Reviews

This is a review of Flight 1’s ATR 72-500 by Jessica Bannister-Pearce.

In the beginning, there were the props. And so it was until the 1950’s. Then came the jets. Slowly, the jets took hold and by the end of the 1960’s, the golden age of prop liners seemed to be over. The Bristol Britannia, the Vickers Viscount, and countless others began to slip from our airports. The Jets had won. Or had they? Jets were complex, thirsty creatures, and it soon became apparent to many airlines that operating jets that were only filled with a dozen or so passengers was costing them a fortune. Jets worked well at high altitudes, but on a 30 minute flight they rarely reached full efficiency. There was a hole in the market for a more efficient aircraft that could cruise at lower altitudes. Suddenly, the props were back. Advances in technology produced a breed of props ready for the new feeder market and the ATR was there waiting.

The ATR72-500 is the latest version of this popular aircraft. With more than 100 operators worldwide using an incredible 600 aircraft, ATR can certainly be crowned the queen of the prop driven skies. The Aircraft itself is a twin engine turboprop offering speeds up to 250 knots and a maximum cruise altitude of 25000 feet. As already mentioned above, many airlines use these versatile aircraft as feeder services to their main hub on routes that jets cannot fill. So lets take a look at what we get.

Waiting for passengers. Note the tail prop.

The Box

The box and packaging, as you’d expect, contains the DVD and pre-flight briefing manual (strictly for installing the aircraft and a very quick guide around the basics of setting up the aircraft).

Preflight

As is the case with many add-ons these days, starting a flight is never as simple as just selecting the aircraft in FS and away we go. The ATR is no exception. Before even loading flight sim, you’ll need to run the ATR configuration program first. This can be found nestling in the Flight 1/ATR folder in the start menu. We run this for various reasons. Firstly, we need to set the number of passengers on board. You’ll be confronted with a top down view of the cabin, and by clicking on any of the 72 seats you can place a passenger. Along with individual seat assignments, you can also choose that passengers gender and age. One click places a man in the seat, a second click changes that person to a woman. A third changes that person to a child whist a fourth empties the seat. Each choice alters the weight of both the passengers and cargo hold. (Presumably, we women need more suitcases). Both the cargo holds can also be altered. If you don’t wish to spend time assigning each individual seat, there are options for both full and empty load outs along with a random setting for those of you who enjoy surprises. Strangely enough, there are no options to adjust the amount of fuel. This still has to be done within FS.

Also contained within the configuration program are tabs to select various interior options for the ATR, from the colour of the cockpit (older style brown to new blue) to the type of cabin fittings along with a choice of Cold and Dark set-ups to Full engines running. There are also choices for high quality cockpit panels or standard quality for those wishing to run the aircraft on an older system. There are also options for seating position for the captain along with 2D panel views from just the captains side to a slightly extended version to include the engine gauges.

Anyway, once you’ve made your choices and loaded the aircraft, click save followed by exit and prepare for FS.

On FS start up, you’ll need to load a default flight, like the old C172 at Seattle. Once it’s loaded, feel free to change locations and such before choosing the ATR from the aircraft menu.

Exterior

The ATR is an awkward looking bird if you’re use to jets. Still, you have to admire the quality of the model provided. Included are three liveries: one house colour set and two others. Although sparse, Flight 1 do direct you to their website were a wealth of repaints are available for free. If you are feeling artistic, you can also add your own custom liveries via Flight 1’s Text-o-Matic program. This can also be found for free on the website.

The Devil is in the detail with the exterior.

Interior

Up at the front, the 2D panels are nothing short of excellent. All are clearly readable and if you can’t quite see them there are various click points dotted around to allow the captain to get an up close view. The VC is also well detailed with just about everything I clicked working. (A pet hate of mine is a VC with non-working switches, especially if the same switches work in the 2D panel). Gauges run with fluidity and frame rates don’t seem to suffer to any noticeable degree. There’s also a nice touch. You can open the cockpit door in the VC and take a view back to the cabin. You’ll need to switch this feature on via the add-on menu.

Peace and quiet before the “self loading Cargo” joins the flight. The cabin interior is your choice though.

