I
love flight simulation, planning a route generating a
flight plan, joining Squarkbox and flying the route, so
carefully planned, or perhaps a lovely VFR sojourn,
great, BUT, I also love, LOVE, the idea of immersing
myself in rescue missions, and any thing to do with
Fleet Air Arm based operations.
I had the pleasure in reviewing Abacus’s
Flight Deck 4 which was great, ( albeit one could say it
was a little crude and rough around the edges, and had a
few points that in my view let it down, now, onto the
centre, stage under the spotlight comes ABACAS Flight
Deck 5, for use within FSX, also, compatible with FS9.
If the promo picture are any thing to go
by Abacus have taken full advantage of the revised and
superior graphics potential, and I hope flight dynamics
that are available in FSX. Remarkably the first version
came out and hit the streets some 10 years ago for
FSFW95 FS98, so, some pedigree.
As a small child I went on board a
aircraft carrier, and watched listened felt and smelt
and witnessed the ‘brutal’ process of landing-on, ( Sea
Gannett’s, Blackburn Buccaneers Sea Vixens’) as one
pilot put it,- ‘’the landing? Well, flight deck just
gets in the way’’ Oh yes, then the arrester hook
stops you in a mind blowing, eye popping rate.
Boy, I had and have tremendous respect to
all Navy aviators landing and taking off any flight
deck, it requires a certain type of person to be a Navy
Aviator. Flying at a few hundred feet over the water,
and looking down, and it looks at first glance, to be a
piece of drift wood in the water….Oops, no, that is what
we have land an angry, fast jet on, in a controlled way,
attach one of the three wires, and stop in a nanno
second, preventing hitting some parked aircraft, my word
I am breaking out in a sweat just thinking about it!
In the main, we have a ‘hope in hells’
chance of experiencing such flying, but now my brethren,
we can capture a flavor of the skill and nerves required
to be a Navy Aviator.:- Flight Deck 5.
So looking forward to those gremlins
found in the previous version, to have been ironed out,
let’s install it. Fire up FSX, go to options, find the
missions list, and hew presto, seemingly hundreds of
ABACUS flights to choose from, OK a slight exaggeration,
but loads to play with, 50 in fact, with 7 aircraft,
with on-deck recovery and launch systems.
All the flights are off the USS Gerald R
FORD Aircraft carrier, in areas of the World including
Bay of Biscay, The English Channel, The South Pacific,
Coastal San Diego and the Persian Gulf.
Some important tech stuff…….
Aircraft available to you:-
A-18C HornetTM
F/A-18E Super HornetTM
E-2C Hawkeye
S-3B Viking
SH-60 Seahawk
C-2A Greyhound
EA-6B Prowler
What's
new in Flight Deck 5?
-
FSX - moving carrier - you'll takeoff
and land from a moving surface
-
FSX - super-accurate launch and
recovery using 3WireX technology
-
FSX - five great missions and 60+
mini training missions
-
FSX - maverick missile
-
Aircraft Carrier - fly from the new
USS Gerald R Ford
Installation
This is a breeze, follow the simple
instructions, and the auto-install form the download.
When you start the programe, you will notice a window
that boots up white scrolling text, this is to do with
the launch and recovery programe, you have to minimize
this screen before you can get into Navy Ops.
I am willing this programme to every
thing I want it to be, so without further a do lets get
cracking…
Flying
This is what it is all about, so select
the mission you wish to fly, as I ,mentioned, there a
quite a number in the list, within the Intermediate
Experienced and Expert labels.
I noticed a Avalanche Rescue mission, I
selected that one, you are in a Agusta Westland EH110
situated on the ground in front of a hotel type
structure on snow covered terrain, a car pulls up and a
skier joins you in the helo, you then have to hover over
two designated points, half way up the mountain, where
charges are dropped to create a controlled avalanche,
all well so far, and all presented in great graphic
detail.
You are then diverted to a rescue mission
to pick-up an injured skier/climber, located near the
peak of the mountain, finding the waving climbers you
are requested to hover above so a pick up can take
place, boy, is it hard to maintain a constant hover, I
was informed I was in position then I was informed I had
to ‘’re-establish’’.
