IRIS Pilatus PC-21 75th Anniversary released

[Christoph_T]

Not a whole new aircraft, but a BIG update on the known PC-21.




• External 3D model and artwork re-created and replaced for a more accurate appearance and better simulation performance.
• Virtual Cockpit 3D model and artwork re-created and replaced for a more accurate appearance and better simulation performance.
• Internal & External audio adjusted for more accurate sound.
• Updated dsd_fsx_xml_sound.dll file to allow compatibility with Prepar3D V2.3
• Flight Model removed and replaced with new more stable and accurate Turboprop Flight Model.
• Codebase changed to improve system performance
• GPU code removed due to limitations with Turboprop flight model in FSX and P3D engines.
• Smoke Pod and Fuel Tank system recoded to allow addition and removal via the CDU.
• Auto-start system recoded to remove hung and hot-starts.
• Emergency Jettison system coded to allow jettison of external fuel tanks and smoke pods.
• Fuel system re-coded to automatically add or remove external tank fuel when the stores are added via the CDU.

Was a very nice first flight (P3Dv2.3)
Now I have to wait for a new paintkit

[Christoph_T]

Uups, the paintkit is already on the Irissimulations home page

[Ferry_vO]

Looks good at first glance (Haven't had time to fly it yet.) but only four schemes included, and the old ones aren't compatible with the new model so I'm keeping both installed at the moment.

It should be a free upgrade, so check your account from where you bought it. The FLightsim Store already has the new version.

[Sieggie]

It appears to be a free update as I just grabbed it from my Iris account.

Dave

[DaveKDEN]

I'm logged in to my flightsimstore account history. How do I tell if the PC-21 in my account history is linked to the updated file?

[Ferry_vO]

Like it so far!:

[Ferry_vO]

I'm logged in to my flightsimstore account history. How do I tell if the PC-21 in my account history is linked to the updated file?

The Flightsim Store has the new version, I downloaded it earlier today. Couldn't tell if it was the new version until I downloaded it, opened the zip file and checked the date on the installer though.

[DaveKDEN]

The Flightsim Store has the new version, I downloaded it earlier today. Couldn't tell if it was the new version until I downloaded it, opened the zip file and checked the date on the installer though.

Thanks!
Cheers

[Smudge]

Dave, the archive/installer properties should have a created date of the 6th of September 2014. If it's older than that, then it's not the right product (hasn't been updated).

The IRIS forum has download links to the new paintkit, though it's a big one at 1Gb in size. Just check out the Pilatus PC-21 75th Anniversary Thread.

I'm glad that people are enjoying it though.. we're working hard to transfer the existing paintschemes across to the new versions, though they have to all be redone for the new model, so it's taking some time...they'll get there though.

[Smudge]

Awesome images there though Ferry... Well done and Thanks!

[clmooring]

this is great news. Do you have to uninstall the original/current installation and then install the new version? Or can I just install the new download?

[clmooring]

Ok downloaded the new version.... I like it but have a question. Has any determined how to switch the instructor control which in the old model would switch between single pilot or pilot and instructor in the external view? It used to be on the left hand console.

[Peg o my heart]

Does the aircraft perform better in FPS wise? The changelog mentions several 'performance improvements'. I might try this one but I dont have a powerful system. Thanks

[clmooring]

The previous version did pretty good on my dell laptop unless I loaded the color map on the navigation display. I only made about 5 minute flight in it, but the performance seemed a little better than the previous version. I have noticed that if you engage the parking brake, then the will wheel chocks are put in place. That is a little aggregating.

[ryanbatc]

Which is the P3D version? I only see the PC9 in P3D format

http://www.flightsimstore.com/produc...oducts_id=2242

[flaviossa]

Will simmarket.com be updated? The version there is still the old one.

[DaleRFU]

Will simmarket.com be updated? The version there is still the old one.

I will second that question. The old version is still there and not been updated

[wapanomi]

To say the less, after several days of testing, this is a very disppointing "upgrade", and in my opinion, the only good reason to install V3 is to compare the two versions (apart the main manual, the V3 will keep V2 untouched) and keep the one you like more. My own choice is made, but I would be curious of the opinion of others simmers, and I think important to warn everybody that erasing V2 would not be a good idea...

Such critics become easily polemical, so I will try to present some arguments, hoping that my bad english remains understable.

First of all, I think that the VC and the sound are improved (some details added and textures in higher resolution for VC). Even if that's not a major step (sound and VC of V2 were quite good), it's a nice progression.

The changing of the flight model could be interesting to further testing also (the aircraft seems slower and less powered), but I've two bugs that prevent in depth testing :

- on my warthog, the RPM axis is mapped, and it does effect the engine of V3. That's very useful for deceleration, but quite unrealistic (I was unable to reach 250 knts befor I understand that I had to push my RPM's)...
- the internal tank is too short, with 114 Gal. If I don't make a mistake, that's 244 L too short for a real tank of 675 (Type certificate F56-35). I reinstall the add-on to check, and search the manual to see if had missed something, but so far, I'm not... I think it affects the FM. And of course that reduces drastically the autonomy, which isn't a strength of the real PC21...

Those things can easily be corrected, but for a V3, it's not very convincing...


For the external model claims to be of "more accurate appearance" and better simulation performance, I'm not convinced either.

