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Screen shots by Angel Simulations |
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Because so many aviation disasters over the last 100 years have been attributed to pilots misreading their instruments, the psychology of instrument-panel design has developed to understand how human beings read and use aircraft instruments and controls.
Default avionics for simulation aircraft are good yet basic, and some are dated because of the aircraft they represent. Some default instruments in Microsoft Flight Simulator don't do as much as their real-world counter parts. Illegible instruments render some add-on simulation aircraft useless for simulating realistic flight because the pilots simply cannot garner much if any information from such low-quality instruments.
Just as real-world aircraft owners are able to update their avionics whenever they desire, simulation "owners" can customize their aircraft with a wide selection of unique instruments, gauges, controls, and similar cockpit items. Toward this end, Angel Simulations offers a collection of modern avionics devices called "Avionics Suite." They are modeled on real-world devices available in the newest aircraft and to aircraft owners who seek the latest for their cockpits.
Angel Simulations was founded and is operated by Engjell Berisha to produce quality software add-ons for flight simulators. "I take tremendous amounts of time to get the finest details down," he says. "I am all about utilizing Flight Simulator to its full potential." He made this collection of instruments because he did not find representations as realistic as he was seeking. Other products in development from Angel Simulations include a Boeing 767-400ER and a C-17 Globemaster III.
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PURCHASE FEATURES |
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Instant download from the Pilot Shop |
Yes | |
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Installation program |
Yes | |
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License key required |
Yes | |
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Copyright acknowledgment required |
Yes | |
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Manual included |
Yes | |
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Uninstall program included |
Yes | |
Angel Simulations lists these among features of its Avionics Suite:
By "customizable software," the developer means "these gauges are independent, they can be added to any aircraft, they can be mixed and matched to any panel."
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THE SIX BASIC instrumentS
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PFD 1
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PFD 2
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RCU
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ND 1
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ND 2
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ND 3
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These instruments are for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 and FSX. Neither Acceleration nor FSX Deluxe are required.
Purchase and installation from the Pilot Shop are quick and easy. Downloading and installing takes only a minute or two. A license key and legal agreement are required.
The installation program installs all the instruments into these folders by default:
Users may install into other folders if desired.
Application of these instruments requires entering scripts into the instrument-panel configuration file. The manual explains how to easily modify that file for this purpose. The recommended approach is to use separate popup windows like those commonly used for radio stacks and GPS devices. This enables these avionics instruments to be added to any simulation aircraft with relative ease.
Although not stated in the manual, users may replace their existing instruments with Angel Simulations' avionics instruments, providing they fit of course. For example, the PFD in the Learjet, King Air, or 737 could be replaced with Angel Sim's PFD. That would not be as easy in the Cessna 172/182 or Mooney Bravo, however, because their default instrument panels were not designed for such instruments. For simplicity and time considerations, I followed Angel Sim's guidance and used popup windows.
Replacing any instrument requires elementary knowledge of panel configuration files and their codes, and use of this product requires attention to instructions. Any user having difficulty with the product should reread the instructions first because the answers are there.
The instruments can be uninstalled if desired with a handy uninstall program.
Technical support is available through a forum on the developer's website, which is identified in the product's documents.
Data in these instruments are very clear and easy to read when the instruments are installed in the panels at their default sizes and dimensions as recommended in the manual. If the instruments are smaller or their dimensions are changed, they become less readable. They are definitely more readable than the respective MSFS default instruments they replace. The control buttons are not as legible as the data in their displays, however, so identifying them is somewhat of a challenge.
They are all blank by default. Users must increase brightness to see the data every time the aircraft is loaded. Once the instruments are brightened, they remain so when the windows are closed and reopened. They become blank again if a different aircraft is selected and the enhanced aircraft is selected again.
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DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
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Black RCU
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Dull RCU
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Bright RCU |
| Screen shots by Bill Stack | ||
These instruments work as well with FS2004 and FSX. It's just a matter of where they are installed.
Functioning of each instrument is explained in the manual in clear English, with images of each instrument for easy reference. Experimenting with the instruments and their various functions while the aircraft is on the ground is a good way to learn how to use them.
A caveat in the manual says: "The functionability of these buttons and selectors is restricted to the limitations of the flight simulators." This statement implies that the real-world instruments do more and that these instruments would do more if the simulator allowed that.
Radio Control Unit: This device sets communication and navigation radio frequencies, including the transponder. Modeled after Universal Avionics Radio Control Unit, it looks similar to the radio unit in the MSFS Learjet 45 and performs similar functions.
Primary Flight Display 1: This instrument shows attitude, relative speed, flight director path, radar altitude (below 2,500 feet), and DME 1 and DME 2 when applicable.
Primary Flight Display 2: This shows attitude, relative speed, flight director path, radar altitude (below 2,500 feet), decision height, and vertical speed.
Navigation Display 1: Modeled on the Universal Avionics EFI 550 Primary Flight Display and Navigation Display, this instrument shows true airspeed, ground speed, heading type (true or magnetic), current heading, active waypoint, distance to waypoint, estimated time of arrival, navigation source, 360 full-rose compass, navigation radios 1 and 2 radials, non-directional beacon radial, autopilot heading, HSI indication, aircraft position, airport/VOR/NDB/ADF/WPT/INT and flight plan data.
Navigation Display 2: Based on the EHI 40-50 by Bendix King/Honeywell, this instrument shows heading, wind direction and velocity, distance to waypoint, ground speed, current heading, 360-degree full-rose compass, navigation radios 1 and 2 radials, non-directional beacon radial, autopilot heading, HSI indication, aircraft position, airport/VOR/NDB/ADF/WPT/INT and flight plan data.
Navigation Display 3: Modeled after the Universal Avionics EFI-500, this shows distance to waypoint, ground speed, current heading, desired track, course, 360-degree full-rose compass, navigation radio 1 and 2 radials, autopilot heading, HSI indication, aircraft position, airport/VOR/NDB/ADF/WPT/INT and flight plan data, vertical speed, wind direction and velocity.
The developer says his NDs provide unique features that default NDs do not:
Once installed in the panels, these instruments are easy to use. Control buttons are clickable, and data are easy to read and understand.
A 13-page manual with descriptive images explains how to add the devices to the aircraft panels and use them after installation, with ample images. The instructions would be more useful if the dimensions of each instrument were specified so users would not have to experiment until the instruments appeared at their correct sizes. (A tip not in the manual: Not indicating any dimensions displays them at their default sizes and dimensions.)
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PAGES FROM THE MANUALS
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User Manual Table of Contents
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Manual Page 4
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Manual Page 9 |
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Screen shots by Bill Stack |
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Information about real avionics devices and instruments can be found at these websites, among others:
Angel Sim's Avionics Suite is a neat package of quality electronic instruments designed for flight simmers who want their cockpits to be as up to date as possible. Insertion of these instruments into the panels requires knowledge of simulation configuration files and attention to instructions. Once these instruments are operating, they provide data not provided by default instruments, and they are much more readable as well. The price is reasonable for what the package includes.
Bill Stack
billstack@flightsim.com
Learn More About Angel Sim's Avionics Suite.
Bill Stack is author of several books about flight simulation, a regular author in flightsim magazines, and a contributor to Flight Sim Com. His website is www.topskills.com