Introduction
Since the introduction of Microsoft's Flight Simulator,
nearly 20 years ago now, there have become available many add-on aircraft
and scenery packages (specifically since the release of FS5 about 6 or 7
years ago) from 3rd party authors. With the release of FS98 and then two
years later, FS2000, the quality of these 3rd party add-ons have greatly
increased in their individual quality and often times easily exceeding the
quality of the default, whether these add-ons be payware or freeware.
It was with
FS2000 that we really saw some interesting and exciting add-ons such as
the Wilco Pilot In Command 767, the PSS 777 &
747, Dreamfleet's extraordinary 737; even the Corporate Pilot
series from Abacus was surprisingly well done. On the freeware side of
the coin there was (and is) the DC-3 from Bill Rambow-Roy Chaffin-Jan
Visser, the infamous Antonov AN-24RV from the Russian Flightsim Group, the
little Cessna 120 with a dynamic virtual cockpit from Bill Lyons, and of
course the Dassault Falcon50 from Yannick Lavigne-Rob Young-Fred Banting.
There have also been many fine examples that included aircraft only or
panels only, but in the overall it has been the complete packages, that
for the serious flightsimmer, have raised this cross-bar to a level that I
don't believe many of us had even considered possible just a couple of
years ago.
Since the introduction of FS2002 there have been several
update files or patches released, allowing one to install the vast
majority of their high quality FS2000 aircraft add-ons into the latest
simulator from Microsoft—and there have been a few very high quality
aircraft designed specifically for FS2002 as well (Bill Lyons' Cannuck 80s
for example). Each new release seems to bump that imaginary cross-bar up a
notch or so.
With the release of the freeware Dassault Falcon50 from
Yannick Lavigne-Rob Young-Fred Banting for FS2002, this imaginary
cross-bar has once again been raised to a new level—a level that will be
difficult to match, let alone exceed with future releases, regardless of
whether future releases—which are sure to come—are payware or freeware.
What these three fellows have done with their release of
their Falcon50, from their FS2000 design updated for use in FS2002, is to
offer up one of the most advanced design examples of an aircraft for
Flight simulator ever seen. With each version of Flight Simulator, there
is a boundary or wall—where the limitations of the FS program just simply
will not allow you to go beyond with any FS aircraft design—though with
each version of Flight Simulator there has been an author or two that has
certainly pushed this wall out an inch or two. I am quite surprised and
delighted to see that Yannick, Rob, and Fred have pushed this wall out
even further (specifically with the virtual cockpit) with FS2002 and they
have done this so early from its (FS2002) release date—and they have done
this without the use of the SDK for panels (the SDK for FS2002 panels has
yet to be released from Microsoft).
I was privileged to have been sent (two weeks before its
general release) a beta version of the Yannick-Rob-Fred Falcon50 for
FS2002 and I have flown it a number of hours under many different flying
conditions, and I am quite excited and pleased to offer the following
review!
General
The first thing I want to say is that despite all the
comments in the flight simming forums over the last several months, at the
various flightsim websites, this new release from Yannick Lavigne, Rob
Young, and Fred Banting is positive proof that high quality freeware is
not dead!
This is a complete package including: 2 complete aircraft
(a lite and a full version), a custom designed flight dynamics model,
comprehensive flight-operations manual, and a highly detailed panel with a
fully functioning 3D virtual cockpit/dynamic panel. The only compromise
was with the sounds, as Yannick took advantage of the default Lear45
sounds for this aircraft.
Aircraft
From a visual point of view (external), the
Yannick-Young-Banting Falcon50 is only marginally changed from its FS2000
counterpart. Now when I say marginally changed or improved, that shouldn't
be misunderstood or considered to be a negative comment, because the
external appearance of this FS aircraft is as near perfection as could
possibly be hoped for. From the fully animated landing gear to the
perfectly round & chrome tipped engine air inlets, this FS aircraft is
simply on the top of the heap when it comes to design shape and texturing.
This aircraft includes FS2002 style lighting effects and the landing
lights are fully visible from the 3D virtual cockpit.
Flight Dynamics
Rob Young is no secret to those of us that have had even
a passing interest in add-on aircraft for FLY! or Flight Simulator; he has
once again applied his magic to the design of the airfile for this
aircraft. Rob explains in the portion of the flight manual covering flight
dynamics, that working with the limitations of FS2000 apparently have
carried over to FS2002 as well. Regardless of these built-in limitations
though, Rob has been able to overcome them, and even though this FS
aircraft may not hit all of the numbers exactly on target, Rob has been
able to tweak the airfile to where an ultra-smooth experience
(particularly with pitch and trim) will present itself with anyone that
flies this wonderful aircraft.
One of the areas that Rob addressed are those involved
with duplicating the real-world feel of a medium sized business jet such
as the Falcon50, considering that most 3rd party FS aircraft are either
overly sensitive or are very sluggish in their feel. The default Lear45 in
FS2000 was a classic example of an over-sensitive FS aircraft, almost to
the point of being unflyable in Flight Simulator. Real-world aircraft of
this size and weight generally resist brisk inputs from the flight
controls, particularly at higher airspeeds.
