Iris Flight Simulation Software is known for high quality add-on aircraft for FSX. Their latest offering is the Alenia C-27J Spartan. In reality, the Spartan is still developing a reputation. It is the "new kid on the block" and has been in operational service with a number of armed forces around the world since 2006. The C-27J is a development of Alenia's G.222, which was designated the C-27A in US service. With upgraded engines, six bladed propellers and improved avionics, the C-27J offers a 35% increase in range and a 15% faster cruise speed than the C-27A. Because of its current role in military service as a tactical transport, little is known about the true capabilities of this aircraft. However, if the various flight demonstrations that have been flown around the world are any indication, this is an extremely capable aircraft whose agility belies its size. Having seen the C-27J perform with my own eyes, I was very interested to see if Iris could produce an aircraft that behaved like a medium transport, but was able to perform steep climbs and barrel rolls...YES; BARREL ROLLS!...like the real aircraft.

Product Analysis
Download from Pilot Shop	Yes
Cost (USD)	$48
File Size	201 Mb
Auto-Installer Application	Yes
Protected by Licence Key	No
Operating Manual	Yes
Checklist/Reference Material	Yes/No
Uninstall Application	No

Installation

This aircraft is only available for FSX. Purchase and installation from the Pilot Shop is very easy. The installation program installs all files in to the relevant folders within FSX, and the aircraft is ready to fly without further effort required from the user.

Because no uninstall program is included, removing the product (if desired) requires manually deleting the aircraft via the Windows Control Panel. Once installed, virtual pilots will find eight different aircraft liveries in their hangar, including some fictitious repaints such as the Royal Australian Air Force and Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

Performance

A comparison of real-world performance data (where available) and Iris aircraft data is included below.

REAL AIRCRAFT DATA From Wikipedia & www.c27j.com		VIRTUAL AIRCRAFT DATA From Testing in FSX
Empty weight	17,000 kg	Empty weight	9,979 kg
Maximum take-off weight	31,800 kg	Maximum take-off weight	31,800 kg
Maximum speed	325 KIAS	Maximum speed	355 KIAS
Stall speed (clean)	unknown	Stall speed (clean)	94 KIAS
Stall speed (landing config)	80-90 KIAS	Stall speed (landing config)	89 KIAS
Ceiling	30,000 feet	Ceiling
Climb rate	3,000 fpm	Climb rate	2,500 fpm

Obviously it is difficult to assess the realism of the Iris C-27J Spartan flight model against the real thing. The reference material that I was able to source did verify that most of the weights and performance characteristics of the Iris product were comparable, although there was a considerable difference in the simulated empty weight and that of the real aircraft.

This product comes with all the "bells and whistles" that we have come to expect from the Iris "Platinum Edition" add-ons, like the F22 Raptor before it.

If you want maximum realism, then start with a cold and dark cockpit. Engine start-up can be achieved by following the checklists in the Pilot's Handbook. The procedure is lengthy, so pilots would be well advised to keep the handbook nearby for ready reference. Alternatively, an autostart function is included, and accessible from a hidden kneeboard. More on this in "Audio-Visual Features".

Once started, I found the engines responded steadily to throttle movement, with the standard lag experienced with turboprops. This lag means that pilots need to be conscious of their airspeed at critical times of flight, such as short final approach. You cannot afford to "get behind" the engines in this aircraft. One of the other features of this aircraft is that the engines will catch fire if operated at high temps for too long. The designers say that this is most common at high throttle settings and low altitudes. I flew this aircraft at full throttle at around 2000 feet AGL for around 10 minutes and was unable to induce an engine fire, so I am unable to comment on this aspect of the product.

In the air, this aircraft can do amazing things. Having seen a Spartan fly in real life, I was interested to know if the Iris product would barrel roll like the real aircraft. I wasn't disappointed! I was able to roll the Iris C-27J through a full 360 degrees, time and time again. It does have a tendency to drop the nose when inverted, so considerable forward stick input is required to counter this until rolling out. I was able to sustain inverted flight as well, although I expect this is an unrealistic ability.

