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/images/notams/notams22/akd1102.jpgDeveloper ADK Studio announces the release of their GLF550 Ultimate Business Jet for X-Plane. Since first certified in 2003, more than 600 of the aircraft have been produced. Fairly large for a bizjet, it can hold up to 19 passengers and has a range up to 6750 nm. FeaturesDetailed modeling and texturesDetailed 3D cockpit with animated switchesPassenger cabin: functional lavatory, doors and hatches; animated cabin Highly detailed cockpit with each button, switch and knob functional4K PBR texturesFMOD sounds X-Plane 12 rain effect3D cockpit and cabin lights Source

/images/notams/notams22/akd1025.jpgNew developer ADK Studio is expected to soon release the Gulfstream G550 business jet for X-Plane. Since first certified in 2003, more than 600 of the aircraft have been produced. Fairly large for a bizjet, it can hold up to 19 passengers and has a range up to 6750 nm. Source

/images/notams/notams22/cock0910.jpgAs release time nears, Cockspur has released an official trailer video for their upcoming C510 Mustang for MSFS 2020. The four minute video shows the bizjet in great detail, both inside and out. cockspur.eu

/images/notams/notams22/hjet0601/hjet1.jpgEnjoy this state of the art entry into the VLJ (Very Light Jet)category for MSFS 2020. A culmination of a three year developmentjourney by Marwan Gharib in which no detail has been overlooked. Beyond the Garmin 3000 cockpit management system, users will findan array of features, improvements and personal touches that will makethis aircraft impossible to step away from. With a climb out of 4,100ft per minute, a range of over 1200 nautical miles, a cruise speed of422 knots and landing/takeoff distances under 3,500 feet; you willsoon find yourself exploring MSFS 2020 like never before. Make this the perfect addition to your Microsoft Flight Simulator2020 light business jet collection. Whether exploring the Caribbean orcruising the Alps, the eye-catching, award winning design of the H-Jetwill make this a go to staple for all of your short and medium rangevirtual business adventures. /images/notams/notams22/hjet0601/hjet2.jpgDetailsDetailed Systems and Functions:Electrical system that reacts appropriately to different load scenarios such as requirement for load shedding, bus separation, etcFuel system that reacts automatically to fuel imbalances and switches the source tanks in correct sequences as per the real counterpartCustom coded HVAC logic utilizing thermodynamic equations to model valve actuations, fan speeds, and background automated activities to reach user input target temperature set pointsAutomated hydraulic systemCustom built, automated anti ice system with visual icing. If in auto mode, the aircraft will automatically turn on anti icing for the needed surfacesFully automated pressurization system, with manual/auto oxygen drop mask deployment in case of pressurization failure Functioning fire panel with audio warnings and CAS messages* /images/notams/notams22/hjet0601/hjet3.jpgUnique Displays and Autopilot Functionalities:Custom G3000 Touch Screen Controller (TSC) allowing user to control the aircraft lighting system, HVAC system, checklists, performance initialization, V-Speeds, exits, static elements, pax loading, cargo and fuelCoupled Vertical NavigationBuilt-in checklistsCustom PFD/MFD/ENGINE DISPLAY faithful to the real life counterpartCustom PFD Crew Alert System (CAS) with over 130 unique messages as per the AFMCSC system (cruise speed control)Fully automated external lighting system handling taxi and landing situations with a TSC interface to choose between auto or manual modesControllable and dimmable internal lighting system through the TSC /images/notams/notams22/hjet0601/hjet4.jpgModel DetailsHighly detailed exterior and interior models with 4K PBR texturesCustom ground power unit and ground power delivery systemFunctioning main, front/rear cargo doors, GPU doorIn cabin details like movable sun visors, automated oxygen masks, modeled lavatory with functioning door, and other hidden easter eggsDetailed passenger cabin including controllable ambient lighting, window smart glass shades etcVisual icing build up as per icing conditions and anti-icing system100s of animations for control surfaces, flaps, clamshell speed brakes, gear animations, gear doors etc. -- All modeled from real world referencesSource

