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Lockheed Lodestar Model 18Publisher: oliXsimReview Author: Stuart McGregorSuggested Price: $19.28/images/fsc/wbicons/store-buy-now-button.pngThe Aircraft /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar01.jpgThe aircraft under review in thisarticle is oliXsim's Lockheed Lodestar Model 18 released mid-2020. Theversion in question was 1.1. The L18, is a twin engine all metal mid-wing transport and wasfirst introduced in 1940. There were just over 600 built across allvariants, with both commercial airline and military variants beingoffered here. It definitely has that 1940's retro look and feel, so let's see howit performs. Initial ThoughtsI purchased my copy at the FlightSim.Com Store and in my opinion itis reasonably priced at $19.28 considering you are getting bothcommercial airline and military options, and a total of 5 variants forthat price. It is a large download at a little over 500MB, so beprepared for a bit of a wait if your internet speed is a littleslow. /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar12.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar13.jpgInstallation is simple, just a case of drop and drag into yourX-Plane's Aircraft folder, however there is a security key requiredfor this one, so you need to activate it once installed. Thedocumentation provided is genuinely nice and authentic, and has a realvintage look to it. You will find several documents provided,including a POH, emergency procedures, info on the autopilot orautomatic flight system, the modern avionics that are provided on somevariants, instructions for dealing with ice and rain (both of whichare simulated) and very importantly, instructions on how to start theengines from cold and dark. I found the documentation clear and easyto read and follow. The fact that there are multiple versions and variants provided(with and without X-Plane standard GPS), means there is plenty foreven the most experienced simmer to get their teeth into, and it tookme a few hours to check out all the versions and variants. I really dolike it when developers provide options for end users, as that waythere is never a shortage of features to check out. This review isvery much an initial look into some of the main features offered,however for those who like to really delve in the minutia, I couldhonestly have spent many more hours getting to know everything the L18from oilXsim has to offer. Having options is a good thing in myopinion. /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar14.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar15.jpgOn The GroundThe exterior details are nicely done, with more rivets than you canshake a stick at, multiple radio antennas, nicely modelled landinggear & control surfaces, through to the shiny bare metal look, theseare just a few examples of why this aircraft is extremely easy on theeye. From photographs of the real-world aircraft, the developersappear to have done a rather good job in my opinion of replicating theL18 in X-Plane, so well done to them. The shiny exterior fuselageeffects may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I quite liked thisfeature, which is very in keeping with aircraft from this era. It justadded to that overall retro feel you get when around aircraft of thisvintage. From the outside, the two-flight crew are partially animated withhead and arm movements, and I really like the fact that theirsunglasses came and went as the time of day changed. /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar16.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar17.jpgFrom the pilot's seat, there are a couple of pop out menus that canbe activated to control several pre-set views, as well as the 13-pagePilot's Handbook, so you can access all the key checklists duringflight very easily once you know where to click on the instrumentpanel. Please read the manuals, it is well worth it, as there aremany features discretely placed that you may not come acrossotherwise. The stock model comes with several different liveries, commercialairline and military, and these cover countries such as the UK, USA,Australia, The Netherlands Antilles, Sweden, and Canada. If you wishto create your own livery, blank white and bare metal textures areprovided and can be used. As I do create my own liveries from time totime, I took the liberty to do just that, and I found this aircraftextremely easy to paint. That may not sound like much if you havenever created a livery in X-Plane, however, having a simple singlefuselage template makes a huge difference to the effort required topaint some aircraft, so this was very much appreciated. A feature thatI am sure will be appreciated by the livery artists out there. /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar18.