Post by red on Jan 31, 2008 5:53:01 GMT
The work of Gary Carslon and others with military aircraft (USAF 89th Airlift Wing AF1/AF2/VIP Transports and, tankers being perhaps my favorites to fly), I have to say, I have found to be AlphaSim products (planes and scenery) to be WELL worth the money. Best of all...most of the products come both FS9/FSX-capable.
Living right next door to Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, imagine my surprise to find not only the B-52H for the 8th USAF 2nd Bombardment Wing, Heavy in the grey scheme adopted in the Desert Storm Era, and, B-52Gs to boot. And...no shortcuts with regards to aliased sound, or, sticking one soundpack in for all the BUFFS...no...correct J-57 TURBOJET sound and smoke effect for the J-57-equipped B-52G, and, the properly unique, still quite loud TF-33 Turbofans for the B-52Hs, and still plenty of smoke, but, properly, not as much as the older J-57s (all the BUFFs come in one pack).
Then, imagine my surprise when I found that I'd overlooked the AlphaSim scenery library--and found Barksdale AFB perfectly rendered?!? And, Andrews AFB, MD, home of Air Force One and the 89th Airlift Wing for the current "Air Force Two/VIP Fleet" of B757-200s/C-32As (interesting article in a mag this month in that the C-32As just got blended winglets, and, it appears, the gold stripe on the tail that was previously lacking...I guess the 4 757s just got their first C-Check since despite the fact that all of these USAF VIP Transports that get about 1 percent of the flight hours and cycles of an airliner in daily service, nevertheless get considerably more frequent C-Checks, D-Checks, engine changeouts ahead of schedule, and, when not flying, the B747-200s/VC-25As, B757-200/C-32As, and, the 17 new B737-7CP/C-40B Boeing Business Jet Clippers are generally parked indoors in a climate controlled hanger, with Air Force personnel polishing every inch of them).
For Historic Jetliners Group B707/VC-137B & C Air Force One and Air Force Two/VIP Transport aircraft, having a quality representation of Andrews AFB, is, I think, a MUST HAVE. Parked on the tarmac is B747-200B/VC-25A SAM 29000, and, all four of the B757-200/C-32As are lined up, as they are sometimes parked outside...and this adds a visual treat to the experience. Also...keep in mind that B707/VC-137C SAM 27000 was kept in service until September 2001, so, it would not be "unrealistic" to fly one of Gary's excellent VC-137s into Andrews with the 747 and the 757s parked on the tarmac. Even the SAM 26000 existed--though briefly--after delivery of the first of the C-32As that were built to replace them. If you desire to fly into Andrews at an earlier period, I believe you can turn the autogen sliders down, and, the more modern AF1 and AF2 aircraft will disappear.
More AlphaSim goodies: a darn good Rockwell B-1B Lancer in a variety of flavors with correct sound and perfect afterburner effect, and, the F-22 Raptor. This covers my current collection...but there is an extensive collection of older fighters and bombers for those who like older aircraft...which brings me to one that I left out...the behemoth Convair B-36H Peacekeeper that I purchased. Again...perfect attention to detail...with a proper sound blend between the 6-huge pusher-props and four podded turbojets (one two-jet pod per wingtip) on these B-52-size monsters.
More observations in the "Attention to Detail Department": nice virtual flight decks, but, scroll around in the Boeing B-52G, and there you find your Water Injection Panel for your J-57 Turbojets. Scroll around in the similar B-52H virtual flight deck...and...properly...NO Water Injection Panel. I appreciate that type of attention to detail, and time spent, as I assume that most manufacturers would have simply used the same VC for all of the Buffs, rather than properly detailing them per variant.
Sorry if somebody has already covered AlphaSim addons, but these are my impressions of this fine company (which also has good technical support and customer response), and, many of these products go hand-in-hand with some of the nice HJG aircraft, whether it is BUFFs, or, a nice edition of Andrews AFB to fly your Gary Carlson tankers, EC-135s, and particularly, VC-137 B707s into...
Living right next door to Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, imagine my surprise to find not only the B-52H for the 8th USAF 2nd Bombardment Wing, Heavy in the grey scheme adopted in the Desert Storm Era, and, B-52Gs to boot. And...no shortcuts with regards to aliased sound, or, sticking one soundpack in for all the BUFFS...no...correct J-57 TURBOJET sound and smoke effect for the J-57-equipped B-52G, and, the properly unique, still quite loud TF-33 Turbofans for the B-52Hs, and still plenty of smoke, but, properly, not as much as the older J-57s (all the BUFFs come in one pack).
Then, imagine my surprise when I found that I'd overlooked the AlphaSim scenery library--and found Barksdale AFB perfectly rendered?!? And, Andrews AFB, MD, home of Air Force One and the 89th Airlift Wing for the current "Air Force Two/VIP Fleet" of B757-200s/C-32As (interesting article in a mag this month in that the C-32As just got blended winglets, and, it appears, the gold stripe on the tail that was previously lacking...I guess the 4 757s just got their first C-Check since despite the fact that all of these USAF VIP Transports that get about 1 percent of the flight hours and cycles of an airliner in daily service, nevertheless get considerably more frequent C-Checks, D-Checks, engine changeouts ahead of schedule, and, when not flying, the B747-200s/VC-25As, B757-200/C-32As, and, the 17 new B737-7CP/C-40B Boeing Business Jet Clippers are generally parked indoors in a climate controlled hanger, with Air Force personnel polishing every inch of them).
For Historic Jetliners Group B707/VC-137B & C Air Force One and Air Force Two/VIP Transport aircraft, having a quality representation of Andrews AFB, is, I think, a MUST HAVE. Parked on the tarmac is B747-200B/VC-25A SAM 29000, and, all four of the B757-200/C-32As are lined up, as they are sometimes parked outside...and this adds a visual treat to the experience. Also...keep in mind that B707/VC-137C SAM 27000 was kept in service until September 2001, so, it would not be "unrealistic" to fly one of Gary's excellent VC-137s into Andrews with the 747 and the 757s parked on the tarmac. Even the SAM 26000 existed--though briefly--after delivery of the first of the C-32As that were built to replace them. If you desire to fly into Andrews at an earlier period, I believe you can turn the autogen sliders down, and, the more modern AF1 and AF2 aircraft will disappear.
More AlphaSim goodies: a darn good Rockwell B-1B Lancer in a variety of flavors with correct sound and perfect afterburner effect, and, the F-22 Raptor. This covers my current collection...but there is an extensive collection of older fighters and bombers for those who like older aircraft...which brings me to one that I left out...the behemoth Convair B-36H Peacekeeper that I purchased. Again...perfect attention to detail...with a proper sound blend between the 6-huge pusher-props and four podded turbojets (one two-jet pod per wingtip) on these B-52-size monsters.
More observations in the "Attention to Detail Department": nice virtual flight decks, but, scroll around in the Boeing B-52G, and there you find your Water Injection Panel for your J-57 Turbojets. Scroll around in the similar B-52H virtual flight deck...and...properly...NO Water Injection Panel. I appreciate that type of attention to detail, and time spent, as I assume that most manufacturers would have simply used the same VC for all of the Buffs, rather than properly detailing them per variant.
Sorry if somebody has already covered AlphaSim addons, but these are my impressions of this fine company (which also has good technical support and customer response), and, many of these products go hand-in-hand with some of the nice HJG aircraft, whether it is BUFFs, or, a nice edition of Andrews AFB to fly your Gary Carlson tankers, EC-135s, and particularly, VC-137 B707s into...
