The Islander was created by Virtavia and sold by Flight One. The package includes 2 nearly identical / redundant detailed instructions in PDF format, original performance charts, a repaint kit and as a bonus 2 airfields from the "UK2000" scenery package: Bembridge (EGHJ) on the Isle of Wight in southern England (the original home of Britten-Norman) and "Old Sarum", a small strip of grass north-east of South Hampton. Bembridge would otherwise been in good quality in "Alf's UK Airports" -Freeware included.
Exterior:
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The plane comes in 2 versions (2A / 2B, the B-model has a slightly pointed nose and other lighting) and 12 liveries the relevant BN operators worldwide, including 4 German island airlines, more can be downloaded. At the Exterior details there are to be no complaints, bump mapping and texture resolution but are not always quite as crisp as in eg RealAir- or Carenado "HD" models. The right Spinner (No, not the Seehofer) unfortunately shows an ugly artifact during rotation, "eggs" on both the textures to himself and exaggerated Fake "environment mapping" dim a little the otherwise good impression. The liveries also vary a bit in quality and unfortunately all Islanders are freshly painted, washed and bump free - realistic "aging" of the aircraft - nil.
Interior / VC:
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In this machine a few Flusi Friends will miss a 2D panel, which completely "out" is now. The virtual cockpit is very well reproduced, but may be even less than the outer skin compete with the top products in recent years. Even here the polygon count is quite high (fully drawn in 3D tools, pointers, buttons and screws), unfortunately many textures are (Panel Gauge Bezels, buttons, reflections ...) but / resolved fairly washy low, which also trying sabotaged the Panel to "wear and tear" accompanied by the lack of the Exterior. Although the Panel was praised in some forums to the skies - as some have probably needed a pair of glasses or a new monitor - the VC of the standard C172 is locally better resolved.
The main instruments are animated smoothly and are not very big, but still easy to read in the standard view. The small engine-side instruments can just make out whether the pointer is in the green zone, or not, with no anti-aliasing but not even what the instrument actually shows (despite HD monitor). In addition, the entire instrument cluster is somehow slipped in panel cut-up too far, which is why the top scales are particularly difficult to read.
Multiple camera angles for the VC ensure that you can reach the lying behind the control horns switch, the view of the radio stack is partially blocked from the right control column, which you can but hide (click on the bolts of the axle opening on the panel). In all camera settings inside and outside the partially extremely rausgezoomten perspectives and the careless choice of camera positions displeased (eg on the wings, where you then the interior looks the same).
Unlike the standard aircraft in FSX fortunately the backlight and the cabin lighting can be switched separately, so that the antiglare flight operations in the dark is not handicapped. Nevertheless, the VC brings total only on the predicate "average Freeware Quality".
Animations:
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Apart from the standard animations (all doors, flaps, control surfaces, trim tabs), there are fold-down sun visor in front of the windshield and a roll animation, representing the unevenness of the runway. The run is a bit clumsy, but, together with the Geklöter when starting up a realistic enrichment.
Handling, Flight Model, Systems:
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This model meets all relevant key data expected to the "Flight Envelope" fairly accurate. As in reality it is not so easy, the BN to fly faster than 120 knots and the solution is the same also in the simulated BN - ". Leanen, trim and work with the prop-adjustment The trim should ideally be neutral" - which does not really work in our BN.
The only V-speed that you really have to remember for the BN is "65 Knots", say how many Islander pilots half jokingly. This works quite well so far, the operating parameters of the model coincide largely with the model. The BN feels stable in the air, gets along without autopilot and takes over a good thing that the significant inertia is produced by less mass than through huge areas. In addition, the wing tanks are located on the "outboard" side, which promotes by the lever inertial impression.
Who not lying with the Islander at least every 2nd landing in reasonable weather an absolute "Greaser", should be concerned about the Yoke / Joystick, the sensitivity settings or simply the landing technique do well: The ability of the Islander, with - for the size of aircraft - downright ridiculous speeds to fly yet always gives a cushion for a significant flare. In general, the BN-2 is "flown" even to the bottom, ie with "carrier gas", the term does not fit so well here - at the Islander it's more "thrust gas", because in case of a flight without gas lunch machine would fear to miss dinner.