XL560 CitationPublisher: CarenadoReview Author: Alex DickinsonSuggested Price: $39.95/images/fsc/wbicons/store-buy-now-button.png /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-01.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-02.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-03.jpgIntroductionIn this latest review I shall belooking at the Carenado XL560. The XL560, is a beefed-up version ofthe popular Cessna Citation and offers slightly better performanceover its younger brothers. First produced in 1998, the Excel line ofjets is still going strong with over 900 produced in three differentvariants. Carenado's version includes the Honeywell Primus 1000avionics package, an accurately modelled weight and balance system, aswell as HD and PBR textures. Exterior And LiveriesAs expected with any of Carenado's products, the exterior of theplane had been accurately modelled with high-quality texturesthroughout. Even with me being on P3D V4 I found there to be extensiveuses of PBR as well as a plethora of external 3D objects. Overall, alot of attention has been paid to the exterior of the aircraft and itreally pulls off that distinctive Citation look - very nicely done. Ialso need to point out what a great job Carenado did with all theanimations, such as the flight controls, landing gear, and flaps. Allof these were animated really nicely, and as a bonus I even found thetimings to be spot on as well. /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-14.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-15.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-16.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-17.jpgIn total, Carenado have included eight liveries with theirmodel. These included registrations from the UK, USA, Czech Republic,and Portugal. All in all, I found the liveries to have some wonderfulpaint schemes but alas there were no 'LITE' variants included. The'LITE' variants of Carenado's products do not feature a 3D internalcabin, which (I believe), helps with frame rates. Interior And CockpitThe cockpit of the Citation XL560 features the normal messy layoutone would expect to find in a jet of this type. It's hard to put myfinger on it, but there is something about this cockpit design that Ifind appealing. Having researched the aircraft in quite some depth,all of the systems seemed to be functioning as stated within themanual, and there were no real faults to be found at all. Instead of the Rockwell Collins Proline 21 which Carenado usuallyadd to their business jet products, they have decided to use theHoneywell Primus 1000. Whilst this may seem appealing to some, theissue I encountered was that there was very little documentation to befound on this system, so trying to learn how to use it was prettydifficult (unlike the Proline 21). /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-08.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-09.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-10.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-11.jpgWith this version of the Citation XL560 being a business jet, itwas no surprise to me that the cabin was modelled in executiveform. It looked very realistic and whilst small, possessed thatfeeling of quality which one would expect from a jet of thiskind. Both the texturing and modelling of the interior was extremelywell done, and what with the plush leather seats and thick luxurycarpet...you really could believe you were travelling in style. FeaturesThe features included with this model were the standard offeringsseen in many Carenado products. This included an options panel whichlets you take control of the doors and add static elements, plus theability to have a working GPU, and to disable/enable reflections. /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-12.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-13.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-04.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-05.jpgThere was also a panel selector which enables the user to select acertain cockpit state such as cold and dark, "start left/rightengine", and a "Ready for take-off state". Whilst good to have, itwould have been nice to have a little more variety. My only realcriticism really in this area was that I would have liked to have seenCarenado add a fuel and payload manager. SoundOn the topic of sound, I would say that listening to the CitationXL560 was a real pleasure to experience, both internally andexternally. The engines sounded very realistic with superb 3D effects,as well as terrific audio quality. The tone of the engines was alsospot on and highly immersive at varying power levels (if I didn'tvalue my hearing as much as I do, I would have listened to them allday long). Each individual switch, knob, and button, all soundeddifferent in the cockpit which was something that I hadn'texpected. So in the audio department, Carenado's Citation XL560 reallyexcelled! /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-06.