BARNESJONR
Nov 27, 2007, 10:40 PM
!Introduction
Wouldn't it be grand if you could stop down at your local hobby shop this weekend and buy, oh, say a dozen or so new planes to fly?
<I>"Yes sir, I'll take that B25 twin and a couple of those gas engines to put on it! And please, may I also have the Mig 15 turbine combo and the 40% Python biplane with the multi-cylinder engine? Oh, and wait, you better throw in that new little electric helicopter and that snappy looking Great Planes Revolver sitting over there while you're at it!"</I>
And just when you were sure your day couldn't possibly get any better, it does! Amazingly enough, on the way home from your shopping spree at the hobby shop, you find not one or two, but FOUR new flying fields where you can go to fly your newly acquired fleet!
That will probably only ever happen in our dreams, but Great Planes has the next best thing available... the Real Flight Expansion Pack 4. For a couple of the lesser Presidents, you can bring home a whole box full of new airplanes to fly and even a couple of new flying fields too.
The variety in the box is quite impressive and there are sure to be one or two planes that will be your favorites. The Expansion Packs are wonderful, breathing new life into the simulator and keeping pace with the new and exciting planes introduced to the market. How many of us will honestly ever get to fly a Monster Python biplane or a Heavy Metal Twin B25? The next best thing awaits you and I inside the Expansion Pack 4 box!
(Note: Take a look at fellow reviewer extraordinaire Michael Heer’s comprehensive coverage of the features of <a href=http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=582314&highlight=g3+5/>Real Flight G3.5</a> here on Ezone.)
| spec2
| @1568484
|> <b>Software:<b> |< One CD in jewel case, serial number on the back
|> <b>New Planes:<b> |< 12
|> <b>New Helicopters:<b> |< 3
|> <b>New Flying Fields:<b> |< 4
|> <b>Manufacturer:</b> |< <a href=http://www.realflight.com/>RealFlight</a>
|> <b>Available From:</b> Great Planes distributors
|> <b>Price:<b> |< $39.99
!System Requirements
*Minimum System Requirements:
*RealFlight Generation 3 or above software
*500 MB hard drive space
*Intel Pentium 1.0GHz or equivalent
*DirectX 9 (or above) feature-compatible video and sound card
*3D accelerated video card with 32 MB (or more) RAM
*256 MB Ram
*Optimum System Requirements:
*Intel Pentium 3.0GHz or equivalent
*3D accelerated video card with 128 MB (or more) RAM
*1 GB RAM
*Reviewers System:
*AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4600+ @ 2.52 GHZ
*XFX GeForce 7800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Video card
*Dell WFP2407 24" LCD Monitor
*1 GB RAM
!Expansion Pack 4 Features
!!New Fields
Now, I don't know about you but I have always wanted to fly my radio control planes and helicopters at a real airport. With yards and yards of concrete and the typically inspiring backdrop of real airplanes and helicopters it is the perfect place. As you look at the list of Expansion Pack 4 flying sites below, do you notice a little something called "tarmac"? Hallelujah! And it is a photorealistic field to boot.
@1579979:Four new flying fields, two of them are photorealistic.
I find myself immensely enjoying the Kemp RC Aerodrome. It has all the warmth of a local neighborhood RC club site. The nice folks that manage this RC field apparently allow overnight camping and a catering truck is available to make sure you are well fed and watered.
@1583059:I wish my local field received regular visits from the, er, uh, I guess we'll just call it "The Coach"?
@1583058:Kemp RC Aerodrome, from high aloft.
The real attraction of this site for me is that beautiful multistory water tower. As you will notice in the highlight video below, I just cannot seem to stay away from it, no matter what I am flying!
Two of the new flying sites in Expansion Pack 4 are nighttime excursions. Obstacle Course 5 is beautiful at night, with each and every one of the moving rings and squares glowing like carnival rides.
@1583057:The Great Planes Yak 54 lit up like Las Vegas.
@1583055:The Python and the Water Tower.
@1583056:Watch out for the trees at night. Kemp Field didn't pay its utility bills, and the lights are scarce.