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar19.jpgAs you look around the cockpit, you will find lots of furtherdetails in a well modelled interior. All the switches, levers,multiple fuse buttons, window catches and latches that I tried, areanimated, and the feel of the cockpit and cabin is fantastic. Thecockpit dials I found to be easy and clear to read, and the nightillumination was warm and authentic. The lighting in the cabin atnight I also liked, as there are individually illuminated readinglights in the commercial airline version, and rudimentary rooflighting in the military variant. I also liked the fact you can add reflective effects to theinstruments, although the required switches are a little bit fiddly atfirst and a bit out of the way. However, there are other nice featuressuch as chocks and passenger steps that can all be added and removedwhen on the ground, as well as the pilot animation, which can beswitched on and off to suit. Raindrops are simulated on the cockpit and cabin windscreen andwindows when it rains, as is ice if the temperature drops below 2degrees. The de-icing equipment works pretty well in removing this,however, I did find that from the outside the iced-up window effectswere not as realistic as they could be, which was a pity, because fromthe inside of the cabin I felt this was quite nicely done. /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar20.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar21.jpgThe L18 is one of those aircraft that perhaps at first glance youmay not give it a second thought, however, once you start to explore(and importantly read the manual...) you will find all sorts of nicefeatures that show the developer really has put some serious thoughtinto their product. It is also worth mentioning that if you like oldschool gauges rather than the more modern glass cockpits of today,this aircraft really delivers. There is a plethora of gauges, to thepoint that at first it could be a little overwhelming if you are justa casual flyer. However, once you spend some time in the cockpit, aswell as digesting the manual, everything starts to fall intoplace. The provided Pilot's Handbook also really helps as it describesthe numerous features in photos and in words. Very handy! Sadly, one thing that did take the shine off my flying experiencejust a little, was the fact that my SAITEK panels (switch, 2 x radio,multi) only partially worked as standard, meaning additional scriptswill be required to get them to function correctly. I appreciate thatnot everyone uses these panels, however for those that do, please beaware that you will need to write appropriate scripts. As the panelspartially work, this may have also had something to do with the factthat I found the autopilot system to be a bit twitchy at times, andnot always doing what I wanted. I should stress though, that this mayhave been down to me and my hardware rather than anything to do withthe L18. Different autopilot systems are provided in the differentmodels, from the very simplistic Navomatic/800 simple switch system,to the slightly more complex S-TEC with backlit visual panel. /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar22.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar23.jpgI will be honest that in the past I have not really been a massivefan of tail draggers like the L18, mainly because taxiing and movingaround the ground often feels like a painful chore requiring a hugeamount of effort and practice just to keep the aircraft in a straightline. In my opinion, taildraggers are a bit like Bovril, Marmite orVegemite, you either love them or hate them! However, in this case Iwas pleasantly surprised, as taxiing and manoeuvring the L18 on theground was straight forward and easy. I think this was aided by thefact there are quite large cockpit windows on the side so you can seewhat you are doing to a large extent. When adjusting the throttles and prop levers, you can hear a nicechange in the engine sound as the engines come to life. Keepingcontrol as I headed off down the runway, everything went as planned. Iwas able to keep the nose straight down the centre line all the wayuntil...up I went. Takeoff was exceptionally smooth. The outsidesounds are rich, however, they did not appear to be 3 dimensional, asI heard no difference in tone or volume as I moved around the exterioror ran a fly by. Perhaps something for the developers to work on in afuture update. In saying that, it did not really detract too much frommy flying enjoyment. /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar24.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar25.jpgIn The AirDuring the climb and descent, I found the L18 very responsive tothe input controllers (CH yoke, pedals and throttle quad) withoutbeing too sensitive, and I was easily able to control my rate of climb& descent, airspeed and direction. Once in my cruise, the feel of theL18 was excellent. Exceptionally smooth turns and control waseffortless. I completed my various tests with a couple of night flights to tryout the night-time features. I found the instrument panel to be warm,well-lit, and easy to read. There are several control knobs to adjustthe brightness of the cockpit instrument panels and these can be foundto the left of the pilot's seat. /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar26.