Designed to offer competition to the second generation Boeing 737 series, the Airbus A320 series are a family of short to medium range narrow body jetliners manufactured by Airbus. The first member of the family, the A320, was announced in 1984, flown in 1987 and delivered to Air France in 1988 who became the launch customers for the world's first airliner equipped with the all digital fly-by-wire system. The family includes the A318, A319, A320, A321 and the A319CJ. With over 4,300 built and 2,300 on order as of March 2010, the A320 series has ranked itself as the best single generation aircraft program according to the records of 2005 to 2007. The A320 initially succeeded in gaining popularity among regional/domestic airliners as a replacement for the second generation 737s but now faces competition from the 737NG series and the new Embraer jets.
The A320 series features an all digital fly-by-wire system, a full glass cockpit, construction of a significant amount of its structure using composites and the Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitoring (ECAM) concept. The fly-by-wire system significantly reduced the overall weight of the aircraft due to the void of cables and traditional mechanical axle based hydraulic system. The fly-by-wire system immensely improved the flight characteristics of the aircraft as it was centered more on the pilot rather than the aircraft. Apart from the computer interface between the pilot and the flight controls, the A320 also features a full Electronic Flight Instrumentation System with side sticks mounted on a raised base rather than floor mounted yokes. The complete glass cockpit is made up of LCD displays. The engine variants available for the family include the CFM 56B, IAE V2500 and the PW6000 which is only available for the A318.
FeelThere developed this aircraft package which is marketed by Wilco. The package has two editions, the standard and deluxe. The standard edition lacks the A319, the A319 corporate jet (CJ) and a 30 minute collection of various real world A320/A330 flight videos courtesy of Just Planes. The A318, A320 and A321 are common to both packages. I have reviewed the FSX version of the deluxe edition only. The latest version of the release for FSX at the time of writing this is 3e.
Considering the fact that both FS2004 and FSX versions are coupled with a 30 minute video, you'd expect this package to come as a 366 MB zip file download from the Pilot Shop. The file has both installers for FSX and FS2004 along with an installer for the video too. System requirements as stated by Wilco Publishing are as follows: a 1.4 GHz P4, 256 MB of RAM and a 64/128 MB graphics card. For FSX, the product supports the 32 bit versions of Windows XP and Vista and both 32 and 64 bit editions of Windows 7. I reviewed it on a 2.66 GHz Core 2 Quad with 3 GB of RAM and a 512 MB nVidia GeForce 8400GS running a 32 bit Windows 7 Home Premium OS and FSX Acceleration. I would say that having a mouse wheel would be useful.
Installation was rather easy as it uses the direct serial key validation method. It's important to note the installer will not detect FSX root directory if it is installed somewhere else other than the default installation location. If all goes well, a folder with a few items will be created in the start menu. Documentation which includes specifications, checklists/procedures, a pilot's guide in English and French can be found here along with a configurator, uninstall program and product registration link.
Firing up FSX and loading each aircraft, a few gauges will have to be approved for each. With the exception of the A318 and A319CJ, the remaining models are available with the CFM and IAE engine variants. The aircraft have 2D cockpits and panels, 3D virtual cockpits, wing views, virtual cabins and exterior views too. A full Electronic Flight Instrumentation System (EFIS) is coupled with a realistic Flight Management System (FMS) which includes a Multi-function Control Display Unit (MCDU) and a realistic fly-by-wire system too. Snap out of it, it's just a simulation!
The documentation for the package includes a set of specifications, a checklists and procedures guide, and a pilot's guide (available in English and French). The specifications, as the name suggests, offer mostly technical operational data which seem to have come straight from Airbus's web site. The checklist and procedures guide offers an in-flight checklist and comprehensive flow procedures. These are done quite well. The pilot's guide offers some beforehand information, a flight tutorial, and some useful information about the working of aircraft's important systems (good for Boeing pilots; though not all systems are explained). In addition, some software specific information is also provided. It's done well, but the flight tutorial is just too basic. Although it's complete, it could have been a little more detailed to suit all types of flight simmers.
The configurator includes an aircraft configuration manager, load manager, fuel planner, and a key assignments program and a virtual coffee machine. Okay, I lied about the coffee. The configuration manager lets you select between three realism levels: beginner, intermediate and expert. If you're a hotshot Airbus pro, you can jump into the expert mode right away. Otherwise, I recommend you try each mode once and see which suits you best. The difference between the realism modes has been highlighted in the manuals. Some other options include IRS alignment time, units, panel sound volume, network flight option, MCDU keyboard input, cold and dark configuration and an auto-pause feature. The Power-Push-Unit pushback feature is only available in FS2004. It's important to note the user will have to create a saved flight with the parking brake set in order to load the aircraft in the cold and dark mode. The aircraft will not load in a cold and dark condition if the parking brake is not set beforehand. The load manager does what it's supposed to do perfectly. The fuel planner, however, is a little too basic. It doesn't have any option for inputting winds and alternates. It cannot directly load fuel onto the aircraft either. You have to load it manually within FSX. The key assignments program allows you to assign key commands for various actions when flying the planes.
