Flying Club R44 by JustFlight - Review by Jon Murchison

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Introduction

The Robinson R44, the bigger brother to the popular R22, was designed in the 1980’s and saw entry into service in 1992. Like its smaller sibling the R44 was aimed very much at the general helicopter aviation market and pitched as an ideal small commercial and training vehicle.

The first version of the R44 was the ‘Astro’ which was superseded in 2000 by the hydraulically-assisted ‘Raven’, which remains as the ‘standard’ model in the line. The Raven has evolved into the Raven II, launched in 2002, that features a host of improvements such as fuel injected engine and optional extras including VFR night flying capability. Both FS2004 and now FSX owners have ‘grown up’ with the smaller R22 as it has featured in both versions of the sim. Challenging is probably the best way to describe its flying characteristics in FS2004, but in FSX it is a lot more stable and forgiving.

Released under their 'Flying Club' sub brand, I was interested to see how Just Flight's rendition of the R44 would look and perform compared to its smaller stable mate and would it be a ‘real’ FSX aircraft or be a 2K4 patch job, read on and find out.

Installation & Documentation

The R44 is available as both a download and boxed version, for the purposes of this review I was using the download version, with the installer being 98MB. The R44 installer requires validation and unlocking first, which is an easy enough process that can be completed either online, or manually. For kiwis the online form of activation will save you a toll call to England. As part of the sales process you will be sent a key that you type in on the secure JustFlight online verification site, this in turn will provide an activation key for manual install later, or if you wish your installer can be activated automatically for you. Once this is complete the install process begins.

The R44 comes with two versions, one for FSX and one for FS2004. I selected the FSX install and after about 90 seconds the fully automated process was complete. Fully installed the R44, plus extras, will take up around 335MB of hard drive space. For this you are getting not just 1 but three variants of the R44, documentation, a paintkit and 41 skins for the three model types. The install also includes a utility called AeroSelectX, which well look at a little later on.

The documentation supplied is in PDF format and spans 19 pages that can be printed out in booklet form, which I found very handy for reference as I went along. The manual is colorful and packed with pictures with each aspect of operating the R44 being covered; this includes detailed information on operating the panel, flight controls, cyclic and the radio. Information on flying the chopper is provided in the form of a sample flight around the islands of Hawaii with details on how best to fly and operate the R44. For those familiar with helicopter operations none of this will be new, but the R44 models do have some unique features that come with them to make flying easier and visually more interesting, so it does pay to read the manual properly.

The Robinson R44 – External Model, Textures, VC & Panel

External Model Walk around - Just Flights model is packed with detail and you will be pleased to note that the FSX version is a true FSX model, and has used the SDK to ensure bump mapping, spec effects and self shadowing. These are used to good effect with plenty of detail across all 3 models that come with this package.

Having spent time up close and personal with HeliPro’s R44 I am pleased to say the shape and design features that make the R44 so distinctive have all been rendered, I find the R44 to have a quite pudgy appearance and this has been captured well across all angles when you look at it. Both rear and top rotor blade components are well detailed with excellent animation, the fuselage area uses bump mapping well to add to the detail, but things like fuel caps on the top, the front lights and detail on the landing gear all add to the depth and realism. Where physical detail is required it has been included, the fuel caps are a good example of this, only two small areas I could see use textures to add detail and these look like small indentations on the tail boom just below the aerial.

As mentioned earlier 3 versions of the R44 are supplied, the ‘standard’ Raven model on skids, a version on fixed utility floats that allows water landings and takeoffs called the Clipper, and another that has emergency water landing floats that are activated just before you need to touch down on the water and inflate like balloons called the Clipper II. Visually all the model types are very similar with the obvious differences being the landing platform each has. Detailing on all 3 is very good, though I did note that the floats don’t appear to support self shadowing. In the VC there is no notable difference between the 3 with the exception of the emergency inflate model, it has a couple of small switches under the cyclic that allows you to arm and then inflate the floats. It should be noted that once activated the floats remain in place until you reset your flight.

