DeHavilland Beaver
By David Voogd (18 August 2004)
t hasn't been since
FS2000 since we've had a completely new version of the Beaver, so I
was quite excited when I read that Aerosoft was going to make one. I
bought the Beaver the hour it came out, I had been checking all day
to see when it would be available and was ecstatic when it was
finally there.I thought Aerosoft did a great job with capturing the nostalgia surrounding this venerable old aircraft. The design work on the Beaver was started in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1946, and was designed specifically to meet the needs of the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests. In the end it became the most suitable bush plane for anywhere in the world. The prototype flew first on August 16, 1947, and yet Beavers are still flying all over the world today. Also a well used Beaver these days will fetch over 10 times the amount they sold for originally, talk about an investment!
Aerosoft offers a different approach to the 2D panel. Instead of one
panel per aircraft, you can easily switch between the four panels as you
fly via the shift + 1-4 keys. The first two panels are of a classic
design, typical of early Beavers while the latter two are modern,
fully IFR capable panels. Of each design, there is a full view and a
landing view. The landing views mainly remove gauges used for startup
or switching the fuel source.
One thing that should be noted is that no two Beaver panels are alike. Even from the factory each Beaver's panel was customized for the buyer's specifications. Aerosoft did a great job in creating custom gauges that would be common to the Beaver. In the classic panel, Aerosoft included the default DC-3 radio stack as this would be a common radio set for aircraft of that time, such as the Bendix King radios of today. By clicking on the radio you can get a pop up larger view that makes it easier to use the dials. The manifold pressure and RPM gauges also pop up for easy setting.
The virtual cockpit is fairly simple, and is based on the classic
panel, with a few more gauges that are not available on the main
panel. The quality of the VC is not the greatest available, and there
has been a lot of talk on the forums about that. Aerosoft has
responded to that and is in the process of upgrading the virtual
cockpit for better textures, having the gauges "set in" to the panel
and several other things. Overall I still find the virtual cockpit is
quite usable, and looks exactly as a real Beaver cockpit should,
including the oil filling cap (orange), and the beaten up oily look
that you expect from a bush plane of this age.
Frame rates in the virtual cockpit did not differ too much from the 2D panels for me, which is expected from an aircraft of this simplicity.
There are four main model types of the Beaver included--amphibian, floats, wheels and skis. There are also specialty models including a crop duster complete with spray effect and a firefighter aircraft (no spray effect). There are also several model files for each main type so that each individual aircraft has a different look to it. There are more models and textures included in the Beaver package then what came with FS2004! You certainly will not get bored with the variety, especially since by the time you read this a user friendly paint kit will be available.
While it is nice for an aircraft to look great, it's quite important to also sound great. This package truly captures the rumble of a radial engine; you will surely have to at least try a few flights with the speakers cranked and subwoofer blaring. From the sputtering start to the roar at full power, the engine sounds are simply outstanding. There is a sample available at the Aerosoft website. A nice added in feature is the audio checklists. On the 2D panel you merely click the checklist you want, and they are read to you in a clear easy to hear voice, there is also an example of this on the Aerosoft website.
The most important element of any flight simulator plane, at least for me, is the flight dynamics. If it doesn't fly right, it's just not enjoyable. You will certainly not be disappointed with the Beaver. Each model has its own FDE and behaves as it should. For example, the wheeled version will climb noticeably faster than the heavier amphibian model. I thought that Aerosoft did a great job of capturing the feel of flying such a small yet heavy single engine aircraft. The Beaver is very stable, only a little trim is required to maintain pitch. Aileron and rudder trim are provided however I have not found the need to use them as of yet. The Beaver will fly pretty close to the numbers provided in the manual if you set the manifold pressure and RPM correctly. The Beaver climbs about 500 fpm at 100 mph, and cruises at around 120 mph; the wheeled version has the highest cruise of around 125 mph where the amphibian is the slowest at about 115 mph.
For $19.95 Euros ($17.20 for customers from outside the EU), you are
getting 2 panels, 42 liveries, 5 main models, 21 sub-models, 10
different animated pilots, and 6 different flight dynamics files. A
35 page manual is included with a theme that fits in quite well with
the aircraft. The only area that really needs improvement is the
virtual cockpit and a few issues with the amphibian model crashing
when moving from land to water. Both of these issues are already
being worked on by Aerosoft. I must also mention that Aerosoft's
support is simply incredible. Within 24 hours two minor patches were
released to address some small issues brought up by users on the
forum. Any posts about problems that are made on the forums are
answered usually within a few hours, and at most the next day. Even
posts by some unruly customers were answered in a professional and
respectful way. I can't comment on email support as I have not yet
used it.
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