X Plane 10 Bombardier Challenger 300 Movie

• X Plane 10 Bombardier Challenger 300 Movie Review

All specifications and data are approximate, may change without notice and subject to certain operating rules, assumptions and other conditions. The interior images shown are for information purposes only and may represent some optional configurations. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer, commitment, representation, guarantee or warranty of any kind and the configuration and performance of any aircraft shall be determined in a final purchase agreement. MultiScan is a registered trademark of Collins Aerospace.Subject to certification and to certain operating conditions.

The VMAX Challenger 300 has a lot of nice extras that further serve toimmerse the sim pilot in the experience. Engine and pitot covers as well aswheel chocks are firmly in place with the aircraft configured in a cold and darkstate. A tabbed menu at the left edge of the screen opens when clicked toreveal an array of camera controls and animations as well as a wonderfulexternal preflight mode that lets the sim pilot perform a virtual walk around ofthis handsome business jet.

X Plane 10 Bombardier Challenger 300 Movie Review

Animations of the passenger and baggage doors,window shades, interior doors, curtains, and folding tables are all a simpleclick manipulation when accessed through the aptly named 'Animations' menu.Animated objects don't just move when toggled, but they also sound delightful.You won't hear any canned default sounds here, the sound files are completelycustomized and give the Challenger 300 a refined 'hand crafted' feel.The VMAX Challenger 300 comes with ten very nice looking liveries to includea plain white one so the more creative among us can craft their own paintschemes. Speaking of liveries, in addition to the nice paints that already comewith the file, there is a host of third party liveries available for free withinthe X-Plane community so the likelihood of finding one that you absolutely loveis excellent.I was so enamored with the exteriors and gee whiz tabbed menus that I washonestly putting off getting into the airplane and starting up the twinHoneywell turbofans.

To say that I was a little intimidated by the airplane'scomplexity was a bit of an understatement!Once I mustered up the courage I transitioned to the virtual cockpit and justabout had a heart attack. Compared to the simple round gauge panels I'maccustomed to, the glass flight deck of the Challenger 300 might as well havebeen the bridge of the starship Enterprise! I won't reveal the expletives thatinvoluntarily spilled out of my mouth in that moment, but needless to say, theurge to immediately quit X-Plane and find something simpler to do was a powerfulone.Composing my rattled nerves, however, I decided to have a look around at theinterior of the aircraft to take my mind off the daunting task of starting andflying it.

Krupin has done a good job here with the interior modeled accuracyof the Challenger 300, but objects like the seats look blocky and fake and thetextures are smudgy and dull. One must bear in mind that this is not a new fileso the textures just don't measure up to the latest and greatest eye candyavailable from other designers. Still, the interior of the aircraft is not badby any means and if one focuses more on flying the thing, concerns about thelack of photo-real textures should pass by the wayside. Flight ModelUtterly convinced that there was no way I would be able to fudge my waythrough the full start-up procedure, I clicked on the 'Fast Start' option in thetabbed menu and was relieved as most of the airplane's systems were instantly upand running with very little left for me to do. Adhering carefully to thesimple to understand pdf documentation I was able to get the Challengercompletely ready to fly.Taxiing to runway 17 at KTIW was a non-event and I scrolled through thechecklist on the multi function display to make sure I was ready for takeoff.Manipulating the glass avionics has been made simple through the clever use ofpopup menus. If one follows along with the provided documentation to get themstarted, operating the systems in the cockpit can quickly become second natureas long as one has dedicated themselves to 'doing it right.'

Lined up on 17, I advanced the throttle on my joystick and was rewarded withthe excellent sounds of the turbine engines coming to full power. TheChallenger 300 accelerated quickly and reached Vr in no time.

As I lifted thenose to 15 degrees, the rest of the aircraft followed and we were airborne.Cleaning up the gear with a positive rate of climb and the flaps at about 400feet agl, I set the throttles to the CLB detent and noticed that the aircraftwas climbing with authority. A Cessna 172 this was not! I couldn't help butsmile as I held a constant 15-degree nose up attitude in the climb and watchedthe vsi exceed 4000 fpm. Wow, this was awesome!I spent the next several minutes' hand flying the Challenger 300 aroundWashington State's South Sound region to get a feel for the speed and handling.One thing that is immediately apparent is that control responses are much slowerthan on the light aircraft I am used to. With all the speed and power, theaircraft feels almost sluggish in the turns and requires that the sim pilot isthinking ahead of the airplane.