Review and Screenshots by Jon Murchison
 

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Overview & Background
 

The Tiltrotor, or as its officially know as the Bell Augusta BA609 Tiltrotor VTOL Aircraft, is a unique bird being the smaller sibling of the larger military V-22 Osprey. Torn between being a plane and helicopter its in the unique position of actually being good at both. Development of the real world Tiltrotor started in 1996 with the first prototype flying in 2003. Due to development issues with its big brother the V-22 Osprey progress was delayed but in 2006 it was back in the air and demonstrating it could successfully morph from helicopter to plane. If things go well Bell Augusta are hoping to have the Tiltrotor certified in 2010/2011, and to date have received over 80 orders. The Tiltrotor has a carbon fiber shell body reinforced with aluminum, and is big enough to carry 9 passengers in pressurized comfort, its maximum service ceiling being 25000 feet. Its not the biggest aircraft by any means with an overall length of just 44 feet, however the 26 foot props (3 bladed) powered by  Canadian built Pratt & Whitney PT6C-67A Turboshaft engines, make the Tiltrotor an impressive looking beast. It's in the engine nacelles and the props that the magic happens with this aircraft. The nacelles swivel from horizontal to vertical and the Tiltrotor performs and behaves just like a helicopter, swivel them to the horizontal and you have a turboprop aircraft.
 

         

 
And so we come to the Wilco rendition, or should I say Aeroplane Heaven (AH) as they are the actual developers of the Tiltrotor. The Tiltrotor was an interesting choice as it was always going to present challenges in Flightsim. How do you model an aircraft that is both helicopter and plane, and get it to perform as both? Then take into account the development of the Tiltrotor is secret so there is no access to plans or cockpit layouts etc, its a big task so lets see how they did.
 
Installation & Documentation
 
At this stage only the download version is available from Wilco and is 99MB, and this is what I reviewed. In February the CD is to be released and I noted on the Wilco website pre-orders are being accepted for this now. Wilco has a simple and straightforward auto installer that will ask you for your install key and then proceeds to extract the files to your FSX folders. All up 7 folders are created with 5 of them being the models, 1 for missions and the last containing the PDF manual. The full install will take up about 500MB of HD space and as noted 5 models are installed and a total of 11 skins which vary to suit the model types. A paintkit is available from Wilco and while this was useful with various layers for detail I did note a number of graphics from the nacelles were missing. Other than that most repainter's familiar with working with layers will find this easy enough to use and I was able to put together an Air New Zealand link skin in a few hours.
 
Install Paintkit
 
The Tiltrotor manual covers 20 pages and 'covers installation, provides background on the Tiltrotor itself including history and specs and then proceeds to go into detail on the exterior of the aircraft and its unique features before looking at the cockpit and its layout. The various interiors are covered as these are unique for each variant (military, prototype, med evac, rescue, corporate & short haul passenger). Basic cold start-up procedures and flying are covered and this is where its gets particularly interesting as we are given our first insight into what the Tiltrotor is capable off. Now if you are anything like me typically you bypass the manual and load FSX straight away, but having started doing reviews I have managed to control my natural instinct and read first and have found it to be quite useful. In this case it was invaluable because two things need to be done to ensure maximum enjoyment straight away. The first is to calibrate your joystick, which I dutifully did. It seems the Tiltrotor is particularly sensitive so having your controller of choice properly set up is important and this is emphasized quite strongly. The second was ensuring Peter Dowson's FSUIPC is installed. This is where I initially came unstuck. The manual does say you need this module, and emphasizes the free version is sufficient, but what it doesn't do is tell you it must be the latest version. I had FSUIPC installed so felt I had met the criteria but when I started trying to fly the Tiltrotor it wouldn't behave like a helicopter at all, it was a plane and no amount of controller calibrations were going to see it lift off and hover. I trawled various forums, as Wilco don't have one, and found with dismay that other users were having no problems getting their Tiltrotor to lift off and hover. With a pouted bottom lip and growing frustration I installed the FS9 version to cross check and low and behold, it hovered, but still no joy in FSX. That was until I read a post on a forum that once again mentioned FSUIPC and its pros and cons. A light bulb started to glow faintly above my head and I decided to download and install the latest FSUIPC. Once done the Tiltrotor worked like a charm. Now my gripe here is that a mention the latest version of FSUIPC should be installed would have saved me two weeks of head scratching and tantrums, so learn from my mistake simling's, and ensure you have the latest 'everything' installed when an add-on mentions it. For those interested you can download the latest FSUIPC here.
 
