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  1. NEWS! - Aircraft Released : Rand Robinson KR-2S by NHAdrian The Rand Robinson KR-1 is a single-seat, single-engine sport aircraft designed in the United States in the early 1970s and marketed for homebuilding (Kit Aircraft). A two-seat version is marketed as the KR-2. It is a low-wing cantilever monoplane of conventional design with an enclosed cockpit and tailwheel undercarriage. As originally designed, the main undercarriage units of the KR-1 and basic KR-2 were manually retractable, folding backwards into the wings, while the KR-2T tandem-seat version had fixed tricycle undercarriage. This particular release for The X-Plane Simulator is based as a reference of an airframe built by Marcel Driessen in 2016, registered as PH-KRS. The Developer has a personal connection to the aircraft, and has flown the KR-2S many times. This brings you accurate feedback in all phases of flight, and the excellent sound environment that is based on real life recordings of the same KR-2S to increase immersion to the maximum. This an X-Plane 12 aircraft only, X-Plane 11 is not available here... and there is a note for all MAC OS X users, they will need read this article about enabling Rosetta: https://www.x-plane.com/kb/using-x-plane-11-addons-with-x-plane-12-on-mac-systems/ Product features The project is built for X-Plane 12 Design was made based on a real set of Rand Robinson KR-2S building plans Accurate flight model tuned for XP12 latest features Accurate engine and systems modelling Fully operational circuit brakers system Accurate radio, transponder, EFIS and EIS instrument simulation incl. realistic screen content and functionality Automatic toe brake assistance for users without toe brakes assigned to joystick axes Full FMOD sound package 4K high-definition PBR textures XP12 rain effect implemented Detailed simulation of all aviation lights FMOD sound system VR Ready Designed by NHAdrian Support forum for the KR-2S Rand Robinson KR-S2 is now available from the X-Plane.OrgStore... priced at only US$24.95! Images courtesy of NHAdrian ___________________________ Yes! - the Rand Robinson KR-2S by NHAdrian is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : Rand Robinson KR-2S Price is US$24.95 Requirements X-Plane 12 (not compatible with XP11) Windows. Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 736 MB Current Version : 1.0 (July 15th 2023) ___________________________ News by Stephen Dutton 16th July 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 Rights Reserved
  2. Aircraft/Car Review : AirCar Project by NHAdrian This review is starting in a driveway, on a street, amongst the X-Plane Autogen, yet we are going flying? An unusual concept. There was always the concept of driving to the airport, converting the road vehicle to an aircraft configuration, then go flying... coming back to do the reverse, stow the wings and then drive home. It has been on television, remember "Supercar", or the more better concept of the "MAC Jet Air Car", that could convert from a road car to either a plane or a boat in the Joe 90 TV Series 1968, by Gerry (Thunderbirds) Anderson. Then so the oddities of home grown Car/Aircraft, of which most of them never really got off the ground, in this new drone era, is the same idea going to go back to the future, and obviously they will try again to create the road/fly concept, but this time without the heavy engine that bulks up the idea. But an Air-Car concept does exist... it's called KleinVision, and the founder is Stefan Klein a Slovakian. He has devoted the last twenty years converting his flying-car dream into reality. Currently he has completed the flying prototype of an AirCar that has also been tested successfully at Nitra airport in October 2019. This review is that same concept brought to life in the X-Plane Simulator by talented developer NHAdrian. We will look at the car aspect first. The forward area is a bit Porsche 917 in the canopy and nose, even the rear to a point is the same shape in the 917 Long-tail variant, and you don't see the steering front wheels as they are hidden by aerodynamic covers. And you open the canopy via the door switch externally, or lock handle on the roof. The AirCar is a two seater, or a pilot and a passenger. You feel the shell internal design (probably carbon fibre) so it feels a bit "Boaty". Inlaid on the shell are the twin leather seats with red inserts and seatbelts, the quality is perfect to the real car/aircraft. Fuel Selector ON/OFF is set high between the seats. For an hybrid machine, and a part aircraft, there isn't a lot of instruments, more like a car layout arrangement than aviation focused, there is even no rudder pedals for simplicity? Turning on the power will give you the AIRCAR logo on the screens (a nice touch), there are three, instruments left, engine and control positions centre, backup instrument EFD and AviTab right (Plugin required). First is the steering wheel... but in reality it is a Yoke, but in CAR Mode it will only move left right and not forwards or backwards. It is well done and nicely detailed, with a PTT (Push-To-Talk Switch) left