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Adrian

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    Adrian got a reaction from AntonAy in Aircraft Review : Embraer ERJ-140 by Dan Klaue   
    History and Background
    The ERJ-140 is a 44-seat regional jet developed by Embraer (Brazil ) in the late 1990's. It is the third to have been released in its family, preceded by the very similar ERJ-135 and ERJ-145 with only minor differences  in size.  The ERJ-140 seats 44  passengers in normal configuration. 
    The ERJ-140 was made and marketed for airlines with restrictions on the number of 50+ seat jets pilots could fly. American airlines ( American eagle airlines at the time ) was the first customer to make use of this jet but many others soon followed.
     
    ERJ-140 model from Dan Klaue
     
    Where to get it:   X-Plane.org Store : Embraer ERJ 140 Regional Jet
    Download size: 100mb
    Price: $24.95
    X-Plane requirement: X-plane 9 or 10. 32 or 64 bit
     
    Included in the package:
    Aircraft model for X-Plane 10 and X-Plane 9 X-Plane ERJ-140 manual Pushback Manual 4 liveries: Blank, Embraer ERJ-140, American Airlines and Air France   First Impression
    Dan Klaue is a designer who also works for Carenado and helps them on their x-plane models. It is no surprise that the ERJ-140 modeling is top-level. The first time you launch it you will see an aircraft with flawless 3d modeling. Although the ERJ was first released over 2 years ago, it is definitely up to par with the newer X-Plane models.
    Note that the current version is 2.2. Version 2.2 introduced support for 64bit.
     
     
     
    The exterior of the ERJ-140 looks great. The wings and landing gear are very detailed. The engine fan blades are well animated.
     
     

     
    The cockpit is a true work of art. The instruments are very easy to read and locate.
     

     
    Pushback truck
     
    The ERJ-140 comes with a plugin-activated Pushback truck. To enable this you will first need to configure your joystick with the appropriate buttons. The manual explains exactly how to do this.
     
    The pushback truck is designed specifically for the ERJ-140. It is the correct model and size for this type of aircraft.
    It's an enjoyable option as it is very easy to operate once you have your joystick configured.
     
     
    Great design of the truck, Now you can easily get off of the gate
     
     
     

     
    Cockpit and Panel
     
    The panels are my favorite part about the ERJ. They are, in my opinion, the best looking panels of any aircraft out there. They are very clear, easy to read, and easy to use.
     
    The panels are as crisp as anything you'll find in X-Plane:
     
     
     

     
    The panel features dynamic reflection. It may be a little difficult to see from these screenshots but in game you can clearly see the reflections of the pilots and the yoke as you move around.
     
     
    Buttons on the overhead panel are easy to find and use

     
    The cockpit comes with animated pilot and co-pilot. They can be seen from inside and outside of the cockpit.
     
    Animated co-pilot. Her head moves with the aircraft.

     
    Pilot. Note the dynamic reflections on the shades.

     
     
    Flying the ERJ-140
     
    Getting started with the ERJ-140 is easy and straightforward. The aircraft does not include complex systems like planes such as the 777 by Roman and the A320 by JAR.
    You just get in the cockpit and fly it.
    The FMS is the default X-Plane FMS.
     
    Performances:
    Cruising speed: Mach .078
    Range: 1700nm
    Thrust: 2 x 7500lbs
    Landing Speed: 135 Kias
     
     
     
    The aircraft has a very responsive feel. You will take off at 150knots. Then, you can gently climb to 35000feet. The engines are powerful enough to climb up to 5000fpm if you so please.
     

     
    Landing the ERJ-140 is fairly simple as you can easily slow down the plane to the landing speed (which is not the case on all airliners).
     

     
    You may notice additional effects such as wingflex, contrails  and rain effects:


     
    Conclusion
     
    The ERJ-140 is a pleasure to fly.
    The quality of its design is extremely impressive. It has sharp textures and crisp panels. The panels are ridiculously easy to read.
    The ERJ-140 is only $25, which is a steal. It is definitely one the best buys for X-Plane.
     
    Many people do not want to immerse themselves in manuals for hours before they fly. If you are that kind of person, the ERJ-140  is the aircraft for you. You can jump in and fly. You can schedule a 30mn to 1hour commute flight without any effort. During that flight you can enjoy all features of the ERJ-140
     
    On top of that, Dan Klaue is currently including his Verticopter in the package.  The Verticopter is a custom design of an hybrid aircraft. A plane that can fly in horizontal or vertical mode.
     
    Computer specs:
    Windows 7 64bit
    i7-3770 3.4GHz
    8GB RAM
    AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB
    X-Plane 10.22 64bit
     
     
    17th October 2013
     

     
     
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