original OSM data Ground Traffic  
Requirements
X-Plane 11 - X-Plane 12 (when available)
Windows , Mac or Linux
4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8GB+ VRAM Recommended
Download size: 3.3 GB
Current version: 1.0 (May 16th 2022)
 
Review by Sean McLeod
8th Sept 2022
Copyright©2022: X-Plane Reviews
 
Review System Specifications
Windows 10, i7-2600K @ 3.9Ghz, 32GB DDR3 RAM, Gigabyte GTX1070 G1 8GB RAM, SATA HDD. 
 
(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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Aircraft Review : Diamond DA-42 NG by Aerobask
 
Here is the latest release from Aerobask, and yes it is another Diamond Aircraft. But this Diamond is a significant one for Aerobask, as it is not the first series release of the Diamond DA-42 for the developer.
 
That release, which is the original, was also the very first aircraft released by Aerobask, or then the Diamond DA-42 Twinstar by Harranssor. That was almost exactly a decade ago (29th August 2013), and to celebrate, Aerobask not only have released their latest newly minted, highly detailed DA-42 NG aircraft, but created also an anniversary livery as part of this package...
 

 
I totally recommend to read the original Diamond DA-42 Twinstar by Harranssor review, in that it shows not only the changes in the X-Plane Simulator itself, but the massive changes in detail and quality over the decade. It was for it's time astoundingly good, even incredible for a first time developer (Harranssor did release a Eclipse 550 earlier as freeware), but the DA-42 was in payware and it came with very high expectations....  and delivered.
 
That decade old DA-42 release was in X-Plane v10.22, here we are releasing the new DA-42 NG (New Generation) in the newly released X-Plane 12 (Sorry no X-Plane 11 aircraft will be made available). So this is the very first fully developed aircraft for the new X-Plane version from Aerobask, and the package (price) includes both updates and revisions for the length of the simulator (X-Plane 12) run.


 
The photographic quality of X-Plane 12 brings out the realism of the Diamond Aircraft. Certainly sleek to begin with, the composite smooth design shines (no pun intended) and curves to the natural lighting.
 
Noted as the "Twin Star", this aircraft originally used Thielert Aircraft Engines TAE 125-01 Centurion 1.7...   in the real aircraft Diamond has now switched to their 3rd Generation Austro Turbo Diesel Engine or the Lycoming IO-360 engine which is also available as an option, and installed here in the XP12 version is the Austro Turbo Diesel. Bit of trivia...  the DA42 Twin Star was the first diesel-powered fixed-wing aircraft to make a non-stop crossing of the North Atlantic in 12.5 hours, with an average fuel consumption of 5.74 gallons per hour (2.87 gallons per hour per engine), give it a try if you want to...
 
I would be explaining nothing to Aerobask converts. They will already know of the quality, forensic detail, superb modeling and the general exclusive experience of Aerobask aircraft... Top Notch, well whatever, it is again all brilliantly done here in the DA-42.
 

 
Composite aircraft don't have a lot of panels, so most parts of the aircraft are added on, not part of the structure..  say the nose, tail section, so on...   Looking hard you can see all this and more in all the sections that make up the aircraft's assembly, but most of the excellent detail is around the engines, cowling, shrouds, and the details and all fastening screws are all visible and checked...  if you want detail, then here it is.
 

 
Also the flying surfaces, tail assembly, high T-Tail elevators, lovely crisp wings with winglets. Notable are the excellent flap and aileron actuators, beautifully designed, ditto the elevator and adjoining trim tab (trailing edge).
 

 
Glass is supreme, nice curves, great reflection and the right tint. Note the beautifully designed instrument hud (cowling?), here the detail is excellent with window demisting vents.
 

 
Unlike the DA-62, which has two opening front doors, the DA-42 has a single forward opening canopy, and the rear single left door for rear passengers as is the same as the DA-62, but they all give you ease of access. You can open them via the latches or the menu.
 

 
Other external items include, opening twin forward storage lockers, chocks and a GPU (Ground Power Unit)
 

 
Menus
You can access the Aerobask Menu, via the Plugins Menu, or the internal tablet....
 

 
Since v2 of the Diamond DA-62 the Aerobask menus have been changed to this more cleaner, new style layout, there are four tabs; Ground, Options, Sounds and About.
 
Ground : Covers the standard Fuel loading of the aircraft (with a "Balance" fuel setting), 3d passengers (Pilot and Three passengers), Static Elements of Chocks, Bollards, Pitot covers, GPU (Ground Power Unit) and you can change the liveries via a "Previous" and "Next" selection. Door selections of Canopy, Pax door, right and left boots (storage), Also Remove Chocks, GPU options, Refill Oxygen bottle, Refill anti-ice fluid are all also options on this tab.
 
Options : The "Main" covers Instrument Popups, Reflections, G1000 Shared options and Breakers (Fuses) with a reliability scale. There are three other avionics sets of OPTIONS for the, G1000 PFD, G1000 MFD and the MD302 backup instrument. "Synthetic Vision" is included in the G1000 tab.
 

 
Sounds : There are seven sound sliders; Master, Aircraft Exterior, Aircraft Interior, Copilot, Radios, Environmental and User Interface. You can Enable (or disable) sounds, and Enable (the) speech.
 
About : Here is listed the Aerobask development team and beta testers, and the aircraft's version number is indicated in the popup menu title, or the changelog.txt in the main folder.
 
As noted there is a pilot and three passengers you can individually view or hide (the pilot hides when you select the Static Elements). The quality of the 3d people are all very good, and seen before in Aerobask aircraft.
 

 
Internal
The internal cabin of the decade old DA-42 was sensational (for it's time). So was the start of Aerobask's reputation for creating seminal interiors of aircraft...  and you won't be disappointed here either. It is important to note, that this cabin is of a few generations older than say the DA-50RG or the DA-62, so the materials used here then reflect that heritage, other than that it is all as usual for Aerobask, extremely well done.
 
The four seats are outer leather with a mottle grey pattern insert and red piping, note the lovely folds on the leather surfaces. Diamond logos are also nicely shown on the headrests....  it's all beautiful stuff to admire.
 

 
With the selection of different liveries, then two more different interiors in red and cream are available.
 

 
There are several different carpet threads (Grey), and a leather mustard side paneling, so is the centre console covering.  Main cabin colour is a slate to light grey... exquisite!
 

 
Instrument Panel
 

 
The decade old DA-42 had the same native Laminar Research G1000 twin panel avionics system (both PFD and MFD pop-out), but the X-Plane 12 version is customised far more here with custom EIS and annunciations. It is a very good panel layout, but not as really detailed as a real G1000 system actually is, but it does cover about 85% of the systems.
 
Start up process is excellent with Aerobask logos, and more CREDITS and AIRAC data. Note the great reflections on the G1000 screens.
 

 
Both PFD and MFD G1000 displays pop-out, as does the MD302 SAM
 

 
The system has a "reversionary" mode. This is all the primary instruments and engine parameters presented all on the single display, in this case the PFD. (If the PFD failed then the "reversionary" mode switches to the other MFD (Multi Functional Display). Also in the same mode, both displays will show the PFD (Primary Flight Display).
 

 
PFD (Primary Flight Display) is very good with the large Artificial Horizon dominating the screen with the Speed and Altitude (with built in Vertical Speed) tapes either side, Rate of turn and FD (Flight Director) are all present. Lower is the Heading rose with built in Heading, Wind (3 options), CRS (Course) DME, NAV 1, NAV 2 and OBS. All Radio, Autopilot (AP) settings and data are across the top banner of the panel. Note the inbuilt warnings panel centre right, and INSET MAP This is an option to put a small insert map on the PFD, but I never do (it makes the display too crowded).
 

 
There is a custom tool in a GCU476 2D keypad to input values directly by touching the screen (i.e. clicking the values or using the mouse scroll wheel to adjust them). For example, for changing a radio frequency or here the heading, you can use the mouse scroll wheel, which is much easier than turning the knobs in the 3D cockpit. it has a small slider or ++ / -- tool to say which items can be manipulated.
 

 
Synthetic Vision
There is the "Synthetic Vision" tool that we mentioned earlier by Oscar Pilote. There are three modes that can be selected from the "More Options" menu. The first is the standard default Laminar one with the blue top and dirty brown lower horizons. Then the "Topology Only", with a light blue (realistic) sky and green lower horizon, the final one is "Topology + Terrain" with the same light sky and brown lower horizon.
 

 
MAP/Navigation Display (MFD)
The secondary MFD in a MAP/Navigation panel covers also all the (EIS) engine outputs which are in two versions with one visual and one in data. This is another custom panel by Aerobask.
 

 
The colourful engine readouts cover are on page one; Manifold Pressure (Load) and RPM, Fuel Flow GPH (Gallons Per Hour), Oil Pressure and Temp, Coolant Temp, Fuel Temp and Fuel QTY (Quantity).
 

 
System switch (data) covers the same LOAD and RPM top, VOLTS and AMPS, Gearbox/Coolant Temp, Oil Pressure/Temp and De-Ice Fluid level.
 
Notably missing are the usual two items? FLAPS position (UP-20º-38º) and ELEV (UP-TO-DN) adjustment, rudder adjustment trim bottom, and the Fuel Calculations, GAL (Used), REM (Remain) system which are both on the DA-50RG and DA-62.
 
MD302 SAM®
Mid-Panel is the MD302 SAM® or the "Standby Altitude Module" Basically is a standby instrument which is very authentic to the real instrument, this avionic tool is interesting as it replaced the standard three (Airspeed, Artificial Horizon and Altitude) setup in the earlier DA-42, modern times for modern avionics. Other upper panel details include Lighting Switchgear (left), Whiskey Compass, ELT and authentic aerox Oxygen pressure gauge.
 

 
..   but if you hold the same knob down for two or three seconds then a menu appears that covers In-fight configurable items that are...
 

 
Altitude units in feet or meters, Barometer units either inHg or mbars, Attitude symbol in traditional or delta, Attitude mask on or off and Altitude trend bar in either on or off.
 

 
There is a Quick-Doc manual provided that covers the instruments features and their use. Note: The SAM has to be set separately (i.e. Baro) than the main PFD as one adjustment does not cover all the instruments.
 
Last note is the G1000 "Autopilot" buttons are placed normally in this DA-42, between the two displays (PFD/MFD), the original DA-42 used a separate GFC-700 Autopilot!
 

 
Left panel Electrical setting switches/Avionic Circuit Breakers. Right Panel the full Circuit Breaker (Fuses) panel that is active and De-Ice System.
 

 
Lower panel has (LtoR), Pitot Heat, Left Engine/Right Engine (Master/Start, Elec. Master, Avionic Master, Landing Gear, Fuel Pumps (L/R) , Flaps and Engine buses.
 

 
The central pedestal is really well designed as well...  Lovely Throttle and Fuel selector levers are very well crafted, the Fuel cutoff is full back with the red tabs clicking into place. Defrost is required as your cabin can go misty in the cold... a great special effect from Aerobask. Two Trims are "Rudder" upper centre panel, and "Pitch" in the large trim wheel centre console, rear are light switches and rear (Working Audio Panel)
 

 
There is a built in AviTab Tablet (Plugin Required)... it is stored in the left side pocket holder, press to mount on the right side of the instrument panel. You can also press the knob attachment (AviTab) holder on the instrument panel bracket to bring the AviTab up as well (plugin required).
 

 
As noted the Aerobask Menu is also built in for ease of use.
________________
 
Flying the X-Plane 12 Aerobask DA-42
There have been a few Diamond DA-42's in X-Plane. The Original Aerobask 2013 version as mentioned in the review, a Diamond DA40NG XP12 by SimSolutions, we reviewed last November 2022, and coming another DA-42 from a new developer group, CreatorOfWorldS (COWS). So you are not short of choice, but how could you go past the authenticity of Aerobask...  well you can't.
 
Let us put the numbers up front and center...
 
Maximum speed: 356 km/h (221 mph; 192 kn) - Range: 1,693 km (1,052 mi; 914 nmi)- Service ceiling: 5,486 m (17,999 ft) - Rate of climb: 6.5 m/s (1,280 ft/min)...   all pretty impressive.
 
