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Gift Guide: Just Flight - TB10 and TB20 XP for X-Plane 11
Nels_Anderson posted an article in X-Plane
Socata TB-10 And TB-20Publisher: Just FlightReview Author: Nigel PorterSuggested Price: $41.99/images/fsc/wbicons/store-buy-now-button.pngThe first time I saw a TB-10 at BigginHill back in the 70's, I remember thinking how wrong it looked withits vertical stabiliser mounted well forward of the horizontalsurfaces (sorry stabilator). The strakes under the fuselage appearedto the uneducated eye to be placed there to eradicate some terminalflying traits. However, closer examination of the interior made itapparent that this was apparently a comfortable mode of transport,with its slightly reclined seating and its modern "sports car like"instrument panel, which made American panels look very old fashioned(they had not really changed for more than 60 years). Its clean linesand faired in wheels gave the impression it was a bit quicker than theaverage aircraft around back then, so I was determined to get a flightin one. However, it was not until quite some time later that theopportunity to experience the aircraft would materialise (flying aTB-20 to Cherbourg) and that happy experience sticks with me to thisday. It is a sweet handling, comfortable, go-places aircraft and itstrailing leg undercarriage smooths out the odd misjudged arrival oruneven grass airfield. /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/1.jpgIntroductionThe SOCATA TB-10 Tobago and TB-20 Trinidad are GA (GeneralAviation) aircraft with spacious and comfortable cabins manufacturedby French aircraft company SOCATA. The letters TB within thedesignation stands for Tarbes, the French city where the aircraft aremanufactured. More recently, the company was known as EADS SOCATA,DAHER-SOCATA and since 2015 just DAHER. The aircraft provide seating for up to five people (the fifthperson needs to be slim!) and have proved popular for touring andinstrument training. The TB-10 and TB-20 are all-metal, cantilever lowwing, single-engine aircraft with two 'gull wing' doors. Access to thebaggage compartment is through a door on the left-hand side of thefuselage. The TB-10 is powered by a 180 horsepower (134 kW) Lycoming O-360piston engine and is equipped with fixed tricycle landing gear. TheTB-20's power plant is a 250 horsepower (186 kW) Lycoming IO-540piston engine and the aircraft is equipped with retractable tricyclelanding gear. Both aircraft are fitted with a two-blade constant-speedpropeller. Fuel is carried in two integral wing tanks. The TB-10carries a maximum of 55 US gallons (210 litres) of fuel, providing arange of 700 nautical miles, and the TB-20 carries a maximum of 89 USgallons (336 litres) of fuel, giving the aircraft a range of 1,100nautical miles. /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/2.jpg /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/3.jpgThe vertical stabiliser consists of a fin, a rudder and acontrolled tab. The horizontal stabiliser is of a stabilator type withan automatic anti-tab which can also be controlled through the pitchtrim. The aircraft is equipped with a conventional three-axis surfacesystem consisting of aileron, stabilator and rudder surfaces. Bothfront positions are equipped with a yoke which actuates the aileronsand stabilator through rods and bellcranks instead of the traditionalcables with pulleys. DocumentationHere I really do have to congratulate Just Flight, as theaccompanying manual is once again, most comprehensive and wellwritten. It's also very easy to jump from section to section -something a few other developers could learn from. As with all newaircraft purchases, I advise everyone to read the manual beforekicking the tyres and starting the engine. By doing so it will helpyou understand some of the finer points of operating thisaircraft! ExteriorWhilst the outside is reasonably well detailed, I was disappointedby the lack of finish and reflections on the main body and wings,after all this was X-Plane 11, and not 12 year old FSX. It is as ifthe aircraft had an old flat paint finish, and seemed to lack thedepth or 3D that X-Plane is famous for. It is a fair reproduction, butnot as good as their Piper Arrow which showed patches of corrosion,peeling paint, etc. A nice touch though, is that when parked theaircraft have tie downs, chocks and several removable covers. Theanimation of the gull-wing doors, baggage door and other engineinspection covers (one even with the dipstick) are nicely done. Thereare six color schemes of each aircraft supplied, representing variousaircraft from around the world. /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/4.jpg /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/5.jpgInteriorThe seats and instrument panel are reproduced well, and Iparticularly like the 70's instrument panel, even though the lineargauges for temps, etc. are difficult to read (being old fashioned Iprefer round gauges). I found the portrayal of the windscreen surroundunfinished and rough, and the roof was equally lacking in detail, asit normally has downward facing lights. Also missing was a panel whichgives performance figures, but I think this may be an oversight by thedevelopers. Sadly I had a few "issues" with the second Nav/Com where I couldnot change the frequencies (only the decimals), and the ADF didn'twork. I also had a problem where the HSI froze and the only way ofcorrecting it was to change the paint scheme and use anotheraircraft. However these were minor gripes and didn't really ruin theexperience of flying these aircraft. OperationA panel selector arrow appears in the left side of the screen everytime you load the TB-10 or TB-20. This allows multiple options to beselected, such as opening the gullwing doors (which gives plenty ofroom to enter the aircraft), checking oil levels, opening baggagecompartments, following a handy checklist, as well as giving quickaccess to fuel taps and many other objects. It even allows you tochange the livery without going into X-Plane's main menu. /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/6.jpg /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/7.jpgStarting from a dark and cold cockpit, the power is turned on by ayellow push switch located on the central console. After priming theengine, it is started by turning the ignition key and pushing themixture control to fully rich. After waiting for temps and oil pressure to rise on the lineargauges located in the top/middle of the instrument panel, the brake isreleased and the aircraft taxis with a small amount of throttle,accompanied by the periodic clunking of the trailing leg suspension asone passes over dips in the ground. Both versions have constant speedprops, so the pre-flight checks of mags is followed by exercising theprop, so as to fill the CSU with oil. Once lined up on the runway and with the DI aligned with thecompass, flaps are set to takeoff and power is applied - the slightturn to the left is easily corrected with a bit of right rudder. I always find the best way of learning the foibles of an aircraftis to practice three or four circuits and bumps, so this I did in bothaircraft. I found that flying the downwind leg at 100 mph and thenreducing the manifold pressure to about 15 inches allowed me to slowdown to 70 mph with flaps on final and touching the wheels down atabout 65 mph. It is highly noticeable how much trim one needs tochange when the second flap setting is used, as the aircraft balloonsquite strongly/excessively and one is kept busy. The reason being,the trim wheel turns very slowly, so one needs to adjust enginesettings while putting the nose down to avoid too much speeddisappearing. However, one gets used to it, and I found thereafterthat I mostly used only the first flap setting out of convenience. /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/8.jpg /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/9.jpgDeciding to leave the circuit for some upper air work, I once againrolled down the runway and at about 65mph pulled the column back andwe gently lift off. I generally use "70 up 70 down" for most smallsingles, as this gives a healthy rate of climb. Once above 500 feetAGL, I retract the flaps and trim the nose down to give me around90 mph which gives a better view of what is in front of the nose, aswell as giving a better rate of climb, whilst also cooling the enginemore efficiently. Once out of the circuit, I climbed to 3000 feet to assess thehandling of the aircraft. Looking out of the large windows to see ifthere was any other traffic around, I started doing a few tight turns,which demonstrated that the aircraft did not drop a nose by toomuch. I then practiced a few stalls: flapless, the stall arrived at 58mph, and 48 mph with full flaps. In both instances there was no hint ofa wing drop just a gentle nodding of the nose, and the persistentmelody of the stall warning "horn". I particularly liked the sound ofthe air rushing over the wings when recovering. Prior to flying, I had set the weight of the aircraft to 250 poundsunder maximum and found the rate of climb matched that of the manualreasonably well. The TB-20 similarly demonstrated the same stallfigures (hardly surprising as it shares the same wing and fuselage asthe TB-10). However its climb rate is much higher due to