Product Review

Introduction

So you have decided it is time to expand your flight simulator fleet, probably yet again, if your obsession is strong. Maybe you have mainly flown single engine general aviation aircraft and you could be looking to step up in the world and try something slightly larger. Then again, you could be planning some long distance flying and want the range, reliability and added safety of a twin engine aircraft. Whatever the motivation, of course, the next quandary is, "Now, what am I going to buy?".

Looking around the market only serves to compound the issue as the range is wide and diverse, but something with a little old world charm and yet, with enough technology to ease the workload of flying, is what appeals to you. Deciding to refine your search, you create a list of requirements, and after some further research, you finally decide on the Piper PA-23 'Aztec', a venerable and beautiful aircraft from one of the most renowned aircraft manufacturers in this category. Knowing that Piper has produced some of the most successful twin engine general aviation aircraft, you feel comfortable and assured that your choice is perfect for your needs.

Now to the market and you realise that Alabeo not only have a focus on aircraft with old world charm, but they have just released a Piper PA-23 'Aztec' F. You are in luck, the aircraft you want, from a company which has established itself as one of the leaders in its field.

Availability and Installation

The Alabeo Piper PA-23 'Aztec' F is currently available direct from Alabeo and Alabeo resellers as a download only product (some resellers also offer a master back-up CD / DVD service for a minor additional cost). It is priced at US$34.95, or the equivalent on currency cross rates. The download file size is 364MB and it requires 1.1GB of HDD space for installation. An activation key is issued on purchase and is used during installation and the installation process is intuitive and seamless.

Model Features

Visual Appearance

General Overview. The pedigree of the Piper PA-23 'Aztec' F is immediately evident and it is a perfect passenger aircraft for long distance cruising. Neat and compact, the PA-23 is a nice progression from a single engine aircraft into the twin engine general aviation aircraft category. Its size is not daunting, thus providing a visual reassurance that it is not too much aircraft to handle in flight.

Exterior. The Piper PA-23 'Aztec' F exudes the old world charm consistent with the production era. There is nothing ostentatious about this aircraft, it is simple and functional, displaying a fundamental fit for purpose design philosophy. The elongated, pointed nose provides additional baggage storage space and gives the aircraft a very distinctive, if not slightly aggressive appearance. An additional separate baggage storage compartment is located in the rear section of the fuselage. The twin bladed, Lycoming engines are housed in 'tiger shark' cowlings, a design feature shared with the PA-30 'Twin Comanche' and PA-31 'Navajo', and they certainly give a comforting impression of reliability.

Interior. The interior is a standard passenger configuration for the variant with a cabin layout of four seat passenger seats in a row arrangement. Textured seating, carpet, and padded side panels are typical of the era, and again, this provides a simple and practical environment in which to fly.

Flight Instruments and Systems. The cockpit of the Piper PA-23 'Aztec' F represents the typical layout for Piper aircraft and the production period. You can rest assured that you will not need an electronics engineering or computer engineering degree for this cockpit. The standard analogue flight instruments are typical of the model range and consistent with an aircraft of this category and age, and they are supplemented with the Garmin GNS 530 GPS unit, Century III autopilot flight system, and Stormscope WX-11 weather radar.

Models and Liveries. The Piper PA-23 'Aztec' F is provided in a single model with six individual liveries (a selection only shown below) and two different cockpit panel colours. Each aircraft has a unique aircraft registration number and there is an additional blank texture for aircraft painting enthusiasts. The supplied paint schemes are of a retro style, again, consistent with the production era. Displaying high quality, the surface textures, reflections, and shadings, along with additional scuff marks, scrape effects, dirt, oil, and grease stains, give each aircraft a realistic appearance.

Summary, Issues, and Variations. Alabeo's rendition of the Piper PA-23 'Aztec' F is highly detailed and accurate, the visual quality is excellent, and it provides a faithful representation of the real world aircraft. All elements of the cockpit are clear and easy to read, with various alternative cockpit camera views available to provide more detailed clarity. Any noted visual variations were minor and are considered to be related to real world production variations or a degree of artistic licence on the part of the developer. Any noted issues and variations with cockpit functions and operation were considered minor and / or in the interests of simplifying the function for practical flight simulator use. Specific attention to the manual for the correct operation of the Century III autopilot flight system will ease any frustration or confusion in its operation.

Animations, Lighting, and Sounds

The animations of the primary and secondary control surfaces and other moving elements on Alabeo's Piper PA-23 'Aztec' F are all modelled faithfully and include:
primary control surfaces - ailerons, elevator, and rudder;
secondary control surfaces - flaps;
others - elevator trim tab, cabin doors, baggage compartment doors, cockpit windows, and cockpit window visors; and
various static elements.

The lighting and lighting effects on the PA-23 'Aztec' F are very good and are a realistic representation of the real world aircraft. The engine sounds provide a reasonable representation, if not a somewhat generic, with good stereo separation with view movement in the Virtual Cockpit view and external views.

General Characteristics and Performance Specifications

The general characteristics and performance specifications for the Piper PA-23 'Aztec' F are provided in the table. This is based on data from the official Piper PA-23 'Aztec' F Pilot Operating Handbook, data provided by Alabeo, and general research sources. Some of this data varies between sources and also may be an approximation due to variances in data and the specific aircraft modelled by Alabeo.