Navigation

The ATR is a fairly modern airliner, which means that we have the ubiquitous FMS to program. Personally, I’m still getting use to FMS. They can seem complicated, and they are. This one, though, is fairly easy to use, if a little light on features. As always you begin with out of date nav data. A quick trip to Navigraph solved that problem, so on to programming the route. As with many FMS in FS these days you can either enter the route manually or just import the FS flight plan. If you opt for the former you’ll be able to save your own custom routes via the FMS. I prefer to use the latter however. The Performance Init page is found under the VNAV button. Setting the Zero Weight Fuel and Ground Weight points are easy, you simply click on the corresponding button next to the reference point required, and this imports the figures from the load manager. Interestingly, the VNAV section is only an advisory. There’s no VNAV button on the autopilot panel, so you’ll have to navigate referring to the FMS to check you track, rather than just letting George get on with it. There are settings for SID/STARS to be used but there may be a few gaps, as the airport I flew out of didn’t have a SID selection, when I know it has. Still, it’s only a minor niggle.

The simplicity of the cockpit just adds to the ATR’s reputation.

Getting Going

These Add-ons are complex, and as such I recommend printing out the included Aircraft Operating Manual, supplied by Flight 1 and found in the start menu. At 481 pages, it might be an idea to only print the sections you need. Included in the manual are two tutorials, which help you work through the start up procedures right to the shutdown procedures at the other end.

The first thing you’ll notice when powering up is the lack of an APU. The ATR isn’t fitted with one. Power is supplied by starting the right hand engine in ‘Hotel’ Mode. This basically means running the engine, but disabling the prop. Following the check lists will lead you to push back time. And with clearance we’re taxiing out. One of the things that bother me with props, is the need to feather them, adjust mixture and needing to move up to six different engine controls. They just seem complicated. With the ATR though, I needn’t have worried. The props are feathered automatically via leavers next the throttles. They have four settings. Fuel shut off, feather, auto and overrun. Feather is fine to taxi, whist auto operates during takeoff and flight. You don’t have to constantly adjust the props, which is a relief.

Overhead is easy to read. See if you can spot the APU though.

Takeoff comes quickly, and the ATR can climb quite quickly. With the maximum airspeed of 250 knots, you won’t have to worry about exceeding the below 250 knots limit below 10000 feet. Although progress could be said to be stately, the ATR never feels slow. Yes, a jet is quicker, but below 10000 there’s no difference. The ATR also feels quite nimble, even at low speeds, which makes landings easy to control. The flaps only have two settings - 15 degrees and 30 degrees, and at full flaps, the stall speed is amazingly low, almost Cessna like.

Slow and steady with full flaps.

Conclusion

So, Has Flight 1 done a good job? Well, the short answer is yes. ATR themselves approached Flight 1 to produce this fantastic simulation, so the Flight dynamics are spot on. The company wanted a flight sim to help show off their great little plane. There are bugs however. Not with the sim, but with the Manual. If you follow the first tutorial there are files missing, which was a shame. Added to this is a confusing check list. For example, after starting the right engine for power, you’ll be told to extinguish the lights in the hydraulics section. They won’t go out though, not without both engines running with both props spinning and set to auto. You’ll need to select Ground power whist parked to run the hydraulics. Okay, its not a big issue, but a better explanation in the normal procedures section could clear this up. In both tutorials you’re given load outs to enter into the aircraft. With the best will in the world, I could not make the figures match without changing the passenger count away from the figures provided. Another thing I’d like to see, is a blown up chart of the cockpit panels, making it easier to find the required switches, gauges and systems. With every flight, you’ll learn the aircraft layout, but a chart would aid the newcomer, removing the overwhelming nature of such a complex add-on. These are only minor gripes though.

Can I recommend the ATR? Wholeheartedly yes. It’s a great aircraft if you like hopping on the busy commuting routes in the US and Europe. Many pilots transition through the ATR’s onto the big jets. Now you can be one of them.

Pros

• Complex and accurate thanks to ATR’s own input
• A gentle aircraft to fly before transitioning to the jets
• Plenty of liveries available online for free.

Cons

• Flight Manual isn’t clear enough
• No clear diagram of the cockpit and panels.

This is a review of Aerosoft’s Mega Airport Heathrow X by Jessica Bannister-Pearce.

Heathrow is the UK’s busiest airport. It’s two runways operate at over 99% capacity whist it’s five terminals handle over half the population of the UK every year. So it’s busy, usually packed full, and it takes a very large area to the west of London. With that in mind, You’ll have some idea of the monumental task that Aerosoft has taken on. So the question is Have they done it? Lets take a look.