itsretractable undercarriage and more powerful engine. I did find howeverthat some of the quoted cruise speeds were a little optimistic, butthey are both "go places aircraft" and ideal for distances of some 650miles, and further if you fly the TB-20. /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/10.jpg /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/11.jpgConclusionAs the TB-10/TB-20 followed the Piper Arrow out of the Just Flightstable, I expected something of a similar standard; sadly this is notquite the case. The TB-10/TB-20 is still good, just not as great as theArrow series. However at $41.99 I find this very expensive for what itis. For example the equivalent Carenado products are far cheaper andvisually much more rewarding. Despite the fact that I found it lacking in exterior detail/finishand having a few minor issues, I still find it a competent productionand a nice plane to fly--it would make a nice addition to anyone'shangar. /images/notams/notams18/just0511/just0511.jpgNigel Porter Purchase Just Flight- TB-10 And TB-20 For X-Plane 11 -
Socata TB-10 And TB-20Publisher: Just FlightReview Author: Nigel PorterSuggested Price: $41.99/images/fsc/wbicons/pilot-shop-buy.pngThe first time I saw a TB-10 at BigginHill back in the 70's, I remember thinking how wrong it looked withits vertical stabiliser mounted well forward of the horizontalsurfaces (sorry stabilator). The strakes under the fuselage appearedto the uneducated eye to be placed there to eradicate some terminalflying traits. However, closer examination of the interior made itapparent that this was apparently a comfortable mode of transport,with its slightly reclined seating and its modern "sports car like"instrument panel, which made American panels look very old fashioned(they had not really changed for more than 60 years). Its clean linesand faired in wheels gave the impression it was a bit quicker than theaverage aircraft around back then, so I was determined to get a flightin one. However, it was not until quite some time later that theopportunity to experience the aircraft would materialise (flying aTB-20 to Cherbourg) and that happy experience sticks with me to thisday. It is a sweet handling, comfortable, go-places aircraft and itstrailing leg undercarriage smooths out the odd misjudged arrival oruneven grass airfield. /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/1.jpgIntroductionThe SOCATA TB-10 Tobago and TB-20 Trinidad are GA (GeneralAviation) aircraft with spacious and comfortable cabins manufacturedby French aircraft company SOCATA. The letters TB within thedesignation stands for Tarbes, the French city where the aircraft aremanufactured. More recently, the company was known as EADS SOCATA,DAHER-SOCATA and since 2015 just DAHER. The aircraft provide seating for up to five people (the fifthperson needs to be slim!) and have proved popular for touring andinstrument training. The TB-10 and TB-20 are all-metal, cantilever lowwing, single-engine aircraft with two 'gull wing' doors. Access to thebaggage compartment is through a door on the left-hand side of thefuselage. The TB-10 is powered by a 180 horsepower (134 kW) Lycoming O-360piston engine and is equipped with fixed tricycle landing gear. TheTB-20's power plant is a 250 horsepower (186 kW) Lycoming IO-540piston engine and the aircraft is equipped with retractable tricyclelanding gear. Both aircraft are fitted with a two-blade constant-speedpropeller. Fuel is carried in two integral wing tanks. The TB-10carries a maximum of 55 US gallons (210 litres) of fuel, providing arange of 700 nautical miles, and the TB-20 carries a maximum of 89 USgallons (336 litres) of fuel, giving the aircraft a range of 1,100nautical miles. /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/2.jpg /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/3.jpgThe vertical stabiliser consists of a fin, a rudder and acontrolled tab. The horizontal stabiliser is of a stabilator type withan automatic anti-tab which can also be controlled through the pitchtrim. The aircraft is equipped with a conventional three-axis surfacesystem consisting of aileron, stabilator and rudder surfaces. Bothfront positions are equipped with a yoke which actuates the aileronsand stabilator through rods and bellcranks instead of the traditionalcables with pulleys. DocumentationHere I really do have to congratulate Just Flight, as theaccompanying manual is once again, most comprehensive and wellwritten. It's also very easy to jump from section to section -something a few other developers could learn from. As with all newaircraft purchases, I advise everyone to read the manual beforekicking the tyres and starting