Hey everyone,

Today, i finally took the plunge that i so desperately needed. After numerous "failures" in my attempts to jump back onto the RC bandwagon (timeoff caused by college application processes), i decided to use my graduation "gift" money to purchase G 3.5. This is what made my decision to purchase G 3.5:

- Numerous features
- Numerous possible add-ons (I purchased expansion pack 3)
- Multiplayer (since when do you fly alone at the field?)
- Great plane selection

Reason i didnt choose others:

Phoenix: Limited aircraft selection, nothing i could really compare to real-life models
AFPD: Lack of multiplayer + features, from what i hear: bad Heli flight model
FS One: Photofield photo's are not adjusted properly. I saw a video of a plane flying endlessly towards a tree never hitting it.
Reflex: Barriers
FMS: I have it, but its time to move onto something serious.

Out of all these sim's, i would probably have choosed phoenix after G 3.5

Upon opening the package, i was very worried about the controller after hearing other users complain about broken gimbals on their tx's. Installation was very clean and simple, just lengthy, mostly due to the 2 gigs of space required. When i launched the simulator for the first time, i was presented with a photofield and the Nexstar to fly with. After playing the free G3.5 demo for so long, i was sick of that option, so i chose some other planes. When i took off with my Mentor, i dont know what came over me, but i started feeling the "jitters" i normally do when i really fly. THis was a subconscious pleasant surprise. After about 4 hours of playing, i regained complete confidence in my piloting skills and am happy with the fact taht i could take off and land every plane in the simulator. Of course, anyone can do that, what matters is what happens on the real field. Something i really enjoyed learning is getting used to the extreme control surfaces of aerobatic planes.

Anyway, so far, i am very happy with the product. One thing that i forgot to mention is the excellent selection of planes. ALso, the fact that most of these planes exist in real life helps alot! I could fly the Toni, Miglet, U-Can-Do .60, Twinstar and nearly every Top-Flite kitted plane (from the private planes).

What i cant say is how realistic it is. From what i flown in real life, i have to say that the trainers and the common sport planes are very realistic. The only thing that is rather "unrealistic" to me is how perfectly balanced and trimmed these planes fly from the start. I wish there was an option to "re-create" maiden flights, where the computer randomly generates the C of G a tad off and have the plane out of trim so pilots could train the ability to control a "wild" plane.

This "mini"-review is nto meant to bash other simulators. I have been reading forums and reviews about every simulator for weeks before coming up with the decision. At first i wanted Reflex, then i wanted AFPD, then i wanted Phonenix, then i wanted G 3.5, then the circle repeated itself three more times until i finally decided to choose G 3.5 (similar to how i made my decision to go to Boston College and not Colgate). I have to say that this review is rather biased primarily due to the fact that i made a major investement, however, i do have the guts to say what needs improvement in G 3.5:

- A little easy to fly planes
- Pricey
- 3D Graphics OK (expecting better graphics from my new laptop which i still need to order)

So for those who are shopping for a simulator, any simulator is very good. Personally, i would recommend G3.5 due to its user-friendly features and the overall selection of planes. IF you have any questions or complains, PM me!

Thanks!

Samolot

what r u trying to say

sorry. i posted before actually writing it.

I forgot to mention that the ground handling in G3.5 is totally unrealistic. The plane glides across the grass as if it were on asphalt. This is where FS One is MUCH better. FS One's ground handling is superb.

Also, for anyone living in a city enviorment, purchasing G 3.5 along with Expansion pack 3 is already worth it. The city park Scenery is out of this world!

One thing about the realism that a lot of newbies miss is easily corrected.

Very often, the airplanes seem too stable in flight. That's because most of the airfields come up with no wind and no thermal activity. I've setup a couple of my favorite airfields to have bumpy air and it's very obvious how unrealistic the smooth air settings are by comparison. Try it. You might need to adjust it a bit but it's worth the little effort. It really does make the sim a simulation.

BTW, another thing we often feel is that the airplanes in the sim are too good, right. After a month of tuning on one of my real world models I've made a discovery. The one in RF3.5 actually does fly like my RW model...... now that I've got the RW model sorted out.

I'm not sure if the other couple of RW models that seem a bit harder to fly than the ones in the sim will benefit from better trimming, but I'm betting that they do. And I'm basing that on the feeling that the RF3.5 ones are showing me how a well trimmed version should fly, and that I've not gotten the best trim on the RW ones. Yet

i add wind, of course i do. however, i do need to adjust the "bumpiness" Thanks for the tip! yea i remember when one of my trainers, after proper trimming from my instructor flew right on the money and it almost seemed unreal.

Also da Rock, can you please tell me what youre "realistic" wind/turbulence/thermal values are? i usually set my wind at 10-12 mph, but the rest i really dont know.