Unless you have changed the default settings, when you load up your first flight with the Caravan, the first thing you will see is the 2D cockpit. If you are familiar with the default C208, the layout is not unfamiliar, but a lot more crisp and professional looking, as well as having the GPS built into the panel. So now have run your eye over the 2D panel, you will have realized that even though this product is aimed at the more casual simmer, no corners have been cut. Move into the VC and this will be confirmed again. The only problem I have found with either panel, is that there is no switch for the avionics, I have had to use my keyboard assignment to switch on the avionics, then I am able to switch on the GPS. Again, this could be due to my set-up being set so that the avionics are turned off when the flight loads up. The VC is very nice, and the aircraft is easily flyable from within the VC or the 2D panel, so it's very much down to personal preference on that one. Neither panel produced a significant frame rate hit, so feelThere have accomplished that part of their design brief.

2D Panel // Virtual Cockpit

I have found that when handling her on the ground, as is the case with most propeller planes, it's very much a trial and error process to get the prop pitch, throttle and mixture set correctly to stop the aircraft running away from you on the taxi-way, but once you have figured it out, it's not a problem any more. All phases of flight are very smooth from take-off to touch down. At first it was a little hard to get her trimmed correctly for straight and level flight, but the more you fly her, the better you become with her. An aspect I particularly look for in less complex aircraft add-ons, is how well they fly by hand. This particular add-on flies very well, but just remember to make smooth inputs to the controls or the passengers will feel like they are on a roller coaster! When landing I found that the Caravan has a tendency to float if you flare too early, and can result in you eventually touching down halfway along the runway. Again, the more touchdowns you make, the better you become at judging them, get it spot on and you hardly have to touch the joystick on finals apart from when you flare, and even then you hardly notice that you have touched down. Get it wrong and you'll be bouncing back up for a go around!

A great thing about the Caravan is that you can land her practically anywhere, and fly her practically anywhere. She has a service ceiling of just under 23,000ft, making mountain flights possible, and she has great STOL capability, so those grass strips in the outback all of a sudden become appealing. I flew her around the Himalayas quite a lot recently, and had no problems at all with the high altitude landings and short runways. She is also cruises at a nice speed so that you can explore a wide area without it taking hours on end to do so, but the speed isn't so fast that you miss everything as you fly by, and the view from the VC is superb when flying VFR.

This aircraft really is fun to fly, and considering the very affordable price tag, no expense has been spared on the quality. You don't have to spend hours reading up on how to fly her and how to work the FMC, simply because there isn't one. If you are familiar with the default Caravan, the learning time is minimal. If you haven't bought any pay ware products before and are thinking you might like to expand your hangar and eventually move onto more complex add-ons, this is a great starting point for you. On the flip-side, if you are more accustomed and get most fun out of living the high life at FL350 in a complex heavy jet, this add-on may not be for you in the long term, but will undoubtedly provide you with entertainment when using her in the short term.

I think that feelThere have accomplished what they set out to do, and this is an add-on that offers something for everyone regardless of their ability and takes minimal time to learn how to fly her. For all those pilots who like flying short hops or bush flying, I can strongly recommend buying this add-on.

Blue Skies

PAY8156

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Minimum requirements:

Pentium IV 1,4 GHz, 256MB RAM, 32MB Graphics, FS2004, Windows 2000 or XP

http://www.feelthere.com/2005/caravandlx.html