the engine. By doing so it will helpyou understand some of the finer points of operating thisaircraft! ExteriorWhilst the outside is reasonably well detailed, I was disappointedby the lack of finish and reflections on the main body and wings,after all this was X-Plane 11, and not 12 year old FSX. It is as ifthe aircraft had an old flat paint finish, and seemed to lack thedepth or 3D that X-Plane is famous for. It is a fair reproduction, butnot as good as their Piper Arrow which showed patches of corrosion,peeling paint, etc. A nice touch though, is that when parked theaircraft have tie downs, chocks and several removable covers. Theanimation of the gull-wing doors, baggage door and other engineinspection covers (one even with the dipstick) are nicely done. Thereare six color schemes of each aircraft supplied, representing variousaircraft from around the world. /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/4.jpg /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/5.jpgInteriorThe seats and instrument panel are reproduced well, and Iparticularly like the 70's instrument panel, even though the lineargauges for temps, etc. are difficult to read (being old fashioned Iprefer round gauges). I found the portrayal of the windscreen surroundunfinished and rough, and the roof was equally lacking in detail, asit normally has downward facing lights. Also missing was a panel whichgives performance figures, but I think this may be an oversight by thedevelopers. Sadly I had a few "issues" with the second Nav/Com where I couldnot change the frequencies (only the decimals), and the ADF didn'twork. I also had a problem where the HSI froze and the only way ofcorrecting it was to change the paint scheme and use anotheraircraft. However these were minor gripes and didn't really ruin theexperience of flying these aircraft. OperationA panel selector arrow appears in the left side of the screen everytime you load the TB-10 or TB-20. This allows multiple options to beselected, such as opening the gullwing doors (which gives plenty ofroom to enter the aircraft), checking oil levels, opening baggagecompartments, following a handy checklist, as well as giving quickaccess to fuel taps and many other objects. It even allows you tochange the livery without going into X-Plane's main menu. /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/6.jpg /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/7.jpgStarting from a dark and cold cockpit, the power is turned on by ayellow push switch located on the central console. After priming theengine, it is started by turning the ignition key and pushing themixture control to fully rich. After waiting for temps and oil pressure to rise on the lineargauges located in the top/middle of the instrument panel, the brake isreleased and the aircraft taxis with a small amount of throttle,accompanied by the periodic clunking of the trailing leg suspension asone passes over dips in the ground. Both versions have constant speedprops, so the pre-flight checks of mags is followed by exercising theprop, so as to fill the CSU with oil. Once lined up on the runway and with the DI aligned with thecompass, flaps are set to takeoff and power is applied - the slightturn to the left is easily corrected with a bit of right rudder. I always find the best way of learning the foibles of an aircraftis to practice three or four circuits and bumps, so this I did in bothaircraft. I found that flying the downwind leg at 100 mph and thenreducing the manifold pressure to about 15 inches allowed me to slowdown to 70 mph with flaps on final and touching the wheels down atabout 65 mph. It is highly noticeable how much trim one needs tochange when the second flap setting is used, as the aircraft balloonsquite strongly/excessively and one is kept busy. The reason being,the trim wheel turns very slowly, so one needs to adjust enginesettings while putting the nose down to avoid too much speeddisappearing. However, one gets used to it, and I found thereafterthat I mostly used only the first flap setting out of convenience. /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/8.jpg /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/9.jpgDeciding to leave the circuit for some upper air work, I once againrolled down the runway and at about 65mph pulled the column back andwe gently lift off. I generally use "70 up 70 down" for most smallsingles, as this gives a healthy rate of climb. Once above 500 feetAGL, I retract the flaps and trim the nose down to give me around90 mph which gives a better view of what is in front of the nose, aswell as giving a better rate of climb, whilst also cooling the enginemore efficiently. Once