Digital Aviation Piper Cheyenne X Review

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This is a review of Digital Aviation’s Piper Cheyenne X by Paul Webster

Piper Cheyenne PA 31T - Overview

The Piper Cheyenne PA 31T twin Turboprop was first available in 1974 and was a direct development of the popular PA-31 Navajo piston engined twin. Designed as a corporate aircraft, it typically seats 6 including the pilot, but can seat a total of 8 passengers and crew. Various revisions and refinements were made to the aircraft until production of the PA31T ceased in 1985, with 823 units having been sold.

Model History

1974 - The original Cheyenne is released powered by 2 620hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28 turboprop engines, has a maximum cruise speed of 280kt, a ceiling of 29,000ft and at maximum speed a range of 840nm.

1978 - Piper release the Cheyenne I, a budget version of the aircraft with 2 500hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-11 turboprop engines. At this point, the original Cheyenne was renamed the Cheyenne II.

1980 - Piper release the Cheyenne IIXL, a stretched version of the Cheyenne II. It was 2ft longer, had an extra cabin window on the left side and featured 2 750hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135s turboprop engines giving a maximum cruise speed of 270kt, a ceiling of 32,400ft and a range at max speed of 1408nm.

1983 - The final revision of the Cheyenne the IA is released with revisions to the Piper I to give more power at altitude along with improved ignition systems, a larger windshield and a redesigned interior.

Digital Aviation’s Piper Cheyenne X

The reason for the model history above is because Digital Aviations Piper Cheyenne X is a package containing separate models of each of the 4 versions of the PA 31T Cheyenne. The original specification Cheyenne II, the lower powered budget version the Cheyenne I, the stretched Cheyenne IIXL, and the last in the line Cheyenne IA. Each model has been fully reworked for FSX SP2, including specular lighting and each comes with three distinct liveries.

The avionics suite included is what would typically be found in these aircraft, a Bendix King Silver Crown Plus comprising of:

• KMA 28 Audio Panel
• KY196B Com radios (x2)
• KN53 Nav radios (x2)
• KR87 ADF Receiver (x2)
• KT76C Transponder (x2)
• KFC250 Autopilot (Cheyenne I and Cheyenne IA only)
• KFC300 Autopilot (Cheyenne II and Cheyenne IIXL only)

Also included are a Trimble 2000 Approach plus GPS and fully functional weather radar.

Purchase, Installation & Documentation

Purchase of the product is through Aerosoft’s website, which is a simple and straightforward process. Executing the downloaded setup file takes you step by step through the installation process which includes the option to upgrade the default landing light graphics, which I chose not to install as it affects all aircraft, not just the Cheyenne. As well as installing the aircraft, the executable creates an Aerosoft program group on your start menu containing links to the support forum, the products FAQ page and shortcuts to the various manuals. The 180 page full colour Aircraft Operation Manual is extensive and comprehensive and is available in both English and German, along with brief tutorials on using the Trimble and Weather equipment and on flying the aircraft. Shorter product manuals are also available in both French and Spanish.

The models

This is the second aircraft from Digital Aviation that I’ve reviewed and just like last time I was blown away by the attention to detail that the team have put into modelling the aircraft both externally and internally. There is a huge sense of realism that comes with exploring the aircraft. You gain the impression that this is a well used, purposeful vehicle which has flown and will continue to fly passengers to their destinations with little fuss and in a high level of comfort. Externally, it would appear that every single detail of the aircraft (panel, inspection cover, light etc) has been carefully rendered; there is a subtle patina of dirt giving the sense that this is not a brand new aircraft. The only niggle for me is the reflective effects on the aircraft which make it look like it has been coated with a high gloss varnish which kind of counters the efforts that have been made to age the models.

The internal modelling is just as well done as the external. Before we get to the cockpit, there are 3 separate views of the cabin available, allowing you to sit and admire the attention to detail from the left, right and rear seats. The tables are animated and stow away neatly at the click of a mouse. All the writing within the cabin is perfectly readable and again efforts have been made to make the overall appearance clean, but not new. The plush leather seats and passenger operated cabin temperature control hint at a comfortable flight to come and ashtrays within the armrests (including the pilot’s seats) point to a bygone era when political correctness was in its infancy.

