QC Challenger 2 Ultralight

By Gene Davis (29 March 2005)

ill Lyons has delivered yet another classic; this time around we get a chance to get behind the stick of a QC Challenger 2 Ultra Light. Initially I was a little concerned about the pace that these little planes would fly at, but after spending just 40 minutes flying up the Columbia Gorge, I simply can’t get enough of these little birds. Flying these planes really give you a more intimate perspective of your surroundings and after spending a great deal of time with this add on, I wish I could go and hop into a real one and fly up and down the Oregon Coast all, what a thrill!

The add-on comes with five different models and sixteen different variations, along with custom scenery in selected areas to add to your flight experience. You will also find that there are sixteen pre-set flights in your flights menu, allowing you to fly from places like Coeur d'Alene Idaho, the Alps, and Manchester England. Expect a lot of dynamic scenery in areas that you fly; I was really impressed with the formation flying over Idaho.

The models are based on an actual plane that Bill Lyons built and flew some years ago. In fact you can fly the exact same UL that he flew with this add-on. I found there is a good diversity of UL’s to choose from, and there is no need to go jump on the net and look for a repaint like most of us do when we aren’t happy with the original paints. You will find that you can fly the converted float UL, clipped wing version, skis (too fun, I ended up sliding down a hill and over the side before I could get the engine started, a little too much wind I think), classic and the QC Challenger as it appears now. As for dynamics, these little planes fly as I would expect them to in real life, a click of the /? Key and you have your passengers and weight.

The inside of the Challenger is a well detailed virtual cockpit. Each UL is equipped with Bill’s own GPS (works with the pre-set flights) and the default MS GPS. The cockpit is very basic as you would expect, no IFR here; it’s all VFR. You will be greeted by a rather lovely looking passenger in the rear seat. Make sure to click on the photo on the dash of your cockpit, it’s the Challenger theme song. I was ultimately impressed with the way Bill developed the windows. They give off a real world feeling to them, thus immersing you further into the simulation. Each aircraft comes equipped with a CD/radio player. The radio is self programmable, simply right click on the radio channel you want to listen to and choose your favorite MP3 file. You can also run CD’s from this as well. I popped in my old soundtrack to the TV show "Due South" and all I can say is what a flight!

The sound is excellent, but I do recommend that you go to Bill Lyon’s site and download an alternate UL sound package that gives you a louder engine sound. The original wasn’t turned up very high and that is explained at Bill's site, something about big speakers. Hmm, BIG SPEAKERS!

The scenery areas are a lot of fun, especially the ones out of Idaho. You will find a lot to do there, practice bombing runs, fly in formation with other UL’s (fun), and for those of us that don’t fly online this is a welcome surprise. I found that I really enjoyed the Arizona flights as well; it is a very beautiful flight. Another area that I particularly enjoyed was the Aspen Colorado flight, beautiful terrain and a wide open cockpit made for an awesome flight. I couldn’t help but think how cold it would have been if that had been a real world flight.

The most memorable and enjoyable flight I took with the UL was a flight from Hood River Oregon to Goldendale, Washington. Now, if you haven’t already, you need to get Holger Sandmann’s Columbia River Gorge scenery. It is some of the best work I have seen and is on par with most payware add-ons of its type. I ended up flying the clipped wing version of the UL, and with the wind at my back I made Goldendale in about 40 minutes. This, I have to say, was probably one of the most memorable flights I have ever taken with MSFS, as I was right back at my computer the next day doing it again. I have been up and down the Gorge quite a few times in real life and it was really fun making comparisons from MSFS to real world landmarks, and the Challenger makes for a wonderful sight seeing plane.

In closing I think this add-on is for everyone, it is just a “FUN” way to enjoy Flight Simulator. There is not a whole lot of technical jargon to learn, and you can simply just hop in and go. For the low price of $12.50, this add-on is a fantastic value. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed! Bill has developed some wonderful add-ons and this again is simply stunning and I look forward to his next one.

Gene Davis
GeneDavis101@hotmail.com

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