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Aircraft Release : Bell Civilian UH-1 by Nimbus Simulations When Nimbus Simulations released their excellent Bell UH-1 "Huey" in September 2019, they noted at the time they would be doing a "Civilian" version of the UH-1, and here it is. Plus it comes with a few nice configurations as well, a Basic seating version, Medical version, Crop spraying version, and an unexpected Fire Fighting version... all very nice to have in a single model. There is a separate Float (Water) variant also included. There was a lot of shouting initially that this new release is a full repurchase of the aircraft? If you don't have the earlier UH-1 Military "Huey" then yes it is the full price of US$37.95, but if you do own already the "Huey", then this civilian addon comes with a 40% discount, or US$22.77, which is still great value for what you get included here. Installation We have to note the installation early, because it has elements that require explaining. There are two separate downloads; Nimbus Civilian UH-1 v1.6 civilian uh-1 liveries When the packages are opened the "Nimbus Civilian UH-1 v1.6" pack has two more folders; Nimbus Civilian UH-1 v1.6 Nimbus Firefighting v1.0 The "Nimbus Civilian UH-1 v1.6" folder goes into your aircraft folder, but the "Nimbus Firefighting v1.0" goes into your Resources/Plugins folder (Not in the aircraft folder?). The contents of "civilian uh-1 liveries" folder called "Liveries", is now placed into your "Nimbus Civilian UH-1 v1.6" aircraft folder... slightly complicated but easily doable. Recommended is the "Use Experimental flight model" to be ON, and the "Flight models per frame" to be set at 4. X-Plane commands (Keys), also need to be set as well to cover or activate the external operations and mostly for the hoist controls. Bell Civilian UH-1 by Nimbus Simulations I went over most of the major details of the instruments and the exceptional detail in the earlier Helicopter Review : Bell UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" by Nimbus Simulations, so I won't go over the same intimate descriptions again, but I will note the highlights. Externally the UH-1 in Civilian form is very similar to the military version, but there is one major difference. (you can choose) to have the original older tail configuration, or a more "Modernised Tail" that is more efficient and it gives you more rudder authority. It certainly looks very different from the original tail shape, and the difference in yaw feel is highly effective. The Float variant is excellent, the pontoons are absolutely HUGE, and really well done here, note the excellent well modeled attachment frame to the fuselage, but there are no wheels, just the water based pontoons. There also three choices in texture detail... High, Medium and Low (But only one selection for the float variant, and is my guess the "High"), all are provided by .acf choices in the menu... this covers most low rent computers, but to be honest, even the "High" choice is not a framerate killer, but the options does give choices to those that run X-Plane on laptops and etc... Rotor head design and detail is again outstanding, and all the elements are fully animated (again I did a full rotor description in the earlier review) to the movement of the controls. Tail rotor and yaw animations, are also perfectly created, wonderful seeing them all again and it brings back to you the sheer quality of the detail presented here. I had a small beef about the green roof tinted windows in the "Huey" review, this aspect to a point it has been fixed... but only internally, but viewed externally they are still clear... but anything is still better than nothing. Menus The six original menu tabs of: Checklist, Maintenance, Controls Position, CoPilot, Weight & Balance and Doors & Accessories are all still present and mostly unchanged from the "Huey" version... but added in for the Civilian is a new menu option called "Configuration" Another addition is a "Mini Menu" lower left of your screen, this can be thankfully switched off in the main banner (plugins) menu.... ... but it is a little odd to use, you can only show the MIni-Menu or not, nor it does not flip out of sight when not selected, so unless you are willing to put up with it consistently or if needed or required on the screen, then it is either on or off, which does not make any sense really, why not just use the drop down menu? You can however use the "Key" command function to also toggle the "Mini Menu", and that works far better... and to note that all the earlier set "Key" commands on the "Huey" settings, also work for the Civilian version. Again a full description of the menu details are in the "Huey" review, but minus the door mounted guns! All the great features are still here, opening doors and you can take them off as well, pilots and crew are all here are dressed in civvy gear, and not the heavy military uniforms. There are two pilots and eleven crew, a lot, count them all. Cockpit is exactly the same instrument panel layout with the same authentic feel and the perfect details of an original UH-1... note the AviTab plugin feature provided. Configurations The "Configurations" menu is quite extensive. Top of the list is a co-pilot bubble window and upper fuselage steps, then the expansive (HUGE) spraying crop dusting boom, that is really well done. The "Bambi" Bucket and the "FireFighter" module is fitted below (only the FireFighting Module is shown here, as we will look at the Bambi Bucket when in the air). The Simplex Firefighting tank module is simply sensational in detail, highly realistic in design, shape and attachment. Note the hanging hose. The Medivac option is also simply excellent, you can choose to have the patient visible or not, and the medical equipment detail is just really, really well done, the best Medivac layout yet for X-Plane. Lower nose mirrors can be attached, and the next option is the "Modernised Tail" of which we have already noted. Next is the "Internal hoist", which is again simply sensational in detail. You have to set the "Key" Commands to use it (or any hoist on the aircraft) on the "Keyboard Menu" in "deploy", "extend" and "retract". However the quality and action of the hoist is again the best yet I have seen. There is also the option for an "External" hoist positioned on the upper cabin on the right side, quality and detail is again excellent... .... the UH-1 already comes with a mid-mounted under fuselage attachment hook for a third carrying point. You can also switch over from the older Radio Comm units to a more "Modern" avionic fit-out... THE GNS 530 stays the same in both configurations, but the older style panels are replaced by a BendixKing KX 165 Comm unit (COM2/NAV2)... (COM1/NAV1 is set in the GNS 530), BendixKing KR 67 ADF unit, BendixKing KR 71 Transponder and bottom a BendixKing KMA 24 Radio. The centre panel does look far more empty and even quite sterile with the newer radio elements, but it is also more convenient and familar to use. Last two options on the configuration menu is a large white external carry basket, and two front seats in the cabin. Fire Fighting The biggest feature of the Nimbus Civilian is the "FireFighting" role playing. There is a separate window to be used and it is accessed via the "Nimbus FireFighter" window in the plugins banner menu... ... there is also a control panel situated just above the GNS 530 gps unit. The pop-up on screen panel has three actions... Fire, Activate and Reset, to start you press the centre "Activate" to start up the plugin, and when "Active" it turns green, this is also reflected on the Configurations Menu. Obviously the underbelly "FireFighter" module has to be selected. First you have to set up your fire(s). In my case I did a low pass and then pressed the "Fire" symbol repeatedly to create the fire line. You can do this with up to a huge (firestorm!) 