What’s in the Box

If you’ve shelled out for the boxed version, then inside it contains the CD, an instruction manual, and best of all, every chart you’ll need to take off, approach, land and park. Inside are charts for all runway approaches, all the arrival patterns, all the SID charts and a detailed set of charts to taxi and park. (After all, with 200 plus gates and 5 terminals, getting lost would be very easy - just ask your luggage.)

A beautiful sight at night

Flying In

Installing Heathrow is simple enough, with options for installing into both FSX and FS2004. After that, load up flight sim and check the add on scenery options to find Heathrow nestled within. Once done, you’re free to enjoy the wonders of Britain’s biggest airport.

Once set at a gate, you can begin to really appreciate the detail that Aerosoft has put into producing as life like a copy as possible. The gates all feature working parking aids to help you line up correctly. Taking a wonder around, you can begin to get a sense of scale, and it’s obvious that Aerosoft haven’t simply limited themselves to just the airport. The surrounding perimeter is also modelled, including the various hotels that sit along the perimeter of runway 27R/09L. But the crown jewels though has to be the brand new, and fully functional, T5 Buildings. It really is a massive building, and on flying into Heathrow, it can be seen from many miles away. Certainly, it’s bound to become Heathrow’s primary visual identifier.

T5 Running as normal?

Aerosoft was given unprecedented access to Heathrow, Including being given a driver and car to photograph every last nook and cranny. T5 must have been somewhat difficult, though, as at the time of development, it remained unfinished. In fact, until October 2008, the airport itself is out of date with the Aerosoft add-on. This has to do with BAA waiting to finalise the new terminal’s switchover, and the numerous airlines playing musical terminals. Even Better, should the demolition of T2 go ahead this year, then the updated airport will available for free to customers.

Real Versus Sim

Frame rates are excellent considering the detail involved. A lot of this is due to Aerosoft’s programming. It only displays some scenery items below a 1 mile distance to help keep the frame rates up.

If the gates look great, then the approach to the runways will knock your socks off. Especially from dusk on. Taxiways glow with green lights, terminals are illuminated well and the runways light up the evening sky from over 30 miles away.

Static aircraft dot themselves around, and although Aerosoft claim that these aircraft models are of low quality, to save on the frame rates, the paint schemes look better than some add on aircraft.

A little high and to the left, but the view is fantastic

Bugs

There are a few bugs. One problem I had originally was the lack of runways until all but a few miles from landing. This turns out to be a problem with FSX only, and after a quick visit to Aerosoft’s website, the problem was solved with the removal of a texture file. The second problem is that on approach to 09L, the glideslope can swing suddenly to the left just before touchdown. Not good if you’re flying on auto with the ILS hold selected. Personally I prefer a manual landing - I need the practice.

The last bug, which is more of an annoyance than a bug, is parking. No matter what I fly into Heathrow, I never get to a gate at a terminal. More often than not I end up on the cargo ramp with a plane full of bewildered passengers. Aerosoft are looking into the problem. But these are minor problems that can be fixed.

T5 Dominates the approach of Heathrow

Conclusion

Well, it’s simple really. This is a great add-on. The scenery is simply awe inspiring, and I can’t help but wonder what the next generation Flight Sim will mean for scenery if the quality is already this high. To say this is a must have, is a major understatement, and at a price of just £19.99, you really can’t lose.

So come and enjoy Britain’s biggest airport. You won’t be sorry, and you get to keep you luggage.

This is a review of LiveATC by Sean Forehand.

You can always hear the sounds of an air traffic controller broadcasting from my cubical at work to the rest of the office.  I have always enjoyed listening to live streaming of KBOS or KJFK’s tower as I work and dreamed that one day I could hear the same chatter of real-time radio communications drowning out the Microsoft robot controllers.  Finally that day has arrived with Cielosim’s Live ATC Chatter.

Let’s start by explaining how Live ATC Chatter works.  The program gives you the ability to import live streams from websites like www.liveatc.net and use those streams in conjunction with your predefined radio frequencies of Com1 or Com 2 in FS9 and FSX.  If you would rather not stream, the program also allows you to download and import achieved streams in Wave or Mp3 format.  Live ATC Chatter also allows you to download and import as many streams as you want; however, you can only program and use 15 frequencies at any one time.  Of course, you can change the airport and frequencies at any point depending upon where you are flying or whatever listening mood you are in.  You can also use a favorites list that is included to cut down on having to reenter your frequency settings and imports of airport feeds on the changes you may make from flight to flight.  This comes in handy on those favorite flight routes you like to frequent.