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-07.jpgManualsAs mentioned, despite there not being any instructions for the'Primus 1000', I found there to be a good selection of other manualsavailable for the aircraft, with many of them being very extensive andextremely similar to real ones I had seen. Unfortunately, there was nochecklist included, which was a bit of a shame. Performance And HandlingBefore flying the XL560, I previously flew the smaller S550 IICitation in FSX. I remember the aircraft being very nimble, agile, andeasy to fly with the handling well suited for an aircraft of itssize. As expected, I had to be a bit more forceful with the XL560controls as it is nearly 5,000 pounds heavier, but it still possessedthe same type of handling characteristics that I would expect of aCitation, and overall it was a joy to handle. In regards to numbers, I was both surprised and delighted to findthat the performance characteristics were spot on and 100% true tocharacter - this included takeoff, landing, and rangeperformance. Even the numbers referenced in the manual matched thoseof its real-life counterpart. /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-18.jpg /images/reviews/xl560cit/t/carenado-xl560-citation-19.jpgOne thing which didn't surprise me though was the STOL capabilitiesof the Citation XL560 - they are terrific! Its overpowered enginesmean you can be airborne in really no time at all and gain anunbelievable climb rate (at times, I felt the aircraft was more like afighter than a business jet). As such, it's important to remember thatwhilst flying this aircraft you closely manage your airspeed, asover-speeding can be a constant danger. ConclusionTo conclude, I really enjoyed flying this aircraft, as not only wasit well modelled, but it felt authentic in all the right areas. Beinga P3D v4 user, the added bonus of having PBR and dynamic lighting,only added to the experience. The only issue I really found wasCarenado's decision to use the Honeywell Primus 1000 instead of theProline 21. However, even this is not enough to bring this model down,as in my opinion, Carenado's Citation XL560 offers a great businessesjet experience! /images/reviews/xl560cit/title3.jpgAlex Dickinson Purchase Carenado - XL560 Citation for FSX/P3D

S550 Citation S/IIPublisher: CarenadoReview Author: Sean McLeodSuggested Price: $39.95/images/fsc/wbicons/store-buy-now-button.png /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_12.04.37.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-29_16.25.38.jpgIntroductionWelcome to my review of Carenado'srendition of the Cessna S550 Citation S/II for X-Plane 11. First somehistory about the Cessna Citation II. According to the Wikipedia pagefor the Cessna Citation II (Model 550), the airframe was developedfrom the Citation I (Model 500) and first flew on 31 January,1977. The Citation S/II or Model S550 was an upgrade development ofthe original Model 550, and first flew on 14 February 1984. It has asupercritical airfoil from the Citation III and the improved Pratt andWhitney JT15D-4B engines, which have upgraded internal componentsallowing for more thrust at higher altitudes. Fuel capacity also gotan increase in the S/II, as well as the TKS fluid de-icing system forthe wings and bleed air de-icing for the engines. At the time themodel S550 was introduced, it replaced the model 550 on the productionline; 160 examples of the S550 were produced. /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-29_16.06.41.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-29_16.07.19.jpgAs far as I can tell from their web site, Carenado and the Citationhave a history dating back to 2013 when it appears they supported theS550 for FSX and Prepar3D. It's great that Carenado is bringing theirtried and true designs forward for use with X-Plane. This X-Planeversion of the aircraft was first released in October 2018, with anupdate released soon after and a further update released in November2018. During this time period the stable version of X-Plane was 11.25and 11.26, and a major update including flight model changes wasreleased by Laminar Research in January 2019, X-Plane 11.30. I amcurrently running X-Plane 11.32, which released earlier in February2019 (more on the impact of this information later in the review). /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-29_16.19.20.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-29_16.23.46.jpgPackage Contents And FeaturesAs I alluded to earlier, version 1.2 was released in November 2018during the time of X-Plane 11.25/11.26. The configurable FPS logicsystem consists of enabling or disabling reflections on the cockpitinstruments and aircraft windows, a feature found in all Carenadoaircraft released for X-Plane 11. I have not yet joined the ranks ofthose flight simming with VR hardware so I cannot tell you how awesomethat experience is, hehe. I utilized theGoodwaycompatibility to help me plan my test flight, and since I chose to usemy MacBook I wasn't able to explore the RealityXP GTN750 since itisn't OS-X compatible, which is a shame because it is quite the unit!Last but not least, Carenado's use of full PBR makes me want to callthem the kings and queens of eye candy - the shininess and reflectionsare enchanting! For the artistically gifted or those that wish to have a go atcreating your own paint job, some digging is required in thesubfolders to find the specific graphic file to accomplish thisgoal. The default texture for the aircraft is all-white, and can befound in the 'objects' folder, files E1.png and E2.png. This isn't aproper paint kit which normally consists of a Photoshop, Gimp or othergraphics editing program file that has all the elements of the texturedivided into separate layers. Remember to create a separate folder foryour paint scheme in the 'liveries' subfolder. Have a look insideanother livery folder to see how it's structured and replicate that inyour livery folder. /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_16.08.59.