Starting is easy. You have FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine (or electronics) Control ), so you just switch on the fuel flow (switches centre console), then and then turn the key towards the engine you want to start. The engine is an Austro Engine E4 (marketed as the AE 300), based on the Mercedes-Benz OM640 road Diesel engine. It supplies 168 hp (125 kW) (maximum takeoff and continuous power) at up to 2,300 propeller RPM for each engine.
 

 
Sounds are modern FMOD and with Enhanced 3D system sounds by Daniela Rodriguez Careri, including Doppler and Flanger effects. They do sound a little different from the normal, but the engines are very different as well in being diesels, but at the cruise speed they have this lovely thrumm that passes the flying time nicely. Start up is almost instantaneous with a slight cranking, so they are almost electric in that aspect. The DA-42, however sounds almost exactly like the DA-62, but then it does use the same engine installation with the same twin-diesel engines.
 
If we go back (again) to the original DA-42, there was one area I really didn't like. This was the stick like undercarriage, it was hard, stiff and very unforgiving (landings were horribly hard nose affairs).
 
The forward angled single nosewheel and trailing link main gear is the same arrangement here, but add on ten years and it is all a very different feel, a slight bounce, say even a cushioning to the gear, which is far, far better and more authentic to real suspension. You can't taxi too fast with that slim nosegear, but get the (low) taxi speed right and the aircraft is fine...
 

 
Heading on to PAJN's Runway 26, and the runway shows up in "Synthetic Vision" on the PFD, it is very well done..
 

 
Tons of low down torque from the Twin AE 300's, gives you push to Takeoff Speed around 100 knts, Rate of climb is noted at 6.5 m/s (1,280 ft/min) but I found that 800fpm gave me the best climb to altitude (5,000ft) without putting pressure on the power output and keeping out of the red zones...
 
 
 
This is a modern 4 seater aircraft, efficient, not a 18th Century Gallon Piper. So it handles and flies efficiently as well. Basically it's a cruiser of the air, a sort of GT or Grand Tourer...  the just under 1000 nautical mile range gives you the distance to cover a respectable area, and at a just sub 200 knt speed. So it's perfect for a point to point flight.
 

 
So the DA-42 is not a particularly demanding aircraft for the pilot, as all the mod-cons are in here, with the G1000 (Synthetic Vision) and the MD302 SAM. In flight modeling it is done by X-Aerodynamics who does all the Aerobask dynamics, he's good, so is the feel of the DA-42.
 

 
Lighting
Considering the other DA, Diamond offerings the internal lighting in here is quite basic. Two knobs adjusts the display and instrument brightness. Not very overly effective in the day, but fine at night.
 

 
Cabin lighting consists of one forward light and and one rear spot, both again very effective at night.
 

 
Externally, you have the usual Landing and Taxi twin lights under the mid-fuselage, but they interfere with the modeling in creating nasty ant marks around the nose. There is no beacon, but wing navigation, strobe lighting is excellent.
 

 
At this point in X-Plane 12's evolution (v12.01r1) then expect still more refinement in all the lighting.
 
Haines, Klukwan, Alaska is a double tight airport to get into from the east, PAHN although situated on the Chilkat River, is nestled between a mountain and forests on the Runway 26 approach. A testing airport of nerves and flight skills.
 

 
You can't even see the airport, never mind the runway on the approach? But it is there, hidden beyond the trees.
 

 
Even though a Twin, the DA-42 NG is very good for getting into tight slots like this, good visibility really helps, so does Full Flap (LDG) selection and the approach speed in 83 knts.
 
It's tight...  and do you see the runway yet, just.
 

 
Thankfully the Da-42 is wonderful to control and fly in these sort of circumstances, a great platform for tricky approaches.
 

 
There is not much room between you and the trees as you clear the boundary, then you dive for the runway, then quickly do a heavy nose up flare to arrest the speed and height, you touch around 73 knts
 

 
If you have a lot of confidence in the aircraft, then you can pull off these sort of manoeuvres, so the DA-42 delivers very well here.
 

 
Obviously I will be talking to the converted. Aerobask have a lot of admirers (Including myself), so it's not hard to understand what you will receive with these aircraft, that they are so modern in design, and it all gives you more of a conviction to fly one.
 

 
Liveries
There is one blank (white) and six liveries with the DA-42 NG. All high quality and including the 10 Year anniversary livery as we saw earlier.
 

_______________
Summary
Aerobask are no strangers to Diamond aircraft, their catalogue is full of them, including currently the DA-50 RG, the DA-62. But Aerobask have also done a version of this DA-42 before, a decade ago, as their very first payware aircraft, it was good if not even brilliant for it's time and era, but we are now in X-Plane 12, another era and another realm, a realm that demands a lot far more quality and detail...  the DA-42 NG 2023, delivers on that aspect, a lot.
 
Excellent modeling is a given with Aerobask, as are the curated interiors, both are well highlighted here. Avionics include a custom EIS and annunciations G1000 System, Synthetic Vision technology by OscarPilote, Optional GCU476 2D keypad, MD302 "Standby Attitude Module",  Simulated oxygen system, Simulated ice protection system and Fully functional breakers (configurable reliability).
 
The excellent menu is available on the screen, but also on a AviTab tablet internally... there is also a Detachable and VR-friendly 2D options panel. Sounds are excellent and by renowned Daniela Rodriguez Careri, 3d Pilot and passengers, static elements, and the DA-42 also comes with an Auto-Updater (Skunkcraft), all to keep the aircraft up-to-date on-line.
 
In a package, Aerobask delivers everything you want in a high quality aircraft with unique clever custom systems, and that is certainly the case here as well...  again, better still everything comes in a competitively priced package below US$40. Remember this aircraft is valid for updates and free changes for the life of X-Plane 12 (Note this is only an X-Plane 12 Aircraft, not compatible with X-Plane 11).
 
As a reviewer Aerobask aircraft are a dream to review, certainly there are a lot of custom options to cover, but in every other aspect they are some of the very best general aviation simulations available today...   and for tomorrow in that fact.
 
As a required simulation any Aerobask Diamond is a sensation to own and fly...   Highly Recommended.
_____________________
 

 
The Diamond DA-42 NG by Aerobask is available from the X-Plane.OrgStore!... Here:
 
Diamond DA-42 NG Price is US$39.95
 
Requirements
X-Plane 12 (not compatible with XP11)
Windows, Mac (using Rosetta) or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8 GB+ VRAM recommended Current version:  12.0r1  (January 12th 2023)   Aerobask Systems Suite Fully Integrated Laminar Garmin G1000 with custom EIS and annunciations Synthetic Vision technology by OscarPilote Touch screen features for easy handling Optional GCU476 2D keypad Customized FADEC/ECU with test procedure MD302: accurate custom coded Standby Attitude Module Simulated oxygen system Simulated ice protection system Fully functional breakers (configurable reliability) Advanced Flight Model and Flight Experience Accurate flight model by X-Aerodynamics Smooth wingflex Windshield effects: reflections, rain and frost Many parameters saved between flights Superb 3D Model Aerobask quality 3D model Fully functional virtual 3D cockpit, with smooth and VR-friendly manipulators High quality cockpit model with high resolution PBR textures (4K)   Custom Sounds Full FMOD environment by Daniela Rodriguez Careri Accurate doppler, distance attenuation and flyby effects Simulated headset In-game volume control without pausing the sim Other features and docs Complete array of custom documentation Avitab tablet, with integrated options panel Detachable and VR-friendly 2D options panel Included 6 liveries 2K textures pack for low computer  Auto-Updater Keep your aircraft up-to-date with a convenient auto-updater (Skunkcraft)   Installation and documents:  download for the Aerobask DA-42 NG is deposited in the "General Aviation" X-Plane folder.
  The AviTab plugin is also required to use this aircraft, and it is deposited in your X-Plane Plugins folder.
 
Full Installation is 1.33Gb
 
Documents supplied are:
Avitab.pdf checklist_da42.pdf Customized G1000.pdf DA42_AFM XP12.pdf DA42_CHKL XP12.pdf DA42_PERF XP12.pdf DA42_PROC XP12.pdf Quick-Doc MD302.pdf Read Me - XP12 Aircraft Installation.pdf  
A full set of documents are provided, including detailed manuals for the MD302 and Laminar G1000. A quick setup and deeper system manual is also provided with Performance and (Checklist) Procedures.
________________   Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton
15th January 2023
Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews
 
Review System Specifications: 
Computer System: Windows  - IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU / 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 8Gb - Samsung M.2 EVO+ 2TB SSD 
Sound : Yamaha Speakers YST-M200SP
Software:   - Windows 10 - X-Plane 12.01r1
Plugins: Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99
Scenery or Aircraft
- PAJN - Juneau International, Alaska by NorthernSky (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$18.00
-PAHN - Haines Airport - Default Global Airports
 
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.  

Aircraft Update: B 747-8 Series Anniversary Edition X-Plane 12
 
Since its first flight on February 9, 1969, the Boeing 747 family of aircraft has become an icon of the skies. Dubbed "The Queen of the Skies", it has served for well over 50 years since its first iteration of -100 in 1969 with four generations following subsequently. A legend in aviation, it adores the hearts and minds of passengers and crew that have flown it. The -8 is the latest and final variant of the Boeing 747 which at the time of writing this review, has only one more delivery to be fulfilled in early 2023, meaning sadly we find ourselves right at the very end of its production lifespan, but certainly, with a few decades more to go for it to fly under commercial and freight operation.

I was fortunate enough to have flown on the -8 myself back in September, traveling with Lufthansa from Frankfurt to New York. I always said that my first visit to America would be on a Boeing 747, so as soon as they took their aircraft out of storage and back on the pecking order, I just knew I had to take it on the first opportunity I got!
 


Supercritical Simulations Group (SSG) are a well-respected developer within X-Plane and has recently updated their aircraft to include all the features and extras available to them for X-Plane 12. In this review, we take an in-depth look at the Boeing 747-8 and see how it stands as a fully-fledged simulation of one of the most iconic aircraft to ever grace the skies.

Aircraft Specification
●    Crew: 2
●    Length: 250ft 2in (76.25m)
●    Wingspan: 224ft 7in (68.5m)
●    Height: 63ft 6in (19.4m)
●    Empty Weight: 485,300lb (220,128kg)
●    Maximum Takeoff Weight: 975,000lbs (442,253kg)
●    Powerplant: 4xGEnx-2B67
Aircraft Performance
●    Range: 7,730nmi (14,320km) 
●    Service Ceiling: 43,100ft (13,137m)
●    Max Cruising Speed: Mach 0.86 (504kn, 933km/h)

Download & Install
After purchase of the SSG B748, you are given a download page with two versions of the aircraft, one for X-Plane 11 and another for X-Plane 12. Select your chosen version (in this case we opted for XP12), download the file and extract it into your X-Plane “Aircraft” folder.
On the first launch of the aircraft, you are asked to input your Serial Number. This can be copied and pasted from the download page to the pop-up. Then, after an aircraft reload, you are good to go.

The SSG B748 comes with two PDF files and several text documents. These include a 238-page in-depth analysis and operations manual for the aircraft, a 45-page step-by-step quick start guide for the aircraft illustrated with pictures and screenshots as well as several change logs and license agreements. The Operations Manual I found rather special as while it marks each page as not for use in real-world flying, you can see that SSG took the time to analyse the real-world operators' handbook for the Boeing 747-8 and translate this into simulator terms, bridging the gap between their product and reality.

The two guides are certainly worth a read as these go into great detail about the operation of this aircraft as well as tips and tricks on how to get the best performance out of it. When it came to start-up and procedures, I found these guides more than helpful in pushing for the best out of the 747.

Exterior Model
SSG have included both the -8i passenger and -8F freighter variants of the Boeing 747-8 family. The biggest difference between the two is the upper deck which has been stretched for the passenger variant to include seats, while the freighter sticks to the original length (this also slightly lowers the weight of the aircraft as there are no seating requirements).
 

 
The -8F also features a nose opening for cargo, but apart from that, everything else from the wings back is nearly identical.
 


From the get-go, I have to say the models look fantastic, as within the X-Plane 12 environment, you really do get a sense of the scale of this incredible aircraft. The Boeing 747 is the second largest commercial aircraft in the world, and as such, when you stand up close to it, you certainly get a feeling of its immense size, something I can attest to, having stood next to the real thing only a few months ago!