For my test flight I selected KBOS as my departure airport and KPHL as the arrival.  One downside to the program that should be noted is that the program totally relies on external streams being available and active for your preferred airport.  Keep in mind you can use any active feed you want at any time. I have programmed a wide assortment of airport feeds just for headphone chatter on previous flights.

I selected KBOS to KPHL in particular because I could find the feeds at ww.liveatc.net for both my departure and arrival airports.  KBOS feeds at www.liveatac.net presented Clearance Delivery, Ground, Ramp Control, Tower, and Departure.  KPHL feeds offered were Tower and Approach.  If you frequent these websites, you will know that various feeds are often down, so you may or may not have a live feed once you get ready to load up your flight.  Live ATC Chatter has supplied a tool that will scan all your current selected feeds to ensure they are active with either a green light for up or a red light for down.  This is a nice feature and allows you to do a quick scan before heading off.  It also allots you the option of continuing your flight the way it is without using those feed frequencies, downloading and importing an archived feed, or selecting another airport feed all together.

I headed out to www.liveatc.net and downloaded the feeds I mentioned above and imported them into Live ATC Chatter.  As I imported the feeds, the program automatically assigned frequencies to the feeds.  You can change these frequencies to your liking if you wish to do so.  Live ATC Chatter also allows you to choose from Com 1 or Com 2 for your chatter feed; however, I left the setting to the default of Com 2.  Once I had the frequencies the way I wanted them, I used the print option included with the program that places all of your frequencies and descriptions in a nice table so you can print and use them for reference.

A quick scan of the frequencies yielded green on all feeds, so I was ready to place the program in start mode.  Once in start mode, Live ATC Chatter waits for FS to start and then binds your predefined frequencies.   Now that I was in the cockpit, I headed over to my radio and tuned in my Com 2 setting to 118.00 which I had selected for the KBOS Delivery feed from www.liveatc.net.  I tuned in and heard a beep followed by live streaming of chatter. Take that MS cardboard controllers!  At times you will find there can be a lot of traffic from your feeds which could cause you to pull you hair out.  If so, you can simply adjust the sound level in Live ATC Chatter to a lower setting or you can tune the Com frequency to another unused setting to act as a mute of the stream chatter.

Throughout my flight progression I adjusted the Com 2 frequency according to my location in the flight and to my predefined frequencies.  During the last leg of my flight, I tuned into KPHL’s Tower and then Approach frequency which added a great deal to the “being there” feeling.   All in all it was a great experience. Hearing live traffic come across my head phones gave me a greater sense of immersion.  I did not notice any frame rate hit or any other abnormal effect to my flight.  I will say however, on an earlier flight, I lost my feeds altogether.  After the flight I discovered that all of liveatc.net’s feeds had gone down, so I was reduced to only the sound of cardboard ATCs of MFS.  Although this only happened to me once over several flights, it should be considered along with the somewhat limited airport feeds available.  If this happens to you, or if your stream cannot be connected while in MFS, you will receive an audible notice.

In closing I would like to say I really enjoyed being able to hear real-time streaming of air traffic coming across my headphones because it added a greater sense of immersion.  The installation and documentation of the product was straight forward and easy to use and install.  The fact that I can tune in different frequencies for different feeds, scan for active feeds, import feed archives, use favorite lists, and print my selected frequency list makes the program easy to use.  On the downside, you are limited to whatever airport feeds you can find on the Internet and those real time streams being active.  For me, this is only a small setback as the program offers you the option of importing archived streams if the live stream is unavailable.  I also want to point out that I noticed the developers are very active in their forum and are quick to answer questions and offer support. If you enjoy listening to real-time feeds and want an extra touch of immersion mixed in with your flight sim, I can whole heartily recommend Live ATC Chatter,  It delivers as advertised.

Requirements

• Flight Simulator 2004 or FSX
• Windows XP or Vista
• Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0, Get it here
• FSUIPC, Get it here (Free or Pay version)
• Active internet connection when using live
• ATC streams

This is a review of Flight 1’s Ultimate Airlines Super MD-80 by Jessica Bannister-Pearce.

