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Introduction

I would think by now, most flight simulation enthusiasts will have heard of Alabeo, a company launched in 2011 as a sister company to Carenado. The company consists of some of the brightest modellers, designers and pilots, all with a vast amount of aviation knowledge and expertise. These guys collaborate to bring us some of the best aircraft add-ons to make our flight simming as immersive as possible.

Alabeo now have a library of thirty seven aircraft, and growing, available for FSX, Prepar3D, X-Plane, and Jay.

History

The DA42 'Twin Star' was certified in Europe in 2004 and in the United States in 2005. The aircraft is made of carbon composite material and is equipped with a Garmin G1000 glass cockpit. The DA42 'Twin Star' was the first diesel powered fixed wing aircraft to make a non-stop crossing of the North Atlantic, in 12.5 hours, with an average fuel consumption of 5.74 gallons per hour (2.87 gallons per hour per engine).

In June 2010, a DA42 powered by Austro AE300 engines became the first aircraft to be publicly flown on algae derived jet fuel. By March 2012, the DA42 had become the major income driver at Diamond Aircraft. Company CEO, Christian Dries, indicated the market focus of the company had been changed by the recession of 2008—2010 and the company now derives two-thirds of its revenue from military and government contracts, primarily for manned and unmanned (Aeronautics Defence Dominator) surveillance aircraft.

Also in March 2012. Diamond aircraft announced they were developing a fly-by-wire version of the DA42, with the aim of reducing the accident rate in light aircraft. The system is expected to eventually include flight envelope protection, turbulence righting, and auto-land capabilities. The system will also include damage tolerant, by-pass capabilities, allowing flight with jammed or missing controls.

Availability, Installation, and Documentation

Availability. The Alabeo DA42 'Twin Star' is available as a download from Alabeo.com and Alabeo resellers. There is also the option of purchasing a CD/DVD back-up from some resellers, at a nominal cost. The DA42 is priced at US$34.95, approximately UK£23.54. You will need 770MB of hard disk space for the download, which gives you some idea of the quality of this aircraft.

Installation. Once downloaded, you should run the installation file and during registration you will be asked for your email address and the serial number that will have been sent to you by email. Once you have entered this information, you will then be asked to choose the version you wish to install, as shown below.

Register Page

Version Page

Documentation. There are six manuals / documents provided in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC format (.pdf):
        • Alabeo G1000 - A twenty-four page manual explaining the inner workings of the G1000 PFD;
        • Autopilot KFC225 - A three page manual explaining how to use the Bendix/King Autopilot (AP) Flight System;
        • Normal Procedures - Twenty-five pages giving procedures for the normal operations;
        • Emergency Procedures - Twenty-one pages of procedural advice on all things emergency within the DA42;
        • Performance Tables - A two page synopsis of the performance of the DA42; and
        • Reference - this one page document details the general characteristics and performance specifications for the aircraft.

Model Features

The Alabeo DA42 'Twin Star' comes equipped with a fully functional G1000 Primary Flight Display. Not for the feint hearted, but the twenty-four page manual is very intuitive, as I found. Alabeo have worked hard on the development of the DA42 'Twin Star' and this shows in the myriad of features you will find on this aircraft, giving the pilot as near a true to life experience as is possible in a simulator:
        • Alabeo G1000;
        • flexing wing effect (wing flex);
        • superb material shines and reflections;
        • volumetric side view prop effect;
        • gauge reflections;
        • knob click sounds;
        • window scratches and blades shines;
        • high quality 3D model and textures; and
        • realistic behaviour.

General Visual Appearance

Exterior. Alabeo have created a truly fantastic looking aircraft in the DA42 'Twin Star'. The exterior modelling is accentuated by the superb material shine and reflections. The paint schemes, although at first sight look fairly simple, have been created with attention to style and accuracy. The detailing over the whole exterior is precise and true to the real world DA42. With wing flexing in flight, volumetric side view prop effects, and sleek design and shape, it all adds up to what is, the Formula 1 of the skies.

Interior. The interior is also reflective of the very high Alabeo standard. The cockpit layout has been beautifully rendered and gives you the feel of a high quality aircraft. The various materials used in the interior are also of a high standard, from the leather seating, to the composite materials of the cockpit and instrument panels.