Flight Self Shadowing Detailed Gear Nacelle Detail Flap Detail
 
The last section of the manual outlines the missions and provides a handy one page panel layout guide. So with the paperwork out of the way lets head out onto the ramp and take a look before we head out on our first Tiltrotor sortie.
 
Visual Model
 
What immediately struck me about the Tiltrotor was it's smooth lines and what appeared to be a lack of sharp corners. My immediate reaction was 'wow'. First I can confirm this is a genuine FSX model with all the FSX SDK bells and whistles included such as reflections, bump and spec maps and self shadowing. Secondly, it looks good up close and at a distance which told me it probably has a high polygon count. For detail that's a great thing but it can cramp performance, the upside of this is that it's not a huge aircraft so this may well balance this out, but we will look at performance more closely a little later. Overall the model has clearly been refined and worked on extensively and I really liked the detailing around the cockpit windows in particular. The cockpit interior itself is visible as are the two animated pilots  (these are animated independently of each other and have a wide range of movements from talking to each other to dealing with overhead switches) and behind them the cabin interior. 6 models are featured so the external aesthetics change to suit the type, the most distinctive of them being the military model with missiles slung in under belly harnesses (these are animated so when it lands they move out and up) and when the side door opens a rather large chain gun swivels out. Of course the stubby wings with the huge nacelles on the end are the primary feature, add 2 huge 3 bladed props on the tip and you've got a sleek beast! Animation wise the nose and main landing gear and gear doors, the front passenger and rear cargo doors and on some models the side door itself moves. The props swivel on a 360 to provide forward, sideways and back movement when vertical and on the ground. The flaps are quite different in that they, like the nacelles, go from horizontal to vertical depending on what flying mode you have selected and stay in that position, retract the flaps and your nacelles are horizontal. A nice touch is when on the ramp flip the security switch on the centre pedestal and wheel clamps, cones with strobe lights and warning tags appear.
 
Monster Props Med Evac Watching Military Might Smooth Lines
 
Externally, with the exception of the military variant, the Tiltrotor models look mostly the same, its on the inside where things change dramatically. The first variant I flew was the medivac and I was amazed, and I don't use that word lightly, at the level of detail AH have packed in here. Personally I found the detail on the the faces of those in the cabin of the medivac to be the best I have seen in an FSX aircraft to date. In fact all the interior cabin models are of an exceptionally high quality with lots of eye candy making them well worth taking a good look through. I found more than a couple of items across the various models that really made it clear this model was not a five minute job, and hopefully the screenshots below capture some of that for you (note the model Tiltrotor on the table and guns on the wall). Thoughtfully lots of VC cameras have been included so you get views throughout the cabin from the front and back and sometimes in between. My only grumble about the visual model, and it relates more to the effects than the model is the smoke. The attach points are a foot or so to the left and right of the exhaust ports so looks rather odd on engine start-up.
 
Military Cabin Med Evac Cabin Face Detail Short Haul Cabin Executive Cabin
Military Cabin Detail Executive Cabin Executive Cabin Detail Police Cabin Prototype Cabin
 
I mentioned earlier the potential for the Tiltrotor to have a high polygon count and thus performance may be effected in FSX. I'm not able to confirm a count but will say users with lower end systems may see a dip in their FPS. The level of detail included in the models is so high that this is to be expected to a degree, but what impact it will have is hard to say. Personally I found my FPS dropped around 5 FPS but the sim remained smooth. I have read others mention performance hits but like anything in FSX this is so unique to each user its a mine field trying to give an accurate picture and make it relevant for everyone. My rule of thumb tends to be that if you can fly the default 747 into scenery areas with lots of detail like say Auckland or Sydney and your performance stays solid, you wont have problems but yes, you may need to adjust your settings to find the new Tiltrotor sweet spot. Given FSX allows you to save settings means its easy enough to have a setting specifically for this aircraft if you wish, I do and it works well.
 