Speaking of virtual cockpits, you should be pleased by the offerings of these planes. The VC looks realistic although not photorealistic. All gauges, displays and labels are clear and easy to read. You can bring up pop ups of the displays too. You can adjust display brightness using the mouse wheel. Almost all simulated buttons are clickable and functional. The VC looks good on the whole. The slight difference between the displays on the A318 and the other aircraft has been simulated too. However, when the sun is shining directly into the cockpit from behind, the glare does make it difficult to read the EFIS control panel and FCU labels. This is realistic but the effect has been exaggerated. Don't worry though; the conditions for this scenario are a little rare occurring. One major disappointment is that there is a large arc shaped hole in the rear of the VC of the A319CJ which separates the cockpit from the cabin. Other than those, I had no other problems at all. All aircraft have virtual cabins too. These are nicely done but don't expect very high resolution textures. This is good as it doesn't hammer the frame rates to the floor. The wings are visible through the window too. The A139CJ's cabin might get you fantasizing about getting that business jet you've been wanting! Sadly, night lighting in the VC of the IAE models only is poor. The switch for the light hasn't even been simulated. You have to press L and then turn off the unwanted light to get dome lighting. It's almost impossible to read anything other than the displays in the VC. The CFM models don't seem to have this problem at all and night lighting is well done. The switch is still not simulated, though. Note the A319CJ doesn't have this poor night lighting problem.
Us old timers who still have our eyes glued to the ole' 2D panels need not worry. All aircraft have their own 2D cockpit as well. The gauges, displays and labels are crystal clear and easy to read. It's possible to bring up pop ups of the displays here too. The sub panels include the much needed overhead panel and the pedestal which has just about everything else you may need not there on the main and overhead panel. There's also an MCDU pop up (also known as the CDU on Boeings). A little sim-icons panel can be seen when you hover the mouse pointer a little above the bottom left corner of the screen. As stated above, you can use the mouse wheel to adjust display brightness too. Again, the little differences seen between the cockpits of the aircraft have been simulated too. Night lighting in the 2D cockpit is acceptable, but the switch is still not simulated.
The exterior models have been shaped and designed well. Then again, they lack that 'crispness' or finesse seen on some models. All usual animations are present. Only the default Airbus house liveries come for the aircraft except the A319CJ which has the PrivatAir livery. Additional liveries can be downloaded from Wilco's web site. The textures on the tail have been very well done. A flaw I noticed was with the windscreens. Some of the models have completely opaque and black windscreens but some have grayish although opaque windscreens. Exterior lighting is somewhat average only for the IAE models. The light falling on the aircraft from the logo and landing lights is very bright and unrealistic. The remaining lights for the other aircraft are fine.
The level of systems programming in these airplanes is quite good. Although not every single system is simulated, it still offers a realistic work environment. The MCDU has a realistic Flight Management Guidance Computer (FMGC; also known as the FMC/FMS on Boeings) which has the ability to load company routes (CO RTEs) and import/export flight plans to/from FSX. The Auto Flight System (AFS; also known as the AP on Boeings) and Auto Thrust (ATHR; auto throttle on Boeings) is a joy to use provided you've done your homework well. The EFIS and ECAM systems are complete and well done too. The aircraft are capable of performing automatic landings too. The fly-by-wire systems have been simulated too. The AFS however, at times, is a little slow in getting things done but not overly slow. In the version I reviewed, 3e, I was not able to find any noticeable bug with the aircraft systems. I did not experience any CTDs either. All that said it's not like a highly realistic simulation either. Don't expect every little detail to be simulated but expect enough to make you give the pilot's guide a short workout (back flips and front flips but no skips. The three realism modes are a nice touch to help all kinds of users. The MCDU has some assist features in the beginner and intermediate modes to help out the pilot.
I must say the flight dynamics is really something that impressed me. The fly-by-wire system is very realistic and has been well done. It's almost like flying a real Airbus. Several FBW features like the Flight Augmentation Computer (FAC) and Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) have been simulated. The aircraft flight dynamics are well balanced and it behaves the way it's supposed to. Although it was designed to be mostly flown by the AFS, it's quite a joy to fly by hand. The plane handles well in all phases of flight.
The sounds that come with the aircraft closely resemble its real world counterpart. There's not much difference between the engine variant sounds other than the way they spool up; quite similar to the real world. I do feel that the sound of the wind outside when gaining speed and altitude is a bit too loud. Sadly, there are no V-speeds callouts on takeoff, though. Altitude callouts are there for the landing though. The other usual warning sounds are there too.
The airplanes do not have a significant impact on frame rates but there is some noticeable impact. I was able to get 20+ frame rates under most conditions. The VC might give a slight hit. Then again, this is what I experienced. What you experience depends on your system and a number of other factors. Don't worry too much about the frame rates with this product though.
Verdict, you ask? With this package, you get what you pay for. It has its drawbacks though. The 2D and 3D cockpits are good. The exterior model isn't too bad at all. Night lighting needs some touch up. The aircraft has some good systems. The flight dynamics are great. The sounds are acceptable as are the frame rates. This is a decent package from my point of view. Bear in mind, some of the bugs may be addressed through subsequent new version releases. Please feel free to contact me.
Rohan Nair
rohannair10@yahoo.co.in
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Fix provided by Just Flight for a window texturing problem.
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