and right a car horn! Directly ahead of the driver/pilot is the main instrument binnacle. Here there are four instruments, the first dial left in car mode is blank... then there are the main flight instruments of SPEED, VERTICAL SPEED (V/S) and ALTITUDE, the air pressure adjustment BARO and indicator is built in. To the left are the switches to cover... Trim Adjustment (Elevator) and marker, Fuel Pump, INOP, Battery (Power) and START - ON - OFF, the large red handle is the BRS (Ballistic Recovery System) or parachute. Note top centre Dashboard is the Whisky Compass. Centre display covers the Engine Instruments. Here again in CAR Mode. The large main dial is the RPM graph, with the direction indicator in the middle that covers D (Drive), N (Neutral) and R (Reverse). Left three bar indicators cover... Manifold Pressure, Water Temperature and Battary Voltage, below is the Flaps indicator. The right side covers the current time and date, Fuel Levels, RPM value. Annunciators (very car like) cover Taxi Lights, Landing (Driving) Lights, Oil Pressure, Parking Brake, Tire Blown, Generator Fault, Emergency Lights, ESP (Skidding), Turn Right and Left signals. Below the display is the Flap selector switch (two stage), and a Simple COMM radio. Right display panel has an EFD (Electronic Flight Display) with Airspeed and Altitude Tapes, and Artificial Horizon, Slip, Bank Angle, Turn Coordinator, V/S and Groundspeed indicator, the full backup instrument package. I like the AIRCAR logo below. Left is the AviTab display that can be used with Navigraph charts (Subscription), or moving map... and if you put the CAR into reverse it will show a "Reverse Camera". The lower Circuit Breaker (Fuses) panel are all static, but are well done. Last panel far left is the lighting switch panel, with; Strobe Lighting, Cockpit Light (Dome), Emergency Light (Car hazard lights), Turn Signals and the main front lights in Taxi Lights - Landing Lights. The Centre Console has three levers... Throttle, Parking Brake and Hand Brake, and Direction Lever. This lever is used only in CAR Mode, Neutral, or Forwards (Drive) and Reverse. The detail in the cockpit is excellent and is a very high quality, overall a very nice place to be. Put the weight above 50 kgs for the passenger and a woman will appear, click on her and she will change to a male. Both the Pilot and Male passenger are fluidly animated, but the woman is not. Not really about the AirCar, but it is interesting to sit in a street rather than an airfield. X-Plane 12 trees sway in the background, filter light, and look very realistic... It is quite easy to drive... well like a car. Fuel Pump on, and the starter switch up to START, you have to hold the switch up for a while until it catches and runs, then settles down around 650 rpm. Power is provided by a 1.6 litre BMW road car engine, running on automotive petrol or gasoline and delivering 104 kilowatts (139 hp). Engine is set mid-vehicle for balance. Put the "Direction Lever" into D or Drive, and release the brake... as there are no foot-pedals, you have to have "Regular" Brake set in either a "Key" Command, or like me use my "Pinky" Joystick lever as my braking, throttle is by the throttle lever not a car pedal... Turning circle is atrocious, so you have to plan your speed when turning, but only then it is still doable... In the Car mode it is basically like driving a car, feels like driving a car, very easy, very, very realistic! I'm driving with a joystick, so only small movements are needed, just like fast Taxiing... "Oh dear... Some people just don't know the road rules! tut, tut". Building speed is interesting, you have to think ahead, but with only one small slip and you can easily lose it... focus. I have to think harder, as I drive on the (English) left, not the American right, this way or that way? I find the freeway/motorway to go west on the Polk Parkway (570). Overall most of the driving is sound, but there are weird curve-balls coming from X-Plane. Motorway off ramps can quickly change to dirt? and then you can get stuck? Motorway sections that go under other roads can also make you become undone, as they will easily flip the AirCar... But generally you can drive around quite easily. In joining the motorway, you can up the speed more, but traveling at nearly 100 kmh it requires a lot of focus and concentration, but it also gives you a smile, a mile wide on your face... it is serious fun! You power along... focused, extremely focused, a slight nudge of the stick, and your gone? Navigation is tricky? The X-Plane "MAP" sort of shows you were you are, but to navigate roads the AviTab moving map is actually far better. Time to come off at "Supnik" Obviously the signage does not match the map? Off ramp and then I am at Lakeland Linder International Airport, or in ICAO speak KLAL. And the home of "Sun 'n Fun" airshow. "This is certainly not the usual way I arrive at KLAL?" I turn in, and then make my way around the perimeter road to my usual Lakeland "Office". Now I am at the point I usually START the aircraft review, but first we have to do something to fly! Set into the rear of the vehicle are a set of