Search the Community

Review: Carenado F33A Bonanza For X-Plane 11Sean McLeod /images/reviews/caref33x/t/Image1.jpgIntroductionIt is my pleasure to review for you,the Carenado team's rendition of the aircraft with the distinction ofhaving the longest continuous production run of any airplane inexistence, the Beechcraft F33A Bonanza. /images/reviews/caref33x/t/Image2.jpgThe six-seater, single-engined Beechcraft Bonanza began productionin the year 1947 at the Beech Aircraft Corp. facility at Wichita,Kansas. More than 17,000 Bonanzas of all variants have been built. TheF33A Bonanza model was produced from 1970 until 1994, powered by aContinental IO-520-B engine rated at 285 hp. When production ended,821 examples had been built. (Data fromWikipedia) /images/reviews/caref33x/t/3.jpg /images/reviews/caref33x/t/4.jpgThe Carenado F33A BonanzaThe Carenado team first produced a model of this aircraft forFS2004,and now they have recreated this sleek machine for your enjoyment inX-Plane 11. The list of special features for this model on their website states "Version 1.1, only for X-Plane 11, state-of-the-artconfigurable FPS-friendly logic system, fully VR compatible, and fullPBR (Physics-Based Rendering) giving superb material shines andreflections." /images/reviews/caref33x/t/5.jpg /images/reviews/caref33x/t/6.jpgThe litany of features described on the Carenado web site indicatethe excellent level of quality you can expect to see when you fire upthis model in X-Plane: Specially designed engine dynamics for X-Plane 11Flight physics optimized for X-Plane 11Ground handling adapted for X-Plane 11 PBR-supported materials and textures PBR materials authored with software used by the film and gaming industries X-Plane GNS530 (FPS friendly)Support for RealityXP GTN750 Goodway compatibleRealistic behavior compared to the real aircraftRealistic weight and balance, tested by several pilots for maximum accuracy. /images/reviews/caref33x/t/7.jpg /images/reviews/caref33x/t/8.jpg What's Inside The Box?You can purchase your F33A directly fromwww.carenado.comor from other online vendors, in the usual formats. According to the information available at the Carenado web site thepackage includes the following: 5 high definition liveries1 hi-def blank texture; you can paint your own masterpieceBendix/King KFC150 Autopilot Manual PDFRecommended settings for X-Plane 11 PDFNormal and emergency procedures checklist, including performance tables PDFSingle page V-speeds quick reference PDF /images/reviews/caref33x/t/9.jpg /images/reviews/caref33x/t/10.jpgRecommended System RequirementsThis is the part of the review which you should pay close attentionto, so as to make sure you don't spend your $26.95 USD on this packageand not have it work for you (instead of saving your bucks for yournext hardware upgrade which will allow you to enjoy the talents of theCarenado team). Windows XP, Vista, 7, 10 or MAC OS 10.10 (or higher) or LinuxX-Plane 11CPU: Intel Core i5 6600K at 3.5 GHz or fasterMemory: 16-24 GB RAM or moreVideo card: a DirectX 12-capable video card from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel with at least 4 GB VRAM (GeForce GTX 1070 or better or similar from AMD)370 MB available hard disk spaceInternet connection required for installing the product /images/reviews/caref33x/t/11.jpg /images/reviews/caref33x/t/12.jpgThe FlightThe hardware I am using to perform the test flying is a VKBsimGladiator II joystick, Logitech G502 mouse on a 2015 MacBook Pro 15,2.5 GHz i7 CPU, 16 GB DDR3 RAM and Intel Iris Pro 1536 MB GPU. I wasable to see 20 to 28 frames per second with the graphics settings Ichoose; in the X-Plane 11.25r1 Rendering Options menu I do not select'draw shadows on scenery' and keep 'Reflection Detail' at minimum. Ihave the Visual Effects set at 'High(HDR)', Texture Quality is set'High', Antialiasing set at 'FXAA' and Number of World Objects set at'High'. /images/reviews/caref33x/t/Settings.jpgI noticed an almost ten frames-per-second gain when I switched from'Low' Reflection Detail to 'Minimum'. For my chosen area of operations I relocated to UT25 MonumentValley Airport, at Monument Valley, Utah. You will notice from thescreen shots the scenery is not the default X-Plane 11 mesh, no sir. Ihave the distinct pleasure of touring around the Orbx recreation ofMonument Valley