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_12.13.59.jpg DocumentationIt has been said that (by whom I do not know) when the weight ofthe paperwork equals the weight of the airplane, only then can you goflying. Applying this axiom to the quantity and quality of thedocumentation contained in the this aircraft package, at first blushit seems like there's plenty of paper stacked and sorted in an orderlyfashion. Reflecting further, it might just be the right amountconsidering this is a home-based computer flight simulationapplication. I'm accustomed to seeing far more data available for ahigh-performance jet aircraft (car licence plate holder reads: Myother ride is a Boeing 737). It is convenient to have the different sections of what constitutean Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) separated, allowing for the differentdocuments to be open and available at the same time. Before taking theaircraft flying I would strongly suggest that particular attention ispaid to the Recommended 'Carenado Joystick Settings XP11.pdf' andfamiliarize yourself with the 'Electronic Flight InformationSystem.pdf'. If you have your X-Plane graphics settings where you wantthem, then the 'Recommended settings XP11.pdf' is of less concern. /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_14.23.39.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_14.28.50.jpgThe information available in the included documentation is notsufficient to qualify this aircraft package for Study Level status, asthere is nearly a total lack of technical descriptions about theaircraft systems normally found in a package with Study Level in thetitle. Carenado does not bill this as such an aircraft package soanyone criticizing this and other Carenado aircraft for this lack ofcomplexity should probably look elsewhere to satisfy their study-leveldesires. InstallationMove along, nothing to see here...so I'll just say that it'seasy. Unpack the archive file, move the resulting file folder to yourdesired X-Plane subfolder. No installer to run. Easy-peasy. Once youload the aircraft in X-Plane you will be prompted to provide youractivation code; internet connection required for verification. /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_14.59.05.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_15.06.48.jpgExteriorIt's beautiful. Yep. In my opinion, the only included livery thatshowcases the exterior of the aircraft best of all is 'OE-GBM'. Thisis because the livery has a larger contrast of color to highlight thereflectiveness in the textures. The other liveries, while well done,don't offer as much visually to make them 'pop' off the screen. /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_14.54.31.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_14.58.14.jpgLooking closely at the exterior model, the attention to detail isobvious. While I wouldn't call it insane, I am impressed by the extenttexture and 3D details have been applied to the landing gear, landinggear bays, engine nacelles including the thrust reversers (open themand have a look), empennage, wings and fuselage (um, I guess that'sthe whole plane! Hah!). The 3D detail of the navigation lights, wingrecognition lights, static wicks, ventilation grates, radio antennas,even elevator trim tab actuators really bring the airframe tolife. The textures are certainly photoreal, high-definition resolution4096x4096 pixels for each one, and it might be this fact that limitsthe crispness of panel lines as you move in close to the exterior. Iimagine in order to improve the resolution of the textures that employphotographic overlay would require high resolution photographs of thesubject aircraft, which can be hard to come by unless you go and do ityourself (which isn't always possible). The textures in the mainlanding gear bays are as if Carenado is saying to the curious X-Pilot"Ahhhhh! I bet you thought we forgot about these, hmm? Nope!" It'ssatisfying to see the completeness of the exterior textures. InteriorWelcome to your private jet! As you enter the main cabin door,luxuriousness hits you like a ping-pong paddle to the side of yourface; SLAP! Following closely is a giddy grin spreading across yourface as you move around the cabin, observing the overstuffedvery-comfy looking seats (can you smell the odor of leathercleaner?). The tables can be extended with a click of the mouse, thewindow shades can be drawn against the blazing sun at FL350, theoverhead reading lights can be actuated and directed in the dark of anight flight to Las Vegas. /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_14.31.20.