Carenado

Beechcraft B1900D HD Series for FSX and P3D

By Thomas Jones - In Partnership with Flightsimglobal.com

i7-2600K turboboost to 4.6ghz | Nvidia ASUS GTX580 1.5gb | 16gb 1600mhz RAM | 2x 1TB HDD | Windows 7 64 bit

Background Information:

The Beechcraft B1900 first flew on September 3, 1982. It was a design based off of Beechcraft's already popular King Air B200 and was an attempt at reentering the commuter airliner market. The B1900D model did not fly until March 1, 1990. It was given a number of modifications including a taller fuselage and more powerful engines to operate in a wider range of environments. Carenado has chosen to model the B1900D variant and it boasts many new technologies Carenado is developing. The features that the aircraft comes with (as listed on the product page) are as follows: -Original B1900D Flight Management System (FMS). -Carenado GNS530 with Reality XP integration option. -EFIS (EADI and EHSI) installed. -Avidyne Multifunction Display. -Full FSX and P3D v2.0 compatible. -HD quality textures (2048 x 2048). -Separated lighting for cockpit flood, pilot, instrument and panel text. -Vibrating effect on stall and takeoff run. -Cold and Dark start option -Windows lighting scratches effect -Volumetric side view prop effect

-Dynamic propeller shines effect. -3D stereo sounds. -Original HQ digital stereo sounds. -Customizable panel for controlling windows transparency, instrument reflections and static elements such as wheel chocks and sights props. -Real behavior compared to the real airplane. Real weight and balance. -Tested by real pilots. -Realistic night lights effects on panel and cockpit.

Installation: The download weighs in at 213 megabyte .zip file. Within that file include the installer, a readme file for Lockheed Martin's Prepar3d users, and an installation guide. The self installer file is simple to use, just extract it and run it. A serial number is required to advance any further and is provided at the time of purchase. You will be prompted to select the location of either FSX or Prepar3d, along with with simulator you would like it installed on. After that, it's all a matter of agreeing with the EULA and hitting next to install the plane. Done!

Exterior Model:

Carenado is probably best known for their aircraft exteriors. The modeling and texture quality is second to none. This plane is truly a “rivet-counter.” The plane looks good at all times of day and night, with incredibly realistic reflections. The lights around the plane are also very realistic. The taxi and landing lights have a special lens-flare effect on them when viewed from certain angles, a nice touch! The aircraft comes with five HD liveries as well as a blank HD livery so custom repaints can be produced. Carenado has also included an extra six free repaints on their website for real world airlines that you can access after purchase of the plane. The liveries include Air New Zealand “All Blacks”, United Express, Era Alaska, Air Canada Express,

Next X Jet, and Air New Zealand Link. Each of the liveries are meticulously crafted and highly detailed and remain sharp up close. Each antennae and static discharge wicks are present and slightly flutter in the wind. All of the control surfaces and landing gear have clean and smooth movements and react accordingly. The propellers even have a special shine when the light hits them a certain way. When the aircraft is shutdown and the parking brake is set, Carenado provides a popup menu that allows you to add chocks, “Remove Before Flight” ribbons, cones, and other goodies commonly seen around aircraft when shut down for a while. The Interior: The interior of Carenado's B1900D is just as detailed, if not more so, than the exterior of the plane. The cockpit is a beautiful recreation of the actual Beechcraft B1900D cockpit. Just about every switch, dial, and knob is fully animated and functioning. When I say almost every switch, dial and knob is functioning, only the few that are not typically used on an average flight are in fixed, non-functional positions. All of the normal, routine switches and buttons all work just fine. Looking around, away from the panel, the cockpit and cabin have subtle wear and tear that shows that this is not a factory fresh plane. It gives the appearance of having gone through many cycles and the busy life associated with a commuter airliner. The only extra interior animations I was able to find were the opening and closing of the cockpit door, cockpit windows, and captain’s armrests. I personally did not find many animations in the cabin, but why would you be back there if you are flying, anyway?

FMC and Flight Dynamics Once in the air and properly trimmed, the B1900D performs exceptionally well. It is very stable in steady winds and performing crosswind landings is, well, a breeze. If the wind happens to be gusting at all, the plane will get tossed around due to its relatively small size compared to other regional planes. On takeoff, it climbs like a rocket up to cruising altitude well into the upper teens and early twenty thousands. On approach, the plane is stable and very hassle-free to guide down to the runway. The B1900D is Carenado's first plane to have an FMC. This is a tiny computer in the plane that aids the pilot in many ways. While Carenado's FMC isn't fully funtional, it is still a good representation of the real B1900D's FMC. You are able to create your own route in it using airways, intersections, VORs, NDBs, and so on from the departure airport to the arrival airport. SIDs (Standard Instrument Departure) and STARs (Standard Terminal Arrival Route) can also be programmed into the FMC. This FMC is great for beginners, yet interesting enough for more advanced sim pilots. It is not too complicated to learn and Carenado have provided a very good PDF file that describes how to use the FMC. Documentation Carenado has included a total of nine PDF files to help out with the systems of the plane. Each one is well written, short and to the point, and include topics such as emergency procedures, normal procedures, how to use the FMC and Avidyne MFD (Multifunction Display), the EFIS, the vertical speed indicator, and GNS530, along with performance tables and recommended settings. Not to shabby!

Performance

As described earlier, this planes texture and modeling work is phenomenal! Amazingly, it has very little impact on the frame rates, allowing more modest computers to take advantage of what the plane has to offer. Carenado has also, thoughtfully, included a menu that allows you to turn on and off items that may negatively impact frame rates. Overall If you are looking for a good looking regional airliner that's a bit slower than a jet, yet has an FMC, then this is the plane for you. It is easy on the frame rates, looks great, sounds excellent, performs like a dream, is easy to manage, and is overall just a fun plane to fly! Good job Carenado!

Subtle streaks in the glass add to the immersion.

The taxi and landing light lens-flare is a nice touch.

The TCAS system is fully functional as seen in the two above images with the Southwest Airlines plane appearing as a yellow dot on the vertical speed indicator.

The Avidyne MFD also displays traffic and can even give the airline, plane type, altitude, and departure and arrival airports for each plane.

Clear, easy to read instruments with fast refresh rates.

Complex routes are able to be programmed into the FMC.

Night-lighting is fantastic.

Nice and steady on approach.

Chocks and cones out!

United Express is one of the six free liveries Carenado provides after

purchase.

Wrong place to be if you are flying the plane!

This plane shows a long service life.

The cockpit isn't complete without cupholders!

The FMC is on the top left.

The overhead panel is the most obvious spot to find non-functional knobs.

Climbing like a rocket out of Dulles!

The propellers have a slight shine on them in the right light.