folded wings... ... put the car in neutral, parkbrake ON, and the canopy has to be CLOSED. Then open up a flap on the right side panel. Flip up the (red) switch to transfer the power supply, then click downwards the other switch from CAR to AIRPLANE, when the light goes green, then the conversion happens! First twin doors open mid-section to reveal the mechanism, which has been faithfully internally reproduced in detail... ... then the tail section will extend out rearwards. Then the internal mechanism will lift out the wings vertically.... ... then drop them to the horizontal position, then the wing unfolds into the full wing. The twin mid-section doors will then close, and you can now shut the side flap to lock everything ready for flight. You can watch it convert a hundred times and still not get bored. Now you have AIR side of CAR, in an aircraft. Several changes have also happened on the instrument panel. One a AOA (Angle of Attack) instrument is now shown in the far left dial. The direction lever is now locked with an A to denote you are in aircraft mode, also noted on centre display as AIRPLANE... .... also the steering wheel now becomes a full left/right - in/out Yoke. "But how to use the rudder without rudder pedals" you ask? Well they work (a bit like X-Plane without a yaw or pedal input) in by being connected to the ailerons, turn left/right and rudders turn in unison to the ailerons. The huge stabiliser works with the in/out Yoke inputs. Two stage flaps are built into the underside of the wings, an old-fashioned way of working flaps (think DC-3), but well done here. Air propulsion is via a huge WOODCOMP s.r.o.68 [in] 1,720 [mm] twin composite blade, ground adjustable propeller, sitting aft between the twin-booms. And there now you have an AirCar ready to fly... Flying the AirCar In Aircraft mode, starting the AirCar is exactly the same, fuel pump on, pushup the STARTER switch and the rpm rises to 650, and your ready to go... more weird is that you just let go of the park brake and push up the throttle, and "Drive" to the runway? Is it "Taxiing", no not really as it doesn't feel like taxiing, but like really driving around the taxiways of an airfield in your own car? Lighting forward is again very car like, Taxi and Landing lights are built in the same way Sounds, well a low "brrm brrm" in Car mode, and a sort of very, very smooth General Aviation modern sound, almost electric feel in Aircraft Mode, and the BMW engine sounds like a high performance lamborghini when you put the power on... weird, but extremely realistic. So the transition from driving on the roads to in being an aircraft is seemless, even in both modes. More weird is the very low CofG or Centre of Gravity, so your sitting low, not high, almost flat to the ground, more weird again there are no rudder pedals? you look and want to feel them, but they are obviously not there. Brake off, power up... the takeoff roll is different, your very low down with a lot of width. Your very used to high and narrow like in a Cessna, it feels ODD? It tracks very nicely, because you are low and wide, then at 150 km/h (81 knts) you pull back on the yoke, note that once you get within the white.. then moving into the green band you are at rotate speed... and then fly! The AirCar will leave the ground quite cleanly, but once you hit the air, then you will quickly need to orientate the way you handle the machine, or feel it... It's not an aircraft with a separate rudder control, it's flat in design, so the air or wind tend to lift the flat wide underside of the machine, slight movements are required to keep it steady and level... Rate of climb is actually a very good 980 fpm ( 4.97 m/s), almost 1000 ft per minute as with the best angle of climb speed of 83 kts (155 km/h), the best overall rate of climb speed is actually 89 kts (165 (km/h)... ... but your flying, if still trying to work out the best way to do so, keeping it simple is one aspect, and don't try to over think it, or try any silly maneuvers, it's not a fully fledged aerodynamic machine, but a large mass flying through the air. Soon I'm trimming the AirCar out, and it responds quite nicely to trim changes. Now your straight and level... Top speed is 115 Kts (213 km/h), but you cruise around 75% power at 2,000 ft or 105 Kts (195 km/h), but you can't go to far, as the range is 158 Nm (300 km), or about 1:30 h:mm flying time, and the fuel tanks empty very, very quickly, even this small circuit gulped a third of a tank(s) of fuel. Full service ceiling is 16,404 ft (5,000 m), but you would never ever use that. Under side is really well sculptured, with the exhausts well modeled, but it looks like a flying wing. Sounds are nice in flight, 360º doppler with a great direct rear prop wash noise... it all feels very authentic. The AirCar is approved for normal and these listed maneuvers: Steep turns not exceeding 60° bank, Lazy eights, Chandelles and even Stalls (except whip stalls), but basically you wouldn't go there. You get knocked around a lot in gusty conditions, no Autopilot either to relieve the workload, basically overall you just trim-out and fly. Soon I'm over Lakeland