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_14.42.35.jpgDon't have a fire in the cabin because even though the placardabove the rear left passenger seat points to where a fire extinguishershould be stowed, it's not there! You might also have to 'hold it'until you arrive at your destination; typically the lavatory on boarda biz-jet of this size is located in the aft of the cabin but itdoesn't look like there is a privacy curtain or port-a-potty installedin this machine. Luckily for you, depending on your chosen location toenjoy this simulator aircraft and it's proximity to lavatory services,you have the almighty 'pause' button. The front office looks as it should, like a flight deck. Switchesand buttons click, lights illuminate and extinguish, fuel pumps whirr,fans hum, engines whine, a cacophony of alerts assault your ears whenyou neglect to follow the checklists. Aahhh, yes, the sweet Fmodsounds of flying a jet airplane. The visual resplendency abounds in the cockpit of the CarenadoCitation S/II as well. Zooming in on the control yoke center you aregreeted by the golden logo and then the wet shininess of the controlyoke itself. You can stow your armrest if it's in the way, and you canmove your sunshade so it's set just right as you rocket through thewild blue. Observe the reflection of the cockpit environment on thesunshade as you drag it along the track. The reflections on shinysurfaces are very impressive. That said, the reflectiveness ofinstrument faces might be a bit overdone when it comes to theinstruments that are of a synthetic display variety, namely the EADI,EHSI and central MFD. In the real flying world these kinds of displayshave an anti-reflective coating so the display information can stillbe seen in bright ambient lighting or direct sunlight. For the timebeing the only way you can achieve this in the Carenado Citation is toturn off the instrument reflections. /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_14.29.33.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_14.30.12.jpg Systems"Systems? I don't have to show you any stinking systems..." Thisis a paraphrase of popular dialogue from a novel titled The Treasureof the Sierra Madre (1927). It came to my mind and seemed appropriateto insert here. Do you really need to see any systems information toenjoy the Carenado Citation? Nah, not really. Chances are you aren'tusing it to learn to fly a real Citation. Without being able to verifyinformation against an actual AFM or Flight Operations Manual (FOM), Ican only assume the configuration of the electric, hydraulic andpneumatic systems are as faithful to the real aircraft as X-Plane willallow with its native systems modelling. A cursory trip through PlaneMaker reveals extensive attention was paid to the electric system. Ipoint it out because I think, by far, the native Plane Makerelectrical system allows for pretty accurate system modelling withoutcreating a break-out plugin system model. /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-29_16.00.36.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_16.07.57.jpgWhere the systems of this presentation really shine is theElectronic Flight Information System and autopilot. Only the FMS isnative to X-Plane 11, and works well enough for its intendedpurpose. Carenado uses the SASL plugin to create the EFIS screens withpop-out capability, as well as their proprietary menu system ofAutopilot-Cameras-Option. You can click on the EADI, EHSI or MFD and apop-out version of the particular display will appear in 2D on thescreen. You can click and drag the display to position it where youlike, and you can resize it as well. The EHSI button panel also haspop-out capability. The features of all the EFIS panels are modelledthoroughly, in my opinion. The features are described quite well inthe instruction document provided. I found the Autopilot control panelpop-out very useful, so I didn't have to keep slewing the camera viewdown and to the right to operate the 3D control panel (even though itlooks very nicely modelled). /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-29_16.03.28.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-29_16.04.43.jpgFlight Model"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" spoken by theWizard of Oz himself. From my experience with this Carenado aircraft,it performs to spec. I validated the cruise speed and power settings Iexperienced on my test flight against the appropriate cruiseperformance chart. This should be sufficient to satisfy almosteveryone except the Anoraks* amongst the flightsim community. Peekingbehind the proverbial curtain in Plane Maker surprised me, but theresults of the efforts of the Carenado team speak for themselves. Themodel performs to spec. * "Anorak" is a British slang which refers to a personwho has a very strong interest, perhaps obsessive, in nichesubjects. This interest may be unacknowledged or not understood by thegeneral public. The term is sometimes used synonymously with "geek" or"nerd", the Spanish term "friki", or the Japanese term "otaku", albeitreferring to different niches. /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_15.10.01.