300 fires, but here I did a row of twelve fires... That done it was now time to do the fire bombing water run... but two things first. If you are not happy with your fire spread, you can reset the fires to zero and start again by pressing the right "Reset" symbol. Secondly, you know how much water you have on board via not only the water control unit on the upper centre console, but there is also a four light water level marker (in the tank) right in front of you (arrowed below right). I set the "Open Tank Doors" trigger to my joystick, via the "Joystick" menu (you can also use a key setting), but note, that to not have the trigger available in a too vulnerable position, as if you accidentally hit it (like I did), then your water load is quickly gone? And it is actually very hard to get back up to the full tank level again. So I did a bombing run and pressed (my inner trigger button) and dropped the water load and was soon snuffing out two fires... It is a lot of fun, but it is not as all as easy as it all looks either... a full heavy underbelly tank makes the UH-1 very, very unbalanced and nervy (It already has a habit of leaning heavily sideways to the right with the twin blade configuration), and also as the water is used (or dropped) then the aircraft becomes suddenly normally lighter... it also becomes unstable after rebalancing the weight, so it needs a lot of control (and some very steady nerves) to get it right... Underbelly tank detail and animation is again absolutely first rate. With all my (water) resources gone, I headed to the nearest lake to refill the underbelly tank... oddly there is no option to refill the tanks on land? So if you use up the water, it is gone completely unless you do this complicated refill routine... and that can be far easier said than done, as the UH-1 is very tricky machine in the low hover... you can do a hard refill of the tank by closing X-Plane down completely, and then restarting, but that is a messy simulation breaking option, I think you should have the (lazy) quick option of refilling even if it is not authentic to the mission, a ground tank appearing when refilling the water would also be a nice option. Again you have to set up a "Command" (key) option to pump up the water into the tank, Water/Command "Water pump on", and hold the key down to make it work in sucking up the water... the indicator on your instrument panel shows you how much water there is in the tank and all four dots of green says it's full... ... once full it is quickly back into the firefight. A second FireFighting option is the Bambi bucket. This is again selected in the "Configuration" menu (above the FireFighter selection). Again the plugin has to be "Active" to use the Bambi Bucket. Trivia... "Bambi Bucket" isn't a nickname. It's actually a trademarked name owned by Canadian industrial fabrics manufacturer SEI Industries, and also nothing at to do with a small fawn (deer). There is more to do to attach the Bambi bucket than just selecting it from the configurations menu, as you also have to attach it to the aircraft... this process is the same for also attaching all the eight sling (Slung) loads provided... and they include; Air Conditioning Unit, Generator, Single Logs, Logs, Small Container (quite large and heavy actually), Air Compressor, Hook and a Person. To attach the load you have to go to your X-Plane "Weight, Balance & Fuel" Menu... Then select "Select New" and up comes the UH-1 Civilian aircraft folder, from there you select the "Slungload" folder... In the open folder you then select the "Load" you want via it's "Object" symbol (not the images). If you want to change the load then when you go back to the "Weight, Balance & Fuel" menu, you now have the option to "Select New" again, but this time it will take you directly to the "Slungload" folder for another selection. You can remove the slung load by pressing the "Remove Slung Load" button, but I found pressing the "Restore Defaults" button a better, quicker and cleaner option. The noted "Hook" object is required to be selected to use the Bambi bucket feature. You can adjust the Length of your cable or note the Maximum Length of the cable by the settings at the bottom of the Configure menu panel. A note that these load items are ridiculously heavy for this sized chopper, the weight will swing you like a pendulum, with you as the lighter partner... It will take a lot of skill (and an immense amount of patience) to get it right, not only in the takeoff, and lift phase, but even when changing any direction in flight... one small mistake, and your easily cactus, Note no Helicopters were hurt while compiling this review, but it came very, very close a lot of times. Liveries There are nine liveries provided for the USA, Canada and Australia. Included are Tasman (CAN/Default)), Airfast (AUS), C-GEAG (CAN), CalFire (USA), King County (USA), Plain White, Tennessee State Trooper (USA), Vahalla (CAN) and Fleet Helicopters (AUS). _______________________ Summary This is the Civilian version to the Nimbus Simulations UH-1 "Huey" helicopter released in Sept-2019. The UH-1 is the famous renowned twin-blade "Vietnam War" chopper, but it is also highly used in a civil form (there was a lot of reused military aircraft) in a load of different services and roles. This Civil release does cover a lot of those roles and civil services. The original "Huey" was already a very highly featured machine and extremely well modeled and highly detailed, so quality wise and performance wise it is already a very exemplary machine, but to note it is a tricky handling aircraft due to it's twin-blade configuration. All the same huge feature list on the "Huey" version are replicated here (except for the machine guns!) and include; Checklist, Maintenance, Controls Position, CoPilot, Weight & Balance, Doors & Accessories and a long feature and menu list it is, in reality you are won't for nothing, including opening doors, door removal, thirteen crew and a highly authentic UH-1 instrument panel. The Civilian feature list is just as long... There are a load of configurations you can do; Floats (Water Variant), Medivac, Crop Spraying, Police work, SAR (Search & Rescue) with working hoists... but the highlight is the FireFighting roles with both an active underbelly tank or Bambi Bucket to put out a created (up to 300) fires, by dropping the internal or carried water loads. There are is also the option(s) to carry eight slung loads under the helicopter. There is also the option to have the original UH-1 tail, or a more modernised version. All the different roles and the installed equipment are all extremely well done and of high quality and give you a huge variation of challenges to show off your flying skill sets. Odd points are that the upper green windows are clear from the external view. And there is no quick refill option to fill up your water tank if you accidentally drop your water load (guilty as charged m'lord). Refilling the tank can be very challenging and requires a lot of skill and it is also time-consuming (if very authentic)... so a quick apron fill would be a nice quicker option. Users complained that it was expensive to repurchased the same aircraft again, but that is not the case if you already own the original Nimbus "Huey" aircraft, as you will get 40% off the price for the Civilian version... even with that aspect, the amount of extra features and detail presented here is to the extreme, and in both cases and well worth the investment. Challenging, Adventurous, Role Playing... the Nimbus UH-1 Civilian has it all and more.... Highly Recommended. _______________________________ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois Civilian by Nimbus Simulations is NOW available! from the X-Plane.Org Store Civilian UH-1 Priced at US$37.95 The Bell UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" by Nimbus Simulations is also available! from the X-Plane.Org Store Nimbus UH-1 Priced at US$30.36 (20% off) Customers who already own the UH-1 can get this non-civilian version for 40% OFF Features High quality 3D model High, medium or low skids Floats version Firefighting module Several objects for external load operations. PBR textures High quality 4K textures VR ready Black and also white panel and interior Nothing beats the sound of a helicopter sound in real live so we are using High quality professionally recorded sounds to give you a realistic experience, every switch and knob, doors, guns, blade slap, engine and rotor sound is there. Vibrations play a big role on helicopters, the Nimbus UH-1 is full of animations and vibrations. Accurate systems simulation, fuel, electric and hydraulic systems are simulated, all the logic of switches, warnings and annunciators is present. Accurate handling and flight characteristics Accurate performance based on performance charts. Realistic night lightning with custom lights and textures. Particle system. 