Linder, then following my earlier path back up the Polk Parkway (570). I'm going to admit I miss my aircraft instruments, VOR pointers, Course pointers... there is the EFD (Electronic Flight Display) which is very handy, but it's hard to work out circuits and finding the correct runway angles. Now I'm over the house that I was parked at only an hour ago. Approach is tricky... The AirCar will descend, but only by putting the nose down, of course you then go too fast, so you have to plan your landing a fair way out. I found 400 ft @ 147 kmh, about 80 knts to be the right height and approach speed... ... almost anything will cause the AirCar to balloon, rise... like the wrong angle of attack, dropping the flaps, strong winds, so it needs steady pair of hands to get the approach right... even then the AirCar will create a massive ground effect boundary as you get closer to the runway... Go down!, Go down!, but the cushion of air just keeps you airborne... more odd is the view out of the AirCar... ... there is the moment you feel the normal landing point, and so high off the runway, but the AirCar just keeps on dropping down, then your sitting scary low! You eyes are saucers as you feel your body is going to actually touch the runway, but then the rear wheels thankfully touch, a small flare works well, and so you let the nose down gently... touch is around 135 kmh, or 72 knts, and the braking is really good, the wide low width keeps you steady as well as the speed runs off... It was a very interesting landing. But one I feel you could master with a bit of practise. Lighting Lighting is basic, but well tuned for X-Plane 12. As noted there are the Taxi/Landing lights in the nose, and also the flashing "Hazard" lights which could be used as a beacon effect. Standard Navigation lights and Strobes (nice) are both LED. Notable are the twin red rear lights for the Car, with brighter braking lights that look realistic on the road, in the air they are the Navigation lights... clever! Instrument panel lighting is one setting (bright) with no adjustment, there are also two red set "Dome" lights up of the seats for reading map/navigation... There is the long taxi... or drive back to the apron. Once there you just flip a couple of switches, and the Air-Car conversion happens in reverse. Restart the engine, and off you go on to drive home, great isn't it. And all very Gerry Anderson! There are no Menus, or Liveries with the package. ____________________ Summary The concept of driving to the airport, converting the road vehicle to an aircraft configuration, and then go flying. Has been around for as long as the aircraft has existed, there has been a lot of crazy odd-ball designs in trying to convert a Car into an Aircraft and most if not all ideas have failed, the AirCar is a concept that really has just stayed a concept. But a Slovakian called Stefan Klein has created the KleinVision, or AirCar, and it really does convert from a road car into a flying machine, and has really flown successfully at Nitra airport in October 2019. Naturally anything "Experimental" will work it's way into the X-Plane Simulator. This AirCar is that concept brought to life in the X-Plane Simulator by the talented developer NHAdrian. And extremely well done it is... it works in simplicity as a Car, but can covert to Aircraft Mode with the touch of two switches. Detail is excellent as the AirCar is reproduced here in full, with both the internal and external detail as per the real machine, yes you can drive it on X-Plane's roads, which is a lot of fun, but also fly and feel the concept as well. The attention even to the smallest detail is astounding, but remember, it is not an aircraft with full aircraft instruments, there is even no rudder pedals! But it does fly and is also great fun to practise and master this hybrid machine. There are no Menus or Liveries. X-Plane is the foundation of "Experimental" machines, and this AirCar certainly fills out that brief, it's clever, but as noted also a lot of fun, I loved it... Highly Recommended. ____________________ The AirCar Project - Experimental Road/Air vehicle by NHAdrian is NOW available here at the X-Plane.OrgStore AirCar Project - Experimental Road/Air vehicle Price is US$29.95 This aircraft is only X-Plane12 and not X-Plane 11 supported Requirements X-Plane 12 Only Windows, Mac (using Rosetta) or Linux 4GB VRAM Minimum - 8GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 302 MB Current Version : 1.0 (March 29th 2023) Download for the AirCar by NHAdrian is 288Mb Installation is 383Mb in your X-Plane General Aviation Folder. Documentation: AirCar_Users_Manual_1.0.0 Full description of the AirCar and how to drive/fly the machine The AviTab plugin is also required to use this aircraft, and it is deposited in your X-Plane Plugins folder. For MAC OS X users: please read this article about enabling Rosetta: https://www.x-plane.com/kb/using-x-plane-11-addons-with-x-plane-12-on-mac-systems/ _____________________ Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton 14th April 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 12.05b3 (This is a beta review). Plugins: JustFlight-Traffic (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$52.99 : Global SFD plugin US$30.00 Scenery or Aircraft - KLAL - Lakeland Linder Regional Airport 1.0 by Nicolas (Airport by NAPS) - (X-Plane.Org) - Free (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
