Airbus Anyone?
Following on from their success with
the A300 series, European aircraft consortium Airbus set
their sights on a single-aisle short to medium range
passenger airliner to rival the Boeing 727 and 737,
whose dominance in that market was more or less
universal. The result was the Airbus A320, with Air
France launching commercial services in March 1988. The
A320 featured a number of pioneering features for a
civil airliner, most notably fully digital fly-by-wire
flight control systems and a fully glass cockpit. It was
also the first time that composite materials had been
significantly used in a narrowbody airliner, and the
ECAM (Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitoring)
concept, allowing all of the main aircraft systems to be
monitored from the two glass screens in the centre of
the cockpit. After the rise in oil prices in the late
1970s, Airbus also made the aircraft very efficient; in
fact the A320 burns 50% less fuel than its old
competitor, the B727. Airlines snapped them up as more
aircraft were added to the A320 family, specifically the
A319, A321 and most recently the A318, the aircraft went
on to become the second-best selling jet airliner family
of all time (after the Boeing 737).
PSS were responsible for the first
real incarnation of the A320 series in FS. A320 Pro for
FS2002 was a big hit when it came out, and with the
patch for FS2004 it remains a favourite for many Airbus
fans (yours truly among them) nearly 6 years on. A320
PIC from Wilco was the next proper simulation, but the
lack of a 2D panel and a questionable visual model
resulted in a product that was less popular than the PSS
version. Now, Wilco are back with the Airbus Series Vol
1 – an advanced simulation of the A318, A319, A319CJ (bizjet
version), A320, and A321. So it’s good value, if nothing
else. The Deluxe version also comes with a nice
JustPlanes compilation video. I had a look to see if my
old favourite finally had a worthy opponent.
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All aircraft are
available with a choice of CFM or IAE engines,
except the A318 which can only be chosen with
CFMs |
The A318 is
modelled with the new-style LCD displays in
the cockpit. |
I’ll be honest and tell you that I
have, in fact, had it for a while but have only just got
it working. The MCDU had an annoying habit of causing
FS9 to crash when I tried to use it. Oh well, After SP3a
and a fresh new AIRAC the old girl’s up and running and
I’m enjoying it.
The installation process is simple,
as long as you make sure you have the latest patch
installed. Also, Wilco say it’s a good idea to delete
the fmgc.cfg file after installation and each navdata
update to prevent crash-to-desktops. Users of the
download version don’t get the extra liveries (you will
get them if you buy the boxed package from Just Flight) but they
are available for free from Wilco. What you do get,
however, in addition to the aircraft models and base
liveries, are a range of very useful utilities for the
A320 series. The Configurator, as it is called, contains
a Configuration setup utility (also available from the
Aircraft menu in FS), a Load Manager, a Fuel Planner,
and a utility for setting custom keyboard commands. I
was pleased with this – load managers and fuel planners
particularly are a must for any payware addon in my
book.
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Included
aircraft, liveries available a separate
download |
Upon loading the aircraft in FS, the
first thing I noticed is how nice the panel looks. PSS
may reign supreme in that department but not even their
A320 panel is a match for 6 years’ worth of new
technology. Instrument legibility is exceptional and all
of the LCD displays have a very high (but sadly
non-adjustable because it does hit FPS) refresh rate. A
lot of the buttons you will find on the panel are just
eye-candy but for the most part the panel is functional
and easy to use. The LCD displays can be called up for a
larger view although the only one that ever really needs
it is the lower ECAM display. The ECAM buttons would
have been better attached to it though, they are
currently located on the centre pedestal so looking at
the ECAM actually requires two extra windows to be
called up. It’s no big deal though, and I prefer it to
the full-screen panel of PSS fame. One small bug I found
in the panel is that when you load the panel in a Cold
and Dark state, although the engines are turned off the
ignition switches both remain in the On position – it
can be a nasty surprise when you put the knob into IGN/START
mode! One other thing I found strange was the lack of a
weather radar in such a modern product, particularly
when FeelThere already have the technology in their 737.
Moving into the VC (and Virtual
Cabin), the pleasing appearance is kept up. I found the
VC a bit hard on the FPS, although it was still usable
for me, and the virtual cabin is good too. Needless to
say, switches are fully clickable and functional in the
VC.
Externally, the model is good but to
be honest the freeware models from IFDG and Project
Airbus are better, albeit without virtual cockpits. The
liveries also lacked some small details, but for the
most part were reasonably accurate and it’s hard to
complain when they’re free. The paintkit leaves a lot to
be desired, so all things considered the painters did a
good job. I have a problem with the engine fan blades
when the engines are on though, the textures seem to
flicker a lot. Again though, it’s not a big problem
because I spend most of my time in the cockpit. If
you’re willing to dispense with the virtual cockpit and
cabin though, it would perhaps be a good idea to switch
to the freeware models; without the VC/Cabin they will
be a bit easier on FPS too.