8 liveries and a white one for repaints. SASL powered Firefighting module A highly requested feature is now available, easily create fires and then fight them with your helicopter, use the belly tank or the bambi bucket to extinguish them. Menu Windows for managing maintenance, weight and balance, doors and accessories, joystick position, copilot, configuration and checklists. Configuration Chose the equipment you want installed on your helicopter, firefighting (bambi or tank), crop dusting, medical, hoists, modern or classic radios, basket, bubble window and modernized tail are some of the options available. Maintenance module: if you want a more realistic experience you can choose if you want the helicopter to require maintenance with time and usage, depending on how you fly and engine exceedance the mechanical components will degrade and performance will be affected. Copilot: We created a "copilot" module that will allow you to hand over control and forget about flying so you can move to the back, enjoy the view, the sound Weight and balance: A graphic interface gives you the chance to modify the cargo, passengers, fuel and CG, handling of the helicopter will change depending on the CG lateral and longitudinal position. Doors and accessories: Doors opened or closed, wire cutter or not.....customize it as you want. Checklist: Checklist are easily accessible through the menu on the left, this window will also allow you to see some performance charts. Joystick position indicator: A small window on the right bottom corner will show the position of your controls, it seems simple but is a very good way to refine your flight technique. Requirements X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB VRAM Recommended Download Size: 750 MB Current and Review version : 1.6 (June 28th 2021) Installation and documents: Download for the Bell UH-1 Civilian is 711 Mb and the unzipped file is deposited in the aircraft "Helicopter" X-Plane folder. The civilian uh-1 liveries are a separate download at 965 Mb... and is deposited in the main Civilian aircraft folder. The "Nimbus Firefighting v1.0" Folder is deposited in the X-Plane Resources/Plugin folder Total aircraft install is: 1.80 Gb The AviTab Plugin is required for this aircraft. Documentation: One manual that is required reading, not only for the install, but for activation of the complex features (33 pages) Manual CIVILIAN UH_1 V1.6 ________________________________________ Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton  3rd July 2021 Copyright©2021 : X-Plane Reviews  (Disclaimer. All images and text in this preview 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) Review System Specifications:  Computer System: Windows - Intel Core i7 6700K CPU 4.00GHz / 64bit - 16 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 8Gb - Samsung Evo 1Tb gb SSD Software: - Windows 10 - X-Plane 11.55 Addons: Saitek x56 Rhino Pro system Joystick and Throttle : Sound - Bose Soundlink Mini Plugins: Environment Engine by xEnviro US$69.9 Scenery or Aircraft - KRSW - Southwest Florida International Airport by Aerosoft (X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$24.99

Helicopter Review : Bell UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" by Nimbus Simulations It may be just a simple coincidence that tonight I am going to see another version of Francis Ford Coppola’s "Final Cut" edition of the 1980 seminal film "Apocalypse Now" on the big screen with full dolby surround-sound. A film about the excess of film making, but also about the excesses of the Vietnam War (Ken Burn's "Vietnam War" documentary series is highly recommended viewing). The main star is not the brooding Marlon Brando in semi-darkness, but a machine that signifies the war itself, a helicopter and the Bell UH-1 Iroquois nicknamed the "Huey" and no film shows the magnificence of the Huey in full flight than does Apocalypse Now and certainly in dolby surround sound. I can still hear and remember the "whop", "whop", "whop" start of the film with The Door's "this is the end" transfixing you to screen and created the feeling of the era... if you were there in the 1980's then that is the moment. Of course many of you have far different memories, and of the war itself... and those sounds and feelings are of course are in a totally different context, but the"Huey" will still count as a seriously significant part, to a few veterans here in our own X-Plane world the recreation of the UH-1 is far more than just another aircraft to fly in our collection, it is their life and soul as well... the point is as a simulator you can't just recreate an aircraft, as the "Huey" is much more than in that all it's many contexts. The UH-1 is a utility military helicopter powered by a single Lycoming T53-L-11 turboshaft engine, 1,100 shp (820 kW), with two-blade main and tail rotors. It was the first member of the highly prolific Huey family, it was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet a United States Army's 1952 requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter, and first flew in 1956. As a note the three prototypes were built and equipped with the Lycoming XT-53-L-1 engine of 700 shp (520 kW) and the Bell 204 and 205 are Iroquois versions were developed for the civil market. While earlier "short-body" 204 Hueys were a success, the US Army wanted a larger version that could carry more troops. Bell's solution was to stretch the HU-1B fuselage by 41 in (104 cm) and use the extra space to fit in four seats next to the transmission, facing out. Seating capacity increased to 15, including crew. The enlarged cabin could also accommodate six stretchers and a medic, two more than the earlier models. In place of the earlier model's sliding side doors with a single window, larger doors were fitted which had two windows, plus a small hinged panel with an optional window, providing enhanced access to the cabin. The doors and hinged panels were also quickly removable, allowing the Huey to be flown in a "doors off" configuration. The Model 205 prototype flew on 16 August 1961, and seven pre-production/prototype aircraft was delivered for testing at Edwards Airforce Base starting in March 1961. The 205 was initially equipped with a 44-foot (13.4 m) main rotor and a Lycoming T53-L-9 engine with 1,100 shp (820 kW). The rotor was lengthened to 48 feet (14.6 m) with a chord of 21 in (53 cm). The tail-boom was also lengthened, in order to accommodate the longer rotor blades. Altogether, the modifications resulted in a gross weight capacity of 9,500 lb (4,309 kg). The Army ordered production of the 205 in 1963, produced with a T53-L-11 engine for its multi-fuel capability. The prototypes were designated as YUH-1D and the production aircraft was designated as the UH-1D. UH-1H is the most-produced Huey version, and is the representative of all the various types. This aircraft was the improved UH-1D with the uprated Lycoming T53-L-13 engine of 1,400 shp (1,000 kW) and overall 5435 UH1H's were built. This is not of course the only Bell "Huey" family aircraft in X-Plane as there is also the X-Trident Bell 412 twin-engined version, but this Nimbus version is the first of the original iconic twin-blade aircraft. Iroquois UH-1 "Huey" First impressions are of the iconic stubby nose and long tail configuration of the aircraft. In an odd context the original far