Caravelle Super 12 And Dassault Breguet Mercure 100

Designer Joel Branchu has recently entered the payware market with two less well known jet airliner models designed for FS2000. These two planes feature full moving parts and high definition textures, but do not include panels.

The Caravelle Super 12 is the ultimate version of the Aerospatiale Caravelle, having a stretched fuselage with seating for up to 128 in tourist class. The Caravelle spec was originally issued in 1951 and resulted in a wide variety of Caravelle twin engine jet airliner variations. Including all types, 280 Caravelles were built. The Dassault Mercure 100 is a somewhat later design, with development having started in 1967. It's also a twin engine jet airliner, but designed for short range flights and with seating for 120 to 162.

Caravelle Super 12

Joel Branchu has done a wonderful job at making the installation very easy to follow. There are 5 different paint variations for the Caravelle Super 12. Each comes in their own '.ZIP' file, which you can unzip them directly into your FS2000 Aircraft folder.

Both of these aircraft can de downloaded from the author's site, but you must pay for them. As I do my review on these incredible aircraft, hopefully you will come to realize that even though these aircraft are payware, they are very much worth it.

For my first flight, I chose the Sterling livery. The paint job on this beauty is incredible. Attention to detail was definitely taken, right down to the people in the cabin. I really liked the odd shaped windows, which you do not seem to find on an everyday aircraft.

I decided to do a popular North American flight from Seattle Tacoma Int'l located in Washington state to Portland Int'l located in Portland, Oregon. Flying this route you are usually parallel to the Cascade mountain range, which is absolutely beautiful this time of year. I lined up on 34R at KSEA and slowly pushed the throttle forward. Down the runway we went steadily gaining speed. At about 162 kts I pulled back on the yoke, climbing into the air. After affirming a positive rate of climb, I pulled up the gear and started retracting the flaps. Two miles out after leaving KSEA, I turned heading south, straight to my destination.

With a few minor adjustments of trim, I had no problem keeping the aircraft in a steady climb. Up I went to Flight Level 210, which is all I needed for this flight. Once I hit my altitude, I made a few more adjustments on the throttle and elevator trim and I was set for the rest of the flight. Did I have to use the autopilot? Absolutely not. The flight dynamics of the Super 12 are the best I have seen. Very accurate and stable, which makes flying this aircraft a pleasure indeed. All pilots use some form of navigation to get where they are going, so I only used the GPS without loading a flight plan. Keep in mind flying conditions were MVFR, so navigating was fairly easy.

Thirty five minutes into my flight I had to start slowing down to reach my destination. I cut the power and started my descent, which was a breeze. This plane slows very well, and is not a rocket when it comes down to landing. After a few turns to get lined up with the runway, I set the gear down and set my flaps for the approach. Smooth as she went and straight in just like a pro. No ILS was used, just visual. I came in over the bridge into KPDX, and literally greased the landing, which was so smooth, I didn't see the plane bounce when the main landing gear touched down. This has been a major problem for most of the FS aircraft, and it seems like Joel has found a hidden secret to keep his aircraft from hedge hopping.

The Caravelle Super 12 is available for 150 francs (French), or roughly $23 U.S.

Dassault Breguet Mercure 100

For my return trip I flew the Dassault Mercure 100, which in itself is a very nice looking aircraft. When you first take a look at it, you might see a resemblance to the Boeing 737-200, which is not surprising considering the plane was intended to compete with the 737. There are a total of 4 different paint schemes for the Dassault. Each one is a self-installing file, and places itself in the FS2000 Aircraft directory. The default FS2000 737 panel is used, but you can change to any panel you wish.

I line up on the runway at KPDX and get clearance to take off. I push the throttle forward and streak down the runway. At around 138 kts I pull back on the yoke and climb into the afternoon sky, heading back to Seattle. As I am climbing, I start turning to a heading of 338, climbing to Flight Level 210, which did not take long to achieve.

Once at cruising altitude, I gave the trim a few final settings and I was flying straight and level. Once again, no autopilot was needed for this flight. The flight dynamics for the Mercure are incredible. Granted I have never flown in one in real life, but the feeling and flight characteristics seem all too real. I loved the handling which was not too sluggish at all. I have flown a few aircraft that feel like you have a dead dinosaur on your back, and both of these aircraft were very real and a pleasure to fly.

After 38 minutes into the flight it was time to start slowing down. The smaller the aircraft, the less time it takes to slow down. I cut the throttle and began my descent towards KSEA. At around 10 miles out, on a heading of 320, I lowered the gear, and set the flaps. Keeping level flight was no problem at all. The plane itself seems to fly itself which is real nice. Finally I spot the airport and take a shallow right hand bank so I could line up with runway 34L. What an incredible approach. Way too real and very smooth.

Down we came as I touched down just after the second runway stripe. Wow, a perfect landing! Up came the spoilers and reverse thrust was activated. The airspeed dropped quickly as I looked for my taxiway. Once clear of the active runway, I taxied to the terminal tarmac where I brought the aircraft to a stop before shutting down the engines. I took a step back and looked at the aircraft as I ended the flight. What a beauty indeed.

Both aircraft were designed with skill and patience. Both have full moving parts, with the exception of a steerable nose wheel. There are transparent cockpit windows and very detailed textures throughout both models. As I said earlier, the flight dynamics for both planes are the best I have seen. The visual models are very accurate, and were a pleasure to look at while flying. Frame rates were also real good. Looks like Joel kept that into consideration while building these two aircraft.

The Mercure 100 is available for 100 francs (French) or roughly $15 U.S.

Overall I am rating both aircraft a total of 98% out of a possible 100%.