Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'sky simulations'.
-
/images/notams/notams20/skys1217/skys1217.jpgSky Simulations proudly presents a new version of ourMcDonnell Douglas/Boeing MD-10 for Prepar3D. This is an expansionpack that requires ownership of their MD-11. At the request of our valued customers, we have released this newversion of our MD-10. This package is free for all our customers. /images/notams/notams20/skys1217/skysim-md10.jpgBrief History Of The MD-10The MD-10 program was started by MDC (later Boeing) and FEDEX. The program consists of converting the DC-10 from passenger tofreighter and then equipping the DC-10 with ACF (Advanced CommonFlight Deck). The cockpit is basically identical to the MD-11 and itrequires just two pilots. The conversion replaces the DC-10's oldanalog instruments and computers with more modern displays andcomputers. This produces significant cost savings associated withswitching to a two-person flight crew, improving common efficiency inan MD-10 / MD-11 fleet, including the same type ratings for pilotsflying either of the planes. Totally redesigned aircraft! Multi-platform support: Prepar3D V4.5Prepar3D V5Two different variations MD-10 10F and MD-10 30F. For more info please visit:www.skysimulations.com Download Sky Simulations MD-10 Expansion Purchase Sky Simulations – McDonnell Douglas MD-11
-
McDonnell Douglas MD-11Publisher: Sky SimulationsReview Author: Meng YuSuggested Price: $48.00/images/fsc/wbicons/store-buy-now-button.pngConceived as a refinement to thepopular DC-10, the MD-11 boasted several improvements over its olderbrother, including longer range, greater capacity and fewer flightcrew. These improvements were intended to allow the DC-10 design tobecome more competitive, though the MD-11 faced several significantproblems during career. Safety issues included the design and position of the flaps lever,which made it prone to accidental deployment during flight, and longfuselage, which was attributed in the incidents of FedEx flights 14and 80. Additionally, due to the design of the aircraft, the MD-11required a much higher approach speed (Boeing lists the approach speedof the MD-11F to be 155 knots, compared to 158 knots of the 747-400F)for an aircraft of its size. Combined with the introduction of new Extended Twin Operations(ETOPS) regulations and appearance of efficient twin-jets like theBoeing 777 shortly thereafter, the MD-11 never really "took-off", withproduction ending after just 200 aircraft were built, far short of the300 predicted planes. Even the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, an aircraftfrequently considered to fall far short of its product goal, had 250units produced. Nonetheless, around 120 aircraft remain in service asof July 2018, mostly as cargo aircraft for FedEx and UPS. Thankfully, most of the MD-11's issues with its flightcharacteristics in real life become fun challenges when the aircraftis recreated in flight simulator. Exterior VisualsThe Sky Simulations MD-11 V2 is a faithful recreation of the realaircraft for use with flight simulator, compatible with FSX, FSX:SEand Prepar3D v3 and 4. At first glance, this add-on is certainly astunning representation of the real thing. /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-exterior-01.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-exterior-02.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-exterior-03.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-exterior-04.jpgIncluded in the package are two models (for GE and PW engines)spanning eight liveries, of which five are passenger variants andthree are that of cargo airlines. Key operators of the type, includingFedEx, UPS and KLM, are included. However, should you wish for moreliveries, there is a free livery pack for the aircraft, available onthe Sky Simulations web site, which adds six more passenger and one morecargo livery. /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-liveries-01.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-liveries-02.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-liveries-03.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-liveries-04.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-liveries-05.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-liveries-06.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-liveries-07.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-liveries-08.jpgAnimations on the aircraft are also very plentiful, with all doorsbeing openable, including the engine cowlings (in "maintenancemode"). Unlike older payware, the animations on this aircraft are veryfluid, something that certainly adds to the realism of theproduct. Moreover, several ground services are also modelled for theaircraft, including a ground power unit and air stairs for when youfind yourself parked on a ramp with no jetway in sight, as you willfrequently do when flying the cargo variants. /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-ground-01.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-ground-02.jpgFrame rates are another huge plus on this aircraft, with very few(if any) frame rate decreases compared to even freeware aircraft. One complaint I have for the model is the ostensible omission ofdedicated cargo models of the aircraft. Despite accounting for over aquarter of MD-11s built, all the aircraft included in this package areeither passenger aircraft or converted freighters with filled outwindows. Although the registrations of the included liveries are infact of converted MD-11 freighters, it would've been nice to be giventhe option of freighters that weren't passenger conversions. Interior AppearanceMoving into the aircraft, the virtual cockpit is also very wellbuilt, being easy on the frames yet delivering a very high-qualityexperience. The virtual cockpit is fully modelled in 3D, every switch, knob andeven screw has been modelled to create a highly immersiveexperience. This is a huge step up over freeware aircraft which maysimply feature click-spots for 2D textures in places of 3Dswitches. Coupled with the photoreal HD textures, the difference willbe night and day. /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-interior-01.