PC users looking for more robust cosmetics, easier casual flying and goals-based scenarios are probably better off with Microsoft Flight Simulator. Against its main competition, X-Plane 9 is comparably impressive in delivering the world and its aircraft. Creative souls will reap the rewards of experimentation and sharing airframes with other users. Like a touchy high-performance aircraft, X-Plane 9 requires an investment on the flier’s part to appreciate its finest features. All owners get access to downloadable updates for the software until the new version is released. X-Plane continues to see steady refinement, so although it sometimes seems like a work in progress, the developer’s support is legendary. It can be fixed, but in order to do so, the user must modify the aircraft’s con – figuration data. Some of the aircraft have bugs, such as the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor, which oscillates pitch heavily at high speeds. In addition, the ambient traffic seems to consist mostly of hot air balloons instead of other aircraft. Although I was impressed with the availability of so many real world airports and roads, cities are missing their most famous buildings. And some features are less refined than comparable ones in other products. To do anything other than engage in a basic flight from an airport requires a willingness to dig for information and experiment with sometimes buggy software. Still, this extremely technical simulation is clearly not for everyone. A visit to the Web site provides access to hundreds of downloadable and free user-developed planes, helicopters, scenery files, sounds, cockpit panels, airships, spacecraft, land vehicles and tutorials. Fans of the series have in fact capitalized on this feature. In the end, X-Plane 9’s unmatched extensibility and breadth mean a user can simulate almost any element of aviation. There’s also new data for visual effects supported by most modern 3D video cards. The package also has six DVDs totaling more than 60 gigabytes of data, including world scenery and terrain data. ![]() The X-Plane series has long supported zero-G environments, so players can fly the included NASA space shuttle on reentry. The basic retail package features myriad airframes to fly, including the Saab JA-37 Viggen, the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, the Boeing 747 and 777 passenger jets and the efficient Piaggio P.180 Avanti II. Users can essentially design the shape of the craft, paying special attention to the factors affecting airflow, and then literally throw those designs into the wind tunnel that is X-Plane 9. In fact, while both types of simulations require some artistry on the part of third-party contributors to recreate cockpit panels, insignia, engine sounds and paint schemes, X-Plane 9 comes with an aircraft creator utility, allowing more open-ended aircraft development. Both can deliver simulation experiences of relative fidelity.Īll this would seemingly make X-Plane more extensible, however. Neither approach is right nor wrong they are simply different. Most other simulations approach this from the opposite direction, basing a plane’s flight characteristics on recorded performance data that is cross-referenced against input such as current speed, altitude and loads. It starts with a physics engine that models how an aircraft should fly based on the design of its wings and fuselage. The X-Plane series has always followed a different philosophy than most other simulation products. Despite the presence of a combat mode, the title is not a game. Several of the niceties Flight Simulator provides, like video-based lessons, pilot aids and prebuilt missions spanning several skill levels, are not available in X-Plane 9.īeyond convenience features, however, X-Plane 9 begins to show its chops. There’s nary an online tutorial, and finding the full manual requires digging around in the installation directory. Like the Corsair, it unashamedly favors veterans. X-Plane 9 ($49.95 PC/$59.95 Mac, requires Microsoft Windows XP/Vista or Mac OS X 10.3 or later, 2Ghz processor, 1GB RAM, 12GB hard drive space, 64MB 3D video card, Graphsim Entertainment, is the latest edition of Austin Meyer’s scrappy alternative to Microsoft Flight Simulator. But an expert pilot would likely appreciate the raw power of the Corsair’s radial engine, and would intrinsically understand the dangers of succumbing to the brutal forces of torque at unforgiving altitudes. A novice pilot, for example, might find flying the Vought F4U Corsair daunting- and in fact some paid for the experience with their lives. ![]() In most endeavors, practice and experience can take you from novice to expert, and where you stand in that continuum determines how you perceive milestones along the way. This scrappy alternative to Microsoft Flight Simulator favors veterans.
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