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anama
based Aeroperlas is part of GRUPO TACA and flies through out
Central America. They do over 50 flights a day using the Cessna Grand
Caravan 208-B, the Beechcraft King Air A-100, the DeHavilland Twin
Otter DHC 6-300 and the Shorts 360.Robert Versluys designed this piece of art. Michael Robison did the paint scheme. The Shorts 360 is a regional aircraft capable of carrying 36 passengers with a range of 900 miles. This is one of the strangest aircraft I have ever seen. But as they say, "Never judge a book by its cover."
After I downloaded the plane, I took it for a test flight. I chose a
45-minute flight from Captain Manuel Nino to Macros A. Gelabert
International airport. Waiting on the runway for clearance, I
followed the take off checklist procedures provided with the
aircraft. I put the flaps to 15. They worked perfectly. Once I had
clearance I put the throttle up and waited for V1...rotate! The plane
slowly, but gracefully, climbed out of Changuinola.
Once I reached my cruising altitude and speed I changed to spot plane view. The props are very realistic and spin very smoothly. The shadow textures under the wing are also very realistic. The two pilots in the cockpit are an excellent touch.
At 50 miles from my destination, I descended slowly to 5000 feet.
The plane handles very well in the descent. At 20 miles I descended
down to 2000 feet while preparing for the tricky approach to
Gelabert's runway 03. I slowed to 160 kts and set flaps 1. I again
went to spot plane view. The flaps worked well, but I would have
preferred more detail.
Overflying the ocean, I slowed the bird to 140, set flaps 10 and lowered the landing gear. I did a 30-degree turn, then slowly lined the plane up with the runway. It was extremely responsive in the turns. I set flaps 20 and prepared to land. 100 feet, 50, 10, TOUCH DOWN! An excellent flight, with an excellent aircraft.
Dislikes
Greg Donohue
Download the Aeroperlas Shorts 360.
dpdonohue@lvcm.com