shorter bodied 204 version looks really quite odd, were as the longer fuselage 205 aircraft looks almost perfect in proportion. The one thing that keeps coming back to you with this aircraft and most likely it's reason for it's outstanding success is really just the machine's overall simplicity. Many of the ideas built in here into the aircraft are so simple but highly effective in operation... Like with just the basic reinforced roof and floor created a wide open space for an effective aerial platform, the engine is on top and out of the way, with only the complex transmission intruding into the cabin. The number one focus on any reproduction of a helicopter is in the elements of the rotor designs. How helicopters fly is mostly by small movements at joint positions that you can't really see. So to have that perfect replicated animation of the workings of a rotor design in going to show you more than just a load of pretty good 3d design element work, and so it is just not enough in detail that the basic 3d work matches the aircraft perfectly, it also has to move like the real linkage system as well. The heart of the system is the lower swashplate that surrounds the mast that holds the main assembly, there are actually two swashplates in a solid one to hold the control levers and the flexible one that moves the control rods connected to the control horn of which is then connected to the blades. On the main rotor it is the pitch and on the tail rotor it is the yaw. It is fascinating to watch the moments control rod movements as you move the controls, the pitch by a lot of movement to the minimum of the roll. Of course there is the secondary movement of the collective that angles the blades to the air (you could call it bite) in more angle then the more bite of the air for lift... ... to see all these elements working so well together on the main and tail rotor defines how well designed, developed and animated are these components by Nimbus. Modeling is also exceptional, as the Nimbus Huey has been two years in development and the work shows... paneling and rivet work is exceptional and it all comes with very highly crafted normals (NML's are the raised or sunken elements of the modeling, i.e. rivets)... .... the UH-1 shines were it should, and is semi-matt were it should be, and put the right lighting on the aircraft and it looks simply excellent. Nice details of vents, lovely steel exhaust outlet and that excellent mesh detail exposing the inner Lycoming T53 turboshaft engine. One area of detail that does stand out is the exceptional rubber, plastic and other items like cables as we shall see, note the mast joint rubber boots. Glass is overall very good with excellent reflections and shape and they do a great service in seeing the fuselage framework and internal details, but the only area that I wasn't at all particularly taken with was the green overhead cockpit panels... ... for one I feel they are simply too light and don't look very authentic, secondly is that they are not actually green inside either, but clear? You can't have a shade colour set on one side and it be totally clear on the other, it just does not feel or look right... Menu There are six menu tabs lower screen left, they consist of: Checklist, Maintenance, Controls Position, CoPilot, Weight & Balance and Doors & Accessories All pop-up panels are 2d and can be moved around the screen, they cannot however be scaled, and as a few are quite large they can be a bit of a viewing hindrance. The six tabs can't be hidden either, so they will always show up on your screen, which is something I don't like even if they are this small. Checklist: The checklist is small at around one and a half pages, but effective. Maintenance: You can keep your chopper in flying order by watching and either filling up or repairing areas of the machine that are noted with condition and fluid levels. You can turn off the servicing via checking the "Always Like New" checkbox. CoPilot : The Huey has no autopilot, so Nimbus has provided a fake one by using the flying skills of the CoPilot, we will look closer at this feature when we fly the aircraft. Controls Position: There is a small box bottom right of your screen (arrowed) that shows you your position of the cyclic (joystick), collective and pedals. This is a great learning tool to fly the aircraft and some of the settings are spot on for certain manoeuvres like taking off, hovering and landing, and I personally think a learning tutorial with these settings shown would be invaluable to the vertical flight newcomer. Doors & Accessories: I will cover the Doors and Accessories before the W&M. There are two choices with the doors, and first you can open them via the menu with the pink "open" tags, or directly with the door handles. When selecting the actual door or panel and it will disappear, a great and simple system. Wire cutters top and bottom can also be selected... ... and so can dthe oor mounted guns, and the guns are mounted in a way you can fly with the doors shut, which a lot of developers don't do.... the guns work as well! Weight & Balance: The Weight & Balance sheet is excellent. It covers Pilots & Passenger weights, Fuel weight, Cargo weights in Kilograms (kg) or Pounds (lbs), Total weight and Autonomy (flying time at set full weight). All Pilots and passengers can be selected or hidden and their weight either added in or removed from the aircraft's total weight. All crew can be shown internally or just externally as well... ... if you have the pilot flying in view internally then he can be seen in your vision? But you can hide him and keep the rest of the crew if you want, so it all works very well, but be aware you lose the pilot weight from the total, but you could always balance that with say the cargo weight. Finally there is the all important CofG (Centre of Gravity) limits, which are noted on a scale with flying limits marked, and again it is surprising how many developers don't show this vital tool. Both pilot's heads are animated, but a few crew members do have the odd green arms? Internal Cabin and Cockpit As noted the Huey is a basic flying machine, as there is no first class frippery in here. With rubber mats on the floor, metal piping and canvas for seating, this is basic cattle class flying. The detailing in here would even make Hawkeye Pierce cry. It is a worn, battle scarred and a mission heavy conceptualised scene and it is all surrounded by that so familiar diamond soundproofing padding material. I personally love the realistic worn floor detail. Into that very familiar Huey cockpit, and yes it all looks glorious... ... but there are a few glitches that are very quickly and highly noticed? There are to blue sky areas on the front door panel that can be seen from some angles, and the collective has space under the base when at full up position? But just look at those armoured seats! as they are totally brilliant in detail, materials, shape, wear and tear... a real highlight. Rudder pedals are of course basic, but it is overall very well done in detail, ditto the windscreen wiper motor housing and protecting covers Instrument Panel The instrument panel facias come in two versions, with the steel exposed face or the black... I would automatically assumed that the black would have been the default version and it does look the better of the two versions. But the original plain facia would probably really be more authentic when you think about it, I know the Marine version used the black, so the debate will be which is the original? The different facias are set via the different liveries, so if you want to customise your Huey you can change the panel.png file in there. Like everything else on the UH-1 these Viet War machines are incredibly basic in their instrumentation layout. We have to look at the right side panel as the main pilot position as it is on all helicopters.... a huge ball Artificial Horizon dominates the panel, with a heading horizontal instrument with built in VOR1 pointer. Far bottom is a CDI (Course Deviation Indicator). left