PMDG BAe Jetstream 4100 In My Hangar!

I picked up the new PMDG BAe Jetstream 4100 product on Friday. All I can say is: WOW. This is easily the most detailed, complete simulation of a turboprop I have ever had the pleasure of flying in FSX. It is an amazing deal at only $44.95 (U.S.) -- I could easily justify paying 1.5 or 2 times more than this price for such a high quality simulation.

It took me all weekend (admittedly with many other distractions going on) just to read through the tutorial and complete the tutorial flight from White Plains (KHPN) to Washington-Dulles (KIAD). The tutorial document itself is nearly 100 pages long, and it covers the procedures from cold and dark startup all the way to landing. Flying the JS4100 is very complex, so you will want to pay close attention to the manuals, and check out the PMDG support forums over on AVSIM. This is NOT a plane where you can just skip the manuals and start flying around. If you screw up the torque setting, for example, the game will kindly melt your engines for you, just like in real life. There are a LOT of gotchas! However, mastering this plane is truly a rewarding and joyful experience.

There are a few minor bugs -- notably, some CTD issues at the beginning or end of the sim. Hopefully PMDG will work these kinks out and release a patch soon. They seem to be minor enough that I can deal with them for now. (CTD's during a flight are absolutely unacceptable, and fortunately, I haven't encountered any of those yet.)

I will do a full mini-review soon, once I get some more flights in. In the meantime, I will tease you with a couple of snaps from the tutorial flight:





Beware: this plane was designed only with a 3D VC -- just like the Captain Sim 727, there is no 2D main panel. On top of that, this one is FSX-only. Many FS9 fans are crying foul over this, but PMDG has made their position quite clear.