  3. NEWS! - Add-on : PiperSport Expansion Pack - XP12 With Carenado not updating or even really having no involvement with X-Plane over the last three years, then what happens to all that hanger full of aircraft that was at last count 45 Aircraft, and with some very beloved machines which are in there to lose with the transition over to the X-Plane 12 Simulator? And you wouldn't you also like your Carenado/Alabeo aircraft to fly in X-Plane 12 as well? Well here is an interesting one. With Carenado not responsive, NHAdrian has created an expansion package that will remove the older non-working files and replace them with new X-Plane 12 files for the Alabeo PiperSport... and the results are quite spectacular! Product features Accurate flight model tuned for XP12 latest features Accurate engine and systems modelling Fully operational avionics and circuit breakers system Realistic BRS system with custom physics to match real behavior Animated crew and bags with show/hide animations according to weight configuration Full FMOD sound package 4K revamped high-definition PBR textures Missing cockpit objects replaced Many cockpit items re-modelled New volumetric external- and cockpit light system XP12 rain effect implemented Full VR compatible Detailed flight manual included New stunning livery by Nhadrian Plain white livery for painters The quality and detail is simply off the planet... is this really an old faded Carenado/Alabeo aircraft? It flies like it looks with the X-Plane 12 dynamics, and I spent a fair while tumbling around in the sky with glee with this Sports aircraft. There is a clever installer supplied to do the conversion process, but you will need the original Alabeo PiperSport to install the package. Go try it now, and you will be as amazed as I was on the quality conversion... okay that is one Carenado/Alabeo aircraft down, only 44 to GO! Designed by NHAdrian - Popular Freeware developer and co-designer of the L-200 Morava. Designer of the Acro Racer Support forum for the Pipersport Expansion Pack ________________ Yes! the PiperSport Expansion Pack - XP12 by NHAdrian is available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : PiperSport Expansion Pack - XP12 Price is US$14.90 Requirements Alabeo PiperSport is required . This is an add-on pack. It will not run by itself. X-Plane 12 (not compatible with XP11) Windows. Mac or Linux: Mac or Linux user need to run the .exe installer in Wine 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 467 MB Current Version : 1.0 (September 29th 2022) ________________ News by Stephen Dutton 30th September 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.
  4. Aircraft Review : NHRacer by NHAdrian FutureTech is coming. The dream of flying cars and the conceivability of "Blade Runner" Spinners is of science fiction. But the advent of Drones, even if on currently a small scale are creating a revolution. Now suddenly we have Uber and others already prophesying the futuristic notions, that yes even in a few years we will all be simply flying around up there as Deckards. There is a big difference between a "Flying Car" and a Drone. Flying cars have actual wings or rotor blades (Gyrocopter) and travel on normal roads, but can fly. Drones are altogether different, not even a helicopter, but are multi-bladed lifting machines and there is a big difference in being called a Multicopter. My personal take on this is that with any futuristic speculation, there has to be an element of realism or realistic expectations on these hundreds of Multicopters twirling fast around above your heads. For one regulation would be required. As humans can't even drive sensibly on roads, never mind letting us all loose in the air, and then there is the high noise factor, as they are called "Drones" for a noisy reason. Then the biggest variable is the weather... Drones can easily fly in calm controlled conditions, but not within the usual changeable weather patterns... however I do think that passenger drones will become reality, and will one day shuttle you from point A to Point B, but I doubt (unless homemade) you will park one in your garage. X-Plane in Laminar Research has however noted that Drone aircraft will be part of the future of the Simulator. Again I find this category very exciting, and there is now also a category now set out in the "Flight Configuration" menu ready for the coming onslaught, called "VTOL". In reality X-Plane has already, and to point, to the core of the simulator's ideal to do experimental aircraft in the Simulator, so this is not a completely new area to us. But it is acknowledging the coming realisation of the new category in aviation, and that aspect is again very exciting. NHRacer by NHAdrian This Multicopter by NHAdrian of Let L-200D Morava fame is still more in the "experimental aircraft" category than a real world machine. But it does create a