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once used to be a novelty, add-on panels for FS, are now as common as
wings on airplanes. You can get them free on the Internet and most
designers are glad to give away samples of their work. Recently a
friend of mine told me about the sample PROPELLERhead panels he
downloaded, and when I saw them I was really amazed. For anyone who
has read my other reviews, I sometimes get amazed easily - but that's
the fun of flightsimming! More than not, the new add-ons that come
along are really are good. Anyway, as you'll see these are simply the
best looking single-engine Cessna and Piper aircraft panels you have
ever seen for Microsoft Flightsimulator.With all the years I have spent flying real-life versions of these aircraft, I felt right at home flying the PhD "Flightline". What you get in either the Cessna or Piper package are the following panels:
That is another restriction of FS in general. Many 3rd party panels may look different, but functionality will always almost remain the same. These panels are no exception, except for the looks. I don't know how "Mr. Propellerhead" did this, but these panels are so real looking and non-flightsim like! The six basic gauges are still naturally throwbacks from the stock Cessna panel, but the arrangement and surrounding panel surface will make you easily forget it's FS5 or FS6 in disguise.
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Another nice feature of the FS5.1 panels are the little scratches, ripped fabric and wear and tear features textured in to them. Believe me it's much more rare to find a real airplane that does not have any of these features in the panels. In fact, some real rental aircraft look like they've been shot up in a dogfight.
When you first see this you'll be drawn to the GPS and immediately start punching the mouse keys to get it to work. Well folks, remember it's still FS and not some new fangled simulator so the GPS is there for looks only. If you remember that, you'll not be dissapointed. This panel is also to scale and is in great detail. Some of the gauges have been reworked and do look different than the stock FSFW95 gauges. Having the yoke pictured there is neat, but because it doesn't move when you do - it is kind of in the way.
You'll also get the '61 Vintage Cessna 172B panels and '66 Vintage Cessna 150 panels. These are truely magnificent "works of art" and look exactly like the real thing! There are many small details to gawk at as well.
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Now that you've seen the pictures - you'll know that this is one fine addition for your flight simulator. I would look no further for single-engine Cessna or Piper panels. I hope soon there are FSFW95 Piper panels, but right now, only the Cessna is available for FSFW95. The FSFW95 panels come with options to install sounds and checklists accurate for each plane.
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