 |
|
|
|
|
 Technic Direct HQ-Aircraft Collection 2By FlightSim.Com Staff (20 Jun 1997) |
hen
I first tried out Collection 1 a while back (see my earlier
review), I
was thrilled to have a really interactive 737-300 panel for my FS5.1
airline flights. Now, with the arrival of Collection 2, I am
glad to say we have more of the same quality interactive airliner
panels for FS5.1 and FSFW95 as well. What you will get with this
package is a set of FS5.1 panels for the 727, 747-200 & 300, 707 and
a newer 737-300. For FSFW95 you will get the 757, 767, 747-400, 707,
777 & 737-400. 70 new airplanes are packed into the CD. In addition
you will get the shareware programs of Panwav3 & 95, PreFlight
Center, JoyCenter and AirDecode.
I test flew both FS5.1 and FSFW95 with the new panels and enjoyed
their realism and scale graphics. Overall, I was most impressed by
the FS5.1 panels, which I still fly by choice. The panels for FS5.1
have much more true functionality than the FSFW95 panels and that is
due to limits in FSFW95. Like many, I have gone back to FS5.1, and
one of the major reasons was the great realism and "touchable" items
that these panels provide. The whole airliner feel was the best I
have experienced so far on FS5.1 with these panels. I will discuss
these panels first.
Equally exciting is the adjustable autobrakes. It has finally come to
FS-land! You can adjust the autobraking sensitivity on the 747 like
in real life, with 4 levels of intensity. Using just the first level
is hard enough I think, and I seldom use much more unless it's an
emergency landing or landing on a pretend wet runway. Setting the
button will sound an alarm, then a light will remain lit until they
are disengaged after rollout. The autobraking system will upon
touchdown engage the brakes to the level of intensity selected,
automatically lower the nose slowly to the ground via the electric
trimwheel, and extend the spoilers! On the 737, the thrust reverse
will go on by itself too! At around 30kts or so, the reverse will
end, a horn will sound notifying you of disarm, and the trim and
spoilers will be stowed to normal--all automatically! This is a
really excellent feature! Just upon touchdown, let go of the yoke and
watch the fun!
The autoflight panel is very detailed. You can twist, punch and turn knobs and get the results you're looking for. It's all functional. The panel is actually an adventure itself, with altitude hold, vertical speed select and more. Whatever modes are selected, the resulting annunciator light will show up on a great display to the left. This quickly shows what modes are armed.
Separate but operated by the autopilot is an emergency go-around
toggle lamp near your marker displays. Hit this upon approach and
you'll see the plane pitch up to departure attitude, add takeoff
thrust, and trim for a positive rate of climb. You will be
responsible for flaps and gear schedule on a go-around. This feature
is not only realistic, but it works great, and got me out of a bind
once in the 747 during a minimums foggy approach!
There is a new master caution warning light above the artificial horizon. This will light up red, be accompanied by a horn, and will actually display the word of the problem in alternating flashes.
You will notice a very realistic moving radio altimeter bar that's fully adjustable for your DH.
A really neat feature is the fact that you don't have to hit [tab] to toggle between engine guages, fuel management panel and the radio stack anymore. Just click on a little computer screen right on the panel that is a 3 button unit, and switch to the other panels.
The other panels feature more firsts. The fuel panel lets you throw mouseable valves for precise fuel loading! You can control from which tanks the engines draw their fuel from. You have a fuel dumping valve for in-flight emergency jettison and a refueling valve to receive fuel while parking on the ground! No more menu fiddling!
Speaking of menu fiddling, I have dreamed that for the 747 there
would someday be a way to switch into and out of autocoordination
while in flight without going into the menus and stopping the flight.
Well, now we have an autocoordination toggle on the overhead panel!
Great for getting that massive rudder linked for tricky HKG
approaches! And on short final, release the AC for full rudder control
on the crosswind rollout that may follow. This fabulous feature is
what I call a great "yaw damper" switch. In the 747s, things can get
squirrely in the high altitude "coffin corner", so in cruise, I fly
with autocoordination on.
All of these FS5.1 panels are minutely detailed, install easily and make airline flights the most realistic we have had. For me, just the FS5.1 panels were worth the entire CD!
Now for the FSFW95 panels. As you can see in the pictures, they also
look very realistic. I consider the 747-400 panel to be the best of
the lot as it's really scaled precisely and has a great appearance.
The one great thing about FSFW95 is the big size the panels can be
with more guages and a different layout than the FS5 panels offer.
However the negative is that the functionality of these panels is no
more than that of the default 737-400 panel that came with FSFW95.
If you're just looking for nice aircraft to fly, then this package
may not be the best choice. If you're looking for more functionality
in your FS5 airliner panels, then this is an outstanding addition,
well worth the price for the panels alone. If you're an FSFW95 user,
I would still say the panels are a nice addition. I personally went
back to FS5.1 exclusively after seeing the FS5 panels, and have been
one happy sim airline pilot since then!