Cessna 152 CC-KAA

By David Schwartz (7 February 2001)

The aircraft's paint job and model are of pretty high quality. Notice the glare on the windscreen and the riveting on the fuselage.

The automated install makes getting started very quick. Next, I went searching for a good suitable set of Cessna sounds, and since there aren't that many 152s out there, I was lucky to find a good sound set by Aaron R. Swindle. I was set, I fired up FS2000 and headed on over to Greenville Downtown Airport. I started up on the tarmac engine off so I could take a look around. The outside of the aircraft had a few errors on the nose. First, the landing light is too small; this is only minor because unless you know a great deal about the aircraft it's hard to notice. Secondly, the prop spinner is out of proportion; it looks wider on top. Third, the engine air intake is a bit too

This screenshot shows some of the mistakes on the nose.

small but that is also difficult to notice. The model is exceptional despite the nose errors, with a typical 152 factory paint job, great glare effects, fuselage riveting, and a transparent interior with pilot and panel.

The panel is very accurate. The placement of the gauges and equipment is correct and the panel .bmp is well proportioned, giving you the sense of being in the left seat. The only gripe about avionics that I have is the radio stack, it's a bit too new for this aircraft being built around the 1960s. It's close enough though. Just above the panel you can see the cowling that again is offset to give you the feeling of the left seat. The cowling has one flaw though, that is again hard to notice: the rivets are not centered, giving it a

The panel... make note of this all you student pilots.

crooked look when viewed carefully. I began panning around the interior of the aircraft and I was extremely pleased to see interior views. Although a little on the low-quality side they look great.

OK, I had had enough looking around. I was really interested in how the aircraft performed compared to the real thing. I started up the engine through the checklist accessible via the kneeboard. The sounds were fairly realistic though possibly not for the lower horsepower models. I began to throttle up and start to taxi out to the runway. I was pleased with the ground handling and braking. The aircraft animations were created by Abacus's Aircraft Animator and were very

The rear interior view showing some space for your belongings, suitcases, etc.

smooth and timed right. To top that off, the aircraft comes with a moving nose wheel.

I held short of runway 11 for take-off and ran up the engine; again the sounds were pretty realistic at speeds other than idle. I pulled on to the runway and when I throttled up to full the aircraft immediately responded, as the real one does. The p-factor is modeled great, really making you shove in that right rudder on take off and in flight. I rotated the aircraft at about 65-75 knots, so far right on the money. During the climb I held about 10 degrees up and accelerated to about 80 kts. I headed out toward the Appalachians at

I'm headed west for the Blue Ridge section of the Appalachian Mountains. suitcases, etc.

3000 feet. The aircraft handled with the same forgivingness as in real life.

I retracted the flaps and cut the power, interested in how the stall was modeled and the aircraft performed well. After a small cruise I headed back over to Greenville for the full stop. I changed the time of day to night for the approach and was greeted with a lighted exterior view of the cockpit and a great landing light effect. The aircraft glided down the slope and the way the aircraft flared really impressed me. It had the ballooning and floating effect just before the stall, which made for a feather soft touchdown.

On approach to runway 11.

In conclusion this aircraft is one-of-a-kind for now, unless DreamFleet gets their hands on it. For all of you student pilots this aircraft is a must have addition to your library. I give this aircraft a 93 out of 100.

David Schwartz
MARKENDAV@aol.com

Download the Cessna 152.