out of the circuit, I climbed to 3000 feet to assess thehandling of the aircraft. Looking out of the large windows to see ifthere was any other traffic around, I started doing a few tight turns,which demonstrated that the aircraft did not drop a nose by toomuch. I then practiced a few stalls: flapless, the stall arrived at 58mph, and 48 mph with full flaps. In both instances there was no hint ofa wing drop just a gentle nodding of the nose, and the persistentmelody of the stall warning "horn". I particularly liked the sound ofthe air rushing over the wings when recovering. Prior to flying, I had set the weight of the aircraft to 250 poundsunder maximum and found the rate of climb matched that of the manualreasonably well. The TB-20 similarly demonstrated the same stallfigures (hardly surprising as it shares the same wing and fuselage asthe TB-10). However its climb rate is much higher due to itsretractable undercarriage and more powerful engine. I did find howeverthat some of the quoted cruise speeds were a little optimistic, butthey are both "go places aircraft" and ideal for distances of some 650miles, and further if you fly the TB-20. /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/10.jpg /images/reviews/jfsocata/t/11.jpgConclusionAs the TB-10/TB-20 followed the Piper Arrow out of the Just Flightstable, I expected something of a similar standard; sadly this is notquite the case. The TB-10/TB-20 is still good, just not as great as theArrow series. However at $41.99 I find this very expensive for what itis. For example the equivalent Carenado products are far cheaper andvisually much more rewarding. Despite the fact that I found it lacking in exterior detail/finishand having a few minor issues, I still find it a competent productionand a nice plane to fly--it would make a nice addition to anyone'shangar. /images/notams/notams18/just0511/just0511.jpgNigel Porter Purchase Just Flight- TB-10 And TB-20 For X-Plane 11
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/images/notams/notams18/just0511/just0511.jpgJust Flight, in partnership with Thranda Design, are proud topresent the TB-10 Tobago and TB-20 Trinidad for X-Plane 11. Following on from their critically acclaimed Arrow III, Turbo ArrowIII/IV and PA-28-161 Warrior II aircraft for X-Plane 11, this highlydetailed simulation of the TB-10 and TB-20 is being developed by JustFlight's in-house team and Thranda Design, following extensiveresearch and consultation with real-world TB-20 pilots. The Socata TB-10 Tobago and TB-20 Trinidad are general aviationaircraft with spacious and comfortable cabins providing seating for upto five people and have proved popular for touring and instrumenttraining. They are all-metal, cantilever low wing, single-engineaircraft with two 'gull wing' doors and access to the baggagecompartment is through a door on the left-hand side of thefuselage. The TB-10 is powered by a 180 horsepower (134 kW) Lycoming O-360piston engine and is equipped with fixed tricycle landing gear. TheTB-20's power plant is a 250 horsepower (186 kW) Lycoming IO-540piston engine and the aircraft is equipped with retractable tricyclelanding gear. Both aircraft are fitted with a two-blade constant-speedpropeller. /images/notams/notams18/just0511/trinidad.jpgBoth variants offer great performance with high cruise speeds(120-150 knots), the ability to fly long range (700-1,100 nauticalmiles) and the ability to land on hard or grass runways. A serviceceiling of up to 20,000 feet, combined with a comprehensive IFR-capableavionics suite including GPS, VOR, ADF and autopilot, make for a greatlong-range IFR touring aircraft. And with excellent visibility andpayload capabilities, they are also well suited to flying those shortVFR hops to local airfields! The TB-10 Tobago and TB-20 Trinidad for X-Plane 11 feature PBRmaterials with real-time environment reflections for superb qualityand realism, 4096 x 4096 textures for the highest possible textureclarity and a variety of paint schemes and numerous animations. /images/notams/notams18/just0511/cockpit.jpgIn the cockpit, the amazing level of detail extends right down tomodelled screw heads and animated seat backs. Authentic wear and tear,including fingerprint marks, will make you feel like you are sittingin the real thing! A vast array of avionics including a KMA 24, GNS430, GNC 255, KN 62, KAP 150, GTX 330, KR 87 and WX-1000 Stormscopewill ensure that you never get bored. Accurate flight dynamics tested by real-world TB-20 pilots andauthentic sound sets for both engine variants complete this extensiveoffering. Purchase Just Flight - TB10 and TB20 XP for X-Plane 11 /images/notams/notams18/just0511/tobago.jpg