sort of insight on how these aircraft will fly and the feel of flying them in the future. The NHRacer looks like a bathtub with six pylons connected, or more a airborne Bobsled in it's racer guise... The bobsled... sorry fuselage has six pylons attached with twin-blade propellers, but only the two central pylons rotate... .... this action creates the "Yaw" movement of the aircraft as the four other blades are fixed. The directions are created in say the pitch action by tilting your Multicopter forward and titling backwards and in the same manner as rolling left or right. By adjusting the pitch, your drone will sag down in the front causing it to go forward, or sag down in the back causing it to go backwards. So there is no rotor head or collective movement adjustment like you find on a helicopter. The pylon detail is very good, with an exposed 40kW motor on each pylon with a built in Navigation lighting. Blades are composite carbon fibre weaves that look very and highly realistic. Carbon Fibre weaves are also used on the four leg stands (not the usual helicopter skids). Under a panel at the rear there is the Electrical recharge socket, just press the socket to instantly recharge the NHRacer's batteries... I would have liked an external charger and cable with both the same instant recharge or slow recharge options. There are also four landing lights built into the shark like nose. The Pilot (Racer?) is animated with the excellent head movements and with both left (throttle), right (joystick) arm movements... Your view though is constrained as being placed within the pilot's helmet, and there is the optional (hotspot) to hide this helmet effect or to move to a full screen view directly above the left throttle lever. You can hide the pilot also via a hotspot on the right leg (but not from the external view). Instrument Panel The instrument panel is basic, but very interesting from an aviation point of view... in fact there are only three instruments that are primary aircraft instruments on the panel. The big centre left switch is the main power switch, and turning it on will start up a lot of system checks, including left a Garmin G5 AH (Artificial Horizion) that is more like a fully Integrated Standby Flight Display (ISFD). The "Garmin" logo comes up on startup. Far right is the NHAdrian Flight Controller status display, that also has a great test and startup procedure. Turn on the avionics and then two large display screens start up with the COM device (radio) to the right. The left large display is the Electric Drive Management System (EDMS), and the right display is the Battery Data Management System (BDMS). Final large instrument centre left lower is the Davtron M850 Chronometer. The four centre switches cover MASTER (Power), AVIONICS, NAV (Navigation) LIGHT and LANDING LIGHT. Below is the three setting FLIGHT MODE SELECTOR with ACROBATIC, STABILIZED and ALTITUDE HOLD modes. There are five (working) Circuit Breakers far left and a Main ARMING power switch far right. In reality it is the motors start/stop switch under the red cover. Finally lower right are the ACRO MODE RATES that adjust the ROLL, PITCH and YAW rates. These adjustments allow you to adjust maximum rotating rate in either the Roll, Pitch and Yaw directions for maximum roll control input. STABILIZED left mode banking limit will also adjust the roll and pitch control inputs to be scaled to this banking range. There is a Samsung branded AviTab Tablet, that can be accessed via a hotspot on the far left main circuit breaker module. Flying the NHRacer Starting up the NHRacer is almost a joke... all power on and ready, just flip up the Red ARMED cover and flip up the switch, and instantly all six blades are in action.... Sounds are very fast twirly blade noises, but very realistic (the only other sounds are wind noises). To fly just advance the throttle (could it be called a throttle here, or a power stick?) and up you go! The aircraft is very stable, you go up and down within the same space, movements in any direction are minute, just teeny-weeny adjustments on the joystick is all that is required to move in the direction you want to go. So the question is, is the Multicopter like flying a helicopter? Well yes and no. Like a helicopter you still adjust the directions via small input movements, and there is still the side-slip feel... but the unlike a rotor based aircraft the platform is extremely stable... hovering in a chopper is a challenge, but here it is a complete doddle. So in reality anyone should easily fly the NHRacer. As a side note I did set up my external throttle lever in the reverse direction to get the same feel as flying in a helicopter (collective), the throttle setting the other way around messed up my flying brain. The power of each motor is shown in the EDMS, and note how very quickly the power usage creates a very real "Range Anxiety" feeling, as you can't fly too far away from base, or for long. Range or time flying is noted around 10-15 minutes only with today’s Li-HV battery cells. Huge fun is just spinning or Yawing on an axis, but don't get carried away and start twirling around too fast or you