Airliners are complex creatures. There’s a reason that it takes years of training and thousands of flight hours to be fully proficient in any given airliner. Yet as avid flight simmers, we demand the same level of complexity that a Captain experiences on a daily basis, brought to our home computers. From start up to shut down and all points in between, we seek to emulate the Captains and co-pilots without any of the costs and training. That’s where Ultimate airlines Super MD-80 comes in.

The MD-80 was simply the old DC-9 stretched and renamed, so called because the aircraft was to be in service by 1980. Technically it was designated the DC-9-80. To confuse matters, the model that replaced the MD-80 was the DC-9-50. It was an extremely popular aircraft with pilots and airlines, which offered high levels of reliability and a wonderfully quiet cabin thanks to its rear mounted engines. Ultimate Airlines Super MD-80 gives us all of that.

So where do we start? Lets begin with the packaging. What you get for your money is the usual DVD box, CD and several printed books. One is simply a catalogue of current releases, but of more interest were the installation manual along with a handy A3 size, double sided poster showing every switch on every panel, with a description of each one. (Believe me, this will be a godsend later on). Also included is the full 284- page aircraft operations manual in PDF format. You can find this tucked away in the Flight 1 folder in the start menu. Installation was simple and painless, with the installer giving us the option of both FSX and FS2004 versions of the aircraft.

Once flight sim has started, choosing the MD-80 is a little different than normal. Instead of the usual selecting of the aircraft from the front menu, we have to first load a default aircraft like the old Cessna 172, shut it down and then change the aircraft via the aircraft settings on the menu bar. This has something to do with the loading of the 2D panels within flight sim itself. Once done, we’re presented with a welcome screen telling us how to get started. This can be switched off once you’re used to the aircraft, but annoyingly the menu pops up every time you start a flight for the first time.

Welcome aboard!

The Cockpit

The CoolSky/Flight 1 team have thought about a great many things when producing this add-on, and one of the things they’ve thought about is how to select the various panels. Traditionally we use Shift+1, +2 etc, to select the overhead panel, or we use the various buttons on the flight deck, just like the default aircraft. CoolSky/Flight 1 have gone one better however by giving us a sidebar menu on the left of the screen. Normally hidden from view, bringing the mouse to the top left hand corner shows a little blue arrow, and by hovering over it, the side bar menu is displayed. Panels are graphically displayed as large thumbnails, making it much easier to select the right panel. This is a great idea in my opinion, and it does reduce the need for the keyboard. Also included in the menu, are several extra options, including V-speed charts, training centre, (more on this in a moment) and the dispatch centre. All are shown as thumbnails, just like the panels. The dispatch centre is certainly comprehensive.

Pick your panels from the menu on the side.

Rather than the standard weight per crew, per passenger and fuel, you’re given near ultimate control over your passengers, baggage and cargo. Increasing the number of passengers decreases the number of seats available. The seat assignments are random (just as in real life). There’s a handy randomise setting to help load out the flight if you haven’t really got a clue how many passengers you want to carry. You can also do the same thing to the fuel tanks, although randomising the fuel load seems like playing Russian roulette to me! The number of passengers and amount of fuel of course are extremely important to the Centre of Gravity calculations, more so than the old reliable B737. You’ll need the C of G to set the rear stabiliser for take-off. The figure is shown on the bottom of the dispatch centre screen.

Seat 25a Sir, May I take your coat?

There are problems here however. Using the dispatch centre can be a little hit and miss, with random crashes of flight sim happening when clicking the update FS button. This, I’ve discovered has to do with loading flight plans prior to choosing the MD-80 from the menu. To get around this, you need to select your airport without loading the flight plan until after the Dispatch centre has updated flight sim. Also, Vista users will need to turn off the User Account Control, or the new figures won’t be loaded in and you’ll be left staring at the screen waiting for the 2D panels to reload.

The Panels are all faithfully recreated, to a good standard, however some of the switch labels seemed a little blurry, requiring a closer look at the screen. There are also a myriad of internal views to choose from, including both captain and co-pilot views from two angles, plus an all over view from the back of the cockpit. The Virtual Cockpit is beautifully rendered, and is for flying a visual approach. Frame rates were surprisingly good, considering my middle of the road graphics card (A 256Mb Radeon HD2600XT) with figures generally exceeding 30 fps even in VC mode, dropping to around a still flyable 14-16 fps near the ground.

