Calling Cap Mason!

[sputnik04]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Apr-17-03 AT 04:12AM (EDT)[/font][p][font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Apr-17-03 AT 04:10 AM (EDT)[/font]

I read with interest your review of the Hong Kong scenery,and have already updated to the 2002 version.I also followed your recomendation to download the Goose(fine aircraft BTW,thanks for the tip)Imagine my dismay as I discovered that the "water" in the scenery is actually solid,and not landeable with amphibs. or seaplanes!I have already been in touch with the Tech.support over at FlightSoft,and apparently this feature will be available with the 2004 version,and is not a feature of the present version that is currently available.So I assume that the version you reviewed was the new version?It is clear to see in one of the screen shots that the Goose is floating in the water,all I get is a lot of sparks and smoke,and expensive noises from under my seat...!Was the version you tested a pre-release or beta?Could you please clarify this point,hopefully nobody will buy the currently available version of the program under the impression that it will work as displayed in the review.Thankfully,the Goose is freeware,otherwise I'd have been pretty annoyed at the letdown with the scenery.At the moment I have moored the Goose at Cushman SPB in the Emma Field scenery,their water works!
Best
Grahame EDHL

XP Pro SP1
DirectX 9a
Epox K8A9
XP 2200
WD 60GB 7200rpm
MSI GF3 Ti200 128mb
512mb Infinion DDRam PC2700
SB Live! 5.1
Chieftech case with Enermax power
Arctic and Pabst cooling

[sputnik04]

Bump!

XP Pro SP1
DirectX 9a
Epox K8A9
XP 2200
WD 60GB 7200rpm
MSI GF3 Ti200 128mb
512mb Infinion DDRam PC2700
SB Live! 5.1
Chieftech case with Enermax power
Arctic and Pabst cooling

[CapMason]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Apr-17-03 AT 11:51AM (EDT)[/font][p]Thank you for letting me know about the problem you encountered. The version I reviewed was the standard boxed edition of The Umltimate Hong Kong Simulation. It's the same thing that anybody who buys the software gets. I never review betas or "special preview" copies of software.

I also updated the CD version with the free patch available from Flight Soft. There is a direct link to it at the end of the article. Did you also update your copy with the patch?

As you can see from the screen shot, the Goose landed just fine on the water complete with water spray on the windscreen. So did the stock Cessna Caravan. On the other hand, I landed OK and took screen shots to make sure the plane was floating properly and not sinking -- but I did not try to take off from the water. So I'll spend more time on that feature.

One thing that will definitely ding you on a water landing is if you hit the surface going too fast. I ease amphibians down very gently onto the water at just a few MPH above stall speed. Hit the surface too fast and you will sustain catastrophic damage. Hit it just a little too fast and you'll sustain enough damage to foul the aircraft but not enough to trigger the program's crash reponse. You just sit there like a bug on flypaper.

Something doesn't sound right about what you experienced. It seems logical that if FS2002 water is landable (which, of course it is since we do it all the time with amphibians) that the add-on scenery would duplicate that feature. My understanding is that water landings are a function of the aircraft, sound and effects (for wakes and splashing), not the scenery, for FS2002 and CFS2.

The unlandable water is a suprise to me and I will definitely follow up on this issue with Flight Soft and report my findings here.

[sputnik04]

Thanks for your reply.I have the original box version from last year or so,and I have also installed the 2002 update.I landed exactly like I landed everywhere else,on the water in Emma Field for example I've touched down at around 100K(VERY gently,vertical speed under 100fpm)and it works.Normally I would have touched down with less speed of course,just wanted to see how far I could go!I've been simming a long time,and have real life flying experience,I know how to fly an approach and flareout.It is with certainty not due to my lack of skill as a pilot.I have tried it in water all over the world,from Sydney harbor to the Baikal sea in Siberia(and a few places inbetween)no problem.But in Hong Kong it was exactly like landing on concrete,from the outside view I could see sparks coming from the keel.Tried it with the default cessna too,and a DH2 Beaver.Same result.As a final test I tried them all with wheels down(and a few non-amphib aircraft too)the result was always the same:A perfect landing,just like on the 13/31 next to the water!Incidently,until I read your review I had never tried landing on the water in Hong Kong,who knows when I would have discovered it otherwise.I have also tried a new install,and as you can see from my system that shouldn't cause any problems,the rest of the sim.runs smooth as silk(getting 25-30fps in Hong Kong with the Flight1 421C for example)I'll be interested to see what the problem is,and thanks again for your interest.If you would rather contact me off-forum,please feel free: grahamemyers@t-online.de
Best
Grahame EDHL

XP Pro SP1
DirectX 9a
Epox K8A9
XP 2200
WD 60GB 7200rpm
MSI GF3 Ti200 128mb
512mb Infinion DDRam PC2700
SB Live! 5.1
Chieftech case with Enermax power
Arctic and Pabst cooling