As always show extreme Maneuver how much realism the FDM (within the possible in FSX) hergibt - there can even most payware aircraft little points, especially Airliner. So is hard, for example, slipping in the Virtavia-Islander. The stable is, however realistic, yet unspectacular than a C172 and not so easy to produce even in idle. My attempts were to create a (non-approved) spin as expected, without success. A surprise was the flight with a parked engine: with any other 2-Mot I would as soon as possible to reach for the rudder trim to soften the yaw and roll - in the BN that is apparently everything superfluous. It giert a little as if the trim was not quite in the center position, is rolled practically not and the virtual pilot sits stunned on the control wheel and lands the BN as if a little crosswind would. The screams of course for a reality check. Luckily I could ask someone who flies an Islander all day: Unfortunately, the behavior of the model here is nonsense.
During the first hours of flight with the BN one understands quickly why this aircraft is ideal for eg Helgoland, at a stall speed (full flaps, power on) of not even 40kts one has a comparatively large margin on all 3 short runways, which means an additional Marge safety supplies. With Cruise-power fall to circling height (so that you arrive on the same day), with 80KTS the threshold, a short time before the full flaps out and with 65KTS float above the threshold without being so exactly must meet such other aircraft. Even a hint of a half-full 172 feels contrast to dangerous.
When rolling, I noticed that the BN during braking with simultaneous rowing / Bugradbetätigung not like other models automatically triggers differential brakes, what tight curves despite Differential Power difficult if you have not just rudder pedals with differential brake switches or axes are available or additional buttons thus occupied. This maneuvering on the Helgoland Dune is complicated. Anyone who wants to can adjust the Bugradanlenkung in Aircraft.cfg, always back there was the BN with "coastering nose wheel", and with limited and full Bugradeinschlag.
Apart from GPS and small refinements in the avionics the BN is very complex simulated systems and therefore without damage simulations. One can therefore start the engines by checklist or simply press Ctrl + E and fly, and when climbing with 65kts you do not even like real Islander driver watching the cylinder head temperature.
What has often been criticized since the appearance of the Islander, but never resolved in the latest version is the lack of crossfeed switch. The missing double equal in FSX Islander: On the one hand, many users have the problem that they previously have to load a default aircraft so that either both engines get fuel or both engines do not have to suck from a tank (one of two things is beyond me degree which accounts) and otherwise an empty tank or a faulty fuel line etc. automatically also head straight for engine failure, because without Crossfeed pump "left engine, left tank" and "right engine, right tank" applies to the other. And whether this pump in FSX now makes much sense or not - that's a switch that simply missing from the simulated BN-2.
Sound:
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Radar: "Speedbird 1234 will come to 12 clock / 9000 foot against a Islander, they have on the TCAS?
Speedbird 1234: "No, nothing to see but do not worry, we can already hear"
The sound of the Islander gives me mixed feelings (and, incidentally, the real pilots, though for different reasons. :-)) The Islander has a particularly characteristic sound with which I am familiar, 2x daily flying over my head and a Visiting often on the airfield. A large metal box with 2 never really synchronously running motors and propeller blades beyond the speed of sound make a rather distinctive type of noise.
On the one hand the typical "Drone" the BN is hit very well in the cabin. The run-up of engines before takeoff roll is really managed any unpleasant transitions from arg different sounds as with many other models, it sounds like a unified whole and is very authentic. Flap and other Interior sounds are probably also sampled from the original and the rapid roll rattles's like the prototype. Overall, the cockpit sound is spectacular.
On the other hand you can not transfer to the Exterior-sound above said. The external sound is not quite as carefully and accurately managed, much too tame, there's too much "Prop" and too little "Engine" component (these are controlled by the sound.cfg) available and the sound reminds little of what I know from the boot drive and overflight ago. In addition, between 1000 and 2000 rev / min different sample rates (= speed) between indoor and outdoor sound are perceived.
The preparation of the sounds is not total anywhere prior art. Recurring character Phasing reveals that the same engine-samples were used for both engines used and a little stereo panning is available, but scarcely perceptible, it roars almost mono in the cell and rotate "the head" / Viewpoints has zero impact. The shutdown sound includes neither the sound nor the volume in any way suitable to the idle sound to. Last but not least the switch in relation to Motorengedröhn are chosen for my taste too loud while my sound settings in FSX harmonize well with any other model.
Avionics:
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The first flight there were 15 minutes a hearty first crash to desktop when I tried to KLN90A GPS receiver to explore intuitive, has the Flight 1 extra shopped from a third party and screwed into the BN. A look at the Flight 1 forum told that I'm not the only one who has provoked the "direct-to" function a crash. "Direct-to-desktop".
