Planes
The 8 different aircraft that come with Aerofly FS include:
- Cessna 172, the world famous pilot maker
- F/A-18 Hornet, the need for speed ride of choice of the Blue Angels
- Jodel Robin DR 400, the European fly around in a lazy pace from A to B flying machine.
- Pitts S-2B, the dream of every budding aerobatics wannabe.
- Extra 330 LX, the choice of the discriminating aerobatics pro.
- Sopwith Camel, the old quirky fighter from WWI long forgotten.
- Swift S1, the inherently dangerous and pointless aircraft with a built in engine failure feature.
- Discus bM, like the Swift — meant to fly without an engine, but incorporating one even so.
That is quite a line-up of toys, right?
So, will the Hornet put DCS: A-10C Warthog to shame? It certainly is faster than the Hog, but in Aerofly FS it’s just another general aviation aircraft for supersonic sightseeing. Don’t expect to be able to use any of the systems or MFD’s.
This is true of all the aircraft in Aerofly FS. Well, except maybe the gliders. But only because they are so basic that they lack any form of advanced systems to model.
The aircraft look really good though. No, scratch that! They are stunning! The 3D cockpits with reflective surfaces and dynamic shadows look so real! The only give away that it’s not real is the lack of dirt and grime. Ikarus must have truly talented 3D artists. The cockpits have animated controls, but you can’t interact with the cockpit, other than with your keyboard and joystick. No clickable buttons here. A shame, really, because anything this beautiful should be touched! The perspective when looking out is very realistic. TrackIR is supported and works really well. I can’t recommend TrackIR enough for flight sims. Aerofly FS is about visual flying, and being able to control your view naturally contributes to the overall immersion factor.
Flight and aircraft controls are a mixed bag. You have the stick, rudders, the throttle, propeller control and flaps. There’s no mixture control, and you can’t assign wheel brakes to an axis. What this means is that you have your basic controls for flying around, but it won’t be as real as it could be. Again, it’s all about your expectations. I bet some of you thought ”Mixture? What the **** is that?” Nothing wrong with that! Not all of us need every little detailed feature to enjoy a flight sim. And, I bet Ikarus can rectify this if they want to.
While it may fall slightly short in some areas, it really shines in others. The Discus glider with its fold-up motor for instance. Or the winch start feature. Too bad Aerofly FS doesn’t have aero-towing. The COM and NAV radio stack looks great. It’s a pity they have no use… No radio aids to tune, and no ATC to interact with. ATC would be pretty redundant in Aerofly FS since you are all alone. You’re the only pilot in Switzerland. Some AI traffic would be nice.
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