will lose the Multicopter, said the same for just pulling the power down too quickly, as the plummet to the ground is quick and quite deathly... You can't be aggressive here like in a helicopter. To move forward fast you can drop the nose and wind up the collective and the chopper will move forward and quickly... try that with a multicopter and it just sorta stalls, as the blades don't move in a thrust vectoring way (or to pitch or roll into the direction you action). So a slight dip of the nose is far more effective, and you will very quickly gain speed... secondly there is no front or back... the Multicopter will go as fast sideways as forwards, even fast straight backwards if you are brave enough. The trick here is in the need to use the yaw to keep the nose pointing forwards in the right direction. So the Multicopter is very, very easy to fly, but be aware if it goes wrong, it goes really wrong in a big way. So you fly it like flying a flat wide pancake, keeping it level and smooth in the air. 5º nose down is the most effective (same going backwards!). Move the stick to the right and the aircraft will roll, but will not actually bank to the right, but instead only tilt? To get a change of direction then you bring the yaw in, and a bit more power to push you in the direction you want to go. It is a little tricky as all aircraft have a central balance point (CofG) that you fly around, but not in the Multicopter? There are the three different flying modes... STABILIZED is the the default and the standard setting for basic flying. AEROBATIC changes the behavior In the flight controller system allows the roll/pitch/yaw input controls in the desired rotation rate which can now be adjusted (scaled) with the appropriate knobs. The more command input the more rotational rate applies. The throttle behavior is linear in this flight mode, the center throttle position is about the hover throttle required. Inverted maneuvers are also available in this flight mode like loop and roll, although continuous inverted flight is not possible because of always positive throttle direction. ALTITUDE HOLD FLIGHT MODE will simply hold your current altitude, so it is a sort of Autopilot function... ... in the HOLD mode you have to be careful not to adjust your throttle position to much, as the hold mode will not move around much, but your power will. So when you come back into the default STABILIZED mode the aircraft will suddenly jump or revert to the new power setting. Flight controller display also gives you feedback on the actual state of the Flight Controller (FC) system. It shows information on the bootup procedure. FC screen has different background colors depending on the actual current state of the system; Blue – system startup, green – system ready, red – error status Lighting There are only two lighting adjustments available for the Instruments, one knob that adjusts the instrument brightness, and another knob that adjusts the panel LED light strip under the glareshield. Overall the panel lighting is excellent. External lighting has a navigation light on each pylon (Four forward green, and two rear red), and four very weak "Landing Lights" in the nose. Again your descent has to be controlled. Pitching your nose down like in a helicopter won't simply lower your altitude, it is a combination of lower lift thrust and angling the NR Racer to deliver a realistic descent rate, note the increasing or decreasing "Range Anxiety". Drag of course can slow you down, but the Multicopter is so very slippery in the air, in being very light and aerodynamic. That a slight yaw can help to takeaway the streamlined nose on approach, so you have to approach the field carefully, and yawing to keep the vehicle straight. Control can be tricky, not helicopter tricky but different tricky... the inputs to move forwards, slow down and adjust are the same in a way to a helicopter, but you have a more flat lift aspect, so your platform overall is far more stable... still very small movements in any direction helps. 7 Min of lift remaining and I go into the below 30% yellow warning zone... "Gulp". So you have to be in a "Cool" mindset, don't panic, but fly the machine.... .... Interesting is that you can fly the Racer in spaces that you would never ever consider in a Helicopter, better still you can hover totally in control, then maneuver around that situation without fear and adjust your position with precision. Be very aware of the X-Plane boundary... it will grab you and pull you down very violently and quickly, so a lift adjustment is required to hold the slow rate of descent when going through the boundary... and slow, slow going down is very good, unless you want that "pit of your stomach" falling feeling. Touch of a hover slightly above the ground is a worthwhile idea, then control the final lowering to touchdown. The Racer does give you so much control, and it is far easier than it looks. You are of course supposed to push the envelope, I am just flying the Multicopter around, and not mastering the extreme dynamics or as the name suggests... racing. But I doubt any racing or course flying would give you very long, before