Also the 2nd flight ended after 4 hours IFR "ferry flight" EGHJ-> EGLS-> EDDH with a crash at Einkurven the Localizer. Grrr. This time, no switches have been pressed, the autopilot was off, the GPS was on and had loaded the flight schedule. A (English) Google search later I again had a number of reports (with Crashlogs) on CTDs with the Islander, often found in connection with the GPS and found that the crashed modules Event Log (like me) across FSX - and system DLLs rich. This is to some extent a "signature response" by not "thread safer" software. My guess is that the GPS-gauge Code responds random memory addresses that it should not respond. That would also explain why would not all are affected - relative memory addressing ensures that is always concerned another, or indeed no module of these improper memory access. Another reason why not all are affected by it is the rather complicated operation of the GPS, which is why many simply let the thing out, then what is my recommendation to resolve the issue. I could bring any lasting several hours flight is off GPS without crash over.
Edit: Another possible explanation would be my recently acquired knowledge that the XML processing between FSX SP1, SP2 and ACC (eleration) makes no distinction irrelevant. This is a RealityXP developers noticed the similar crash scenarios had to grapple and quite amazed at was that it was in this regard but there is a difference between SP2 and ACC counter Microsoft's assertion that including so many a different experience with the performance could explain of add-ons and the effectiveness of tweaks.
Back to avionics:
The KLN90A is a very different beast than the familiar GPS500 - no map display, or even traffic information for a few functions that the GPS500 can not offer. For details, you have to remove the original KLN90A manual that you can download from the Bendix / King site and has, as one of the same without any study can begin little with the GPS. After all, I could not get out of this manual fumble (and it is also in one of the Islander manuals explain briefly) how to load a FS flight plan. If this is successful, you can let the machine to fly to the destination (or not - see above) and take meanwhile occupying the rear seats seat and enjoy the view from the window. Otherwise, the operation is even me too troublesome, it is almost worse than having to manually tap a flight plan in a FMC. I had a real Islander with such a thing, I would expand that thing / let off and take a handheld GPS on board.
The rest of the avionics consists of slightly graying Bendix / King radio - a "Anderthalber" (in other words, there is only 1x COM and 1x VOR) with many safe unfamiliar CDI with OBS-pointer and gyro compass ring and as more peculiarity has the Flight 1 BN 2 ADF receiver, which is a sensible equipment in many typical locations of the Islander. There is also a dedicated DME receivers available, which can be selectively switched on the NAV1 receiver or a separate tuner (I see also for the first time in a flight simulator model). So you can order a NAV radio ILS approaches fly with separate DME frequency despite the.
The autopilot provides a Century 21 similar and has held a display only simple progress indicators. An altitude can not select yourself, you have to bring the bird manually to the desired height, or with the "ATT" can keep the climbing position (itude) Hold function and then at the right moment (usually 50 feet below the target altitude) on "ALT "switch. An additional "LNAV" button on the AP on the GPS, and still the simulator-typical "NAV / GPS" switch exists that makes then the same with the "NAV" mode.
Computer usage:
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As always with detailed FSX payware aircraft of impact on the frame rate for many is a not unimportant criterion. Here, the savings on resolution and Phillips screws from visible brushed metal pay off. For comparison - in the test laptop with I7-dual-core (yes, such a deceptive, there) and Geforce 330M provides the standard 172 to full 30 FPS (frame limiter to 30), the BN Islander comes at 23-25 FPS and my RealAir Legacy with their incredible detail and animation, it brings in the same test position to 20-22. The BN is therefore to use on borderline inefficient computers yet.
Conclusion:
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My criticism of this model is of course mainly "whining at a high level". Despite the not very contemporary treatment / Quality 'Flight 1'-Islander is already a lack of alternatives a "Must Have" for Island bush and ad hoc aviator. So easy handling during transportation of one ton payload to inaccessible places can be found not so easily again, why the robust, simple and above all inexpensive Islander practically without compensation still has its market, which also applies to the model. The development in FSX brings these features not optimal but still well over. I meant your 8 out of 10 points, which is priced at the same level with precise / more complex models. That and the vergurkte GPS apparatus adds up 3 out of 5 stars Amazon. Why did she get then but 4 stars, understands you when you bought it and a round rotating with it - it is one of the few FSX aircraft with character and charm, which is just not like 35 other machines flying, feels and sounds.