VC, Panel and Sounds
 
Because of a lack of real world detail on the panel the Tiltrotor will eventually have, Wilco have had to make some assumptions and put together what they think will most likely be its layout and configuration. As it is I was impressed with the panel. Clearly the view is the Tiltrotor will have a glass cockpit, so the centerpiece is 3 large Garmin G1000 screens, above this an autopilot with the radios and backup GPS in the centre pedestal below. The overhead panel has engine power levers, electrics and avionics. One thing I did note was light switches included on all three panel areas which I found a little odd but I will say very handy. The majority of the switches and buttons work but don't have any audible acknowledgment of them when pressed, and the fasten seatbelt switch seemed to have a painfully slow animation period to it. These things aside the overall appearance of the panel is attractive, well laid out and I personally found very easy to read without blurriness. A nice example of the VC animations is when I applied the parking brake, the rudder pedals adjusted themselves forward as if they were being pushed as well. Night lighting in the VC is very impressive. 3 modes of lighting are available, full partial or none and with this you can choose whether dome lighting is turned on or not (dome lighting is the attractive splash lighting on each switch you can see below). For night flying this lighting added real depth and changed the mood quite allot and in my view has been very well implemented. Externally there is little in the way of night lights. No tail splash light exists nor are their fuselage splash's from landing lights, but because the cabin is modeled and you can see inside when the lights are turned on the interior is fully illuminated.
 
Co-Pilot VC Start-up G1000 VC Overview - FO Overhead
2D Components Backup GPS VC Overview - Capt Night Light 1 Night Light 2
 
While no 2D panel is included all the GPS screens, the autopilot, radio and backup Altimeter and Airspeed Indicator are available as pop up windows. I personally like 2D pop-ups and in the Tiltrotor found them to be useful, particularly the AP as I found the knobs for controlling speed and climb/descent in the VC to be very fiddly to use. By the looks default FSX CRJ gauges form the basis for the Tiltrotor, but the pilots Garmin 1000 has been modified by Wilco as can be seen in the VC start-up screenshot above. Initially I thought some attempt had been made to include 3D terrain mapping but I soon realized this was actually a stationary image. The default GPS has been spruced up in the VC, the 2D version remains standard. I felt that the flight control stick was in an odd position, to my eye its too far to the right and would most likely jam my knee against the centre pedestal if I was sitting in the seat.
 
Sounds wise the Tiltrotor is quite average using default Kingair sounds. While I understand a suitable sound set is not possible at this stage, the Kingair sounds really don't suit the large props this aircraft has. Something deeper and meaner seems appropriate. For the time being we will have to live with what we have, it doesn't detract greatly its just that a great sound set adds the final touch to any aircraft package.
 

Flight Model - Flying the Tiltrotor
 

Fun, well challenging fun would be the best way I would describe the flight experience of the Tiltrotor. Having spent many hours flying this bird across a number of scenarios, the Tiltrotor is both nimble and flexible, but provides flying challenges on two fronts that require flying styles that end up contradicting each other. The first is its VTOL ability. I found the Tiltrotor to be allot more stable than any chopper I have flown, and I don't profess skill in this area. With the Tiltrotor this was simply a matter of applying power and off she went, straight up. Movement forward or aft, starboard or port only happened when I touched the joystick rather than their being 'float', which suggest the flight model is very stable and the aircraft is extremely well balanced. The key for VTOL takeoff's was don't touch anything and let the props do their job. Engine power is a key factor as full power is required for VTOL takeoff but then needs to be managed to gain a stable hover, drop the power too much and she will fall and being big turbo prop engines it takes a few moments for the power to come back and get effective lift from the props.

 

Once airborne having rotating nacelles meant no forward action on the controls was required to begin moving, simply rotating the nacelles forward had the Tiltrotor moving and picking up speed and climbing as she started to transition from helicopter to plane. From take-off to this initial climb and transition phase I had not needed to touch the control column. Once in a stable climb I raised the gear and moved the nacelles through their 4 'stops' or flap positions taking them to the fully horizontal position and we were fully configured as an aircraft and quickly sped up and my rate of climb increased, at this point I was actually required to fly. As a plane the Tiltrotor is fast and I found I had to be careful with my control inputs as fairly gentle joystick movements had her turning left and right quite steeply. No doubt this is where the joystick calibration comes in. This is where the contradiction I mentioned exists, on the one hand a hands off approach to VTOL take-offs works well, yet once she begins to transform from helo to plane a hands off approach would be disastrous, so it does take some time to become familiar with appropriate flying techniques through the different phases of flight.
 
