Flight1 ATR 72-500

[AS254]

The Flight1 ATR is my favorite alltime payware...It is not cheap thats for sure (but what payware is nowadays). I have a few others that are very impressive too, like PMDG 737, but I like flying the the twin props the best. I would recommend having a pretty good computer to run it on if you want ALL the bells and whistles. Stuff like a virtual tour through the plane, etc...You can turn off to save your PC resources. I want to fly it not be a passenger so only the flightdeck concerns me.

The FMC is easy to use and even if you want to keep it simple, its just few mouse clicks and it automatically converts your FS9 plan to the ATR...not just point to point..it converts it so AP puts you on the correct approach too! I dig that very much when I just want to get up and go, which is most of the time.

Probably the most important thing from a consumer's perspective is the Forum at Flight1...It is simply loaded with the good people and good ideas...all your question get answered quickly, plus they teach you how to addon pretty much anything you want to the bird, including the Garmin GPS. No question is too stupid. There is no flames there...even from a hot head like me.

It is a model that can easily be flown immediately and learned over time. That said, like all the high end payware, there is a learning curve to bringing the plane up from cold and dark. The ATR has LOTS of very subtle features that you will pick up on over time. But you can learn while you fly and not have to spend hours in a manual. I have yet to have it cause my PC to crash to desktop or lock up...it is a very stable piece of software.

On the down side, I would say that there is no moving Garmin GPS like you find in the MS default AC...but you can add it on if you want to (the simple procedure can be found on their forum). They set up the plane as it would come from the factory basically. The Adobe manual is not the best read you will ever have. Other than the resource issue I discussed earlier, I don't have anything else bad to say about it.

It got 5 stars at AVSIM and they don't give them out too often. The ATR was my very first payware and I pretty much know the plane inside and out...god knows I have flown it enough. That all being said, if your a twin prop junky like myself you will enjoy it very much..

[kdwycha]

Yeah that is a pretty nice plane. Used to fly it from KMIA to the Bahamas. Need to install it again and take it out for a spin. Guess I will wait until summer though, I enjoy flying it in the afternoon thunderstorms