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar27.jpgTo be honest, there isn't really too much else to say about theflight characteristics, other than I felt that the L18 makes the bestof what X-Plane 11 has to offer, which is a genuinely nice flightmodel, and in my opinion, the best one on the market at this time. TheL18 was just so super smooth, a real joy to fly, and it was veryrelaxing to spend a couple of hours in the clouds imagining what itmust have been like during the early days of commercial flight, andhow aircraft like the L18 shaped the modern world of aviation. Final ThoughtsI really enjoyed my experience in oliXsim's Lockheed Lodestar Model18, so if you are looking for a little bit of post-war 1940'snostalgia to add to your hangar, the L18 is really well worth alook. All the models are packed with features, it handles well on theground and in the air and looks fabulous both inside and out. Althoughin my opinion the sounds could perhaps do with a little improvement tobring the L18 on par with many other payware aircraft, the addition ofnice features such as animated pilots and their disappearingsunglasses, window icing and rain effects, really add that little bitextra. This sort of detail, in conjunction with the overall highquality of the modelling and pure enjoyment factor, in my opinion,make the L18 an ideal candidate for purchase if you are looking for anaircraft in this class. /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar28.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar29.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar30.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar31.jpg/images/reviews/lodestar/title3.jpgStuart McGregor Purchase oliXsim - Lockheed L18 Lodestar for X-Plane 11 See other aircraft from oliXsim Continue to next page for pictures of all the liveries... Liveries Liveries /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar02.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar03.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar04.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar05.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar06.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar07.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar08.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar09.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar10.jpg /images/reviews/lodestar/t/oliXsim-Lockheed-Lodestar11.jpgPurchase oliXsim - Lockheed L18 Lodestar for X-Plane 11
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Today we would like to welcome a new developer to the FlightSim.ComStore. oliXsim creates classic aircraft for X-Plane 11 and we nowhave two of them on offer at the store, the Lockheed Lodestar Model 18and the Junker Ju52/3m. Those who like round engines will surely enjoythese aircraft. /images/notams/notams21/olix0117/ju52.jpgJunkers Ju52/3mThe Junkers Ju52/3m D-AQUI is one of the last four aircraft of thetype Ju52/3m, which were built before 1945 in Dessau. The "D-AQUI" isthe last airworthy Junkers Ju52/3m approved in commercial aviation.It belongs to the Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin Foundation. /images/notams/notams21/olix0117/junkers-1.jpgFeaturesAnimated pilots with daytime dependent sunglassesAnimated raindrops on the cockpit and cabin windowsFull functional 3D cockpit, every switch animated with its own tool-tip with description and high detailed cockpit instruments (4096 x 4096 high resolution texture)High detailed passenger cabinTh animated "No smoking / Fasten Seat Belt" and "Emergency Exit" lightsReflections and shining outside and insideNight lighting outside and insideFunctional GPUVR Modus compatibleFMOD soundInteractive checklist and walk-around pagesEasy AutopilotStandard X-Plane GPSDocumentations in PDF /images/notams/notams21/olix0117/junkers-2.jpgPurchase oliXsim - Junkers Ju52/3m /images/notams/notams21/olix0117/lodestar.jpgLockheed Lodestar L18The Lockheed Lodestar is an all-metal mid-wing transporter thatentered service in 1940 and is known for its inherent stability andeasy maneuverability. Years of continuous operation around the worldunder a variety of operating conditions has shown that the Lodestar isa reliable, versatile aircraft with exceptionally highperformance. /images/notams/notams21/olix0117/lodestar-1.jpgIn this package provided models are: Civil aircraft: Lockheed L18 LodestarLockheed L18 Lodestar with Standard X-Plane GPSMilitary aircraft: Lockheed L18 (C60) LodestarLockheed L18 (C60) Lodestar with Standard X-Plane GPS /images/notams/notams21/olix0117/lodestar-2.jpgFeaturesAnimated pilots with daytime dependent sunglassesVisual rain effect on the cockpit and cabin windowVisual ice building effect on the cockpit and cabin windowFull functional 3D cockpit, every switch has its own tool-tip with description and high detailed cockpit instruments (4096 x 4096 high resolution texture)Detailed passenger cabin with animated "No Smoking / Fasten Seat Belt" signsReflections and shining outside and insideNight lightingVR Modus compatibleFMOD custom soundsEasy autopilotDocumentations in PDFPurchase oliXsim- Lockheed L18 Lodestar