top is the Airspeed Indicator and bottom is the Turn & Slip Indicator. Right top is the Altimeter, Vertical Speed Indicator and bottom a clock. In a nice touch the magnetic compass is tagged on to the right of the main instrument panel. Left pilot position has only the basic five flying instruments... Airspeed, (small) Artificial Horizon, Altimeter, Vertical Speed Indicator and the same heading horizontal instrument with built in VOR1 pointer. Centre panel right has the single engine dials (top to bottom) RPM, Torque, GPT (Gas Producer Tach), EGT (Exhaust Gas Temp). Six centre left dials cover Fuel Pressure, Fuel Quantity, Oil Pressure, Oil Temp, Transmission Oil Pressure and Transmission Oil Temp. Four dials lower left cover the electrics with... Main Gen (Generator), Standby Gen, Volts - DC and Volts AC. Compass can be switched from DG or Mag and you can test the Fuel Gauge to make sure it is working correctly... There are also a row of warning lights top panel with (LtoR): Master Caution, RPM Warning, and Fire Warning. Pedestal The pedestal is really just a large box set out on the floor with all the instruments set out on the top surface... ... and pedestal detailing is excellent and highly authentic. You really have to love the click, click switchgear in here, it is excellent. From top left you have a AN/APX-72 Transponder, AN/ARN-72 VHF NAV with the AN/ARC-134 VHF COMM Radios both below. Miscellaneous Control panel right with an excellent Caution Lights panel below... There is the noted Engine Control panel, but it is also the main fuel panel right middle. Continuing down the left rear pedestal you have a AN/ARC-51BX UHF Radio, C-1611AIC Signal Distribution panel and bottom the Armament panel. Right rear pedestal is AN/ARC-131 FM Radio and a AN/ARC-83 ADF Radio. Obviously if you want to find your way around these military panels you are going to have to study and use them, they are complicated, but the click setting knobs and dials are very authentic and realism 101. You can use and test the Caution Lights panel in "Bright" or "Dim" modes, again it looks excellent. Both the collective and the cyclic stick are well done, but not very interactive, the important "Force Trim" switch does not work and you can't hide the cyclics either? Overhead Panel The simplicity of use is overwhelming on the Overhead Panel (OHP). Those amazing square lighting knobs are excellent to feel and use in the dark... Panel layout is again quite simple, left top is the rear dome lighting, with Pitot Heating, External Lighting, Wipers, Cabin Heating, and NVG Position lights brightness (I couldn't see these working?). Right OHP are those six Instrument lighting knobs, AC Power panel and DC Power panel. The rest of the OHP is the rows of circuit (non-working) breakers. There is an external Temperature gauge Cº on the top of the windscreen. There is the choice of either or both pilots to use their wipers, but the wipers sadly only work together which is a missed feature, in saying that I still love the selector switch. Lighting Turn up the panel and instrument lighting and you get this lovely green glow from the instruments... again it is more effective on the darker panel. At night the differences in the panel tone can make a difference to your tastes, again the darker is better. In the cabin you have a choice between normal or green lighting. The bulbs don't look very bright, but the effect is very good. Externally the interior lighting looks absolutely excellent... Above you in the cockpit are two movable spot lights, and note the excellent coiled power cable, they are both animated for total shake realism as well.... ... but the spot lighting idea is not fully formed. One you can only have both lit, and not individually, and two they are hard to adjust to the place you want the Illumination to show... there is no light effect in the actual light either but just the dark lamps, and like with the cabin lighting when on the actual lamp brightness needs to be better or even there at all. Navigation lights (position) can be set in STEADY or FLASH, BRIGHT or DIM, there is a nice beacon and a landing light under the nose (a full added on external light would have been nicer) and a white tail navigation light, again the lighting is already very good, but you feel it still needs some refining. Flying the Huey First a few notes is that Nimbus recommend you set your "Flight Models per Frame" (Menu/General) to four (4) and the experimental flight model to "off". Another point you have to have control of the aircraft's "Throttle" on the collective. I have a twin throttle system and so the throttle setting just slipped right in for adjustment, if not you will need control of the throttle slider in the joystick or Key settings? X-Trident used just a manipulator adjustment on the Bell 512 and that work very well and I think the same idea should be added into this version, but if you can use the actual throttle lever, then it gives you more control in flight... a mouse scroll wheel can be used as well. One of the first things that confront you when the Huey is running is that the aircraft shakes like "Bloody Hell", mine was worse because my SimCoder "Headshake" plugin was activated... you can sort of adjust the headshake to match, but for now I would turn it off. It is also debatable if the shake is just too much at idle, yes you only have an unbalanced single twin-blade rotor above you, but it just feels like there is a bit too much movement... One thing that totally grabs you at idle is the "chhhhe", '''chhhhe", "chopp", "chop" that moves into the familiar whop", "whop", "whop" as you increase the RPM. Sounds are taken from a real UH-1 and they sound excellent and are simply highly realistic. You have to add in Wagners' "Ride of the Valkyries" yourself as it will have to added in from another aural source, LOUD of course, very LOUD.... Notice the RPM goes up as you increase the throttle on the collective, if you are game, you can also increase the "governor" switch on the top section of the collective that is now very realistic in operation. Laminar now gives developers more control over governors since the v11.30 update, as before it was most done automatically... now you can adjust it yourself, but like I said only with care and try to not to overload the transmission. Particle effects will now swirl up the dust and power out of the exhaust, and it all works extremely well here, and takeoff on any dusty area and it is very and highly realistic... I am not going to hide the fact that helicopters are hard to fly, because they really are... more so here with the UH-1 as the helio pilot's want them as close to the realistic realm as possible. So that makes them very unforgiving, very touchy in movements and the single twin-blade arrangement makes them also a little more unstable. But practise and master the "Chopper" and the rewards are extremely high... I am pretty good after a lot of right seat flying, but still not a total master of the realm. And so the control position monitor is a great way to check your flying situation, but overwhelmingly chopper flying is totally about feel, and one thing I have learnt is that fine, fine control movements between the cylcic and collective are the secrets to helicopter flying, don't take any notice of the crap you see in the movies or the "wow" dramatic manoeuvres that they show, chopper flying is all about being slow and promoting smooth flying... The one thing you realise is that the UH-1 acts slightly differently is several areas, so you have to be aware of it's performance and boundaries, it is after all a utility machine, and so it is very basic and quite brutal in areas of it's flight envelope, you find them and have to master them to be aware of the limitations, but get it right and the aircraft is actually very nice to fly. One nasty one is if you pass or get near the red line speed 125 knts, the whole machine then shakes quite violently and it can easily throw you into the ground... ... so once the shakes start then lower the speed and keep control