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-interior-02.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-interior-03.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-interior-04.jpgBesides the stunning visuals, the cockpit animations really breathlife into the aircraft. There are plenty of animations, from doors towindows, armrests to headrests and even smaller parts. In SkySimulations' own words, "almost every part of the VC that could move,will do!" This creates a very enjoyable experience flying thisaircraft as it affords so much more choice to the pilot. Finally, the night environment of the cockpit of this aircraft issimply stunning. As with most add-ons, flood lights are modelled toinstantly light up the cockpit. However, whilst flying, the same floodlights that illuminate everything in the cockpit inhibits your viewoutside the aircraft both by causing reflections in the windows and byforcing your pupils to close, reducing your night visioncapabilities. Hence, this is where the "integrated lights" come intoplay. With these lights on, key labels for the switches areilluminated in a way such that the cockpit remains dark, allowing youto operate the aircraft whilst maintaining outside visibility. This isall simulated in this add-on, with separately controllable floodlights for both the autopilot and instrument panel, once again givingyou the choice as the pilot to choose how your cockpit is illuminated. /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-night-01.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-night-02.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-night-03.jpgOne complaint though is the low quality buttons in thecockpit. Whilst the cockpit textures leave me no critique, thegraphics on the buttons leave much to be desired and differsignificantly in quality from the textures. /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-buttons-01.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-buttons-02.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-buttons-03.jpgOverall, I feel that the cockpit looks amazing and certainly givesa good first impression to buyers of the aircraft. Systems SimulationWhilst the visuals of this aircraft are simply stunning, thesystems unfortunately aren't too much of a departure from freewareoptions. Despite Sky Simulations' claims that the hydraulic system is "fullysimulated", I had no trouble moving the spoilers with the enginesswitched off and the auxiliary fuel pump turned off. However, theflaps did not respond to inputs, which is accurate, though this seemsto be achieved through locking the controls rather than a true"simulation" as the flap lever was stuck in its last position when thehydraulic pumps were turned off. Interestingly enough, turning theelectric auxiliary hydraulic pump on when the engine driven pumps areoff does not return control of the flaps nor spoilers. Similarly, I had no trouble starting the engines without firststarting the APU and turning on the bleed air from that. However, Idid seem to have trouble getting the engines to ignite despite placingthe fuel cutoff switch to the RUN position and not having messed withthe fuel system. The FMC aboard this MD-11 is also basic at best. There doesn'tappear to be any flight plan functionality beyond using the defaultflight planner, nor are there any abilities to calculate takeoffperformance parameters, much less any VNAV functionality. In allfairness though, these FMC functions were not advertised as part ofthe package, so this is to be expected. Nonetheless, I do find thesystems simulations in this add-on somewhat lacking. The lack of any configurator or loader is also disappointing for anaircraft of this size. Most notably, whilst using the default payloadmanager, the fields for "First Class" and "Tourist Class" are stillpresent even while flying the freighter version of the aircraft, asomewhat demeaning classification if you ask me. That being said though, there are some redeeming features in thispackage. For one, the addition of crew voices is very much welcome,especially on approach where the MD-11's aerodynamic shortfalls reallycome into play. Having someone announce the flap setting or theposition of the gear alleviates much of the view panning and allowsyou to focus on landing the aircraft. The fuel system also functions as advertised, with somewhataccurate modelling of how fuel is fed from the tanks into theengines. For example, if the center tank is empty but the wing tanksare filled, the engine on the tail will refuse to start since it isfueled from the center tank that is fed into the second engine. However,whilst the fuel to engine feeding logic is in place, it seemsimpossible to transfer fuel between tanks as the "fill" switch is notsimulated. Additionally, the cross-feeds and transfer switches lightup, but there seems to be little control on the pilot's end how thefuel flows between tanks. As an example, with the aux tank filled aswell as the wing tanks, the aircraft draws from the auxiliary tankdespite turning off all the fuel pumps from that tank. Thankfully, whilst V-speeds are not simulated in the FMC, the PFDdoes show the V-speeds of the aircraft and the co-pilot does announcewhen these speeds are reached. These speeds do change based on theweight of the aircraft. Flight DynamicsThe flight dynamics of this aircraft are certainly veryinteresting. As the MD-11 is a stretched version of the DC-10, mostwould agree that the gracefulness the original DC-10 had is replacedby more challenging characteristics in the MD-11. Today, I'm making a quick hop from Memphis to St. Louis, a flightlasting roughly an hour or so. Loading up at the cargo terminal inMemphis, I first used a default aircraft, turned it off and thenloaded in the MD-11 to get a cold and dark aircraft as there is nopanel state selector. /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-parked-01.