| Just Flight's Warrior // OSS' Shoreham |
| Friday, 21 April 2006 | |
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Page 2 of 2 PA28-161 Warrior
The fixed-gear, low-wing Warrior is a simple, stable & dependable aircraft that's fun and easy to fly. I've never flown one of these aircraft, nor any aircraft for that matter, but if this is how they fly for real, then I would relish the chance to get up in one. It is without doubt one of, if not the, best GA aircraft I have flown on FS. There is no autopilot, so it is a total hands on experience. To be honest, even if there was an autopilot I would never touch it, that's how fun this aircraft is to fly. She is so stable in all aspects of flight it's unbelievable. Unlike the default FS aircraft, there isn't a huge and twitchy reps once when you trim, its a gradual phase. If you want to level off you can do it with great ease. You set the trim and the power and she stays where you put her. There isn't any pitching up and down trying to get her to level off like with the default aircraft, she really is easy to fly. There isn't an extensive manual with the Warrior, far from it. There is a double printed page in the manual with a screenshot of the panel and a list of what's what on the panel. There are checklists and performance data that can be accessed via the FS2004 kneeboard to aid you when you're flying, but that's it. No need to study 100+ page manuals on just how to start the engines like with most commercial add-ons. You really can just jump in and fly away, providing you start the engines and fill 'er up of course! When you first load up the plane, i strongly recommend taking a walk around the exterior, you won't be disappointed! The exterior modelling is superb. As soon as you look at the plane you can tell that a lot of work has gone into it. She is extremely frame-rate friendly too. If you zoom up close enough, even the door hinges look good! If you want to check out how good she is compared to her real life counterpart, just search up the registration on www.airliners.net !
As you begin your pre-flight checks, you are able to inspect the engine to make sure it's still there by using the Shift+E+2 command to open the hatch. As you step inside you are greeted by the very nice 2D panel. The view is somewhat obscured by the yoke, but fear not as this can be removed with the click of a button.
For people who don't like to fly using the virtual cockpit, then things may be about to change! The virtual cockpit for the warrior is excellent. The refresh rates are great, giving a nice smooth readout of all the dials and needles. I find it easier to fly using the virtual cockpit than using the 2D Panel on this particular aircraft. That's not to say that she isn't flyable from the 2D cockpit, you just get a better experience in the virtual cockpit.
As you pan around the virtual cockpit things only get better. You really get an impression of being in an aircraft that costs more than just £9.75 to download. The virtual cockpit is fully functional and all the animations are very smooth. Flying this aircraft from within the virtual cockpit is a must.
As you taxi out to the active, you really feel at home in this wonderful aircraft. She is easy to control on the ground and as you gently apply the throttle, she just moves along nicely and doesn't race out of control. When flown from the virtual cockpit, some aircraft cause frame rates to plummet, not this one. On my machine I kept them at around the 20 mark. That was using the OSS' Shoreham Scenery without any AI active.
As you apply the power on the take-off roll, the warrior gradually picks up speed and lifts off at around 65kias. Rotation is silky smooth as she gracefully heads up into the blue skies. Bring in the flaps and she will climb at a steady rate of around 500-700fpm, and once at cruise altitude, speeds along at 105kias. Once cruising it's time to see what this baby can do. She handles like a dream and responds instantly. She does exactly what you want her to do, and when you want her to do it.
As you bring her in to land, the descent from cruise altitude is nice and smooth. Just get her set up correctly and you don't have to do anything other than remember to level off. When the flaps are applied you need to add quite a lot of nose down pitch to prevent the Warrior from ballooning into the skies. I don't know if this is a problem with the model, or a quirk of the real thing. Either way, if you add a little nose down pitch just as you apply the flaps, then trim her nicely, the 'problem' is easily manageable. The plane will slow down quite rapidly as you apply the flaps, so monitor that speed! Once she is slowed down and set up to land, flying the approach is a joy. The aircraft is very stable on approach, no crazy ballooning up and down and side to side movement like some of the default aircraft. The model really is very well designed. Fly her in at about 60-65kias, start to bleed the speed off at around 100ft and you will have a nice smooth landing.
It's now time for me to try and sum up this great little aircraft. She is great to fly, is easy to fly, and wont take you ages and ages to learn how to fly. Surely that's a good thing? When I've got an hour to spare and don't have the time to plan a route to fly with my Virtual Airline, I love flying around doing a bit of sightseeing, or just having fun in a GA aircraft. And this little beauty fits that role perfectly, hop into the left seat and I can be airborne within 5 minutes. For £9.75 you can't go wrong, and if you are still hesitant to buy her, why not try her for free for 30 days before taking the plunge? I think that speaks volumes about how confident JustFlight are that you will come back and buy her afterwards. Coupled with the OSS' Shoreham 2005 scenery, that spare hour you have can be enjoyed to the full. Where better to fly a great GA aircraft than at one of the busiest GA fields in the country, not to mention one of the most beautiful airfields in the country. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this review and would like to think that it has maybe inspired you to go out and, at the very least, download JustFlights PA28-161 Warrior for a buzz around your virtual skies. Check out JustFlight's website -- www.justflight.com -- for more information about this aircraft. The PA28-161 Warrior is available for $24.95.
All the best, PAY8156 |