as quickly as you can (note.. ignore the "Master Caution" warning as the aircraft is in the replay mode). As we have already noted the Huey has no autopilot, so Nimbus has provided a fake one by using the flying skills of the Co-Pilot called "COPILOT". It is found under the CP tab in the menu. To use just press the "Hand Over Control" selection and the aircraft will just then fly on the current settings... press the top box selection to make the aircraft follow the current heading direction, if you want to turn then press the left or right spiral and you can set the bank angle below in degrees.... .... the panel heading works as well if you prefer that as I do and if you want manual control back, then just press the "Take Control" selection. Overall the feature is excellent, but I found the Huey shook violently under the COPILOT control, and after a while it got annoying, going back into your manual control is as bad as you think it will be, but I have mastered that now with other choppers being even worse in the between the auto and manual joystick positions. The M-60D flexible 7.62 millimeter machine guns are excellent in both the high detail and features... they can also be moved to any firing position and can be set to fire via a key command. The guns shake with vibrations for realism and the gunners door visual position is excellent. The most significant part of flying an helicopter is the transition from forward flight to the hover, it is called the "translational lift", and usually it is around 40 ft to 50 ft above the ground. translational lift can be seriously tricky, but with practise you can get the dynamics pretty smooth. The point here is the Huey is pretty dramatic in two areas in this phase of flight. One is that if you get the transition phase wrong the lift goes away pretty dramatically, in other words you simply stall and fall out of the sky... but again you soon learn where those severe limits are, most pilots use the 30/30 approach of 30 degrees at 30 knots, try it as it works. Secondly is that those twin-blades as one will cause the aircraft too tilt harder to the left than usual (direction of the rotating blades), so you are sort of fighting the aircraft more to keep it level, and you use far more yaw to correct it... ... this is not the very light or small helicopter effect, but the style and type of machine you are flying, so a bit of skill is needed here, yes the Pro's make it look all so easy, but fine movements and staying in front of the machine (anticipating what the aircraft will do next) will put you in good steed. The view down is excellent in gauging the distance and movement to the ground, but again keep total absolute control until you are hard on the ground, if not the Huey will quickly snap back at you. It is all in that fine, fine balance between the collective and stick movements that you find the best control conditions. There is no doubt the real guys (including our own X-Plane Brett Sumper) will absolutely love the flying capabilities of this Huey, and as they should as they have spent months refining the perfect dynamics of the aircraft to a high level of realism 101... the point is you have to match the pro's feel and their skills. I am not saying that is an impossible task, but you have to be aware of the skill required here. I just past the test and can fly this Huey fine, but I do find it very challenging to refine to the higher skills required here. So as a pure simulation of flying a Huey, it is certainly one of the very best and the most challenging to date. Liveries There are ten liveries provided and all are good, with a blank white and base green, but overall you would want far more variety than what is really on offer here, as some like the SAR is pretty basic and an Air America, and for myself a "Death From Above" version would have made me smile... but I suppose it will be the painters that will eventually fill in the blanks. Army Green is the default Summary The Bell UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" is of course one of the most iconic aircraft we know, and certainly with it's association to the 60's Vietnam War. So any simulation of such a significant aircraft has to deliver solidly in many areas. Those important points have certainly been delivered here with exceptional modeling and detailing, it is close but overall it is not yet absolutely totally perfect as we shall see, but it is currently certainly a very solid and highly authentic featured and very aural aircraft. Yes the machine has been recreated with loving care and the "NamViets" will be very if even emotionally thankful. The flying dynamics are also first rate, but they need skill and practise to perfect, so dig deep and the rewards are very high. Points to be made are to be also taken in context of being very marginal fine tuning than issues. The green overhead plastic panels need work? they are too lightly coloured, but also only green on one side and clear transparent on the other, a rethink is certainly required here. Lighting need still more refinement in showing better light sources and separated spot lights in the cockpit, ditto the windscreen wipers, and librain rain effects would be a great addition. And there are a few blue sky gaps in the bodywork and space gaps on the collective. The CoPilot and control position monitor are both good, but more in one less heavily shaking and the other in a more detailed flying tutorial in how to get the best out of this feature. In features there is a lot going for the aircraft here, menus are excellent, but you can't hide them or scale the pop-ups... but I love you have a lot of control over the choices of pilots and crew, weights and the basic aircraft setup. Overall it is what is missing that gets you wanting a little more. A medical version would be very nice and an under the nose light would be lovely as well. More armaments in rockets and cannons would help with the jollies, and a sling load would be fun as well... I personally think all these features will certainly come. A last word on the shaking, in that I found it got better (more realistic shakes) the more I used the aircraft and the effects at the 125 knt limit could mask the heavy shaking issue of the autopilot as well, but I think again a little more refinement on the movements could not help. In stating that the movement effects and the excellent aural sounds are extremely brilliant when working together and when flying the machine. So this Nimbus Simulations UH-1 "Huey" is certainly now the definitive classic machine we have craved for in the X-Plane simulator, yes there is a few refining areas, but overall it is a masterpiece of such an iconic aircraft. And in the film "Apocalypse Now" you see this incredible aircraft in all it's glory... yes the film like this aircraft live up both to their historic legends, for the record seeing the film again (on the big screen) is still an overwhelming event, flying battle forward in those Hueys was still as thrilling as was all those 40 years ago, the flying is supremely majestic, and now you can fly here the same extraordinary machine.... "this the end... my beautiful friend, this is the end, my only friend... the end, of our elaborate plans, the end.... "whop", "whop", "whop" _______________________________ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" by Nimbus Simulations is NOW available! from the X-Plane.Org Store Nimbus UH-1 Priced at US$37.95 Features: High quality 3D model PBR textures High quality 4K textures VR ready Black and also white panel and interior Usable side mounted guns Nothing beats the sound of a helicopter sound in real live so we are using High quality professionally recorded sounds to give you a realistic experience, every switch and knob, doors, guns, blade slap, engine and rotor sound is there. Vibrations play a big role on helicopters, the Nimbus UH-1 is full of animations and vibrations. Accurate systems simulation, fuel, electric and hydraulic systems are simulated, all the logic of switches, warnings and annunciators is present. Accurate handling and flight characteristics Accurate performance based on performance charts. Realistic night lightning with custom lights and textures. Particle system. 