Detailing on the SSG 747 includes 4K resolution textures across the body, allowing for warning labels and text to be both clear and visible. There is also bump mapping across the fuselage where panel gaps and bolts will sit in place, as well as several animations across the aircraft - this also includes the freighter variant of the 747-8. As per real-world operation, cargo is loaded through the front nose of the aircraft. To allow for this, Boeing made the entire front portion of the aircraft in front of the cockpit raise up, thus providing ground crews unparalleled access to the cargo bay of the aircraft. This is quite some spectacle to see in real life and is well recreated within X-Plane 12.
 

 
Looking up close at the engines, the GEnx units used by the Boeing 747, share the same diameter as the entire body of the 737! These are extremely well-detailed, with the ability to see inside the engine through the fan blades and vents that appear when the reverse thrust is active. When combined with the wing and flex when in the air (remember, the Boeing 747 uses tungsten bricks in the wings to counteract flutter when airborne!) you can appreciate the size and weight of the aircraft as it flies.
 


Cockpit and Interior
The Boeing 747-8 gets its designation from the 787, with many displays and systems crossing over from Boeing’s newest jet to their longest in production. This means several digital displays as well as several backup EICAS units. Having once required three pilots to operate, there is now a lot of space behind the pilots where the flight engineer once was, giving you a lot of room to move around. 

The 747 is also the only Boeing aircraft of this generation to use the brown cockpit colours, as opposed to the grey they now use within their jetliners. Boeing used brown as it was light and pleasing to the eye of the pilots and SSG has certainly replicated this within their own rendition of the aircraft. Textures are done at 4k resolution, with text, panels, and gauges all clear and easy to read. The overhead panel can appear cramped at first, especially with all the systems in which to manage and maintain the four engines, but I found myself having no issues whatsoever when it came to reading and manipulating the various systems of the aircraft. The 747-8 is also surprisingly well-optimised for what it is too. A lot is going on both inside and out, so it was pleasing to see that everything performed smoothly when it came to framerates. 
 


You also have a different interior for both the passenger and cargo variants of the aircraft, and as such, the 747-8i includes a full passenger cabin interior for you to explore. This is both the upper and lower deck modelled in a tri-class configuration, textured and detailed to the same level as you would find inside the cockpit.
 

 
I decided to position one of X-Plane’s custom camera points on the seat I had occupied when flying on this type myself. When up at cruise altitude, I was taken aback by how the cabin looked and felt - it was almost as if I was back onboard the 747 I had used just a few months previously! The detailing on offer, combined with the sound (something we will cover later in this article), really helps bring this aircraft to life and is something I have really appreciated.  
 


The 747-8F features the entire lower deck with cargo box mountains and trails for the movement of containers. This once again looks superb within the simulator environment and fits with the scale of the aircraft. The space is indeed massive, with a number of containers modeled into the aircraft, sitting two-by-two towards the centre of the cabin where the centre of gravity would be.
 

 
You can decide on the number of containers and load factor and adjust this in the EFB tablet. The upper deck has also been modeled into a small crew rest area, making use of the small hump behind the cockpit. This includes a toilet, beds, galley, and seats for the crew – somewhere to enjoy a bit of shut-eye when flying ultra-long haul.
 
Buttons, Gauges & Functionality
For an aircraft of this size and complexity, I think it’s fair to say that a lot is going on within the SSG Boeing 747-8. Your core panel features your main Primary Flight Display, Navigation Display and EICAS screens as you would expect, but with several buttons and switches surrounding it that control your lights, displays and other features within the cockpit. The glare shield is also massively used with all of your autopilot systems sitting ready to take over once your aircraft is airborne and en route. This will be familiar to you if you fly Boeing (and even Airbus) jets often, but it’s the overhead panel that really takes time to learn.
 


The overhead is littered with switches and buttons that maintain each aspect of your flight. Here you will find your lights, anti-icing and engine systems to keep all four power plants alive and burning. With the development of the previous 747-400 which removed the need for a flight engineer, the overhead panel became a lot busier with extra engine management systems included. This was carried over to the -8 and SSG has utilised this well. Everything is laid out in order of use, with most checklists on the aircraft starting in the top-left and slowly working their way down section by section. 
 


The Flight Management Computer is also custom-made and developed for the 747-8.
 

 
This includes all of the route inputs and calculations that the pilot would make on the real aircraft as well as system management and planning that helps you in guiding the aircraft through each stage of flight. This has been well-developed and shows in operation when planning your different phases, allowing for each detail of your flight plan to be tweaked and perfected before you depart.
 


Getting to grips with the 747-8 took a few moments to get going but having spent a lot of time in virtual Boeing jetliners, as well as having flown the -8 that comes packaged with Microsoft Flight Simulator, I didn’t find myself too out of depth. Familiarity with the aircraft is key, especially when planning to take it long-haul, which can take up most of your day. I would certainly advise spending time just looking around the cockpit and gaining an understanding of where different systems are located so that when it comes to flying, you know exactly where to look and know what you are expecting to see and do. As with any aircraft, the more practice you put into it, the better and easier you will eventually find the operation to be. 

SSG has also included an EFB tablet within the cockpit which serves as the loadmaster of the aircraft, allowing you to input your fuel and payload as well as interact with ground services and calculate your departure speeds. It also allows you to control the doors and exits on the aircraft which in the case of the freighter, includes the nose rising to allow for cargo to enter via the front. As more developers include these within their add-ons, I find them incredibly useful to procure my Flight Management Computer with the numbers it needs to programme a perfect departure and landing.
 

 


Sound
To put it simply, the SSG 747-8 sounds fantastic! There’s no other way of putting it, you can sense that a lot of time was spent recording audio samples from both within and outside of the aircraft, with fine-tuning in which to replicate the actual environment of the real aircraft.
The spool-up of the engines sounds great when making that take-off run or listening to the rumble behind you as you start to pull back on the yoke and take the aircraft to the sky. The whir of the engines during start-up is also really well-defined, especially when you focus on all four engines being activated during the pushback procedure of the aircraft.
 


One thing I have always enjoyed and appreciated about X-Plane is its fly-by-camera view. Not only is it visually appealing, but it also enables you to hear the sound variations from around the aircraft as well as the Doppler effect that is applied. Listening to the engines purr as the aircraft glides past your camera is great and a real testament to the time that SSG has put into getting that effect right for their aircraft.
The immersion doesn’t just end within the cockpit. Moving my camera over to the passenger cabin and sitting myself down on one of the seats, I found the audio to be rather immersive; I was back in the seat of that Lufthansa 747 flying to New York!

Flight Dynamics
The SSG 747-8, as expected, feels very heavy when in the air. I find myself putting a lot of input on the yoke to bank and make turns. I haven’t had the pleasure of flying the real-life aircraft myself, but you can certainly (as a passenger) get a feeling for how the aircraft behaves, especially since using far more nimble jets and props in X-Plane in the past. As the 747 grew with each generation, and despite advancements in fly-by-wire technology to make control easier, I can still imagine it takes a lot of input from the pilot to tame the aircraft.
 


The aircraft has a strong rate of climb too, more than you would perhaps expect for its sheer scale and mass. The GEnx-2B67 is a powerful engine and having four of these, helps propel the 747 into the sky. Descent too is quite something as the 747 can drop like a brick, especially with flaps and spoilers to help slow you down. When trying it out on a hop from Frankfurt to New York following the same flight plan as my trip in real life, I had one or two late descents which I could easily manage by dumping the spoilers and watching the altitude go without much movement from the pitch. 
 


During cruise, the aircraft is a joy to fly. With the autopilot on and FMS navigation in control, it will glide through the sky getting you to your destination with ease.
 

 
This especially comes into play when performing a landing with crosswinds involved. You need to make a lot of small corrections to keep the aircraft on course, but the moment those rear wheels touch down and you find yourself gliding down the runway to come to a halt, you can certainly feel the sense of accomplishment of having performed an expert landing.
 


Taxiing the 747-8 is also worth commenting on. It’s the longest commercial aircraft in the world (beating the Airbus A380 by 3 meters) and you’re looking out from the upper deck.
 

 
This means you have very little coverage of the ground below you, with little sense as to where your nose gear is. Airbus achieved the ground control of the A380 by placing the cockpit on the lower deck, but with Boeing, and using 1960s technology, combined with the need for the cargo variant to load through the nose, this was never going to be the case for the “Queen of the Skies”. The more you practise ground movement the better you will get at positioning the aircraft, as well as learning to fine-tune and steer the aircraft with the throttles, adding power towards the direction you want to go. It’s certainly a beast in that regard!
 

 
Liveries
SSG has also included several liveries for the Boeing 747-8, both freighter and passenger variants, while there are also several more available on the org ready to download. The sets included are as follows:
Intercontinental
•    Air China
•    BBJ
•    Boeing Family
•    Boeing Sunrise
•    Korean Air
•    Lufthansa
Freighter
•    Atlas Air
•    Boeing Family
•    Boeing Light
•    Cargolux
•    Cathay Pacific
•    Silkway Cargo
 
They are a nice selection of liveries, but all are new. Again there has been a change to the file structure, and so the sets of older liveries don't work anymore, they have to be v2.5+ or higher to work with the X-Plane 12. There are six Internationals liveries and six cargo liveries included.
 

 

 


Opinion & Closing Remarks
Overall, I have had an absolute blast flying the SSG 747-8 within X-Plane 12. The aircraft is a joy to fly and while it does take some practice getting used to, especially when performing banking turns once airborne, I have enjoyed virtually every minute since adding it to my virtual hangar.

With an extremely well-defined model, cockpit, cabin, and audio, what SSG have is a complete package for one of the world’s most popular aircraft, with their passion for this project showing in every detail they have included. A great deal of time and effort has been put into getting the best they possibly could out of the X-Plane platform, and it certainly shows.

The Boeing 747 has been around for well over 50 years now, and whilst not necessarily a ‘rare’ aircraft type to fly on (especially between popular destinations), I just knew I had to fly on it. Being able to recreate my two real-world flights within X-Plane 12 has been a wonderful experience and I am very impressed by the end product that SSG have managed to create.

The aircraft is also very much in active development, meaning we will likely see updates and improvements for it for some time to come. SSG’s 747-8 is a product that I would be more than happy to recommend to anyone looking to fly the Boeing 747 within X-Plane 12.
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Yes! the Boeing 747-8 Inter Anniversary Edition X-Plane 12 By Supercritical Simulations Group is available from the X-Plane.Org Store here
 
B 747-8 Series Anniversary Edition
Price is US$69.00 (currently on SALE for US$54.90)
  
Features:
Officially licensed by the Boeing Corporation.
 The entire external 3D model for v2 has been redone, including the following: All new fuselage closely modeled on the real one with added details Each door can be opened individually and is more detailed dded animations and details (almost all parts that can open/move on the aircraft are modeled). New external details such as a satellite antenna and tail camera New cut passenger windows instead of textures New vertical and horizontal stabilizers with added details New nacelles and engines with more details and new animations Reworked and more detailed landing gear/gear doors with additional animation Improved and more detailed leading and trailing edge flaps and added flap mechanisms Upper deck interior with seats/galleys and stairs to lower deck  New wing flex and nacelle animations  The textures for the entire aircraft have been redone to match the new model, along with decals for certain detailed areas, right down to most of the external placards, working closely with our technical advisors to ensure all the main details are present and that we have gotten them right. COCKPIT The entire cockpit 3D model has been largely redone and completely retextured.  New overhead panel and buttons/switches New forward panel and buttons/switches New pedestal and buttons/switches/handles New miscellaneous panel and buttons/switches Side panels and window frames completely redone New cockpit seats Various added details SYSTEMS/FMC Almost all switches function properly and independently  IRS alignment process implemented More realistic fuel system with different pumps and tanks along with FUEL TANK / ENG logic Realistic AUTOSTART and RUNNING indicators on secondary engine displays Improved and more realistic air conditioning system and logic Better track representation on ND Clock and chronometer on ND working like on the real aircraft More realistic baro pressure logic (STD, preselected, transition altitude) Captain and First Officer FMCs are now independent FMC FIX page added FMC Route 2 function added FMC Diversion function added Librain rain effects (currently not working on Macs) Skuncraft Updater Now with Skunkcraft updater. No need to download anything for updates, the plane will automatically be updated  
Requirements:
X-Plane 11 or X-Plane 12 
Windows , Mac and Linux
4 GB MB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Current version : XP12: 2.6b4 (December 21st 2022) XP11: 2.5.1 (June 7th 2022) NOTE: Framerate requires a decent graphic card, minimum of 8gb is RECOMMENDED, so I would also recommend a power machine as standard.    Installation : Download is 1.17gb which is unzipped and is inserted in your Heavy Aircraft  folder as: 1.80gb    Key authorisation is required.   Documentation : includes  SG 747-8 V2 FCOM.pdf SSG 747-8 V2 Quick Start Guide.pdf SSG License Agreement.txt SSGCUSTOMLIST.TXT    ______________________________________________________________________

Aircraft Review by Michael Hayward 
13th January 2023
Copyright©2023: 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)    The Technical Bit
Review PC Spec
•    Windows 10 Professional
•    AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Processor
•    32GB RAM
•    Palit GeForce RTX™ 3080 GamingPro
 

Aircraft Upgrade Review : Concorde FXP v3 by Colimata
 
Significantly I finally did get around into creating a review of Colimata's impressive Concorde FXP in it's v2 guise last year in July 2020. You should really read that comprehensive review before reading this upgrade version, into getting an overall background and for the details of the aircraft and Colimata's features.
 