Low and Fast Any Terrain Monster Props Security Advanced Flight
 

In the climb she was agile and I was able to get her to climb at around 5500 FPM before eventually stalling. The Tiltrotor's top speed is listed at 275 knots (509kmh) but I found that in calm conditions at 16,000 feet it sat comfortably around the 237 knot mark. Rudder input gave strong results particularly in the hover, so the name of the game was gentle movements across all axis. For those who prefer their helicopters with wings there is the VSTOL take-off option. This is as simple as adjusting the nacelles one click lower than vertical and applying power, but unlike VTOL full power is not required to get airborne quickly. If anything I would say this aircraft required 'feel' to fly effectively. Yes I could throw it around the sky if I wanted (quite happy inverted and barrel roles well) but to fly effectively did require more concentration and I dare say 'skill' as I really needed to think ahead to ensure correct power management and when to move the nacelles, as both these changes make a big impact on how the Tiltrotor fly's and responds to inputs. The AP managed quite well and I used it to control my heading, climb and descent and found it adapted well particularly when I threw nacelle angle changes at it during descent given the Tiltrotors tendency to climb the more vertical they become. Descending at around 2000 FPM you really get an appreciation for how engine power effects descent and climb rates. If you cut power on a fix wing engine while descending you typically still need to manage your airspeed, but not so with the Tiltrotor. When descending from 7000 to 3500 I cut power and my airspeed drooped from 235 to 160 quickly and it was clear I was started to fall out of the sky, so once again, and I know I am sounding like a broken record here, the importance of managing engine power was underlined.

 
Smokey Start Eh? Frozen Ops Police Rescue Armed and Dangerous
Animated Inverted Flight Approach NZWN GA Ramp Rotor Wash Effects
 

Using the nacelles on approach also had a direct bearing on lift and speed with the nose going up and my airspeed falling. Each flap setting (nacelle angle change) lost about 25 knots so I needed to decide early what I wanted to fly, a standard fixed wing approach all be it VSTOL or work the nacelles and land on the ramp itself. On finals timing how you work the nacelles and the engines becomes crucial. The huge props produce enormous amounts of lift so pitch becomes the determining factor, especially in VTOL mode because you are now a chopper so also have to be mindful you don't start going backwards if you loose too much air speed. I tried a props fully forward landing and the Tiltrotor was intelligent enough to detect this and automatically rotate the nacelles before I was able to slam the props into the deck. Overall my impressions were the Tiltrotor provides a good balance of challenge with stable flight. She's nimble and highly maneuverable but will kill you as soon as look at you if you don't manage the power properly on approach and landing. I don't see too many issues here for fixed wing pilots, if anything the Tiltrotor is a better and more stable helicopter than most helicopters in FSX, and a responsive and agile plane, so really its the best of both worlds, and as I said at the start of this section, its one hella fun aircraft to fly.
 

MISSIONS
 
As an added bonus the missions installed as part of Tiltrotor work well and certainly provide opportunities for users to become familiar with the Tiltrotor's unique flying abilities. The missions provide a series of scenarios that are a good introduction to its capabilities and while there are only 4 each one has three flight scenarios included (standard day flight, IFR and a night version), so the 12 provide different challenges. Each one has additional aircraft and scenery items added to complement the mission and add some depth and build in difficulty from beginner to expert, so ones flying skills can be honed to complete all 12 missions.
 

 
The missions use computer generated voices and while they have been massaged and radio voice effects have been added to help mask them, I personally find this type of voice irritating. Having said they they do the job effectively enough and don't detract from the actual flying which is what the missions are about. The only real issue I identified was with the Everest Extraction mission that  starts at Lukla Airport. I have Aerosoft's Lukla X installed which changes the location of the airport and as a result this clashed with the missions start point. Once I was airborne it was fine but the initial sweeping camera views were pretty much under the mountains given the original FSX location for Lukla and Aerosoft's are quite different.
 
FINAL WORDS & RATING
 
I'm impressed with Tiltrotor. Flying this aircraft has been the most fun I have had in Flightsim for some time and I think the flexibility of this machine is the appeal along with an excellent model, lots of detail and a VC that I found to work well. The scope Tiltrotor offers is also impressive, with 6 models all quite unique and offering different flying scenarios, the Tiltrotor lends itself magnificently to FSX missions and quite different types of flying. Its certainly not a point to point machine, even though it does this well, its real strength...well actually it is a point to point machine, the thing is it can be any point you like, airport, mountain top, building helipad or remote glacier, the Tiltrotor is built for them all. Given this real world aircraft is still keeping most of its secrets hidden, I personally think Wilco and the developer Aeroplane Heaven have done a great job. What's even better is the Tiltrotor remains an open project, so as information comes to hand and changes can be made to better reflect its real world counterpart, they will be released as patches. If you want a fun aircraft that's flexible and allows the best of fixed and rotary wing flight, I wholeheartedly recommend the Wilco Tiltrotor, and am awarding it an X-Rating of 5.