9 liveries including a military green and a white one for repaints. SASL powered Menu Windows for managing maintenance, weight and balance, doors and accessories, joystick position, copilot and checklists. Maintenance module: if you want a more realistic experience you can choose if you want the helicopter to require maintenance with time and usage, depending on how you fly and engine exceedance the mechanical components will degrade and performance will be affected. Copilot: We created a "copilot" module that will allow you to hand over control and forget about flying so you can move to the back, enjoy the view, the sound or even use the side mounted guns. Weight and balance: A graphic interface gives you the chance to modify the cargo, passengers, fuel and CG, handling of the helicopter will change depending on the CG lateral and longitudinal position. Doors and accessories: Guns, no guns, doors opened or closed, wire cutter or not.....customize it as you want. Checklist: Checklist are easily accessible through the menu on the left, This window will also allow you to see some performance charts. Joystick position indicator: A small window on the right bottom corner will show the position of your controls, it seems simple but is a very good way to refine your flight technique. Requirements X-Plane 11.30+ Windows, Mac or Linux 4GB VRAM Minimim - 8GB VRAM Recommended Download Size: 830MB Current version and Review Version 1.0 (Sep 2nd 2019) Installation and documents: Download for the Bell UH-1 Huey is 1.57 Gb and the unzipped file is deposited in the aircraft "Helicopter" X-Plane folder at 1.67 Gb. Different instrument panel colours can be created in the liveries to suit your preference in either the metal or black. Documentation: One manual that is pretty basic for an aircraft like this, the aircraft requires a tutorial as well... Nimbus UH-1 manual ______________________________________________________________________ Aircraft Review by Stephen Dutton  8th September 2019 Copyright©2019 : X-Plane Reviews  (Disclaimer. All images and text in this preview 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) Review System Specifications:  Computer System: Windows - Intel Core i7 6700K CPU 4.00GHz / 64bit - 16 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 8Gb - Samsung Evo 1Tb gb SSD Software: - Windows 10 - X-Plane 11.35 (v11.30 is required for this aircraft) Addons: Saitek x56 Rhino Pro system Joystick and Throttle : Sound - Bose Soundlink Mini Plugins: Environment Engine by xEnviro US$69.9 Scenery or Aircraft - KNPA - Naval Air Station Pensacola - X-Plane Global Airport - Free

News! - Updated : KATL - Atlanta International UHD v2.1 by Nimbus Simulations Just into the 2020 New Year, then Nimbus Simulations have done an v2.1 version update to their KATL - Atlanta scenery, which to be honest is a bit of a surprise, but any quick update and certainly in scenery is always welcome. So what has changed? Well quite a lot in a small update kind of way. First item is the choice of either the older Orange/Cream facade or the newer Grey/Blue facade (by replacing the textures in the "New Airport" folder) as a lot of users complained about losing the original colours... I will admit I found the Grey/Blue a bit bland after the bright Orange/Cream (noted as Red, but it looks orange to me), but found myself warming to the facade with airport use. The main factor is what colour is correct and by airport images it is the Grey/Blue version, so I will obviously stay with that aspect of the scenery, but the choice is now there if you want it. I made a bit of a ho-ha about the "bad algae swamp" looking mesh textures around the KATL's boundary, as they were quite ugly to the eye on any approach path. So in this updated version Nimbus has made the coloured areas more hidden by using trees to cover the worst and the results are very good in filling out the boundaries into the normal mesh... Yes the textures still clash, and yes there are still some sharp lines between texture meshes, but at least the worst effects have been hidden on your approach paths, so it is a good fix.The custom mesh and also the ground textures have both been improved. Ortho4XP compatibility is still missing, but Nimbus notes that Ortho4XP intergration is in the works, and it is being done being done by a third party developer. 3d Grass has also been added and it is exceptional in covering out the wide empty field areas... .... Nimbus noted the 3d Grass is an option because of a framerate hit, but if there is it is very minute and and the differences off or on are well worth a few extra clicks in the framerate. Final change is that the Runway 27L/9R taxiway signs are now corrected. So a nice update to an already excellent Atlanta scenery, and you also get the choice now of being Grey/Blue or Orange/Cream and so which colour are you? The full X-PlaneReviews v2 KATL - Atlanta review is here: Scenery Upgrade : KATL- Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta Intl Airport UHD v2 by Nimbus Simulation ______________________________________________________________________ Yes! KATL- Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta Intl Airport UHD v2.1 by Nimbus Simulationis is now Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here : KATL - Atlanta International UHD v2.1 Price is US$28.95 Customers of KATL v1 can get $10 off this new version: Coupon code can be found in your original invoice. Requirements : X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum. 8 GB+ VRAM recommended Download size: 670 Mb Current and Review version : 2.1 (January 16th 2020) KATL v2.1 Changelog details KATL v2.1 changelog.txt __________________________________ (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) News by Stephen Dutton 17th January 2020 Copyright©2020: X-Plane Reviews

Scenery QuickFlyReview: Lufker - Spadaro (1N2) Airport by Nimbus Simulation Studios If you got your atlas out to find Lufker - Spadaro in somewhere like eastern Europe then you are wasting your time. Because it is actually in Long Island on the grand olde east coastal area of US of A. In East Moriches on Long Island’s south shore to be exact, and that is not the only strange arrangement of this airport... or two airports, or even an just airport and a grass strip. Spadaro is situated just 60 Miles from KJFK or 70 Miles from Manhattan and so you have New York City right on your doorstep, and the historic DEER Park VOR is situated right there as well (The main arrival VOR for NYC). Like a major airport you have the choice of two runways and here there is also the choice of two airports as well within the same common ground, confused? Spadaro Airport (FAA LID: 1N2) (The northern airport) is the one with the hard tarmac runway (That is if you can call a strip of old tarmac a runway) and the other (western side) airport is Lufker Airport (FAA LID: 49N, formerly O00) and 49N which has a grass runway. Both airports are connected together via a small taxiway or really an opening through the trees. Lufker Airport has only one hangar and the 36/18 2300 ft turf runway. The strip started out as a farm that was used to grow cabbage, melons and other products. In the late 1940's Teddy Kijowski got the aviation bug and took flying lessons and then created his own grass strip on his father's farm. Friends began to bring their airplanes there and people started to rent tie down spaces. It was not until 1963 that Bart Spadaro then bought the land next to Teddy's Airfield and decided to put a runway in that paralleled Teddy's runway. In the boom times of the 1970s the airport was used for flight instruction and several airplanes were built here from the ground up. Lufker is mostly used for banner towing, skydiving, glider towing and flight instruction, and the airfield has also been used by many famous people including Hollywood actor Cliff Robertson and