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The latest series Yannick Lavigne Super Cubs are, like almost all successful Super Cubs, based on the excellent Bob Wening model which features a full range of moving parts. With the release of his Blue Cub and his Red Cub Yannick Lavigne succeeded, in my opinion, in setting new panel standards as well as new texture standards for FS2000.
The panels of the Blue Cub and the Red Cub look appealing and both panels certainly give a kinda Super Cub feeling. The beautiful gauges of the panel, made by panel wizard Fred Banting, have almost real reflection effects.
The outfit of the panel, as usual for a Super Cub, is deliberately simple. For IFR flights, however, the virtual pilot has a possibility to turn to the default FS2000 GPS.
Through the cockpit door, which can be opened by tapping the slash key, both Yannick Lavigne Super Cubs have a full visible, almost smellable, interior. After inspection of the inside of the Super Cub the outside is even more attractive. For instance, after travelling to some airports around Alaska I discovered for the first time that texture side reflections of the Super Cub can be seen on the underside of the wings, like the real thing!
I took the Super Cubs out for a ride from Iliamna Airport, Alaska, 09:00 in the morning, fall season. With the spot plane view switched on I positioned myself straight behind the aircraft to taxi around the tarmac to the runway--a pretty satisfactory method, as the Super Cubs are all tail draggers, with almost no forward sight. As a bonus, using this spot plane view method, it's nice to see the moving parts work.
Unfortunately the Yannick Lavigne Super Cubs don't have a pilot figure in the cockpit, which makes the Super Cubs kinda ghost aircraft. But, taking all goodies into account, consider this as a minor visual detail of less importance.
Steve Small developed new FDE files for the Bob Wening Super Cubs. These FDE files are available at http://www.essjay.com/outback/index.htm for download. The new FDE files are a real must as they give the Super Cubs even more awesome STOL capabilities, better handling in general as well as improved low speed steering characteristics.
All in all, the Blue Cub and the Red Cub are an excellent overhaul of the Bob Wening model. Both Yannick Lavigne and Fred Banting did a remarkable job to make this Bob Wening model even look better! As already pointed out, both panel and textures are really special. Virtual pilots who are also attracted by the more visual approach in FS2000, as I am, will definitely not be disappointed.
For those who are curious about frame rates, alas, I am not a hardware expert. But as far as I am able to recognize both aircraft are no frame rate eaters. I use both aircraft without problems on a Pentium III 500 MHz system, with a Diamond Viper 770 graphics adapter, with 128 MB RAM.
Anyway, thanks for reading this far, in return for your patience I'll provide you with some hot news...
Because, for those who love to take their aircraft out for a ride in the bush, there's great news! Yannick Lavigne is working together with Fred Banting again, on a major DHC-2 Beaver project right now; check out the screen shots below that Yannick Lavigne sent to me! The DHC-2 Beaver project is almost ready, but some improvements have still to be made according to Yannick Lavigne, so I suggest you to point your browser to FlightSim.Com even more regularly!
Furthermore, to be expected at the end of this month, is the release of Manuel Medel's stunning FS2K Piper J3 Cub, at http://www.essjay.com/outback/index.htm are some screenshots available, check out FlightSim.Com as well!
Robert van Vaals
Download
Yannick Lavigne's Super Cubs
vanvaals@wxs.nl