Two likely looking lads occupy the front seat of the R44 and I have to say they actually look like real people. I say this because some ‘pilots’ you see are interesting to say the least, but JustFlight have provided realistic looking pilots for their R44. Both are fully animated and loom in the direction of flight, they are also animated opening doors and move in and out of position with a surprisingly good range of animation. When the engines shut down only the passenger is visible, and once the parking break animation is activated he also disappears. These guys add value to the model and the way they interact with the R44 is another nice touch. As to be expected night lighting is somewhat limited on the external model but the nav lights cast a suitable glow over the externals.

The R44 comes with no less than 41 skins representing some real world operators and also the co lour variations you can select if you order one from the Robinson factory. These are all top notch skins and worth trying out. The package also comes with a paintkit so you can do your own, hence the HeliPro skin featured throughout this review. Adding new skins is a breeze because JustFlight have included a utility called AeroSelectX. This effectively allows you to align your entire fleet to a particular country rego coding, the selection is reasonable but NZ is not included. The other aspect of this utility is the AeroPaint option. This allows you to add new skins and update the config file all in one utility. You add the skin, info for the config information and the utility will then do the rest. The only issue I found with this was the spec map defaulted to a version that had text, this was my fault because I used a variant that had writing on it as the base model, so if you are doing repaints make sure u use a plain base or you can expect the same. A Help file is available as you work to assist with any questions; personally I found it to be a very easy tool to use and a great addition to this package.

The VC – Going inside the same attention to detail has been spent on the VC and cabin as the exterior. The modeling is very good with the centre pedestal, seats, control columns and rudder pedals all well detailed. There are a few nice additions such as a window cleaning bottle at the feet of your co-pilot, R44 flight manual next to you and 3 of the doors have ventilation slots on them that open and close by clicking them. Most buttons are clickable with the only exception being the VOX and VOX SQUELCH volume knobs. Access to all the 2D panels is available through click buttons from the VC, and if you click the pedestal itself it will disappear so you have unrestricted visual access to the controls, this nifty feature makes it a lot easier during start-up and shutdown to reach all the areas on the console and if you like staying only in VC mode then nothing will stop you. A ‘solo’ function is also available where you can make the passenger half of the stick can be turned ‘off’ by clicking another area of it, so the flexibility that has been built in is really superb. Overhead and behind is a working rotor brake that is great once you’ve shut down.

I was particularly impressed by the level of animated components in the model with cockpit doors front and rear and engine access doors animated that give excellent views of the internal goings on. Both front doors open individually, both rear doors open together and finally all the access doors open together. With everything open you can be forgiven for thinking the R44 might fall to pieces, but its all done very well with smooth animation all round. The level of detail of these internal components is very high, and with high resolution textures you can get very close and still read warning signs etc easily. When the engine is operating all the right bits spin, this includes the gear shaft which was a surprise given you have to really look to see it and even then its only visible with the access door open, the fact the developers chose to animate this and not take a shortcut and not bother is a testament to the care taken on the model. Once the engine is shut down you can then apply the parking brake and rotor ties and wheels for rolling the R44 into and out of its storage hangar appear. The ties are animated and it’s very cool to watch the main rotor bobbing in the breeze, and the tail tie swaying as well. This level to detail is excellent and a strong statement on the quality of the work.

VC spot views are a limited and to 2 views, full VC view in the right seat and the radio area of the column. I was disappointed with this as a slot in the back, the left seat and overhead area for the earlier mentioned rotor brake would have been welcome additions to the VC. The level of detail put in to the insides really deserved views that let you see it without having to manually move your viewpoint, for those not familiar with how to do this they might actually miss out on seeing some of the detail which would be a real shame. Night effects are very well done, turn on the cabin lights and you are bathed in a nice white glow, this is no good for flying because of reflection on the glass, another thing the VC does very well, but once on the ground the light is excellent, there are also excellent visuals of this externally as well.