The cockpit carries on the quality theme. Switchgear and pedals show signs of wear, again in line with the age of the aircraft. All the instrumentation and avionics are. Instrument labelling is all perfectly legible, as are the checklists printed underneath the pilots windows, and the night lighting effects are probably the best I’ve seen. It doesn’t take too much time exploring the controls before the urge overtakes you to start flicking switches in order to get flying.

The Configuration Manager

Before proceeding to operate the aircraft, it is a good idea to visit the configuration manager which is available by pressing Shift & 7 whilst the model is running in FSX. Here, amongst other things, you can select whether you want the aircraft to start in a cold & dark state, choose your payload in terms of passengers and baggage, and fine tune the volume of the models sound set. Most configuration changes will mean you have to save your chosen configuration, exit and re-start the flight. However, you can choose to show & hide the VC Yokes ‘on the fly’ (no pun intended). Once you’ve got your configuration sorted, it’s time to get the show on the road.

Operating the aircraft

Turboprop engines have more in common with jet engines than they do with piston driven units. The way the engine delivers power to the propellers is less direct, meaning there is some lag between moving the throttles and the aircraft responding. Full throttles are hardly used as the torque being delivered by the engines depends on more variables than the amount of fuel being delivered. So, for a pilot transitioning from piston engines to turboprops, the experience can be both challenging and rewarding when it all comes together.

As you’d expect, the 180 page Operation manual provided contains a detailed checklist for starting the aircraft from cold & dark, through getting airborne, landing and shutting down. Additionally, Digital Aviation has provided a separate tutorial which cuts down the procedures to the bare minimum and walks you through a successful flight. Also included are separate instructions for manually programming the Trimble GPS, but I found it much easier to import an FS flight plan through the Aux button on the unit. The Trimble doesn’t have a graphical display which is where the weather radar comes into its own, as you can use this to display the GPS Nav path on its screen.

Using the tutorial, it’s not long before you’re ready to roll. A brief nudge on the throttle to get the Cheyenne rolling and then back on zero throttle will see you maintain a suitable pace for taxiing. Takeoff clearance acknowledged, it’s time to enter the runway and position for take-off. Power is initially applied with the brake on and throttles at 50%. Once the correct power has been achieved, it’s time to fly. With the trim set correctly, take off is nice and smooth. Gear up and AP on, the rate of climb is adjusted using buttons on the autopilot rather than the trimwheel. You will have already set your desired altitude, so it’s just a case of following the ATC’s direction using the heading bug until you can maintain your own course via the GPS. A very useful feature is that the label on the heading and course bugs change as you rotate the relevant knob to show the exact course selected in degrees, so no more guessing “is that 123°or 126°”. The Autopilot buttons are a little vague to use, but a glance at the Mode Annunciator confirms exactly what you’ve got selected. The avionics are 30 years old and not as intuitive as the modern alternatives, but again it’s a challenge that adds to the experience and the rewards of successfully learning to fly a different aircraft.

In flight, the aircraft behaved very smoothly to both pilot and avionics input. No complaints from the passengers here  Landing and parking were equally fuss free.

Conclusion

Getting to know Digital Aviations Cheyenne has been a real pleasure and doubtless will continue to be as I get fully acquainted with the individual models and more proficient with the onboard systems. I really can’t fault this product at all. Okay, the external model is a bit glossy, but this seams to be a feature of FSX rather than a fault with the product.

Like Digital Aviations Dornier I reviewed recently, the Cheyenne offers so much more than the fly and forget qualities of a lot of other payware models.

It seems clear that the team at Digital aviation are real flight simulator enthusiasts, whose main purpose is to design the types of models that they themselves would want to fly. The superfluous little touches such as the can of drink provided for the passengers, the website link on the co-pilot’s chair or the subtle changes to the interiors of the cabins across models, all add to the overall experience of owning their models and make exploring the aircraft almost as much fun as flying it.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this aircraft to anyone.

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