Liveries. The six liveries included are all complete with their own individual registration number and decal scheme. The skins of all the models are full HD and reflect this in the way Alabeo have rendered them. The reflections, shines and window scratches all add to give this aircraft a 'fresh from the factory' look and feel.

N283PU	N317RC
N482DA	N774DL
OE-FDA	PH-LUE

Exterior

With two Thielert, 2.0 litre (TAE 125-02-99) engines, with stunning metallic silver intake rims and nose cones, shark fin like winglets, and bullet shaped fuselage, the DA42 'Twin Star' truly is a delight to the eyes. Alabeo have pulled out the stops for this aircraft in both design and functionality. There are four opening doors on this model including, the main door, rear passenger door, and two luggage bay doors either side of the nose. All these and more are fully animated.

Whilst the aircraft is cold and dark, there are also all the requisite components for a tie down, including pitot covers, cones, and towing buggy. As you can see below.

Static Accessories	Towing Buggy
Doors Open	Doors Closed
Looking Down	Starboard Engine
Metal Shine - Spinner	Metal Shine - Intake

Interior

In my view, and with no exception, Alabeo are going from strength to strength with each aircraft they produce. The interior of the DA42 'Twin Star' is quite exceptional, from the gorgeous leather seating and trims to the amazing cockpit console. The instrumentation is, for want of a better phrase, 'simply the best'. The proof of this is shown in the screenshots below.

Left Panel	Right Panel
Fuel Controls	Engine, Parking Brake, and Trim Controls
Rear Seat View	Rear Seats

Instruments and Panel Layout

The glass cockpit layout is extremely compact and within easy reach of the pilot. The two main glass panels are the Primary Flight Display (PFD - on the left) and the Multi Function Display (MFD - on the right). These, plus the four analogue instruments above them, are what make up the Alabeo DA42 'Twin Star' cockpit display.

PFD

MFD

Complementing these displays is the centre console display which consists of the engine and trim controls, fuel, and parking brake controls. The DA42 utilises a stick yoke and it gives an uninterrupted view of all the controls. There are an abundance of click spots and almost all switches and dials are operational. There are, as usual, several views available of the cockpit, allowing the pilot to get up close and personal with all the available switches, dials and controls. Check-lists can be obtained through the MDF and are very comprehensive and easily navigated. As a first time user of this glass cockpit, I found the MDF fairly easy to use and navigate. As we have come to expect from Alabeo, a very nice high quality office.

As a general rule, I fly VFR and, as such, I don't tend to use the autopilot function very often. Having said that, I was going through the checks for click spots within the cockpit environment and found something a little odd. When using the Autopilot panel, the Flight Director button is missing up to the point of activating it as seen below. I am sure this is just an oversight by the developers and will hopefully be rectified at some point. At the time of writing this review, there was no fix.

Illuminated FD Button

Missing FD Button

Animations, Lighting, and Sounds

Animations on Alabeo's DA42 'Twin Star' are the main control surfaces, main gear, cockpit switches, levers and buttons, both main and rear passenger canopies, and nose luggage bays. All of these are very fluid and smooth in action. One major improvement though is the wing flexing on take off and during flight. This really adds to the whole realism.

Gear Deploying

Gear Down

As with other Alabeo aircraft, the cabin lighting is well done and it comes with the ability to increase or decrease the flood intensity. External lighting, including landing lights, strobes, navigation lights, etc., are also very nicely reproduced.

Landing Lights

Cockpit Lighting

There are some 80 sound files which accompany the DA42 'Twin Star' and as far as I am able to say, they all sound acceptable. I have not been in a real world DA42, so I am not qualified to say, but to my ears they are pretty much as real as I can expect. Everything in or on this aircraft which requires a sound, has been catered for.

General Characteristics and Performance Specifications

The general characteristics and performance specifications for the DA42 'Twin Star' are provided below and gathered from the Diamond DA42 'Twin Star' Data Sheet, available online. There appears to be some very slight discrepancies between these figures and those published with the Alabeo DA42 (which can be found in the PDF documentation), but not enough to get hung up about.