for X-Plane 11(reviewed here). /images/reviews/caref33x/t/25.jpg /images/reviews/caref33x/t/26.jpgI took the opportunity to tour around and explore the geographicalarea as well as the aircraft model, experimenting with different timesof day as well as fields of view. For all the ground based screengrabs I cranked the graphics settings nearly to the maximums, and setthe field of view at the maximum 110 degrees. My MacBook Pro was definitely feeling the strain with those settings! /images/reviews/caref33x/t/Settings2.jpgI began the flight from the gravel parking apron at UT25, startingup and departing runway 34 - away from the rock face directly to thewest of the airport. Ground manoeuvring felt normal to me, though whenI performed the take-off I felt like a lot of right-rudder wasnecessary to keep heading straight down the runway. The aircraftdidn't exactly leap off the ground and acceleration in the air wasunderwhelming; keep in mind that airport elevation is listed as 5192feet above sea level, so this lack of performance shouldn't indicateany problems with the simulator model. Take-off distance took almost3000 feet of the 4000x75 foot runway. With the flaps up and gearretracted, a more comfortable airspeed was of course attained. /images/reviews/caref33x/t/13.jpg /images/reviews/caref33x/t/14.jpgThe capability of the new-to-X-Plane FMOD sounds is just wonderful,and of course the Carenado team leverages its capabilities, bringingthe F33A model to life. The clicking of latches, the whirring of theattitude gyro, the scrape-chuff of the closing cabin door all help tocreate the feeling you're actually there in the aircraft. The attention to detail found in the 3D model and its includedtexturing is very impressive, such as the detailed wheel and brakeassemblies, the crispness of the text found on the various informationand data placards, the patina of the variousswitches/latches/knobs/buttons/handles, and even the opening/closingashtrays! The outside of the aircraft also really exhibits the powerof the PBR engine with the variety of reflections, contours, andsmoothness or roughness of the surfaces. /images/reviews/caref33x/t/15.jpg /images/reviews/caref33x/t/16.jpgAfter touring the valley area, I returned for landing at UT25. Imade the daring move of approaching to land on runway 34, from overtopof the rock face on the west side of the airport! To say it was asteep approach would be an understatement, but isn't having asimulator like this a wonderful outlet for silly ideas? The landingwas a bit ropey, but the blue-side stayed on top and we stopped on therunway. /images/reviews/caref33x/t/21.jpg /images/reviews/caref33x/t/22.jpg /images/reviews/caref33x/t/17.jpg /images/reviews/caref33x/t/18.jpgConclusionCarenado has certainly maintained their benchmark standard withanother high-quality, polished aircraft package for X-Plane 11. Iwasn't able to explore all the bonus features like VR, RealityXPplugin support or Goodway FlightPlanner, but even without those extrasthe F33A Bonanza package delivers a dependable experience in X-Plane11. Sean McLeod Purchase Carenado - F33A Bonanza for X-Plane /images/reviews/caref33x/t/23.jpg /images/reviews/caref33x/t/24.jpg

/images/notams/notams18/care0521/care0521.jpgFeaturesSpecially designed engine dynamics for XP11Flight physics optimized for XP11 standardsGround handling adapted for XP11 ground physicsPhysically Based Rendering materials and textures throughoutPBR materials authored with industry-standard software used by the film and gaming industriesX-Plane GNS430 (FPS friendly)Support for RealityXP's GTN750* (integrated into 3D cockpit, when available)Goodway compatibleRealistic behavior compared to the real airplane. Realistic weight and balance. Tested by several pilots for maximum accuracy*RealityXP GTN 750 is sold separately /images/notams/notams18/care0521/bonanza1.jpgIncluded In The Package5 HD liveries1 HD blank textureF33 Normal and Emergency Procedures PDFF33 Performance tables PDFF33 Quick reference table PDFAutopilot KFC150 Manual PDFRecommended Settings X-Plane 11 PDF /images/notams/notams18/care0521/bonanza2.jpgSpecial FeaturesOnly for X-Plane 11State-of-the-art configurable FPS-friendly logic systemFully VR compatibleFull PBR (Superb material shines and reflections) Purchase Carenado - F33A Bonanza for X-Plane 11