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-parked-02.jpgThe procedures of this aircraft are very simple, with theexperience not too unlike flying a freeware aircraft. Taxiing in the MD-11 is not too different from other widebodyaircraft, with the three engines providing plenty of power to theaircraft. That being said, the MD-11 is still very much a heavyaircraft so stopping the aircraft on a dime is next toimpossible. Hence, it is important to manage your taxi speed and notlet the powerful engines build up too much speed on the taxiway. Soon, we arrive at the runway for takeoff. Much like the iFly 747I previously reviewed, this MD-11 accelerates rather realistically aswell. Whilst initially acceleration can be slow, once in the air, theaircraft managed to achieve a very impressive climb rate, similar totheir real-life counterparts which I've witnessed rocketing out ofairports. /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-takeoff-01.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-takeoff-02.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-takeoff-03.jpgThere really isn't much to report about flying this aircraft up tothe approach phase. The aircraft had plenty of power to climb to itscruising altitude, and the systems were simple enough to manage that Iwas able to step away and make myself some lunch whilst the aircraftcruised along. On approach though is where things got very interesting. Keeping inmind the speed requirements of the MD-11 on landing, things happenvery quickly when manually landing the MD-11, forcing you to planahead in order to stay one step in-front of the plane. Don't forget togive the aircraft plenty of power on approach or you will very quicklyfall below the glideslope. /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-landing-01.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-landing-02.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-landing-03.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-landing-04.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-landing-05.jpgI found that the best way to land this aircraft is to not cut powercompletely when flaring as the aircraft will bleed off speed veryquickly and drop like a rock, resulting in a very hard impact with therunway, usually bouncing the aircraft into the air. Instead, keep alittle bit of power on the engines and fly the aircraft into therunway for a smoother touchdown. Well, in my experience anyway. After a quick and uneventful taxi, I found myself a stand to parkat and shut the MD-11 down. Overall, a nice aircraft to fly, but therereally isn't much to do once the autopilot takes over as there aren'ta lot of systems modelled. In ClosingWhilst the visuals certainly made a great first impression of thisadd-on, that impression didn't last once I started looking at thesystems of the aircraft. System depth aside, this add-on lacks toolssuch as a panel state configurator, loader or livery manager, thingsthat do take away from the experience when flying this aircraft. If you're huge MD-11 fan, this add-on might be worthwhile just forthe beautifully created model, and the flight dynamics, which I wouldsay are believable, though MD-11 pilots may prove me wrong here. /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-end-01.jpg /images/reviews/sksimd11/t/sky-simulations-md11-end-02.jpgTruth be told, for the price of this add-on, I really expected morefrom Sky Simulations in terms of system depth and at the very least inthe way of convenience in loading the aircraft in a Cold and Darkstate. The ground services and cockpit animations were certainlyentertaining tidbits but those can't smooth over the fact that therejust isn't very much to fly with this aircraft. /images/reviews/sksimd11/sky-simulations-md11.jpgMeng Yu Purchase Sky Simulations MD-11 for FSX/P3D
-
/images/notams/notams19/skys0212.jpgSky Simulations Releases McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Version 2.0 LiveryPack 1. Sky Simulations proudly presents the first Livery Pack 1 for ourMcDonnell Douglas MD-11 Version 2. Continuing our effort to expand the experience with our MD-11, wepresent this expansion pack that contains seven new excitingliveries. Some of there are: AlitaliaFinnairJapan AirlinesThai AirwaysVARIGGemini Air CargoFor more information browsewww.skysimulations.com
-
Sky Simulations Releases McDonnell Douglas MD-11 V2.0 Service Pack 1
Nels_Anderson posted an article in FSX
/images/notams/notams18/skys1220.jpgSky Simulations proudly presents Service Pack 1 for ourMcDonnell Douglas MD-11 Version 2. Aircraft Systems ImprovedAdjusted Fuel management system.Aircraft stability improved.Engine parameters adjusted.Fixed. Airspeed freezing problem. Some minor issues solved.Revised wing texture.For more information browsewww.skysimulations.com. Mauricio Vanscoit SkySimulations Team