For the performance, my FPS were quite good in external views. The problems were in the glass cockpit (but FPS remained acceptable on my config). So far, I didn't noticed sensible changes with V3.

For the appearance, the two models are not very different. But, in my opinion, V3 have a strange position on the ground, that deteriorates the whole appearance. For the rest, the overal shape of V2 seems closer, with a more robust look. To make your opinion, you can compare here :



The top is the real HB-HZC as it was yesterday ; second is HB-HZD in V2 ; bottom is HB-HZC in V3 (by the way, it's strange to make a "75th anniversary" edition and not joining the "75th anniversary" livery in it). To compare the three silhouette, I've made the line between the end of the tail and the top of the nose cone horizontal for the three. My opinion is that V2 looks better on this point of view, but there are pros and cons (the nose wheel of V2 is too high, for example).

On the other hand, the curve at the end of the wings may be more accurate on V3, which have some nicer details (some antennas and probes), and... nicer pilots. For me the balance point on V2, but everybody can make his own choice.

For the rest of the rendering, V3 is more problematic.

The aircraft is very very too shiny, and this shine is too great. With the textures more cleaner, that gives a very unrealistic aspect, in my opinion. That's maybe a problem with the material, and certainly with the specular maps, which are mapped with flat mono-coloured grey zones. It's a very strange choice, while recent add-ons have specular maps with very complicated levels of grey...

The paneling has very very nice addition, but... too much. And the rivets are particularly unreal, and unworthy of Pilatus savoir-faire. An image is better than a text :



The black lines show some of the nice paneling I mentionned, but the white lines show details that doesn't exist, except on the first prototype, HB-HZA. I've never seen those probes on any other pilatus.

And, on the same picture, you can also see the rivets, that are close to what Pilatus did with the PC3, but not today...

(I make a second post because of the limit of images per post)

[wapanomi]

This is the detail of a picture I took on march in Emmen, that gives an idea of the feeling given by the remarkable technical skill achieved on this 21st century aircraft :



The truth is that there are rivets on the PC21, even on the tail (photo of yesterday) :



but you must be in very special conditions to see them. Normally, this is the tail you see, even if you're close :

.

I'm not a rivet counter, but I don't understand why Iris made such a rendition, that affects the immersion, especially when you see that wing from the cockpit :



Ok, these are problems that can be corrected, like almost all the other. For a first build, maybe all those little things would have been acceptable, in the hope of a service pack. But here, we've a V3, and it's a strange feeling that we've made a step backward, with a build too quickly send to public...

Once again, this my opinion, everybody can make his own comparison. But we live in a world where newer means always better... And I thought important to share my opinion in the community, since some people will erase V2 when installing V3. Then, it will be too late until a V4, that I hope Iris is preparing !

[clmooring]

I will say that I have very much enjoyed the new v3 75th anniversary edition. I think the cockpit seems more realistic. Although, I have no way to actually judge against the real world. The systems seem to function better and I can more easily remove the external tanks.

I would say that the as I was flying it last night flight model seemed a little less stable at high speeds and low altitudes. I don't know if that is closer to real world or not. I fly with real world weather and the weather was kind of rough in the Norfolk VA area. It may well be that the stability had more to do with weather than changes in the add-on flight model.


I didn't notice the pronounced rivets until Wapanomi pointed them out. I do think the v3 (his bottom profile image) sits more like the real world aircraft in the first image. I noticed last night that the formation lights are positioned more closely to the RW aircraft.

I think some of the status lights on the right front console are not working yet. For example, I turn on the probe and prop deice and status lights turn on. but if I turn on the intake deice, a status light does not turn on. Is that real world? I don't know but I doubt it. I am sure there are more examples like that.


Overall, I like the new version. I am happy with the upgrade. I hope they continue to develop the add-on. I cant wait the U.S Navy and Marine paints to reappear. I know that Iris said all of the originals are coming back.... How about the option for solo versions?

[wapanomi]

As I mentionned, I do agree for the VC, much crispier. And the sound gives also a more realistic impression (but I had already modified my own V2 soundpack, so I can't perfectly evaluate the difference...)

For the way the plane sits, it is certain that the undercarriage of V2 is too high, but don't forget that, for the comparison of the silhouettes, I put all the three planes on the same axis of reference on each image.

For the pleasure of flying, I must admit to be disturbed by the NG fluctuating with the RPM axis, and by the tanks... I have 60 min of fuel just after take off, and that's very short, but understandable while round 200 kg of fuel are missing... So, maybe this bugs distorts my judgement, but I'm also disturbed by the way the plane lose energy (did you attempt a looping ? What do you think ?), and, while I thought that V2 was too fast, I think it's too difficult to reach even 300 knts with V3... It's certain that I need training, but I'm not so sure it will change these characteristics, particularly with an airplane lighter than the real one...

[clmooring]

I haven't tried any loops yet. I will try some later. Maybe they will do a quick update to correct fuel, speed and power issues.

[clmooring]

Top indicated airspeed at 1,700 feet is 313kts. At 10,000 feet 289 kts indicated.

[clmooring]

I don't know, the range looks about right.

[clmooring]

I am not a rw pilot and comparing drastically different planes is probably not valid, but at 10000 feet, my a2a mustang set to 46.2hg and 2909 rpms (which is pretty much max safe) shows 294 knots indicated. So 289 kts in the pc-21 at 10,000 should be about right; right?