Waiting for the passengers

Exterior

The exterior of the aircraft is excellent, with moving panels such as flaps, slats, spoilers and gear all moving smoothly and realistically. A personal favourite are the reverse thrust buckets. Seeing the large buckets deployed just looks great. One grumble however is the lack of liveries for the MD-80. There are just 5 supplied, only 3 of which were familiar to me. FS2004 pilots get a few more from the CD-Rom. Thinking of this though, CoolSky have given us a repaint program for FS2004 (An FSX version can be downloaded from Flight1’s Website) so at least we get to add our own. The really good news is there are more than enough repaints out there on the web to satisfy anyone. Still it would have been nice to have few more liveries to choose from on the disc.

Exterior surfaces doing what they do best

Getting Started

This is not an aircraft that you can simply jump in and go, and as such you’d think that the novice pilot may be frightened off before even attempting a flight. CoolSky/Flight 1 have again given this some thought however, so off to the training centre we go.

Clicking on the training centre from the sidebar menu brings up 3 choices. Firstly we have the Checklist trainer, followed by the Procedures trainer, and finally the automatic aircraft configuration selector. Selecting the Checklist trainer, we’re presented with several choices, from Pre-engine start to Post flight shut down. Starting at the beginning we’re taken to the 2D cockpit. In the bottom right hand corner sits a new window displaying the appropriate checklist item with a description of what setting to place the switch or lever into. In the cockpit, a yellow arrow also points to the required switch or lever. In general this works well, but in trying to look good and be somewhat atmospheric, the font style is similar to an old typewriter. This means that the text display in the checklist window can be difficult to read at times. You can however select a different font from the options menu that is much easier to read. The Procedure trainer works in much the same way as the checklist trainer, taking you through the procedures from the Originating Pre flight checklist (Set aside around 10 to 20 minutes for this one!) to Engine shutdown. Finally the Automatic aircraft configuration menu lets you set the aircraft to any phase of the flight without the extra work of checklists. So for those who’ve only got time for a quickie, this is for you.

Follow the yellow Arrow, for it shall show you the way

Navigation

For pilots of the newer heavies, the MD-80 may seem a little different. There’s no FMC. Two separate computers control navigation and performance. The PMS (Performance Management Computer) deals with the fuel, weight and speed of the flight. This can be used in conjunction with the autopilot in lieu of the IAS hold button. Meanwhile the ONS (Omega Navigation System) is more like the forerunner of today’s FMC. There aren’t any flight plans pre-loaded into the computer as standard, So each individual flight plan needs to loaded from an existing plan in Flight sim. This differs a little from normal. You first need to create a flight plan as normal, but when you save it, it must be done with a specific file name. (E.g. EGFF-EGLL-12345) the last set of numbers being the flight number, to a maximum of 5 digits. (If you don’t save the plan like this it won’t be found.) Then, entering the Departure and destination airports in the ACARS control unit, along with the flight number, primes the ONS for switch on and loading of the plan. From there it’s the same as flying with an FMC via the autopilot. Think of the MD-80 as a Hybrid, stuck between the steam-powered aircraft like the old B727, and the modern Jets like the B777.

Autopilot

The autopilot or Digital Flight Guidance System is both familiar and seemingly more complex than the standard B737 system. The standard buttons are still there, but there are several functions that were new to me. The ‘Perf’ button for example engages the PMS in flying the aircraft, with it determining cruising speeds, climbs and descents. I found I preferred using this function as opposed to the standard ‘Alt hold’ ‘Vert Speed’ and even the ‘speed hold’ buttons. Of course you have to program the unit first to use it. The ‘Nav’ Function works with the ONS and the ILS and autoland systems work well, Mirroring today’s VNAV and LNAV functions.