Duplicating this real-world reaction to a FS flight-yoke
or joystick (even the force-feedback type) has been difficult, if not
impossible, but Rob has been able to design in this feel by his
manipulation of this FS aircraft's airfile. Rob also gives a great deal of
credit to his beta flight testers Peter Sidoli (a highly experienced
Corporate jet Captain), Tim Sanders (Falcon50 Training Captain), and Ron
Freimuth (another highly experienced FS airfile guru) for having assisted
in perfecting his flight modeling with this Falcon50 FS aircraft. Other
areas that Rob improved have been with taxiing and with correcting
braking/reverse thrust reaction (or more correctly, over-reaction). It is
now possible to apply off-idle thrust and maintain a constant taxi rate,
using slight braking inputs to control your speed. This ability to taxi
smoothly also translates to making turns at slow speeds as well. Overall
this aircraft exhibits as accurate a feel for an aircraft of this type and
weight, under all conditions, as any FS aircraft you will ever get your
hands on!
Documentation
This freeware FS aircraft contains a documentation
package that frankly rivals even the best of the available payware
aircraft. Dynamic and comprehensive in its content, all aspects of the
Falcon50 are well covered, as are all operational features and limitations
of this FS aircraft. Beautiful in its presentation and offering a print
button on every page, this is about as good as it gets.
Panel(s)
Well, I've saved the best for last, as the really
outstanding feature of Yannick Lavigne's Falcon50 is the panels. Now
Yannick has included two complete versions of the Falcon50, a full version
and a 'lite' version, the lite version being available for those that are
still operating Flight Simulator on a less powerful computer. The lite
version is devoid the high detailed features, but specifically it lacks
the virtual panel-cockpit. Being as I have Flight Simulator installed on a
mid-range system (AMD 1.3Ghz with 256mb ram) I found that my Frames Per
Second to be quite acceptable flying the Full version Falcon50 and using
the virtual panel-cockpit.
The 2D panel is for the most part unchanged from its
FS2000 version, with the exception of Yannick and Fred having exchanged
the Dragonflight Collins radios for the default FS2002 737 radios. Where
Yannick and Fred have really pushed the envelop of design has been with
their virtual panel-cockpit. Without the benefit of the panel SDK, these
fellows have really stepped up to a level of functionality that I hadn't
even imagined was possible. The gains they have achieved include: fully
dynamic gauges, animated controls, pop-up windows for all panel functions
(including the overhead panel), extraordinarly accurate cockpit night
lighting, and the best feature is giving you the ability to move anywhere
about the cockpit or passenger cabin. Because of the pop-up windows, you
can fly and control the autopilot from any position in the aircraft, which
allows you to make autopilot heading and altitude changes (as directed by
ATC) from the rear cabin area where you can relax and peer out the window,
traveling as a passenger. You can also move forward and fly this aircraft
from either the captain's position or from the co-pilot's position; the
choice is yours. Your ability to fly and control this aircraft from the
virtual cockpit mode is so complete, having the 2D panel is merely
redundant—frankly I probably would prefer that this mode be removed from
future upgrades of this aircraft, if possible.
The only thing
that I am sure many will notice or comment on are that there are no people
visible (pilots or passengers) around you when you are in the virtual
cockpit mode. Now I agree that this would have been a nice little feature;
it simply is not possible to do, because had Yannick included pilots and
passengers in the virtual mode, it would have greatly restricted your
ability to move about the cabin and would have negatively effected your
views of the panel or out the windows. Flight Simulator 2002 simply has no
allowances for this feature at this time.
Summary
We here at AVSIM adopted a review policy that now
separates the review rating standards of payware files-packages from
reviews of freeware files. In addition our reviewing policy (specifically
only for payware reviews) includes a rather comprehensive scoring method
(each reviewer is responsible to complete this form before submitting a
review to the editors at AVSIM) that is used to determine the stars
"grade" that product receives. For any reviewed payware package to receive
5 stars requires, above all, that the product being reviewed not only
achieve near perfection, it also must be the new standard that all
following products of its type will be compared to. Had the Falcon50 for
FS2002 from Yannick Lavigne-Rob Young-Fred Banting been a payware package,
it would have easily achieved a 5 star rating from all of us at AVSIM – of
that I have no doubt. The best we can do for these fellows is to award
this FS aircraft freeware package the "AVSIM Freeware Gold Award" for an
absolutely outstanding package. In what probably is the best compliment we
can pay these fellows is that it will be the Falcon50 of Yannick, Rob, and
Fred for FS2002 that will be the new standard that all future payware
aircraft releases will be compared to as well. Yannick and the boys have
pushed the envelop for FS aircraft design so far out to the edge as to
make if very very difficult for any future payware releases to achieve a 5
star rating here at AVSIM! Believe me, that says a lot!
By all means download these two files from Avsim's
Library by clicking on the following links:
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