the power supply starts to go into critical red mode... so keep it tight and fast. Supplied are object elements to create you own racing course in WED, provided are six Flags and six Gates to fly around. Emergency Parachute We know your power can sort of deflate rather quickly. So what if to say, your at 5400ft above planet earth, and your numbers are not looking real good? Certain death awaits! Well thankfully the NHRacer has a safety tool built in, with a parachute situated just rear of the pilot... ... there is a pull lever under the instrument panel that releases a lifesaving parachute from the rear bay... boom! and the six electric engines all immediately also stop at the same time. Nicely done are the support cables from the NHRacer to a central bracket, then to the extended cables upwards to the bright red&white parachute. From 4500ft it is a long slow way down, but safe. Landing is with a "Thump"... but worse is the very long walk back to the airfield. Liveries There are eight funky liveries, including three camouflage, some very carnival, Mighty 8 and a bold red racer. There is also a blank white (default) and a painkit to create your own racing design. Summary A new aviation category is now being born out of the unexpected success of Drones. VTOL, or multi-bladed lifting machines are not really a helicopter or an aircraft per-se, but a completely new dimension to flying. Multicopters, do have some areas in common with helicopters, in being mostly vertical flight machines. But there are also significant differences in the way you fly these a more sturdy fixed propeller machines, only the Yaw axis is manoeuvrable in a dynamic sense. NHAdrian in context has created a sort of flying bobsled, a machine to race through a created race course... that is in itself a very exciting aspect of this machine drone. But the really interesting area is on how you learn and fly this exciting coming of age (and a neighbourhood) near you drone style machine... and very interesting concept, and to learn it is. NHAdrian has certainly given you all the fundamentals to create a very realistic machine to understand and even to enjoy immensely the future of local airspace flying. The design presented here is clever, with highly realistic instrument and the correct details to understand these machines. Modeling is straightforward but excellent, and highly detailed for the realistic element. Negatives are few, but an external recharger would be nice, to hide the always present pilot, and very weak landing lights would all benefit in future changes. There is no doubt that over the next few years this new VTOL category will blow open with loads of interesting and exciting machines. This NHRacer is one of the first quality ones to surface and excellent to explore this new and exciting dimension. _______________________________ Yes! the NHRacer by NHAdrian is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : NH Racer - Manned Racing Multicopter Price is US$19.99 Product features Custom flight controller system with multiple flight modes using X-Plane’s experimental flight model as base Realistic engine, ESC and battery model incl. temperatures, battery curve, etc. Custom avionics Permanently stored user settings Realistic BRS system Realistic prop stalling effect Visual + audio “Helmet” effect Full FMOD sound package 4K high-definition PBR textures 8 stunning liveries incl. 4 exclusive liveries by PWDT Full VR compatible Detailed flight manual included Complete paint kit for livery creators Racetrack elements for scenery builders Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4GB VRAM Minimum - 8GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 1 GB Current and Review Version : 1.0 (November 5th 2021) NHRacer uses a custom flight controller system that stabilizes the multicopter during flight, working together with X-Plane’s own flight model, therefore at least stable 30 fps is mandatory! If you plan to do lot of acrobatic flights, 45+ fps is recommended. _____________________________ Installation and documents: Download is 1.02gb and the aircraft is deposited in the "General Aviation" X-Plane folder. Installed Aircraft is 1.03Gb Documents supplied are: NHRacer_Users_Manual.pdf Supplied are: RACETRACK elements (6 Flags-6 Gates) PAINTKIT Designed by NHAdrian - Popular Freeware developer and co-designer of the L-200 Morava Support forum for the NH Racer _____________________________ Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton 17th November 2021 Copyright©2021: X-Plane Reviews Review System Specifications:  Computer System: Windows - Intel Core i7 6700K CPU 4.00GHz / 64bit -32 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 8Gb - Samsung Evo 1TB SSD - Sound : Yamaha Speakers YST-M200SP Software: - Windows 10 - X-Plane 11.55 Plugins: Global SFD plugin US$30.00 : Environment Engine by xEnviro US$69.90 : RK Apps XPRealistic v2 - US$34.99 Scenery or Aircraft- EGGD - Bristol International Definitive by Pilot+Plus (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$25.95 (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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