ACP Compact

By John Dale (17 April 2001)

Their latest device brings the flightsimming field to the very brink of professional level. The ACP Compact is a full-fledged radio panel. It contains a flip-flop Com, flip-flop VOR, flip-flop ADF, transponder, and an autopilot with buttons for AP, Hdg, Nav, App, Alt. It has a flap lever and a gear control knob. This is so close to the real thing that it is quite amazing.

For the price, they could not put real digital frequency readouts right on the instrument so your input is recorded on the computer's on-screen radios only. But for a price of $295 U.S. you receive an add-on which takes FS2000 (and X-Plane and Fly!) to a higher level.

All buttons on the ACP can be reprogrammed and with a toggle switch one is able to use the autopilot to control landing lights, nav lights, strobe, pitot heat and fuel pump. Likewise, the transponder will double for trim, carb heat, prop control and mixture. This gives a total of 29 functions altogether. The realism level increases considerably by having these all as separate controllable buttons, as in a real plane.

Flight Instructors will be impressed. If the regulatory bodies in various countries can allow monitored teaching on FS2000 or X-Plane, with these extras, you are close to achieving the finesse of the $20000 units but with the extra capability of worldwide approaches. It is already so close to the professional level that it will surely just be a matter of time before the FAA and Transport Canada in North America, and, hopefully, governing bodies elsewhere, accept that what was a game but is now a serious simulator.

We are hearing more and more about FS2000 and X-Plane being used in Flying Schools. ACP is moving this process right along. Their device sits velcro'd on along the side of the monitor. GoFlight GF-45 has already been reviewed and although more expensive, each one of their units has the full digital readout. But as mentioned in their review you would spend a fair bit more to get to a full radio panel. I like the readability and both GoFlight GF-45 and ACP read X-Plane and FS2000.

Many panels have the radios as a call-up menu, by button or worse still from the top menu, and using ACP or GF-45 you have access to changing them without calling up a submenu. GF-45 is better this way as it has the digital readout, but does only one device for each GF-45 unit and so becomes a little pricey, but it's really nice just for one Com and one Nav unit, especially in parallel to an ACP unit as the master.

The ACP device plugs directly through your keyboard port and does not interfere with its function in any way. It needs no software! I was amazed after plugging it in how it just sensed all the programs and ran flawlessly. I didn't even have to use the install disk that was provided.

On planes with completely hidden radios the only problem is that the ACP Compact, not having a true full digital display, does not tell you what you are altering the frequency to. But here is where GoFlight GF-45 comes in, even just one unit, as you can then mount that on top of your computer and see a good-sized readout.

I had some problems getting the programming for the second level of controls, labeled set 2 on the ACP but everything on set 1 worked first time. On a cross country flight, all Nav frequencies were nicely controlled in the most realistic fashion I have flightsimmed with, other than training in a "real" flight simulator.

Conclusions: Ideal combination would be one ACP Compact Unit and two GF-45 units.

Likes: Nice solid piece of hardware

Wishes: Full digital radios

John Dale
jrdale@netidea.com