        • Engine – 2 x Lycoming IO-360, fuel injected, counter rotating engines, equipped with PowerFlow tuned exhaust system.
        • Horsepower - 360 hp total.
        • Propellers – 2 x MT 3 blade, composite, hydraulic constant speed, with unfeathering accumulator.
        • Airworthiness Category – normal.
        • Length - 28 ft 1 in.
        • Height - 8 ft 2 in.
        • Wing span - 44 ft.
        • Maximum Take-Off Weight - 3,935 lbs.
        • Useful Load - 1,180 lbs.
        • Fuel Capacity (total / usable) – 79.0 gal / 76.4 gal.
        • Fuel - 100 LL Avgas.
        • Take-Off Distance - 1,590 ft.
        • Take-Off Distance (50 ft obstacle) - 2,450 ft.
        • Landing Ground Roll - 1,210 ft.
        • Landing Distance (50 ft obstacle) - 2,410 ft.
        • Rate of Climb (MTOW, SL, ISA, Vy:90 kts) - 1,400 fpm.
        • Maximum Demonstrated Operating Altitude - 18,000 ft.
        • Maximum Single Engine Ceiling (ROC <50 fpm) - 6,400 ft.
        • Maximum Speed (Take Off Power, SL, ISA) - 178 kts.
        • Cruise Speed (75% power) – 162 ktas.
        • Maximum Range (no reserve) - 800+ nm.

Flight Performance

This aircraft flies beautifully and is a stunning looking twin. All the main control surfaces operate quite fluidly with barely any input from the pilot. There was some slight drop in frame rates compared to other aircraft in my hangar and this was most probably due to the G1000 glass cockpit system. Alabeo have done a particularly fine job with this aircraft and I am pleased to say it is a very easy aircraft to handle, from taxiing, to take off, whilst in flight, to landing, every aspect is super simple to fly. Even given that you may have to learn the idiosyncrasies of the G1000 cockpit, the learning curve is fairly gentle, but it is very intuitive once you have mastered the basics.

Value for Money

On a value for money assessment, the Alabeo DA42 'Twin Star' could be considered marginally expensive, however, the quality is there.

Technical Requirements

This version of the Alabeo DA42 'Twin Star' is for FSX / P3D only. Other specified technical requirements are as follows:
        • Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 (32 or 64bit);
        • Microsoft Flight Simulator FSX with SP1 and SP2 (or Acceleration Pack) or Lockheed Martin Prepar3d Flight Simulator installed; and
        • Pentium V, 2GHz or similar, 2GB RAM, 512MB graphics card, and 770MB available HDD space.

Review Computer Specifications

The specifications of the computer on which the review was conducted are as follows:
        • Asus P8Z77-V motherboard, Intel i7 3.4Ghz 'Sandybridge';
        • Asus Strix Geforce GTX970 OC 4Gb, graphics card;
        • 16GB, DDR3, Corsair Vengeance, 2400MHz RAM;
        • 500GB, WD Velociraptor - FSX;
        • 128GB, Corsair Force 3 SSD - OS;
        • 1.5TB flight simulator add-ons; and
        • Windows 7, (64bit);

Conclusion

If, like me, you like general aviation flying and have been looking to further your knowledge with more state-of-the-art avionics equipment, then the Alabeo DA42 'Twin Star' is the aircraft for you. You can take this aircraft anywhere from valley floor flying to the dizzy heights of 18,000 ft, from the longest, largest airfields to some of the shortest dirt/grass strips, they are all out there waiting for you in the DA42 'Twin Star'. At a little under £25.00, some may think it is a tad on the expensive side, but you should seriously consider purchasing this aircraft, then decide for yourself - it is worth it in my opinion.

Verdict

Another Alabeo masterpiece and one which has gone further than any previous Alabeo aircraft.

Pros:
Realistic behaviour.
Superbly modelled.
Excellent shine and reflections, both interior and exterior.
Fluid operation.
Extremely responsive.
Wing flexing (a first for Alabeo).
Intuitive cockpit with plenty of documentation to help you learn.
Volumetric side view prop effect.
High quality 3D models and textures.

Cons:
Slight frame rate dip.
Value for money (for some).

Scores:
● External Model:	10/10
● Internal Model:	9.0/10
● Sounds:	10/10
● Flight Characteristics (does it fly by the numbers):	10/10
● Flight Dynamics (does it feel like what it looks like):	10/10
● Documentation:	9.0/10
● Value for Money:	10/10

The Alabeo Diamond DA42 'Twin Star' is awarded an overall Mutley’s Hangar score of 9.6/10, with an "Outstanding" and a Mutley's Hangar Gold Award.