The Northrop T-38 Talon is well known as the
first supersonic trainer aircraft in the world, and still holds
the record for most produced supersonic trainer aircraft. In the
United States alone, at least 50,000 trained pilots have
been flying this aircraft. The United States Air Force (USAF)
was the main user of T-38 Talon. Even the USAF Thunderbirds
display team and NASA have been the operators of the T-38 Talon.
Until production was discontinued in the year of 1972, 1,187
T-38s had been produced.
Download and Installation
| Downloading is straightforward.
If purchased from Milviz, you will download the standard
Flight1 installer and you will receive the receipt and
unlock code from Flight1.com The features of this aircraft are: • High Quality 3D VC • 5 different liveries and more in free packs • High resolution paint kit • Highly detailed operating pilot’s handbook • High quality sound set • Extremely realistic night lighting • Flight dynamics tuned and tested by a T-38A Pilot There is an exterior model manager that allows you to install/remove ground equipment pilots and travel pod |
 |
There are 4 manuals, which include a highly detailed Pilot’s Operating Handbook: 116 pages written by a real pilot, which includes all performance charts and figures. If you choose to, you can fly by the numbers, or fly as casual as you wish! If you want to get off the ground and try this package out, you can use the Quick Start handbook that will get you off up into the blue yonder without a lot of reading. There are also 2 manuals covering the Garmin GNS 430 and Garmin GNS 530 GPS systems.
The Cockpit
Milviz describe this as “A high quality 3D VC” and that’s exactly what it is. I compared the cockpit with a picture of a real cockpit and it is the real thing, with its realistic textures and extremely accurate modelling with excellent lighting effects. Both cockpits, front and rear, have a nice feel about them and the position of the viewpoint looks just right. I felt that I did not need to make any adjustments to my position in the cockpit to fly or to enjoy the views. There is an additional GPS system that was added for those who like the cross-country flying but do not want the hassle of VOR. It comes in the shape of the Garmin GNS 430 and 530 which is extremely well documented in the manuals provided.
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Aircraft Exterior
As with the interior, the quality of the aircraft’s exterior is excellent. It displays fantastic modelling and beautiful textures that make a very nice looking aircraft look gorgeous. Authenticity is a strong feature. This looks like an aircraft that has flown. Even the inside of the undercarriage is weathered, the wing roots and other areas of the fuselage that would have been difficult to clean. At first glance at the exterior, it would be difficult to have any criticism. Even on close examination, this exterior maintains that look of realism and accuracy.
 |
 |
 |
|
|  |
The package also contains an exterior model manager that gives you the chance to add or remove the pilots, the ground support equipment and travel pod.
 |
 |
Animations
This has all the usual animations that you would expect from any developer, I have not found any issues with the animation itself, but was surprised to find that the pilots were either not animated or very poorly animated. For those pilots who don’t leave the cockpit view, it does not make any difference. However for those who do like to admire their aircraft from the exterior, the pilot animation would add to the experience.
Sound
The sound is clear with quality engine sound and good clarity in the cockpit. Because of the cockpit sound you know what is happening with the aircraft especially when entering a stall, which really does add to the realism, the cockpit sounds, that also includes nice switch sounds makes this a quality sound package.
Flight Dynamics and Systems
This is one interesting aircraft to fly. It is powerful, and you almost feel the acceleration push the throttles forward, pull back on the stick and you will see those high altitude clouds come looming towards you rather rapidly. If you do not follow the rules, then the only thing that will land this aircraft is luck. The manual and independent flight reports say that you need to fly it on to the runway. Believe me the manual is right; the T-38a will not glide onto the runway. You have to bring it in on the throttle or be prepared for an unfortunate end to the flight..
When first starting engines from cold, it is a very straight forward procedure. However if you forget to press the throttle release levers, then you are going nowhere. The manuals explain it extremely well, but if like me, you have just become a grandfather and have started listening to Radio 4 then read them again.
I used the ILS system which is as basic as the real thing. After learning to land this aircraft during the day, I managed an instrument landing at night and because you do not have the assistance that a modern day ILS system offers it is a rather nerve racking approach. This was a very satisfying experience because of the simplicity of the systems that this aircraft had in its day. It does make you realise the satisfaction and fun that pilots had back then. If you are going to stall, it will let you know, by the sound and the feel. Of course if it stalls, it performs just like the real aircraft; belly first and aggressive wing rocking from side to side.
Conclusion
It would be very difficult to find anything wrong with this T-38A package. It looks beautiful, feels beautiful and the visuals don’t get much better than this. The realism is very real, and you have a feeling that you are sitting in the cockpit of a T-38A. I would say the only criticism I have is that there are no pilot animations. As I mentioned before, for the purist who does not need them, because after all you’re not leaving the cockpit, it might not matter. However for those who like to hop in and out of the cockpit, it does make a difference. I did not notice any real frame rate hit, the performance was excellent. To put this into a clear description, I would say, “challenging but not complex, an absolute dream to look at, and once those wheels touch the tarmac, you take a deep breath and mop your brow.“ Is it value for money, yes definitely without a doubt and if the only criticism is a pilot with no or very little animation then well done Milviz.
Verdict
I think this is very close to being a very
complete package, other than the fact that there is no or
very little animation on the pilots. This might be
considered minor but to some, it could take away the edge.
• External model 10/10
• Internal model 9/10
• 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 10/10
•Value for money 10/10.
Overall, a Mutley's Hangar score of 9.5/10
John Stevens
Review machine Spec: Intel i5 3.10Ghz
| 4Gb DDR2 Ram |GeForce 9800GTX |Windows 7 64bit
|
|
::