Panel – The panel is functional and representative of its real world counterpart. The main console houses the gauges required to tell you what you need to know regarding flight and engine operation, with the pedestal having electrics, fuel, lights, warning lights and engine start functions as well as with the radios sitting below these. The 2D counterpart has 6 pop up windows reflecting the same information, but these are joined by the cyclic and collective as well as fuel shut-off and a compass. The R44 uses the default FSX GPS and this sits on the top of the console in the VC and naturally has its own pop-up in 2D.

I found all the gauges to be clear and easy to read with all of the buttons that work in the VC working in the 2D. A pop-up check list can be called up by clicking the ‘C’ button on the panel or you can access the same information via the kneeboard.

R44 Sound Set

The sound set that comes with the R44 is excellent. The engine noise from start-up, throttle increase and full power goes through a nice range of RPM increase, with the ‘chop chop’ sounds increasing with your RPM. I did note that on turning the engine over to start it has a nice crank sound and then your straight into low RPM ‘chop chop’, this isn’t realistic as the engine winds up before the rotor is engaged. Once the engine shuts down fully there is a nice electric hum in the VC while systems are still operational, and when you turn of the alternator the power slowly whines down to silence, very cool.

Once running push in the clutch and beef up the mixture and this baby really comes to life with the engine sound increasing in tempo to match the rotor spin. Throttle up and down is a smooth flow of sound that seems realistic, I say seems because I have not flown in an R44 so I’m guessing, but you wont get any complaints from me on the quality of the sound overall. I noticed a few ‘bugs’, on a few occasions I noted that in external view I could still hear the rotors once engine shut down was complete and the ties were in place, but in the VC silence. There is also a grinding sound at times, I’m not sure if this is the sound of the skids on the ground, but I got it on the water as well at very low RPM, it can be annoying at times. Other than that all was good.

FPS Performance & Flying the R44 in FSX

I found the R44 was not entirely different to fly than the default FSX R22. It’s a forgiving machine with a stable flight envelope and dynamics that allows errors without them becoming fatal. Those familiar with flying choppers won’t find any surprises here and those new to them will benefit from the stable dynamics mentioned. Naturally the 44 is heavier than the 22, but the more powerful engine compensates for this. You will find a difference in feel for the float fitted Clipper variant, the floats are substantial and come with a weight penalty, the manual says its about 65kg so this will slow you to some degree, you can also expect drag in the Clipper II as well especially once the emergency floats are deployed.

I found throttle control was the key to good flying in this ship, the R44 will rocket straight up if you apply too much power so good control of the cyclic and stick are required to keep it in check. Conservative flying was the name of the game, and while good speeds were possible I had to remember that at the end of the day this is a GA style helicopter designed for day trips and site seeing tours, it’s not a performance chopper you can throw around and expect super speeds from. In terms of realism its very hard for me to comment as I haven’t flown one of these birds, but it seemed to feel right for its size and engine size. I’m crap at hovering in all choppers but found I was actually getting somewhere with this skill on the R44, whether that’s through perseverance or the flight dynamics I’m not sure, but what it does say is the R44 is stable enough to make it achievable.

I have my FPS set to a constant 25, and I found the R44 to barely register a dip on this. Like all FSX add-ons your scenery, water and special effects settings all have a bearing on FPS, so you will need to find the sweet spot that works for you. The bottom line is if you can run the default aircraft with ease you won’t have any problems at all with this model.

Summing Up & Rating

If you like Helicopters, particularly the smaller type, I encourage you to look closely at this model. JustFlights R44 is a fully specked FSX Helicopter with heaps of options and flexibility, from the extensive manual, heaps of skins and add-ons in the form of the AeroSelect and AeroPaint make this a classy package. The three variants make for a wide range of flight options that lend themselves very well to flying in New Zealand. The R44 is stable and forgiving, so makes it ideal for those new to choppers, but the flight model also rewards those familiar with them as well.

Visually this model can’t be flawed in my view, I think the screenshots above when compared to the photos are testament to that. The VC is excellent and highly functional, the lack of additional camera locations within while disappointing don’t detract from the overall quality in any way. Excellent sound inside and out, small bugs aside, rounds of this package nicely. I have awarded the JustFlight R44 5 stars.