Just Flight Constellation Professional

By William Werrlein
28 May 2010

Introduction:

The Lockheed Constellation or more commonly referred to as the Connie offered so much to the airline industry. The Connie was utilized by both the military and the airlines of various countries. The Connie was made famous with its non-stop service coast to coast in the U.S.A. Also setting the speed record to just over 6 hours. The Connie was a pressurized four engine, airliner capable of long trips, flying at higher altitudes, and doing so is a vastly reduced amount of time.

So now without further ado I introduce the "Just Flight Constellation Pro" review.

Installation:

Unlike most FS products this is available only boxed. Which in my opinion is great as it is a hard copy that can always be stored just in case you need it. The installation is extremely straightforward and can be done with ease as long as you know how to click "next". I really love the Just Flight installers as they bring up a window giving you the links to the FSX Service Packs 1 & 2. It also will give you info on product extensions. In other words the A & B pack for the Connie in this case. (A & B packs are not included in this review).

First Impression:

When I first saw the exterior I was impressed. This aircraft has some unique detail features on the exterior such as the differing tire tread for the nose gear, different pilots sitting in the flight deck, beacon light covers rather than just the standard beacon light next to the fuselage, ADF antennas, etc. The aircraft also comes with ground crew and airstairs. The ground crew member stands in front of the aircraft with a fire extinguisher at the ready when the flight crew started these huge engines which were prone to fire and failure. The interior needs some work but I will go into depth on that issue once I get to the interior portion of this review. The product does feature a 56 page paperback manual in addition to the exact same manual saved as a PDF under the Constellation Pro tab in the start menu.

Exterior:

The Connie had many different variants throughout its history. Some featured flare deployment systems, square windows, tip tanks, etc. The DVD version only features the C-69 and the L-049A airline transport model. I must say that the best part of the aircraft is the exterior. The Connie features all of the old ADF antennas, and ILS receivers. Something pretty unique to this payware Connie over all the freeware Connies is the engine exhaust flames. These are seen when operating at high manifold pressures. But in addition to that you also see trails of smoke coming from each individual exhaust pipe when you are operating at high manifold pressures. I've only seen this in one or two add-ons at most. That is the different pilots sitting in the flight deck. To be honest it was actually rather creepy to see the same faces on both pilots in the aircraft. Just Flight has modeled two separate pilots in addition to a beautiful welcoming flight attendant standing at the main door. This really gives a more dynamic feel to this aircraft. The aircraft features moving windscreen wipers and passengers that can be seen sitting in the cabin. Just Flight did a tremendous job on the exterior needing only slight improvement.

A few things I found awry were:

When turning with right aileron, once both ailerons get to max deflection they both move forward cutting into the wing. This however does not happen when turning left.
You can see the beautiful scenery below threw the passenger windows if you look straight down on the aircraft.
No FE (Flight Engineer/Navigator) visible from the exterior, although this is simple preferential and really makes no difference.

Interior:

OK this is the area that requires the most improvement. I will start off with a list of errors and then go on to describe the uniqueness of the interior VC.

Captain's open able window appears to have no glass on it, confusing you to believe it is always open while it is in fact closed.
Parts of the instrument panel can be seen by looking out the wide windows in the flight deck.
Radio navigational equipment behind captain's seat is 100% non-functional. I've heard rumors that I can't say are true that this may be made functional in future updates.
Virtual cabin is a mess. Other than the seat that you see the beautiful female passenger sitting in all views are rather messy. In terms of seats going through walls, seats missing sides and so on.
Default DC-3 autopilot
Some switches are mislabeled and do the same thing.
C-69 model features same pax cabin as pax model.