Kemp RC Aerodrome is open 24 hours a day, for your flying enjoyment on those nights when you just can't sleep. Try THAT at your local club field.
!!New Aircraft
If it is true that variety is the spice of life, then Expansion Pack 4 serves up a spicy blend of RC simulator goodness.
@1579958:Your Menu Du Jour, a la Expansion Pack 4
A grand total of 16 (17 if you count both versions of the Great Planes Spitfire) additional planes and helicopters, including a turbine powered jet, a powered glider, a twin rotor helicopter and a monster biplane.
@1580074:Big, beautiful B25 Bomber complete with working bomb bay doors
@1579951:Great Planes Spitfire - you actually get two for one with this model, in both electric or nitro power.
@1579952:Great Planes Yak 54 - the 25% version, with a wing span of 81".
@1579953:Hughes H1 Racer
@1579954:Great Planes 45" Electrifly Headwind
@1579955:CH-46 Sea Knight twin rotor helicopter
@1579956:Mig 15 turbine jet
@1583341:Thunder Tiger Mini Titan
@1579957:DeHavilland Mosquito
@1583047:Python Biplane - the BIGGEST model in the expansion pack and my favorite to fly
@1580075:Robinson R22 helicopter
@1579961:Great Planes 59" Revolver
@1579962:Stits Sky Baby, the self proclaimed smallest biplane
@1579963:Classic Goldberg Tiger 2
@1579964:Heli-Max MX450XS
@1579965:Hobbico 68" Upstar glider
!The New Flying Machines in Expansion Pack 4
!! Pitts Python
@1583053:The real plane has 1800 pounds of static thrust and 400 horsepower, the greatest thrust/weight ratio of any aerobatic biplane produced today.
@1582707:The one in Expansion Pack 4 has plenty of power too!
If you like them big, you will love the Python biplane in Expansion Pack 4. It claims the title of the biggest plane in the box. This simulator version of it "feels" quite easy to fly. It comes equipped with an awesome smoke system too, so flip that smoke system on, stand her on her tail, and make her disappear!
@1582847:Look closely... do you notice anything missing? If I am indeed lucky enough to someday fly one like this, I pray I am not unlucky enough to find out whether it really will fly with half a wing and stabilizer missing.
@1579959:Smoke on!
!!Robinson R22
I think the reason that the Robinson R22 is my favorite helicopter of the four new ones in Expansion Pack 4 is because I already own one. No, really , I do!
@1582887:Here is MY R22! The one in Expansion Pack 4 is a nitro powered version and loads of fun to fly.
In any event, I like the stability of the R22 in the Expansion Pack. Two of the other three helicopters are single rotor electrics and quite a bit smaller than the Robinson. The small electric helicopters are immensely popular right now and thanks to Expansion Pack 4, you can fly either the Heli-Max MX450XS or the Thunder Tiger Mini Titan.
@1582708:Red, white, and cool!
@1579960:The real R22 will set you back $220,000, with standard options.
@1582870:Hey, who is that hiding up there in the trees?
@1582880:As John Lennon sang: "I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round, I really love to watch them roll."
!!CH-46 Sea Knight
In real life, the CH-46 Sea Knight is a medium-lift tandem rotor assault helicopter, used by the United States Marine Corps. It is a big, manly looking helicopter. In Expansion Pack 4, it is a just a wee bit smaller but its size lets you explore every nook and cranny of the flying sites.
@1582961:La cucaracha, la cucaracha!
@1582962:Why does this chuckwagon have a hood ornament on its roof?
@1582963:Wait, its not a hood ornament but the mighty Sea Knight! Well, mighty tiny any way!
I really enjoyed sneaking under the tables and going in and out of any building where someone forgot to close the door. Several twin rotor helicopter RC models (like this CH-46) do indeed exist, and they are a technological marvel. You and I get to fly one without the high costs associated with building such a cutting edge model. It is a little tricky to fly due to its unconventional twin rotor design, but getting the hang of it will only enhance your helicopter flying thumbs.
@1582964:The Sea Knight, on a Search and Rescue mission to locate the Pin for Channel 24.