That review was done in obviously X-Plane 11, as X-Plane 12 was still a few more months away. But even then, even in not yet knowing what the effects of X-Plane 12 would have on the aircraft, I seriously felt at the time, that if any aircraft would shine in the new version of the X-Plane Simulator it would be this aircraft, why I don't know...  it was just a feeling.
 
So here is Concorde FXP in X-Plane 12. It is noted as v3, a new version for the X-Plane 12 version. So that means it is an UPGRADE, and a paid upgrade. The pain however to get this X-Plane 12 version is negligible, two cups of coffee or US$11. That cost covers all future X-Plane 12 updates and features. Considering X-Plane 12 is new out of the box and has now years to run, its a great deal, the new purchase price in X-Plane 12 is still the same at US$59.95 (but sales and deals are frequent, currently US$54.95)
 
It is a hard colour (white on white) to look good anywhere, but "hey", the iconic SST looks simply damn impressive in X-Plane 12.
 

 

 
All the textures have been upgraded to X-Plane 12 quality, and even more detail has been added on to the fuselage, and the wings are not blank anymore as you get access panels and wing panels detailing...
 

 
...  that is the good news, the bad news is all your liveries don't work anymore as they have been upgraded to v3 or "fuselage_v200". There is a trick if your desperate in wanting them now and in not waiting for the painters in fixing them up... create the new folder (fuselage_v200) and move the old paint files over, you don't get the new details, but it works. 
 

 
Internally it is "oh WOW"...  To a point this was what I was expecting the X-Plane 12 version to be like, even then it "Blows your mind"...
 
...  the light earlier greyness has been replaced by a dark shadow hue, realistic, yes you bet, how realistic? Brilliantly.
 
 
 
The cockpit is absolutely impressive in the daylight, but let the light go darker and it becomes a "Wonderland"...
 


 
It does look very, very good, if you control the lighting. Too much, is too much brightness. Again I don't feel that a 70's aircraft would use this tone of light in here, that said it is very nice...  So with so much adjustment (12 knobs) it can keep you happy for hours playing with it all, from full cockpit brightness to the low dim approach lighting. There is a noted 1000+ lights in here, and I don't doubt that number.
 

 
Cabin is also still too bright, but it looks far, far better in the quality detail of X-Plane 12. The cabin and seats look far more realistic, if now great, just a shame you can't adjust the cabin lighting a touch lower.
 

 
I didn't like the external lighting on the XP11 Concorde, it 's just as bright here as well, in being well over saturated (Navigation and tail lighting is however okay). In the daylight it is quite nice, but overall I think some adjustment would really help with the realistic/realism effect.
 

 
A lot of people (including me) didn't like the set, large GUI (Menu). It covered a lot of the screen and hid the very things you were trying to adjust? The Menu GUI has been revised in v3 for X-Plane 12, with now being scalable in size. Also the GUI can now also be used in a (Separate) window, even on another computer... handy.
 

 
Other GUI changes include; A redo of the Flight Planning page, and the shown selected flightplan. There is also the addition of MIN, HALF and MAX (Fuel) selections, This way it is possible to quickly set up the airplane for short, medium and long range trips, even without the use of the Fuel Manager.
 

 
Fuel Management page has been overhauled for easier use? sort of, as Concorde is very hard to balance correctly.
 

 
Flying the XP12 Concorde
Same aircraft, same route...   but 6 months on and it feels totally different. I'm again going to New York (JFK) from Heathrow  (LHR), this time however in X-Plane 12, and in a Final not a Beta X-Plane (well Beta v1.01b).
 

 
Heathrow, London is not the prettiest place to be on a cold January morning, but it feels very authentic. If you look at the same images from six months ago, it feels years ago, not months in the differences...  gigantic.
 
Pushback (BetterPushBack), and it feels all very photographic...  I'm not going to bore you with details here, all was covered in the comprehensive earlier review...  this is an update review in focusing on what is new. What is the most striking though is that X-Plane 12 lighting and quality, it is quite sensational.
 

 
A very busy Heathrow...
 

 
And the Classic view...  powered and ready for takeoff.
 

 
All though you have all the X-Plane features, including the rain effects (at Mach 2?) anyway they work well at the lower speeds.
 
The biggest factor is the changes to the basic X-Plane aerodynamics, or primarily to the delta wing dynamics that the X-Plane/Laminar Research head guru Austin Meyer has done. This aspect is very significant... in Austin speak,
 
"Here is what is so amazing about this: For traditional wings like X-Plane has always simulated, air never comes up over the leading edge!Instead, at the stalling angle of attack, the air separates from the top, loses suction, and the wing stalls! And all of this is carefully orchestrated based on the AIRFOIL, or CROSS-SECTION SHAPE, of the wing!So X-Plane has always used the airfoil cross-section, corrected for the plan-form, or top-down shape of the wing, as classical wing theory calls for.
But now, with a delta wing, the cross-section of the wing hardly matters! Now what matters is the plan-form, or top-down shape, of the wing! That’s what lets the air roll up over that highly-swept leading edge to form the huge hurricane over the wing that SUUUUUUUCKS the wing up… and never stalls!
And X-Plane now used this classical wing theory based on the AIRFOIL CROSS SECTION for non-delta wings, vortex-generation based on the PLAN-FORM of the wing for delta wings, and even interpolate smoothly between them for partially-delta shapes, consider both the airfoil cross-section, and the delta plan-form, for a real three-dimensional understanding of the wing."
 
In other words, the Delta wing dynamics in X-Plane 12 are completely different, and Colimata has adjusted the X-Plane 12 v3 Concorde to the new dynamics, so any X-Plane 11 or earlier Concorde aircraft won't work with as well, or as realistically as the X-Plane 12 versions does.
 
Don't take them (the dynamics) as for currently granted...  there will be changes, not only from X-Plane 12, but from Colimata as well, there will be more fine tuning to get the aircraft to the same stable situation as it was in X-Plane 11.
 
First there is the glow from the engines as you push up the throttles to the T/O position, then the full afterburner as it kicks in...  you move slowly at first, but then the punch pushes you towards v1, then v2 (+10)
 

 
Then you rotate the aircraft, and power yourself into the air. Concorde can use a higher 20º pitch on climb-out.
 

 
Because of the amount of precipitation around Heathrow in winter January, the delta wings throw off a lot of condensation effects, very realistic to real images of Concorde in the same takeoff phase as well.
 

 
Sub-sonic and Concorde looks exceptional. I am not going to suger-coat it, as the Concorde is a difficult aircraft to fly, yes even challenging. You will have to practise, study and learn the machine.
 
Flight profiles, checklists and even extensive personal notes are required, Colimata however does give you a lot of short-cuts, like fuel balance and set-ups. And the rewards are immense of course, but don't expect to rock up and just fly Concorde, mostly you will always end up in a field with a broken aircraft. But you will need to seriously commit to the aircraft to get the very best simulation out of it...  It is a commitment aircraft.
 

 
There is a lot of feedback of the status of the aircraft, including; STATUS, FUEL, ENGINES and CENTER of GRAVITY (CoG), check the systems before you climb Supersonic. Time to raise the visor!
 

 
Going up to that rarified air of where only a few can go...  58,000ft and Mach 2.02!
 

 
But you can now go there with X-Plane 12...  It looks and feels magnificent.
 

 
Sounds are really good, but not different to the earlier v2, the roar (on takeoff) is sensational, but the Supersonic hum is very real as well, overall there are loads and loads of sound effects, all in different sound spaces. But the biggest feature is the excellent audio advice from Copilot, Engineer, and Pilot, all in a sprightly English accent, it is all very cool, but not intrusive. Highly recommended is the RK Apps XPRealistic v2 plugin for realistic movement effects with this aircraft... it makes going though the Sound Barrier a whole new experience.
 

 
But I will note that currently the X-Plane 12 weather model is not quite perfected yet? Heavy winds do affect the aircraft and quite substantially...  climbing up to FL580, and getting a forward speed into the MACH are both difficult with a 150+ knt headwind. So you may have to take manual control to achieve both aspects. Even then I felt effects on the aircraft in the manual settings, that the characteristics I didn't have in the earlier X-Plane 11 flights are obviously here in X-Plane 12. Even in level flight you are tossing and turning like in a dingy...   Hopefully this aspect will be fixed soon. 
 

 
At DOVEY it is time to descend, 3,000fpm, at 350 kts (AT1 off), and you are already losing speed and height...  soon you are back in the Sub-Sonic realm, but at 30,000ft and 350 knts, even here Concorde is still very fast.
 

 
PARCH 3 KJFK Arrival, and you now descend to 10,000ft. and down comes the visor, just a normal Sub-Sonic aircraft...  not.
 

 
I have practised this JFK...  Runway 4L approach about twenty times in Colimata's Concorde, its still tricky and it certainly tests your skills...
 

 
...  first into the circuit, then 230 knts, 90º downward, drop gear and visor to 12.5º, another 90º to final approach...
 

 
Align to RWY 04L, then VOR-LOC, then when in the cone GLIDE, speed to 200 kts... (Note AUTOLAND is still not active...  damn), once in the beams then you lower the speed to 180 knts, fast, maybe too fast, the aim is for 160 knts! (stall is 125 knts)...  a trick is AT1 disconnect at 1000ft, then take manual thrust control down to the runway.
 

 
...  note the X-Plane 12 rain (old Librain) works well on the main front and side windows, nice to have it back...  over the threshold (okay a bit high!), and let Concorde sink nicely...
 

 
...   and it's gear down! The approach phase procedures do stay the same, but you do feel the different X-Plane 12 delta wing dynamics at work, it will take a few practise landings to get the landing feel correct as there is more resistance now, certainly I will do this again a few times to get it right (nail it!).
 

 
I'm not going to hide the fact you need to practice with Concorde, do it, do it again until it comes to you, it's a tricky aircraft to skill up to....  but the rewards are quite sensational when you get it all right.
 

 
So flying the Concorde in X-Plane 12 does require an adjustment in your thinking, and to have your skills to adapt to the aircraft. And again I will stress again and I also feel there is still a more fine tuning to come from both X-Plane 12 and from Colimata to get both to a more refined position.
_________________
Summary
Here is the upgrade to X-Plane 12 and giving Colimata's Concorde a v3 moniker. A paid upgrade, but only US$11, so certainly not a deal breaker for what you get in the v3 package.
 
One of the biggest simulations you can achieve in X-Plane is going Supersonic, twice the speed of sound, and that is what this aircraft is all about, flying outside of the usual Sub-Sonic parameters. So yes the Concode is a challenging Simulator, probably only for the skilled and Pro's out there, but if you still want to fly the Concorde then so you will have to study it and practise it's dark arts, obviously the rewards are very high. Make no mistake though, the Concorde is an investment in time, and with this v3 upgrade you get a lot of time to enjoy all the updates and the newer features of the newly born X-Plane 12, so your getting in early.
 
The v3 Upgrade is excellent, look at the images and see how extraordinary the aircraft looks and feels in X-Plane 12, externally beautiful, inside in that complex cockpit, incredible, it just "Blows your mind".
 