Now I will explain the good points of the interior. Starting off the interior VC lighting is stunning, the low blue lighting really adds to the old nighttime propliner atmosphere. The gauges are all extremely readable and function with extreme fluidity. Keep an eye on those manifold and RPM gauges as you pick up speed, for they too will increase as they start cutting through larger amounts of air. Ground personnel can be seen from the VC. I love this next feature! If you're into old style ADF, and VOR to VOR flight planning this plane is for you. There is no fancy GPS, FMS or anything in this plane. You navigate by the stars, and by use of radio navigation.

The cabin was designed specifically for Pan Am Airways as you can always see vintage style poster from the glory days of the Pan Am Connies. On the overhead storage area you can see a map of the world further increasing the nostalgic value and presence of this aircraft. The beautiful female passenger can be removed/added simply by clicking the plate with the tea cup sitting on it.

All in all the interior VC needs a bit of work but Just Flight is most certainly reputable to making only the best. I know there are future updates that are in the works at the moment. So with a bit of patience I have confidence that this product will excel in all respects.

Aircraft Systems:

Back in the old glory days of aviation, pilots actually navigated without the use of GPS's, EFIS panels, and FMC's...Oh my how terrible! Jokes aside the primary use of navigation was VOR to VOR routing and the use of ADF (Automatic Directional Finder). Navigators also used star navigation and such but VOR and ADF was the primary means of navigation. Starting off the Just Flight Connie Pro does feature an autopilot but i found it to be dull as it was the default autopilot from the DC-3. But in other words if you are an old steam gauge junkie then this will fit you.

Now let's talk about realism. I tested this aircraft on trips lasting 2-3 hours most of the time. And by surely leaving the engine settings at max RPM, and manifold pressure I did not notice a decrease or even all out failure of any of the engine components. This being said the engine gauges are marked for standard cruise performance. So despite that the more experienced simmer can fly the airplane as if this were simulated. The Connie features a supercharger which was a system that would draw more air into the engine at higher altitudes. This allowed the aircraft to fly at altitudes of 20+ thousand feet. However this system is not yet simulated. Although you can get the Connie up to 20+ thousand feet even without leaning the mixture! This is not simulated and comes up as water injection? But of course as mentioned before there are updates to come, what they entail I cannot say for sure.

Like most developers Just Flight is making a bold attempt to leave the 2D panel world with their Connie pro. The Connie does feature a simplistic panel just covering the basic gauges such as the altimeter, airspeed indicator and such. This in my opinion does not bother me as I like the feeling of the VC as it gives you a better sense of realism. However there are some simmers that much prefer a 2D panel as opposed to a 3D so simmer be aware of this. Overall I found the systems to be simplistic compared to various other add-ons. But I personally believe that this is still a work in progress and the above issues will be addressed. However this certainly fits the bill for beginner simmers that want a taste of the glory days of aviation.

Flight Characteristics:

If you've ever heard an old Connie pilot talk you always heard him mention takeoff in these birds. These birds do need some speed to rotate but once you approach that 120/130 knot mark the Connie just flies off the runway in grace. The aircraft handles well overall. Landing is a piece of cake although do keep mind of your airspeed with your flaps out 100% as these things produce drag and lift! To be honest I really can't think of a characteristic in terms of flight dynamics that I didn't like. So kudos to Just Flight for their great handling characteristics!

The All Important Frame Rates:

The liveries that come with this aircraft are quite detailed! And to my amazement they don't cause severely low frame rates. The exterior FPS are great at the least. However you will notice a drop in frame rates in the interior although this is minimal at best. So again this aircraft is great in terms of FPS.

Final Word:

Perhaps the simmer wanting the most realistic Connie add-on should hold off a bit on this aircraft. But I am confident that improvements, large ones at that, will take place. I enjoyed the Connie from a point of view really wanting to see what flying was like back then. This aircraft offers the beginner simmer the best transition to old style navigation and flying. Not to mention the historical accuracy of the glory days of aviation. This aircraft does need some touchups but overall flies great, looks great, sounds great, and is certainly priced fantastically! So the ultimate decision is up to the buyer. Best of luck and happy flying!