!!Stits Sky Baby
@1582968:Can something this small fly in real life?
With a wing span of just over seven feet and a length of just less than ten feet, in real life this tiny biplane stands barely five feet tall. Built back in 1952, it hit speeds in excess of 200 MPH during its demonstration flights. In Expansion pack 4, its legacy lives on. It is a zippy little guy.
@1582970:The real deal, the Stits Sky Baby. Since 1963, it has been in the EAA AirVenture Museum.
!!Mig 15
I have a special fondness for the Mig 15 in Expansion Pack 4, as I recently completed my own Mig. Though mine is a jet, the one in the simulator is twice as fast as mine.
@1582976:The Turbine Mig 15 in Expansion pack 4
@1582986:My Mig 15 EDF
When you tire of practicing real world maneuvers, don't forget that there is a lot of new territory to explore in the new flying sites. The Mig 15 is the quickest platform to use when you head out on an exploratory sortie. I had a lot of fun blasting in and out of the valleys of the foothills, using the plentiful tall trees as racing pylons. The turbine powered planes are especially valuable for practicing your long distance orientation. They get small very quickly and getting one of them that has gotten just a little too far out back into comfortable viewing range can be a real challenge. Slowing it down for a landing can be tough, just like my EDF version. Don't forget to activate your air brakes and flaps!
@1582980:Heading for the hills.
!!B25 Medium Bomber and Mosquito Fighter/Bomber
Expansion Pack 4 serves up a double dip of warbird twins in the Mitchell B25 and the DeHavilland Mosquito. It will take a skilled hand to fly these two, and finesse is in order when it comes to landing them. But where else can you fly two large, twin nitro-powered warbirds back-to-back? I like the working bomb bay doors on the B25. The look of the doors opening as you come thundering by on a high speed low altitude pass is so cool!
@1582979:Pilots of the real plane complained about the extremely high noise level produced by its engines, and many pilots eventually suffered some hearing loss. Turn your computer speakers down on this one, for the the twins do roar!
@1579957:The real Mosquito was uniquely constructed of all wood and powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. The one in Expansion Pack 4 is constructed of all pixels.
!Flight Video/Photo Gallery
+RF35_EXP4.wmv:A whole winter’s worth of flying fun!
!Conclusion
Some folks like to curl up in front of a fire with a good book when the winter weather arrives. Here in NorCal, the weather is getting chilly but I am thrilled to huddle here in front of my computer with all of the goodness of Real Flight Expansion Pack 4. Anyone who follows the continual release of great new RC airplanes and helicopters will know what a difficult task it must be to select just a dozen or so to include in one of these Expansion add-ons, and Expansion Pack 4 comes equipped with a very well rounded mix of flying machines to suit all abilities and it covers almost all mainstream genres of radio control interests.
*Pluses:
*Nice variety of new planes and helicopters to fly
*The night lighting is gorgeous
*Sure to help develop your flying skills.
*When you tire of actually honing your RC skills, you can explore the remote areas of the flying fields
*Did I mention how much I love the huge Python biplane?
*No need to wipe the exhaust oil off of the nitro powered planes at the end of each flying session
* Crashing does not require a broom, trash bag and crying towel. Instead, just push the red button and be happy!
*Minuses
*May lead you to spend money to buy the full size plane(s) or helicopter(s).
*Leads to chronic just-one-more-flight disease
I am a firm believer that any time spent with a simulator will only improve your thumb skills with a real model. Expansion Pack 4 has given me a good taste of what it must be like to fly a 40-50% biplane and a turbine powered Mig, two models that I may never in reality get to fly. And when I grow a little tired of practicing for real life flying, I like switching the camera view to "chase" or "cockpit" and heading out on an exploratory mission.
Do you have your eye on one of the models included in this Expansion Pack as it hangs there on the wall or in the box at your local hobby shop? Do you wonder how it flies? Are you looking for a new project for the upcoming winter season and don’t know what you want to build next? In either case, head down to your local hobby shop, and buy a dozen or so planes, all packed into the small box labeled "Real Flight Expansion Pack 4". Take it home and be prepared for hours and hours of excellent fun on your Real Flight G3.5 simulator!
