Great planes RealFlight G2

Model Airplane News, Nov 2001 by Bell, Rick

Raining outside? Too windy to go flying, and it's the only day of the weekend you can make it to the field? Want to learn new maneuvers without risking your pride and joy? Why not fire up the computer and get some good-quality simulator time with Great Planes' Rea/Flight Generation 2? The idea of "flying" in any weather or at any time, in the comfort of home, should appeal to any modeler. Simulators are nothing new; military and commercial pilots use simulators to practice new maneuvers and to stay proficient; the principle works equally well for model pilots.

RealFlight G2 is the latest version of Great Planes' excellent flight sim. G2 is user-friendlier than earlier renditions; you can make changes quickly and easily because it's now menu-driven. No more exiting the main screen-just point and click, and a Windows-based pull-down menu appears for easy adjustments. Also new is the multiplayer function; you can get together with up to seven of your flying buddies and meet at a virtual flying field via the Internet. Pretty cool!

WHAT DO YOU GET?

As you would expect, included are a CD and a Futaba transmitter case with a cord that plugs into your PC. If you want to use your own transmitter, an optional interface is available. No hard copy of the manual is included, as it's available on disc and online anytime you need it. You can print it out, but be prepared to use a whole lot of paper!

Installing G2 couldn't be easier; just insert the CD and follow the onscreen instructions. You will be asked to calibrate the transmitter; that consists of centering the trims and moving the joysticks to the extents of their travel a few times. Once you've completed that, you're ready to start flying.

FEATURES

G2 has a long list of unique features that includes Virtual Flight Instructor (VFI; more on this later), flying and training aids, multiplayer, multicam, onscreen transmitter, heads-up display, limbo and pylon racing. The 3D Doppler sound is very cool. You hear the plane approaching and getting louder as it nears, then fading as it passes, just as if you were at the field-very realistic! You heli fans will also hear the Doppler effect on the main blades and engine.

Want to customize your aircraft? G2 has over 200 parameters for planes and more than 300 for hells, all of which can be edited. Change motors, props, rotor blades, CG, weights, or sizes-all by clicking your mouse. Using your own measurements, you can build your own plane or heli to your exact specifications. Want more? G2's VFI features instructions recorded by RC expert Mike Cross (two-- time IMAC freestyle champion) and heli expert Dwight Shilling (three-time U.S. F3C world qualifier). You can pull up prerecorded maneuvers to see how they're done. then try them yourself. You can also out a transmitter onscreen to show proper stick movements while you're flying.

One of the biggest problems with flight sims is that they limit your perspective; it's difficult to land because you can't see the ground. G2 now has a "look at ground" feature that zooms out to keep the ground in view. Finding the runway has become a lot easier. Need more orientation clues? Use the "Heads Up NavGuide" that can display just about anything, from altitude to speed and heading. And there is the multicam, which can display your aircraft from various angles; you can size and position the view to suit your needs. These are only a fraction of the features that G2 offers.

AT THE VIRTUAL FIELD

So how does G2 work? Very well, in my opinion! There are many planes and fields to choose from, and the graphics are stunning. You can position the runway in any direction, add trees, buildings and a host of other objects and place them anywhere you want. But be careful not to hit anything; unlike earlier versions of RealFlight, you will crash if you hit something. When you start G2, you get a "Tip of the Day" that tells you about a particular feature of the program. You can opt to turn this off, but I find it useful.

When G2 opens, you'll notice the menu bar across the top of the screen; from here. you can drop down the menu you want and choose your airport, aircraft and any objects you want displayed. From there, you can get into sub-menus to refine and edit the terrain with trees and other items. G2 lets you choose from 17 airplanes and 11 helis-plenty of choices to satisfy any modeler. One feature that I like from the options menu is the ability to choose the background music that plays while you're flying. Don't like the available music? You can supply your own and really rock! You can also adjust the various sound effects, such as engine, crash noises and wind, and you can control the volume. After you've chosen your field and plane or heli, the program places you on the runway-engine idling and ready to fly.

I was impressed with the feel of each model. Having flown many types of models over the years, I can say that G2 duplicates RC aircraft very well; aerobatic types behaved as they should and were very maneuverable. Trainers were docile, warbirds had that "heavy-metal" feel, and the F86 model flew just as a jet model should. The turbine sound is awesome; be prepared to fly ahead of the model, though, as the turbine requires spool-up time.