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_15.11.03.jpgTest FlightI chose to fly from Edenvale, Ontario, Canada (north of Toronto) toHalifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, allowing for some time to get acquaintedwith and experience the "Slowtation". This is a moniker bestowed bythe industry upon the early aircraft of the Citation model line, dueto its cruise performance relative to its class competitorLearjet. According to Wikipedia a Learjet salesmen mocked it as the"Nearjet" vulnerable to "bird strikes from the rear". Primarily due tothe fact that the Citation has straight wings as opposed to sweptwings, the resulting cruise speed at altitude is markedly lower thanswept wing bizjets. I used Goodway to generate a flight plan and exported it to theFMS, loaded it and began the journey. I elected to have real weatherconditions load throughout the flight which didn't have an impact atdeparture. Climbout was uneventful, the autopilot was straightforwardto configure. I planned to climb to FL330 initially, setting thealtitude selector and pressurization accordingly (so I thought). Sometime later in the climb, a master caution warning lit up - no warningsound. What gives? Observing the instrument panel my attention wasdrawn to the pressurization panel; it appeared the cabin altitude hadsomehow increased above 10,000 feet. I was able to fix this by adjustingthe cabin altitude selector and the cabin altitude descendedaccordingly, thankfully. /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_15.17.21.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_15.19.46.jpgOnce level at FL330, the Citation displayed its infamous'Slowtation' performance; 91% fan rpm, 195 KIAS yielded 315 KIAS, M0.56. This is no fault on the part of Carenado, it just means theyaccurately recreated the S550 in X-Plane. While the Mmo is listed as M0.72, the aircraft is incapable of reaching this limit in level flightat cruise altitude. No birds to chase me up there, that I knew of(does a Canada goose carry a Mode S transponder? I don't think so.) AsI drew nearer to Halifax, I loaded up the instrument arrival andapproach; FUNDY2.ILS23 is what I selected in the FMS. I had to refer to the FMS instruction manual to get familiar withthe specific ways the native FMS operates. I wasn't able to use theinput format I am familiar with when using a Universal UNS-1 FMC. Thatsaid, I was very impressed with how the autopilot coupled with the FMSflew the lateral navigation route. I didn't set up the VNAV properlyso I used the Mk 1 eyeball to navigate my descent profile. The reported weather at CYHZ was windy, even by East coaststandard; at 00Z wind from 300° true, 22 knots gusting to 33 knots,10 statute miles visibility, light snow, clouds few at 2000 feet, brokenat 4600, temperature -12C, dew point -20C, altimeter 29.63" Hg. Ishould have chosen the approach to runway 32, but I chose 23 for thefun of it. The approach went very well until I had to wrestle the birdto the ground. I would like to think I could have made it look easierif I was using a yoke and rudder pedals for control input, I was usingthe Gladiator Mk II instead. On touchdown I think I bashed the wingtips a couple or three times, but finally got it settled andstopped. I would say that the sight out the front window on theapproach with the light snow streaking by looked very much like whatHan Solo and Chewbacca see when the Millennium Falcon jumps tohyperspace. Oh the places you'll go! - Seuss /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_15.22.33.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_15.28.27.jpgEvaluationThe team at Carenado are masters of the visual art of creatingaircraft for PC flight simulators, their rendition of the CitationS/II is no exception. There is just the right amount of supportingdocumentation to get you in 'the game' but not so much as to overwhelmthe novice bizjet pilot. I found this aircraft model to be verysatisfying to operate successfully. There is an element of challengeto figuring out how to make it all 'go' properly, which when achievedshould give the end user a sense of accomplishment. While this isn't astudy-level rendition of the Citation S/II, I would say it isn't faroff the mark. There is one glaring omission from the aircraftoperation documentation, which I've save to mention here in order tobring focus and attention to this point. Nowhere, in any of the provided literature, have I been able tofind any mention of the power lever locks. I found my salvation in theforums at X-Plane.org as I was not the only person having difficultywith the power lever movement. /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_15.47.27.jpg /images/reviews/cares550/t/S550_Citation_II_-_2019-04-26_15.58.50.jpgConclusionIf you think the Citation S/II from Carenado is something you'denjoy, I won't tell you 'no' if you decide to buy it. At its listedprice, I would call it a great value for the money. /images/reviews/cares550/CAR-855-s550-citation-ii-xp.jpgThanks for reading. Sean McLeod Purchase Carenado - S550 Citation II for X-Plane Other Carenado ReviewsC172SP SkyhawkPA31 Navajo690B CommanderF33A BonanzaCessna 340CT210M Centurion II