Wouldn't it be grand if you could stop down at your local hobby shop this weekend and buy, oh, say a dozen or so new planes to fly?
<I>"Yes sir, I'll take that B25 twin and a couple of those gas engines to put on it! And please, may I also have the Mig 15 turbine combo and the 40% Python biplane with the multi-cylinder engine? Oh, and wait, you better throw in that new little electric helicopter and that snappy looking Great Planes Revolver sitting over there while you're at it!"</I>
And just when you were sure your day couldn't possibly get any better, it does! Amazingly enough, on the way home from your shopping spree at the hobby shop, you find not one or two, but FOUR new flying fields where you can go to fly your newly acquired fleet!
That will probably only ever happen in our dreams, but Great Planes has the next best thing available... the Real Flight Expansion Pack 4. For a couple of the lesser Presidents, you can bring home a whole box full of new airplanes to fly and even a couple of new flying fields too.
The variety in the box is quite impressive and there are sure to be one or two planes that will be your favorites. The Expansion Packs are wonderful, breathing new life into the simulator and keeping pace with the new and exciting planes introduced to the market. How many of us will honestly ever get to fly a Monster Python biplane or a Heavy Metal Twin B25? The next best thing awaits you and I inside the Expansion Pack 4 box!
(Note: Take a look at fellow reviewer extraordinaire Michael Heer’s comprehensive coverage of the features of <a href=http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=582314&highlight=g3+5/>Real Flight G3.5</a> here on Ezone.)
| spec2
| @1568484
|> <b>Software:<b> |< One CD in jewel case, serial number on the back
|> <b>New Planes:<b> |< 12
|> <b>New Helicopters:<b> |< 3
|> <b>New Flying Fields:<b> |< 4
|> <b>Manufacturer:</b> |< <a href=http://www.realflight.com/>RealFlight</a>
|> <b>Available From:</b> Great Planes distributors
|> <b>Price:<b> |< $39.99
!System Requirements
*Minimum System Requirements:
*RealFlight Generation 3 or above software
*500 MB hard drive space
*Intel Pentium 1.0GHz or equivalent
*DirectX 9 (or above) feature-compatible video and sound card
*3D accelerated video card with 32 MB (or more) RAM
*256 MB Ram
*Optimum System Requirements:
*Intel Pentium 3.0GHz or equivalent
*3D accelerated video card with 128 MB (or more) RAM
*1 GB RAM
*Reviewers System:
*AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4600+ @ 2.52 GHZ
*XFX GeForce 7800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Video card
*Dell WFP2407 24" LCD Monitor
*1 GB RAM
!Expansion Pack 4 Features
!!New Fields
Now, I don't know about you but I have always wanted to fly my radio control planes and helicopters at a real airport. With yards and yards of concrete and the typically inspiring backdrop of real airplanes and helicopters it is the perfect place. As you look at the list of Expansion Pack 4 flying sites below, do you notice a little something called "tarmac"? Hallelujah! And it is a photorealistic field to boot.
@1579979:Four new flying fields, two of them are photorealistic.
I find myself immensely enjoying the Kemp RC Aerodrome. It has all the warmth of a local neighborhood RC club site. The nice folks that manage this RC field apparently allow overnight camping and a catering truck is available to make sure you are well fed and watered.
@1583059:I wish my local field received regular visits from the, er, uh, I guess we'll just call it "The Coach"?
@1583058:Kemp RC Aerodrome, from high aloft.
The real attraction of this site for me is that beautiful multistory water tower. As you will notice in the highlight video below, I just cannot seem to stay away from it, no matter what I am flying!
Two of the new flying sites in Expansion Pack 4 are nighttime excursions. Obstacle Course 5 is beautiful at night, with each and every one of the moving rings and squares glowing like carnival rides.
@1583057:The Great Planes Yak 54 lit up like Las Vegas.
@1583055:The Python and the Water Tower.
@1583056:Watch out for the trees at night. Kemp Field didn't pay its utility bills, and the lights are scarce.