The textures have been redone, and even more detail added in while doing so. Liveries now don't work, but a folder change can bring them back again, but you still loose the newer wing detail. The lighting is glorious with a 1000+ lights in the cockpit, but the external lighting is still far to unrefined for me, ditto the cabin lighting, too bright with no adjustment...  but the cabin however does look far better.
 
Extensive Menu has had attention, in that now you can scale the menu and use it in a (separate) window, Flight Planning pages have been given three (quick fuel) options, redone Flight Planning page gives you better route options and saves, Fuel Management page has also been overhauled for easier use.
 
The aircraft's aerodynamics, or primarily to the delta wing dynamics have been upgraded to match the newer dynamics in X-Plane 12, it gives the aircraft a different feel and handling characteristics that you need to dial into, as I noted though-out the review with X-Plane 12 and Concorde, they are both not completely refined yet, separated or together, and in areas it shows here.
 
I don't have a lot of negatives here, but the lighting would be better in being more refined, internal cabin and external landing and taxi lights... but if for wanting one new feature...  it would be a "Save" feature a'la ToLiSS, it is pretty draining, even frustrating in resetting everything from scratch, each time to fly or for training, practise. there are 12 knobs alone for the lighting, then ages to set the aircraft up ready for flight, do that 10 or 12 times a day, and it gets very frustrating and even boring...  Situation and Replays freeze (badly) as well, only the flown Replay works, but you don't get all of the instruments back...  small things but very important if you want to get the best experience out of the simulation.
 
X-Plane 12 promises amazing Simulation, Concorde is also an amazing aircraft alone...  together they are incredible, and to a point a pointer to the future of X-Plane 12 Simulation, all together they are an experience you won't forget.
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Yes! the Concorde FXP version 3 X-Plane 12 by Colimata is AVAILABLE from the X-Plane.Org Store here :
 
Concorde FXP version 3 X-Plane 12
Price is US$54.95 (Currently on sale from US$49.95 or 5% OFF)
 
Requirements
X-Plane 12  (not XP11 compatible)
Windows, Mac and Linux
4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 600 MB Current version:  (January 4th 2023) (If you own Concorde v1 or v2, this version will automatically discounted, no coupons required)   Designed by Colimata Support forum for the Concorde FXP Additional Liveries for the Concorde   ___________________________
 
Upgrade Review by Stephen Dutton
9th January 2023
Copyright©2023: 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    Review System Specifications: 
Computer System: Windows  - IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU / 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 8Gb - Samsung Evo 1TB SSD 
Software:   - Windows 11 - X-Plane v12.01b  (note this review was done in the beta revision period)
Addons: Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick, Throttle & Rudder Pedals : Sound - Bose  Soundlink Mini
Plugins: Traffic 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
- EGLL - Airport London-Heathrow by TaiModels (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$28.00
- KJFK - New York Airports XP v2 Volume 1 by Drzewiecki (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$24.00
 

Behind the Screen : Year in Review 2022
 
When in writing up my review of the X-Plane 2021 year, there was a fear of 2022 for the X-Plane Simulator. In 2021 X-Plane was holding it's own and well against the onslaught of Microsoft's MSFS simulator, mostly through a lot of very high quality aircraft releases, but I knew the toy box was becoming increasingly empty coming into 2022, the feeling was not good.
 
To a point that anxiety was very much well founded, transition years usually are. Worse the world now is not the same world pre-pandemic, as everything is now different, and getting worse month by month. As our blessed lives are being turned upside down by shortages, rising inflation, crypto failures, extreme weather temperatures and God knows what else, so who cares about Simulation? Well we do, and to a point it is our salvation from all the mess outside the home.
 
Everything pointed to and relied on Laminar Research on to how the 2022 year went. It went good realistically, but also bad for all the other reasons. My prayers were for an early 2022 Easter X-Plane 12 release, but it didn't happen. Overall the non-release dragged on lower and lower throughout the Northern Summer, even Laminar Research ran out of promotional video's waiting, so they just made more, ten in the end.
 
This also created a blackhole of content, nothing was going to be released pre-version, even after the release of X-Plane 12 on 6th September 2022 as an "Early Access" Beta. Developers still kept away except for the odd few, even the Upgrades to X-Plane 12 were slow in coming, but in a few cases it still allowed you fly your current aircraft in the new simulator version. Taking no chances this year, developers have been waiting for the "All Clear" of a full X-Plane 12 release before this time committing to releasing projects, rare, as in the past with any X-Plane version releases they usually went bonkers straight after the version release, in other words you now have to write the whole year off.
 
That said the outlook going into 2023 has to be the best for years. Now X-Plane 12 has gone final...   the simulator will thankfully settle down and Laminar will still be also adding in new features, better scenery is also promised for X-Plane 12, even orthophoto, but don't expect that feature for a few years until the mid-version run, but for now thankfully the changes are done, welcome to X-Plane 12.
 
Laminar Research 2022
The 2022 year for Laminar Research was dominated by the public release of X-Plane 12 on the 6th September 2022. Released as noted as an "Early Access" Beta, it was expected to go Final just before Christmas, and in RC6 form it did, 17th December 2022.
 
X-Plane 12 was late, really late, and by a whole year to be exact. This aspect was compounded by the Vulkan/Metal (11.50) version of X-Plane11 in the required overhauling of the core basics of the simulator, with changes over to the far more efficient APIs (Application Programming Interface) Vulkan/Metal from the original OpenGL, in other words they "ripped the guts out of it".
 
So nothing could be done as everything in X-Plane 12 is built on or over these foundation core blocks of code, worse for Laminar was the fact that most, if not all of the major features in X-Plane 12, Environmental, Water, ATC, lighting et all, were also areas that had not been touched for years and were left in the "Too Hard" basket for far too long, mostly again related to the API construction.
But Laminar had to eventually face the problem. In doing so it took a huge amount of time and effort to engineer all the ideas into a working simulator. Laminar are also not a big development team compared to most high-profile software developers, but they are thankfully seriously talented.
 
Noises were made late February 22 that maybe an early release before the (northern) Summer was actually possible, but continuous issues with the water (meeting the land) and other niggles put paid to that. Overall all the elements were not ready even as late as August 22, a few rare viewings showed a Simulator that came with major elements that were still missing, then Austin Meyer went into full PR mode to cover the shortfall, he is good at it, but it didn't help with the crawling development speed.
 
Personally I was expecting the worse by the release point. But the surprise was X-Plane 12 was, or is actually very good, thankfully far better than any of my expectations...  everything now has a modern real life glow and feel.
But it was notably still buggy through the Beta cycle, and a few new announced features are still not present at the final release like the A330 FMS, a lot of the new objects and the announced scenery features, and I am not at all impressed with the night lighting, and don't get me started on the over the top windy weather system.
So after all the trials of the year, X-Plane in it's new X-Plane 12 guise is actually looking very good for next year 23, and a lot of things should fall back into place again, so basically all the upheaval was worth the end result. More good news awaits.
 
As X-Plane 12 does cover so many outstanding aspects that have now been implemented. For the first time since the start of the Vulcan/Metal project and even far earlier, Ben Subnic finally has a clear table coming into the new year. Obviously for a fair amount of the time early on in 23 or for the first few months it will require more fine-tuning of X-Plane 12, but then a new focus will turn to better VR (Virtual Reality) via OpenXR, better Networking and the already mentioned better Ortho images. But I still think Supnic will have something new up his sleeve, something unique, clever, ideas missing from X-Plane over the last few years during the API onslaught.
 
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2022
By it's standards Microsoft's MSFS Simulator had a quiet year. Things quietly improved on all fronts via consistent regular updates, certainly in the dynamics, as that then allowed the former FS big guns to finally ship their products, notably PMDG and their Boeing 737 Series. Regular World Updates also kept everyone happy, in areas like the USA, Canada, Italy and Malta, Iberia, Australia. It's an impressive list, and notably challenging to X-Plane in it's frail transition period.
Microsoft also celebrated it's 40th Year celebration and ever since Bill Gates gave the world Flight Simulation, but still counted in also a decade of no updates and even a longer period of not actually being on sale on the market, until it was revived by Asobo only two and a half years ago, 30 Years is more realistic.
 
The 40th Year celebration bought up the year's 2022 biggest controversy in INI-Builds. 12th June, Microsoft announced a partnership with inibuilds to release free the Airbus A310-300 as part of their 40th anniversary celebrations. A notable X-Plane 12 Developer then did a fire-sale, and cut instant ties with the X-Plane platform. To say this was a very nasty thing to do was an understatement, but not unexpected by INI-Builds, who already had an questionable history in the PR department. But users that had heavily invested in their products was to find out that basically the aircraft was going to soon outdated and relegated only to a former X-Plane (11) version, in other words any INI_Builds aircraft were unflyable in X-Plane 12 and then the "Shit hit the fan".
Didn't INI-Builds realise that users that buy in X-Plane also buy their same products in MSFS, obviously not with major consequences and a reversal in late October that (Only) the A300 would now be updated to X-Plane 12 and will also be free, it is anyone's guess as when it will actually be updated, it is certainly is not going be a priority by INI-Builds.
 
The big aspect of the whole debacle, was did Asobo buy or throw huge amounts of cash at INI-Build's for a market share grab? Like kicking X-Plane while it was down or at it's weakest point, it was all round a messy affair, that did far more damage to the whole of Simulation than help it.
 
Aircraft
2021 was a huge year for X-Plane aircraft, as most of the big developers had releases (except FlightFactor) with Felis (B742) and FlyJSim (Q4XP) leading the pack and a big update to Colimata's Concorde FXP. So as noted I was quite fearful coming into 2022 and that aspect came to pass.
 
New developer AD Simulations released both a CRJ700, then the larger CRJ 900 a few months later, both very good, but newbie under-developed and required the services of DeltaWing to get them both up to scratch, this was a common theme thoughout the year, with good new talented developers coming into the X-Plane Simulator which is very good thing, but still on the steep learning curve. Another annoying aspect of this was releasing the aircraft in very under-developed states. All these developers are extremely good, but ticking off the i's and t's can give you a good reception or a poor reception to the marketplace, thankfully they were very good at quickly following up the fixes, but doing serious fixes for months in the open market is not overall a good look.
 
The biggest most anticipated release of the year 2022 came in March with Rotate's massive McDonnell Douglas MD-11. My first flight in this extremely complex aircraft was "oh my God". And it's complexity nearly did it in early. But once all the noise died down and with a few updates later, most saw through the pain and realised it for what it actually was, or is a masterpiece, or the best release of the year.
 
Although a late 2021 release, I finally was able to review Colimata's Concorde FXP in v2 guise, again a very complex (but hugely rewarding) aircraft to fly, but after the MD-11 it brought up the question of how to cope with these ultra complex aircraft and their systems (I still have nightmares about the Felis B742), brilliant in one aspect, but overwhelming in almost every other. 
 
FlightFactor resurfaced in July with another variant of the Boeing 767, this time it was the -400ER version, I totally loved this larger B767, it works in every area. One other new heavy release was part of Laminar's X-Plane 12 fleet, with an excellent A330-300, but it didn't have the promised Airbus MCDU, but still the basic default FMS. As that aspect is (still) coming and hopefully very soon but not even with X-Plane 12 Final. All other default heavies including; B738, MD-82 were also significantly updated.
 
But with that it put releases for heavies done for the year, the worst I can remember.
 
Thankfully a star developer of the year was ToLiSS, with consistent (and clever) updates to the A346, A319 and A321, their extraordinary feature of excellent aircraft condition saves, was for me the absolute tool of the year.
Magknight (B787, weak) and SSG (B748, strong) did a few updates throughout the year, and all the important updates came along after the X-Plane 12 release for compatibility, but that was about it for major metal.
 
General Aviation
After a very quiet 2021, General Aviation was a little bit brighter in 22. Mostly the main difference was coming from Thranda Design, now moving away from pure utility aircraft to GA Cessna's. First was the excellent Cessna 208 Grand Caravan in April, then they followed that up with the Cessna U206G Stationair in September, then to finish the year on a high came the announcement of the sensational 337F SkyMaster, the 208 and U206G also came with Amphibian/Floats variants. Their strong ex-association with Carenado, would mean far more in this vein to come in 2023.
 