John F. Kennedy Jr., who would fly in and park his airplane and go out to the Hamptons. Remarkably Lufker has 2,500 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 208 per month per year. At any time there is 43 aircraft based at this airport. Next door Spadaro Airport covers an area of 50 acres with one runway designated 18/36 with an asphalt surface measuring 2,400 by 25 feet (732 x 8 m). The original owner Bart Spadaro died October 5, 2013, at which time his daughter Susan Spadaro assumed control of the airport. Since then the aviation services such as aircraft maintenance, aircraft repair, aircraft inspections, aircraft rentals, flight instruction, sightseeing, etc. have all gone into decline and are now mostly all closed down. Skydiving operations continue at the airport and are provided by an independent operator. Scenery by Nimbus includes recreated areas around the airport in housing, Shops, Garden Centre and many more buildings. There are (a lot of) walking animated people (a Nimbus speciality) and vehicle animations within the airport boundaries. QuickFly One thing that was very quickly apparent was that this scenery was very challenging in getting into either both the field or the airport and then getting out of there again. Lufker Field was first and a reconnaissance flyover showed me you have almost everything you dread on approach. Lots of high tree line over all both runways, the area is full of crisscrossing electrical powerlines and across the southern boundary approach there are smaller powerlines and telco phone lines. Move away a distance and the airport just disappears into the background. Arriving from the south is not as bad as the north, but even then you have the Sunrise Highway and a treeline to clear before attempting a landing. I approached Lufker Field from the north, that would be easier ride in right? In one way it is easier yes in to find and spot the field and lay down a decent approach path down to RWY18.. It is tight beyond tight to clear the trees, and then there is still one tree in the middle of your path. Finally try to not hit the row of trees on your left wing as you slowly descend and feel for the grass. I get the sweet Bonanza F33A down and touching the grass, "phew" done, but then realised I was not going to stop in time as the bouncy grass ride was taking away all my braking effort. A full row of trees were looming larger and larger in my windscreen and I was stretching back in my seat just waiting for the crash to come all too soon. I stopped.... just. I turned the F33A around and taxied to the front of the very original realistic hangar and realised I was still gripping the yoke like a madman. Time for a quick break. Nerves settled and it was time to have a crack at Spadaro and that small ribbon of asphalt called runway 36. Takeoff required a hold on the brakes to get as much thrust powering through the Bonanza as I could. Then with the release of the wheels you still don't get that speed traction you really want on the turf. Takeoff became a ride into forever as the speed was dreadfully slow in climbing. Again trees loomed and the row of trees now on my right were wizzing past as I finally thankfully gripped the air and cleared the trees at the end of RWY36, I was out, and flying... yes! I fell into a circuit that sent me south and the coast. I looked hard to try to get some visual clue or bearing to lead me back to Spadaro. But as soon as I had completed my turn back north Spadaro was gone, disappeared. Go a little to the east and you are in a forest of pylons and cables, and so it was time to circuit around again. Really, Really hard to find at 2000ft is this nook of an airport. Practise will of course give you some bearings and visual clues to the threshold, I found a glance of Lufker Field and found I was slightly too far west, but still doable. I slid slightly right and then corrected as I had now gone too far that way, the sudden rush of the airfield into view then meant a grab for the landing gear as I thought I had more space between me and the runway. Then you had a line of phone lines to get over before being able to descend. The corrections and getting the asphalt lined up meant I was landing long. In reality you would go back around and give the whole approach another go, but I was committed, absolutely steadfast in doing this. There was no way I would have enough hard stuff to stop on and thankfully there was a gravel runoff area at the end of RWY36. A more practised repeat approach would mean getting the details right, but it is still a tough call from the south. Summary In the challenge of not one but two very different types of approaches and departures you can then hone and find your skills in landing on difficult strips. You can see why so many real life pilots like these airport(s) as they make you earn your wings and need a bit of (no a lot of) study and practise to use them regularly. Fun or hell is the your perception of both airports, but they no doubt make you work for your money. With New York, The Hampton's and even the upper sounds on your doorstep the idea of basing yourself here has a lot of attractions for great flying. Nimbus has made a great choice in this scenery. Well presented and filled with a lot of local buildings and scenery the attractions here are great. Great animations bring the airport's alive and the inner airport ground textures with trees, grass and worn hard clay surfaces are first rate with extensive detailing of general small airfield objects (okay discarded junk) set out around the areas. I am personally not to crazy about the outer ground ortho textures, as you need a very high resolution setting to make them anything like realistic, they also don't also match into the surrounding (even though they are graded into the surroundings) X-Plane scenery and require the "runways to follow gradients" to be off or flat, which is a shame as if the gradients were being switched on here would have been interesting, but this is the only personal negative in a sea of positives. So yes I really loved Lufker - Spadaro by Nimbus Simulation Studios as it was challenging, different and overall very good scenery. A very big tick from me and I have to now just go and clean out my Bonanza's undercarriage of leaves and branches to have another go at those approaches... The Lufker - Spadaro (1N2) Airport by Nimbus Simulation Studios is available from the New X-Plane.Org Store here : Lufker - Spadaro (1N2) Airport And is priced at only US$15.95 Features: Perfect for VFR Sightseing Superb local scenery HD ground textures starting at 0.4 cm per pixel Photoscenery from USGS database 3D Grass Ultra Detailed textures and objects Night Lighting Detailed buildings around the airport Perfect from New York Sightseing Lufker is located on Long Island, a short distance from NYC: 60 Miles from KJFK 60 Miles from KLGA 70 Miles from Manhattan Animated Airport Using Ground Traffic by Marginal Animated people and vehicles _____________________________________________________________________________________ Installation : Download file size is 313mb to your X-Plane - Custom Scenery Folder. Installed scenery file size 355mb. Notes : "runways to follow gradients" setting must be OFF, if not you get a lot of floating objects and buildings. Also requires a high texture setting with the expanded ground textures. Requirements : X-Plane 10.40+ (Any edition) Windows, Mac or Linux 1Gb+ VRAM Video Card Review System Specifications: Computer System: - 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i5 iMac 27”- 9 Gb 1067 Mhz DDR3 - ATI Radeon HD 6970M 2048 mb- Seagate 512gb SSD Software: - Mac OS Yosemite 10.10.4 - X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.45 Addons - Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle : Sound - Bose Soundlink Mini Scenery, Plugin or Aircraft - Bonanza F33A by Carenado (Carenado - X-Plane.OrgStore) - US$26.95 ______________________________________________________________________ Stephen Dutton Review : 11th March 2016 Copyright©2016: X-PlaneReviews