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Reviews

Richie Barrett reviews the Howard 500 for FS2004 .

Aircraft: Howard 500 for FS2004
File name (with VC): hw5vc4.zip (14.7MB)
File name (without VC): hw5nc4.zip (14.3MB)
Authors: Milton Shupe, Scott Thomas, & Joáo Paz



Introduction: This is a review of the newly released Howard 500 for FS2004 which was created by Milton Shupe, Scott Thomas, and Joáo Paz. They have released two versions of this plane, one with a virtural cockpit and the other without. For this review, I have only flown the version with the VC but they are the same otherwise. Once again I will be using my 100 point system to evaluate all the aspects of this aircraft.

External Model (30pts): When I downloaded this plane, the first thing that I noticed was its stunning model. This aircraft has been skillfully created using gMax and the model is one of the finest I 've seen. Not only is the model itself incredible, but it is fully animated. It includes rolling wheels, moving flaps, an opening door, and much more. When I compared this model to actual photographs of a Howard 500 it looked correct in every way. Also, this aircraft doesn't seem to eat up a lot of frame rates. When I was flying it, I had my resolution set at 800x600x32 with most of the sliders maxed out (you can see my system specs above) and it ran smooth. The only time it was a little choppy was when I was flying in stormy weather and even then it ran pretty well. I feel that this wonderful model deserves the full 30 out of 30 points.

Texturing (30pts): Of all the great features that come with this plane, I have to say that the texturing is my favorite. First of all it is very authentic; its the livery that the only remaining flyable Howard 500 in the United States wears. This authentic texturing has been brilliantly applied to this plane resulting in one of the most beautiful aircraft available for FS2004. One thing I noticed about the textures is they look very real. By the look of them they appear to be photorealistic textures; this means that actual photographs of the plane were incorporated into the texturing. Another wonderful feature of the texturing is how colorful it is, the combination of yellow, red, black, and silver makes the plane shimmer in the sky. I give the textures 30 points out of 30.

Panel (15pts):
2D Panel (10pts): The panel has been beautifully made to represent the interior of a real Howard 500. Great care was taken to ensure that the panel looked correct inside this aircraft. Other than being very authentic, the panel provides all the necessary tools needed to fly the 500 and leaves enough window room to see where you re going. I feel that this 2D panel is ideal for this plane and as a result I give it 10 out of 10.

DVC (5pts): If you choose to download that version that has a dynamic virtual cockpit (DVC), you're in for a real treat. This is one of the finest DVCs I have ever seen; it has all the bells and whistles. The modeling in the cockpit reflects the same talent and attention to detail that created the exterior model. The creator did a fantastic job modeling the interior. What impresses me the most about this DVC is that there is more than just a cockpit; they have modeled the entire interior. Trust me, if you have a machine that can handle the DVC it is definitely worth getting it. This is a 5 out of 5 DVC!

Sounds (5pts): One of the least common features for an add-on flight simulator aircraft is a custom sound pack. Not only does this place have one, but it has a very good one. The sounds that come with this plane really make it come to life. Without them, it would really detract from the aircraft. They get 5 out of 5 points.

Flight Characteristics (20pts):
Where Tested: Seattle, WA. USA
Gainesville, FL. USA

Takeoff Characteristics: I found this plane rather easy to get off the ground. The only difficulty I had was keeping it perfectly straight, but that wasn't a big deal. With the flaps set at 50%, it takes a very short runway to get up to takeoff speed. Once the plane reaches about 100 knots I gentle pull on the joystick is all that is needed to get this beauty in the air.

 

In-flight Handling: This plane is a joy to fly. It handles just how you would expect a small passenger plane to handle; its somewhat sluggish and forgiving. It is very easy to get up to cruising altitude and fun to fly to your destination. To me, this a very relaxing plane to fly; as the creator's web site puts it, it's A Pilot's Aircraft.

Landing Characteristics: This is an easy plane to land because it handles nicely and does not require a long runway, you could probably land it almost anywhere. I found it best to touchdown at about 110-120 knots with the flaps fully extended.

Overall: I feel that the flight characteristics of this plane are very accurate. Plus, it's a fun aircraft to fly! I give it the full 20 points.

Rating: 100% This plane is simply awesome, it has everything that you could want in a FS2004 add-on.

From the Writer: Thanks for reading my review of the Howard 500. If you have any comments about what I have said please feel free to let me know, I love to hear from people who read my reviews. Also, if you enjoy this plane as much as I do I recommend e-mailing the designers and letting them know. The kind words of those who love their work can really help inspire them to make more aircraft of equal quality. Remember it takes many long hours to create these wonderful planes and they do it for free so if you love their plane, let them know.

Also, if you would like to know more about the Howard 500 or the creation of this wonderful FS add-on (including many photos of both the real and FS plane); visit the Howard 500 Project website here: http://www.flightsimonline.com/howard500/

Richie Barrett


Date Tested: June 27, 2004
Computer Specs
Processor: AMD Athlon XP2500 (2.0GHz)
Ram: 512MB PC2700
Graphics Card: 128MB ATI Radeon 9500 Pro
Test Pilot: Richie Barrett (RichieB31619@yahoo.com)
Do you fly for Real? No (well-not yet anyway)

 

 

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