Flight FX556 tonight from Darling Harbour Level 3
Disappointing in some respects; better than expected in others.
Things I didn't like: aircraft taking off and landing oblivious to what I was doing (including take off rolls head on whilst I was taking off in the opposite direction!! Hardly realistic and more than a little off putting. Similarly aircraft taking off from behind you and rolling 'through' you after you taxi into position and hold). Rudder pedals not suitably damped so that only miniscule movements will give substantial deviations from centre tracking. Unrealistic glide slope - for example, approaching on 16R into YSSY still at 3,000 feet crossing the Parramatta River - about twice the altitude of a 'real' aircraft. No ATC. No idle reverse thrust. No stick shaker. No cockpit movement at all - only projected visual scene and instrument changes in response to control input changes. Terrain and ground improvements were not hi res or rich colour. It was not always easy to spot well known landmarks due to poor quality 'scenery' display. And no seat height adjustment for either pilot forced a suboptimal seating position!
Things I DID like: very realistic instrumentation including engine spool up lag and good auto pilot performance. Apart from the abnormally sensitive rudder pedals, very realistic yoke resistance and general 'feel'. Accurate flight deck control layouts for 738 were impressive. Comprehensive airport database so that, in addition to Aussie favourites you can try your hand at places like Kai-tak, St Maartins, and other notoriously 'challenging' airports.
For the price of a 60 minute flight, a photo and/or DVD of your flight should be included instead of being a $69 extra 'package'.
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Philip
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