Sounds fantastic. Pity that the TorqueSim SR-22 is only available at X-Aviation, as I don't buy from that overpriced webstore. Luckily the sound set can also be used on the freeware SR-22 from "Hold My Beer". Wonder if it will work on the Carenado version?
I haven't bought this sound set (yet), but from the video it sounds fantastic. For me, the true test of a sound set lies in the flyby view, where one can truly appreciate things like positional audio (doppler effect), and it looks like like these guys have nailed it. IT'S A TERRIBLE SHAME THAT MSFS STILL HASN'T GIVEN US A ONE-CLICK FLYBY VIEW, AFTER MORE THAN 2 YEARS. The only way to get a flyby view, like in this video, is with a hugely convoluted method using the drone, which is definitely not my way of enjoying the sim.
Finally, someone did Grand Central. I used to fly a lot out of Grand Central in real life and GOFS has done a decent job. It is so nice to see the right kind of buildings at the right place, instead of the few random “blobs” of default MSFS scenery, so it is definitely a huge upgrade from default and worth the modest asking price. The runway itself is exceptionally well done and the undulating slope looks and feels just right. The centre-line and surface also look so much better than the blurry default, especially in VR. Now when one takes off and lands, everything looks correct in front and in one’s peripheral vision. However, all is not perfect, hence only four stars. I hope that GOFS will be doing an update in the future and I would like to see the following addressed: 1. Improved texturing of buildings. They look rather generic and bland. Look at photos or aerial images and add more character and distinctive features to the roofs and walls of hangars and buildings. 2. More realistic water tower. That water tower is an iconic landmark of FAGC and at the moment it looks very white and “plasticky”. A more realistic concrete texturing would go a long way 3. Remove the aircraft images on ground layer. It is quite immersion breaking to see those white aircraft-outline-blotches in the aircraft parking areas. 4. Add more aircraft and helicopter models in the parking areas and on the apron. It feels very empty now. 5. People. The airport feels quite dead with no people anywhere. Add some people, especially at the iconic Harvard Café. 6. Taxiways and Parking area. There is something not quite right here, as my aircraft really struggles to move, almost like the surface is grey grass and not concrete. 7. More detail in car parking area. This is not crucial, but it would be nice to see the little security hut and more definition in the car parking area and more car models perhaps. 8. Landmarks. Would be nice to have some landmarks in the surrounding area, which pilots use for reference when they do circuits, such as the Altron building, the Gautrain station and the mosque etc. But now I’m nit-picking and these additional features will probably elevate the scenery into a higher price-class. Perhaps an idea for version 2.0 of the scenery.
I have to agree with John, the VR experience is not the greatest. Whenever you turn your head to the sides or rear, your view goes outside the canopy and that breaks immersion very quickly. In addition, I have a strange "fish-eye" effect in VR, where it feels like the view is distorted and proportions feel unnatural. Otherwise the model is very well done. It looks great and sounds great and flies well. However, I cannot shake the feeling that the plane is not natural. The instrument panel for example is very well done, but the dials have a generic feel and even the wear and tear marks look somewhat fake. But perhaps I'm over-critical. The bottom line is that for the price this is actually an excellent aircraft. You won't regret the purchase, just don't expect perfection.
The scenery is only so-so. Lots of imperfections like trees having light blue outlines when you're at ground level (3 stars). I bought the scenery 2 months ago and now they expect me to pay again for a P3D4 installer. Unacceptable (2 stars)!
A really large area of Barcelona is covered, all along the coast and up to the nearby small mountain range. The default landmark buildings have all been updated with more detailed and higher-res textures and look great. There is also more definition to the topography, with small hills, ditches and ravines more noticeable. The photo-real part is great and blends nicely with default FSX terrain and it is nice to have the coastline and beaches looking more like the real thing. The harbours with the many ships are also nice, and give the landscape more distinction. However, there are large swathes of generic buildings which are just too generic and uniform looking and spoil it a bit for me. There is one particular part where there are just block upon block of the same doughnut-shaped building, and there are some residential areas which all have a very similar repeating pattern of houses. I almost prefer the FSX default scenery in these parts as it has a bit more variety. But overall I'm happy with my purchase, especially given that I got it on sale.
The airport looks really good, but there are all kinds of other problems associated with it. Firstly it uses some weird and convoluted activation process (esellerate), which didn't accept my activation key and I had to contact the developer to proceed. Secondly, some actions on the airport can be activated, like hangar doors opening etc, but that stopped working after about the 3rd or 4th time and I couldn't get it working again. Lastly, when it came time to uninstall, it completely messed up FSX and I had all kinds of nag-screens and messages pop up while starting and running FSX as well as other glitches. I eventually had to do a complete re-install of FSX and will steer clear of anything with the words FSDreamTeam and/or esellerate on them. I generally avoid any form of DRM, but this one is particularly bad.