Not one to give up, I spent ages trying
to succeed, but I had to give up. It was actually very
frustrating, NOT impossible but will require more effort.(
If you have tried to fly the same type in the FX
mission section, under training pick-up, ie hovering
over boxes to pick up, will know my frustration, it
behaved in exactly the same way) There was another
great little mission to pick up a secret load at the
far side of a commercial airport, meeting some military
ground vehicles, and fly off to a unknown destination,
great up to the point of actually picking up the load…
Again the detail was excellent, but that
old frustration kicked-in, so I opted for carrier based
ops for the next flight.
I Fib, actually it was an air to ground
bombing mission, all tied up in a Hornet fully
weapon-up, ready for the off, given a quick overview, we
were off, keeping low, and fast flying towards the
indicated target, these were ground insurgents with very
anti social heat seeking missiles…
Great ground effects, both sea and land.
Cross the ground at an alarming speed, fingers over the
release buttons, ready to drop the bombs, targets
sighted, GO, and dropped a string of the 50 bombs
allowed. Tight left up and over hard back to see the
devastation, ooops some missiles outbound, drop to the
floor get ground interference, it worked for me… To
continue the fight..
I guess we have to fly onto and out of
the deck, after all that is what this addition is all
about… So I opted for a few approaches already
established on long 5 mile finals, (You can also use the
HUD display to guide you onto the deck.)
keeping your nerve, gear down, flaps
selected arrester hook deployed, keep the decent, you
are ‘called’ several times by the LSO, (great effect)
giving you glide slope instructions and guidance,
nearing the deck you are given ‘call the ball’ now this
is serious, we are almost down, a few hurried
adjustments, hit the deck full throttle, just incase,
you need to go around.
If you hit the wire, and I repeat IF!!
Your aircraft will stop in one serious hurry, throttle
back, you will get a congratulations message and invited
to line up for launch and do it all again.
The deck is busy, crew and hardware
alike, taxi to one of the steam catapults, at the bow of
the ship.
Taxi into position over the catapult. The
launch team connects you. The steam is flowing and the
catapult armed.
Set your brake. From his crouching
position, the yellow jacketed shooter gives you thumbs
up.
Wait for the instruction and select full
power, release the brakes, and the catapult slings you
forward… UP up and away!
Observations
Abacus have again offered with
improvements, something very different form a VFR or IFR
flight, this is real adrenalin pumping stuff, you will I
can assure you be shifting in your seat, as you are
approaching the deck at a ridiculous speed.
I have to say, I found the KEYBOARD
ASSIGNMENTS window option especially useful, (accessible
form the HELP option in the top bar) as this can be
minimized, allowing you to refer to it on a continual
basis, I found it invaluable, providing you valuable
information on which buttons to press when you need to
know!
The graphics on the aircraft are a vast
improvement, and a lot of time has clearly been spent
here. You get interactive crew around the launch area,
and of course static crew scattered around the deck,
giving a real sense of action.
Other aircraft launch off, adding to the
feel of Navy life. Once or twice I was taxing towards
the launch area, and a Hornet taxied right through me…
The aircraft in the main are very nicely
presented, with good and effective responses, nice flap,
gear and control surface movement. Ok, they are not
perfect, especially if you refer to the myriad of superb
offering now available.
I was flying a Turbo Prop aircraft and I
could hear a piston engine..?? I flew this option
several times with the same result. And throttle
selection did not alter the engine note, from time to
time.
As I have mentioned the flight dynamics
are not to the standard found in FS, but accurate
enough to have to have some fun.
One observation re the graphics, the
props, there was no visual movement they looked a bit
basic, some of the cockpits suffered with a little basic
feel, but I have to say, you have all the instruments
you need to do the job.
Oh yes, I was on finals after given the
‘ball’ only to see a Hornet on the deck right in front
of me. Throttles forward and fly around, boy would I
like to meet the pilot in the ward room!!!!
I have not yet flown all the missions, I
intend to do precisely that, because I am having a lot
of fun with this program, lets not get too ‘fussy’ with
it, I love it for what it is.
I did notice that the missions take a
long time to load, but Hew Ho, all good things are worth
the wait!
It has many levels, and options that you
can ‘try your luck’ a bit of combat, pure carrier borne
activity, rescue and special helo ops. Yup I recon it is
a must, especially if you are seeking a program that
offers a little different set of challenges.
To name but a few:-
-
Basic Carrier Training
-
Maverick Missile Practice
-
Sonobuoy Mission
-
Day of the Waterspouts
-
Crisis in the East
-
60+ mini-training missions
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€ 28,50
CD-R Boxed Version
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