Stalling the C-27J is dangerous. At the stall, the aircraft simply begins to sink in a flat stall. Application of full power will do nothing. Stall recovery needs the nose to be lowered and power applied. Typical recoveries saw me lose around 2,000 feet each time, so stalls on final approach need to be avoided at all costs! Pilots would be well advised to carry a little extra speed on approach, with around 100 knots "over the fence" to avoid loss of control close to the ground. Tactical approaches can be achieved with the use of spoilers, full flaps and reverse thrust. Once on the ground, the reverse thrust combined with brakes will stop the aircraft very quickly, so be ready to feather the props. I did experience a couple of landings where the engines seemed to provide asymmetric reverse thrust, but I could find no reason for this and it appears to have been a freak occurrence.

The Iris support forums do mention a small problem with the product which requires the realism settings to be set to minimum. It appears that when final performance tweaks were being made, one of the designers inadvertently had their sim realism setting set to minimum and therefore made alterations to the aircraft based on these realism settings. What this means to users is that if you don't minimise your settings, you will find the aircraft is incredibly sensitive to the point of being almost uncontrollable! At the time of writing this review, a patch to fix some of the identified issues was being produced by Iris but I have been unable to test the updates. Past experience with Iris products though, suggests that the patch will correct the identified issues and result in improved performance and behaviour of the aircraft without issue.

Audio-Visual Features

With their last few releases, Iris has tried to give us something new. Whether it be combat radio communications, or custom musical soundtracks for various stages of flight, the Platinum Collection aircraft from Iris offer just a little bit extra than the norm. The C-27J is no exception. Virtual pilots have the ability to turn on or off various features such as visible pilot and co-pilot figures. Turning the co-pilot figure on also activates a large collection of co-pilot voice files. Likewise, turning him off disables these voice effects. There is also a Loadmaster effect that allows you to turn on a visible Hummer load and audible Loadmaster voice files. Whilst the pilot/co-pilot figures are visible, neither are animated (with the exception of the co-pilot head panning around the cockpit) and this takes a bit of gloss of the final product.

The controls for these effects are hidden away on a kneeboard which is only accessible by activating a lever in the virtual cockpit.

Once open, the kneeboard allows pilots to add or remove the visual effects listed above. However, when adding the loadmaster/cargo visual effect, there is no alteration made to aircraft weight. Instead, users must then access the payload menu and manually increase the weight themselves. I think it would be better if adding or removing the visual effect caused the weight of the aircraft to be automatically adjusted accordingly, but I suspect this may be a limitation within FSX as the same issue existed for the Iris F22 Raptor.

The Spartan is also capable of in-flight refuelling, and this capability is also present in the Iris product. Iris has built in the ability for this aircraft to refuel in the air if certain parameters are met. These are explained in the manual, and it is a good idea albeit a very simple one. Perhaps in the future we may see further development to the point where an AI tanker appears so virtual pilots can test their skills by holding station to take on fuel.

Technical Features

The Pilot Manual runs to 52 pages in PDF format and is well laid out and easy to understand.

Technical support is available through the forums located on the Iris web site. The developer responded extremely quickly to my inquiries, although I am in the same time zone. Purchasers should be mindful that the developers are located in Australia, and make allowances for time zone differences for any delay in responding to requests for support. I found them courteous and helpful.

Please note, I am not associated with product designer, and do not offer technical support for their products. Any emails to me for assistance will be politely returned referring you to the designer in the first instance.

The Verdict

As one of the "Platinum Collection" from Iris, the C-27J is the result of months of development. The external textures and liveries are of an extremely high standard. The internal detail is equally impressive. Flight modelling appears to be in keeping with the real aircraft, as far as can be assessed without access to real performance data. At $48, it is at the high end of cost for add-on aircraft but the amount of work that has gone in to producing an aircraft of this quality must affect the final price. For those who enjoy flying larger aircraft, particularly those who enjoy tactical transports, the Iris C-27J is a great product. It is simple enough for novice pilots to fly, yet it has plenty of advanced features to keep experienced pilots happy.

Iris has given us another fine product which is worth the cost for those who fly plenty of transport miles. It may even have a place in the many virtual military organisations that are in need of an advanced tactical transport. The C-27J is well worth the look.

Test System