Unfortunately I haven't had the best experience with this airfield either. The first time I ran it, all the trees and vegetation were just big green blobs. I contacted the developer and he was relatively quick in providing an alternative file. While the trees look like trees now, about half of the trees and cars in the parking lot disappear for a few seconds and then reappear again for a few seconds. This repeats the whole time and is very distracting. The developer has not provided a solution for this yet. There is a reasonably good-looking airfield somewhere here, but it is really spoilt by these bugs.
This is a very good package from Golden age Simulations. It is not just another WACO, it is THE WACO in terms of performance and handling. It is a powerful biplane and Golden Age has done a great job on the flight dynamics. It feels lively without being ridiculous or arcadey. There is a good sense of momentum and inertia and one can throw this biplane around in all manner of aerobatic maneuvers. It can even do something resembling a spin, which very few FSX aircraft can do. Simply put – this plane is a delight to fly. The modelling and textures are very well done, in high resolution. There are two variants, wheeled and float-plane and there are four or five good-looking liveries for each, with every other livery also having a different looking cockpit! It’s like flying a different aircraft each time. There are all kinds of surprises in the various hatches and glove boxes, making them feel like working aircraft of the era. And on top of that, there are three sceneries thrown into the package, also with the odd surprise. They’re obviously not ORBX or Aerosoft quality, but still decent enough to make this more of an aviation adventure package than just another aircraft offering. The sounds are brilliant inside the cockpit, while externally the engine just loses a bit of the radial “thump” at higher rpm. But that is about the only fault that i can find with this package. Overall, it is a top-class offering from Golden Age and one that I’m thoroughly enjoying.
Excellent soundpack, best one yet for the Stearman as far as I'm concerned. It sounds like a real radial engine and the sounds are good from inside the cockpit, external views and fly-by. Together with accu-feel, gives you a perfect open cockpit experience - loud engine and wind-noise making it hard to hear the ATC, just like in a real Stearman.
I really like this helicopter and think MP Design Studios has done a great job. The detail in the cockpit and exterior is extraordinary and instruments and panels are clear and easy to read. The documentation does a perfect job of explaining everything in English, as this is a Yugoslavian produced helicopter and instrumentation is therefore not in English. I didn’t find that a problem at all. The flight model feels great and a little more “alive” than the typical FSX helicopter - you definitely have to use the rudder and be awake at the controls, but it handles very well and predictably. There is a nice effect coming in to land or when maneuvering hard, the instrument panel and parts of the cockpit shake a little. There is also a nice low-visibility exhaust smoke effect when viewed from the outside. The sounds are fantastic and both inside and outside it sounds just like the real thing. There is perhaps only one small criticism I have and that is the texturing, which looks a little dated and probably stems from the model having FS2004 roots. It is just shy of looking real and in the cockpit there are some angular bits in the frame. But apart from that, this is a really nice helicopter and I would give it 4-1/2 stars if that was possible. I hope to see more helicopters from MP Design Studios.
This add-on is starting to show its age a bit, with a fairly low-res and basic, but authentic looking VC. Some instruments (eg gunsight) have a few jagged edges. Exterior textures look very good and authentic, albeit also a bit low-res. The sounds are brilliant though, and the roar of those twin radials have been extremely well done. The flight model feels very good and the plane stalls and enters a lazy spin as one would expect. Occasionally there is a bit of an abruptness to/from slow speed handling, instead of a smooth transition. But for the most part, the Blenheim handles beautifully and it is a pleasure to fly. There is an air of grace about this plane and those fly-bys are a real treat. This aircraft is like a Miss World which has aged. One can still see the beauty, and while it is not perfect anymore, there is something captivating about it. Despite its few flaws, it is one of my favorites and I just love cruising around in it.
Virtual cockpit is stunning, lots of detail. External views are great as well. Sound is terrible, especially inside cockpit as sounds are too soft and feel disconnected from what the helicopter is doing. Flight model is a joke, how do you fly this thing? It is swaying all over the place like a drunk person and the slightest touch of the controls sends it flopping into a direction. What a way to completely destroy a beautiful helicopter. I couldn’t wait to wipe it off my hard disk and feel cheated by Nemeth Design.
This is the real deal. The Aerosoft Huey is an extremely well modelled helicopter and is very enjoyable to fly. The cockpit looks like the real thing and exterior views are spot on. The flight model is perfect and the Huey behaves exactly as one would expect. It is an easy and predictable helicopter to fly but one has to be mindful of things like torque yaw. The sounds are great with the typical Huey thump and I am so glad that Aerosoft used variable pitch sound inside the cockpit, unlike many other helicopter simulations where engine sound inside the cockpit is just one flat monotonous engine tone. Everything here feels real and believable. A well-deserved 5 stars.
This is not as good as the Justflight Lightning, cockpit view feels more restricted, it is more finicky to get going and has some serious bugs, one of which will completely wipe your default Aircreation folder (ultralight trike). The other bug is that some models don;t have any engine sound. Cannot believe Aerosoft released such an unfinished product.