The sounds are as good, if not
better, than the PSS sounds. The CFM engines in
particular have a distinctive hum from the cockpit at
full throttle, and the IAE engine sounds are well-done
too. Again though, it’s no big deal if they’re not to
your liking because there are replacements on Avsim for
both of them, with the freeware CFM offering being
particularly good. Aside from the engines, there are
also sounds included for the APU and air conditioning
packs among other details, and the end result leaves the
cockpit sounding very alive and realistic. However, I
was a bit disappointed to find that no co-pilot callouts
(80kts, V1, Rotate, etc) were included when this is
pretty much a standard feature in payware addons now.
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Virtual cabins
have been well modelled, although I would have
liked a VC-only option too for lower spec
systems. |
Night lighting in
the 2D panel is pleasing and realistic. The
CRT or LCD displays can be dimmed by the
pilot |
The FDE threw up a few problems when
the package first came out, but they seem to have been
mostly corrected now because it handles pretty well for
me. It’s certainly better than the PSS one. The
fly-by-wire systems on the Airbus make it very easy to
hand-fly and that is something that Wilco has modelled
well. The FMGC handles aircraft movements well, although
it does seem to have some trouble with sharp turns
(anything over 65 degrees really) but whether or not
this is realistic I don’t know. I also found that it
seemed to have some trouble keeping its speed down on
approach. The spoilers tend to be a bit reluctant to
deploy via the / key sometimes too. There were also some
very annoying bugs I found in my time flying the
aircraft. Sometimes for no reason at all the aircraft’s
speed would shoot up to somewhere around 400KIAS,
setting off all kinds of warning buzzers, in the climb.
Keeping to the 250kt speed limit under 10,000ft is
nigh-on impossible, and the nose has a tendency to drift
upwards after takeoff. Also, a well-known problem has
the nose lurching towards the ground on finals. Hard to
replicate though, and Feelthere still haven’t fixed it.
For the most part, however, the FDE is a very good one
and a credit to those who made it, especially when
fly-by wire is so difficult to model in FS.
Wilco say that this is a frame-rate
friendly product, but I can assure you I didn’t find it
as smooth as they imply. It’s OK without scenery and
with few clouds, but crank up the weather or add some
scenery like UK2000’s Manchester and the FPS plummet. As
I stated earlier on, you can always give up the VC for a
less-demanding freeware model. One thing that would have
been nice for those with slower systems is a utility to
adjust the refresh rate of the panel displays, as the
high refresh rate on them may cause problems on slower
PCs.
The PDF manuals of the Wilco download
package are pretty good too. There is a useful Pilots
Guide along with specifications, standard procedures and
checklists for all of the models included. The
Checklists and Procedures document is a particularly
worthwhile read.
So, what about conclusions?
Throughout this review I have been comparing this
package to the ever-brilliant PSS rendition of the same
aircraft, as I’m sure many Airbus fans will end up doing
if they are thinking of buying this package. It’s been
hard trying to decide if this package is as good, or
better than, its old school opponent, but my feeling at
the moment is that – dare I say it – it is. It’s a close
call but it’s hard to resist the crisp panel, great
sounds, and good FDE of the newcomer over the older PSS
package. Whether or not you are an Airbus addict this
package is definitely worth trying out, whether you
loved the PSS addon or this is your first step onto the
Airbus experience from a Boeing, Cessna, or anything
else. If this is your first time in a “real” Airbus,
just remember to be patient because mastering the Airbus
can take some time especially if you are used to flying
Boeings. Practice makes perfect though, and the end
result can be very rewarding indeed.
Dave's
photo gallery - Click on image to see full size. |
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The whole A32x
series is modeled in detail, from the A318 up to
the A321. Even the corporate A319CJ is accounted
for. |
Virtual cockpits
throughout the package are detailed and
functional. |
The A318 is
modelled with the new-style LCD displays in the
cockpit. I'd like to have seen these available
as an option in the other aircraft, as they've
been around for a while. |
All aircraft are
available with a choice of CFM or IAE engines,
except the A318 which can only be chosen with
CFMs. Here is the A320, with IAE V2500 engines. |
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As is pretty much
standard these days in addons, the CRTs and
other instruments in the cockpit can be undocked
for a larger view. |
I wasn't very
happy with night lighting in the virtual
cockpit, it's hard to get on/off and large parts
of the
cockpit remain unlit. |
Although the FDE
has its flaws, handling overall is pretty good,
with a good representation of the fly-by-wire
systems in the Airbus - something that is hard
to get right. |
2D cockpits
throughout are functional and eye-pleasing -
Wilco have done a good job in that department. |
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Virtual cabins
have been well modelled, although I would have
liked a VC-only option too for lower spec
systems. |
A "zoomed" panel
view is available from the clever hidden group
of buttons (visible here) in the bottom-left. I
never found the zoomed panel necessary though -
panel legibility is exceptional. |
Whilst not
absolutely perfect, Wilco have done a good job
of the external modelling and textures, which
are available for free download from their
website. |
Night lighting in
the 2D panel is pleasing and realistic. The CRT
or LCD displays can be dimmed by the pilot by
scrolling the mousewheel on them. |
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Links:- |
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Wilco
Publishing Home. |
Airbus
V1
product page.
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