The folks at Captain Sim have delivered the goods once more. Dave Tonks goes all ga-ga over their new B52 package.
Any flight sim fans who have been enjoying flying the wonderful Captain Sim 707 (reviewed in our March/April 2009 issue) will have been waiting with great anticipation on the release of the Captain Sim B52, which hit the shelves in January 2010. Captain Sim has made it clear that at this point in time the package is available as an exterior model only, with default 747 cockpits and soundset.
While some flight sim fans may be thinking, “what’s the point of that” (and I was one of them), the problem is simply the incredible amount of work involved in the cockpit details for an eight-engined bomber.
First impressions after loading (as always) is to walk around the aircraft and have a real close look at the level of detail. And you will not be disappointed - the detailing is staggering. All the military markings are there (including AF60 on the tail, indicating this aircraft was manufactured in 1960 – wow!), with lots of nice little weathering touches exactly as you would expect to see on the real aircraft. Even the pilot’s name is there under the cockpit window – one Colonel Walker.
Pan around and you will see antennae, vortex generators, and lots of lumps and bumps, all no doubt hiding electrical equipment us mere mortals are not supposed to know anything about. The crew hatch is nicely detailed, positioned in front of the forward landing gear. The hatch lever actuates too, and if you look real close you will even see two small support cables extending as well.
I have included a close-up of one of the landing gear sets (there are four mains plus the outriggers) to show the incredible level of detail that Captain Sim has modelled with the B52. One interesting point is that in flight, roll is achieved by individual extension of the speedbrakes as there are no trailing edge ailerons.
The landing gear is an absolute delight to watch as it extends/retracts, with a rotating function as each set of bogies cycles from the huge triangular-shaped doors. The outrigger wheels have their own doors as well, and as yet I have not used a runway where the outrigger wheels are not on the grass – this is one seriously huge aircraft!
One thing I must mention with respect to the size of the aircraft is the turning circle. Now, as you read that you probably thought, “bugger, I’ll bet it’s a mongrel to turn”. Well, in fact it is the complete opposite, with the front bogies turning through almost 90° and allowing the aircraft to turn around in almost its own length – another wow!
Wing flex has been modelled with the B52, with the wings showing significant wing droop when the aircraft is on the ground – that all changes as the big beast takes to the skies, and one of the nicest views you will ever see on a flight sim model is the wingview Captain Sim have included with the B52.
Flying an aircraft this big is obviously a relatively sedate affair, but the B52 does get along at a good clip – I found a nice cruise at low altitude to be 250 knots (she’s a little nose high at 200). Other nice touches are engine smoke and wingtip and flap vortices - little points that just make the package a cut above the rest.
After doing a quick run from Amberley across to Oakey for an ILS approach on autopilot, I can honestly say that the lack of aircraft-specific cockpits is not a major issue to me. This aircraft is one where you will want to sit back and watch the replays of landings and takeoffs, preferably using Tower View - it is such a magnificent beast of an aircraft to watch from outside.
My final words have to be that you should definitely buy the B52 now, and then you should email Captain Sim (or go to their forum) and tell them: (a) you LOVE the exterior, and (b) you are hoping and praying that they go ahead and develop the cockpits.
Feel free to drop me an email at davidtonks@bigpond.com to discuss this review, ask a question, or just to say g’day. And if there’s a particular sim you’d like to see reviewed
in Australian Flying just let me know.
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SEE MORE IMAGES OF THE CAPTAIN SIM B52 BELOW...