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s most of you know, in
1937 the courageous Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan took off
on the first flight around the world. Their attempt ended in
tragedy, and no trace of the plane or the two aviators has ever been
found. Around The World, an add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator
version 5.1/FSFW95/FS98 by
Abacus tries to recreate the experience of that fateful trip.
Novices will find a plethora of documentation to pour over. This
includes a complete history of the flight and of Earhart's earlier
career. It also includes maps and charts for each stop along the
route.
The most helpful piece I found was the map of the route which came complete with radio frequencies for your waypoints. The flight model is possibly the most realistic I've seen for a 3rd party flight simulator add-on. Everything was modeled in meticulous detail, from the control response while in minimum controllable airspeed (MCA), to the drag effects with the gear extended. Mind you, this plane moves like a pregnant yak so you have to be patient with the response.
While FS98's saving grace has been its ability to be modified by 3rd
parties, its graphics engine is beginning to show its age. Even with
the advent of 3D accelerators, it's fast approaching the end of its
lifespan as an effective simulation tool. The attention to detail in
this add-on, water towers, hanger buildings, rivers, harbors, etc. is
extensive throughout the entire program. It's only drawback is the
outdated graphics engine that it runs on.
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