Although a late 21 release, the C172SP NG DIGITAL by AirfoilLabs was simply sensational in it's X-Plane 12 conversion. No new releases from vFlyteAir in 22, but their excellent PA28R Arrows G5-E1000 had a lot of attention with major updates in Jan, Mar and June, but to date no X-Plane 12 version, but I expect that version to come in very early Jan 23.
 
Aerobask had a busy year. First there was the Diamond DA50RG, then the twin Diamond DA-62, and a major update to the ViperJet eX. All currently are X-Plane 12 compatible. The Dassault Aviation Falcon 8X from Aerobask was still not released again in 22, but will now be with certainty an X-Plane 12 aircraft, I have simply given up on a release date with the consistently delayed 8X...  Okay sometime Q1 2023, if not then Q2.
Aerosphere could be classed as a "Classic Style" developer, but two releases this year were very good, in the PA-28-180 Cherokee C and the PA-28-235 Charger / Cherokee 235.
 
The Cessna Citation 560XL by AirSim3d was another Citation Jet, very good, sadly being only released in X-Plane 11 and that aspect it clipped it's wings a little, but one to checkout and love in X-Plane 12, as I found it a great aircraft to fly and it very quickly became a favorite.
2022 also finally gave us a decent Gulfstream in the Gulfstream 550 by AKD Studio's. Like AirSim3d, AKD are both newbie's to aircraft development, both are very to brilliantly good, but still in missing the finesse that comes with extensive experience, but both well worth watching in the future.
 
The "Hotstart" Challenger 650 was a notable release in 2023, but at AUS $171.30 Australian Dollars (US$116), it is in silly money territory, certainly way, way out of my budget, and them some.
 
SimSolutions had two releases, the AMD Alarus CH2000 and the Diamond DA40NG XP12, both very capable aircraft. vSkyLabs had three aircraft on cycle in 2022. The Maule M-7-235B Project XP12 (The first X-Plane 12 aircraft released), the Rutan Model-158 Project that was updated for X-Plane 12, and another X-Plane 12 aircraft with the Aeroprakt A22-LS Project XP12.
 
Notable were the default fleet aircraft for X-Plane 12. All aircraft received significant upgrades for the new simulator version including the: Cessna 172 SP, King Air C90B, Cirrus Vision SR22, Super Cub, L-5 Sentinal, ASK 21 and Aerolite 103. New entrants included the excellent Citation X, Van RV-10 and the sensational BETA Tech ALIA-250 EVA (Electrical Vertical Aircraft) aircraft released in Beta 8.
 
Classic Aircraft
Virtavia dominated Classic Aircraft releases in 2022. Both then were upgraded old modeling only (no texture) aircraft in the Handley Page Hampden and the Short Stirling Mk1-4, but both aircraft were highly likable and fun. The Piper J3 Cub by SimSolutions was well done, but a real pain to fly without Rudder Pedals, it put me off taildraggers for life. Late 2022 was the release of C-47 conversions; The DC-3 Airliner and the coming TT-3 Turbine conversion and all for X-Plane 12.
 
Worrying for Classic's is the departure of classic developers like Flying Iron to MSFS, will they come back to X-Plane? and the much desired Vickers VC10 conversion to X-Plane project by JustFlight was abandoned.
 
Military
The Lockheed Martin F22A Raptor from AOA had a big update in July, and AOA also released the T6A Texan II in November (X-Plane 11 only), a X-Plane 12 version of this aircraft will be very nice. vSkyLabs also released the abstract F-19 Stealth Fighter, a service design that was never to be past the prototype flying stage, but you can still fly it in X-Plane 12.
 
Helicopters
Helicopter releases were huge and plentiful in 2021, and that wasn't expected to continue into 2022...  and it didn't. We started the year with the Bell 47G-2A1 by FlyInside, a great solid design, but only a modeling version of the famous bubble cockpit. CowanSim had two releases this year with the 206L LongRanger, and the excellent but extremely difficult to fly CowanSim H125 (AS350 B3e). The update to X-Plane 12 of the SA 315B Lama by Philip Ubben and Khamsin Studio showed what to expect in the future in X-Plane 12 Helicopters, I'll give you a hint, it's going to be brilliant.
 
Scenery
The report at the end of 2021 for X-Plane Scenery was not good, so it could only get worse, and it did. Notably is the loss or migration of flocks of scenery developers to MSFS, they are simply piling them out over there, too many, and all at a very low cost.
 
Nobody knew if X-Plane 12 would actually change the landscape (no pun intended), it didn't, but nobody cared anyway. But a late release during X-Plane RC5 meant a revamp of existing scenery tiles noted as v2.1.1 Scenery Update does change your very old (decade old actually) tiles for a fresher set to incorporate X-Plane 12 elements. But you have to totally re-download the full 54.6 Gb of scenery to update.
 
More annoyingly about this scenario is that with the new X-Plane 12 lighting, as any 3d scenery looks brilliant in the new simulator, also the added seasonal effects are sensational as well, so you just hang your head.
A few noises in that some developers are creating both platform scenery MSFS/XP12, but will we or would we buy it? We are so adverse to it, in they simply won't care about X-Plane now at all, as the developers are very vocal in telling us so...  so it is a very odd situation, they sell below the price rate in MSFS (or simply give it away), but don't care about us either? Doesn't look like a great business model to me. 
 
So 2023 will be a very decisive year for X-Plane Scenery. Either with X-Plane 12 now released, developers will come back with their wares, or the migration to MSFS will continue. The horrible thought here is that the market for good quality scenery, and huge scope of it to compete with MSFS...   is wide open, more so in that by default MSFS already delivers most of it by default...  you can see the problem.
 
But in all the gloom there was some very good bright spots. Nimbus finally delivered a big delayed scenery in March, KIAD - Washington Dulles, one I love, but it's very (extremely) heavy on your framerates?
 
One scenery developer I labeled in 2021,
 
"Worst of the year : Any Taimodels airport sceneries, a lot of ambition but absolutely no talent.", but what happened in 2022!
 
Four extensive sceneries were released by TaiModels with; YSSY - Sydney International Airport in May, OMDB – Dubai International Airport in July and the first scenery released for X-Plane 12 in OOMS - Muscat International in October. But there was more...  as EGLL Heathrow, the biggest and largest scenery yet from TaiModels was released a week before Christmas 22. More shocking is that they were all very, very good. Quite brilliant in their cores, but most still weak on the boundaries...  they were however a huge step forward and a most wanted collection of all four. A side note for TaiModels was the update of their earlier LFPG - Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport to X-Plane 12 in that it was glorious, shockingly good, and as mentioned if showed on how well or how good X-Plane 12 is for scenery, or could be.
 
Globall Art released SBGR São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport in June, so I added in the full monty with the São Paulo Mega Scenery package of three airports, well worth checking out. Another big package was the Genova COMPLETE 5 by Grifo Creations.
 
Basically Aerosoft were quiet in 2022, but the one airport released was the excellent DGAA - Accra XP, in Ghana, exotic and worth your while.
 
We expected it to be good, but KSFO - San Francisco Airport Definitive by ShortFinal Design was simply outstanding in August, head and shoulders above anything else, this year and even past years. Big, complex with clever lighting effects it had it all.
 
A new developer called Airwil Sceneries gave us three Philippines based sceneries with Davao International Airport, RPVE - Boracay Caticlan Airport and RPSP - Bohol Panglao International Airport, all nice to explore.
 
NorthernSky Studio's were quite busy with very small but very highly detailed regional airports in Hawaii and Alaska. PHNY - Lanai Airport, Hawaii, PAWD - Seward Airport, Alaska, PATK Talkeetna Airport, Alaska. Another Alaskan scenery was PACV - Merle K Smith - Cordova, Alaska in X-Plane 12 from DC Sceneries. Notable is that NorthernSky has moved on to MSFS, hopefully not permanently.
 
Helsinki Metropolitan Area v3 by FA Simulations gave you another nice city skyline, and a welcome (for me) destination of LROP - Bucharest Otopeni International Airport by Chudoba Designs was also in X-Plane 12 guise. But in areas LROP was a slight disappointment in being so under developed.
 
One scenery not covered by X-PlaneReviews but very well worth checking out was YBBN-Brisbane by Orbx, my local airport is a sensational scenery, and in X-Plane 12 guise as well, yes we would like more of this please Orbx. lastly to round off the year, FlyTampa released Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (EHAM) and for X-Plane 11/12. The first or the last scenery for X-Plane 12, as the big boys are not looking our way anymore.
 
It is not a new scenery, Alps UHD XP12 by Frank Dainese and Fabio Bellini was an extended and a repackage of four previously released Alpine scenery packages for X-Plane 12, so it's sort of new, but excellent
 
As noted, 2023 will be a very important year for scenery with X-Plane 12 being Final. I will say that a lot of the scenery going into MSFS is still old stock (highly upgraded), and even a lot of ex-X-Plane stock. Going forward, hopefully, and scenery released will be cross-platform, as we noted with Orbx and FlyTampa, we will see.
 
Plugins
I will state upfront that I am not a huge plugin connoisseur, so I only run what I call essential plugins in my simulator, running the VRAM profiler (Menu/Developer) can give you the horrors of how much these little monstrous tools can gobble up your framerate and their overall efficiency, I took to taking out as many of these laggards as possible. Again as a rule Plugins were also quiet in 2022, but the simulator's hatus in waiting for X-Plane 12 was the biggest cause this time around.
 
Classic Jet Simulations (Now called "Ascend Tech Simulations") released another banner v3.5 update to the WorldTraffic 3 Plugin in April (a XP12 compatibility release was also done). Traffic Global had several updates (again upgraded later to XP12) throughout the year and more aircraft were added. 
 
Both XPRealistic and WebFMC Pro both went X-Plane 12 compatible. xEnviro released v1.17, but for X-Plane 11 only. they noted that they couldn't do X-Plane 12 development because Laminar wouldn't help them, but an announcement at the start of the RC release cycle noted that Laminar will now give limited 3rd Parties access to the environmental model, so maybe that will change the situation in 23. Dark Space (xEnviro) have also released a version for MSFS, but with the average development in X-Plane over years I can't see it as being any better than the current X-Plane situation, and the high price remains.
 
One tool I did like was ProCam XP by Aerosoft, a viewpoint tool, tricky to learn and not as flexible (or as complex) as say X-Camera. It fills in a niche for users that want a simplistic tool over a complicated one to get good views and saved views, it was a lot of fun to use.
 
After purchasing SimBrief in 2021. Navigraph did a complete and total overhaul of their main product to Navigraph 8, plus a price increase. But the extra cost is well worth this now very expansive Navigation tool. New features include; Worldwide VFR Charts, Drag and Drop Route Construction, Seamless Zoom, 3D Globe Projection, Autopinning of Procedure Charts, Airport Crosswind and Weather Information and Vector Charts... its very impressive.
 
X-PlaneReviews
Not only in 2022 did we have expansive simulator changes, but X-PlaneReviews has also had a very revolutionary year. With the coming X-Plane 12 revolution, we had to think hard about hardware updates.
If we wanted to get the best out of the new simulator version, then an (expensive) upgrade was required. I documented my journey, which was interesting, and hopefully helpful if you are faced with the same investment, notably I still will need a newer Graphic Card in 2023, but overall the foresight to upgrade was a very worthy one.
Another part of the journey was also replacing my decade old iMac (2009) with a Mac Mini (M1). A forced update because of an old computer trying to run new software (Photoshop), when suddenly and abruptly Abobe made my machine obsolete. Obviously it totally blew my carefully created budget, but the final result was a total revamp of all my systems... it sort of summed up the year.
 
X-PlaneReviews also took on a fresh look in new reviewers, six in fact. Most of the new reviewers in Dominic, Felicity, Stuart, Nick, LPNils and Joshua came over from the old FlightSim site with a few from Jude as well, so that gave our XPR site a much more varied look and feel, plus we can do far more reviews, so a big win, win. And finally we added in a new banner (header) system for more review details...   it was a big year for changes, and overall for a far better site going into 2023.
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It gets hard to predict a new coming year, so you go for your gut and in 2022 it was unfortunately pretty spot on. It was a major transition year and a slow one at that, as the slow release (delay) of X-Plane 12 really didn't help the simulator, but you can't right off 2022 completely.
 
Were now done with X-Plane 12 going Final, so we can now get back in 2023 and to do some serious flying, it also means that the heavy full table is now done for Laminar Research as noted.
 