The exterior modelling is second to none

Flying

Once you’ve gotten used to the procedures, checklists and other such things, the actual flying seems like a relief. When finally the time comes for take off, you advance the throttles and a welcome whoosh from the Pratt and Whitney engines greets your ears. CoolSky/Flight 1 recommend a top quality sound card, such as the excellent Soundblaster X-Fi, to get the most out of the built in sounds. And they’re not wrong. As you accelerate down the runway, your co-pilot calls out your speed, before you lift of a V2 and accelerate to V2+10 (again all called out by your friendly neighbourhood co-pilot) the gear comes up and at 1000 feet you retract the flaps and slats as you continue to climb. My favourite sounds come when deploying the speed brakes in the air or lowering the gear. The roar of the air over the wings sounds great. What struck me was how stable the whole aircraft felt, along with the sheer amount of power available to you. At full power the aircraft can easily accelerate to over speed, even in a climb, so watch that ASI. The Cruise is simple and quiet. Once you begin your descent you’ll need to watch your speed again, as in a clean configuration the aircraft is quite like a greasy weasel. It’s at low speeds though, that the MD-80 impressed me. With full flaps and slats, gear down and the throttles at ¾’s the MD-80 remains gentle and easily controllable. Even at full throttle the airspeed doesn’t reach over 200 knots. The result of this is one of the easiest, smoothest landings I’ve ever made, and with full reverse, full spoilers and brakes the MD-80 stops well before a trip through the grass. One thing to beware of is that when switching from reverse to Idle, the aircraft will move forward as the reversers lock back into place. (So Brakes are a must, especially if getting push back via reverse thrust. A legitimate manoeuvre I might add.)

Now that’s a great view. It just shows the level of detail Flight 1/CoolSky have put in to this aircraft

Conclusion

So what do I think of the MD-80. I can sum it up in one word - Excellent. CoolSky/Flight 1 has done an excellent job of providing on of the most complex simulations I’ve seen. Every aircraft system is modelled, and yet it never allows the complexity to overwhelm you, providing you with guides and help all along the way. Some things have to be done a little differently than we’re use to, but Both Vista and FSX run differently than many developers were used to, so the workarounds here allow us to enjoy this classic aircraft. The inclusion of the full aircraft manual is a real bonus, and I urge you to print it out and study it to really get the best out of this fantastic aircraft. Added to this package, although not mentioned yet, is the fantastic support provided by CoolSky. The forums are friendly and the development team provides support quickly. Personally I liked this aircraft so much, it’s now my default choice amongst my fleet. Flying in the 1980’s never looked or felt so much fun.

Pros

• Complex Procedural Simulation
• Excellent training sections

Cons

• Slightly different way to load in a flight
• Some panel switches hard to read
• Lack of Liveries supplied

Aerosoft are starting to get themselves a great reputation, particularly in the area of small but super-detailed airfields.

In the case of Lord Howe Island X, they’ve excelled themselves. I make no apologies for the fact that this review contains a lot of screenshots. This scenery add-on is simply beautiful and, as a picture’s worth a thousand words…

But first, a little background. Lord Howe Island is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Here’s a shot from Google Earth showing just how isolated it is:

Handily, Aerosoft have provided a number of flight plans enabling you to get yourself there. Having said that, I can see the majority of people who purchase this add-on simply flying around the island taking in the stunning views.

The products comes with a short but useful manual. In it, Aerosoft provide suggested graphics settings for Flight Simulator X. I set my sim up with those settings for this review. I’d say the settings were spot on. I’ve got FSX locked at 25FPS, and it didn’t drop below that once.

As the manual points out, you should get healthy frame rates with Lord Howe, as it’s an isolated patch of land surrounded by sea.

Starting out at the small parking area at the airfield, you’ll notice a number of people in the surrounding buildings waiting to see you off, although the chap reading the newspaper doesn’t look too interested!

You’re going to need a fairly small aircraft to get yourself airborne before you hit the water, regardless of which direction you take off in. Aerosoft’s Twin Otter was the ideal aircraft of choice for my site-seeing tour.

I took off to the west and headed for a trip around the island. Once airborne, you’ll find the views are simply amazing. The terrain mesh and ground textures give an incredible feeling of realism. Even up close, the textures remain crisp and clear, making you want to explore every inch of the island.

I headed off towards the rocky outcrop a few miles from the island.

The trip back gave some nice views of the island from a distance. I flew over the runway to circle around, and this is where the winds being distrupted by the mountains came into play, causing a bumpy turn on to finals.

Time to bring the tourists back to the island and nicely lined up for a very short landing.

Conclusion

Once again, Aerosoft have excelled themselves with this product. I had a wonderful time reviewing it and will be returning very shortly. At 14.95 Euro, this is a bargain. The provided scenery area is small, admittedly, but is so well detailed and produced, it provides a feeling of reality rarely experienced. It also gives you the chance to crank FSX up to the maximum and still enjoy fluid flight.

I wholeheartedly rcommend Lord Howe Island to anyone who loves flying below 35,000 feet.