This is a fantastic helicopter. It flies beautifully and very predictably, i can pretty much land it where i want to. It looks good and sounds good. More importantly, everything just gels together in one smooth enjoyable ride. My favourite helicopter by a long shot.
This Me-262 is really well modelled and flies beautifully, almost gracefully. And it is fast! The interior is nicely done and both cockpits are modelled in the dual-cockpit version, although you will have to manually add a view for the front seat. My biggest disappointment with this model and reason for only 4 stars is the engine sound, which is very soft, both inside the cockpit and outside. The developer for this model is fantastic and has gone to great lengths to convince me that the Me-262 engines were quite soft in reality, they even had access to an ex-WWII pilot. But perhaps this is realism taken a step too far, as I feel disconnected from the plane without more sound feedback - I’m flying it, but I’m not “feeling” it.
This is a really good looking model, with exquisite detail both inside the cockpit and the outside of the plane. The flight model feels very authentic as well. Why only 4 stars then? Well, there is something wrong with the sound. The engine sound or pitch only increases up to the throttle halway mark and then it stays the same. You can see the rpm and temperatures etc changing, but the engine sound stays flat for the entire top half of the throttle movement. This is very unconvincing and really spoils my enjoyment of this beautiful plane.
The C140 is a wonderful little vintage plane. It looks the part and feels the part, even the pilot looks good. The cockpit textures are perhaps not quite as sharp and crisp as some of the newer offerings but that just adds to the vintage feeling and takes nothing away from the enjoyment of this aircraft. Everything functions perfectly and there are some really nice touches, such as the landing light slowly popping out from under the wing, the window crank arm folding and unfolding, the radio button on the yoke activating comms, the reflections on the inside of the cockpit windows and the old (clickable) map lying on the leather seats. This is one of the forefathers of the iconic C172 and it is such a privilege and joy to be able to fly it. I have not tried the C172, but the C140 alone is worth it and you get a free vintage C172 as a bonus.
Nice airport from Aerosoft, with very good framerates. It is perhaps a bit understated because it is not a big busy airport. Fairly large area around the airport is modelled, showing canals etc and ILS approach from both sides of runway is now possible. However, in order to achieve the better frame rates, this add-on removes all of the default (or ORBX) harbour cranes, storage tanks, ships and crates, which to me is a major feature of Rotterdam which i want to see. At least give us the option to leave it in Aerosoft!
This is an update of an earlier review. GKS provided a new soundpack which addresses my previous complaints. Gone is the overwhelming turbine whine and loud slamming sounds when wings fold forward and back. In its place is just a nice jet rumble, with distinct afterburner and a very subtle thud to provide feedback of wing fold status. This is so much better and now one can focus on flying and enjoying the plane without distracting and over-powering sound-effects. And talk about enjoying the plane, it has several unique features such as the bending wingtips when extended forward, to convey the sense of weight. The flight model is very believable and one can literally feel the weight, momentum and incredible speed of this aircraft. The cockpit is really well done, with an authentic and weathered look, just like the real thing. And going through the sound barrier is an absolute hoot in this plane; there is a vapor cloud and sonic boom - a real sense of occasion! With fantastic response by the developers and the sound sorted out, I have no problem in recommending it and giving it five stars. For the price, it can't be beat.
The F-111 is an iconic aircraft and GKS has done a decent job of simulating it. It looks beautiful inside and out and the fly-by views at high speed are breathtaking. However, there are one or two rather annoying things and the first is sound. I know this aircraft has a noticeable turbine whine, epecially on the ground when it taxies for example. However, in real-life flight and flybys you only hear the typical jet engine roar - watch any YouTube video. Sadly, GKS has gone overboard in simulating the turbine whine and this aircraft whines everywhere, all the time. And i'm not talking a subtle undertone, i am talking loud, like a siren whine. The whine in the cockpit is softer, but it is still annoyingly there. That whine just completely spoils this simulation for me and i actually can't stand to fly it for too long because of that. I tried to contact the company's support for a fix, but had no response - definitely one star less for that! There are also other sounds which just feel out of place such as the wing sweep, which is way too loud and the thud whent it reaches the limits is like someone slamming a door behind you - is that real? My other issue with the GKS model is that none of the radar scopes work, not the attack radar, radar warning receiver, or the terrain-following radar, which is one of the F-111's signiture features. GKS could have given us something, even if it was fake. Then there are one or two minor things like the cockpit animation showing the doors open from the outside but closed from the inside etc. In the end, it is really the sound that spoils this simulation for me and perhaps in time i will learn how to fix that myself and enjoy it more. I was going to give it two stars, but i got it cheap and i think there are ways to overcome the annoyances and if technical support was a bit more forthcoming it may even have received four stars at a stretch.