How do I feel...  It's a big question isn't it and a marked one for the X-Plane Simulator as a whole. It was easy going into 2022, but going into 2023 not so much. The huge positive is X-Plane 12, it's brilliant really, better than anything Laminar Research have ever done, their proud of it, and we love it. But how much ground has X-Plane lost in getting it all to the table, to be honest here.
 
Momentum is my most favorite word (after Critical Mass). It's an important word here in relating to X-Plane 12 in 2023. As the simulator will need momentum and a lot of it. X-Plane certainly has a lot of aircraft waiting to be released (Upgraded), including two mega aircraft in the Boeing 777 and 787 from FlightFactor, and Thranda have noted they have also have created a substantial list, The Falcon 8x is also well past it's due date. And almost every developer will need to update their aircraft or products to X-Plane 12. It's going to be a very, very busy Q1, even a Q2 of 2023.
 
But that word momentum is critical here, X-Plane needs to build and build quickly, and with a whole new batch of developers and users. we need a lot of both, needed to break away from the niche and embrace the mass audience out there. Those that will sample MSFS, should also try out X-Plane. As the niche is now currently too small, worse it could relegate X-Plane to just a few. Many would like/love that promise, but it comes with a deadly caveat as the serious interest will go elsewhere, and in the end the simulator will simply dry up. Dramatic, maybe, but X-Plane needs the momentum and a lot of it to go far more the other way in 2023.
 
Laminar Research knows this. They are hiring, mostly in Public Relations or to run the X-Plane site, not coders or content developers (well two), but mostly in expanding the simulator out to a wider audience. Personally it's about time.
 
Again this review site cannot function without all the great and exciting work by the tireless developers that give us all this exciting and incredible product to fly and use, as they and X-Plane has come a long way and created leaps in quality and complexity in the last few years, and to a point I was very proud of the work they have produced, it is world class if not the very best in simulation product ever produced, and they are all top notch and very clever. To the X-Plane.OrgStore who supports this site with review products, service and updates, a really big thanks, this site just would just not function without that outstanding support.
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We will finish off with X-PlaneReviews famous best of the year awards…   So I will now list my Best of the Year 2022🏅
(note the awards are given to only products I have seen and tested and the only ones I can vouch for)
 
Overall Best of the Year : KSFO - San Francisco Airport Definitive by ShortFinal Design 🏅 🏅🏅
 
Best Aircraft :  McDonnell Douglas MD-11 by Rotate.🏅
Complex and a total brute of a machine to fly, everything a great simulation should be
Honorable Mention : Boeing 767-400 by FlightFactor, a great variant of a great aircraft
 
Best General Aviation Aircraft : Cessna Caravan 208 and Cessna U206G by Thranda Design 🏅
Not one but two winners in this category, but both from the same developer. Innovative with buckets loads of clever ideas and waterbourne features, nobody else really came close.
Honorable Mentions : Both Aerobask DA50RG and DA62 are exceptional quality, great to fly as well.
 
Best Classic Aircraft : This category was poor this year, and the much desired Vickers VC10 conversion loss killed it completely.
Honorable Mention :  Concorde FXP by Colimata is excellent and highly complex, the X-Plane 12 version should be off the planet.
 
Best Business Aircraft : Cessna Citation 560XL by AirSim3d
It's a winner by default as in being for X-Plane 11 only, but will be totally brilliant when in X-Plane 12.
Honorable Mention : Gulfstream 550 by AKD Studio's, great potential, but still really in development. Hotstart Challenger 650, too expensive.
 
Best Military :  T6A Texan II 🏅
Not the absolute best for the category, but reviewers loved the Texan and note it will be very good in X-Plane 12.
 
Best Helicopter : Aérospatiale SA 315B XP12 Lama by Philip Ubben and Khamsin Studio 🏅
It nearly won in 2021, but in it's revised X-Plane 12 guise it is simply sensational.
Honorable Mentions : Bell 47G-2A1 by FlyInside. It is very good, excellent to fly, but by only being modeled (but well done) and no textures the 47G just doesn't quite live up to the quality required today.
 
Best Landscape Scenery : Alps UHD XP12 🏅
Their back, and with a revamped Alpine package by Dainese and Bellini, Briliant as usual, this time with X-Plane 12 effects.
Honorable Mention : Helsinki Metropolitan Area v3 by FA Simulations, X-Plane desperately needs more city scenery.
 
Best Airport Scenery : KSFO - San Francisco Airport Definitive by ShortFinal Design 🏅🏅🏅
A scenery the "best of the year"? yes absolutely, it is a mega scenery and by a genius.
Honorable Mention : It has to go to Taimodels airport sceneries for being the most improved for YSSY, OMDB, OOMS and even EGLL, but Orbx YBBN and FlyTampa EHAM are brilliant (if expensive) X-Plane 12 filler releases.
 
Best Plugin(s) : Navigraph 8 🏅
They asked for more money, but you got a brilliant new concept in return, essential.
Special Mention(s) : None really, with no exceptional ideas released.
 
Person(s) of the Year : Ben Supnic and the X-Plane coder team
How the guy does it I just don't know. A magician that consistently just pulls rabbits out of the hat, not seen at all much this year, but the work is all there to see in X-Plane 12, no Ben Supnic, no X-Plane, simple as that, also less Austin would be a better thing all round.
 
Best Moment of the year 2022 : Obvious, 6th September 2022 and the X-Plane 12 release, then relief as it was far, far better than expected...  then came the beta.
 
Worst Moment(s) of the Year 2022 : Austin Meyer's was up there again with his antics, but the INI-Builds, and Asobo debacle left a bad taste in my mouth, personally my Adobe software lockout?

Biggest distractions of 2022 : ...  Updates, and more updates...  more updates!
 
Biggest overall feeling of 2022 : Under developed aircraft...  released far to soon, with the development being made in public and in not using beta testers anymore, new developers need to lift their game if they want our money.
 
Personal Favorites of 2022 : Any ToLiSS (the save system allows ultimate flexibility), Q4XP (Dash) brilliant, FlightFactor A320U, good but badly needs updating, Rotate MD-80 still awesome, Thranda C206G, IXEG 737 Classic (until X-Plane 12 put it in the hangar). Notable is I really love the Rotate MD-11, Colimata Concorde and the Felis Boeing 742, but their high complexity (mostly in setting up the aircraft) limits flying time.
 
Routes...   Copenhagen, Copenhagen and Copenhagen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Vienna, Brussels, Barcelona, Roma, Helsinki, Oslo, Munich, Tel Aviv, London Heathrow and Dulles. Notable is that with the newer scenery, Brisbane, Amsterdam will come on-line in 2023.
 
That is X-PlaneReviews for 2022, and we will be back after a very much needed recovery and the review site returns again early into the New Year on the 4th January 2023.
 
So Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year 2023
 
Stephen Dutton
19th December 2022
Copyright:X-PlaneReviews 2022
 
(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)  

 

Aircraft Release : DC-3 Airliner by vSkyLabs
 
vSkyLabs have released the DC-3 Airliner for X-Plane 12...    DC-3?
 
Confused yes? We have been flying the vSkyLabs DC-3 for years? Well you have actually been flying the C-47 (Military) version for years.
 
So let us clear up the biggest confusion first. Yes to a point this new release is the (same) DC-3. But the aircraft design has been split into three distinctive variants. The original C-47 Skytrain, this DC-3 Airliner and the forthcoming Tri-Turbo-Three, In context;
 
VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot': C-47B Skytrain: Highly defined C-47B simulation of the 30's-50's era; authentic WWII era cockpit, powered by PW1830-90C two speed supercharged engines, Astrodome, cargo loading, operational weights of the C-47's and more. Includes two variants - C-47B and XC-47C (float plane).
 
VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot': DC-3 Airliner: (this model) Highly defined DC-3 simulation, a modernized C-47A restoration, with modernized cockpit; 3-display G1000 cockpit, powered by PW1830-92 engines, passengers cabin configuration and loading system. 
 
VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot': Tri-Turbo-Three: (Available soon) Highly defined DC-3 turbo-conversion based and inspired by the Conroy Tri-Turbo-Three conversion. 
 
So this is a new aircraft (totally based on the C-47), not an update, not an upgrade, but a totally new version of the old one.
 
The vSkylab philosophy is that you are purchasing an ongoing project, so any aircraft you purchase is not fully completed or is completed to 100%, that is the deal you sign up for to get access to the aircraft, and all the development is free and ongoing throughout the X-Plane 12 version. These projects are under constant development: the development road-map is including flight model refinements, enhanced systems depth, additional liveries and other improvements.
 

 
Externally the DC-3 is an exact replica of the C-47 Skytrain, not one difference, even the same liveries work fine (thankfully) as I can still use my lovely G-AMSV Air Atlantique livery, so I'm very happy. One thing though is different to the exterior, in that it now has that X-Plane 12 shine and realism, the DC-3 looks sensational in X-Plane 12, but only in X-Plane 12 and this aircraft not available for X-Plane 11 or earlier versions (the C-47 Skytrain is).
 
Engines are slightly different, the C-47 has PW1830-90C (1,200 hp - 890 kW, but this version has the later -94 Engines (1,350 hp - 1,010 kW, Twin Wasp air-cooled radial aircraft engine, so more power.
 

 
We know that there are no menu's from vSkyLabs and just hot spots to open doors and turn on certain features.
 
X-PlaneReviews did an original review here; Aircraft Review - DC-3/C47 by VSkyLabs Flying Lab Project  Notable is sheer differences in the quality between the updated versions, it's come a long way, but basically it is the same aircraft. There was another major update in 2020; DC-3/C47 v3.0b1 that gave you a lot changes, and a move away from the original pre-war feel. Here is another change into the future again with modern avionics...
 
....  it's very blue in here, also a little odd. If you are used to the analog dials and a pre-war feel, then it all comes at quite a shock, as it is all very clean and modern... in a DC-3!
 

 
It is well done as a modern conversion and everything is in a modern blue metal. Does it have a Russian aircraft feel? interesting thought. Note the lovely scratch markings on the displays, very nice.
 
Above you are the same three electrical switch panels with Volts and each Generator output, centre are Collins radio ADF1/ADF2 and DME-4 selectors.
 

 
Oh yes and the diamond sound-proofing blankets are blue as well...  there is a lot of blue.
 

 
The DC-3 uses the Laminar Research default G1000 three display panel installation, the normal layout with the two outside PFD (Primary Flight Display) and the centre MFD (MultiFunctional Display), with Flightplan and MAP modes. Two Comm radios are set between the displays, and the AP (Autopilot) is set lower left MFD and left PFD.
 

 
Obviously the G1000 PFD (Only one, but either one) and the central MFD pop-out.
 

 
Top panel are the three analog backup instruments, Artificial Horizon, Speed and Altitude dials. Upper centre console is the wiper assembly, and the Compass is now attached to the top, gone is the springing "bouncy" animated Compass, damn I really loved that thing?
 

 
Vertical Speed V/S, Clock and Rate of Turn indicator are far Left of the PFD.
 
Lower instrument panel...  Left; VOR 1 and VOR 2 pointers. All Engine read-outs are Dual-pointers...   for RPM, Manifold Pressure, Oil Pressure, then twin Cylinder head Temp, Carburettor/Air and Oil Temp. Far right lower panel is the Fuel Tank (Amount/GAL) switch, Flap position, Temperature Hydraulic Pressure and De-Icing Pressure, and a Static Pressure switch.
 

 
Right side is the Landing Gear (Hydraulic) Pressure, and Hydraulic System (large) Pressure Gauges, and the Cowl (Open/Close) selectors. Centre is the complex lever pedestal, same as in the other C-47 Cockpit, but still well done with excellent detail. Note the Fuel Tank Switches.
 

 
AviTab is available and the tablet is attached to the centre of the yoke. You have to set a slider (#5) on/off option to make them appear, the AviTab plugin is also required.
 

 
Overall it is a very nice cockpit and very well done...
 

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In the early (DC-3) days you flew with a half-completed cabin, and a poor one at that. Here the cabin is finished and it now comes with a plane load of passengers and their baggage...
 