Kemp RC Aerodrome is open 24 hours a day, for your flying enjoyment on those nights when you just can't sleep. Try THAT at your local club field.
!!New Aircraft
If it is true that variety is the spice of life, then Expansion Pack 4 serves up a spicy blend of RC simulator goodness.
@1579958:Your Menu Du Jour, a la Expansion Pack 4
A grand total of 16 (17 if you count both versions of the Great Planes Spitfire) additional planes and helicopters, including a turbine powered jet, a powered glider, a twin rotor helicopter and a monster biplane.
@1580074:Big, beautiful B25 Bomber complete with working bomb bay doors
@1579951:Great Planes Spitfire - you actually get two for one with this model, in both electric or nitro power.
@1579952:Great Planes Yak 54 - the 25% version, with a wing span of 81".
@1579953:Hughes H1 Racer
@1579954:Great Planes 45" Electrifly Headwind
@1579955:CH-46 Sea Knight twin rotor helicopter
@1579956:Mig 15 turbine jet
@1583341:Thunder Tiger Mini Titan
@1579957:DeHavilland Mosquito
@1583047:Python Biplane - the BIGGEST model in the expansion pack and my favorite to fly
@1580075:Robinson R22 helicopter
@1579961:Great Planes 59" Revolver
@1579962:Stits Sky Baby, the self proclaimed smallest biplane
@1579963:Classic Goldberg Tiger 2
@1579964:Heli-Max MX450XS
@1579965:Hobbico 68" Upstar glider
!The New Flying Machines in Expansion Pack 4
!! Pitts Python
@1583053:The real plane has 1800 pounds of static thrust and 400 horsepower, the greatest thrust/weight ratio of any aerobatic biplane produced today.
@1582707:The one in Expansion Pack 4 has plenty of power too!
If you like them big, you will love the Python biplane in Expansion Pack 4. It claims the title of the biggest plane in the box. This simulator version of it "feels" quite easy to fly. It comes equipped with an awesome smoke system too, so flip that smoke system on, stand her on her tail, and make her disappear!
@1582847:Look closely... do you notice anything missing? If I am indeed lucky enough to someday fly one like this, I pray I am not unlucky enough to find out whether it really will fly with half a wing and stabilizer missing.
@1579959:Smoke on!
!!Robinson R22
I think the reason that the Robinson R22 is my favorite helicopter of the four new ones in Expansion Pack 4 is because I already own one. No, really , I do!
@1582887:Here is MY R22! The one in Expansion Pack 4 is a nitro powered version and loads of fun to fly.
In any event, I like the stability of the R22 in the Expansion Pack. Two of the other three helicopters are single rotor electrics and quite a bit smaller than the Robinson. The small electric helicopters are immensely popular right now and thanks to Expansion Pack 4, you can fly either the Heli-Max MX450XS or the Thunder Tiger Mini Titan.
@1582708:Red, white, and cool!
@1579960:The real R22 will set you back $220,000, with standard options.
@1582870:Hey, who is that hiding up there in the trees?
@1582880:As John Lennon sang: "I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round, I really love to watch them roll."
!!CH-46 Sea Knight
In real life, the CH-46 Sea Knight is a medium-lift tandem rotor assault helicopter, used by the United States Marine Corps. It is a big, manly looking helicopter. In Expansion Pack 4, it is a just a wee bit smaller but its size lets you explore every nook and cranny of the flying sites.
@1582961:La cucaracha, la cucaracha!
@1582962:Why does this chuckwagon have a hood ornament on its roof?
@1582963:Wait, its not a hood ornament but the mighty Sea Knight! Well, mighty tiny any way!
I really enjoyed sneaking under the tables and going in and out of any building where someone forgot to close the door. Several twin rotor helicopter RC models (like this CH-46) do indeed exist, and they are a technological marvel. You and I get to fly one without the high costs associated with building such a cutting edge model. It is a little tricky to fly due to its unconventional twin rotor design, but getting the hang of it will only enhance your helicopter flying thumbs.
@1582964:The Sea Knight, on a Search and Rescue mission to locate the Pin for Channel 24.
!!Stits Sky Baby
@1582968:Can something this small fly in real life?
