Soon we have finished all of the preflight checklists, the cabin is ready for departure, the right engine has been taken out of HOTEL mode and we taxi out to runway 21. Switching to the virtual cockpit (VC) I glance around at the impressively detailed work that the Flight1 ATR team did; though not a big fan of VCs the ATR is about as detailed as they get. Switches and buttons function from the VC allowing the dedicated realism fans to operate everything from that view. Ready for takeoff we pull onto the runway. FS2Crew uses unique programming that works with the ATR to recognize each stage of flight that you are in and to act accordingly. As the runway heading aligns with the heading but the FO recognizes this and makes the last few callouts on the takeoff checklist.
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The Flight1 ATR has one of the most complete and diverse viewing systems I’ve seen for FS2004. There are 15 or more different views from the cockpit including some of the most complete 2D instrument panel views I’ve ever seen. Here we look down the runway from the “taxi” view. Other views include the left and right IFR views, VFR views, center panel view, and a multitude of side and quartering views.
Cleared for takeoff I advance the power levers into the takeoff detent simply by clicking on them. The takeoff power rating has been selected by me earlier in the preflight and the engines spool up automatically to the proper power setting. As we roll down the runway gathering speed the FO makes the appropriate call outs as my V-speeds come and go. At rotation speed I ease back on the yoke and the aircraft pitches up smoothly into the climb attitude. The replies to the call-outs by the FO require you to respond by pressing a button on your yoke (or keyboard) and, as in real life, they come at a measured, but rapid pace. Acknowledgement is critical since the FO will be doing things such as raising your landing gear and flaps.
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The ATR features pop-up panels for the primary instruments in order to get a closer view of the details. Refresh rates for the EFIS tubes were smooth as glass and the only real performance hit I noticed was in the VC (as usual). As we climb we approach our first waypoint, Newburg VOR (UBG) where we will join J126. Crossing the VOR the autopilot tracks the course perfectly. A nice feature of the ATR is the full functionality of both the Captain’s and FO’s panels. With the separate functions available for the FO panel you can set the FO panel to track the traditional navaid courses that define the route while the Captain’s side follows the FMC. This is pretty standard in the aircraft I fly; the Captain’s side contains FMC data and the FO backs it up by plugging in the VORs and cross checking the FMC navigation. I put together a composite of all three of the panels (Captain’s IFR, center instruments, FO’s IFR) to give you an idea of how the entire panel looks.
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Jet or Turboprop? Part III Page 2
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