 
Passenger 3d modeling is excellent (Nice to see a realistically loaded aircraft), but it does look like a wild student getaway weekend, except for one guy and his very, very young wife, or daughter, no wonder he is smiling?  Seats are nice and modern (For a DC-3), so it is a very nice interior.
 

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Flying the DC-3 Airliner
The DC-3 is a tail-dragger, fun if you want it. Turning is done via throttle power and toe-brakes, still very tricky though.
 

 
You can use the "Novice' tool to lock in the rear drag wheel to the X-Plane (joystick) yaw, and that really helps, but I really still don't like the poor weak effort from the toe-brakes, no pressure unless almost flat, means the DC-3 is hard to steer manually on takeoff and landing.
 
Off the ground and the gear won't retract? Oh I forgot about the "manual lock" on the floor central by the pilot, pull it up and retract the gear, then put it down again to lock it up, if not it will drive you crazy in dropping the undercarriage every five minutes, just remember to do the opposite on landing! Note that ski's are also available on the aircraft.
 

 
In the last big update (C-47/DC-3 v4.0r1). There was a completely new and improved FMOD Sound pack, with multi-layer engine sounds for the interiors and exteriors, aural indication system recordings for the mixtures, autopilot and tail-wheel, plus 3d sound effects with doppler movement around the aircraft and changing sound internally and that extensive update has been passed over here in full. I've always loved the DC-3 sounds, but now they are really good.
 

 
Open the window(s) and the noisy wind comes into the cockpit with all that 1,350 hp power...  cockpit sound is also far more different than the cabin, so its really good.
 

 
All the mod-cons...  in a DC-3, it's hard to get your head around that, but it makes it far easier to fly, navigate and then there is an Autopilot!
 

 
You remember were the switch was? of course you do...  hard to use though in being buried down there lower left pedestal. But a more modern autopilot is far more efficient than the old VOR C-47 pointer version, it doesn't drift off-course now, and needed to be consistently corrected every 10 NM. The view out is quite (X-Plane 12) sensational, both forward and from the cabin.
 

 
Better still when it is raining! Yes folks...  Librain is back in X-Plane 12, and you not only get the thick front window streams, but the cabin windows as well, but the wipers are pretty ineffective.
 

 
Iceing was always a great feature on the vSkyLabs DC-3, and with the better X-Plane 12 icing it is very good here...  front windows, even the cabin windows ice up....  wings ice build up is spidery and realistic, but turn those boots on before you fall out of the sky.
 

 
You don't as much fly, but trundle along with all that noise (yes it is good to turn the volume up). VR (Virtual Reality) is built in from the start, so the aircraft is excellent with all the VR features, so the DC-3 must look awesome in 3d.
 

 
Maximum speed is 200 kn (230 mph, 370 km/h) at 8,500 ft (2,590 m), but you might squeeze out a few knots more with the extra power here with the -92 engines, Cruise speed is around 180 kn (207 mph, 333 km/h). Service ceiling is 23,200 ft (7,100 m), but you wouldn't really go above 10,000 ft - 12,000ft.
 
Head up and the backup instruments which are nicely positioned in your eyeline, are however bit dark, if actually too dark to use? The "Panel Inst Lts" adjustment is full on, but quite ineffective. Lower with the two tone lighting in X-Plane 12 RC5 the lighting is not bad, but I feel more instrument brightness would be nice in the daylight.
 

 
Lighting
At night however it all goes "Very Nice", and the instrument panel glows very well, the G1000 screens are quite bright, but you can tone them down nicely. Other lighting covers; Overhead Hatch, Aisle, and the rear Passenger (cabin) lights. Emergency Lights I couldn't find, but the Seatbelt/No Smoking is well done on the cabin walls.
 

 
Upper panel lights are also very reflective and well done. In the cabin it looks a bit like a Manhattan Disco circa 1989, bright purple and reds?
 

 
It's nice...  I suppose?
 
Externally the lighting is very good...  I particularly like the red left and white right landing lights, pre-war, but nice anyway. Navigation, Beacon (upper red, lower white) Strobe and very nice Ice (wing) lights. There are wheel well lights as well.
 

 
As noted X-Plane 12 is a big attraction here, Norway vistas are sensational in winter, so is flying slow and ponderous at 6,000ft.
 

 
Arrival at Bergen ENBR, RWY35...  I have to admit in doing a lot of flying in the vSkyLabs DC-3 Series, and this cross from Oslo to Bergen has to be one of the best, obviously X-Plane 12 makes a huge difference to the simulation, with not only the vistas, but the effects as well in rain on approach...
 


 
Gear down and locked early, for no mistakes...
 

 
...    same with the pump flaps (continuous) in getting the aircraft perfectly right in height and speed early in the approach phase.
 

 
Modern avionics means modern tools at your disposal, so APP via using the ILS is available, not your usual tail-out and wide rudder approach, but great for novices... don't get it wrong though, this is still a heavy Pre-War aircraft, it feels like it, and it handles that way as well...
 

 
...  nervous?
 

 
It's icy! It's Wet! 20,000lbs of aircraft...     Tricky!
 

 
You can't do too much flare, as you need to land pretty square on the main gear, another tricky part is between having the aerodynamic control and then losing it (Rudder) when the tail drops...  note the great water spray from the wheels
 

 
Yes you pulled it of, well done, but it's harder than you think, it needs skill to get it right...  but your a good simulation pilot right!
 

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Liveries
We are up to v3 on liveries. The v2 liveries still work and are worth collecting. You get four liveries with the DC-3 version, a new Buffalo Airways 2022, Bare Metal, Military Transport and "That's all Brother". Honestly I don't like the new Buffalo version, it is bland, the older tired version would always fill my heart, I've shown it here with an excellent Icelandair classic.
 

 
There are also whole series of professional liveries available for the DC-3 Series...  Liveries for VSKYLABS Aircraft
 


 
Most cost around US$10 per package.
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Summary
The vSkyLab's DC-3 has been around for a few years, since July 2017. It is a capable if always in development aircraft of the famous iconic DC-3/C-47 Skytrain aircraft, a pre-war marvel.
 
But for X-Plane 12 the DC-3 aircraft design has been split into three distinctive variants. The original C-47 Skytrain, this DC-3 Airliner and the forthcoming Tri-Turbo-Three. All three are now (or will be) also separate projects. Pricing is now also separate for each variant, so there are no discounts or updates, so it is a full upgrade to the version of the DC-3 that you want.
 
Notable is that the vSkylab philosophy is that you are purchasing an ongoing project, and the deal you sign up for to get access to the aircraft and all the development is free and ongoing throughout the X-Plane 12 version. These projects are under constant development: the development road-map is including flight model refinements, enhanced systems depth, additional liveries and other improvements.
 
The C-47 Skytrain (original) can still be used in X-Plane 12, but this DC-3 Airliner is the same aircraft in absolute X-Plane 12 form, and changed as to be a modern take on the aircraft, with the installation of Laminar Research's default G1000 three display panel installation... 
 
Different, yes.
 
Basically it is a very different cockpit (in blue) with modern avionics. as usual things are changed around, and missing here is the floating (animated) compass in being replaced with a static one, it's still currently in the C-47. In the cabin it has also been totally reworked with modern seats, nice 3d people (mostly students) and their baggage. vSkyLab's aircraft don't use menus but datarefs and hotspots to open doors or activate items or areas.
 
It's a quirky machine to use and fly, so a though study of the POH is highly recommended, but modern instruments can make it accessible to the more novice flyer. VR (Virtual Reality) is built in from the start, so the aircraft is excellent with the VR features, and the Skunkcraft updater is now also available.
 
Lighting and sounds are overall excellent, certainly the excellent sound package that has been refined over the years, lighting internally is excellent if a little 80's disco in the cabin. negatives are weak toe-brakes (required with a tail-dragger), daytime instrument lighting is too dark, hard to steer even with "Novice mode", but practice helps...   missing the 'bouncy" compass.
 
The real star here is X-Plane 12. It makes the DC-3 shine and feel very realistic, gives you great rain and icing effects, and this is an extremely satisfying aircraft to fly, if challenging if you like your aircraft that way, but to note on this review, X-Plane 12 is still in RC (Release Candidate) mode, so expect changes from not only the simulator, but also from the developer. But also notable that this aircraft is for X-Plane 12 only.
 
So what this DC-3 Airliner is, is a very modern take of a classic aircraft. The avionics are interesting, even very easy to use, but the word "Classic" here is what to have to debate, if you want this approach, then you will absolutely love this Classic modern airliner, or the best of "both worlds". Highly recommended.
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The DC-3 Airliner by VSkyLabs Flying Lab Project is NOW available! from the X-Plane.Org Store here :

VSKYLABS DC-3 Airliner
Your Price: US$29.95
This is a new product, so no updates or discounts apply
 
Project is 'VR Ready' for use with X-Plane: VR functionality is a part of the project aspects which are constantly under evaluation and development for reaching a higher level of immersion as the VR features and possibilities are growing Highly Realistic Handling and Flight Performance DC-3 Simulation: Highly accurate performance and handling simulation of the DC-3. Aircraft performance and handling qualities were designed and tested in a "Research level" approach and went through a validation process of hundreds of flight testing and evaluation, tested and refined by real-world C-47 pilots.
Workhorse for DC-3 pilot skills: Experience authentic flight performance and handling practices (takeoff, landing, single engine operations, flight planning, long range flights). It is a perfect platform to recreate and fly historic routes using authentic performance.
Unique look and feel: There is nothing to hide - the VSKYLABS DC-3/C-47 projects are a mixture of a simplified yet very engaging design.
Compatible with the VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot': C-47B Skytrain project liveries!
Advanced avionics and autopilot: Fully featured glass cockpit avionics based on the LR G1000 (including the G1000 autopilot), along with complementary analog instrument gauges and navigation displays.
Comprehensive systems: All the relevant systems are being simulated. Here are **some** of the more unique systems:
Engines/propeller systems - Highly defined PW-1830-92, 14 cylinder engine simulation, designed with fully featured, functioning and authentic DC-3/C-47 propeller feathering system, for highly realistic single engine simulation. DC-3 Fire Extinguisher system - including fire indication system. The fire extinguisher control panel is located behind the hinged cover on the cockpit floor, between the pilot/co-pilot seats. Damage simulation - engines are sensitive to rapid spool-up (experimental feature). Engine mishandling will result in severe damage to the engine/engine fire. Stressing the airframe will result also in severe damage, following a visual representation of the damages. Blown tires are also being visualized and simulated. Landing gears and flaps simulation - are being simulated with a high level of authenticity. Advanced glass cockpit and autopilot system - based on the LR G1000. Anti-Icing/De-Ice systems - including icing and rain visualization. Skis - Animated, incorporated in the flight dynamics model. Making use of X-Plane 12 advanced weight and balance system for station based passengers loading. Passenger and luggage 3-d visualization. Comprehensive FMOD sounds. Auto-update based on the SkunkCrafts autoupdater. Built-in AviTab compatibility. (AviTab plugin not included). Highly responsive VSKYLABS support system (including C-47 / DC-3 operational knowledge and support/assistance).  
Requirements X-Plane 12 Only (not compatible with X-Plane 11) Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Current version:  1.0 (December 12th 2022)  
Installation and documents:  download for the DC-3 Airliner is 439Mb and is deposited in the "Aircraft" X-Plane folder.
  The AviTab plugin is also required to use this aircraft, and it is deposited in your X-Plane Plugins folder.
 
Full Installation is 0.99Gb
 
Documents supplied are:
SKYLABS_DC-3_MANUAL-POH.pdf (80 pages) VSL-DC3-Airliner-ESSENTIALS.pdf (2 pages) Plus "How to Install" pdf   POH is extensive (80 Pages), with set up notes, custom assignments, checklists and project details. ___________________________
 
Review by Stephen Dutton
15th December 2022
Copyright©2022: 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    Review System Specifications: 
Computer System: Windows  - IS1700 Core i7 12700K 12 Core 3.60 GHz CPU / 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 8Gb - Samsung Evo 1TB SSD 
Software:   - Windows 11 - X-Plane v12.00RC5 (note this review was done in the beta revision period)
Addons: Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick, Throttle & Rudder Pedals : Sound - Bose  Soundlink Mini
Plugins: Traffic 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
- ENGM - Airport Oslo XP by Aerosoft (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$24.95
- ENBR - Bergen - X-Plane 12 Global Airport (free)