With a wing span of just over seven feet and a length of just less than ten feet, in real life this tiny biplane stands barely five feet tall. Built back in 1952, it hit speeds in excess of 200 MPH during its demonstration flights. In Expansion pack 4, its legacy lives on. It is a zippy little guy.
@1582970:The real deal, the Stits Sky Baby. Since 1963, it has been in the EAA AirVenture Museum.
!!Mig 15
I have a special fondness for the Mig 15 in Expansion Pack 4, as I recently completed my own Mig. Though mine is a jet, the one in the simulator is twice as fast as mine.
@1582976:The Turbine Mig 15 in Expansion pack 4
@1582986:My Mig 15 EDF
When you tire of practicing real world maneuvers, don't forget that there is a lot of new territory to explore in the new flying sites. The Mig 15 is the quickest platform to use when you head out on an exploratory sortie. I had a lot of fun blasting in and out of the valleys of the foothills, using the plentiful tall trees as racing pylons. The turbine powered planes are especially valuable for practicing your long distance orientation. They get small very quickly and getting one of them that has gotten just a little too far out back into comfortable viewing range can be a real challenge. Slowing it down for a landing can be tough, just like my EDF version. Don't forget to activate your air brakes and flaps!
@1582980:Heading for the hills.
!!B25 Medium Bomber and Mosquito Fighter/Bomber
Expansion Pack 4 serves up a double dip of warbird twins in the Mitchell B25 and the DeHavilland Mosquito. It will take a skilled hand to fly these two, and finesse is in order when it comes to landing them. But where else can you fly two large, twin nitro-powered warbirds back-to-back? I like the working bomb bay doors on the B25. The look of the doors opening as you come thundering by on a high speed low altitude pass is so cool!
@1582979:Pilots of the real plane complained about the extremely high noise level produced by its engines, and many pilots eventually suffered some hearing loss. Turn your computer speakers down on this one, for the the twins do roar!
@1579957:The real Mosquito was uniquely constructed of all wood and powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. The one in Expansion Pack 4 is constructed of all pixels.
!Flight Video/Photo Gallery
+RF35_EXP4.wmv:A whole winter’s worth of flying fun!
!Conclusion
Some folks like to curl up in front of a fire with a good book when the winter weather arrives. Here in NorCal, the weather is getting chilly but I am thrilled to huddle here in front of my computer with all of the goodness of Real Flight Expansion Pack 4. Anyone who follows the continual release of great new RC airplanes and helicopters will know what a difficult task it must be to select just a dozen or so to include in one of these Expansion add-ons, and Expansion Pack 4 comes equipped with a very well rounded mix of flying machines to suit all abilities and it covers almost all mainstream genres of radio control interests.
*Pluses:
*Nice variety of new planes and helicopters to fly
*The night lighting is gorgeous
*Sure to help develop your flying skills.
*When you tire of actually honing your RC skills, you can explore the remote areas of the flying fields
*Did I mention how much I love the huge Python biplane?
*No need to wipe the exhaust oil off of the nitro powered planes at the end of each flying session
* Crashing does not require a broom, trash bag and crying towel. Instead, just push the red button and be happy!
*Minuses
*May lead you to spend money to buy the full size plane(s) or helicopter(s).
*Leads to chronic just-one-more-flight disease
I am a firm believer that any time spent with a simulator will only improve your thumb skills with a real model. Expansion Pack 4 has given me a good taste of what it must be like to fly a 40-50% biplane and a turbine powered Mig, two models that I may never in reality get to fly. And when I grow a little tired of practicing for real life flying, I like switching the camera view to "chase" or "cockpit" and heading out on an exploratory mission.
Do you have your eye on one of the models included in this Expansion Pack as it hangs there on the wall or in the box at your local hobby shop? Do you wonder how it flies? Are you looking for a new project for the upcoming winter season and don’t know what you want to build next? In either case, head down to your local hobby shop, and buy a dozen or so planes, all packed into the small box labeled "Real Flight Expansion Pack 4". Take it home and be prepared for hours and hours of excellent fun on your Real Flight G3.5 simulator!